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Stephanie sat sulking at her desk in her meager office, her mind focused on what might happen with this whole Evolution thing.
Damn it... If only she'd known about Lita before she'd joined Sweet Misery... If only she'd known one of Evolution's members was the redhead's ex-boyfriend... If only...
And my God, there were about a million 'if onlys,' weren't there?
She could only hope Ric would be able to get back in touch with the band before it was too late. It wouldn't be fair to Chris, Edge and Christian - not to mention Lita - if things got hairy because of the presence of Lita's ex. It wasn't as though they'd split up amicably. If only they had... And there she went again with the 'if onlys'...
"Hey..."
The brunette looked up at the voice and the knocks at the door. A sad smile came to her as she noted who was there.
"Oh... Hey, Rob."
RVD stepped into the office, a questioning look on his face.
"Steph? What's wrong? You look like the end of the world is upon is," the man remarked.
"Ugh... If only it were that simple," the pretty brunette sighed. She ran both hands through her long hair and sat up a little. "God, Chris is going to kill me!"
"Why?" Van Dam asked, his face turning serious. "What happened?"
"Well," Stephanie began explaining, "during Ric's most recent excursion, he scouted a band called Evolution - which just so happens to be Lita's former band!"
"Uh oh... Judging by your whole demeanor, things weren't pleasant between her and them?"
"Rob, Lita's ex-boyfriend was the reason she quit," the young woman revealed. "And from what I understand, she wanted to get as far away from his as possible! They broke up because he cheated on her, and the girl he was with was here just the other day - and got upset and walked off the stage when she saw her! Chris talked to her and she told him all about it." Stephanie lay her head down on the desk helplessly.
"Ouch," RVD said. He could see why his boss was so unhappy and worried. Her fear was that Lita would probably quit Sweet Misery if her ex-boyfriend's band were to come to work at In The Raw. And she was also afraid that, if that happened, her new boyfriend, Chris Jericho, would be furious and blame her. "Steph, this isn't your fault. Hell, it's not even Ric's fault - it's just one of those freaky coincidences."
Stephanie knew Rob was right, but nonetheless, she still couldn't help feeling responsible.
"You know what I think?" Rob asked, his head tilted to one side as he looked down at her. He couldn't help feeling sympathetic at the sadness and anxiety clearly shining in her eyes and on her pretty face. "My honest opinion? I think you worry too much."
Stephanie met the man's eyes and couldn't help but smile. As long as she'd known Rob Van Dam, he'd always been of an optimistic nature, seeing the positive in everything. He was not only one of her employees, he was also a trusted friend.
"Well..." she began, a small smile coming to her lips. "...I guess you're right." She remained silently thoughtful for a beat, then looked at him again. "So, you really think I'm making way too much of this?"
"Absolutely... Steph, I'm sure everything will be fine. Lita seems to be a real level-headed person," Rob pointed out. "I bet even if her old band does come to play here, she won't quit Sweet Misery." A somewhat mischievous grin came to his face. "I know I haven't known her too long, but she strikes me as the type to be pretty competitive - she'd probably be hell-bent on outplaying her ex-boyfriend's band!"
The brunette found herself suddenly laughing softly. Van Dam had definitely lifted her spirits.
"You know, I never thought of that!" she exclaimed. "But I can definitely see her doing that!"
"There you go!"
Stephanie was so grateful toward her friend for making her feel better. In fact, she was ready to talk to Chris about all of this and have him break the news to his new guitarist - that her former band very well might be coming to play here. Rob was right - Lita was of a competitive nature. She recalled Chris telling her about the redhead first meeting Edge, and how the sparks had flown. There had been a definite competition between the two, not only because they were both guitar players, but they hadn't liked one another, either.
Her mind made up, Stephanie rose from behind her desk.
"Thanks, Rob - you've really helped me."
"Hey, don't think nothing of it," the ponytailed man replied with a wink.
"Oh, remind me to do something later, will you?" the young woman said.
"What?"
"To give you a nice, fat raise..."