A/N- I'M SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN A WHILE, LIFE HAS BEEN HECTIC AND I HAVEN'T HAD THE TIME TO WRITE. I'VE BEEN TRYING TO WRITE THIS CHAPTER FOR AGES BUT IT'S BEEN IN LITTLE DRIBS AND DRABS! I'LL TRY AND UPDATE AS REGULARLY AS I CAN AND PLEASE DON'T THINK I'VE GIVEN UP WRITING MY STORIES BECAUSE I HAVEN'T! HERE'S THE LATEST CHAPTER, READ & REVIEW.

Chris was sick of it all, sick of the headlines, sick of the phonecalls, sick of the conspiracies. It had been three days since his father's plane had gone missing, making it a front page story all over the world and yet officials were no closer to gaining any knowledge on his whereabouts or finding any wreckage of the plane in the Atlantic - where he was supposed to have been flying over at the time of his disappearance. His father had just vanished without a trace. Military forces from different countries lent a helping hand to explore his father's expected flight path and were all assisting with the search party, while America and The UK confided with each other (as Ted was leaving from New York and was flying to London) it was their responsibility to find further information but all in all there was no sign of debris, no clues as to what happened, the plane was nowhere to be found and as the hours went by the likelihood of the aircraft being found were getting slimmer and slimmer, although the investigation would continue it was presumed that Ted Jericho was dead.

It hadn't quite sunk in that this was really happening, he didn't know whether it was because he didn't believe it or because he didn't want to believe it but Chris was in a confused daze. He wasn't quite sure what he was feeling perhaps if he was in front of his father's dead body and he seen him in front of him it would feel real but he couldn't yet grieve mostly because he didn't whether there was a reason to grieve.

Everybody else found this strange, Trish had tried to get him to open up about his feelings with no success, she would have more luck trying to draw blood from a stone. Jeff had tried to talk to him about the death of his parents in which Chris would just reply 'you know they are really dead' and that would be the end of that conversation. Stephanie tried to speak to him about it and he would use flirting or jokes as a defense mechanism or as a way to avoid the subject altogether. He was in limbo, he wasn't sure how he should feel, whether there was any reason to feel sad or angry, a part of him held onto hope that he would just appear from nowhere to tell the world that there's been a huge misunderstanding and there was a perfectly logical explanation behind it.

Chris had sat in Trish and Steph's office, Stephanie had officially signed the papers to become a partner in Trish's company and they were just waiting for them to be processed. Chris was in their office because he didn't have anywhere else to go, The Codebreaker was surrounded by paparazzi hoping to get an inside scoop from one of the Jericho/Stratus family or simply just to report the story. Chris' home had become a haven for media outlets all around the world.

Trish and Steph were worried about Chris, he wasn't dealing with it healthily, he was suspiciously calm and collective and he was acting as if nothing was wrong. The TV was playing in the background quietly with Chris flicking through the channels as he sat on one of the sofas in their office, his feet up and slouching into the leather. A sudden boost in the volume broke the girls attention when none other than Trish's mother Alice was having an interview on Victoria Talks.

The three turned their attention to the television as they watched Victoria and Alice discuss the latest mystery and headline.

"Thank you for joining us today Alice, I understand this must be a very difficult time for you and your family…" Victoria said, the emotion thick in her voice.

"Family… pfft…" Trish muttered bitterly.

"Yes we are all in a state of shock but we have got each other to get through this dark time in our lives, Ted's disappearance has only brought us closer together…." Alice sniffled, it would look genuine to anybody who didn't know her but Trish and Chris knew it was all a charade.

"Lying bitch…" Trish rolled her eyes.

"Trish no matter what she's still his wife…" Stephanie replied.

"When will you people believe me, she has no emotions, that marriage was nothing but a business transaction, just like everything else in her world…" Trish responded. "She's hasn't even bothered to phone me or Chris since this has happened but she can fly to LA for a slot in the highest rated talk show in America spouting off about family for her public image and sympathy…"

"I just want to thank everybody involved in the search for my husband, he is the love of my life…"

"Oh give me a break…" Trish mumbled.

