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An anxiously-focused but annoyed Edge made his way back to the hotel, marching directly to the room he and his girlfriend were sharing. He'd rode back alone, as the redhead had said earlier in the night that she would be riding back with the Hardys.
The blond man wondered about that now - he really wondered. Maybe she'd catch a ride with Jericho instead... Although the blond man had seemed sincere in his claim that there was nothing of that nature going on between them, why should he trust him?
He swiped his keycard through the door and pushed his way inside, actually surprised to see that Lita was already there.
"Hi..." the redhead said with a warm smile as she looked up at him. She was relaxing on the bed, her legs crossed demurely at the ankles, back propped upright against two pillows. The TV was turned on to an old sitcom, the remote held loosely in her hand. She put it down and patted the side of the bed, gesturing for him to sit beside her.
The blond man sighed as he dropped his bag on the floor. She was so strange lately - for the last few months, it was as though the diva went through a whole variety of moods. Not that being moody was anything unusual, but she hadn't been quite this way for the first few months they'd been together. She seemed to run hot and then cold, like an erratic bathroom faucet. That only added to Edge's sinking suspicion that she might be cheating on him - and, if not with Jericho, then with someone else.
Quietly, he came over to the bed, sitting down on the edge of it. Lita turned fully toward him, smiling, gesturing for him to come closer.
"Amy," he began, using her real name, "we have to talk..."
The redhead's smile waned, and silently, she wondered what he meant. She noted, with a sinking feeling, the seriousness of both his facial expression as well as his tone of voice.
"Okay..." she said, running a hand through her long hair. "What...what do you want to talk about?"
"Well...for starters, you haven't been acting like yourself for the last few months," the Canadian said, keeping his gaze fixed on her. "Since around the summer of last year..."
Lita bit her lip, her eyes shifting off to the side. All of a sudden, she felt as though she might be sick.
"I don't understand it..." Edge continued, raking a hand through his long blond hair and then gesturing as he spoke. "Things were great up until around that time...and then, you started shutting me out at times, and I..." He gazed deeply into her hazel eyes. "I don't understand what's gotten into you. And I never told you this, but damn it... I saw you with Chris Jericho!"
"W-what?"
"I think you heard me, Amy...What the hell are you doing with that rotten bastard?"
"Don't call him that!" the redhead cried, instantly coming to the other blond's defense.
"God damn it, Li...are you sleeping with Jericho?" Damn it... This had turned into an ambush, an interrogation - and that was not the way he'd intended broaching this very sensitive subject to her.
"No! Of course not!" the diva exclaimed, her expression looking hurt and horrified as she stared at him. "I just...he's helping me through something...That's all..."
The blond Canadian cocked his head as he regarded her almost warily. "That's the same thing he basically said. Okay, Amy...you want to tell me exactly what this is all about?"
Lita's hazel eyes widened with horror for a split second before she shut them tightly. Oh, God... She felt as though she was going to get violently ill... There was no avoiding it now - she had no choice but to tell him the truth. She didn't know what she might do if any of this jeopardized their relationship...
Taking a deep breath, she mustered her courage as best she could and opened her eyes again. Then, looking him directly in the eye, she said, "Well...for starters, as I said, I'm not sleeping with Chris...He...he's my cousin."
"What? He's your cousin?" Edge asked, his face showing exactly how much disbelief he felt.
"Yes - our mothers are sisters. I'm telling you the absolute truth, Adam..." she said evenly, praying her boyfriend would believe her.
"Well, how come no one knows about that?"
"Some people know...The only ones who do are Matt and Jeff - and Stephanie."
"Stephanie? Stephanie knows? For crissakes, Amy! How can she know, but you left me - your own boyfriend - in the dark?!"
The redhead winced. "Please don't be angry with me...And to answer your question, Chris told her. She's not really as bad as everyone thinks-"
"Oh, yeah! Right!" the blond man said. "I bet the only reason Jericho told her anything is because he wants to bang her!"
"No! No, it's not that," the diva protested. "She's been through a lot of crap with Hunter, and since teaming up with Chris...Well, he's gotten to know a lot more about that situation...and he...he told her about us in turn."
Edge stared at his girlfriend wordlessly for a beat. Then, "That doesn't tell me what the hell's been going on with you these last few months."
She looked down at that sentence, a fear worse than any she'd ever known consuming her. "Okay...okay, I'm going to tell you." She sighed, her eyes welling full of tears. "I never wanted to tell you about this...because I was afraid of what you might...do," she whispered. "But now I see that I have no choice..."
The blond man gazed at her with confusion and concern, wondering what in hell this terrible secret could possibly be.
Then, very carefully, Lita began to explain...