Love, Lust and Lunacy

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine…never will be.

Spoilers: la la la la, I can't hear you… it's Alternate Universe

Rating: T for language

Characters: Trish, Dawn, Victoria, Lillian, Lita, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Tyson Tomko, Batista, Christian, Jeff Hardy and John Cena…appearances by many others.

Summary: Bad plumbing, a need for room-mates and a mutual friends wedding brings them all together.

Notes: I do not claim to know any statistics about the shelter.. It is based on a real one, but for sake of the piece any places of employment are pretty much made up.

Thank you all for the kind reviews! I have ideas, many, many ideas for this piece.

xoxox

By the time Devon was settled in his usual room at the shelter, McKenzie and Matthew had fallen fast asleep. It took a good fifteen minutes to get the two settled in the same room as Devon, but that still didn't mean that Lita and Randy could leave just yet. With as much patience as she could gather, Lita calmly informed the dark haired man that she still had paperwork to fill out. And while she did that, Randy settled himself in the lobby to finally call his cousin.. Or at least that had been the intent until he realized how late it was. Granted, it wasn't very late, but it was still late enough that Randy figured his cousin wouldn't appreciate the call. Added to that, he didn't know anyone else in the area…save of course the people he had met that day. One of whom, happened to be standing a few feet away. But, given the not so good way their meeting had started, he wasn't quite so sure if asking her for a place to stay would be the best option. Logically though, it was his best option, if not the most convenient option at that moment. Still, it took another half hour before he had the opportunity to bring up the issue. Even though Lita had finished the necessary paperwork within fifteen minutes, her supervisor had needed her for a 'quick' meeting. The two women had then disappeared into an office behind the front desk, Randy using that window of time to rest his jet-lagged body.

Red locks were swept away from her face as Lita stepped out of the office. "Yeah.. I'll be here for the meeting.." She sent a wave over her shoulder, her shoes dangling from her fingertips. "See you tomorrow afternoon, Ivory." Hazel eyes glinted apologetically, "I'm really sorry about this.. It's just--"

He held up a hand, "It's not that big of a deal.. Even if I did end up playing babysitter." Yawning, he stretched his arms out. "It's not like I had anywhere else to go. And besides, I couldn't just leave those two sitting there like that."

She rolled her eyes, the shoes dropped to the linoleum floor with a thud. "Well still.. I'm sure McKenzie and Matthew are grateful. And if they aren't, I know me and Ivory are." Shrugging slightly, she added: "When things get this busy here.. It's a times like these we realize how short-staffed we really are."

"Are things really that bad? I mean, I don't really know what the turnover rate is like for this field of employment but.." Randy rolled his shoulders as he stood, "I'm just curious, so don't feel like you have to answer or something."

"Turnover isn't so bad, it's finding people who have the right background, experience and education." Lita bit her lower lip, slipping on her high heels as she did so. "This shelter, for example, is one of many in the greater Bay Area…but also one of the most short staffed."

He nodded, "So… I, uh, never got the chance to call Christian and since it's getting late, I'm not sure if he'd appreciate it if I called him now.."

Lita expelled a heavy sigh, "You can crash at the apartment…obviously, you know it'll be cramped but that's probably the best option right now." Smirking slightly, she added: "But only after we stop somewhere so I can grab a bite to eat."

Randy shrugged, his suit jacket slung over his shoulder. "Whatever.. I mean, it's not like I have a car or anything to take me to wherever I need to go."

"I really am sorry for keeping ya here," Lita began the search for her car keys as they exited. "Honestly, I didn't think it was gonna take me this long."

He yawned, "Well you had said it was an emergency.."

She nodded, "Yeah.. You must be exhausted though, 'cos I know I'm beat.. And I didn't have a non-stop flight earlier."

"I can't exactly say I'm ready to run a marathon or anything," he mustered a tiny grin. "But I should be okay for another hour or so."

"Well if it wasn't so late, I'd say enjoy the view going back to San Fran.. But," she paused as she unlocked the car. "The skyline is really nice.. Driving from this direction."

Randy nodded slightly, "I guess I'll find out.. If I can stay awake, anyway." He yawned again as he slipped into the passengers seat.

Lita nodded as she settled into the drivers seat. "At least traffic won't be a mess.. Or at least not until we get closer to San Fran."

With the seat leaning back as far as it could, Randy stretched out his legs. "You said you're from Berkeley, right?"

"Yup.." she confirmed, the car backing out of it's parking spot. "Which is across the bay.. Along with Oakland, Alameda, Richmond and a bunch of other places. Bay Area's pretty big."

