Part Twelve

Lita sat glued to the television set, occasionally reaching into the bowl of popcorn she had made for herself earlier. She was thankful that Zeb had asked his son to call the cable company and get the satellite dish installed so quickly. She'd have to bake him a cake or something. He had been so kind to her since she moved into her little country home. Even though not all the plumbing was fixed yet in the kitchen that was the least of her worries. Zeb was supposed to be sending his son over to fix that too.

Lita winced as she watched Chris Benoit take an especially hard knock from Triple H. Ugh, she thought. "C'mon, Chris, get up and get him!" she cried out loud. Unfortunately though, the odds were stacked against him as Lita witnessed the other members of Evolution making their way down to the ring. Her heart sank as she watched Benoit take a beating he certainly didn't deserve. "You'll get 'em next time, Chris," she said to the screen. Sighing, she moved her elbow, inadvertently knocking over her bowl of popcorn. "Figures," she muttered, rising from the old couch and moving to the floor to pick up her mess. "I hope you don't like popcorn often, little one," she said with a laugh to her baby, patting her stomach gently. "I've always heard pregnant women are extra clumsy. I think it's true for me." She scooped the kernels from the floor, picking up the loose pieces as they strayed. Her hand brushed across her belly, which she could tell was just slightly bloated, an indication that she'd soon be starting to show for sure. "I can't believe I'm as far along as I am," she said to herself. She resumed her concentration on cleaning up her mess, until she heard the unmistakable music coming from the screen.

"Matt!" she cried, jumping up from behind the little wooden coffee table, banging her knee in her excitement. Pushing herself back up on the couch as she rubbed the smarting limb, her heart leapt as she watched the dark-haired Hardy make his signature entrance to the ring. Hopping up on the ropes, he made his traditional V1 sign, throwing his hand high into the air. Lita smiled at him, refraining from running to the screen and touching it, as if she could really touch him. Coming back off the ropes, Lita noticed a different marking on his arm bands. She strained to catch a clear glimpse of what her former boyfriend had wrote, instead of his usual V1. Her heart caught in her throat as she realized that his markings that evening instead bore a heart shape, then an "L". Lita couldn't help the tears that sprang to her eyes. Only a careful observer would've noticed. "Oh Matt," she sighed to the small screen, "I love you too."

Lita watched on as a smarmy Christian next made his way to the ring, and then the fight was on. Lita cheered as Matt got the advantage, much like she had as she'd been at ringside a hundred times before. Matt was doing well, but Christian was a formidable opponent. Matt was having to concentrate hard on keeping the blonde Canadian at bay. She shouted encouragement to the dark-haired Hardy whenever Christian would get the lead. The two men knew each other well, and were quite adept at trading punches and blows.

About five minutes into the match, Matt had finally gained an upper hand on Christian, having caught him off-guard with a reverse suplex. Christian lay on the floor, basically out of it momentarily. Matt sought to capitalize, going to the top rope. Back at the house, Lita rose to her feet, knowing where he was going next. She gripped her hands in her excitement. "Get 'em, Hardy!" she shouted encouragingly.

Slowly, Matt climbed the top rope, aiming to keep Christian down for good by landing his leg drop on him. Lita knew it hurt like hell, and given the beating Christian had taken thus far, Matt could probably pin him with that move alone, not even needing to use his regular finisher, the Twist of Fate. Matt poised himself, giving the cheering crowd the V1 sign. At home, Lita answered it with her own. The crowd was cheering. The arena was suddenly rocked however when the stage erupted in a loud boom and the lights flashed red. Lita gasped as the familiar, ominous music echoed through the building.

Matt, startled by the sudden interruption, tumbled off the top rope to the mat, landing on Christian with an unforgiving thud. Both men were temporarily sidelined as they sought to catch their breath that'd been knocked out of both of them. But that was all the time that Kane needed, as he stalked his way to the ring, a steel chair in hand.

"Nooooooooo!" Lita shouted at the television. "Get away from him, you bastard!"

Kane continued on to the ring, hopping up on the apron easily. A menacing grin covered his face. In the ring, Matt was slowly staggering to his feet, still not quite recovered. Christian gingerly rolled off the side, only with it enough to know he'd better somehow get out of the path of fury.

"What's the matter Hardy?" Kane smiled a sick grin, knowing he'd caught his prey. "You afraid of me?"

"What?" Matt muttered in confusion, his bearings come to him a little clearer now. He pushed his dark hair out of his face.

"You should be. I hate you. I know you had to have something to do with what happened. And for that, you'll pay," the monster literally seethed as he towered over the elder Hardy brother.

"Kane, no, please, leave him alone," Lita literally begged from her perch in front of the television back in North Carolina. She wrung her hands with worry.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Matt demanded, knowing instantly what Kane was inferring. "I had nothing to do with the accident-"

THWACK

Matt crumbled to the floor as the cold steel of the chair met with his cranium. He was out immediately.

"I always keep my promises, and I promised her you'd pay if I didn't get my way." Kane grumbled, tossing the chair aside as the crowd booed him mercilessly. The monster stood over Matt's unconscious body. "Funny, I somehow feel a little better," he growled, then broke out in an evil laugh. Slowly lifting his arms, he commanded the pyro to emit from the turnbuckles as his music cued his exit. Turning on his heel, he kicked Matt once for good measure, then abruptly left the ring. The evil scowl had returned to his face as he made his way up the ramp.

In the background, Lita could hear JR and the King babbling on about what on earth Kane could have been talking about. Unfortunately for them, Kane's comments had been picked up enough by the mics that the home audience could hear what he'd said, meaning Lita heard every word. Lita knew that as far as the two announcers knew, they thought she was dead, and that was certainly not a fact they could share with the audience. She tuned them out as she stared at her fallen love on the mat. Referees and the company trainer had since besieged the ring and were trying to rouse Matt.

"Please be ok, Matt. Please wake up," she whispered as she watched intently. It was killing her to be so far away, unable to help. Unable to check on him. Unable to ream Kane for his uncalled for actions. Unfortunately, they went to a commercial next, cutting away from the injured Hardy in the ring.

"Dammit!" she yelled, her anger setting in now at the site she'd just witnessed. Tears ran unbidden down her face. Acting out, she reached down and picked up her glass of water, chucking it across the room. The glass shattered in a million pieces against her front door, water streaming down the wood panel. Lita sank to the floor, her emotions gaining the better of her. She broke down in sobs.

She was startled a moment later by a loud banging at her door. "Ms. Hardy? Christine? Are you ok in there?"

Tbc.......................................