TITLE: Ballroom Dancing.
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au
RATING: I'll make it PG-13 for now. It'll probably stay that way.
CONTENT: Slight swearing.
SUMMARY: Lita makes Jeff a promise, and soon regrets it. Can she keep her promise and stay sane at the same time? Lita, Jeff, Edge, Trish and more.
DISCLAIMER: Nothing mentioned in this fic is mine. Damn, how I wish Jeff was mine, and I wouldn't mind Jericho and Edge either.. but unfortunately.. no. So.. don't sue.
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.
FEEDBACK: I live for reviews! Sending reviews makes me one happy Cathie! ^_^ So go on and make me happy! I know you want to!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow! An update! Wheee! ^_^ I know, it's taken me a while. But that's what evil school does sometimes. Anyway, enough about depressing school and non-update-time. Here is a chapter, and it's kinda long... so let me know what you think! I've been missing my reviews!
~-~-~-~-~-~-~
His ankles ached. That's all he could think about as he pounded his feet down on the treadmill, his long blonde pony tail bobbing with the movement. His arms were bent slightly, moving back and forth as he jogged on the machine. A slick sheen of sweat covered his body, his white singlet damp and clinging to his chest. Glancing down at the clock timer that sat on the handlebars, Chris Jericho realised he had been on the machine for almost an hour.
No wonder his ankles were aching.
Pressing a few buttons in front of him, Chris eased the machine to a slower pace, until he was eventually pacing on the treadmill belt. Finally, it came to a stop and he stepped down onto the floor, breathing heavily from exertion and panting slightly. Sweeping away loose strands of sweat drenched hair that clung to his face, Chris picked up the water bottle he had left on the floor and raised it to his lips, swallowing the cool water with ease.
His breath still slightly rushed, Jericho glanced around the arena gym. He caught sight of a few other superstars using other machines around the room, doing some light training before the RAW show later on that night. Randy Orton was using the weights, watching himself in the wall length mirror; Shane Helms was hanging upside down from a bar, pulling himself up every now and then to touch his toes; Rodney Mack was across on the other side of the gym, stretching and cooling down from his workout; and there on the exercise bike was Christian. And if Jericho wasn't mistaken, his fellow canadian was wearing bright orange short shorts? What the hell...
Chris made his way over to the exercise bike, trying hard but failing to suppress the good natured smirk that appeared on his lips. He stood beside the bike, simply watching Christian pedal away for a few moments. Leisurely, Chris took sips from his water bottle, still watching him on the bike. It wasn't long until Christian's gaze travelled to his friend who stood silently beside him. "What's up C-man? Anything I can do for ya?" The blonde canadian was slightly out of breath, his words being puffed out.
"Nah, not really." Jericho sent a pointed look towards Christian's bright orange shorts, which ended approximately halfway into his thighs. "I was just strangely drawn over here by some unknown force." He gasped, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile. "You know what? I think it's those shorts of yours! They have some kind of... irresistible power over me."
Christian nodded his head, sneering at his friend's comments. "Yeah, yeah. Go on, make fun of the shorts. I'll tell you what though, the chicks dig 'em."
"Yeah, cause you're totally surrounded by adoring women, Christian."
"Maybe not right now." Christian added, still cycling quickly as he spoke. "But by this time tomorrow night, I'll be out on a date with the one and only Trish Stratus." He broke out into a wide grin. "So you know what that means."
Chris rose an eyebrow at his friend, absentmindedly plucking his damp singlet off from his slick skin. "No, actually I don't. What does that mean?"
"It means I'll be getting some tomorrow night."
Rolling his eyes at Christian, Jericho took a gulp of water from the bottle in his hand. Christian was a good guy for the most part. But sometimes he was just so utterly clueless it almost made Jericho laugh out loud. "Getting some what, exactly? Geez Christian, I hope you're not talking about what I think you're talking about."
The blonde canadian on the exercise bike glanced at Chris, his eyes narrowing. "What else do you think I'd be talking about? I mean, this is Trish Stratus you know."
Throwing his hands up in defeat, Jericho shook his head. "Never mind. I'm withdrawing out of this conversation before I end up hurting you."
