"Damn you Michaels," muttered Hunter as he struggled to remove his elbow pads. He grunted as he managed to pull one off and then the other. As soon as he had flung them down on the bed, he leaned over to unlace his boots. His muscles ached in protest as he reached down to tug on the laces and he grimaced. It was definitely worse when he bent over. His jaw hurt even more, if that was possible. He absentmindedly rubbed the spot on his chin where Shawn had nailed him earlier that night.
"Damn you Michaels," he muttered again. "I'm gonna break you in half when I get my hands on you." The pain was more than he could bear and he gave up on untying his boots and lay back on the bed. "Evie!" he yelled. When she didn't respond right away, he bellowed for her again.
"What are you screaming about?" she said as she came through the adjoining door.
One arm came up and he pointed down at his boots. "I need some help."
Evie shook her head as she walked over and knelt down on the floor in front of his legs. "Too tired or it hurts too much?" she asked as she undid one set of laces.
"Both," he replied in a tired voice.
She repressed a chuckle, knowing that he wasn't in the best of moods. He had been quiet in the limo all the way back to the hotel. He had dismissed Ric's indignant replay of the match with a wave of his hand, indicating that he didn't want to talk about it or hear about it. He had hardly said anything as they all went to their rooms.
Quickly she finished unlacing his boots and one by one, she pulled them off. "Braces too?" she asked as she set the footwear aside.
"Yeah if you don't mind."
She got up on her knees and pushed his legs apart so she could work on the braces. She deftly unfastened one and chuckled.
"What?" he asked in a raspy voice.
"Just wondering what this might look like if someone walked in," she commented as she slid the first brace off and dropped it on the floor.
He laughed softly in response. "I guess it would look kinda compromising. But I don't hear you complaining. Evie gently pinched the soft skin on the underside of his knee and he jumped. "Don't do that unless you mean it," he said in a mock suggestive tone.
She didn't reply, but undid the second brace and pulled it off. As she dropped it on the floor, she stifled a sigh at the sight of the man stretched out on the bed in front of her. Her gaze traveled up over his legs to his stomach and chest and then back down. Her eyes lingered on his thighs and she had a sudden urge to lean over to kiss and bite them. Squashing down the impulse, she stood up, gently dragging her fingertips down the scar on his left leg and across his knee.
Hunter's eyes shot open at the sensation. What the hell? He shifted his head so he could look at her and wondered why she had touched him like that. Her back was to him as she set his boots and braces against his duffle bag. She was wearing a black robe that he hadn't seen before, and wondered if she had the black nightgown on underneath. He felt himself stir as he remembered what she had looked like in that nightgown.
She turned around to find him looking at her and was amused to see the slight bulge in his trunks. She half smiled. He might be bruised and battered but his libido seemed to be functioning perfectly fine.
"What are you smiling for?" he asked as he noticed the expression on her face.
"No reason," she replied, still wearing the half smile.
"Well then, make yourself useful and help me with my trunks," he said innocently.
Evie raised an eyebrow. "Hunter you are perfectly capable of taking those off yourself."
He smiled as he propped himself up on his elbows. "Gimme some help will ya?"
"And if I do?" she asked. When Hunter's eyebrows wiggled suggestively, her shoulders shook in amusement. "I'm serious Hunter," she said when she had finished laughing.
"I won't bite," he said in a low voice.
"You promise?" she asked as she tried not to laugh.
He held up two fingers. "Scout's honor," he answered harmlessly.
Evie cocked her head to one side as if she were considering his words. So he wants to play his little games? She had been trying her best to keep him at arms length when it came to physicality, but she decided that maybe it was time to let herself have a bit of fun. She was feeling a little playful this evening and it was about time he endured some physical torture from her. Of course, this would only encourage him and make him even harder to resist, but she figured it was only fair. So be it. Let's raise the stakes a bit and make this interesting.
Taking up the challenge, she walked back over to the bed, stopping between his legs. She stood there for a few seconds, letting the satiny fabric of her robe brush against his legs. Slowly and deliberately, she unfastened the sash and leaned over him, allowing the robe to fall open and expose her cleavage. She reached up to the top of his trunks. Her fingers grasped the fabric and gently tugged at the waistband.
