One Shot- The day of WrestleMania 21, Edge, Christian and even Ric Flair try to prevent Chris Jericho from running into a hostile Triple H and creating a dangerous encounter before his title match.
Triple H and Chris Jericho are at WrestleMania 21, it's backstage hours before the show that day. Chris's friends Edge and Christian are getting food in the cafeteria when Ric Flair and Stephanie McMahon run into them. Steph is scared of them because they attacked her in the past, an odd incident that they don't recall due to claims of them being intoxicated. Triple H shows up and scares them off, they run to Chris Jericho who is with Trish Stratus and fighting with none else than Chris Benoit. After remembering the incident, and realizing Triple H might now know and want revenge on Jericho, Edge and Christian decide to keep them away from each other, they think Jericho will be headstrong and say he can defeat Triple H because Benoit had and Jericho always beats him. But of course this doesn't work and both Triple H and Jericho meet but don't fight each other, they meet up with each other and it was assumed by Jericho's friends and Triple H's that Triple H would beat Chris for what happened at a house show, but the two have no grudge against each other and so don't fight and go their own way.
Chris Jericho's best friends are none other than fellow Canadians, Edge and Christian. They accompany him everywhere together, seeing as they're all on Raw with each other. Today we find the duo in the cafeteria in the arena locker room, only hours away from the biggest spectacle in sports entertainment, WrestleMania.
"Aw man, fish?" Edge turned up his nose.
"Well bro, I told you we had to get here early." Christian replied with a sigh.
Edge turned to him with a growl, "Hey it's not my fault the rental place mixed up our cars!"
"Oh, yeah, it's a real drag to drive a few miles from the hotel in an SUV, oh, the pain." Christian mocked with emphasis on the sarcasm.
"Come on now, I'm hungry, all the good food is gone!"
"Well, we could always go to a vending machine?" Christian's suggestion resulted in silence from Edge. Christian sighed and picked up a piece of fruit to put on his tray.
"Come on, it's this way I think." The feminine voice was heard from the halls. It caused Edge and Christian to turn and see Stephanie McMahon, she saw them as well and gasped. "You…"
"It's Stephanie…!"
"Hey come on now, what's the hold up?" Ric Flair appeared next to her. He noticed her shocked expression upon seeing the blondes, but he grew confused and slightly worried when Steph's face turned into a terrified one as she hides herself behind him. Ric turns to them angrily, "Hey, what's going on here, what did you do to her?"
The duo gasped as Edge stepped forward, "Hey, we did nothing to her!"
"Don't get so defensive, Ric is in Evolution."
"Well no duh lame brain, what I don't get is…. Why are you hanging around her?"
"She just so happens to be the champions wife!"
"Still? I thought they got a divorce?" Christian wondered aloud, resulting in a harsh elbow jab in the ribs from Edge.
"Alright then, are you going to leave peacefully or…." Ric tore off his jacket in his typical extravagant manner, throwing it on the floor before them. "Woo!"
"Or else what, do you know who you're talking to?" Christian boasted.
"That's right!" Edge got into a pose. "I'm Edge!"
"And I'm Christian!"
"We're famous you know!"
"Yeah, not to mention we travel with none other than Chris Jericho!"
"He's our leader and we're like his lieutenants!"
"Okay man, I think you're getting a little too carried away with this…"
"I'm not impressed…" Flair's face spoke what his lips told. "I'm Ric Flair, woo, the real chief around here is Triple H, he's the champion, woo, and if you will I'm his retainer!"
"So… he puts you in his mouth to protect his teeth?" Christian pondered, Edge just pulled on his hair with grave frustration. "Gross, but either way, we aren't impressed."
"But who hasn't heard of Triple H?" Flair exclaims.
"Somebody speaking of the champ behind my back?" Everyone gasps as the man himself, Triple H, walks through the door.
"Hunter!" Stephanie gasps, looking up at her husband. Triple H glances at her before returning a glare back at the two blondes.
"Your sheer presence doesn't intimidate us, right Edge?" Christian tries to put on a boast.
"Yeah, we're gonna run now, and it's not out of fear neither!"
"Yeah, what he said, later!" Christian grabs the shaky Edge by the arm and pulls him off as they run out the door, dropping their food trays behind them.
