A/N: Just a thought, does anyone know how to repair a floppy disk so that I
can recover one of the stories I was writing (before the file crashed)?
If you do, please drop me a line.
If figures that the only file on the disk I didn't have a hard copy of
would be the one that crashed.
Anyways
Read and review this one, it's like an alternative to what might have happened if Trish caught up with Jericho in the locker room that night.
Samantha.
Stages: Part 1. Confessions.
"Chris?" Trish opened the door to his locker room, only to come face to face with Christian.
"What?" He snapped at her, "What the hell do you want?"
"I just came to talk to Chris." She said softly, standing her ground.
"He doesn't want to talk to you." Christian told her, not bothering to even ask Jericho.
"Christian..." Jericho began, interrupting his best friend, "Let her talk."
"You're going to listen to her crap?" The blonde Canadian stared at him incredulously.
"If she wants to talk, I'll listen." Jericho said, looking over at Trish, still cradling his ribs, panting a little for breath.
"So start talking." Christian told her.
"You hurt me." Trish told him quietly, trying to ignore Christian, the 'Creepy Little Bastard.'
"I didn't mean to." Jericho defended himself. "I didn't mean to."
"Can I just finish, please?" Trish asked, her voice completely calm. "I know exactly what I want to say, I just have to say it all, because I don't like feeling this way."
"And you think I do?" Jericho challenged her again.
"Please Chris, I've listened to everything you've said to me. At some points I almost forgave you on the spot, but I can't yet. So just listen."
Still feeling the pain in his ribs Chris sank down onto one of the benches, and waited for her to continue. Christian on the other hand slammed his way out of the room.
"I know that you still care about me." She began, "And somewhere deep inside I know that I still care about you. But it hurts Chris, it really hurts that you could do some thing like that stupid bet. I don't let a lot of men get close to me because I've found that they all want something from me. I didn't think you were like that. I thought you were nice, and sweet and not like everyone said you were, just out to see who you could use to further yourself."
"I wasn't Trish, I really did like you. I wanted to get to know you, but you seem to have these guards up."
"You know it wasn't even my idea to come here. Stacy told me that I should come and have it out with you, and she doesn't even like you. She told me that you obviously cared about me, and that I should tell you exactly how I'm feeling before this gets worse."
"Gets worse?" Chris asked her, sounding surprised.
"You got your ass handed to you, because you came down to ringside to help me out. While I'm grateful to you, if you keep it up, you'll get badly hurt Chris. You should still get these ribs x-rayed to make sure nothing's cracked or broken."
"Now you're concerned about my welfare?"
"Yes Chris, I am concerned with your welfare, because I know that you when we're done talking you won't go and see the trainers, you'll go out for a few drinks with Christian. You won't take care of yourself."
"How do you think you know me so well?"
Trish ignored his question. "So I'm going to tell you in as few words as possible, exactly how I'm feeling Chris... And I feel betrayed, and hurt, and alone, and confused. I feel confused about how you could make a bet on sleeping with someone, anyone, not just me."
"I was drunk, and Christian and I wrote up a badly worded contract and we signed it. I didn't want to compromise our friendship."
"But you'd compromise my integrity, and Lita's integrity? Make us both look like absolute fools?"
"I never meant it to happen like that." He told her, still trying to explain.
"Sometimes you don't mean for things to happen Chris, but they still do, and there's not much you can do about it. You can't change the past."
"I can make the future better. I can fix all of this." He insisted.
"How? By waving a magic wand and just deciding that everything is all better?" She demanded.
"No, but I can say that I'm sorry Trish, and I can mean it."
"Sorry doesn't mean anything to me Chris. It never has. People use it too often, with little or no sincerity. It's a useless word."
"Would you just stop for a minute and listen to what I have say?" Forcefully he grabbed hold of her, his hands tightly gripping her upper arms. "Just stop for a minute and listen to me."
"You're hurting me." She whimpered, stiffening her whole body.
As he relaxed his grip slightly she shoved both hands against his chest, pushing as hard as she could to get away from him.
He winced as she shoved against his injured ribs, bending forwards in pain. At once a look of fear crossed Trish's face as she helped him sit down.
"God, I didn't mean that. Do you want me to strap those for you?" Trish asked, watching him wince in pain. "I might not be a doctor, but I do have Certificate Two in First Aid."
His eyes were wary as she picked up the bandage, and knelt down in front of him.
"Why are you doing this?" He asked finally as her skillful fingers adjusted the bandage over his ribs so that it lay flat.
"Because it's not fair. Like this neither of us is going anywhere. We need to talk or I'll end up more angry you, and you'll end up hating me."
"You don't hate me?"
"I don't hate anyone." She avoided his gaze as she pulled the bandage around his chest, her fingertips lightly grazing the soft skin.
"Because you still love me, don't you?"
"Chris, sometimes you can love someone so much, you can have all of the love in the world for them, but it's just not enough." She said gently
"Why not?" He demanded.
