Haunting Me

Rating: M.. for some harsh language, violence and content in later chapters.
Disclaimer:I don't own, I borrow. Any OC's that appear, are of course, mere figments of my imagination.
Summary: When one of the RAW Diva's is attacked, it brings the unlikeliest group of people together.
Pairings: Lilian/Chris Benoit, Ivory/HBK, Nidia/Rey, Victoria/Chris Jericho, Dawn/Eddie, Lita/Cena(likely), Stacy/Randy(likely)
Notes: Nothing new to add at this time.. thank you all for your feedback and continual support!...I almost can't believe that two years has passed since the start of this story..hopefully, it'll be finished by late summer but...we'll see what we see.

-x-x-x-

Chapter 37

April 19, 2004

Over a nice healthy meal of pizza and Chinese food, the guys griped about how women could buy that much.. And still have energy to shop more. Even with all of their purchases from the afternoon, Stephanie and Dawn seemed more than ready to go back at it again. Nidia and Lita, on the other hand, looked just as tired as they were...and for good reason. Sure, Nidia had been in a wheelchair, but the Diva's were still injured. Even with Lita trying to play it off, stating that she felt fine...it was clear to see that she wasn't. Physically, perhaps, she was starting to heal some, but...beneath that, there was the emotional damage. Jeff could see it best, since he was the closest to her, and with Lita sitting across from him at the table now.. She had lost some of her sparkle.. Some of that shine that was all her own. Jeff also knew, that despite the tough facade she tried to project, even she wasn't invincible from pain...be it physical or emotional. But, she had at least opened up a little bit... and for Lita, that was a lot. She really wasn't the type to open up to people, prefered to keep things private and to herself. And maybe this time it was different because there were other people involved whether she liked it or not. Or maybe it was because she had people around her who weren't going to let her just shut it in.. People who were going to pry, to an extent...careful to not push her away. Or maybe, just maybe she was just that scared...realizing that she needed help, that she couldn't do this on her own no matter how much she wanted to. But, the green eyed man didn't want to think that of her, prefering to believe one of the previous two explainations. Whatever the case, Jeff was thankful for the fact that Lita had at least opened up a little...hoping that it would become more. He hated to see her like this, so scared and fragile.. Like she was alone. But, taking a good look around, Jeff knew she wasn't alone. Aside from himself, of course, she had Stephanie, Dawn, Eddie, Rey...and John Cena. In an odd way, it almost reminded him of the times when Team X-Treme was still around, the days of the Alliance vs. the WWF...before he left the WWE. There had been a sense of comradraire, a sense of family and a sense of belonging.. And really, that sense of family was still there, just.. He hadn't been there much. But he was there now and so help him, there was nothing that would keep him from being there in any way he could be to help her.. For a moment, Jeff set himself out of the picture...merely observing the interactions and listening to the good natured banter, mixed in with a few serious subjects.. The way that Eddie always seemed to steer Dawn's attentions away from her schemeing or that Rey was keeping a watchful eye over Nidia.. How Stephanie seemed to mother over all of them, even though Jeff was pretty certain that the brunette was younger than both Dawn and Lita.. And speaking of the redhead, the first thing that he noticed was how carefree she was acting right now, the tiny smile that curved at the corners of her mouth...slowly spreading to the rest of her face. Of course, if there was one thing he knew about the redhead, she usually knew when she was being watched...or at least when he was watching her, hazel eyes catching his green ones, confusion flickering for a moment.

Lita quirked an eyebrow, "do I have something on my face or is this a rare moment when Jeff Hardy is at a loss for words?"

Jeff shook his head, running his hands over and through the strands of multicolored hair. "No an' no to both of your questions.. I was just thinking about stuff."

Stephanie laughed softly, "you and thinking usually lead to trouble before.. I won't have to worry about my house burning down, an ATV track suddenly appearing in my backyard, a sculpture appearing in the front yard or you jumping off the roof into the pool, will I?"

