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Edge gaped at Chris in shock, his jaw momentarily dropping open as he absorbed the news the other man had just given him.
"He knows? Shawn Michaels knows? How in hell does he know what's going on?!"
"He just does..." Jericho replied, his anxiety-filled clear blue eyes shifting for a beat. He, Edge, Lita and Stacy were all congregated in his hotel room, as he'd decided he had no other alternative but to tell the tall blond man and his cousin the truth.
"You mean you just blabbed to him..." Edge snapped, his arms crossing over his broad chest. A frown dominated his face as he quickly glanced from Chris to Lita, the redhead appearing frightened at the prospect of an outsider knowing what had happened to her. As it was, the Toronto native was nearly angry enough to punch Y2J in the nose himself. It was nobody's business what had happened to his girlfriend - how Lita had been humiliated and horribly victimized.
"I..." Jericho ducked his head slightly, raising one hand to his golden hair. He didn't want to say another word, since he wanted to protect Stacy.
"He didn't tell Shawn a thing..."
All eyes shifted abruptly to the leggy blonde, whose face looked full of humility. Chris shot her a warning glance, but the young woman ignored it. "I was the one who told him," she admitted.
Lita gasped, Jericho smacked a hand against his forehead and groaned, and Edge's eyes widened as he stared at the diva incredulously.
"You told him, Stacy? Why would you do that?!"
The tall young blonde chewed on her lower lip nervously as she faced the irritated man.
"I... I felt like I had no choice," she slowly admitted. "Things were getting out of hand with Shawn coming to my aid and attacking Chris." Stacy shifted her gaze over to the older blond man, as though seeking his help.
"But you told him?" Edge asked. Defeated, he sighed and sat down on the couch beside Lita. "Why couldn't you just make something up?"
"I couldn't do that, Edge..." the leggy diva said helplessly. "I felt he had a right to know the truth. I knew he would understand and stop attacking Chris. So I... I told him we were all in on it together to avenge Test."
The redheaded diva, who had remained silent throughout all of this except for her gasp, turned to Stacy. Her hazel eyes sad, she posed the question on her mind.
"So... Shawn knows what... what..." She swallowed hard, not wanting to verbalized that sadistic bastard's name. "... he did to me?"
Stacy reached out and grasped her friend's hand gently but firmly.
"He knows Test hurt you..." Her brown eyes locked on Lita's, giving the other woman reassurance. "That's what he knows."
Jericho eyed the two women, relief going through him as his cousin seemed to calm measurably. Then, shifting his attention back to Edge, he spoke.
"The point is - Michaels knows what we're up to. The man came to my locker room earlier tonight, and he told me." He ran a hand through his long locks, hesitating as he pondered how the younger man would react to his next revelation. Then, "He wants to help us..."
Edge's expression remained neutral, as though he hadn't heard what Chris had said. Stacy, on the other hand, perked up, surprised, as this was the first she was hearing of this. A smile slowly came to her face.
"Edge? Are you okay, man?"
The tall blond man recovered himself, snapping back to reality.
"Yeah... yeah, I am. Chris, Shawn wants to help us?" he asked, a confused look dominating his sharp features.
Jericho nodded.
"He said he wanted to help us in any way possible. I think we can trust him."
The other man was silent for a moment as he mulled it all over. Then, he nodded.
"I do agree with that sentiment - I think we can trust Shawn Michaels."
Lita's lips parted, her eyes slightly wide as she glanced from the two men she considered the most important in her life.
"What does this mean?" she asked, shaking her head. "What are we going to do now?"
"We'll have to include him in on our plans, sweetie," Edge replied. He looked pensive for another few seconds before continuing. "And I think I have the perfect plan..."
*
About a half-hour later, the group were congregated in Edge and Lita's hotel room. The Heartbreak Kid was also present, as Stacy had gone to speak to him and invite him to a meeting with the rest of them.
"So, in a nutshell, that's what I propose we do..." the tallest of the three blond men said, gesturing with his hands.
Shawn nodded.
"Sounds like a good plan, Edge."
The Canadian eyed the newcomer to the group expectantly.
"Can we count on you to participate in the plan?" he asked.
Michaels didn't have to hesitate for even a moment as his gaze was drawn to Stacy's. The tall diva smiled at him.
"Count me in..."