"Good luck," Evie said softly before kissing him. It was the night of King of the Ring and Hunter was up next for his title shot against the Undertaker.
Hunter reached for her as her lips came down on his. "I don't know that I'll need it," he stated once the kiss was finished.
"Oh yeah, I forgot, you're The Game," she teased.
He smirked as he left his locker room and headed towards the ring. He met the nWo backstage on his way to the ring. Hunter stopped and embraced his old friends Kevin Nash, X-Pac and Shawn Michaels. They all wished him luck.
"Hey Hunter, if you need us, just throw up the sign and we'll be there," said Nash.
"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind," Hunter replied as he continued on his way.
Hunter lost his match thanks to interference by The Rock. Things got crazy when the referee got trapped in the corner and was smashed by both Taker and Hunter. Suddenly, The Rock came down to the announce table, sending Paul Heyman into a tizzy and running off. With the ref still down, Undertaker grabbed a steel chair. He never got around to using it because Hunter managed to knock it out of his hands. Outside the ring, Taker nailed Rocky with a cheap shot. The Rock tried to hit Taker with the steel chair, but wound up hitting Hunter by accident. Back in the ring, Taker delivered the Last Ride to a bloody Hunter. Another referee dashed into the ring to call the match, but after counting to two on the attempt, Hunter kicked out. The ref was thrown out of the ring by Taker. Suddenly, Rocky dashed in and Rock Bottomed Taker before heading up the ramp. Hunter collected himself and draped his arm over Taker. The first ref finally shook off the effects of being knocked out and began to count, but Taker kicked out on the two-count. Hunter delivered a Pedigree to Taker and Taker was sprawled out on the mat. The ref couldn't count right away as he was still in pain. Hunter attempted to pull him over to count the fall, but Taker delivered a low blow to Hunter. He then rolled up Hunter and got the pin fall.
The Rock stormed back to the ring and delivered a People's Elbow to Taker. He then walked over to Hunter to help him up and Hunter gave him a Pedigree. Taker collected himself and choke slammed Hunter. He left both men lying in the ring.
Evie sighed as she stood up and walked back to the triage area. This was fast becoming the norm. She arrived just as they brought Hunter in. She stood out of the way as they cleaned him up and assessed his injuries. Evie looked up as someone else came in, followed by a very large man and a smaller one.
"How is he?" the first man asked.
The medic looked at him. "He's out of it. That last blow did him in. We'll get him stitched up, but that's about all we can do right now Mr. Michaels."
Shawn nodded as the medic continued to work on Hunter. He turned to Nash and X-Pac and caught sight of Evie out of the corner of his eye. He glanced at Nash and nodded his head toward Evie. Nash just shrugged his shoulders and mouthed that he didn't know who she was.
Shawn sauntered over to her. "I don't believe I've seen you around before. Who might you be?"
Evie turned her cool gaze on him. "What's it to you?"
He held up his hands in mock surrender. "S'cuse me little lady. I was just wonderin'. You seem to have quite an interest in my friend there." He gestured to Hunter.
"I would. I'm his personal assistant."
Shawn glanced over at Nash again with both eyebrows raised. This could be promising. Nash smirked as Shawn turned his attention back to Evie. He motioned to Nash and X-Pac and they stepped closer. "This is Kevin Nash and X-Pac. I'm Shawn Michaels, by the way." He held his hand out to Evie.
"Evie," she said as she shook Shawn's hand, then Nash's. X-Pac just gave her a small wave.
"How long have you been working for him?"
"Over a year now." Evie wondered what this was leading to.
Shawn ran his hand over his chin. "So you two are close then? I mean, close enough for you to bend his ear about something?"
Her green eyes narrowed. "Depends on what it is. Hunter pretty much makes up his own mind about things."
"Well, we want Hunter to join our little group. I was wondering if you could bring it up to him. When he's feeling better of course."
"I'll mention it to him," she said as she watched the medics finish up on Hunter.