"Or bonfires," Lita put in with a tiny grin, "or any of the other crazy stuff you've been known to do.."

"I've grown up a little," the green eyed man protested innocently, "not too much but a little. Enough to keep me Jeff, but not enough to make me--"

"An adult?" Stephanie suggested with a smirk, rolling her eyes at the mock look of hurt he was sending her. "I'm just kidding Jeff... I like you just the way you are.. Even though I do have to question your sanity at times.."

Lita snorted softly, disbelief in her eyes. "Jeff has never been known to be completely sane, Steph. But, I guess that's part of his charm."

The Cameron native heaved an overdramatic sigh, "you both hurt me...wounded me deeply with your callous words.."

"You'll get over it," Dawn tossed back with a smile, "and it just hurts you because it's true. Honestly Jeff, I haven't known you for years and years, like Li, but.."

"He's got a rep that's bigger than the whole West Side," Stephanie said, a mischevious grin on her face as her attention shifted towards the redhead.

Lita rolled her eyes, downing the rest of her soda before she spoke: "No way, no how are we watching West Side Story.. Or any musical for that matter." Her attention flickered to Dawn when she shot her a curious look, "don't you remember the last Diva's photo shoot? It could have been before that, but Stephanie insisted that we watch Grease...or maybe it was Stacy.."

Stephanie stuck out her tongue, "it was Stacy, thanks.. But, you have to admit Li.. It was a lot of fun."

The redhead arched an eyebrow, "was it really Steph or is that what you want to think?" Lita shook her head, smoothing back a few strands of loose hair. "Either way? I am not watching a musical, nor will I act out scenes from said musical."

Stephanie rolled her eyes, "whatever.. Whether you want to admit to it or not, you played one damn good Frenchie...and I've got the pictures to prove it."

"Sure," Lita seemingly agreed, "for how drunk we all were...we could've been under-study's to the under-studys."

Eddie raised an eyebrow, "so this is all the 'top secret' stuff that happens at the photo shoots? I've always wondered what doesn't make it on those videos.."

Stephanie shrugged, "well just because it doesn't make it on WWE sanctioned video, doesn't mean it's not on tape.. I'm pretty sure Terri or Ivory would have a copy and I know I do." Smirking slightly, she added: "You'd be surprised at what happens at these photo shoots when the Diva's have had too much to drink."

Both Dawn and Lita looked mortified at that, the brunette recovering first, "you wouldn't dare... Stephanie, you promised you wouldn't show that stuff to anyone."

Lita sent her friend a pleading look, "Steph.. you did promise...and if you go back on that promise? Let's not forget who has the pictures from these photo shoots...and the negatives to make multiple copies of should the situation arise."

Eddie gestured between the three Diva's, "so this is what happens when the mamacita's have a sleepover? You blackmail each other about photo shoots?"

"Well, we don't really have sleepovers." Lita half shrugged, "there are just times at the photo shoots when we have nothing else to do.. Or between sessions, which isn't often, so it's usually after we're done shooting for the day."

Eddie sent a questioning look to the Smackdown G.M, "and you can't have us going? I think it would make for some very interesting material, mamacita.. You just let Latino Heat...and maybe some of the others go along, just once."

Stephanie shook her head, "no way is that going to happen.. Even if I just sent one of you guys along, I'm thinking a lot wouldn't get done."

Rey spoke up before Eddie could say a word, "hermano.. Don't push your luck on this. It's not worth it."

Undaunted, Eddie sent a hopeful look to Stephanie. "There's a slight possibility, right? For the reality show? Certainly, you can't have a reality show without doing some photo shoots.."

The Smackdown G.M. gave a non-commital shrug. "Don't hold your breath on it, Eddie.. there's a chance, but that's a slim chance. This reality show is about more than just socializing."

"So what is the show about?" John rested his forearms on the table, "I mean, you ain't really given us a lotta details, 'cept for who else is on it."

