Title: Nothing Stays the Same.
Author: Cathie McMath. (email: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au)
Disclaimer: I don't own Jeff, Lita, Lilian Garcia - or any other WWE wrestlers that I may mention in this fic. I dream about owning them every night.. but in reality I don't. Good ol' Vinny Mac does.
Summary: Change happens all the time in the WWE. In fact, both Jeff and Lita are going through some major changes. But how do they deal with what's happening around them? What are the consequences of their actions?
Rating: PG. It's nice and clean. For now.
TimeLine: Starting from January through to November 2003.
Distribution: Just email me and let me know if you'd like to have it.
Feedback: It's what makes me happy! And we all want a happy Cathie, don't we? So go on, send those reviews! It's for a good cause!
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
"I don't know if I can do this."
Christian rubbed his hand up and down Lita's arm comfortingly, leading the redheaded diva into his locker room at the RAW arena. "Sure you can sweetie." They entered the room, and he closed the door firmly behind them.
Raking a hand through her long, fiery hair, Lita sighed and shook her head. "I'm just going to be making a complete fool of myself out there. Jeff probably won't even be watching, and then I'll just have embarrassed myself for nothing..."
Cupping Lita's face in his hands, Christian locked eyes with her. "Calm down. This is a great idea. Jeff is watching, trust me. And no one will think you're a fool for doing this. Everyone will think that you're an extremely brave woman, who's in love, and simply doing all that you can to get the man that you love back into your life."
Contemplating his words, there was a pause. She dropped her gaze, chewing on her lip. Finally, she brought her stare back to the blonde canadian. "You think so?"
"I know so."
Lita covered Christian's hands with her own, and sent him a grateful smile. "Thank you."
Leaning down slightly, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Don't worry about it." A small, half smile. "I guess I'm just a hopeless romantic deep down, hey?"
She beamed. "I guess you are."
The two friends stood in the middle of the locker room for a moment, simply smiling at each other. Lita broke the comfortable silence first. "So how are you so sure that he'll be watching? Not that I'm doubting you or freaking out or anything, but it's quite possible that he's not at home, or watching something else, or out with someone..."
"Jeff will be watching, because I told him to." Christian confessed. He continued explaining when he saw Lita's jaw drop. "I rang him earlier tonight and told him that there was going to be a very important announcement tonight, and that he had to hear it. Told him it was huge and exciting."
Her face went red. "Christian! As if I wasn't nervous enough!"
"Oh, come on Red." He stepped towards the couch at the back of the room. "I didn't lie or anything. It is an important announcement, and it is huge and exciting."
She paced around the room, her nerves rising once more. "But I don't even know what I'm going to say once I get out there! I haven't planned anything coherent to say at all! All I've got are these swirling thoughts that go racing through my mind at a million miles every second of the day."
"Then just say whatever's in your head at the time. You don't need a brilliant, elaborate speech or anything like that planned, Li." Christian looked at her, cocking his head slightly. "You're talking to Jeff, remember, and Jeff alone. All you need is something that's from your heart. He won't accept anything else."
Lita ceased her pacing, slipping beside the blonde haired man on the couch. She leant beside him, nestling her head on his chest. She let out an anxious breath. "I'm just scared, Christian. What if I pour my heart out in that ring, and admit everything that I've been feeling and everything that's been happening and how much I care about him and just say whatever's in my heart - and then he turns me down? What happens if he doesn't want to come back?"
"He will. Lita, he will."
She ignored his reassuring words, her mind frantically buzzing with dark possibilities. "God, Christian, what if I lost my chance with him when I left him to go to Smackdown?"
"You can't blame your choice for going over to Smackdown. Jeff was with Trish at the time, remember? How were you to know that she'd turn out to be nothing but a self serving, opportunistic trash bag?" He combed his fingers through her hair, her head still resting on his chest. "You can't blame that choice. You thought it'd be the best thing for you."
