Chapter 2

As Edge waited for Lita to arrive to go over script changes for their monologue, Shane tapped Edge on the shoulder.

"Hey man, how's it going?" Shane asked

Edge looked at Shane with a raised eyebrow. He found it odd that Shane was asking how he was doing when he'd never cared before.

"Good, just waiting for Lita. We're on in 10 minutes." Edge replied.

Shane smiled to himself. Edge mentioning Lita was a great segue to what he had been there to discuss.

"Oh yeah, you guys are up first. Enjoy being hated out there." Shane said to break the ice even further.

Edge didn't respond, he just smiled. He was still wandering why Shane was there in the first place. He was quite certain it wasn't so he could wish him luck.

"Speaking of Lita and being hated, it's no secret that Lita and I aren't on the best of terms." Shane continued.

Edge laughed to himself. He had heard Lita curse Shane's name on more than a few occasions. Lita's hatred for Shane ran deeper than Edge could understand. Without knowing all the history between them and how Shane had totally manipulated and used her to hurt John, Edge figured the hatred stemmed simply from the fact that Shane had been on somewhat of a power trip in the last several months.

"Yeah, I know." Edge responded nonchalantly.

"So that's why I'm here. I know you two are close and even though I can't say Lita and I will ever be on good personal terms, she's a great athlete and an important commodity to this company. Regardless of what she thinks I do care about her well being."

Edge loved how Shane used the word "commodity" as if she and all the wrestlers for that matter were simply products to drive ticket sales and not actually people.

"Okay. I'm sorry to be rude Shane, but what are you trying to tell me?" Edge asked hoping that Shane would get to his point and quickly.

Shane folded his arms across his chest and shifted his eyes to make sure no one could over hear what he was about to say.

"Well, some of the other divas have noticed bruises on Lita where they shouldn't be. We're not talking bruises you get from a typical night in the ring, we're taking about bruises that someone has put there on purpose." Shane said.

Adam turned to look at Shane. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I guess what I'm trying to say Edge is that recently Lita hasn't been performing up to her regular standards. I think it has something to do with what's going on when she leaves the arena. I hate to say it, but we all know Cena has a temper. More than a few of the other wrestlers are concerned that he's hitting her." Shane said, again smiling inside.

Edge's eyes grew wide and his jaw stiffened. "Cena better not be hitting her" he thought to himself. But before he could get too angry, he wanted to be certain that what Shane was saying was true. He had been working with Lita for a long time now and hadn't noticed a thing. On the other hand, Lita's not one to let people know when she's hurt. She likes to play the tough girl as if nothing really affects her. What Shane was suggesting was pretty serious and in all honesty it just didn't seem like something John would do to Lita or any woman for that matter.

"Wait a second Shane, John hitting Lita?" Edge asked.

Shane looked around him. A serious look coming over his face.

"It's not me saying it, it's just something the other divas are concerned about. But then again," Shane retracted a little. He didn't want to lay the b.s. on too thick. "You know how women are. They like to gossip and make a big deal out of everything. Women just love to create their own drama." Shane finished.

Yeah, Edge thought to himself, Shane should know all about it. He was a bigger bitch than any one of the divas backstage.

"Sorry man, I just can't believe all this. Me and John aren't exactly drinking buddies or anything, but from what I can tell, he's a pretty cool guy; and he loves Lita." Edge replied scratching the back of his head and trying to convince himself of his own words.

"I hope you're right. I figured if anyone would know the truth it'd be you. Again, outside of business, Lita can live whatever life she wants to, but when her personal life starts affecting her in ring performance, that's when we all start to worry. And between you and me, I wouldn't wish that kind of abuse on anyone." Shane said trying hard to act as if he was truly concerned about Lita's well being.

Edge gave Shane a friendly smile, inside though his stomach was turning. "What if it's true?" He asked himself. The one part of his brain knew it wasn't, but that voice inside his head kept haunting him. If it was true, he didn't want to be the guy who just stood by and let it happen.

Shane gave Edge a friendly pat on the shoulder before he left.

"Hey, good luck out there Mr. Rated R Superstar." He said with a crooked McMahon smirk.

As Shane walked off he knew that Edge would be too smart to fully believe the accusations he'd created against John, but on the other hand he could see Edge's wheels were turning. The seed had been planted and as far as Shane was concerned the first part of his mission had been accomplished.

OoooOOOOOOOooooOOOOOOOOooooooooo

John smiled at Lita and pulled her hair away from her face.

"Lita you're on in 2 minutes." A stage hand told her.

Lita watched as the young woman scurried off while she received further instructions through her headphones.

"Better get to your Rated R Superstar." John said playfully.

Lita rolled her eyes. Both her and Edge couldn't wait until that whole ridiculous gimmick was over. She didn't mind so much the boos from the crowd, and neither did Edge, but she hated having to act like what she and Edge had was nothing but sexual.

Lita and Edge had always been first and foremost friends. The sexual attraction was always there of course and they had both made the huge mistake of acting on this most basic of instincts. Neither wanted to hurt the other or those they loved, but both would always be the first to admit that sleeping together wasn't the brightest thing they could have done. Regardless, their relationship was never about just sex. It was about friendship, respect and trust. The sex just happened to get in the way.

ooOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooo

Off in the distance, Edge watched as John tilted his head to kiss Lita gently on the neck. He could see how her eyes simply lit up with his touch. Edge still felt somewhat guilty for the way things ended between her and Matt. She wanted Lita to be happy and until now thought she had finally found that happiness with John. The look on her face made him smile, but he couldn't cut through the conversation he had just had with Shane. What if that beautiful smile was all an act? What if Lita was just too afraid to act unhappy around John for fear that he would hit her? The questions in his mind tortured him.

"Ready?" Lita asked breaking Edge away from his thoughts and blank stare.

Edge smiled wide at Lita.

"Let's do this girl." He said.

As the two swept the curtain away and started walking down the ramp to the ring, a chorus of boos filled the air. Both had their best acting faces on for the night. As Edge held Lita's hand, he squeezed it tighter than usual. Lita noticed it right away and the suggestion confused her. Edge in his mind made a mental note as he strutted down the ramp and into the ring. Before the night was over, he would be sure to make sure everything was truly okay with Lita. He had to.