AUTHOR: Cathie McMath.
CONTENT: Slight swearing, and the usual WWE violence.
SUMMARY: An unfortunate accident causes the lives of a few WWE superstars to turn upside down. Jeff, Lita, Jericho, and more.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anyone or anything related to the WWE. Vince McMahon has that honour, and I am extremely jealous.
DISTRIBUTION: Just email me first and let me know if you want it.
FEEDBACK: As always, please send it my way. I am just a big ol' review whore!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I cannot apologise enough for my lack of writing. This past year has been extremely busy for me, and I found that I simply didn't have enough time to write anymore. And that's gone on for too long now. So I am making it official that I will resume my writing.. and any unfinished fics WILL be finished. I missed this far too much to just let it go. I hope you'll all continue reading, and keep letting me know what you think, like you used to.
Onto the chapter!
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... Loud, thumping music rang through her ears. She realised she was on the floor, the ground was hard and cold beneath her body. A sharp pain throbbed in her jaw, and she held her hands to it, trying to soothe the pain. God, that hurt... she willed her eyes open through the pain, squinting. She made out a flash of black and white stripes beside her. The referee. What was he doing out of the ring? Was the match over already? Still clutching her jaw, she wondered who had even won...
Suddenly, she felt a hand seize her hair, forcing her to her feet from the floor. Then there were hands pushing her violently into the ring - what the hell was going on? Her jaw was still aching, and now her hair felt as though it had been pulled out from the roots.. she just wanted to go lie down and try and make the pain go away.
Her heart was beating wildly as she lay on the ring floor, and for a quick second she managed to look up at whoever had shoved her into the ring. As her eyes narrowed with anguish, she thought she could make out bright, red hair...
Essa?
Before she could even piece together what was happening, she felt herself being grabbed, and lifted into the air. She knew what was coming. The next thing she felt was her back slamming onto the canvas, and the breath being forced from her lungs. She couldn't breathe... Oh God, she couldn't breathe... why was he doing this? Tears sprung to her eyes, even as she felt him step away from her. She felt her hot tears spill over onto her cheeks, but before she even had time to try and get up, she was struck as he executed a perfect moonsault onto her already bruised body.
She cried more as she heard him stand over her, trash talking her in Spanish. She could understand every word, and it sliced her to the bone. She ached everywhere, and she just wished she would black out so that she didn't have to listen to him call her such horrible names...
Then there was noise. Noise, all around her. She could hear the crowd screaming, and could feel the canvas pounding beneath her. Was he preparing to attack her again? She rolled over, trying to force the breath back into her lungs, and stop the tears from spilling over her eyelashes. She felt hands touch her, rolling her out of the ring. She tensed her entire body, bracing herself for whatever pain was on it's way. But then she felt herself being gently lifted up, and placed over someone's shoulder, their arm wrapped around her legs, keeping her steady.
Tears continued to flow. She was confused, and sore. She felt sick. But then she heard a soft, easy whisper in her ear, accented by a lilting southern drawl.
"Hush.. it's okay, I've got you now. You're safe."
Lita awoke suddenly, breathless from the vivid images that flashed through her mind. Had that been a dream? A nightmare? It had all felt so real... she could still feel all of the pain, and confusion, and despair... a shiver ran down her spine as she tried to force herself to realise that it had all been a dream. She was awake now. And she was safe.
God... safe. Suddenly those gentle words rang through her ears once more. The soft, caressing whisper floating easily in her memory. They made her feel so secure, so loved. Lita could hardly believe the difference those few small words made. From such an excruciating pain, to such a warm feeling.
Sitting up in the hotel bed, Lita's head began to pound with a furious pain. She held a hand to the side of her head, trying to calm the drumming. Weeks later, and she was still experiencing massive effects from her fall. Dizziness, black outs, torturous headaches... and now some sort of visions? Was this going to become a regular after effect? Where were these images coming from?
The redhead slowly got out of bed, and realised from the bright sunlight streaming in through the small window that it was already morning. Not that she'd had much sleep all night. If it wasn't the headaches that were keeping her up, now she was having crazy images flow through her mind.
Softly padding out of her hotel room, across the hall to Sean and Eric's room, Lita wondered exactly what time it was, and if it was too early to try and talk to the men. She almost decided to wait a little while and go back to her room, but the need to have caring faces around her overwhelmed her decision, and she knocked lightly on the door. Hearing no answer, she carefully turned the doorknob and walked in.
