A/N: If you're still reading, thanks! Remember, this is an old fic I wrote a few years back. Hope you like it.
Part Twelve
"No."
"Absolutely not."
"Not in this lifetime, sweetie."
Lita swung around towards Matt, to see if his reaction would make it unanimous. "Well?"
Matt looked at her, then looked at the other three men in the room. "I'm sorry, Lita. I'm with them. It's way too dangerous to
send you in there."
"But," she began.
"No buts," Jeff said. "We can't allow you to do that."
Lita immediately flinched at his words. "You can't allow me to do it? I have news for you, Jeff Hardy, you are not my keeper. You
don't allow me to do anything." Lita felt her face begin to flush with anger.
"Lita, he didn't mean it like that," Edge intervened, trying to head off an argument.
"Li, he's right. That didn't come out right. I just meant that we don't think it's a good idea for you to go into a situation like
this."
"Why not? Do you think I'm not capable?"
"Lita," Shane said, "Of course we think you're capable mentally. You are very intelligent. It's just that, well, physically you're
still recovering."
"Lita, what if Eric attacked you? Or had one of his thugs attack you?" asked Matt.
"I have been getting stronger every day. I can walk fine. If that jerk were to try something, I could fight him off. And you guys
wouldn't be too far away. I'd be fine."
"Lita, I don't agree. Just a few weeks ago he had you hurt. It happened so fast I couldn't even get to the ring in time to save
you." Jeff stated.
"That was a fluke, Jeff. I was set up and you know it."
"That's kind of my point," Jeff said, placing his hands on his hips. "We're setting him up this time, and he already ordered you
hurt once. I don't want it to happen again."
"In case you haven't noticed, Lita, you are much smaller than the goons he keeps company with. You'd be at a serious physical
disadvantage," Edge added, trying to help Jeff's case.
"So, because poor little Lita' has been hurt in the past, she surely couldn't complete this task," Lita said, mocking herself. "Our little girl is too fragile to really be any help. What if she broke a nail or something?' Nice to know what you guys really think about me. Here I thought I was a part of the team'." Unable to stand it anymore, she swirled around and stalked out of the room as fast as her legs would allow her to go.
The four men left standing in the room all flinched as they heard the front door slam shut, telling them she had left the house.
"Well, I feel like a real winner. How about you?" Shane said.
"Were we wrong?" Edge asked.
"No, we weren't," Matt answered. "We all care about her. We're just not very gifted when it comes to explaining why we feel that
way."
"We suck, actually," Jeff said. "And I suck the worst. So, I'm going to go talk to her." The others nodded and parted, allowing
Jeff to exit the living room and head towards the front door.
"I hope she doesn't kill him," Shane said, trying to lighten the mood.
Out on the front porch, Lita sat in the swing, appearing to stare intently at the giant volcanoes on Jeff's land. The house itself
had a quaint southern charm to it; lots of trees, a wrap-around porch, and even an old water well in the side yard. The giant
mounds of dirt Jeff had built up off from the side definitely added his offbeat personality to the place though. This is where Lita's
attention was now focused, although it was hard to see them in the dark.
"Hi. Can I join you?" Jeff asked tentatively.
Lita didn't turn to face him, although she had heard him come out and knew immediately who it was. Instead, she simply answered
him. "It's your property. You can go where you want."
Jeff sat down on the swing beside his friend. Neither one said anything for a few minutes. Instead they sat while Jeff used his
toes to swing them gently. Finally, he figured he'd better speak, or they'd be out there all night.
"Li, I just came out to tell you I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings. I never meant to do that."
Lita finally turned to face Jeff. "I know, Jeff."
"It's just, you have come such a long way since your surgery. You were doing so well. And, then Bischoff went and almost had you
killed."
"Jeff, you're being too dramatic. He didn't try to have me killed."
"You know what, you weren't in the back watching the attack on the monitor. From where I stood, it looked to me like they didn't
intend for you to get back up – ever. So, I don't think I'm being too dramatic here."
"I'm fine now, Jeff. Thanks in part to you. I'll forever be grateful to you for all you did to help me learn to walk again. I
can never repay you for that."
"Yes, you can. You can repay me by getting this notion out of your head that you should be the one to bust Bischoff. I don't think my
heart could take seeing you hurt again."
"I know you mean well Jeff, but that attitude hurts. You are assuming that something bad will happen and that I won't be able to
control it. We don't know that. And I'm not stupid. I can handle things. I would know if I suddenly get outnumbered or got in a bad
situation. It's not like I wouldn't be willing to call for backup."
