Spoilers/Summary: All in the previous chapters
Notes: Well, hmm.. I am anticipating that an ending will come to this story within the next three or four chapters, or possibly sooner. I say anticipating, because, unless I can figure out another way to extend this .. It'll be ending. That said, any ideas you all have, would be appreciated. I can't promise I will extend it, but if I can muster the creative drive then I will. I've got quite a few other stories just in the start of things, and others that are progressing along quite nicely. In addition, I've a few new ideas lingering that I've held off on since I didn't want to overload myself. One of those happens to be the sequel (long-ish series) to my one-shot: Just One Question. So, who knows what will happen.. I may even end up finding that elusive Randy/Lita muse so I can update Welcoming the Unexpected.
Thank You: To everyone who has reviewed!
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The minutes seemed to pass like hours for the two at the table. The silence deafening despite the never ending stream of music from the in house D.J. All the while, Dawn observed from the dance floor.. The brunette Diva muttering something along the lines of knocking their heads together if one of them didn't make a move soon. And fortunately for Dawn's health and both John and Lita's sanity- Victoria managed to talk her out of taking such action. It was painfully clear to both Divas that neither John or Lita was interested in making conversation. Or if they were .. They were just taking their sweet ass time. And while yes, Dawn could understand why either would be hesitant to do so.. It was getting pretty damn frustrating. From the dart boards, Chris and Jeff also observed the pair at the table. And while they had no such intent as Dawn.. Jeff was close to walking over there to start something. He didn't know what exactly, but he could see the obvious attraction. Why neither one of them were doing a thing about it remained a mystery to the Cameron native.
"So.." Lita drew the word out slowly, hazel eyes pinned absently to a set of strobe lights. "Umm…"
John raised an eyebrow, "Yes?" He drew his attention away from the tiled floor. "Is there somethin' you need to tell me?"
"Not really," she stated with a casual shrug. "Just thinking that it's getting pretty damn borin' just sittin' here."
He made an open gesture with his hands, "I ain't stoppin' ya from goin' anywhere or finding anyone."
The redheaded woman raised an eyebrow, "An' just what is that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what I said," his weight shifted back, one arm draped over the back of the chair. "If you wanna go out an' dance, do it. I ain't stoppin' ya."
Lita rolled her eyes, tracing abstract patterns on the table top with a fingernail. "Thanks for the permission, John."
"Did I say you needed my permission?" The fingers of his free hand drummed idly on the table top. "In case you got a hearin' problem.. All I said was-"
"I heard you the first time." She interrupted coolly. "Forgive me for tryin' to start a conversation."
Blue eyes shifted lazily to the redhead, "If you wanna talk, then talk.. Again, I ain't gonna stop ya."
She snorted, picking at the cocktail napkin. "Yeah okay.. Like that's gonna go anywhere. I might as well try talkin' to a brick wall."
John smiled wryly, "Now.. I've been told before that my brain is full of bricks.. But, I ain't no brick wall."
"I wasn't implyin' that." Lita toyed with a stray strand of hair, hazel orbs flicking briefly to him. "Is there somethin' botherin' ya?"
The West Newbury native gave an indifferent shrug, "Not really.. Maybe I jus' feel like sittin' here an' doin' nothing."
Her jaw clenched marginally, the cocktail napkin balled tightly in her hand before it was released. "Well then, you just have a fun time doin' that." Lita slipped out of the chair she was occupying. "I'll be out there with Dawn and Vikki."
"I thought you said you couldn't dance."
"I can't," she glanced back over her shoulder as she straightened her skirt. "But even that's a helluva lot more interstin' then just sittin' here watchin' the damn strobe lights.. So, I don't know 'bout you, but-"
He snorted, rolling his eyes at the redhead. "Forgive me than for not bein' worthy enough of your precious time."
Lita arched an eyebrow, her hands falling shortly to her hips. "Did I say that? No, I didn't. Believe it or not, up until now? I was havin' fun hangin' out with you-"
"Sorry to disappoint ya then."
"Would you just shut up an' let me finish?" She snapped quickly, moving so she was standing directly in front of him. "I don't know what your problem is, alright? If you want to talk about it, fine. We'll talk about it. If you want to talk about the damn weather in Alaska, fine.. We can talk about the damn weather in Alaska." With a huffy breath she poked him in the arm. "It really doesn't matter what the subject is-"
John caught her wrist in his hand before she could poke him again. "You ever think I don' know what to talk 'bout? I mean shit, from Sanford to here all we've been doin' is talkin'. I'm sorry if I don' know what else to talk about with you."
