Title: The overture and the underscore.
Written by Professional Scatterbrain.
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
Email: ask and you shall receive.
Rating: First chapter is R, but everything else is Pg – 13
Contents warning: In the first chapter only there is violence against women, but after that there is nothing of the sort against Lita, and in some of the final chapters there is an analysis and condemnation of the actions committed against her.
Set/Spoilers: 2005 when Matt comes back to Raw.
Summary: Their friendship was torn to shreds, now they are more messed up then ever, and missing each other more than they will ever admit. Jeff is violently abusing the leniency he is treated with, while Lita is self destructing in mass-ticket-selling style.
Primary Pairing: Jeff/Lita
Secondary Pairing: Dawn Marie/Tommy Dreamer
Chp 11: Fight Night.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
He felt it in his bones.
Like a brush of danger taunting him for not being more cautious.
Slowly, with growing dread he reached down to the pocket of his jacket. His hand was sweating, but he made himself search his jacket, then his jean pockets, then his wallet, as if trying to ignore what he already knew. It was gone. Gone. The piece of paper with 'his' hotel details, the piece of paper he had purposefully hid from her, the one that was certainly now in her possession.
He knew it was.
He just knew.
The feeling skittered around him, under his breath and into his veins as it permeated all through his very being. She had it. She knew where 'he' was. There was no doubt. No second guessing what he felt. Raven knew, and . . . he didn't need to guess what she was going to do with that small piece of paper folded three times over.
He had seen the look in her eyes.
He would never forget that look.
It would haunt him, just like it haunted Jeff. Heart shattering hazel eyes. They were burned so sharply into his mind. Glittering eyes that broke him without even knowing it. The detail of it defined her, the image of her crimson lips, and pale skin under the hotel lights, kept flashing before his eyes. It wasn't taunting him, but . . . he knew it would never leave.
Like a moth drawn towards the flame.
In more ways than one.
Room 246
Two floors above his room.
Two floors above the TNA roster was the WWE roster.
Two floors separating the hostile rosters.
It was Jeff's room.
Raven leapt in to action. He could feel it nearing. Something ominous, something menacing . . . as if teasing him, as if laughing at him. Everything was crashing down. Because Raven knew Lita and he knew Jeff. He knew what was going to happen. He couldn't let it happen. No. They'd destroy each other, and Lita was already half gone as it was and if . . . If Jeff didn't break her like he was already broken, then the WWE roster would.
Because there was hardly anything left holding her together anymore.
And all that defined Jeff anymore was his acute and cultivated talent for destruction.
Thumping his fists on the door next to his, Raven did everything in his power to rouse the party inhabiting the hotel room. Shouting and yelling, he swore and cursed. He filled the air with his voice until he had no air left in himself. He spoke until he was black and blue and almost folded over. However he didn't stop. He didn't dare stop. He couldn't. It was late, and he knew that the occupations of the room would be asleep. But not for long. Raven could hear the ambling footsteps of just the man Raven was seeking stumble across the floor reaching the door. He just hoped they weren't going to be too late.
"What man! Fuck, its 2am in the God Damn morning!" Tommy Dreamer cursed, abet slightly hushed due to the presence of his wife slumbering on back inside the room despite the interruption.
Then Tommy felt silent.
Raven couldn't speak, but he didn't have too.
Tommy knew, the look of realisation in his eyes was there the very second he meet his friend's eyes.
Maybe Tommy had expected it long before Raven had.
A dark horse hiding in the wings letting the action play out.
Out of the four of them, he'd meet Lita first. He's been the second opinion that helped her get her shot at ECW, and he'd been the mentor she'd never admitted to having. He'd introduced her to Dawn Marie; accommodating the two women's friendship even when they fought furiously with each other over various meaningless and meaningful matters. He'd also been the driving force into getting her signature on the dotted line TNA had presented her with.
It seemed so long ago.
Raven remembered that he didn't even recognise her when she arrived late to her first show. She was two minutes late, and she rushed in. Still jet lagged, she carried a heavy and battered duffle bag. She hadn't even dropped it off at the hotel. No, she'd come straight from the airport and the first thing she did when he spoke to her was steal his cup of coffee and then after a gulp tell him he shouldn't lace his drinks.
She told him it wasn't polite.
He had told her something that wasn't polite in reply.
She drunk the rest of his coffee in response, then she evaporated into thin air leaving only a faint aftertaste in her wake. But soon that changed. Soon she left more than a faint aftertaste. She left broken bones, and shattered teeth, and they hated her viciously for it. Because girls like her weren't meant to do those things. They were meant to whine and get down on their knees and beg.
She hated kneeling down for them.
She hated kneeling down for anyone.
He had known that back when they were in ECW and Lita was just some redheaded girl that hung around Dawn. Somehow, it had felt worst than he knew he should have. Her company seemed to demand more from him, and as much as he knew it would have been better to dismiss it, he couldn't. He hadn't been able too.
