A/N: I just wanted to say thank you for all the support I've gotten for this story so far! I appreciate all the reviews, and you guys are definitely a huge inspiration when it comes to writing this story. Keep it coming!

Part 8
Trish inhaled slowly, her breath stopping as she stared at the sign on the door. She reached out in front of her, her hand snapping back to her side the moment she came in contact with the door handle. She couldn't recall a time in recent memory where she had been so nervous.

"Snap out of it, Stratus," she warned herself.

A focused, determined look washed away the look of uneasiness. She gripped the knob again, forcing herself to remain. Dave had advised her earlier that night to take matters into her own hands. "Come on now, Trish," he said, giving her that gaze that not only said he knew what to do, but that she knew as well. "You can talk to me all you want, and I'll never be able to tell you why this happened. You know how to find out."

He was absolutely right. If she wanted an explanation as to why she saw her best friend kissing her exboyfriend in the hallway, she'd just have to ask Molly herself. That's right, she'd just march right up to the brunette woman and demand an explanation.

...That sounded so much easier than Trish knew it would be.

Sighing heavily, she threw the locker room door open. If she continued to second guess herself, she'd never go through with it. Just as planned, she marched firmly into the room; but before she could point an accusing finger, she froze. A frown crossed her features as Trish recognized the blonde across the room.

"Hi, Trish," Stacy said carefully.

She hadn't spoken to Trish since a few weeks back, when the Canadian diva told her she wasn't ready to talk. She almost wondered if she was ready now, but the morose expression on her face led her to believe otherwise.

"Hey, Stacy," Trish replied, just as cautiously as Stacy had addressed her. "You, uh... you haven't seen Molly around, have you?"

Stacy gave her a shake of the head.

"Nope, I think she left early," she said. "Her bags aren't here anymore."

Stacy glanced down at her magazine, not wanting to see too enthralled by Trish's presence. However, there was something about Trish's exprssion that drew her gaze right back up. The six-time Women's Champion appeared to be a mix of hurt, angry, confused, upset, and nauseaus.

Stacy raised a curious, concerned eyebrow. She placed her magazine down on the table, biting her lip thoughtfully.

"Everything alright?" she asked, eyeing Trish intently.

Trish met her eyes, but didn't move a muscle. The silence between the two women grew thick, and Stacy would be lying if she said she wasn't getting a bit nervous. Another minute passed, the room so quiet that Stacy could hear her watch ticking in her ear.

Then, Trish did something that caught her completely off guard. She walked over to her, plopping down right beside her on the couch.

"Stacy, what would you do if you found out that your best friend was with your ex-boyfriend?"

Stacy gazed at her curiously.

"With, as in they're now, as a couple?" she asked.

"Most likely," Trish muttered, releasing another loud sigh.

It didn't take Stacy more than a minute to figure out who Trish was referring to. She wasn't as dumb as she looked. A frown grew on her lips, a genuinely sympathetic look in her eyes.

"You mean Molly and Christian..." she began. Trish nodded. "Oh, Trish, I'm sorry. I don't know what I'd do if I were in that situation."

Trish shrugged, "I figured as much."

Stacy reclined back in her seat, eyeing Trish questioningly. For some reason, she took the slightest bit of offense to the remark.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her.

"I just meant you don't seem to be the type of person who would experience very much heartache," Trish explained.

She hadn't meant for her comment to be harsh, but it came out that way. She chalked it up to the fact that, after acting that way towards all the divas for the past year, she didn't know how else to be. A part of her was still shocked that she even started talking to the leggy diva.

"That's so far from true," Stacy said, shaking her head. "I go through things, too, Trish. Just because I try to have a positive attitude doesn't mean nothing's wrong with my life. I just try and see the positive in things."

Had Stacy said that to her a month ago, she'd have snickered. But she was undergoing a change, a shift in her character, that almost made her envious. She wished she could have that attitude towards life.

"That doesn't always work," Trish commented. "There are some things positivity can't cure."

"I disagree," Stacy said with a shrug. Not wanting the conversation to die, she continued. "Just look at Batista. He had the worst attitude in the past, and now, he's finally beginning to see the good in things, and look where it's getting him? He's got a title shot."

Trish nodded perceptively, until Stacy's statement clicked in her head.

"Wait, what?" Trish asked, shaking her head aburptly. "Since when did Batista have a title shot?"

"Didn't you see?" Stacy asked. When Trish gave her nothing but a blank stare in response, she knew the answer was no. "Dave won the Royal Rumble a few minutes ago... he's going to Wrestlemania."

Trish's eyes widened. He had actually done it. A sense of pride washed over her, something she hadn't felt in the longest time. Before she realized it, a huge smile spread across her face.

From where she was seated beside her, Stacy too grinned. Something inside her said that Dave very well might have had a lot to do with Trish's change in attitude. She decided that, since Trish had taken the step in initiating conversation with her, she could wait for them to continue talking.

"Why don't you go congratulate him?" she suggested, giving Trish a gentle nudge.

Trish raised an eyebrow at Stacy. She couldn't possibly know about her friendship with Dave. No one did, except for Molly. And even she wasn't totally clued in.

