A/N: Takes off directly from Bring Me To Life.
Feedback please.
Samantha.
***********
Tourniquet.
"Now tonight, for a special treat, we're going to get... a member of the audience to come up here and sing for you. She's very talented, as many of you would already know, having her heard her play in the locker rooms several months ago." Eric began, looking down at Lita. "A song that she wrote, called 'My Immortal' is currently sitting in the top five on the music charts, sung by the group Evanescence."
"No way." Lita told him, making him read her lips to understand what she was saying.
"Come up here, now." Eric growled at her.
She glared at him, pulling a CD out of Jeff's backpack, which she had burnt for him, and walked up to the stage, gesturing for Jeff to come with her.
"If you don't want to perform, he can't make you." Jeff told her.
"Oh I'll perform, but it won't be the performance that he wants." Lita managed a tight smile as she handed him the disc. "Play track six for me."
"That's pretty distant from 'My Immortal.'" Jeff told her.
"Thus the allure of performing it. I'm kind of hoping he dies of shock."
Jeff laughed. "Go get 'em."
"Just play my song." Lita told him as she walked onto the stage and picked up a microphone, turning to face the audience. "What with all my time off lately and everything, I've been doing a lot of song writing, and this is one of my more recent pieces. Keep in mind that I'm just talking while Jeff sets up, but this song is... I guess you'd say one of my favorites, so here goes." She finished speaking as the opening guitar solo hit.
"I tried to kill the pain
,
But only brought more.
(So much more)
I lay dying,
And I'm pouring
crimson regret, and betrayal."
She paused to take in the audience's reaction to the song.
Eric Bischoff, as she had predicted was almost having a coronary in his chair, but most people were just staring up at the stage, some looking a little shocked, others looking like they were enjoying her performance.
"I'm dying,
Praying,
Bleeding,
I'm screaming.
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?"
Some of the older superstars, people who knew her well looked a little shocked, and Lita smiled. It was nothing to what they were going to be in a few seconds. John, Jeff and, Rey the only three people in the room who actually knew what the song was about, and why she had written it were all standing up, cheering for her, wide smiles on their faces.
"My God! My Tourniquet,
Return to me salvation.
My God! My Tourniquet,
Return to me salvation."
Eric's eyes nearly bugged out of his head as Lita launched into the chorus, quite happy to stand up there on the stage and belt her song out, despite the frightened and worried looks on some people's faces, including the look of horror on Matt's face.
"Do you remember me;
Lost for so long?
Will you be on the other side?
Or will you forget me?
I'm dying,
Praying,
Bleeding,
I'm screaming.
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?"
As she sung the second verse and launched into the chorus, Matt's expression changed to one of pain and regret, but Lita found that she didn't want to look at him. Instead she turned to find 'her guys', John and Rey were up dancing with everyone that had been sitting at their table, and Jeff had picked up a guitar from next to the stage and was playing the lead guitar part, clearly enjoying himself.
"My God! My Tourniquet,
Return to me salvation.
My God! My Tourniquet,
Return to me salvation."
As the chorus played for the second time Jeff moved to hand Lita the guitar, which she moved to the edge of the stage to take from him, while he procured another guitar, playing bass for her.
"(Return to me salvation)
(I want to DIE!)"
She fell silent while on the backing CD her voice still sung the background accompaniment, while she adjusted the guitar strap over her shoulder, and settled it in her hands.
"My God! My Tourniquet,
Return to me salvation.
My God! My Tourniquet,
Return to me salvation."
The guitar sung beneath her agile fingers, which picked out the chords easily, and Jeff grinned at her, having changed guitars as easily as Lita had. She smiled at him, not just a 'nice job' smile, but a 'thanks for being here through everything,' smile, and he beamed at her in return.
"My wounds cry for the grave.
My soul cries for deliverance.
Will I be denied?
Christ! Tourniquet! My suicide."
As she finished the last part of the song Lita launched into an impressive guitar solo, with Jeff quite happy to keep up with her on his bass.
"Return to us salvation
Return to us salvation..."
