Bloodlines

Chapter 1

            Lita watched Trish as she paced across the Diva's locker room.  The redhead's face was lit with the fire of anger, her fists clenched at her sides.  "I can't believe he did this!" Trish said finally, sitting down on the bench across from Lita.  Worry was etched into her face, threaded with fear. 

            Lita sighed quietly, resting her elbows on her thighs as she glanced at Trish.  "It's Eric Bischoff," she said flatly.  "Don't put anything past him."  Trish's hands were balled up, slightly shaking as she sat.

            "But…" her eyes were wide.  "Putting us into a match against Chris Jericho and Christian?" The blonde inhaled sharply, realizing her mistake as she said 'Chris Jericho'.  The redhead flinched slightly, and Trish sputtered.  "I'm sorry Lita."

            Lita didn't say anything in reply, letting the silence fall over them for a second before she murmured, "It's not your fault."  Running her tongue over her lips, she confessed, "I never saw it coming, Trish.  In all this time we've known each other…  He was like my brother.  And then…  He just-turned on me…"

            Trish bowed her head slightly, and said quietly, "Lita, it's over now.  He's a-well, frankly, he's a bastard now.  It's not anyone's fault but his, and he's going to pay for costing you the Women's Championship."

            Lita sighed, running a hand through her hair.  It fell back once more, obscuring her vision with tangles of red.  "Do you want Chris or Christian?" she asked, so quiet that Trish had to lean forward to hear. 

            Trish pressed her palms to her forehead and sighed heavily.  "Christian, I guess," she said finally.  "I wish…  I just wish that Bischoff would be gone.  Doesn't everybody else see that?  The way he treats us…  And none of the board cares, and Vince doesn't even notice!"

            Lita moved her feet rhythmically as she replied, "Vince is probably busy with Stephanie," she mused to herself. 

            Trish smiled half-heartedly.  "It's sweet, you know?  That he's willing to go through so much so that she's safe," her smile faltered, and she added, "But he has to pretend to hate her in order to do it…"

            "Hey," Molly Holly greeted sullenly as she stepped in, followed by a nervous Stacy Keibler. 

            Trish and Lita looked up, greeting the two with small smiles of their own.  "What happened?" Trish asked suddenly as the door swung shut.  Stacy still stood by it, her frame shaking in fear.  Trembling, she slowly made her way to one of the benches and sat.  Her eyes were wide, and she looked like a deer caught in the headlights.  Molly scooted next to Stacy, rubbing her back gently as she looked at the others, worry for her friend pushing aside her own problems.

            "We went to Eric's office, to see if he could get our handicapped match changed," Molly began slowly.  Her eyes filled with angry tears.  "He said he could change it for us if we did him a favor.  We told him no way in hell and he…" she closed her eyes briefly, casting a look at Stacy, "He made it Stacy versus Test." 

            Trish and Lita showed varying degrees of shock, and they came over closer to Stacy and Molly.  "Damn him," Lita cursed as Stacy's shoulders slumped, and the tears she'd been holding back spilt down her face.  At any rate, she wasn't exactly a close friend of Stacy-but they were friends, nonetheless. 

            "He says that it's no DQ, but Scott, all of us, and a few other wrestlers are banned from ringside," Molly explained quietly, and gave Stacy a one-armed hug. 

            Lita's eyes turned fierce.  "That bastard…  No DQ though, right?" at Molly's nod, she stood up, thinking.  "Is Jeff banned from ringside?" Molly nodded.

            "All of the Divas are banned from ringside, Scott, Jeff, HBK, Kevin Nash, and the Rock."

            "Damn," Lita cursed softly. 

            "It's all right," Stacy said as she struggled to wipe the tears from her face.  "I-I'll just lie down…  Let him pin me."  The Divas were silent.  They all knew that Test wouldn't settle for just pinning Stacy.  Stacy pushed her hair behind her ears, and let out a shaky sigh.  "Lita, please don't try and find someone to interfere.  You've got to concentrate on your match."

            Lita sighed, but didn't say anything.  After a moment of silence, Trish asked Molly, "What's your match?"

            Molly bowed her head slightly and said, "It's Crash, Dreamer, and I against the Dudleys.  In a table match."

            "What?" Lita snapped.

