Uncommon Sense

by batistafan

Can a plan by Triple H aimed at destroying Batista's life and career be stopped before it's too late? And will a hot romance with Batista help a shattered woman regain her life or put her right back in harm's way. Sequel in progress.

34. Chapter 33

Uncommon Sense Chapter 33
By Batistafan
Rating - NC-17 for violence
Distribution: If you would like to add this story to
your site that's fine, just let me know.
Main Characters include: Batista, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Christy
Hemme, Nancy Adams (Original Character).

Disclaimer: This is a mature fanfiction intended for mature readers.
This story contains violence, coarse language, as well as mature
sexual situations (some may consider explicit), and these would not
be deemed appropriate for all readers.
I do not own nor claim to have any affiliation with the WWE, its
characters, wrestlers, staff or other affiliates. I do own any
original characters that I have created, as well as scenarios that
ensue throughout the course of this fiction. However, since both my
characters and scenarios are inexorably intertwined with those of
the WWE, my ownership of them is not autonomous.
I do not endorse nor do I discourage the use of any brand-name
products that might be referenced in the fiction and have no claim
to them as they are property of their respective companies of
license. Thank you kindly for not suing.

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"Love is patient…True love is always kind,

It does not envy—never brags, It's never proud,

Slow to wrath, It keeps no records of wrongs against friends,

Love Forgives…"

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

As told by Stacie Orrico, Without Love

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He skimmed the front page of the newspaper, over the text, past the pictures and headlines and yet he saw next to nothing in his perusal of it. He must have glanced at his watch at least a half dozen times and yet couldn't have told a single soul what the true time was. The only thing Dave Batista knew with indisputable certainty, was that it was lunchtime and that meant it was just about time for Teddy Long to be picking Nancy up from the airport.

The busy hotel café held no appeal for him and no shelter should Christy decide to make one last attempt to gain his attentions. He glanced over his shoulder toward the door again when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and was relieved when he saw that it was only Randy Orton making his way over to the table after a short hug and a swift peck on the cheek from his 'flavor of the week', as was affectionately referred to his chosen one night stand. The young woman departed after a last longing glance and headed off in another direction.

Dave folded the newspaper, knowing that he wouldn't have cared if the publication had detailed a national crisis at this point…he just simply wasn't interested in it. He tossed the newspaper lightly onto the table's surface as he watched Randy slough off the young lady as politely as he usually did with all the others—empty promises and all. It made Dave immensely glad that he had decided to give a solid relationship another try, if for no other reason than that the 'morning after' attempts at dialogue had always been uncomfortable for him. However difficult it might have been for Dave though, Randy Orton always seemed to handle that aspect of the 'one-night-stand' like a consummate professional. It never failed that he had the lady thinking that she'd left a lasting impression and would get a return call, even though in truth, he would likely remember her name no farther than the hotel room door.

"Cocktail Waitress?" Dave asked Randy as he sat down at the table appearing utterly relieved to be rid of the woman.

"Yeah." Randy answered on a sigh, flagging down the café waitress so as to place his order. "I was beginning to think that I was going to have to propose marriage and then suggest I go buy a tux just to get her to let me out of her sight."

"Ah…the pitfalls in the life of a gigolo." Dave said dryly. "Maybe if you'd raise your standards a little…date someone who won't have sex with you in the first twenty four hours and you wouldn't have to deal with these kinds of women." He joked.

"If I could find a good one…" Randy inserted seriously. "Just one good one, then maybe I wouldn't have to deal with these kinds of women."

Dave laughed, but not because he doubted Randy's sincerity and certainly not because he discounted the possibility of what he was saying altogether. "She's out there, Randy." Dave announced. "And you'll probably run into her when you least expect it."

"I'd rejoice to have that sort of blind luck." Randy joked.

"Luck has nothing to do with it, believe me." Dave declared. "But I can assure you, that you're not gonna find her through a series of one-night-stands."

"Maybe so, but still…" Randy began, "I would just like to find one…good one." His voice was low and distracted, even as his eyes locked on to the generous curve of their waitress's backside.

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Fiddling with the lap belt after the flight instructions had been given and then passing over a dozen pages of high-fashion in the Devote magazine she had purchased in the airport, did nothing to help take Nancy's mind off of the days events. The sheer nervousness she felt should have been enough to consume her, but it had been the reality of the ticket-less itinerary confirmed just this morning and the soft verbal reassurance from Teddy Long that he would indeed pick her up at the airport that had her sweating bullets.

Nancy had no real notion of what she could expect on Smackdown. Likely, it would be much the same as RAW, only better…because Dave would be there. She hadn't slept much if at all the previous night…hadn't eaten this morning and now her hunger pangs, along with her all encompassing desire to see Dave Batista were very nearly pulling her out of her seat. The man in the seat next to her watched her fiddle and Nancy knew that her continuous fidgeting and restless moving were probably driving him crazy, for he frowned disapprovingly and turned his head to stare across the aisle.

Nancy had been hoping to visit a cell phone kiosk in the airport in order to get her shattered phone replaced, but time constraints had prevented doing so, and now she had the added stress of wondering if Dave had indeed tried to get in touch with her. Thanks to Max and his size 12, she had no way of knowing if he had…no way of checking her voicemail. Her mind was running in a few hundred different directions at the very least…her thought patterns were fractured and she was unable to hold onto anything other than the image of him, the remembered caresses and the desire to be held by him again. Nothing else really mattered, not the job…not the lack of assets or the new contracts on her part…not the stewardess who had tried for the third time to get her attention to take her drink order.

"Ma'am?" The gentleman beside her seemed less irritated than before, but still irritated nonetheless. "Do you want something to drink or not?"

"Oh, um…just water." Nancy responded feeling in her face the familiar heat that she knew would soon be followed by a red flush across her delicate cheekbones.

"Are you alright?" The man asked, his face was nearly a scowl.

