The Rivals

||Anita||
As I sat in the hotel room with Paul he just sat on the bed, looking at the wall, and was clearly upset. I let out a long sigh. He hadn’t said a word since I had to be carried out by the trainers.
“I know you’re mad, but will you please talk to me? I can’t take this silent treatment.” He continued to stare at the wall and didn’t say anything. “Paul, please, I know it was stupid, but I couldn’t lose you again.”
Nothing.
I stood up gently, running my hands through my hair. I walked over to Paul and sat on his lap, he still wouldn’t look at me. I tried to look into his eyes, but he kept moving them so he’d be seeing my hair or my ear, but not my face. I was getting desperate. I kissed him softly, still nothing; it was like kissing a statue. I pulled back and then kissed him again. It was like he was frozen or something. “Will you stop being such a child and talk to me?” I begged. Finally he looked at me.
“That was really stupid Ani, you’re smarter than that.” Really? That was all he was going to say? Well, at least he was talking to me.
“I know Paul-”
“Then why did you do it?! That’s how you get a career ending injury Ani, I can’t lose you, and I don’t think you realize that. I can’t live without you.” I blushed.
“Paul, I…” He just continued to stare at me for what felt like forever. I leaned down and gently pressed my lips to his. He continued to not react, so I began to pull away and stand when he grabbed my shoulders and pulled our lips back together in the most passionate kiss I’ve ever had in my entire life. But all too soon he pulled away and it was over. I swallowed nervously, trying to slow down my heart, which was thudding painfully in my chest. Somehow I had ended up on my back on the bed with Paul over me. I looked up at him; he blinked a few times then sighed and pushed himself up. I slowly and painfully sat up, trying to be careful with my back.
“You should go soak in the hot tub by the pool for a while. It’d probably help your muscles relax.” He said simply, as though nothing had just happened. I stood up and walked over to him and smiled.
“Or I could just take a shower with you.” I cooed. Paul kissed my forehead.
“Come on Ani, I don’t want you to hurt your back anymore because of me. Besides, I saw Quinn headed down there, maybe you two could talk strategy for when you get back.” I pouted at him, which made him laugh. “You’re worse than a high school boy, do you know that?” I smiled and walked over to my suitcase, pulling out my swimsuit and changing while Paul hopped in the shower. When I had grabbed everything I knocked on the bathroom door.
“I’m going to take your advice, see you soon.” He said something, but I couldn’t hear him over the shower. I threw my towel over my shoulder and headed down. On my way to the pool I saw Even and Barbra snickering, but when they saw me they pounced.
“You got lucky in the ring, I hope you know that.” Eve snarled.
“I got lucky? You were fighting someone on medical leave and you still couldn’t win. I think you need a new profession.” I smiled at her and continued to walk away when I heard Eve again.
“This isn’t over Rosewood!” I flipped her off over my shoulder and kept walking. But I was worried, they were up to something, Barbra couldn’t count to ten, but Eve was a bit of an evil genius, I’d have to sleep with one eye open from now on.
When I got to the pool I didn’t see Quinn. Paul was sure she had headed down here, maybe she was in the locker room taking a shower? I walked over to the door and opened it to see Chris. I felt my heart race as I grabbed him and pulled him down to my eye level.
“Where is she?!” He didn’t even try to pretend like he didn’t know who I was talking about as he chuckled evilly and shoved me, sending a shot of pain up my back.
“What makes you think I’m going to tell you?” I glared at him and slammed him into the wall before he could react.
“Because I will chop off your balls while you sleep if you don’t.” He looked at me for a long time, trying to figure out of I was being serious. I continued to glare at him, giving my best terrifying look and trying to hide my fear. If he put me in the Walls of Jericho he could easily fracture my spine. There was also water right next to us, and I was sure he could hold me under there for quite some time, and Paul wasn’t expecting me back anytime soon. Chris must have smelled my fear because he easily shoved me off of him and I slipped and fell to the floor. He started towards me and I felt my heart drop until I heard him.
“What the fuck are you doing with Ani?!” I looked up to see Paul in his swim trunks, glaring at Chris, who realized he couldn’t take both of us and ran off. I leapt to my feet, I had to find Quinn, I knew something must have happened. “Ani, what are you?” Paul started.
“I have to find Quinn!” I ran through the hotel until I found her crying in an alcove. I knelt down and grabbed her hands. She looked like she was going to scream until I spoke. “Quinn, what happened?!” She opened her eyes and looked up at me.
“Is he gone?’
“Who? Chris? Quinn, what did he do to you?!” She just started crying again as Paul caught up to us. He looked at me, but I just shook my head. “Quinn, come on, we’ll take you back to Phil.” She meekly obeyed, standing slowly and walking as close to me as she could possibly be. I felt sick. Whatever Chris had done to her, he would pay dearly. That I would make sure of. When I finally got her to her room Phil took one look at her and turned about fifty shades of red.
