Hanging by a Moment - 01 blockquote { margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 50px }

Desperate for changing
Starving for truth
I'm closer to where I started
Chasing after you

Forgetting all I'm lacking
Completely incomplete
I take your invitation
You take all of me

I'm living for the only thing I know
I'm running and not quite sure where to go
And I don't know what I'm diving into
Just hanging by a moment here with you

I'm falling even more in love with you
Letting go of all I've held onto
I'm standing here until you make me move
I'm hanging by a moment here with you

There's nothing else to lose
There's nothing else to find
There's nothing in the world That can change my mind

Disclaimer: Lyrics written by Jason Wade of Lifehouse. Wasn't it fortunate for this song to come along halfway through the fic?

Dedication: Once again, to my twin, for the simple reason that this is really her story. The idea is mine, and I did write it, but this is her story. You know what I'm talking about, don't you, Merc? (I know it seems that a lot of my fics are dedicated to her, but without her I would never have gotten this far with writing at all.) Anyway, I could never have done any of this without you, sister dear, and I just wanted to say a HUGE 'thank you'. *hugs*

Author's note: This is my version of King of the Ring 2001, which is obviously very different to the actual card. Oh, and there is no Invasion. July PPV is going to be kept as Fully Loaded. Just to suit the purposes of the story.

Hanging by a Moment Part One

King of the Ring 2001

The chair shots to his body stopped the same time he felt the gentle hand on his side. Then the pressure of someone's body against his torso, protecting him. He could just hear a woman's voice pleading for Austin to stop.

Chris Jericho looked up gratefully at his saviour. And froze.

Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley.

*

'What the hell are you doing here?'

Chris grimaced. 'More importantly, what the hell do you think you're doing? What sick new game are you planning now?'

Stephanie rolled her eyes. 'Get over yourself, Jericho. All I wanted to see was Austin lose the WWF Title, which he did.'

He was stunned. That couldn't be true…could it? Sure, the woman was pissed that Austin had called her husband 'selfish', but was that really all it took for her to risk herself in such a dangerous situation? 'But-'

'Which also means you are now the WWF Champion,' she interrupted, staring at him. 'So, if I were you, I'd be satisfied with that and concentrate on defending the Title.'

'But-'

'Get the hell out of my dressing room, Jericho,' Stephanie interrupted again, sounding suddenly tired.

Chris was about to reply with a sarcastic comment, when he noticed something he hadn't before. There were dark circles under her eyes, which were a little red and raw, as if she'd been crying. She was also extremely pale.

He nodded curtly. 'Fine.' He turned, taking a couple of steps towards the door, when it hit him. He – Chris Jericho – was the new WWF Champion. His dream had come true.

He turned back to Stephanie, but she had her back to him, head bowed and not moving. He just looked at her for a few moments before saying 'Thank you'.

*

'So, what did she have to say for herself?' Chris Benoit asked, walking into his locker room.

Chris pulled his shirt over his head, tugging it down into place, and looked over at his new…acquaintance. 'Not much, actually. Said it had nothing to do with me.'

Benoit grinned, his missing tooth making him look like some kind of Halloween Jack-O-Lantern. 'Sure it didn't.'

He still found it hard to believe that he and Benoit had somehow managed to put aside their differences, and were the ex-Tag Team Champions. He was a little uneasy about how the next few weeks and months were going to be like, considering he was the WWF Champion, and Benoit was King of the Ring.

'According to the little Princess, Austin losing the Title had been her sole reason,' Chris explained.

Benoit frowned slightly. 'Sounds logical, I guess. I mean, the man not only called her husband 'selfish', but he did make Helmsley lose the IC Title. Austin is also the inadvertent reason why Helmsley's out with a five month injury.'

He stared at the other man, unable to understand him. 'You've got to be joking, right? This is Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley we're talking about. You actually believe her?'

Benoit actually laughed. 'Okay, so she isn't the most trustable person in the world, but what possible other reason could there be anyway?'

Chris had absolutely no idea, shaking his head as he tried to think of something. After last year's Fully Loaded match against Triple H, he hadn't had much interaction with the 'Super Couple'. Especially after that-

'Oh, shit!' he suddenly cried out, smacking himself on the forehead. 'Last year's King of the Ring! The kiss!'

[ Part Two ]