Christian began to protest, slowing his pedalling down to an almost complete stop, when the two blonde canadians heard a loud voice behind them. A loud, angry, southern voice. "You lying piece of shit."
Rising an eyebrow questioningly at Christian - who simply shrugged in reply, Jericho slowly turned around. Was that comment meant for one of them? Facing the opposite direction now, he found an irate looking Jeff Hardy behind him.
"Hey man, did you just say something to me?"
Jeff stood with his hands on his hips, frowning fiercely at the man in front of him. "You're damn right I said something. You're a fucking liar."
Christian looked at the two men, eyes wide, and quietly stepped off the exercise bike. He grabbed the towel hanging from the handle bars, mopping his brow. He then began to make his way out of the gym, flinging his towel over his shoulder. "Uh, Jericho, I'll see you later man."
Jericho didn't reply as Christian left the gym. He kept his blue eyes trained on the Hardy brother who stood in front of him, glaring angrily. He wasn't sure what Jeff was going on about, but he looked angry. And Chris learnt not to ignore Jeff Hardy when he was angry. "Look Jeff, why don't we go somewhere and sit down. Then you can tell me what this is about, because honestly, I don't have a clue --"
"I'm talking about Lita."
Chris sent a soft smile to his friend. "Why does that not surprise me?"
Jeff crossed his arms over his chest, breathing out heavily. He didn't return the smile. "This isn't anything to smile about, Jericho. Trust me." His glare hardened as he continued. "After you and I had our little talk, the one where you told me that Lita was in love with me - you remember that? Well, after talking to you I decided to go see Lita. I'm not sure why I went... maybe I was curious, maybe I felt something more, I don't know. But you know what? It doesn't matter why I went or what I felt. You want to know why?"
Brushing some damp hair out of his face, Jericho nodded. "Why?"
"Because you're a fucking liar." Spitting angrily, Jeff continued his story. "I went to see her, and I told her that you told me how she really felt. I told her that I knew she loved me."
Chris' eyes widened in shock as his brain ticked over the possibilities of what could of happened after Jeff told Lita that he knew how she felt for him. His first thought was that they both confessed their love for each other, and fell into each other's arms, kissing hungrily and that they were now living happily ever after. But the look on Jeff's face contradicted that thought, and Jericho meekly spoke up. "What happened then?"
Jeff's head shook slightly, his brow furrowed heavily. "Oh, you have to hear the whole story Chris. It's unbelievable. So I told her that I know, that you told me. And you know what she says? Lita told me that you were joking. That you were lying. She told me that she could NEVER love me, because I'm her 'little Jeffy', and that Matt and I are like her brothers." Jeff stared at Jericho, feeling the anger and hurt rise in his voice.
"No way." Chris couldn't believe what Jeff had just told him. Lita had denied her feelings for Jeff when he confronted her about it? Why would she do that? It was the perfect set up! All she had to do was tell him it was true, and then Jeff would profess his love for her as well - and then they'd live happily ever after... "Is that what she actually said?"
"Word for word." Jeff stated angrily, almost gritting his teeth in fury. "I just can't believe you'd screw me around like that Jericho! I don't get... I mean, how could you... why would..." Jeff tripped over his words, unable to find the words to express exactly what he wanted to say. His green eyes flew to Chris' blue ones, and he finally found what he wanted to say. "What could you possibly have to gain for making something like that up?" His frown continued to deepen, and his voice raised with each word he spoke. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing here, but I should've known better. I was stupid to believe you."
"Jeff..."
"Forget it, Chris. Just forget it." He gave one last sneer to the blonde before walking away. "Don't ever try to fuck with my friendship with Lita again, okay? You try it, and you're a dead man."
Jericho watched in disbelief as Jeff turned his back and stalked away out of the arena gym, probably towards the locker rooms. Chris, still reeling from the news Jeff had given him, took a long, lazy gulp from the water bottle he still held in his hands. He turned around and had another look around the gym. He tried to decide which machine he would use next, but found himself unable to concentrate on his work out routine. He was just too damn confused!
