Author's Note: This story ties in with the song "When The Stars Go Blue" by Tyler Hilton and Bethany Joy Lenz. Another Chris Jericho/Stephanie McMahon love fic... As usual, I don't own any of the WWE superstars and I also don't own the song either.
"Chris, my wedding with Paul is tomorrow. Will you be there?" Stephanie McMahon asked Chris Irvine. It was the night before her wedding day and he still hadn't told her if he'd be there yet.
"What's the point?" Chris asked. "You're getting married, and not to me."
"But I need you there, Chris," she said sincerely. "It'll mean so much more to me if you're there to share this experience with me."
"Fine," he said, giving in. "I'll be there... But, Steph?"
"Yes?" she asked nervously.
"When will you admit that you love me?" he asked in a low voice. He hadn't said it yet, but he wanted to hear her say it.
She sighed. Why was he making this so hard for her? "When the stars go blue," she replied, and quickly hung up the phone.
The next morning, after many disturbing dreams, Stephanie got up to begin getting ready for her big day. It was funny. Last night, she had fallen asleep with Chris, of all people, weighing heavily on her mind. And the next thing she knew, she had been dreaming about him all night long. She hadn't had a dream about Paul in ages, it seemed, because she was always plagued by these dreams of Chris and what they, after today, could never have together.
"You look beautiful," Linda McMahon told Stephanie once she was done and wearing her wedding dress. It wasn't anything as grand and extravagant and show-offy as people would have expected her to purchase for a wedding, but it was still alluring and tasteful enough for people to realize that it was a wedding dress, and an expensive one at that.
"Thank you, mother," Stephanie replied in a sad voice.
Linda detected the sadness in her daughter's voice, and she became concerned right away. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Wrong? Nothing's wrong," Stephanie lied. "Why would something be wrong? Today's the happiest day of my life. I'm getting married."
"Someday, you will learn that mothers have good instincts when it comes to their daughters," Linda said. She sat down next to her daughter and put a hand on her arm. "Steph, what's wrong with you?"
"It's just... Well, what if I'm making the wrong decision?" Stephanie asked, looking at her mother. "What if I shouldn't marry Paul?"
"Is there some particular reason why you're having these doubts?" Linda asked. "Do you think he doesn't really want you?"
"No, and I don't have a reason for having doubts," Stephanie lied, but she wanted to tell her mother the truth. She wanted to tell her that she wasn't over Chris, that she loved him and wanted to be with only him. She wanted to admit to her mother that her father was forcing her to marry Paul, just because he was Triple H, a big draw in the company. She wanted to tell her how she thought Paul was just marrying her for the mere chance that they could somehow own the WWE. But instead, she simply kept it all to herself. "I'm just nervous. Aren't all brides nervous on their wedding days?"
"I can tell you yes, from personal experience. I was so nervous before I married your father all those years ago," Linda said.
"How'd you get over your nervousness?" Stephanie asked curiously, wondering what her mother would say.
"Well, I got to the aisle, and when I saw him down there waiting for me, I was no longer nervous. I knew he was who I loved and wanted, and he loved and wanted me as well. It was the best day of my life at the time," Linda answered. She had a far-away look in her eyes, as if she was reliving the event in some far-away place. She shook her head to clear her mind, then turned back to her daughter. "You look beautiful. And it's almost time for you to go out there."
"Ok, Mom. I'll meet you out there," Stephanie replied. "Thanks for the little anecdote. I really needed that little pick-me-up."
"That's one of the many things mothers are here for," Linda said. She leaned over and gave Stephanie a hug and smiled at her. Then she left Stephanie alone in the room, closing the door behind her.
Stephanie immediately pulled out her cell phone. She had to hear his voice, had to know if he still planned on coming to her wedding today even though she'd hung up on him on the phone the previous night. She felt like she'd go crazy if he turned her down and decided that he'd rather spend his Saturday somewhere else than at her wedding.
"Hello?" Chris answered. He was stuck in traffic just a few miles away from the place where Stephanie was holding her wedding. He hadn't had time to check his caller ID before answering the phone because he had to pay careful attention to all the different vehicles around him with drivers who drove like maniacs, so he was pretty surprised to hear Stephanie's voice on the other end.
"Chris, it's me," Stephanie said, wondering why he sounded the way he did, all in a rush and frustrated. "Are you at the wedding already?"
"No, but I'm on my way. I 'm stuck in traffic a few miles away from the wedding place," he explained. He heard her disappointed sigh.
"You're not coming, are you?" she asked in a shaky voice.
"Of course I'll be there. I did promise you, and I never go back on a promise," he said
"Get here soon, please," she pleaded. "I just can't do this alone."
