"Hey, Batista! Wait up." Dave turned when he heard him calling his name, cursing under his breath. He turned slowly, watching as his worst nightmare approached. He was in no mood to play games, no pun intended, and he was running late. Having to spend an extra day on the road really cut into his time with Sean and it was not making him very happy. As Hunter jogged up to him, he silently prayed that this wouldn't take too long.

He should have known from the long on his face that Hunter was up to something. Dave had spent enough time around him in the last few months to know when a plan was cooking under that blonde mane and he was smart enough to know that it was never anything good. Walk away, man…his conscience was talking to him again, and he should've listened. He sighed as Hunter stopped next to him, panting slightly from his jog down the hall.

"What's up?" Dave asked as Hunter put his arm around his shoulder. Hunter smiled. "Nothing much, just wanted to talk to you for a minute," he replied. "What's the big hurry?" Dave looked at him suspiciously. "I gotta get home," Dave said, eyeing Hunter. Hunter nodded. "So…" Hunter drawled. Dave hated that habit he had apparently picked up from the heartbreaker. "How is Sean doing these days?"

Dave stopped and turned to Hunter, his anger beginning to grow. "What the hell is it to you, man?" he asked. Hunter shrugged. "Just curious, my friend," Hunter answered. The smile on his face let Dave know that it was more than curiosity, but he held his tongue. "You know," Hunter continued, "I've talked to a couple of people in OVW and they tell me that he's doing a great job training. I've even watched a few of his matches and I think he might be ready to come back. What do you think, David?"

Dave flinched involuntarily at the tone in Hunter's voice. "Personally, I think he never shoulda been sent there in the first place," Dave said, the hatred starting to seep into his voice. "He shoulda come here where he would actually have someone to work with." Hunter laughed. "Aww, Dave, you miss your little boyfriend, don't you?" he said with a smirk. Dave suppressed the urge to knock the smile off Hunter's face and just stared at him.

"My personal life is none of your fucking business, Hunter," he said through clenched teeth. "When we're here, when we are WORKING, then you can shower me with your infinite business wisdom. But, there is nothing that you need to be concerned with once the cameras stop rolling and we walk out of that ring. Got it?" With that, Dave turned to walk away. Hunter growled under his breath and continued to follow him to the door.

"I'll tell you what is and isn't my business, jackass," Hunter said loud enough for Dave to hear. "Right now, I'm on my way to a meeting to discuss who gets to be the next lucky stiff to come up from OVW." He definitely had Dave's attention now. Dave turned slowly, doing his best to stare Hunter down. "What are you tryin' to say, Helmsley?" he asked through gritted teeth. The corners of Hunter's mouth began to turn up into that nasty smirk of his and he nodded slowly as if reaching some great decision.

"I'm just saying that we could help each other out," Hunter replied. "You know, I scratch your back…" Dave's eyes narrowed as he said, "And I suck your dick?" Hunter threw his head back, laughing. "Now you're gettin' with the program!" he said, the laughter still in his voice. Dave's fists clenched tightly at his side. "Let me tell you somethin', you smarmy little bastard," he said, taking a step toward Hunter. "I may be a part of Evolution, but there is no way in hell I would ever be a part of your little circle, now would I want to be."

Hunter just eyed Dave, waiting for the big man to continue. "I like what I'm doing right now," Dave said, leaning down into Hunter's face. "I like my character, I like the storylines. But, I'm not like Ric or Randy. I don't need to suck your dick, or lick you ass or kiss your feet to make myself feel better. I don't need to do any of that shit to keep my job, or to help Sean get his job here back. So, don't take this the wrong way, Hunter," Dave said, controlling his urge to spit in his face, "but, fuck you."

Dave turned once again, only to be stopped by Hunter's hand tightly gripping his upper arm. "Now, you listen to me, big man," Hunter said angrily. "Contrary to what you might think, you DO need me to help you keep your job. I can have you busted back down to OVW without blinking my eyes." Hunter pushed Dave against the wall. "Now, the way I see it, you have two choices - you can either play nice and do what I say, or you can sit at home, nursing some injury, without pay. So what's it gonna be?"

Dave turned his head as Hunter leaned closer to him. He could feel the warmth of his breath on his cheek and it turned his stomach. He closed his eyes, fighting every instinct he had to punch the motherfucker out and get to Sean. If he left, then he could be with Sean all the time, but that would mean giving up on their dreams. Hunter was staring at him now, his hand slowly caressing the skin of Dave's stomach.

"You make up your mind yet…sweetheart?" Dave's eyes shot open and he stared at Hunter. "Fuck you," he spat out and Hunter chuckled. "That's the plan," he said, stepping back from Dave. He held out a key card. "Room 312. Be there in 30 minutes," Hunter said as he turned to walk away. Dave was seething with anger as he punched the wall, then walked to his car, shaking his hand. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Sean's number. All he needed was to hear Sean's voice and everything would be alright.

