Hmm...methinks I'm getting too wrapped up in this story and I need to take a break from it for a while. Unfortunately, this sucker is way too therapeutic for me. I'd be writing it even if no one was reading, however, it's nice to know that other people are interested. The last chapter was actually my favorite so far. Oh, and since I didn't give credit before, the song that was playing on the radio when Taker and Lita were in the car is "Slide" by the Goo Goo Dolls. Lita's theme song is "Cat People" by David Bowie. Yeah, so I'm a Bowie fanatic. I can't help it. The lyrics of that song seemed to fit her.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lita blinked awake, squinting at the harsh sun. A long shadow fell to protect her eyes. Taker.
"Do I want to know?"
Lita poked Kane's shoulder until he groggily sat up. "I think we're in trouble," she stage-whispered.
"I didn't know where you were." The question could have been interpreted as for both of them, but Taker looked at Lita as he said it. "I'm sorry," she answered truthfully.
He shrugged, but the relieved look wouldn't leave his eyes. "I knew that if you were with him, you were safe."
She stared up at him with wide eyes, understanding just how much it had cost him to admit that. She wanted to say thank you, but it wouldn't be appropriate. Maybe if they'd been alone. She settled for stating the obvious. "You were right." Lita wrapped her arms around herself. The sun was out, but it was still barely morning, and she was soaked through from the storm the night before. Kane reached for her, but Taker leaned down first.
"Here," he handed her his long, black coat, helping her wrap it around her shoulders.
"Thanks."
Taker finally looked at his brother. Neither spoke. "They must have some lovely family Thanksgiving dinners," Lita thought. "If I'm ever going to be part of this family, someone's going to have to learn to talk. Or I'll have to learn to shut up. Nope, not an option."
Since she couldn't really respond to the silence, Lita chose to ignore. "Taker, how'd you know to look up here?"
"When I woke up this morning and you still hadn't come back, I thought about how much you love the roof at the house. Since that's where we always go to talk, I thought that's where you would go this time, too. I was right."
"Yeah, a mistake on my part," Lita responded, not letting that dreaded silence get it's foot in the door. She'd learned the value of a quick response with these two. "We got locked out. It rained cats and dogs."
"Spoken like a true southerner," Taker commented, and she wished he would let himself truly smile. His face was set, but she'd come to recognize the tone of humor in his voice and the way his eyes crinkled at the corners.
"Did you find what you were looking for, Taker?" Kane finally asked. Even if she found his jealousy unreasonable, Lita agreed with his impatience. They were soaking wet on the roof of a hotel, and the sooner they got back home, the longer their few days of break would seem.
Taker looked at Lita, and the corner of his mouth curled up in the ghost of a grin. "More or less."
Lita bit down a giggle. Kane wouldn't recognize the quote, but it was from the X-men sequel. After a couple weeks at the ranch in Texas she'd gotten Taker to loosen up a little and agree to doing stuff that normal people did, like going out to eat, sporting events, and more than anything, renting movies. The X-men movies had been one of the few things they'd both really liked, and she'd teased him relentlessly about his resemblance to the badass Wolverine. It figures that would come back to bite her at the least helpful moment.
If looks could kill, then Kane would be guilty of first-degree murder. Lita wanted to tell Taker, "Don't bait him," but it would only make things worse, and he knew she was thinking it, anyway. This was his little way of getting back at her for disappearing on him. Fine, if this petty game was revenge for his concern, so be it.
"If y'all want to have a little sibling staring contest on the roof all morning, go right ahead," she snapped. "I'm gonna go change into some dry clothes before we have to get back on the road."
"That raises the question," Kane said lowly. "To where is the road you're getting back on leading?"
Sh*t. She'd been staying in Texas at Taker's house the past couple of months. Kane being back through a cog in the works. There had to be a way to handle this diplomatically.
Ah, hell, she was never good with diplomacy, anyway. One of them was going to be pissed. It might as well be the one with the better temper.
"That depends. Where are you going, Kane?"
Her answer caught them both by surprise. Kane was speechless. Taker, though he didn't change his stance nor raise his voice, was obviously incensed.
"So, that's the way it is?" he gazed down at her. His look wasn't the green coldness she was used to seeing when he was angry. It was worse than that. He was hurt.
"One night back with him, and you forget me so quickly? I thought I meant more than that, Li."
Ooh, that stung. She blinked back tears at the pet name. She could deal with the Undertaker in all degrees of his anger, but hurting him...it was too much of a shock, more than she could handle.
"I'm sorry, Taker. It's not like that."
"What's it like, Lita?"
"It's not that you don't mean anything. It's that I thought I didn't."
He tilted his head as if he didn't quite believe her. "You were wrong."
She sighed. Kane finally spoke up again, only his second sentence of the morning, quiet even by his standards.
"It looks like we've got a problem then."
Lita snapped her head to glare at him. Her voice was the purest ice. "You two do what you like. Have some epic battle on the roof overlooking the city, or decide on joint custody, or whatever, I don't care right now. I'm freezing, I'm tired, and I'm starting to feel like this will never be resolved. I'm going to go change. You two better both be alive when I get back. If I get here and only one is left, then I'm throwing him off the roof, too."