"...I've come to announce that although the search will continue for the missing aircraft and my husband, we also have to take into account that there is no evidence or trace of him anywhere, the officials who are handling this bizarre case have informed me to prepare for the worst and we're presuming that my husband is…"

Alice paused for dramatic effect before tears began streaming down her face.

"Crocodile tears right on cue…" Trish muttered.

"...I'm so sorry about that Victoria, it's just so hard to accept that he might really be gone…"

"I couldn't imagine what you and your poor family are going through…" Victoria replied with sympathy as she passed Alice a few tissues and the older woman began to dab her eyes.

"I have been advised to speak to my legal team and begin arrangements for his funeral, we have to accept the fact we may never have answers but still have hope that one day the truth will come to light, I love you so much Ted and I will keep you in my prayers, thoughts and my heart…"

"Prayers? Please if she stepped within a fifty mile radius of a church, she'd start to melt." Trish replied as she screwed her face in annoyance at her mother.

Stephanie glanced at Trish, giving her a famous 'you're not helping' look.

"What? She would, god has put her prayers on his blocked lost, she aint getting no help from the big man…" Trish shrugged. "She is milking this situation that much she may as well start her own dairy farm."

Chris turned off the TV abruptly, Trish and Stephanie sharing concerned looks with each other before turning their attention to the male who still seemed unfazed but instead expressed a puzzled look on his face, ignoring the comments of his step sister regarding his step mother. "Why would she plan a funeral so soon? He's probably fine!"

Trish bit her lip anxiously, she needed to get Chris to see the bigger picture, that there's a 90% chance that his father was gone for good. "Ermm… Chris… she's planning a funeral because you're fathers plane has disappeared… planes just don't do disappear…"

"Oh I'm sure there's a logical reason." Chris insisted.

Trish and Stephanie looked at each other with side-eyes not sure how to approach the issue.

"We have to look at the facts Jericho…" Stephanie replied in a tough-love tone. "It's been three days and still no more leads, nothing, even if the plane did crash and he miraculously survived, he's been missing in the middle of the ocean for three whole days… it's time to face the fact…"

"Don't say it." Chris replied his tone more hostile than previous. "He's not."

"Look-" Trish began before getting cut off.

"No you look, my father's not dead, I've not seen the corpse so I'm not giving up on him that easily okay? So what if it's been three days, it could be three decades for all I care but until I see his body or any evidence that says otherwise I'm not accepting it." Chris replied bluntly but without raising his voice. "Now I need to speak to Alice, I need to talk some sense into her…"

"You know that's not a good idea…" Trish warned.

"Look, I'm going guys, I'll catch up with you both later…" Chris replied casually as he pulled his cell phone out and began to walk out of the office.

Trish and Stephanie shook their heads at one another. "Steph…"

"I know…" Stephanie replied. "...when it hits him, it's going to hit like a ton of bricks…"

"That's what I'm worried about." Trish frowned at her best friend as her concern for her step-brother had just multiplied, she was terrified of what Chris would do when he began to feel the emotions he wasn't willing to accept yet.

-x-x-x-x-

Chris made his way out of StratusFashion headquarters, pulling out his iPhone in the process as he scrolled his contacts, his contacts were the nicknames he had created for people over the years; Trish was named Thunder Thighs, Steph was named Trash Bag Hoe, Jeff was named Rainbow Warrior and there was only one name that could fit Alice perfectly…

Dialling StepMonster…

After a few seconds of ringing, a very monotone Alice answered the call, her voice showed no emotion, a huge contrast to the emotion she was portraying moments before on the talk show.

"Oh Christopher, sorry I've not been in touch darling, it's just been crazy as you can imagine, how is everything?" Alice spoke through the iPhone, her usual patronising tone had returned since Victoria Talks went off the air.

Chris rolled his eyes at his stepmother's fake concern. "Oh yeah it's great as you can imagine, my life has never been better!" He replied with sarcasm.

