Notes: They say a good author shouldn't have to explain the format of the story. Since I'm not a good author, I'm just gonna make sure everyone knows what's going on. These are written as a series of memories. They alternate between Helms & Lita and are set during no particular time. They could be a week apart, a month apart, six months apart. Just wanted to get that clear. Also, I have no idea who was signed with where and when so if it doesn't fit in with reality, then deal. Ditto for various events referred to. If you have a problem with it, then you shouldn't be reading fan fiction in the first place. Oh yeah, a certain muse of mine *cough Raven cough* tried to hijack this, with minor success.

Dedications: This one is especially for Katie *smirk* Despite flying vases, posting board wars and withholding fic, I got it finished. *evil laughter* For Lilli, cause her Serious Matt muse got on the loose and visited me and despite death threats from every single one of my muses, she let me borrow him again so I could finish the fic For the rest of the gals on my board, for putting up with the mini war that was caused because of this fic. (And cause Katie's a damned scary woman! j/k) And as usual, for falln cause she planted the Helms/Lita idea in my head.

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Opening the door, I stop dead, gaping in amazement. I'm never going to be able to find them. Every cliche about a wild open house party has just come true. It looks like every room in the house is filled with people. If nothing else, Jeff sure as hell knows how to throw a party.

I make my way outside and soon I'm standing out the back, where there are twice as many are gathered. Eventually, I see Jeff and Matt in the pool, playing chicken. Grinning, I walk over to the edge of the pool. "Jeff! Matt!"

"Helms!" Matt yells back, waving. "Good of you to finally show up!"

Jeff takes advantage of Matt's distraction to spear him into the water. They come up, both coughing and spluttering. Jeff dunks Matt a few more times and Matt has to punch Jeff to get his attention. With a shout, Jeff climbs out of the pool. "Glad to see you! What do you think?"

"This is insane!" I reply, laughing. "Who owns this place anyway?"

"I do... technically." A lighthearted female voice joins in the conversation. Jeff grins. "Finished playing hostess?"

"I don't even know half these people! It's like six degrees of separation!" She replies, hitting him lightly on the arm. "Since you've obviously found someone you actually know are you going to introduce us?"

"It's a possibility." He teases as Matt rolls his eyes. She looks at him and raises an eyebrow. "Jeffery."

"Helms, this is the lovely Lita, also known as 'Evil Red' ain't that right?" Jeff grins at her. If I didn't know better, I'd think he's got a crush. Lita grins back and gets Jeff in a headlock. "What was that Skittles?"

"Argh! Help! Get off me!" I wince as he elbows her in the stomach, but she seems completely unaffected by it and starts to give him a noogie. Matt looks wholly unimpressed as Jeff works an arm around Lita's waist then bends down, grabbing her under the knees. "Ready to go swimming Red?"

"If I'm going in Skittles, you're coming with me!" She warns. I watch in amazement as Jeff carries Lita over to the side of the pool. I can't help think about how most other girl would be kicking and screaming, demanding to be let down. He holds her over the water and lets go. Sure enough, Lita grabs his arms and pulls him into the water with her. A minute later, Jeff climbs out of the pool for the second time in five minutes, this time pausing to offer Lita a hand. She knocks his hand away and lifts herself out of the pool, then catches sight of me and walks over, holding out her hand. " Hey, I'm Lita. Sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Shane Helms. I've got the somewhat dubious honor of being Jeff's best friend."

"You were on fire out there tonight." The asshole promoter tells my breasts. I bite back a sigh of irritation. "Could I have my check please?"

"There's another show here tomorrow night. I could really use you on the card." Thompson looks at me calculatingly. Great. If I refuse, he won't pay me. If I agree then I'm gonna have to spend the night in the back of my car, because there's no way I can afford to actually get a bed and make a profit. Shit! I take a deep breath and plaster a fake smile on my face. "Sure. Why not?"

I wait until I'm in the empty car park before letting loose a string of words that would make Matt blush. I kick the tire of my car before heading for the local diner, where I order a hot chicken and salad roll. I'm about half way through it when a familiar face walks through the door, looking around for an empty table. With a grin I wave at and my heart jumps as a smile of recognition crosses his face and he makes his way over. "Lita! What are you doin here?"

"Getting ripped off." I reply with a sigh, then explain what's happening. He nods in understanding. "I'm wrestling tomorrow night's show as well. I heard this promoter Thompson was a real asshole... but I'm sure I can handle him, make sure you get paid for both shows."