She let out a short sigh, wrenching the trapped appendage free. "Forgive me then for assuming too much.. I'll just be on my merry way now." Lita shook her head, threading a hand through her red locks as she turned on heel to head back to the dance floor.
Again, she was stopped, her elbow caught this time; the brown haired wrestler standing behind her. "I'm sorry, alright? Go on an' be pissy with me, but I'm sorry."
Lita turned a puzzled gaze to him, "Sorry for what?"
He coughed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "For teasin' ya earlier. At the park."
The Sanford resident's face contorted in confusion. "What are you talkin' 'bout?"
John held her gaze, an eyebrow raising marginally. "That blonde chick? Ya know.. The whole, you ain't jealous thing."
Lita blinked, "Why does that really matter now?"
The West Newbury native shook his head, releasing her elbow shortly. "Don' worry 'bout it, alright? I jus' wanted to apologize for actin' like a jerk"
The Diva shook her head, "You weren't actin' like a jerk.. You haven't been doin' that at all."
His shoulders lifted marginally, "Whateva.. You said you were gonna go dance, didn' you?"
"I did," she conceded with a short shrug of her own. "Unless there is somethin' you wanna talk about.. It jus' looks like there was somethin' botherin' ya."
John smiled lazily, "Just forget 'bout it, alright? Honestly, I really don' know what else to talk about."
Lita nodded slowly, "If you say so then."
"Well…" He walked backwards until he was leaning against the table. "When's your birthday?"
"April 14th." She moved back to the chair, hopping up shortly. "You?"
"April 23rd.. What year were ya born in?"
Lita smiled wryly, "Didn' anyone ever tell you not to ask a woman's age?"
John grinned, "I didn' ask your age, I jus' asked what year you were born in."
"Same difference," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "I was born in 1975."
"So you're two years older than me." John stated with a small nod. "Alright, what's your full name?"
The redheaded woman blinked, "Why does that really matter?"
"Jus' curious, I guess." John raised an eyebrow, "Cuz, I'm thinking your real name ain't Lita."
The Sanford resident chuckled softly, "Well no. it's not. My birth certificate reads: Amy Christine Dumas."
The brown haired wrestler nodded, "Mine reads John Felix Anthony Cena."
"Felix?" She repeated with a tiny smirk. "Cute."
"There somethin' wrong with Felix?"
Lita shook her head, "I didn't say that did I? It's just not a name I hear every day.. Unless of course it's Felix the Cat."
John rolled his eyes good naturedly, "Yeah, yeah.. Been there, heard that."
She laughed at the look on his face, "What did you do before you started wrestling?"
His chest puffed out slightly, "Body building." His head inclined, blue eyes regarding her curiously. "You said you had done odd jobs.. Define, odd jobs."
The redhead smirked, "I played bass in a band, worked in a few animal shelters." Her eyes focused elsewhere for a moment, "I was also a stripper, on an' off for about four years."
Tentatively, he reached out a hand to bring her eyes back to him. "That ain't nothing to be ashamed over. You're hot, you got a nice body."
Lita quirked a tiny smile, "Yeah well.. It's still somethin' I'd jus' rather forget."
"Fair enough," he conceded with a small shrug. "What 'bout college?"
Lita shook her head, "I lasted all of three semesters, I think.. Down at Georgia State University. I wanted to teach middle school, so I majored in Education."
He chuckled, "Ya know, that's interestin' .. I've thought 'bout teachin' at the high school level.. History or somethin' if I wasn't doin this." With a grin, he added: "I graduated from Springfield College, degree in Exercise Physiology."
She nodded a touch, "I can see ya doin' that.. Though, I'd kinda doubt you'd quit this business anytime soon."
"Woman, they'd have to fire me for that to happen." He threaded a hand through his short hair, "I got one more question for ya."
An eyebrow raised, "And that would be?"
John reached a hand towards her, lightly toying with strands of loose hair. "What's your natural hair color?"
The Sanford resident smiled coyly, rising from the chair again. "Some things, you just can't find out that easily." With a wink, she tossed her hair over her shoulder, "I did wanna head back to the dance floor.."
John raised an eyebrow, "Is that an invitation or are ya just telling me for the hell of it?"
…….
