The Way It Should Have Been

On the RAW 15th anniversary show Trish Stratus and Lita became friends again. No reason for this was given on WWE TV. Here is a version of the events leading up to their reuniting which is untrue and did not take place, unfortunately.

***

Trish's POV

It feels weird coming back, even if it's only for one night.

When I retired I imagined myself never coming back.

My years in the WWE were some of the happiest of my life, but they were also some of the worst.

I'm not coming back to wrestle, that was made very clear in the agreement. Vince offered me more money of course if I came back for 'one more match' but I knew if I did there would always be 'one more match' and I would never truly retire. I'm happy with the way my in ring career ended and coming back now would just spoil it.

Seeing the hotel I'm due to stay at, I park my rental car as close as I can and began unloading my suitcases. I only have to technically be here for the Monday but part of my agreement with Vince was that he would pay for me to stay here for the weekend before the show so I could actually have some time to see where I was. One of my biggest frustrations when I was wrestling was that I've travelled to many exotic places but I was never given time to explore them. This isn't the most interesting place ever but I could do with a vacation.

Sadly I was told on the phone, by one of Vince's cronies of course not by the man himself, that they couldn't get me into a five-star hotel due to 'problems with booking' which probably means they decided not to shell out for money to get me somewhere decent but it doesn't look too bad, I've stayed in worse.

As I carry my stuff in to the hotel room the whole situation only reminds me of my previous life in wrestling. In some ways it feels like a lifetime ago. In others it feels like only yesterday.

I miss wrestling sometimes... well, almost all of the time actually.

Not the constantly moving around part.......... or the painful injuries part.......... I mean I could do without those.......... but I do miss the butterflies I would get in my stomach before a big match.......... and I miss that Stratusfying feeling of victory.......... and hearing the crowd cheering me..........

Ok I've got to stop thinking like that or I'll find myself un-retired. Come on Trish, think of all the pain wrestling caused you. Think of all the bad things like being away from your family and friends, the constant wear and tear to your body, the endless line of men trying to get into your pants, Randy Orton, all those two-faced divas, and all the freaking backstage politics... and then of course.......... there's her..........

I've tried my best not to think about her, I really have. But whenever I'm not thinking about wrestling, I'm thinking about her. It's crazy. She hates me and she's caused me so much pain both physical and emotional and yet.......... I still think about her.

I heard she's going to be at this 15th anniversary thing too but if I lay low I should be able to avoid her. Another one of my reasons for coming early was that I could take a day or two to explore and then hide myself in my room so I wouldn't have to see her or any of the other WWE superstars who I'm not in a hurry to reunite with.

I'm sure I have nothing to worry about though, the WWE only wants me to stand around backstage for a few hours before popping my head out to wave and smile at the audience and then I'm done. Easiest pay cheque ever. I'll be in and out before any chance of an uncomfortable meeting with a certain redhead. The building RAW is in is a big place and this town is pretty big too, with loads of nicer hotels than this one so the chances of me even seeing her are slim and...

Oh God I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I wasn't even looking where I was going and bumped into someone knocking them and their belongings to the ground.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking were I was going..." I said frantically apologising, rushing to help the other person pick up their things, when I suddenly stopped dead in my tracks "... Lita!"

Lita's POV.

It feels great to becoming back to the WWE don't get me wrong I enjoy working on the independent scene again after so many years in the big leagues it's kinda humbling to be reminded how life was before the WWE. I also enjoy being with my band along with everything else that I'm doing now that I am out of the WWE and I don't regret retiring when I did.

Ok that's a lie I do kinda regret retiring when I did but only due to the fact that that new girl is really making a name for herself what's she called again..........Beth Phoenix otherwise known as the "The Glamourzon"

I've been watching her ever since she made her second debut the first debut she made was along side Trish Stratus during Trish's feud with Mickie James.

Whenever I watch Beth I always wonder what it would be like to get into the ring with her huh "The Glamourzon" Vs "The Queen Of Extreme"

Mind you I haven't been called that in a long time.

