Disclaimer, etc., in part 1.

Well, this is it. Thanks to everyone that read this one.

Part Sixty-One

They didn't give any interviews.

After the match was over, they'd made their way to the back, Eve glaring toward the ring where Jeff Hardy still lay as she'd helped Punk up the aisle, the man leaning against her as they walked. Once they made it to the back, they'd ignored the shocked looks, the questions that came at them rapid-fire from the backstage interviewers, instead making their way to Punk's locker room... Eve locking the door once they were inside, then turning toward her boyfriend.

"You kicked him out of the WWE."

"I guess I did. I guess he won't be bothering you again," Punk said, and Eve smiled at that, then stepped forward, putting her hands on either side of his face, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips.

"And you're still in the WWE. Which is actually the more important thing," she whispered, then pulled back, looking at him. Letting her hand slide from his cheek, she ran her fingers over the bandages on his wrapped shoulder. "How bad are they?"

"I'm not going to lie. I'm hurting. But I'm still the champion, I'm still in the WWE, and he's gone. That's what counts."

"You still need to take it easy," Eve whispered, then stepped back, nodding toward the shower area in the back. "You probably need to clean up so we can go," she said, then arched a brow at him, gesturing toward his shoulder again. "And in case you're curious, I'm driving."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm fine to drive, I swear. Do we need to stop and get your stuff?"

"It's in Kelly and Melina's rental car. They can take care of it for me," Eve said, then jerked at a buzzing sound coming from Punk's bag. Recognizing it as the sound of a text coming in on her boyfriend's phone, she watched as he went over, digging the phone out of his bag and checking the message.

"It's from Melina. Or she says it's her... She's texting from your phone since she didn't have my number in hers. She and Kelly will wait for us in the parking garage so they can give you your things. Also, they wanted to congratulate me on keeping the title tonight," he said, tossing the phone to her so she could see the message herself, and Eve smiled as she looked down at the phone.

"They're good friends."

"That they are," Punk replied, smiling as well. "Now, I don't want to keep them waiting in the parking garage too long, so I'd better go clean up and get dressed."

"Do you need help?" Eve asked, the question meant innocently, but given the look Punk gave her... Well... Clearly he knew that an innocent offer to assist could turn into something a lot less innocent pretty quickly.

"I think that might just end up delaying us even more," the man stated, and Eve rolled her eyes, watching as he dug into his bag to get his street clothes, then headed through the door that led to the shower in the locker room.

Once she heard the sound of the water running, indicating that Punk was indeed taking his shower - or at least about to do so - the diva turned her attention back to his phone, hitting the button to allow her to start a reply to Melina's text, quickly thanking her friend for taking care of her things and letting her know that she and Punk would be out there as soon as he was cleaned up after the match. Once she'd typed it out, she hit send, then went to put Punk's phone back in his bag... Frowning when there was another alert. At first, she wasn't going to look at it - it wasn't her phone, after all, it was his - but the message appeared to come from *her* phone, which meant it was likely Melina or Kelly texting back since they were the ones in possession of her cell phone... And one look at the message let her know that it was Kelly that had sent this particular message. She certainly didn't need to see that it had been signed with a 'K' at the end to know it was the blonde's handiwork, because she was pretty sure that Melina wouldn't send a text asking if Punk was showering alone or if getting cleaned up was going to be a 'team effort'.

Rolling her eyes, Eve quickly replied that CM Punk was already in the shower and obviously she wasn't with him seeing as she was texting them instead. Shaking her head, Eve then put her boyfriend's phone away, arching a brow at the sound of knocking on the door to the room... Part of her considered answering it, but since Kelly and Melina were already supposed to be waiting for them in the parking garage, she knew better than to do that. It was likely either someone angrily demanding an explanation for her actions for tonight, or someone like Josh Matthews trying to get an interview from them after the match for or something. So no, she was definitely not going to answer the door, especially without knowing who was on the other side of it. Granted, someone trying to ambush them likely wouldn't *knock*, but still... She was taking any chances.

The shower cut off then, and Eve jerked slightly, a little surprised by the short amount of time the water had been running... But then again, Punk likely wanted to get the hell out of dodge, so to speak, so he'd likely taken the quickest shower he could and still manage to get cleaned up. Honestly, she wouldn't have been surprised if he'd just wanted to throw his clothes on over his gear and get out of there instead of showering at the arena.

Looking over toward the door to the shower area in the small locker room, Eve found Punk standing there, the man already wearing his jeans, though they weren't zipped or buttoned yet. She could see his boxers peaking out, and she quickly pulled her gaze from that spot, letting it trail over his body before finding his face... The diva rolling her eyes at the smirk that she saw there.

"Like what you see?" he asked, and she snorted.

"I'd like it better if it was dressed so we could get out of here."

"Well, you're no fun," Punk muttered, though the man did finish putting his pants on, then headed toward his bag to grab a shirt, the wrestler grimacing as he pulled it on, and Eve shook her head at his sign of pain.

"You're hurt."

"I'm fine. And even if I do have more bumps and bruises than usual, it was worth it. I got rid of him. Not just for you, but for both of us. He's gone from the company, and that's what matters."

"Not the only thing that matters," Eve said, her gaze sliding to the World Heavyweight championship belt that was in the room, and Punk gave a slight smile.

