Raw: April 30th 2001
Jericho watched the door intently. Why wasn't Stephanie ready yet? She knew he had a match. She knew he couldn't leave her unprotected. He had no idea how HHH had reacted to the news of Stephanie's supposed infidelity.
He had been Stephanie's shadow since it had been revealed that they had a relationship. He knew she was feeling suffocated, but he could not and would not take the chance that HHH would hurt her.
"You ready?" Chris Benoit asked him as he walked down the hall.
"Steph isn't done quite yet," Jericho responded.
"You really have a thing for her, doncha?" Benoit asked.
"You could say that," Jericho said. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about her yet. He knew that he cared for her deeply and he wouldn't like his life if she wasn't a part of it. He knew he was really attracted to her. He knew he felt a deep need to protect her. Beyond that his feelings were murky at best.
"I'm ready," Stephanie announced, coming out of the dressing room Jericho had insisted they share. "Thanks for the privacy there."
"Of course," Jericho said. He surveyed her appearance. She looked like a different person. She was still wearing the sophisticated clothing she had worn since she had admitted to being married to HHH. She was wearing black leather pants and a deep red shirt with 3/4 length sleeves and a deep v-neck. But her make-up and hair were reminiscent of the Stephanie that had been engaged to Test. Her long brown hair flowed straight and her make-up was muted. "You look great."
"Thanks," Stephanie said, ducking her head to hide a blush spreading across her cheeks. She hadn't been sure how Jericho would respond to her more modest appearance, but she wanted to feel comfortable. She hadn't felt like she was herself for a very long time.
"I have asked the Acolytes to make sure nothing happens to you while Benoit and I are in the ring," Jericho said. "And JR knows to warn you if he sees HHH or Austin coming toward the ring."
"Okay," Stephanie said. "I don't think Hunter will hurt me though. It's you I'm worried about."
"Really?" Jericho asked. She was worried about him?
"Of course," Stephanie said. "Hunter may not have been the ideal husband and he may be a little too friendly with sledge-hammers, but he would never hurt a pregnant woman."
"You're probably right," Jericho said, "but I don't have the best track record with him, so I'm sure you understand my wariness."
"I guess so," Stephanie said. "I'll be careful."
"Have you talked to your dad yet?" Jericho asked. He knew she wasn't too anxious to confront her dad since she might have injured the strength of the alliance between himself and HHH.
"Not yet," Stephanie said. "Soon."
"I'll be there for you," Jericho said. He gave her a tight hug before the countdown that proceeded his theme music went off. "Here we go."
Stephanie had forgotten what it was like to be on the good side of the fight in the time she had been with Hunter. He liked that people booed him. Then he didn't have to owe them anything. He was a hell of a wrestler. He had loved being in the ring and he loved working toward being the best. Stephanie had always respected HHH's willingness to make himself the strongest person he could be. Now it scared her because he could hurt Jericho. She knew she would kill Jericho if she were HHH.
Jericho had still been the perfect gentleman toward her. He never made any move on her, even though her marriage was pretty much over. Did he really not find her attractive? But he had been willing to marry her. What kind of man would marry a woman he was not attracted to? Jericho was no monk.
Jericho and Benoit were facing Edge, Christian, and Rhyno. Stephanie pretended avid interest in the match while she thought about what she would do. Jericho was around all the time, so she really didn't have much time to think. He was always trying to make her happy.
Jericho was the best friend she had. She could not afford to alienate him. She wouldn't even if she could. He had pretended that they had had an affair just so she could escape from her marriage. He had given her the courage to get out of a situation that she just wasn't happy in. He had risked his own neck to ensure she could have her child.
Her child was more important than anything else. She wished that the child really was Chris', but there was no possible way it could be. She had never been unfaithful to Hunter, though she had been sorely tempted. She knew Hunter had never been unfaithful to her and the only person who had been worth breaking her vows had refused to make love while she was married. She shook her head. He didn't want Stephanie to break her vows, but Jericho was more than willing for people to look at him as a home wrecker.
