Title: Appearances Can Be Deceiving
Author: Luna
Feedback: Always appreciated!
Archive: Full Moon Romper Room, WWEATSBTVS, anyone else just ask I'll probably say yes.
Rating: PG-13, for the moment. I, however, reserve the right to up the rating should the need arise!
Type: Romance, I guess.
Pairings: Lilian?
Disclaimer: Vince McMahon owns the WWE. Nothing is being gained from this, except a need to pass the time.
Summary:
Spoilers: None that I'm aware of.
Anything else: Oh we must thank Paulena for this little bit of fun. (This is in response to the second Lilian challenge.) It was her challenge that made the plot bunnies multiply. I'm still not too sure whom I'm going to be pairing Lilian up with but as soon as I know so will you! LOL. I'm using these characters as I see fit. I'm not going to be going against the nature(s) of those involved. At least I hope I'm not. Any comments are welcome as long as they are constructive.
Author's Notes: All your encouragement has meant the world to me. It gave me courage to go on when I didn't think I had the talent. Thank you to everyone that reviewed. YOU'RE THE BEST!
Chapter NineThe day of the party dawned clear and bright totally at odds with how the blonde ring announcer felt. She was short, surly, and just generally disagreeable. Of course it could have had something to do with the fact that her roommates had awoken her at the ungodly hour of seven in the morning.
"Someone had damn well better be dying," were the first words out of Lilian's mouth when the covers were wrenched away from her.
"Jeez, Lil you'd think no one ever woke you up this early before," Lita chirped happily from the end of the bed.
Lilian cracked one eye open and glared at the grinning redhead. "I'm going to kill you slowly," she grumbled as she opened her other eye and slowly sat up in bed.
"You wish jelly fish," the highflying diva tossed back.
"C'mon Lilian, we need to get going," Stacy said hurriedly.
"What the hell for," the blonde snapped.
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Victoria commented as she came out of the bathroom. "Up and at 'em sunshine. We're going to breakfast then we're all going out for girl time before we come back here to get ready."
The ring announcer groaned as she remembered the plan. All of them were going to go out and get their hair and nails done today. They would spend time with each other as far away from work as they could get. With a sigh Lilian pushed herself up off the bed and stumbled towards the bathroom.
"Give me about five minutes," she mumbled before closing the door.
Once the door was firmly shut she heaved a sigh. She had no idea how she was going to get through tonight but she would. She wasn't the type of person to back out of an agreement. Just thinking about what Trish had said brought another rush of confused emotions.
Lilian turned on the tap and washed her hands. She stared at her reflection; again wondered why the guys she worked with never saw her? Rolling her eyes at the turn her thoughts had taken she loaded up the toothbrush and scrubbed her teeth. The others weren't exactly known for their patience. It was a wonder that they weren't breaking down the door as it was.
As if conjured by her thoughts one of the girls pounded on the door. "Did you fall in," Lita asked merrily from the other side.
"HA HA! You're not as funny as you look you know," Lilian said after as she came out of the bathroom. She walked over to her suitcase and pulled out a pair of jean Capri pants and a light blue tank top. She walked back to the bathroom to change. It wasn't long before the ring announcer felt reasonably sure that she was ready to go. Pulling her hair back into a scrunchie she joined her friends.
"What did we decide for breakfast," Lilian asked as she slid her feet into her thongs.
"We were thinking that little bistro we passed yesterday," Victoria returned, as she made sure she had the room key in her pocket.
The blonde stifled another yawn. "Well if we're going we better get. Or I'm going back to bed," she threatened the others.
The three other girls scampered out of the room ahead of the surly announcer. They made their way to the elevator and down to the lobby. In unison the four women produced sunglasses and donned them. It was a clear warm morning. It promised to be even hotter as the day wore on.
Breakfast was an amazingly simple affair. The girls ate lightly. They chatted about everything and nothing. It was still surprising after all this time just how easy it was to lose track of time. It was hard to think that they hadn't known each other all their lives but only a couple of years.
Stacy asked for the time. When they were informed that it was after 10:30 the ladies paid for their meal. If they rushed they should be able to make it.
"You'd think we'd learn to wear a watch," Victoria mused, as they strolled into the salon.
"Well we made it, didn't we," Lilian asked.
"Only because Lita broke every speed limit known to man," Stacy countered.
"We're here. Can we please drop it," Lita asked as she brought up the rear.
"All right if you insist. I'll drop it," Victoria conceded.
"Thank you," the redheaded dare devil replied.
"For now," the raven-haired diva inserted.
The extreme wrestler rolled her eyes. "I should have known," Lita muttered.
"Yeah you should have," Lilian responded, pinching her friend's cheek.
"Will you three please knock it off," Stacy demanded. "They're going to think we're savages."
The other three shared a look then grinned at the leggy blonde manically. "We aren't," the trio asked innocently.
