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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They weren't sure who pulled away first...or if it really made a difference. Regardless, time had stood still.. A spell of sorts cast upon them when they had stood there, silent in the hotel room. Silence, which often times meant sorrow for the redhead, a reminder of how isolated she was...now meant some sort of solace. Silence, which was uncharacteristic for them both...undoubtedly suited the situation. She really didn't seem like she was in the state for answering anything, for making any sort of conversation...and for once, he kept his mouth shut. And as hesitantly as she had gone to him, the redhead was more reluctant to leave.. Perhaps it was because, it was one of the few gestures of comfort...one of the few touches without pain. Or perhaps it was because he was there.. because he had given a damn about her, cared enough about another person's well being to stop at the locker room. Even though there was no way he could've known who it was, couldn't have known who he was about to inadvertantly save...John Cena had gone...and he had seen what had previously been a suspicion.. Witnessed what Lita had been denying...the hell that she had been living with. And that, perhaps, was just a coincendence...that he had been walking in the same vicinity.. Or that he had just been the first person to reach the locker room. Perhaps, it was fate...if such a thing really existed anyway.. Or, perhaps, it was just sheer luck. Whatever the case now, the events from Sunday night had lead them to this point.. What that point was, neither could say for certain, but...it was a point. A starting point for something new, maybe? The point where she would turn her life back around...possibly. Lita was the only one who could really decide that...what this point meant and what it would mean. She was the only one who could decide if this would mark a true beginning or just another beginning of a cycle. Whether she truly realized it or not, the redhead had reached that proverbial fork in the road... the point where it was time to make the choice... to stand before the paths.. To confront her past, face her fears and build a future...or to ignore the painful lessons, the pleading from her friends and return to his side. A choice between people who wanted to see her smile, see her laugh...just to see her live...or to a man, who had once shown her affection, who had once been concerned and who now caused her pain...was the source of her tears.

Logically, of course, the choice was crystal clear...and broken down like that, weighing the pros and the cons...there should be no choice.

But, in life, there were always choices...whether they were the right or wrong choices would depend on the situation or on the person making the decision. And if she was a true glutton for punishment, if she had lost all hope...then in the eyes of her friends, she would make the wrong choice. In the eyes of the man standing in front of her, no longer holding her physically...she would be making the wrong choice. Blinking, Lita tore her gaze away from his, hazel eyes focusing anywhere but on those blue eyes.. His eyes had displayed anger towards her before, for actions that she had taken...for choices that she had made...though not entirely on her own accord. And in the span of the past twenty four hours, she had seen something from those eyes that she had never expected to see... Concern. It was unexpected from anyone, she supposed, but from him? A man that was supposed to hate her...who wasn't supposed to give a damn if she was clinging to the remaining glimmers of hope...someone who wasn't supposed to be standing in front of her, looking at her.. Lita dared to glance back, to lock her gaze with his again and when she did...a shaky breath was expelled from her parted lips. He was not looking at her in anger, no traces of the same frustration that she was accustomed to seeing during RAW or at the house shows...Instead, it was the same concern etched clearly in those blue depths, with a fraction of the intensity usually shown in the ring. And though the emotions were clearly different, the target was the same. A frown creased at the corners of her mouth, lips pressing together into a thin line...eyelashes brushing the very tops of her cheeks.. Why was he standing there? Why did he even care about someone like her...someone who was supposed to be lost, meant to be forgotten...meant to be nothing but a distant memory of what used to be. But, before she could voice the questions, before she could speak.. He was speaking... the words not quite registering in her clouded mind until she felt the lightest touch on her cheek.

John waited until she had acknowledged him...her eyes opening again but not meeting his gaze. "Liliian had said something 'bout callin her when you was ready.. Meetin' her, Shawn, Helmsley an' Victoria.."

Lita nodded slowly, mind starting to come back...re-connecting with her body. "Right.. I guess I should get dressed then.."

He cracked a smile, "that might help.. unless ya wanna go to wherever it you're goin' wit' one of my shirts on."

The diva managed a tiny smile, nose wrinkling as she plucked at the shirt. "Might almost be worth it...shock the hell out of people.." Her expression darkened, "or just confirm what they already think."

Cena shook his head, "but that ain't who you are.. You make one mistake an' people go jumpin' to all their own damn conclusions.. Let 'em jump an' hope they jump off a cliff."

