Chris didn't want to say it outloud, but he was as worried as Stephanie was about exactly what people would say. Having her as a valet would surprise quite a few people, along with Vince who probably thought all ready that he was leaving the WWF because of his..sudden odd tendences to help his enemy. Of course, this didn't stop him from agreeing, because in truth it was his decision and no one else's, but still..
He had to work to get people to trust her. The Alliance would be after her. If she was with him, that meant she jumped ship. She was WWF again. Being a traitor didn't sit well with the other side. But how would he get people to understand? He didn't know why he was so readily believeing her himself.
People always said never trust a McMahon, right?
What if she was just up to another scheme? Tears were easy to fake. Hell, he knew she would go as far as to let someone hurt her on purpose to trick him. But still..for some reason, he just trusted her word, perhaps because she helped him get the title and he knew Austin would never have agreed with that, the title was his life. Whatever it was, he decided to just go with it.
"I'll have to tell Vince about this." he said, a bit tentitively, as he mindlessly thumbed through a magazine he had to have read a hundred times. He snuck a glance at her. She looked like she was a bit downtroddened by the idea.
"I know." she replied. "And he's going to wonder about your sanity."
"To tell you the truth, I wonder about it myself." he responded, stretching out on the bed. "But that's why I'm absolutely going for it. I don't like being predictable."
"Yeah, I tend to see that about you." she rolled her eyes.
"Hey, I must be doing something right, I got you to trust me in..oh.." he looked at his watch. "12 hours or so?"
"Who says I trust you?" she raised a brow.
"Well, I would hope you trust me, I mean, I know I wouldn't offer to be a sidekick to my enemies usually." he smirked.
"Not a sidekick, a valet," she corrected. "I'm not wearing a cape and you're not a superhero."
"..Who told you my secret?!" he asked mockingly. She gave him a 'You're an idiot' look. "I know, I know, you're only helping me because I'm the only one not ready to kill you..and the irony in that is dripping, trust me, I know."
"So if you know that, why are you letting me 'use' you like that?" she inquired, sounding curious.
"I'm not being used," he shook his head. "I don't get used. I could have kicked your ass, but I didn't. You are a very VERY valuable person now, considering that you've basically turned your back on your company. You know things. Lots of things you shouldn't know on this side of the battlefield. You, Stephanie, are a damn Benidict Arnold, and I'm the British armyman who must bring you to the general!"
"..What the hell are you talking about?" she paused. "..And didn't Benidict Arnold end up fleeing the United States and going to the English side, ultimately getting less respect then before? And aren't you Canadian?"
"I was making an example," he groaned.
"Well it wasn't a very good one," she replied prepensively.
"Can we please get off the subject of my example?" he asked, exasperated. "Anyway, I'm not doing this because I absolutely want too, sorry to break that image up. I'm not free service bodyguarding."
"So name your price." she replied simply.
"It's very simple. You tell your dad everything you can about your old team..oh, and if I find out you lie even a little TEENY bit..well..you'll just have to see how fun that will be." he grinned almost sadistically.
"Talk to my dad?" she sighed. "I'm sure THAT will go well."
"It might, it might not." he shrugged. "I said it before, the title you happened to help me get is like..the holy grail of wrestling. In the wrong hands..well, look at Austin..but with someone like ME.."
"You like to talk about yourself a lot, don't you?" she questioned. He shrugged.
"When you got it.." he replied honestly.
"What do YOU got?" she asked, turning to him. "Why do you think you're so..special, anyway?"
"Come on..look at me..nice body..cool hair..funny personality..everyone loves me." he beamed.
"Did I ever tell you that you scare me sometimes?" she asked after a pause.
"Nope, but thanks for telling me." he laughed. "So, is it a deal Mizz McMahon?"
"..When do we see my dad?" she asked.
"Soon as possible." he responded, nodding. "Like..todayish? Well, more like..this morning."
"That soon?" she asked.
"Well, I think--" A knock at the door. "We'll talk about this later." She nodded, and he got up and answered the door.
"Chris!" Jericho suddenly felt defensive, his mind flashing back to all the previous times his boss showed up at his door.
"I did nothing." he responded quickly.
"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I agree with you." Vince laughed. Chris relaxed a little. Say, this was actually pretty handy. Now they didn't have to go to him. He came to them. As long as he wasn't in trouble..
"I just wanted to come and congradulate you personally on your win." he explained.
"About that, Vance.." he trailed off. "I have someone I want you to see, follow me." Vince looked a bit confused, but followed him inside. Chris smirked. "Come out."
"I'm not here." he heard her mumble. Vince blinked, walking to the other side of the bed, his eyes focusing on Stephanie.
"Stephanie?" he asked, sounding shocked. She sighed, pulling herself up.
"Hello Daddy." she frowned. He turned to Chris.
"What is this? Are you leaving the WWF?" he demanded.
"No, actually, we're gaining a new member, I believe." he gestured to her again. "She helped me get the title, remember that."
"But Chris, I don't know--" he frowned, his eyes never leaving her.
"And she knows everything we need to know to end the Alliance. Vance, I swear, it's a perfect opportunity." he continued.
"Very true..well..if I agree to this, she's your responsiblity." he eyed her wearily.
"Absolutely." he nodded. "I'll get all the info you're need."
"Fine." Vince finally said after a long pause. "I have business to take care of. Chris, it's been good talking to you."
"Yep. C-ya." Vince gave Stephanie a look again, then walked out of the room.
"He doesn't trust me." Stephanie said when he was gone.
"Give him time." Jericho replied.
