Chapter 46
That second attack from Steiner resulted in a hematoma developing on Hunter's thigh. The doctor confined him to his house for rest, telling him he could return to work on Monday, but not to expect to wrestle. Hunter was able to get around with the assistance of a crutch.
Evie climbed the stairs to his exercise room. She was surprised that he was up here, but then again, that was Hunter. He always pushed the envelope. If he could maneuver the stairs, he'd go work on his upper body routine. Sure enough, when she walked in, he was busy working on his arms. His thigh was tightly wrapped in a white bandage.
Leaning against the doorjamb, she watched as he screwed his face up in concentration. Placing a hand over her mouth, she stifled a laugh. Chances were he couldn't hear her anyway. He was wearing headphones and the volume was cranked up so she could just hear the bass. He finished up the set he had been working on and replaced the weights. As he stood up and turned around, he caught sight of her.
"What are you laughing at?" he asked as he removed his headphones and shut the CD player off.
"Nothing," she replied in a slightly amused tone. "Nothing at all."
He grunted in response as he wiped his face with a towel. "What's up then?"
"Just a reminder that Dr. Stone will be here in thirty minutes." She watched as he finished wiping off his face and then ducked as he playfully tossed the towel at her. She stuck her tongue out at him.
He smiled as he picked up his crutch. As he headed towards the door, she picked the towel up. She twisted it and waited for him to pass her. As he did, she snapped him on the backside with the towel. He yelped in surprise and looked over his shoulder.
"What the hell was that for?" he demanded.
She smiled slyly. "Just because."
He raised his eyebrows. "Just because what?"
"Just because it's a nice ass," she said and then grinned again. "That and I owe you some payback for last March." His face wore a look of puzzlement and she reminded him exactly what she was talking about. "The pool. The towel fight. You snapped my ass at least three times."
He laughed. "Well I couldn't help it. You were prancing around in that little bikini. It was practically begging to be snapped with the towel," he replied as he started to maneuver himself down the stairs.
"You know, if you weren't incapacitated, I'd snap you again," she said playfully as she twisted the towel up.
"Wait til I get to the bedroom and then you can smack my ass all you want," he replied suggestively.
Evie laughed again. "I'd take you up on that offer, but the doc will be here shortly. Wouldn't be a good thing for him to walk in on that."
Hunter choked back a laugh as he reached the bottom of the stairs. He hobbled off to get showered and dressed. Evie shook her head in amusement as she watched him go. She knew he would give her a shout if he needed any help. She tossed the towel down the laundry chute and went down to the main floor.
Dr. Stone came and left after forty five minutes. He gave Hunter the all clear to go back to work on Monday, but made sure Hunter knew that meant no wrestling. At all. Hunter told him that was fine. He grinned, as this meant that Scott Steiner wouldn't be getting any type of title shot any time soon.
While the doctor was busy with Hunter, Evie received a call from Shawn. He had called to check up on her and make sure she was okay after Jericho's attack.
"I'm fine Shawn. Just a few bruises, but those are fading," she responded politely. She still didn't know what to make of Shawn's changed attitude towards her, but she figured that if he was nice enough to help her out, she could be nice enough to thank him. "Actually, I think I did more damage to Jericho than he did to me."
Shawn chuckled. "How come I'm not surprised?" he asked in amusement. "When are you guys coming back?"
"Monday," she replied, wondering what he had up his sleeve.
"I'll see you around then," he said quietly. "Later doll."
"Yeah. Later," Evie said and then disconnected the call. She sat back in the chair and contemplated what was going on. First Shawn apologized and then helped her out with Jericho. Then there was Ric, who seemed to be unnaturally interested in what was going on between her and Hunter. And then there was Jericho. She snorted as his face appeared in her mind. She still couldn't figure out his sick fascination with her.
She sighed as she stood up. "Comes with the territory, I guess," she said to herself. She knew what she had been getting herself into by having a relationship with Hunter. They had talked about all that and, even though he had been reluctant for whatever reasons, they still went ahead with it. But there was still that tiny nagging thought that something on Shawn's end wasn't quite ringing true.
"Suppose I'll just have to wait and see," she muttered as she headed towards the kitchen. Before she had taken two steps, her phone rang again.
Rolling her eyes, she answered it. "This is Evie."
"Hey darlin'!" Bradshaw's voice boomed from the other end. "What's shakin'?"
A smile crept across her lips. "Well, well, well. You are still alive. I was beginning to think you had dropped of the face of the earth."
"Aww. Glad to know you missed me," he replied. "Yeah, I'm still kickin' and fightin'."
"How are you?" she asked. They made small talk for a few minutes and then Bradshaw asked her again how things were.
"Things are going fine. So far," she replied and then filled him in about Jericho and Shawn, as well as her suspicions about Shawn's change of heart.
"Hmmm. Sounds a bit fishy to me too. You talked to Hunter about it?" Bradshaw asked.
"Not really," she admitted faintly.
Bradshaw blew out a sigh. He had told her before to clue Hunter in on things. Apparently she wasn't listening or she didn't want to tell Hunter anything. Not surprising, given Hunter and Shawn's history. "You really should let him know about all that crap between you and Shawn. If somethin' happens and he doesn't know the whole story, the shit'll hit the fan. Especially where Shawn's involved."
"I know," Evie replied quietly. "And because it's Shawn, it's kind of tricky. You know how much they hate each other."
"Which is exactly why you should tell Hunter what's goin' on. If he loves you as much as he says he does, he'll try and understand. If not, then I'll have to beat some sense into his ass. Or his head. Same difference."
Evie chuckled as she leaned against the doorjamb. "How'd I get so lucky to have you as a friend?" she asked with a smile.
"Dunno. I'm still tryin' to figure that out myself," Bradshaw joked in response and then became stern. "You make sure you talk to your man and let him know what's up."
"I'll try," Evie replied as she straightened up.
"Make sure you do, little lady. Or I'll have to beat some sense into you too," he said. "And you don't want me doin' that."
Evie said she would try. He didn't try to get a promise out of her, but resolved to continue bugging her about it. They said their goodbyes and Evie went to see how Hunter's doctor appointment was going.
**********************
They arrived in Washington D.C. late Monday morning. After checking into the hotel, Evie and Hunter went up to their rooms. Once they dumped their luggage, Hunter checked his messages while Evie hooked up her laptop. Soon she was tapping away. She could faintly hear Hunter talking on his phone in the other room. As she looked through her new email, she noticed a message from Bradshaw. She opened it and as she read it, smiled wryly. The email contained one question: Have you talked to him yet?
"No, she murmured as she typed in her response. Not yet. Soon. Quickly, she went through and cleaned out her mailbox. As she closed down the internet connection, she heard Hunter swear loudly and then the sound of something being thrown. She got up and went to the adjoining door to check on him. He was sitting on the bed with an angry expression on his face.
"What's wrong?" she asked calmly.
He sat there trying not to lose his temper. He took a couple of breaths to calm down and then spoke. "I just got off the phone with Ric. He's still trying to figure out what's going on with me and you."
"Did he ask you directly this time, or is he still fishing?" Evie asked as she sat down on a chair.