The main line of the song finished, and Lita motioned for Jeff to cut the remainder of the music. He moved back over to her to take her guitar, while most of the audience got to their feet cheering.
With a smile she moved back to the microphone and turned her attention back to the audience.
"Eric, I know you're sitting down there and thinking 'what the hell just went on here?' And I can see by the look on your face that I'm right, so don't bother to deny it. I don't like feeling forced into doing things, including performing, so I'm going to go now. You just had your last attempt at dominating me, don't do it again."
John met her at the front of the stage, picking her up to kiss her. When he put her down Jeff hugged her and ruffled her hair, which she was less than impressed about.
"That was my five second hair style!"
"Hang on." He placated her. "I'll give you a new one." Jeff reached out again and ruffled her hair again, smoothing it out a little.
"You look fine mami." Rey told her, "And you sounded beautiful."
"I can always depend on you guys." She smiled at them, and then fanned her hand in front of her face. "I need a drink, those lights are hot."
John nodded and led her towards the bar, while Jeff and Rey walked back to their table.
"Is anyone else disturbed that she was singing about suicide?" Dawn asked watched Lita and John at the bar, Lita quite animated as she said something to him.
"It's not like that." Rey told her. "We asked the same question when we first heard the song. She says it's more about pain, and stopping it."
"Why the hell didn't you tell me that she was so damn upset!" Matt shouted at his younger brother. "Why the hell didn't you say anything!"
"If she wanted you to know how she was feeling she probably would have called you herself." Jeff answered mildly.
"Don't even start with me..." Matt began again, starting to attract the attention of everyone in the room.
"It's not my fault she doesn't want to talk to you." Jeff stood up, coming close to matching his brother in height.
"How the hell can you even interfere in this?" Matt grabbed Jeff by the collar and began to try and shake him, while Jeff introduced his fist to Matt's jaw.
"Guys, stop it." Dawn was saying. "Please, just stop it!"
"Someone do something!" Trish yelled as the two Hardy's went at it, in a full-blown fistfight.
Several superstars began trying to break the two men up, and keep them separate, though both Matt and Jeff were fighting to get back to beating each other up.
"What the hell is going on here?" Both men froze, turning to look at her. "Answer me!" She demanded.
"Nothing." Matt told her.
"Bullshit." Lita snapped at him. "You two don't try and start a brawl over nothing."
"It was just, we were just trying to resolve our differences." He tried again. "Why didn't I know that I'd hurt you so much?"
"You think I wanted to kill myself over you?" She stared at him. "I loved you Matt, and I loved you so much. But I had no desire to kill myself over you. For weeks I felt like I was dying inside, a little more every day, but I never once contemplated killing myself, I always had something to live for." Lita was silent for several moments, just staring at the two men. "I can't believe you thought I wanted to kill myself."
"I was..." Matt began.
"You were worried about me?" The look Lita gave him was pure disdain. "You weren't worried about me until you thought that there was the possibility that I would be gone."
"Come on babe." John told her gently. "I've got your drink, let's just go sit down."
She managed to smile at him as he handed the chocolate milkshake to her, thinking that it would keep her calm.
"I was worried about you, Lita." Matt told her. "I was worried about you, I love you."
She stared at him for a moment, then tipped her drink all over his head. "You didn't love me enough, or we'd still be together. So don't you dare stand there and tell me that you love me."
Matt sputtered and tried to wipe the chocolate and ice cream concoction out of his eyes.
John wrapped his arms around Lita, both restraining her and protecting her, while Rey appeared at her side, speaking softly in Spanish. "Tu poder no hacer esta." *You can't do this.*
"Si, yo poder." She answered him, turning her head. *Yes I can.*
"Lita." He said gently. "Por favor."
"Lo probare." Lita answered finally, not looking too impressed. *I'll try.*
"Go on then."
"I'm not a child." She told him, still looking unhappy. "Fine. Matt, I'm sorry you're such a jerk and caused me to tip a chocolate milkshake on your head. How's that?" She turned to Rey.
"It could be improved on."
