Author's Note: Again, I must apologize for the delays in updating lately. I know how ticked off I get when a story I'm reading isn't updated very frequently, and it sucks. Anyway, moving onward.
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Raven never left Lita's side until the moment the show began. Even as she was filming Heat, he stayed right at the stage entrance so that he was as close as possible to her without being visible. About half-way through the show, his old friend from ECW, Tommy Dreamer came up behind the curtain, preparing for his following match.
"Hey man, what's going on?" he asked quietly. "What are you doing here?"
Scott turned to give his friend a sad smile. "You don't want to know."
"It's got something to do with your girl, doesn't it?"
"My girl?" His face was carefully blank.
Tommy's eyes never left his face, and he nodded slowly. "Yeah, your girl. I've known you for years, Scotty, don't try to pull that one on me. And don't try to pull any of your other crap here, either."
"What are you talking about Tommy?"
"You don't know?" His voice had a slight edge of anger to it. "Scott, you've got everyone here thinking you left because of air-time, because you'd rather be a big fish in a small pond than vice versa. But I know you better than that Scotty..." Tommy's voice had gotten a little sad. "You left because of her," he nodded his head toward the curtain which currently shielded Lita from their view. "It hurt too much to be around her all the time and just be friends. So you ran off, not even thinking about all the other people you were hurting."
Raven's low voice nearly broke. "I didn't mean to, Tommy. I was really just thinking about myself, huh?"
His friend shrugged a little. "It's understandable, I guess. But can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"Hasn't it been even worse? Being away from her?"
Scott almost laughed at how well his friend knew him. "More than you can imagine."
"Then come back," Tommy pleaded. "Drop all this stubborn pride crap. Talk to Vince; y'all work it out. You're going to have to eat some crow, but deal with it. We miss you man."
"Yeah, I miss you guys, too." He looked up at his friend and smiled a little. "I'll think about that."
"Good. Oh, and you never answered my question. Just what exactly are you doing here?"
Any trace of a smile disappeared from Raven's face. "You don't want to know. It's better for you if you don't know."
"Something to do with Amy, huh?" Tommy asked quietly. Raven nodded, but didn't say a word. "Hunter been giving her a hard time?"
Scott looked up at him, startled. "How'd you know?"
Tommy shrugged and ran one hand through his hair. "I guess I should have figured it out by now. It's definitely obvious he's a little obsessed with her; you can tell by the way he looks at her and seems to follow her around. But I haven't actually seen him do anything, so it was never really my place to address it." Seeing Scott's pained, angry expression he asked, "Is it bad?"
"Very."
"Then don't worry, man," he assured him, clapping him on the back and preparing to run out for his match. "I've got your back. I'm here for you." He peeked through the curtain to where Amy sat at the announcer's table, and looked back to Scott. "Both of you."
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Raven never left Lita's side until the moment the show began. Even as she was filming Heat, he stayed right at the stage entrance so that he was as close as possible to her without being visible. About half-way through the show, his old friend from ECW, Tommy Dreamer came up behind the curtain, preparing for his following match.
"Hey man, what's going on?" he asked quietly. "What are you doing here?"
Scott turned to give his friend a sad smile. "You don't want to know."
"It's got something to do with your girl, doesn't it?"
"My girl?" His face was carefully blank.
Tommy's eyes never left his face, and he nodded slowly. "Yeah, your girl. I've known you for years, Scotty, don't try to pull that one on me. And don't try to pull any of your other crap here, either."
"What are you talking about Tommy?"
"You don't know?" His voice had a slight edge of anger to it. "Scott, you've got everyone here thinking you left because of air-time, because you'd rather be a big fish in a small pond than vice versa. But I know you better than that Scotty..." Tommy's voice had gotten a little sad. "You left because of her," he nodded his head toward the curtain which currently shielded Lita from their view. "It hurt too much to be around her all the time and just be friends. So you ran off, not even thinking about all the other people you were hurting."
Raven's low voice nearly broke. "I didn't mean to, Tommy. I was really just thinking about myself, huh?"
His friend shrugged a little. "It's understandable, I guess. But can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"Hasn't it been even worse? Being away from her?"
Scott almost laughed at how well his friend knew him. "More than you can imagine."
"Then come back," Tommy pleaded. "Drop all this stubborn pride crap. Talk to Vince; y'all work it out. You're going to have to eat some crow, but deal with it. We miss you man."
"Yeah, I miss you guys, too." He looked up at his friend and smiled a little. "I'll think about that."
"Good. Oh, and you never answered my question. Just what exactly are you doing here?"
Any trace of a smile disappeared from Raven's face. "You don't want to know. It's better for you if you don't know."
"Something to do with Amy, huh?" Tommy asked quietly. Raven nodded, but didn't say a word. "Hunter been giving her a hard time?"
Scott looked up at him, startled. "How'd you know?"
Tommy shrugged and ran one hand through his hair. "I guess I should have figured it out by now. It's definitely obvious he's a little obsessed with her; you can tell by the way he looks at her and seems to follow her around. But I haven't actually seen him do anything, so it was never really my place to address it." Seeing Scott's pained, angry expression he asked, "Is it bad?"
"Very."
"Then don't worry, man," he assured him, clapping him on the back and preparing to run out for his match. "I've got your back. I'm here for you." He peeked through the curtain to where Amy sat at the announcer's table, and looked back to Scott. "Both of you."