"I kinda figured," another yawn emitted from the dark haired man. "Ever been to St. Louis?"

She shook her head, "Nope.. I've been to Nevada, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Hawaii, Mexico and Canada.. But so far, never across the Mississippi."

Randy almost looked impressed, "And what about outside of the North American continent?"

Lita frowned thoughtfully, "Right before college, I did the backpacking through Europe thing with Vikki and Trish.. Umm, I also spent one semester and one summer term in Brazil." A pause as they reached the intersection, "Oh.. And my sophomore year of high school, I spent most of the year as an exchange student in Japan."

An eyebrow raised in slight interest, "You spent a year in Japan?"

"Almost eight months, actually.." She glanced sideways while she waited for the light to change. "Why?"

"Because, I think I was there right around that time." Smirking slightly, he added: "I also spent eight months as an exchange student in Japan."

She blinked, "Seriously? What school and city?"

"I was in Osaka."

Lita smiled wryly, "Now I remember you.." she shook her head as the car pulled into the parking lot of a diner. "You haven't changed that much, ya know.. You were a jerk then and a jerk now."

Randy snorted, "You haven't changed that much either. Come to think of it, I can remember this blonde tomboy giving me hell the first day."

"Yeah? And I can remember this skinny kid picking on me the first night." She raised an eyebrow, "Funny.. He had dark brown hair and blue eyes."

He laughed, unbuckling his seat belt when the car parked. "Alright, so neither of us has changed that much.." Randy eyed her a moment, "Except your hair color and you grew a little bit--"

"And you, hopefully, grew a brain."

Randy rolled his eyes, "And now I remember why I tried so hard to forget those eight months. Being in Japan was fun, it was new and different.. Most of the students were okay."

"My sentiments, exactly." Lita took a moment to alarm the car, "But that was also what.. Six or seven years ago, right? I'd like to think we can both move past that."

xoxox

Silently, Randy nodded his agreement; the two then heading inside the diner so Lita could grab her late night meal. Granted, Lita did find it quite odd that she hadn't recognized the man sitting across from her.. But then, she figured it was because they had both changed and grown since that school year in Osaka. Physically, of course, but also mentally. In some ways they had matured, but obviously in others, they hadn't. Lita admitted that yes, she did find it funny.. Six years had passed and their meeting yesterday afternoon, had been much like their first meeting in Osaka. But, because it had been six years ago, the two decided that now would be a good time to start over completely. And it was over the late night meal and coffee that the two traded stories about the past four years in college. Lita also informed him about J-Town.. Or her home away from home away from home in San Francisco. Coincidentally, it was also one of Devon's favorite places to visit.

"This kid loves baseball, football, basketball, soccer, hockey, skiing, skateboarding, roller lading.. You name it.." Lita shook her head, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "And he loves going to baseball games, basketball games, football games. Just about anything and everything."

Randy drained the last of his coffee, "He sounds like a handful."

The redhead nodded, "He can be sometimes.. But, Devon is a great kid. Really smart, protective of his brother and sister."

He eyed her curiously, "How long have you been working with him? Or is that classified information?"

Lita picked at the remaining food on her plate. "I met him my junior year of high school.. Our girl scout troop started doing some more volunteer work with local elementary schools and shelters."

Randy set aside the empty coffee mug. "So pretty much his whole life then?"

"Pretty much, yeah.." She wiped at the corners of her mouth. "Well, if it was late before.. It's really late now, so we should probably get out of here."

"Right, the brunch tomorrow and whatever." Randy drummed his fingers on the table top. "Where is that taking place?"

Lita bit her lower lip in thought, grabbing the check as she slipped out of her seat. "Either Chapeau or Q. I'm sure Trish or Vikki will know." She waited a moment, "Can I ask you something?"

Randy eyed her warily, "About what?"

"It's nothing bad," she stated quickly. "I'm just wondering why you majored in Earth and Planetary Sciences."

Randy rolled his eyes, "Well.. My dad wanted me to major in business or accounting--"

"Yuck."

"Or go pre-law."

Lita wrinkled her nose, "Double yuck.. So why--"

"It looked interesting," Randy waited until they had both settled back in the car. "I'm not sure what I'll do now, but.. For at the time, it worked."

The redhead nodded, "Well there's always graduate level--" Lita cut herself off as her cell phone beckoned. "What the hell?" Smiling apologetically, she brought the object to ear level. "Talk to me.."

"Li?" Trish replied from the other end, "Can you pick up some milk, cereal, microwave popcorn and--" The blonde woman cupped the phone with her hand, "Vikki? What else do we need?"