Before she spoke again she moved closer to him, close enough for him to feel her breath on his skin. "Because I look at you, and I forget where I am, what I'm doing. When I'm with you, and we're this close, I don't care anymore, because I feel like I'm home. And I don't trust those feelings anymore." She told him, speaking passionately and truthfully.
"You don't trust me." Chris said softly, his voice pained.
"You betrayed me." Trish said simply.
"I told you already, I fell in love with you after Christian and I had made the bet. I thought that if we went slow enough, that Christian would sleep with Lita, and the bet would be over."
"So you'd rather have made sure that my best friend was miserable?" She fired at him. "That makes you even lower than you were before."
"I didn't mean it the way that it sounded." He tried to explain, "I just meant that I thought they'd be good together, I thought that if he fell for her the bet would just be off."
"When you bet Chris, you gamble. Next time you make a bet, make sure you aren't gambling with something you don't want to lose."
"Who said I had to lose you?" He put one hand on her arm, his expression pleading. "I miss you Trish. You're beautiful and smart, and funny, and nothing like the other girls that I've gone out with. You're gentle, and calm and you make me a better person."
"I love you, not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I'm with you." She said the words softly, almost under her breath.
"What?" Chris asked her.
"My mother used to say something like that."
"Like what?"
Trish shook her head, blonde tresses flying freely around her face. "Nothing. You have no idea how much it hurts to have someone speak so... carelessly about hurting you."
"You think that I could hurt you? You honestly think that?" He asked her, "I can't stand the thought of you being in pain. Week after week I watch your matches, trying to make sure that you don't get hurt, interfering if I have to, even though I keep getting into trouble for it. I can't bear to see you hurt."
"Then how could you hurt me?" Trish asked him. "How could you hurt me like that?"
"I didn't mean to!" Chris's voice was desperate, pained. "I never meant to hurt you Trish, and if I'm still hurting you, then I'll stay away from you. I won't look at you in the halls, I'll steer clear of you in the cafeteria, I'll even book into a different hotel. Just to stop hurting you."
"We work in the same place, Chris, it doesn't work that way, so just don't. Don't try and hide yourself, because that would be pretty hard for you. Just give me some space, that's all I ask."
"That's all you want? Some space?" He asked, a little shocked.
She nodded, "That's all I want from you Chris, just give me time."
With a sad expression on his face, Chris nodded, "You should go, get to Lita. The sound techs out there were saying something about her arm or shoulder I heard she's not doing too good."
"I think she'll be okay. Goodnight Chris." Trish told him, before she turned and left the room.
Anyways
Read and review this one, it's like an alternative to what might have happened if Trish caught up with Jericho in the locker room that night.
Samantha.
Stages: Part 1. Confessions.
"Chris?" Trish opened the door to his locker room, only to come face to face with Christian.
"What?" He snapped at her, "What the hell do you want?"
"I just came to talk to Chris." She said softly, standing her ground.
"He doesn't want to talk to you." Christian told her, not bothering to even ask Jericho.
"Christian..." Jericho began, interrupting his best friend, "Let her talk."
"You're going to listen to her crap?" The blonde Canadian stared at him incredulously.
"If she wants to talk, I'll listen." Jericho said, looking over at Trish, still cradling his ribs, panting a little for breath.
"So start talking." Christian told her.
"You hurt me." Trish told him quietly, trying to ignore Christian, the 'Creepy Little Bastard.'
"I didn't mean to." Jericho defended himself. "I didn't mean to."
"Can I just finish, please?" Trish asked, her voice completely calm. "I know exactly what I want to say, I just have to say it all, because I don't like feeling this way."
"And you think I do?" Jericho challenged her again.
"Please Chris, I've listened to everything you've said to me. At some points I almost forgave you on the spot, but I can't yet. So just listen."
Still feeling the pain in his ribs Chris sank down onto one of the benches, and waited for her to continue. Christian on the other hand slammed his way out of the room.
"I know that you still care about me." She began, "And somewhere deep inside I know that I still care about you. But it hurts Chris, it really hurts that you could do some thing like that stupid bet. I don't let a lot of men get close to me because I've found that they all want something from me. I didn't think you were like that. I thought you were nice, and sweet and not like everyone said you were, just out to see who you could use to further yourself."
"I wasn't Trish, I really did like you. I wanted to get to know you, but you seem to have these guards up."
"You know it wasn't even my idea to come here. Stacy told me that I should come and have it out with you, and she doesn't even like you. She told me that you obviously cared about me, and that I should tell you exactly how I'm feeling before this gets worse."
"Gets worse?" Chris asked her, sounding surprised.
"You got your ass handed to you, because you came down to ringside to help me out. While I'm grateful to you, if you keep it up, you'll get badly hurt Chris. You should still get these ribs x-rayed to make sure nothing's cracked or broken."
"Now you're concerned about my welfare?"