"Still fishing," Hunter replied as he ran a hand through his hair.
Evie nibbled on her lower lip as she contemplated what she was about to say. As hard as they tried to keep things under wraps, it obviously wasn't going to stay that way for much longer. "Hunter, maybe it's better if you tell Ric." She hurried to explain when she saw the look on his face. "I mean, he's gonna keep on bugging you about it. He might as well know."
"I suppose," Hunter sighed. "I'm concerned that once people know, you'll be an even bigger target."
"We can worry about that when we get to it," she replied. "Besides, it's not like I've never been a target before."
"Yeah, I know. But I kinda like it being secret," he said as he looked at her with a hint of a grin.
"I'll leave it up to you," she said as she stood up and walked over to him. "Frankly, I think it might be the best thing." She reached out and gently ran her fingers through his hair. "Maybe he might quit trying so hard to get to know me."
Hunter reached up and carefully pulled her down on his lap. "He might," he said softly before kissing her.
Her arms wound around his neck and she gave the kiss her full attention. A breathless minute later, she was laughing softly at Hunter's attempt to unfasten her shirt. Apparently the problem with Ric wasn't foremost on his mind.
"Whasso funny?" he mumbled against her lips.
"You," she responded with another laugh. "Can I help you with something?"
"Yeah, you can take this damn shirt off," he growled as he fumbled with the buttons. "Matter of fact, you can take everything off.
Evie chuckled as moved Hunter's hands out of the way and stood up. "Maybe later," she replied with a smirk.
"Dammit woman, you really know how to push my buttons, don't you?" he said in a tight voice as he glared at her.
She glanced down at him, noting that there was a prominent bulge in his pants. "Apparently so," she said meaningfully.
He opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Shit," he murmured as he stood up. "See who it is, will you?" he asked as he headed towards the bathroom. Evie waited until he had closed the bathroom door before she opened the hotel room door.
Batista stood in the hallway. He raised his eyebrow when he saw Evie. "Not interrupting anything, am I?"
She smiled. "No. What's up?"
"Hunter asked me to stop by when I got here. Said he wanted to talk to me about something," Batista replied.
She opened the door to let him in. "Oh, well, he's in the bathroom right now. Make yourself comfortable."
Batista walked in and sat in one of the chairs, waiting for Hunter to come out of the bathroom. Evie sat down on the end of the bed that Hunter had vacated.
"You wouldn't have any idea what this is about, would you?" Batista asked.
Evie shrugged. "I didn't even know he asked you to come by. Probably business."
Batista leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "How's Ric been around you?"
"He hasn't really bothered me. Why?" Evie responded. She found it interesting he would ask that.
"Just wondering. I noticed he hasn't been cornering you like he usually would. I thought maybe you or Hunter said something to him."
"Funny you should say that," Hunter said as he came out of the bathroom.
"Why's that?" Batista asked. He sat back in the chair, eyeing Hunter with some interest.
Hunter sat down next to Evie. "I was wondering if you let anything slip accidentally."
Batista shook his head. "Nothing. Like I said, it's your business, and it'll stay that way as far as I'm concerned." He looked from Hunter to Evie and back again. "What's going on?"
Hunter grimaced. "Ric's taken quite an interest in what's going on between me and Evie. It's starting to piss me off."
Evie spoke up. "I mentioned to Hunter that it might be a good idea to let Ric know."
Batista's eyebrow shot up again. "You know, she might be right Hunter. It might get him to leave the two of you alone," he said.
Hunter looked from Evie to Batista. "It might." He ran a hand through his hair again and sighed. "Why do I get the feeling that this isn't gonna be much of a secret anymore?"
Batista shifted in his chair. "And that worries you?"
"Hunter's afraid it'll make me an even bigger target than I already am," Evie said. "But I don't think it's going to make that much more difference. I've already been one just being his personal assistant."
"So don't tell anyone else," Batista said as he leaned forward. "Just myself, Ric and Randy. It's not like we're gonna blab to anyone."
Hunter sighed. "I'll think about it. I mean, I know I'll have to say something to Ric if he doesn't knock it off."
Batista stood up. "Don't wait too long."
Hunter nodded. "I won't," he replied as Batista headed to the door.
The two men said goodbye to each other and as soon as the door closed behind Batista, Evie stood up.
"Where are you going?" Hunter asked.
"To my room. I have a few things I want to do before we go. Besides, I know Ric will be banging on your door when he gets here. So, I thought a little privacy would be in order," she said.
"I said I'd think about telling him," Hunter said tersely.
"I know," she soothed. "But just in case."
He shook his head as she walked through to her room and closed the adjoining door. As much as he relished the privacy of their relationship, he knew that it wasn't going to be private much longer. Maybe Evie and Batista were right. Maybe if he told Ric how it was between him and Evie, Ric would leave her alone and quit bugging him about it. He lay back on the bed, contemplating the situation.
******************
Hunter didn't tell Ric. Instead the two men went over what they had planned for Steiner that night. Evolution wound up in a press box, watching the number one contender match between Jericho and Steiner. Steiner managed to get the win over Jericho, which guaranteed his match against Hunter at No Way Out for the title. Hunter wasn't too pleased, but he smirked as Steiner was declared the winner. He knew he would beat Steiner. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve, and he wasn't called the Cerebral Assassin for nothing.
Jericho was livid, however. Instead of getting his stuff together to leave, he tore the locker room apart. Anyone who passed by the heavy metal door, heard the thumping and screaming going on behind it. Wanting no part of it, they would hurry by. Evie could only smirk as she and Evolution walked by on their way out to the limo.
Batista and Randy shared a laugh with Ric and Hunter over Goldust's situation. The two younger men had gone on search of Steiner, but instead found Goldust deep in a funk about his partnership with Booker T. Randy and Batista taunted him and then proceeded to use him for a punching bag. Goldust ended up being electrocuted when he was thrown against a fuse box. He had been transported to the hospital and Booker T was pissed, to put it mildly.
Evie pressed her lips together in an effort not to say anything. It was none of her concern how the conducted their business, but sometimes she wondered if they took things too far.
That incident did nothing to dampen the atmosphere at the house shows that week. Things had become tense for everyone on the roster. Bischoff was in a temper because he still had not been able to get an answer from Stone Cold Steve Austin, and the deadline was rapidly approaching. Whoever approached him regarding a match, quickly found themselves in a less than desirable situation, as Bischoff was prone to booking nasty matches to relieve his frustration.
Jericho had spoken to Bischoff regarding Evie's attack on him the previous week. Bischoff stated that there was nothing he could do about it because he was not Evie's boss. Frustrated, Jericho mentioned that Shawn had a hand in it as well. Bischoff said he could definitely do something about that, and awarded Jericho a hardcore match against Shawn, much to Jericho's delight. Jericho promptly thrashed Shawn and emerged the winner.
Shawn managed to exact a bit of revenge on Jericho the following night. Jericho accosted Evie on her way back from Bischoff's office and Shawn had appeared out of nowhere to deliver a shot to Jericho's head with a chair. Again, Evie was left wondering what Shawn had up his sleeve.