I can't deny that despite how great it is to be coming back even if it is only for one night which is probably for the best since if I stayed for any longer than that I doubt I would want to leave. Anyway like I was saying despite how great it is to be coming back I am a little nervous about how I am going to be received by the fans. When I left the WWE I was a heel and they booed me right out of the building.

I don't know what Vince has planned for me weather I am going to be returning as a heel or what I also don't know who I'm going to be working with weather it will be one of the current divas like Mickie or maybe even Beth all I know is that I am involved in a segment.

I don't know nor do I really care who I am working with just so long as it isn't Trish Stratus. Huh I never thought I would hear myself say that then again I never thought me and Trish would ever stop being friends but for some reason we did. I don't even know why we did all I know is that after Wrestlemania 20 Trish really started being a bitch towards me and I hadn't done anything to her.

I know she is here as well I asked Vince if he was bringing her back as well and he told me that he was saying that she was a big part of RAW's success as far as the brand extension goes and a big part of the success of the women's division. He then asked me if there was a problem I told him that there wasn't due to the fact that I don't want to make waves however I did insist on making my own arrangements as far as accommodation was concerned the reason being I knew that if we where in the same hotel together there is a good chance that we would end up meeting so i put a stop to that by booking myself into a less classy hotel as to the one the WWE Superstars and Divas and Trish are going to be booking themselves into.

This way there's no chance of me.

WOW!

Oh how clumsy of me I should have been paying attention to where I was going not thinking about Trish Stratus now I've gone and knocked over this poor woman. Well let me just get to my feet and then I will help them.

"... Lita!"

I hear a familiar voice say a voice which I immediately recognise and yet at the same time refuse to believe it is. I slowly open my eyes and look in the direction the voice came from and there standing a short distance away from me is the woman I just knocked down as well as the woman who I had hoped to avoid.

"Trish!"

I say aloud as I look at her.

"What are you doing here?"

Trish asks me.

"What do you mean what am I doing here? What are you doing here?"

I snap back unable to control my anger at the fact that I wanted to avoid her and yet here we are face to face when I had hoped and thought that me booking myself into this hotel would stop any chance of that happening.

"I'm booking myself into this hotel."

Trish tells me.

"Your what?"

I ask unable to believe what I am hearing.

"Why?"

I then ask her.

"Because the WWE had a booking problem and I couldn't stay in the hotel with all of the other WWE superstars and Divas."

Trish says.

"That still doesn't explain why your here in this hotel."

I say.

"Because this was the hotel that the WWE re-arranged for me to stay at."

I close my eyes now starting to wish I had told Vince that there was a problem between me and Trish and telling him or rather asking him to make sure that we didn't bump into each other.

"What are you doing here?"

I hear Trish ask me.

"Well if you must know I booked myself into this hotel room in order to avoid-"

I suddenly stop and open my eyes and look at Trish who hasn't broken eye contact with me since we bumped into each other.

"To avoid who?"

Trish asks me.

"None of your business."

I tell her.

"Now if you don't mind I'm going to check myself in. Have a good weekend Trish."

I say and with that I storm past her angry at myself for not having told her who I was trying to avoid and yet at the same time unable to understand what stopped me from telling her I don't.......... I can't.........oh god I do.......... I mean am........ I thought that when she left my feelings would have gone too.......... I thought that when I retired they would have defiantly died.......... Maybe that's why I tried to avoid her so that I wouldn't have to face the fact that they haven't gone nor have they died. I'm still in love with her.

Ok so we're staying at the same hotel big deal we'll have different rooms hopefully on different floors and we won't see each other until we are at the arena and hopefully the only time we will see one and other is when we're in the meeting being told what is happening that night and in the cafeteria other than that we should hopefully not see one and other.

So stop thinking about her Lita just focus on checking yourself in and getting to your hotel room.

Trish's POV

My eyes stay locked on her as she walks to the reception desk.

I'm not stupid, I can tell that she was trying to avoid me by being here, but for some reason I'm angry at her for trying to avoid me. Not only am I angry but I'm... sad! I'm sad that she doesn't want to see me, how crazy is that? What the hell is wrong with me, come on Stratus, get a grip.

