"You've got to be kidding," Stephanie said, giggling at the tidbit of
information she had been given.
"I kid you not," Jericho said, smiling. "You get Benoit drunk and the only thing he wants to do is sing karaoke."
"That's too funny," Stephanie said, imagining an inebriated Chris Benoit singing 'Girl's Just Want to Have Fun.'
"You have to see it one of these days," Jericho said. He walked over to his bag and grabbed his tights. "Unfortunately, I really don't want to be his opponent in his first big match back."
"I can understand that," Stephanie nodded. "You guys are friends."
"Of sorts," Jericho shrugged. "He's going to be ready to kill someone though."
"That's how Hunter was when he came back," Stephanie said. "He wanted to prove all of the people who told him he shouldn't wrestle that he could still be the best."
"Do you miss him?" Jericho asked.
"Hunter?" Stephanie asked. "No, not really."
"Not at all?" Jericho asked.
"Well, you don't need to hear about when I do miss him," Stephanie said, bowing her head to hide her blush.
"Are you missing the carnal side of your marriage?" Jericho asked with a touch of amusement.
"Carnal?" Stephanie asked, dissolving into giggles.
"I was trying to think of a polite word," Jericho said.
"Well, yes, just a little," Stephanie shrugged. "I'm human."
"You know it won't hurt my feelings if you decided you wanted to sleep with someone," Jericho said as he walked to the bathroom to change into his ring wear. "If you have an itch to scratch."
"Thanks for that," Stephanie said. "But I've never been unfaithful before, I have no intention of starting now."
"It's not like this is a real marriage," Jericho pointed out, secretly pleased that she wouldn't be sleeping with someone else.
"I know," Stephanie said. "But, I don't know. Adultery ruins lives. My family is a testament to that."
"I guess Vince is a randy goat," Jericho said.
Stephanie dissolved into another round of giggles. "Yeah, he can be."
"Not me," Jericho said. "I can be celibate if you can."
"You sure about that?" Stephanie asked.
"We can make a bet if you would like," Jericho said.
"That's okay," Stephanie said.
Jericho emerged from the bathroom with a pair of red tights on. He sat down to put his boots on. Stephanie looked at him and felt her heart skip a beat. He was gorgeous. She really couldn't deny that she was very attracted to him.
Jericho looked up and caught Stephanie looking at him rather intensely. "What?"
"Oh, nothing," Stephanie said, shaking her head as she looked away.
"You sure?" Jericho asked.
"Yeah, positive," Stephanie said.
"You coming to ringside tonight?" Jericho asked.
"Of course," Stephanie said. "You're my husband."
Jericho smiled at how easily those words came out of Stephanie's mouth. "That's true."
"Do you not want me down there?" Stephanie asked.
"Of course I want you out there," Jericho said. "You're my wife."
"Sure enough," Stephanie said. "And you love that, don't you?"
"You know it," Jericho said. He smiled cheekily at her. He had never imagined that they would be able to get along so well. He could honestly say that in the two months since he had initially approached her about marrying him they had really become close. "Couldn't ask for a better wife."
"Ditto," Stephanie said. As soon as she said that she thought of "Ghost," one of her favorite movies. Patrick Swayze's character always said "ditto" when his wife told him that she love him. She wondered if she was imagining that anything romantic could happen between herself and Chris Jericho. She shook her head at the thought.
"Can you not…help me in this match?" Jericho asked. "I still want you at ringside, I just don't want to taint his first match back."
Stephanie smiled softly. "Sure."
She liked that about him. He pretended to be tough and he put on an over- inflated ego, but deep down he was a caring person. She had seen it first in the way he was with his parents. He really cared about what they thought and he always tried to assuage any fears that they had.
She had also seen it in the way he treated Lita. He really knew her and he tried to make her happy as best he could. And she saw the way he looked at her when she wasn't looking, with eyes full of brotherly concern. It was a lot like her relationship with Shane.
And now with Benoit. She wished he would treat her with that concern. But he did treat her with that concern. His whole life seemed to be about helping her to get on her feet and make Hunter live to regret the day he had hurt her.
