A Thousand Reasons

by Leeloo Jinn

COMPLETE- Triple H returns to the WWE with someone in tow… someone female. In the process, he gets more problems and excitement than he's paying her for. Centered around Triple H’s return to the WWE and beyond. OC, Triple H, Evolution, Jericho, etc

47. Leads to Another

Chapter 47

  Evie watched in amusement as Randy proceeded to sweet talk his 'date' into drinking the shot he had picked up at the bar.  After a minute of convincing, she tipped the glass back and emptied it.  Evie chuckled as the woman spluttered and took a swig of champagne to wash down the hard liquor.  Randy laughed as well and received a mock punch to the shoulder.  He quickly assumed a puppy dog look and within seconds, had her out on the dance floor.

  Evie sat back, watching Hunter charm the socks off another young lady, while Ric emptied the last of the champagne into a glass and handed it to his companion.  Hunter had managed to speak to Evie privately before the "company" appeared, making sure that it wasn't going to be a problem with her.  She stated that she understood, but told him that if he didn't behave himself, she'd use that title of his on him in ways he couldn't even begin to imagine.  And it wouldn't be pleasant.  He grinned in response.

  Batista came back from the bar with another bucket of champagne and set it on the table.  Seeing that Evie was alone, he sat next to her.  "No company?" he asked.

  She looked at him.  "No.  I'm having too much fun watching everyone else.  Especially this smooth talker over here," she said, gesturing at Hunter in amusement.  "Where's yours?"

  He hooked a thumb back towards the bar.  "She decided she wanted to be with someone else."

  "She chose another guy over you?"  Evie shook her head.  "Stupid woman."

  Batista looked a little embarrassed.  "Actually, she chose a chick over me," he said sheepishly.

  Evie shook with laughter and Batista's face turned red.  "Oh... I'm sorry Dave.  It's just that... "  She chuckled again.

  "That's it, laugh," he said sarcastically.  "Wound my fragile male ego even more why don't you?"  He took a sip of his drink. 

  Evie laid a hand on his bulging arm.  "I'm sorry," she replied breathlessly.  She couldn't help laughing.  It was hard to believe that any female could refuse Batista.  Even for another woman.

  Batista set his glass down.  "Just for that, you can come dance with me."

  "Oh no," Evie shook her head.  "I don't think so."

  "You owe me after that," he replied as he took her hand. 

  Evie glanced over at Hunter for help, but he simply shrugged.  She stuck her tongue out at him and allowed Batista to drag her out on the dance floor. 

  Batista grabbed her around the waist and they swayed back and forth in time to the music.  "Don't worry," he whispered in her ear, "You're safe with me."

  "I better be, or Hunter might have something to say to you," she teased as her arms came up around his neck. 

  Batista laughed as they continued to dance to the bass heavy music.  As they twisted and turned, Hunter kept one eye on them and the other on the woman next to him.  Evie had turned so her back was to Batista and was moving her hips back and forth.  Batista, not missing a beat, wound an arm around her waist and moved with her.  Hunter knew Batista wasn't stupid enough to try anything, and he was keeping Ric away from Evie, but he couldn't help feeling a tiny bit possessive. 

  His lady friend excused herself to use the bathroom and as soon as she left, Ric was sitting in the spot she had vacated.  He noticed Hunter watching Evie and Batista.

  "They look good together," Ric commented innocently. 

  "I suppose, " Hunter grunted in response as he kept watching them.

  Ric's gaze moved back and forth between Hunter and the couple on the dance floor.  "I think they'd be good for one another," he said as he glanced at Hunter.  "Whaddya think champ?"

  "I think they'll figure out on their own if they're good for each other or not, so leave 'em alone," Hunter replied tersely.  He wasn't in the mood for Ric's stupid games tonight.     

  Ric grinned.  He knew there was something between Evie and Hunter.  His attempt at uncovering what it was hadn't been as fruitful as he wanted, but Hunter's attitude towards the subject had been touchy, to say the least, and that spoke volumes.  Now with this match between Evie and Jericho, he could see that Hunter's focus would be on working out a way for Evie to win.  That could be a distraction, not only to Hunter, but to everyone else in Evolution.  And distractions weren't always good.

  Hunter was tired of Ric prying for information, but for some reason he was reluctant to tell him exactly what the relationship between Evie and himself was.  He hadn't lied when he told Evie that he liked it being a secret.  It really wasn't anyone else's business anyway.

  His thoughts ceased as Evie and Batista left the dance floor, heading away from him.  He wondered where they were going, but swiftly dismissed the thought.  He trusted Evie.  He knew she wouldn't do anything with Batista.  Nor Batista with her. 

  Thankfully Ric had nothing to say about the couple's disappearance, having been distracted by the return of his escort for the evening.  Hunter glanced up as the woman he had been talking to sat down next to him.  He turned his attention back to her.

  "Miss me?" she asked as she sat down.

  He gave her a charming smile.  "Of course."

  They chatted amicably and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Evie and Batista reappear on the dance floor.  Again, he kept one eye on them and the other on his "date".  He kept up the conversation with her and inwardly grimaced as she laughed and pressed herself up against his arm.  This whole thing was only for appearances and he was finding himself becoming uncomfortable with it.  Evie however, didn't seem to be uncomfortable at all.  Neither did Batista for that matter.  They looked like they were having a very good time out on that dance floor.

  He felt a tug on his arm and looked over at his companion.  "What?" he asked.

  "You wanna dance?" she asked as she smiled at him.

  "Thanks, but I don't think so," he replied gently.

  "Why not?  You keep watching everyone out there," she said and then gave him a sly look.  "Or are you watching someone in particular?"

  Hunter shifted in his seat.  "What makes you say that?"

  She nodded her head in the direction of Evie.  "You've been watching them since they went out there.  Especially the redhead."  She glanced at Hunter.  "You like her, don't you?"

  Hunter chuckled.  That's an understatement if I ever heard it.  And then- "Yeah, I like her a lot."

  "So why not make your move before that guy does?  'Cause he looks like he's going to, whether you want him to or not."

  Hunter turned his eyes back to the dance floor and noticed Evie and Batista were dancing extremely close together.  It looked as if they were almost grafted to one another.  His feelings of possessiveness shot up and he clenched his free hand in an effort to calm down. 

They're just dancing; nothing else.  It doesn't mean anything, he kept telling himself.  But it didn't look that way. 

  Ric watched Hunter with great interest.  He didn't miss the flash of jealousy on Hunter's face and he certainly couldn't miss the way Evie and Batista were dancing with each other.  He mentally bet himself that Hunter would break it up in the next five minutes.  He sat back, continuing to watch the situation. 

  Evie looked up at Batista and slightly moved her head in the direction of Hunter when she caught his eye.  Batista glanced over and noticed the look on Hunter's face.  He raised an eyebrow and leaned down to talk in Evie's ear.

  "He looks pissed," Batista stated.

  "Don't worry about it."  She moved even closer to Batista and kept dancing.

  Batista wasn't so sure.  Hunter looked like he was going to pummel him if he got the chance.  "Maybe we should cool it anyway," he said uncertainly.

  Evie nodded and the two of them headed back towards their seats.  As Evie sat down, she gave Hunter a smile, which swiftly faded as the woman he was with snuggled closer to him.  Hunter's expression was made out of stone and she had the sudden feeling that she had overstepped some boundary by dancing with Batista.

  Don't know why he would be so upset anyway.  It's only dancing.  And at least it wasn't with Ric, she thought and then shuddered.  Dancing with Ric.  Now there's something to give me bad dreams.

  The rest of the evening, Hunter and Evie were careful around each other.  Ric watched all the byplay with interest, wondering who was going to have the first and last word.  Both Hunter and Evie were quiet during the ride back to the hotel.  Ric kept chatting up his lady friend, who was accompanying him back to his room.  Randy was busy groping his female companion and Batista sat in silence.

  Once she was in her room, the adjoining door burst open and Hunter strode in, his anger like thunder on his face.

  "What the hell was all that about?" he demanded.

  "Excuse me?" Evie replied.

  "You heard me Evie," he responded as his arms folded across his broad chest.

  Uh oh.  Sounds like someone is a little jealous.  She shrugged.  "The dancing?  It was nothing."

  "It didn't look like nothing!" Hunter shot back.  "Rubbing all over each other."

  Evie eyed him.  He was jealous.  "Hunter, I don't know what  you're getting so upset about.  Nothing happened.  Dave knows better than that, and I sure as hell wouldn't do anything to jeopardize our relationship."

  Hunter's eyes blazed.  "You know what Ric said to me?  Huh?" he said angrily.  When Evie didn't respond, he continued.  "He thought you two would be good for one another."

  Evie rubbed a hand across her forehead.  "Hunter, you know he would say anything to get you to admit how you feel about me."

  "Dammit Evie!  You were practically throwing yourself on Dave!" Hunter bellowed.  His eyes flashed with anger; his breathing was becoming heavy.  As far as he knew, Evie wouldn't go behind his back and Batista wouldn't lay a finger on her, but he couldn't stand to see her with other people.  She belonged to him. 

  That did it.  Evie had been trying not to get upset about this, but obviously Hunter wasn't going to let it go.  He was making it into something it wasn't, and the whole caveman act was starting to piss her off.  "Nothing happened between me and Dave!" she yelled back.  "Nothing!  I don't know why you're getting so worked up about this!  You don't' see me getting pissed off about that bimbo you were with, do you!  After all, it was only for appearances, wasn't it!"