"Woo!" Flair calls after them down the hall, going to pick up his coat.
"Well that was humiliating." Edge growled, swallowing hard. "Now what do we do?"
"Let's go find Chris and tell him about the incident." Christian suggests between running pants.
"Oh yeah, now that's great idea." Edge rolled his eyes sarcastically.
"You got any better idea on what to do…?"
"…. Well, no."
Meanwhile, Chris Jericho was elsewhere, occupied in exchanging the usual pleasantries with his friends, the dating couple of Chris Benoit and Trish Stratus, while Lance Storm and the others casually watched the entertainment, waiting patiently for their chance to socialize.
"Oh, that's it man, I'm really tired of always seeing you around here you know!" Chris Benoit was barking.
"Oh yeah? Mongrel!" Chris Jericho sneered.
"You calling me a dog?"
"You sure whine like one!"
"Well you smell like cheese!"
"That's cause you cut it!"
"That's enough boys!" Trish could no longer take it, Jericho and Benoit were the best of buddies, but whenever they got together in an argument, the fur started to fly between the two friendly rivals. "Listen Jericho, just take the chips, Benoit already ate."
"Ha, ha!" Jericho laughed and grabbed the bag, tearing it open as Benoit frowned at the failure. Jericho ate them loudly, making the point that they tasted really good known, of course which caused Benoit's nervous twitching to spark up.
"Hey, look guys." Lance Storm spoke up as the battle for the chip bag came to an end, Christian and Edge ran into the room panting.
"Hey I thought you guys were going to get food." Jericho spoke up, his mouth full and spitting with crumbs. He swallowed, "Looks like you guys still have empty stomachs."
"Aw." Trish felt bad. "Sorry, I would've given you the bag of chips but you came one moment too late, they're already passing through Chris's digestive track."
"Hey, hey, less details, I'm trying to eat here." Chris rolled his eyes, taking another chip into his mouth.
"That was my bag you know…" Lance Storm grumbled, pouting.
"But I'm still hungry!" Benoit roared.
"You're always hungry dude." Jericho smirked. "You're like a bottomless pit."
"Takes one to know one."
"Likewise."
"Oh great, they're at it again." Trish growled to herself, her eyebrow twitching.
"Well feel free to but in whenever, I'm not going to stop them." Lance smirked.
"So what were you guys running from?" Trish asked the two blondes.
"We met up with Triple H." Edge started.
"Well first it was Stephanie McMahon and Ric Flair, Steph was shy or leery of us for a moment, then the champ came in."
"Oh yeah, I'm shocked Stephanie came, I mean it is WrestleMania, but she's hardly ever around backstage anymore… and why would she be hanging around with Flair and not her husband?" Trish wondered, trying to put any piece of gossip in her brain onto it. "Comparing you both to the champ isn't a pleasant thought though, I mean, he's formidable, a dangerous person in the ring. You shouldn't go pick a fight with him in the locker room unless you want to use up some hospital frequent flyer miles."
"They do that?" Christian turned to Edge in awe, but Trish just rolled her eyes.
"Wait a minute, you said Stephanie was shocked to see you?" Lance spoke up.
"Yeah, I wonder why that could be?" Edge wondered.
"Wait a minute… remember the last time we all saw Stephanie here? You both were drunk after a house show and attacked her, I'll bet it was by accident but she was pretty tired and it really shook her up. Triple H wasn't around then, but a few days after that happened she stopped coming to the shows backstage and stayed in the main office."
"I don't remember that." Christian tried to place the pieces of Lance's story together.
"That seems too abstract to me." Edge turned up his nose, it all made just no sense.
"Alright that's it." Jericho stands up, the fight seems to have stopped. "I'm out, later!"
"Hey you don't leave, we aren't done here yet, get back here!" Benoit called as Jericho ran off.
"Come on, let's go." Christian sighed.
"Right." Edge nodded and the two worried companions followed the headstrong Jericho.
"That's really odd though." Trish turned back to Lance. "Why would Stephanie return now of all times, it's been well over a year, why not last WrestleMania?"
"I don't know, this all could be a coincidence, or something could be going on here…"
"Man, I've lost count." Jericho was laughing as he walked down the hall arrogantly. "I don't think Benoit has ever beaten me!"
