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"Help me with the bandanna Manda?"
"Sure, can't you tie it yourself?"
"My hand's still stiff from practice earlier, Raven drove us hard and I didn't have a chance to get it seen to"
Amanda nodded as she finished neatly tying the Union Jack bandanna over her friend's head. She herself wore a Stars and Stripes one. Shadow's said hand was wrapped carefully wrapped in a bandage having been iced and cold- creamed. She'd made sure she hadn't complained though; Raven thought that it was a sign of weakness and quitters and a verbal lashing from her tutor was not what she needed before a PPV.
"There ya go" Amanda announced
"Thanks"
Shadow turned to inspect her reflection in the mirror. She and Manda had chosen their outfits carefully for the evening since they'd probably be seen backstage dealing with superstars and then out ringside commentating. As well as matching bandannas, they both wore black in different styles. Amanda wore a low-neck dress with a skirt that fell just above her knees with chunky leather shoes while Shadow wore an off-the-shoulder long sleeved top and shorter skirt with matching chunky shoes. Across their chests in swirly silver handwriting were the words The Connection.
"We look great" stated Amanda before Shadow could find something wrong
"But what if we're needed at ringside? We're wearing skirts" panicked Shadow
"We're both wearing hot-pants under our skirts right? So nothing's gonna be seen girl"
"Oh yeah"
Shadow always worried about the PPVs. It was nerve-wracking, especially when so many people came knocking on the door with problems that needed to be sorted by the co-commissioners before the show went on air. They'd already sorted out some lighting problems, music cues and superstar injuries as well as the usual line of superstars demanding why they weren't going to be featured at the event. It was no wonder that Shadow got nervous. It was visible in the way she panicked about everything, even the smallest things like what they wore while Amanda kept a cooler head and kind of exploded suddenly if she was really nervous.
There was a knock at the door and Trish breezed in, looking amazing in a tiny red dress with black strappy shoes.
"Hey there girls, how are doing?" she asked, sitting down without being asked
"Great thanks" Amanda said, trying not to point out Trish's balls in just assuming they wanted her company
"No nerves?" Trish asked
"Oh yeah, big time" blurted out Shadow "Do I look ok? I mean really? We thought two simple ensembles but now I'm not so sure and I've never done commentary before.."
"You look fine, the bandannas are a cute touch" reassured Trish "You look stunning, both of you"
Shadow's face flooded with relief and she leapt forward, drawing the seated Trish into a hug. Amanda rolled her eyes. It wasn't like Trish saved the day or anything dramatic like that.
"So where's your mystery man then?" she asked finally
"Hmmm? Oh he decided not to do the whole WWF New York gig, the Light Heavyweight Champ's there anyway right? Oh what's his name, Lyn something?"
"Jerry Lynn" Shadow corrected with a smile
"Right, so we decided to wait a little longer before unveiling ourselves as a team, maybe till later this week" Trish said, sitting back satisfied with the mysterious tone of her answer
"Oh why the big mystery? I wanna know now" complained Shadow
"Its no big deal" interjected Amanda
"Oh it will be when you find out who it is" Trish vowed with a wide smile
Before Amanda could bite back with another retort, Shadow quickly began admiring Trish's outfit. She had sensed that Amanda's low-level Trish- dislike had flared up quite high today and didn't want a cat-fight to start since it would certainly not be of the Terri and Kat kind. More like the Trish and Lita kind where people got severe injuries. She didn't want her two friends going at it minutes before one of them had to appear on-screen.
She watched Amanda fold her arms and retreat to behind the desk, glowering at Trish. Shadow gave her a warning look. She couldn't understand why Amanda disliked Trish so much. Sure Trish had been suspect in the past, her hatred for Lita ran deep and she loved using her body to get who and what she needed. She'd had a very public affair with the boss of the company and had incurred the wrath of the bosses' daughter, one Stephanie Mcmahon- Helmsley. But Trish had changed, in Shadow's mind. She could move between the ropes, developing into a pretty decent opponent. She seemed to have a few more friends and was starting to dig herself out of the hole she'd got herself into. That at last deserved some respect and some encouragement. Sure, a person's past was an indicator as to what they were like but sometimes, it was good to give people a chance.