  "This has nothing to do with that chick!  This has to do with you!" Hunter yelled back as he thrust a finger at Evie. 

  Evie threw up her hands in disgust.  "I didn't do anything wrong Hunter!  Get that through your thick skull!  NOTHING!"  She lowered her hands.  "I don't want to argue about this, but if you're looking for a fight, then I can give you one!"

  He started to interrupt, but she talked over him.  "I don't know what your problem is tonight, but if you don't knock it off, I'm going to do something I'll regret later."

  "Oh really?" he asked sarcastically.  "And what would that be?  Throwing yourself on Ric?"

  Evie fought down the desire to slug him.  This was completely uncalled for.  "No!  More like beating the crap out of you!" she shot back.

  He laughed.  "You, beating the crap out of me?  The Game?  The World Heavyweight champ?  Think again, woman!"

  Her anger spiked at his arrogance.  Her palm itched with the urge to slap that grin off his face.  "You think I can't do it?" she questioned.  "You think you're infallible because you're "The Game"?" she mocked.  When he nodded, she crooked a finger at him.  "C'mon then.  Let's go."

  Hunter laughed again as he removed his shirt, not taking her seriously.  His laughter quickly changed to a grunt of surprise when she grabbed him by the wrist and forced his arm up behind his back.  She pushed him towards the wall, but he managed to wriggle out of her hold and turned the tables on her. 

  Swiftly, he wrapped his hands around her wrists and pushed her back against the wall, stretching her arms over her head.  Without missing a beat, she deftly brought her right foot up and wedged it against his chest.  Shoving hard, she thrust him in the direction of the bed.  Unfortunately, he still had a grip on her and took her down to the floor with him.

  He landed on his back, pulling her down on top of him.  The sudden contact of her warm body on his sent a jolt of excitement through him.  His fury was rapidly changing into intense need.  The jealousy he felt at her dancing with Dave mingling with the desperate thought that he might lose her, was urging him to prove to her once and for all, that she was his. 

  Her eyes flashed with anger as she rolled off him and stood up.  He climbed slowly to his feet, slightly favoring his leg; he was looking at her with a predatory gleam in his eyes and a smirk on his face.  She was definitely going to get more than she bargained for. 

  Mistaking the feral look in his eye for one of superiority, she rushed him, intending to push him backwards again.  But he wrapped his hands around her waist, lifted her and turned her around in midair.  She landed on her back on the bed. 

  Within seconds, he was on her.  His hands scattered buttons as he ripped her shirt open.  His possessive nature coupled with his protective instinct was a dangerous combination; especially for her because he was becoming extremely aroused by her. 

  Evie realized that the situation was rapidly becoming heated.  She didn't know when his mood had changed, but she became aware of it as his mouth came down on hers, hot and demanding.  She pushed against his chest to break the kiss, but he only kissed her harder.  One hand snaked into the hair at her nape and tugged her head back, exposing her neck to him.  His lips grazed the soft skin as he pinned one of her wrists to the mattress.  Evie struggled underneath him, but he had managed to wedge himself between her legs and his weight pressed her against the bed. 

  As his mouth moved over her neck, his tongue flicked out, touching the sensitive spots he knew well; his teeth leaving stinging bites behind.  His lips traveled down her neck and over the swell of her breasts, licking and biting.  An involuntary moan slipped out of her mouth and he smiled against her skin.  She struggled to lift her hand from the mattress.

  "Hunter," she gasped.  "Let go."  Her other hand pushed against his shoulder.

  "Why?" he asked huskily as he looked down at her.  She was flushed from the struggle, her hair in disarray; tiny red spots marred her neck where he had bit her; her lips were bruised and swollen from his kisses.  A fierce surge of desire coursed through him.  "Maybe I like you like this.  Underneath me... " he trailed off and began kissing her again.  His hand moved from the nape of her neck to pin her other wrist down.

  She shuddered under his mouth and another moan escaped her.  He became insistent and slightly violent with his passion, crushing himself to her, his mouth bruising hers.  Evie's mind swirled, quickly being overwhelmed with excitement at his aggressiveness.  Another moan jerked out of her as his teeth tugged at her earlobe.  She moved her head just enough to nip him on the shoulder. 

  He growled in response, urging her to bite him again.  She complied and he let go of her wrists and buried his face in her neck, licking and kissing.  Her body writhed against his in response to his actions.  Her hips arched against him, pushing against his arousal.

  "I...  want..." she gasped and then whimpered as he covered her mouth with his.

  Unable to take the pressure anymore, Hunter's hands deftly stripped her of her clothing and then removed the rest of his own.   Evie pulled him down on top of her, opening her legs for him as she did.  He wasted no time and was plunging in and out of her.  Her hips lifted to entice him even closer.  He pushed himself deeper, but suddenly it wasn't deep enough.

  She arched up again, uttering a harsh moan.  "Not enough-"

  Hunter grabbed a pillow, lifted her up and placed it under her hips.  When he thrust into her again, she cried out and shook.  He repeated the action and groaned as she shivered again.  He had never wanted to possess someone so completely as he wanted to possess her.  His movements became feral, violent; the expression on his face was thunderous as he continued to pound into her, staking his claim.

  "You're mine, Evie."  His voice was rough with passion.  "Tell me you belong to me."

  Her head shook back and forth, not wanting to admit anything to him.  This wasn't lovemaking; this was domination.  Even in the heat of the moment, her stubborn streak came through.  Her teeth found his skin again and bit down sharply. 

  He sucked in a breath at the pain and pushed deeper into her.  "Say it," he rasped, his breath hot against her ear.

  "No," she choked out and then moaned as he thrust into her again.

  He smiled an arrogant smile as he looked down at her.  It didn't matter that she wouldn't say it; deep down she knew she belonged to him.  "Mine," he growled.

 She found herself in the clutches of a desire so ferocious that it seemed to devour her.  Evie's long legs wrapped sinuously around his and she arched her back in pleasure.  She matched him in his fervor.  Her teeth bit down on her lower lip as he kept up the aggressive pace.  Her fingernails raked across his back, digging into him.  He hissed at the pain, but it just excited him even more.  He incited her to bite him again; she left marks on his shoulder and neck.  His hands tilted her hips up even farther as he kept up the relentless stroking.  She goaded him on; his frenzied pace brought her to the edge and then plunged her over in spasms of ecstasy as she cried out.

  Hunter felt her body stiffen and then convulse around him.  Her voice broke and she began to sob as he kept pushing into her.  He covered her mouth with his as the fierce spiral of pleasure shot through him.  He arched down into her as he whispered her name in her ear, and then groaned it as he shuddered in fulfillment.

  He collapsed on her, feeling her under him, around him.  His fingers threaded in her hair, pulling her head closer to him and his breath was hot in her ear.  He shook slightly in the aftermath of what had just happened.  It still amazed him that this woman could reduce him to a complete lack of control.  He was a possessive man by nature, but it seemed magnified with her.  Especially with her. 

  Evie lay underneath him, feeling his weight press her into the mattress.  At the moment, she had no desire to be anywhere else.  She shivered at the tiny spasms still coursing through her body.  He had done it again; he had overwhelmed her with his consuming desire.  Another shiver ran through her as she recalled him demanding her to say that she belonged to him.  She knew she did.  She had known it for a long time.      

  Hunter shifted so that he was resting his weight on his forearms, but made no move to disengage himself from her.  Gently, he smoothed a few errant hairs from her face.  She sighed and moved her head so that her cheek was nestled in the palm of his hand.  He looked down at her, watching her.  Green eyes peered up at him.

  "You are a hellcat, aren't you?" he whispered playfully.  As she lay there, a ragged laugh escaped her throat.  "What?" he said softly.

  Another laugh.  "Caveman," she simply replied, referring to his jealous behavior earlier.

  He smiled.  "And you're complaining, why?"

  Her hands stroked up and down his back, caressing the tanned skin.  "Who said I was complaining?"  

  Hunter sighed.  "I'm sorry.  It's just that... well, seeing you with Dave kinda pissed me off."  He stroked his thumb across her lower lip.  "I couldn't help it.  I was jealous."

  "Caveman," she repeated and then gently smiled up at him.  "I'm flattered, Hunter, but you knew there's nothing going on between Dave and me.  It was only dancing."

  "I suppose.  But if you were trying to convince everyone else that there was, you certainly made it look that way," he responded before dropping a brief kiss on her lips.  He carefully rolled off of her and onto his side to face her, one hand brushing across her belly.

  "Hunter, I'm not going to do the same things she did.  I'm not her," Evie gently reminded him.

  He closed his eyes briefly.  He knew who Evie was talking about.  And he knew she wouldn't do the same things to him.  She wasn't one to play games like Stephanie had.  Hunter knew she loved him and that she didn't have to resort to games to prove it.  The fact that she wasn't about to take the easy way out and cost him his title and the rest of Evolution a week's worth of pay, told him that she was almost willing to do anything for him.  She didn't back down from a challenge.  She was still with him, and he sometimes felt he was her biggest challenge of all. 

  "There was never anything between me and anyone else," she said softly.  "Not Dave, not Bradshaw and not Shawn."

  Hunter's eyes flew open at the mention of Shawn's name.  "What about Shawn?" he asked suspiciously.

  She took a breath and blew it out slowly.  His body had tensed up at the mention of Shawn's name.  She had been debating on how to bring the subject up.  Now that they were alone and his anger had abated for the time being, she figured it would be as good as a time as any.  She knew he might be upset, and that was understandable.  After all, it was Shawn she would be talking about.