"Yes Chris, I am concerned with your welfare, because I know that you when we're done talking you won't go and see the trainers, you'll go out for a few drinks with Christian. You won't take care of yourself."
"How do you think you know me so well?"
Trish ignored his question. "So I'm going to tell you in as few words as possible, exactly how I'm feeling Chris... And I feel betrayed, and hurt, and alone, and confused. I feel confused about how you could make a bet on sleeping with someone, anyone, not just me."
"I was drunk, and Christian and I wrote up a badly worded contract and we signed it. I didn't want to compromise our friendship."
"But you'd compromise my integrity, and Lita's integrity? Make us both look like absolute fools?"
"I never meant it to happen like that." He told her, still trying to explain.
"Sometimes you don't mean for things to happen Chris, but they still do, and there's not much you can do about it. You can't change the past."
"I can make the future better. I can fix all of this." He insisted.
"How? By waving a magic wand and just deciding that everything is all better?" She demanded.
"No, but I can say that I'm sorry Trish, and I can mean it."
"Sorry doesn't mean anything to me Chris. It never has. People use it too often, with little or no sincerity. It's a useless word."
"Would you just stop for a minute and listen to what I have say?" Forcefully he grabbed hold of her, his hands tightly gripping her upper arms. "Just stop for a minute and listen to me."
"You're hurting me." She whimpered, stiffening her whole body.
As he relaxed his grip slightly she shoved both hands against his chest, pushing as hard as she could to get away from him.
He winced as she shoved against his injured ribs, bending forwards in pain. At once a look of fear crossed Trish's face as she helped him sit down.
"God, I didn't mean that. Do you want me to strap those for you?" Trish asked, watching him wince in pain. "I might not be a doctor, but I do have Certificate Two in First Aid."
His eyes were wary as she picked up the bandage, and knelt down in front of him.
"Why are you doing this?" He asked finally as her skillful fingers adjusted the bandage over his ribs so that it lay flat.
"Because it's not fair. Like this neither of us is going anywhere. We need to talk or I'll end up more angry you, and you'll end up hating me."
"You don't hate me?"
"I don't hate anyone." She avoided his gaze as she pulled the bandage around his chest, her fingertips lightly grazing the soft skin.
"Because you still love me, don't you?"
"Chris, sometimes you can love someone so much, you can have all of the love in the world for them, but it's just not enough." She said gently
"Why not?" He demanded.
Before she spoke again she moved closer to him, close enough for him to feel her breath on his skin. "Because I look at you, and I forget where I am, what I'm doing. When I'm with you, and we're this close, I don't care anymore, because I feel like I'm home. And I don't trust those feelings anymore." She told him, speaking passionately and truthfully.
"You don't trust me." Chris said softly, his voice pained.
"You betrayed me." Trish said simply.
"I told you already, I fell in love with you after Christian and I had made the bet. I thought that if we went slow enough, that Christian would sleep with Lita, and the bet would be over."
"So you'd rather have made sure that my best friend was miserable?" She fired at him. "That makes you even lower than you were before."
"I didn't mean it the way that it sounded." He tried to explain, "I just meant that I thought they'd be good together, I thought that if he fell for her the bet would just be off."
"When you bet Chris, you gamble. Next time you make a bet, make sure you aren't gambling with something you don't want to lose."
"Who said I had to lose you?" He put one hand on her arm, his expression pleading. "I miss you Trish. You're beautiful and smart, and funny, and nothing like the other girls that I've gone out with. You're gentle, and calm and you make me a better person."
"I love you, not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I'm with you." She said the words softly, almost under her breath.
"What?" Chris asked her.
"My mother used to say something like that."
"Like what?"
Trish shook her head, blonde tresses flying freely around her face. "Nothing. You have no idea how much it hurts to have someone speak so... carelessly about hurting you."
"You think that I could hurt you? You honestly think that?" He asked her, "I can't stand the thought of you being in pain. Week after week I watch your matches, trying to make sure that you don't get hurt, interfering if I have to, even though I keep getting into trouble for it. I can't bear to see you hurt."
"Then how could you hurt me?" Trish asked him. "How could you hurt me like that?"
"I didn't mean to!" Chris's voice was desperate, pained. "I never meant to hurt you Trish, and if I'm still hurting you, then I'll stay away from you. I won't look at you in the halls, I'll steer clear of you in the cafeteria, I'll even book into a different hotel. Just to stop hurting you."
"We work in the same place, Chris, it doesn't work that way, so just don't. Don't try and hide yourself, because that would be pretty hard for you. Just give me some space, that's all I ask."
"That's all you want? Some space?" He asked, a little shocked.
She nodded, "That's all I want from you Chris, just give me time."
With a sad expression on his face, Chris nodded, "You should go, get to Lita. The sound techs out there were saying something about her arm or shoulder I heard she's not doing too good."
"I think she'll be okay. Goodnight Chris." Trish told him, before she turned and left the room.