Stacy threw her hands up in the air. She shook her head and walked off with one of the girls from the salon. The two were talking animatedly. The others were soon separated as the salon girls got a hold of them. Victoria could be heard threatening the girl who merely laughed at her.
Lilian lost herself in the pleasure of letting someone pamper her. For the next four hours she was washed, colored, cut, styled, painted, and plucked. She'd never felt as good as she did when the four girls left the salon. It was nice letting someone else take care of those things for her.
The girls decided on a late lunch before going back to the hotel. They were talking about their dates and what they were wearing for the dinner later that evening. The reminder of what awaited Lilian made her quieter than usual. Her friends noticed and tried to draw it out of her.
"Guys, it's nothing. Just something someone said," Lilian tried tell them.
"Who," Victoria demanded.
"I'll give you three guesses," Stacy said as she studied her fellow blonde.
"She wouldn't dare," Lita snapped.
"Oh she would and did," Lilian replied, realizing that they weren't going to let it go.
"That little tramp," Victoria fumed.
"I knew I should have broken her jaw," Lita said sullenly, as she crossed her arms over her chest. If that bitchy bimbo ruined Shane and Lilian's first official date she would personally make sure that Trish got everything that was coming to her and then some.
"Guys, this isn't going to solve anything. Let's just drop it already," Lilian said tiredly.
Noticing the distress hiding behind the calm exterior Stacy intervened. "All right, but if you want to talk about it, we're here for you." The other two nodded emphatically.
Lilian reached out and grabbed her friends' hands. "I know that. And thank you."
Looking up Lita realized that they were once again running late. "We better make tracks or we'll never be ready when the boys come to get us."
The foursome hurried back to the hotel. They were rushing around trying to be ready on time. Lita and Victoria were in the bathroom applying makeup, while Stacy was at the room's only other mirror, Lilian made due with the mirror on her make up box. It wasn't the best but it wasn't bad either.
The girls took turns getting zipped into their dresses. Their nerves were all wound tight. With a final inspection Victoria grabbed her clutch, making sure her room key was in it. "Don't wait up," she called out as she made for the door.
"He's not picking you up," Stacy asked.
"Honey, I was lucky I got him to agree to go at all. I'm not about to give him a chance to back out now," she returned as she sailed out of the room.
Stacy was just slipping on her heels when there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it," Lita said, coming out of the bathroom to answer the door.
"Hey there, good looking," Rob said to Lita.
"Stace, Rob's here," the redhead called into the room.
"I heard. The room's not that big," the blonde returned.
Rob got a good look at Stacy as she came toward him. He seemed to lose his ability for speech for just a moment before saying, "You look stunning." He kissed her cheek while she flushed prettily under the compliment. After the whole Test and Steiner incident the young blonde had feared all men were a lost cause. Rob however changed her mind about that. He really listened to her. He made her seem important. She liked the feel. A lot.
"See you guys later," Rob said easily as he led the leggy blonde out the door.
Lilian was checking her make up one last time. She pulled nervously at her dress, making sure that nothing was peeking out. With a sigh and a roll of her eyes she turned away from the mirror. Lita flashed her a brilliant smile as the two waited for their respective dates to show up.
"Think they're going to show," Lita asked as she glanced at the clock for what seemed to be the fiftieth time in the last five minutes.
As if on cue there was a knock at the door. The redhead rose from the bed and crossed the room. Lilian follow behind the other woman.
There at the door was Shane Helms and Matt Hardy. They were both smiling. Both were wearing tuxes. "We'd have been here sooner, but Matt had trouble with his tie," Shane offered by way of explanation.
"I can't help it if I'm more at home in ring attire than this monkey suit," Matt grumbled.
The girls shared at laugh at that.
'God, she looks so good,' he thought. 'Well say something stupid,' another part of him answered. Shane shook himself. He offered the ring announcer a winning smile. With a flourish he produced a bouquet of mixed flowers. "When I saw these I thought of you," he said handing them to her.
"You're making me look bad," Matt groused
Shane laughed. "You don't need any help from me to do that," he returned.
Lilian was shocked. She hadn't expected him to bring her flowers. She gave him a dazzling smile and took them from him. The blonde laid them on the room's desk, reminding herself to put them in some water when they returned later. She finally took a good look at her date for the evening.
His tuxedo wasn't the typical one seen at proms across the country. He was wearing a white-banded collar shirt with a dark red button at the top. Instead of a cummerbund it was a vest the same shade of red as her dress. Lilian shot Lita a look one of her blonde brows rising. The daredevil diva just shrugged one shoulder.
"Shall we," Shane asked as he offered the lovely blonde his arm.
Lilian slipped her hand in the crook of his arm and let him led her from the room. Neither of them aware of the smug looks Matt and Lita shot at their backs.