NOTE: I dedicate this chapter to Wolfgirl2013 and Sobia Hussain

Maria was on a new high. Raw turned out to be as amazing as it used to, maybe even better. She was reunited with some old friends and made new ones. She once again familiarized herself with the wonderful chaos of that backstage. She was definitely home.

And in honor of her return, the divas planned a sort of welcome back party for her and decided to hit the club near the hotel.

"Who's ready to partyyy!" Brie exclaimed.

It was merely half an hour when they got to the club and everyone was letting loose. Dolph and Zack were over at the bar trying to score a good one for the night; TJ, Nattie, Santino and Wade were in one corner having an amusing argument as to who was better, an English man or an Italian man; Summer, Ariane, and Eva decided to leave their booth and hit the dance floor, which left Brie, Nikki, Trinity, and Maria to do some more girl talk.

"I can't believe my first day went in such a blur, I love it! And you guys made it feel as if I never left in the first place" Maria grinned as she took a sip if her drink.

"Well, what can I say? We're family! We stick together" Nikki giggled, putting an arm over Maria's shoulder.

"Aww, thanks Nikki. And I know I've said things about you and Brie in the past and things got way out of hand but I'm glad we're friends now. Still though, I apologize"

"Oh c'mon, it's alright. I mean, friends fight and Nikki and I didn't even bother ourselves with it. Rumors can take wild turns so we understand that you might have been told different things." Brie explained.

"I love you girls. Looking back at it everything seems so ridiculous, especially when JJ got involved." The four friends laughed, recalling the ill-filled tweets the Bella brother sent to the red head.

"That shit was crazy but it's all good now. It kinda feels good to have another red head too, I love my girl Eva but I think another red is in order" Trinity joined in.

"Thanks, Trin. Hey you gotta teach me that rearview move of yours one of these days, it could come in handy."

The rest of the night was filled with drinks, loud music, laughter, gossip, and even more drinks. Surely most of them have entered 'Brie mode' and the view of Nikki slumped over the table giggling non-stop confirmed it. Maria found it amusing but she worried for her.

"Okay, Nikki love! I think you've had enough. I'm calling John over and have you picked up" She pulled her cellphone from her purse and dialed her friend's number. After a tiring night on Raw, John opted to stay at the hotel.

"…Ok, I'll keep her company 'til then. Oh and can you bring Bryan with you too? I think Brie's one drink away from total Brie mode. Ok bye" She got off the phone and tried to pull Nikki to an upright position. With not much struggle, she let Nikki lean on her shoulder, the Bella twin still lost in her giggles.

"Best night ever! Hashtag welcome back Maria! Hashtag Total Divas!" Steadying her friend, Maria looked over to Trinity who had Brie's head on her lap.

"Well, at least she's not a loud one. I called John already and told him to bring Bryan along. When they arrive, you and Jon can have your peace"

"No worries girlfriend! Brie's safe with me. Good luck with Nikki though" Trinity replied, an amused expression on her face.

Fifteen minutes later, John and Bryan arrived collecting their respective girlfriends; Trinity and Jon had went on back to the hotel with Ariane, Eva, and Summer. Bryan easily carried Brie out to the car while John struggled a bit with Nikki, who was now trying to keep the contents of her stomach in.

"Are you sure you don't want to join us back to the hotel, we still have a seat for one more"

"No, I'm good. I want to stay a while and chat with the others since the girls pretty much kept me to themselves the whole night. Just take care of Nikki and I'll see you tomorrow"

"Alright take care! Make sure you're with someone going back. If not, don't hesitate to call me again and come get you"

"No need for that but sure, have a good night. Make sure Nikki feels better" And they were off.

Maria went back in finding the place a bit mellowed out. Only a few of her friends and co-workers were left and it seemed like no one was in the talking mood. Scanning the room, she found Dolph and Zack laid almost passed out on one corner of the bar; Santino and Wade tried to settle their argument with a drinking game but both lost by the fifth glass.

"Well, guess it's all me for the night."

She settled herself on a barstool and ordered another margarita. Luckily, she wasn't anywhere near the Brie mode state so she trusted herself for another drink.

"Hey, uh, James can I have another margarita please." Smiling at the lone bartender for the night.

"You got it! Some party tonight, huh?"

"Yeah, it was crazy. It was actually for me. I just got back from a break. But I'm here now."

"Oh that's so cool. Here's your drink, on the house. Welcome back!"

"Thank you, James"

Maria was left alone with her drink when the door burst open and three men walked in. To say that she was mesmerized was a bit of an understatement. She knew who they were, in fact she's been keeping tabs on then since they debuted. She found herself staring at each of them.

Slick black hair that was tied into a ponytail was the first to catch her eyes. Traveling to his face, she noted how groomed his facial hair was; then down to his toned chest, his arms, one heavily inked than the other. Next, she shifted her gaze to the man beside to him. His hair, a mix of blonde and black, kinda like Kaitlyn's. Unlike the other, his facial hair seemed scruffy but it suited him nonetheless. He had a smaller frame but still had that well-toned physique. And lastly, her eyes fell on the man who seemed to have led the group to the bar in the first place. Unruly, blonde hair, clean shaven face, and an "I-couldn't-care-less attitude" emanated from his aura; kinda like your typical bad boy. Their presence sent goose bumps through her entire body.

