Insomnia is my best inspiration! Lol

I know I've said this already, but here I go again… Thanks so much for the reviews, they make my day ;-)

This was supposed to be shorter; I don't know how it got to so many chapters! But I'm glad you are enjoying, hope you like this one too…

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Taking a deep breath to control the turmoil of emotions that had taken over her, Stephanie closed her burning eyes and pressed her back against the door; allowing the wooden barrier to hold her weight. With the back of her hand she wiped at the wet trail of shame that ran down her cheeks, and once her tears were dried she willed herself no to release any more.

If she hadn't cried when she had been taken out the Kingdom, there was no reason to cry now that she was finally going back.

She took another breath, this one an attempt to regulate the beating of her heart… it helped a little, but not by much. Even if she could manage to calm her frenzied heart to normalcy, there was no way she could organize all the thoughts running through her mind; she just could not focus her attention in any one of them without going on to the next one.

Her mind was a collage of thoughts; a collection of images that were all messed up and intertwined. There was Jericho and their short marriage at the top of them all, Shane's new chance at life in captivity, Hunter's wretched antics, her impending journey back to the castle, her father…

"Open the door Stephanie" His voice came loud and clear even when there was a wooded door separating them. He accompanied his words with a few knocks and she could feel the door trembling slightly with his efforts; her body moved in unison with it. She wanted to ignore him, but his voice echoed into her head and permeated in her brain.

He wanted her to open the door but there was no way she was going to do anything of the kind. She had let her armor slip away too easily back in that room the moment he told her he was going to send her away. She needed to clad herself back in it, it was the only thing she had left… she just didn't know how to put it back on. That was bad, but the worst part was that she couldn't explain why his decision had bothered her like it did.

"Come on Steph, open up…" He insisted.

"Just leave me alone" She answered in defeat, her tone broken and beat down.

What else did he want? He had taken everything that mattered from her, now that he was disposing of her the least he could do was grant her a little bit of privacy, she needed it to collect herself. If she had to face him she wanted to be in control of her emotions, thing that she was far from achieving at the moment.

She had been expecting to hear his voice utter a response, maybe a refusal, but when neither came she opened her eyes. It was dark in the washroom, but not enough as not to let her take in her surroundings. Sunset was yet to come and the dull light of a late afternoon illuminated poorly the room through the window. The thought rushed into her mind that ever since leaving the Kingdom she always found herself in the dark, or had it always been this way for her?

For a long moment she stood there, leaning against the door as silence and darkness consumed her whole. Had he complied to her request and left for good?

What if he did? Would her last memory of him be the one of him sitting at the corner of the bed while he stared at her with the intensity of his blue eyes? Would she ever see him again?

Jericho, the man she could have loved if given the time… or had that been Hunter? She wasn't sure anymore. Her mind was fussy and she didn't know for sure if Jericho had taken her away from Hunter or if Hunter had taken her away from Jericho. It didn't matter, nothing mattered.

Her hand found the knob but just lingered there while she waited. There was no sound coming through the other side or any other indication of him still being there. For all she knew he could have taken off already to hunt Hunter down and that way speed up her departure from Canada. He had no reason to keep her there, so why would he?

Slowly, she turned the knob and opened the door. She wanted to crawl into the bed and sleep all her worries away. Could be that when morning came she would feel better and more optimistic.

It wasn't to be that way; he always had a way for ruining her plans. As soon as she opened the door she found him standing right in front of her, arms folded against bare chest as he lifted his gaze off the floor to look at her.

She only had a few seconds to think, and during that brief period she played with the idea of closing the door on him and shut herself back into the washroom, this time indefinitely. But his hands moved quicker that her mind and before she could even decide on what to do he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out of the doorframe and back into the room.

"Let me go" She yelped in surprise, she didn't know what else to say.

"Why are you so upset? Isn't this what you wanted? You wanted your brother to live, I let him live. You wanted to go back to the castle; back to the castle you go… what else do you want?" He asked, his fingers still wrapped tight around her arm and his eyes surveying hers.