            "And Spike goes along with this?!" Trish cried at the same time. 

            Molly looked up, and said to Trish firmly, "We broke up, Trish.  He doesn't care-he shouldn't."  Pain broke through her face for a second, and the Divas looked down.

            "Well, well, well," a sharp voice cut through to them as the door swung open.  Victoria let out a nasty laugh after her words, and her eyes fell to Stacy.  Reflexively, Stacy cringed backward the slightest bit.  "Good luck in your match," Victoria told Stacy, her eyes flashing dangerously, "I hope Test leaves enough of you for me to finish."

            "Shut the hell up, Victoria," snapped Lita, flying to her feet.  Victoria stopped, and regarded Lita with her eyes.  A calm smile took her face as she grabbed her bag.  It would be risky to take on Lita now-with Molly and Trish to back her up-she reasoned, and slowly made her way to the door.  Lita glared at the door, waiting for Victoria to come back in, wanting a reason to attack the Diva, but she didn't return.

            Lita turned to Stacy, and said firmly, "Listen, Stacy.  I want you to take a steel chair to the ring.  Hit him with it when he least expects it.  Uh-when he walks out, hit him from behind with it," she sighed, thinking, "If he faces you in the ring, swing it from the side.  If you start at the top, it's easy to block."

            Molly sighed quietly.  "A chair won't keep Test down for long, not with the strength we use," her eyes met with Lita's.   Lita stared at Molly plaintively, hoping that she was misinterpreting the look.  "Lita…" Molly said, sensing Lita's hesitation. 

            "If she misses with that thing, and Test gets it-" Lita's voice was raised. 

            "It's the best chance she has.  If she gets a shot in, then she will have a chance at winning this," Molly said defensively.

            "If I hit him with what?" Stacy said, sniffling quietly as she waited for an answer.

            "A sledgehammer," Molly answered her voice small. 

            Stacy's breath caught for a second, and then she straightened her shoulders.  "I…  I need to win this match, don't I?" she murmured.  "That's what you guys have been thinking.  If I lose this thing, Test will hurt me bad," she looked away, and then back.  "I have to be strong-I have to prove to Bischoff that I can do it.  And if I need a sledgehammer to do it…"  Stacy found herself caught in a tight group hug. 

            "You're braver than I am," Trish told her breathlessly, with a smile filled with pride in Stacy.  "You're going to win tonight," she told the leggy blond. 

            "Thanks, guys," Stacy whispered to them.  The three others nodded, and Stacy smiled.  Out of the four, she was their weakest spot-she couldn't wrestle much.  The three were fiercely protective of her.

            "Lita?  Molly Holly?" an unfamiliar voice called from the hallway.  "You're match is up."

            "What?" Lita's smile was slapped off her face as she looked up at Stacy.  She'd planned on stopping by locker rooms, seeing if someone would help Stacy.  Trish shared a look with the redhead. 

            "Go," Stacy commanded, nodding her head slightly.  "I'll be fine."  Trish and Lita hugged the two other Divas tightly, and stepped back toward the door.  Stacy and Molly called "Good luck!" after them, as the door closed.

            Molly glanced at Stacy, and laced their fingers together as they turned toward the monitor.  Stacy's grip was tight on her friend's hand.  "What if something happens to them?" she whispered.

            "Jeff will help them if things get out of hand," Molly said, knowing that it was a DQ match.  Stacy pursed her lips together tightly, and said nothing.  Silence captured them as they watched the monitor, hands clasped together, watching as their friends battled, not for a win, but for survival.

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            Trish looked over at Lita nervously in the brief time before the match started.  They had definitely gotten the better reception from the crowd-but that did nothing to boost their confidence.  Chris waved mockingly at Lita, who ignored him pointedly, concentrating on her partner.  "I'll take Chris," the redhead said, "You take Christian."

            "Like we said," Trish confirmed, and held out her fists as she'd seen Jeff and Lita do so many times.  The redhead looked at her, surprised, and then lifted her own fists.