  "Evie? What about Shawn?" he asked again.  He willed himself to be calm and to wait and hear her out first before getting upset, but it was difficult. 

  "I've been wanting to talk to you about this for a while, but didn't know how to bring it up," she responded quietly.

  Hunter's stomach lurched in apprehension.  That could only mean one thing and it didn't sound good.  "About what?" he asked tightly.

  She explained to him about her friendship with Shawn; how it had manifested during the time of the nWo; how he was there for her when things between her and Hunter weren't going well; how he had seemed like a decent guy at first, but then he started telling her that Hunter would only use her and leave her like he left him and Chyna and Stephanie.  He had stated that she was a nice girl and didn't deserve to be treated that way.  She told Hunter about the exchange that had taken place between her and Shawn at Armageddon.  About his apology and her suspicions of his recent behavior.

  Hunter struggled to keep his temper on a leash.  He wasn't angry with Evie.  He was angry with Shawn.  Again, Shawn was doing his damndest to mess with him.  Shawn didn't care about Evie.  All he cared about was ruining Hunter's life and it didn't matter who he used in the process.  A grimace crossed his face as he thought about what Shawn had told Evie.  He's just using you until someone better comes along.  Evie had been right; Shawn had talked about Hunter using her, but wasn't that what Shawn was doing to Evie?

  "Are you mad?" Evie asked tentatively.  Hunter had been quiet for a few minutes.  She was beginning to regret telling him.

  "No," he finally responded.  "Not at you."

  A tiny sigh of relief escaped her lips.  "So what do you think?"

  "That you're right.  That he's up to something."  Hunter looked at her, studying her features.  "For right now, don't let on that you told me anything.  Let him feel like he still has the upper hand."

  She rolled onto her side to face him, eyeing him speculatively.  "You've got something in mind, don't you?  I can see those wheels turning."

  Hunter grinned enigmatically.  "I might and then again, I might not.  But it would teach Shawn that he can't take away what doesn't belong to him. 

  A knowing smile flitted across her mouth as her eyes met his.  "Are you going to wrap me around your waist like that title of yours?" she teased.  She was relieved that he wasn't taking it as bad as she thought he would.

  Hunter's laughter rumbled in his chest.  "No, I'm gonna wrap your legs around my waist again though," he said slyly as he moved closer.  His gaze became heated as his hands began to rove over her body.  "You do belong to me, Evie.  There's no doubt about that," he whispered.

  A delicious shiver went through her at his words.   She promptly forgot about Shawn and the problems he presented as Hunter's mouth came down on hers.

*****************************

  During the trip to Toronto, Ric noticed Hunter's change in attitude.  The younger man seemed to be a little more at ease than last night.  Ric didn't miss the meaningful glances that Hunter kept giving Evie.  Nor did he miss the cat-like smiles Evie would give Hunter in response.  Ric wasn't stupid.  He knew what had happened last night.  How couldn't he?  He had been listening outside Evie's door up until they had become involved in more intimate actions.  Unable to resist the temptation, he had left his woman in his room under the pretense of getting some ice, but instead he stationed himself outside Evie's door.  As soon as he heard Evie moaning, he got the ice, walked back to his room, and told his woman that the ice machine hadn't been working and had to go up to the next floor.

  Ric was more than pissed that Hunter had been given what Ric had been wanting for some time.  He also realized that this could be a potential problem for Evolution as a whole.  Hunter couldn't afford to be distracted from business because of a woman.  The women at the clubs were one thing, but to have someone around twenty four hours a day, that was different.  And Ric had no intentions of letting a woman distract the world heavyweight champion.  Even if she was a personal assistant. 

  His mind churned furiously to come up with a way that would force Hunter to choose what he wanted most.  Ric knew that title meant everything to Hunter.  He wondered just how much Evie meant to Hunter.  When he overheard Batista make a joke about Shawn Michaels to Randy, he immediately pounced in an idea.  As he worked it over, he smiled tightly.

  Once they had all settled into their hotel rooms, Ric walked down the hall to talk to Hunter.  He rapped on the door, putting on a friendly smile when Hunter opened it.  "Hey champ.  Can I talk to you a minute?"

  Hunter held the door open.  "Sure.  What's on your mind?"

  Ric walked in, checking to make sure the adjoining door was closed before saying anything else.  Ric sat down in a chair.  "Well, I'm not sure how to bring this up to you."

  Hunter looked at Ric.  "Bring what up?" he asked carefully.

  Ric feigned concern.  "Well, when we were in Columbus, I overheard Shawn and Evie talking," he replied carefully. 

  Hunter became interested, but kept his expression neutral.  Evie hadn't mentioned this to him last night.  "What were they talking about?"

  Ric mentioned that he had hear Shawn offer Evie some help in the ring against Jericho, since none of Evolution could.  He didn't mention the fact that Evie had told Shawn she would think about it. 

  Hunter rubbed his hand over his jaw as Ric talked.  Evie definitely had not told him this.  He grimaced inwardly at Shawn's audacity in approaching Evie to help her out.  Of course, Evie had her suspicions and so did he.  This just confirmed that Shawn had some sort of trick he was planning.  Question was, what was it?

  Ric leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs.  "I don't know what else had been going on with those two, but I'd be damn careful if I were you, champ."

  Hunter shook his head.  "Nothing's been going on with them," he told Ric.

  "How do you know?" Ric asked with mild interest.

  Hunter leaned up against the dresser.  "Because Evie told me what's been going on with Shawn.  That's how I know."

  That piece of information took some of the wind out of Ric's sail.  His quick mind latched onto something else.  "And you believe her?"  When Hunter nodded his head, Ric tried another angle.  "How do you know she's telling you the truth?" 

  "Because in the entire time I've known Evie, she's never lied to me," Hunter replied as he folded his arms across his broad chest. 

  Inwardly, Ric cursed.  He would just have to try something else.  He looked up at Hunter and noticed the redness on the other man's chest.  When Hunter had crossed his arms, the collar of his shirt had been pulled open slightly, exposing the mark at the base of his neck.  His eyebrow raised up.  Someone had been hungry last night.  Ric's earlier estimations of Evie's performance in bed went up a notch. 

  Hunter didn't notice Ric looking at him.  He was too busy trying to figure out what Shawn might be planning.

  "Say, uh... champ?" Ric said tentatively.

  "Hmm?" Hunter responded absentmindedly.

  "Next time you try to hide something like that, you should really button your shirt up farther," Ric said as he leaned back in his chair.

  Hunter looked down at himself and noticed that his shirt had gaped open, revealing one of Evie's love bites.  He hastily rearranged his shirt and straightened up. 

  Ric chuckled.  "Sorry, didn't mean to embarrass you."

  Hunter shrugged it off.  "So what do you think about Shawn?" he asked, wanting to change the subject. 

  Ric let it slide.  He'd been able to confirm his suspicions about Hunter and Evie last night.  Instead, he began outlining what he'd had in mind on the ride down to Toronto.  "I think that this might be something we can use to our advantage."

  That caught Hunter's attention.  "How so?"

  "Well, we all know that HBK has a problem with Jericho.  Let him help Evie out and when the match is done, you go out and take care of HBK.  Two birds with one stone."  He watched Hunter carefully.

  Hunter walked around the room with a slight limp.  His leg was still bothering him.  He had told Evie to send one of the trainers over to look at it this afternoon.  "That could work," he said slowly.  "It would get Jericho out of Evie's way and send a message to Shawn as well."  He was thinking of his conversation with Evie last night.  He looked at Ric.  "Sounds like an idea to me."

  Ric smiled.  "So let's get to working out the details then," he said as he rubbed his hands together.  Mentally, he crossed his fingers that things would work to the advantage of Evolution, as well as himself.

*******************

  Hunter was not cleared to wrestle, but he wanted to go the arena anyway.  The four men made it to the dressing room just as the opening pyrotechnics went off.  Ric flipped on the monitor as Batista and Randy tossed their bags into the bathroom and Hunter sat down on the couch.  Evie pulled up a folding chair and they all watched Eric Bischoff limp to the ring.  

  Bischoff had his arm in a sling, a fat lip and was wearing sunglasses to hide the black eye that he was sporting.  He gingerly lifted the mic to his mouth.  "Despite what Stone Cold Steve Austin did to me last night, I am still standing!"

  "Unfortunately for all of you, but not for me, I've banned Austin from the building!  But he will be on Raw next week in New York."  He paused and a smirk appeared.  "And I will have a welcoming committee waiting for him."

  Bischoff switched the subject.  "Tonight, I am making a twenty man over the top Battle Royale!  The winner of this match will go on to face Triple H for the World Title at Wrestlemania."

  He went on to explain the rules of the match as Hunter glared at the monitor.  Ric clapped a hand on Hunter's shoulder.  "Don't worry about it champ.  You know you've beaten everyone in the locker room."

  Hunter sat back.  "Yeah, I know.  And it's gonna be no problem beating whoever wins that match.  Bischoff just likes to make everyone's life hell."

  "You know why he's doing it, don't you?" Ric asked as his eyes darted towards Evie.

  Evie caught Ric's inference.  She pressed her lips together in an effort not to say anything.  Instead, she waited to see what Hunter would say about it.

  "Because he's an asshole, that's why," Hunter joked.  He knew what Ric was driving at.  He didn't like it, but Ric did have a point.  If Evie hadn't gotten into it with Jericho again, they wouldn't be in this predicament.  Then again, it was more Jericho's fault than anything else.

