A/N: Thanks for reading. I promise to start updating some of my other Chris/Steph stories very soon. I mean it. :)

Stephanie hid away in the bull's-eye of the crowd, sliding her dark sunglasses down on the bridge of her nose and, essentially, spying on her boyfriend. Stealth wasn't her greatest skill, but she managed well enough, narrowing her eyes as a long-legged blond with wavy hair and an excess of makeup leaned in close to speak to Chris, telling him something that made him laugh. Stephanie was well-versed in his mannerisms, and he wasn't exhibiting the forced laughter he used when someone he wasn't interested in spoke to him. No, this laughter was the real deal; the kind of laughter Chris used with her, when they were alone together.

Against her will, seeds of doubt were planted, fueling the slithering vines of jealousy as they snaked their way through her body, just like overgrown plants overtaking a fence. Chris's laughter rang out again, and it was all she could do not to whimper aloud, desperate to tug him away from anyone of the opposite sex. Stephanie wasn't envious by nature, but her love for Chris did crazy things to her heart — things that couldn't easily be explained away, not even by her. Stephanie hunched down in her seat, difficult to do while on a set of bleachers, but she wanted to remain hidden away, to see what Chris might do if he had no idea she was watching.

The thought alarmed her, because it hadn't occurred in her mind until then that she might not trust Chris. He hadn't given reasonable cause for her doubt, which meant the problem emanated from within, giving Stephanie a starting point to focus in on. The past week had been Graham's last at school before his summer vacation was set to begin, but the football coach had called the team and their parents in that Sunday, meeting everyone on the field to pass out the uniforms and supply the summer practice schedule for the boys. The meeting had officially ended around ten minutes earlier, but Graham was busy playing with one of his friends, Nathan, and Nathan's mother had incidentally struck up a conversation with Chris.

Finished with lurking in the shadows, Stephanie stood, dusting her pants off and not bothering to remove her eyes from Chris as she followed the steel staircase down the the ground, planting her feet firmly in the grass. It was time to make her presence known. She strolled over, looking around and pretending to be interested in the sights and sounds in the surrounding area, but all she could concentrate on was Chris. As long as it had taken her to snag him, she wasn't planning on giving him up to anybody. His conversation with Nathan's mom seemed innocuous enough, but all great love stories began with a touch of innocence, and she would leave no room to let her man slip away.

"Sweetie," she sang, interrupting their conversation without remorse and slipping her arms around Chris's waist, "shouldn't we get going? It's almost dinner time, and we still have to get home and pick everyone up so we can take them out to eat."

"Oh, yeah, we should probably be on our way," Chris said, arm curling naturally around Stephanie's waist. She gazed up at him with a smile, wanting to avoid any eye contact with the woman across from them, hoping the lack of attention would make her go away, but Chris started in on introductions, forcing her into a conversation she didn't want. "Tara, this is my girlfriend Stephanie, who I was telling you about earlier. Steph, this is Nathan's mom, Tara."

"Hi, I've heard so many wonderful things about you," Tara said, smiling and holding her hand out. She seemed genuine enough, and the more brightly she smiled, the more guilty Stephanie felt for judging her prematurely. Perhaps she wasn't so bad after all; plus, Chris had mentioned Stephanie at some point during their conversation, so he hadn't forgotten about her, even if it looked like he had for a moment.

Stephanie gave a polite nod, extending her hand and shaking Tara's. "It's very nice to meet you," she said, looking toward Graham and Nathan as they attempt to catch each other in a tackle. "The boys sure seem to be hitting it off well."

"Nathan adores Graham," Tara acknowledged, glancing back at the pair as they laughed and continued to run after each other. "All I hear about every day when he gets home is what he talked about with Graham and what sports they're going to play together next year. Graham is a very important friend for Nathan to have, and I'm glad there's at least one special person who he feels extra close to."

"Me too," Chris said. "As a parent, you always worry about that sort of thing and want your kids to have friends and be happy, so I'm glad he likes Nathan so much. I've been telling Graham he should start doing more with his friends outside of school. It gets a little tricky, though."

"Tricky?" Tara asked, raising an eyebrow. Stephanie sized her up, pushing her sunglasses back over her eyes so she could watch Tara, undetected, while Chris spoke to her. She burrowed even more into Chris's side.