"So how's the PPV going?" asked Trish at last
"Good thanks" replied Amanda shortly, not looking up from the papers she was signing "first few matches gone and plenty more to go"
"Looking forward to commentary?" Trish asked
"Should be fun" answered Shadow
"Any sign of our trainer?"
"Well we've trained, hence the hand" Shadow said, holding up her hand "I think I'd better go find him, ask him bout training tomorrow"
She quickly crossed the room before Amanda could protest and slipped out of the door. Amanda frowned after her, her mouth open to yell after her supposed friend. She was going to kill Shadow
*
"Where the hell is he?" muttered Shadow as she stomped through the corridors "I mean I know he has to be mysterious, but this is ridiculous"
She couldn't find Raven anywhere. He always found somewhere peculiar to chill before his match, never in his locker room. She needed to know how strenuous he was planning tomorrow's practice was going to be. Her hand was hurting and though she didn't want to admit that to her trainer, she needed to know. She was walking through some of the darker corridors now; not so many people were about and there was an odd absence of sound. It slightly freaked her out if she was being honest with herself.
Suddenly a hand grabbed her hand and jerked her into the shadows before she could even make a sound of alarm. She was in pure darkness; there was literally nothing to see. Her 'friend' was strong and silent, holding her tightly, allowing her not to struggle
"Get off me you freak" she demanded, trying to kick the person behind her
Why had someone grabbed her? Fear and nerves mounted up in her. It could be Edge and Christian, trying to get back at Manda or Rhyno working for them. As she opened her mouth to do the very girly act of screaming, a hand roughly slapped over her lips. She bit into the flesh but the hand stayed there. Suddenly she was spun around and pushed out into the dim light. Shaken, she looked into the darkness and a voice floated out of it
"How can I help you?"
"Raven?! Couldn't you have just told me?" Shadow exclaimed, exasperated and furious
"I had to be sure"
"Whatever, anyway I just wanted to ask how hard practice is gonna be tomorrow?"
"No change from usual, why?"
"Just wondering"
"Nothing to do with your stiff hand"
There was a pause as Shadow looked deep into the darkness
"It might be something to do with it I guess," she admitted
"I won't be easy on you but I will make allowances"
"Gee thanks"
"What else do you expect, favours because you see something in me you like?"
"You creep!"
Shadow flew into the darkness, fists and temper flaring. Hands easily caught her wrists and suddenly, she found a pair of lips on her own. Raven's lips. He kissed her roughly before shoving her out into the light. She stared shocked into the shadows, trying to pick him out but she couldn't see him. She touched her lips gingerly before glaring hard at where she'd last seen him and marching away. She heard a soft mocking laughter as she did, making her frown even more.
*
"Shadow, where've you been? We've gotta do our colour commentary like now!" hissed Manda, grabbing Shadow by the arm and jerking her towards the curtain
"Sorry, sorry, got a little caught up"
Manda narrowed her eyes and took her friend's appearence in. Shadow's bandanna was off centre and her clothes were rumpled and pulled in different directions. Something had happened
"Ok, what happened?" she demanded, hands on her hips
"Um..nothing?" tried Shadow as she began adjusting her clothes
"Ha! Won't wash with me honey, what happened?"
"Well I went looking for Raven and I...I found him"
"Uh huh"
"Don't use that tone"
"What tone?"
"The tone that says you don't believe me"
"Well I don't"
"I told you the truth"
"Not all of it"
"I don't have to tell you everything"
"Yes you do, it's your duty as one of my best friends"
Shadow stared at Manda and sighed. She wasn't going to get away with dodging the question. She'd have to tell her everything
"Fine, I found Raven, well he found me and roughed me up, thinking I was someone else, I dunno who then I asked him about practice tomorrow, then he teased me about my hand and" Shadow looked down, suddenly embarrassed, unsure of what to say so she said it very quietly "he kissed me"
"What? I didn't quite hear that," said Amanda delighted
Shadow sighed and lifted her head
"He kissed me," she said louder
"Brilliant!" squealed Amanda, flinging her arms around her friend "I'm so psyched for you! I knew you liked him, I knew!"
"Fine, you knew, I got it" Shadow said dully
Amanda stepped back from her friend and looked at her carefully.