"Now Christopher, there's no need for that…" Alice replied bluntly, he could almost hear her eyes rolling to the back of her head as she said, zero sympathy, zero empathy, zero emotion "...what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call?"

"Are you being serious?" Chris asked in disbelief how Alice was interacting with him, sure he knew she was a heartless bitch but even she couldn't be that stupid (or oblivious).

"Look darling…" Alice replied in a false tone. "I understand you're upset, we all are, however business must continue and I'm on my way back to New York as we speak, meet me tonight at the Codebreaker at 8:30pm, bring Patricia…"

"Wait Alice-"

"I really must run Christopher, Ciao darling…" Alice abruptly ended the call.

Chris sighed with frustration, he didn't expect anything less from Alice but it still pushed his buttons how she was dealing with the situation, he didn't get any answers from her and he doubted he would get any face to face.

The dark haired blond male pulled out his phone once again, he knew Trish was waiting for her new phone as her other one still hadn't turned up so he decided to text Stephanie to pass on the message.

To: Trash Bag Hoe
Tell Thunder Thighs, Codebreaker 8:30, StepMonsters request.
P.S U look gud behind that desk, but u wud look better on it with me behind u ;)

From: Trash Bag Hoe

I'm out the office, tell her yourself.
P.S you don't need sex right now, you need a therapist.

To: Trash Bag Hoe
Maybe you could help me with both ;)

-x-x-x-x-

Stephanie opened the text as she sighed and rolled her eyes before placing her cell phone back in her purse. The brunette would normally thrive of the attention she was receiving of her former lover especially as of recent the two had become quite distant and she did miss their passionate rendezvous' however even she knew it would be irresponsible to encourage his behaviour. He was avoiding an ugly truth - his father was gone and he was sole heir to the Jericho & Co and one step away from self destructing.

The brunette shook the thoughts of Chris Jericho out of her mind as she sat in a little coffee shop on the Upper East Side, after reaching out to Jonathan Coachman regarding Melina and Dave Batista, he had requested that she meet with him. She sipped on her beverage patiently as she awaited for the private investigator to arrive.

The male arrived as he gave a subtle head nod to the youngest McMahon and greeted her with a polite handshake. "Thank you for meeting with me Ms McMahon… I have an update on the David Batista and Melina Perez information that you requested… you may want to stay seated."

-x-x-x-x-

Trish sat in her office while she ate her lunch - a healthy variety of salad with curried prawns and a bottle of water to wash it down. She watched some reality TV as she kicked back into her chair and awaited the return of her best friend and new business partner. A commotion outside interrupted the blonde's peaceful lunch as she raised an eyebrow, opening the office door to find her boyfriend Jeff and her assistant Mickie arguing.

"I'm her boyfriend, I don't need an appointment!" Jeff scowled.

"Sorry unless I've been told otherwise I cannot allow you through!" Mickie glared at the rockstar.

"Woah Mickie it's fine…" Trish chuckled as she watched the two go back and forth. "Jeff Hardy never needs an appointment to see me."

Jeff threw a victorious smirk in Mickie's direction as Trish chuckled, their two hands intertwined as the blonde led her boyfriend into his office. Mickie's cocoa eyes scowling in envy as she watched the couple disappear into the office.

As the couple stood in Trish and Stephanie's office, they greeted each other with a quick yet passionate kiss. A blush appearing on the blonde's cheekbones as she looked into the eyes of her man and analysed his face, his natural hair colour had once again been stripped as he had soon grown bored and his hair was now a variety of different colours - it made him feel more like himself and Trish couldn't help but love how he managed to pull it off. Orange, purple, blue…

"Your assistant is crazy you know that right?" Jeff announced matter-of-factly.

"She's becoming more militant I'll give her that…" Trish giggled. "She just wants to impress me don't take it personal besides it's not every day the great Jeff Hardy makes an appearance at StratusFashion…"

"I was just on my way back from the studio, thought that I'd drop by and see how my favourite woman is holding up." Jeff shrugged casually before handing her a bag of chocolate bars, potato chips and candy.