  Evie turned her attention back to the screen, but quickly lost interest.  The Rock was in the ring doing his usual garbage to piss the crowd off. 

  Batista and Randy went over some strategy with Ric and then went to suit up for their tag team match against Booker T and Scott Steiner.  Evie remained where she was, watching the match between Jazz and Jacqueline.  She seethed inside at Ric's comment.  He was basically stating that it was all her fault that Bischoff booked this twenty man match.  All because she defended herself against Jericho. 

  Hunter looked over at Evie and noticed the disgusted expression on her face.  Reaching over, he gently nudged her knee with his hand.  She turned her icy gaze on him.  "We'll talk about it," he said so only she could hear him.  He saw her visibly relax a little as she nodded at him. 

  A camera invaded Evolution's locker room to catch Batista and Randy talking about their match.  As soon as the camera man left, they headed out to the ring with Ric, leaving Hunter and Evie alone.  Ric gave them one last backward glance before the door closed.  He was hoping his remark would give them something to argue about.

  As soon as the door clicked shut, Evie spoke up.  "I don't appreciate being talked about like that.  If he's got a problem with me-"

  "Calm down," Hunter interrupted.  "I know it's not your fault.  No one is blaming you."

  "Ric certainly is," Evie shot back.

  "Look Evie, you know Bischoff has it in for you, and he's gonna do what he can to make you lose that match.  This doesn't look like punishment," he said as he gestured at the monitor, "but I can assure you, he's doing it to get back at me for making demands."

  She crossed her arms over her chest and sat back in the chair.  Hunter had told her that Bischoff had refused to make any stipulations in her favor.  That wasn't surprising.  Bischoff couldn't stand Evie, and if this took her down a few notches, then he wasn't about to change anything to favor her or Evolution. 

  "What about Shawn?" she asked quietly.

  Hunter leaned forward.  "What about him?"

  Evie rolled her eyes.  "I assume you want me to let him interfere," she responded.

  "Yeah," he said with a smirk.  "Because when he does, he's gonna find out that he shouldn't be messing with me."

  "How so?" Evie asked as she eyed him speculatively.  She wondered what Hunter had planned out for Shawn.

  "He helps you out and then I take him out," Hunter responded simply.

  "Nice, but haven't you forgotten that you're not supposed to interfere?"

  Hunter nodded his head.  "Not during the match.  But as soon as that bell rings..." he trailed off.

  Evie could guess the rest.  But she brought up something that had been bothering her since Vince made the announcement.  "And what if it doesn't work, Hunter?  What if I end up losing anyway?" she demanded as she stood up.

  He sighed.  He didn't know.  He didn't want her leaving, but if she was fired there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it.  "I'm working on that," he stated.  "We'll figure something out."

  Evie threw up her hands in frustration.  "Well you better figure it out fast.  Who knows how soon Bischoff is booking this match."

  Hunter tried to remain calm.  He knew she wasn't upset with him, but he was trying to think of a way to keep her around.  "Look, we'll work on this tonight, okay?"

  "Fine," she muttered. 

  A knock on the door startled both of them and Evie opened it.  Chief Morely stood in the hallway, a smarmy look on his face.  "Mr. Bischoff wants to see you," he said.

  "Speak of the devil," Evie muttered under her breath.

  Hunter stood up, noticing the Chief.  "What's going on?"
  "Mr. Bischoff wants to see Evie in his office."  He looked pointedly at Hunter.  "Alone."

  "Fine, but you better make sure she's escorted back by security," Hunter said tersely.

  Chief Morely started to reply, but Evie interrupted.  "I'll be fine Hunter."

  He glared at Morely as he answered her.  "You better be, or someone is going to have an even bigger problem on their hands."

  Evie followed Morely back to Bischoff's office.  He held the door open for her and she walked in.  Bischoff was seated behind his desk.  Morely didn't follow her in.  Instead, he closed the door behind her.

  "You wanted to see me?" she asked Bischoff.

  He leaned back in his chair, a smug grin on his face.  "Yes I did.  I've decided what I'm going to do for this match."

  Evie took a breath, blew it out and squared her shoulders.  Whatever Bischoff had planned, she wouldn't stand there cowering.  "And what exactly would that be?"

  He stood up, coming around the side of his desk.  "I am going to make this a hardcore last man standing match.  Vince's stipulations still stand of course."

  "Obviously," she replied sarcastically.

  Bischoff chose to ignore that.  "No interference from any member of Evolution or they lose pay, nor can you be fired prior to the match.

  "Which means you can't fire me either," Evie pointed out.   

  Bischoff's eyes narrowed.  "You know, you should be a little more appreciative about all this."

  Evie laughed.  "Appreciative?  Vince gives you permission to set this up, you cater to Jericho's conditions and you want me to be appreciative?" 

  Bischoff closed the distance between them.  "You should be because I can do something for you," he said quietly as he ran a finger down her arm.

  Evie's flesh crawled at his touch, but she didn't jerk her arm away.  If the snake wanted to play games, she would oblige him, but on her terms.   She looked him in the eye and slowly licked her lips.  "Is that so?"  When Bischoff nodded she smiled.  "And exactly what would that be?"

  His finger wound around a piece of her hair.  Slowly, he lifted it to his face and inhaled.  "I'll give you the name of the hotel and the room I'm in.  I'll be waiting for you.  Shall we say, around midnight?" he whispered in her ear.

  Evie's stomach twisted with disgust, but outwardly she smiled.  "And if I show up at your hotel room at midnight?"

  "I'll give you any stipulations you want," he replied, his breath hot on her ear.

  She suppressed a laugh.  He was trying his damndest to make it appealing.  As if he had any appeal.  It was amusing when she thought about it, but it made her mad more than anything. 

  Evie pretended to think his offer over.  As she did, Bischoff hooked a finger into the top of her blouse and pulled it forward so he could get a good look at her ample cleavage.  Evie wrinkled her nose at his audacity.  The slime actually thought she'd sleep with him?  He was about to learn the hard way that she had no intention whatsoever of sharing a bed with him.

  "You know Eric, I don't think so," she replied.

  "Now is that any way to behave?" he murmured as he leaned closer to her mouth, still trying to persuade her. 

  "And if you don't remove your finger in two seconds, I'll break it," she stated calmly.

  Bischoff chuckled at her threat.  He wasn't taking her seriously.  Why should he?  She wouldn't dare touch the GM; the man that could ultimately make that match hell for her.

  When he didn't respond, Evie grabbed the offending finger and twisted it down.  There was a satisfying crunch as the bone cracked.  Bischoff bellowed in pain as he clutched his hand.  The door burst open and Chief Morely ran in.

  As soon as Bischoff saw him, he blurted out that Evie had broken his finger.  Morely looked at her, noting the smug expression on her face.  As Bischoff yelled for him to do something, Evie decided it was time to make her exit and she headed for the door.  Morely advanced towards her with the intention of hurting her first and then tossing her out of the office.

  Morely was right behind her and delivered a kick to the back of her knee.  She fell forward onto the floor, using her hands to stop the fall.  As she rolled over to clutch the injured part, Morely's foot flicked out again and kicked her in the side.  She groaned in pain as he pulled her up by her arms. 

  He maneuvered himself behind her, twisting her arms up behind her and propelling her towards Bischoff.  "What the hell were you thinking?" he demanded.

  Evie didn't bother to answer.  Bischoff was now right in front of her.  "I told you that you should have been a little more appreciative," the general manager snarled and then slapped her hard across the face with his uninjured hand.

  Morely twisted her arms a little tighter and she winced.  A warm spot on the corner of her mouth told her that she was bleeding.  Why do men always seem to hit that particular spot? she wondered.  Bischoff was still glaring at her.

  "Are you ready to be more appreciative now?" Bischoff demanded.

  Evie looked him dead in the eye.  Something inside her snapped as she stared into Bischoff's face.  She suddenly realized, she'd had enough.  "Go to hell," she said with a twisted grin.

  Bischoff's hand came up and slapped her again, causing Evie's head to turn with the blow. "How about now?"

  She licked the corner of her mouth that was bleeding, taking a perverse pleasure in the coppery taste.  "Let me explain it to you so you understand; no," she replied, and then slammed her head back into Morely's face. 

  Morely yelled in pain and let go of her.  Swiftly, she turned around and delivered a kick to his groin that dropped him to the floor.  She grinned with satisfaction as he cradled himself, and turned back to Bischoff.

  "You wanna ask me that question again, Eric?" she asked as she advanced on him.  She was tired of all the games and the bullshit that had been going on.  She was tired of Jericho; tired of Bischoff and tired of Shawn.  She stalked towards him, intending to toy with him a bit.  

  Bischoff backed up to put some distance between them.  "You touch me and so help me I'll-"

  "You'll what?" she cut him off.  "Fire me?"  Evie shook her head.  "I don't think so."

  "Get out of my office!" Bischoff yelled as he backed up behind his desk.

  Before Evie could reply, Batista and Hunter burst into the room.  They both looked at Morely and then at Bischoff and Evie.  Hunter noticed Bischoff holding his hand and Evie's mouth was bleeding.  It wasn't hard to figure out what had happened. "Bischoff," Hunter snarled as he moved closer.

  "Triple H, if you can't control your employee-"

  Hunter cut him off.  "I swear Bischoff, if you touch her or talk to her, hell, if you even look at her, I'll mess you up worse than Austin did," he bellowed. 

  "All I did was call her in here to tell her that I had decided on the type of match, and before I could tell her when it would be, she attacked me and broke my finger!" Bischoff complained.