"And instead, I just succeeded in pushing Jeff further away." She looked up at him, sadness in her eyes.
Unable to find anything to say, Christian looked down at his friend, compassion and sympathy present in his eyes.
The sudden, heavy silence in the room was interrupted by a knocking at the door. Christian turned his attention towards the door. "Its open."
Slowly, the door opened and Lilian Garcia peered inside. "Hi guys."
"Hey Lilian. " Christian stood up. "Come on in. What's up?"
The petite blonde woman directed her gaze towards Lita, who was still sitting on the couch. "I just wanted to let you know that your time in the ring is coming up soon, Lita. In about fifteen minutes. Mr Bischoff sent me in here just to make sure that you'll be ready."
Nodding, Lita sent her friend a small smile. "Thanks Lil. I'll be ready."
Smiling back, Lilian made her way towards the door. She turned back to her friend. "See you out there."
Once the door was closed again, Lita looked back to Christian with an nervous smile on her face. She tucked her hair behind her ears and let out a breath.
"Looks like it's now or never."
***
Lilian raised the microphone to her lips, smiling in anticipation of seeing her friend in a RAW ring once again, even if it was for only an announcement. Now there was an interesting question. What was this 'announcement Lita had to make anyway?
"And now, introducing to the ring, a Smackdown superstar on RAW for a 'special announcement', Lita!"
Familiar music blaring through the arena, the crowd rose to their feet as they screamed and cheered for the redhead diva. Walking down the ramp towards the ring, Lita waved to the fans and bounced to her music. As she entered the ring, she tried desperately to hide exactly how nervous and scared she was. Was she actually going through with this?
Finally, her music faded away, and Lilian handed her the mic. Noticing how anxious her redheaded friend seemed, Lilian sent her a reassuring smile. "You'll be fine."
Lita smiled back, even though her stomach was fluttering and her heart was pounding. She let out a breath, tried to calm her nervous stomach, and brought the microphone to her lips.
"First of all, I have to say that being here tonight has made me realise how much I miss being in a RAW ring."
At this, the lively crowd roared their approval. Lita nodded and smiled, silently wondering how the people would react to her confession next.
"But I'm here tonight for a special reason. I'm here to let someone know exactly how I feel about them, apologise for certain things I've done..." She hesitated slightly. "... and pretty much plead my case."
Lita turned so that she was facing a camera, looking directly into the lens. "Jeff, I really hope you're watching because I have alot I need to say to you. Alot I need you to hear from me. And if this is the only way I'm going to get you to hear it, well then, so be it."
"You know better than anyone how hard it was for me during my injury. You know because you were there. You were always there. You know how much I longed to be back in a ring, kicking some diva ass and chasing that women's belt once more. But most of all, I longed to be back here, wrestling by your side again. That's what I missed the most."
She cleared her throat, stepping around the ring slowly. "Then, as I was nearing my rehab, you and Trish started something. And suddenly you didn't come to visit as often, or even bother to call. It became weeks and weeks until I heard from you, and even then our conversations were forced. You wanna know why? It was because I didn't want to talk to you."
"I bet you're wondering why it was that I didn't want to talk to you. Hell, I wondered myself for weeks. It wasn't until only recently that I realised why it was so hard for me to talk to you or watch you on television... and it was because I was jealous."
Lita paused, trying to calm her pounding heart, the thudding resonating in her ears. "I wanted to be Trish so badly. She was EXACTLY where I wanted to be - by your side. Except I denied this to myself at first. I blamed our sudden lack of friendship on other, stupid, petty things and tore down our relationship. So much so, that I found that once I was ready to return, I couldn't bring myself to work with you on RAW. So I moved to Smackdown."
"That night, one week later, when you told me you were leaving the WWE for good, I felt my heart being torn in two. You said so many incredibly sweet and touching things to me, and I never realised that I meant that much to you." Pausing once more, Lita ran a hand through her hair, letting out a breath. "I thought that I would be okay on Smackdown. I figured that once I got back into the swing of things, everything would be okay. Instead, being back in action, back in a ring, just proved to me how much I missed having you there with me."
