CHAPTER NINETEEN: TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT





Eve could rest easy knowing that Rick Flair would keep her secret, but she soon found something else to worry over - Christmas. It was little over a month away and one of her Team Xtreme friends was sure to ask what her plans for the holidays were. They couldn't know from the little she'd told them that she never saw her parents, couldn't until she could go to them with undeniable proof that she'd been right about herself. Maybe not even then. It had been so long, maybe it was too late for her to mend things with them.

Then another disaster hit. The wrestlers were gathered together after Smackdown for an announcement - the Centennial Garden Arena in Bakersfield, California, where the December 27 episode of Smackdown was supposed to be pre-taped on December 21, had burned down, so they were scrambling to find a new place to hold it. That in of itself was no big deal (no one had been harmed when the arena had been destroyed), but then everyone was brought together for the next announcement - where the last Smackdown of the year would be held. Phoenix, Arizona. Where her parents lived. It was only a matter of time before Jeff, Matt, or Lita started asking questions.

Eve considered lying to them, but she didn't see how she could do that now. With all she'd been through with them - especially Jeff - she didn't think that she could abuse the trust of their friendship that way. What was she going to do?

One thing had Eve looking forward to the whole mess - the fact that Dee and Derek lived there, too, close enough for Eve to be able to stay with them.



Jeff noticed Eve acting strangely following the announcement that the year's last Smackdown would take place in her hometown. She didn't seem pleased and he couldn't help wondering why. Could this have something to do with her parents? Sure, she'd said her father wasn't happy in her choice of careers - that's all she'd mentioned about her family, come to think of it - but surely he hadn't held it against her all these years. Whether that was the case or not, Eve wasn't talking - as usual.

At Vengeance, almost two full weeks before they were scheduled to be in Phoenix, Arizona, Vince set Eve up for a Hardcore match with the Big Show. Hard as she tried, Eve's moves were no match for the giant man and she was pinned in less than ten minutes.

Backstage, where Eve couldn't hear, Jeff said, "Can't say I'm sorry to see the back of that belt." Of course he'd neve say that to Eve's face. He'd end up being even happier when she didn't get a rematch.

Flair was quick on the heels of Eve's defeat to give her a Women's title shot. Eve was happy about it until she learned that the match would take place in her home town. Like she needed the added stress of a title shot on top of everything else. She was still waiting for Jeff or one of the others to ask her about her vacation plans. She didn't know that Jeff had warned them off the subject.

Dee sent an invitation through Eve for Jeff, Matt, And Lita to stay at her home while they were in town for the Smackdown event. They were happy to accept, looking forward to staying in something besides a hotel for the first time in a long time (not counting their homes in Cameron, North Carolina, of course).



Late on the night of December 21, 2001...

Jeff and Eve sat up front in a rental van talking quietly while Matt and Lita were cuddled up in the seat behind them, sleeping.

Eve was trying her best to forget the fact that her parents lived less than an hour's drive from Dee and Derek. She hadn't been this close to them in over a year. Before it hadn't been such a big deal, but now she had three friends with her that she didn't want knowing about the sad state of her relationship with her parents. She was trying her hardest to hide her stress and act like she normally would but it wasn't easy. She thought she was successfully pulling it off because none of the three had looked at her strangely or said anything about her behaviour being any different.

Jeff had noticed the changes that Eve was trying to hide, though it wasn't easy. He was only able to sense them because he was so aware of Eve all the time. Just a few days ago at the wrestlers' Christmas party, he'd gone ahead without Eve at her insistence. He'd sensed the very moment that Eve made her entrance and turned to look. She'd made an incredibly gorgeous picture in her long silver-sequined gown - low-cut in the front, backless, and a slit up one side almost all the way up to her hip - and her shiny black hair falling loosely about her shoulders.

"Turn left there," Eve said, pointing out the window at the next street. When Jeff had turned, she said, "It's the fourth house on the right."

"Pretty big," Jeff commented as he pulled up to the iron bars gate.

"You should see it in the daylight," Eve said as Jeff rolled down the window and pressed a button on the intercom box. Eve removed her seat belt and leaned over across Jeff's lap as Derek answered the buzz.

"Hello?"

"It's us, Derek," Eve called into the mechanical device.

"Hey, Eve. Come on in. Third garage has been cleared for you to park in."

"'Kay, see you in a few."

There was a loud buzz and the gates swung open. Jeff drove up to the garage and Eve got out to open the door. Jeff removed his seatbelt and reached into the back seat to shake Matt awake. "We're here, bro."

Matt drowsily opened his eyes and rubbed Lita's shoulder to wake her up.

Derek came out to help them with their bags, telling Eve that Dee had gone to bed a few hours ago.

Matt and Lita were put in a room together, dropping their bags on the floor, kicking off their shoes, and falling into the king-size bed almost the moment they walked in. Eve got the bedroom that was usually hers whenever she came to visit and Jeff was placed into the room next to hers.

"See you tomorrow," Eve said to the two men as she closed the bedroom door.



The next morning Jeff went down to the kitchen, padding softly on bare feet. Before he was about to push open the swinging door, he heard Eve and Dee talking to each other. Though he knew it was wrong, he listened in on their conversation.

"Jeff doesn't know that I haven't seen my parents in five and a half years. I haven't been that open about my past, especially from that point back." Eve, obviously.

"So he doesn't know who your uncle is, then?"

"Please! He doesn't even know that I have an uncle."

*I do now,* Jeff thought guiltily. He couldn't let himself eavesdrop anymore and pushed the door open. Both women looked up at his entrance a little startled. They were probably wondering if he'd heard what they'd said. Until he decided how he was going to deal with what he now knew, he wasn't going to say.