Picking up the rest of my bags I walked over to the reception desk.

My thinking is I'll wait until she checks in and then leaves before checking in myself but I can't help but overhear her conversation with the receptionist.

"What do you mean my suite isn't available?" Lita yelled.

"I'm sorry Miss." said the blonde Barbie look-alike receptionist with a horribly fake looking smile plastered on her face, "You're late and we had to give it away to someone else."

"But I booked in advance!" Lita said.

"Again, I'm sorry Miss, but it's been a busy night and there was a huge demand for suites. We have a policy that if bookies aren't here by 11 o'clock we are free to offer the suites to other people."

"Hang on a second." I said speaking up, "You mean to tell me that you gave away my suit too?"

"Did you have a reservation?"

I inwardly rolled my eyes. I hate it when some bimbo reinforces the stereotype that all blondes are dumb. I'm not a real blonde but God knows I've suffered a lifetime's worth of blonde jokes just because I choose to dye my hair.

"Yes I have a reservation." I snapped.

"Well, if you weren't here before 11 then I'm sorry but yes we gave away your suit too!"

I couldn't believe it. Sure I've been to a few crappy places which have pulled this kind of shit on me but I didn't expect to have to deal with shit like this tonight.

"This is a joke, I'm out of here." I said turning to leave, "I'm sure I'll find a better hotel that will be happy to take my money."

"Wait Miss, are you Trisha Stratus?"

"It's Trish Stratus and yes."

"Excellent, a man from your company, the WWF, called a few minutes ago to see if you had booked successfully. When he heard the news your suit was given away he hung up only to call back a few minutes later trying to book a room here. It seems that everywhere else is booked up and luckily for him and you he was able to book the last available room in town here for you and Miss Lita here."

It took a moment for those words to sink in. When they did I felt sick to my stomach.

"You're not serious..." I said, my voice filled with quiet rage.

"I assure you I am. I'm afraid it's your only option." the receptionist said holding out the keys, "Don't worry, its been bought and paid for."

I had a serious urge to slap her. Money was the least of my worries right now.

I briefly considered sleeping in my rental car but decided against it. It was freezing outside and the cars heating system had broken on the way.

Reluctantly I took the keys from her hands, took a look at the number on it, picked up my bags and started walking to my room, secretly hoping that the redhead would storm out in rage and try and find somewhere else in the next town or something.

No such luck.

I risked a glance behind me and saw that Lita was following me.

She was looking straight ahead of her but her eyes didn't meet mine. It was like she was staring straight through me. Once again I was filled with a mixture of anger and sadness.

Oh God, tonight was going to be hell.

Lita's POV.

"Can I help you madam?"

A blonde haired woman behind the counter says as I put my one very big suitcase down. I know I'm only here for three days however I always pack for every eventuality it's just something I've always done ever since I first started on the road with the WWE I guess old habits die hard.

"Yes I pre-booked a room under the name of Lita."

I tell her with a small smile doing my best to put all thoughts of Trish Stratus in point of fact any thought even remotely to do with Trish i put to the far reaches of my mind and thoughts.

"One moment please."

The blonde says as she looks at her computer screen and types away on the keyboard.

"I'm afraid your suite is no longer available."

The blonde haired woman tells me lifting her head and looking directly at me with a blaintantly obvious fake smile.

"Oh. You mean it's not ready yet?"

I ask her assuming that they haven't gotten a cleaner to go in and make sure it is presentable.

"No Madam, I mean it is no longer available."

The blonde haired woman tells me again with the same fake smile.

I do my best to keep calm even though the run in with Trish has made me very short tempered.

"What exacterly do you mean by that?"

I ask her.

"Exacterly what I say Madam your suite is no longer available."

At this point my patience is at an end.

"What do you mean my suite isn't available?"

I snap at her.

"I'm sorry Miss."

The blonde haired woman says.

"But you arrived here late and we had to give it away to someone else."