Hunter's eyes grew slightly wide at her actions. He hadn't really expected her to take him up on this. He had expected her to make some sort of excuse and then disappear into her room. But now that she had started, he might as well make the most of it. He kept his face impassive as he enjoyed the brief touch of her fingers against the skin of his waist as they wrapped around the elastic of the waistband. He arched his lower back up so she could pull the briefs down. The feel of her fingers on his skin and of the fabric sliding down, coupled with the way she looked as she bent over him, caused him to become aroused.
Slowly she peeled the garment down, inwardly laughing at his obvious reaction to her. She raised her eyes to meet his as she tried to delicately work around the hardening flesh. "A little excited Hunter?" she asked in a soft voice.
A small smile played across his lips. "Kinda hard not to be," he replied. And you wearing that nightgown isn't helping calm me down either.
An exasperated sigh slipped out at his choice of words as she continued to work the garment down over his hips and backside. She let her fingers glide across the tender skin of his hips and then down over his thighs as the trunks moved lower.
Quiet laughter issued from her as he closed his eyes to enjoy her ministrations. She knelt down between his legs as she pulled the trunks down over his knees and calves and then over his feet. She remained where she was for a few seconds to enjoy the sight of him lying on his back with nothing on. Of course that didn't help her present state either, but she was determined to pay him back for the kisses he had teased her with.
Let's see how you like being on the receiving end. Still kneeling on the floor, she impulsively reached up and caressed one thigh, which elicited a small groan from him. The trunks fell to the floor as she reached up with the other hand and repeated the act on the other thigh. Hunter groaned again.
"Evie," he bit out. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." He was already aroused and her touch was only adding fuel to the fire.
She ignored him and continued to smooth her hands over the tanned skin, enjoying the way he felt. Her hands slid lower, over his knees, down the backs of his calves and then up to his thighs again. The urge she had earlier came back and she had to restrain herself from leaving love bites on the tender skin. Instead her hands traveled up to the sensitive juncture of thigh and hip and then withdrew.
Hunter opened his eyes, noticing that she had stood up. "Why did you stop?"
Her face wore a mixed look of mischief and desire as she gazed down on him. "Because," she finally said.
He sat up. "Because why?"
"Because it's late, I'm tired and we have to get up early," she responded with a smirk as she backed away from him.
He was stunned. She was just going to leave him here like this? "Wait," he said as she turned and headed for the adjoining door, the robe billowing out behind her.
Evie paused in the doorway and turned her head towards him. "Goodnight Hunter."
"Evie, you can't..." he trailed off as she simply smiled at him and closed the door. He remained where he was, staring at the door as he replayed what had happened in his mind. With a groan and a smile, he fell back on the bed again. Maybe her resolve was cracking. Maybe she was giving in.
Maybe she's paying you back for all the small torments you've inflicted on her over the past weeks.
I haven't been tormenting her, he answered in weak protest to that small voice in the back of his head.
Boy, you are dumb aren't you? Haven't you been noticing her reactions to you every time you kiss her? Or are you that blind?
He snorted in response. He wasn't blind. He knew from the way she had responded to him that she did want more than kisses. She was just reluctant to let it go any further. And for the life of him, he couldn't quite figure out why.
You know exactly why she won't, so don't play stupid. You know what she's waiting for.
Hunter squirmed uncomfortably. I don't know. The last time I said that to someone, things got fucked up fast...
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Use the same old damn excuse why don't you? Like this hasn't been said before. You're scared shitless. You're afraid to admit that you love her because...
Because I'm afraid the whole relationship will end up like it did with Stephanie. And I really don't want to go through all that again, he reluctantly admitted.
That entire situation had hurt him more than he liked to admit. Sure it had started out to mutually benefit both of them, but somewhere along the way he had fallen in love with Stephanie. She had her moments when they were alone where she would become the sweet person she had been before their marriage of convenience. But eventually whatever feelings she might have had for him had faded on her end, even though she had told him countless times she loved him. As soon as he was out of sight with his injury, he was out of her mind and she had taken up with someone else. Not to mention that she pushed her own agenda ahead, leaving him in Birmingham as she got her revenge against dear old dad.
But Evie isn't Stephanie. You know that. Evie's told you that. And if you think she's going to wait around for you to let her know how you feel, then you are crazy. You need to tell her how you feel.
Hunter didn't respond. Instead he rolled over onto his stomach, lay his head on his arms and shut his eyes. That didn't help quell the images of Evie bending over him, touching him, teasing him. The thoughts pushed onward, displaying what might have happened if she hadn't stopped. What he wished would have happened. A groan escaped him as he rolled off the bed and headed for the bathroom.