Evie asked Hunter if he had spoken to Ric yet. Hunter told her that he hadn't. His mind had been on other things, but he would. Evie left him alone, trusting he would take care of it. Meanwhile, she still hadn't told him about Shawn, even after the latest incident with Jericho. Bradshaw asked her every time he emailed her or spoke to her on the phone. He kept reminding her that the longer she put it off, the worse it might be.
The following Monday night found them in Los Angeles for RAW. Evie wasn't too thrilled to be in the city. It held some unpleasant personal memories for her, but she shrugged it off and went about her business.
Bischoff started the show off by announcing that he had not heard from Stone Cold Steve Austin yet. He had done everything he could to get Austin to return at No Way Out. He stated that Vince McMahon was on his way to the building and might just go ahead and fire him. But until then, he was still the general manager.
He approached J.R. and Jerry Lawler at the announce booth to confront J.R. about Austin, asking why he hadn't been able to convince Austin to sign. J.R. reminded Bischoff that he had fired Austin from WCW and that might be why Austin hadn't responded yet. Bischoff stated that Austin had deserved it and then told J.R. that he deserved the same. He then announced that J.R. was fired until he could guarantee that Austin would return to the WWE at No Way Out.
The Titan Tron showed a limo pulling up at the Staples Center and Bischoff promptly ran out to meet it, thinking it was Vince McMahon. As the door opened, Bischoff pasted an unctuous smile on his face. It promptly disappeared when he realized that it was Evolution in the limo. He watched as the four men climbed out, followed by Evie.
Hunter smirked at the general manager. "Were you expecting someone else Eric?" he asked as they headed into the building, leaving Bischoff in the parking garage with an embarrassed look on his face.
Once inside, the four men proceeded to find out if they were booked in any matches. Batista was booked in a match with Tommy Dreamer, but none of the other men had to wrestle that night. They trooped to their dressing room and began to hatch plans. They decided to use Batista's match with Dreamer to send a message to Scott Steiner.
Evie made herself comfortable with the expense sheets and receipts while the men talked strategy. As she sorted through the pieces of paper, her thinking switched to Ric. Throughout the week, she noticed that Ric seemed to be watching her and Hunter. She would occasionally catch him studying the two of them when they talked. She thought it strange and had asked Hunter if he ever noticed it. Hunter said he had just recently, and then said nothing else about it. She didn't pursue the subject, but resolved to keep a watchful eye on Ric instead.
Hunter had been preoccupied with his upcoming match at No Way Out with Steiner, and hadn't given much thought to talking to Ric about anything but business. He had shoved the problem to the back of his mind instead. Business always came first.
They finished up their plans and Batista went into the bathroom to change for his match. Hunter sat back on the sofa and watched the monitor while Randy and Ric compared notes on the two women they had been with the previous evening.
The screen showed Jericho complaining to Bischoff about Jeff Hardy. Bischoff stated he didn't have time for Jericho's whining. He had bigger problems to deal with. Jericho turned to Chief Morley and stated that someone needed to teach Jeff Hardy a lesson for interfering in other people's matches. Chief Morley said he could be the one to teach Jeff that lesson and gave Jericho a match with Jeff Hardy. Before Jericho left the room, he turned to Bischoff.
"Give my regards to Vince," he said smugly and promptly left.
Two more matches were televised and then another limo pulled into the parking garage. This time, Vince McMahon did get out. He spoke briefly to J.R., who was in the garage and then headed towards the ring.
Hunter leaned forward, a look of interest on his face. He was glad Bischoff had screwed up and wondered if the new general manager would be a bit easier to manipulate. "Looks like we'll have a new GM tonight guys," Hunter said.
Ric, Randy and Batista gathered around the monitor and watched as Vince made his way down the ramp and into the ring. Once he had been handed a mic, he called out Bischoff and Chief Morley.
Bischoff grabbed a mic and promptly began talking, trying to kiss up to Vince. "Vince, I hope your trip was pleasant-"
"Shut your mouth Bischoff!" Vince interjected with vehemence. Bischoff promptly stopped talking and Vince turned his attention to Chief Morley. "You know Morley, you should be fired, but I had a change of heart. You can decide your own fate. All you have to do is win a match."
Morley grinned and nodded, relieved that he wasn't going to be fired. At least he'd be able to prove himself. Within five seconds the grin was wiped off his face when Vince announced who he would be up against.
"Your opponents will be Spike, D-Von and Bubba Ray Dudley in a handicap match!" Vince proclaimed in his commanding voice. He watched with vicious glee as a resigned Morley went off to prepare for his match.
In the dressing room, the four men laughed but became quiet as Vince turned back to Bischoff. "So have you signed Austin yet?"
Bischoff beat around the bush, making excuses and then- "No, I haven't signed him," he said quietly.
Vince raised the mic to his mouth. "As much as I hate Austin, I would have loved to see you try and control him-"
Bischoff held up a hand and cut Vince off. "Now Vince, I know you're a man of action. And because I know that, I have a little surprise for you. I have some action of my own here tonight," he proclaimed and then paused for a few seconds before finishing. "Some hot lesbian action!" he exclaimed as two lovely ladies made their way to the ring.
They climbed in and immediately began caressing each other in front of the two men. Vince eyed them with appreciation as Bischoff told him they were bisexual. As soon as the words were out of Bischoff's mouth, the two women began rubbing suggestively against Vince.
He grinned wolfishly at the ladies and then looked at Bischoff. "You're right Eric. I am a man of action. But I'm also a man of business. And tonight I am all business." He pushed away from the two women. "So you two can get out of my ring!"
The two women flounced off and Bischoff wore a worried expression.
"You have run out of time Eric," Vince said. He gripped the mic tighter and got in Bischoff's face. "Eric Bischoff, you're fired!"
Evolution laughed as Bischoff dejectedly made his way backstage with Vince leading the crowd in singing good bye to Bischoff. Evie wore a half smile. She didn't feel sorry for the former GM at all. In fact, she felt that he had received exactly what he deserved.
Vince walked around the ring, eyeing the crowd. "With that out of the way, I have some other business to take care of tonight." He paused in the middle of the ring. "It's come to my attention that a certain person has assaulted one of my wrestlers again. It seems that particular someone has trouble learning their lesson the first time." He turned and faced the ramp. "I guess I have to teach that lesson again. Evie! Get out here right now!"
Evie's eyes grew wide with surprise. She glanced over at Hunter who was looking at her with confusion.
"What the hell is going on around here?" he asked as he looked at his partners.
Ric shrugged. He was just as surprised as everyone else. Batista shook his head and Randy had a bewildered look on his face.
Evie got to her feet. "I suppose I better go out there," she said. Whatever Vince was planning, she would face it with determination. She had the sinking feeling that it wasn't going to be good.
Hunter stood up and grabbed his crutch. "Well, Vince is gonna get more than he bargained for." He gestured to the other three men. "Let's go."
As they walked towards the curtain, Hunter told Evie to let them go out first. She nodded as she tried to keep her heart from pounding. She had a bad feeling about this.
Batista walked next to her. He noticed the expression on her face. "Don't worry. We got your back," he said quietly.