So Jeff had gone over to Lita's place and told her that he knew she loved him. Then Lita had told him that it was all a lie, and that she felt for him like a brother. Then Jeff left and is now currently pissed off at Jericho for lying to him. Even though he wasn't lying, Lita was just denying the truth for some strange reason. And anyway, why would Jeff be pissed that Lita didn't love him? He strongly denied feeling anything for Lita when they talked - so unless he realised he did in fact have feelings for the redhead, he shouldn't be so upset that she didn't love him and --
Goddamn, he was just getting more and more confused as he thought about it. Chris held a hand up to his forehead, massaging it gently and closing his eyes. How did it get so screwed up when it should've been so easy?
Giving the gym one last look, Jericho headed towards the exit, making his way back to his locker room. He figured he was done training for the day. He probably needed to go have a shower and get ready for tonight's RAW show anyway. Glancing at his wristwatch, he realised the show would start in two hours. Yep, definitely time to get ready.
Walking through the arena hallways, Chris tried to clear his thoughts from what Jeff Hardy had just told him. As much as the screwed up situation his two friends were in confused and frustrated him, he had to focus on his match. He was going up against Kevin Nash. Not an easy opponent by any account. He had to be focused, his attention directed soley onto the match and strategy and -- Chris saw a flash of red out of the corner of his eyes. Hey, it was Lita. As he stopped to talk to the redheaded diva, Chris chided himself.
Yeah, way to be focused Jericho.
Jericho stopped in front of the woman, who was just finishing a conversation with Victoria. Lita waved a goodbye, and then turned to face Chris. He immediately began talking, almost at a million miles an hour. "Red, I have to have a serious talk with you. I just got a telling off from a certain Hardy brother and --"
"You know what Chris? Don't you dare talk to me about Jeff Hardy!" Lita's pretty face was marred by a scowl that set heavily upon her features. "You've screwed up things between him and I more than enough."
Shell shocked at Lita's prompt outburst, Jericho found himself unable to say anything more than a few stuttered half-words. "But... I was just... he was asking... and I thought... you were the one who..." He found himself frowning at the growing complexity of the situation that he thought was so simple.
Lita's scowl grew at Chris' puzzled silence. "Do you know how awkward things are between Jeff and I now? I can't even spend time alone with him now without feeling all nervous and critical about every move that I make, or every word that I speak. I keep thinking that he'll think I'm saying something I'm not... or misunderstand something I say..." She stepped from side to side, throwing her hands up in the air. "God, Chris! I have to watch everything I say or do whenever I'm with my best friend because I'm worried he'll realise that I'm in love with him!!"
"Why don't you just tell him the truth!" Jericho finally managed to speak when Lita paused slightly. "Just tell the man the truth about how you feel instead of making it so complicated and lying about it!"
The redhead sent Jericho a look that made him feel like what he had suggested made no sense at all. "Tell him the truth? And what... lose him forever?" She shook her head. "Things may be awkward as hell between Jeff and I at the moment, Chris, but I'd rather that than not have him in my life at all."
Jericho had to pause momentarily to try and get his head around what his female friend was saying. She thought that if Jeff knew how she felt he'd leave her life? She thought that he'd run away from her? Is that why she lied? Because she was afraid of losing him? Oh, things were so freaking twisted... "No, Li, Jeff wouldn't leave if he knew! Trust me, he would want to know! He feels something, I saw it when I first told him and I heard him say --"
"Shuttup." Lita closed her eyes, holding a hand up to silence Chris. "No more, okay? I'm not going to listen to what you, or Edge, or anyone else says anymore. Things are simpler if I just stick to how things were before. Back when Jeff knew that I was his best friend before anything else, and back when I could love him from a distance. Things were simpler then."
"But you were miserable."
A small scoff escaped from her lips. "I still am." And with that final sentence, she gave Chris a pained look, and then walked away.
Jericho took in a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, feeling his shoulders sag with the outward breath. Oh, two encounters like that within the one night. Hell, within half an hour of each other! From both sides of the story, both of them not realising what was really going on with the other. And here he was - stuck in the middle. Knowing full well that Lita loved Jeff with all her heart, and beginning to understand now that Jeff loved her too, even if he hadn't quite realised it yet. And there was nothing Jericho could do.
The blonde canadian slowly awoke from his thoughts, and made his way back towards his dressing room. For what seemed to be the millionth time that night, one small thought ran through his head. How did something so simple get so screwed up?
AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.