"You're amazing," Stephanie said softly.
"What?" Jericho asked, his head swiveling toward her with a look of shock plain on his face.
"You care so much about people and you really try to hide it," Stephanie said. "But you really can't hide the goodness inside of you when you get close to people."
"Okay," Jericho said.
"It's a compliment," Stephanie assured him.
"Thanks," Jericho said. "You're actually a pretty good person deep down too."
"What makes you say that?" Stephanie asked.
"The way you are with Shane," Jericho said. "You two are just really good friends. And when you went to talk to Lita when she obviously needed to talk to someone."
"I don't think that makes me a good person," Stephanie said.
"You may do messed up things Stephanie," Jericho said. "Hell, I do messed up things. But you don't do them for no reason at all. That makes a difference."
"I guess so," Stephanie said uncertainly.
"It does," Jericho said.
"Thanks," Stephanie said.
"You ready to go?" Jericho asked her, holding his hand out to her to help her up.
"Sure," Stephanie said, taking his hand.
Stephanie liked holding hands with Chris Jericho. He made her feel safe and he made her feel special. He always made her feel like she was his top priority. She hadn't felt important in a long time.
He was really so different from what she had expected. She had thought their marriage would eventually degrade into bickering and hatred. But it seemed to get better every day. And she finally had someone to talk to. She finally had a friend.
Sometimes she thought about asking Jericho if he could ever be attracted to her. He acted like he was. But it was just so hard to believe. But sometimes she wished he would. Sometimes she wished she knew how to get closer to him.
Jericho helped her into the ring before he posed on the ropes. Her heart seemed to fill with pride. He turned back into the ring and she walked to him. She pulled him close and covered his lips with a kiss.
"For luck," Stephanie whispered as she pulled away.
"I could use those more often," Jericho said, shock still in his eyes.
"I'll see what I can do about that," Stephanie said. "Have fun."
Jericho followed her with his eyes as she got out of the ring. She was a confusing woman. At times like that he could swear that she wanted more out of their relationship, but most of the time she just seemed content with friendship.
He shook his head as he tried to focus on the match at hand.
"I kid you not," Jericho said, smiling. "You get Benoit drunk and the only thing he wants to do is sing karaoke."
"That's too funny," Stephanie said, imagining an inebriated Chris Benoit singing 'Girl's Just Want to Have Fun.'
"You have to see it one of these days," Jericho said. He walked over to his bag and grabbed his tights. "Unfortunately, I really don't want to be his opponent in his first big match back."
"I can understand that," Stephanie nodded. "You guys are friends."
"Of sorts," Jericho shrugged. "He's going to be ready to kill someone though."
"That's how Hunter was when he came back," Stephanie said. "He wanted to prove all of the people who told him he shouldn't wrestle that he could still be the best."
"Do you miss him?" Jericho asked.
"Hunter?" Stephanie asked. "No, not really."
"Not at all?" Jericho asked.
"Well, you don't need to hear about when I do miss him," Stephanie said, bowing her head to hide her blush.
"Are you missing the carnal side of your marriage?" Jericho asked with a touch of amusement.
"Carnal?" Stephanie asked, dissolving into giggles.
"I was trying to think of a polite word," Jericho said.
"Well, yes, just a little," Stephanie shrugged. "I'm human."
"You know it won't hurt my feelings if you decided you wanted to sleep with someone," Jericho said as he walked to the bathroom to change into his ring wear. "If you have an itch to scratch."
"Thanks for that," Stephanie said. "But I've never been unfaithful before, I have no intention of starting now."
"It's not like this is a real marriage," Jericho pointed out, secretly pleased that she wouldn't be sleeping with someone else.
"I know," Stephanie said. "But, I don't know. Adultery ruins lives. My family is a testament to that."
"I guess Vince is a randy goat," Jericho said.
Stephanie dissolved into another round of giggles. "Yeah, he can be."
"Not me," Jericho said. "I can be celibate if you can."
"You sure about that?" Stephanie asked.
"We can make a bet if you would like," Jericho said.
"That's okay," Stephanie said.