Evolution's music hit and all four men came out and stood at the top of the ramp. Hunter had a mic clutched in one hand and his crutch in the other.
Vince shook his head and spoke up. "Cut that damn music!" The music stopped abruptly. "I didn't tell you four to come out here. Where is she!"
Evie took a deep breath and blew it out. She pasted a defiant look on her face as she came out from behind the curtain and joined Evolution.
Vince grimaced. "It's about damn time! When I say get out here, you get out here!" He looked at Evolution, noting the impassive expressions on their faces and then the defiant one on Evie's face. He pointed at Evie. "I've been informed that you attacked Chris Jericho two weeks ago. I guess you didn't learn your lesson the first couple of times, did you?" Vince demanded.
Hunter lifted the mic to his mouth. "Vince, Evie defended herself against Chris Jericho. He's the one who started all this crap-"
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHO STARTED IT! She attacked him again!" Vince boomed. "So in light of the situation, I'm going to let Jericho have the opportunity for some payback." An evil look came over Vince's face.
Evie's stomach tightened. She had the distinct feeling she was about to be told that it would be her versus Jericho. If not tonight, then some time soon. She cast a quick glance at Hunter who was staring daggers at Vince.
"Now, I know that she's not a wrestler, but she seems to take care of herself outside of the ring just fine." Vince's mouth twisted up in a smarmy grin and Evie took another breath. " So, I'm going to give the new RAW general manager permission to set up a match between Chris Jericho and Triple H's personal assistant, Evie!"
Evie exhaled shakily as the crowd booed Vince. She had told Bischoff that Linda McMahon hadn't approved of that match he had set up between her and Jericho last year, but Linda was only the CEO. Vince was the owner of the company and could do what he pleased.
Hunter started protesting vehemently and Vince cut him off. "If Evie wins, she stays your personal assistant. If she loses, she's fired," Vince paused and then added his stipulations to the match. "If you fire her, or she quits before the match, you will all be fined and suspended for two weeks without pay, and Triple H, you will be stripped of that title. If any member of Evolution interferes in that match, they will be fined and suspended for two weeks without pay and Evie will automatically be fired." Vince placed one hand on the top rope. "I know Jericho has prior commitments, so this match will take place some time after No Way Out. I will leave the date up to the new GM."
Hunter was livid, but he kept his anger under control. Barely. "You can't do this Vince!"
Vince grinned again. "Seeing as I'm the owner of the company, I can. And I just did."
***********************
"Shit!" Hunter said with force as he hurled another empty water bottle at the wall of the dressing room.
Evie said nothing as she sat down on a folding chair, her head in her hands. "Damn," she muttered to herself. She should have seen it coming. Apparently Bischoff or Jericho had complained about her to Vince. She put her money on Jericho seeing as Bischoff really didn't have any direct power over her.
"Settle down champ. We'll figure something out," said Ric as he glanced at Evie.
"This is exactly what I didn't want happening," Hunter said. "Vince is taking things too damn far this time."
Ric held his hands up in a placating gesture. "Look, why don't we wait and see who the new GM is gonna be? Maybe we can work something out that way." He grinned. "We can be very persuasive when we wanna be."
"Ric's right Hunter. Let's find out who the GM is first and then go from there," Batista said as he pulled his gear from his bag. "No point in going into this without a plan." He disappeared into the bathroom to change as his match was coming up after the Dudley Boyz.
"Hey, if we don't come up with something, we can always coerce the new GM into some stipulations," Ric stated. "I'm sure we can work something in favor of Evie." Even though he had been just as surprised as everyone else regarding the match, the wheels in his head had been turning since they walked out onstage. He knew that he could work this out to an advantage. But it would be more in his favor than anyone else's.
"Fine," Hunter snapped. He glanced over at Evie and saw that she still had her head in her hands. He opened his mouth to say something, but Ric spoke again.
"We'll worry about this later. We got a message to deliver to Steiner," he said as Batista came out of the bathroom.
Hunter told them to go ahead, he'd follow in a minute. Batista, Ric and Randy left the room. As soon as the door had closed, Hunter limped over and dropped a hand on Evie's shoulder.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
She raised her head to look at him. A sigh escaped her. "I.. yeah... I'm okay. I guess."
"Don't worry about it, Evie. We'll work something out," he replied. She nodded in response and Hunter stepped away. "Don't leave the room. You wait for us to get back. And don't let anyone in unless it's us."
Hunter made sure she locked the door before he hobbled out to join Randy at the curtain. He was pissed, to say the least, but he had business to take care of, so he resolutely pushed everything else out of his mind.
Tommy Dreamer started off with the upper hand by coming in through the crowd and whacking Batista with a kendo stick. Batista responded with a spear to the midsection and then power bombed Tommy and got the three count. As soon as the bell rang, Ric climbed into the ring and began beating on Tommy. Batista joined him and soon they were stomping on him in the corner.
Booker T ran in and mounted his own attack on Ric and Batista. His success was cut short when Randy and Hunter came out and made it four on one. They beat Booker down, stomping, kicking and punching. The crowds' booing turned to cheering as Scott Steiner ran in and proceeded to clear Evolution out of the ring. The four men backed up the ramp, sneering and pointing at Steiner. Steiner stared them down as they disappeared backstage.
Evie unlocked the door and let them in. Batista disappeared to change back into his street clothes and the other three men congratulated each other on getting away from Steiner.
"Safe to say, the message was received," Ric said as he sat down on the sofa. He glanced over at Evie and noticed she was typing away on her laptop.
Hunter maneuvered himself in front of Ric and onto the sofa. "Well, now we just have to wait and see who the new GM is gonna be." He also noticed Evie on her laptop. "You okay over there?"
"Fine," she said quietly. "Just working on a few things." She had spent the time going over a few ideas before Evolution had returned to their locker room. Nothing had panned out. It seemed that she was stuck. Instead of becoming frustrated, she finished up typing in the expense reports. She'd print them out and fax them from the hotel later.
The four men continued to talk about how they might influence the new GM. Jericho's match against Jeff Hardy was brief and Jericho came away the winner. The crowd booed him as he left the ring.
The monitor showed Vince walking out to the ring with a mic in hand. He climbed in and stated he was ready to announce the new general manager of RAW. "Will the new general manager step forward please?"
To everyone's surprise, Jim Ross walked out, followed by Bischoff. He told Vince that he had just spoken to Austin and was guaranteed that Austin himself would be at No Way Out.
"Excellent J.R. Go on back to the announce table and take your seat. You're still a part of the WWE," Vince replied. He then turned to Bischoff. "Well, it looks like you delivered what you promised."
In Evolution's locker room everyone became agitated. They could smell what was coming from a mile away. Evie had closed down her laptop and was standing next to Batista, watching the screen. This did not look good.
"Hell no," she muttered under her breath. "Please, no."
Batista glanced over at her. He knew she didn't like Bischoff and from what he had heard from her and Hunter, the feeling was mutual. He also had a bad feeling about this.
Vince looked at Bischoff. "Since you did deliver, I am reinstating you as general manager of RAW. I am also reinstating Chief Morley as well."
