Chapter Two
"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm resting," Matt sighed, the next afternoon in his hotel room. "It's nothing that a hot shower and some Advil couldn't fix."
Anna's voice was tinny as it rang through Matt's cell phone. "You scared us, Matty. The EMTs were all over the ring. They carried you out on a stretcher, you were wearing a neck brace. It just freaked us out."
"It was just a precaution," Matt reassured her. "The trainers wanted to make sure I wasn't hurt too bad from the chokeslam. But by the time I got out of the ER, the show was over. Sorry I missed you guys." He sighed. "How's Lita holding up?"
"She's pretty tore up right now," Anna said, as she steered the neon green Saturn Vue into the parking spot at the Labatt's Centre. The car was rather large and bulky, but it was the only one available in the rental lot. "Trish was giving her crap last night, and she was feeling really sick after the match. Good thing Victoria and I swooped in when we did."
Matt sighed. "Trish is a pain in the ass."
"Totally agree." Anna paused, as she threw the van in Park and checked to make sure her VIP pass was in place. "Anyway, we managed to get Lita back to the hotel. Poor girl cried herself to sleep last night. This is horrible. I was looking forward to being a godparent and helping you guys decorate a nursery for the baby. You know, I saw the cutest nursery at Babies 'R' Us a couple of days ago. It was from The Lion King. It would have been perfect for a boy or a girl-"
"Anna, I know you mean well, but...I'm really not wanting to talk about this now. I had every reason and motivation to beat Kane last night. I wanted to marry Lita and take care of the baby. And Lita was even planning on getting sole custody of the baby and severing Kane's parental rights. You know how Kane is. He's a fiend. Almost everyone in the locker room is scared to death of him. It wouldn't have been a slam-dunk case, but we would have had a sporting chance of winning. But that's not gonna happen." Matt paused. "I feel like I failed everyone."
"You didn't Matt. We'll find a way to stop this-"
"How, Anna? That contract we all signed is iron-clad. And good luck trying to talk to Bitchoff. He's had it in for Lita since she came back to RAW, and he'll do whatever it takes to get under her skin. He'll make sure that wedding takes place, come Hell or high water."
"Maybe we could convince Vince or Linda that Lita signed the contract under duress-"
"Highly doubtful."
Anna sighed and grabbed her purse. "Maybe Lita could file for divorce or get an annulment after the wedding."
"Knowing Kane, there's no way in Hell he'd allow that. He'd fight her every step of the way."
Anna climbed out the rental, still on the phone. "Matty, for someone willing to fight to the death in a wrestling ring for the woman he loves, you sure give up easy."
"It's not giving up," Matt fired back. "It's being realistic. Lita's gonna have to marry that...freak, and there's nothing you or I or anyone else can do about it."
"You guys never should have signed that contract."
"I know, but that's neither here nor there now." Matt yawned. "Listen, I need to get some rest. I was gonna show up tonght to antagonize Kane, but I changed my mind."
"Lita would have loved to see you this evening. I'll tell her you said hi. She and Victoria arrived earlier so that Victoria could prepare for her match. I'm Lita's ride back to the hotel. I'll talk at you later, I guess. Bye for now."
"Have fun, Anna. Bye."
Anna turned her phone off and locked up the rental. This trip was supposed to be a vacation of sorts, with Matt and Lita getting married to cap it all off. Matt's loss last night had cast a dark shadow over it, and it was difficult to enjoy the traveling.
~~~LITA~~~
Anna had known Lita and Matt and their friends for three years. She'd moved to North Carolina from Missouri to make a new start for herself. During college, she developed a drinking problem, which became worse after she graduated and moved in with her mom, Kate, and her emotionally abusive roommate. Anna tried her best to tolerate Patty, but after Patty punched her in the face during an argument, Kate kicked her out.
Knowing that she was spiraling, Anna put herself through treatment to deal with her issues, with Kate supporting her as much as she could. She even supported her daughter's decision to move, although she let it be known that she'd miss Anna to pieces.
North Carolina wasn't chosen at random. Kate's sister, Delaney, and her brother-in-law, Ross, lived in Southern Pines, and they were more than happy to put their niece up for as long as she needed. Anna enjoyed staying with her aunt and uncle, though she explained that she didn't plan to make it a permanent arrangement.