"Why would I..."

"I know, Trish," Stacy said with a knowing smile. "It's not a big deal that you're friends, you know."

Trish considered the statement. She supposed it was true. Who really cared if people knew they were friends? It's not like they were in a relationship and trying to hide it.

"You're right," she said firmly, standing up. "I think I'm going to go congratulate him right now."

"Good," Stacy said. "And I'll talk to you later?"

She sent Trish a hopeful gaze, but it went unnoticed by the other woman, who was already on her way to the door. However, when she reached the door, she turned back, and her nod gave Stacy a glimmer of hope.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The moment Dave stepped behind the curtain, another wave of relief washed over him. He glanced around almost in a daze, still in disbelief at what had happened. In the back of his mind, he knew he was going to win the Rumble. But there was still a sense of shock, a wonderfully surprised feeling. A grin spread widely on his face, and Dave knew it wasn't going anywhere for awhile.

"Hey, big man!" he heard a familiar voice call, turning as he saw Triple H quickly approaching him.

Hunter smugly held the World Title, which he had successfully defended in his match against Randy Orton earlier, over his shoulder. As he approached him, Dave couldn't help but let his eyes wander over the shining piece of gold.

"Hey!" Dave replied, the giddy grin still apparent. "Do you believe this?"

He grabbed Triple H by the arms, shaking him slightly. He didn't care about any of his problems with Hunter at the moment. He was far too elated to be concerned with anything else.

The champ wore a huge grin as well, congratulating his protege with a nod. Still smiling, Dave gazed past Hunter, his eyes searching around.

"Where's Ric?" he asked, the tiniest bit of concern laced in his voice when he realized Flair must have been eliminated from the match.

"Don't worry about Natch," Hunter assured him with a pat on the back. "Just checking in with the trainer for a bump on the head. You know the old man, he'll be just fine."

Dave nodded, and the grin - which had faded only for a second - returned. He jumped up and down, unable to contain his excitement.

"Save the energy," Hunter instructed. "It's time to celebrate!"

Dave laughed, when from the corner of his eye he caught sight of something. Rather, of someone. Down at the end of the corridor stood Trish Stratus, the blonde woman staring in his direction. When he made eye contact with her, she gestured for him to follow, and then disappeared around the corner. Dave knew she didn't want Triple H to see the two of them together.

"I'll meet you there," he said, his gaze softening just a bit. "There's one more thing I have to take care of."

Triple H eyed Batista curiously... it didn't take him more than a second to figure out that this was about a woman. Sending him a knowing smile, he stepped away, nodding in agreement.

"I'll go pick up Ric..." he said, turning away. On his way back to the trainer, he turned back to Dave and called, "But you're buying!"

Shaking his head, Dave laughed and turned away as well. As he made his way in the direction where Trish had gone, he smiled, a contented feeling in his chest. This was the way things used to be in Evolution. He had always known deep down that Hunter would eventually support him.

He continued down the hall, rounding the same corner she had. He glanced around, noticing that she was nowhere to be seen. His brow cocked as he searched around for another minute. No sign of her.

"Trish?" he called, his eyes scanning up and down the hall. "Triiiiiish?"

"There you are!" he heard her voice exclaim.

Trish appeared out of nowhere, flinging herself at him. She threw her arms around Dave's neck, wrapping him in a tight hug. She jumped up into his arms, wrapping her legs around him as she grinned excitedly. Dave laughed, spinning her around in the air before placing her back down on her feet. He didn't know what had gotten into her, but her excitement only heightened his.

"Well, hello to you too," he said with a grin. "Guess you heard about my amazing victory, huh?"

Trish rolled her eyes, "Amazing my ass. From what I heard you almost lost."

A similar smile spread across her face as Dave's faded. He placed a dramatic hand over his heart, feigning being hurt by her comment.

"Touche," he surrendered.

Trish's expression grew serious, and she took his hands in hers.

"In all seriousness, Dave... congratulations," she said wholeheartedly, giving his hands a gentle squeeze. "I'm really proud of you."

Dave looked down at her softly, his dark eyes full of gratitude.

"Thank you, Trish. That means a lot to me," he said sincerely.

Trish smiled, "Now, are you going to let me take you out for a drink? I think you deserve a little something after such a long match."

"I'd love to Trish," Dave frowned, "but I'm afraid Hunter and Ric already have something planned for me."

"Oh," she replied, unable to mask her disappointment. "The same guys you said you didn't want to be around."

Dave sighed... he knew this would hit a bad note with her.

"Trish, I'm sorry," he apologized. "But things are going okay between the three of us right now, and I'd like to keep it that way. It'd just be best if I went with them."

She nodded, pursing her lips together. Dave tried to look away, but that pout was too adorable to resist. An idea came to his mind, and he moved his hands up, resting them on her shoulders.

"Tell you what," he said, tilting his gaze down to her. "I'll take you out somewhere tomorrow night. Anywhere you want, just name it. Deal?"

She glanced up at him, sighing quietly. Despite her uneasiness with the situation, she forced a tiny smile.

"Deal."