  On the ground, Morely groaned again and attempted to get up.  Batista, still in his ring attire, walked over to him and kicked him again for good measure.

  "Somehow I doubt that Eric," Hunter replied with controlled fury.  "She doesn't attack anyone unless she's provoked first.  Obviously you did something to piss her off enough for her to break your finger."  He turned his gaze to Evie.  "And that was...?"

  She quickly filled Hunter in on what had happened.  As she did, his face became even redder; his temper quickly reaching it's boiling point.  Before he could explode, Bischoff spoke up again.

  "Because of this little incident, I am booking this match for next Monday!  I am tired of all of this crap!"  Bischoff winced slightly as he accidentally jostled his injured finger.  He glared at Evie.  "Next week, it's you and Jericho in a hardcore last man standing match on RAW!"

  Hunter moved towards him, but was restrained by Batista.  Hunter slowly stepped back, keeping his eyes on Bischoff.  "Remember Bischoff, I'll mess you up worse than Austin did."

  "Get out of my office!" Bishcoff demanded.  "And take your whor- her with you!"

  Batista put an arm around Evie's shoulder to steer her out of the room.  Evie caught Bischoff's eye before turning away.  He jumped as her mouth turned up in a malevolent, calculating grin.  She wiped the blood from her mouth with her fingertips and then licked the red liquid off.  Bishchoff was shocked by her actions.  The look she had given him, told him that she was coming back for him.  She definitely wouldn't leave business with him unfinished.  It really took him aback.  He always figured her for something of a pushover.  Apparently he pushed too hard this time.   

  Bischoff fired off a parting shot of false bravado.  "And you will lose your job, Evie!  No doubt about that!"

  Hunter clamped his mouth shut until they arrived back at Evolution's locker room.  Once they were in and the door had shut, Evie made a beeline for the bathroom.  Hunter followed close on her heels.  Ric and Randy looked at Batista.  He merely shrugged, shook his head and said nothing.

  "You shouldn't have done that," Hunter said gruffly as she wet a towel and began cleaning her mouth.

  Evie's eyes sparked with anger, but she kept her voice calm.  "And what should I have done then?  Lay down on his desk?  Take it like a man?  I warned him Hunter.  He had plenty of time to-"

  "Everything okay?" Ric interrupted as he looked from Hunter to Evie.

  "Just fine," Hunter muttered sarcastically.

  Ric noticed Evie trying to wipe the blood off her chin.  "What happened?"

  Hunter told him what Bischoff had offered Evie and the results of her refusal of said offer.  Outwardly, Ric feigned concern and even some amusement at Evie's actions.  Inwardly, he was mentally rubbing his hands together in glee.  A little more fuel to the fire, he thought.

  Hunter watched as Evie finished up.  "Let's get outta here," he said.  He wanted to get back to the hotel so he could talk to Evie without anyone else around.

  Evie said nothing; simply dropped the towel on the counter and walked into the other room to collect her things.

  Within thirty minutes, they were back at the hotel and in their rooms.  Evie heaved a sigh as she dropped her bags down on the floor.  Hunter had barely said two words to her in the car, which was fine by her.  She knew it meant he was waiting till they got back.

  Sure enough, she hadn't even removed her coat when he came through the adjoining door.

  "You shouldn't have done that," he said tersely.

  Evie hung her coat up, giving herself a minute to calm down.  He was upset and that was understandable.  However, she was not going to take the blame for this. Bishcoff had started it and she would finish it.  Soon.

  "Hunter, I warned him. He had plenty of time to remove his damn finger from my cleavage." 

  Hunter was too far into his rant to notice what she had said.  "You can't go around assaulting the general manager like that; even if he is a piece of slime!  I don't give a damn what he says-"

  Evie cut him off.  "It wasn't only what he said, it was what he did as well!  What am I supposed to do Hunter!  Take it lying down!  How about over the chair!  Or better yet, how about on my hands and knees!"  She glared at him.  "And yes, I'm okay, thank you very much for asking!"

  Hunter ignored the last comment.  He was angry.  He couldn't believe she hadn't seen Bischoff's set up coming from a mile away.  That and he didn't think Bischoff would be so stupid as to try something like that.  The GM knew Hunter, let alone Evolution, could make his life miserable.  And as usual, Hunter's anger at himself transferred over onto her.  "This is exactly what I was talking about the other day!  You're a target and anyone with a grudge will use you to get back at me!"

  Evie folded her arms across her chest, her green eyes blazing with understanding.  "So that's what this is all about.  It's about you.  Always about you, isn't it?" she said in a dead calm tone.   

  He stopped pacing and faced her.  He was pissed; pissed at Vince; pissed at Bischoff; pissed that he hadn't been there to protect her and pissed that Evie had managed to hit the nail on the head.  Well, he wasn't going to deny it.  "You're damn right it is!  No one is gonna take away what I worked so hard for!  I told you before, I am not giving that up for anyone!" he spat back.

  Evie's anger flared up also  That's what it was.  Business.  It always came down to business for him.  It didn't matter that he loved her.  It seemed he loved that title even more.  "If that's the truth, then I'm sorry I ever let you into my life Hunter!"

  He looked at her intently, wondering what she was talking about and she shrugged.  His eyes narrowed.  "What are you saying?"

  "If that title is the most important thing to you, then maybe I don't belong here."  She watched him carefully as he processed what she was telling him.

  Hunter realized what she was saying, but he asked anyway to make sure.  "Are you telling me you want out of this relationship?" he asked finally.      

  "What I'm saying is, you need to rethink your priorities and let me know where I fit into all of this," she said as she waved her hand around the room.

  "You know where you fit in," he said lamely.  "You know I love you-"

  She cut him off.  "I know you love me, but where am I in your life Hunter?  Am I important enough to you for you to sacrifice the one thing that means so much to you?  Or am I just another person in a long string of people passing through your life?"  She was still fuming.

  Hunter ran a hand through his hair to give himself time to think.  Why the hell was she asking him this now?  And when had he lost control of the conversation?  She did have a point though.  He wasn't exactly sure where she did fit into his life.  Sure he loved her, but was he willing to give up everything for her?

  "Is all of that worth the one thing that fills up that emptiness inside?" she asked.

  He turned his back to her in an effort to collect himself.  How the hell did she manage to pinpoint it so exactly?  She did fill up that emptiness.  He could feel it disappear when he was with her.  He remembered what had been going through his mind when he had finally told her that he loved her.  Nothing had mattered anymore.  Just her.  Now he might lose her and he was frustrated that there wasn't anything he could directly do about it.  He was upset about this whole situation and wanted nothing more than to get her out of Jericho's path.  Not to mention Bischoff and Shawn's.  It all came down to the issue of her being a huge mark for other people to use.  He knew it came with the business and he hated it.  He rubbed his forehead as he tried to get his conflicting thoughts under control.

  He shook his head.  "I don't know," he murmured finally.

  "What?" she demanded because she had barely heard him.

  He turned around.  "I said I don't know!" he said furiously.

  "Well when you figure it out, let me know, will you!" she replied vehemently.  "In the meantime, get out!"

  Hunter couldn't believe his ears.  "Did you just tell me to get out?" he asked darkly.

  "Yes I did!  Get out of my room!" she yelled as she jabbed her finger in the direction of the adjoining door.

  He opened his mouth to retort, but thought the better of it.  "Fine," he muttered.  "I'll leave!"  He stalked through the door and heard her coming up behind him.  He turned around in time to see the door on her side slam shut.

  "What the fuck did I do to deserve this?" he asked himself as he viciously kicked the door on his side shut.  "Damn women, always complicating things.  I don't know how much more of this I can take," he muttered as he pulled his clothes off, wadded them up and tossed them violently into a corner.

  He ripped the blankets back and flung himself down on the bed.  His arms covered his face as he tried to get his breathing under control, as well as his anger.  Who knows what she would have done to Bischoff if he and Batista hadn't shown up.  Didn't she understand that she was digging herself deeper by pulling that stunt with Bischoff?  Did she even care?

  Hunter had noticed the look Evie had given Bischoff before leaving his office.  It had been an evil one.  He had never seen her look that way at anyone before.  Not even Jericho.  It gave him a very bad feeling.  Somewhere deep down, something in Evie had snapped. 

  And then there was still the question of how she was going to win the match.  Or if she was going to win.  Hunter grew even more frustrated at the thought of letting Shawn help Evie out because he couldn't.  It was completely irritating that she would have to rely on Shawn.  And Shawn probably knew it.

  His fists came down hard on the mattress as he thought about Shawn.  Hunter was damned if he was going to let Shawn screw him over.  Because he was involving Evie in his schemes, it became even more personal. 

  Evie...  Hunter grunted as he rolled over on his stomach.  How the hell did she always hit the problem on the head consistently?  He supposed that, subconsciously, it was all about the title.  He wasn't ashamed to admit that he enjoyed the power and prestige that went along with it.  But was Evie worth the cost of that title?  He couldn't answer that question at the moment.  

  As he buried his face in the pillow, Bischoff and Ric's words came back to him. She's a liability.  You have all those guys in the locker room wanting to get a shot at you. How do you know one of them won't use her to get to you?    

  "Shit!" he yelled in the pillow.  They had been right.  She was a liability; a mark; a target, and she was being used.  He beat his fists on the bed like a two year old having a temper tantrum.  After a minute he calmed down. 

  It's inevitable you know, said that little voice in the back of his mind.

  What's inevitable? he questioned. 

  That you'll have to let her go, the voice responded quietly.