Not helping yourself are you? asked the voice with a hint of amusement. Doesn't matter how much you deny it, she's gotten under your skin.
"Shut up," he growled as he ran the water for a shower.
The voice laughed softly as Hunter stepped into the cascade of cold water.
*************************************
Evie doodled on a note pad as she waited for Hunter's house show match with RVD to finish. RVD had been thoroughly upset at not winning the number one contenders match and had challenged Hunter to a regular match, just so he could take his aggression out on the other man. She was blessedly alone as Ric had accompanied Hunter ringside. So far, Ric had behaved himself, but she still kept an eye on him all the same.
She sunk farther down into the cushions, making herself comfortable as her thoughts turned to what had happened between her and Hunter on Monday night. A smile appeared as she remembered his reaction to her leaving. When she had closed the adjoining door, she leaned against it, trying to calm herself. As much as she had enjoyed tormenting Hunter, she knew she was going to have her work cut out for her in resisting him long enough to find out how he felt for her. She still hadn't broached the subject with him. With one thing and another, it had gotten pushed to the side, but she was still determined to talk to him about it.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the door swung open and Hunter walked in with a smile on his face. She promptly sat up. "What happened?"
"I beat the bastard. That's what happened," he responded. "Ric distracted the ref long enough for me to get the pin." He bent over his bag, pulling clothes out. "I'm gonna go shower and change."
"Where's Ric?" she asked nonchalantly.
"He's accompanying Batista to his match," Hunter responded as he headed for the shower.
Hunter swiftly showered and changed into his clothes. He came back out to find Evie in the same spot he had left her, still drawing on a pad of paper. "Whatcha drawing?"
"Nothing, just doodling," she said as she looked up at him. "You didn't take long."
He smiled as he packed away his gear. "You complaining?"
"No," she said with a laugh.
He walked over to her and pulled her up off the sofa. "Well let me give you something to complain about then."
Evie noticed the impish look in his eyes. "I've got a bad feeling about this," she murmured.
Hunter didn't say anything. Instead he encircled her with his arms and pulled her up against him. His mouth came down on hers fiercely. One of his hands buried itself in the soft hair at the nape of her neck as the other pressed her against him.
Her lips parted and his tongue slid in, tasting her. She moaned into his mouth and her fingers threaded in his damp hair, pulling him closer. His tongue withdrew and he briefly sucked on her full lower lip and then slid his tongue across it. He felt her shiver in his arms as his mouth descended on hers again.
Evie leaned into him, trying to will herself to stop trembling, but she couldn't. Again she wondered how this man could set her whole body on fire with just a kiss. The thought was swiftly lost as he continued to lave her lips and the inside of her mouth with his tongue.
Hunter finally broke the kiss. He looked down at her. Her lips were swollen from the attention he had lavished on them. Her breathing was ragged and her hair slightly disheveled. He smiled at her.
"What?" she asked, still slightly out of breath.
"That was just a small taste of revenge for Monday night."
She bowed her head as she smiled in response. Gently she tugged at the button on his shirt. "If that's just a small taste, I hate to think what the rest of it entails."
Hunter laughed wickedly as he disengaged his hands from her waist and hair.
"Oh great. Now I've got a really bad feeling about this," she said as she lifted her eyes to meet his. Her smile faded and her expression became serious. "Hunter?"
"What?" he asked as he smoothed her hair back from her face.
Evie took a breath and exhaled. Now was as good as time as any to ask him. "I want to ask you something."
"What's that?" he asked as he glanced at her.
"I need to know-" she started, but was interrupted as the door opened and Ric walked in. Evie cursed silently as an exasperated expression marred her features. Nice timing Ric. Real nice.
"Hey champ! Batista made mince meat outta the Hurricane again. You should have seen him. He-" Ric stopped abruptly as he noticed Evie's expression. He looked from her to Hunter. "Did I interrupt something?"
Hunter shook his head. "We were just talking." He turned a quick glance towards Evie and noticed her walking to the bathroom. He looked back at Ric. "So is he ready to make a decision or what?"
Ric's eyes tracked Evie as she disappeared into the bathroom. There definitely was something going on between her and Hunter. He just didn't know what it was, but he became determined to find out. He switched his attention back to Hunter. "He's still thinking about it, but he'll let me know as soon as he's made up his mind. Personally, I think he's already made his decision. I think he'll come on board for the ride."
Hunter smiled. "Great. Any word from Orton?"