Nancy nodded, unable to speak…her throat had gone dry, her heart was pounding and her body was suddenly filled with the intense longing to be off of the plane and wherever Dave was. But in order to do that…she had to endure the monotony of the flight and all of the other formalities that came with her transfer. But after…once everything else had been relegated to its individual insignificance, then she would seek him out and give him the apology she owed him…the apology she knew that he deserved…and then hopefully he would see fit to forgive her for being such an idiot.

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Christy tugged on the tight-fitting denim jeans and then proceeded to fight with the socks and tennis shoes that followed. Her frustration from last night had culminated into a near spastic temper-fit complete with the temptation to smash the face of the next person she came into contact with. Dave hadn't given her a second thought last evening when she had tried to extend herself to him once again. Not even just for a script rehearsal! It was getting harder and harder for her to justify all of the fruitless attempts to throw herself upon his grace…especially since it seemed he could care less. But Christy was a woman who firmly believed that the ends justified the means…and what she wanted was Dave Batista…and whatever she had to do, whomever she had to hurt, however unhappy it made her or him in the process…then those were the 'means' that would catapult her to the end result. And that was where it always worked itself out…In the end, right?

Christy was frightened slightly, because it seemed that WWE Creative was more interested in playing up a battle between her and Melina than they were in placing her as a possible love interest for Dave, as was Triple H's original pitch when he'd explained she would be going along with Stacy Keibler to SmackDown. And then, as if that weren't enough, through the veritable grapevine, she had heard rumors that Nancy had quit her job on Raw…which didn't mean much to Christy, except that possibly she had grown tired of the prospect of being stuck there with Triple H and had gone running. Yet still that tiny factoid had placed inside of her conscience, a niggling fear…a vision of Nancy…a veritable free agent showing up and bidding for a spot on her team…not being able to keep track of her enemy's whereabouts was disconcerting.

The biggest irritant to her pride at this point was the fact that not only was Dave intent upon avoiding her, but he had gone so far as to hide his location the past couple of days from just about everyone. Not this morning, though…he had checked into the same hotel that all of the WWE Superstars as a collective whole had done. That confused her…why all of a sudden had he been taken with the impulse to set himself up in the very hotel that he knew Christy herself would be. Unless of course he was willing to make amends with her…possibly? Or was it more probable that he was testing the old adage of 'hiding out in the open?'

Whichever it was, she knew had to play it cool or he might run off again. She simply couldn't understand why it was that he hadn't gotten over this phase with Nancy by now, but none of that mattered, because the seamstress was ancient history and was certainly the last thing that Christy would have to contend with in her current pursuit of the Champion.

Christy whipped a light blue button-up over the top of her pink cami, unaware of the garish contrast between the clothing and her freshly dyed hair, and then tugged her gym bag up onto her shoulder. She was just certain that Dave would be heading out to the gym within minutes and if she had any luck at all, then she might just be able to catch a ride with Randy, and thus by a stroke of luck, be in the same company with Dave.

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Teddy Long pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose once more as he glanced toward the crowd of passengers who were currently deplaning. He knew that he would have no trouble recognizing her. Teddy remembered who she was, being as he had been present at the joint pay-per-view, where Nancy Adams had been Dave Batista's partner for the Proxy Championship match. And he had also been present backstage where more than a few of the wrestlers had been angry about the aftermath. There had been a rumor running around about Triple H's sports car having been mutilated in the parking garage, possibly by wrestlers, but nothing had been confirmed due to the lack of evidence.

Teddy had wondered why in hell someone with so little experience could have been allowed in the ring in the first place, but then considering that the unconscionable choice to put her there had been a direct result of Eric Bischoff's desire to wield his two-edged sword of power. A choice that had been approved by none other than Vince McMahon as a way to boost ratings for RAW and give their Marketable Champion a visible softer side to appeal to the fans. And now here Nancy was deplaning, a handbag tucked under her arm and a very small carry-on bag over one shoulder, apparently not the one that had been dislocated. He saw her smile when she recognized him and was suddenly aware of why Dave Batista held a fondness for her. She reminded him of Audrey Hepburn in her younger years.

"Nancy?" He extended his hand to her when she approached him and returned her smile. "Hope you don't have jet-lag." He joked. "Because I have an entire wardrobe that desperately needs your expertise."

She shook his outstretched hand…his was a firm no nonsense kind of grasp, one that told her, despite the warm smile and the twinkle in his eyes, Teddy Long was a man about business. "I'll give you my best." She grinned as he took hold of her carry-on.

"I know you will." He announced. "I have great faith in you…and besides I'm willing to bet that you end up being the very best trade in the entire draft lottery." His joke made her feel more at ease. He was nothing like Eric Bischoff and for that, she was exceedingly thankful.

"Somehow I doubt that…but I'll keep it between us…I would hate for anyone to get jealous." She fell into stride beside him as they headed for the escalator, bound for the luggage carousel.

"I'm sure you'll enjoy Smackdown…I think you'll find it's quite a bit less combustible than RAW has been in previous weeks." He spoke with only the slightest hint that he might have known exactly what had transpired behind the scenes of the opposing brand. "And I want to reassure you that I have no intention of exploiting your newfound wrestling skills for ratings."

Nancy nodded, "I appreciate that." She was about to heft her suitcase from the moving belt, when Teddy placed the carry-on bag back into her hands and lifted both of her suitcases up himself with an ease that contradicted his aged appearance. Somehow Nancy had expected him to be much frailer than he was, much less cordial, much less likeable…but that simply wasn't the case. She found she liked him at once. Teddy chattered on, making small talk as they found their way from the airport to the rental car which he quickly unlocked and then in true gentlemanly fashion, opened her door and allowed her to enter and then he placed her luggage in the trunk.

Nancy was nearly foaming at the mouth with a desire to ask how Dave was faring, but at the same time, she wasn't sure how much about her relationship with Dave, Teddy was even aware of. Her stomach, which had been a mass of twirling, rumbling knots all morning, was now grumbling loudly at her mistreatment in depriving it of breakfast. She would wait until she was back at the hotel and then maybe she could seek Dave out and the two of them could have a much needed talk, possibly even over room service.