EMAIL: penrithpanther_03@yahoo.com.au
RATING: I'll make it PG-13 for now. It'll probably stay that way.
CONTENT: Slight swearing.
SUMMARY: Lita makes Jeff a promise, and soon regrets it. Can she keep her promise and stay sane at the same time? Lita, Jeff, Edge, Trish and more.
DISCLAIMER: Nothing mentioned in this fic is mine. Damn, how I wish Jeff was mine, and I wouldn't mind Jericho and Edge either.. but unfortunately.. no. So.. don't sue.
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.
FEEDBACK: I live for reviews! Sending reviews makes me one happy Cathie! ^_^ So go on and make me happy! I know you want to!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow! An update! Wheee! ^_^ I know, it's taken me a while. But that's what evil school does sometimes. Anyway, enough about depressing school and non-update-time. Here is a chapter, and it's kinda long... so let me know what you think! I've been missing my reviews!
~-~-~-~-~-~-~
His ankles ached. That's all he could think about as he pounded his feet down on the treadmill, his long blonde pony tail bobbing with the movement. His arms were bent slightly, moving back and forth as he jogged on the machine. A slick sheen of sweat covered his body, his white singlet damp and clinging to his chest. Glancing down at the clock timer that sat on the handlebars, Chris Jericho realised he had been on the machine for almost an hour.
No wonder his ankles were aching.
Pressing a few buttons in front of him, Chris eased the machine to a slower pace, until he was eventually pacing on the treadmill belt. Finally, it came to a stop and he stepped down onto the floor, breathing heavily from exertion and panting slightly. Sweeping away loose strands of sweat drenched hair that clung to his face, Chris picked up the water bottle he had left on the floor and raised it to his lips, swallowing the cool water with ease.
His breath still slightly rushed, Jericho glanced around the arena gym. He caught sight of a few other superstars using other machines around the room, doing some light training before the RAW show later on that night. Randy Orton was using the weights, watching himself in the wall length mirror; Shane Helms was hanging upside down from a bar, pulling himself up every now and then to touch his toes; Rodney Mack was across on the other side of the gym, stretching and cooling down from his workout; and there on the exercise bike was Christian. And if Jericho wasn't mistaken, his fellow canadian was wearing bright orange short shorts? What the hell...
Chris made his way over to the exercise bike, trying hard but failing to suppress the good natured smirk that appeared on his lips. He stood beside the bike, simply watching Christian pedal away for a few moments. Leisurely, Chris took sips from his water bottle, still watching him on the bike. It wasn't long until Christian's gaze travelled to his friend who stood silently beside him. "What's up C-man? Anything I can do for ya?" The blonde canadian was slightly out of breath, his words being puffed out.
"Nah, not really." Jericho sent a pointed look towards Christian's bright orange shorts, which ended approximately halfway into his thighs. "I was just strangely drawn over here by some unknown force." He gasped, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile. "You know what? I think it's those shorts of yours! They have some kind of... irresistible power over me."
Christian nodded his head, sneering at his friend's comments. "Yeah, yeah. Go on, make fun of the shorts. I'll tell you what though, the chicks dig 'em."
"Yeah, cause you're totally surrounded by adoring women, Christian."
"Maybe not right now." Christian added, still cycling quickly as he spoke. "But by this time tomorrow night, I'll be out on a date with the one and only Trish Stratus." He broke out into a wide grin. "So you know what that means."
Chris rose an eyebrow at his friend, absentmindedly plucking his damp singlet off from his slick skin. "No, actually I don't. What does that mean?"
"It means I'll be getting some tomorrow night."
Rolling his eyes at Christian, Jericho took a gulp of water from the bottle in his hand. Christian was a good guy for the most part. But sometimes he was just so utterly clueless it almost made Jericho laugh out loud. "Getting some what, exactly? Geez Christian, I hope you're not talking about what I think you're talking about."
The blonde canadian on the exercise bike glanced at Chris, his eyes narrowing. "What else do you think I'd be talking about? I mean, this is Trish Stratus you know."
Throwing his hands up in defeat, Jericho shook his head. "Never mind. I'm withdrawing out of this conversation before I end up hurting you."