"Icing on the cake," he replied, the man finishing with his shoes before heading over to grab his stuff, waving Eve off when she went to help him. Arching a brow, he looked her in the eye. "You ready to go?"

"We just have to get my things from Kelly and Melina, and they're waiting for us in the parking garage," the diva replied, and Punk nodded, the man going to the door of the locker room and unlocking it, then heading out into the hallway. Surprisingly, no one was out there waiting for them, perhaps realizing that they weren't going to give any interviews... Or maybe waiting to ambush them somewhere else.

Punk turned to look at her, holding out his hand. "Let's get out of here," he said, and Eve nodded, reaching out to take his hand, the two of them making their way down the halls... Eve holding her head high and refusing to look away from the few people wandering the hallways that were giving her dirty looks for what she'd done. The funny thing was, if she'd just gone out there and attacked Maria, people probably would have been understanding... After all, she'd just returned from the injuries that the other diva had caused. She knew it was what she'd done at the end - running to Punk after the match and ending up kissing him - that had turned people against her. But whatever. She didn't care. She had known that this would come when she and CM Punk went public, and she still had not just him, but she had the friendship of Kelly and Melina as well. They mattered more than the people glaring at her in the hallways did.

"Self-righteous jackasses," Punk muttered as they walked, and Eve shook her head.

"They don't matter. None of them do," she told him, giving his hand a squeeze as they continued down the hall, the two of them heading into the parking garage... Eve not sure whether she was surprised or disappointed or both when she saw the man that was standing there in the garage, clearly waiting for them.

Jeff Hardy.

The man was hunched over slightly, his arm banded across his ribs, his wrestling gear still on. What remained of his body paint after the strenuous match was still smeared across his face, making him look almost sinister. Eve thought the look was pretty fitting for him, actually.

His glared was directed toward her, his anger almost palpable, and Punk quickly took a step forward, moving to stand partially in front of her, a move that caused Eve to roll her eyes since she was the least injured of the three of them and she kind of doubted Jeff would be able to move fast enough at the moment to launch much of a surprise attack.

Shaking his head, Jeff lifted one hand, gestured toward the two of them. "When the hell did this happen?"

Punk smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he taunted, and Eve rolled her eyes, moving to stand next to her boyfriend, arching a brow as she looked at Jeff.

"It started happening awhile ago. And if you hadn't been high half the time, maybe you would have noticed-"

"You little bitch. You betrayed me-"

"Betrayed you? Was that betrayal before or after you shoved me out of a vehicle and left me on the side of the road because I didn't want you to drive when you were wasted?" Eve spat out, very aware that they weren't alone out there - half the roster was gathered - but not caring. Not anymore. He was gone from the company, unable to do anything to her any longer, and she had Punk at her side. Jeff Hardy no longer had any influence on her career.

Jeff took a step back, surprise flaring in his eyes, the man clearly not expecting her to say anything about that, not even now that there was nothing he could do to get back at her. "You're full of it-"

"No, I'm not. And you know it. You threatened me, my career... You knocked me around. When I found your stash of drugs you backhanded me so hard I bled. We both know that Maria was nudged in the direction of attacking me. And yet... You still seem surprised that I'm standing here... Now... With him, instead of you."

Jeff shook his head, flicking a look around at the others, then letting his gaze fall on Punk. "And what? She came running to you, and you believe her shit? You can't-"

"I know she's telling the truth. I've always known it," Punk said, and Eve gave the slightest of smiles.

"That day you left me on the side of the road? With no shoes, no phone... Just me and my purse and the clothes I had on... Did you really think I told you the truth about how I got to the arena that night?" she asked, and Jeff frowned, his gaze flicking back and forth.

"You said you took a cab," he said, and Eve had to fight against the smirk that wanted to come to her lips. She wondered if Jeff realized that, by not calling her a liar, by actually answering her, it was becoming more and more obvious to the others around them that her accusation about him deserting her at the side of the road was, in fact, true. She could see looks of confusion on the faces of some, and something like accusation on the faces of others.

"As she said, did you really think she would tell you the truth? After what you did? You see, Hardy, what you never knew is that the moment you did that to her, the moment you left her there... You sealed your fate," Punk declared. "Because, you see, I'm the one that found her on the road that day. I'm the one that stopped. I'm the one that helped her. And when she told me what you'd done, why she was out there, alone and with nothing... Well, that's what led to this. The moment you did that to her was the moment that put you on this road. The moment I found out what you'd done was the moment I set out to destroy you. It was all for her. Everything I did. Every punch and kick was because of what you did to her, and you deserved every bit of it. So when you're sitting at home, snorting crap up your nose and crying about your crappy life, make sure to remember... You brought this on yourself," the man said, then turned to Eve. "You ready to go?"

"Let's get the hell out of here," Eve replied, the two of them heading for the car, accepting Eve's things from Kelly and Melina on the way... Eve taking one last moment to look back before getting in the car, her gaze falling on Jeff Hardy as he stood there, completely alone. And then she got in the car, turning toward Punk and nodding, the man starting the ignition, then backing out, heading out of the parking garage, leaving Jeff Hardy behind and out of their lives.

"So what happens now?" the diva asked, and Punk shrugged his shoulders, one hand on the wheel, the other held out to her.

"Whatever we want," he told her, and Eve nodded slightly.

"Sounds good to me."

And then she reached out, took hold of Punk's hand, and smiled.

The End