"Not yet. But you and I need to talk about him." Ric cast another glance in the direction of the bathroom. "How about you and I get together tonight in my room and talk about it?"
"That's fine," Hunter responded as he walked over to the bathroom door. "Hey Evie, we're gonna get going. You almost done?"
She appeared in the doorway. "Finished," she said.
Hunter nodded his head in Ric's direction. "Ric and I have some things to work on when we get to the hotel, so I'll be in his room if you need to find me."
A fleeting look of disappointment crossed her face and Hunter leaned in closer, lowering his voice so only she could hear him. He knew she had wanted to talk to him about something and judging from her face, it was important to her. "I know. I'll make it as quick as I can."
Ric watched with interest. He was absolutely going to have to find out what was going on with these two. With the way they had been behaving with each other over the past weeks, it was a question of exactly what "it" was. He remembered Evie thinking he was Hunter when Ric had been in her room the other week. Either there was a thing between the two of them or she just had the hots for Hunter and hadn't acted on it. Not that it mattered because Ric planned on repeating that act again, but without interference from Hunter. He just had to figure out how to go about it without either of them suspecting anything. Ric resolved to think about it later.
"Well let's get outta here then," he said as he turned to the door.
Evie and Hunter quickly picked up their things and followed Ric out the door.
********************************************
Hunter knocked at the adjoining door. Evie opened it and stood back to let him in. Immediately he became apologetic. "I'm sorry. Things took longer than expected. By the time I got back, you were asleep."
Evie waved a hand in dismissal. "It's okay. I figured as much."
"Do you want to talk now?" he asked as he looked at his watch. "We've got time before we head out."
She walked back to the bed to finish packing. "No," she said simply.
"Why not? We have time."
She dropped a shirt into the bag. "Because it's not exactly a casual conversation."
Hunter sat down on the bed, wondering what she wanted to talk to him about. "Sounds serious."
"Depends on what you consider serious," Evie replied as she finished packing and zipped up the bag. She was a bit upset with him for not keeping his word, but she knew that if he left Ric's room with things unfinished, then Ric would be knocking at Hunter's door to get it finished. And considering what she wanted to speak about, interruptions would not be welcome.
Hunter glanced at her. He did feel bad that he had taken longer than he said he would, but Ric had wanted to go over everything for Armageddon as well as Batista and Orton. Before she could put the bag on the floor, he reached over and took her hands in his. "I'm really sorry about last night Evie."
She looked at him as she pulled her hands out of his. "I'm not mad Hunter, so stop apologizing. Stuff happens. We'll talk about it later."
"I feel bad, humour me," he said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.
She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You are impossible, but I can make you feel even worse if you want," she said.
"Go ahead. Punish me then. I can take it."
A wicked smile appeared despite the way she was feeling. "Punish you? Hmm, let's see…"
He caught the hint and chuckled. "I don't think we have that much time." He stood up and gathered her in his arms. "You forgive me?"
She decided to make him suffer a bit more. "I don't know Hunter…"
His features became serious and leaned in and kissed her tenderly. "Now do you forgive me?"
Evie's face scrunched up in thought. "Tell you what, why don't you give me another kiss and we'll see."
A chuckle rumbled in his chest and his lips came down on hers. Inwardly Evie sighed as her body pressed up against his. A minute or two later, he broke the kiss. "How about now?" he asked.
Her eyes lifted to meet his. "I think we're even now," she said amusedly. "I've waited this long to speak with you about this; I guess I can wait a little longer.
Hunter dropped his arms. "You sure?"
She nodded in response. "We better get going or Ric is gonna send up a search party."
********************************************
Monday night, at the beginning of the show, Eric Bischoff made an announcement regarding the match between Hunter and Shawn at Armageddon. Bischoff stood in the middle of the ring with Chief Morley while a split screen on the Titan Tron showed both Hunter and Shawn in separate rooms. Bischoff decided that the main event at Armageddon would be two out of three falls match. The first fall would be a street fight. The second fall would be a steel cage match. And the third fall would be a ladder match. Bischoff made it clear to both Shawn and Hunter that their issue would come to an end at Armageddon. Evie sat in Hunter's dressing room with Ric and watched as the camera filmed Hunter, who was sitting a few feet away.
Both he and Shawn agreed to the match and as soon as Bischoff said his final words, the red light on the camera went off and Hunter stood up and grinned wolfishly at Ric. "Shawn's gonna wish he never set foot in that ring at Armageddon."