"The hotel's not far." Teddy announced as if he had been reading her mind. He backed out of the space and straightened out the wheel as he pulled the car out and down the ramp away from the busy airport. "I suppose I should just cut right to the chase." Teddy began. "You are aware that Smackdown has had some very interesting new acquisitions as of late?"

'Here he goes' her inner voice told her. Surely this would be the time when he told her that he would not approve of her socializing with Dave Batista on or off the clock. 'Stick with your own kind' he would tell her. "Yes Sir." Nancy responded, indicating that she was aware of the new acquisitions.

"One of those being Christy Hemme." Teddy glanced sidelong at her.

'This could be even worse.' Her inner voice informed her. She was almost certain that he had been conversant of their feud and knowing what a valuable asset Christy was to the company, since she had been the winner of a quarter million dollar contract, surely Teddy's loyalty and responsibility would be to the Diva Search Winner and her best interests. "Yes Sir." Again she responded respectfully, finding the old polite southern response was the only one that she could get past her lips.

"I just want you to know that I'm not completely in the dark about the things that occurred recently behind the curtain on RAW." His expression was serious, as was his voice. "And if you think that for one second I'm going to condone that type of behavior from a Diva on my watch, you're mistaken…I don't want you to be uncomfortable…so if she gives you any hassle whatsoever…then you come straight to me, you hear?"

Nancy would have been less surprised if he had turned from black to white right in front of her eyes. "Yes Sir." Was all she could say in her stunned state…she had been fully prepared for a lecture about how Divas were important and about how he wouldn't tolerate her starting a fight with Christy, but he hadn't…he had let her know up front that he was a manager who practiced an open door policy and that she could feel safe and secure in seeking his help if she needed it. He was a better General Manager than Eric Bischoff ever dreamed of being… where Eric had ulterior motives…Teddy Long had scruples.

"Now, I'll be honest with you about something else…" Teddy changed lanes onto the busy highway, merging easily with the noonday traffic. "I know absolutely nothing about the Wardrobe Department, except that we don't really even have one."

Nancy's head whipped around so forcefully it threatened to snap. "What?" She asked confused.

"Well, we have one, a room that we use for changing and a girl that mends costumes, but we lost our star seamstress when she had a baby, and now we have no Wardrobe Department to speak of and upper management basically hasn't considered our demand for one a priority." Teddy explained.

"I see."

"I need you to bring the Wardrobe Department around full circle, develop something new and exciting and for the love of God in Heaven, I need you to train that gal we got in there now, because I don't have the heart to fire her and she really acts like she wants to learn." Teddy laughed as he referred to the assistant who had been left holding the bag when his head seamstress had taken her leave.

"I can implement a design concept…rev things up a little, get our girl involved in it…I'd be happy to show her the ropes." Nancy said relieved that what he had said about not having a Wardrobe Department was indeed not what he'd actually meant. She'd been suddenly struck with visions of being forced to sign a contract to wrestle after being falsely coerced to Smackdown…the image in her mind was almost comical.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about." Teddy snapped his fingers, smiling. "He told me you'd be the…" He bit his comment off and prepared to change the subject.

"Who told you, what?" She smiled hesitantly, furrowing a brow in curiosity.

"Human Resources…the fellow that gave me your name said…"

"Who was it that you spoke with?" Nancy asked inquisitively, sensing a bit of secrecy on Teddy's part.

"Oh…that fella…what's his name?" Teddy snapped his fingers again. "Oh I forgot…it'll come to me later…besides who cares what his name was anyhow? I know you'll be right for the job if anyone will be and I believe that you can teach that gal a thing or two so that she feels better about her position here too."

Nancy had the slightest inkling that Dave might have had something to do with telling Teddy that she was the right one for the job and the possibility of that thrilled her beyond measure, though she dare not ask for fear that she might be wrong.

"Now I'm not sure how it works for WWE staffers, but I assume that you have a per-diem that covers the cost of your hotel room?" His declaration in the form of a question snatched her from her reverie as he pulled into an empty space in front of the hotel.

"Oh, uh…yeah, that's right." She said smiling and pulling her seat belt off.

Teddy helped her as far as the front desk and then after instructing the clerk that she needed the bellboy's assistance, he gave her a quick hug, another hearty round of thanks and then told her where and when to meet for the bus to take her to the arena. After that he was gone, disappearing through the lobby restaurant's open door. The mere sight of the restaurant made her pulse quicken and she was reminded of the breakfast in San Antonio…Dave might be in there at this very moment...it wouldn't have been out of the ordinary…he had to eat sometime didn't he?

"Here you are Miss Adams." The clerk handed her the plastic keycard, sheathed in a crisp paper sleeve along with a list of the days activities hosted by the hotel and a map leading to her room, which she thankfully would not need being as the Bellboy was prepared to guide her there. "Thanks." Nancy said as she accepted the key and tucked her handbag back under her arm.

She glanced back toward the restaurant once more and then to her watch, deciding that since it was just past lunch, Dave would likely not be in the restaurant, but rather he probably had gone to the gym already. Reluctantly she followed the bellboy toward the elevator, deciding that she could probably have a shower, then room service and make a game plan for her first night on Smackdown and for the reunion of a lifetime.

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"She's all yours." Teddy announced with a perceptive smile as he passed the table where Dave was seated, still nursing a glass of raspberry iced tea with sadly melted cubes and making another futile attempt to gain some knowledge from the tattered newspaper.

Dave knew what the comment meant and of whom Teddy was speaking and he folded the paper, pushing it aside, tossed a generous tip on the table and stood up shaking the man's hand. "Thanks again."

"You're welcome." Teddy said as he watched the tall wrestler turn to leave. "You sure Angie won't be mad about you using up her favor." He joked.

"If I didn't know better I'd think you already told her." Dave winked and walked out, with the sound of Teddy's soft laughter in his ear. He reached the door of the restaurant, intent on hiding for awhile longer so as not to be pawed at by Christy Hemme or any of the other Divas she had commissioned to keep an eye on him, when he spotted a cart with two familiar pieces of luggage being hauled by a bellboy onto the elevator where his eyes locked onto a silken mass of his favorite curls hanging down the back of a woman he damn well knew. She wasn't facing him, and he'd been just about to call out her name when the door shut fully, less than twenty feet from him.