"Shadow, what did you do when he kissed you?"
Shadow looked down again and cleared her throat slightly
"I pushed him away"
"One question; why?"
"He surprised me, it was instant reaction"
"Girl we have got to work on your technique"
Before Shadow could snap something back, a stagehand beckoned them forward. Quickly they joined hands and walked through the curtain to their music; a mish-mash of rock pop accompanied by red white and blue lighting effects and a Titantron video of them valeting, wrestling and backstage. Waving to the crowd, they made their way to the announce table where Paul Heyman and J.R were waiting for them. Quickly strapping on headsets, they greeted the men.
"Hello young ladies" J.R said warmly "welcome to ringside"
"Thanks J.R, its great to be here" Shadow replied
"Yeah it's loud out here" added Amanda "the fans are really pumped up huh?"
"And why wouldn't they be? They have a great tag team battle royal to look forward to" replied Heyman "which is going to start right now"
As the Battle Royal began, Shadow and Amanda fielded questions from Heyman and J.R about their relationships with the various men they'd been seen with backstage on camera. It was what they'd expected. Shadow nudged her friend comfortingly when she was asked about Edge and Christian. Suddenly as if they'd heard their names, the sexy blonde Canadians made their way down the ramp to boos and the whispering strains of 'You think you know me'
"And here they are, multiple WWF tag team champions and the men who cost Benoit his two out of three falls match tonight against his nemesis Kurt Angle" J.R reported as they slid into the ring
"Yeah and that was a stupid mistake" retorted Shadow
"Why? Wouldn't you help your friend get their gold medals back? I realise you're not friends with anyone who owns gold medals but its the scenario that counts" Heyman said
"Would you want Chris Benoit mad at you?" shot back Amanda
Edge and Christian meanwhile kept trying to get to ringside to Amanda but their opponents kept dragging them back. Amanda glared back at them.
"A little tension between you and the WWF's premier superstars?" asked Heyman
"First off Heyman, they are not the WWF's premier superstars, there are plenty of people higher on the payroll and the talent roster" said Amanda, giving him her full attention "and secondly, if they have a problem with me hanging out with Chris Jericho, which they obviously do, then they're the ones with the problem and the tension, not me"
"And what is the nature of your relationship with Chris Jericho?" asked J.R
"We're just friends" confirmed Manda "we hang out backstage that's all, we're friends"
"We're friends with a lot of the guys here and the girls," added Shadow "you've seen that, everyone has"
"One of those people being Trish Stratus?" asked J.R
"Yes, Trish has been a great friend, she trains and works out with us and she's great fun" said Shadow enthusiastically
"But Amanda doesn't think that does she?" leered Heyman, spotting Amanda's stormy expression "I think our co-commissioner is jealous of the beautiful blonde"
Before Amanda could cut him off, Edge and Christian eliminated their opponents, leaving them with one more team to face. The sounds of Jericho's familiar music blasting through the speakers confirmed who one half of the team was.
"Here he comes, the man who is going to win this match" crowed Amanda, clapping
"A little premature aren't we missy?" retorted Heyman
"We're about to find out who Jericho's mystery partner is folks" interrupted J.R
Jericho slowly observed the crowd before beckoning to someone behind the curtain. There was a moment's pause before in the relative silence, Chris Benoit calmly walked out. Edge and Christian didn't look thrilled and Amanda and Shadow whooped and cheered.
"Well folks that's answered that question" yelled J.R over the roar of the crowd
"And you're about to see some real action now J.R" said Amanda excitedly "because you thought these two as rivals was bad? That was nothing compared to these two Canadians teaming up"
"Why don't you sign up for Team Canada kid?" snapped Heyman
"And why don't you shove your headset right up your..."
"Man look at that shot!" Shadow saved the day with a significant look at her friend
Amanda shrugged at her partner. Heyman was being an ass and she was retaliating. Shadow would do the same thing if he began talking about Raven. Manda shot a hard glare at Heyman and when she turned back to Shadow, things began happening. Out of nowhere, Edge flew into her, hitting her with a hard flying forearm that knocked her off her seat.