"Soda.." the raven haired woman called from the living room, "And beer."

Trish scrunched up her nose, "And soda.. Don't get the beer."

Lita blinked at the dashboard, "Why am I getting this at.. 12:30?"

"Because we have company.." Trish twirled a lock of hair around her index finger. "Jeff and Chris' apartment got flooded and they needed a place to crash."

"Great.." the redhead sighed, "I've got Randy with me.. Along with all of his stuff. He never got the chance to call Christian and--"

"So, just come back here." The blonde woman shrugged nonchalantly, "It'll just be a little more cramped than usual."

Lita snorted, "Just a little? Trish.. Were you or were you not paying attention. One extra person is manageable, but three?"

Trish rolled her eyes, "Li.. Just trust me, okay? We'll be fine."

The redhead pinched the bridge of her nose, "As much as I regret this.. Fine, I'll go pick up milk, cereal, popcorn and soda."

"Where are you two anyway?"

"Just leaving Palo Alto.." Lita paused at the intersection, "We just go done eating a few minutes ago.. And before that, we were still at the shelter."

"Oh.." a moment of silence from Trish's end. "Well we're just watching movies and stuff.. Because there's never anything on right now and--"

"Why don't you guys hit the city?"

"We thought about it, but we'd rather just stay in.." another pause, "Especially since we have the brunch to go tomorrow."

Lita nodded at the phone, a grocery store soon coming into view. "I'm at the store now, so.. I'll see ya in about half an hour." She waited until the dial tone hit her ears, the cell phone tossed back in her purse. "Looks like it'll be a little more cramped then I had thought."

Randy yawned widely, "Are you sure you'll have the space?"

She shrugged, finding a parking spot near the entrance. "We'll find out, I guess." The redhead unbuckled her seatbelt, "Do you want anything aside from what's already been requested?"

"As long as you have coffee.. I'll be okay." He cracked a lopsided smile. "Thanks for asking, though."

xoxox

Lita nodded in response, exiting the vehicle shortly after to get the requested groceries for their impromptu guests. While it wasn't highly uncommon for either Chris or Jeff to crash with them for a night, this would be the first time both men would stay over. But even that wouldn't have been that big of a deal.. The three female room-mates had pretty much grown up with the two male room-mates. Co-ed sleepovers, when they were younger, weren't unheard of. Still, that had been years ago.. And the last time they all shared sleeping quarters was when they had taken a winter ski trip to Colorado. Even with the doubts she had about the six of them sharing such cramped quarters, Lita shook it off. It was only for one night anyway and they had to be at the brunch site by 10:00. And with the long day she had , all Lita wanted to do at that point was sleep. But as the car got closer to it's destination, the redhead got the feeling that sleep would be hard to come by.

"Hey.." Lita gently nudged the sleeping passenger. "Randy.. If you want to go on and crash, just head on up to the back bedroom."

Randy opened an eye, "Is there even a mattress in that room?"

The redhead rolled her eyes, "There should be.. And if there's not, I'll ask Trish where she put my bed."

He raised an eyebrow, "You don't have to give up your room.."

Lita shrugged, gathering the grocery bag from the backseat. "It's not a big deal.. I doubt I'll be sleeping much anyway.. And besides, I felt like I kinda owed you for helping out at the shelter."

"Alright.." Randy stretched out his arms. "I'm too tired to argue with you.. .so.. Thanks."

"No biggie.." she swept her hair from her face, "Besides.. All of the luggage in this car is yours. I can't possibly carry it up there by myself and unless you want to leave it in here--"

He held up a hand in mock defense, "I'll carry my luggage. Or at least some of it." When she raised an eyebrow, he continued: "I won't need all of my stuff with me for one night. Just one bag will do."

At that, she nodded…the two then exiting the vehicle to make their way up to the third floor apartment.

"Hey Li!" Trish greeted brightly when the door swung open. "And Randy."

Lita responded first by handing over the grocery bag. "How the hell can you be so damn perky?"

The blonde woman thumbed over her shoulder, "Jeff, Chris and Vikki are playing twister."

The redhead rolled her eyes, "I don't see how the four of you can be this freakin' awake right now."

"And just what's wrong with you?" Jeff questioned from the nearby living room. "Things that bad at the shelter?"

"It's a long story, but yeah.. That about sums it up right." Lita kicked off her shoes, glancing between Jeff and Chris. "So, can one of you tell me why you're here?"

Chris raised an eyebrow, "As Trish told you.. The plumbing in our apartment went haywire. We had nowhere else to go."

Victoria blinked as Randy walked past them, heading straight down the small hallway leading to the bedrooms. "Umm.. Li?"