"Dammit" he muttered, cursing his luck. She'd been right there within a stone's throw and he'd missed her. He would just have to speak with the desk clerk and ask her to leave a message on the phone if she wouldn't tell him Nancy's room number. A few feet from the front desk and his attention was roused by the swift rush of air as the front lobby doors parted, revealing Christy Hemme and her entourage of femme fatales. 'Damn it all to hell!' his inner voice screamed out in protest, while his brain and every other functioning molecule within him was frantically instructing him to hide, but she'd already seen him and she was headed straight for him like a hot bullet.

"Dave." Christy said breathlessly, stopping a few feet in front of him with Stacy Kiebler hot on her heels and Melina Perez, who was normally as anti-social with other women as anyone could be, bringing up the rear. "You missed your workout." She announced it as if it were breaking news and spoke as if she were chastising him in a playful and seductive manner.

"Nope…" He said, picking up a brochure if what…he wasn't even sure. "Just had other more pressing issues to deal with." There was no sense in telling her that Nancy was here, even though the temptation to see her head spin around backwards had him ready to clue her in. Besides, he had sworn Teddy to life-long secrecy about the favor and in turn Teddy had advised him that it would be best not to tell Christy about the transfer until he had a chance to talk to Christy himself and warn her to behave appropriately.

"Could we talk for a minute?" Christy asked, in front of the other women, no doubt in an attempt to put him on the spot so that he would not deny her the opportunity. It was apparent that once he said 'yes', she would not doubt excuse the other curious Divas and then latch onto him like a terminal virus. But Dave was no fool, the last thing he wanted was for Nancy to come back downstairs to eat or to visit the pool and be witness to an untimely conversation between himself and Christy.

"Nope." Dave smiled. "I think I'll make that trip to the gym, now that I know you've already been." The comment brought snickers forth from Melina, indicating that she found it funny that he had been hiding from Christy. He didn't stick around to hear Christy's response, instead he headed for the stairwell that led to the fifth floor where the sanctuary of his hotel room and his gym bag awaited.

He would have to wait until the show to talk with Nancy, likely she had things that she would have to prepare for her first night on Smackdown. But before he even reached the first landing, his conscience gently reminded him of something that he had to do as well, and with a grin on his face, he turned back down the stairs and headed out the side lobby door bound for his car.

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Nancy knew the names of only two people on the bus…and only because they had been kind enough to introduce themselves when she approached the familiar black behemoth with WWE logos. Most of the others were more than a tad skeptical of who she was and why she had been driven to the hotel by Teddy Long himself. Between the dubious stares and unknown whispers, Nancy felt somewhat like she had been wearing a scarlet 'A'.

Her assistant hadn't been on the bus, which was odd and since Nancy knew next to no one, she decided against asking anybody else where the girl might be. It hadn't helped either that she had forgotten to ask Teddy what the young girl's name was. Well, she would be meeting her in less than twenty minutes so she wasn't overly worried. Her nerves were still a mess and her throat was still perpetually dry even though she had been drinking water all day. Out of reaction, she reached up again, fingers searching for the pendant that she had lost. Her fingers grazed only bare skin and her heart felt a twinge of sorrow for the want of it.

Today had been very trying, and nerve-wracking at the very least…she was anxious as she contemplated her new position on Smackdown, but the one thing that had her most fearful, was running smack into Dave Batista and being rebuffed. The thought of that was almost more than she could bear, but how would she know if she wasn't willing to put everything on the line and find out. The bus lurched and rocked as it made it's way up and around the ramp that led to the second story loading dock of the arena, and her heart made the same lurching, rocking motion at the knowledge that he would soon be here, if he weren't inside somewhere already.

She folded her jacket over her arm and pulled her purse up closely in front of her as a measure of security. Without Max by her side, spouting his humor…hurling his incessant teases at her, Nancy was a bit intimidated, but there was no going back now. The bus had ground to a stop and all of the people who made up the behind the scenes team of Smackdown, slid out of their seats and began shuffling off of the bus, laughing with friends and filing into their respective cliques, leaving Nancy to enter the arena at the end of the line. She filed in behind them, looking left and right, half expecting to see him looking for her and half expecting to see him holding a picket sign protesting her arrival. Neither was the case, as the halls were nearly empty, save for the miles and miles of sound and video cable that had already been installed and prepared for the night's show.

Not quite ready to be bound by the seclusion of the Wardrobe Room, Nancy traversed the halls until she found the door that led out into the arena just to the left of the entrance ramp. The heavy door creaked as she pressed the bar and it swung inward, giving her a glimpse of the newly erected ring, which was empty, along with the three tiers of seating, also empty…the sound of her heels on the concrete echoed throughout the arena making her feel hollow, alone. She wished he might have been in here, running the ropes or talking with a producer, something…anything, just so that she could see him.

The lights came on with a resounding series of loud pops and Nancy jumped, placing her hand over her chest and then laughing softly, when she realized that they were simply testing them for the show and that the show hadn't somehow started. Brought back from her thoughts, she decided that now might be a great time to find her new assistant and a cup of strong black coffee.

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Christy, spun around the wall that separated the dressing area from the showers and poked her head between a row of lockers trying to get a better ear for the information that she thought she might have just heard.

"What did you just say?" She asked, with her heart pounding fiercely in fear and barely checked anger, and her lips pursed into a thin line.

"I swear I think I just saw Nancy Adams in the green room." Stacy buckled the thin strap of her high-heel and then began to dig through her purse for her lotion.

"You're bullshitting me." Christy announced, crooking her lip and pushing her tongue under her front teeth.

Stacy shook her head as she swabbed a bead of lotion down one leg. "I really swear, I think it's her."

"Hmm." Christy huffed softly and edged back around the wall, shoving the door of the women's locker room open. She stepped out into the hall looking left and right, and then proceeded toward the green room in haste, red tresses flying behind her as she went.