"Thank Shane." I smile at him gratefully. He grins at me shyly. "No problem."

"Oh!" A flash of inspiration hits me. "Since we're both stuck here over night and we're practically broke why don't we share a room?"

Shane looks at me with a raised eyebrow and an unreadable expression. "What about Matt?"

"What about him?" I ask in confusion. Suddenly it makes sense and I start laughing, placing my hand over Shane's. "Oh no. No, no, no, no, no! I have no idea where you got that impression, but those two are like my brothers."

I make a mental note to have a little chat with Matt before he scares off every male I express an interest in and I end up a spinster.

"What is the deal with those two anywise?" I ask Jeff, watching Lita and Matt beat each other up with foam baseball bats. He follows my gaze. "Matt and Lita?"

"Yeah. Ask Matt and he heavily implies they're a couple. Lita insists there's nothing... I don't know what to believe."

"People always think that the three of us are siblings. But there's something stronger than that. The three of us have a bond that is unexplainable and probably unbreakable. It's not that we always get along - we fight and when we do, we really fight. Evil Red and I have an agreement - if either of us reaches 30 without having children, we'll have one together. I love Lita and there is nothing I wouldn't do for her, but I'm not in love with her."

"Matt's different. Almost from the moment he met her, he's been in love with Lita. Deeply in love - almost to the point of obsession. He loves her so much that he simply cannot conceive being with any other female. And he doesn't want her to be with any other man."

"Whoa." That is intense. And more than a little scary. After a minute of silent I look up to see Jeff watching me closely. "You like her don't you?"

"Yeah she's an amazing woman. What's not to like?" I can feel a tiny nervous flutter in my stomach. Jeff grins at me. "Ask her out. I've a fairly strong feeling she'll say yes."

All right, so maybe I do have more than a friendly interest in Lita. But after what I've just heard, how can I ever do anything about it?

"Matt you need to cut it out. What the hell were you thinking, showing up at the cafe like that?" I really want to break something right now. Preferably Matt's scrawny little neck. He looks at me sulkily. "You did say you weren't interested in him."

"I wasn't! But it would have been nice to have dinner with someone who doesn't look at me like a member of the family. Do you know how long it's been since I went on a date Matt? Far too fucking long. I'm never gonna meet anyone at this rate." I place a hand on his cheek. "I don't know what I'd do without either you or Jeff in my life. You both mean the world to me, but my world doesn't revolve around you two."

"It's just because -"

"Don't." I hold up my hand and interrupt. "Just don't Matt. I'm flattered, I really am. But your not being fair to yourself. And you sure as shit aren't being fair to me. NOW BACK OFF!"

I don't think I've ever spoken to Matt so harshly before. He steps back and looks at me for a long moment. We stare each other down for a moment then he turns around sharply and storms out. I wince and bury my head in my hands as the front door slams behind him. A minute later a hand drops onto my shoulder. "You all right Bub?"

"No." I shake my head without looking at Jeff. He pulls me into his arms and I rest my head against his shoulder as he strokes my hair. "You did the right thing."

Curled up with Jeff, I suddenly get hit by an overwhelming feeling of weariness and desolation. I just can't take this any longer. I'm sick of fighting Matt, of watching him constantly overstep the boundaries. "I can't do this anymore Jeff."

"Hey!" He rubs the back of my neck gently. "Listen to me... do not back down on this. Don't let Matt wear you down. Stick to your guns. Next time you get a date, don't tell him. Believe me there's someone out there for you who won't back down in the face of Matt's threats. He'll fight just for the right to take you out and he'll treat you like a queen."

I smile sadly. "Yeah he's out there all right. But god only knows where. For all I know this guy who'll fight to be with me could be on the other side of the world."

"He could be a lot closer than you think too." Something in Jeff's voice makes me sit up and look at him closely. "Got anyone in mind?"

"I just might."

"I had a really nice time tonight." Lita says as she starts the car. I smile over at her. "So did I."

We'd been to the latest horror flick then to a cafe afterwards for supper. Just the two of us, all Jeff's idea of course. He's not very subtle that boy. Maybe I should talk to him about it. Or maybe I should thank him. After all it's a rare occasion to get some time with Lita without Matt hanging around. Suddenly I realize she's saying something else. Cringing inside, I apologize. "I'm sorry, I was off in my own little world."