"Well, like I told you earlier, Graham lost his mom when he was two years old, so he gets a little attached to me sometimes," Chris explained, running his hand over Stephanie's back. "He's got his friends' phone numbers, and he'll ask me to call them before bed on occasion, which I'm good about letting him do. I try to take it a step further and ask him if he wants me to help him set up a time and day to visit his friends at their houses, but he usually says no. I'm sure he wants to spend time with his friends outside of school, but he gets anxiety when it comes time for him to leave my side."

"Poor baby," Tara said, eyes drooping sympathetically as she glanced at Graham, tilting her head thoughtfully. "I wouldn't expect that from him, because he seems so outgoing, but it's understandable if he has issues with being away from you. He probably feels vulnerable since he doesn't have his mother around."

"That's what I'm guessing, but he's entering the fourth grade this year, so I want to expand his horizons and get him out there," Chris said. "I'll find a way to make him see that he has to spend time away from me, one way or another."

When Nathan bore down on Graham, nearly crashing right into his body, Graham ran to Chris and hid behind his legs, laughing as Nathan stood on the other side of Chris, just waiting for another chance to make his tackle. Tara laughed and reached out to tussle Nathan's hair. "All right, Nathan, your friend has to go home now. Say goodbye, and we'll set up a time for you two to see each other during the summer, whenever you're not at football practice."

"Yeah, definitely, we'll have to keep in touch. Graham has Nathan's number, so I'm sure you and I can talk and work something out," Chris said, reaching for Tara's hand once more. She slipped hers inside his firm grip and he shook it, smiling widely. "It was great meeting you."

"You too," Tara said. Once Nathan said his goodbyes to Graham, Chris led him away, handing Graham's football uniform over, at his enthusiastic behest. Stephanie remained glued to Chris's side, and he kissed the top of her head as they walked.

"I'm sorry this ran so far over, babe," he said. "I wasn't expecting to stand there and talk for so long."

"It's not your fault. She was probably the one who came up to you in the first place," Stephanie said, watching Graham as he ran several paces ahead, swinging his uniform merrily while he followed the path to Stephanie's vehicle.

Chris glanced down sharply, brow furrowed, but a loopy smile offset the look. "As a matter of fact, yeah, she came up to me first. Is that a problem?"

"No, I don't really care, so whatever," Stephanie shrugged, pretending to pick casually at her nails. "If she just has to come up and talk to you, then that's her deal. She didn't have anything to say to the other parents, but suddenly when you show up, she's got a million and one different subjects to talk about. She seemed pretty nice, otherwise, I guess, but out of all the guys there, she picked you to talk to, which is so irritating."

Chris glanced down at her, thinking back to when he had first admitted that he was seeing Melissa. Stephanie's demeanor had changed in the same manner as it had back then: short and bitter tone, agitated facial expression, rambling, snippy responses. Tara had drifted too close for comfort, and Chris nearly laughed aloud when he put it all together in his mind. If there was one emotion he recognized every time, it was jealousy. "You know how much I care for you, Steph. You're the only person in the world besides me who knows what our connection is like when we're alone together. You see the way I look at you, and you feel the way I touch you, so I know that you get how much I love you."

"I do get it," she answered, "and I love you, too."

"Good. That means you should know you have nothing to worry about."

"Worry?" Her brow furrowed, and she laughed his words off, pretending not to have a single clue what he was going on about. "I'm not worried about anything, Chris. I was just making conversation."

"Mm-hmm," he said, arching an eyebrow. Stephanie's head snapped over, and she sent him a playful glare.

"What?" she asked, slipping her hand into his. "You don't believe me?"

"I believe that you believe what you're saying."

Her mouth dropped open and she scoffed, using her free hand to pull her sunglasses off of her face. By then, they had arrived at the car, and Chris pressed the button to engage the automatic locks. With the light popping sound that signaled the doors were unlocked, Graham opened his door and climbed inside, draping the seat with his football uniform and buckling in. Stephanie went around to Graham, making sure he was fully inside before she shut the door, slipping into the passenger seat. Chris rounded the car and resumed his position in the driver's seat, starting the engine.

An involuntary smile crossed his face when he felt Stephanie's eyes on him, but he didn't bother looking at her, which seemed to irk her even more. She tapped his forearm with her pointer finger, saying, "We'll finish this discussion later."

"If you insist," Chris shrugged, backing out of the parking space when the coast was clear.

"I do."

