Yeah, my pace has been a little manic as of late... Sorry about that.
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The silent trio walked into the hotel bar. It was mostly empty; St. Louis was pulsing with nightlife, and most of the party animals were probably at the clubs along the waterfront. That, and Tuesday wasn't exactly a popular night of the week for the locals to stay out late.
Lita sat down at the bar and the brothers flanked her: Kane on her left, and the Undertaker on her right. Taker ordered a beer and sipped at it. Kane ordered a Scotch but didn't drink from it, instead staring down, twirling the glass idly. The bartender looked to Lita and she shook her head, not bothering to look up at the woman. Taker glanced down at her.
"No warm milk and honey, then?"
Kane looked up at his brother and Lita tried to read the emotions across his face. The only one she could truly discern was jealousy, which was a bad sign. She had, after all, disappeared with his brother for a little less than two months, and the tiny detail that he knew her drink order had been a scathing reminder of that. She decided to ignore both of them: Kane's jealousy, and Taker's callousness.
"No, Taker, I'm hoping I won't need it tonight." All was quiet again. They were supposed to be talking things over. But there was too much to say, and no words to say it. If they tried to simplify things, it would only make them worse. This silence wasn't working, either, only providing enough awkwardness to emphasis how complicated the situation was.
"F*ck it," Lita whispered. "The three of us aren't going to accomplish anything. I'm going upstairs. You two duke it out as you like."
She pushed away from the bar and hopped down angrily, not really stomping her way to the elevator, but making her emotions clear all the same. Stomping was childish, and besides, it hurt her back too much to take anything but mincing steps right now. It looked feminine and pathetic as hell, but fortunately no one in the lobby was interested in wrestling her. She didn't have to be too tough right now.
Lita got on the elevator and pushed the button harder than was necessary, glad there was no one accompanying her on the short trip to the top of the building. She was mad, frustrated, and above all, scared. Kane was with her again, but he was no doubt pissed at her choice of teammates, and she couldn't imagine how ugly it was getting down in the bar, even if words were all that was exchanged. That was the bad thing about the two men being so quiet. They could argue until there was nothing left in them but hatred for each other, and still not cause a scene.
Once back to the room, she stripped down and stepped into the shower, running the water a little hotter than usual. She was tired, and it was soothing on her sore back, and the steam was relaxing, taking her mind away from the scene playing out several floors below her. What would happen between them would happen. If she was there, it was only going to get nastier.
She turned the water off and pulled open the curtain. No towels left. Damn.
With the water off, she could hear sounds again from the room. There was the muted background noise of the television, and a strange hush that she recognized too easily. They had heard the shower turn off and had stopped talking so she couldn't eavesdrop.
She hated to ruin this mysterious, intense moment, but there were minor problems that were currently more pressing.
"Um, you think someone could hand me a towel?"
She pulled the curtain closed again. It was one of those spectacularly practical ones, both pretty and dark, the kind that not even a silhouette would show through. Someone knocked at the door and she yelled, "It's okay." She heard the muffled thud of the folded fabric hitting the counter, and the door closing tight again. Good.
Lita stepped out of the shower, not caring that she was dripping water all over the bathroom floor. One of the guys might come in and slip and break his neck later, but so be it. She was still fairly pissed.
She wrapped herself up in the big terrycloth robe that Taker had thrown in and combed her hair out. The hairdryer was out in the room, but she didn't feel like messing with it right now, anyway. If she started the noise back up, the guys could keep talking behind her back.
Double-checking the knotted sash to make sure the robe wasn't going anywhere, Lita walked out, head slightly tilted as she rubbed at her wet hair with the spare towel. She tried to sound casual as she asked, "Did y'all work out what you needed to?"
Kane glanced up at her, and his breath caught. Her face was scrubbed clean of make-up, and her hair clung in damp strands to her cheeks. The white cloth stood out against her skin, and with her hair dark with water, she was deep rose and gold.
He turned his gaze back down, away from them both. He'd only glimpsed her for a second, but a blush crept to his face all the same. It was embarrassing and infuriating. He couldn't take it out on her, so he turned to the only other person present.
"Have we worked everything out?"
Taker's clear green eyes never left Lita's face. "We're not going to kill each other, if that's what you mean."
She glared back at him, shaking her head. How could someone's eyes be so clear and still reveal so little? "That's reassuring, I suppose. But it's not enough."
Kane spoke without raising his head. "You don't know what you're asking. I've tried to forgive, and I can't."
"You can't forgive him or me?"
He looked back up at her, quickly, and shied away again. "You've given me no reason to be angry with you. There's nothing to forgive."