"Like you said to me that night in the arena hallway... I can't do this without you." She looked into the lens of the camera once more. "I am saying this on live television, in front of all these people and everyone watching at home because I want them to know that I mean it. I want you to know that I mean what I say. I'm not afraid to let everyone know how I feel, Jeff."
Silence. Lita let her arm fall to her side, and she ducked her head. People in the crowd began to wonder if she would be unable to finish what she was trying to say. Until she lifted her head back up, her hazel eyes sparkling with moisture as she stared into the camera.
"I love you."
The crowd exploded into cheers and applause, and a wry smile formed on Lita's lips. After the audience fell quiet again, she continued. "It took me so long to admit it to myself, but I can't try and deny it any more. I love you, and I need you here with me. Every day that I'm here without you..."
Her voice trailed off, to that of a whisper. "It hurts, Jeff. It hurts without you. And I don't want to do it without you anymore. Please.... come back." Loud cheers from the crowd once again. "I miss you so much."
There was so much more that she could say, but Lita felt her throat close up and the tears begin to well in her eyes. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she sucked in a deep breath, willing herself not to cry. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned around to see Lilian standing behind her, a comforting smile on the blonde's face.
Falling into her friend's arms, Lita let the microphone drop to the floor, causing an echo to stir through the arena. Trying to fill the sorrowful silence, Lita's music hit, filtering through the sound system. The crowd stood from their seats, clapping and cheering as they watched Lita make her way out of the ring, up the ramp towards the back area.
Looking out at the mass of people before she stepped backstage, Lita realised the effect her words had on the crowd. She gave a slight smile, touched that they felt for her. Her smile slowly slipped away, as she found herself hoping that Jeff had been watching, and that he'd been just as touched by her words too.
All she could do now, was wait and see.
Author: Cathie McMath. (email: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au)
Disclaimer: I don't own Jeff, Lita, Lilian Garcia - or any other WWE wrestlers that I may mention in this fic. I dream about owning them every night.. but in reality I don't. Good ol' Vinny Mac does.
Summary: Change happens all the time in the WWE. In fact, both Jeff and Lita are going through some major changes. But how do they deal with what's happening around them? What are the consequences of their actions?
Rating: PG. It's nice and clean. For now.
TimeLine: Starting from January through to November 2003.
Distribution: Just email me and let me know if you'd like to have it.
Feedback: It's what makes me happy! And we all want a happy Cathie, don't we? So go on, send those reviews! It's for a good cause!
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
"I don't know if I can do this."
Christian rubbed his hand up and down Lita's arm comfortingly, leading the redheaded diva into his locker room at the RAW arena. "Sure you can sweetie." They entered the room, and he closed the door firmly behind them.
Raking a hand through her long, fiery hair, Lita sighed and shook her head. "I'm just going to be making a complete fool of myself out there. Jeff probably won't even be watching, and then I'll just have embarrassed myself for nothing..."
Cupping Lita's face in his hands, Christian locked eyes with her. "Calm down. This is a great idea. Jeff is watching, trust me. And no one will think you're a fool for doing this. Everyone will think that you're an extremely brave woman, who's in love, and simply doing all that you can to get the man that you love back into your life."
Contemplating his words, there was a pause. She dropped her gaze, chewing on her lip. Finally, she brought her stare back to the blonde canadian. "You think so?"
"I know so."
Lita covered Christian's hands with her own, and sent him a grateful smile. "Thank you."
Leaning down slightly, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Don't worry about it." A small, half smile. "I guess I'm just a hopeless romantic deep down, hey?"
She beamed. "I guess you are."