  He didn't want to let her go.  She belonged to him.  He couldn't stand to think of her with anyone else but him.  

  She might belong to you, but the longer she stays here, the farther apart you'll end up.

  Hunter sighed in exasperation.  He knew it was the truth.  It didn't matter if she won, he'd have to let her go.  And Hunter knew it would be the hardest thing he'd have to do in his entire life.

*********************

  The tension between Evie and Hunter was almost unbearable over the course of the week.  Wisely enough, the other members of Evolution stayed out of it.  Ric, however, was like a kid at Christmas.  He had been able to manipulate things just subtly enough to cause some of the tension between the two.  He refrained from saying anything else to Hunter.  Things seemed to be working out just fine on their own.

  Batista did approach Evie to work on some things in the ring with her.  Seeing as she hadn't really been in the ring since her last match with Jericho, she took Dave up on his offer.  They would arrive early enough to get in at least an hour's worth of work before the other superstars started showing up.  Hunter said nothing to her about spending time with Batista.  He was grateful that the younger man was willing to work with her. 

  Evie's focus on Batista's instructions was intense.  She zoomed on what he was teaching her with such concentration that she managed to successfully perform a majority of the moves.  She worked in a few of the self-defense moves she'd been taught over the years as well.  Batista was subtly impressed.

  He watched her with some admiration as she toweled herself off after one particularly grueling practice session.  "You did really well today," he stated in his gravelly voice.

  "Thanks," she said breathlessly.  "I know it's hard to cram so much in such a short time, but I think I'm gonna do okay on Monday."  She held the towel out to him

  Batista smiled.  "I think you will too."  He took the towel and wiped the sweat off his face.  "Jericho's gonna wish he'd never stepped in the ring."  He draped the towel over his shoulder.  "So where'd you learn self-defense?"

  "Back home in Chicago.  A friend of the family teaches it, as well as tae kwan do and ju-jitsu," she replied as she stretched out her arms.  "I asked him to teach me because I didn't want another man beating on me again."

  Batista was intrigued by her comment.  "How's that?" he asked.    

  "The man I was engaged to some years back was physically abusive."  She shrugged.  "I didn't want to be scared anymore."

  He was slightly shocked at her admission.  He would've never guessed she had been abused.  "Somehow I don't see you being scared of anything," Batista stated with a grin.

  Evie returned the smile.  "Let's just say I don't back down from a challenge.  I mean, I'm still working for Hunter," she said dryly.

  Batista laughed.  He did have to give her credit for sticking it out as long as she had.  He knew Hunter could definitely be a challenge.  Especially lately.  "How are things between you two?"

  Evie sighed.  "Not good.  It's been tense.  A lot of it has to do with this stupid match.  Maybe once it's over, things will go back to semi-normal."

  "Well, if you need to talk, my door is always open," he told her in a sincere tone.

  "Thanks Dave.  I appreciate it," she responded as she headed to the ropes.

  They both climbed out of the ring and walked back to the locker room.  Hunter looked up as they came in.  The two of them were laughing at a joke Evie had told Batista. 

  "What's so funny?" he asked gruffly.

  Batista shook his head.  "Just a joke she was telling me."  He sat down next to Hunter on the sofa.  Evie gathered up her clothes and headed into the bathroom.  Batista noticed Hunter's eyes tracking her movements.  He leaned back into the cushions. 

  "She did really well today," he told Hunter.  "She remembered a lot of the things you taught her, which helped out."

  "Look Dave, I wanna tell you that I appreciate you taking the time to teach her.  Things between us haven't exactly been good lately."  Hunter leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

  "You wanna talk about it?" Batista asked with concern.  He did like Hunter.  The man had been cool with him since he joined Evolution.

  Hunter shook his head.  "Not right now."

  "Well if you need to talk, come find me," Batista replied.

  "Thanks.  I'll keep that in mind."

  Evie came out of the bathroom dressed in her street clothes.  She stuffed her other things into her bag and straightened up.  Hunter watched her surreptitiously as she brushed out her hair.  He missed her.  He missed the scent of her hair as he lay with her in bed.  He missed the feel of her curled up against him.  They hadn't shared a bed since they had argued.  Actually, they hadn't shared much of anything since that night.  Both of them had been polite to each other, but it was strained.

  He watched as she put the brush back in her bag and then wound up the tassel of hair into a knot. She secured it with a few pins and then turned around.

  "You talked to Shawn yet?" Hunter asked casually.

  "Yeah I did.  He agreed," she replied without looking at him.

  "Good," Hunter said quietly. 

  Evie unpacked her laptop and hooked it up.  She had a few things to take care of before the night was over.  She opened up a couple of programs and got down to it, fazing out the two men that were in the room with her.

  Hunter started talking to Batista about business.  He had filled him in on what Ric had outlined about using Shawn to help out Evie and then Hunter would exact a little payback on HBK.  They worked over various angles and problems that might come up as Evie tapped away.  Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door.

  Batista opened it to find a member of the production crew on the other side.  "Can I help you?"

  "Yeah.  I need to see Evie Mackenzie," the guy replied.

  "What for?" Batista demanded.

  "Well, Mr. Bischoff is having us put together an entrance video for her for Monday and we need to talk to her about music choices," the man stated.

  Evie looked up.  "He's having you do what?" she asked incredulously.

  The man peered at her over Batista's shoulder.  "Put together an entrance video."

  "What the hell for?" she asked.

  The man shrugged.  "He said something about it being a going away gift."

  Evie rolled her eyes.  "And I have to come pick out music for this?"

  "Yeah,' The guy nodded.  "So, if you don't mind?"

  A sigh escaped her as she stood up.  "Whatever.  Let's just get it over with."

  Batista moved aside so she could leave.  She followed the man out to the production truck.  Once she had sat down, they showed her the video they had done.  It was cobbled together from her previous match with Jericho and a few backstage shots of her with and without Evolution.

  "So what music do you wanna use?" he asked her.

  Evie watched the images flash across the screen.  "Can't I just use Evolution's music?"

  "No, sorry.  Mr. Bischoff said that it couldn't have anything to do with Evolution."

  She shook her head.  Bischoff and his little games.  "Well, can I use a particular song or do I have to choose from the WWE music archives?"

  "Do you have something particular in mind?" the man questioned.

  "Yeah, I do," Evie replied.

  The two of them spent the next half hour arguing over a couple of choices and Evie finally settled on one.  It was a song that had been released last year, but she couldn't resist.  They lyrics fit in more ways than one.  Besides, how else could one pay tribute to a favorite band than to walk out to a wrestling match to their music?

  With that finished, she headed back.  She grinned at the fact that Bischoff considered this a going away gift.  As far as she was concerned, she wasn't going anywhere.  She'd make damn sure of that.

  Evie had spoken to Shawn on the phone a couple of nights ago.  She had accepted his help and he told her that he would interfere as soon as possible.  She thanked him, smiling all the while.  At least Shawn wouldn't emerge unscathed.  Hunter would see to that.  But then again, so would she.

*******************

  "For the love of-," Evie muttered as she adjusted the straps of the tank top she was wearing. 

  She grimaced as she took a look at herself in the full length mirror.  She was attired in black boots, pants in a black shiny material and a tank top that matched.  She tweaked the elbow pads a little as she shook her head.  Bischoff had been insistent that this be treated as a proper match; and that had meant proper attire.  He demanded that Evie wear ring gear for tonight.  Evie secretly suspected it was all part of his little game to humiliate her in front of a live audience tonight.  Not only with the outfit, but with the entrance video he'd had the production team come up with.

  When she had been approached about a costume, Evie had to put her foot down at some of the choices they had come up with.  She wasn't going out there to show off T she was going out there to kick Jericho's ass.  Hopefully.

  She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and quickly secured it with a band.  Taking one last look at herself, she sighed in determination and walked into the locker room. 

  Ric, Randy and Batista were sitting around the monitor, watching Hunter talk trash to Booker T about the title match at Wrestlemania.  She rolled her eyes as Hunter basically belittled Booker T's reign as the five time champ during his stint with WCW.  She didn't bother to listen to the rest.  Instead, she made herself comfortable in an out of the way spot on the floor and began stretching out.

  Shawn had talked to her earlier, telling her he'd definitely be out there for her tonight.  She faked gratitude, thanking him for the help he was giving her.  Shawn told her it was no problem; faking an attitude of sincerity. 

  Hunter walked in as she switched from stretching one leg to the other.  His gaze briefly dropped to her and then he looked away.  He was not happy with what he had to do, but he was resigned to it.  Their attitudes towards one another had still been tense over the past two days.  Hunter briefly toyed with the idea of apologizing, but decided against it.  It would be easier on both of them if she remained angry at him.  He walked past her and stood next to the sofa.  All three men looked up at him.

  "Nice job champ," Ric stated.  "Playin' the games and leave 'em wondering."  He grinned at Hunter. 

  "Booker's got another thing comin' if he thinks he's gonna beat me at Wrestlemania," Hunter replied with a smirk.

  Batista glanced over at Evie.  "So, what's the story with Jericho tonight?" he asked Hunter as he kept an eye on Evie.

  "We take care of business before the match as planned," Hunter replied.  He also turned his attention to Evie.  "Did Shawn say when he was coming out?"

  Evie stood up.  "When it looks like I need the help I guess.  He really didn't specify."

  "Well I guess we just wait on an opportunity to jump Jericho then," Ric stated.

  "Guess so," Evie replied as she came up next to Batista and smiled.

  "Nervous?" Batista asked quietly.