She climbed down the ladder back into the hotel, slamming the trapdoor shut behind her.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah, so I hate for things to be uncomplicated, apparently. I hope y'all enjoy the predicaments, as well. Review and let me know. Or don't. I can't force you.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lita blinked awake, squinting at the harsh sun. A long shadow fell to protect her eyes. Taker.
"Do I want to know?"
Lita poked Kane's shoulder until he groggily sat up. "I think we're in trouble," she stage-whispered.
"I didn't know where you were." The question could have been interpreted as for both of them, but Taker looked at Lita as he said it. "I'm sorry," she answered truthfully.
He shrugged, but the relieved look wouldn't leave his eyes. "I knew that if you were with him, you were safe."
She stared up at him with wide eyes, understanding just how much it had cost him to admit that. She wanted to say thank you, but it wouldn't be appropriate. Maybe if they'd been alone. She settled for stating the obvious. "You were right." Lita wrapped her arms around herself. The sun was out, but it was still barely morning, and she was soaked through from the storm the night before. Kane reached for her, but Taker leaned down first.
"Here," he handed her his long, black coat, helping her wrap it around her shoulders.
"Thanks."
Taker finally looked at his brother. Neither spoke. "They must have some lovely family Thanksgiving dinners," Lita thought. "If I'm ever going to be part of this family, someone's going to have to learn to talk. Or I'll have to learn to shut up. Nope, not an option."
Since she couldn't really respond to the silence, Lita chose to ignore. "Taker, how'd you know to look up here?"
"When I woke up this morning and you still hadn't come back, I thought about how much you love the roof at the house. Since that's where we always go to talk, I thought that's where you would go this time, too. I was right."
"Yeah, a mistake on my part," Lita responded, not letting that dreaded silence get it's foot in the door. She'd learned the value of a quick response with these two. "We got locked out. It rained cats and dogs."
"Spoken like a true southerner," Taker commented, and she wished he would let himself truly smile. His face was set, but she'd come to recognize the tone of humor in his voice and the way his eyes crinkled at the corners.
"Did you find what you were looking for, Taker?" Kane finally asked. Even if she found his jealousy unreasonable, Lita agreed with his impatience. They were soaking wet on the roof of a hotel, and the sooner they got back home, the longer their few days of break would seem.
Taker looked at Lita, and the corner of his mouth curled up in the ghost of a grin. "More or less."
Lita bit down a giggle. Kane wouldn't recognize the quote, but it was from the X-men sequel. After a couple weeks at the ranch in Texas she'd gotten Taker to loosen up a little and agree to doing stuff that normal people did, like going out to eat, sporting events, and more than anything, renting movies. The X-men movies had been one of the few things they'd both really liked, and she'd teased him relentlessly about his resemblance to the badass Wolverine. It figures that would come back to bite her at the least helpful moment.
If looks could kill, then Kane would be guilty of first-degree murder. Lita wanted to tell Taker, "Don't bait him," but it would only make things worse, and he knew she was thinking it, anyway. This was his little way of getting back at her for disappearing on him. Fine, if this petty game was revenge for his concern, so be it.
"If y'all want to have a little sibling staring contest on the roof all morning, go right ahead," she snapped. "I'm gonna go change into some dry clothes before we have to get back on the road."
"That raises the question," Kane said lowly. "To where is the road you're getting back on leading?"
Sh*t. She'd been staying in Texas at Taker's house the past couple of months. Kane being back through a cog in the works. There had to be a way to handle this diplomatically.
Ah, hell, she was never good with diplomacy, anyway. One of them was going to be pissed. It might as well be the one with the better temper.
"That depends. Where are you going, Kane?"
Her answer caught them both by surprise. Kane was speechless. Taker, though he didn't change his stance nor raise his voice, was obviously incensed.
"So, that's the way it is?" he gazed down at her. His look wasn't the green coldness she was used to seeing when he was angry. It was worse than that. He was hurt.
"One night back with him, and you forget me so quickly? I thought I meant more than that, Li."
Ooh, that stung. She blinked back tears at the pet name. She could deal with the Undertaker in all degrees of his anger, but hurting him...it was too much of a shock, more than she could handle.
"I'm sorry, Taker. It's not like that."
"What's it like, Lita?"
"It's not that you don't mean anything. It's that I thought I didn't."
He tilted his head as if he didn't quite believe her. "You were wrong."
She sighed. Kane finally spoke up again, only his second sentence of the morning, quiet even by his standards.
"It looks like we've got a problem then."
Lita snapped her head to glare at him. Her voice was the purest ice. "You two do what you like. Have some epic battle on the roof overlooking the city, or decide on joint custody, or whatever, I don't care right now. I'm freezing, I'm tired, and I'm starting to feel like this will never be resolved. I'm going to go change. You two better both be alive when I get back. If I get here and only one is left, then I'm throwing him off the roof, too."
She climbed down the ladder back into the hotel, slamming the trapdoor shut behind her.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah, so I hate for things to be uncomplicated, apparently. I hope y'all enjoy the predicaments, as well. Review and let me know. Or don't. I can't force you.