"Manda!" Shadow shrieked
She turned to Edge who was grinning to himself and the boos of the crowd. Narrowing her eyes, she grabbed Manda's chair and struck out at him with it. He ducked and began running around the ring. Shadow ran after him
"Come back you son of a bitch and face me!" she yelled
As she turned around a corner, Christian shot out of nowhere and speared her to the ground. Shadow groaned, her insides felt like they were fire. She rolled over and tried to crawl out of the way. She watched as Benoit grabbed Christian and threw him back into the ring. He looked back at her briefly
"Thanks" she gasped out
Benoit nodded once before diving into the ring to take care of Christian. Shadow felt arms around her, hauling her to her feet. She looked up to find Amanda smiling at her
"You ok there girl?" Manda asked worriedly
"Yeah fine" Shadow replied weakly "I just feel like my insides are inside out, that's all"
"The same feeling seems to be happenin' to my head" confirmed Amanda "lean on me"
"She doing ok?" a third voice asked roughly
Amanda turned to find a sweating Jericho looking at her. To her surprise, he actually looked as though he was actually anxious about Shadow's condition. She hid a delighted smile
"She'll be ok, the spear just caught her by surprise" she told him
"How about you?" Jericho asked
Amanda know this was his own way of showing that he cared so she didn't bother to question him about it. She just shrugged
"He just rung my bell that's all, I'll be fine tomorrow"
"Hit the deck!" hollared Shadow suddenly
She pulled Amanda to the floor with her as Edge careered towards them with a snarl on his face. Jericho wasn't so lucky. He turned right around into a hard clothesline. Amanda and Shadow looked at each other and then grabbed Edge's legs, pulling him to the ground. They scrambled shakily to their feet before stomping on him hard.
"We've got it from here"
Jericho had got to his feet. He motioned to the moaning Edge at their feet
"Benoit and I got this covered" he said again "get back to see the medics"
"We've gotta stick around to see Taker beat Austin" replied Shadow over her shoulder
"He's a one man riot act alone, he'll have Kane to cover his back baby" Jericho insisted, throwing Edge into the ring "get to the back, you both need to see medics"
Amanda nodded and grabbed Shadow up the arm, wrapping one of her friend's arms around her shoulders seeing the way Shadow winced as she moved. Her ribs were still sore. With a last acidic look back at Edge and Christian, they stumbled their half-supported way backstage. When they got there, they were met with a flurry of concern. Lita bounded forward, a look of worry etched on her beautiful face
"Are you ok? That was a real hard spear you got caught with" she asked Shadow
"Yeah my insides are all tied in knots and my ribs aren't so good either" Shadow replied with a weak smile "well done on your match by the way, it was really good"
"Thanks but we can talk about that later, get back to the office, I'll get the medics" Lita ordered as she turned and ran down the corridor.
The Hardyz materialised out of the darkness and silently supported the girls on either side. Shadow smiled gratefully to Jeff as he half-carried her to the office. As they got to the door, she noticed a quick flash of movement. She turned her head to spy Raven moving down the corridor. He nodded to her before moving on. He'd been watching, she realised, perhaps to make sure she was ok. Maybe she'd ask him later but she knew she'd only get a cryptic answer. Matt kicked the door open, having convinced Amanda to let him carry her in though she didn't look very pleased about it
"I can walk by myself Matt" she protested as he took her inside
"Let the medics judge that" he replied, placing her on a chair as Jeff did the same for Shadow
"Need anything else?" Jeff asked them both
Amanda looked at them, realising they were fresh from the tag team turmoil match. They were both wearing the black fishnet tops with dull pink stripes and usual black jeans and were sweating profusely. They hadn't even had a chance to change or shower
"I think you guys should take a wash," she said as way of answer
Matt laughed as he looked down at himself and ran a hand through his shining hair
"I guess we do look kinda rough" he admitted "c'mon Jeff, lets leave the ladies to recover"
They both walked out with friendly waves. Shadow sat back, hoping that with each breath the pain in her ribs would ease. It wasn't looking likely just yet. Maybe some ice would help, she'd ask the medics
"You know what Shadow?" Amanda said slowly, staring across the room at the blank wall
"What?"
"I'm never gonna forgive them now for what they did to us, they just had their last chance"
"Help me with the bandanna Manda?"