"It can't be her." Christy muttered angrily, as she placed a palm on the green room door to open it. It swung inward with little effort, revealing only the smug expression of Randy Orton and two caterers who were currently refilling the coffee tankards. She glanced up at Randy who grinned and then shook his head, walking past her with a slight snort, indicating to her that he knew something she herself might have wanted to know. Was Nancy really somewhere in the arena? Had Randy seen her and was that why he was smiling?

She turned and exited the green room behind him, intent on asking if he'd seen her.

"Randy?" Christy asked, in her sugary sweet voice.

"Hmmm?" He turned to see what she wanted, secretly amused. Dave was his good friend and he knew exactly why the red-haired Diva had come flying into the green room with a murderous glare etched into the features of her face.

"Was there a girl in here…just a minute ago?" She began, but was cut off.

"There've been a few girls in here in the past little while, Christy." His eyes held a hint of sarcasm though his voice was steady, oily…holding no hint of malice, only shrouded amusement.

"Curly hair, green eyes…usually has a cup of very hot coffee in her hand." She nearly gritted her teeth on the last comment.

"Hmmm…" Randy mixed his protein drink in a shaker cup and glanced at the ceiling, as if he were contemplating one of the mysteries of the universe. "You know…I can't say that I remember." He grinned knowingly…never telling Christy that there had indeed been a curly haired green eyed woman in the green room…who had left just as quickly as she came once finding that the coffee tankards hadn't been filled yet. He knew exactly who she was too, for she had fixed his clothing several times on RAW but had never fallen at his feet any of the times he'd tried to charm her into a possible one night stand. And because of his discussion with Dave, he was well aware of Christy's infatuation with the Champion and so he was on the verge of laughing his ass off at the prospect of Christy chasing down a ghost.

"Well…thanks for your help." Christy said and then chewing her lip, she glanced again around the expanse of the room.

"No problem." Randy said smiling once again as she passed him and made her way down the hall to meet up with Heidenreich and Road Warrior Animal for her vignette. She was in for a hell of a surprise and Randy found himself wishing that he could be a fly on the wall for that reunion.

Christy stomped down the corridor prepared to return to the women's locker room and ream Stacy for fibbing to her, when she had the slightest impulse to venture into the Wardrobe room just to confirm that Stacy had in fact been working her over. She darted down the hallway to the left of the green room and leaned cautiously against the door, listening for any sound. None came, and so she twisted the knob slowly with one hand while she pressed her weight gently against the door with the other hand. It opened, revealing no one…no suitcases or handbags that would identify Nancy. Relief flooded through her, when she realized that Stacy had indeed been tricking her…there was no reason for Nancy to have even come here and Stacy was well informed of how much she hated the seamstress…likely she had done it just to rile Christy up before the match…or perhaps it had been Melina's idea. She also was famous for ribbing new Divas, sometimes even to the point of hazing and so Christy knew she ought to be glad that the little joke hadn't turned out to be something bigger.

She flounced back into the women's locker room to snatch up her bandana and then back out into the hall to seek out LOD for her vignette. Happier now, having assured herself that she was still the only eligible lady on Smackdown vying for Dave's attentions, Christy pasted a million kilowatt smile on her face and whipped around the corner. She linked up with Heidenreich and Animal and just as the camera was cued and the trio prepared to make their jaunt to the ring, her eyes locked onto the slender frame of her nemesis, a magazine tucked under her arm, walking confidently down the hallway headed for the wardrobe room. Nancy suddenly lifted her gaze as if she sensed she was being watched, rewarded Christy and the two hulking wrestlers with a genuine smile and then she continued on her way.

Floored, dumbstruck and suddenly shell-shocked, Christy wanted nothing more than to ditch her vignette and go find out what in the hell was going on, but despite her panic, she was being ushered against her will back toward LOD, along with a not so kind reminder from the producer that they had ten seconds to go live. No matter how badly Christy might want to confront the seamstress, she had no choice but to finish her vignette and her valet duties. It was almost a certainty that Nancy and Dave would run into one another while Christy was out in the ring and now she was forced to hide her dread behind a faux smile contrived for the cameras.

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Nancy had known that she was bound to run into Christy sooner or later. She had just been hoping that it would have been later rather that sooner, but instead of letting the imminent confrontation put her on edge, she had smiled as if the two had been old friends and headed for the wardrobe room. She'd had a chance to say hello to Randy Orton once again, who assured her that he would surely be needing her help with repairs in the near future…she suspected he was just being flirtatious. And now she was hoping to connect with the elusive assistant whom she had not yet met and was eagerly looking forward to knowing. It was also apparent that Dave was engaged in some duty that had kept him out of the open, for in her short duration in the hallways and green room, she hadn't seen hide nor hair of him.

Nancy stepped inside the wardrobe room and glanced at the many supplies, most of which had not even been completely unloaded, but to her relief, the sewing machines were relatively new…giving her the hope that she wouldn't sustain too many injuries in her new job. She set out to unload some of the very disorganized caddies from which she suspected she might find the most important accoutrements, when she heard a grunt and a shuffling noise from behind her. A woman of average height was waddling into the wardrobe room, her face and torso hidden behind a pile of 'Diva clothing repairs' and other unidentifiable clothing items. Because her entire upper body was disguised by the grandiose pile of clothing Nancy could only assume that it was a woman, because she was wearing a skirt…a long, brown woolen skirt…complete with brown leather sandals and white athletic socks.

She watched as the woman shuffled inside with the pile of clothing, muttering something that Nancy could not understand and then finally the front of the woman's body connected with the edge of a table and she accepted the impact as a signal to dump her heavy load on top of it. The mountain of clothing toppled from her arms to reveal a flustered, red-faced, heavy breathing young woman who must surely be her long lost assistant. The woman had a heart shaped face hidden behind oversized transparent pink plastic frames with lenses of average thickness, a smattering a freckles trailed across her face from one cheekbone to the other, gracing her nose with color, and her lips, plump and shaped like a bow were nearly bright red without the aid of any cosmetic. Nancy was glad to notice that she wasn't the only one with the dastardly curls…her assistant had them also, the wedge shaped haircut, underneath a clip, tamed only a small section of the hair from one ear to the next. The rest of it stood up and out in rebellious, wiry insolence.