She would have to face the fact that the baby was Hunter's and it might be obvious. She and Jericho both had blue eyes and anyone who had taken high school biology would know it would be genetically impossible for them to have a brown-eyed child. What if the baby had brown eyes? She would have to cross that bridge when she got to it.
She had to talk to her dad and her brother. She had to know who was going to be in her corner in the long run, in case anything happened to her relationship with Jericho. She had had a marathon phone session with her mother the previous weekend. They had each shed a lot of tears and Stephanie remembered why she had always admired her mother when she was growing up. She knew her mom loved her, no matter how ruthless and merciless she appeared to be. It was comforting to know. She wasn't sure what Shane would do. He had never really liked Hunter, but he had been civil to him. Shane actually reminded her a lot of Chris. She hoped he would understand and would be able to forgive her for choosing a side his battle with Vince.
Stephanie was fairly certain Vince would never forgive her. Vince disliked Jericho immensely. He had only signed Jericho to WWF because he knew that the brash young wrestler had talent and a loyal following. Vince had been angry when she had married Hunter though and he had made the best of it. Maybe he could do it again. Maybe he would realize how important family was.
"Stephanie!" JR yelled from the announce table. "Austin is headed toward the ring!"
Stephanie quickly looked toward the Titan Tron to see Austin quickly walking toward the ring with Debra at his heels. Debra looked to be pleading for her husband to stop.
"Have you seen the Acolytes?" Stephanie asked JR.
"They're supposed to be by the gorilla," JR answered.
"Okay, I'm just going to stay here," Stephanie said. "I don't think Austin is crazy enough to hurt me."
JR shot her a questioning look. Stephanie knew that JR had every reason to never trust Stone Cold Steve Austin ever again. A chorus of boos greeted Austin as he stalked into the arena. Jericho stopped fighting and he was quickly gored by Rhyno.
"Chris!" Stephanie screamed. He was writhing on the ground in pain. Austin jumped into the ring cleared it of everyone but Jericho. "What is he doing?"
"Steph, you should leave," Debra said as Austin jumped from the ring to grab a folding chair.
"No," Stephanie whispered. She slid into the ring to protect Jericho. HHH came into the arena and ran to the ring. "Please God help me."
"Don't!" HHH screamed as Austin lifted the chair above his head.
"What?" Austin asked HHH.
"She's pregnant Steve," HHH said. "You can't hurt her. We'll get Jericho alone some other time."
"Why don't you just take her off of him right now and I can take care of him?" Austin asked.
Hunter recognized the unrestrained aggression in Austin's eyes and knew that all he wanted to do was destroy someone. "Okay," Hunter said, pulling Stephanie away from Jericho.
"Stop it!" Stephanie screamed. She tried with all of her might to get out of Hunter's viselike arms. "Somebody help him."
Jericho heard Stephanie scream. He felt the cold metal as Austin repeatedly struck him with the folding chair. "Get her out of here!" he screamed.
Hunter nodded. Stephanie didn't need to see Jericho become a victim of the pure fury that had found a home in Stone Cold. He started to take her from the ring. "Let me go Hunter!"
"No Steph," Hunter said. "I don't want you to get hurt."
"Don't you understand?" Stephanie asked, tears streaming down her face. "This is killing me!"
Hunter tried to lift her over the ropes, but she continued to struggle with him and he accidently dropped her onto the concrete outside of the ring.
"Stephanie!" HHH screamed in horror. She already looked pale.
Jericho heard the cry and the silence descend over the arena. "Steph," he whispered. He dodged the next chair shot. He realized Christian and Edge were entering the ring with chairs of their own and he felt an impending sense of doom, until they hit Austin with a con-chair-to.
"Go help her," Christian said as he helped Jericho to his feet.
Jericho was next to Stephanie in no time. HHH was crouched next to her, shaking. "I didn't mean to. I was trying to get her out of here. I didn't want her to have to see."
"I know," Jericho said. "Pick her up, I'd drop her right now."
EMTs were rushing down the ramp with a stretcher. Jericho followed them blindly, grasping Stephanie's lifeless hand.
"Steph," he whispered as he sat next to her in the ambulance. "Don't leave me."