The brunette pursed her lips, "well.. It's like any other reality show on air.. Or at least one with a similar concept. We toss you all in one house, give you a limited number of bedrooms which basically means it's a mix of personalities, learning to co-exist with each other...more or less 24 hours a day." She paused to tuck a few strands of errant hair behind her ears, "add in a few house challenges, a toned down house show schedule, appearances...things of that nature."

Lita sent her a wary look, "you don't plan on flying us out to some deserted island and leaving us there, right?"

Stephanie shook her head, "not that I'm aware of Li, but if that changes.. I'll let you all know." At the looks of hesitance still noticable, the brunette shook her head. "Just trust me alright? Everything will work out for the best."

While the group of superstars still seemed very hesitant about the whole idea, they went on blind faith.. Something they seemed to do a lot of in their line of work, but...this was just a little bit different from the norm.. If there was anything normal in the WWE to begin with...and that was always up for debate. But, for the moment anyway, that didn't matter nor did it really factor into any of their conversations. The topic at hand, so to speak anyway, wasn't concerning storylines or angles.. Rather, it was concerning the reality show and what that encased. Certainly, yes, they had the basic information...bits and pieces to satisfy some curiousity but not enough details, which left them at a stand still. As it stood right now, there was too much they didn't know, which lead to imaginations taking over. Still, they could always hope that Stephanie would let out more details about the reality show soon, but the topic was kept off the discussion list for the remainder of the night. And by some small miracle, Eddie managed to keep Dawn from questioning Lita about anything regarding the previous night...specifically the sleeping arrangements of said night. Not that it was really any of Dawn's business to begin with but.. the brunette from Woodbridge certainly seemed to think so.. Added to that, the brunette had inadvertantly promised that she wouldn't push too much. Of course, that was mostly applicable where the reality show was concerned, but as far as Lita was concerned, that applied to the here and now. True enough, yes, Dawn was one of her best friends in the company...but that did not automatically entitle her to every single detail of the redhead's life. Not that this particular subject matter was of great significance in Lita's book anyway...all she had done was fall asleep on someone. But, much to her surprise, the more the redhead thought about it, the more she began to see things from Dawn's point of view. Maybe it wasn't such a big deal to Lita, but...when the redhead put it in Dawn's perspective...or quasi-Dawn perspective anyway...maybe it was significant. Lita, however, decided that she really didn't want to look at things from Dawn's point of view...preferring her simple resolution. All she had done last night, was fallen asleep on someone else. That was it and there really wasn't anything else to it.

-x-x-x-

After the kitchen had been cleared, Nidia opted to turn in early.. Dawn and Rey assisting the young Diva once she was upstairs. That left Eddie, Lita, Jeff, John and Stephanie to their own means for the time being.. the Smackdown G.M. proposing a movie or two before they called it a night. The initial proposal did sit well with all present parties, but...after Stephanie revealed her picks.. Lita found herself regretting her quick agreement. The redhead was nearly ready to call it an early night herself, before Eddie and Jeff directed her outside...the trio soon joined by another body, leaving Stephanie inside to wait for Dawn and possibly Rey. And while they meant no offense to their hostess, watching musicals or any movie that classified as 'campy' didn't sound too appealing. And so, under the simple guise of watching the stars in favor of watching a movie.. Lita found herself sharing the porch swing with Eddie, Jeff and John.. Two people that knew her fairly well and one ... well, he really didn't know her at all. But, given recent events...the outspoken wrestler's presence didn't seem intrusive. Whatever the case, the four seemed content to sit out there in silence.. Jeff breaking that silence to head back inside to seek something to snack on, with John not far behind him when someone started to complain of being cold. An additional request from the redhead to bring a pillow, left Lita with Eddie.. The two half expecting for Jeff or John to reappear at any moment...heads turning at the sound of the door opening to reveal Rey. The man paused in the doorway, debating if he should join them before Eddie beckoned him over.

Giving Lita's right shoulder a gentle squeeze, Rey raised an eyebrow. "Chica? What's wrong?"