Lita firstly thought that the two were probably still in bed, but as she entered, she heard their voices drifting towards her from the adjoining room. She stepped closer, eager to wish them good morning, when through the half open door, she heard her name. Pausing, she stood against the wall, listening to what was being said.
"I'm telling you Sean, it's a good idea."
A heavy sigh. "I still think it's far too early."
"But just think how great it would be to have the WWE Women's Champion associated with the Bischoff Administration? If Lita became the champion, it would make our team even more solid than it is!"
"Mr Bischoff, I understand what you're saying. And I think it would be great for Lita to go after the championship. But at the moment, she is in no state to compete in the ring. She's still experiencing headaches, and from what happened last night, black outs. It would be far too dangerous to push her back into the ring so soon."
A long pause. Sounds of someone walking across the room. "Hmm. Maybe you're right, Morley. Putting Lita back in the ring before she's ready would jeopardize her chances of winning the title, and we don't want that. We'll keep her out of the action, until the doctor clears her for return. Then we'll start the title chase, okay?"
"Sounds good, boss."
Feeling wrong and slightly guilty for eavesdropping, Lita loudly opened the door and walked in the room, pretending that she hadn't heard a thing. "Good morning guys."
Morley's eyes were instantly on the redheaded diva, a shining warmth appearing as a smile tugged on his lips. "Morning Lita. How are you feeling this morning?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Alright. Not as tired as I have been, although I do have a pounding headache."
"Have you taken your medication?", Eric asked as he took in the pained look on her face.
"Not yet. I was going to as soon as I woke up, but I just really wanted to come in here and see you guys for a little while," she admitted sheepishly. "I had some weird dreams last night... freaked me out a little."
Morley stepped closer, opening his mouth to say something, when Eric stepped towards Lita, slinging his arm around her shoulders. "Well, just wait until you hear what we've got planned for you today. I'm sure it's going to cheer you up. We're going to take you down to the arena with us tonight, so you can watch RAW live. And even better than that, before the show we're going to re-introduce you to all of your friends."
Lita's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Yeah! It'll be great.. you can hang out with the ol' gang!" Eric laughed, squeezing her shoulders good-naturedly. He glanced over at Sean, noting his slightly confused look, and gave him a nod.
Suddenly, Lita's demeanour changed. She ducked her head, chewing on her lip gently. "Oh, Eric.. they all know, right? I mean.. they realise I probably won't remember them at all?"
"Don't worry about it, gorgeous. Everyone will be fine, they understand you can't help it, and that things will return to you in time." He smiled genuinely. "Everyone's very worried about you, and they can't wait to see you."
She smiled at him, nervous and excited at the same time. She thought about what it would be like, meeting all of these people who knew her and knew their entire history and friendship... and she wouldn't have a clue about any of it. Even though she was excited by the idea of being surrounded be her friends, she also felt a strange sickness swirling in the pit of her stomach. Putting it down to nerves, Lita smiled at Eric and nodded.
"Thanks," she looked over at Sean, who was watching her with interested eyes. There was always this bright, intense look in his eyes when he looked at her, and Lita had noticed this. She felt safe when she was around him, and knew that she could trust him. But there was always that something else in his eyes that she couldn't quite figure out...
"Um, I should go take my medication now." Lita rubbed at her eyes gently. "My headache doesn't seem to be getting any better by itself."
Bischoff nodded. "Not a problem. You go get ready, take it easy, and we'll come and get you when we're ready to head off to the arena."
The redhead gave a quick smile, and exited the room, closing the door softly behind her.
Morley turned to the dark haired man. "How do you think it's going to go tonight? Do you think she'll be able to tell that she was never friends with the people we're going to introduce her to?"
"Of course not, Morley!" Bischoff scoffed, making his way to the sofa and relaxing onto it. "Lita is still completely confused about her past. And she trusts us. She won't have any reason to doubt who we tell her are her friends. It's going to be fine."
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Arriving at the arena later that night, Lita couldn't keep her gaze focused. Her eyes continually darted around her, taking in all of her surroundings, and eyeing off every person that they passed, wondering if they were a friend, or enemy, or complete stranger. She just couldn't get herself to remember...