Jericho watched the door intently. Why wasn't Stephanie ready yet? She knew he had a match. She knew he couldn't leave her unprotected. He had no idea how HHH had reacted to the news of Stephanie's supposed infidelity.
He had been Stephanie's shadow since it had been revealed that they had a relationship. He knew she was feeling suffocated, but he could not and would not take the chance that HHH would hurt her.
"You ready?" Chris Benoit asked him as he walked down the hall.
"Steph isn't done quite yet," Jericho responded.
"You really have a thing for her, doncha?" Benoit asked.
"You could say that," Jericho said. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about her yet. He knew that he cared for her deeply and he wouldn't like his life if she wasn't a part of it. He knew he was really attracted to her. He knew he felt a deep need to protect her. Beyond that his feelings were murky at best.
"I'm ready," Stephanie announced, coming out of the dressing room Jericho had insisted they share. "Thanks for the privacy there."
"Of course," Jericho said. He surveyed her appearance. She looked like a different person. She was still wearing the sophisticated clothing she had worn since she had admitted to being married to HHH. She was wearing black leather pants and a deep red shirt with 3/4 length sleeves and a deep v-neck. But her make-up and hair were reminiscent of the Stephanie that had been engaged to Test. Her long brown hair flowed straight and her make-up was muted. "You look great."
"Thanks," Stephanie said, ducking her head to hide a blush spreading across her cheeks. She hadn't been sure how Jericho would respond to her more modest appearance, but she wanted to feel comfortable. She hadn't felt like she was herself for a very long time.
"I have asked the Acolytes to make sure nothing happens to you while Benoit and I are in the ring," Jericho said. "And JR knows to warn you if he sees HHH or Austin coming toward the ring."
"Okay," Stephanie said. "I don't think Hunter will hurt me though. It's you I'm worried about."
"Really?" Jericho asked. She was worried about him?
"Of course," Stephanie said. "Hunter may not have been the ideal husband and he may be a little too friendly with sledge-hammers, but he would never hurt a pregnant woman."
"You're probably right," Jericho said, "but I don't have the best track record with him, so I'm sure you understand my wariness."
"I guess so," Stephanie said. "I'll be careful."
"Have you talked to your dad yet?" Jericho asked. He knew she wasn't too anxious to confront her dad since she might have injured the strength of the alliance between himself and HHH.
"Not yet," Stephanie said. "Soon."
"I'll be there for you," Jericho said. He gave her a tight hug before the countdown that proceeded his theme music went off. "Here we go."
Stephanie had forgotten what it was like to be on the good side of the fight in the time she had been with Hunter. He liked that people booed him. Then he didn't have to owe them anything. He was a hell of a wrestler. He had loved being in the ring and he loved working toward being the best. Stephanie had always respected HHH's willingness to make himself the strongest person he could be. Now it scared her because he could hurt Jericho. She knew she would kill Jericho if she were HHH.
Jericho had still been the perfect gentleman toward her. He never made any move on her, even though her marriage was pretty much over. Did he really not find her attractive? But he had been willing to marry her. What kind of man would marry a woman he was not attracted to? Jericho was no monk.
Jericho and Benoit were facing Edge, Christian, and Rhyno. Stephanie pretended avid interest in the match while she thought about what she would do. Jericho was around all the time, so she really didn't have much time to think. He was always trying to make her happy.
Jericho was the best friend she had. She could not afford to alienate him. She wouldn't even if she could. He had pretended that they had had an affair just so she could escape from her marriage. He had given her the courage to get out of a situation that she just wasn't happy in. He had risked his own neck to ensure she could have her child.
Her child was more important than anything else. She wished that the child really was Chris', but there was no possible way it could be. She had never been unfaithful to Hunter, though she had been sorely tempted. She knew Hunter had never been unfaithful to her and the only person who had been worth breaking her vows had refused to make love while she was married. She shook her head. He didn't want Stephanie to break her vows, but Jericho was more than willing for people to look at him as a home wrecker.