The two friends stood in the middle of the locker room for a moment, simply smiling at each other. Lita broke the comfortable silence first. "So how are you so sure that he'll be watching? Not that I'm doubting you or freaking out or anything, but it's quite possible that he's not at home, or watching something else, or out with someone..."
"Jeff will be watching, because I told him to." Christian confessed. He continued explaining when he saw Lita's jaw drop. "I rang him earlier tonight and told him that there was going to be a very important announcement tonight, and that he had to hear it. Told him it was huge and exciting."
Her face went red. "Christian! As if I wasn't nervous enough!"
"Oh, come on Red." He stepped towards the couch at the back of the room. "I didn't lie or anything. It is an important announcement, and it is huge and exciting."
She paced around the room, her nerves rising once more. "But I don't even know what I'm going to say once I get out there! I haven't planned anything coherent to say at all! All I've got are these swirling thoughts that go racing through my mind at a million miles every second of the day."
"Then just say whatever's in your head at the time. You don't need a brilliant, elaborate speech or anything like that planned, Li." Christian looked at her, cocking his head slightly. "You're talking to Jeff, remember, and Jeff alone. All you need is something that's from your heart. He won't accept anything else."
Lita ceased her pacing, slipping beside the blonde haired man on the couch. She leant beside him, nestling her head on his chest. She let out an anxious breath. "I'm just scared, Christian. What if I pour my heart out in that ring, and admit everything that I've been feeling and everything that's been happening and how much I care about him and just say whatever's in my heart - and then he turns me down? What happens if he doesn't want to come back?"
"He will. Lita, he will."
She ignored his reassuring words, her mind frantically buzzing with dark possibilities. "God, Christian, what if I lost my chance with him when I left him to go to Smackdown?"
"You can't blame your choice for going over to Smackdown. Jeff was with Trish at the time, remember? How were you to know that she'd turn out to be nothing but a self serving, opportunistic trash bag?" He combed his fingers through her hair, her head still resting on his chest. "You can't blame that choice. You thought it'd be the best thing for you."
"And instead, I just succeeded in pushing Jeff further away." She looked up at him, sadness in her eyes.
Unable to find anything to say, Christian looked down at his friend, compassion and sympathy present in his eyes.
The sudden, heavy silence in the room was interrupted by a knocking at the door. Christian turned his attention towards the door. "Its open."
Slowly, the door opened and Lilian Garcia peered inside. "Hi guys."
"Hey Lilian. " Christian stood up. "Come on in. What's up?"
The petite blonde woman directed her gaze towards Lita, who was still sitting on the couch. "I just wanted to let you know that your time in the ring is coming up soon, Lita. In about fifteen minutes. Mr Bischoff sent me in here just to make sure that you'll be ready."
Nodding, Lita sent her friend a small smile. "Thanks Lil. I'll be ready."
Smiling back, Lilian made her way towards the door. She turned back to her friend. "See you out there."
Once the door was closed again, Lita looked back to Christian with an nervous smile on her face. She tucked her hair behind her ears and let out a breath.
"Looks like it's now or never."
***
Lilian raised the microphone to her lips, smiling in anticipation of seeing her friend in a RAW ring once again, even if it was for only an announcement. Now there was an interesting question. What was this 'announcement Lita had to make anyway?
"And now, introducing to the ring, a Smackdown superstar on RAW for a 'special announcement', Lita!"
Familiar music blaring through the arena, the crowd rose to their feet as they screamed and cheered for the redhead diva. Walking down the ramp towards the ring, Lita waved to the fans and bounced to her music. As she entered the ring, she tried desperately to hide exactly how nervous and scared she was. Was she actually going through with this?
Finally, her music faded away, and Lilian handed her the mic. Noticing how anxious her redheaded friend seemed, Lilian sent her a reassuring smile. "You'll be fine."
Lita smiled back, even though her stomach was fluttering and her heart was pounding. She let out a breath, tried to calm her nervous stomach, and brought the microphone to her lips.
