It sounded distinctly like someone crying.  And as Jericho strained his ears to hear better, he could easily tell it was a woman who was doing it.  He turned around, instantly heading in the direction of the muffled sobs and found himself turning the corridor...

And then, he saw her.  She was leaning against the wall, slightly bent over, one hand up against her mouth, the other wrapped protectively around herself, her long red hair draping her face as she cried.

"Lita?"  Chris made his way closer to her, his heart going out to the upset diva, a feeling of concern sweeping through him.

She looked up quickly, turning her head away from him as though ashamed of her tears.

"Chris..."

The blond man placed a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder, and reluctantly, the woman turned to face him.  As she met his eyes, his heart nearly broke at the despair that was clearly evident in them.

"What's the matter, Lita?" he asked, making sure to keep his voice soft and gentle.

"I...it's..."  She shook her head furiously as she raised her other hand to her face to wipe away the tears.  "It's stupid...you'll laugh at me."

"No...never," Jericho assured her, shaking his head.  "Please...I only want to help."

The redhead took a deep breath, exhaled it sharply and focused her eyes heavenward for a beat before shifting them back to his crystal blue ones.

"I...I just feel...so lonely," she admitted.  "This time of year, with Valentine's Day coming up tomorrow, it's just...Well, it gets to me, you know?"

Chris had to fight against breathing a sigh of relief.  He'd been terrified that someone had done something to the diva - something that he would have to kick someone's ass for.  Still, she seemed so sad.

"I know how you feel," he admitted.  "I don't have a Valentine, either."

"It's so stupid," she berated herself.  "Before Matt, I never felt like this around this time of year.  It...it just never mattered.  And until him, I hadn't had a boyfriend in about two years.  But...Well, we became a couple right after Valentine's Day, so it...it just hurts that much more!"  She bit her lip, fighting off the new assault of tears that threatened to fall.

"Yeah, I know," Chris said.  "I remember.  Hey...come here - you look like you need a hug..."

The redhead lost her battle against the new torrent of tears as she fell into her friend's soothing embrace.

The blond man rubbed at Lita's soft long hair as she sobbed.  "Shh...don't cry," he said softly.  "Everything is going to be all right - I promise."