Christian began to protest, slowing his pedalling down to an almost complete stop, when the two blonde canadians heard a loud voice behind them. A loud, angry, southern voice. "You lying piece of shit."
Rising an eyebrow questioningly at Christian - who simply shrugged in reply, Jericho slowly turned around. Was that comment meant for one of them? Facing the opposite direction now, he found an irate looking Jeff Hardy behind him.
"Hey man, did you just say something to me?"
Jeff stood with his hands on his hips, frowning fiercely at the man in front of him. "You're damn right I said something. You're a fucking liar."
Christian looked at the two men, eyes wide, and quietly stepped off the exercise bike. He grabbed the towel hanging from the handle bars, mopping his brow. He then began to make his way out of the gym, flinging his towel over his shoulder. "Uh, Jericho, I'll see you later man."
Jericho didn't reply as Christian left the gym. He kept his blue eyes trained on the Hardy brother who stood in front of him, glaring angrily. He wasn't sure what Jeff was going on about, but he looked angry. And Chris learnt not to ignore Jeff Hardy when he was angry. "Look Jeff, why don't we go somewhere and sit down. Then you can tell me what this is about, because honestly, I don't have a clue --"
"I'm talking about Lita."
Chris sent a soft smile to his friend. "Why does that not surprise me?"
Jeff crossed his arms over his chest, breathing out heavily. He didn't return the smile. "This isn't anything to smile about, Jericho. Trust me." His glare hardened as he continued. "After you and I had our little talk, the one where you told me that Lita was in love with me - you remember that? Well, after talking to you I decided to go see Lita. I'm not sure why I went... maybe I was curious, maybe I felt something more, I don't know. But you know what? It doesn't matter why I went or what I felt. You want to know why?"
Brushing some damp hair out of his face, Jericho nodded. "Why?"
"Because you're a fucking liar." Spitting angrily, Jeff continued his story. "I went to see her, and I told her that you told me how she really felt. I told her that I knew she loved me."
Chris' eyes widened in shock as his brain ticked over the possibilities of what could of happened after Jeff told Lita that he knew how she felt for him. His first thought was that they both confessed their love for each other, and fell into each other's arms, kissing hungrily and that they were now living happily ever after. But the look on Jeff's face contradicted that thought, and Jericho meekly spoke up. "What happened then?"
Jeff's head shook slightly, his brow furrowed heavily. "Oh, you have to hear the whole story Chris. It's unbelievable. So I told her that I know, that you told me. And you know what she says? Lita told me that you were joking. That you were lying. She told me that she could NEVER love me, because I'm her 'little Jeffy', and that Matt and I are like her brothers." Jeff stared at Jericho, feeling the anger and hurt rise in his voice.
"No way." Chris couldn't believe what Jeff had just told him. Lita had denied her feelings for Jeff when he confronted her about it? Why would she do that? It was the perfect set up! All she had to do was tell him it was true, and then Jeff would profess his love for her as well - and then they'd live happily ever after... "Is that what she actually said?"
"Word for word." Jeff stated angrily, almost gritting his teeth in fury. "I just can't believe you'd screw me around like that Jericho! I don't get... I mean, how could you... why would..." Jeff tripped over his words, unable to find the words to express exactly what he wanted to say. His green eyes flew to Chris' blue ones, and he finally found what he wanted to say. "What could you possibly have to gain for making something like that up?" His frown continued to deepen, and his voice raised with each word he spoke. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing here, but I should've known better. I was stupid to believe you."
"Jeff..."
"Forget it, Chris. Just forget it." He gave one last sneer to the blonde before walking away. "Don't ever try to fuck with my friendship with Lita again, okay? You try it, and you're a dead man."
Jericho watched in disbelief as Jeff turned his back and stalked away out of the arena gym, probably towards the locker rooms. Chris, still reeling from the news Jeff had given him, took a long, lazy gulp from the water bottle he still held in his hands. He turned around and had another look around the gym. He tried to decide which machine he would use next, but found himself unable to concentrate on his work out routine. He was just too damn confused!