She found a part time job as a receptionist/assistant at a tattoo parlor. It was a fun job, and Anna met lots of interesting people. One of those was Jeff Hardy.
Jeff was a regular customer, who came in frequently to get his tats touched up and to get more designs put on. He and Anna became fast friends, and it was through him that she met Matt, Lita, and the rest of the Core Group.
Anna became friends with Lita while she was recovering from her neck surgery. She'd started out by being a personal assistant, running errands, taking her to doctor's visits, and cooking dinner for her every so often. Lita and Matt became close friends with the young woman with the blonde curls and the baggy pants, and they considered Anna the kid sister they never had.
When Matt invited Anna to tag along with the RAW roster, she jumped at the chance (she was a WWE fan, and so were her aunt and uncle, who offered to pay for her travel expenses). He arranged for Anna to receive a VIP pass, allowing her to hang out backstage and meet the talent. She'd become buddies with Victoria and Stacy Keibler during her trip, who both made a point to hang out with her as much as they could.
~~~LITA~~~
Since Victoria was busy getting ready for her match, Anna decided to seek out Stacy. She ran around with pretty much the same crowd as Matt and Lita did on the road, so she wouldn't be hard to find.
She entered the venue, showing her pass to security and exchanging some friendly greetings. She got a Diet Pepsi out of the vending machine and sipped it as she looked for her companion for the night.
She found the former Duchess Of Dudleyville near a Dippin' Dots kiosk. "Hey, Cookie!"
Stacy Keibler turned and smiled. "Hi, Anna Banana!"
The two young women hugged and air-kissed. "How are you, Hon?" Stacy asked. "You find the place okay?"
"Thanks to the wonders of technology, I got turned around twice on my way over. Stupid GPS."
"When they work, they're great, but when they don't, you wanna toss them in the trash."
"You know it. So have you seen Lita anywhere?"
"I was gonna get her a 7-Up. She's been feeling pretty sick to her stomach, and her back's been hurting."
Anna sighed. "I told her if she wasn't feeling well to stay at the hotel and lie down. But knowing Lita, she'd drag herself out of bed to show everyone that she's gonna go down swinging."
"That can't be good for the baby."
"It isn't. Lita worries me right now." Anna paused, and then fumbled through her purse. "Hey, while we're getting the 7-Up, I think I'll get some Dippin' Dots. You want rainbow sherbet or strawberry?"
~~~LITA~~~
Trish Stratus rearranged the balloons around the cheap plastic banner she'd hung up in the dressing room. A smirk graced her pretty features as she set Gayle and Jazz's gifts the table. Perfect, she thought. Not bad for a thrown together party/prank.
Whenever I get a chance to torment Lita and throw in her face what a cheap whore she is, well, I'll jump on it. I just hope she makes her way over here.
"What the hell's all this?"
Trish turned to see her boyfriend leaning against the doorjamb. "And a nice hi to you too, Christian."
Christian Cage had been Trish's boyfriend for several months, and he had just returned from rehabing from serious injuries he'd sustained during a steel cage match with his former friend, Chris Jericho. He'd hoped to pick up right where he and Trish left off, but his girlfriend seemed to have better things to do than rekindle their romance.
"I was hoping we could head over to catering and grab a sandwich before the tapings started, but it looks like you have other plans." He studied the writing on the banner. "'Congratulations, Lita and Kane'? Everyone on the roster knows Lita doesn't want to marry that freak, and they all know how much you and her hate each other."
"Of course all of us know that. That's why it's gonna be so much fun getting under her skin and reminding her what a slut she is for sleeping with him." Trish set the pan of brownies she'd swiped from catering on the table. "Christian, come on. It's supposed to be a celebration."
"Celebration my ass. This looks tacky as hell."
"Hey, we got her presents," Trish shot back. "Jazz got her a vibrator, Molly got her some contraceptives, and we all chipped in for pictures. You oughta stay around to see Lita's reaction when we show her the composite we had made. That picture is hilarious."
Christian sighed and scratched his head. "Don't you think you're taking this a little too far? Contraceptives and a vibrator? Shouldn't you have gotten her like a blender or some baby clothes or something?"