The atmosphere in the locker room was tense. Hunter cursed softly. Evie sighed inwardly. It was worse. Now that Bischoff was the GM again, she knew he wasn't going to make the match an easy one.
Vince moved to leave, but stopped. "You know what Bischoff, since you did your job, I think that you're going to join my club."
Bischoff wore a look of excitement mixed with confusion. He had no idea what club Vince was talking about.
Vince grinned maliciously. "You're going to join the "Kiss My Ass" club!" He turned around so that his back was to Bischoff and undid his pants. He dropped them and demanded that Bischoff kiss his ass.
Bischoff grabbed a mic. "I'm sorry Vince, but I can't do this. I mean, I would do anything to keep my job, but I just can't. If you have to kick my ass in order for me to keep my job, then so be it."
Vince quickly pulled his pants back up and closed them. "Fine," he replied. "You will be at No Way Out, Eric, but not in the general manager capacity. You will be at No Way Out as a competitor!" The crowd cheered as Vince smirked at Bischoff. "In one corner will be Eric Bischoff. In the other corner... Stone Cold Steve Austin!"
The crowd erupted as Bischoff stood in the ring with a shocked expression. Vince smirked again and then left the ring.
Randy was chuckling at what had transpired. Ric looked at him. "What's so funny?"
"Bischoff having to wrestle Austin. Talk about bad karma," Randy said and then chuckled again. "He better run for his life."
Despite her situation, Evie managed to find the humor in Bischoff's predicament. She had to face Jericho, but she'd rather do that than have to face Austin. Perhaps there was some justice in the universe after all.
"You do realize that because he has to face Austin, he's gonna be preoccupied? I mean, how the hell is he gonna pull it off?" Randy asked. "And if he's preoccupied..." he trailed off, hoping someone would see his point.
Ric grinned. "If he's preoccupied, he's liable to agree to anything." He rubbed his hands together. "I see all sorts of possibilities here."
"You're forgetting one thing though," Hunter stated. "Bischoff hates Evie. He'll do what he can to make that match to Jericho's advantage."
Evie began picking her bags up. "Well I don't know about you four, but I'm ready to get out of here." She'd had enough for the night. All she wanted to do was go back to her room and soak in a nice hot bath, hopefully delaying the inevitable until tomorrow.
They all headed back to the hotel. As the limo pulled onto the street, Batista and Randy were tossing around ideas to help Evie out, with Ric interjecting now and then. Most of his attention was on Hunter and Evie. They were quietly conversing with one another and from the look on Evie's face, it wasn't pleasant.
"See, this is exactly what I was talking about," Hunter said in a low voice. "I knew this was gonna happen. I don't want you in that ring with Jericho."
"So you're going to go ahead and let everyone get fined and suspended because of me? I don't think so Hunter. I already have a problem with Jericho. I don't need problems with those three by costing them money and your title," Evie argued.
Hunter shut his mouth, unwilling to finish the conversation in the limo. He doubted he would be able to keep his voice down.
They arrived at the hotel and went to their respective rooms. Before he headed towards his room, Batista fell back so that he was walking next to Evie. "Look, we're gonna work something out, so don't worry."
"I'm more worried about Hunter than Jericho at the moment," she responded quietly.
"Understandable," Batista said. "You need anything, you give me a call."
Evie nodded at him as he walked off to his room. She quickly unlocked her door and stepped in. Before she could set her bags down, there was a knock at the adjoining door. She dropped her things on the bed, unlatched the door and opened it.
Hunter stepped into her room. "I don't want you in that ring," he repeated.
"This is pointless Hunter. If you fire me or I quit, you all get shafted as well as me. If you interfere, each of you gets shafted." She watched him as he paced back and forth. "I don't need everyone else to be pissed at me because of this."
Hunter threw up his hands in disgust. "Dammit Evie! This is a problem for both of us. I don't want you in that ring because I don't want you to get pounded by Jericho. You know he's gonna use this to his own advantage, not to mention Bischoff."
Evie sighed. "Yeah, well I think he has more important things on his mind tonight."
"This isn't funny," Hunter stated as he stopped pacing.
"I know," she responded tiredly as she sat down on the bed. "Can we worry about it tomorrow? I just want to forget about this evening and get some sleep."
Hunter looked down at her and realized that this was probably taking as much out of her as it was him. It wasn't her fault. It was that damn Jericho. If he'd left Evie alone, none of this would have happened.
"Sure," he said softly as he reached down and pulled her up off the bed. He placed a kiss on her forehead and his fingers began unfastening the buttons on her shirt.
She looked at him in confusion. "What are you doing?"
"Shh. Don't say anything. Just let me do this," he replied as he undid the last button, removed her shirt and laid it on the bed. His hands unfastened her pants and he told her to sit down.
She complied and he removed her shoes and socks and then her pants which he left on the bed. He told her to remain where she was and he disappeared into the bathroom. As she wondered what he was up to, the sound of water running into the bathtub answered her question. After a few minutes, the water stopped and he came out.
"Go on in and have a hot bath and I'll come back when you're done," he said.
She murmured her thanks and gave him a brief kiss on the cheek. He left her room and she went into the bathroom and removed her underwear. She noticed that he had put in some of her body wash as there were bubbles floating on top of the water. She climbed into the tub carefully and sighed as the hot water and scented bubbles enveloped her skin.
********************
Unfortunately, Bischoff could not be coerced into anything that would favor Evie in the match. Whenever Hunter approached him, he would flat out refuse to talk about the match. Ric told Hunter to wait and they would try and come up with something after the pay per view. He stated that Hunter needed to focus more on his match with Steiner than the problem with Jericho and Bischoff.
Jericho had been thrilled at Vince's announcement of his impending match against Evie. Finally she'd get what was coming to her, in more ways than one. He made the most of every opportunity to seek her out and remind her that her ass was his. Evie never responded, choosing to ignore him instead.
Shawn had taken to appearing whenever Jericho did, making sure that nothing happened to Evie. At least, not yet. When it did, he wanted to make sure Hunter was watching. On the surface, he was friendly to her when he did cross paths with her.
He managed to get a few words in with her. She had arrived at the arena early the following Monday night with Ric and Batista. They went to Bischoff's office to make sure of their matches for the night and any last minute adjustments they might have for Bischoff. As Evie waited outside the door, Shawn approached her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked quietly. "You're gonna get us both in trouble."
He smiled. "I'll make it quick. I heard about the match and the stipulations Vince set up," he said.
"So?" Evie asked, wondering what this was leading up to.
"Well, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be keeping an eye on things when you're in that ring."
Evie eyed him. "As in, you might be around to offer me some help?" she asked casually.
Shawn shrugged. "It's the least I can do." He smiled. "Someone's gotta look out for you since Hunter won't be around to do it." He started walking away. "Think about it, doll."
Ric stood just out of sight on the other side of the doorway, listening. So Michaels is offering help, huh? Hmmm. This could open up some interesting possibilities.
Batista finished his conversation with Bischoff and he, Ric and Evie headed back to Evolution's locker room. Batista turned to Evie. "I expect Bischoff is gonna make an announcement about your match tonight."
"How do you know that?" she asked.
"He hinted about it while I was talking to him," Batista said as they walked into the locker room.