"Sure, can't you tie it yourself?"
"My hand's still stiff from practice earlier, Raven drove us hard and I didn't have a chance to get it seen to"
Amanda nodded as she finished neatly tying the Union Jack bandanna over her friend's head. She herself wore a Stars and Stripes one. Shadow's said hand was wrapped carefully wrapped in a bandage having been iced and cold- creamed. She'd made sure she hadn't complained though; Raven thought that it was a sign of weakness and quitters and a verbal lashing from her tutor was not what she needed before a PPV.
"There ya go" Amanda announced
"Thanks"
Shadow turned to inspect her reflection in the mirror. She and Manda had chosen their outfits carefully for the evening since they'd probably be seen backstage dealing with superstars and then out ringside commentating. As well as matching bandannas, they both wore black in different styles. Amanda wore a low-neck dress with a skirt that fell just above her knees with chunky leather shoes while Shadow wore an off-the-shoulder long sleeved top and shorter skirt with matching chunky shoes. Across their chests in swirly silver handwriting were the words The Connection.
"We look great" stated Amanda before Shadow could find something wrong
"But what if we're needed at ringside? We're wearing skirts" panicked Shadow
"We're both wearing hot-pants under our skirts right? So nothing's gonna be seen girl"
"Oh yeah"
Shadow always worried about the PPVs. It was nerve-wracking, especially when so many people came knocking on the door with problems that needed to be sorted by the co-commissioners before the show went on air. They'd already sorted out some lighting problems, music cues and superstar injuries as well as the usual line of superstars demanding why they weren't going to be featured at the event. It was no wonder that Shadow got nervous. It was visible in the way she panicked about everything, even the smallest things like what they wore while Amanda kept a cooler head and kind of exploded suddenly if she was really nervous.
There was a knock at the door and Trish breezed in, looking amazing in a tiny red dress with black strappy shoes.
"Hey there girls, how are doing?" she asked, sitting down without being asked
"Great thanks" Amanda said, trying not to point out Trish's balls in just assuming they wanted her company
"No nerves?" Trish asked
"Oh yeah, big time" blurted out Shadow "Do I look ok? I mean really? We thought two simple ensembles but now I'm not so sure and I've never done commentary before.."
"You look fine, the bandannas are a cute touch" reassured Trish "You look stunning, both of you"
Shadow's face flooded with relief and she leapt forward, drawing the seated Trish into a hug. Amanda rolled her eyes. It wasn't like Trish saved the day or anything dramatic like that.
"So where's your mystery man then?" she asked finally
"Hmmm? Oh he decided not to do the whole WWF New York gig, the Light Heavyweight Champ's there anyway right? Oh what's his name, Lyn something?"
"Jerry Lynn" Shadow corrected with a smile
"Right, so we decided to wait a little longer before unveiling ourselves as a team, maybe till later this week" Trish said, sitting back satisfied with the mysterious tone of her answer
"Oh why the big mystery? I wanna know now" complained Shadow
"Its no big deal" interjected Amanda
"Oh it will be when you find out who it is" Trish vowed with a wide smile
Before Amanda could bite back with another retort, Shadow quickly began admiring Trish's outfit. She had sensed that Amanda's low-level Trish- dislike had flared up quite high today and didn't want a cat-fight to start since it would certainly not be of the Terri and Kat kind. More like the Trish and Lita kind where people got severe injuries. She didn't want her two friends going at it minutes before one of them had to appear on-screen.
She watched Amanda fold her arms and retreat to behind the desk, glowering at Trish. Shadow gave her a warning look. She couldn't understand why Amanda disliked Trish so much. Sure Trish had been suspect in the past, her hatred for Lita ran deep and she loved using her body to get who and what she needed. She'd had a very public affair with the boss of the company and had incurred the wrath of the bosses' daughter, one Stephanie Mcmahon- Helmsley. But Trish had changed, in Shadow's mind. She could move between the ropes, developing into a pretty decent opponent. She seemed to have a few more friends and was starting to dig herself out of the hole she'd got herself into. That at last deserved some respect and some encouragement. Sure, a person's past was an indicator as to what they were like but sometimes, it was good to give people a chance.