"First of all, I have to say that being here tonight has made me realise how much I miss being in a RAW ring."
At this, the lively crowd roared their approval. Lita nodded and smiled, silently wondering how the people would react to her confession next.
"But I'm here tonight for a special reason. I'm here to let someone know exactly how I feel about them, apologise for certain things I've done..." She hesitated slightly. "... and pretty much plead my case."
Lita turned so that she was facing a camera, looking directly into the lens. "Jeff, I really hope you're watching because I have alot I need to say to you. Alot I need you to hear from me. And if this is the only way I'm going to get you to hear it, well then, so be it."
"You know better than anyone how hard it was for me during my injury. You know because you were there. You were always there. You know how much I longed to be back in a ring, kicking some diva ass and chasing that women's belt once more. But most of all, I longed to be back here, wrestling by your side again. That's what I missed the most."
She cleared her throat, stepping around the ring slowly. "Then, as I was nearing my rehab, you and Trish started something. And suddenly you didn't come to visit as often, or even bother to call. It became weeks and weeks until I heard from you, and even then our conversations were forced. You wanna know why? It was because I didn't want to talk to you."
"I bet you're wondering why it was that I didn't want to talk to you. Hell, I wondered myself for weeks. It wasn't until only recently that I realised why it was so hard for me to talk to you or watch you on television... and it was because I was jealous."
Lita paused, trying to calm her pounding heart, the thudding resonating in her ears. "I wanted to be Trish so badly. She was EXACTLY where I wanted to be - by your side. Except I denied this to myself at first. I blamed our sudden lack of friendship on other, stupid, petty things and tore down our relationship. So much so, that I found that once I was ready to return, I couldn't bring myself to work with you on RAW. So I moved to Smackdown."
"That night, one week later, when you told me you were leaving the WWE for good, I felt my heart being torn in two. You said so many incredibly sweet and touching things to me, and I never realised that I meant that much to you." Pausing once more, Lita ran a hand through her hair, letting out a breath. "I thought that I would be okay on Smackdown. I figured that once I got back into the swing of things, everything would be okay. Instead, being back in action, back in a ring, just proved to me how much I missed having you there with me."
"Like you said to me that night in the arena hallway... I can't do this without you." She looked into the lens of the camera once more. "I am saying this on live television, in front of all these people and everyone watching at home because I want them to know that I mean it. I want you to know that I mean what I say. I'm not afraid to let everyone know how I feel, Jeff."
Silence. Lita let her arm fall to her side, and she ducked her head. People in the crowd began to wonder if she would be unable to finish what she was trying to say. Until she lifted her head back up, her hazel eyes sparkling with moisture as she stared into the camera.
"I love you."
The crowd exploded into cheers and applause, and a wry smile formed on Lita's lips. After the audience fell quiet again, she continued. "It took me so long to admit it to myself, but I can't try and deny it any more. I love you, and I need you here with me. Every day that I'm here without you..."
Her voice trailed off, to that of a whisper. "It hurts, Jeff. It hurts without you. And I don't want to do it without you anymore. Please.... come back." Loud cheers from the crowd once again. "I miss you so much."
There was so much more that she could say, but Lita felt her throat close up and the tears begin to well in her eyes. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she sucked in a deep breath, willing herself not to cry. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned around to see Lilian standing behind her, a comforting smile on the blonde's face.
Falling into her friend's arms, Lita let the microphone drop to the floor, causing an echo to stir through the arena. Trying to fill the sorrowful silence, Lita's music hit, filtering through the sound system. The crowd stood from their seats, clapping and cheering as they watched Lita make her way out of the ring, up the ramp towards the back area.
Looking out at the mass of people before she stepped backstage, Lita realised the effect her words had on the crowd. She gave a slight smile, touched that they felt for her. Her smile slowly slipped away, as she found herself hoping that Jeff had been watching, and that he'd been just as touched by her words too.
All she could do now, was wait and see.