Lita raised her eyebrows at him, then looked up at John. "Balaimos?"
He smiled. "At least I know one word in Spanish."
She batted her eyelashes at him, and held out her hand, which he took, leading her out onto the dance floor.
"What just happened?" Matt asked, looking bewildered.
"She wants to dance." Jeff answered.
"I mean what the hell just happened here?"
"We made her mad, and you made her angrier." The younger man said. "You never know when to quit."
"That's enough, both of you." Rey chided her. "Be pleased it wasn't coffee she tipped on you Matt."
********
"Are you okay?" John asked softly as they danced.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"You just tipped a perfectly good chocolate milkshake on your ex- boyfriend's head. You tell me."
"He made me angry. You know he leaves me and everything's completely fine because it has to be, and then he gets worried about me because he thinks I'm singing about suicide, and he's allowed to jump all over me, and he and Jeff think that they can have a fist fight. I don't know what came over them, but it's not on. Things don't work that way." Lita shook her head in frustration, and then rested it against John's chest. "I wish we could just stay out here for ever."
"You and me both babe." John told her. "But let's not worry about that any more tonight."
She nodded and leaned heavily against him.
Once the song finished John led her off the dance floor, carefully supporting her with one arm around her waist.
"Is everything okay?" Jeff asked as John pulled a chair out for Lita, guiding her into it.
"I just feel really tired." Lita answered. "I'm just so tired."
"I think we're going to head back to the hotel." John told the others as Lita rested her head against him. "It's getting kind of late anyway."
"You can't leave yet." Eric Bischoff appeared out of nowhere. "You can't leave yet."
"Are you going to stop me?" John asked him, "And since when have you been my boss?"
"I'm deadly serious, you can't leave yet."
"Me siento debil." Lita said softly, causing both Rey and Dawn to drop to their knees in front of her, both speaking in rapid Spanish.
"?Desde cuando se siente asi?" Dawn asked.
"No." Lita answered, though the question wasn't clear. "John?"
"It's okay babe." He reassured her, "We're out of here right now."
"I'm telling you that you can't leave." Eric insisted.
"What's going on?" Vince McMahon walked over to them, Paul Heyman beside him.
"Paul, Lita enferma, pero Eric bastardo. El decir John no poder llevar su hotel." Dawn told Paul in a rush. *Paul, Lita's sick and Eric's a bastard. He won't let John take her back to the hotel.*
"Dawn, Dawn just calm down and speak slowly, preferably not in Spanish." He soothed her.
"Eric won't let John take Lita back to the hotel because she's not feeling well." She repeated in a rush.
"And he's a bastard." Lita added, causing Dawn to lower her gaze for a moment.
Paul rounded on Eric. "Since when do you tell my superstars what they can and can't do?"
"No one's allowed to leave yet." Eric told him shaking his head.
"Don't worry." Paul reassured Lita. "It's okay. John go ahead and take her back to the hotel."
"You can't do that!" Eric repeated.
"So you expect me to send a pregnant woman who isn't feeling well back to a hotel on her own?" Paul asked as John picked Lita up in his arms. "I don't think so."
Beside Paul, Rey was trying to calm Dawn-Marie down in Spanish, the pair speaking rapid Spanish that only they seemed to understand.
"No, no, no!" Dawn shrilled at him, putting one hand against his chest, while he held her shoulders gently.
"Dawn, Dawn." Nidia walked over to the upset brunette and began to speak to her in Spanish. "Es vale. Lita's enfermedad, no es de gravedad. She's going to be okay. It's normal for her to not feel well at this point. It's okay." *Lita's illness isn't serious.*
"Are you sure?" Dawn asked, her voice small, still wrought with worry.
"I'm sure. Trust me." Nidia promised. "I was a little surprised she even came out tonight. Lita's going to be just fine. Why don't you call her in the morning and talk to her about how preocupada tu esta." Nidia smiled at her.
"She's right Dawn." Rey told her. "Lita's going to be fine. Why don't you ladies go and dance for a while, take your mind off it."
Trish nodded. "Lita wouldn't want us to stand here all worried. She'd wanted us to party."