"So how's the PPV going?" asked Trish at last
"Good thanks" replied Amanda shortly, not looking up from the papers she was signing "first few matches gone and plenty more to go"
"Looking forward to commentary?" Trish asked
"Should be fun" answered Shadow
"Any sign of our trainer?"
"Well we've trained, hence the hand" Shadow said, holding up her hand "I think I'd better go find him, ask him bout training tomorrow"
She quickly crossed the room before Amanda could protest and slipped out of the door. Amanda frowned after her, her mouth open to yell after her supposed friend. She was going to kill Shadow
*
"Where the hell is he?" muttered Shadow as she stomped through the corridors "I mean I know he has to be mysterious, but this is ridiculous"
She couldn't find Raven anywhere. He always found somewhere peculiar to chill before his match, never in his locker room. She needed to know how strenuous he was planning tomorrow's practice was going to be. Her hand was hurting and though she didn't want to admit that to her trainer, she needed to know. She was walking through some of the darker corridors now; not so many people were about and there was an odd absence of sound. It slightly freaked her out if she was being honest with herself.
Suddenly a hand grabbed her hand and jerked her into the shadows before she could even make a sound of alarm. She was in pure darkness; there was literally nothing to see. Her 'friend' was strong and silent, holding her tightly, allowing her not to struggle
"Get off me you freak" she demanded, trying to kick the person behind her
Why had someone grabbed her? Fear and nerves mounted up in her. It could be Edge and Christian, trying to get back at Manda or Rhyno working for them. As she opened her mouth to do the very girly act of screaming, a hand roughly slapped over her lips. She bit into the flesh but the hand stayed there. Suddenly she was spun around and pushed out into the dim light. Shaken, she looked into the darkness and a voice floated out of it
"How can I help you?"
"Raven?! Couldn't you have just told me?" Shadow exclaimed, exasperated and furious
"I had to be sure"
"Whatever, anyway I just wanted to ask how hard practice is gonna be tomorrow?"
"No change from usual, why?"
"Just wondering"
"Nothing to do with your stiff hand"
There was a pause as Shadow looked deep into the darkness
"It might be something to do with it I guess," she admitted
"I won't be easy on you but I will make allowances"
"Gee thanks"
"What else do you expect, favours because you see something in me you like?"
"You creep!"
Shadow flew into the darkness, fists and temper flaring. Hands easily caught her wrists and suddenly, she found a pair of lips on her own. Raven's lips. He kissed her roughly before shoving her out into the light. She stared shocked into the shadows, trying to pick him out but she couldn't see him. She touched her lips gingerly before glaring hard at where she'd last seen him and marching away. She heard a soft mocking laughter as she did, making her frown even more.
*
"Shadow, where've you been? We've gotta do our colour commentary like now!" hissed Manda, grabbing Shadow by the arm and jerking her towards the curtain
"Sorry, sorry, got a little caught up"
Manda narrowed her eyes and took her friend's appearence in. Shadow's bandanna was off centre and her clothes were rumpled and pulled in different directions. Something had happened
"Ok, what happened?" she demanded, hands on her hips
"Um..nothing?" tried Shadow as she began adjusting her clothes
"Ha! Won't wash with me honey, what happened?"
"Well I went looking for Raven and I...I found him"
"Uh huh"
"Don't use that tone"
"What tone?"
"The tone that says you don't believe me"
"Well I don't"
"I told you the truth"
"Not all of it"
"I don't have to tell you everything"
"Yes you do, it's your duty as one of my best friends"
Shadow stared at Manda and sighed. She wasn't going to get away with dodging the question. She'd have to tell her everything
"Fine, I found Raven, well he found me and roughed me up, thinking I was someone else, I dunno who then I asked him about practice tomorrow, then he teased me about my hand and" Shadow looked down, suddenly embarrassed, unsure of what to say so she said it very quietly "he kissed me"
"What? I didn't quite hear that," said Amanda delighted
Shadow sighed and lifted her head
"He kissed me," she said louder
"Brilliant!" squealed Amanda, flinging her arms around her friend "I'm so psyched for you! I knew you liked him, I knew!"
"Fine, you knew, I got it" Shadow said dully
Amanda stepped back from her friend and looked at her carefully.