Sean and Eric flanked her sides, sandwiching her between them. She appreciated their protectiveness, and was considerably glad to have it tonight. It was entirely overwhelming, walking down the huge corridors of the arena. She almost wanted to disappear. But she knew that sooner or later, she would have to face the world. It was an inevitable obstacle that she'd have to overcome. She might as well get it out of the way tonight.
The trio turned a corner, which led them into a more open space. There were television monitors being set up, and a few chairs and tables towards the other side of the large room. Lita noticed a group of people sitting down and talking, and wondered if she knew them.
Bischoff followed her gaze. "They happen to be some of the people we want you to meet."
Lita turned to him, her eyes wide and curious. "I know them?"
"Yes. Quite well, actually," Bischoff smiled, and began walking towards the table. "Come on, they can't wait to see you."
Lita followed, with Morley by her side. Butterflies rose in her stomach, fluttering wildly and her heart began to beat ferociously. This was so nerve wracking...
As they approached the table, the group of people stopped their conversation, and turned to face them. Smiles appeared on their faces, and Lita forced a wary smile back.
Eric turned to Lita, and held out his arm towards the group. "Lita, meet your friends."
Two men stood from the table; the first cut an imposing figure, standing tall, with shoulder length blonde hair and an intense gaze. The second was smaller, older, with a mop of white hair and a proud smile sitting on his lips. Lita let her eyes drift over them, taking in every detail. There was nothing familiar about them at all.
"Lita, this is Hunter, also known as Triple H. He's the current World Heavyweight Champion," Eric introduced. "And this is Ric Flair. A legend in the business. The three of you were very good friends." He looked at Triple H and Flair pointedly.
A smirk slid onto Hunter's face, as he took Lita in his arms and hugged her. "It's so good to see that you're doing well, Lita. We've all been so worried about you."
Embraced in the big man's arms, Lita shifted slightly. "Thanks... it's nice to see you, too." She hugged him back, but felt an odd twist in her stomach at the touch. She felt Hunter run his hands up and down her back, in what she assumed was supposed to be a comforting touch. Yet it made a shiver run down her spine, and something inside her simply felt wrong. What was wrong with her? A good friend was showing how much he cared, and she was sickened by it?
Triple H pulled away, and Flair gave her a small pat on her shoulder. "You look good, kid."
Lita smiled slightly, taking in the look in the older man's eyes. His blue eyes were cold, no real warmth evident in them at all. He smiled at her, yet the smile never reached his eyes. She quickly glanced over at Morley, unsure of everything that she was feeling at the moment. All she knew was that she found herself wishing she was anywhere else but here.
Bischoff slowly went around the table, introducing each person sitting down. Lita concentrated, making sure she remembered names and any information that Eric told her about them. There was William Regal, Lance Storm, Victoria and Steven Richards. Every time, they all welcomed her warmly enough, but there was something in each of them that threw Lita off a little bit. Regal's air of arrogance, the psychotic look in Victoria's eyes. It was always something small, almost unperceptable. But she felt something low inside her belly that made her uncomfortable around these people. These people, who were supposed to be her closest friends.
She took her eyes off the people in front of her, scanning the large arena room. Something didn't feel right, and she simply couldn't find the strength to keep her focus on the group that sat before her. She had to look away, if at least only for a minute.
Lita studied her surroundings, drinking in every detail. The colours of the walls, the pattern on the ceiling, how many monitors were set up around the room... and then she saw him.
Across the far side of the room, standing up against the wall, was Jeff Hardy. He was by himself, and he was staring at them. No, not at them, just at her. Even from this distance, Lita could see his green eyes focused directly on her. Her hazel eyes locked onto his suddenly, and she felt a sharp electric shock ripple through her body.
Gasping softly from the impact, she broke the stare, lowering her eyes to the cement floor. She breathed heavily, and her heart began to thud. Why was he watching her like that? He was supposed to be somebody that was no good for her, right?
Slowly, Lita calmed her breathing. Her eyes were still on the floor, but she knew he was still looking at her. She could feel his gaze on her. It was almost a physical thing. She took in a breath, and slowly looked up once again. He hadn't moved, still leaning against that wall. And still with his eyes trained on her, and her only.
This time, Lita didn't break away. She looked at him, and he looked at her. And it puzzled her, because she swore that she could see a shine in his eyes. Something warm. Something that made her feel safe. And it was so familiar... like she had seen that look before, a million times over.
And he was supposed to be her enemy. Wasn't he?