The Diva sent him a curious look, "what makes you think there's something wrong?"

Rey shrugged his shoulders lightly, "you've been really quiet today, Li-li.."

Lita rolled her eyes good naturedly, "and since when have you really known me to be overly talkative, hmm? Honestly, Rey-rey.. It's not a big deal.. I just have a lot on my mind.."

"¿Como qué?" Eddie prompted when the Diva trailed off, "Li-li.. charla a nosotros. No es sano mantener este embotellado todo para arriba." (Like what? Talk to us, it's not healthy to keep this all bottled up.)

"Materia justa.." she replied vaguely, knowing she really was starting a losing battle here but.. "I don't want to talk about it." (Just stuff..)

Rey frowned softly, "por favor, no nos cierre hacia fuera. No deseo empujar.." He waited until she was looking in his general direction, "pero quizá hablar de él ayudará." (Please, don't shut us out. I don't want to push, but maybe talking about it will help.)

"I don't want to talk about it," Lita intoned firmly, "please.. just, let me keep this to myself until I can make some sense of it."

Eddie sent Rey a look over the Diva's head, giving Lita a one armed hug as he spoke: "Apenas no se olvide que estamos aquí.." He smiled when she rolled her eyes again, y lo único que deseamos hacer debe ayudar. (Just don't forget we're here.. and all we want to do is help.)

Lita let out a soft sigh, resting her head briefly on Eddie's shoulder. "I know.. And I appreciate that...I just don't want to talk about it yet, okay?"

Eddie pressed a kiss to her temple, "we understand Li-li.. just don't leave us in the dark for too long, yeah? And talk to Dawn.." He shook his head when she shot him a skeptical look, "I'm not saying you hafta talk to her about what she wants, but just talk to her. It might do you both some good."

"I'll talk to her soon enough," the redhead raked her good hand through her hair, using the two men on either side of her to push up from the swing.

Rey raised an eyebrwo, "chica...where are you going?"

Lita nodded towards the pool, "just gonna dip my feet in the water or something.. I'm bored out here, but...I don't want to go back inside yet."

Eddie shook his head, "mamacita.. Just don't stay out too long, you might get sick."

The Diva rolled her eyes, her tone rueful.."well even if I did get sick, it's not like it would matter too much. It's not like I'll be able to wrestle any time soon."

Eddie and Rey lingered a moment longer, watching as she settled on the concrete surface around the pool; rolling up the lounge pants she was wearing. Her shoes were slipped off, socks tucked inside them as she did in fact, dip her now bare feet into the pool.

Dawn raised an eyebrow as the two entered the living room, "where's Li?"

"Outside still, she said she was getting bored but not bored enough to come back inside." Eddie sat down on the couch, "or she might be wondering why the snacks never made it outside."

Dawn couldn't help but frown, "is she okay? I mean, sure...given what's happened and all, I wouldn't think she's completely okay...or that she will be for awhile, I just.."

Jeff shrugged nonchalantly, "I think she just wants her space for right now, ya know? Li's never been one to really like people invadin' her privacy and what not...and friends or not, she'll still seek out that space."

The brunette nodded hesitantly, "I'm just worried about her...sure, she might claim she's alright but.. Li's also pretty good at putting up a front."

"An' she's also as stubborn as anything.." Jeff reminded the Diva, smirking after a moment. "Which leads me to believe, that after all is said an' done? Li will be back to her old self again."

"I know," Dawn chewed lightly on her lower lip, "I want to help her...wish she'd talk to me more, but.. I can respect her space."

"Most of the time, yes.." Eddie held up his hands in mock defense, "I know you mean well, mamacita.. But, you can be a little pushy with Li-li.. And you know that just drives her away. She knows we're here for her, she knows we're here to help her...just let her come to you."

Dawn rolled her eyes, but refrained from making any verbal reply...instead settling herself on the couch with Jeff, Rey and Eddie.