"Lita, we're talking about Bischoff here. A cold, calculating liar and thief. And he's plotting a takeover with pricks like Heyman, Lesnar, and maybe even HHH. These guys are the lowest life forms in the company. Forgive me if I don't want you playing a cat and mouse
game with them. When this all goes down, trust me, it's going to get physical at some point. These guys are going to be pissed, and
they are going to seek revenge."
"And as I said, I am prepared for that. My part would be to get the confession out of Bischoff, then I'd be perfectly willing to step
back and let you boys deal with any fallout. I just want to help. I need to do something to help. I can't sit on the sidelines any
longer. And this is the perfect way for me to do it."
Jeff sighed, running his hands through his hair. He turned and looked at Lita, pushing a stray hair out of her eyes. She was looking at him with a pleading look, and it was breaking his heart. He rose from his seat beside her and turned to place a small kiss on her cheek. "I'm sorry," he said, turning to head back into the house. Pausing at the door, he turned around towards her again. "It's too dangerous Li. You're safety and well-being is too important to me and the others to do this right now. I promise I'll help you find another way to help out." With that, he turned the door knob and stepped back inside, shutting the door behind him.
Alone again on the porch, Lita raised her hands to wipe the tears that were now flowing unbidden down her cheeks. She knew why Jeff
and the others felt the way they did and she loved them for it. Just why couldn't they understand why she needed to do this?
Back inside, Jeff was immediately met with three sets of very concerned eyes. "So?" Shane inquired. "Is everything cool now?"
Jeff released the breath he didn't even realize he was holding. "No. I still suck."
"What?" Edge questioned. "C'mon, Jeff. Did you say anything intelligent to her at all?"
"Yes, you moron," Jeff answered. "Look. I explained to her that Bischoff is a liar and a thief, and that if HHH and Lesnar are
involved, then it really could get dicey. She understands that. She just has an intense need to be an active part of something. I
think being on the sidelines is just killing her inside."
"So, what happened next?"
"I told her that her safety is too important to us and it's just too dangerous right now. And…" he trailed off, feeling immensely guilty.
"And what?" Shane asked.
"And I'm pretty sure she's out there crying now."
Matt lifted his head up at the statement, the concern evident on his face. Turning around, he left the room, headed for Lita.
"Think he can do any better?" Edge asked.
"I don't know anymore," Shane said. "This whole situation sucks. Maybe we should just let her do it."
Outside, Lita heard the door open once more. She had moved from the swing to the front steps, where she was now sitting. Her knees were gathered up to her chest, her arms circled around them. Tearstains marked her pretty face, highlighted by the moonlight that shone
brightly in the night sky.
"Penny for your thoughts," Matt said, sitting down beside her on the step.
"Go away, Matt. Please," she said.
"I'd rather sit here with you right now," he answered.
"I'm not really in a social mood."
"I know. Are you gonna be ok?"
"No. I'm not. Apparently, I'm an invalid child who can't take care of herself, let alone help out her friends when they need it the
most. You know, I'm lucky I don't need you guys to feed me and change my diapers."
"Lita," Matt said. "Now, come on, you know that's not what he said or what any of us meant."
"Yeah, well, what he said doesn't make me feel any better."
"Honey, I know you are feeling incredibly frustrated right now. None of us will ever know what it feels like to be in your shoes
because it's not happened to us. We said the things we said because we love you and care about you."
"I know that you and Jeff and the others mean well. But, Matt, you're right. You don't know what it feels like to be in my shoes.
I love what I do, and it was taken away from me when I broke my neck. For almost a year, I've been on the sidelines. An
unimportant nothing. Not able to work out, compete or anything. They dropped me from the diva photo shoots and everything. It's
like I didn't exist anymore. But I fought against that. I made sure that they knew I can still contribute. I won the commentator
spot on Heat. But then the whole fiasco with Bischoff happened, and I'm pushed to the side once again." Once again, tears began to
silently make their way down her face.
"Please don't cry, Li. You know I can't take that. I never could."
"I can't help it Matt. I feel so, so useless. Like I don't matter anymore. Maybe I should just go away and never return. Maybe that
would make everyone happy."
"You are not useless."
"But that's how I feel."
