Title: Black Ties and Invitations

Author: Karen U/revivingophelia

Pairing/Character: Eve Torres, Dean Ambrose

Disclaimer: No one you recognize belongs to me

Rating: PG/K+

Summary: Eve has an interesting encounter backstage at the Slammy Awards...

Spoilers: 12/9/13 RAW (Slammy Awards)

Warnings: some language 'cause it's Ambrose

This popped in my head, so I wrote it.

She checked her hair in the mirror, the woman taking a step back and smoothing down her dress. It was red and long and probably quite a bit more conservative than most of what she'd worn when she was a part of the WWE. But she wasn't a diva any longer, instead just a special guest here to present one of this year's Slammy awards.

She hated to admit that she was a little nervous.

Shaking her head, Eve Torres turned away from the mirror and headed out into the hallway, the woman stopping short when she heard a stream of cursing coming from down the hall.

"Shit, shit, damn it, shit... Oh, screw it," a decidedly male voice muttered, irritation very evident in his tone, and Eve frowned a bit before heading down the hallway toward the sound of the voice, the woman stopping short when she saw who it was.

Dean Ambrose... And he was decked out in a suit and tie, the entire outfit - shirt included - done in black.

Wow.

Shaking her head slightly, Eve took another step forward, the sound of her heels against the concrete of the floor finally catching his attention, the man turning to look at her. She saw a flicker of something cross his face - surprise, maybe, though it had been announced that she'd be here - the man quickly covering whatever his reaction was.

"You look good. Great, really," he said after a moment, his gaze moving over her. He gestured toward her. "I like the hair."

"It's a lot easier to deal with like this," Eve replied, reaching up to smooth a piece back. She'd let her hair grow some since she'd first got it cut shortly after leaving the WWE, but it was still a lot shorter than it had been when she'd been a diva. "But, uh, thanks," she said, realizing that he'd complimented her, which meant she should acknowledge that. Stepping a bit closer to the man, she gestured toward the tie that was draped around his neck but not even close to being tied. "Having trouble?"

"I was all for getting clip-ons, but the others said no. So here I am, trying to put on a damn tie without choking myself or looking like an idiot. It's not going very well so far," he told her, and Eve laughed softly, shaking her head.

"No offense, but you don't really seem like the suit and tie type. Not that you don't look good-"

"You think I look good?" Ambrose said with a grin, and Eve rolled her eyes.

"Yes, you look good. I think we've established that we both look good. We've also established that you don't know how to tie a tie."

"I can tie it. Just not well," he said.

"And I can tie them, too. Pretty well, actually," she said, stepping closer to him. She caught the question in his eyes, and she shrugged. "My parents both worked when I was growing up. Dad could never get his tie right and Mom would have to leave before him half the time, so I learned, and I helped him. I've been able to do this since I was about eight years old."

"Well, then, work your magic," Dean told her, the man making a go ahead gesture, and Eve reached for the ends of his tie, frowning a little as she went to work. She could feel his eyes on her as she did so, the man making her feel a little nervous, which led to Eve moving more slowly and deliberately than usual.

Ambrose cleared his throat. "You know, I can barely remember the last time I had to wear a tie. I'm more of a t-shirt and jeans guy, and even when I have to dress up or whatever, I usually just go with a good shirt and skip the jacket and tie crap. That's more Seth and Roman's territory, I guess. They're the ones that voted to go all-out tonight."

"Well, it is the Slammy Awards," Eve said, looking up from working on his tie to grin at him. "It's a very important event, and we all have to dress accordingly."

"Yes, because when there are awards like 'Insult of the Year', it's important to carry yourself with the dignity that an award like that deserves," he told her, earning a snort from the woman, the former diva shaking her head, unable to keep the smile off of her face.

"That's not what you guys are presenting, though, is it?" Eve asked him, and he shook his head.

"Nah. We're doing the 'Double-Cross of the Year'. Personally, I think they should have us say 'screw it' and just take the award for ourselves, but I think they're actually making us hand it over," Ambrose stated, then arched a brow at her. "You have one of the best smiles ever, by the way."

Eve blinked at that, her hands freezing on his tie, the woman looking up at him... Though in truth, given the heels she was wearing, she didn't have to look too far up. They were only a few inches away from being eye to eye, and Eve realized quite suddenly that this was the closest she'd ever been to the man. Biting her lip, she met his eyes for a long moment, then cleared her throat. "I'm not quite sure what to say to that."

"You could always go with 'thank you'. It was just an honest impression, Eve."