Shawn smiled. "I appreciate that Evie. Thanks." He noticed that the medics were trying to sit Hunter up. "Would you like us to give you a hand?"
"If it's not a problem. I doubt I can manage him in that state," she chuckled.
Nash and Shawn threw Hunter's arms over their shoulders and maneuvered him out into the hall and followed Evie to the car, X-Pac trailing behind them. They managed to get him into the passengers' seat. Shawn looked at Evie. "Are you gonna need some help at the hotel too?"
Evie shook her head. She noticed that Hunter had started to come around. "I think I can manage from here, but thanks."
"Not a problem, Shawn replied as he and Nash stepped back from the car. "We'll be waiting to hear from him regarding his decision."
She waved as she closed the door on the passenger side and got in on the driver's side. All three men watched as she pulled out of the parking lot.
"Whaddya think Shawn? Ya think he'll go for it?" asked Nash.
"He will if he knows what's good for him," Shawn replied.
X-Pac finally spoke up. "If she tells him."
"Oh she will." Shawn smiled. "She will."
********************
Evie did bring it up to Hunter later in the week. He dismissed it with a wave of his hand, stating that he'd think about it.
The following Monday, Shawn was in the ring with Nash and Big Show, talking about how hard it is for a family to operate when one of them is out with injuries. Shawn stated that the newest member of the nWo needs some time to rest, but when he returns, he will make the nWo even better. That person being Hunter himself.
Then the phone calls started. Shawn or Nash would call him every other day under the guise of checking on his health, but eventually asking if he had made up his mind yet. Hunter kept putting them off, telling them he was still considering it.
He dropped his phone on the bed and closed his eyes. This was starting to bug him. He figured he'd just stop answering his phone if either of their numbers came up on the display. He was rested up from his injuries, but now he had to face mediation with Stephanie regarding their divorce. There was property to divide and he wasn't looking forward to arguing with her. Between that and the nWo pressuring him for a decision, he was almost at the end of his patience.
He heaved himself off his bed and headed to his weight room. It was quiet in the house. Evie had gone to pick up groceries and a few other things for him. He had come home to rest up and prepare for the mediation. He told Evie she didn't have to come with him, but she insisted, suggesting to him that she could give him her own type of therapy.
While he set up the weights he was going to use, he grinned at the thought of the "therapy" she had given him the other night. The thought quickly disappeared as he got into his routine. He concentrating on it so much that he didn't hear Evie come in.
Not wanting to disturb him, she quietly sat down on one of the benches and watched. The sweat coated his skin, dripping down his face, his arms and his chest. His muscles bunched and contracted underneath his tanned skin. The thought of trailing her fingers over all that flesh and muscle distracted her so much that she didn't hear him speak to her.
"Evie!" he said loudly.
The sound of his voice startled her out of her reverie. "Sorry Hunter," she murmured sheepishly.
He grinned. "How long have you been sitting there?"
"Not long. Maybe about ten, fifteen minutes."
He nodded as he picked up a towel and wiped his face off. "Did you get everything?"
"Yeah I did. By the way, did you turn your cell off?"
"Uh huh. I got tired of picking it up and hearing either Shawn or Kev at the other end. Why?"
She made a face. "Now they're calling me. They want to know if you made a decision yet and if not, can I use my female persuasion on you."
Hunter groaned in disgust. "Damn them! It's bad enough with them harassing me, now they've started on you." He threw the towel down.
She let out a small laugh. "First Stephanie and then Jericho, now those two. I should have asked for harassment compensation."
Despite his mood, he smiled as well. "I'll tell Linda you deserve a big bonus."
"I'd rather have you give me a 'big bonus'," she said suggestively as she stood up.
He rolled his eyes at her play on words. "Would you now?"
A knowing smile crossed her lips. "Oh yeah."
Hunter smirked as she moved closer to him. "I think I can arrange that."
She wrapped her arms around his waist. "What are you waiting for then?"