"That's exactly what I wanted, should I thank you now?" She spat refusing to let her heated gaze drift from his.

"Then why so upset?"

"I'm not upset" she lied; he had no reason to find out. "What I am is mad and tired of you using me to get what they want. I am not an object that you can toss around at your convenience"

"We are not tossing you around, what…" he started to say but she interrupted him.

"Of course you are! The only reason you are sending me back is to serve your interest and I don't even know what those are…"

"Our only interest is our people, their safety and well being. You are our best chance at achieving that. With you on the throne we can work together and secure the safety not only of Canada's people, but the Kingdom's as well"

"My father is not even dead and you are already thinking of me on the throne" She laughed but there was no real amusement in it. "You are a fool if you think the King would let me inherit his Throne"

She knew her father to be a proud man and the chance of him taking her back after she had bedded and married a Canadian was slim. And what if she was with child… She sent a silent plead to the Gods, begging them so that her previous though wouldn't become a reality. If that was to be the case she would find herself in a limbo, neither welcome at The Kingdom nor at Canada.

"Shane will remain here indefinitely, that makes you next in line. And while the King might be a lot of things he is not a fool. He already agreed to our first offer… and that one divided his country in half. He has no other choice but to accept to this one as well. When the time comes, you will rule and…"

She leaned into him, rising on her tiptoes a bit so that she could match his height. She was getting angrier by the minute, and she had a tendency of messing things up when she was angry. "I don't want to rule" She hissed to him in contempt. "Shane is supposed to rule, not me" She was only supposed to get a good marriage and have her happily ever after. They took that from her.

"And we all know what mess that could lead to" He replied.

She tried to sneak out of his hold but he grabbed her harder when she started to struggle. Why couldn't he just let her be. "You want to burden me with a cause that I care nothing at all. I don't care about your people, their safety or whatever their needs are. If it were for me I would have Hunter kill them all and be done with it"

"I don't believe what you are saying, you just don't have it in your heart to be like them" His tone was calm and even and it only made her angrier, he didn't know her and he should not make assumptions on her... "That's why we want you there"

"I can have you killed too"

That did ruffle him up. If it was possible, he tightened his grip even more and leaned into her. "You want me dead?" His voice was almost a whisper and his breath was warm on her face.

She had to swallow hard a lump that had formed in her throat. No, she didn't want him dead… but her voice wasn't in accordance with her brain. "Yes" She responded in defiance.

He took a moment to consider her words, a moment in which an uncomfortable silence took over them. Her heart was beating wildly and she was sure he could hear it too; it was the only sound in the room. She wanted to take those words back, to say something, anything to end the silence, but he was the one to break it.

"That's not the impression you give to me when you are writhing and moaning beneath me… or on top of me for that matter" He drew even closer, his unique scent wafting over her. She could feel her cheeks flushing and she hated him for making her so weak. "That's not what your body says to me when it trembles every time I touch you" He ran a finger down her spine to prove his point, and prove it he did because she shivered slightly when his fingers slipped underneath the fabric of her shirt to repeat the same action on her naked skin.

She wanted nothing more that to push him away… but she couldn't. Her back arched the slightness bit and she forced it to straighten up before speaking. "I had to do it or you would have my brother killed" her voice was low, too low for her taste.

His eyes were still on hers, studying her. He was way too close, their bodies touching as they had done countless times before. He quirked the corner of his mouth and his eyes lowered to find her biting on her lower lip. "Is that so?"

She nodded because she couldn't speak. He knew that she was blatantly lying. Bastard. His fingers were still underneath her shirt, running along her spine in a slight caress.

"I don't believe you" He said, his tone lower and lighter than it had been a moment ago.

"I don't care if you believe me or not" She tried in vain to get free of his hold once more. "Now let me go" She wanted to get away from him as soon as possible. She didn't trust herself when he looked at her like he was doing now.

