Notes: Pairings for this one are undecided, but I'm not really going to think about it too much as of yet. Primarily this story will be about Lita and about the fact that Shawn and Hunter decided to befriend her. I completely adore Lita/Shawn, as readers of 'Cry Me a River' already know, and I have a soft spot for Lita/Hunter, as you'll know if you've read 'Ín My Dreams'. That said, I might just keep the trio as friends and may or may not have someone else like John, Dave, or Randy in it, or I might not have a pairing at all. Either way, it'll be mostly about Lita needing to prove to herself that she still deserves her place in the business.

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Part Two

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She couldn't believe what she was doing.

She continued to pack her bags and ignored the tears falling down her face. It was the end of an era, the end of a chapter in her life and she couldn't say that she wasn't glad to turn the final page. She felt lost and alone and as if she couldn't see a way out, even though she already knew she was following the only path she could take. She didn't feel like the same person anymore, she wasn't the same Lita who'd walked out to that ring four years ago…she wasn't even the same Lita who'd been out there a year ago. It had been a long path and she wasn't sure it was worth it. Any of it.

She felt as if she'd lost a part of herself somewhere along the way.

She wiped at her eyes and glanced at the bag in the corner of the room. Edge was still out in that ring, still out there fighting against John Cena and, hopefully, he was about to lose his beloved title. Not that she wanted Cena holding it any more than she wanted Edge to have it, simply that she wanted to get Edge out of the way sooner. Cena she wanted to suffer. If nothing else, she'd been promised he would.

Since approaching her over a month ago, Shawn Michaels and Hunter Hearst Helmsley had pretty much left her alone at the arenas. However, they dropped in to her hotel rooms unannounced whenever she was alone and they wanted to chat to her, but there was never any pressure for her to actually let them in or to say yes to them. Never once had they threatened her or, surprisingly, insulted her either. They'd just been…nice.

They weren't what she'd expected and she was pretty sure she was a surprise to them as well. She'd learned that Shawn liked to take photographs and, much to both Shawn's and Lita's amusement and teasing, Hunter liked to golf. They both loved Disney films, which was something they all shared in common and they were both surprised to learn that she still made her own clothes. Most surprising of all, however, was that Hunter baked. Yes, the big tough member of Degeneration X baked on a regular basis. And he was pretty damn good at it. Even if he did look ridiculous in the chef's hat he insisted on wearing.

And throughout it all, she still hadn't said yes or no. They hadn't asked her again and she hadn't given them an answer, but it was very clear to her that they had meant it. Whether or not she was just a passing fancy in their weird and wacky life at the moment, or if they intended to keep her around for the long term, she had no idea. She found that she didn't really care.

But she'd made her choice.

"Hey."

She turned to see her friend, her only friend, really, leaning against the doorframe. There were tears running down the woman's cheeks and she wished she could say something, anything, to make them stop.

"Hey."

"I really wish you wouldn't do this," the blonde whispered.

"I'm doing what I have to."

"Lita-"

"No, Lilian, you…you don't know, you can't know…" Lita trailed off as she caught sight of the camera in the hallway. Lilian turned and cursed at the men in Spanish, but they didn't leave. "It's okay," Lita continued. "It'll all be over soon enough." She frowned. "Shouldn't you be out at ringside?"

Lilian shook her head. "It's no holds barred. I asked if I could come through the back." There was a moment's pause before she spoke again. "Why?"

"You know why."

"But why can't you just leave Edge? Why do you need to leave all of us, too?"

Lita sighed. "I left Edge a long time ago, Lil, you already knew that." And the ring announcer had known. Just as Lita knew the only reason her friend had mentioned it was because she wanted the fans to know it too. Lita didn't think she cared anymore. She tried not to, but Lilian was a firm believer in giving people a second chance. Lita figured that was the only reason she was still able to call the woman a friend, so she couldn't say she was sorry about the fact.

"Please, Lita, please don't go."

Lita sighed and crossed the room. She pulled her friend into a tight hug, brushing the woman's hair away from her ear and using it to shield her mouth from the cameras.

"Trust me."

From the slight tensing in her friend's shoulders, Lita knew she'd got the message across. She still had a part to play tonight and she knew fine well that no one was ever going to guess what it was.

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End of Part Two

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