Feedback please.
Samantha.
***********
Tourniquet.
"Now tonight, for a special treat, we're going to get... a member of the audience to come up here and sing for you. She's very talented, as many of you would already know, having her heard her play in the locker rooms several months ago." Eric began, looking down at Lita. "A song that she wrote, called 'My Immortal' is currently sitting in the top five on the music charts, sung by the group Evanescence."
"No way." Lita told him, making him read her lips to understand what she was saying.
"Come up here, now." Eric growled at her.
She glared at him, pulling a CD out of Jeff's backpack, which she had burnt for him, and walked up to the stage, gesturing for Jeff to come with her.
"If you don't want to perform, he can't make you." Jeff told her.
"Oh I'll perform, but it won't be the performance that he wants." Lita managed a tight smile as she handed him the disc. "Play track six for me."
"That's pretty distant from 'My Immortal.'" Jeff told her.
"Thus the allure of performing it. I'm kind of hoping he dies of shock."
Jeff laughed. "Go get 'em."
"Just play my song." Lita told him as she walked onto the stage and picked up a microphone, turning to face the audience. "What with all my time off lately and everything, I've been doing a lot of song writing, and this is one of my more recent pieces. Keep in mind that I'm just talking while Jeff sets up, but this song is... I guess you'd say one of my favorites, so here goes." She finished speaking as the opening guitar solo hit.
"I tried to kill the pain
,
But only brought more.
(So much more)
I lay dying,
And I'm pouring
crimson regret, and betrayal."
She paused to take in the audience's reaction to the song.
Eric Bischoff, as she had predicted was almost having a coronary in his chair, but most people were just staring up at the stage, some looking a little shocked, others looking like they were enjoying her performance.
"I'm dying,
Praying,
Bleeding,
I'm screaming.
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?"
Some of the older superstars, people who knew her well looked a little shocked, and Lita smiled. It was nothing to what they were going to be in a few seconds. John, Jeff and, Rey the only three people in the room who actually knew what the song was about, and why she had written it were all standing up, cheering for her, wide smiles on their faces.
"My God! My Tourniquet,
Return to me salvation.
My God! My Tourniquet,
Return to me salvation."
Eric's eyes nearly bugged out of his head as Lita launched into the chorus, quite happy to stand up there on the stage and belt her song out, despite the frightened and worried looks on some people's faces, including the look of horror on Matt's face.
"Do you remember me;
Lost for so long?
Will you be on the other side?
Or will you forget me?
I'm dying,
Praying,
Bleeding,
I'm screaming.
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?"
As she sung the second verse and launched into the chorus, Matt's expression changed to one of pain and regret, but Lita found that she didn't want to look at him. Instead she turned to find 'her guys', John and Rey were up dancing with everyone that had been sitting at their table, and Jeff had picked up a guitar from next to the stage and was playing the lead guitar part, clearly enjoying himself.
"My God! My Tourniquet,
Return to me salvation.
My God! My Tourniquet,
Return to me salvation."
As the chorus played for the second time Jeff moved to hand Lita the guitar, which she moved to the edge of the stage to take from him, while he procured another guitar, playing bass for her.
"(Return to me salvation)
(I want to DIE!)"
She fell silent while on the backing CD her voice still sung the background accompaniment, while she adjusted the guitar strap over her shoulder, and settled it in her hands.
"My God! My Tourniquet,
Return to me salvation.
My God! My Tourniquet,
Return to me salvation."
The guitar sung beneath her agile fingers, which picked out the chords easily, and Jeff grinned at her, having changed guitars as easily as Lita had. She smiled at him, not just a 'nice job' smile, but a 'thanks for being here through everything,' smile, and he beamed at her in return.
"My wounds cry for the grave.
My soul cries for deliverance.
Will I be denied?
Christ! Tourniquet! My suicide."
As she finished the last part of the song Lita launched into an impressive guitar solo, with Jeff quite happy to keep up with her on his bass.
"Return to us salvation
Return to us salvation..."
