Disclaimer, etc., in part 1.

Part Thirty-Two

"Well, that's two-for-two. Maybe we should just become a regular tag team," Kaitlyn said as her music played over the arena's sound system, the younger diva having been the one to get the pin and the win for their team tonight. She'd pinned Alicia Fox while Eve had kept Aksana at bay on the outside... An easy enough task for Eve, actually, since the other woman wanted nothing to do with her. Apparently, while she wasn't smart enough to keep her mouth shut and not confess that she and Teddy had been behind the attack on Kaitlyn at Night of Champions, she was actually intelligent enough to realize that Eve wasn't exactly thrilled with being framed for it.

Eve smiled slightly as she raised Kaitlyn's arm in victory. "Now wouldn't that just be a shock for the television audience," the woman replied. She knew that live event results often ended up on the internet, but it was still a bit different than appearing on television as a team. After all, only so many fans actually cared enough to try and find out what was happening on the live event circuit. She imagined the results from last night and tonight - with her and Kaitlyn teaming up two nights in a row - would be met with some skepticism. People would probably think whoever posted the results had gotten it wrong... Which would make it all the more fun if she and Kaitlyn did managed to team together sometime soon.

"Not to mention a shock for Teddy Long. I'm sure he knows what's going on at these shows, just like he knows that we both know the truth... But I figure it would still be a little hard for him to see," Kaitlyn said as the two women made their way to the ropes and ducked beneath the second one, then hopped down to the floor.

"Then maybe we should find a way to make that happen," Eve replied as the two started to make their way to the back... Kaitlyn playing to the crowd more than Eve was... The truth was, Eve didn't really trust the fans not to say something nasty to her if she got too close.

Kaitlyn smiled at Eve's words, then looked over at the older diva, her gaze briefly settling on the arm of the divas' champion. "I'm guessing that Zack did that last night?"

Eve nodded, knowing Kaitlyn was referring to the bruise. Luckily, neither Alicia nor Aksana had seemed to really take note of the bruise or, if they had, they just hadn't gotten enough of a chance to take advantage of the minor injury. "Yeah... But no worries. I apparently gave him a bruise on the cheek where my elbow hit him."

"Good for you," the Houston native replied, her gaze sliding back to Eve's bruise as they slipped through the curtain to the back. "Does the Shield know..."

"They saw the bruise. And, uh, no they were not happy about it," Eve told her, fully intending to talk to Kaitlyn for another minute or two before saying her goodbyes and heading over to Roman - much like she'd done the night before when Seth had been the one waiting for her - but that apparently wasn't to be... As soon as he saw them come through the curtain, Roman pushed himself away from the wall he'd been leaning against, the big man making his way over to the two divas. As he approached, he flicked a look to his left, and Eve followed his gaze, immediately seeing who he was looking at.

Zack Ryder. A very frustrated-looking Zack Ryder standing several feet away and more or less glaring daggers at Eve and Kaitlyn.

"He showed up right after you two walked through the curtain. I'm guessing he was hoping to catch you alone again," Roman said as he came to stand in front of her. He glanced over at Kaitlyn, who had taken a step back and was now hovering behind Eve instead of standing next to her. When she realized he was looking at her, the diva took another step back.

"I should get going-"

"Eve and I will walk you back to your locker room, and then she and I will head back to the Shield's locker room," Roman said, Kaitlyn blinking in surprise at his words.

"That isn't... I mean..."

He arched a brow at her. "You've teamed with Eve two nights in a row. Zack Ryder may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but even he can see that the two of you don't dislike each other the way people believe you do. If you still had a problem with each other, you wouldn't be teaming up together, much less congratulating each other after your matches. And I don't trust the little bastard not to try anything... Especially after last night."

Kaitlyn bit her lip, flicking a look in Ryder's direction. "You really don't think he would..."

"He went after Eve in a hotel hallway. If he thinks you have pull with Eve, then he might." Roman gave a slight smile. "I'm guessing he really doesn't want to face Dean tomorrow night."

"Has the match even been made yet?" Kaitlyn wanted to know, and Eve shook her head.

"No. But I'm pretty sure that Dean Ambrose isn't going to care one way or another. He's going after Zack Ryder tomorrow night, and Zack's obviously scared of him."

"Scared enough to act like a dumbass last night," Kaitlyn said, glancing at the bruise on Eve's arm. The band that she wore around her upper arm that was part of her ring gear had slipped some during the match, revealing a bit more of the bruise. Kaitlyn was pretty sure that she could see where Zack's fingers had pressed into the other diva's skin. "I can't say he doesn't deserve a good beating."

"Damn right he deserves one," Reigns said, then gestured toward the hall. "Come on. You lead the way, and we'll stick with you. Just make sure that you get back to the locker room. Nothing more."

Kaitlyn nodded at that, still looking a bit hesitant, and Eve thought that might be because Roman was now walking behind her and she didn't like the idea of not being able to see the man. "This probably isn't necessary."

"Maybe not, but I know Eve wouldn't be happy if he tried to pull something with you," Roman replied, the three of them making their way down the hall, most people giving them a wide berth once they saw the Shield member with the two divas. As they made it to the locker room labeled for Kane and Daniel Bryan, however, someone came around the corner with a rolling cart, and Roman had to reached out and grab Kaitlyn by the arm, pulling her out of the way just in time to keep a collision from happening. Wide-eyed, the diva stepped back from the man, nearly tripping again. Shaking her head, she cleared her throat.

"Uh... Thanks for... Thanks."

He nodded, smiling just a bit. "You're welcome. And, uh, Kaitlyn?"

"Yeah?"

"You're Eve's friend, and the Shield is not going to hurt any of Eve's friends. You don't have to be afraid of me."

"I'm not afraid of you," she said, and he shook his head slightly as he stepped back.

"You keep saying that. Maybe soon one of us will believe it."