"Am I really that boring?" She asks in a teasing voice. Unfortunately, I miss the teasing part till I've already spoken. "No! Not at all! Oh you were kidding."

Laughing, she changes the topic. "I'm not quite ready to head back there yet. Wanna just cruise or something?"

"Sure." In all honesty, I don't really care what we do. I just know that I'm enjoying Lita's company too much and I don't want it to end. We drive around for a while, talking about this and that. I'm struck by her sense of humor, her candid and occasional randomly insane comments and ability to find something funny about nearly every situation. I do like her. A lot. It is with a great regret that I look at my watch and say, "It's kinda late. We should probably head back."

"It can't be that late." She protests. I hold up my watch. "Uh huh."

"Oh crap." We drive back to the house in silence. As we pull into the driveway, she turns to me and grins. "Well as a fifth date, I think that was a raging success."

"Fifth date?" I look at her in shock. "When were the first four?"

"The carnival, ice skating, Shannon's party and that beach party we all crashed."

"They were dates?"

"Let's cut the crap out." She looks at me seriously. "I like you. I like you a lot. I have a feeling you like me too. I'm no good when it comes to asking guys out and I know Matt's got you intimidated when it comes to me. Plus if we'd made it an official date, we'd both be all nervous and freaked out. This way, we just have fun and not worry about it."

"I like that logic." I smile at her, almost unable to believe what I'm hearing. She likes me! Okay, so I suspected she might, but I really wasn't sure. She smiles back. "Besides Jeff sucks as a matchmaker. There's a certain degree of subtlety that goes with matchmaking that Skittles really doesn't have."

"Very true." There's a moment of silence, which Lita breaks. "Which leaves the final two questions."

I'm not gonna to ask, I'm not gonna to ask, I'm not gonna to ask, I'm not gonna - "Which questions?"

"So are we a couple yet?" She grins at me mischievously. "And do I get a goodnight kiss or not?"

Oh hell yeah!

"Where have you two been?" Asks Matt the minute Shane and I walk in the door. I look at him and sigh. "Out. Are you waiting up for us or something?"

"No, just watching a late, late movie." I look at the TV and put my hand on top of it. Cold. This old TV heats up quickly so it's only just been turned on, probably as soon as he heard the car pull into the driveway. I turn to Shane with a smile. "Want a drink?"

"A glass of water would be nice."

In the kitchen, I pour him a glass of water as he wraps his arms around me from behind and rests his head on my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I sigh, wondering how long Matt can continue with this bullshit and how long I can put up with it. Shane kisses my neck. "We'll get through this."

"I know." He turns me around and kisses me passionately. For a few sweet moments, the rest of the world vanishes and all I can concentrate on is his arms around me.

"Don't you two need to breathe?"

"Go away Skittles." I bury my head in Shane's neck and make a rude signal at Jeff. Jeff laughs. "I love you too Bub. You staying the night Helms?"

"Oh, I don't know... " I can feel the hesitation in his body. Since we got together Shane's stayed over a few times, but usually as Jeff's guest, not mine. The twice he's stayed as my guest, we've been woken around 5am by Jeff jumping on my bed and being a royal pain the in ass. Since it's already 3am now, I really don't relish the idea of being woken in two hours.

"Yeah Helms, are you staying the night?" The three of us look over at Matt, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. Shane instantly starts massaging the back of my neck as I tense up, expecting a confrontation. Instead, he looks decidedly calm. "Well it's late... and I don't particularly have anywhere to be tomorrow, which means I'll end up here... so I may as well save the trip and just stay over."

Jeff smirks like a maniac and I shudder to think what he's got planned. Matt glares at Shane and I, then at Jeff who ignores him. "Well make sure you keep it down. Some of us have to get up early tomorrow."

"Then why didn't you go to bed earlier?" I ask, shooting him a furious look. Matt looks taken aback for a second, then stalks out of the room, slamming the door behind. Shane kisses my forehead. "You okay honey?"

"I'm fine." Well I think I am. Jeff makes a face at the door. "That was positively congenial for him."

"God..." Shane shakes his head, looking confused. "How can you two stand it?"

"He's my brother." Jeff says simply. We both understand. There's a bond between Matt & Jeff that's incredibly strong. I know twins who don't have the same kind of bond those two do. They both look at me. "What's your excuse Evil Red?"

"When I figure it out, I'll let you know."

"Matt, you're not my father. You're not my brother. You have no authority over me whatsoever. You can't stop me from going and god help you if you try." The first thing I hear when I stop the car is Lita yelling. Wonderful. Matt's being a prick again.