The main line of the song finished, and Lita motioned for Jeff to cut the remainder of the music. He moved back over to her to take her guitar, while most of the audience got to their feet cheering.
With a smile she moved back to the microphone and turned her attention back to the audience.
"Eric, I know you're sitting down there and thinking 'what the hell just went on here?' And I can see by the look on your face that I'm right, so don't bother to deny it. I don't like feeling forced into doing things, including performing, so I'm going to go now. You just had your last attempt at dominating me, don't do it again."
John met her at the front of the stage, picking her up to kiss her. When he put her down Jeff hugged her and ruffled her hair, which she was less than impressed about.
"That was my five second hair style!"
"Hang on." He placated her. "I'll give you a new one." Jeff reached out again and ruffled her hair again, smoothing it out a little.
"You look fine mami." Rey told her, "And you sounded beautiful."
"I can always depend on you guys." She smiled at them, and then fanned her hand in front of her face. "I need a drink, those lights are hot."
John nodded and led her towards the bar, while Jeff and Rey walked back to their table.
"Is anyone else disturbed that she was singing about suicide?" Dawn asked watched Lita and John at the bar, Lita quite animated as she said something to him.
"It's not like that." Rey told her. "We asked the same question when we first heard the song. She says it's more about pain, and stopping it."
"Why the hell didn't you tell me that she was so damn upset!" Matt shouted at his younger brother. "Why the hell didn't you say anything!"
"If she wanted you to know how she was feeling she probably would have called you herself." Jeff answered mildly.
"Don't even start with me..." Matt began again, starting to attract the attention of everyone in the room.
"It's not my fault she doesn't want to talk to you." Jeff stood up, coming close to matching his brother in height.
"How the hell can you even interfere in this?" Matt grabbed Jeff by the collar and began to try and shake him, while Jeff introduced his fist to Matt's jaw.
"Guys, stop it." Dawn was saying. "Please, just stop it!"
"Someone do something!" Trish yelled as the two Hardy's went at it, in a full-blown fistfight.
Several superstars began trying to break the two men up, and keep them separate, though both Matt and Jeff were fighting to get back to beating each other up.
"What the hell is going on here?" Both men froze, turning to look at her. "Answer me!" She demanded.
"Nothing." Matt told her.
"Bullshit." Lita snapped at him. "You two don't try and start a brawl over nothing."
"It was just, we were just trying to resolve our differences." He tried again. "Why didn't I know that I'd hurt you so much?"
"You think I wanted to kill myself over you?" She stared at him. "I loved you Matt, and I loved you so much. But I had no desire to kill myself over you. For weeks I felt like I was dying inside, a little more every day, but I never once contemplated killing myself, I always had something to live for." Lita was silent for several moments, just staring at the two men. "I can't believe you thought I wanted to kill myself."
"I was..." Matt began.
"You were worried about me?" The look Lita gave him was pure disdain. "You weren't worried about me until you thought that there was the possibility that I would be gone."
"Come on babe." John told her gently. "I've got your drink, let's just go sit down."
She managed to smile at him as he handed the chocolate milkshake to her, thinking that it would keep her calm.
"I was worried about you, Lita." Matt told her. "I was worried about you, I love you."
She stared at him for a moment, then tipped her drink all over his head. "You didn't love me enough, or we'd still be together. So don't you dare stand there and tell me that you love me."
Matt sputtered and tried to wipe the chocolate and ice cream concoction out of his eyes.
John wrapped his arms around Lita, both restraining her and protecting her, while Rey appeared at her side, speaking softly in Spanish. "Tu poder no hacer esta." *You can't do this.*
"Si, yo poder." She answered him, turning her head. *Yes I can.*
"Lita." He said gently. "Por favor."
"Lo probare." Lita answered finally, not looking too impressed. *I'll try.*
"Go on then."
"I'm not a child." She told him, still looking unhappy. "Fine. Matt, I'm sorry you're such a jerk and caused me to tip a chocolate milkshake on your head. How's that?" She turned to Rey.
"It could be improved on."
Lita raised her eyebrows at him, then looked up at John. "Balaimos?"