Arriving home from dinner was a relief for Chris. He had been running around all day, riding in the car with Stephanie while she ran errands, and taking Graham to school. His weekend had vanished in the blink of an eye, but Graham was on top of the world, thrilled about the idea of going 2 ½ months with absolutely nowhere he had to be, until the new school year started up. Chris only had enough time to kick off his shoes and drop backward onto the bed before his phone rang, prompting a groan from the depths of his throat as he fumbled for it. His irritation ebbed when he saw who was calling.

"Hey, Dad, what's up?"

"Hey," Ted greeted, "I'm doing pretty well, for an old man. How about you?"

"You're not old," Chris said, rolling his eyes and smiling when Stephanie came into the room and made eye contact with him. She smiled softly and closed her bedroom door, stepping out of her shoes and unbuttoning her pants. "I'm doing great, though. I already told you about Graham making his school's football team, but we took him today to pick up his uniform, so he's really excited."

"That'll be a good thing for him," Ted surmised. "Kids need sports to teach them teamwork, mental toughness, and all those little life lessons. Isn't he out of school for the summer?"

"He is, but his team still has summer practices," Chris explained, watching Stephanie as she peeled off her jeans and started in on her shirt. She normally changed in the privacy of her walk-in closet, but Chris had a feeling she was doing it out in the open to give him a show. A knock came at the door, and he stood, bringing the phone with him as he opened it to find Graham on the other side, eagerly poking his head in the room.

"Hi, Daddy!" he said. "I want to come in here with you and Stephy."

"Uh, hold on for a second, Dad," Chris said, and Ted agreed, waiting patiently on the other end of the line for him to finish up. Chris patted the top of Graham's head gently. "Stephy's getting changed right now, kiddo. Come on; I'll sit with you in your room until she finishes."

"Okay," Graham replied, running down the hallway and disappearing inside his bedroom. Chris jogged back long enough to press his lips to Stephanie's, telling her he would soon return. He closed her bedroom door and entered Graham's room, taking a seat on the bed. Decked out in a football helmet and his team jersey, Graham stood in front of the full-length wall mirror, falling into a series of poses that brought a warm smile to Chris's face as he watched.

"Sorry, I'm back," Chris said into the phone.

"Oh, good," Ted replied. "I called to see how you were, but I was mostly calling to thank you for the plane tickets. I got that e-mail from Stephanie that she promised me, and she sent the link to our boarding passes, so Amy and I have all of our flight information. We'll be there next weekend, and we couldn't be more excited."

"Great, I'm glad Steph got that stuff out to you," Chris said, chuckling when Graham leaned in toward the mirror and bared his teeth, growling as he flexed his muscles. He had certainly gotten his showmanship and competitive genes from Chris's side of the family. "She's really good about that kind of thing, so I figured she would be quick about making travel plans. She's had more than enough practice making her own travel plans to all of the WWE shows, so you know how it goes."

"How is she, by the way?"

"Just as happy, sweet, and beautiful as ever," Chris answered, eyes softening as he spoke about her. "I actually was just about to have a talk with her, but we'll continue it when I finish my conversation with you. We were at Graham's elementary school a little bit ago, and the mother of one of Graham's friends came up and introduced herself. Steph was still waiting for us on the bleachers, so I struck up a conversation with this woman, because we were just talking about our boys," he said, lowering his voice in case Stephanie happened to creep out of her room. "Steph got up and came over to us, and after we walked away from the lady, she was making these weird comments."

"What kind of weird comments?" Ted questioned.

"I think she might have been jealous that I was talking to another woman," he said, practically whispering. Anything to keep from being overheard. "She was saying she didn't understand why this woman would have chosen me to talk to out of everyone else who was there, and she said it irritated her that the woman had come up to me."

"Sounds like a little bit of jealousy to me, but take it as a compliment," Ted said, laughing softly. "I loved it when your mother would get jealous over some of the female hockey fans who used to throw themselves at me back in the day. Just take it as a sign that you've still got it. Obviously, Stephanie really cares for you if she's jealous over a woman talking to you out in the open. That's a flattering thing, not something to be concerned about, unless she starts flying off the handle when you talk to girls. That would be a problem."

"She doesn't do that," Chris said, smoothing down his hair in the back as Graham ran into his oversized closet and rummaged through baskets of toys, looking for his football. "Steph doesn't have the type of personality where she would ever fly off the handle. Even if she were mad about something, she seems more like the silent type, who would wither you by giving the silent treatment until you're eventually begging her to talk to you again."