The redhead merely shrugged in response, turning so she was facing away from him as she quite sauntered out to the dance floor. He remained standing there for a moment longer, silently thanking whomever picked the short skirt. And after he had grabbed the purses, he stopped once to drop those off with Jeff and Chris before he joined the three Divas on the dance floor. Dawn could barely contain her excitement when he joined them, the brunette Diva near bursting at the seams with questions for Lita and John. But, rather than ask them now, she observed. The smile on her face broadened as the pair in question started to dance, Dawn holding back the urge to outright cheer.
John shook his head, the redheaded woman in front of him, one arm around her waist. "You'd think Dawn won the lottery or somethin'."
Lita rolled her eyes, one arm draped loosely over his shoulders. "Yeah well, I guess this is close enough for Dawn's sake."
The West Newbury native laughed, tugging her slightly closer to him. "That's true.. All of her efforts or whatever."
The redhead smirked, bringing up her other arm to clasp her hands behind his neck. "Don' tell me she's tried all of the subtle hint crap with you already."
A wry smile twisted at the corners of his mouth, "You don' even wanna know."
Lita inclined her head curiously, "Humor me then.. Cuz I bet she's done worse to me."
John shrugged his shoulders marginally, "You bet huh? Is this a terms bet or no."
"Whatever," she replied with a shake of her head. "So? What has she done"
One hand splayed over the exposed surface of tanned skin just below the hemline of her shirt. "Well.. For starters, every time I got a bit of spare time an' Dawn feels like talkin' my damn ear off.. You're mentioned.. Each an' every damn time."
Lita nodded, a knowing glint in her eyes. "She's done the same to me…while the person in question was not but ten feet away."
He looked impressed, his other hand resting on her hip. "Alright so ya got me beat there.. She's borrowed a jacket of mine, and accidentally left your phone number in the pocket."
The redhead rolled her eyes, the space between them disappearing by the second. "She's done that to me too. Has she used your cell phone to call someone?"
"An' purposely left the phone number on the display screen?" John rolled his eyes, "That happened 'bout a month ago."
Lita could only shake her head, "Oh I've got one.. Last joint pay-per-view, she left a program in my gym bag."
John looked amused, "Yeah? She's left all of them Diva magazines in mine.. Or in my locker room."
"Touché," she conceded with a dry smile. "All of them?"
The corners of his mouth twitched, "A few of 'em.. One in particular though." Abruptly, he turned her in his embrace; the hand that had been on her back shifting to her exposed stomach. "Here's one.. This one time we were between shows and whateva.. It was me, Dawn, Eddie, Rob and Rey, right? Well, Rey was drivin', Dawn was playin' navigator."
She gave an involuntary shudder, his chin resting on her shoulder; breath just teasing the fine hairs on her neck. "Okay.. I'm with you so far."
"All of a sudden, this book drops in my lap." A small smirk formed on his mouth, "Your autobiography."
Lita expelled a melodic laugh, one hand resting over the hand on her hip. "I got one to match that.. She stayed over with me one night.. Brought along some tapes of Smackdown shows."
It was his turn to laugh, "Did she really? I can't really say I'm surprised at that." John's laughter died down, the redhead finding herself facing him again. "I got another one."
"And that is?"
"That time she borrowed my jacket.. When I got it back? It smelled like this one perfume." His face hovered centimeters from hers. "A lot like the one you got on."
Lita held his gaze, the Diva's gut instinct to flee starting to kick. "I uh.. I think I need some air.."
John masked the disappointment in his eyes, releasing her slowly. "Alright.. You wanna go take a walk on the beach or somethin?"
The redhead nodded, "Yeah.. That works." She smiled faintly, taking his hand in hers before she sent a look over to Dawn and Victoria. "Do not follow us. I know it's tempting, but please.. You owe me for Richard."
Dawn held up her hands in mock defense, "I'm sorry but.. Someone had to do something."
John and Lita rolled their eyes in response, stopping on their way out to speak with Jeff and Chris. The redhead kindly requested that the two please keep Dawn in the club .. She then informed them that she and John would be back.. She didn't know when, but they would be back. Jeff nodded in response, lightly squeezing the redhead's shoulder before she and John departed. Subsequently, Jeff and Chris abandoned the game of darts to keep a vigil over the nosey brunette. And tempted as she was to follow them, Dawn stayed put. John and Lita found themselves back on the same stretch of beach they had been on previously, the redhead's fishnet stockings joining her boots this time under the bench.
He sent her a sideways glanced as they walked towards the shore. "You feelin' better now?"