Ric chuckled. "Damn right champ."
The two men started talking about strategy while Evie stood up and stretched. As the camera man opened the door to leave, a gofer slipped in and approached Evie. "Mr. Bischoff asked me to have you come to his office when he was done in the ring. He has some documents for you to give to Triple H."
"He couldn't send them with you could he?" Evie replied as she smiled.
The gofer grinned back. "Oh no. I'm not that important."
Evie tapped Hunter on the shoulder. "I have been requested to go to Bischoff's office for some paperwork."
Hunter looked at her. "Guess I don't have to tell you to be careful, do I?"
"You just did," she quipped as she grinned. "I'll be back shortly."
The gofer accompanied her down to Eric Bischoff's office and knocked on the open door. Evie heard at least three voices inside and she casually glanced in to see Bischoff, Chief Morley and Rob Van Dam. She stepped to one side, not wanting to interrupt.
As Rob came out, he noticed her. "You might wanna be careful. I think I pissed him off," he said with a grin. Evie smiled back in response and knocked on the open door.
"What?" bellowed Bischoff.
Evie walked in. "Alison said you had something for me."
Bischoff muttered under his breath as he rifled through the papers on his desk. Evie suppressed a grin as she caught a few unflattering remarks about Rob. Finally he found what he was looking for and thrust the manila envelope at her. "Give those to Triple H and tell him I want them signed ad given back to me before he leaves tonight."
Evie told him she would and quickly left the room to head back to Hunter's dressing room. Before she got halfway there, she saw Shawn heading towards her.
As he approached, he noticed her and smiled faintly. "Hey doll."
"Hey yourself." She noticed the look on his face. "What's wrong with you?"
Shawn shook his head. "Tired. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."
"You sure?" she asked tentatively.
"That and I've got a lot on my mind right now," he said with the same faint smile.
Evie shrugged. "Understandable. I wouldn't worry too much Shawn. You'll do fine next Sunday."
"Yeah, well…" he trailed off as he glanced down the hallway. "How about you? Ric hasn't done anything else to you has he?"
Evie shook her head. "He's behaved himself so far."
"And Hunter?" Shawn asked somewhat reluctantly.
A faint blush stained Evie's cheeks. "He… uh… he's behaved himself as well."
Shawn pursed his lips as he nodded. "I see. Just remember what I told you doll; be careful who you trust."
"Look, I need to get these back to him," she said as she held up the envelope.
"Yeah, okay. I'll see you around," Shawn replied as Evie stepped back, waved at him and continued down the hall. He stood there, watching her walk away.
He hadn't lied to her. He was tired, but that was only part of the reason he wasn't his usual self tonight. The other was that he still couldn't get over that Evie seemed willing to forgive Hunter for the things he had done to her. Even after all this time, Hunter was still the same old manipulative, self-centered, overconfident person to Shawn. Evie was just his latest pawn.
He liked Evie. She was a nice girl. But she either didn't know what she was in for or she didn't care. A new thought struck Shawn. With the way he was acting, it seemed like he was jealous of Hunter. Not of the fact that Hunter was doing what Shawn had done all those years ago, but that someone was actually in love with the man, despite all the things he had done.
His own relationship with is wife had become strained at best and they had divorced just before he had fallen in with the nWo. Since then, he had concentrated more on his job than relationships. Even friendships. But now that he was back in the business, he wasn't letting go of the title that easy. Especially to Hunter.
He shook his head as he wondered if Hunter felt the same for Evie as she did for him. More than likely, he was just using her until someone better came along. If that was the case, Shawn would be more than willing to make Hunter pay for it.
"Well maybe it's time to give her a wake up call." he said to himself as he walked away.
****************************************
Hunter's match with Jeff Hardy didn't last long. Hunter took Jeff down inside of four minutes. Hunter pushed Jeff out of the ring with his foot and Flair picked him up off the ground, holding him while Hunter climbed out of the ring and grabbed a steel chair. As he walked over to Flair and Jeff, Shawn appeared at the top of the ring. Flair promptly dropped Jeff on the floor and both he and Hunter got back into the ring and motioned for Shawn to come down.
Flair got on the mic and told Shawn he wanted a word with him. Shawn came down the ramp and cautiously climbed into the ring.
"You know Shawn, there was a time when I walked into the airport and knew I was the man. There was a time when I stepped into a ring, I knew I was the man. Then one day when I walked into the ring, some kid says that I'm not the man anymore. HBK was the man."
