*** Hello all you fan-fic-people in Internet land. This chapter will be a song-fic. The song is "Mary Jane" by Alanis Morissette. Enjoy and PLEASE review. ***
Late May 2002
//What's the matter Mary Jane, you had a hard day,
As you place the don't disturb sign on the door.//
Stephanie looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes filled with self-loathing. Later that night she would "help" Test become the WCW champion and then she would betray Jericho. She wasn't sure she would be able to live with herself afterwards. But she could not see Jericho being hurt by Test, knowing she could have prevented it.
Jericho didn't deserve to be a part of the sordid web that Test was weaving. He didn't love her anymore that she loved him. But when Test looked at her he saw power and influence. Maybe by having sex with her, Test thought he could control her. What he didn't realize was that she truly knew what love was now and could not possibly be seduced into caring for him.
Save Chris Jericho or keep her morals intact. It was a tough decision. Stephanie wished she could just escape from it all. There was a way...
//You lost your place in line again, what a pity
You never seem to want to dance anymore.//
Chris Jericho slammed down the phone into the cradle. Who the hell was calling him and telling him to be careful? Was this person threatening him or warning him? And who the hell had he pissed off enough to be warned or threatened now?
He hadn't been himself over the past week. It probably had something to do with Stephanie. She had been withdrawn and touchy the previous weekend. They had argued several times and hadn't parted on the best terms. He had been trying to figure out what was going on with her on top of the strange phone calls he had been getting.
Was Stephanie pulling away from him? Was she not in love with him? Would his life ever be normal again?
//It's a long way down,
On this roller coaster//
Test knocked on the door to Stephanie's dressing room.
"Well, hello sweetheart," Test said cheerfully, placing his hands over her slumped shoulders. "Are we ready to make me a champion and then...re-acquaint ourselves with each other."
"You make it sound clean," Stephanie said. "Its disgusting Test. This whole situation. And don't you ever call me sweetheart again."
Test lifted his arms in defense. "I just came to bring you something."
Test stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small package. He threw it on the table in front of Stephanie. "Enjoy."
//The last chance streetcar
Went off the track
And you're on it//
Stephanie stared at the package, not believing what she was seeing. Test had the audacity to bring her that...or maybe he was being smart. She turned the plastic bag filled with fine white powder in her hand. Maybe he knew she would have fewer reservations and inhibitions if she were high.
It would be so easy to open the bag and sniff a line. One line would do it. Stephanie felt a pang of guilt. She knew she would be able to carry out her part of the bargain and protect Jericho if she used, but she had worked so hard. She didn't want to disappoint her family.
Stephanie looked down at the bag in her hands as silent tears flowed from her eyes.
//I hear you're counting sheep again Mary Jane
What's the point of trying to dream anymore?//
Hunter paced his hotel room. He was still friends with Jericho. They would go out and grab a beer occasionally. He had been tied up with his blossoming relationship with Jackie over the past month and hadn't spent much time with him.
Was this phone call a joke? Did Jericho really need protecting? And if so, protection from what? Hunter had a sinking feeling that it had something to do with Stephanie. Stephanie had definitely changed over the past several months, but that didn't mean the past had changed. Hunter could think of several people who hated Stephanie and who would like nothing more than to see her suffer.
How could he protect his friend?
//I hear you're losing weight again Mary Jane,
You ever wonder who you're losing it for?//
There was another knock on Stephanie's dressing room door. She threw the plastic bag in her duffel bag just before Shane walked into the room.
"How you doing Steph?" Shane asked.
"I'm okay," Stephanie said, unconvincingly.
"You know I'm here if you need to talk, right?" Shane asked.
"Sure Shane," Stephanie answered. "I'm just a little tired. I'll be glad for the break this weekend."
"Okay," Shane said uncertainly as he left the dressing room.
//Well it's full speed baby
In the wrong direction//
He looked at his cell phone, hoping Hunter hadn't recognized his voice. He wasn't sure Hunter would trust him if he knew who it was. But he knew something was wrong with Stephanie. And he knew it had to do with Test. He knew that Test tended to get obsessive and cruel. The closest person to Stephanie was Jericho. She would feel safer if she knew Jericho was being protected.