Trish chuckled as she looked into the bag. "Jericho would have a field day if he seen you pass me this bag, the fat jokes wouldn't ever stop!"

"How is he?" Jeff asked.

"I'm worried about him..." Trish sighed.

"He will be alright… grief is a struggle, I should know… but he'll get through it…" Jeff reassured the blonde with a hug. "Plus it helps he has got good people around him… and Stephanie…"

The comment about her best friend made the blonde chuckle into her boyfriend's chest.

"...He's going to get through this…" Jeff continued.

"How is he supposed to grief when he won't accept the fact that Ted Jericho could be gone forever? I mean what if he never finds the body? Is he just going to hold on to the 0.01% that by some miracle his father is still alive?" Trish furrowed her brow, unable to understand her step brother's thought process.

"Body… no body… it doesn't make a difference… it's the first stage of grief… denial… all you can do is be there for him when the penny drops and not rush the process…" Jeff shrugged as he reminisced when he found out his parents were gone.

Trish separated from the hug nodding her head in agreement with the male. "You're right."

"I'm always right…" Jeff joked.

"You're definitely not always right… I can think of ten reasons on the top of my head now where you were most definitely wrong…" Trish raised an eyebrow at the rockstar.

"Damn… It was a joke… no need to go for my jugular…" Jeff rubbed the back of his head nervously.

Trish smirked. "So how are things in the land of the Extreme…"

"We're getting there, it's a bit awkward still between Amy and Matt but they've not stabbed each other or had sex with each other yet so…. You could say it's going pretty well…" Jeff chuckled. "They're being very professional, you would be proud…"

"I am proud… not of them… but of you…" Trish smiled, her hazel eyes glistening as her face glowed with happiness. "You're doing so great Hardy… I know nobody tells you enough but you've been amazing… I know it's been hard for you… you came out of rehab and everything was up in the air and you've not cracked under pressure… you mesmerize me everyday…"

Jeff chuckled as his cheeks turned a rosy colour. "Trish…"

"I know I don't want to get sentimental or embarrass you but I hope you know that nothing goes unnoticed…"

"I'm just doing what I should've been doing all alone…" Jeff shrugged off casually as he stepped over to his girlfriend leaving a gentle kiss on her golden locks. "I'll see you at home babe…"

"Actually I won't be home til late… I said I would help Mickie with her designs and then I have to go to the Codebreaker to meet with my mom and Chris… I'd invite you but-"

"You know how much your mom hates me?"

"Pretty much…" Trish chuckled.

"I think I'll pass anyway, I mean we've been doing so well on the whole no drugs and alcohol thing and let's be honest an evening with your mother is enough to push anyone to a relapse." Jeff joked.

Trish giggled as she watched her boyfriend blow her kiss as he made his way out of her office.

-x-x-x-x-

Stephanie was stood in Queens, something the brunette never pictured herself doing. Coach had managed to get her an address for Dave Batista which she was hoping would lead her to Melina, she had found out that Dave has had many run ins with the law when he was a teenager then disappeared off the radar altogether.

The brunette peaked at the seemingly normal house as she could see Dave and Melina having a disagreement - Batista would point in Melina's face as she refused to make eye contact and hiss at the shook female in front of him. Stephanie could only imagine what Melina was going through, it made her sick to see her stomach as she watched them.

An opportunity arose as she watched Dave storm out of the house and disappear down the road. Stephanie sneakily let herself in the unlocked door as she quietly shut it after her, she could hear the timid sniffles from the kitchen where she had watched from the outside as Dave and Melina had their domestics.

"It's going to be alright Melina, it will be worth it…" Melina whispered to herself, unaware of Stephanie's presence as she chopped up some vegetables to accompany her meat and potatoes which she was preparing. "He loves you, he just gets mad sometimes…"

"He doesn't love you…" Stephanie interrupted Melina's thought process, almost giving the fellow brunette a heart attack and chopping off her index finger in the process.

"What the hell are you doing here Stephanie, you do realise this is a home invasion!" Melina replied angrily as she placed down the knife on the side.