*****************
Hunter had stopped answering the nWo calls all together. So instead of letting him make up his mind without pressuring him, they had taken to threatening him with a thrashing on RAW, if he didn't have an answer in the next week or so. Hunter was more preoccupied with the mediation than the nWo. He had spent the past few days going over everything with his lawyer. He wanted to be prepared for anything Stephanie might try to pull on him. Evie finalized his travel arrangements and confirmed his ticket. They had come to an agreement that she would stay at his house until he came back since she wouldn't be going with him.
Evie continuously received calls from Shawn. He was still trying to get her to influence Hunter's decision. Evie tried to be as polite as she could, but the calls were starting to try her patience as well.
"Shawn, as much as I understand you're desire to have Hunter's answer be yes, I am getting tired of hearing your voice."
"Ouch. I'm just trying to be friendly doll. You don't have to be mean."
"Regardless if you're being friendly or not, I'm still tired of you calling me and trying to get me to somehow influence his decision. Hunter can make up his own mind." She paused for a couple of seconds. "I'm sure you mean well Shawn, but you're starting to piss me off and that's not a good thing."
Shawn conceded graciously. "All right. I'll stop. But you tell him that I want a decision. I'm not someone he wants for an enemy."
"Duly noted and filed. I'll let him know."
Evie hadn't realized how quiet it was going to be without him around. She had become so accustomed to having him nearby that it was strange when he wasn't there. She kept herself occupied with swimming, running and using his weight room.
She collapsed in Hunter's bed after a long run and an even longer shower. Her thoughts lingered on him as she settled down under the blankets and pulled his pillow close just so she could smell the faint scent of his cologne. She found it a bit disconcerting that she missed him more than she thought she would. Even more so when she realized that her feelings for him had grown even stronger over the past months. He had never professed anything for her except that he was attracted to her.
Ahh. You knew what you were going to get yourself into girl. Don't rush it. Don't push him into admitting anything that he may not feel. This may all be just a fling to him.
She wrinkled her nose up at that last thought. It may be only that to him. Somehow she didn't think it would be, but until he told her otherwise... She pushed the thoughts from her mind as she closed her eyes.
Hunter quietly crept into his room and set his suitcase down. The faint sound of her breathing drifted across the room. He smiled as he quickly stripped off his clothes and left them on the chair. As he approached the bed, he looked down at her. She was illuminated by the faint light of the moon coming in from the skylight. She was curled up on her side, clutching his pillow. Swiftly and softly, he slid underneath the blankets and curled up against her back. He buried his face in the nape of her neck, inhaling her scent. He gently kissed the back of her neck and she stirred.
"Hunter?" she said sleepily.
"Yeah it's me."
"What're you doing home? You weren't coming back for another two days. Is everything okay?"
He smiled. "Everything's fine. We got done early and I didn't want to stay any longer than I had to, so I came home." He nuzzled her neck. "Besides, I missed you," he whispered.
"I missed you too," she said as she turned over to face him.
He brushed away some hair that had fallen across her face and then kissed her. He rolled onto his back, pulling her with him so that she was resting in the crook of his arm, her head on his shoulder.
"How did things go?" she asked.
"We can talk about it in the morning," he said softly. "Go back to sleep."
"Too late. I'm awake now." She rested her hand on his chest.
Hunter sighed. "Things went fine. Strange, but fine"
"Strange? How so?"
He paused for a minute, trying to sort out how to explain it; then- "It was like she didn't care so much about what she walked away with. She was being agreeable about things, which was strange in itself. I dunno." He shook his head slightly. "It was like she had grown up a bit I guess."
"Stephanie? Grown up? That is strange."
He smiled. "Yeah it is. I mean, she was still sort of cold towards me, but polite. She didn't go out of her way to give me a hard time."
"Maybe there's hope for her yet," Evie muttered.
"Maybe. But we'll see won't we?" He didn't mention the fact that Stephanie had approached him at the hotel to talk to him. She had tried to persuade him to give it one more chance, but he told her that he didn't want to. There was no guarantee that she wouldn't pull the same crap with him. She had told him that she was past all that. He told her he'd believe it when he saw it, but as far as he was concerned, their relationship was over. To her credit, Stephanie walked away without any parting comments.