Flair continued. "I had to look into the mirror and say that HBK was the man. Now HBK was the best wrestler alive, but there is a new man in town. You and Triple H tore it up at Survivor Series. But you don't have the heart or the mind to continue. It's time to pass the torch Shawn. At Armageddon, you will be killed if you don't pass the torch to Triple H. He is the man now."
Shawn said nothing to either man. He slid out of the ring and walked up the ramp.
Hunter took the mic from Ric. "Go ahead and walk out with your tail between your legs. At Armageddon you will be history."
Shawn still didn't respond. Instead he disappeared behind the curtain and into the backstage area as his mind worked furiously to figure out a way to show Hunter and Flair that he did have both the heart and mind to continue in this business.
Less than an hour later, he found Flair backstage and cornered him. "Both me and my heart will be in the parking lot. Why don't you come find me when you're ready?"
Flair puffed up. "You better believe we'll come find you. Don't worry about that!"
Both men walked away wearing huge grins.
*********************************************
"Can you believe that cocky son-of-a-bitch?" Ric asked Hunter. "He actually dared us to come find him in the parking lot. He's just begging for a beating."
Hunter shook his head as he finished signing the documents Bischoff had given to Evie. 'He sure is asking for it," he said while he stuffed the papers back into the envelope.
Evie held out her hand to take the envelope. "I'll take these back to Bischoff for you."
Hunter turned to her. "Could you have the driver load our things into the car? We'll be leaving right after I take care of Shawn."
She nodded in response as she took the envelope and headed out the door. She made it to Bischoff's office and knocked on the door. A voice called for her to come in. Opening the door, she found Chief Morley on the other side, but Bischoff was no where in sight.
"What can I do for you Evie?" Morley asked.
She held out the manila envelope. "Mr. Bischoff asked me to return this before we left."
Morley took the item from her and opened it up. "Triple H signed them?"
"Yes he did," she responded politely. Why else would I be giving them back to you, you dope?
"Good. Mr. Bischoff likes to cover all his bases with these things," he said as he stuffed the papers back in and then tossed them on the desk. "Anything else I can do for you?"
"No, that was it. Thanks." Evie turned around and left. She walked out to the parking lot to find the limo driver. Before she had even walked through the doors, a hand reached out and grabbed her arm. Immediately she went into an attack stance. She relaxed when she saw who it was. "You're going to get yourself hurt one of these days Shawn and I'm not going to be sorry either," she said with a grin.
He returned the smile. "Sorry doll. I thought maybe Hunter was sending you out as a scout or something."
"For your information, I was on my way to have the driver load our crap into the car." She looked down and noticed the snow shovel propped against the wall. "You're planning on using that on Hunter?"
Shawn avoided her gaze. "Yeah, to begin with."
"To begin with?" She held up her hands. "I don't want to know any more."
"I wasn't going to tell you anything else. Don't want it getting back to your boss," he replied sarcastically.
Evie snorted. "You think so little of me Shawn, that I would run back and tell him what you've got planned?"
"Well you are in love with the guy and he's your boss, so what am I supposed to think?" he shot back.
"Look, this is between you and Hunter. If he wants to risk coming out here looking for you, then that's his decision. I don't approve of the way things are being handled, but it's not my place to talk you out of it. You are both responsible for your actions and the consequences, not me."
Shawn ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, you got me there, but that's not a guarantee that you won't say anything."
"If that's what you want to think, then fine. But you should know better than that," Evie replied.
"I should, but I don't know you like I thought I did."
Evie narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean Shawn?"
Shawn was quiet for a minute; his mind working to figure out how to word what he wanted to say, but figured he might as well be blunt. "I thought you were smart enough to see Hunter for who he really is; a conniving, self-serving, arrogant son-of-a-bitch. But I guess what they say about love is true; that it's blind," he responded with quiet vehemence.
Evie felt anger boil up. What the hell was Shawn's problem? Was he that bent on getting back at Hunter that he'd drag her into it too? She didn't know what brought this on, but she sure as hell wasn't going to let it go. "I don't know what your problem is tonight, but don't take it out on me because your pissed at Hunter."
Abruptly, Shawn grabbed her by the upper arms. "You don't get it do you?" His eyes blazed in anger. "He's the one using you! And when he's done, he'll toss you out like he does everyone else! Like he did with me, with Chyna, with Stephanie! And do you think he'll care? No! He'll just move on to his next victim and keep going! You're better than that Evie."
