Title: Fate

Author: Katie

E-mail: [email protected]

Rating: PG-13 for drug references (Hee!)

Spoilers: 3/22/04 Raw

Pairings: Lilian/RVD

Disclaimer: All characters and their respective counterparts belong to World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. No harm is intended.

Summary: Lilian and Rob say goodbye after he is traded to Smackdown! for the 3/22 lottery.

Notes: A one shot. Heh. I'm all caught up on my homework. Well, except for my movie questions, which I'll do when I get my smart teeth pulled later this month. Enjoy! Oh, and the incident I am talking about later in the fic is this: After Lilian announced Spike, he raced into the ring. As Lilian was exiting, he hit the ropes and she lost her balance, slipping and nearly falling off the ring. Luckily, she had a grip on the top rope so she didn't fall completely. That's what I'm referring to. Anyway, as usual, feedback is appreciated but not begged for. It's not in my character.

~/~

She stopped as she passed the open door, hesitating only slightly before backtracking. It had been a strange night in more ways than one. From the emotional lottery to the wild ending, it had just been a roller coaster all night long.

She leaned against the doorframe, watching as the lone man packed up his bag for the last time as a Raw superstar. She felt her heart rate quickening as she saw the blue shirt he was wearing. Before the show started, he had been wearing red. Now, everything was about to change.

He sensed someone watching him and looked up sharply, his gaze softening when he saw who it was.

"Lilian, hey," he said warmly, gesturing for her to enter the locker room.

Forcing her legs to move, she entered the room and smiled weakly. "Hey, Rob," she replied. She was usually one of the last to leave; however, she wasn't going to complain about him being here.

"How are you doing?" Rob asked lightly, gesturing for her to sit down as he continued packing.

"I'm all right. It's been a weird night," Lilian replied. "You?"

"Not too bad. Losing the tag titles definitely sucked and being traded to Smackdown! kind of stinks too, but hey, change is good sometimes," Rob replied, shrugging slightly.

"I'm sure," Lilian replied, her tone somewhat sad.

Rob looked up from his packing and scrutinized the little blonde. "You okay?" he asked, frowning at the look in her eyes.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Lilian replied. Rob gave her a doubtful look, and she sighed, continuing, "It's just... out of all the guys to be traded, why'd you have to be one of them?" Rob blinked in surprise, opening his mouth to answer, but Lilian spoke again before he could say anything. "You just... you're one of my best guy friends in the business and you're one of the nicer guys on Raw. All the other men are snobby... or arrogant... or sexist. Why do we lose the nice guy?" Lilian blurted out.

Rob was silent for a second, realizing that he was holding the red Raw shirt that he had been wearing earlier. It was the only item that wasn't in his bag. Rob slowly zipped up his bag, slinging the shirt over his shoulder before sitting next to Lilian. "I don't know, Lilian," he finally replied. "I guess it's just fate."

Lilian snorted before grumpily saying, "Well, fate sucks."

"Hey," Rob chastised gently, draping his arm across her shoulder and pulling her into a small hug. "That's not a good attitude."

"Yeah, well, neither is losing one of your good friends," Lilian said, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You still have some good guys," Rob said, resting his chin on the top of her head. He felt his heart flutter when she tightly wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Like who?" she asked, taking in the smell of his cologne.

"Like Shawn and Shane and Chris and Steve, to name a few," Rob replied, trying to ignore the sweet smell of her shampoo.

"I guess so," Lilian said, her grumpy tone subsiding a little. "I'm just going to miss you and your pointing at yourself."

Rob laughed, squeezing her gently. "I guess you'll have to watch Smackdown!"

"Yeah," Lilian replied. She couldn't help but giggle suddenly.

"What's so funny?" Rob asked suspiciously.

"Remember when we got high together?" Lilian asked.