The woman looked up to behold Nancy, with a smile and Nancy liked the way her nose crinkled up when she did so. "Hi, are you?" The young woman didn't finish the question, but instead gave a hopeful glance as she held out her hand.

"I'm Nancy…are you, my assistant?" Nancy was almost as timid as the woman in front of her.

"Oh, thank God…" The woman pushed her glasses up on the bridge of her nose, but they slid down again immediately. "I thought that you were a new Diva or something with another repair." Nancy laughed softly when she saw the woman sigh in relief. "I'm Lizzie…you know, like…Lizzie." The woman stumbled awkwardly through her introduction.

"I'm glad to meet you." Nancy shook Lizzie's hand.

"I'm really relieved you came…I know half of these Divas just hate me…and I don't know nearly enough about this aspect of the job to keep them happy." Lizzie admitted, almost despondently. "I think that I wasn't very well trained, but I'm a fast learner and I can pick up whatever you want to teach me." She stammered. "I mean you don't have to teach me I guess, I know you don't really have the time or whatever, Teddy says that you do stuff for Stephanie McMahon and all…I've never met her, never even seen her, is she nice?"

"Very." Nancy responded smiling…she would be hard pressed not to like Lizzie…she was eager and humble all at the same time…the two perfect attributes for learning how to be the leader of the pack…Lizzie would make a good boss one day. "I'll teach you everything I can, if you like and maybe in the meantime we can have some fun with these Divas, whaddya say?"

"I'm not sure what you mean, have fun with the Divas?" Lizzie looked confused and intimidated.

"First thing you need to learn Lizzie, is that they are supposed to come to you with their repairs." Nancy told her. "What time did you get to the arena tonight?"

"I was here at three…the girls handed me some stuff at the hotel and I took the hotel shuttle up here to try and get set up…then I just came from the women's locker room and Melina and Christy and Stacy gave me some more clothing to be ironed." Lizzie admitted hesitantly.

"So then these are not repairs? Just ironing?" Nancy asked, tamping down her ire at the Divas who were obviously taking advantage of the young woman. No wonder she hadn't had time to learn the things required of her…she was busy doing someone's incidental duties instead of her own! "Lizzie, let them know that the WWE pays them enough money for them to afford to send their clothing to the cleaners if they're too lazy to use the iron in their hotel room and the next time you're on your way to Wardrobe and they try to hand you something, let them know they have two legs and can walk it down here as easily as you can."

The look on Lizzie's face was priceless. "I don't know if I could stand up to them that way…I mean they all know how to wrestle and stuff." Evidently she hadn't yet grasped the concept that just because Divas could wrestle didn't mean they were tough, with maybe the exception of Victoria.

"Trust me…if you don't stand up for yourself you'll end up in that ring anyway." Nancy joked, laughing and remembering her own fear of defending herself.

"What?" Lizzie inquired, her face a mass of perplexity.

"It's a long story." Nancy said…and then she piled all of the ironing into a plastic garbage bag, not bothering to separate it into the proper Diva's pile, and tossed the lumpy bag just outside the door of Wardrobe.

Lizzie began to chatter on and tell Nancy about her lack of experience, as she began to assemble the rolling spool stand…and in true clumsy fashion, Lizzie dropped the caddy drawer that had once neatly housed several hundred spools of thread. A veritable rainbow of polyester thread spools spun and rolled, bounced and then came to rest within a five foot radius of the young woman, who looked on in horror at her new boss, who must surely think that she was insane.

Nancy was instantly reminded of Max…she missed him…and truly, this was something he might have done himself. She couldn't help laughing a little at the unintended homage to her former partner. "I think you and I are gonna end up being good friends." She told Lizzie and then she patted the woman on the shoulder. "You know what, Lizzie?" She began, noting the relief on her face. "I tried to get some coffee about ten minutes ago and it wasn't ready yet…do you like coffee?"

"Oh I love coffee." Lizzie admitted, shoving the glasses back up again. "But I made this huge mess with the thread…" She pointed to the floor on the verge of tears.

"Tell you what…" Nancy said in an attempt to get Lizzie's mind off of her nervousness. "I have a really bad history of accidents where hot beverages are concerned…would you be opposed to getting some coffee for both of us?"

Lizzie nodded eagerly. "Oh I, I could do that." And after confirming that Nancy took hers black, she swept out of the room, clipping her shoulder on the doorframe as she went.

Nancy laughed as she swept her gaze around to the hundreds of spools on the floor. God certainly had a sense of humor…he had known she needed someone like Lizzie to help make her transition easier and for Pete's sake, the girl was enough like Max already that Nancy felt at home in just her first few minutes on Smackdown. She knelt and began to pick up the spools one by one, arranging them by color back into the caddy.

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His one scheduled appearance for the night was finished and he was thankful that he hadn't been scheduled for a match. Dave Batista tucked his bags into the trunk of his rental car and then headed back inside to find her. His stomach was in knots and a part of him felt like vomiting might help relieve some of the tension, but at the very least, the fact that she was here on Smackdown, gave him a boost of hope. Nancy hadn't had to come at all…she could have just as easily stayed on RAW, and if she truly didn't want to have anything to do with him she wouldn't have accepted a job in a place where she knew she would run into him on a nightly basis. He just had to keep reminding himself of that.

He rounded the corner and noted the monitor on which he found Christy still at ringside…and he was grateful for that, at least he could speak with Nancy without her interference. He passed the monitor and then tossed a small nod to Randy who gave him a subtle thumbs up sign and a slight nod in the direction of the wardrobe room. Dave found that his throat had gone dry and the muscles in his neck suddenly felt very tense. His shaking hand made contact with the knob…he wouldn't knock…he opened the door quietly as he always had in the past. And as always she didn't notice his entry.

