A/N: I think the events in this chapter, mostly the second half of it, were a long time coming. So hopefully, you'll enjoy reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it. Keep the reviews coming, you know how much it motivates me!
Part 20
An eerie feeling nestled in the pit of Trish's stomach as she watched Dave wrestle Edge. By the time she reached Evolution's locker room earlier, Dave had already departed for his match, bringing Ric and Hunter along with him. He was more than holding his own against his Canadian opponent… that wasn't what made her nervous. What Trish found most disturbing was Hunter and Ric, cheering Dave on from ringside. Considering the recent timeline of events for the faction, she found it odd for them to even be at ringside, let alone acting as cheerleaders. Hunter and Dave were not getting along. Something wasn't right.
Shaking off the discomfort, Trish focused on the battle between Dave and Edge. She winced as Dave was whipped into the ring post and then dropped to his knees. She soon smiled when moments later, Edge was driven into the canvas by a hard spinebuster. A smirk lingered on Dave's lips as he hovered above Edge, stalking his prey.
Trish grinned, a chill running up her spine. She wondered if he knew how sexy that smirk was, or how hott he looked coated in a slick layer of sweat. She licked her lips, only to frown when the image on the screen was diverted. A shot of the empty parking lot was displayed, the area still until it was brightened by a pair of headlights. Up to the camera rolled a white limousine, its front donning a pair of bull horns. Trish's eyes widened in surprise as the JBL logo rolled into vision. Bradshaw was at the arena.
The screen shot back to Dave, who didn't look happy in the least to see the WWE Champion's vehicle. Hunter and Ric climbed in the ring and pleaded with him to stay put, but he ignored them. He abandoned his match, leaving Edge lying in the ring as he slowly stomped up the ramp. Hunter and Ric's pleas continued, but neither man could slow him down. Nobody could stop an animal on a rampage. The camera crew followed Dave all the way to the back, where Hunter finally stopped him.
"You don't have to do this," he insisted, holding Dave still. "Go back to your match. Let me handle JBL, and then…"
"Shut up," Dave hissed back, tugging his arm free. "You stay out of this. Let me handle my business."
Though he didn't look pleased, Hunter complied. He let the big man go, watching as he disappeared out into the lot. From the moment he stepped outside, a sour feeling bubbled in Trish's stomach. Something in her gut told her she needed to get out there as soon as possible. She had a terrible premonition that something bad would happen if someone didn't stop Dave from going after JBL. But she remained in her spot, her eyes glued to the screen.
Dave called JBL several times, but he heard and saw nothing. By the looks of things, he had vanished. His eyes wandered around the lot, and he just about growled. Trish frowned, deciding that Bradshaw had chickened out. Or perhaps it was just a tactic to try and lure Dave over to Smackdown. Then again, she hadn't known Bradshaw to be the most fighting champion. She ruled the option out when, to her shock, she saw the headlights quickly coming closer.
"Dave!" she cried as the limo drove back into the lot, this time at a much faster speed. Her eyes widened… it was headed straight for him. "Oh my God…" she muttered.
Trish squeezed her eyes shut as it neared him. She couldn't bear to watch. There was a loud commotion in the following seconds, but none of the sounds resembled a car hitting a person. She cracked one eye open, then two as she saw Dave lying on the ground in a pile of trash. His eyes popped wide open, and he gasped for air as he tried to understand what had happened. He got to his feet and screamed at the limo as it sped off out of the lot, tires screeching as it turned back onto the road.
Trish's expression matched Dave's when she saw Hunter, who had been on the ground beside him, struggling to his feet. He had disobeyed Dave's orders to stay inside. He pushed him out of the way. He saved his life.
Had her legs not felt like jello, she would have bolted to him. Her heart fell all the way down through her gut as she considered how severe the incident could have been. Had Hunter not intervened, Dave would have been run over. She could have lost him. In a split second, Dave could have been taken from her before she ever got the chance to tell him she was madly in love with him.
Trish gasped as the statement rolled through her head. Dave Batista was The One. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She had to see him. Once her legs felt remotely solid, she turned her back to the monitor – not before catching one last glimpse of the scene. What she saw made her stomach drop even further.
The look Hunter was giving Dave from behind his back said it all. This had been a setup from the start. Hunter knew to dash outside because he knew the limo would reenter the parking lot. He knew he would have to rescue Dave because he knew he only had one more chance to be a hero. He knew, because he had planned it. Everything, from the videos of JBL and Big Show airing on Raw, to the limo trying to run him down, had all been a carefully orchestrated plot… a devious ploy that would drive Dave right to Smackdown and out of the Heavyweight Title picture, as well as out of his hair.
This was not something Hunter threw together quickly when he discovered her relationship with Dave. This had been thought out for months, meticulously constructed since before Dave even won the Rumble. Once again, Hunter truly lived up to the nickname Cerebral Assassin.