"Shadow, what did you do when he kissed you?"
Shadow looked down again and cleared her throat slightly
"I pushed him away"
"One question; why?"
"He surprised me, it was instant reaction"
"Girl we have got to work on your technique"
Before Shadow could snap something back, a stagehand beckoned them forward. Quickly they joined hands and walked through the curtain to their music; a mish-mash of rock pop accompanied by red white and blue lighting effects and a Titantron video of them valeting, wrestling and backstage. Waving to the crowd, they made their way to the announce table where Paul Heyman and J.R were waiting for them. Quickly strapping on headsets, they greeted the men.
"Hello young ladies" J.R said warmly "welcome to ringside"
"Thanks J.R, its great to be here" Shadow replied
"Yeah it's loud out here" added Amanda "the fans are really pumped up huh?"
"And why wouldn't they be? They have a great tag team battle royal to look forward to" replied Heyman "which is going to start right now"
As the Battle Royal began, Shadow and Amanda fielded questions from Heyman and J.R about their relationships with the various men they'd been seen with backstage on camera. It was what they'd expected. Shadow nudged her friend comfortingly when she was asked about Edge and Christian. Suddenly as if they'd heard their names, the sexy blonde Canadians made their way down the ramp to boos and the whispering strains of 'You think you know me'
"And here they are, multiple WWF tag team champions and the men who cost Benoit his two out of three falls match tonight against his nemesis Kurt Angle" J.R reported as they slid into the ring
"Yeah and that was a stupid mistake" retorted Shadow
"Why? Wouldn't you help your friend get their gold medals back? I realise you're not friends with anyone who owns gold medals but its the scenario that counts" Heyman said
"Would you want Chris Benoit mad at you?" shot back Amanda
Edge and Christian meanwhile kept trying to get to ringside to Amanda but their opponents kept dragging them back. Amanda glared back at them.
"A little tension between you and the WWF's premier superstars?" asked Heyman
"First off Heyman, they are not the WWF's premier superstars, there are plenty of people higher on the payroll and the talent roster" said Amanda, giving him her full attention "and secondly, if they have a problem with me hanging out with Chris Jericho, which they obviously do, then they're the ones with the problem and the tension, not me"
"And what is the nature of your relationship with Chris Jericho?" asked J.R
"We're just friends" confirmed Manda "we hang out backstage that's all, we're friends"
"We're friends with a lot of the guys here and the girls," added Shadow "you've seen that, everyone has"
"One of those people being Trish Stratus?" asked J.R
"Yes, Trish has been a great friend, she trains and works out with us and she's great fun" said Shadow enthusiastically
"But Amanda doesn't think that does she?" leered Heyman, spotting Amanda's stormy expression "I think our co-commissioner is jealous of the beautiful blonde"
Before Amanda could cut him off, Edge and Christian eliminated their opponents, leaving them with one more team to face. The sounds of Jericho's familiar music blasting through the speakers confirmed who one half of the team was.
"Here he comes, the man who is going to win this match" crowed Amanda, clapping
"A little premature aren't we missy?" retorted Heyman
"We're about to find out who Jericho's mystery partner is folks" interrupted J.R
Jericho slowly observed the crowd before beckoning to someone behind the curtain. There was a moment's pause before in the relative silence, Chris Benoit calmly walked out. Edge and Christian didn't look thrilled and Amanda and Shadow whooped and cheered.
"Well folks that's answered that question" yelled J.R over the roar of the crowd
"And you're about to see some real action now J.R" said Amanda excitedly "because you thought these two as rivals was bad? That was nothing compared to these two Canadians teaming up"
"Why don't you sign up for Team Canada kid?" snapped Heyman
"And why don't you shove your headset right up your..."
"Man look at that shot!" Shadow saved the day with a significant look at her friend
Amanda shrugged at her partner. Heyman was being an ass and she was retaliating. Shadow would do the same thing if he began talking about Raven. Manda shot a hard glare at Heyman and when she turned back to Shadow, things began happening. Out of nowhere, Edge flew into her, hitting her with a hard flying forearm that knocked her off her seat.