Dave watched her, stooped down on the floor picking up scattered spools of thread and his breath caught in his chest. He had missed her, but he hadn't realized how much until that moment. He could see the red marks where the Doctor's instrumentation had pierced her delicate skin. They would become tiny scars, but he knew she wasn't vain enough to be bothered by it…she'd had far deeper scars, ragged emotional scars not visible to man and had done just fine in the healing. She hummed as her slender hands grasped each item, tucking it with care into the plastic caddy drawer balanced on her thighs. Her delicate, dove grey skirt brushed against the floor, barely covering the heels…the black ones that she'd thrown at the bus. Everything about her…everything on her sparked a memory that he loved, a memory that reminded him why he needed her.

Those blessed beautiful curls cascading down her back and over one shoulder, flirting with the skin of her arms…the skin that he knew was softer than silk beneath his fingers…they caught his attention when the light glittered off of the chestnut strands and his hands itched to touch her. He swallowed a lump in his throat while watching her from behind, always immersed in her duties, always good at what she had chosen to do. He spoke her name without realizing it and she turned, with a start, nearly upsetting the drawer of spools that she had just been trying to organize. Her jade eyes widened with surprise? Relief? Uncertainty? And now was the moment…the threshold that determined where they went from here, or whether they ended it completely.

Nancy couldn't have imagined that it would feel so good to see him after only a week of not laying eyes on him and she certainly couldn't have imagined how fiercely her heart would be pounding, how difficult it would be to even draw a breath. The sound of her name on his lips had been like a soft touch…and the way he looked at her with a mixture of hope and insecurity made her want to reach out to him. She smiled, still holding the drawer in her arms and finding her voice, she spoke.

"You had something to do with the job offer…" She stated it with gratitude, not a question…but a confirmation.

Dave felt relief wash over him when he sensed that she wasn't angry. "I had reasons…" He had told her the same thing when he'd rescued her from a match long ago. "Good ones." His voice was deep and steady.

She nodded, as he took another step closer to her. She was swept up again by the invisible whirlwind that was her attraction for him. The heat that she could feel, but couldn't see, the intoxicating feeling of being paralyzed by his gaze…she loved every second of the anticipation as he closed in on her.

"Do you wanna hear them?" He asked softly.

Nancy couldn't for the life of her, put down the caddy, she held onto it with such force her arms began to ache. "Your reasons?" She repeated softly, the same as she had long ago, but instead of brushing him off, she nodded. "Yes." She saw the measure of contentment in his glittering mahogany eyes, something that told her he was glad she wanted to know.

Dave came another step closer, his brow pleating and just inches away from her he let his hand snake out to touch her face…one finger running down the length of her nose to graze her lips. He then took the caddy drawer from her grasp and placed it on the table beside her…and reached into his pocket, pulling out her diamond. He saw the recognition in her eyes as it twirled on the chain, catching the light, glittering wildly and he saw too, her gratitude as tears formed on her lashes but refused to fall.

"You lost this on my porch." He said biting his lower lip. "The chain must've broken when you were putting the key back though the mail slot." His voice was soft and his statement non accusatory as he held the necklace up and unfastened the clasp of the new chain. "The new chain's much stronger…" He said as she turned and held her hair out of the way. "The jeweler said it shouldn't break unless you're rough with it."

"Thank you." She whispered, feeling the heat of his body on her back, his capable hand grazing the flesh of her neck as he fastened the clasp. And though the diamond meant a lot to her…it didn't nearly compare to the feel of him so near to her.

"This wasn't the kind of diamond I'd imagined putting on you." He whispered, after he finished. "And not the time or the place I'd imagined." Before she could turn around to face him or to respond, he wrapped his left arm around her shoulders and his right arm around her stomach. He pulled her body against his, leaning in to relish the feel of her, the smell of her, before he spoke "I only wanted to make sure you were safe…This wasn't how things were supposed to go." He felt her lean back against him and couldn't have described the feeling that came over him when she didn't pull away from him, as he tightened his embrace. "I may have gone about it the wrong way and I'm sorry for that, but I won't apologize for wanting to protect you." He nuzzled her ear, almost overwhelmed by the moment. "I'm not sorry that I'm in love with you."

Nancy held on to his arm as it banded across her chest, and leaned into him closing her eyes…the reality of almost losing him threatened to make her legs buckle. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you." She told him, finally turning slowly around in his embrace. "You knew what would happen…and you were right." Nancy admitted, sliding her hands beneath his suit-coat to rest them on his waist. "I was just scared."

He leaned forward to kiss her forehead and then he told her. "All of that other stuff doesn't matter, if you love me." He let his lips trail down the side of her face, even as his hands curved around her back and upward to her shoulders. She nodded and turned her face slightly, touching his lips with her own. He had craved her kiss even before he had known she was gone, more so even while she was away…and now with her lips on his, he could only react, cupping her face with his hands and possessing her mouth, gently, firmly until he knew he had stolen her breath…he broke free from her kiss, touching his forehead to hers for a long, silent moment.

She let her lonely hands run the length of his broad back, eyes closed…taking in the feel of him and praying that this was the second chance she had hoped for.

"I was going to quit my job, the night that Teddy called me." Nancy admitted as his lips kissed a path down the side of her face finding her neck. "I still have the resignation in my purse."

He kissed the tender flesh of her shoulder…and then spoke against her skin. "What would you have done then?" His voice was gentle, unfocused.

She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck as he buried his face into her hair, breathing deeply. "I was going to track you down and beg you to take me back."

He felt her soft laugh rumble beneath his lips, which were now in the hollow of her throat a hairsbreadth from the diamond and it thrilled him to hear that she'd had the same idea he had…that she had been willing to give everything up the way he had. "And I would have…" He admitted, circling her waist with his hands.

"And now?" She asked softly as his lips ventured back up the length of her neck to her chin. "Would you take me back now?"

"Will you stay?" He asked as he nibbled her jaw-line, curving his hand around the back of her neck. "And trust me?"

She nodded, touching her lips to his…knowing that the words were just as important to him as her actions at that moment, she whispered "I'll stay…I trust you."