"We have to keep him away from Triple H." Edge whispered.
"Come on you two, the locker room is down this hall." Jericho spoke up.
"But we pass the cafeteria, they still might be there." Christian gasped.
"What the hell!" Jericho growls as the two pull him back by each arm.
"Come on let's go this way."
"This is a short cut."
"What are you guys crazy, the locker room is right down the hall!'
"You know, just because you can lick Benoit doesn't mean you can defeat somebody like the champ." Christian hints.
"Triple H?" Jericho frowns.
"Yeah, I wouldn't start anything with him, ha, ha…"
Jericho growled, irritated, "Look if you're going to act this stupid for no reason, when that's obviously my job, then why don't you go back to the hotel until the show tonight!"
"But…" They stammer.
"Just go and leave me alone!" Jericho runs off down another hallway, heading to another destination rather than his locker room now.
"What…. Aw, why would he say something like that?" Edge sulked.
"Yeah…" Christian sighed as they leave sadly. "He didn't have to yell, we're just looking out for him."
"Exactly, we have to protect him, after all, if we don't, who else will?"
"Nobody but himself, that's who."
"Yup, and we all know we can't rely on that."
"That's the last time we ever try and help him from getting into a fight."
"Yes, but not the first time we've saved him from a beating."
"Excuse me." They stop at the voice and look up. It's Vince McMahon. "Have you…"
"Ah, it's the boss!" They both scream and flee, leaving Vince standing there shocked.
"I, was just going to ask, if you'd seen…. Bah forget it." He walked back into his office.
"Ah, it's the dad of the boss's daughter!" Christian cries.
"What….?"
"He's pissed at us, Stephanie told him!"
"You're reading way too much into this man, I keep telling you!"
"You know, Chris is a good guy, he's a dedicated leader. He sticks to his mission, whether is be to get a title belt or put over somebody in a grudge match."
"Yeah."
"Well at least it looks like we've outrun the boss man."
"Yeah, heh, that had to not look too good on our books right?"
"Ha, yeah really! Wait a minute..."
"What is it Christian?"
"That voice, it's Triple H!"
"Uh oh, sounds like he's heading towards Chris's direction!"
"Then it's decided, we'll have to intercept them, we have to stop him from getting to Chris."
"Right."
"So Flair." Stephanie was saying. "Do you think you'll go out there with Triple H tonight for his match with Batista?" She looked up and froze when she and Ric Flair came face to face with the two blondes blocking their path.
"What are you both doing here again?" Flair growled, unbuttoning his cufflinks.
"A, ah, detour!" Edge got into a battle pose.
"Yeah, what Edge said, go another way please!" Christian followed his lead.
"I hope this isn't a long winded speech." Triple H hinted with no smirk at all. The Canadians gulped and tried to get into some stances to add any intimidation. "I am not entertained." Triple H spoke in a quiet, monotone, unimpressed whisper. They gulped.
"You can't pass." Edge whimpered.
"You don't want to mess with Chris Jericho." Christian added.
"Hey, what's going on here?" Jericho's voice was heard.
"Chris!" They both turned at his voice.
"You talking about me behind my back now?" He came out of the room and stood before them, turning his attention to Triple H, who hoisted the championship belt over his shoulder. "Looks like I arrived in the nick of time, spare these two idiots, don't harm a part on their body."
"Okay, not we can go." Edge started to slink away.
"We're fine, everything's cool now." Christian nodded.
Jericho smirked, "You know, you lost to Chris Benoit at last year's WrestleMania, I'll bet Batista will beat you as well this time. Feh." Triple H is silent but his look could kill. Jericho's smirk grows slyer as he pushes a little harder, "I can take Benoit down any day, which means you're a cake walk for me. How about tomorrow on Raw, you and I, if you're still champion, go at it one on one in that ring out there?"
"Chris…" The duo stammered.
"Stephanie?"
"Yes Hunter?"
"Leave, now." Triple H steps towards the scrappy Canadian.
"Yes sir." Stephanie steps back.
Ric Flair does the same, "They've just signed their own death warrants."