"Yeah you can," he answered. "But remember, you don't have to do it at all."
"Bye, Chris," she said, hanging up the phone and waiting. She was supposed to be the happiest girl at her wedding, and she didn't even feel like smiling at all.
"Ok, Stephanie. It's time for you to come out and go in there," a messenger said to Stephanie about 20 minutes later, entering her room and nodding impatiently towards the direction of the door..
"Is Chris here?" Stephanie asked the messenger, standing up.
"Chris Benoit or Jericho?" the messenger asked, speaking of wrestling names.
"Jericho," she confirmed. "Is Chris Jericho here?"
"He just showed up a little while ago," the messenger said. "Now come on, Princess, you're about to be a bride!"
When the wedding march began to play, everyone stood up and looked at the door. Chris stood up as well, listening to the music he had dreaded hearing the whole time. It was really happening. Stephanie, his Stephanie, was about to marry Paul Levesque... She was gonna marry that goon Triple H! He shook his head and looked anxiously towards the entrance, waiting for her to appear.
Chris could've cried when he finally saw her appear in the doorway in an all white dress. It was simple, yet elegant, and it looked absolutely perfect on her. Everything about her looked perfect to him, now and before now as well. Her father, Vince, came out and offered her his arm. She slipped her arm into her father's, and together they began to take the slow walk down the long aisle to the altar, where Paul stood, grinning.
Chris had chosen a seat near the middle of the chairs, closer to the front than to the back. At the pace Stephanie and Vince were walking, it took them a few minutes just to get to where he was. But when they did get there, Stephanie's eyes bored into his, and Chris blinked quickly. She looked so beautiful and everything, he just had to tell her, even if it was her wedding day with a man that he despised.
"I...love...you," Chris mouthed to Stephanie. He watched a look of what he perceived to be total shock or something appear on Stephanie's face. Maybe she had the right to be a little shocked when he said those words to her. It was her wedding day, after all, and besides that, he'd never had enough nerve to tell her that he loved her. Today had been the first day he'd ever told her because he'd been waiting on her to say it first...
She didn't say it back, didn't mouth it or take any action that made him think that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't a crazy ass guy for believing that somewhere inside, Stephanie loved him deeply. In fact, she quickly turned her head the other way and quickened the pace so that she and her father could reach the altar quicker, where Paul stood smiling that evil grin of his.
Her not saying it back or even really reacting made him feel more sad and depressed than he had been in a while, ever since she'd informed him that she was to be married to Paul. He was so sad, in fact, that as soon as she reached the altar and the people were starting to settle down, he decided to leave. He wasn't going to sit there and torture himself. He loved her and she knew it, so everything else was up to her. If she wanted him, which he seriously doubted, she'd know where to find him at..
The other guests began to murmur in low voices as they watched Chris abruptly disappear from the wedding. Stephanie didn't wonder. She just looked at him as he high-tailed it up the aisle she'd just walked down. When she couldn't see him anymore, she was sad and lonely, so she turned to Paul, and tried to block all thoughts of Chris from her mind. This feat proved to be impossible, though, and halfway through the wedding, she just couldn't stand it anymore. She couldn't fight it, she didn't want to fight it. If she felt this sad and lonely and her soon-to-be husband was holding her hand, then something was definitely wrong.
"I'm sorry, everyone," she said suddenly. "Paul, I'm really, really sorry. I have to go!"
Then she let his hand go and ran up the aisle as fast as she could run. She was like a track star, running fast and with ease, even with her heels on. She ran like this all the way out to her car, then headed to the first place she could think of: The Club House, where the reception had been scheduled to take place...
Chris felt so down in the dumps. What was he going to do? In a few measly minutes, probably, Stephanie would be off the market, and Paul would make sure that he never got another chance with her. Paul was going to rule her. He was going to control every aspect of her life. Hell, every friend she had would probably be subject to his approval or something, and Chris knew he'd never receive Paul's approval to hang out with his wife...
"What the hell am I doing?" Chris asked himself. "I'm not the type to run from my problems..." He made an illegal U-turn in the middle of the street and put the pedal to the metal. He had a wedding to stop and he hoped he wouldn't be too late...
"They'll never think to look for me here," Stephanie thought as she entered The Club House. It was really some kind of community center where lots of events were always being held, but her dad had rented the whole thing out for the day. "If there's no wedding, there won't be a reception," she said aloud, and she smiled at her own cleverness. She loved Chris, and when he had mouthed the words she'd waited for him to say for a very long time to her at her wedding, she had been shocked as hell. What choice did she have but to turn her head and practically run up to the altar to stand with Paul?