  She shrugged.  "A bit."

  He gently squeezed her arm.  "You'll do fine.  You've nailed down everything I went over with you."  His eyes roamed over her, taking in her outfit.  "Did they raid Trish's wardrobe or something?" he joked.

  Evie grinned.  "If I was wearing her leftovers, the pants would be up to my knees and the top would be like a canvas held up with cable," she replied.  Evie was a good five inches taller than Trish in height and a bit smaller than her in the bust department.  "They made this for me."

  Batista shook his head.  "At least Bischoff is sending you off in style; the clothes, the entrance video," he said and then laughed as she mock punched him.

  Hunter observed the byplay, his stomach twisting at the thought of what he was going to do to her tonight.  It was going to hurt both of them horribly, but it had to be done.  He couldn't let her stay.  The longer she stays here, the farther apart you'll end up, the voice reminded him.  His heart rebelled against the decision, but his head told him it was the right one. 

  The monitor showed the brief promo for Evie's match and then faded for commercials.  After the monitor lit up again, it showed Jericho and Test having a little face off in one of the hallways.  Ric signaled the other three men and they quickly left to take care of Jericho.  Evie sat on the sofa to watch the event unfold.

  As Test and Jericho got in each others faces, Evolution came out of nowhere and attacked Jericho, knocking him to the floor.  Hunter kicked him in the side as Batista stomped on his head.  Test quickly backed up, laughing at Jericho's misfortune.  Hunter backed off as Batista and Randy pummeled Jericho in the stomach.  As Evolution crowded around Jericho and talked trash, Christian rushed in brandishing a steel chair.  He caught Randy on his arm with it and then Batista's shoulder before Ric managed to wrench it out of his grasp.  Hunter gave Christian a clothesline.  He fell to the ground, gasping.  All four men grinned as Ric forcefully "dropped" the chair on Jericho.

  Evie smiled at the screen.  Even if she and Hunter were at odds, he still managed to try and tip the scales in her favor.  She had attempted to talk to him last night, to try and work something out, but he had rebuffed her.  It had made her even angrier, but at the moment, she was glad that he was nice enough to do that for her.  If beating someone down could be considered nice.

  Ric and Hunter walked in with half grins on their faces.  Batista and Randy had gone down to triage to be looked at.  Randy's arm was hurting and Batista's shoulder was causing him a lot of discomfort.

  "There ya go Evie.  He should be easy to mop up," Ric said as he winked at her.

  "Thanks.  I appreciate the help," she replied.

  On the monitor, Lawler and J.R. were commenting on what had just happened and how it would affect the match between Evie and Jericho.  Someone pounded on the door to their room.  Ric opened it to see a pissed general manager standing in the hall.

  "What the hell was that all about!" he demanded.  "Vince specifically said that none of you could interfere!"

  "Hold on a second Bischoff," Ric responded.  "Vince said we couldn't interfere during the match.  He never said anything about before the match."

  Bischoff spluttered something about how it didn't matter any way as Evie was as good as fired.  Ric simply laughed at him and shut the door in his face.

********************

  "Well ladies and gentlemen, this is definitely the lowest thing that Vince and Bischoff have done in the history of the WWE," Jim Ross stated from the announce table.  "Putting Triple H's assistant, Evie, in a match with the sadistic Chris Jericho."

  "Now I wouldn't go that far, J.R.," Lawler interjected.  "Jericho isn't that sadistic and this match is the most brilliant thing I've heard of."

  J.R. shook his head.  "Maybe you should get your ears cleaned then.  This is the cruelest thing I've seen in my time with the company.  That woman is no wrestler and to put her in the ring with Jericho-"

  "You know what she did to Jericho?" Lawler interrupted.  Even though J.R. confirmed that he did know, Lawler went on to remind everyone else.  "And not to mention what HBK did to him too," he concluded.

  "Shawn Michaels was doing what any gentleman would do, which is more than I can say for you, King."

  Lawler spluttered at that remark and he and J.R. fell quiet as the lights dimmed and the opening chords of KMFDM's cover of "Boots" played.  Evie took a deep breath and pushed through the curtain as Lillian Garcia announced her.  The crowd gave her a cheer as she made her way ringside.  She climbed in and paced the ring.  As she passed Lillian, she gave her a half smile and Lillian grinned encouragement back at her.

  The lights dimmed again as Evie's music faded.  The pyro went off as Jericho's theme started up.  The self-proclaimed King of the World appeared at the top of the ramp and did his posing, then proceeded to the ring as Lillian Garcia announced him.  Evie stepped to the back of the ring as he climbed in and posed some more.  Jericho threw a glance in her direction and a smirk crossed his mouth.  He removed his flashy shirt and slowly started stalking towards her.

  They circled one another, warily keeping an eye on each other.  Jericho grinned and licked his lips.  "You're going to get it tonight, Red," he said suggestively.

  Evie just smirked in response, an evil gleam in her eyes.  Jericho was slightly taken aback at that, but shrugged and prepared to give her a beating.

  Jericho came running towards her.  She stepped aside and grabbed his arm, and using his momentum, gave him an Irish whip into the turnbuckle.  Not wasting any time, Evie ran up and clothes lined him against the turnbuckle and then in one swift movement, dropped him to the mat with a bulldog. 

  She stomped on him.  As her foot came down for the third time, he grabbed her around the ankle and tugged hard.  Evie toppled over him, landing on her back.  Jericho climbed to his feet and stomped her in the stomach.  While she was clutching her stomach in pain, he dropped out of the ring and pulled the apron up.  Within seconds, he pulled out a trash can lid, a fire extinguisher and a kendo stick.  He threw them in the ring and slid back in, picking up the kendo stick as he did. 

  Evie rolled over onto her side and got up on her hands and knees.  Before she could fully stand, Jericho brought the kendo stick down hard on her back.  Evie collapsed under the blow.  Jericho stood still for a minute, watching her writhe in pain and enjoying it.  He tossed the kendo stick aside and walked over to the trashcan lid.  His back was turned to her and seeing an opportunity, Evie ignored the pain, got to her feet and ran at him from behind.  Her momentum slammed Jericho into the turnbuckle again.  She grabbed a handful of his hair and slammed his head repeatedly into the turnbuckle.  Evie broke the hold before the ref could count five.  Jericho slumped onto the support as the ref pushed Evie back.  While he checked on Jericho, Evie picked up the extinguisher.  Jericho recovered a bit and turned around, receiving a cold blast in the face.  As he swiped at his eyes, Evie raised the canister and clocked him upside the head. 

  While the ref checked on Jericho, Evie dropped down to the floor to pull something out from under the ring.  She groped around and finally latched onto a steel folding chair.  She pulled it out and stood up.  As she did, she became aware of Jericho.  He vaulted over the ropes and onto her, knocking her down on the ground.  He quickly straddled her and slapped her face twice.  She looked up at him and he was wearing a maniacal grin.  Glaring at him, she spit in his face.  He only laughed and wiped it off.

  He got up, pulling her with him.  She was thrown back in the ring and Jericho climbed back in with the chair in hand.  Evie used the ropes to pull herself up and as she did, Jericho swung the chair up and nailed her in the back with it.  Evie groaned in pain and fell back down.  Wasting no time, Jericho pounded on her with the chair.  She yelled obscenities at him as he laughed.  He dropped the chair and yanked her to her feet.  A whip to the ropes; she bounced off and he clothes lined her.  In seconds, he had pulled her up again and delivered a chop to her chest.

  Evie sucked in a breath at the pain, but retaliated by giving him a right hook.  He stumbled backwards and she quickly pushed him back into the ropes, and then whipped him across the ring.  As he came back, she gave him a roundhouse kick to the face.  He fell to the mat and Evie was on him, beating his face.  He somehow rolled her over and was on top of her.  He punched her in the face hard enough to hurt, but not to break anything.  The crowd was booing Jericho, but he didn't give a damn.

  They both got to their feet, breathless and giving each other a little space so they could catch their breaths.  Both were bleeding about the face and mouth and Evie knew she was going to have a bruised cheek in the morning.  Shrugging it off, she took a run at him to spear him, but he turned aside at the last second and she slammed chest first into the turnbuckle.  He pulled her around by the hair and slapped her face again.  She staggered from the blow and dropped to her knees.

  She heard Jericho make some comment about it being the usual position for her, but it was drowned out by the roar of the crowd.  Jericho's back was to the ramp and he didn't see Shawn Michaels running down.  He felt the ring shake as Shawn slid in and he walked right into a super kick from Shawn that laid him out.  While Jericho was down and the ref counted, Shawn helped Evie up, leaning her against the turnbuckle.  He turned around in time to see Christian get into the ring.  The two men threw punches as Evie recovered.  Watching them out of the corner of her eye, she picked up the steel chair and when Shawn whipped Christian in her direction, she slammed the chair in his face, knocking him cold.

  By this time, Jericho recovered and was running up behind Shawn.  Evie yelled at Shawn, who ducked in time and Evie used the chair to knock Jericho out cold.  The ref checked Jericho and satisfied that he was indeed KO'ed, signaled for the bell.  He raised Evie's hand, still holding the chair in the other as Shawn grinned.  The crowd screamed and shouted their approval as EMTs came out to remove Jericho and Christian from the ring.

  "I don't believe it, King!" J.R. yelled.  "That little lady did it!  She beat Chris Jericho!"

  Lawler rolled his eyes.  "With help from HBK, J.R.  You know Jericho had that match won until HBK ran out and interfered."