He began to speak low against her ear, and remind her of the fact that she hadn't called him back the morning after she'd left and therefore was still subject to endure all of the delicious punishments he had promised on his voicemail and as his lips and hands reacquainted themselves with the landscape of her skin, he then began to recite in great detail exactly what was awaiting her at the hotel once the show was over.

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Stephanie stalked down the corridor with purpose, past the sound crew and Funaki Number 1 Announcer, gifting him with a wave and taking note of the surprised expressions from staffers and wrestlers who, no doubt were wondering why in the hell she was in the arena for a Smackdown taping. She had flown to the show for several reasons, the first being, that she was damn nosey and wanted to see how things were running, another was that she also had a few written ideas for the fashion line to hand deliver to Nancy since she just happened to be in the neighborhood, and lastly, she had a transfer slip, an order she had conceived of after finding out a few details about the past month's events…a transfer to send Christy Hemme to OVW. Better to remove the strife causing, common denominator before she caused more trouble.

She strode toward the catwalk and soon, Christy was descending the ramp with the same degree of determination that Stephanie herself had entered the arena with. Her expression was clearly one of anger and panic as if she were headed for a fight, until she lifted her eyes meeting with Stephanie's. Christy's air quickly changed to reveal her shock and Stephanie couldn't deny that she detected fear behind those eyes as she walked forward, stopping a few feet from the Diva not bothering to hide her snide smile and a soft laugh.

"Stephanie" Christy was clearly confused, intimidated.

"I felt it was important that I brought this to you in person." Stephanie crooked her upper lip and snapped the envelope out in front of her. "Pack your bags…You're required at OVW for training first thing Thursday morning."

Christy's head bobbed from the envelope back up to Stephanie's face, her eyes widening in shock and disbelief. "Now? But I thought…I-I just got drafted to Smackdown…and LOD…I…" She couldn't form an intelligible sentence in the midst of her exasperation, and suddenly it became clear to her that she wouldn't be in a line for Dave Batista anymore. If she was at OVW and Nancy was here, a mere hop, skip and jump away from him, then it was over…her chance for Dave…her hard work…her conspiracy with Triple H…all of it. "Stephanie—"

The fierce glare of the Billion Dollar Princess stole the comment from Christy's mouth. "You can either go there and train or you can pack your shit and take a bus back to Temecula, it makes no difference to me."

"How long will I be there?" Christy asked dejectedly, seeing the life she'd built in her mind's eye, crumbling right before her.

"An undetermined amount of time…however long it takes for you to learn what you need to learn…is there a problem with that?"

"No." Christy could say little more under the intense scrutiny of Stephanie McMahon, and she held the envelope tightly in her hands as she turned and walked away, heading for the women's locker room.

Now that was a bright spot in Stephanie's McMahon's night! She had always enjoyed wielding her power especially when she was actually doing it for the benefit of another person. And she was definitely not blind to what Christy had been doing where Dave Batista was concerned…she also had a fair amount of knowledge regarding her husband's recent involvement with Christy and his hands on the wheel of a plot to circumvent Stephanie. The details, though slightly jaded had been enough to whet Stephanie's appetite for a battle and her husband may not know it yet, but they were shortly about to cross swords and he wasn't going to like being relegated to the role of a McMahon puppet.

Stephanie turned the knob of the Wardrobe door and poked her head around to peek inside. A smile crossed her face when she spotted the Champion and her new business partner standing toe to toe in the middle of the room whispering to one another in an embrace that clearlytold her love still existed, even if not in her own marriage. She didn't enter, but she saw Dave Batista raise his eye to regard her and then he lifted one hand behind Nancy's back in a silent plea for more time. Stephanie nodded and mouthed the words. "Take your time." Then she gently pressed the lock inward on the knob and closed the door soundlessly.

Quickly she snatched a black marker and a roll of duct tape from the tool belt of a soundman and turned the manila folder over, pulling the contents out and tucking the papers under her arm. Stephanie then scribbled a message on the envelope, tore a strip of duct tape off of the roll and tacked it to the door under the wardrobe sign. She turned to give the soundman back his items and nearly bumped into a very Plain Jane woman holding two cups of coffee, intent on entering the Wardrobe room.

"Excuse me…sorry." Lizzie smiled and spoke kindly wishing to pass, balancing the cups in her hands.

"You can't go in there." Stephanie told her, standing in front of the door.

"But, I-I work in there…" Lizzie stammered, her eyes widening in fear as she regarded what she was certain was a new Diva intent on hassling her. "My-my new boss is in there…"

"Trust me she won't care, besides I outrank her." Stephanie announced with a smile. The woman must not know who she was. "Whaddya have there?" Stephanie leaned over the cups to see.

"Oh, um…just coffee." Lizzie looked worried, glancing at the door with trepidation, and then she caught sight of the sign and the signature beneath the message. A look of utter shock lit her expression, when she suddenly realized exactly who was standing in front of her.

"Great…just how I like it." Stephanie blurted as she reached out without asking and took from the girl's hand, the cup of coffee that had been filled with creamer…and meant for Lizzie. "Have I ever told you the story about how your new boss came to be a part of Smackdown?" Stephanie asked knowing that she hadn't, stifling Lizzie's attempt to protest the thievery of her coffee. "Have I ever even spoken to you before, for that matter?" Stephanie looked at the woman with curiosity.

"No Ma'am…" Lizzie said looking into the styrofoam cup at the hot black coffee, wondering if she had the stomach to drink the brew without creamer.

"Well then let's go take a walk and I'll tell you one of the greatest love stories you've ever heard…it's pretty amazing really and it all started on RAW, believe it or not…and all because of two very hot cups of coffee, imagine that…" Stephanie crooked one arm over the woman's shoulder and with more than just gentle force, she began to walk Lizzie away from Wardrobe, where an awkward paper sign hung from the door warning others away with the announcement 'Wardrobe Closed…will reopen next house show – by order of Stephanie McMahon'

TO BE CONTINUED…

Please look for the sequel UNCOMMON BOND, due out now. Thank you for your reviews and I sincerely look forward to hearing from you as I post the sequel. This is a chance for Randy Orton fans to feed their fantasy appetite as well so don't miss it!