Lita, meanwhile, was currently gazing upwards...hazel eyes closing after a long moment, opening quickly when something was dropped in her lap. "I was kidding about the pillow, you know.."

John shrugged, a blanket draped over her shoulders before he seated himself beside her. "Yeah well, if you ain't gonna use it.. I'll use it, this concrete don't look so comfy."

The Diva's nose wrinkled, "I seriously hope that isn't one of the pillows from my bed.. 'Cos if it is? I will hit you with this cast."

"Chill out woman, it's one of the pillows from the couch." He rested his palms flat on the concrete, "not the pillow I was usin'--"

"Which you didn't really use anyway," Lita reminded him with the tiniest of smiles, her tone growing ever curious.. "Who's pillow is that?"

Cena gave another shrug, "I don' really know.. I jus' grabbed the first one I saw, then had to go find blankets." Nodding back to the house, he continued: "Jeff woulda been out here too, but...he got trapped."

Lita nodded, a knowing look on her face. "Unfortunately, that tends to happen when Stephanie's around...she can be really persistent when she wants to be." Her feet ceased their movements in the water, "Rey was out here for a bit.."

"I thought I saw small fry headin' this way.."

The Diva rolled her eyes, continuing like she hadn't heard his comment. "He and Eddie...they're worried because I've been quiet or whatever."

"Well I don't really know ya, so I can't really speak on that, but.. Usually when someone's all quiet--"

"I just have a lot on my mind," she interrupted him softly, the blanket cluthed a little bit closer to her form. "Stuff that I can't put into words right now."

And he shrugged again, "then you don't gotta.. They're your friends an' they're gonna understand that. Sure, Dawn might be a little bit more in your face 'bout things but...she means well or whateva'."

Hazel eyes turned towards him, "and what about you? You don't really know me, got roped into some stupid plan thanks to one Dawn Marie.."

John smirked, "also playin' the part of fiancé when Dawn wants some information from the docs.."

Lita snorted softly, "how could I forget.. I can't say I really agree with her methods or with her logic but...she's creative...but the point of this I guess.. I can understand why Rey, Eddie, Jeff, Dawn, Stephanie.."

He raised an eyebrow, "you wonderin' why I'm here?" At her nod, John shrugged. "I can't really say. I guess part of it is 'cos I'm just as caught up in this mess as the rest of y'all."

"And the other part?"

"Honestly? I don't really know." Cena held her questioning look, "does it really make that much of a difference though? My reasons for bein' here?"

Lita shook her head, "not really I was just curious.." She left it at that, offering a tiny smile before her attention shifted back to the stars.

The two remained outside until Stephanie beckoned from the porch, Lita informing her that she would be back inside soon enough.. Truthfully, she was starting to get cold, but...she also wanted a little more space. The cold, however, won that battle.. Her good hand reached out to rest on his shoulder, the Diva using him for support as she stood, but not quite making it on her own.. John waiting until she had her feet under her, in a manner of speaking anyway, before he retracted his hands from her waist. And once she had collected her discarded shoes and socks, the two made their way back to the house.. Stephanie, Dawn and Jeff sending her a questioning look as to why she was carrying the footwear. But, rather than answer their questions just yet, the redhead made herself comfortable in one of the unoccupied chairs...settling in, somewhat reluctantly, to watch Stephanie's chosen movie. It wasn't long before she fell asleep in said chair, the outspoken Smackdown wrestler taking her upstairs since Eddie, Rey and Jeff had also dozed off. John had just returned to the living room, preparing to sit down when Stephanie and Dawn decided that now was the opportune time to question him.. the man declaring that he was also going to sleep. Certainly, it was in the recliner this time around...though neither brunette failed to remind him that he could sleep elsewhere. But, by another small miracle, the dark haired wrestler had managed to give the two the slip this time.. Feigning sleep while the two women continued in their attempts to get answers. Eventually, Dawn and Stephanie gave up.. waking Eddie and Rey before they went upstairs, calling it a night...one, that they hoped, would be nightmare free.