Disclaimer, etc., in part 1. Thanks to everyone that's reviewed/followed/favorited this one. :-)
Part Twenty
Eve made her way down the steps, the diva walking carefully because of the heels of her boots; the last thing she wanted to do was stumble and go falling down the stairs. She was very aware of Roman's presence behind her, the man likely once again sending nasty looks at anyone that even seemed like they may want to reach out and touch her, but Eve found that she was far less nervous about it now than she had been just a few days before when he'd been following her down the stairs before her tag team match on RAW. The truth was, while she'd teamed up with Seth on RAW, Roman was the one that had walked her to and from her car the past couple of shows, and he'd hung out in the GM's office with her so far that night, so he was really the member of the Shield that she'd spent the most time around... And the more time she spent around him, the less intimidating she found him. As the diva made it to the barricade, she quickly made her way over it, aware of Roman's hand on her hip holding her steady as she cleared it... Ambrose's hand on her arm making sure she was steady and had her footing as she ended up on the other side.
"I know you can handle AJ pretty easy, even if she is a psycho, but I trust that Big E guy about as far as someone much smaller than him can throw him, so stick close to me and Roman during the match. I don't want him getting his hands on you," Ambrose told her, the man stepping closer to her as he spoke, his mouth near her ear, his hand still on her arm. Shifting her gaze, she met his eyes, nodding in response.
"I don't intend to let him throw me around again if I can help it," she said, and Ambrose made a face.
"It shouldn't have happened on RAW," he stated, the man clearly still frustrated that it had happened, but the thing was, Eve didn't think that any of them could have moved fast enough to prevent it. As far as she knew, Seth had been on the outside with Ziggler, his hands already full with dealing with the other man, and Roman and Dean had been on the other side of the ring... They'd gotten there as quickly as they could, with Roman spearing Big E and Ambrose helping her to her feet and making sure she was okay.
"Sometimes things just happen. It wasn't anyone's fault," Eve replied, her voice low, the woman adjusting her grip on her divas' title as she spoke. Since this wasn't her match - Seth would be the only one competing tonight - then she supposed she really didn't have to bring her belt out to ringside, but she knew it could serve as a decent weapon if necessary, and it was also kind of fun to rub it in AJ Lee's face that she had the title and AJ didn't. Besides that, plenty of wrestlers brought their titles to the ring even when they were just at ringside... It wasn't that big a deal for her to do so as well.
"Still pisses me off," Ambrose replied, the man finally letting go of her arm, looking a little surprised to find that he'd still been touching her... Or maybe he was surprised that she hadn't pulled away yet; she didn't know. Shaking his head slightly, he stepped back, heading toward the side of the ring that the announcers' table was on, the man giving the men at the announce table a smirk as he walked by them, Eve noting that Michael Cole seemed hesitant to meet his eyes. Clearly, the Shield made the announcer nervous. And given her own problems with Cole in the past - the man had been a complete asshole to her - she couldn't help but appreciate that fact.
Shaking her head, the divas' champion made her way over to where Dean was standing, Eve very aware of Roman's presence still behind her, the man staying close to her. Coming to stand next to Dean, the woman smirked as she looked up into the ring where Dolph, AJ, and Langston currently stood... Eve put her hand on her title as she met AJ's eyes, the divas' champion arching a brow and shaking her head, telling AJ without words that the smaller diva was not getting her hands on that championship... Not anytime soon, and not if Eve had any say in the matter. AJ glared at her in response, taking a step toward her, but Ziggler quickly reached out, shaking his head and whispering something to her as he held her back. AJ apparently didn't like whatever he had to say, because she shook her head and actually stomped her foot against the mat like some little child throwing a tantrum. The look on her face was petulant, the diva crossing her arms over her chest as she pouted... Though at least she stopped attempting to make a lunge for the other side of the ring.
"That little girl is a loose cannon," Ambrose said quietly, leaning in as he spoke, making sure that he could be heard by the others... Not just her and Roman, but Seth as well, the man kneeling on the ring apron, using one hand to grip the top rope. Rollins was staring in at the people in the ring, but Eve could tell he was listening to what they were saying. "She's likely to try something."
"If she tries to get involved, I can take her out," the divas' champion stated, and Ambrose gave a slight nod.
"I'm sure you can. But don't go to the other side of the ring if you can help it. Not without one of us," the wrestler stated, and Eve knew he was concerned about the fact that Big E would be over there, and the man had already shown that he wasn't above putting his hands on a woman. "And hey, if she gets caught trying something, then she'll get Ziggler disqualified."
"I'd rather beat him on my own," Seth stated, flicking a look their way, giving them a slight smile before he stood, the man then vaulting himself up and over the top rope, landing easily on his feet in the ring. Reaching up, he tugged the tie out of his hair, putting it around his wrist instead, the man going into fight-ready stance as AJ and Big E exited the ring, leaving Dolph Ziggler alone.
"Come on, Seth," Eve muttered, leaning against the ring apron, the diva's eyes on what was happening in the ring as the bell rang, signaling the start of the match, and the two men locked up.