She glared at him as she tried to twist out of his grasp. "You're no different from anyone else in this business! You reason, use and discard, just like everyone else! I'm not stupid Shawn. That whole thing with the nWo was each of you using each other and McMahon using all of you to push everyone else around! As soon as it was finished, everyone dropped everyone else like a disease. So don't talk to me about using people!"
Shawn shook her. "When are you gonna wake up Evie? When he leaves your ass in the middle of nowhere? Cause that's what he's going to do!"
Evie had had enough. She lifted her foot and using her weight, stomped on Shawn's foot. He groaned n pain and loosened his grip on her. She jerked away from him and backed up several feet. Shawn leaned over and rubbed his foot.
"When you get around to growing up, let me know. Until then, stay away from me," she spat out and quickly walked away.
Shawn said nothing. He simply watched her walk off into the parking lot. If that didn't make her think, then he would just have to come up with something else. He supposed he could just let her find out for herself the hard way and be done with it. It just pissed him off that she would be so willing to throw herself away on Hunter. Bile rose in his throat at the thought of his once best friend and he quickly calmed down so he could concentrate on getting his message across to Hunter and his lackey Ric Flair.
After putting some distance between her and Shawn, Evie stopped and leaned against a car to regain her composure. She took several deep breaths and slowly the anger dropped. For the life of her, she couldn't understand what had gotten into Shawn. One minute he had seemed fine and the next... She shook her head. And what he had said. Unreal. He should have been named Sybil, she thought wryly. Pushing away from the car, she went off in search of the limo driver.
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Hunter and Ric walked out of the arena and through the parking lot doors. Hunter called for Shawn to show himself. Shawn stepped out from behind a pillar and blindsided Hunter with the snow shovel. He then turned on Ric and nailed him in the stomach with the handle. Shawn quickly dropped the shovel, picked Hunter up by the scruff of the neck and threw him into some garbage cans, knocking them over. The contents spilled out and Hunter rolled onto the cement. Shawn wasted no time in picking up a garbage can and hitting Hunter with it. He picked Hunter up again and tossed him into the dumpster.
As Shawn was walking away, he spotted a ladder leaning against one of the trailer trucks. He climbed up it onto the roof of the trailer and he looked down into the dumpster where Hunter was sprawled out. Coming to a quick decision, he leapt off the top of the trailer and gave Hunter an elbow drop.
He quickly got in Hunter's face. "You shouldn't have mistaken my humility for weakness Hunter. This Sunday, I will prove once again, that I am the Showstopper. I am going to retain my heavyweight title, and why is that?" Shawn got as close to Hunter's face as he could. "Because I can. I still have it in me, but for you, the end is near."
Shawn got to his feet and left the dumpster. Ric had gotten to his feet and went to check on Hunter. He stumbled into the dumpster and knelt down next to him.
"Hey champ, you okay?" he asked uncertainly.
Hunter coughed and then winced as he sat up. He carefully checked himself. "Yeah, I think I'm okay." He shook his head to clear it and then immediately wished he hadn't done that. "Where is he?" he asked as he slowly stood up.
"Gone," answered Flair. "Think you can make it to the limo?"
Hunter straightened up slowly, wincing again as he did. "Yeah I can make it as long as we go slow." He put a hand up to touch the side of his face. "I'm lucky he didn't hit me that hard. Otherwise I'd have a concussion."
"Maybe we should get you checked out?" offered Ric as they made their way out of the dumpster.
Hunter waved the suggestion off as they slowly walked towards the waiting limo. Carefully, they climbed inside to find Evie waiting for them. She took one look at Hunter and gasped. The right side of his face was red.
"It looks worse than it is," Hunter rasped. "He didn't hit me that hard."
"Come here," she replied and he obliged by moving closer to her. She gingerly touched the side of his face to make sure nothing was broken. Satisfied that nothing was, she then looked at Ric, who was slightly doubled over. "What happened to you?"
"That bastard nailed me in the stomach with a shovel handle." Slowly Ric leaned back into the seat. "You better kill him at Armageddon Hunter."
A gleam came into Hunter's eyes. "Oh don't worry, I will. Sunday Shawn will be nothing but a pile of broken bones and I'll be the heavyweight champion again.
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A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I'm so glad you all have continued to read this story. My apologies for the lateness of the update. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well. Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!