He headed down the hall. He felt like he needed to make sure Stephanie was okay. She had lost weight over the past week and there were dark circles under her eyes. He didn't know how he could help her, but he knew he needed to.
//There's a few more bruises
If that's the way
You insist on heading.//
Stephanie rested her head on the table. She had so much going for her. She was getting along with her entire family for the first time in years. She was happy as the manager of Lance Storm. She had a wonderful boyfriend, who also was the first man she had ever loved.
Stephanie reminded herself that none of this would have happened if she hadn't been so wrapped up in revenge against her father. She never would have gotten involved with Test. She would have been happy with Chris the whole time.
Stephanie reached for the plastic bag Test had given her. She set it on the table in front of her...another choice. All she really wanted to do was curl up and die.
//Please be honest Mary Jane,
Are you happy?
Please don't censor your tears//
Jericho dialed the number to Stephanie's hotel room. She hadn't answered her cell phone.
"I'm sorry Sir, Miss McMahon is not answering her phone," a hotel clerk said. "Would you like to leave a message."
"Yeah," Jericho replied.
"I'll connect you to her mailbox," the clerk said.
After the beep, Jericho said, "Steph, where are you? I know something is wrong. I wish you'd tell me. I love you. No matter what, sweetie."
//You're the sweet crusader
And you're on your way//
"Come in," Stephanie called when there was another knock on her dressing room door.
"Hey Steph," Edge said as he walked in. "How are you doing?"
"I'm okay," Stephanie said.
"Don't lie," Edge said.
"Okay," Stephanie said. "I'm absolutely miserable. I haven't been this miserable since right after my overdose."
Unconsciously, Stephanie's eyes looked guiltily towards her bag. Edge felt like he knew what she was looking at. He reached his hand into her bag and pulled out the plastic bag.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Edge asked.
//You're the last great innocent
And that's why I love you//
"It's the only way I can protect Chris!" Stephanie said, tears forming again in her eyes.
"What do you mean?" Edge asked.
"Test is going to hurt Jericho if I don't do what he wants me to do," Stephanie said.
"What does Test want you to do?" Edge asked.
"Help him win the Championship tonight," Stephanie said.
"That's not so bad," Edge said.
"He wants me to sleep with him too," Stephanie said. "And you know that beating Jericho got at the hands of those hooded people. Test orchestrated that."
"Well, lets figure out what we are going to do here to protect Jericho," Edge said, "without you having to get high and sleep with Test."
//So take this moment Mary Jane and be selfish,
Worry not about the cars that go by.//
"I can't!" Stephanie exclaimed. "There's no way."
"Of course there is," Edge said. "Test wouldn't have given you the cocaine if he didn't know that there had to be some loophole. He would hope you'd be too high to figure it out."
"You really think there's a way?" Stephanie asked.
"Well, Jericho has a lot of friends in the WWF," Edge said. "It shouldn't be too hard to find people to protect him."
Stephanie's eyes brightened considerably. "Let's start with Hunter."
"I already called Hunter," Edge said shyly. "I had a feeling you would only look so miserable if something was going wrong with Jericho."
Stephanie hugged Edge. "Thank you."
//All that matters Mary Jane is your freedom
Keep warm my dear, keep dry//
Stephanie watched as the white powder flushed down the toilet. It was a relief to feel in control of her life again. She had Edge to thank. She knew he felt guilty for introducing her to cocaine in the first place, but she felt like she owed him the world now.
Edge smiled at her as she stepped back into her dressing room. "Shane and I are going to stay with you so Test can't hurt you when he realizes you reneged on the deal."
"You told Shane?" Stephanie asked.
"He deserves to know," Edge said.
"So I can fire his ass," Shane said as he came into the room. "You should have told me sweetie."
"I know," Stephanie said as she hugged her brother.
"There's someone else you should tell," Shane said.
//Tell me
Tell me
What's the matter Mary Jane?//
Jericho picked up his phone as it rang. "Hello?"
"Hi Chris," Stephanie said. He could hear the tears clogging her throat.
"Hi baby," he said gently.