He pulled Evie closer and he was comforted by her warmth against him. He was amazed at how much he had missed her. He never noticed how much of a part of his life she had become until he had spent the past few days alone in Stamford. Strange to not notice how much he relied on her, not only for her job, but in other aspects as well. It scared him when he had realized that his feelings for her were deeper than he had thought. It made him feel vulnerable and it frightened him. He didn't think he'd be so open to these types of feelings so soon.
Evie moved so that she could look at him, one arm draped across his chest, the other propping her head up. "You're awfully quiet."
"Just tired," he replied simply.
"Only tired or real tired?"
He smiled. "I'm not that tired. What did you have in mind?"
She leaned over and kissed him. He promptly forgot what he had been thinking about as her lips came down on his.
*****************
Over the course of the next few weeks the nWo disbanded due to infighting, giving Hunter one less thing to be concerned about. However, the former owner of WCW, Eric Bischoff, had been appointed general manager of RAW and Stephanie had been named as general manager of SmackDown!. Vince McMahon had stated that all contracts were open to negotiations. Evie sighed in resignation at the latter event. It remained to be seen what Stephanie might do to get Hunter to stay with SmackDown. Then again, Eric Bischoff had approached Hunter about jumping ship to RAW.
Evie was on her way back to Hunter's dressing room when one of the go-fers approached her.
"Scuse me. Evie? Ms. McMahon would like to see you in her office."
"Is that so?" Evie asked. When the girl nodded, Evie gestured down the hall. "Lead the way then."
When they arrived at Stephanie's office, the girl knocked on the door and then opened it slowly. "Ms. McMahon? She's here."
The door swung open to reveal Stephanie on the other side. Gone were the trashy clothes, the heavy make up and the untamed mass of hair. Instead Stephanie was attired in a suit, her make up was tastefully applied and her hair was sleek and straight. "Come in Evie."
Evie stepped in and closed the door behind her. "What can I do for you Stephanie?"
The other woman came around the front of her desk and perched on the corner. "I know that you don't care much for me, but I wanted to talk to you." She paused for a few seconds then spoke up again. "I know I wasn't very nice to you and I would like to apologize for my past behavior. Over the past few months, I've been thinking about a lot of things and I came to the conclusion that I can't afford to be the person that I used to be anymore."
Evie said nothing. This was a bit of a surprise. Stephanie actually apologizing? Maybe she had grown up. She let her continue.
"So I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry and I'm going to try my best to do what I think is right for this brand and this company." She looked expectantly at Evie.
"I appreciate your honesty and apology Stephanie, but I have the feeling that's not the only reason you wanted to talk to me," Evie responded.
Stephanie smiled. "No, it's not. It's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about."
"The other being..." Evie trailed off.
"Hunter," Stephanie replied simply.
Evie grinned. "I kinda figured that."
"I would like him to stay with SmackDown. I know that he and I, and even you and I, have had our differences in the past, but I really would like to him to remain with this brand." She stood up. "I know what he's capable of and I think he would be a great asset."
"And you would like me to bring it up to him," Evie supplied.
Stephanie smiled again. "Yes I would. I know that you have been closest to him lately and that he does listen to you. It would be appreciated if you talked to him about this."
Evie sighed. "I'll bring it up to him, but I can't guarantee that he'll stay." She smirked. "Besides, you know how he is when he makes up his mind about something."
"Yes I do," Stephanie replied. "I just want to cover all my bases before Bischoff does."
"Understandable. For what I've heard about the man, he's not exactly scrupulous."
Stephanie chuckled. "No he's not. I don't understand what my father was thinking, but there it is."
"Well, I'll speak to Hunter about sticking around, but like I said, I can't guarantee anything."
"I know. And I appreciate you talking to him," Stephanie said as she walked Evie to the door.