"Or a bridge," she added thoughtfully, "but that doesn't change what people say...what they think and--"

"Ain't nothing gonna change that either," he interrupted her then. "People are gonna think what they wanna think, believe what they wanna believe. An' if they wanna think you're perfect...that ya can't make a damn mistake...fuck 'em. The only person that matters in all of this, the only opinion that matters? That's yours."

The two fell silent again.. Lita glancing away once more, her eyes closing as the thoughts began to descend.. Yes, she understood what he was saying.. it made sense to her...but, that wasn't the problem. Her opinion of herself hadn't really changed.. She was a human being, not perfect by any means...and that meant she was bound to make mistakes. She was also the type of person who tended to rely on herself...kept her problems her own...didn't want to involve anyone else. And that had been one reason why she had pushed her friends away.. She didn't want them to be involved, didn't want to drag them down with her... They didn't need that. But, despite her intentions...despite her efforts to push them away...they had stuck around. They hadn't given up on her and they were still there...still wanted to help her...And yet, her friends and her barriers weren't the problem either.. The problem, or so the stubborn voice in the back of her clouded mind told her, was standing right in front of her.

"Why.." her lips throat suddenly felt dry, Lita taking a moment before speaking again.. "Why are you standing here?"

John raised an eyebrow, "this is my hotel room...last I checked anyway."

A look of frustration worked it's way on to her face. "Why did you come to the locker room last night...why did you help me? Why am I still here?"

The wrestler shook his head, running a hand over his short hair. "I thought we went over this earlier.." And they had...in a very roundabout way that still hadn't answered her question.. "Honestly Lita, I don't really know why I did what I did last night."

The redhead regarded him quizzically, "then why did you try to help me before? You knew...you had to have known that it wouldn't do any good."

"What's the deal wit' the questions? I mean, does it really matter why I care?" And when she nodded, John shrugged, "I did what I did last night--"

"I'm not talking about last night," she cut him off quietly, the diva taking a few steps back until she had reached the bed. "I'm asking you about--"

"I know," he interrupted her again. "And again, I ain't really sure why... I jus'.. You was in pain and you shouldn't have been at ringside...shouldn't have been involved."

Lita bit her lower lip, one leg tucking beneath her thin frame. "But why did you even care? I can understand why Vicki, Lil, Hunter and Shawn would give a damn.. why they would call even after I asked them not to, why Shawn would leave half a dozen voice messages on my answering machine at home and why Hunter would leave a dozen on my cell. I can understand why they would care about what happens, care about me.. but.. why you?"

John met her confused gaze, confusion in his depths.. "I honestly don't know.."

The redhead frowned, "everyone has a reason for what they do...a motive of some sort."

An eyebrow quirked, "so you're tellin' me I can't jus' do something for sake of doing it? That I'm not capabale of bein' nice or of doin' something good?"

A wry smile twisted the corners of her mouth, "you're supposed to hate me, you know.."

"So you've told me," his tone was slightly amused.. "But, if I did hate ya...didn't give a damn 'bout what happened to ya.."

Lita rolled her eyes, "yes I see where you're going.. but that still doesn't explain anything.. It just doesn't make any sense."

John smirked at that, "you've been workin' wit' me for how long now? Don't tell me you're jus' figuring out that I don't make sense. Be it what I say or what I do.." He trailed off with a shrug, gauging her expression as he continued. "I jus' do what I wanna do because I feel like doing it.. There ain't gotta be some reason or a motive or whateva' behind it. I just do what I wanna do... kinda like how you used to be."

"Is that why you're helping me? Because you're trying to fix me or something like that?"

Cena let out a patient sigh, "I didn't say that did I? I ain't gonna try to fix you because that's something that you gotta do on your own. I won't do shit for ya if that's what ya want, but--"

"And yet you said you would be there--"

"If you want my help then ya got it." He sent her a pointed look, "I'm not about to be all up in your business 'cos if it was the other way around? I wouldn't want you all up in my business. I will be there for ya, when and if you want me to be."

And then there was silence again.. Hazel eyes meeting blue in a clash of wills...neither giving an inch...But, then she smiled...ever so slightly, the corners of her mouth just turning upwards...eyes glimmering. A 'thank you' escaping on a breath before she stood, making her way to the bathroom...leaving him with his own thoughts.