She gave his hand a light squeeze, "Yeah.. It was just getting really stuffy back in the club.. Plus well, knowing that Dawn was standin' but a few feet away wasn't helping much."
John nodded, the two walking slowly along the sandy surface. "You can't see the stars from in there either."
"That too," she replied breezily, her head tipping back slightly to gaze at the night sky. "It's just a lot more peaceful.."
Again, he nodded. The two falling into a comfortable silence until they came to stop just before the shoreline.
"This is one of the reasons I love coming here." Lita mentioned as they watched the waves chasing the shore. "One time, me an' Jeff spent hours just watchin' the waves."
"Musta been nice." He commented as he moved behind her, his chin coming to rest on her shoulder as his arms wrapped around her waist. "I have a question for ya."
The redhead leaned into his embrace, "Go ahead then."
"You had said earlier, that you wouldn't date Jeff, right? Somethin' 'bout you two your friendship bein' too tight."
"That's right."
"My question is then, what do you look for in a guy? I know, you also said you weren't looking for a relationship.. But-"
She shrugged marginally, "Someone that I can talk to about everything and nothing.. Someone that I can just be myself around and not hafta worry 'bout what they think. Some stuff in common is nice too," Lita chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip. "And a good sense of humor."
John rolled his eyes good naturedly, "That's what all women say.."
Lita turned curious hazel eyes to him, "Well it's true.. I'd think that everyone would say something similar. I mean, it's not about how good looking someone is or how much money they make. It's about what's inside."
The West Newbury native snorted slightly, "It's still what all women say."
"Well, then here's somethin' a little bit different," her nose wrinkled slightly. "I don' like a lot of romantic crap. An' here's another.. Unlike most women, my favorite flowers aren't roses."
An eyebrow raised in interest, "Then what are they?"
"Daises."
"Daises," he echoed softly. "Yeah, I guess that is different."
Lita nodded, an eyebrow raising slightly. "Is there somethin' else you wanted to ask or do I have somethin' in my teeth?"
John shrugged, turning her so she was facing him. "Actually.. There's somethin' I wanna tell you."
"Alright.." Hazel eyes held blue, fingertips dancing lightly over the back of his neck. "What is it then?"
"I'm gonna tell you this an' then, one of two things is gonna happen." He started first, reaching up a hand to brush her hair from her face. "I want to kiss you," he held up a hand when she opened her mouth to seemingly protest. "I'm telling you that 'cos if you don't want me too.. You have time to run, if that's what you wanna do."
She smiled slightly when he hesitated, "An' the other option?"
He smiled lazily, "Well, that would be you kissin' me back.. But, like I said-"
Lita cut him off, closing the final distance between them as her lips met his for a feather light kiss. She pulled back to regard him, her eyes twinkling with mirth. "I bet ya didn' think of that option, now did ya?"
"Well no, but.. That wasn't really a kiss." An eyebrow rose marginally before his face lowered, as his mouth claimed hers. Her lower lip was drawn between his as he pulled back. "That.," he informed her with a tiny smirk, "was a kiss."
A lopsided smile formed on Lita's face, one hand reaching upwards to cup his cheek. "Care to explain that again?"
John granted her request easily, one hand grasping lightly at the back of her neck as he deepened the kiss.
And from the safety of fifteen feet back- Dawn, Victoria, Chris and Jeff watched. The brunette Diva sighing happily while Chris and Jeff rolled their eyes. And after a moment longer of observation, the four trudged back to the bench to wait for John and Lita. They really hadn't meant to spy.. Or at least Chris, Victoria and Jeff hadn't.. the brunette Diva had claimed she needed fresh air. Jeff and Chris granted her request skeptically, warning the New Jersey native to leave John and Lita alone. For her part, Dawn promised solemnly that she would not interfere.. Unless of course it was absolutely necessary, and from what they had just witnessed- it wasn't. At any rate, they weren't sure how much longer they waited before John and Lita came into sight, the two strolling slowly back to the bench, their hands entwined. And when they re-joined with the others, Dawn wisely left out the fact that they had followed.. Merely stating that they were just about ready to leave whenever they were. To that, Lita and John rolled their eyes, but kept silent to put their footwear back on. The group then left the beach to head back to the hotel, Dawn and Victoria taking the lead while Jeff and Chris took up the middle. The walk back was in comfortable silence, though it did take quite some time as two individuals lingered with every traffic light.