Lita waved it off, "Relax Vikki.. I told him to crash in my room because it's the farthest from the living room."

The dark haired woman nodded slowly, "Right.. So that explains why he's sleeping in there.."

"Like I said to Jeff, long story at the shelter.." Smirking slightly, she went on, "To put some detail into it.. I had to talk to D, Randy ended up playing storyteller to McKenzie and Matthew."

Trish bit her lower lip, "They're back again?"

Lita nodded in confirmation, "Plus there were six new arrivals.. If not for the new staff member, I would've been there longer."

Victoria let out a low whistle, "Any word on the fate of the shelter? Last you told us, the shelter was at risk of being closed."

The redhead sighed, "It's on the agenda for the next staff meeting. One of the issues that might have lead to our shut down was lack of staff.. But, that's been resolved for the time being." Hands raked through her hair, "It still doesn't guarantee we'll stay open though. Because the building is in such crappy shape, there's no real playground on the property.. That place is a mess."

Chris nodded, settling on the floor next to the couch. "So what'll happen if you do get shut down?"

Lita shrugged, "Then we either merge with another shelter or look for new space.." She sat back on the couch, arms crossing loosely over her chest. "More than likely we look for a new space.. Start from scratch, I guess."

Jeff sent her a questioning look, "What'll happen to the kids?"

"Temporary foster care or re-locating to another shelter." The redhead yawned, "I'm sure Ivory will cover it all at the meeting."

Trish swept her hair from her face, the blonde woman currently standing in front of the microwave. "It'll work out Li. Just don't give up hope.. Or, you can give the city or county hell when they make the decision."

Lita snorted, "I'd do that anyway. It's like they don't understand the important issues, just look at the ones that'll get them the votes from the wealthy percentage of the population."

Victoria smiled wryly, "Unfortunately, that's the way politics tends to work.. But, enough about that crap.. It's the weekend. We shouldn't be talking about all of this.."

"Incredibly boring shit?" Chris offered from his spot on the floor. "Can we please switch topics? I've got this theory that.. The more something is brought up, that's what I'll end up covering when I start my internship."

Trish shook her head, a sly glint in her hazel eyes as she turned her attention to Lita. "You and Randy seem to be getting along better…"

The redhead snorted, "You won't believe this but.. Do you remember sophomore year of high school? I did the exchange student thing ."

Jeff nodded from his spot in one of the two chairs. "You spent almost all of that year in Osaka, Japan."

Lita nodded, "Remember that jerk I told you about in almost every letter I sent?"

Trish snickered, "Don't tell me it was him.."

Lita smirked, "One and the same. It figures that we'd start trading insults the moment we re-met."

"That's one hell of a coincidence," Victoria shook her head, "I remember how much you said you loved that year.. Except for one person."

"I can't believe you forgot." Trish removed the popcorn from the microwave. "It's not like it happened that long ago."

The redhead shrugged, "I remember the year perfectly.. It's the unpleasant parts I chose to forget."

"Or part," Chris amended with a wry smile. "From the few letters I got from you.. I recall you being on the verge of killing him."

Lita nodded, "I was pretty damn close.. Honestly, if it hadn't been for Tommy and Rob, I would've killed him."

Victoria raised an eyebrow, "You mean to tell me that Tommy and Rob actually discouraged a violent act? I'm impressed."

"They told me to wait until we were in the airport or something.." Lita shook her head, "That way I could just blame someone else."

Jeff bridged his hands behind his head. "Those two claim they'll be at the brunch. Just like they said they'd show up for the engagement thing."

"Uh huh.." Victoria shook her head, "Just like they said they would be at the graduation party.. Or that they'd show up for the ski trip."

Trish rolled her eyes at the two, "Well it's not like they can up and abandon the dojo anytime they choose. Those two worked really hard just to open that place and now it's one of the more successful in the area."

In turn, the group in the living room nodded.. Or at least most of them did. Weary from the day's activities, Lita had fallen fast asleep on the couch. And since they needed the couch space, the redheaded woman was transferred to the tiny fourth bedroom. Once she was settled there, the four in the living room arranged themselves between the couch and the floor to continue with the mini-movie marathon. Of course, they knew, it really wasn't the wisest idea on their parts.. Especially with the brunch starting at 10:00 sharp. But since none of them were really tired at that moment, they figured watching movies was the next best thing. As opposed to what, they weren't exactly sure.. But if anything, watching movies could tire them out. Added to that, none of them really felt like driving anywhere and all of the places within walking distance were closed. As such, the four soon to be housemates, settled in to watch movies while Randy and Lita slept.