He left a message on Sean's voicemail as he made his way to the car. Dave stopped short when he saw someone leaning against it. As he neared, he saw it was Randy. He was in no mood for another of his so-called friends to give him any more grief. Randy raised his head in greeting. "Hey Dave," he said softly, looking behind him at the door. Dave grunted something in reply. "Look man," he said quickly. "I could probably get my ass kicked for saying this, but sometimes, it's just easier to give in than to fight him, ya know?"

Dave stared at him hard. "There is no fuckin' way I'm gonna do what he wants," Dave said as he opened the car door and threw his bag in the back seat. "C'mon Dave," Randy pleaded. "It ain't like he's askin' you to kill somebody or somethin'." Dave shook his head. "Yes it is," he replied. "If I touched him, it would kill Sean, and that would kill me." Randy shrugged. "Well," he said, kicking a stone across the parking lot, "it was nice workin' with ya then."

Dave watched as Randy walked off and he cursed the day he ever laid eyes on Hunter. Putting the car in gear, he headed toward the hotel, praying that Sean would call him back before he got there. He had no idea what he was going to do, but he hoped something would come to him soon. Dave turned the radio on, hoping to clear his mind. For the first time that night, he actually laughed as the lyrics flooded the car. He cranked up the volume and sang along -

I live my life like there's no tomorrow
and all I've got, I had to steal
Least I don't need to beg or borrow
Yes I'm livin' at a pace that kills

Oooh, yeah
Runnin' with the devil
Runnin' with the devil
I'm gonna tell ya all about it

I found the simple life ain't so simple
When I jumped out, on that road
I got no love, no love you'd call real
Ain't got nobody, waitin' at home

Runnin' with the devil
God damn it, you know I ain't lyin' to ya
I'm only gonna tell you one time
Runnin' with the devil
Yes I am

Dave was pacing around the hotel room, checking his watch every few minutes. He had been waiting for Hunter for almost an hour now. After a couple of minutes, he grabbed his jacket off the chair and headed for the door as his cell phone started to ring. Dave quickly flipped it open and said hello. Sean's excited voice brought a smile to his face. He was chattering on and on about the house show next week in Louisville.

"Isn't that great, Dave?" Sean was saying. Dave smiled. "It sure is, sweetheart," he said softly. Inside, he was cursing Hunter. Now he would have to repay the little "favor". Then, Sean said something that stopped Dave in his tracks. "What did you say?" Dave asked as Sean repeated what he had just told him. "I wanted to call you when I found out this morning, but I had to go to work and then you had to work and…" Sean took a deep breath, then waited for Dave to respond.

"This morning?" Dave said. "Yeah!" Sean replied. "They told me at the meeting this morning! Isn't that great, Dave? I ain't getting my hopes up or anything, but maybe this means they'll bring me back up!" Dave breathed a sigh of relief before the realization of what he was doing there hit him. "Look, sweetheart," Dave said, "I'm real happy for you. I gotta take care of something, then I'll be on my way home. You get some rest and I'll wake you up when I get there." He said goodbye to Sean, then sat on the bed to wait for Hunter.

Fifteen minutes later, the door opened and Hunter walked in, smiling when he saw Dave. His smile disappeared as Dave bounded off the bed and threw him against the wall. He landed a series of punches to Hunter's stomach and chest before he finally stopped. Hunter never even tried to fight back, just took the hits. The final blow landed right on his nose and for the first time, he reacted, his hands flying to his face.

"You fucker!" he screamed at Dave. "You're finished, man! After everything I did for your little boyfriend, this is how you repay me?" Dave looked at him, disgusted. "And just what did you do for Sean?" he asked calmly. Hunter wiped the blood from his face and stared at Dave. "I just got him a match at the show next week," Hunter said. "I hope you're there to see it, since it's gonna be his last." Dave started laughing, throwing his head back and holding his sides.

"What the fuck is so funny, you asshole?" Hunter asked, trying to stand up before sliding back down to the floor. "I kept my end of the bargain. Obviously you aren't going to keep yours - or your job." Dave wished he had one of those really cool camera phones as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and put it to his ear. "Did you get all that, JR?" he asked as Hunter's face fell completely. Dave nodded, then said, "Thanks a lot, sir. I'll see you next week."

Dave stepped over Hunter as he walked to the door, kicking him in the side for good measure. As he made his way to the elevator, Dave passed Randy in the hall. With a smile on his face, he looked at Randy and said, "You better go check on your boyfriend, man. I think he's got a wicked headache." Dave chuckled at the confused look on Randy's face as he entered the elevator. It wasn't until he was in the car that he broke down, letting the tears fall. He couldn't believe what he had almost done, and now he had to find a way to make it up to the love of his life - without letting him know why.