He smiled. "At least I know one word in Spanish."
She batted her eyelashes at him, and held out her hand, which he took, leading her out onto the dance floor.
"What just happened?" Matt asked, looking bewildered.
"She wants to dance." Jeff answered.
"I mean what the hell just happened here?"
"We made her mad, and you made her angrier." The younger man said. "You never know when to quit."
"That's enough, both of you." Rey chided her. "Be pleased it wasn't coffee she tipped on you Matt."
********
"Are you okay?" John asked softly as they danced.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"You just tipped a perfectly good chocolate milkshake on your ex- boyfriend's head. You tell me."
"He made me angry. You know he leaves me and everything's completely fine because it has to be, and then he gets worried about me because he thinks I'm singing about suicide, and he's allowed to jump all over me, and he and Jeff think that they can have a fist fight. I don't know what came over them, but it's not on. Things don't work that way." Lita shook her head in frustration, and then rested it against John's chest. "I wish we could just stay out here for ever."
"You and me both babe." John told her. "But let's not worry about that any more tonight."
She nodded and leaned heavily against him.
Once the song finished John led her off the dance floor, carefully supporting her with one arm around her waist.
"Is everything okay?" Jeff asked as John pulled a chair out for Lita, guiding her into it.
"I just feel really tired." Lita answered. "I'm just so tired."
"I think we're going to head back to the hotel." John told the others as Lita rested her head against him. "It's getting kind of late anyway."
"You can't leave yet." Eric Bischoff appeared out of nowhere. "You can't leave yet."
"Are you going to stop me?" John asked him, "And since when have you been my boss?"
"I'm deadly serious, you can't leave yet."
"Me siento debil." Lita said softly, causing both Rey and Dawn to drop to their knees in front of her, both speaking in rapid Spanish.
"?Desde cuando se siente asi?" Dawn asked.
"No." Lita answered, though the question wasn't clear. "John?"
"It's okay babe." He reassured her, "We're out of here right now."
"I'm telling you that you can't leave." Eric insisted.
"What's going on?" Vince McMahon walked over to them, Paul Heyman beside him.
"Paul, Lita enferma, pero Eric bastardo. El decir John no poder llevar su hotel." Dawn told Paul in a rush. *Paul, Lita's sick and Eric's a bastard. He won't let John take her back to the hotel.*
"Dawn, Dawn just calm down and speak slowly, preferably not in Spanish." He soothed her.
"Eric won't let John take Lita back to the hotel because she's not feeling well." She repeated in a rush.
"And he's a bastard." Lita added, causing Dawn to lower her gaze for a moment.
Paul rounded on Eric. "Since when do you tell my superstars what they can and can't do?"
"No one's allowed to leave yet." Eric told him shaking his head.
"Don't worry." Paul reassured Lita. "It's okay. John go ahead and take her back to the hotel."
"You can't do that!" Eric repeated.
"So you expect me to send a pregnant woman who isn't feeling well back to a hotel on her own?" Paul asked as John picked Lita up in his arms. "I don't think so."
Beside Paul, Rey was trying to calm Dawn-Marie down in Spanish, the pair speaking rapid Spanish that only they seemed to understand.
"No, no, no!" Dawn shrilled at him, putting one hand against his chest, while he held her shoulders gently.
"Dawn, Dawn." Nidia walked over to the upset brunette and began to speak to her in Spanish. "Es vale. Lita's enfermedad, no es de gravedad. She's going to be okay. It's normal for her to not feel well at this point. It's okay." *Lita's illness isn't serious.*
"Are you sure?" Dawn asked, her voice small, still wrought with worry.
"I'm sure. Trust me." Nidia promised. "I was a little surprised she even came out tonight. Lita's going to be just fine. Why don't you call her in the morning and talk to her about how preocupada tu esta." Nidia smiled at her.
"She's right Dawn." Rey told her. "Lita's going to be fine. Why don't you ladies go and dance for a while, take your mind off it."
Trish nodded. "Lita wouldn't want us to stand here all worried. She'd wanted us to party."