I'm uncertain if I should go in after her or not. If I do, it'll only make matters worse, but if I don't then they could be screaming at each other for hours. What should I do?

"I'm not trying to stop you from doing anything. I just don't think that having a weekend away before you start is the greatest idea in the world." Matt yells back.

Oh it all makes sense now. Matt's got a problem with Lita and I having a weekend to ourselves before she starts with some indie fed on Monday. Of course, his problem is the fact that he's not invited, because if I remember correctly - and I'm certain I do - then he wanted a weekend away for him, Lita and Jeff. You can imagine how popular that suggestion was. I wonder where Jeff is for all of this.

My cell rings. Without looking at the caller ID, I answer it. "Hello?"

"Enjoying the show? I swear, those two should go on Springer."

"Jeff?"

"Look up." I look up and see Jeff sitting on the roof. Is he eating popcorn? God he's incorrigible. "I decided this was the best place to listen in without having to technically eavesdrop."

"Should I go in there or not?" I can still hear shouting. Jeff shrugs and starts to move down the side of the roof. "Be careful! If you fall off the roof and break something, then Lita will cancel our plans!"

"Aw Helms, I didn't know you cared." He replies sarcastically. I roll my eyes. "I've seen you with so many casts and bandages that you've looked like an extra in a mummy movie. Lita needs this weekend away from Matt."

"Yeah I know. Hang on a second ok?" Jeff's reached the edge of the roof. It's like passing a car wreck - you can't bear to look but you can't look away. Deftly, he climbs over the edge and hangs from the guttering before dropping to the ground. Why do I get the feeling he's done this many times before?

"I'm guessing you've done this before." I speak into the phone despite the fact that Jeff is within earshot. He grins at me as I get out of the car. "Many, many times."

We hang up and Jeff hugs me. "Good to see you again Helms."

"Yeah it's been a while." About six weeks. Not necessarily that long, but when you take into the account that until recently I've spent nearly every free moment hanging out with these people, then six weeks is a fairly long time. Jeff rolls his eyes as a crash sounds somewhere inside the house. "If that's my ceramic flamingo I'm not gonna be happy."

We both start walking quickly towards the house, but before we even reach the front porch, Lita comes out the front door at a run, carrying her bags. "Bye Matt!"

"What the hell happened?" Jeff and I ask in unison. Lita grins breathlessly. "Uh, a kind of small major disagreement between Matt and I. He was prepared to hide my bags or something equally juvenile, so I sorta threw something at him and while he was ducking and swearing at me I grabbed my stuff and ran."

Jeff laughs, but I'm feeling rather concerned. I can't believe it's come to this, that Matt's prepared to do something like that. Lita hugs Jeff briefly. "I'll call you when I get to the flat okay?"

"You better Bub." He grins at her and ruffles her hair. "Take care of yourself okay? Don't do anything exceedingly stupid. You want to be able to still wrestle in five years."

"Take your own advice Skittles." She teases. Suddenly her face turns serious. "I need this. Not just for my career, but for me as well. I can't handle living with Matt anymore. It's beyond a joke."

"It's fine Lita." The look on his face is the look of someone older and wiser, someone who's been there, done that and got the T-shirt. "Time and space is all he needs to snap out of it. Just time and space."

I push open the door to my flat and screw my nose up. Dark, damp, a little dirty, extremely messy and kinda cold and lonely. To make matters worse, I think the gas bill had to be paid today. What a freaking dump.

"Damn honey, when was the last time you cleaned?" A laughing voice comes from the direction of my kitchen. I throw on the lights and leap across the room, successfully dodging anything that's likely to trip me over and literally throw myself at the speaker. "Shane!"

"Careful!" He warns, catching me easily. I hold him tightly, suddenly realizing how much I've missed him. Nightly phone calls are all very well and good but it's not the same. Especially when the phone's been disconnected twice for non-payment of bills. I rest my head on his chest. "How long are you here for?"

"A couple of days." He smiles at me. Suddenly I realize that this isn't just a casual call. I step back and look at him. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" His voice is a little too casual for my liking. I put my hands on my hips and raise an eyebrow. "I've lived under the same roof as Jeff Hardy for several years."

"Good point." Shane sits on one of the kitchen chairs and pulls me onto his lap. "I got signed."

"OH MY GOD!" I hug him excitedly. "That's fantastic baby! Who with?"

