By: Elektra
TRIPLE H'S HOTEL ROOM - Monday Afternoon
"Where is that bitch wife of mine?" Triple H demanded of the two men before him. "Paul, you worked with her. Where do YOU think she'd be?"
"No idea, Mr. Helmsley," Heyman replied.
Triple H sighed, then turned to the other man, "You're her brother! Shouldn't you know?!"
"Calm down, Hunter. Shane O' Mac is on it!" Shane replied, "I have some of my guys asking the Hardys if they know about her location!"
"And how the hell would the Hardys know?" Triple H asked.
"They've been hanging out with her and Jericho a lot. It's like they're her new best friends!" Shane replied.
"Jericho..." Triple H spat bitterly, "Where is HE in all this?"
"At home nursing his injuries, no doubt!" Heyman replied.
"Well then, how about we FIND that blond bitch and ask him if HE knows anything?" Triple H replied. The conversation was halted by a knock on the door, "Come in!"
The Dudley Boys walked into the room hesitantly. Something was obviously on their minds, "Hunter," DeVon started, "We wanna talk to you about little Spike,"
"What about him?" Triple H asked.
"What you did to him... we aren't too happy with that, Triple H!" Bubba Ray replied.
"What I did? I've seen you two throw the guy through a damn table. Why the hell do you have a problem with what I did?!"
"We have a problem with it 'cuz we never permanently injured the little guy!" DeVon explained, "What you did, man... that could end his career!"
"Give me a freakin' BREAK!" Triple H snapped, "You suddenly act like you care about your bastard half-brother!"
"Hey! We ain't seen eye to eye with him lately, but we'd never wanna see him lose his ability to make a buck!" Bubba replied angrily.
"You got a problem with the way I'm running things? Is that it? Then LEAVE! Just GET THE HELL OUT!" Triple H shouted.
"Hunter..." Shane started.
"No, Shane. If they want to leave the Alliance, then I don't need their lazy asses on my team!" Triple H replied.
Bubba Ray and DeVon turned to Heyman - the one man they thought they could trust. Unfortunately, it seemed Heyman was staying quiet.
The Dudleys looked at each other, and nodded in agreement. They'd made up their minds. They'd take Triple H's advice, and leave -- even if it meant asking Vince McMahon for their jobs back.
Triple H turned to Shane as he picked up the sledghammer beside him, "Now where are those damned Hardy Boys? I'd like to be there for the... sharing of information..."
***
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA - Monday night
"I don't want to watch," Stephanie said as she sat beside Jericho on the couch.
"We have to see what Triple H is up to. This is the only way," Jericho explained as he turned the channel to RAW.
Stephanie squeezed her hands nervously as Austin made his way to the ring. He grabbed a mic, and began to talk, "It seems we got some problems in the Alliance," Austin began, "What? I said we got some problems in the Alliance. Apparently the bastard Dudley Boys are pissed off with what Triple H did to their bastard brother,"
"The Dudleys Boys actually CARE?" Jericho asked surprised, "I thought they hated Spike,"
"No matter what side you're on," Stephanie began, "You can never truly hate family. I know from experience," she took a deep breath, "I could never hate Shane..."
"Being an only child, I don't know what it's like to have a bond with a sibling," Jericho replied.
"Do you have a bond with ANYONE?" Stephanie asked.
"Maybe Jeff ... he's sort of like an annoying little brother," Chris smirked, then jumped as the phone rang beside him. He quickly picked it up, "Hello? Trish! Hey... what's up?" a pause, then Jericho's face darkened, a fury building in his blue eyes, "Triple H did WHAT?"
Stephanie looked at Jericho, who now seemed to be shaking with anger, "Chris?" she asked.
"That son of a bitch!" Jericho hissed angrily into the phone, then released a string of swear words directed at Stephanie's estranged husband, "What hospital are they at?"
Stephanie gasped. Someone was in the hospital?! "Chris? What's going on?"
"I'm going to catch a flight and get down there as fast as I can! I'll see you soon!" With that, Jericho slammed down the phone, and turned to Stephanie, "Your ass-clown husband got happy with his sledgehammer again. This time a few of his Alliance pals joined in! The Hardys are in the hospital! I'm grabbing a red-eye tonight!"
"I'm coming with!" Stephanie insisted.
"No you're not!"
"Try and STOP me!" Stephanie replied, determination clear in her face and eyes.
Jericho took a deep breath, but realized it was a wasted effort. Reluctantly, he conceded.
***
"Chris!" Trish hugged Jericho tightly as he entered the hospital room.
"Hey, how are they?"
"I'm a bit better then Jeff," Matt spoke up from behind his cubicle curtain. Chris headed towards him and winced at the large ugly bruise that decorated the older Hardy's jaw.
"Jeff's over there," Lita said from her seat beside Matt's bed, and gestured across the room. Jericho could see Jeff sleeping.
