Disclaimer, etc., in part 1.

Part Twenty-Six

Eve pushed her hair back from her face, the diva looking at her reflection in the mirror, then taking a step back, looking over her ring gear. She'd gotten dressed quickly once she'd made it to the divas' locker room, the woman having Rosa Mendes check and make sure that her gear was properly tied - and double-knotted - in the back. The last thing she wanted was a wardrobe malfunction during a match. It was not one of her goals in life to have something like that plastered all over the internet, that was for sure.

Shaking her head slightly, Eve leaned over to grab her divas' title, draping it over her shoulder, then heading for the door. Punk hadn't actually said anything about her hanging out with him tonight before their match, but she wasn't about to spend more time than she had to in the divas' locker room... At least partly because of the rumors that Seth had told her about earlier. Odds were that if she saw Alicia and Layla - the two that Dean Ambrose had apparently overheard talking - then she might not wait until the match later that night to start a fight with Layla, and Eve knew that wasn't smart. Starting a fight backstage when most people were her enemy was not a good idea at all... So instead of tempting fate, she was seeking Punk out, figuring that they could at least pretend to talk about strategy or something before the match. Hell, she didn't even care if he spent all the time before they had to be at the curtain ranting about the Rock getting a title shot handed to him at the Rumble; she just didn't want to be in the locker room with the rest of the women. Not tonight... Not any night, really. She wasn't exactly close to any of them, and she was barely more than acquaintances with the few that she got along with at the moment. Once upon a time she'd been friends with people like Kelly, but that was a long time ago now, and Kelly was long gone from the company. Not that Eve actually missed her or anything... They'd stopped being friends several months before Kelly had left.

Eve made a face at the thought of her former friend, then shook her head, the diva continuing to walk down the hallway, careful to keep her head held high. She'd decided awhile ago that she would always pay attention to her body language when she was at the arenas... Staring at the floor as she walked or letting her shoulders slump just made her look weak, like an easy target. Walking with confidence and poise made her less approachable, sure, but that was fine with her. There were plenty of people in the company that she didn't want to approach her.

People like Zack Ryder.

She fought the urge to shudder at even the thought of his name, the woman reminding herself that the wrestler was still out with his injuries... Injuries that the men of the Shield had caused. And didn't she just have more and more reason to be grateful to them? Not only had they gone after Zack, something that they couldn't have known would be of help to her, but they'd also helped her intentionally and directly... Ambrose had suggested getting that security tape and they'd all gone with her to get it, and then there was the little fact that she'd likely only left SmackDown in one piece the other night because of Dean Ambrose's quick reflexes in catching her. Yeah... If only the fans knew how people really acted when the cameras weren't on them... Or, in the case of Kaitlyn, when they didn't *know* the cameras were on them.

But they'd know soon. At least, they would know about Kaitlyn.

That thought brought a smile to her face, one that she hadn't completely managed to get under control by the time she'd made her way to CM Punk's locker room and knocked on his door. She figured that Punk would comment on it, probably wonder if Seth Rollins was the reason for her smile, but he wasn't the one that answered the door... Paul Heyman was.

"Ah, Ms. Torres. Punk told me that you were teaming with him tonight. He wasn't sure if you would be stopping by before the match, though. Please, come in," the man said, stepping back and opening the door a bit wider, ushering her into the room as if it were a high-priced home instead of a locker room that badly needed some new carpet.

Punk looked up from his seat on the bench as she entered the room, the man pulling off his headphones and turning off his music as he looked at her. "I guess this means you aren't backing out of the match? Or did you come here to tell me that you *are* backing out of the match?" he asked, and Eve rolled her eyes, dropping her title next to his and making her way over to sit on the bench near him... Not quite close enough to truly be considered next to him.

"When have you ever known me to back out of a match?" she wanted to know, giving the man a look. "Maybe I just came here because the company's better here than it is in the divas' locker room," Eve said, and Punk made a face at that.

"Was Kaitlyn there?"

"I didn't see her. I'm not sure if she's even at the arena tonight."

"Punk explained to me that she attacked you at SmackDown and that I might need to keep an eye out for her during your match tonight. I'll be sure to do so," Heyman said, and Eve looked over at the man. She didn't think she would ever quite trust Paul Heyman but at the moment, she kind of needed him to keep a watch on things, so instead of expressing any doubts she had in him, she nodded.

"Thank you. That would be appreciated."

"Of course. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and check the match schedule. Make sure they aren't throwing us any curveballs tonight," the man said, nodding toward Eve and Punk before stepping out of the room... CM Punk waiting only a few seconds before turning to look at her.

"So... You and Seth Rollins, huh?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, careful to keep her voice even. It wasn't like he knew that the man had asked her out or anything... Not unless he'd been eavesdropping, and she was pretty sure he hadn't been doing that. She hoped.

"Well, the look on his face earlier... The look on your face when you saw him... It was kind of cute, actually," he said, a slightly teasing tone to his voice, and Eve sent the man a look, knowing that if she didn't cut him off now, he'd probably turn into a pain in the ass rather quickly.

"Punk?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you still want me to be your partner tonight?" she asked, and he frowned.

"Of course."

"Then shut up."

"You're no fun."

"And don't you forget it."