"WCW." He hugs me back. "So we're scattered to the three main ones. You're with ECW, I'm with WCW and Matt and Jeff are with WWF. We'll be together in the same fed one day."

"Oh is that a promise?" I grin, kissing him lightly. Shane turns serious. "It is. Speaking as your boyfriend and a wrestler, nothing would give me more joy than walk out to the ring with you at my side."

"So everyone else is on the dance floor, we're just sitting at the table, telling jokes and some blonde gal walks past. Well I swear, I thought he was gonna give himself whiplash. I've never seen anyone's head move so quickly. What makes it even more amazing is the fact that he's usually completely oblivious to the hordes of groupies."

"Maybe it was because she didn't pay him any attention that he noticed her?" I suggest. There's a thoughtful silence. "Nah. That's not his style. Raven's an incredibly complicated person. He doesn't say much in group situations, but when he does it's usually worth listening to. Unless he's been drinking."

"You really enjoy his company don't you?" I ask, feeling a little... jealous? Lita sighs. "He's fun to hang out with. I mean, not fun as such, but yeah I do enjoy his company. Besides, he's safe."

"Safe?" Now I'm confused. She laughs. "Basically he's too busy being deep and pensive to worry about trying to get into my pants."

"Oh." I start laughing in understanding. With our conflicting schedules, it's been a while since we've spent any decent amount of time together. It's no secret that I'm more than a little worried about her finding someone closer to home. So I'm relieved to hear that the guy she's spending most of her time with isn't after her. "So it's strictly platonic huh?"

"Believe me honey, you really have nothing to worry about." She reassures me. A memory of an earlier phone conversation comes back to me. "So is he -"

"The one I cuddle up to when I crave physical contact? Yeah." A silence falls over the phone line. I understand where she's coming from. The worst thing about our relationship is that we don't get to simply hang out. Many nights I've been watching a movie on TV and have wished that Lita were there to curl up with me. Other than Matt, it's been the only real blight in our relationship. I love and trust her, I really do, otherwise I wouldn't be putting myself through the long distance thing.

"Have you spoken to Matt or Jeff lately?" She asks casually. I raise an eyebrow. Where did that come from? I keep my voice as casual as hers, wondering if she's going anywhere with this. "Yeah, I spoke to Jeff last night. They've started dark matches. How about you?"

"I called Matt a couple of days ago." She hesitates. "He sounds... well, different."

"How long as it been since you've seen him?"

"Maybe six months. Probably more. You think the time and space thing worked?"

"It's possible." I reply sounding confident, but I can't help thinking that it's likely to get worse before it gets better.

"Just a small party?" Shane looks at Jeff with a raised eyebrow. He grins sheepishly. "Well… it's a special occasion."

"And it's in my honor and I just wanted a small get together." I remind him. Matt laughs, looking decidedly cheerful. Almost happy even. "Oh, let him go. You know how much he loves to organize parties. If there's less than 50 people, it's just not a party."

"I'm sorry Bub." Jeff looks at me apologetically. "It's just a big occasion demands a big party. And I've been thinking about having one anyway."

Shane and I smile at each other. I try to sound modest. "It's not that big a deal."

"Oh I think it is honey." Shane surreptitiously runs his thumb over the small silver band on my left hand. It's a Celtic wedding ring that he gave me for Valentine's Day last year. There are a few different ways to wear it, on your right hand as just a ring, or on your left hand as a friendship ring or to indicate that you're either married or engaged. I've always worn it as a friendship ring, but now, let's just say I doubt Matt's good mood will last if he gets a close look at how I'm wearing it.

Sometime later, Jeff takes the floor and makes a pretty speech about thanking everyone for being there and the official reason for this party being my new contract with the WWF, blah blah blah. I exchange a look with Shane. It's now or never.

"Hey everyone, thanks for coming to help me celebrate being signed with the WWF." I start off. "And since everyone's here, there's another announcement I'd like to make as well. Shane and I take great pleasure in announcing -"

"Holy shit you're pregnant aren't you?" yells Shannon Moore. I start laughing as everyone starts cheering and cat calling. Shane hugs me, then shakes his head at the crowd. "No, no, she's not pregnant. Well not that I'm aware of anyway!"