Lita sighed. It was such a typical statement for him. Others claimed Kane loved her, but she had her doubts. He'd said that he would die for her, and she believed that, but sacrifice was not the same thing as love. She would die to save a great many people, but that didn't mean she was in love with them. So she chose to believe the rumors were lies. Deep down, she knew it was nothing more than a weak shield she'd built to protect herself from the shame at what she'd put him through, but an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure, and she'd rather kid herself than deal with that much pain and guilt tonight.
"Even if you're not angry, I'm sorry."
"For leaving?"
"For all of it," she said softly.
"I'm not," he answered fiercely. "I'm not sorry for one second."
He finally met her eyes, and they stared each other down, both silently willing the other to finally be honest, just tell the truth, and get it over with.
"Taker?" Lita asked, her gaze not leaving Kane's.
"Mm-hm?" he asked, as if startled. He'd been bespelled by their little two-actor drama as well.
She looked at him pleadingly. "Could you give us a moment?"
He left without a word, for which she was very grateful. Taker could be a thorn in her side, but he could be a rock to lean on when she needed him. His reliability was just another way he reminded her of Kane.
Kane, who now sat before her questioningly. "Give me a second," she murmured and grabbed her gymbag, heading in the bathroom to change. When she came out, she was wearing warm-up pants and a baggy Attitude t-shirt, her hair dried and pulled back in a ponytail. "You wanna find somewhere better to talk?" she asked, and he merely nodded, following her meekly out the door.
She led him to the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. She could read the curiosity on his face, but he made no interrogations, only followed her as she walked to the stairwell door.
Once in the stairwell, she headed over to a ladder on the side. It led up to a trapdoor.
She climbed the ladder without an apparent second thought, pausing when she reached the top. He squinted up at her. "It's locked."
Lita smiled down, and for him she was nothing less than an angel and the devil, there to save his life and steal his soul. She pulled a bobby pin from her pocket. "I've got talents no one knows," she teased.
It only took her about thirty seconds to pick the padlock. She pushed the trapdoor open and crawled to the top. She looked down at him through the opening. "Coming?"
Kane shook his head and crawled up after her. "Don't let the-" Lita managed as he closed the door. She bit her lip and tried to keep from giggling.
"What?"
"I was going to tell you to not let the door close. There's no handle on the outside of it."
Kane looked back down in panic. She was right. They were locked out.
Lita plopped down at the edge of the roof. "Hope it doesn't rain tonight," she commented lightly.
Kane crawled over beside her, eyeing the ledge warily. "Don't get too close," he warned.
She smiled. "I'll be fine."
Quiet fell.
"So..." she began.
"So."
She smiled, then laughed, and it turned into a sob, until she was hunched with her shoulders shaking and tears streamed down her face. Kane wrapped his arms around her, bewildered. She began to laugh again, and started sobbing harder, wiping at her eyes. "I'm sorry. You must think I'm crazy."
Calling upon his great wisdom of language, Kane chose not to respond. In the time he'd spent with her, he'd learned it was normally the best answer to give an emotional woman.
"It's just, I didn't realize how much I'd missed you until now. And now I'm afraid I'm going to lose you again."
Kane pulled away from her. "Did you really miss me that much?" Kane asked carefully, voice neutral.
His words stunned her like a verbal slap. "Kane... of course I did. How can you ask that? How can you be so blind?"
"Blind?" he whirled to face her. "You're telling me about blind? What about you?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, are you physically blind? How can you have eyes that see and still look at me like that?"
"Because," Lita took a deep breath and tried to ignore her racing heart. "You're beautiful."
He shook his head in disgust. "Kane," she touched his cheek, turned him to face her. "If you're a monster, then I am no more than one either. I just wear a more nicely painted shell. But you..." her other hand reached out, lay delicately on top of his. "You're more human than anyone I've ever known."
He moved suddenly, kissed her, a bare brushing of the lips. She didn't scream, didn't pull away, didn't push him away, only remained staring up at him through half-lidded eyes. He entwined one hand with hers, lay the other carefully against the small of her back, and kissed her again, more slowly. They broke apart, and Lita smiled, laying her head against his chest to listen to the great booming of his heart. He wrapped his arms around her, tucked his chin on top of her head. No words were said. No words were needed.
It began to rain, which isn't even an accurate description of what happened. The sky seemed to open as water suddenly poured down on them in torrential sheets of rain. Lita raised her head from Kane's chest, looked into his eyes from only inches away.
"It's freezing, and we're stuck out here. Will you keep me warm tonight?" The seemingly innocent question was asking for much more. It was asking for a promise.
"I will, but not just for tonight," he countered.
She bit her lip. "For the rest of my life, then?"
He kissed her through the rain, faces streaming with water, his hand running through the locks of her drenched hair.
"Yes."
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Woah. If you didn't see that coming, well, neither did I. I was just picturing the scene in my head when it suddenly started storming. I was like, "Okay, then." I have no clue what's going to happen next.