"Not far enough!" Trish sniffed, making a mental note to swipe some paper cups when she had a chance. "I think what we got Lita is more appropriate. I'd have spent more, but that vibrator cost more than I wanted to spend. I had to get the decorations in the clearance department at Zeller's." Trish put a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "C'mon, Christian, the girl's and I are only trying to celebrate like a friend should."
Christian shook his head in disgust. "With a friend like you, she doesn't need an enemy," he sighed and walked off. "I gotta go, Trish."
Trish threw her boyfriend a dirty look when his back was turned. When he disappeared from sight, she turned back to the cheap decorations and pilfered brownies. "I wonder if I bought too many balloons."
~~~LITA~~~
I should have stayed at the hotel, Lita thought ruefully as she curled up on the couch in the dressing room she was sharing with Stacy and Victoria. Looney Tunes was playing on the small TV in the room, but she paid it no attention. Her back was killing her, her head pounded, and her queasy stomach hadn't settled down yet. She had tried to eat some lighter items (toast and tea for breakfast, and a salad for lunch), but she was having difficulty keeping those items down. If this doesn't get any better, she thought as she pressed a couch cushion to her belly, I'm making an appointment with my doctor and canceling public appearances for a while. I shouldn't be this sick.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. It was probably Stacy; Lita had sent her to get her some 7-Up (the venue didn't have ginger ale). "I'm coming, just a minute," Lita groaned as she struggled to get off the couch. Her feet felt like concrete as she trudged towards the door and opened it.
"Oh, hell no!"
"Hi, Lita."
Kane, Lita's husband to be, stood in the doorway, wearing a gray wife beater and jeans. He leered down at her, his mismatched eyes sparkling, a sick smile on his lips. "I just wanted to see you before my match tonight. I heard you left early last night, right after my match. Is everything alright with the baby?"
"It's okay," Lita replied tightly. "I'm alright. I was tired, and I just wanted to lie down."
"So have you thought of names for our baby? I think Thomas would be a nice name if we have a son, and Christine would be a good name for a daughter."
"Kane I don't want to be around you any more than I have to right now. Please leave."
"Come now, Lita. You're going to be a wife and mother in a few months. You really need to start thinking of our future and the baby's"
"I don't wanna talk about this right now. Please leave."
"Lita, we have a family to think about, you can't keep avoiding this-"
Finally, Lita had heard enough. "I don't wanna talk about this. GET OUT!"
Suddenly, Kane lunged at his pregnant bride to be and seized her by both arms, lifting her abruptly off the floor. His ugly features were twisted into a snarl as he shoved Lita up against the doorframe.
"You'd better start facing this, because this is now your reality," Kane snarled. "Your precious Matt's not here to save you now."
Lita's voice was filled with false bravado. "Let me go, Kane, or I'll-"
"You'll what? Scream? Run to Eric Bischoff? Give that a try, see how far that takes you. You know how much he doesn't like you. He'd laugh at you. He'll point out that you signed the contract willingly."
He paused and watched Lita struggle in his rock-iron grip. A smile tweaked across his lips. "You probably think I'd be mad at you for what just happened. But I'm not. Oh, I can see what kind of relationship this is going to be, and I am going to enjoy it. Every minute of it." Kane set Lita down on the floor. "But nothing can upset me tonight. Because next week, in Anaheim, live on RAW, we are getting married. And later that night...we'll consummate our marriage."
A look of disgust twisted across Lita's pretty features as she slapped Kane across the face. A tense silence passed- and Kane chuckled and rubbed his face where he'd been hit.
"Ohhhh yeah, that's the way I like it!"
Lita staggered back into the dressing room, slamming the door shut behind her. Kane, still chuckling, turned and walked off, his heavy footsteps echoing down the hall. When she could no longer hear him, Lita colapsed back on the couch and broke down crying.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I know Lita seems to be going through some really difficult stuff right now, but I promise it will get better. But it's gonna get worse-much worse-for her before that happens, so bear with me. BTW, Zeller's is a discount chain store in Canada, and the Labatt's Centre is a real venue. Anna's profile can be found on my profile, and it gets tweaked depending on what stories she appears in.
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