"So, you already know all of her tricks?" Ted laughed.

"Well, she's never really been mad at me before, so I'm only guessing on this."

"If you want my advice, I really don't think you have anything to worry about," Ted remarked. "There's always some level of jealousy in a relationship, because that's human nature. I think her reaction shows that she's still a little unsure about the security of your relationship, which is normal, since you got together very recently. She needs time to feel like she truly has you reeled in, so do your best to spend extra time with her and make your moments alone count. She needs reassurance."

"I can give her that," Chris said, determination washing over his face as Graham ran back out with his football, holding it above his head in triumph. Chris fell back on Graham's bed, letting out a whooshing breath. "I can give her whatever she needs."

The thick wall of darkness disguised her face, but her aroused panting hummed in his ears, her warm breath bouncing off of his cheek as he stroked her with two fingers. She fumbled around in the dark, her hand finally coming down on his wrist, as she guided him to her most sensitive areas, wanting to make the most of his delightful touch. Chris added his thumb into the mix, gliding it over her pleasure point as his fingers worked up a rhythm inside of her, and he knew she was far gone when her body began shuddering against his arm. She cried out, begging for more, and he gave it to her until their late-night session ended with Stephanie's call of his name.

Her body clenched around his fingers and released, her fluids coating Chris's hand from fingertip to knuckle. He slid his fingers out of her and got up silently, scooting his foot along the carpet to find his way to the connecting bathroom without running into a piece of furniture. He flipped on a light switch and turned the water on at the faucet, cleaning himself up as Stephanie curled up on the bed, watching his silhouette through a pair of exhausted eyes. Even with her complete lack of sleep, she always found time to spend with Chris before bed.

Chris shut the water off and dried his hands on a clean towel hanging from the metal rack, bringing it with him as he peeked his head out the door. "Why don't you turn a lamp on, Steph? I want to talk to you for a minute."

"No," she sighed, "I want you to come back to bed and do what you just did all over again."

He smirked, replacing the towel and slipping out of the bathroom, using the light filtering into her bedroom to find his way to her bedside lamp. Chris turned the dial, and when it came on, he switched the bathroom light off and returned to bed. Stephanie hadn't bothered to move a single inch since he had left, so Chris took it upon himself to reach for her panties, fitting each of her feet into the openings and guiding them up her legs when she lifted them. He got to her thighs and Stephanie took over, pulling them up the remainder of the way.

Chris curled up on his side facing her, smiling and dotting her nose with the tip of his finger. "Are you okay?"

"I'm perfect," she said, a lazy smile of her own coming to fruition, tugging at the corners of her lips until it forced her mouth into the expression. "Why did you have to stop?"

"Well, for one thing, I need to have a talk with you," Chris mentioned. "And for another thing, you're not on regular birth control and I don't have protection to use, so actual sex is a no-go for now."

"You're scaring me," she said, her smile evaporating until nothing was left of it. Worry lines appeared near her eyes, and Chris covered her exposed cheek with his right hand.

"Why, baby?"

"Because I can't figure out what you would want to talk about, but if you're pulling me aside like this, it can't be good. Please don't say anything that's going to break my heart."

In those words, Chris saw the fragility Ted had tried to warn him of during their phone conversation. Stephanie rested in the quiet, searching his eyes for all the answers she needed to hear, and Chris couldn't leave her hanging. She needed to hear from him that he wasn't going anywhere, that he could be her rock and carry her through the tough times. More than anything, she needed to know she was loved and that there was nobody in the world who could make Chris as happy as she could, and he had no problem relaying that message to her as many times as it took for her to believe it.

"I don't break the hearts of people I love," Chris said, stroking her cheek with his thumb as he gazed into her eyes. Stephanie's tensed features instantly relaxed, and she brought her hand up to rest on his wrist, closing her eyes and puckering her lips. He took her cues and kissed her, scaling back before they fell into another passionate affair. "I mostly wanted to talk to you about today."

"Will you please tell me?" she asked. "The suspense is killing me."

"Okay, so, I get the feeling sometimes that you're unsure about us, not in the sense that you aren't happy in our relationship, but that you need more from me. You need to know that you can trust me and that I'm going to be here for you now, and for years to come," Chris said. He paused, clearing his throat as he allowed his mind to drift, taking him back to where he had started at the end of last year. "When I first met you, I was starstruck, honestly. I had watched you on TV for years, so to have you right in front of me was beyond surreal. I don't think our encounter was chance, though. I think I was meant to meet you."