"Then thank you," she said quietly, finishing up with his tie, smoothing it down and making sure it was hanging correctly before she stepped back, taking in the full effect. The corner of her mouth curved up in another smile. "Are all three of you going to be wearing all black?" the former diva asked, and Ambrose gave something of a rueful smile.

"Yup. I believe it was Stephanie McMahon's idea, and we just went with it. We wear all black most of the time anyway. Not usually matching suits, though," he said, and Eve's smile widened.

"Wow. The three of you in matching black suits? I'm sure the internet fangirls will be all over that," the woman said, and Dean Ambrose flinched in response.

"Yeah... And that would be another reason why I tend to avoid the internet and have totally sworn off social media. I only have a Twitter account because management wanted me to have one. I can't remember the last time I signed in, and I'm not sure I even know my password anymore," he told her, and Eve nodded.

"Some fans can be crazy. Others are pretty cool. During the last year of my career, I kind of had to remind myself to ignore the comments to what I posted. Too many people think you're the character you play, and they like to hide behind the anonymity of a screen name and say things they would never dare to say face to face," the woman said. "I can understand your reluctance to get involved in that."

"Do you still get that kind of crap?" Dean asked, and Eve shrugged.

"Since leaving? Not so much. Every once in awhile, maybe, but it's pretty well died down. There will always be internet trolls that feel all big and powerful or whatever by trying to bring someone else down, but it's less than it used to be now that I'm gone from the WWE."

"You can block those people, though, right? The trolls or whatever?"

"But then they feel like they got to you, and they just create another handle to go back to trolling. It's a vicious cycle, so I just try to ignore them. And I remind myself that if I ever met them face to face, I could probably choke them out and make them cry," she said with a smile, and Dean couldn't help but grin at her words.

"Yeah, I'd say you probably could. I've heard stories."

"Well, probably only about half of them were true. Maybe three-quarters."

"If it's only half of them, it's still pretty damn impressive. And there's a certain story involving a former superstar, inappropriate behavior, and a very well-applied and effective chokehold that I have been assured is truth and not just rumor," he said, and a smirk touched Eve's lips.

"I regret nothing."

"Apparently you don't deny it, either," he said, stepping a little closer to her, then stopping, Eve quickly realizing why when she heard someone headed their way. Turning to look, she saw Seth Rollins - also in a black suit, his tie perfectly tied and his hair currently down - in the hallway, the man stopping short when he spotted them together. Dean arched a brow at his friend and tag team partner. "What's up?"

"They have the script ready for our part of the show. We're presenting, like, the second award or something. They're trying to make sure we have time to get changed into our gear for later on," Rollins said, then looked over at Eve. "Hey. I hadn't seen you yet, so I was starting to wonder if you'd made it here."

"I was in the divas' locker room getting ready and catching up with everybody for a little while. And then..."

"And then she heard me cussing and came to rescue me from strangling myself with my tie," Ambrose put in when she trailed off, the man pointing to his tie as he spoke. "I couldn't have done this myself."

"You could have asked for help," Rollins said with a snort, and Dean arched a brow.

"I did. I asked for help from the pretty lady. Much better than getting help from you," the wrestler said, then turned to Eve. "I guess I gotta go. Thanks for the help."

"No problem," she said, taking a step back, watching as Ambrose started to head off with Rollins... The man not going very far before stopping to turn back and look at her.

"Hey, um... I guess you're probably hanging out with some of the divas or something after the show, right?" he asked, and Eve bit her lip, then shook her head.

"Nothing planned, really. I got in early and had lunch with a few of the girls, but nothing was planned for later," she told him, and he nodded, shooting a quick look at Seth before speaking.

"Okay, well... Since we're on the west coast, that means the show starts early and is over early, so... Some of us are going out afterward to grab a late dinner. You're welcome to come with us if you want," he said. "You wouldn't be the only woman, either, if that would bother you. I know DB is going to be there, and he always has Brie with him. Summer Rae might be coming, too." He gestured toward his clothes. "And uh, it's black-tie optional. Meaning... I'm gonna be back to t-shirt and jeans."

"Too bad. The reaction you would get walking into a restaurant dressed like that would be a sight to see," Eve replied, then nodded. "As for the invitation... I'd love to. Thanks."

"Good. We'll catch up with you after the show," he said, meeting her eyes for another moment, and Eve nodded.

"I'll see you then," she said, unable to hide the smile that came to her lips as she watched him walk away.

The End