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Her shoulders squared, head held up high, Victoria walked down the ramp. She kept the eye contact with the man in the ring and fought against swallowing back the lump she felt forming rapidly in her throat. It was best she didn't display fear, anyway. After all, Austin seemed to thrive and revel in that emotion in others.
She entered the ring with a purpose, coming to stand mere feet away from the bald-headed man. She looked him directly in the eye, not backing down. She walked over to the ring ropes closest to the announcers and timekeeper, signaling to Lilian Garcia to hand her a microphone. Once she had the instrument in hand, she raised it to her lips to speak.
"Okay... Okay, Steve - here I am." She couldn't help but cringe on the inside. In the short time she'd been masquerading as a member of the Alliance, she knew the man had a short fuse. Likewise, he had no qualms about "disciplining" a member of his group who had stepped out of line. Unfortunately for Victoria, that included women. She hoped that whatever he chose to do to her, it wasn't too severe. In spite of his temper, she honestly didn't know if would resort to violence with a diva.
"Well, well, well... So you are, little lady," the Rattlesnake said in a taunting tone of voice. His face wore a smile as he eyed her. "Looks like you got some explainin' to do."
The raven-haired woman was suddenly struck speechless. She stook there like a wooden statue and merely stared at the man. It was as thought she'd been struck mute.
"I'm waiting," Austin said, and he shifted the mic to his right hand as he raised his left to listen to the watch on his wrist.
Victoria gave him a strange look as he performed the gesture. He'd just been getting weirder and weirder lately. And every time he spoke even a single word, the audience would yell, "What?" Of course, they'd picked that up from him.
"What?" Steve asked, as though reading her mind right at that very moment. "I don't hear any words comin' outta your mouth, girl!"
She shook her head and tried to keep her features neutral. The last thing she wanted Austin, the fans and her peers to see from her was fear.
"Not gonna say anything, huh?" Steve asked, his smile finally fading. "Very well... If you won't speak, maybe there's some other way to get the truth outta you!"
Victoria's eyes widened as she totally expected him to attack her. However, he didn't move from his spot, and it didn't happen. Instead, he turned slightly away from her and gestured toward the entry ramp as music suddenly blared, signaling the arrival of another person.
Since the dark-haired woman was still new around there, she wasn't certain who was coming out. Then, second later, she scowled as she spotted Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley emerge from the back. As the pushy busty brunette approached the ring, Victoria crossed her arms in a hostile manner.
The ECW owner stepped into the ring as Austin held the ropes open for her. She looked angry as she smoothed down the micro-mini-skirt she wore, along with a skimpy tank top that left no room for imagination. In an instant, she was mere inches from the other woman, an arrogant smirk on her face. So quickly that Victoria didn't even get a chance to react, Stephanie snatched the microphone out of her hand.
"Go ahead... Explain yourself... bitch!"
Victoria felt a rage build up inside of her as she stood face-to-face with the other woman. Quite frankly, she was shocked that Stephanie had enough nerve to come out here and get in her face like this.
"What's the matter, Victoria?" the brunette said in a nasty tone. "Am I going to have to beat an explanation out of you?" With that, Stephanie reached up and back, slapping the other woman on the cheek - hard.
Victoria kept her head to the side for a beat, strands of her raven hair partially covering her face from the force of the blow. She was suddenly feeling like a pressure cooker that was about to explode.
Letting out a loud snarl, the muscular diva lunged for the smaller woman, tackling her down. She hit her with both hands as Stephanie kicked kicked and flailed, yelping helplessly...
... That was, until Stone Cold stepped in. He pulled Victoria off of his boss and whipped her into the turnbuckles. The woman cowered there, for once showing fear. Austin seemed mad with glee as he made a grab for her.
Victoria squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see whatever he was about to do to her. She suddenly noticed the sounds from the crowd getting louder, as though they were cheering.
She opened her eyes to see Chris Jericho now in the ring, wailing on Austin.