"I'm not pregnant!" I shout. "We are not pregnant. Getting married maybe, but not-"

Jeff literally leaps on top of us, yelling happily. The three of us hug, then we get swamped by well wishers. During the proceedings, it occurs to me that Matt hasn't said anything. I look around for him briefly, then see him out of the corner of my eye, leaning against a tree, watching us, his face hidden by shadows. He steps into the light and the look of intense hatred and anger on his face makes my guts twist. It's only then that I realize things with Matt haven't gotten better, they've gotten worse.

"I watched you guys on TV last week." I say, settling into an armchair and pulling Lita onto my lap. "You three are amazing."

"I know." Jeff replies without a trace of conceit in his voice. Why should he bother with false modesty? Team Xtreme are the hottest team in the business. "I just wish they'd give Evil Red here the Women's Belt."

"Skittles, we've discussed this." Lita reminds him. "For whatever reason, after spending months making the Women's Div semi-respectable, they decided to give the belt to Chyna. It's not just a slap in the face to her, but a slap in the face to all of us women, cause let's face it, none of us can beat her in real match."

"Sounds kinda stupid if you ask me." I comment. Jeff nods seriously. "It makes as much sense as the idea that Evil Red would be interested in Malenko."

"I couldn't help noticing Malenko was wearing a wedding ring the other night." I remark. Jeff's eyes light up. "You'll have to say something about that when you two go on your 'date' Bub."

"So if Malenko kept his wedding ring on, then why don't you wear yours?" I tease Lita. She rests her head on top of mine. "Cause I'm not married yet."

"Which brings me to my next question." I look over at Jeff. "Would you be our best man?"

"I'd love to, but I think Matt's expecting that honor." He replies quietly. Lita snorts. "Fuck Matt. He's lucky he's even getting an invitation."

"It's not that he's pulling the same crap as before." She reassures me before I can ask. "But he tends to be a bit… "

"Possessive? Obsessive? Jealous? Hostile?" I fill in the blanks. They both nod. "Yeah."

"In very subtle ways." Jeff adds. "Everyone just thinks he's got a crush. And now it's worse."

"Shut up Jeff!" snaps Lita angrily, standing up and pacing around the room. I watch her, concerned. "What's happened?"

"Nothing."

"They want Lita to turn on us." Jeff explains, ignoring the looks of death Lita keeps giving him. I look at her in confusion. "What's wrong with that?"

"Matt. He can't separate the angles from reality. If I 'turn' on them, then as far as he's concerned, I've just stabbed them in the back. If I stay then…" She trails off unhappily. I bite my lip. "It's all or nothing isn't it?"

"Yeah." She acknowledges sadly. "I can't win either way."

"Trust me Molly, he's interested." I shake my head, unable to decide what's more unbelievable - that Molly is the mystery blonde woman that got Raven's attention in the club so long ago or that Raven's actually dropped the detached façade to pursue her. "Valentine's Day is in a couple of days, do something sweet for him."

"Like what? And how?" Molly sounds completely out of her depth. I grin at her and ruffle her hair. "I'll help you organize it."

"Organize what?" I wince as a new voice joins the conversation. Molly blushes bright red. "Nothing-I- gotta-go -see-ya-later."

She rushes off and I curse under my breath. "What's up Matt?"

"We need to talk." He drags me into an empty locker room. "Have you made a decision yet?"

"No. I wanna think about it a little more."

"Well they're waiting for your decision." He crosses his arms and glares at me. I roll my eyes. "No, you're waiting for my decision."

"Speaking of decisions, I got another one for you to make." Matt looks at me coldly. I glare back at him. "Do tell."

"Did you tell your fiancée -" He spits the word out in disgust. "About my proposition?"

"No." I fight the urge to hit him. "Simply because it's the most insane thing I've ever heard! I'm engaged to Shane and I will marry him. I love him. There is nothing you can do that will change that!"

"Oh really?" Matt smiles sardonically. "Lita, I love you. I've loved you for a long time. Long before you ever met that little punk. I swear to you, if you marry him, I will make both your lives a living hell."

"You already do Matt!" I cry in annoyance. "Just because you don't want it to happen, doesn't mean that it won't!"

"Fine. Marry Helms. If I'm certain of nothing else, I'm certain of this - you'll be a widow within six months."

"You what?" I look at her in disbelief. She places the ring on the table. "I can't do this Shane."

"Why the hell not?" I feel sick. I really think I'm going to be sick. Lita lowers her head. "It's for the best."

"Why don't you tell me the whole goddamned story and let me decide?" I move around the table towards her, reaching out to her, but she flinches away from me. "Don't you love me anymore?"