There was lust on his blue eyes, she had seen that sparkle before and she could recognize it for what it was. She could also feel his lust through the fabric of his pants, taunting her with endless possibilities.

The sensation of him wanting her amid their heated discussion went right to her core. She didn't want to feel that way, not when he was about to get rid of her.

But the touch of his fingers on her back made her melt into nothingness, her body wanted her mind to give in. Maybe one last time before she went back to her previous life, the one she could barely remember. She could feel her cheeks burning; she was on the verge of losing her composure.

"No harm will come to your brother… now tell me that you don't want me to kiss you and I'll go"

She opened her mouth to reply but her words got caught in her throat when his lips found the spot on her neck that made her tremble with need, he ran his tongue along it and then nibbled at her skin. When had their arguing turned this way?

"Tell me that you don't want me deep inside of you right now and you will never see me again"

She shut her eyes. Gods helped her but she wanted him. She wanted him to kiss her, to bury himself deep inside of her so that she would be complete for one last time… but she knew she had to say the words, she needed to send him away. "It doesn't matter… if I want it or not…" Her voice came out in broken gasps. It didn't matter; he was going to send her away anyway.

"It matters to me" He said and she gasped when his hands went to her rear and he lifted her off the floor, she parted her legs and they circled his hips on instinct.

His mouth was still on her neck, moving upward towards her ear and she threw her head back to grant his lips even more access. She loved those lips and the way they made her feel.

This was the way it was meant to be, just the two of them giving into each other. Every time his lips found her skin there was no other thought in her mind. Shane didn't exist and neither did her father, she just needed to feel. She didn't want to rule the Kingdom or go back to the castle, she just wanted to stay with him, like this, getting lost in him, succumbing to the blossoming feelings his hands provoked when they touched her.

His back was hard under her hands and it rippled with effort as he walked carrying her. "Chris…" she whispered when he set her down on top of his desk. This was not right, she needed to make him stop but her legs were still wrapped around him, she didn't want to stop him.

His lips finally found hers, muffling and making her forget whatever she was going to say in the first place. He was kissing her deep and passionately and she couldn't help but to thrust her hips into him, craving for a more intimate contact. He moaned into the kiss and she tangled her fingers into his silky locks, pulling him closer and deeper into her mouth.

She knew it was wrong, but what damage could it bring? She had already given him her body and soul.

He pulled at her pants, sliding them effortlessly off her legs without breaking the kiss. The air was cool against her newly exposed flesh, but when his hands went to run along her thighs they set her skin on fire. She wrapped her legs even tighter around him, forcing him closer.

There was still the inconvenience of the rest of their clothes and she wanted them off so she could feel all of him against her. Her anger was long forgotten, she didn't want to think on what was to come, instead she wanted to concentrate in her present, their present.

His hands were all over her, his tongue exploring her deeply, he was making her feel wanton and she knew that no other man would ever make her feel like he did. She wanted to memorize him all, his skin, his scent, all of him so that she could take solace in the memory of him once she could not have him.

He grunted when a knock came at the door, disrupting what could be their final night together. They tried to ignore it at first, but it continued. He tore his lips away from her angrily and let out a curse. He looked at the door and then back at her, his eyes dark and wild. "Just ignore it" He took possession of her swollen lips again but the knocking was incessant. It didn't take long before a voice joined the knocking.

"Jericho… " It was Christian.

Jericho slid his hands underneath her, cupping her rear as he lifted her once more. He carried her to the next room and put her down on the bed, he lowered himself on top of her. Still, the knocking continued.

"I know you are in there" The other Canadian said, even in the farthest room his voice and his knocking interrupted them. "And I hope you are not getting any while I'm standing here"

They continued kissing and touching hungrily, refusing their unquenchable need to be interrupted by Christian's inopportune visit. But a time came when they were both getting distracted by the Canadian.