Jericho knew it was only going to get harder, but he didn't tell her that. He couldn't.
~~~~~~~~~
End of story part one. Look for the next in this series--Better Days.
He had to work to get people to trust her. The Alliance would be after her. If she was with him, that meant she jumped ship. She was WWF again. Being a traitor didn't sit well with the other side. But how would he get people to understand? He didn't know why he was so readily believeing her himself.
People always said never trust a McMahon, right?
What if she was just up to another scheme? Tears were easy to fake. Hell, he knew she would go as far as to let someone hurt her on purpose to trick him. But still..for some reason, he just trusted her word, perhaps because she helped him get the title and he knew Austin would never have agreed with that, the title was his life. Whatever it was, he decided to just go with it.
"I'll have to tell Vince about this." he said, a bit tentitively, as he mindlessly thumbed through a magazine he had to have read a hundred times. He snuck a glance at her. She looked like she was a bit downtroddened by the idea.
"I know." she replied. "And he's going to wonder about your sanity."
"To tell you the truth, I wonder about it myself." he responded, stretching out on the bed. "But that's why I'm absolutely going for it. I don't like being predictable."
"Yeah, I tend to see that about you." she rolled her eyes.
"Hey, I must be doing something right, I got you to trust me in..oh.." he looked at his watch. "12 hours or so?"
"Who says I trust you?" she raised a brow.
"Well, I would hope you trust me, I mean, I know I wouldn't offer to be a sidekick to my enemies usually." he smirked.
"Not a sidekick, a valet," she corrected. "I'm not wearing a cape and you're not a superhero."
"..Who told you my secret?!" he asked mockingly. She gave him a 'You're an idiot' look. "I know, I know, you're only helping me because I'm the only one not ready to kill you..and the irony in that is dripping, trust me, I know."
"So if you know that, why are you letting me 'use' you like that?" she inquired, sounding curious.
"I'm not being used," he shook his head. "I don't get used. I could have kicked your ass, but I didn't. You are a very VERY valuable person now, considering that you've basically turned your back on your company. You know things. Lots of things you shouldn't know on this side of the battlefield. You, Stephanie, are a damn Benidict Arnold, and I'm the British armyman who must bring you to the general!"
"..What the hell are you talking about?" she paused. "..And didn't Benidict Arnold end up fleeing the United States and going to the English side, ultimately getting less respect then before? And aren't you Canadian?"
"I was making an example," he groaned.
"Well it wasn't a very good one," she replied prepensively.
"Can we please get off the subject of my example?" he asked, exasperated. "Anyway, I'm not doing this because I absolutely want too, sorry to break that image up. I'm not free service bodyguarding."
"So name your price." she replied simply.
"It's very simple. You tell your dad everything you can about your old team..oh, and if I find out you lie even a little TEENY bit..well..you'll just have to see how fun that will be." he grinned almost sadistically.
"Talk to my dad?" she sighed. "I'm sure THAT will go well."
"It might, it might not." he shrugged. "I said it before, the title you happened to help me get is like..the holy grail of wrestling. In the wrong hands..well, look at Austin..but with someone like ME.."
"You like to talk about yourself a lot, don't you?" she questioned. He shrugged.
"When you got it.." he replied honestly.
"What do YOU got?" she asked, turning to him. "Why do you think you're so..special, anyway?"
"Come on..look at me..nice body..cool hair..funny personality..everyone loves me." he beamed.
"Did I ever tell you that you scare me sometimes?" she asked after a pause.
"Nope, but thanks for telling me." he laughed. "So, is it a deal Mizz McMahon?"
"..When do we see my dad?" she asked.
"Soon as possible." he responded, nodding. "Like..todayish? Well, more like..this morning."
"That soon?" she asked.
"Well, I think--" A knock at the door. "We'll talk about this later." She nodded, and he got up and answered the door.
"Chris!" Jericho suddenly felt defensive, his mind flashing back to all the previous times his boss showed up at his door.
"I did nothing." he responded quickly.
"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I agree with you." Vince laughed. Chris relaxed a little. Say, this was actually pretty handy. Now they didn't have to go to him. He came to them. As long as he wasn't in trouble..
"I just wanted to come and congradulate you personally on your win." he explained.
"About that, Vance.." he trailed off. "I have someone I want you to see, follow me." Vince looked a bit confused, but followed him inside. Chris smirked. "Come out."
"I'm not here." he heard her mumble. Vince blinked, walking to the other side of the bed, his eyes focusing on Stephanie.
"Stephanie?" he asked, sounding shocked. She sighed, pulling herself up.
"Hello Daddy." she frowned. He turned to Chris.
"What is this? Are you leaving the WWF?" he demanded.
"No, actually, we're gaining a new member, I believe." he gestured to her again. "She helped me get the title, remember that."
"But Chris, I don't know--" he frowned, his eyes never leaving her.
"And she knows everything we need to know to end the Alliance. Vance, I swear, it's a perfect opportunity." he continued.
"Very true..well..if I agree to this, she's your responsiblity." he eyed her wearily.
"Absolutely." he nodded. "I'll get all the info you're need."
"Fine." Vince finally said after a long pause. "I have business to take care of. Chris, it's been good talking to you."
"Yep. C-ya." Vince gave Stephanie a look again, then walked out of the room.
"He doesn't trust me." Stephanie said when he was gone.
"Give him time." Jericho replied.
Jericho knew it was only going to get harder, but he didn't tell her that. He couldn't.
~~~~~~~~~
End of story part one. Look for the next in this series--Better Days.