I know I sound like a whiney child, but I can't help myself. She looks up at me and I see a tear slipping down her cheek. "It's because I love you that I'm doing this."

"Because you -" I stare at her in disbelief. "You love me, so you're breaking off our engagement? On Valentines Day? "

"I don't expect you to understand."

"Good, because I sure as hell don't!" I have no idea what's going on. "Is this some kind of bad joke?"

"I wish that was the case." She replies wistfully, glancing again at the ring. "Listen to me Shane. I love you. I love you, I really do. I know you have no idea what's going on, but it's better that way."

"It's got something to do with Matt hasn't it?" The proverbial light bulb goes on. I cross my arms so she won't see my hands shaking. "It's Matt. What's he done to you?"

"I can't talk about it." She sobs. Instinctively I put my arms around her and after a moment's hesitation she leans into me.

"Tell me what it is." I press. "We can work through this."

"Maybe. But if we fail, then it's just not worth the consequences." Lita pushes me away gently. "Shane, I need you to promise me that no matter what happens, no matter what you see or what you hear, you won't do anything stupid."

"What?" I doubt that I've ever been so confused in my life. She places a hand on my cheek as tears slip down her face. "Over the next week or so, you may hear something or see something that you think will explain why I'm doing this. It's not the truth. The truth is, I love you. I want nothing more than to marry you. But I can't."

She turns around and walks towards the door. It suddenly occurs to me that this is it, that it's all over. I grab her arm, spinning her around and kissing her. "I love you."

"I love you too." She kisses me on the cheek. "Can you make that promise for me?"

"I promise." I reply automatically, feeling extremely bewildered. "Can you say anything else about why your doing this?"

"Just remember to most of us, angles are just story lines but for others, it's a case of all or nothing."

I can see Matt crouching down by the side of ring. Wonderful. Although this might be useful for once in his life cause I can barely concentrate on Dean; I'm simply reacting on auto-pilot tonight. The three count is made and I can hardly believe it when my hand gets raised in victory.

Matt jumps into the ring and raises my arm, hugging me tightly. I hug him back reluctantly, thinking about Shane. According to Jeff he'd planned to watch the show tonight, to see how I went against Dean. Would there be the usual congratulations phone call or message? I doubted it. Matt looks at me and swoops in, planting a kiss on my lips. If we weren't in the middle of the ring and being cheered by thousands of people then I'd give him a black eye… what the hell, maybe I should do it anyway.

He steps back looking nervous. I think he does expect me to hit him. I don't know what to do. I broke up with Shane because Matt's bullshit. This was not part of the bargain. I stand in the ring, watching him head back up the ramp and hitting himself on the forehead.

What should I do? Should I go after him? Should I stay here? If I go after him, what should I do? Sometime within the next hour, I am going to hurt him, but now what? I gave in, I broke up with Shane so Matt wouldn't hurt him, but now he wants more? What if I refuse? Will he still hurt Shane? Matt is deeply psychotic, but manages to hide it well. Nobody has a clue just how crazy he is except Jeff and I. Even Shane and Shannon don't realize just how crazy he is.

It's my fear for Shane that sends me after Matt. The crowd is going crazy and I'd like to stand at the exit and kick each of them in the shins after the show ends. I grab Matt by the arm and he spins around, holding his hands up and apologizing madly. I place a finger over his mouth, clenching my other hand. Slowly, I unclench it again. No matter what, I won't get Shane back. Hitting Matt will only make him madder and God only knows what he'd do then.

The look in Matt's eyes as I grab the front of his shirt is something that will stay with me forever. I've never seen him look so calm, so at ease, so... sane in the entire time I've known him. As we kiss and the audience screams even louder, all I can think of is 'What will Jeff say? He's going to be so disappointed in me for giving in.'

We get into the back and I head for a shower, trying not to shudder as Matt kisses me again. It's something I'll have to get used to. I have a quick shower, fighting back tears the whole time. I make my way to our locker room, where Jeff sits, alone. Without speaking, he hugs me tightly, stroking my hair as I cry on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry Bub. I never thought it would come to this."

"Have you -"

"He asked to say to you 'Congratulations for playing me for a fool for so long. I know understand the reason you never stopped hanging out with Matt is because you've been after him the whole time we were together. You only got involved with me because we have roughly similar facial features that reminded you of him.' I tried to explain the truth, but he hung up."