They only needed a few more minutes, if he would just go away…

"Chris Jericho… We have a new lead to follow and we have to go now, come on, we can't leave without you!" Damn the man.

With a sigh of frustration, she moved her lips away from his, her hands still running along his sides. "You should get that"

She didn't want him to get that, but he would… and then he was going to leave, she knew it. Even when he had said that they were leaving on the morrow. And the sooner he left the sooner they were going to send her back. It was too soon.

He rested his chin at the swell of her breast. Even through the fabric his breath felt hot against her, all his body felt hot ho her. She felt like crying.

She pressed her lips against his forehead when he cursed again and then ran her fingers through his hair.

Maybe they were never meant to be. That they met and found themselves entwined in this messy situation was only a cruel joke of the Gods. He belonged to the Council, to Canada, while she belonged at the castle.

"Jericho!"

"I'm coming!" He yelled back angrily. "God I'm going to kill that creepy little bastard one of these days" He pushed himself off her but pulled her with him so that she would sit. "We'll talk when I get back"

She nodded and gave him a slight smile. Talking was good; it could lead to something good, and it meant that she would see him again. He smiled back and kissed her before leaving with Christian.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was already nightfall when the knock came. Stephanie wasn't asleep but she remained motionless in bed for a moment before deciding to answer it. She had no idea who could it be and she made a few guesses as she made her way to the door. All that remained of the Council was Trish, and that was her best guess, the rest of them had just gone out a few hours ago.

She just hoped it wasn't bad news.

"Oh… it's you" Stephanie said in disdain as she saw the blonde Canadian standing at her door. "What do you want?"

Maryse rolled her eyes in her usual manner. "I was send here to get you ready. The Council is waiting for you"

"Aren't they out following a lead?"

The blonde just shrugged. "I'm just following orders, they told me to get you out there, and they want you to hurry"

Stephanie frowned.

"Make sure you get dressed up warmly because we're going to ride to them" Maryse took the liberty to enter the room and take a sit.

Stephanie found the whole ordeal strange but she went on to change in spite of her doubts. Once she was done she walked out to meet with Maryse. The blonde was still sitting in the same spot, a bored expression on her face.

"Let's make haste" She said when she saw Stephanie was ready. "The sooner we get this done the better"

Together they went out and down to the stable. Their horses were saddled and ready to mount. Stephanie was only a fair rider, and after all the riding she had made on her way to Canada she had enough for a lifetime. But she mounted the horse and didn't complain.

"What about Trish?" she asked. If the Council wanted to meet her wasn't she supposed to be there as well? Why didn't they wait until getting back to the city? Unless they were planning on sending her back that same night…

"Don't be silly, you know Canada doesn't send their entire Council members out at once"

She heard Maryse words, but she ignored them. She was sure by now they were going to send her back right now.
She followed the Canadian out the gate and into the darkness of the night, her heart heavy in her chest.

Maryse broke into a fast gallop and Stephanie had no choice but to accelerate her pace. It was dark and she didn't know her way around, she didn't want to fall behind. She wondered why they couldn't wait until morning; day would make it a lot easier to bear, as darkness had a way of polluting things. At least she would get to see him.

It didn't take that long before she spotted their camp, there was a fire in it to guide their way. Once again she found herself wondering, why would they make camp being so close to the city?

There was something odd going on. She slowed her pace.

Maryse got to the camp first and was by now dismounting. She studied the camp and that was when she saw him and he saw her. She stopped the horse abruptly.

He smiled at her and walked towards her direction. Stephanie felt time stop altogether for a moment before continuing with its cruel reality. "Stephanie… it was about time I got to see that pretty face of yours once again"

Stephanie could feel her eyes growing wider and wider on her face. She couldn't speak and only limited herself to stare at the approaching man. She knew she ought to turn around and gallop as fast as the wind let her, back to Canada if she could find her way.

Maryse… that little bitch.

"Hey Batista!" Hunter called and the muscular man emerged from the darkness to join him. "Look who made her way back to us"

TBC