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"What the hell happened out there?!" bellowed an irate Flair. He glared from Chris to Batista, his face red enough so that it seemed he was mere moments from blowing his top.
Ric, Jericho, Batista and Stephanie were all congregated in the co-owners' office in the basement, trying to get to the bottom of the melee that had just occurred.
"I was minding my own business," Chris said in a relatively calm tone, but then his voice grew angry as he shifted his blue eyes toward the big, burly man. "And then, out of nowhere, George of the Jungle here jumps me!"
"Hey, fuck you, man!" Dave shouted. "He hit on my girl right in front of my very eyes!" He addressed Ric as he spoke his second line.
"That's bullshit and you know it!"
The two seemed about a half-second from getting into it again. This time, Stephanie took it upon herself to step in, physically placing herself between the two men.
"That's enough!" she shouted. She faced Batista. "You know what? This place has always been so peaceful. But then your band comes along and there seems to be trouble every week! It is't not one thing, it's another!"
"Hey, Evolution never did anything to cause trouble!"
"Like hell you haven't!" the brunette cried. "First it was you attacking Edge. Then, your big gorilla Hunter starts in on me, and now you're fighting with Chris? You're a hothead, Dave, and you need to control yourself! If you don't, you'll be out of here faster than you can blink an eye!" She gestured wildly as she yelled.
For once, the big man seemed cowed - at least for the time being.
Everyone was silent for a beat, and Chris glared at Dave as he spoke again.
"Your girlfriend is the reason you've been hounding guys around here," he spat. "Open your fucking eyes - it's because she's a slut!"
Batista's eyes bulged, his face reddening as he appeared seconds away from charging at the much smaller man.
This time, Ric stepped in between them, and he didn't fail to notice the visible vein throbbing in the furious smaller man's temple as he placed his body in front of Stephanie's like a shield to protect the woman.
"Whoa, whoa!" he said, his hands spreading out in front of him. "Calm... Easy, big man." Turning around, he noticed Stephanie now at Jericho's side, and she seemed to be making an attempt to calm him down as well. "Chris, you aren't making this any easier."
"Sorry, Ric," the blond man replied. The truth was, the only reason he was apologizing was for Steph. He couldn't care less what Dave Batista thought, and he'd spoken the truth - Torrie Wilson was a slut.
Stephanie eyed the big guy who only moments earlier attacked her boyfriend.
"Well, Dave? Anything you would like to say?"
Flair gave him a look that bordered on pleading.
"Fine," he spoke. "I'm sorry, too." He swallowed and pursed his lips together, the gesture making it pretty obvious he didn't really mean it. However, both bosses decided to let it slide for now.
"Good," Ric said. "Now, why don't you two call a truce and shake on it?"
Chris, unable to believe what he'd just heard, gave Stephanie a look. She knew just what was going through his mind, and the truth was, she didn't blame him. But for now, she cocked her head, gesturing for him to do as her partner suggested. At least it would keep the peace for the time being.
Jericho stepped forth and offered the other man his hand first. His facial expression serious, he felt his blood boil but didn't flinch when Batista shook his hand. The two men kept a firm, unfriendly eye contact for a long beat, even when they broke the handshake.
"Good," Flair said again, clapping his hands together. "Now that that's settled, let's go back upstairs."
Stephanie and Chris exchanged glances. As they stepped out of the office, the brunette couldn't help but think that nothing had been settled.
When they made it upstairs, Jericho frowned as he recalled everything his girlfriend had said in the basement. Something had somehow slipped by him there, in the midst of his anger, but it came back to him now.
"Hey," he said softly, pressing a hand against the small of her back as he put an arm around her, "what did you mean just before?"
"About what?"
"Well, you said Hunter 'started in' on you," he reminded her. "What did you mean by that?"
The brunette glanced up at him sharply, then turned elsewhere as she blanched. Oh, no... She'd never meant for that to slip out... Not while Chris was there. How in hell was she going to explain that one to him?