"Great," Evie muttered.
Hunter and Randy arrived shortly and the four men went over the match for the night as Evie busied herself with other things. Soon the monitor displayed the opening credits and showed the snowy outside of the Nationwide Arena in Columbus Ohio. Instead of Bischoff coming out first, RVD and Lance Storm's match opened the show. As soon as RVD got the pin and the bell rang, the two men were out of the ring and Bischoff came out.
"It's great to be the new general manager of RAW," he said as soon as he had stepped into the ring. "And I do have some unfinished business with someone. Chief Morley, will you come on out here?"
Once Morley was in the ring, Bischoff officially reinstated him. Morley thanked the GM and tried to rouse the crowd into showing Bischoff some appreciation by giving him a round of applause. The crowd booed Bischoff instead and Bischoff berated them.
"I am sick of seeing everyone smirking at me and wishing me luck at No Way Out. So you know what? Tonight, I'm gonna give a lucky pair of people in that locker room a tag team match." He paused for effect and then continued. "It's gonna be Shawn Michaels and Jeff Hardy against Christian and Chris Jericho!"
Bischoff grinned as he paced around the ring. "I bet you people like the Dudley Boyz, right?" The crowd roared its approval. "And I bet you'd love to see someone go through a table tonight, wouldn't you?" The roaring became even louder. "Well, it's not gonna happen!" Bischoff announced. "I suspended the Dudleyz!"
A clip ran on the Titan Tron showing Bubba Ray and D-Von being escorted out of the building. Bubba told a security guard that the situation between them and Bischoff is far from over.
Bischoff was smirking when the clip ended. "Not only that, but I am booking Spike Dudley in a handicap match against Rosey, Jamal and Rico!"
The people in attendance booed Bischoff again, but he kept grinning. In the locker room Evie subconsciously held her breath, waiting for Bischoff to bring her and Jericho's match up. She didn't have to wait long.
"Last week, Vince McMahon gave me, the new GM, permission to set up a match between Chris Jericho and Triple H's assistant."
Evolution waited with baited breath to find out what type of match Bischoff was going to set up. Evie felt a headache developing behind her eyes. She didn't need this stress right now.
Bischoff continued. "Now, as much as I like the idea and the stipulations, I want to make this an extra-special match for everyone."
There was no mistaking the innuendo behind Bischoff's words. He was going to give Evie one hellacious match.
"So I'm gonna take some time and think this whole thing over before I make any announcements about the type of match it's going to be or when it will be," Bischoff concluded.
A collective sigh went through the locker room. Batista glanced over at Evie. "Looks like you're off the hook for now," he said with a hint of a grin.
Evie returned the smile. "Maybe, but who knows what he'll dream up," she replied as she gestured towards the monitor.
"He'll do what we say, if he knows what's good for him," Ric stated matter-of-factly.
Bischoff turned and faced the announce table. "Not a lot of people know that I'm an eighth degree black belt and have been in martial arts for over twenty years. Well, tonight I am going to give a demonstration of what I'm capable of by competing in my first match ever on RAW." He grinned in the direction of Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross. "I'm going to compete against Stone Cold Steve Austin's best friend, good old' J.R.!"
The camera panned to J.R., who was visibly upset. Lawler was talking a mile a minute, trying to get his announce partner hyped up for his match until J.R. finally told Lawler to shut up.
****************
Unfortunately, Jericho's luck didn't hold out for his tag team match against Shawn and Jeff Hardy. He and Christian started out with the upper hand by handcuffing Shawn to the turnbuckle. As the match was a no disqualification match, it was perfectly legal. Jericho and Christian beat down Jeff for a bit and then Jericho taunted Shawn with the key as Christian took care of Jeff. Jericho got too close and Shawn nailed him with a super kick. Jericho dropped the key and Shawn pounced on it and quickly got the handcuffs off.
Shawn climbed into the ring and began to clean house. Jericho slipped into the ring with a steel chair and got nailed with it in the face when Shawn gave him another super kick. Jeff, having tossed Christian out of the ring, quickly scaled the post to the top turnbuckle, and pinned Jericho with a Swanton bomb for the win.
Jeff and Shawn disappeared backstage and a few minutes later, the monitor showed Jericho backstage, throwing things around and cursing Jeff Hardy. Evie smiled as she watched Jericho. As far as she was concerned, Jericho had received what he deserved. At least from Jeff Hardy.
Hunter called her into the bathroom, where he was changing. She got up off the sofa and walked in. He was wearing his gear. He had his thigh heavily taped and had both braces on. As he leaned back against the sink, he held out a roll of tape to her.
"Need you to wrap my hands," he said.
Evie took the tape from him and proceeded to wrap his right hand and wrist and then his left wrist. As she worked, Hunter watched her. She had been quiet for most of the day. When Hunter had asked her what was wrong, she had shrugged him off. He didn't push her, figuring that it was probably the match against Jericho. He couldn't blame her for being preoccupied with it. He was trying to figure out a way to keep Jericho from winning without losing his title, pay and Evie.
Evie finished up and set the tape on the counter behind Hunter. "Anything else I can do for you?" she asked.
He gave her a suggestive smile as he wiggled his eyebrows at her, trying to get her to laugh.
A small smile appeared on her lips. "Maybe later," she whispered before giving him a tiny peck on the cheek.
Hunter watched her walk out of the bathroom, admiring the view as she did. Ric's voice floated through the door. "It's time. Let's go champ!"
He stood up and walked slowly out to the main room. He reminded Evie to keep the door locked and not to open it for anyone but them. She nodded and wished them luck. The four men left the room.
The match went to hell when Ric and Randy got involved, but Steiner and Booker were able to handle it. Booker T and Steiner ended up the winners when Booker nailed Hunter with an axe kick for the win. Of course Evolution was livid, but they cut their losses and made a hasty exit.
Back in the locker room, they changed, gathered up their things and Evie and left for the hotel. Evie was quiet the entire ride, preferring to half listen to them chatter about the match. Her mind was elsewhere as she stared out the window. She remained quiet as they all went to their rooms. She murmured a goodnight to three of them and went into her room.
As she changed into her nightshirt and got ready for bed, Hunter appeared in the adjoining doorway.
"Hey, you okay?" he asked softly.
Evie looked up at him as she put her dirty clothes into her laundry bag. "I guess. Still trying to figure out how to get out of this damn match." Her expression grew hopeful. "Any suggestions?"
He walked over to her. "None yet," he replied as he took the laundry bag from her and tossed it onto a chair.
Her face fell at his answer. She hadn't really expected him to tell her they had figured something out.
Hunter's hand lifted her chin so he could see her face. "Would you quit worrying? We'll think of something," he said.
"I know," she replied in a whisper. "I just wish I knew why Jericho's so damn obsessed with me."
"That's something we'd all like to know," Hunter replied. His voice dropped a couple octaves. "You know, I can make you forget about Jericho for the rest of the night."
Evie looked up at him and noticed the playful expression on his face as well as the glint of desire in his eyes. She smiled. "Really? And how do you plan on doing that?"
"Like this," he murmured as his mouth came down on hers.