"You could've said it back," a nagging voice in her head said. "But you didn't. Instead, you made him feel like a fool."
The image of Chris hurriedly leaving the wedding replayed in her mind over and over again. He'd looked hurt and sad, two things she'd never wanted to make him feel.
"I'll make it up to him," she said decidedly. She looked around The Club House, knowing there had to be some arts and crafts supplies in there somewhere...
Chris burst through the doors in the building where the wedding was held, and all eyes were on him within seconds. "Where's Stephanie?" he asked the nearest person, who just happened to be the Undertaker.
"She ran out of here a few minutes ago," Taker replied. "Paul took it to mean that she had to use the ladies room when she said she had to go. I say she must be taking one hell of a dump if that's what she meant, because she hasn't been back yet."
"What?" Chris exclaimed loudly, confused. "She left?"
"Yeah," put in Lita, who was sitting nearby. "And come to think of it, it wasn't long after you left. What's up with that?"
"Yeah, Chris, what's up with that?" Paul asked him in a menacing voice.
"I don't know," Chris answered honestly. "I thought she was still here."
"Drop the act, Chris. What the fuck have you done to my innocent baby girl?" Vince asked.
"There. All done," Stephanie said. She looked around the room, proud of her work. She had been right. There had been plenty of arts and crafts supplies there to choose from. Now all she had to do was call Chris...
She walked over to the table where she had placed her cell phone and picked the phone up. She had his cell phone number on speed dial. She pressed the speed dial shortcut number, then listened to his phone ring...and ring...and ring... Finally, it went to the answering machine, so she decided to leave a message.
"Why won't you answer your phone?" she asked. "You're probably mad, but please don't be. I know I probably hurt you earlier at the wedding, but there's no time to discuss that now. I need to see you, so as soon as you get this message, please meet me at The Club House where the reception was scheduled to be held. I'll be waiting patiently for you, Chris."
She sent the message as "urgent" and turned on some music before sitting down to wait for him...
Chris weaved his rental car aimlessly through the streets of the town and sighed heavily. He'd been driving around with no specific destination in mind for almost an hour now, hoping to maybe catch a glimpse of Stephanie's car, or of the lady herself. Earlier, he'd been forced to go through a lengthy interrogation by Vince and Paul about Stephanie's whereabouts. As if he knew anything about where the hell she was! She hadn't even called him...or had she? He picked up his cell phone as the thought occurred to him that maybe she had called while he had been talking to her father. He had left his phone in the car...
One missed call, and it was from Stephanie's cell phone. One urgent message, and he had to assume it was also from Stephanie just to retain his sanity (or what little of it he had left). He dialed his voicemail and listened, and smiled when he discovered it really was from Stephanie. She wanted him to meet her at The Club House where the reception had been scheduled to be held. Certainly he would...but he didn't know what club house she was talking about.
"Call her back, dumb ass!" a harsh voice from somewhere in his head ordered him.
"Of course! Duh me," he said with a small laugh, and refrained from hitting himself. He had her number on speed dial. He pressed the shortcut key and it dialed her number. He held the phone tightly in his hand and was highly disappointed when the answering machine came on right away. She'd cut her damn phone off. Fuck!
"Stephanie, pick up," he said in a desperate voice. "I really need to talk to you. I want to come to the club house, but I never knew where the reception was going to be held in the first place. Turn your phone on and call me back!"
He hung up the phone and threw it on the passenger seat, upset. How was he going to find her? He pulled over at the next phone booth he saw, located on 7th Street, and got out, knowing there had to be a phonebook in there somewhere. He was going to find this damn club house and get to her if it was the last thing he did...
"He's not coming," Stephanie realized, after waiting for nearly two hours for Chris to arrive at The Club House. She had turned her phone off an hour ago so her father couldn't attempt to have her location pinpointed through the signal from her cell phone. "He doesn't want to have anything to do with me."
The thought was more than she could bear. She just wanted to be with him, to be in his embrace once again, to dance with him, and most importantly, to tell him those three words he needed to hear from her the most.
Dancin' where the stars go blue... Dancin' where the evening fell... Dancin' in my wooden shoes... In a wedding gown...
The music she had turned on earlier was still on, and a song came on, so she decided to dance...alone. Because she felt so damn lonely without him there with her. She felt so depressed, dancing in the empty place with her wedding gown on. She had ran away from her own wedding, just to be with him, and he didn't want to be there...
Dancin' out on 7th Street... Dancin' through the underground... Dancin' little marionette... Are you happy now?
