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*RAW, March 26, 2001*
Edge tore at his hair as he tried his best to reign in his temper. It was no easy task as he followed closely behind Christian and Rhyno through the hallway to the locker rooms.
They'd lost the six-man tag team match, but he couldn't care less. He didn't even know where Kurt Angle was at the moment, the Olympian and *not* Rhyno, having been their partner. Christian had tapped out to Chris Benoit's Crippler Crossface in a hurry, and the Rabid Wolverine and the Hardy Boyz had been declared the victors.
The tall blond man glared at the Manbeast's broad back, a string of curses begging to emerge from his lips, but he held them back. The burly man had injected himself into the match - well, into the *aftermath* of it, actually - and had gored the hell out of Matt Hardy. That in itself didn't bother Edge one bit - but the fact that Rhyno had done the exact same thing to Lita when the redhead had gone into the ring to check on her friend - was a completely different story.
The tall blond Canadian stood by wordlessly as he waited for Christian to conclude his brief conversation with the dark-haired man. His impatience was growing until Rhyno finally nodded and grunted a response, then turned to leave. And Edge hurried after him, cornering his old friend just out in the hallway.
"Rhyno... wait up - I want to talk to you."
The Manbeast turned abruptly, a smile coming to his face as he cupped his hands together.
"You want to thank me..." the gruff man speculated.
"No... Actually, I wanted to ask you something," the blond man said, his voice low as he gazed around, quickly surveying the area. He was worried sick about Lita, but lord knew it would be hell to go see her to find out how she was. For that, he would need the services of Stephanie, and so far that night, the brunette had been tied up with Triple H, who was currently having his hands full with the Undertaker.
"What is it?"
"Why did you gore Lita?"
Rhyno frowned at the surprising question. It completely threw him off-guard. Then, after a beat, he chuckled, the laughter grumbling from deep in the burly man's throat.
"Why not?" he said rhetorically.
Edge sighed, then raised a hand and ran it through his long blond hair. It was becoming even more increasingly difficult for him to keep his temper in check - especially seeing how much glee his friend was apparently taking in having gored the high-flying redheaded woman.
"It was totally unnecessary, man... You really don't have to go after her."
"She was there, and prime pickings," the Manbeast debated. He clapped his meaty hands together again, a strange gleam in his brown eyes that Edge didn't like one bit. "And I thoroughly enjoyed it."
The Canadian stared at the other man, his right hand unconsciously clenching into a fist. He couldn't hit Rhyno, especially *now*. At the same time, he wanted to somehow, someway make the man agree to never attack Lita again. But *how* was he going to do that without arousing suspicion.
"I know, dude," he finally said. "But forget about her - she's harmless. You don't need to gore her, especially when the match is already over with."
Rhyno seemed to give him a strange look before simply nodding and then turning and moving on down the hall to his own locker room.
Edge only hoped this would be the end of this situation.
*
Lita let out a soft, contented, almost purring sound as his fingers gently but firmly kneaded the muscles of her shoulders and neck. She let out a sigh, her eyes closing at the sensation.
"That feels so good," she said softly. She managed a tiny smile as she felt Edge press a kiss to the nape of her neck before continuing the massage.
The two of them were sharing a bath in their hotel bathroom, and the redhead wanted to savor in the moments. This was, without a doubt, the highlight of her evening.
"I'm *so* sorry, baby," the blond man said for what had to be the hundredth time that night. He moved his hands from her shoulders and down to encircle her waist, holding her more firmly against the front of his body.
Lita sighed again and leaned her head against his muscled chest, almost using him as a pillow.
"I know..." She looked up just slightly, meeting his concerned green eyes in the dim light.
"I talked to Rhyno, you know. I won't accept him going after you every time he's out there with us."
The diva smiled, a warmth rushing through her. She knew how terrible Edge had felt earlier that night, when his friend had gored her. She didn't blame him for the Manbeast's actions but felt confident that the former ECW Champion would more or less leave her alone.
Edge swallowed hard, his heart in his eyes as he gazed down into her beautiful face. He'd felt badly enough the previous week during RAW, when he'd executed an Edge-o-matic on her. However, he'd been sure to be extra careful and had even cushioned her head on his thigh. He would sooner die than hurt her. But what Rhyno had done tonight he hadn't even forseen - and that made him feel helpless - useless. He had to *protect* Lita. If he couldn't do that, what good would he be as her boyfriend?
The redhead had been sore after the gore she'd taken. He'd gotten a glimpse of her after the match, as he'd been leaving the ring to head to the back with Christian and Rhyno. Lita had been clutching at her right shoulder, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was hurting. It tore him up inside.
The woman sat back up, turning around to face him, and she smiled gently. He still looked so upset, so concerned.
"I'll live, Edge," she assured him, her wet forefinger tracing over his cheek and down to his jawline. She cocked her head, some stray strands of her red hair, which she'd piled up on the top of her head, hanging around her face.
"I just feel so bad," the blond man said, shaking his head. "I want to keep you safe, but... damn it, my friend hurt you tonight."
"It's not so bad," Lita said, inching even closer so that her face was mere inches from his. She gazed into his emerald eyes, so close that she could feel his warm breath on her cheek. "Sweetie, I wish you would just forget about it for now."
"But he *hurt* you," the Canadian protested. "So, how am I supposed to do that?"
The redhead pressed forward, her lips coming to land on his, and she kissed any further protests from him, his wet hands coming around to her back, holding her firmly in place. He kissed her back feverishly, his tongue hot and deliciously moist.
After a long few moments, Lita pulled back just enough to gaze into his face and smile.
"Well, *that's* one way," she finally answered his question.
Edge gave her the tiniest smile before pulling her back to him for another passionate kiss.