Rob chuckled, replying, "Yeah, I got us lost in Utah and Trish and Chris were pissed at me. It was pouring down rain and we were in the middle of nowhere. You all looked so tense. I finally got us to a motel, albeit a trashy, rundown one with a hooker and her pimp next door. By that time, Chris and Trish weren't speaking to me. So I whipped out the old weed and we were flying high. I still refuse to believe that was the first time you ever got high."

"It was! I never ate so many Doritos in my life," Lilian snorted. "That was one of the best evenings of my life."

"It hasn't always been so good," Rob said softly. Sensing Lilian's confusion, he continued, "It was scary to see you in the hospital after Rosey and Jamal attacked you."

Lilian blushed and answered, "I was fine."

"Sure you were," Rob said, ruffling her hair slightly. "That's why your eyes were all glassy and your ribs were all taped up."

"I was sleeping and the doctor was overreacting about my ribs," Lilian insisted, though her tone was playful. "Besides, Mr. Extreme, how many times did I visit you in the hospital?"

"I guess you have me beat," Rob replied. He squeezed Lilian again, prompting her to look at him. She did, and he asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah," Lilian said. "I guess things have to change in order to keep life interesting."

"We can still call and we'll see each other at pay-per-views," Rob reminded her.

Lilian nodded, hugging him before reluctantly pulling away from him. She could have stayed in his arms forever, but she knew they needed to move on.

"Hey, you want to grab some pizza?" Rob impulsively asked.

She wanted to say yes, but she had an extremely early flight. "I can't," Lilian said sadly. "I have a five AM flight."

"Bummer," Rob answered, disappointed, standing up.

Lilian did so as well, wincing when she put pressure on her foot. She hissed at the pain, muttering, "Damn it."

"Are you okay?" Rob asked, concerned as he wrapped his arm around her waist, placing his hand on the small of her back.

"Yeah," Lilian replied. "I just slipped a little when Spike hit the ropes earlier and I think I twisted my ankle a little."

"I saw that," Rob said, remembering the incident. He remembered his heart jumping when he saw her almost fall when Spike hit the ropes, then the anger when he heard Terri snort about 'Garcia being clumsy again.' Rob had resisted the urge to kick her in the face, for he considered himself to be a gentleman in regards to the ladies. Then again, Terri was no lady. He broke out of his thoughts, asking, "You sure?"

"Yeah," she said again, balancing with Rob's help, flexing her foot again. "I had a hold of the top rope and was able to..." Her voice trailed off as she looked up, seeing Rob's eyes. She had never noticed how beautiful they were, and now, his face just inches from hers, her heart raced.

Without thinking, Lilian raised her hand to the base of his neck, pulling him to her. Before either knew what was happening, their lips met together in a chaste, gentle kiss.

They kissed for a few seconds before mutually pulling away. Lilian pressed her fingertips to her lips, feeling the swollenness and smiling slightly.

"Now you decide to get romantic," Lilian whispered.

"My sense of timing kind of sucks in that department," Rob said sheepishly. "Do you need to see the trainer?" he asked, gesturing to her foot.

"Nah," Lilian said, taking a step backwards. "We Garcias are tough."

"Okay," Rob said, moving to grab his bag.

"Bye, Rob," Lilian said, turning to walk away from him.

Rob watched her walk through the door, closing his eyes and leaning his head back. He could still feel her lips against his. He was right. His lack of timing stunk. Glancing at the shirt slung over his shoulder, he sprinted toward the door. "Lilian," he called, relieved that she hadn't gotten too far.

She turned, impulsively catching the red shirt he threw to her. Looking at the object, she gazed at Rob. "What's this for?" she asked curiously.

"For you," Rob said simply. "I'll always be here for you."

Lilian glanced at the item again, walking back to Rob. Without saying anything, she leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "Thanks," Lilian said before turning to walk away again, clutching the shirt to her chest.

Rob leaned against the doorframe, watching her until she rounded a corner. He sighed, resting his head against the cool wood.

Maybe Lilian was right.

Fate did suck.

~/~ Finished 1/1