Dawn had noticed.
She had been so pleased when he and Lita started watching each others backs. Her best friend was safe, and she was finally back somewhere where Tommy and Dawn could at least keep an eye on her again. That had been the plan. It had been the idea, the goal in getting her onto the TNA roster. Tommy had done this because . . .
He had expected it, expected her.
He expected it because he knew her.
And that was why Raven came to him over everyone else.
"It's Lita." Raven finally told him in a rush.
He needn't have said a single word.
The other man was already backing into the room and shoved him feet into a pair of boots. Pulling on an old shirt and jumper over his battered form. Dawn was still sleeping, but it probably wouldn't last for long. She had never been fearless in the manner Lita had been, but the brunette knew that on a good day, she could run a close second. As her bleary brown eyes opened, Tommy began to relay the orders Raven was sure the other man had spent years preparing.
"Get some others to help. We'll need the numbers tonight."
It was always about the numbers in cases like these.
Numbers not figures. There was no need for figure heads, though they were sure to turn up anyway. The two men thumped on door, and woke sleepy wrestlers, gathering all they could. Not all cared about Lita, but their willingness to get into a fist fight with the WWE 'superstars' as they so cynically called them more than made up for it.
Tommy woke everyone he could, more than Raven did. Tommy led the procession, choosing which doors to knock on, and which to leave alone. Yet even though he was selective, soon more the half was roster followed him down the hall. They emerged out of there rooms like school children from their books. Excitement and impatience filled the air, and as more tired eyed men and women filled the hallway, it felt like Raven was breathing in static electricity instead of air.
It was taking too long.
Lita was probably already there, and . . .
"We need to hurry,"
"No, we need to get more help,"
Tommy easily and effortlessly led the parade. Yet he's leadership was shaky and constantly challenged. Raven knew he didn't help the matter. He wanted to move faster, and so did many others. They had anticipated a fight month ago. From the very first moment TNA announced they'd be coming face to face with WWE, it had been all the roster had thought about. It had been all consuming, and it had been infectious. The women, Gail Kim and her flock were those that had been pulled along into the heady excitement; not really looking for a fight, but willing to participate.
They had almost started one, when Tommy had woken Chris Jericho.
The blonde, with his too viciously blue eyes blinking in the harsh light had been an easy target. He wasn't one of 'them' anymore, but he was pretty much as good as Vince when TNA roster set their hungry eyes on him. It didn't matter that Jericho was friends with every forth person standing outside his door. It didn't matter at all because everyone was hyped up, and everyone was pushing everyone else too act on the first impulse that raced through their minds.
Yet Tommy's voice was strong, and clear; the voice of reason amidst the rush of adrenalin.
"Get up, we need your help."
His words sent ripple of disapproval through the crowd, yet without even facing them, the older wrestler kept them at bay. His broad shoulders sending shadows over Gail's rail like form, and holding her in her place along with Raven who just wanted to bolt. He was the only alpha present, and it somehow strangely became clear to just why he and Raven never managed to settle which one was he better out of the two.
But Jericho was tired, and slow on the uptake.
"What the hell is going on Dreamer? Do you know what time is it?" he swore.
In the same tone, Tommy spoke again, but only to clarify his first statement, "Get dressed Jericho. We need your help. Lita and Hardy are about to have their fucking heart to heart. I don't want to let nature play its course since as you can well remember, last time they spoke, Jeff knocked her unconscious."
"Jeff won't –"
"Yes he will. You saw him tonight, and Li's not going to take this one lying down. So get dressed now."
"You go on ahead, I'll catch up."
"No, we'll need you the moment WWE comes out to play."
"This isn't about the 'them/us' divide."
"Like hell it isn't." Tommy swore, "Just hurry up. She's probably already up there now."
Pack mentality had taken over.
They were looking for a fight.
And there would be a fight.
A fight, above all things, was something that could be counted on. Although it had started with Lita and Jeff, things always ended up . . . well, it was TNA against WWE, and that always lead to a fight. Always. Everything always came down to that. It was a base instinct, but . . . a fight was something that could always be counted upon, because in the end, they all looked for any reason to have one.
Especially as the trooped upstairs.
Jericho was needed. Raven understood that, and he understood why. Jericho was more vital than numbers and brute force Tommy had gathered because of the simple reason he still cared about Lita. Perhaps he was another Dreamer. Another alpha that Raven had never had the clarity to see until now. Tommy obviously trusted the man, and although Raven had trouble seeing anything redeeming in the blonde man, he trusted Tommy's judgment.
It was not the first time he had done so.
Because Raven trusted Tommy, and Raven knew that he needed too tonight.
There was no room not too.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter even though neither Jeff or Lita played a direct part in it. In the next chapter I'll make it up to you guys. Cross my heart.
Anyway, thank's for taking the time to read this chapter, I hope you also (hint, hint) take the time to review it.
