Smackdown: April 26, 2001
"Stephanie," Jericho hissed. "Why the hell are you in your wrestling gear?"
"Because Regal scheduled a match between Lita and I," Stephanie whispered back to him. "Kind of the same reason you're in your wrestling gear."
"You know what I'm talking about!" Jericho said. "You can't wrestle! You might hurt the baby!"
Stephanie's blue eyes clouded in pain. "Maybe that would be the best thing. For me to lose the baby. I can't have Hunter's child."
"You can sleep with him but you can't have his baby?" Jericho asked sarcastically. Stephanie drew back in shock and hurt. Chris mentally cursed himself. "Look Steph, I know you hurt right now. But you can't do this."
"I have no choice," Stephanie said sadly. "I don't want Hunter to know I'm having his baby."
"It doesn't have to be his," Chris said.
"It would be better if maybe I had cheated on him," Stephanie said. "But the closest I ever came were the two kisses I had with you."
"What about Angle?" Chris asked.
"Everyone would buy it," Stephanie said. "But I couldn't do that to Kurt. He's been such a good friend, making sure you and I don't get caught."
"Can't you get out of the match Steph?" Chris asked, his eyes pleading with hers. "I don't want you to do anything you'll regret."
"I think any way I go I'll have regrets right now," Stephanie said. "My match is in 20. I've got to go warm up."
Chris watched her walk away. "Dammit all to hell!" he exclaimed to himself.
He walked back to Chris Benoit's dressing room. "Hey Benoit."
"You ready for our match?" Benoit asked, lacing up his boots.
"Yeah," Jericho asked. "Do you hate HHH?"
"I don't hate him," Benoit said. "Don't particularly care for him either. He's not such a great person. Why?"
"I have a friend who needs to get away from him," Jericho said.
"You might want to look into Undertaker helping us out," Benoit said.
"Us?" Jericho asked in shock. There wasn't much between he and the Rabid Wolverine besides bad blood.
"I like a good fight," Benoit shrugged.
"Let's go find Dead Man Inc.," Jericho said. "We've got to hurry."
Fifteen minutes later, Stephanie walked down the ramp to face Lita. She knew Chris was right. If the baby got hurt in this match she would probably hate herself. But she absolutely refused to have Hunter Hearst Helmsley's child. He would make a horrible father. She knew he thought she wanted to get pregnant, but she had been doing everything within her power to prevent conception.
Now she was about to endanger the life of a miracle. "Please forgive me," she whispered.
Then the countdown clock went off. Stephanie spun around to look at the top of the ramp. Jericho stood at the top with Benoit, the Undertaker, and Kane. "No," Stephanie said to no one.
"What did you do this time?" Lita asked.
"I, something stupid probably," Stephanie said as Jericho came down the ramp with the three other men.
Jericho brought the microphone to his mouth. "I know all of you Jerichoholics are wondering what are the four most dominant men in the WWF...or at least the most talented men in the WWF are doing at a women's match. Well, why don't we ask Daddy's Little Girl herself."
Stephanie gulped as Jericho came into the ring, followed by Undertaker, Kane, and Benoit. "Don't do this Jericho."
"Yeah Jericho!" HHH yelled into a microphone on the way down to the ring. "Stay the hell away from my wife!"
"Stephanie, why don't you tell your husband how you really feel about him?" Jericho asked. "About what you and I will be sharing in about eight months?"
"What?" Stephanie asked, not believing what she was hearing.
"Tell him who the father of your baby is," Jericho said to Stephanie, looking deep into her eyes.
HHH stepped into the ring, but Undertaker and Kane would not let him near Stephanie. "We're having a baby Steph?"
"No," Stephanie said uncertainly. "I'm having a baby...with Chris Jericho."
Chris Jericho grinned. "That's right Hunter...your little wife got sick of you only caring about the WWF championship and decided she needed a real man who would pay attention to her."
"Chris, he'll kill you," Stephanie whispered.
Suddenly Stone Cold Steve Austin's music blared. "Now we're going to have a little fun," the Undertaker said under his breath.
"You need a little help HHH?" Austin asked.
"You might want to help me beat the crap out of this arrogant little creep who thinks he can take my wife away from me," HHH answered.
"He didn't take me away from you Hunter," Stephanie said. "I chose to be with him. You really think Chris Jericho wanted to be with me?"
Chris spun his head to look at her. Did she really think he didn't want to be with her? He had behaved because she was married, but he wanted her more than he had wanted anyone in his life.
"Steph," HHH said. "Don't do this. Not with him."
"It's done," Stephanie said, taking Jericho's hand. "I've made my choice."
As HHH lunged forward, Kane grabbed him and chokeslammed him. Austin ran to the ring, grabbing a chair on the way. He managed to lay out Benoit and hurt Kane's elbow again. Undertaker stopped him and decimated him outside of the ring.