"Is he going to be ok?" Stephanie spoke up as she entered the room and saw Jeff. She had stopped by the boutique downstairs for a bouquet of flowers.
Trish turned to Stephanie, pure anger in her eyes, "What is SHE doing here?"
"She wanted to come," Jericho replied. "I couldn't stop her,"
"I don't want her here!" Trish hissed, then walked up to Stephanie, "This is YOUR fault! If you hadn't been hiding like a coward, Hunter never would have attacked Jeff and Matt!"
"Shhh... Trish! Calm down," Jericho started.
"I will NOT calm down! It's HER fault! All HER fault! GET OUT!" Trish shouted.
Chris took Trish's shoulders, trying to calm the petite blonde down, "She was worried about them too!" he said, "At least be civil..."
"That's rich coming from YOU of all people!" Trish snapped.
"TRISH!" Jericho replied.
"No... no it's ok," Stephanie interrupted quietly. "I... I'm going back to the hotel..."
"Stephanie," Chris started.
"No. You stay here with your friends. I'll be ok... ok?" she said, then headed out before Chris could protest.
Jericho let out a breath, "Damn..." He looked to Matt and Lita hopelessly. They returned his gaze with curiousity. "What?" he asked.
"Nothing. It's just... well, how did she know about Matt and Jeff? Did you know where she was hiding, Chris?" Lita asked.
Jericho let go of Trish and slumped down in an empty chair, "Vince told me to keep her at my place," he answered dejectedly.
"WHAT?" Trish asked, "Why didn't you tell us then? Or better yet, turn her in to Hunter!"
"And then what, Trish?" Chris asked, "Have her be the next victim of his sledgehammer?!"
"Better HER then Jeff!" Trish muttered angrily.
"Trish," Lita started, "Better NO ONE. Chris is right. Who knows what Hunter would have done to her..."
"Oh please!" Trish replied, "You're actually buying her 'helpless' routine?"
"Steph is a lot of things. Helpless isn't one of them," Chris replied. "She was going to turn HERSELF into Hunter. I stopped her!"
"WHY?" Trish asked angrily, "Why do you care what he does to her?!"
"Because I'm a human being, Trish!" Chris snapped.
"So you'd rather Jeff -- one of your best friends -- get attacked instead!"
"Trish..." Matt started, trying to talk sense to the angry girl, "Chris didn't know Triple H would attack us!"
"He saw what happened to Molly and Spike!" Trish spat, "How could he NOT realize Hunter would go after you and Jeff next?!"
"Enough!" Jericho snapped, "Enough, Trish! OK? Listen... if I could have stopped it, I would have! What did you expect me to do? Let Stephanie sign her own death warrant? Vince asked me to take care of her--"
"And since when do you do ANYTHING Vince tells you to do?!" Trish interrupted.
"Since he realized he had feelings for Vince's daughter," a quiet voice spoke up. Everyone turned to see Jeff watching them from his bed.
"Jeff!" Trish quickly went to his side, "You're awake!" she hugged him gently, "Are you ok?"
"Yeah... yeah, I'm cool," he said with a small smile, then looked at Chris, his face growing serious, "But I'm right, aren't I?"
"I... I don't know what you're talking about!" Jericho replied, waving the notion away.
"I may have a mild concussion," Jeff started, "But I'm not blind,"
"This coming from a guy who thinks red and pink blend into a nice hair colour," Jericho pointed out with a smile.
Jeff offered him a smirk, "Touché," he replied, then took a deep breath, "But seriously... what's going on with you two?"
"Nothing, Jeff. NOTHING is going on. I just... I feel bad for her, ok?" Chris replied. "I mean, she's got a psycho ex-husband looking for her!"
Lita took Matt's hand, "I agree with Chris," she said, then shook her head, "How could a relationship go so wrong...?"
"I think I'm going to be sick," Jeff groaned.
Trish looked at him with concern, "Want me to get the doctor?"
"No... I mean I'm going to be sick if I have to watch Matt and Lita make goo-goo eyes at each other for the rest of the night," Jeff replied.
"Nice to see Jeff almost back to normal," Matt smiled.
Jeff shrugged, "More or less. Have a bit of a headache, but the doctor said it would go away in a day or two, and I'll be good as new. Said there was nothing serious enough that a good week or two of rest can't cure,"
"The Hardy Boys -- the beating sticks of the WWF!" Chris replied with a smile, then winked at Jeff, "And if Trish is going to be taking care of you, you're not going to get much rest,"
***
Stephanie took a deep breath as she stepped away from the hospital wall. At least Jeff was going to be ok. But Trish was right. This WAS her fault. All her fault... and now, it was time to make things right.
Stephanie's mind was made up. The moment she got
back to the hotel, she would call Triple H, and tell him exactly
where she was!
