In This Together

Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognize.. Title inspired by the song, We're In This Together by Nine Inch Nails

Rating: M, for language and violence

Spoilers: Vengeance 2006, specifically Edge vs. RVD

Pairings: Lita/Cena (eventually), Victoria/Hunter, probable Lilian/Shawn

Summary: She never expected to need someone who was supposed to hate her..

Notes: nothing new to add at this time.

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As he woke up the next morning, John half expected to see the redhead awake or perhaps, for the diva to not even be there.. The man blinking before yawning broadly, starting to move when he realized that a tiny hand was clutching at his shirt. Lita was still curled up on her side, eyes closed and her breathing even.. But, from this angle, he couldn't see all of her face, which meant he couldn't get a good look at the bruise that had been forming last night.. Not that he was about to wake her up just so he could check…but that didn't mean he couldn't take a look at her back.. Granted, it was now bandaged, but, when he had done that last night.. He had noticed a bruise on her lower back, another one fading beneath her right shoulder blade.. Cena starting to wonder just how many bruises there were, how many were fresh and how many were fading.. But, as he started to lift the hem of the shirt, he found that he couldn't look…a part of him wanting to respect her privacy, have her permission to do so…and another part not wanting to know. Not wanting to see if there were fading bruises.. The blue eyed wrestler inwardly questioning just how long this had been going on, why he hadn't noticed any hints of it before. Of the times he had faced Edge, he had tired his so damned hard not to pay attention to her. Then again, he supposed, that was one the reasons she was at ringside.. She was meant to be a distraction and she had been a distraction in more ways than one. At first, it had been one of those purely physical matters.. The way she would parade around at ringside or like the night after New Year's Revolution when she had appeared at the top of the ramp, the spinner belt draped over her shoulder.

John had seen a myriad of emotions in those hazel eyes that night, from being smug, to angry, to hurt, lost and then…sad.

And at first, he had tried to ignore the sadness beneath the surface, tired to repress the stab of guilt when that hurt look flickered briefly in her eyes.. Instead, concentrating on getting the title belt back, thinking in vain that.. Once he had the belt back, he would be able to forget her. But, of course, that didn't happen. Instead of forgetting her, instead of not thinking about her…not noticing her at all.. It had escalated. He had tried to hate her, tried not to think about her…tried not to care. But, it had seemed, the more he had tried, the worse it got.. And then there had been the first breakthrough.. The first time at the house shows when Lita had taken his finishing move.. The pained look that had been in her eyes. He had seen it before, but, had done his best to ignore it that time. This time, however, he wasn't able to ignore that look, unable to ignore her.. It didn't take long for John to realize that, however long she had been at Edge's mercy, he only had an inkling to go by from earlier that year. He didn't know how much more there was to find out and at this point, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know everything.. Or if she would even tell him everything. Not that he could really blame her if she didn't want to.

The wrestler frowned slightly when the diva started to whimper, his frown deepening when she started to cry.. "Lita.." Cautiously, he reached out to smooth her hair back from her face, "Red.. He ain't 'ere which means he ain't gonna hurt ya."

Lita's eyes flew open, tears still leaking from the corners, "he's still out there…he'll come after me."

Cena let out a patient sigh, "then he'll hafta go through me, 'cos I ain't leaving ya alone. It's like I told ya already, you ain't doing this alone. Ya got me, ya got Lilian, Victoria.. Helmsley and Shawn."

The redhead blinked, fear still evident in her hazel eyes. "I don't know what to do.." she whispered, "he won't stop and--"

John held up a hand, "look.. Lita, I don't know what it's gonna take, what I gotta say for ya to believe me, but you are not gonna be alone in this--"

"Why do you care," she questioned him quietly, "you weren't supposed to care.."

Absently, the fingers on one hand toyed with her loose hair, "I ain't really sure I got an answer for ya.. But, if ya really want to know.." And when she just blinked, John shrugged. "Yesterday at the arena, I was just walkin' around.. Already had my match and whateva so, there was really nothing left for me to do."

That much, of course, was true.. After his match, the former champion really had nothing to do for the remainder of the pay-per-view. Like most of the locker room, he had caught bits of pieces of the main event.. Hoped that RVD wouldn't retain so he could be the one to beat down Edge and reclaim the title. And then, he had left his locker room to see if he could find one of the powers that be…get himself back into the title hunt since Edge had blown his opportunity tonight.. But, when he had turned the corner, leaving the hallway where his locker had been, a sound had reached his ears that had his stomach dropping.. And even then, he hadn't know for sure who it was that had been screaming like that, but, it didn't matter..

"Lilian had said something about meeting her for breakfast," Lita's soft spoken voice interrupted his thoughts, "maybe I can stay with Victoria during RAW tonight.."

Cena nodded a bit, "you could do that.. Ya can also hang out wit' me, maybe Helmsley or Michaels."

The diva shook her head, "I can't ask you to do that…can't ask them to do that."

John raised an eyebrow at that, "and jus' why not? They're your friends and--"

"But, you don't even know me," Lita bit down on her lower lip, starting to sit up. "You don't need my problems and--"

The former champion inwardly sighed. "I know you really don't have a reason to be trusting me or believe that I wanna help ya out, but, I do."

Lita blinked, her chin resting lightly on her knees as she slowly brought them to her chest. "You didn't force me to leave with you… didn't have to take care of me last night."

Cena smirked slightly, "you didn't have to bandage up my knuckles.. But ya did it anyway." He shook his head at the sight of the smiley face on one of the band-aids. "An' as much as I'd like to show this off to a few people, it hasta go."

The redhead was silent for a long moment, a soft sigh escaping her before she glanced over at him. "I don't know why you care, why you suddenly decided to help but I…thank you." Lita averted her gaze almost instantly, her legs stretching out. "I should probably check that bruise on my face."

John moved from the bed before she did, one hand catching her elbow. "How's your back?"

Hazel eyes were guarded, the diva refusing to meet his concerned gaze. "It's nothing that hasn't happened before."

Cena frowned, moving to stand in front of her. "You always this stubborn?"

"Are you?" She retorted quietly, her arms starting to cross over her middle. "I know how to take care of myself--"

John snorted, "you mean.. you know how to hide it. Pretend it ain't happening, put up a good front." He almost smiled when she scowled, a part of him thankful to see the fiery streak of hers. "Look, I ain't gonna ask ya to tell me everything, 'cos it really ain't my business and--"

Lita pressed her lips into a thin line, her expression looking…defeated. "It's been awhile since I've had friends, since people have claimed to care.." Her eyes looked haunted as she finally looked at him. "I need time.."

He nodded slowly, "then ya got it.. Like I just told ya, I ain't gonna ask ya to tell me everything. Granted, I want to know, but, you tell me when and what ya want too.. It's your story to tell."

The redhead nodded, starting to say something but falling short, her eyes closing tightly, arms wrapping around her small frame.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, frowning a touch when she blinked. "For all the shit I said to ya, what I've done and--" John cut himself off when Lita started to cry, the blue eyed wrestler running a hand through his short hair.

And then, before he could think about it, he was reaching out to her…Lita going to him cautiously at first, her hands soon clutching at his shoulders, the two standing in a silent embrace.