Disclaimer, etc., in part 1.

Thanks to everyone still reading/reviewing this one.

Part Forty-Four

The night, unfortunately, wasn't going quite as they'd hoped. Melina's match against Michelle McCool had ended with Michelle picking up the win and retaining the title and, during the match, there had been a point when both women had been standing on the barrier and Michelle had sent Melina down so that she had gone face-first into it. Truthfully, Eve didn't know how Melina had continued after that point, but she had, and she'd actually had some near-falls in the match, but Michelle had picked up the win. Afterwards, Eve had wanted to go and check on her friend, but by that point she was already with Jeff Hardy and, since they were alone, he'd had no problem whatsoever grabbing her by the arm and yanking her back, asking her what in the hell she'd thought she was doing. She'd been tempted to slap him across the face and stalk off then and there, but she'd held back, reminding herself that she needed to wait until it would hurt him the worst... She needed to wait until the title was on the line and attacking him could cost him his shot at the world championship. Slapping him across the face backstage just wouldn't have the same effect.

Shaking her head slightly, Eve turned her attention to the man that she would be walking out with for the last time tonight. Once upon a time, the knowledge that she wouldn't be managing Jeff Hardy after tonight would have made her sad. But that was back before she'd known what type of guy he could turn into. And while some people might blame the drugs, claiming that they made him act this way... Well, even if the drugs did cause a change in his behavior - and they probably did - it was still on Jeff because he *chose* to take the drugs. It was on Jeff, and the people that had continually enabled his behavior over the years hadn't exactly helped things. Jeff Hardy had gotten away with so much for so long that he didn't see a problem with the things he did. He thought he was above the rules, above it all, above having someone want some retribution... He actually thought so little of her that he believed that she would just take the put-downs and the marks he'd left on her.

After tonight, he would definitely know differently.

Fighting the urge to smirk as she stood there in the locker room, Eve turned her head toward the monitor, noting that the second divas' match for the night - this one between Mickie James and Maryse for the divas' championship - was currently going on... Something of a cool-down match after the triple threat for the WWE title that had just occurred with Triple H, Randy Orton, and John Cena as the participants. Orton had picked up the victory in that one, retaining the title, though Eve hadn't really had too much invested in that match. As she watched the happenings on-screen, Eve pushed herself away from the wall as Mickie finished Maryse off with a DDT, meaning the divas' championship match was over and that the female title for RAW was now held by someone new.

"The Intercontinental championship is next," the woman commented, and Jeff snorted, pausing in his work on his face-paint to turn and give her a derisive look.

"Why would I care about that?" he wanted to know, and Eve arched a brow at him.

"Maybe because your match is right after it," she replied, barely managing not to roll her eyes as she looked at him. "You might have to hurry up with the face paint... Or just not go out with quite as much makeup this time."

Jeff shot a look over his shoulder at her. "Maybe you should wear more makeup. Might make you look better," he told her, and this time Eve did roll her eyes, otherwise refusing to rise to the bait because... really? That was the best that he could come up with? Pathetic.

"I'm going to go and get some air. I'm always afraid I'll get high or something just from standing near you for too long," she replied, smiling sweetly before heading for the door, pausing when he called out to her.

"Just remember, Eve... You need me a whole hell of a lot more than I need you," he said, and Eve turned to meet his gaze at that, the woman finding herself wondering if he really believed that, or if he just said it because he needed *her* to believe that. Needed her to believe that she wouldn't have a career without him, that she needed to help his career in order to keep hers... Whatever the case, it didn't matter anymore. Not after tonight. So, instead of responding to his words, Eve simply slipped out of the room, not saying a word, the woman frowning a little as she made her way down the hall. She didn't want to go to the divas' locker room, the woman all too aware that if she started talking to Melina she'd probably end up sticking around too long and ending up screwing things up for herself, so instead she went to a nearby storage closet, the woman slipping inside and turning on the light, glancing around for something to sit on. There was an equipment case along one side of the room, so she went to it, hopping up onto it and sitting quietly, fighting the urge to push her hands through her hair because she knew that would just mess it up... And she also knew that there was no way she was getting any mirror time between now and the match, not in Jeff's locker room. He would spend every last moment until he had to be out there at the mirror perfecting his face-paint for the night. Truth was, Eve found the face-paint thing to be more and more ridiculous. Yes, she got that Jeff was an 'individual' and all of that, but really... It just looked silly most of the time, and it always ended up smudged, and more than once in the past when she'd had to help him to the back after a particularly brutal match - back when he'd actually still been treating her decently - she'd ended up getting some of the paint on her clothes... And there had been a couple of times when no amount of having her clothes cleaned could get the stain out. And no, he hadn't offered to replace the clothes that his paint had ruined.