"I've got something to tell you," Stephanie said. "It's important."
"I'm listening," Jericho said.
Late May 2002
//What's the matter Mary Jane, you had a hard day,
As you place the don't disturb sign on the door.//
Stephanie looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes filled with self-loathing. Later that night she would "help" Test become the WCW champion and then she would betray Jericho. She wasn't sure she would be able to live with herself afterwards. But she could not see Jericho being hurt by Test, knowing she could have prevented it.
Jericho didn't deserve to be a part of the sordid web that Test was weaving. He didn't love her anymore that she loved him. But when Test looked at her he saw power and influence. Maybe by having sex with her, Test thought he could control her. What he didn't realize was that she truly knew what love was now and could not possibly be seduced into caring for him.
Save Chris Jericho or keep her morals intact. It was a tough decision. Stephanie wished she could just escape from it all. There was a way...
//You lost your place in line again, what a pity
You never seem to want to dance anymore.//
Chris Jericho slammed down the phone into the cradle. Who the hell was calling him and telling him to be careful? Was this person threatening him or warning him? And who the hell had he pissed off enough to be warned or threatened now?
He hadn't been himself over the past week. It probably had something to do with Stephanie. She had been withdrawn and touchy the previous weekend. They had argued several times and hadn't parted on the best terms. He had been trying to figure out what was going on with her on top of the strange phone calls he had been getting.
Was Stephanie pulling away from him? Was she not in love with him? Would his life ever be normal again?
//It's a long way down,
On this roller coaster//
Test knocked on the door to Stephanie's dressing room.
"Well, hello sweetheart," Test said cheerfully, placing his hands over her slumped shoulders. "Are we ready to make me a champion and then...re-acquaint ourselves with each other."
"You make it sound clean," Stephanie said. "Its disgusting Test. This whole situation. And don't you ever call me sweetheart again."
Test lifted his arms in defense. "I just came to bring you something."
Test stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small package. He threw it on the table in front of Stephanie. "Enjoy."
//The last chance streetcar
Went off the track
And you're on it//
Stephanie stared at the package, not believing what she was seeing. Test had the audacity to bring her that...or maybe he was being smart. She turned the plastic bag filled with fine white powder in her hand. Maybe he knew she would have fewer reservations and inhibitions if she were high.
It would be so easy to open the bag and sniff a line. One line would do it. Stephanie felt a pang of guilt. She knew she would be able to carry out her part of the bargain and protect Jericho if she used, but she had worked so hard. She didn't want to disappoint her family.
Stephanie looked down at the bag in her hands as silent tears flowed from her eyes.
//I hear you're counting sheep again Mary Jane
What's the point of trying to dream anymore?//
Hunter paced his hotel room. He was still friends with Jericho. They would go out and grab a beer occasionally. He had been tied up with his blossoming relationship with Jackie over the past month and hadn't spent much time with him.
Was this phone call a joke? Did Jericho really need protecting? And if so, protection from what? Hunter had a sinking feeling that it had something to do with Stephanie. Stephanie had definitely changed over the past several months, but that didn't mean the past had changed. Hunter could think of several people who hated Stephanie and who would like nothing more than to see her suffer.
How could he protect his friend?
//I hear you're losing weight again Mary Jane,
You ever wonder who you're losing it for?//
There was another knock on Stephanie's dressing room door. She threw the plastic bag in her duffel bag just before Shane walked into the room.
"How you doing Steph?" Shane asked.
"I'm okay," Stephanie said, unconvincingly.
"You know I'm here if you need to talk, right?" Shane asked.
"Sure Shane," Stephanie answered. "I'm just a little tired. I'll be glad for the break this weekend."
"Okay," Shane said uncertainly as he left the dressing room.
//Well it's full speed baby
In the wrong direction//
He looked at his cell phone, hoping Hunter hadn't recognized his voice. He wasn't sure Hunter would trust him if he knew who it was. But he knew something was wrong with Stephanie. And he knew it had to do with Test. He knew that Test tended to get obsessive and cruel. The closest person to Stephanie was Jericho. She would feel safer if she knew Jericho was being protected.