Jericho emerged from the bathroom with a pair of red tights on. He sat down to put his boots on. Stephanie looked at him and felt her heart skip a beat. He was gorgeous. She really couldn't deny that she was very attracted to him.
Jericho looked up and caught Stephanie looking at him rather intensely. "What?"
"Oh, nothing," Stephanie said, shaking her head as she looked away.
"You sure?" Jericho asked.
"Yeah, positive," Stephanie said.
"You coming to ringside tonight?" Jericho asked.
"Of course," Stephanie said. "You're my husband."
Jericho smiled at how easily those words came out of Stephanie's mouth. "That's true."
"Do you not want me down there?" Stephanie asked.
"Of course I want you out there," Jericho said. "You're my wife."
"Sure enough," Stephanie said. "And you love that, don't you?"
"You know it," Jericho said. He smiled cheekily at her. He had never imagined that they would be able to get along so well. He could honestly say that in the two months since he had initially approached her about marrying him they had really become close. "Couldn't ask for a better wife."
"Ditto," Stephanie said. As soon as she said that she thought of "Ghost," one of her favorite movies. Patrick Swayze's character always said "ditto" when his wife told him that she love him. She wondered if she was imagining that anything romantic could happen between herself and Chris Jericho. She shook her head at the thought.
"Can you not…help me in this match?" Jericho asked. "I still want you at ringside, I just don't want to taint his first match back."
Stephanie smiled softly. "Sure."
She liked that about him. He pretended to be tough and he put on an over- inflated ego, but deep down he was a caring person. She had seen it first in the way he was with his parents. He really cared about what they thought and he always tried to assuage any fears that they had.
She had also seen it in the way he treated Lita. He really knew her and he tried to make her happy as best he could. And she saw the way he looked at her when she wasn't looking, with eyes full of brotherly concern. It was a lot like her relationship with Shane.
And now with Benoit. She wished he would treat her with that concern. But he did treat her with that concern. His whole life seemed to be about helping her to get on her feet and make Hunter live to regret the day he had hurt her.
"You're amazing," Stephanie said softly.
"What?" Jericho asked, his head swiveling toward her with a look of shock plain on his face.
"You care so much about people and you really try to hide it," Stephanie said. "But you really can't hide the goodness inside of you when you get close to people."
"Okay," Jericho said.
"It's a compliment," Stephanie assured him.
"Thanks," Jericho said. "You're actually a pretty good person deep down too."
"What makes you say that?" Stephanie asked.
"The way you are with Shane," Jericho said. "You two are just really good friends. And when you went to talk to Lita when she obviously needed to talk to someone."
"I don't think that makes me a good person," Stephanie said.
"You may do messed up things Stephanie," Jericho said. "Hell, I do messed up things. But you don't do them for no reason at all. That makes a difference."
"I guess so," Stephanie said uncertainly.
"It does," Jericho said.
"Thanks," Stephanie said.
"You ready to go?" Jericho asked her, holding his hand out to her to help her up.
"Sure," Stephanie said, taking his hand.
Stephanie liked holding hands with Chris Jericho. He made her feel safe and he made her feel special. He always made her feel like she was his top priority. She hadn't felt important in a long time.
He was really so different from what she had expected. She had thought their marriage would eventually degrade into bickering and hatred. But it seemed to get better every day. And she finally had someone to talk to. She finally had a friend.
Sometimes she thought about asking Jericho if he could ever be attracted to her. He acted like he was. But it was just so hard to believe. But sometimes she wished he would. Sometimes she wished she knew how to get closer to him.
Jericho helped her into the ring before he posed on the ropes. Her heart seemed to fill with pride. He turned back into the ring and she walked to him. She pulled him close and covered his lips with a kiss.
"For luck," Stephanie whispered as she pulled away.
"I could use those more often," Jericho said, shock still in his eyes.
"I'll see what I can do about that," Stephanie said. "Have fun."
Jericho followed her with his eyes as she got out of the ring. She was a confusing woman. At times like that he could swear that she wanted more out of their relationship, but most of the time she just seemed content with friendship.
He shook his head as he tried to focus on the match at hand.