She was brought out of her trance when she sees the group walking towards the bar and their supposed leader spoke. Dean Ambrose.

"Hey, where's the party at? It's only 2 am!"

"Maybe they all had bed times they couldn't miss" mused by the two-toned man, Seth Rollins.

"'sup, James! 3 bottles of cold ones over here" barked the terminator-like member of the group, Roman Reigns.

The three men took their sets on the stool, all oblivious to the red head sitting just a few chairs away. Taking a sip from their beers, the three slipped into an easy conversation.

"So it's 2 for the Shield, 0 for Evolution huh? I swear they never saw us coming" Roman said while taking another swig at his drink.

"Did you see the way they ran to the back when they saw Dean with the chair? It looked like they shit themselves" laughed Seth.

"We gotta keep this up, boys. Those eggheads got nothing on us. We have their number and in no time, they'll be putty in our hands. I guarantee our win at Extreme Rules."

The Shield continued their discussion about eliminating Evolution entirely until their conversation took a different course.

"Hey, did you hear about the new diva? Heard they got a new red head" Seth inquired.

"Yeah, I heard. Actually, I don't think she's a newbie. She's just making a comeback from what I know" Roman said, as a matter of fact.

"Pfft, great another "Batista". I swear I don't understand why management keeps on bringing people back. And a diva?! Seriously, the last thing we need backstage is another loud-mouthed, 'Total Diva', Barbie doll who only cares about gossip and their looks! I bet she doesn't even care about being in the ring that much in fear of breaking a nail" raged Dean.

The other two just sat in surprise. Sure, they hated the idea of another "has-been" being brought back up but this was a different circumstance. This wouldn't be a threat to them… she was a diva for crying out loud! Not on the same card as they were.

"Woah, man! Relax. We don't even know this girl. Maybe she isn't like the other divas."

"Seth's right, Dean. Maybe she's one of the few who actually wants to be in the ring and fight. Either way man, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Think what you want, but I'm not buying any of it. Re-hiring that sorry excuse for a diva is a fucking mistake. She's nothing but a pathetic, waste of -"

And that was it for Maria. As much as she wanted to tune out their conversation and mind her own business as a sign of respect, Dean has crossed the line with his remarks.

"That's enough!" the booming voice of the angry red head was enough to capture the Shield's attention, stopping Dean mid rant.

"Say another word and you really wouldn't know what hit you! I don't know what your problem is, Dean, but you sure as hell don't know me! Seriously, if you have a problem with me, "the other Batista"… then be man enough to say it to my face!"

Maria was beyond furious at this point, surprised that the glass she was holding hasn't broken to pieces yet. Making her way to the trio, she got into Dean's face, eyes burning with anger.

"Listen here, Mr. Ambrose… You just messed with the wrong diva. I'll prove you wrong, and when I do, I'm gonna make sure you eat every cruel, vile things you said about the divas, you insecure, immature, JERK!" And with that, she threw what's left of her drink to his face before storming out of the bar.

As surprising and serious as the situation was, Roman and Seth couldn't help but laugh at their friend. Dean was still frozen on the spot and couldn't believe what just happened – one minute he was degrading the divas and the next, he sat speechless with remains of the woman's drink dripping off his face.

"Holy shit, dude! You just got told! I swear I didn't see her coming. She's a feisty one!"

"We told you, man. She's different. But I can't say you didn't deserve what she did"

"Shut up! She may have had the guts to do this but it doesn't make me think different of her. She's still an insignificant, waste of space and she just stepped on the toes of someone she could never handle. Let's go! We have more important business to think about"

-MANDYXLOVE-

The third splash of cold water on his face seemed to have cooled Randy down a bit from his argument with Hunter. He knew his friend was right; he should stop bitching about things like this and work on their next move against the Shield. He wouldn't allow the trio to make a fool of Evolution again after tonight.

"Wake up Randy! This isn't you! You're dangerous, you are feared. If the Shield wants to face a monster, then that's exactly what they're gonna get".

Stepping out of the bathroom in his hotel room, he decided to cool himself down a little bit more. Grabbing his key card, cellphone, and wallet, he made his way out and down to the hotel bar. Maybe then he could get a clearer head and plan the next attack.

Arriving at the lobby, he caught sight of the Shield entering the hotel. He opted to stir clear of their path and went the other way to get to the bar. They didn't see him then. Good. But he did notice Dean's angry demeanor.

"If anyone should be angry, it's me Ambrose. You just wait." Randy thought.

Too preoccupied with his thoughts, he didn't notice the red head angrily walking out of the hotel bar and hitting his shoulder in the process, making him stumble a bit. He was about to yell at the rude bitch who went on without even an apology when he saw those deep red curls and the side of her tear-stained face.

"Maria?"

And, that's chapter 3 (well, 4 if you count the prologue).

So, we've seen the Shield's first of many appearances and Dean's got some strong words toward the returning diva 0_0. And, we have a first encounter! Well, at least Randy did. I'm kind of smelling a triangle here... what do you think? Randy/Maria/Ambrose? Lol. Maybe...

Again, thank you for taking the time to read. I'll try to update as much as I can in the coming weeks, esp. before school starts so I'd appreciate reviews, good or bad.