The kissing turned to touching; the touching to caressing. The caressing became heated and soon they were both lying on the bed sans nightclothes. Using his fingers and his mouth, Hunter soon had Evie moaning for him. Slowly he pushed her legs apart and settled between them. As he did, her eyes opened and she shook her head in response to his actions.
"What?" he asked huskily.
She slipped out from under him and pushed him down so he was flat on his back.
He grinned in anticipation. "Feeling aggressive tonight?" he questioned.
Evie returned the grin. "A little." Actually, she had been feeling aggressive for a while, but she had been falling sleep fairly quickly for the past few days. Tonight however, she was wide awake and wanting to do something to relieve her tension. Deciding not to let Hunter have all the fun tonight, her hand slipped under the pillow and pulled out one of her long silk scarves that she had placed there earlier.
What on earth... ? he thought. "Where did that come from and what's it for?" When she gave him a Cheshire cat smile, he knew he was in trouble.
Without a word, she quickly wrapped the cloth around both his wrists and tied it off to the headboard. A throaty chuckle issued from him, but turned to a groan as she began to lick and kiss her way down his body. Her lips traveled over his chest, down his stomach to his thighs. She began to gently bite and lick his tanned skin, causing his erection to become even more pronounced. Her nails scraped his flesh as she bit his thighs over and over.
He jerked against the fabric when she wrapped one hand around him and gently tugged. Her hand slid up and down as she continued to leave love bites along the sensitive crease of hip and thigh and then over his stomach. He moaned in protest when her hand let go of him. She smiled against his skin, kissed her way back over his chest to his neck and then nibbled on his ear.
Evie's tongue flicked over his earlobe and chin and then plunged into his mouth. He pulled against the restraints as she kissed him savagely. She broke the kiss abruptly and looked at him. He met her gaze head on and noticed her green eyes were hazy with passion. Her stare was so intense that he felt himself become even more aroused. She smiled that cat-like smile again, straddled his waist and began to rub herself against him.
He groaned as he tugged at the silk around his wrists. She watched him from under half closed eyes. His face was contorted in passion as he bit down on his lower lip to keep from groaning again. She twisted her hips, continuing to rub against his erection.
"Evie," he gasped.
"What?" she purred in response as she leaned forward, her arms on either side of him.
"Untie me," he rasped and then bit off another groan as she rotated herself against him again and bent her head to lick his chest.
"No," she simply replied and continued.
He lifted his head. "Untie me," he repeated. When she didn't answer him, he became insistent.
"Why?" she asked as she sat back and placed her hands on his chest.
"Because I want to touch you," he bit out as he thrust his hips upwards.
Evie simply smiled and ran her fingernails over his chest, teasing and then rolling each of his nipples between her fingers.
A harsh groan escaped him and he almost lost it. His head fell back on the pillow. "Dammit Evie, untie me!"
"You didn't say the magic word," she responded with another enigmatic smile.
He rolled his eye in exasperation, but his need outweighed his pride. "Please," he whispered.
She pushed her hips down on him and a strangled groan came from his throat. "Please what?"
Hunter licked his lips. "Please untie me," he panted.
Evie leaned forward and untied the silk. As soon as the knot had been undone, he grabbed her hips and rolled her over so that she was underneath him. Within seconds, he penetrated her and was stroking in and out as he growled. She let out a sigh of satisfaction as he continued to thrust into her. She demanded that he increase the pace as she violently pushed her hips up to meet his, and soon they were both bucking frantically. All too soon, she felt the rapid explosions of orgasm and she arched her back, crying out his name as her fingernails bit into his backside. Another harsh groan and he emptied himself into her.
He collapsed on top of her, his breath hot in her ear. She tangled her fingers in his hair as her legs wrapped around his waist. Slowly their breathing calmed and he removed himself from her; rolling onto his side, he wrapped an arm around her waist and buried his face in her neck. He chuckled as he thought about his promise earlier. Fact was, she had made him forget all about Jericho. His eyes drifted shut as she murmured goodnight to him.
************************
"Yes?" Evie asked when she had opened the door to Evolution's locker room.
"Mr. Bischoff sent me to get you," said the gofer.
Hunter came up behind Evie. "What's going on?"
"Mr. Bischoff wants to see Evie in his office," the gofer stammered at the world heavyweight champion.
"Well let's go then," replied Hunter.
The gofer spoke up hesitantly. "Umm... He wants to see her alone."
Hunter began to get pissed, but Evie spoke before he could. "It's okay Hunter. I don't think anything will happen."
They were in Montreal Quebec, Canada for No Way out. Jericho had been booked as the first match of the night with Jeff Hardy and was currently being treated for a bruised jaw in triage. Shawn had appeared after the end of Jericho's match and gave him some sweet chin music as well as Christian, who had come out to help Jericho beat down Jeff Hardy.
"Fine, but make sure one of security walks her back," he growled to the gofer. "Don't do anything to piss Bischoff off tonight," Hunter murmured in her ear.
She nodded in response as the gofer motioned for her to follow him to Bischoff's office. He knocked on the door and opened it when Bischoff yelled for him to come in.
"Here she is Mr. Bischoff," the gofer announced.
Bischoff dismissed him and motioned for Evie to come in and close the door. She did and noticed Morley standing next to Bischoff's desk.
"You wanted to see me?" Evie asked calmly.
"Yes. I wanted to talk to you about this match with Chris Jericho without interference from your boss or the other three," Bischoff replied from behind his desk.
Evie eyed him suspiciously. "What about it?"
Bischoff smiled. "Well, Jericho came to me on Saturday stating that he wants a hardcore match, which, obviously, is a no disqualification match. I thought that was a good idea, however, Vince's stipulations still stand; no interference from Evolution, nor are they to be at ringside."
"I know what Vince said," she stated. "It was just a few weeks ago."
Bischoff continued as if he hadn't heard her. "But then I thought, why not make it even more interesting? Why not make it a hardcore, last man standing match instead." He looked at her, his eyes gleaming with viciousness. "You do know what a last man standing match is, don't you?"
Evie folded her arms across her chest. "Yeah, I'm quite aware of what a last man standing match is." This was not going to go over well with Hunter. She imagined he would have a few choice words with Bischoff when he got the chance.
Bischoff nodded. "Good. I still have to work out a few more details, but I should have that all taken care of next week," he replied as he toyed with a pen on his desk.
"Is that all?" Evie asked in a bored tone. She wanted to make Bischoff think that she didn't give a damn about the match; that she wasn't worried about it.
He stood up abruptly. "Yes, that's all," he bit out. "But if I were you, I would be more concerned with what the outcome of that match will be. Because you know you're going to lose."
"We'll see about that," she stated as she turned to leave.
"You're finished Evie! You won't be coming back to work after Jericho beats you," Bischoff yelled as she walked out the door.
She didn't reply as she closed the steel door. She looked up to see Greg from security waiting for her in the hall. "Darren said you needed to be walked back to the locker room," he said gruffly.
Evie nodded and he escorted her back to Evolution's room. As soon as she walked in, Hunter was at her side. "What happened? What did he want?"
Evie explained what had transpired in Bischoff's office as the other three men crowded around. When she told them what type of match it was going to be, Hunter cursed.