  "She won, King!  That'll teach Vince and Bischoff not to piss a woman off-" J.R, cut off when he saw Hunter walking out with a mic in hand. 

  "What the hell?  What is The Game doing out here?" asked Lawler.

  "I don't know, King.  Probably to congratulate his assistant," J.R. responded.

  Hunter stepped through the ropes and faced Evie and Shawn.  Shawn dropped Evie's hand and the ref backed out of the ring.  Hunter glared at Shawn and Shawn met it with one of his own.  Hunter's gaze flicked from Shawn to Evie and then back again.  Shawn smirked in response.  Hunter wanted to do nothing more than wipe that grin off his face.  The tension he had been under the past week, coupled with his hatred for Shawn, boiled up inside, but he managed to keep it down; barely. 

  They circled closer to each other, the hatred visible on their faces.  They stared each other down, nose to nose.  After a few seconds of this, Shawn backed up a bit, but kept his eye on Hunter.  A fleeting glance over Shawn's shoulder told Hunter that Evie was preparing to do something.  He also backed up a bit, not wanting to get caught up in whatever she was planning. 

  Shawn noticed the flick of Hunter's eyes and turned around to find Evie behind him, still holding the chair.  He raised an eyebrow at her, wondering what on earth she was doing.  He moved to put a little distance between them. 

  Evie stood in between the two men with the metal chair in hand.  She looked from Shawn to Hunter, a mixture of anger and confusion apparent on her face.  She didn't know who she wanted to hit more; Shawn or Hunter.  Shawn because he had thought he could get away with turning her against Hunter.  Hunter for being such a jerk to her the past week. 

  "What's it gonna be, Evie?" Hunter rasped.  He wasn't quite sure what she had in mind, but it looked like she was trying to fake Shawn out.

  Shawn's eyes rested on Evie's face and another smirk stretched his mouth.  Evie came to a decision and took a step towards Hunter.  Shawn's grin grew even wider, thinking she was going to use the chair on his nemesis.  As she took another step, she noticed the triumphant gleam in Shawn's eye.  She faked a move in Hunter's direction and quickly swung the chair around and slammed it into the side of Shawn's head.  Shawn dropped to the canvas with a satisfying crash.

  Evie stood over him with a wry grin.  "Who's using who now, Shawn?" she whispered.  She turned around to face Hunter. 

  He had the barest hint of a grin on his lips.  He had planned on taking Shawn out himself, but figured Evie deserved to get some sort of payback for what Shawn had done to her.  He looked at her and swallowed.  She had a triumphantly smug expression on her face and she was practically glowing with satisfaction.  The thought of how much he loved her crossed his mind.  Impatiently, he pushed it away.  He had to do this and do it now, before he changed his mind.

  He raised the mic to his mouth.  "Congratulations Evie.  Not bad for someone who's a personal assistant."

  Evie gave him a lopsided grin and his heart twisted.  He almost couldn't get the rest of the words out of his mouth.  He got a hold of himself and assumed that callous, arrogant attitude that everyone hated so much.  "But, even though you won, I'm afraid that your services are no longer required."

  Her eyes widened at his words.  Was he kidding?  After the hell she went through for both him and Evolution?  She looked at him incredulously.  "You're joking, right?" she asked.

  Hunter shook his head slowly.  "No, I'm not."

  Shock came over her as she digested his words.  "Why?" she asked simply.

  Hunter glared at her, allowing himself to become angry instead of feeling the pain at letting her go.  "Because Shawn was right.  I was using you until someone better came along."  He gestured towards the backstage area.  "Evolution came along, Evie.  I can't afford to be distracted and you are definitely a distraction," he said.  "You see, I have a title defense to take care of in a few weeks, and I can't concentrate when I have you around."  He shrugged casually.  "It was fun while it lasted, but I have bigger and better things to do."  He leaned down and got in her face.  "It's over, Evie.  You're fired."

  Hunter dropped the mic and turned to leave the ring.  He couldn't look at her.  He didn't want to.  It hurt too much already.

  Evie stood there in astonishment, watching him walk away.  She couldn't believe he had fired her, despite the fact she had won the match. It was that stupid title.  Obviously she wasn't worth a damn and had no place in his life anywhere.  The anger and frustration that had been building up over the past seven days finally boiled over.  All the time they had spent together, all the things she had said to him, had told him she loved him, all seemed so pointless now.  Inside, her heart hardened and the fury she felt at being so casually discarded, culminated into a decision. 

  If that's the way he wants it, fine.  I can make it just as painful, she thought as she quickly walked up behind him.  "Hunter," she said simply.

  He turned around and instantly regretted it.  She swung the chair up and jabbed him in the midsection with it.  He doubled over, groaning in pain and Evie brought the chair down on the back of his head.  Hunter lay supine on the mat.  Evie stood over him, still clutching the chair.

  "I quit," she said in a quietly vicious tone.

  "What the hell is going on out here!" a new voice demanded.  Bischoff's voice.  "What do you think you're doing!"  He stood at the top of the ramp, alone.

  Evie's mouth quirked up in a reckless grin.  "Just the person I wanted to see," she said to herself.

  "Pick up that damn mic and answer me!" Bischoff yelled as he came down the ramp.

  Evie didn't move.  Instead, she waited for him to come to her.  She stepped back as he climbed into the ring, still holding the chair.

  Bischoff eyed it nervously, but plucked up the courage to keep talking.  "Why did you knock out my World Heavyweight champion?"

  Evie bent down and picked up the mic Hunter had dropped.  "I got a better question for you Eric.  Why am I still holding this chair?" 

  Bischoff backed up a few feet.  He noticed the look on her face.  It was the same look she had given him in his office.  "Now look, there's no reason for you to get upset, Evie," he said as he looked around for some help.

  "Oh, I'm not upset," she replied dryly.  "I'm pissed."  The crowd took up a chant for her to nail Bischoff with the chair.  Evie smiled as she looked around the arena.  "Sounds like a good idea to me," she said into the mic.  

  Bischoff continued to back up.  'Now wait a second!  You can't do that!" he protested.

  Evie dropped the mic and nailed the general manager in the stomach with the chair.  Bischoff went down, clutching his stomach in pain.

  She stood back and looked at the damage she had caused.  Shawn had started to stir and Hunter was moving as well.  She smiled a self-satisfied smile, dropped the chair and left the ring.

  J.R. and Lawler were talking rapidly about what had happened.  Neither of them could believe what Triple H's former assistant had just done.

  Without a backward glance, she walked backstage.  A camera man followed her so the arena could watch.  She passed Ric, who gave her the strangest look.  She ignored it and the whispers and murmurs from other people as she headed to the locker room.  She didn't even bother to change her clothes; she just grabbed her things and left the room.

  As she walked out to the parking lot with the camera following, a few people came up to her and congratulated her on what she had done, not only to Hunter, but to Bischoff as well.  She nodded in response, intent on leaving before there were any repercussions.  She located Evolution's limo, got in and closed the door on the cameraman.  The driver questioned where the others were and she told him that he would have to come back for them later.  He shrugged and started the engine to take her back to the hotel.

  Once she was there, Evie quickly checked herself over.  It didn't feel like Jericho had broken anything all though every inch of her body hurt.  The blood from her mouth had dried, making it look like her lipstick had traveled south.  She examined her cheek in the mirror.  It had started swelling, but it was going to have to wait to be iced.  Not wanting to be around when the other members returned to the hotel, she quickly showered and gingerly changed into jeans and a sweatshirt.  She gritted her teeth at the pain.

  Damn, am I gonna be sore in the morning, she grimaced as she started gathering up her belongings.  After a quick packing job, she gathered up all the info Hunter would need for his personal schedule and put it in an envelope.  Doing her best to ignore the physical pain, she picked up her bags and left the room.

  At the front desk, she checked out and left he envelope with the clerk, telling her to make sure that Hunter got it.  The girl, trying not to stare at Evie's face, assured her that she would and offered to call a cab for Evie.  Evie thanked her and within minutes, a Yellow cab pulled up in front of the hotel.  Once she was in the cab, she instructed him to take her to the airport.

  She managed to get a late flight back to Chicago and made it to the gate at the last minute.  As the plane flew over New York, she sighed in relief as she watched the twinkling lights below. 

  "Goodbye New York.  Goodbye WWE," she said to herself.  Her forehead pressed against the cool window as she continued to look down.  "Goodbye Hunter," she whispered.  After a minute, the adrenaline began to wear off and she started to shiver.  The rage and shock over what had transpired in the past hour finally ebbed and she tried hard not to succumb to tears.  She took a ragged breath and blew it out.  No point in crying over it now, Evie, she said to herself.  What's done is done and there's no changing it.

  Willing herself to stop shaking, she resolutely decided to face what was left of her life as the plane headed towards Chicago.

***********************

A/N:  Slainte! to all of you who took the time to leave me a review for Chapter 46!  I hope this chapter was enjoyable for all of you as well.  Darn hard writing it cause I had so much I wanted to get in here, but got it done finally!  And don't worry, this isn't the last chapter (cause I know that's what some of you might be thinking).  Until I receive clarification from fanfiction.net regarding "chat or keyboard dialogue in authors notes", I will not be posting individual responses to reviews on chapter 46 in this chapter.  Thanks again for all your reviews!

  Please note that for all intents and purposes of the fanfiction storyline, I altered the match that originally took place between Test and Jericho to a brief run in.  Also, that Batista and Randy don't become injured until the night of Evie's match instead of the week before.  Other than that, things remain in canon (sort of).