"Manda!" Shadow shrieked
She turned to Edge who was grinning to himself and the boos of the crowd. Narrowing her eyes, she grabbed Manda's chair and struck out at him with it. He ducked and began running around the ring. Shadow ran after him
"Come back you son of a bitch and face me!" she yelled
As she turned around a corner, Christian shot out of nowhere and speared her to the ground. Shadow groaned, her insides felt like they were fire. She rolled over and tried to crawl out of the way. She watched as Benoit grabbed Christian and threw him back into the ring. He looked back at her briefly
"Thanks" she gasped out
Benoit nodded once before diving into the ring to take care of Christian. Shadow felt arms around her, hauling her to her feet. She looked up to find Amanda smiling at her
"You ok there girl?" Manda asked worriedly
"Yeah fine" Shadow replied weakly "I just feel like my insides are inside out, that's all"
"The same feeling seems to be happenin' to my head" confirmed Amanda "lean on me"
"She doing ok?" a third voice asked roughly
Amanda turned to find a sweating Jericho looking at her. To her surprise, he actually looked as though he was actually anxious about Shadow's condition. She hid a delighted smile
"She'll be ok, the spear just caught her by surprise" she told him
"How about you?" Jericho asked
Amanda know this was his own way of showing that he cared so she didn't bother to question him about it. She just shrugged
"He just rung my bell that's all, I'll be fine tomorrow"
"Hit the deck!" hollared Shadow suddenly
She pulled Amanda to the floor with her as Edge careered towards them with a snarl on his face. Jericho wasn't so lucky. He turned right around into a hard clothesline. Amanda and Shadow looked at each other and then grabbed Edge's legs, pulling him to the ground. They scrambled shakily to their feet before stomping on him hard.
"We've got it from here"
Jericho had got to his feet. He motioned to the moaning Edge at their feet
"Benoit and I got this covered" he said again "get back to see the medics"
"We've gotta stick around to see Taker beat Austin" replied Shadow over her shoulder
"He's a one man riot act alone, he'll have Kane to cover his back baby" Jericho insisted, throwing Edge into the ring "get to the back, you both need to see medics"
Amanda nodded and grabbed Shadow up the arm, wrapping one of her friend's arms around her shoulders seeing the way Shadow winced as she moved. Her ribs were still sore. With a last acidic look back at Edge and Christian, they stumbled their half-supported way backstage. When they got there, they were met with a flurry of concern. Lita bounded forward, a look of worry etched on her beautiful face
"Are you ok? That was a real hard spear you got caught with" she asked Shadow
"Yeah my insides are all tied in knots and my ribs aren't so good either" Shadow replied with a weak smile "well done on your match by the way, it was really good"
"Thanks but we can talk about that later, get back to the office, I'll get the medics" Lita ordered as she turned and ran down the corridor.
The Hardyz materialised out of the darkness and silently supported the girls on either side. Shadow smiled gratefully to Jeff as he half-carried her to the office. As they got to the door, she noticed a quick flash of movement. She turned her head to spy Raven moving down the corridor. He nodded to her before moving on. He'd been watching, she realised, perhaps to make sure she was ok. Maybe she'd ask him later but she knew she'd only get a cryptic answer. Matt kicked the door open, having convinced Amanda to let him carry her in though she didn't look very pleased about it
"I can walk by myself Matt" she protested as he took her inside
"Let the medics judge that" he replied, placing her on a chair as Jeff did the same for Shadow
"Need anything else?" Jeff asked them both
Amanda looked at them, realising they were fresh from the tag team turmoil match. They were both wearing the black fishnet tops with dull pink stripes and usual black jeans and were sweating profusely. They hadn't even had a chance to change or shower
"I think you guys should take a wash," she said as way of answer
Matt laughed as he looked down at himself and ran a hand through his shining hair
"I guess we do look kinda rough" he admitted "c'mon Jeff, lets leave the ladies to recover"
They both walked out with friendly waves. Shadow sat back, hoping that with each breath the pain in her ribs would ease. It wasn't looking likely just yet. Maybe some ice would help, she'd ask the medics
"You know what Shadow?" Amanda said slowly, staring across the room at the blank wall
"What?"
"I'm never gonna forgive them now for what they did to us, they just had their last chance"
