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"Maybe..." She hesitated, worry coursing through her at what she was about to say. "... Maybe you shouldn't go in tonight."
Dawn Marie looked up from the waitress uniform she'd just ironed in Lita's living room. She met the redhead's eyes squarely, completely understanding her friend's fears. After all, they certainly weren't irrational.
"I know what you mean," she admitted. "I should have changed shifts with Stacy." She shook her head and sighed. "I know... Christian's out there and the police haven't caught him yet."
Lita stared at the brunette, fully concerned. It was as though the man was made of smoke. Somehow, he kept eluding the police. She hoped it wasn't just a case of law enforcement's incompetence.
"But it's too late," Dawn went on. "Stephanie will have my head on a platter if I don't show up tonight. Surely, she'll fire me."
"Better you get fired than Christian get to you."
Dawn Marie stiffened at the redhead's words. The truth was, she really didn't think her husband would do anything horrible to her. Sure, he would yell, curse, maybe even slap her... But she didn't and couldn't see him doing anything more. On the other hand, she'd never thought him capable of violence the caliber of stabbing his own stepbrother, or anyone, for that matter. She'd seen that with her own two eyes and still had difficulty accepting it. She bit her lip and faced Lita.
"If I don't go in, I'm going to be forced to explain," she pointed out. She knew her friend had had the opportunity to do that herself, after her anxiety attack at The Stop. Since she hadn't gone ahead and done that, she could only assume that the redhead didn't want people to know. She kept her gaze on the other woman's hazel eyes, trying to read her.
"I... know," Lita admitted. She bowed her head somewhat, and a silence hung over her. She thought it over and wondered if the two of them should actually go to their boss and explain together what was going on. Surely if they both told her, it would sound more believable.
"So... What should I do?" the brunette questioned.
"I think you should go to work, Dawnie," Edge's voice suddenly cut in as the two women simultaneously looked up in shock as he entered the room. "And I think you should take this with you - just in case." He moved his right hand from behind his back to reveal the gun.
Both women's eyes widened.
"Where did you get that?" Lita exclaimed.
Dawn Marie shook her head with horror.
"I couldnt' shoot anyone," she protested, "let alone my own husband!"
"This is just for protection," the blond man stated. "Most likely, you wouldn't even have to use it."
The brunette's jaw dropped as he held it out to her. She raised her hands quickly, as though she'd just been burned.
"I can't," she insisted in a shaky tone. "I... I can't!"
"Edge, I don't believe this," the redhead cut in. She strode directly to the tall man, her expression one a mixture of horror and maybe a bit of anger. She stared at the gun in his hand for a beat before raising her gaze back up to the pair of green eyes. "How could you bring a gun into my house?" She wondered how she was only just finding out about it now and wondered where he'd stashed it all this time.
"Baby, it's all right. It has a safety," he said, demonstrating it to her.
She took a step backward.
"I don't care if it has ten safeties!" she exclaimed. "You can't be serious! What if that thing gets used against you - or us?" Lita had never liked guns. They were dangerous and more trouble than they were worth. She'd never even seen a gun in the flesh like this, let alone this close to her.
"That's why you have to be aware," the tall blond man said, a firmness in his voice. "You have to be extra careful." He faced his ex-girlfriend again. "Dawn, please... Take it." He held it out to her, the nozzle facing away from her. "You don't even have to use it. Just showing it would be enough. I know Christian... He won't use it against you - not you."
There was pure horror shining in the brunette's eyes as she glanced from edge to the gun and back again. She'd always she and Edge knew Christian better than anyone else in the world. However, once again, she reminded herself that she'd been in utter shock that night when he'd stabbed Edge. She held her breath, her head whirling with all these thoughts and fears. What if it really came down to her life being on the line? She closed her eyes, swallowing hard before coming to a decision.
To Lita's shock, the other woman accepted the gun. She gazed at it for a moment, shaking her head and mouthing a
thank you to Edge.