"Just a few more hours," she whispered to herself, her hands resting against the surface of the equipment case she was sitting on... The woman jerking in surprise when the door to the storage closet swung open and someone entered. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was. "You shouldn't be in here."

"Are you okay? Did something happen?" CM Punk questioned, the man stepping further into the closet - it was actually large enough to have an old couch stored in it, though that was piled with cleaning supplies so Eve had chosen the equipment case as a seat instead. Carefully closing the door behind him, he frowned at her, his gaze moving over her. "Eve?"

"I just needed a break from Jeff. Nothing really happened. He's just busy doing his face paint," the woman said, then tilted her head to the side as she looked at him. "You're probably going to end up wearing some of it."

"One of the dangers of wrestling an idiot like Jeff Hardy," Punk muttered, making his way over to where she sat, leaning forward and putting his hands on the edge of the case, looking into her eyes as she sat there. "It's just another hour, maybe a little more. That's it. You'll be away from him, and you'll be walking out with me instead. And you know that I'm going to support your career, too. I want you to have more matches." He smiled a little. "Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing you take the women's title off of Michelle McCool someday before too long."

"I don't think I'm going to be getting a title shot anytime soon," Eve replied, and Punk arched a brow at her.

"Don't be too sure about that. You've been winning matches lately. You beat Maria, you and Melina have teamed up for some victories, both on SmackDown and at live events, and you beat Layla yesterday at the house show. That's got to be getting some people's attention," he told her, one hand coming up so he could trail his fingers over her cheek, the man leaning forward to kiss her, though he kept it quick, not letting either of them get too into it. They couldn't afford to get distracted and get caught, not now. Not when they were so close to getting what they wanted and costing Jeff his chance at the title again.

Eve reached up, letting her thumb brush over the piercing in his lip. Leaning forward, she kissed him again, keeping it as short as the one before it, then gently pushed him away, CM Punk easily stepping back at her urging, the world heavyweight champion's eyes on hers. "I should go," she told him as she stood up, and Punk nodded, his hands sliding to her hips as he looked down at her.

"It's going to be okay," he said quietly, and Eve nodded, looking up at him, though with the heeled boots she was wearing, she really didn't have that far up to look at the moment.

"I know it is. It's over after tonight. The lies, the hiding. That's what I've wanted."

His hand lifted, stroked down the side of her face. "It's what I want, too," he told her, leaning in to kiss her again, Eve kissing him back, then pulling away, carefully wiping at a smudge of lipstick just beneath his lip.

"Can't have you wearing my lipstick out there," she muttered, then pressed her lips together briefly. "My makeup?"

"Looks fine," he replied, reaching to dab at just the tiniest smudge in her lipstick. "No one will know. Not until we're ready for them to." He glanced toward the door. "You should go. It's dangerous for us to be seen together before the match. I know I shouldn't have come in here, but I saw you, and I just couldn't resist. It was stupid of me, I know-"

"I probably would have done the same," Eve replied, forcing herself to step back from him when what she really wanted to do was step forward and kiss him again... But she knew she couldn't do that, that she couldn't get caught up and risk getting caught with him... That every moment they were together was a moment the wrong person could see them prior to the world championship match. "I should go."

"I know. I'll see you out there?"

"Of course you will. I'll be the one at ringside."

"And I'll be the one with the title," he told her, and Eve smiled at him as she headed for the door.

"And after the match, I'll be the one at your side."

"I like the sound of that."