"Lita, you are smart, funny, kind and caring. You are a beautiful person, not just on the outside, but on the inside, where it really
counts. The company is lucky to have you as an employee, and we are so fortunate to have you as a friend."
Lita looked down, not able to look Matt in the eyes. "Aw, you're just saying that."
"No, I'm not. I know we've had our own differences. But Lita, when you agreed to talk with me today, you know, about all the crap we've been going through lately, my heart swelled. I don't know what I would do if you weren't in my life."
"I'm glad we're talking again too." She patted him on the leg, then continued. "Matt, you all didn't even ask me what my idea was for
busting Bischoff. All four of you immediately shut me down. Every one of you jumped to the conclusion that I wasn't capable, and no
one even asked what my thoughts were. It's as if because my body is a little slow, my mind is too. Do you know how that makes me feel?"
"You're right. We didn't give you a chance to explain. I'm sorry about that Lita. We just … how do I explain it … it's like you are
precious to each of us in our own way. I can only speak for myself mind you, but I know that I will always do everything in my power to
make sure that you are protected." He reached out and stroked her silky red hair lightly. "It hurts my heart to see you in pain. I
need to make sure no one hurts you."
"Aw, our age old argument rises again, doesn't it? You know, when we were going out, I secretly loved it when you would get all
protective over me." She smiled, shooting him a coy look. Matt feigned a shocked look, clutching his heart while his mouth dropped
open.
"You did? Then why did you always give me so much grief over it?"
"Because, it's a double edged sword. Matt, as good as it felt to have someone take care of me, at the same time I can't allow myself
to become a "damsel in distress". My whole life, I've worked hard to get what I have and where I am. I've stood on my own two feet
and made my own way. I get scared when I have to rely on someone else."
"I know you do. That's part of the reason why I always feel the need to protect you."
"Funny, isn't it? We always argue about this issue, and it's really very simple."
"So…"
"So, what?" she asked.
"So, tell me your idea. How can you take Bischoff down?"
She looked at him warily. "Matt, don't placate me."
"Lita, I would not do that to you. I sincerely want to hear your idea."
"Well, I figured since I am a commentator on Heat, I have access to everything and everywhere. I can get to see him easier than any of
you could."
"Yeah, I would agree with that."
"And, if it came down to it, I have certain, um, "assets" that I can use if I have to distract him."
"Lita, stop right there. You wouldn't…"
"No way. Get your mind out of the gutter. I'm talking about just flirting with him, Matt. Maybe show a little more skin than normal. Nothing disgusting. But Matt, I know he's looked at me differently than he has you guys. I've caught him staring at me before."
"What? When? I'll kill him."
"Down, boy. Don't worry. I'm not talking like he's undressed me with his eyes or anything. But I know he's noticed my figure. I could use that if I had to to keep him interested."
"Lita, that's not like you at all. You have always hated when the divas use their bodies to get ahead."
"You didn't let me finish. I'm thinking like what we did to Malenko that time in the hotel room. I thoroughly enjoyed busting that vase
over top of him." She smiled at the thought.
"Oh ok. You scared me there for a second."
"Well, once I got in to see him, I'd tell him that I had been given some information anonymously to announce on Heat something about
upcoming plans he had. He'll deny it of course. Then I'll tell him that I figured it out and I'd get him to admit that was what he was
doing by telling him it won't work. That I'll go to Stephanie with the proof. Once he admits it, then I'll change my tune and tell him
maybe I'll stay with his team, provided he promises me a job with the new organization."
"Hmm, well that sounds like it might work. But what if he got violent?"
"I figured I could wear one of those wireless mics. You guys could listen in, and if it starts going badly, I can use a code word and
have one of you interfere and get me out of there."
Matt sat still for a minute, contemplating what she had just said.
"Well Matt? Say something. What do you think?"
Matt reached out and took her hand. "Remember a minute ago when I told you how smart, caring and beautiful you are?"
"Yes," she answered cautiously.
"I forgot to add brave, devious, and crazy to that list." He broke into a smile.
"Gee, just what every girl wants to hear."
"C'mon," he said, pulling her up to her feet, keeping a hold of her hand.
"What?"
"It's getting colder out and you're going to freeze to death. Besides, we need to go inside and explain to the other three why
you're the best person to coerce the admission from Bischoff."
Lita broke into a wide grin. "Thanks, Matt," she said, going to him and hugging him.
"Anytime, sweetie," he said, hugging her back. "Just promise me you'll be careful."
"Always," she said, heading back into the house.
TBC