Strangely, the enormous trap Ric and Hunter set for Dave did not concern her at the moment. As Trish hurried off in search of him, all she could think about was how badly she needed to speak with him. She had to get her feelings out to him, before it was too late. What happened minutes earlier reminded her how fragile life was. She couldn't waste another minute denying her feelings.
An hour later, Dave was still in with the trainers. Trish knew, because she had sat in hiding by the door the second Ric dragged him and Hunter inside. She wondered what in hell could possibly take so long, especially when neither man had any physical injuries, at least she assumed. She relaxed back in her spot a bit, tilting her head back just enough so that she could see the door. Now was one of the moments that being tiny came in handy.
Her eyes and ears perked up when, after the longest hour of her life, the door popped open. Flair strutted out first, a smile on his confident but tired face. He said something about meeting both men at the hotel the next day, and then bounded off down the hall with a resounding, "Wooo!"
The door stayed open, and Trish got a perfect view of the inside. Dave sat on the examination table, tapping the back of his head against the wall. Hunter stood beside him, and Trish could see that he was concluding a speech. He extended his hand to Dave, and she scowled when Dave accepted the handshake. Hunter's face was extremely serious, till the second he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. His face broke into a huge, proud grin as he walked away, shaking his head.
The second he disappeared, Trish jumped out of her hiding spot and dove for the door, ripping it open. Dave's head shot up, and he met her panicked eyes. The two stared in silence for a split second before Dave opened his arms to her. Trish charged at him, throwing her arms around his neck and clinging to him so tightly he almost couldn't breathe. They remained that way, rocking each other in silence until their bodies calmed down, and their hearts stopped beating so rapidly.
Trish was the first to pull away, her hands still loosely wrapped around the back of his neck.
"Are you hurt?" she asked him, and Dave knew she was referring more to the mental aspect of the accident than any physical injury. He let his hands move to her waist, tracing her hip bone with his index finger.
"In shock," he replied honestly. "Can't say I was expecting someone to try and run me down."
Trish nodded, leaning toward him to hug him again. Everything seemed okay in his arms. She didn't have to worry about Hunter, or Ric, or Christy, or anyone for that matter. She couldn't believe that she almost lost this feeling for good.
"Dave," she said suddenly, a certain urgency in her voice, "there's something I have to tell you…"
"That Hunter's lying through his teeth? Spare both of us the lecture," he replied. "I know exactly what's going on here. Cena told me JBL was in New York hours ago. He set me up, and he didn't think I'd be smart enough to catch on."
Trish shook her head, "I'm not talking about Hunter. I'm talking about us." He tilted his head back, eyeing her inquisitively. "Dave, watching what just happened out there, it made me feel an emotion I'm extremely unaccustomed to… fear. I was so scared, scared of what could have happened to you. Scared of knowing I could've lost you before I got the chance to explain my feelings. I never want to feel the way I felt tonight again."
"Trish, there's no need to explain yourself to me," Dave insisted. He let go of her hips and took each of her hands in his own. "I think I know how you feel."
"I don't think so," she disagreed. "You can't possibly know what I'm feeling when I don't even know…"
"What do you know?" he asked her.
"I know…" she began, biting her lip. She remembered quickly why she hated doing this. "The thing is, you tie me up in knots. I look at you, and I see this guy that I wanna wake up next to every day for the rest of my life. I've known you for such a short time, and yet I can see myself settling down with you. And honestly, Dave, that scares the shit out of me."
For the first time since she entered the room, Dave smiled at her. Not just a regular smile, but a beam, and he let her hands go and wrapped his arms around her. He knew exactly what she was trying to say.
"Ya know what? I love you, too."
Trish's mouth hung open, her gaze drifting away. When her sight returned to him, he noticed that the slightest hint of moisture had filled her eyes.
"You're right," she choked, inhaling sharply. "I do love you, Dave. I love you so much."
A huge mountain of air seemed to deflate from his chest. Her statement was spoken with a confidence and assurance that only Trish Stratus was capable of achieving. Despite his horrific night, elation soared through him. He grinned wildly before jumping from the table, locking his arms securely around her perfect figure.
Dave kissed her, his lips smashing down forcefully on hers. He swirled his tongue around hers, reaching that unbridled passion he had long hoped to share with her. Trish was even more eager to respond then when she planted that drunken kiss on him a week earlier. She hugged him till she thought her arms would fall off, and broke the kiss only when she was completely breathless. They started longingly into each other's dark eyes, both wearing relieved smiles. Though they were both aware that they were about to face hell, Dave and Trish felt a huge weight lifted from them.
"So," Trish spoke after a long silence. "Where do we go from here?"
Dave simply laughed as he gave her another kiss. "Hotel would be nice."