"You've disappeared off the face of New York and we were worried about you so I tracked you down to see if you were okay…" Stephanie shrugged nonchalantly as she analysed the kitchen, the snob in her wanted to comment on the 80's vibe of the kitchen decor but she decided against it.

"Well I'm here… now I think you should leave…" Melina replied, a panic tone in her voice. "Dave will be back in a minute and he isn't a huge fan of surprises…"

"I'm not scared of Dave." Stephanie chuckled.

"Well you should be." Melina warned. "Stephanie you really have to go… if he finds you here there is no telling what he will do to you!"

"And if I leave you here there is no telling what he will do to you!" Stephanie shot back.

"He won't hurt me." Melina shook her head.

"What makes you so sure?!" Stephanie raised an eyebrow at the naive brunette.

"We're having a baby!" Melina blurted out, she watched as Dave made his way back down the road. "Stephanie you really need to go please…"

"I'm not-"

"PLEASE!" Melina pleaded, the panic setting in as Dave stepped closer and closer to the door. "Just go and don't come back… don't tell anybody you have seen me… especially Trish… just forget this ever happened… he won't hurt me… not while I'm carrying his baby… just trust me Steph!"

Stephanie could be as stubborn as the next person but Melina's tone worried her, she gave the brunette a quick nod as she ran out of the kitchen just as the front door opened, the youngest McMahon slipped through the back door quietly… just in the nick of time… still no step closer to getting Melina away from that monster.

-x-x-x-x-

Trish had agreed to help Mickie with one-to-one sessions to improve her designs, she still wasn't Mickie's biggest fan but she was learning to become more patient with the brunette - after all she was harmless right?

"Thanks for agreeing to do this Trish… you have no idea how much it means to me." Mickie beamed at the blonde.

Trish nodded politely at the comment, unaware of the googly eyes she was receiving of a lovestruck Mickie. "Anytime…"

"You're so talented I hope I can be as good as you one day…" Mickie bit her lip as she analysed the blonde's angelic face.

"You could be better than me one day." Trish replied politely, the two made eye contact which caused the brunette to blush, the blonde once again not picking up on the weird signals that Mickie was blatantly throwing her way. A text interrupted their eye contact much to Mickie's dismay.

A green wave overcame the brunette as she watched the grin appear on Trish's face, jealousy and envy flooded the brunette as she knew exactly who would be texting the blonde. Jeff Hardy.

"So you're totally back together with Jeff right?" Mickie asked casually as she tried to dig for more information. "You know I never really understood you two as a couple, you're both so different…"

Trish chuckled. "You're not the only one."

"Seriously… girl talk… how did somebody like Jeff Hardy end up with someone as beautiful and amazing as you…" Mickie continued to press.

"It's hard to explain… we're so similar and different at the same time… sometimes it feels like he's the other half of my soul…" Trish answered honestly forgetting who's company she was in, once she realized what she had revealed, she cleared her throat. "So is there anybody in your love life?"

"Oh no… I mean… my ex was bat shit crazy… she was totally obsessed with me…" Mickie chuckled as she tried to hide her hidden agenda.

"She?" Trish raised an eyebrow. "I would've never thought…"

"You're not the only one…" Mickie winked.

"Touche…" A genuine chuckle released from Trish's lips. "So we're going to have to call this a wrap, I'm kind of busy for the rest of the week but if you want to practice your designs and we'll do the same again next week?"

"Yeah that would be great!" Mickie jumped up hugging the blonde and inhaling her scent in the process. Trish took no notice, by this point she just believed Mickie was enthusiastic and bubbly as a person, unaware of her growing obsession.

"Okay Mickie you can let go of me now…" Trish chuckled.

"Oh yeah sorry… I'll see you tomorrow… morning… early… basically a few hours… can't wait…" Mickie replied as Trish playfully rolled her eyes at the brunette's 'quirky' ways. Mickie watched as her boss entered the elevator and walked into her office, a picture of Trish and Jeff sat on her desk.