            "Good luck," Trish whispered, and Lita repeated it back to her.  Christian and Trish slipped behind the ropes.  Taking a deep breath, Lita circled Chris Jericho, who had a cocky smirk plastered to his face.  The redhead leapt at him, and they grappled.  After a brief moment, Chris got the upper hand, sending Lita flying into the ropes.  "C'mon Lita!" Trish screamed from her corner, eyes focused on the match.  At the last moment, Lita dropped, kicking Chris's right knee.  As his leg buckled, she leapt up, giving him the 'bicycle' kick, slamming her boot into his head.  It took only a moment for him to get back onto his feet, and she dropped him with a clothesline.  Still, he got up quickly.  Another dropkick brought him down, but for a bit longer.  Lita licked her lips, trying to plan out moves that would get her the advantage.  Chris was less powerful than some of the other superstars-but he was stronger than her, and just a little less quicker. 

            She leapt forward in a spear, but Chris dodged, sending her into the turnbuckle.  Her shoulder didn't hit the post, but her arms, head, and chest were draped over the second rope.  Chris grabbed her legs, and pulled, snapping her face to the mat.  Grinning, he slapped Christian for the tag. 

            Trish slapped the turnbuckle as she watched Christian keep the upper hand.  How hard was it, she wondered, for Lita?  Both men were her former friends.  "LITA!" she cried, thoughts getting cut short as Christian nailed a nasty DDT, which Lita landed wrong, the back of her head instead of the top hitting the mat.  "Damn it," Trish cursed, stomping her foot to the fan's claps.  "Tag!" she cried to Lita, who reached out for it, but Christian pulled her back.  Trish's face creased in confusion as the crowd roared at something.  The wrestlers learned how to listen to the crowd-it could mean the outcome of the match.

            Chris Jericho took a quick glance at the referee, who was counting on the other side of the ring as Christian choked Lita on the ropes.  He brought the steel chair in his hands up, and swung it into Trish's back.  Trish cried out in pain, crumpling to the apron and falling to the floor, clutching at her arched back.  He ran back to his corner as Christian delivered the Unprettier on Lita.  Smiling, he sauntered over to Chris, and slapped his hand.  Chris leapt into the ring, quickly pulling Lita into the Walls of Jericho. 

            On the other side of the ring, Trish slowly tried to crawl to the apron.  Lita cried out in pain, struggling to the ropes, but Jericho didn't budge.  Trish pulled her legs onto the apron and crawled under the ropes.  Lita grimaced, gritting her teeth against the severe pain.  She wouldn't tap…  Already her resolve was slipping away…  Her partner stumbled to her feet, and went to break the submission hold, but Christian leapt at Trish, pulling her down in a bulldog.  The redhead cried out once more, the pain becoming unbearable.  It was as if she could feel her back slowly breaking into pieces…  Raising her hand, she tapped. 

            The bell rang, but Chris didn't let go of the hold.  The ref tried to make Chris break it, but he wouldn't budge.  Christian laughed, shoving Chris to the side.  Chris scowled, until he realized that Christian was copying him.  Laughing, the self-proclaimed king of the world applied the same hold to Trish. 

            "You think you know me."

            Christian's eyes widened and he dropped Lita's legs, walking jerkily to the ropes nearest to the ramp, where Chris already stood.  The music he used to come out to thrummed from the speakers, but no one made their way to the ring.  After a minute, Christian stumbled backward, and turned around…right into a spear. 

            "Christian?" Jericho sputtered, whirling around to see his partner get speared by…Edge!?  He looked up, and launched toward Chris, who quickly leapt out of the ring, retreating to the back.  Edge leaned on the ropes, screaming at Chris for a moment.  He walked over to his brother, picking him up as if he weighed nothing, and tossing him over the ropes.  Jericho screamed at him from the top of the ramp, before turning tail and slipping into the back. 

            "Lita?" Edge said quietly as he knelt by the two Divas, "Trish?"  As soon as he knew they were okay, his eyes settled on the Intercontinental title which was discarded during the match.  Edge picked it up, and looked up the ramp, where Christian was staggering.  He pointed to the title, and then himself.  For a moment he stood there, IC title high above his head.  The fans' cheers exploded in the arena, temporarily deafening him as he leaned over Trish and Lita. 

            Christian distinctly felt his jaw open slightly.  His brother…  He was back, on RAW, and after his IC title.  It was a nightmare come true…  Watching, he saw his brother check on Lita and Trish, anger in his eyes.

            Smiling slightly, he continued up the ramp.  He would get his revenge…tonight.

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