"Hey Triple H? Keeping that title warm?" Everyone stops and turns at the voice of Batista, the number one contender for the belt Triple H would be facing him later that night for. "So Jericho, you think you should face him, what gives you that right? I'll show you I can snap your neck in two without breaking a sweat!" He advances on him, Jericho gasps, taken off guard..
"Not so fast, your beef is with me." Triple H stands in the way, causing Batista to stop in his tracks.
"Bah forget this then, I'll see you in the ring tonight, and I'll be taking that belt." Batista waves them off and walks away.
"Wow you saved his life." Flair smirked. "Glad that's all over with."
Or was it, just then out of the corner of his eye, Jericho saw the shadow of a figure creeping around the corner, "Get down!" He yelled and jumped. Stephanie screamed as Jericho bolted in her direction. Triple H turned around, but Jericho jumped past Steph and attacked the man. "Alright who are you and what are you doing here, what do you want?"
"Test?" Stephanie gasped, seeing Test shove Jericho off of him. "Why are you wearing one of those old E&C shirts?"
"Because it was the last thing you gave to me, oh please Stephanie come back?" He begged.
"No." Triple H growled.
"Now get out!" Jericho threw him aside and he ran off. Jericho sighed and shook his head, walking back over to Triple H. Everyone froze, tense, but rather than face each other, they just walked past each other.
"Your help wasn't required." Triple H muttered.
"Meh, likewise, minor interference on their parts." Jericho sneered back as they part company. "Come on you two, let's go." He puts his hands around Edge and Christian's shoulders and led them off.
Flair was shocked, "You're just going to let them go?"
"Hunter, that was him, that was the one…" Stephanie spoke up and he turned to his wife. "This whole time I thought it was Edge and Christian, but it was him."
"Then that settles it."
"Settles what champ?" Flair asked.
"I have no grudge against those Canadian's, had they tried something like that today I would've killed them. But for now they are of no importance to me, Batista is number one priority on tonight's main agenda." Triple H walked off, leaving Flair in a shock.
"Come on Ric or you'll get left behind." Stephanie put her purse over her shoulder as she walked smiling after her husband.
"Okay hang on, don't go just wait for me!" Flair shook his head and ran after them after coming back to his senses.
"We all have the same goal in this business." Triple H said in his mind. "This belt."
"Here."
"Huh?" Edge and Christian look up.
Jericho threw him the half eaten bag of chips, "I'm not greedy, you can have some of these. You're my best friends and you know I'd always share with you."
"Thanks!" They both smiled.
"But you both sure were acting really weird, was it because of him?" Jericho started to laugh, taking the two hungry blondes off guard. "Don't worry, you don't have to fret about me, my fight is with Benoit, anyone else now doesn't matter, not Triple H."
"Well that's a relief." Edge sighs as Christian fills his face.
Jericho frowned, "And what's that supposed to me, on the other hand you thought I would lose my fight with Triple H?" Jericho just got silent stares as a reply, so he just smirked back coolly, "Now that's another story…"
That night after WrestleMania, Trish Stratus, Chris Benoit and Lance Storm give the hotel manager some autographs and get the luxury suite at the hotel and the next morning get ready for a new fiscal year in the WWE, as do Triple H, Jericho and their groups.
"Well come on let's head back to the arena, maybe they have a gym we can prepare for tonight in." Lance Storm was saying.
"Hey yoh!"
"That voice…" Benoit growled.
"It's Jericho!" Trish turned around to see Jericho come back to her that morning with some flowers.
"You, why I outa…!" Benoit is extremely pissed, naturally.
"Thanks Chris." Trish stands in front of him and pushes him back as Jericho leaves.
"Sure thing, later!" He ran off.
"Yeah, go on, get you mutt!"
"It's funny…" Lance smirked at Benoit.
"You want to start something with me?" Benoit growled as Lance teased him.
"Ow, ouch!" Lance cried as the pissed Canadian pounded him.
"I beat you up and all you have to say for yourself is ouchies?" Benoit frowns.
Trish laughed, "Oh Chris…" She looked happily at the small bouquet of flowers from Jericho, who was at one time her fiance, Benoit never knew that, but if she were ever to tell him, they would surely stop fighting as friendly rivals and take it to that level of Triple H, a place nobody ever wanted a guy like Chris Jericho to return to, ever again.