So Jeff had gone over to Lita's place and told her that he knew she loved him. Then Lita had told him that it was all a lie, and that she felt for him like a brother. Then Jeff left and is now currently pissed off at Jericho for lying to him. Even though he wasn't lying, Lita was just denying the truth for some strange reason. And anyway, why would Jeff be pissed that Lita didn't love him? He strongly denied feeling anything for Lita when they talked - so unless he realised he did in fact have feelings for the redhead, he shouldn't be so upset that she didn't love him and --
Goddamn, he was just getting more and more confused as he thought about it. Chris held a hand up to his forehead, massaging it gently and closing his eyes. How did it get so screwed up when it should've been so easy?
Giving the gym one last look, Jericho headed towards the exit, making his way back to his locker room. He figured he was done training for the day. He probably needed to go have a shower and get ready for tonight's RAW show anyway. Glancing at his wristwatch, he realised the show would start in two hours. Yep, definitely time to get ready.
Walking through the arena hallways, Chris tried to clear his thoughts from what Jeff Hardy had just told him. As much as the screwed up situation his two friends were in confused and frustrated him, he had to focus on his match. He was going up against Kevin Nash. Not an easy opponent by any account. He had to be focused, his attention directed soley onto the match and strategy and -- Chris saw a flash of red out of the corner of his eyes. Hey, it was Lita. As he stopped to talk to the redheaded diva, Chris chided himself.
Yeah, way to be focused Jericho.
Jericho stopped in front of the woman, who was just finishing a conversation with Victoria. Lita waved a goodbye, and then turned to face Chris. He immediately began talking, almost at a million miles an hour. "Red, I have to have a serious talk with you. I just got a telling off from a certain Hardy brother and --"
"You know what Chris? Don't you dare talk to me about Jeff Hardy!" Lita's pretty face was marred by a scowl that set heavily upon her features. "You've screwed up things between him and I more than enough."
Shell shocked at Lita's prompt outburst, Jericho found himself unable to say anything more than a few stuttered half-words. "But... I was just... he was asking... and I thought... you were the one who..." He found himself frowning at the growing complexity of the situation that he thought was so simple.
Lita's scowl grew at Chris' puzzled silence. "Do you know how awkward things are between Jeff and I now? I can't even spend time alone with him now without feeling all nervous and critical about every move that I make, or every word that I speak. I keep thinking that he'll think I'm saying something I'm not... or misunderstand something I say..." She stepped from side to side, throwing her hands up in the air. "God, Chris! I have to watch everything I say or do whenever I'm with my best friend because I'm worried he'll realise that I'm in love with him!!"
"Why don't you just tell him the truth!" Jericho finally managed to speak when Lita paused slightly. "Just tell the man the truth about how you feel instead of making it so complicated and lying about it!"
The redhead sent Jericho a look that made him feel like what he had suggested made no sense at all. "Tell him the truth? And what... lose him forever?" She shook her head. "Things may be awkward as hell between Jeff and I at the moment, Chris, but I'd rather that than not have him in my life at all."
Jericho had to pause momentarily to try and get his head around what his female friend was saying. She thought that if Jeff knew how she felt he'd leave her life? She thought that he'd run away from her? Is that why she lied? Because she was afraid of losing him? Oh, things were so freaking twisted... "No, Li, Jeff wouldn't leave if he knew! Trust me, he would want to know! He feels something, I saw it when I first told him and I heard him say --"
"Shuttup." Lita closed her eyes, holding a hand up to silence Chris. "No more, okay? I'm not going to listen to what you, or Edge, or anyone else says anymore. Things are simpler if I just stick to how things were before. Back when Jeff knew that I was his best friend before anything else, and back when I could love him from a distance. Things were simpler then."
"But you were miserable."
A small scoff escaped from her lips. "I still am." And with that final sentence, she gave Chris a pained look, and then walked away.
Jericho took in a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, feeling his shoulders sag with the outward breath. Oh, two encounters like that within the one night. Hell, within half an hour of each other! From both sides of the story, both of them not realising what was really going on with the other. And here he was - stuck in the middle. Knowing full well that Lita loved Jeff with all her heart, and beginning to understand now that Jeff loved her too, even if he hadn't quite realised it yet. And there was nothing Jericho could do.
The blonde canadian slowly awoke from his thoughts, and made his way back towards his dressing room. For what seemed to be the millionth time that night, one small thought ran through his head. How did something so simple get so screwed up?