“What did you do to her?!” He snarled, but Paul stepped between us.
“We found Chris in the woman’s locker room, he attacked Ani, but we chased him off and then we found Quinn. So talk to him, Ani saved her.” Phil looked at me for a long time, then he took Quinn in his arms and kissed the top of her head, which made her clearly uncomfortable.
“Phil I-” I started, but Phil was in a completely different world.
“I’m going to rip his heart out.” Phil spat, gripping Quinn like he’d lose her if he loosened his grip. He finally came back to reality and looked at Paul and I. “How could you let this happen?” He growled. But Quinn just shook her head. She pulled away from Phil and hugged me, which caught me off guard.
“Thank you.” She whispered. I blinked a few times, but then hugged her back.
“I won’t let him get away with this.” I promised. Quinn pulled away and went back into her room, Phil looked at me again, then closed the door.
I held it in until Paul closed the door to our room, then the flood gates burst and I slammed my fist into the wall. “He can’t do this!” I screamed. The way Quinn shuddered when Phil touched her, Chris’s grin. That bastard had touched her, and I knew it. I turned to Paul, tears of fury pouring down my face. “Why does he get to get away with this?!” Paul came over and held me, knowing my anger all too well.
“He’s not going to get away with this-”
“Yes he is and it makes me sick! He brings the cheddar to the McMahons, so they’re not going to do a damn thing!” I collapsed to the floor and cried, wanting nothing more than to curl up in a ball and die right after I ripped Chris’s throat out. Paul just sat down next to me and held me and that’s how we stayed for the rest of the night.
I didn’t hear anything from Quinn for the rest of the week until Raw. I showed up with Paul and knocked on Phil’s dressing room door. He opened it, his eyes sunk in further than usual from what I assumed was a lack of sleep. He looked at me for a long time before he opened the door more to let me see Quinn, terrified, sitting in the corner. I felt my blood boil.
“I’m going to kill him.” I growled. Phil sighed then closed the door, standing outside to talk to me so Quinn wouldn’t hear.
“I was actually hoping you could try to talk to her.”
“She still hasn’t said anything?” I asked. Phil shook his head.
“She’s acting like nothing happened. Except then we saw Chris and she did that.” He said, gesturing to the room.
“Why didn’t you rip his eyes out?!” I demanded. But I clearly had hit a wrong chord because Phil’s shoulders dropped.
“You think I haven’t tried? Every time I get near that little bitch he gets his goon squad. I may be able to win two on one, but not four on one.” I blinked.
“Four?”
“Cody, Chris, Eve, and Barbra.” I chuckled.
“I’ll take care of those hoes, you take Paul and murder Chris and Cody.” But Phil shook his head.
“I can’t leave her here, besides, Ace came up to me this morning in my room and said if I so much as touched a hair on Chris’s head outside the ring, Quinn would be fired.” Phil sighed. “Damn bastard’s protecting him so he can keep doing this.” He growled.
“He didn’t say anything about me kicking his pervert ass.” Paul said. Phil and I turned to him. Phil blinked a few times.
“You’d do that?” He asked. Paul nodded and I’d never been so proud of him in my life.
“Quinn’s done nothing but help Ani since she was hurt. I think it’s time we return the favor.”
“Well, Anita, you can’t fight, your back-”
“I think I can deal with some pain to make sure that creep gets what he deserves.”
“Sounds like a great match to me.” We all three turned to see Laurinaitis walking towards us, Otunga by his side. “In fact, it sounds like a great main event for tonight. With Phil banned from ring side of course.”
“But sir, Miss Rosewood is out on injury-” David started, but Laurinaitis just chuckled.
“She just said she could fight, and she was just fine last week.”
“She was carried out on a stretcher!” Paul growled.
“Well then it’ll be interesting how she helps you win a four on two match.” He said, smirking at us.
“Make that four on three.” We all turned to see Quinn poking her head out the door.
“Quinn-” Phil started, but she just glared at John with a look that could curdle milk and Phil shut his mouth.
“But If I kill Chris in the ring, it’s not my problem.” She growled. Then she walked back to the locker room.
I ran in there after her, which only aggravated my back further, but I knew it would just get worse later, so I kept running. I opened the door to see Quinn changing. I sighed. “You don’t have to do this.” I said. She stopped and looked at me, it was the same look I’d given her last week when she asked to be in my match.
“Yes I do.” She said. I nodded, I knew there was no changing her mind. I changed and got make up to cover my bruises again and met Quinn, Phil, and Paul backstage. I swallowed nervously as we walked out to my music, Quinn’s eyes locked on Chris with rage I had never seen before. As Paul slid in and locked up with Cody I knew this was going to be one Hell of a shit storm.