Evie ran smack into Jericho as she left Stephanie's office. "Oh great. As if things couldn't get any better," she said sarcastically
"It could get better sweetheart," Jericho smirked. "You can meet me in my hotel room and I'll make it better." He grabbed her and pressed her against the wall suggestively.
Evie glared up at him. "If you don't let go of me right now..."
Jericho said nothing. Instead, he kissed her hard then jumped back and let her go, avoiding her knee that had jerked up in self-defense. "Just a little taste of what you're missing." He smirked again. "And don't think that you can avoid me. I'll always be around." He walked into Stephanie's office without knocking.
Evie scrubbed her hand across her mouth, trying to rid herself of the sensation of Jericho's lips on hers. If she had had any food in her stomach she would have promptly thrown it up. She didn't understand what the wretched man found so fascinating in tormenting her. She shivered in repulsion as she thought about him doing anything else to her and immediately her stomach heaved.
Sorry Steph, but in all honesty, I hope Hunter does go to RAW. Just to get away from Jericho would be good enough for me. She walked back to Hunter's dressing room.
"Where the hell have you been?" Hunter asked as she came in.
"I had something to take care of. Why?"
He shrugged. "I was concerned. Jericho's been prowling around you know."
Evie nodded. "Yeah, I know." She swiped her hand across her mouth again.
Hunter's eyes narrowed as he watched her. Something was up. "What happened?"
She looked up. "Nothing."
"Don't tell me nothing. Something happened. What was it?" he demanded.
A heavy sigh escaped her and she told him what Jericho had done. His eyes blazed at the thought of Jericho's mouth on Evie. The man had no right to touch her. Then he realized Evie had mentioned she was coming out of Stephanie's office.
"Wait, back up a second. What were you doing in Steph's office?" he asked.
"She wanted to talk to me about a couple things."
"What things?" he asked.
Evie looked at him. "Believe it or not, she actually apologized to me for the way she acted towards me before your divorce."
His eyes widened. "You're kidding right?"
She smiled as she shook her head. "Afraid not Hunter. And then she asked if I could talk to you about staying with the SmackDown brand." Evie explained what Stephanie had said to her regarding Hunter and SmackDown.
Hunter stood there, speechless for a few seconds. He found it hard to believe that Steph had apologized to Evie and that she actually wanted Hunter to remain with her brand, but it also sounded like she was up to something. "I dunno Evie. It seems kinda funny to me. She says she's sorry to you and then asks you for a favor? Something's not right."
"I told her that I'd talk to you about it, but couldn't promise that you'd stay. Frankly Hunter, I'd almost prefer you to go to RAW. Just to get away from Jericho would be nice."
"Yeah, Jericho." His face hardened. "Seems I have a score to settle with him," he muttered.
A knock at the door interrupted Hunter's thoughts. He swung it open and found another go-fer on the other side. "What do you want?" he asked gruffly.
The person stammered that Eric Bischoff was waiting in a limo for Hunter.
"Tell him I'll be there in a minute," he responded and closed the door. He turned to Evie. "Take our things back to the hotel. I have some business to discuss with Bischoff."
"So you've already made up your mind about where you're gonna go?"
Hunter shook his head. "Not yet, but I wanna hear what he has to say." He picked up his own bag as Evie gathered up her things. "I'll walk you out to the parking lot. Take the rental. I'll be back when I get done with Bischoff."
They headed towards the parking lot. Evie heard footsteps behind them and turned to see both Marc Lloyd and Stephanie following them. Hunter glanced at Evie and nodded towards the rental car. She headed towards it, climbed in and left the lot as Stephanie approached Hunter, pushing Lloyd aside.
"Hunter! I need a few minutes to talk business."
Hunter waved her away. "Not now Steph. I'll talk to you on Sunday at Vengeance," he replied as he slid into the limo.
Stephanie glared as Bischoff waved at her from inside, a smarmy grin on his face. The door closed and the limo pulled away, leaving Stephanie standing there.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I wasn't expecting so many, or that people were actually still reading this. I appreciate the feedback and am glad that everyone is enjoying reading it as much as I am writing it.