"I think I need to have a chat with Mr. Bischoff," he growled. "This isn't right."
Ric cut in. "Wait a second H, this might be a good thing."
Hunter turned his glare on Ric. "What do you mean?"
"Well, it leaves Evie free to use anything she can get her hands on. Especially chairs," Ric said, "Or sledgehammers."
Hunter contemplated that for a few seconds. "Yeah, but it means that Jericho can do the same thing."
"At least it'll give her a better chance in the ring," Ric said. He turned to Evie as another idea occurred to him. "Is he booking the match at the beginning of the show?"
"He didn't say, Ric. He said he was working out a few more details and would have it all taken care of next week," Evie responded as she met his gaze. "Why? You have something in mind?"
Ric nodded. "Well, Vince said that none of us could interfere in the match. He didn't say anything about before the match, did he?" He looked around at everyone else to make sure they understood him. "We find out when the match is booked in the show and take care of Jericho beforehand."
Batista and Randy nodded in agreement, stating that it sounded better than nothing at all. Hunter looked a bit skeptical, but Batista and Randy were right; it was better than nothing. Maybe they could put a good enough hurting on Jericho so that Evie would have a better advantage.
He glanced at Evie. "Well, what do you think?"
"I think they're right. It's better than nothing at all," she responded. "Now that we have that somewhat settled, if you guys don't mind, I want to see Bischoff get his ass kicked tonight," she said in sadistic glee.
*************************
Hunter managed to retain his title against Scott Steiner. Ric went to work on Steiner with some cheap shots when Hunter tossed him out of the ring. Hunter climbed out and slammed Steiner's head into the steel steps. Once Steiner got back into the ring, the tide turned.
The two men exchanged blows and then Steiner backed Hunter into the corner. Somehow, Hunter used the ropes to pin Steiner, but the ref broke it up. They both ended up outside the ring, battling one another and then Steiner rammed Hunter into the steel steps. Hunter was tossed back into the ring and Steiner pummeled him in the middle of the mat.
A belly to belly suplex to Hunter and Steiner then gave him a superplex. He rolled Hunter up for a three count, but Ric managed to stop the count. Steiner then put Hunter in the Steiner Recliner as Ric called for the rest of Evolution to come out.
Batista and Randy came down and were beaten down by Steiner. Once they were dispatched, Steiner climbed back into the ring and clotheslined Hunter out of the ring. Steiner then went back to work on Randy. He tossed him over the ropes and onto Batista. The ref sent the three members of Evolution back to the locker room.
As the ref was occupied with them, Hunter managed to get a hold of the title belt and slammed it into Steiner's head. He went for the pin, but Steiner kicked out. Hunter got up, hit the Pedigree on Steiner and then pinned him for the win.
Hunter collapsed next to Evie on the sofa when he came in. The other three crowded around him, congratulating him on his victory. He thanked them and then waved them off so he could go shower and change.
Evie remained on the sofa to watch Bischoff get his ass kicked by Austin. Soon the locker room became quiet as everyone else joined her in watching.
Bischoff got on the mic and tried to forfeit the match by stating that he would lay down on the mat. The crowed roared in disapproval and then Austin came out. The place erupted with cheers and screams as he walked to the ring. Bischoff began pleading with him to let the whole thing go and settle it like men. Evie smirked at Bischoff's fear. Serves you right, she though viciously.
Austin apparently didn't want to forfeit the match because he speared Bischoff and then pummeled him on the mat. Bischoff tried in vain to cover up, but Austin jerked him off the canvas and threw him into the corner. Austin beat him down to the bottom rope and then proceeded to kick the hell out of him. The crowd went wild and the Evolution locker room could barely contain their laughter.
Austin ripped the padded gloves off Bischoff's hands, slammed him into the turnbuckle and then stomped on him some more. The ref tried to get Austin to calm down, but he gave the finger to the ref. Bischoff managed to break free and nail Austin in the face and chest with a few kicks. Austin took the blows, not fazed by them one bit, and laughed at Bischoff's attempt.
Bischoff slid out of the ring, but Austin caught him and continued assaulting him. He cracked a beer that someone in the audience gave to him, over Bischoff's head and then threw him back in the ring where he delivered a Stunner to Bischoff. He covered Bischoff, but then let him up. After stunning him a few more times and flipping the bird at him, Austin hit a huge Stunner on Bischoff and got the win.
Jim Ross was screaming himself hoarse over Austin's win and one of the cameras in the back showed the rest of the RAW roster going crazy with glee.
Evie sat back with a smile. As far as she was concerned, that match made up for the problems Bischoff had given her in the past, as well as her impending match with Jericho. He definitely got what he deserved, she thought as she looked at the four men in the room with her. They were all grinning as well.
"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I think we should take off, go out and have a good time," Ric said magnanimously.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Evie stated as she stood up.
Ric looked at her incredulously. "You really wanna go with us?"
"Hell yeah. I feel the need to have a good time thanks to Austin," she responded with a laugh.
Hunter tossed her a grin of approval. He was glad she wanted to let off a little steam, but firmly resolved to keep a close eye on Ric. "Let's go then," he said.
**********************
A/N:
Hey all! Thanks for being patient
for this chapter. Hope everyone enjoyed
it. Things will definitely get more
interesting, I promise. I wanna take a
second and thank those who read and left a review for Vitam et Sanguinem, my
sequel to Just One Taste. I posted it a couple weeks ago, so if you
haven't read it, have at it. Also I
posted a peek at the other fic I mentioned.
It's on my website if you want to have a look. It's in the fanfiction section and titled After
the Fall. Direct any feedback to
my hotmail addy.
Disco Inferno: Thanks! Actually, I was thinking of how I would react if I ever met RVD (or Trips for that matter!). And I based the two boys on two of my own nephews, one who happens to be named Colin. Couldn't resist putting them both in here somehow! Yeah, HBK to the rescue, but for how long? Something to ponder… And Jericho WILL get his soon. Thanks again!
Jessi: Thanks! Glad you're still enjoying it. Yup, HBK back in the pic, but how good ARE his intentions? You'll have to wait and see…
YoullNeverKnowMe: Thanks! Oh they're paying attention to what he's doing, they're just not addressing it while they should. Shawn? Let's just say, he definitely is up to something, but you'll have to keep reading to find out.
AhitsAnjel: Thank you! I'm glad you're digging the story… or obsessed with it. (big grin) Hope you enjoyed the update!
Vronica03: Oh yes, lots of things going on. And on and on… It's hard sometimes to keep it all in it's place and make it work with the existing actual WWE storyline. But it's fanfiction and that's where it gets fun, as you can see from this chapter. Teaser or sneak peek is posted on the website!
Erica: Much thanks! Hunter won't be disposing of Jericho or Flair, but things are getting interesting, so keep reading!
MsLessa: Thank you! Oh yeah! Plots within plots within plots!! And I'm loving it! No, not everyone, but it doe seem like it, doesn't it?
Mistress Martin: Welcome and thank you! Glad you've been enjoying it. Oh yeah, Jericho will definitely get what's coming to him, but you'll have to keep reading!