"Eureka! I found it...and I feel so damn dumb!" Chris exclaimed. He had perused the pages in the phonebook, looking for possible names and numbers. It had not occurred to him until a few seconds ago that maybe the actual name of the place was The Club House. So when he found it in the phonebook, he felt really dumb, but also happy as hell to have found it.
He was so happy, in fact, that after he tore the page out of the book with the number and address on it, he went into the middle of 7th Street, amidst the heavy traffic, and did a little victory dance. A few cars honked at him, and some tried to hit him as he sprinted back over to his rental, but he didn't care. He was going to find her.
Where do you go when you're lonely? Where do you go when you're blue? Where do you go when you're lonely? I'll follow you... When the stars go blue... When the stars go blue...
Stephanie sat back down, feeling lonelier than ever. She needed someone to talk to, but the one person she wanted to talk to more than ever probably wanted nothing to do with her now, especially after she'd given him the cold shoulder earlier at the wedding. She decided it was time for her to leave, and just as she stood up, there was a loud clap of thunder outside and she heard the rain starting to pour. Just great. But that wasn't going to stop her. She grabbed her purse and her phone, which was still off, and headed over to the door. She opened the door wide, and was surprised to find that Chris was standing in the doorway in front of her.
His clothes were clinging to him already. He was soaked. The rain had just came out of nowhere with no warning at all. No dark clouds and no rolling thunder, just one big clap of thunder and suddenly it was raining cats and dogs. But he didn't care. He was there. And she was there, just inches away from him, wearing a look of surprise that would've amused him greatly at any other time. Just not at this time, because he needed to kiss her more than ever.
Laughing with your pretty mouth (laughing with your pretty mouth)... Laughing with your broken eyes (laughing with your broken eyes)... Laughing with your lover's tongue... In a lullaby...
"Did you think I wouldn't come?" he asked, stepping inside the place and closing the door behind him.
"I thought you didn't want to see me anymore, after the way I treated you earlier at the wedding..." Her voice trailed off. "Look, I'm really sorry about that, Chris."
"Shhh, it's ok," he said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.
"I was really cold to you, though," she pointed out.
"I bet I'm really cold to you right now," he said with a slight smile. "I just came out of the rain and I'm destroying your wedding dress."
"I don't care about the dress," she said with a laugh. "I care about you."
"Just let me kiss you..."
He didn't have to tell her twice. He kissed her passionately and she responded with the same passion. How she had wanted this all day. She had waited patiently and had been just about to give up, and here he was now, kissing her like only he could.
Where do you go when you're lonely? Where do you go when you're blue? Where do you go when you're lonely? I'll follow you...
She didn't want to stop kissing him... She'd felt so lonely when she was waiting for him... And when she'd thought he wouldn't come, that had been so depressing. She pulled him over to the one of the many big lounge chairs that were in there and they sat down together, never breaking the kiss...
Where do you go when you're lonely? Where do you go when you're blue? Where do you go when you're lonely? I'll follow you (follow you, follow you)...
She was more responsive to his kisses than he remembered her ever being. Perhaps it was because today they had come so close to losing each other and never being able to kiss again. But he figured it was a little deeper than that. At least, he hoped it was more than that. She had said that she cared about him, but she still hadn't said those three words that he wanted so badly to hear...
When the stars go blue... When the stars go blue... When the stars go blue... When the stars go blue...
She started to trail soft kisses from his lips down to his neck. He looked up at the ceiling, and that's when he noticed something that he hadn't noticed before.
"Steph... Why are there blue stars hanging from the ceiling?" he couldn't resist asking.
"Do you remember last night when we talked, and you asked me when I would say...those words you wanted me to say?" she asked, still kissing him softly. He nodded in response. "What was my reply, right before I hung the phone up in your face?"
He racked his brains, trying to remember, and then it came to him. "You said you'd admit that you loved me...when the stars go blue."
"It looks as though the stars have mysteriously gone blue," she said to him with a sly smile.
He smiled. "So..."
She stopped kissing him and looked deep into his eyes. "I love you, Chris. Always have. And I doubt I'll stop anytime soon."
"I love you, too," he said, ecstatic that she'd finally said the words he had wanted to hear her say for so long. She loved him!
Where do you go when you're lonely? Where do you go...when the stars go blue?
"I felt so lonely when I thought you weren't coming," she said. "I thought I'd never be able to tell you that I love you."
"You'll never have to feel lonely again," he assured her. "I'll always be here with you."
And then he kissed her again, as the stars hung above them from the ceiling, a brilliant shade of blue...
Sooo... What do you guys think? Pretty long, I think, but I enjoyed writing it. I was listening to that particular song and the idea just came to me, so I had to write it! Please review...