"Chris Jericho," a nasally voice asked from the top of the ramp. "What do you think you are doing airing personal business in front of millions of people?"
"Would you let me?" Stephanie asked, taking the microphone from Jericho. "William Regal, will you PLEASE shut...the hell up?!"
Chris chuckled to himself as William Regal turned purple from embarrassment. Undertaker, Kane, and Benoit had chased HHH and Stone Cold into the audience.
"I don't care if you are a McMahon," William Regal said, obviously infuriated. He nodded at Kurt Angle as he appeared at his side. "How dare you besmirch me? Don't you agree Kurt?"
Kurt grinned as he said, "I agree with my friend Stephanie...shut the hell up."
Kurt grabbed Regal and threw him off the ramp to a table below. "All I have to say is...it took you two long enough. I'm happy for you."
For several moments the crowd at Smackdown sat in silence. Stephanie was having Jericho's baby? Kurt was happy for Stephanie and Jericho? Kane, Undertaker, Benoit, and Jericho were all working together? Then the crowd rose to its feet and cheered.
Stephanie found herself backstage with Jericho. "I don't believe we just did that. Chris you just...for me? No one has ever been that wonderful to me before."
"And no one else will ever be that wonderful to you again," Chris said. "Just me."
"What?" Stephanie asked.
"You're going to marry me," Chris explained. "After the divorce from HHH comes through of course."
"Um, ok...when do I get a say in my life?" Stephanie asked.
"Steph, we have to take care of the baby," Jericho explained. "Getting married is the easiest way to do that."
"I've already been through a farce of a marriage," Stephanie said. "I refuse to do it again. I refuse to ruin your life. You're my best friend Chris and you proved it...but I'm not going to marry you. I'm not going to let you order me to marry you."
Stephanie turned on her heel and got ready to leave Jericho's dressing room before Jericho grabbed her wrist. "Honey, we might as well pretend we are a happy couple or you will never get away from your loving husband."
"Right," Stephanie said. "I don't want to ruin your life Chris."
"You won't be," Chris insisted.
"Don't make me marry you then," Stephanie said.
"Am I that repulsive?" Jericho asked.
"I want to be in love with the next person I marry," Stephanie said. "Is that okay?"
"Yeah," Chris said. "That I can understand sweetheart." And I you will fall in love with me, Jericho thought.
"Stephanie," Jericho hissed. "Why the hell are you in your wrestling gear?"
"Because Regal scheduled a match between Lita and I," Stephanie whispered back to him. "Kind of the same reason you're in your wrestling gear."
"You know what I'm talking about!" Jericho said. "You can't wrestle! You might hurt the baby!"
Stephanie's blue eyes clouded in pain. "Maybe that would be the best thing. For me to lose the baby. I can't have Hunter's child."
"You can sleep with him but you can't have his baby?" Jericho asked sarcastically. Stephanie drew back in shock and hurt. Chris mentally cursed himself. "Look Steph, I know you hurt right now. But you can't do this."
"I have no choice," Stephanie said sadly. "I don't want Hunter to know I'm having his baby."
"It doesn't have to be his," Chris said.
"It would be better if maybe I had cheated on him," Stephanie said. "But the closest I ever came were the two kisses I had with you."
"What about Angle?" Chris asked.
"Everyone would buy it," Stephanie said. "But I couldn't do that to Kurt. He's been such a good friend, making sure you and I don't get caught."
"Can't you get out of the match Steph?" Chris asked, his eyes pleading with hers. "I don't want you to do anything you'll regret."
"I think any way I go I'll have regrets right now," Stephanie said. "My match is in 20. I've got to go warm up."
Chris watched her walk away. "Dammit all to hell!" he exclaimed to himself.
He walked back to Chris Benoit's dressing room. "Hey Benoit."
"You ready for our match?" Benoit asked, lacing up his boots.
"Yeah," Jericho asked. "Do you hate HHH?"
"I don't hate him," Benoit said. "Don't particularly care for him either. He's not such a great person. Why?"
"I have a friend who needs to get away from him," Jericho said.
"You might want to look into Undertaker helping us out," Benoit said.
"Us?" Jericho asked in shock. There wasn't much between he and the Rabid Wolverine besides bad blood.
"I like a good fight," Benoit shrugged.
"Let's go find Dead Man Inc.," Jericho said. "We've got to hurry."
Fifteen minutes later, Stephanie walked down the ramp to face Lita. She knew Chris was right. If the baby got hurt in this match she would probably hate herself. But she absolutely refused to have Hunter Hearst Helmsley's child. He would make a horrible father. She knew he thought she wanted to get pregnant, but she had been doing everything within her power to prevent conception.