"I think so, too," she agreed, eyes twinkling with an uncontrolled emotion he couldn't quite put his finger on. "It was fate that brought us together."

"That's what I always say," Chris said, winking at her. "Graham and I were supposed to find you, and we did. We share this crazy connection, and we're so close, and I guess all I'm trying to say is that I don't want you to be in fear of losing that. I'm not going anywhere, and you've already told me you're not, either. We're fine, Steph."

"I know," she frowned, shrugging. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I felt like you needed to hear it."

Stephanie pushed up on her free hand, rising to a sitting position on the bed. Chris's hand fell from her cheek. "I never suspected that you were going anywhere, though. I've been confident in our relationship up to this point, and I don't know why you think I'm not."

"I don't normally think that, but when we were at Graham's school today and I was talking to Nathan's mom, you were bothered."

"I wasn't bothered," she argued, eyes boring into his. "She didn't even faze me. I was antsy because we were going to be late for dinner, and I wanted to get back here and pick everyone up."

"Okay," Chris answered, not liking the negative turn their night was taking. "If you say so."

As soon as the words left his mouth and he saw the glint in Stephanie's eye, Chris knew he had said the wrong thing. He couldn't go around accusing Stephanie of being envious of the attention he showed to other women, even if a part of him thought it to be true. For a brief moment, his mind flashed back to earlier that evening, when he had told Ted that Stephanie hadn't ever been mad at him before. Judging by her knitted eyebrows and clenched jaw, there was a first time for everything.

"If I say so?" she repeated, nodding her head unconsciously as she eyed him, firing off one question after another. "What do you mean by that? You think I'm just a liar?"

"No, sweetheart, I don't," he replied, running a hand over his hair and sighing. "I don't want you to be mad at me. I'm not really as good at this talking thing as I'd like to be, but I was trying to say that you're the only woman I have eyes for, and I don't want you to be afraid that I'll wander away, or whatever it is that you might be concerned about. I don't want any other women. I only want you, Steph."

"Aww," she muttered, squeezing his cheek in between her thumb and forefinger as the sunshine returned to her eyes. Chris checked the clock behind her, and her eyes followed his gaze to see what time it was. She turned back to him and grabbed onto his hands. "I know it's getting late and we have to sleep, but thank you for talking to me about this. What you just said was so sweet, and it sets my heart at ease. If I can be honest with you..." she said, her voice falling off.

"It's okay, you can tell me anything," Chris said, stroking her forearm with his fingertips. "Go ahead."

"I was a little bit jealous, okay?" she said, staring down at the bed as she fiddled with the corner of the sheets. "But it was only because you were laughing with her. I know that sounds stupid, but you were completely at ease, and you acted the same way with her that you act with me when we're alone. The way you laughed and looked at her, I guess I felt like those things should be reserved for me. Not that I don't think you should ever hang out with other women but...oh dear, I'm really losing it, aren't I?"

"No, you're not," Chris chuckled. He crawled under the covers, positioning his pillow against the headboard and leaning his back against it. He waved Stephanie over and she cuddled up to his side, slipping her arms around his midsection and pressing her face into his neck, sneaking kisses in against his skin. Chris held her tightly, stroking her hair and enjoying being close to her, the woman he had dreamed of being with for months on end. "I would probably feel the same as you did, if I saw you talking and laughing with a guy, but at some point, we'll both have to overcome that."

"I know, and I get that I'm being unreasonable, but I don't want to share you," Stephanie said. She pulled her head away from the crevice in Chris's neck and wiped at her eyes, which had grown misty. "There was something about the way you laughed with her that was unsettling to me. It made me feel like you were slipping away."

"Stephanie," Chris said sternly, a clear warning in his tone, "come on, now. You know better than that."

"You're right, I do, and it won't happen again," she said, sliding down under the sheets on her side of the bed. She covered her mouth and yawned, blinking slowly as she looked up at Chris. "Will you please just come here and hold me until I fall asleep?"

"Anything for you, but this isn't over," he said, leaning over her face and bringing his lips down on hers. When he pulled away, Chris added, "We'll talk during our lunch break tomorrow."

By the time he gathered her in his arms, Stephanie was already drifting away.