Chapter 04:
Stacy Keibler didn't know how it happened.
One minute, she was raising both Triple H and Shawn Michael's arms in the air triumphantly, and the next, both were down unconscious; knocked out with the steel chair used by the sadistic superstar, Edge.
"Oh my god!" Stacy screamed, backing up into one corner while Edge easily kicked the Cerebral Assassin and the Showstopper off the ring. Both members of DX were too knocked out to be doing anything now. Edge and Lita were drawing near with sick smiles on their faces; like two hungry predators stalking its prey.
Stacy inwardly panicked. Where the hell was Randy at least?
She was sure he wouldn't allow this to happen.
She begged Edge and Lita not to do anything. But her actions and pleas caused them to do the exact opposite. Lita grabbed her hair while Edge continuously mocked her. He was about to set her up for a spear, with the help of his Lita, when all of a sudden, a certain handsome brunette quickly re-entered the ring and blocked Edge's way.
"Randy! What are you doing?!" Edge exclaimed. "Get out of the way!"
Randy raised his head up defiantly. "You're not going to do it, Edge," he said in a low calm voice.
Edge stood up from his position. "What are you talking about?!"
"I said you're not going to do it!" Randy roared, turning to Lita and giving her a threatening look which forced her to let Stacy go. With a roll of her eyes, Lita shoved Stacy into Randy, who easily caught her in his arms.
"Randy…" Stacy started, but was cut off when DX re-entered the ring and all hell broke loose.
"Get out of the ring!" Randy ordered.
Stacy nodded as the brawl compelled her and Lita to exit, thinking it was best not to get involved anymore.
…
Maria sat quietly on a pile of carts and boxes backstage, reading an Archie comic book. She bit her fingernails slightly, swaying her legs to the music playing in her iPod. All of a sudden, a pair of hands covered her eyes and sang a vague, "Guess who?"
Maria giggled. She could tell that voice anywhere. Removing the hands off, she turned around and saw a flash of rainbow-colored hair. "Hey Skittles," she grinned.
"Greetings, Maria," the Intercontinental champion jokingly uttered.
While she was donned in a white crocheted halter dress from Calvin Klein, he was clad in his usual track pants and a black wife-beater, complete with the black nails and the multi-colored braided hairstyle.
"Mind if I sit with you?" Jeff Hardy asked.
"Oh, no! Go ahead!" Maria patted the space next to her. "I watched your match, by the way," she continued. "Melina's such a pain in the butt."
"She is," Jeff nodded. "She's like a tack that's hard to pull out," he grimaced, making Maria laugh. His face suddenly contorted in a worried expression as he asked, "How are you, by the way? After that beating Umaga gave you, I swear…" Jeff shook his head, crushing his left fist into the right palm of his hand.
Maria smiled reassuringly. "I'm alright. It was a good thing John came in time."
"I know. I'm sorry I didn't come out to help him. I should've though! But I didn't know it happened until after the show. You can't imagine how disappointed I got with myself and how scared I was for you!"
Maria blushed. "Don't be silly, Jeff. You don't have to apologize. It's really okay."
"No, it's not!" Jeff raised his voice a little until he realized it, softening it once more. "It's not okay. I promised myself I'd never let that happen again to a girl I deeply care for," he shyly admitted.
"What do you mean?" Maria curiously asked, the blush never leaving her pretty face.
"Ummm…" Jeff scratched the back of his ear. "It happened before," he began. "With Trish."
Maria furrowed her eyebrows. "Oh," she said, suddenly feeling bad for him. She knew that Trish Stratus meant a lot to the Extreme Superstar.
"I should've been there to save her. She expected me to. But that was the same day I got released."
Maria smiled and gave his back a gentle pat. "Well, knowing you Jeff, I'm sure you won't let it happen again."
Jeff grinned, fighting the urge to just grab Maria and plant a kiss on her unsuspecting lips.