She would have to face the fact that the baby was Hunter's and it might be obvious. She and Jericho both had blue eyes and anyone who had taken high school biology would know it would be genetically impossible for them to have a brown-eyed child. What if the baby had brown eyes? She would have to cross that bridge when she got to it.
She had to talk to her dad and her brother. She had to know who was going to be in her corner in the long run, in case anything happened to her relationship with Jericho. She had had a marathon phone session with her mother the previous weekend. They had each shed a lot of tears and Stephanie remembered why she had always admired her mother when she was growing up. She knew her mom loved her, no matter how ruthless and merciless she appeared to be. It was comforting to know. She wasn't sure what Shane would do. He had never really liked Hunter, but he had been civil to him. Shane actually reminded her a lot of Chris. She hoped he would understand and would be able to forgive her for choosing a side his battle with Vince.
Stephanie was fairly certain Vince would never forgive her. Vince disliked Jericho immensely. He had only signed Jericho to WWF because he knew that the brash young wrestler had talent and a loyal following. Vince had been angry when she had married Hunter though and he had made the best of it. Maybe he could do it again. Maybe he would realize how important family was.
"Stephanie!" JR yelled from the announce table. "Austin is headed toward the ring!"
Stephanie quickly looked toward the Titan Tron to see Austin quickly walking toward the ring with Debra at his heels. Debra looked to be pleading for her husband to stop.
"Have you seen the Acolytes?" Stephanie asked JR.
"They're supposed to be by the gorilla," JR answered.
"Okay, I'm just going to stay here," Stephanie said. "I don't think Austin is crazy enough to hurt me."
JR shot her a questioning look. Stephanie knew that JR had every reason to never trust Stone Cold Steve Austin ever again. A chorus of boos greeted Austin as he stalked into the arena. Jericho stopped fighting and he was quickly gored by Rhyno.
"Chris!" Stephanie screamed. He was writhing on the ground in pain. Austin jumped into the ring cleared it of everyone but Jericho. "What is he doing?"
"Steph, you should leave," Debra said as Austin jumped from the ring to grab a folding chair.
"No," Stephanie whispered. She slid into the ring to protect Jericho. HHH came into the arena and ran to the ring. "Please God help me."
"Don't!" HHH screamed as Austin lifted the chair above his head.
"What?" Austin asked HHH.
"She's pregnant Steve," HHH said. "You can't hurt her. We'll get Jericho alone some other time."
"Why don't you just take her off of him right now and I can take care of him?" Austin asked.
Hunter recognized the unrestrained aggression in Austin's eyes and knew that all he wanted to do was destroy someone. "Okay," Hunter said, pulling Stephanie away from Jericho.
"Stop it!" Stephanie screamed. She tried with all of her might to get out of Hunter's viselike arms. "Somebody help him."
Jericho heard Stephanie scream. He felt the cold metal as Austin repeatedly struck him with the folding chair. "Get her out of here!" he screamed.
Hunter nodded. Stephanie didn't need to see Jericho become a victim of the pure fury that had found a home in Stone Cold. He started to take her from the ring. "Let me go Hunter!"
"No Steph," Hunter said. "I don't want you to get hurt."
"Don't you understand?" Stephanie asked, tears streaming down her face. "This is killing me!"
Hunter tried to lift her over the ropes, but she continued to struggle with him and he accidently dropped her onto the concrete outside of the ring.
"Stephanie!" HHH screamed in horror. She already looked pale.
Jericho heard the cry and the silence descend over the arena. "Steph," he whispered. He dodged the next chair shot. He realized Christian and Edge were entering the ring with chairs of their own and he felt an impending sense of doom, until they hit Austin with a con-chair-to.
"Go help her," Christian said as he helped Jericho to his feet.
Jericho was next to Stephanie in no time. HHH was crouched next to her, shaking. "I didn't mean to. I was trying to get her out of here. I didn't want her to have to see."
"I know," Jericho said. "Pick her up, I'd drop her right now."
EMTs were rushing down the ramp with a stretcher. Jericho followed them blindly, grasping Stephanie's lifeless hand.
"Steph," he whispered as he sat next to her in the ambulance. "Don't leave me."