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The silent trio walked into the hotel bar. It was mostly empty; St. Louis was pulsing with nightlife, and most of the party animals were probably at the clubs along the waterfront. That, and Tuesday wasn't exactly a popular night of the week for the locals to stay out late.
Lita sat down at the bar and the brothers flanked her: Kane on her left, and the Undertaker on her right. Taker ordered a beer and sipped at it. Kane ordered a Scotch but didn't drink from it, instead staring down, twirling the glass idly. The bartender looked to Lita and she shook her head, not bothering to look up at the woman. Taker glanced down at her.
"No warm milk and honey, then?"
Kane looked up at his brother and Lita tried to read the emotions across his face. The only one she could truly discern was jealousy, which was a bad sign. She had, after all, disappeared with his brother for a little less than two months, and the tiny detail that he knew her drink order had been a scathing reminder of that. She decided to ignore both of them: Kane's jealousy, and Taker's callousness.
"No, Taker, I'm hoping I won't need it tonight." All was quiet again. They were supposed to be talking things over. But there was too much to say, and no words to say it. If they tried to simplify things, it would only make them worse. This silence wasn't working, either, only providing enough awkwardness to emphasis how complicated the situation was.
"F*ck it," Lita whispered. "The three of us aren't going to accomplish anything. I'm going upstairs. You two duke it out as you like."
She pushed away from the bar and hopped down angrily, not really stomping her way to the elevator, but making her emotions clear all the same. Stomping was childish, and besides, it hurt her back too much to take anything but mincing steps right now. It looked feminine and pathetic as hell, but fortunately no one in the lobby was interested in wrestling her. She didn't have to be too tough right now.
Lita got on the elevator and pushed the button harder than was necessary, glad there was no one accompanying her on the short trip to the top of the building. She was mad, frustrated, and above all, scared. Kane was with her again, but he was no doubt pissed at her choice of teammates, and she couldn't imagine how ugly it was getting down in the bar, even if words were all that was exchanged. That was the bad thing about the two men being so quiet. They could argue until there was nothing left in them but hatred for each other, and still not cause a scene.
Once back to the room, she stripped down and stepped into the shower, running the water a little hotter than usual. She was tired, and it was soothing on her sore back, and the steam was relaxing, taking her mind away from the scene playing out several floors below her. What would happen between them would happen. If she was there, it was only going to get nastier.
She turned the water off and pulled open the curtain. No towels left. Damn.
With the water off, she could hear sounds again from the room. There was the muted background noise of the television, and a strange hush that she recognized too easily. They had heard the shower turn off and had stopped talking so she couldn't eavesdrop.
She hated to ruin this mysterious, intense moment, but there were minor problems that were currently more pressing.
"Um, you think someone could hand me a towel?"
She pulled the curtain closed again. It was one of those spectacularly practical ones, both pretty and dark, the kind that not even a silhouette would show through. Someone knocked at the door and she yelled, "It's okay." She heard the muffled thud of the folded fabric hitting the counter, and the door closing tight again. Good.
Lita stepped out of the shower, not caring that she was dripping water all over the bathroom floor. One of the guys might come in and slip and break his neck later, but so be it. She was still fairly pissed.
She wrapped herself up in the big terrycloth robe that Taker had thrown in and combed her hair out. The hairdryer was out in the room, but she didn't feel like messing with it right now, anyway. If she started the noise back up, the guys could keep talking behind her back.
Double-checking the knotted sash to make sure the robe wasn't going anywhere, Lita walked out, head slightly tilted as she rubbed at her wet hair with the spare towel. She tried to sound casual as she asked, "Did y'all work out what you needed to?"
Kane glanced up at her, and his breath caught. Her face was scrubbed clean of make-up, and her hair clung in damp strands to her cheeks. The white cloth stood out against her skin, and with her hair dark with water, she was deep rose and gold.
He turned his gaze back down, away from them both. He'd only glimpsed her for a second, but a blush crept to his face all the same. It was embarrassing and infuriating. He couldn't take it out on her, so he turned to the only other person present.
"Have we worked everything out?"
Taker's clear green eyes never left Lita's face. "We're not going to kill each other, if that's what you mean."
She glared back at him, shaking her head. How could someone's eyes be so clear and still reveal so little? "That's reassuring, I suppose. But it's not enough."
Kane spoke without raising his head. "You don't know what you're asking. I've tried to forgive, and I can't."
"You can't forgive him or me?"
He looked back up at her, quickly, and shied away again. "You've given me no reason to be angry with you. There's nothing to forgive."
