Title: Unrequited (6?)
Rating: at the moment PG, or whatever ffn's equivalent is
Content: sap, angst
Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters mentioned herein, and no disrespect meant
Summary: Lita is falling. Will someone catch her?

Tomorrow would be a good place to start. Lita just couldn't cope tonight. Tonight, she just wanted to get away from everything, to forget everything that had happened, that hadn't happened, and that never was going to happen.

Drink seemed like a good way of doing it, and the good thing about a life that went from hotel to hotel was that there was always easy access to a hotel bar. Surprisingly the bar was fairly empty; unusual on a night when there wasn't a show, as most of the guys would take the opportunity to let their hair down. That suited Lita though, as she didn't particularly want an audience.

She was about half way through her fourth drink when a gentle hand touched her arm, "hey Lita, want some company? The guys ditched me and I'm bored."

"Well thanks for making me feel wanted Chris," she smiled at the distraction and looked to the stool beside her. "Take a seat in 'didn't get a better offer corner'."

"I didn't mean it like that," he laughed, and sat down, "I wasn't really up for a night of clubbing anyway. A few drinks and an early night was what I had in mind. Thought I'd end up down here on my own, so it's nice to have some company. You?"

"Don't ask." There was enough in her voice to tell Chris Masters that he really shouldn't go there, so he changed the subject.

"You going over for Armageddon? We're off that weekend aren't we?"

"No, I don't think I'm gonna go." She wanted to, but at the same time she just couldn't face seeing Randy. "It's nice to have a weekend off though."

"Too right, I never thought the schedule would be this intense."

Lita allowed herself to smile. She'd been wrestling for so long the travelling wasn't something that bothered her any more. It was easy to forget how new people like Chris were to the business. "You'll get used to it."

"Yeah, I guess so."

They sat silently for a while, somehow the quiet was comfortable and, for Lita, reassuring. Despite his in-ring persona, Chris came across as a nice guy, eager to learn about every aspect of the business. He also hadn't been around long enough to have been quite so shocked at what had happened between her and Edge. He didn't really know Matt, so he hadn't been so quick to judge her as everyone else.

"You want another drink?" he asked gently, wary of intruding on private thoughts.

"Sure, that would be good. Thanks Chris," Lita felt more comfortable than she had done for a while. It was nice to be sat with someone and not have to worry about what they'd say to Matt afterwards, what gossip they'd spread, or what they'd think of her. It was almost like being with Randy.

They continued making small talk, time flying by, drinks flowing freely. Chris was fun, and Lita found herself enjoying spending time with him. He made her laugh, and was very sweet to her . She'd attempted to stand as it was late and she wanted to go to bed, and the alcohol had hit her hard. Chris jumped up and put a steadying arm around her waist.

"Woah, you ok Li?"

She steadied herself and then looked up at Chris, biting her lip. No one called her Li except for Randy. It brought up all sorts of feelings for her that she really didn't want to confront right now. She tried to push him out of her mind and smiled up at the man currently keeping her vertical.

"I'm fine. At least, I will be once I get back to my room."

"Want an escort?"

She liked that. He wasn't accusing her of being drunk or anything like that, he was just being a perfect gentleman. The complete opposite of most men she knew, or had ever known. "Thank you. That's very sweet of you."

He helped her walk to the lift, keeping his arm firmly around her waist, secure but respectful. He was a little drunk himself, but sober enough to keep his manners. He didn't want anyone to see them and get the wrong idea.

Stopping outside her room, he grinned and leant forward to kiss her cheek. "'Night Lita, see you tomorrow?"

"Come in with me." Her voice was so low as to be almost inaudible. When he made no attempt to move, she repeated it, "please Chris, come in with me?"

Unsure, he nodded and followed her into the room.

Lita awoke the next morning with a splitting headache. Groggy, she grabbed a bottle of water from her bag and a couple of aspirins. Then it hit her. The night before came back into her hear like a sledgehammer shot from Hunter and she groaned.

"Come in with me." She remembered uttering those words, and Chris following her into the room. She remembered him kissing her, and her kissing him back, and her peeling his clothes off, and them being in bed together.

She remembered what she said in the heat of the moment, she remembered those words…

"I love you Randy."

She'd said that to him as he'd kissed her and laid by her side. And he'd just stared at her. She remembered the look on his face. It was hurt, confused, not a little angry. She remembered him getting out of bed, rushing to put his clothes on, cursing. She remembered sitting up and apologising profusely, and him pushing her to one side. She remembered curling up in a ball on the bed and sobbing.

That was all she remembered. It was enough.

She hated herself even more than she'd ever thought possible. This was a mistake too far. This had caused someone to be hurt again; it had hurt her. What had she been thinking? She'd had casual sex, with a man she liked, but not in that way. She felt like she'd cheated on Randy, and then hated herself for thinking that because he wasn't hers to cheat on.

His words came back to her, slowly trickling through her mind like treacle. Once they were in there though, they would remain imprinted for a long, long time.

"Men are not there for you to fuck with Lita. We have feelings too. We're not just here to comfort you, for you to play with then cast aside. If you want Randy, make up your mind about it, otherwise you'll end up with nothing and no one. If you're falling, don't take people down with you."

She began sobbing again. Something within her asked how far she had left to go until she hit rock bottom. She didn't want to, and wasn't ready, to acknowledge the answer.