Disclaimer, etc., in part 1. Thanks to those that have reviewed/followed/favorited this one.

Part Six

The Shield.

Of all the people that she had considered, all the possibilities that she'd thought of for Teddy Long to put her with... The Shield had never even entered her mind. Possibly because she thought of them more as their own group that was separate from everything and everyone else... Almost like they weren't even part of the WWE. But in reality, they were a part of the WWE, even if they acted like their own unit away from the rest... And now... Now Teddy Long had, in his infinite thirst for revenge on her or something, decided that she was going to manage the trio. And she could only guess that the trio from NXT would not be happy about that.

That, of course, was what Teddy Long had to be counting on.

Squaring her shoulders, Eve held her expression as neutral, the woman refusing to show anything of what she felt, all too aware that Teddy was probably counting on her throwing a fit or something. In fact, given the amused and expectant look on his face, it was clear that was exactly what he *did* expect - for her to throw a temper tantrum. Well, she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of doing so. No way in hell. So while he stood there expectantly, that little smile playing at the corner of his lips that happened when he was happy with himself, Eve simply nodded, careful not to show any emotion, the divas' champion standing there for a few moments before stepping back, heading toward the ring ropes, the other women going with her, ignoring the fact that Teddy hadn't dismissed them. The man looked almost like he was going to say something about that, but then Tamina took a step toward him and he dropped the microphone, not saying a word as the divas exited the ring.

"I can't believe he did that to you," Kaitlyn muttered as they got to the floor... Eve taking the steps down while Kaitlyn simply jumped. Eve flicked a look the younger woman's way, a little surprised by how differently Kaitlyn was acting now that she knew that Aksana and Teddy had been behind everything that had happened surrounding Night of Champions... Including framing Eve for the attack.

"I can believe it. He hates me and wants me to suffer. What could be worse than putting me with three volatile men that probably have no desire for a manager, certainly have no need of one, and probably will not be happy at all about being forced to have one."

"He put me with two guys that can't decide whether to yell at each other or hug it out," Kaitlyn replied, frowning slightly as she spoke, though it was clear that she realized that Teddy was definitely trying to punish Eve with his choices more than he was anyone else... Hell, he'd even put Layla with Kofi Kingston, who was probably one of the nicest guys on the roster. And for all their yelling at each other, it was unlikely that Team Hell No would be mean to Kaitlyn... And Sheamus would probably be decent enough to Alicia. Tamina could just threaten the Miz if she wanted to, and while Team Rhodes Scholars might not be too thrilled to suddenly have a manager, odds were they would still be fairly polite to Aksana. But when it came to the Shield... All bets were off. The reaction of those guys simply couldn't be predicted.

"Let's just get to the back," Eve muttered, the diva fully aware that she was about to start shaking... That holding back her reaction would only last for so much longer. And maybe something in her expression told Kaitlyn how she felt, because the younger woman simply nodded, the group of them making their way toward the back... Tamina had already made it back, and Aksana was trailing well behind, looking a little uncertain about things... Possibly more because of the realization of what her little confession in the locker room could mean than because of who she was now going to be managing. Whatever, it didn't matter. Aksana didn't matter.

What mattered was the fact that she - Eve Torres - was now officially managing the Shield.

"You want to go back to the locker room and talk about it?" Alicia asked as they made it to the back and, while Kaitlyn and maybe even Layla looked sympathetic about how it had all played out, Alicia looked more like someone that was expecting a piece of juicy gossip. And one thing Eve was *not* in the mood for was giving someone something to gossip about.

"No, thanks. I think I just... Want to be alone for a little while," Eve finally said, and while Alicia looked like she wanted to try and argue that, the others nodded, Layla hooking her arm through Kaitlyn's as the two of them headed off, leaving Eve alone... Which, quite honestly, was something she'd gotten used to in recent months. She really didn't have friends in the divas' division, so suddenly having the others offer to listen if she wanted to talk was more than a little strange.

"I can handle this myself," Eve muttered to herself, glancing around then, the woman arching a brow and briefly staring down anyone that was daring to stand there gawking at her right now. After a moment, she shook her head slightly, then headed off down the hallway, not sure where she was going, just knowing that she wanted to be alone... Alone so that she could actually take the time to react to the fact that she was now the manager of three potentially dangerous men that probably were not happy to find themselves stuck with a manager... Which of course was Teddy Long's plan. Stick her with three guys - not one, not two, but actually three - that didn't want a manager, were known for attacking people at will, and might possibly take their anger out on her. She'd seen the spear that Roman Reigns had landed on Kane back at the TLC pay-per-view. She'd seen the damage the guys had done to their opponents. And maybe they hadn't gone after a diva yet, but they hadn't been forced to work with one yet, either-

Eve bit back a scream as she passed by a doorway only to find herself grabbed by the arm and pulled into the room, the woman instantly trying to yank herself from the person's grip... An easier task than she expected, seeing as the person let go of her almost immediately, Eve stumbling back a little at the surprisingly easy release... Then jerking when a hand came out to steady her. Quickly, she stepped to the side, her gaze moving around the room - little more than a storage closet - finding the others that were there... The one that had reached out to steady her, the one that was a hulking presence as he stood against the wall... and the one that had likely grabbed her, the man now closing the door, then turning to face her, Dean Ambrose's eyes meeting hers.

"I think we need to talk."