Lita sighed. It was such a typical statement for him. Others claimed Kane loved her, but she had her doubts. He'd said that he would die for her, and she believed that, but sacrifice was not the same thing as love. She would die to save a great many people, but that didn't mean she was in love with them. So she chose to believe the rumors were lies. Deep down, she knew it was nothing more than a weak shield she'd built to protect herself from the shame at what she'd put him through, but an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure, and she'd rather kid herself than deal with that much pain and guilt tonight.
"Even if you're not angry, I'm sorry."
"For leaving?"
"For all of it," she said softly.
"I'm not," he answered fiercely. "I'm not sorry for one second."
He finally met her eyes, and they stared each other down, both silently willing the other to finally be honest, just tell the truth, and get it over with.
"Taker?" Lita asked, her gaze not leaving Kane's.
"Mm-hm?" he asked, as if startled. He'd been bespelled by their little two-actor drama as well.
She looked at him pleadingly. "Could you give us a moment?"
He left without a word, for which she was very grateful. Taker could be a thorn in her side, but he could be a rock to lean on when she needed him. His reliability was just another way he reminded her of Kane.
Kane, who now sat before her questioningly. "Give me a second," she murmured and grabbed her gymbag, heading in the bathroom to change. When she came out, she was wearing warm-up pants and a baggy Attitude t-shirt, her hair dried and pulled back in a ponytail. "You wanna find somewhere better to talk?" she asked, and he merely nodded, following her meekly out the door.
She led him to the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. She could read the curiosity on his face, but he made no interrogations, only followed her as she walked to the stairwell door.
Once in the stairwell, she headed over to a ladder on the side. It led up to a trapdoor.
She climbed the ladder without an apparent second thought, pausing when she reached the top. He squinted up at her. "It's locked."
Lita smiled down, and for him she was nothing less than an angel and the devil, there to save his life and steal his soul. She pulled a bobby pin from her pocket. "I've got talents no one knows," she teased.
It only took her about thirty seconds to pick the padlock. She pushed the trapdoor open and crawled to the top. She looked down at him through the opening. "Coming?"
Kane shook his head and crawled up after her. "Don't let the-" Lita managed as he closed the door. She bit her lip and tried to keep from giggling.
"What?"
"I was going to tell you to not let the door close. There's no handle on the outside of it."
Kane looked back down in panic. She was right. They were locked out.
Lita plopped down at the edge of the roof. "Hope it doesn't rain tonight," she commented lightly.
Kane crawled over beside her, eyeing the ledge warily. "Don't get too close," he warned.
She smiled. "I'll be fine."
Quiet fell.
"So..." she began.
"So."
She smiled, then laughed, and it turned into a sob, until she was hunched with her shoulders shaking and tears streamed down her face. Kane wrapped his arms around her, bewildered. She began to laugh again, and started sobbing harder, wiping at her eyes. "I'm sorry. You must think I'm crazy."
Calling upon his great wisdom of language, Kane chose not to respond. In the time he'd spent with her, he'd learned it was normally the best answer to give an emotional woman.
"It's just, I didn't realize how much I'd missed you until now. And now I'm afraid I'm going to lose you again."
Kane pulled away from her. "Did you really miss me that much?" Kane asked carefully, voice neutral.
His words stunned her like a verbal slap. "Kane... of course I did. How can you ask that? How can you be so blind?"
"Blind?" he whirled to face her. "You're telling me about blind? What about you?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, are you physically blind? How can you have eyes that see and still look at me like that?"
"Because," Lita took a deep breath and tried to ignore her racing heart. "You're beautiful."
He shook his head in disgust. "Kane," she touched his cheek, turned him to face her. "If you're a monster, then I am no more than one either. I just wear a more nicely painted shell. But you..." her other hand reached out, lay delicately on top of his. "You're more human than anyone I've ever known."
He moved suddenly, kissed her, a bare brushing of the lips. She didn't scream, didn't pull away, didn't push him away, only remained staring up at him through half-lidded eyes. He entwined one hand with hers, lay the other carefully against the small of her back, and kissed her again, more slowly. They broke apart, and Lita smiled, laying her head against his chest to listen to the great booming of his heart. He wrapped his arms around her, tucked his chin on top of her head. No words were said. No words were needed.
It began to rain, which isn't even an accurate description of what happened. The sky seemed to open as water suddenly poured down on them in torrential sheets of rain. Lita raised her head from Kane's chest, looked into his eyes from only inches away.
"It's freezing, and we're stuck out here. Will you keep me warm tonight?" The seemingly innocent question was asking for much more. It was asking for a promise.
"I will, but not just for tonight," he countered.
She bit her lip. "For the rest of my life, then?"
He kissed her through the rain, faces streaming with water, his hand running through the locks of her drenched hair.
"Yes."
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Woah. If you didn't see that coming, well, neither did I. I was just picturing the scene in my head when it suddenly started storming. I was like, "Okay, then." I have no clue what's going to happen next.