He headed down the hall. He felt like he needed to make sure Stephanie was okay. She had lost weight over the past week and there were dark circles under her eyes. He didn't know how he could help her, but he knew he needed to.
//There's a few more bruises
If that's the way
You insist on heading.//
Stephanie rested her head on the table. She had so much going for her. She was getting along with her entire family for the first time in years. She was happy as the manager of Lance Storm. She had a wonderful boyfriend, who also was the first man she had ever loved.
Stephanie reminded herself that none of this would have happened if she hadn't been so wrapped up in revenge against her father. She never would have gotten involved with Test. She would have been happy with Chris the whole time.
Stephanie reached for the plastic bag Test had given her. She set it on the table in front of her...another choice. All she really wanted to do was curl up and die.
//Please be honest Mary Jane,
Are you happy?
Please don't censor your tears//
Jericho dialed the number to Stephanie's hotel room. She hadn't answered her cell phone.
"I'm sorry Sir, Miss McMahon is not answering her phone," a hotel clerk said. "Would you like to leave a message."
"Yeah," Jericho replied.
"I'll connect you to her mailbox," the clerk said.
After the beep, Jericho said, "Steph, where are you? I know something is wrong. I wish you'd tell me. I love you. No matter what, sweetie."
//You're the sweet crusader
And you're on your way//
"Come in," Stephanie called when there was another knock on her dressing room door.
"Hey Steph," Edge said as he walked in. "How are you doing?"
"I'm okay," Stephanie said.
"Don't lie," Edge said.
"Okay," Stephanie said. "I'm absolutely miserable. I haven't been this miserable since right after my overdose."
Unconsciously, Stephanie's eyes looked guiltily towards her bag. Edge felt like he knew what she was looking at. He reached his hand into her bag and pulled out the plastic bag.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Edge asked.
//You're the last great innocent
And that's why I love you//
"It's the only way I can protect Chris!" Stephanie said, tears forming again in her eyes.
"What do you mean?" Edge asked.
"Test is going to hurt Jericho if I don't do what he wants me to do," Stephanie said.
"What does Test want you to do?" Edge asked.
"Help him win the Championship tonight," Stephanie said.
"That's not so bad," Edge said.
"He wants me to sleep with him too," Stephanie said. "And you know that beating Jericho got at the hands of those hooded people. Test orchestrated that."
"Well, lets figure out what we are going to do here to protect Jericho," Edge said, "without you having to get high and sleep with Test."
//So take this moment Mary Jane and be selfish,
Worry not about the cars that go by.//
"I can't!" Stephanie exclaimed. "There's no way."
"Of course there is," Edge said. "Test wouldn't have given you the cocaine if he didn't know that there had to be some loophole. He would hope you'd be too high to figure it out."
"You really think there's a way?" Stephanie asked.
"Well, Jericho has a lot of friends in the WWF," Edge said. "It shouldn't be too hard to find people to protect him."
Stephanie's eyes brightened considerably. "Let's start with Hunter."
"I already called Hunter," Edge said shyly. "I had a feeling you would only look so miserable if something was going wrong with Jericho."
Stephanie hugged Edge. "Thank you."
//All that matters Mary Jane is your freedom
Keep warm my dear, keep dry//
Stephanie watched as the white powder flushed down the toilet. It was a relief to feel in control of her life again. She had Edge to thank. She knew he felt guilty for introducing her to cocaine in the first place, but she felt like she owed him the world now.
Edge smiled at her as she stepped back into her dressing room. "Shane and I are going to stay with you so Test can't hurt you when he realizes you reneged on the deal."
"You told Shane?" Stephanie asked.
"He deserves to know," Edge said.
"So I can fire his ass," Shane said as he came into the room. "You should have told me sweetie."
"I know," Stephanie said as she hugged her brother.
"There's someone else you should tell," Shane said.
//Tell me
Tell me
What's the matter Mary Jane?//
Jericho picked up his phone as it rang. "Hello?"
"Hi Chris," Stephanie said. He could hear the tears clogging her throat.
"Hi baby," he said gently.
"I've got something to tell you," Stephanie said. "It's important."
"I'm listening," Jericho said.