I feel slightly relived to have finally gotten more out of the woman than just "it's no longer available" however now I'm shocked and angry for a completely different reason.

"But I booked in advance!"

I say a little calmer but not much.

"Again, I'm sorry Miss, but it's been a busy night and there was a huge demand for suites. We have a policy that if bookies aren't here by 11 o'clock we are free to offer the suites to other people."

The blonde haired woman tells me.

I hang my head and look at my wriest watch and see that it is twenty past 11. An seeing that it is only twenty minutes past 11 makes me angry not at the receptionist but at Trish if she hadn't gotten in my way I would have made it to the desk on time and i would now be in my room relaxing.

"Hang on a second."

I suddenly hear Trish's voice say from behind me.

"You mean to tell me that you gave away my suit too?"

I keep my eyes on the receptionist knowing that if i turn around I'm probably going to kill Trish for making me late even though it is my fault for not looking where I was going..

"Did you have a reservation?"

The woman behind the counter asks Trish.

"Yes I have a reservation."

Trish snaps which causes me to smile knowing that Trish is as pissed off as me makes me feel a little better.

"Well, if you weren't here before 11 then I'm sorry but yes we gave away your suit too!"

This causes me to smile on the inside glad to see that Trish is in the same predicament as me.

"This is a joke, I'm out of here."

I hear Trish say.

"I'm sure I'll find a better hotel that will be happy to take my money."

She adds.

I go to speak to the receptionist.

"Wait Miss, are you Trisha Stratus?"

The receptionist asks not paying me the smallest bit of attention.

"It's Trish Stratus and yes."

I hear Trish call from a fair distance behind me.

"Excellent, a man from your company, the WWF, called a few minutes ago to see if you had booked successfully. When he heard the news your suit was given away he hung up only to call back a few minutes later trying to book a room here. It seems that everywhere else is booked up and luckily for him and you he was able to book the last available room in town here for you and Miss Lita here."

I looked at the receptionist now wanting to kill her and find whoever it was who had booked this room and kill them as well.

"You're not serious..."

I hear Trish say.

"I assure you I am. I'm afraid it's your only option."

The receptionist says holding out the keys.

"Don't worry, its been bought and paid for."

The receptionist adds.

I swallow hard feeling both full of anger as well as full of fear. Part of me feels like telling the woman to stick the keys up her backside and say that I'll sleep out on the streets however at the same time part of me feels like taking the keys and running to the room and locking Trish out.

I see Trish's hand come past me and take the keys from the woman and I watch out of the corner of my eye as Trish looks at the room number on the key and then picks up her bags and starts walking away from me.

I watch her go still mentally mauling over what I should do. Weather i should go and try and find another room somewhere else weather I should go and see if a friend at the hotel the WWE superstars and divas are staying at can or will let me crash on their sofa in their hotel room (if they have one) and yet another part of me feels like I should stay.

I mentally tell myself that the reason I want to stay is because I also booked a room and that I have as much right to the room that Trish is heading to as she does if not more because I booked it myself.

As I mentally reassure myself that this is why I want to stay and it has nothing to do with Trish I pick up the handle of my suitcase and follow after Trish until I eventually am almost right behind her despite a desire in the pit of my stomach to enjoy the view I keep my eyes locked dead ahead of me forcing myself to pretend as if Trish isn't there even when she turns her head and looks at me I keep my eyes straight ahead of me and mentally keep telling myself.

"Imagine/pretend she isn't there."

Over and over again until we eventually reach the hotel room.

Trish puts the key into the door and unlocks the door I open the door and walk in not waiting or offering for Trish to go first however almost as soon as I am in the door I stop dead in my tracks as I see something which causes me to swallow hard and for my heart to start beating faster.

Trish's POV

I'm furious at Lita for pushing ahead of me. It's not like I care which bed I get but her childish display of pushing ahead of me makes me wonder why we were ever friends. Of course then a million reasons run through my head like how kind and compassionate she used to be with me, what a good listener etc and I just have too pushed those voices to the back of my head and remind myself again why I hate her. And everything becomes easier. Everything always becomes easier when I remember...