Dangerous Business
Chapter XLV
RAW is War – 8:58 P.M
"So the new commissioner of RAW is going to be announced tonight, huh?" the redhead asked softly. Silence surrounded the locker room for a moment before her companion responded.
"I guess," her companion, Liz, replied.
The redhead-Willow-grinned, "That's cool." Liz looked up at her, raising her eyebrows. Willow rolled her eyes, tossing her dark hair over her shoulder as she sat down next to Liz on a bench. "I'm sorry; I couldn't help but get caught up with your enthusiasm." She looked at Liz meaningfully, and then sighed, twisting her hands together. "I talked to the doctors and investigators about Dominique. They say that the…person…" she closed her eyes tightly and then began again. "They say that it knocked the plugs of the life support out of the wall while it was getting ready…" she trailed off, unable to continue. "Anyway… The doctors…they say that Dominique didn't really have much of a chance of making it anyway. A lot of her neural functions had shut down and if she had gotten out of the coma, her life would've probably ended up worse. Mental retardation was the absolute least injury she would've had, but they suspected that she was slowly losing control of her body."
"She's in a better place now, she's happier up there, blah, blah, blah." Liz leaned her head back, letting a trembling sigh loose. "I've heard it all, Willow. It doesn't help me out down here."
"You'll meet up with her some time later in your life."
Liz faced Willow, fire in her eyes. "I'm not going to be in heaven once I carry through with what I'm planning to do to Randy Orton and Evolution."
Willow looked down at the floor, sighing sadly. The loss of Dominique was horrible, but it hadn't hit her quite as hard as it had Liz, since she'd been out of contact with the entire family for years. But still… Even from an outsider's point of view, it was an early life extinguished for no apparent reason. She eyed her friend, who was currently leaning against the locker, her legs curled into her chest, her chin on her knees. Willow had been through the trying years of childhood with her…and she'd never seen Liz like this—even when Mark married her mother, even when her parents fought. She'd seen Liz broken down…but broken down was far too much of an understatement at the moment. Dark, purple circles cut deep into the skin under her eyes; her face was undeniably pale, and her eyes blood red. She walked with a blank look on her face, never seeming to fully comprehend what was said; never seeming to listen. She barely spoke, and when she did it was in a hoarse, rough voice. Her skin was pulled taunt over her bones; Willow suspected she hadn't eaten in the last few days. Well, anything much. She was like a ghost; there, but, not… "Is there something else?" Willow asked softly. She could feel the tension nearly radiating off of her friend.
Liz was silent for a moment, weighing Willow's words before she spoke. "It's Rob."
Willow paused. "What about him? I thought you two weren't…"
"We aren't," Liz replied, and then paused, looking downward once again, remembering the last she'd heard from Rob. Those messages left on her answering machine, none replied to. She desperately needed to talk to him about…everything. Anything. She wasn't quite sure, but the need was there, dwelling in the pit of her stomach. "I called his cell phone the other day," her voice was barely above a whisper, "…and…he answered."
Willow cocked her head. "Well, generally if you call Rob, Rob will answ—"
"No. The….the guy that attacked me."
"Well, shit."
"He called me some hours later…"
"So all's well….?" Willow asked hopefully, knowing that it wasn't true.
"I answered…and I heard a lot of yelling…screaming," she squeezed her eyes shut. "They were saying stuff like 'Call 9-1-1!'" she bit down on her lip, a reflex against crying that she'd developed. "I don't know what happened. It…It sounded like…"
"You're guessing," Willow said, her tone harsher than she had meant it to be. Liz flinched, and Willow paused, mentally smacking herself in the head for being so blunt. "Did you hear anything else?"
"No. The phone went dead."
"Do you have any clue where he was?"
Liz sighed heavily. "I was here for an hour or so before he called…so he must've just gotten off the plane the company reserved, down by the major airport."
Willow twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "You have to get your mind off of this so you can wrestle tonight—do you have a match? Are you sure you can wrestle?" Looking at Liz, she saw her answer. Even if her arms were tied behind her back, Willow had a feeling Liz would win a match. Fear, worry, sadness… It all combined in her in an unstoppable rage directed at anyone in her path.
"I'm going to make myself a match," Liz replied. "And they're announcing the winner of the cage match I had with Evolution."
Willow was taken aback at Liz's suddenly steely, taking-charge tone of voice, but shrugged it off. If that was what Liz needed to survive through this…who was she to say anything? "Look, I'll check with the nearby police department, hospitals, and whatnot. I'll figure out what the deal was with Rob, all right? Just keep focused on your match." Liz stood and nodded, walking out of the room with a purpose to her step. Willow looked down at her watch and realized that RAW was beginning. Whoever the commissioner was, she pitied him/her. He/she would have her full wrath and violence tonight.
Willow picked up a remote for the monitor in the locker room and flicked it on, watching the screen with interest. Vince McMahon was out in the ring, no doubt announcing the commissioners for the two shows. She listened intently as Vince read off the two names. Her jaw dropped open promptly. "Shit," she breathed, leaning backward as each of them came down to the ring. "Liz, what the hell did you do to get the fates lined against you like this?" she wondered aloud.
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Author's Note: Sorry about the length between updates, and sorry it's not that much of a chapter! I've been lazy with this story, sorry! Anyway, please review, and thanks to those who reviewed my other chapters!
~LK08~