The brunette picked up the framed photograph as hatred grew inside her, she saw Jeff as a threat, an obstacle that was in the way of her happily ever after with her idol. She dropped the frame on the floor and stamped on the glass with her heel as the frame shattered.

Mickie smirked as she pulled out Trish's lost phone which was now connected to Trish's new phone, reading through sickly love texts between Trish and Jeff as she gathered more information about the couple that she would sooner or later use to destroy them.

-x-x-x-x-

"I'm sorry I'm late!" Trish rushed into the codebreakers restaurant where her mother and step brother were already sitting.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you Patricia, I know where your priorities lie since you began to date that drug addict again, you do realize he is probably just looking for a way to kickstart his career again after that scandal, what better way for him to stay relevant than a reunion with America's Dumbest Sweetheart…" Alice responded in one breathe. Insults about her daughter had always come naturally.

"I'm pretty sure we didn't come here to talk about my love life…" Trish rolled her eyes as she placed herself on the chair.

"No we didn't… we'll save that for another day…" Alice chuckled as she took a tiny sip of her red wine glass leaving a sticky red lip print on the side. "I have stared planning the funeral…"

"What?!" Chris gasped as his brow furrowed.

"Yes… it's going to be on live television, all the main networks will be streaming it live… I just wanted to go through a few ground rules…" Alice continued.

Trish noticed the look in Chris' eyes.

"No…" Chris's comment went unnoticed by Alice who continued to ramble.

"We'll have no explosive outbursts, no drama, you play your part as the heartbroken children, I play the devastated widow, I'll have a script wrote out for you both so you know the perfect thing to say…"

"You're a vulture…" Trish snarled.

"Well you have to do what you have got to do…" Alice shrugged.

"NO!" Chris exploded as he banged on the table with his fist. "You're not holding the funeral because my father isn't dead…"

"See this is exactly what I'm talking about…" Alice rolled her eyes in a bored manner without even flinched at the loud bang that Chris's hand had created. "You've always been so dramatic…"

"This isn't a joke, my father's life isn't a joke!" Chris screamed.

"Honestly you're getting yourself rather worked up Christopher… it's time to accept it… your father is gone… finito…" Alice said with no remorse.

Chris looked into the wicked eyes of his step mother as he picked up the round table in his hands and swung it up violently before storming off.

Alice still unfazed by the events. "Oh look he spilt red wine on my suede boots…"

"This is low mother, even for you…" Trish shook her head as she made her way after her step brother.

"Patricia, please make sure you control Christopher at the funeral, I would hate for him to embarrass himself like you do with that Hardy boy…" Alice smirked smugly.

Trish shook her head before following after Chris who had already escaped through the lobby and jumped into a limousine. Trish sighed as she attempted to ring Chris' phone but had only been hit with answer machine.

-x-x-x-x-

Chris's head was spinning, normally he could blame the alcohol, weed or another substance for his behaviour but this time it was different, he was sober and yet he felt like he was on the biggest trip of his life. He stood outside a door and knocked.

Stephanie answered. "Jericho? What are you doing here?"

Chris grabbed the brunette by the face passionately as the two locked lips and he dominantly pushed her into her own apartment and slammed the door shut after them.

-x-x-x-x-

Trish walked into her penthouse as she received Chris' voicemail once again. "Come on Chris answer your phone please… I don't want you doing something stupid… just let me know you're okay… I love you brother…"

The blonde's voice had awoken Jeff from his half-sleep as she sat next to him on the sofa and began to take off her heels.

"How did dinner go?" Jeff asked.

"Do you really have to ask?" Trish sighed.

"That bad huh?" Jeff asked as he pushed himself up from a lying position and placed his feet on the floor. "Where's Chris?"

"God knows." Trish replied "My mom is planning the funeral… Chris is a ticking time bomb which I believe just exploded in the Codebreaker and I'm not sure how the next couple of days are going to plan out but I have a feeling my damage control will be no help…"

"Let's get the SWAT team ready…" Jeff replied as he placed her hand in his and kissed her delicately on the forehead.