Now she was about to endanger the life of a miracle. "Please forgive me," she whispered.
Then the countdown clock went off. Stephanie spun around to look at the top of the ramp. Jericho stood at the top with Benoit, the Undertaker, and Kane. "No," Stephanie said to no one.
"What did you do this time?" Lita asked.
"I, something stupid probably," Stephanie said as Jericho came down the ramp with the three other men.
Jericho brought the microphone to his mouth. "I know all of you Jerichoholics are wondering what are the four most dominant men in the WWF...or at least the most talented men in the WWF are doing at a women's match. Well, why don't we ask Daddy's Little Girl herself."
Stephanie gulped as Jericho came into the ring, followed by Undertaker, Kane, and Benoit. "Don't do this Jericho."
"Yeah Jericho!" HHH yelled into a microphone on the way down to the ring. "Stay the hell away from my wife!"
"Stephanie, why don't you tell your husband how you really feel about him?" Jericho asked. "About what you and I will be sharing in about eight months?"
"What?" Stephanie asked, not believing what she was hearing.
"Tell him who the father of your baby is," Jericho said to Stephanie, looking deep into her eyes.
HHH stepped into the ring, but Undertaker and Kane would not let him near Stephanie. "We're having a baby Steph?"
"No," Stephanie said uncertainly. "I'm having a baby...with Chris Jericho."
Chris Jericho grinned. "That's right Hunter...your little wife got sick of you only caring about the WWF championship and decided she needed a real man who would pay attention to her."
"Chris, he'll kill you," Stephanie whispered.
Suddenly Stone Cold Steve Austin's music blared. "Now we're going to have a little fun," the Undertaker said under his breath.
"You need a little help HHH?" Austin asked.
"You might want to help me beat the crap out of this arrogant little creep who thinks he can take my wife away from me," HHH answered.
"He didn't take me away from you Hunter," Stephanie said. "I chose to be with him. You really think Chris Jericho wanted to be with me?"
Chris spun his head to look at her. Did she really think he didn't want to be with her? He had behaved because she was married, but he wanted her more than he had wanted anyone in his life.
"Steph," HHH said. "Don't do this. Not with him."
"It's done," Stephanie said, taking Jericho's hand. "I've made my choice."
As HHH lunged forward, Kane grabbed him and chokeslammed him. Austin ran to the ring, grabbing a chair on the way. He managed to lay out Benoit and hurt Kane's elbow again. Undertaker stopped him and decimated him outside of the ring.
"Chris Jericho," a nasally voice asked from the top of the ramp. "What do you think you are doing airing personal business in front of millions of people?"
"Would you let me?" Stephanie asked, taking the microphone from Jericho. "William Regal, will you PLEASE shut...the hell up?!"
Chris chuckled to himself as William Regal turned purple from embarrassment. Undertaker, Kane, and Benoit had chased HHH and Stone Cold into the audience.
"I don't care if you are a McMahon," William Regal said, obviously infuriated. He nodded at Kurt Angle as he appeared at his side. "How dare you besmirch me? Don't you agree Kurt?"
Kurt grinned as he said, "I agree with my friend Stephanie...shut the hell up."
Kurt grabbed Regal and threw him off the ramp to a table below. "All I have to say is...it took you two long enough. I'm happy for you."
For several moments the crowd at Smackdown sat in silence. Stephanie was having Jericho's baby? Kurt was happy for Stephanie and Jericho? Kane, Undertaker, Benoit, and Jericho were all working together? Then the crowd rose to its feet and cheered.
Stephanie found herself backstage with Jericho. "I don't believe we just did that. Chris you just...for me? No one has ever been that wonderful to me before."
"And no one else will ever be that wonderful to you again," Chris said. "Just me."
"What?" Stephanie asked.
"You're going to marry me," Chris explained. "After the divorce from HHH comes through of course."
"Um, ok...when do I get a say in my life?" Stephanie asked.
"Steph, we have to take care of the baby," Jericho explained. "Getting married is the easiest way to do that."
"I've already been through a farce of a marriage," Stephanie said. "I refuse to do it again. I refuse to ruin your life. You're my best friend Chris and you proved it...but I'm not going to marry you. I'm not going to let you order me to marry you."
Stephanie turned on her heel and got ready to leave Jericho's dressing room before Jericho grabbed her wrist. "Honey, we might as well pretend we are a happy couple or you will never get away from your loving husband."
"Right," Stephanie said. "I don't want to ruin your life Chris."
"You won't be," Chris insisted.
"Don't make me marry you then," Stephanie said.
"Am I that repulsive?" Jericho asked.
"I want to be in love with the next person I marry," Stephanie said. "Is that okay?"
"Yeah," Chris said. "That I can understand sweetheart." And I you will fall in love with me, Jericho thought.