"James?" Stephanie asked again when he didn't respond to her.
"Yes?" James asked, his voice hoarse. He did not turn to look at her.
"I've been so lonely," Stephanie said. She was amazed that she seemed to be in control of what she was saying. Normally Daphne would take control when she was talking about herself. "So lonely without you."
James closed his eyes as he looked out of the window of the carriage. Stephanie realized she needed to keep talking. Though she didn't know Daphne, she knew her own soul well. She knew what she had been feeling for the past several months in her own life.
"I've wondered if I had made a mistake by marrying you," Stephanie said, trying to keep the tears back. "I've wondered endlessly whether I had missed my chance to find my soul mate. Now I realize that I may have lost you by not believing."
"By not believing what?" James asked, still not looking at Stephanie.
"That you are my soul mate," Stephanie whispered.
"How can you believe that I am your soul mate now?" James asked. "It's been five years that we've done everything we can to make each other miserable."
"Yes," Stephanie agreed. "It has been five years. A miserable five years. Haven't you been lonely James? Haven't you wished that we could go back to when we met and start over again?"
"You have no idea," James said, finally turned to her. His blue eyes glowed in the moonlight.
"Can we start over?" Stephanie asked.
"I don't know," James said, raking a gloved hand through his wild black hair. "So much has passed between us."
"Nothing we can't forgive and forget," Stephanie said. Stephanie felt that she was talking to Jericho in her heart. "Nothing that can't be fixed somehow."
James eyes glimmered with hope. "You mean it?"
"Of course I mean it," Stephanie said.
"Oh my love," James said. He reached over and pulled her onto the seat next to him. His mouth descended hungrily over hers. Stephanie ran her hand through his short black hair. He pulled back and looked down at her. "I never dared hope you would come back to me."
"I never dared hope you would want me still," Stephanie whispered.
"I want you more now than ever before sweetheart," James replied. His gloved hand lovingly caressed her face. "I never knew how to reach you."
"Neither did I," Daphne whispered. Stephanie realized Daphne had truly loved her husband all this time. She was afraid though. Afraid that Daphne would use her love to hurt her. Now Daphne knew she was lucky enough to have her soul mate right in front of her.
They arrived at their house and James helped her from the carriage. "Robbie will already be asleep," James whispered in her ear.
Stephanie giggled as he led her up the stairs outside the townhouse. A footman opened the door for them. They fairly raced to the staircase that led to the floor with their bedrooms on it. James called over his shoulder that neither of them would require assistance for the night.
Inside James' bedchamber he picked her up and carried her to his bed. He laid her gently on the mattress. "Oh Daphne, how I love you."
"I love you too James," Stephanie whispered. He kissed her again. Stephanie had never felt as complete as she did in that moment.
*
Stephanie paced Daphne's bedchamber the next day. If James was Daphne's soul mate that made Jericho her own soul mate. Stephanie was willing to accept this weird twist of fate, but she was not sure that Jericho would.
How does a woman convince a man who hates her that he belongs with her? Stephanie wondered. She had no idea how she would go about it. She had three days left with James. At least if Jericho never believed they were meant to be, Stephanie could have three days of bliss.
"You're going to wear a hole in that rug Daphne," James said, his tone sounding strange.
Stephanie turned and beamed at James. "I was just thinking about all the time I've wasted being angry at you and thinking you and I should never have met."
James smiled back her, "Truly?"
"Of course," Stephanie said. "What did you think I was pondering?"
"Whether or not you had made a mistake by reconciling with me," James admitted.
"Not that," Stephanie said, walking to him with her arms outstretched towards him. "Never that."
James embraced her. Stephanie felt that feeling of completeness once again. She wondered if she would ever get to feel this in her own life.
"Come," James said. "I told Robbie we could go find his fencing equipment after breakfast."
Stephanie slid her hand into James' not wanting to break contact with him. He squeezed her hand gently and then moved it to the crook of his arm as they walked to the morning room together.
*
"How about this one?" Robbie asked, pointing at a foil in a glass case.
"That one is too long Robbie," Daphne said, peering over Robbie's shoulder. "When you are a bit taller you can get one like that."
"You also want one that is light," James commented, "until your arm is strong enough to support a foil with such an elaborate handle."
Stephanie smiled gratefully at her husband. Robbie refused to listen to reason. He wanted the most elaborate foil he could find.
"Your grace," the shopkeeper said as he approached with a foil under a cloth, "I wonder if this might be appropriate."
James uncovered the foil. It was plain and a bit shorter than a normal foil. "That's exactly like the one I learned with!" Daphne exclaimed.
"We will take that," James said. He pointed to two matching foils. "The duchess and I would also like those two foils please."
"Yes your grace," the shopkeeper said.
Back in their carriage, Robbie said, "You both seem so friendly to each other today."
"Whatever do you mean?" Stephanie asked.
"Normally you are polite to each other," Robbie said, "but you don't seem like friends."
James looked fondly at his son and ruffled his hair. "Well, we suddenly realized that pretending we didn't like each other was a silly thing to do."
"So you do like each other?" Robbie asked.
"How could you ever doubt it?" Stephanie asked.
"Well, you don't like the same things," Robbie said. "Father likes horses and gaming and mother likes parties and visiting friends."
"But we love the same things," Stephanie said, looking into Robbie's blue eyes. "Namely you and each other."
Robbie beamed at her and the asked; "Can we go for an ice?"
James erupted in laughter. "Of course we can."
*
Stephanie lay in James' arms two nights later. She traced her finger up and down his bare arm. She knew he was fast asleep, but she wanted to savor every moment with him.
"What is it?" James asked.
"I thought you were asleep," Stephanie said.
"I keep trying to decipher whatever you are writing on my arm," James said.
"Really?" Stephanie asked. She began writing letters on his arm.
"I…L…O….V…E…J….A…M…E…S," James spelled out slowly. "Do you truly love this James fellow?"
"It is an unfortunate fact," Stephanie said, grinning impishly at him.
"He's a lucky man," James said, tightening his arms around her.
"Perhaps you should tell him that," Stephanie said.
"I love you my dear," James said.
"I love you too," Stephanie said. "Whatever happens, never doubt that. Promise me."
James brow furrowed in confusion, "I promise."
Stephanie softly kissed his lips before settling against him to sleep.
*
"Stephanie!" a voice called. A familiar voice.
Stephanie opened her eyes, but all she saw was a blinding light. Slowly the light dimmed and Stephanie realized who was standing over her. "Chris?"
"Are you okay?" Jericho asked, his eyes looked worried.
"I think so," Stephanie said. She tried to remember what had happened. "What happened."
"Well, I think you were going to slap me," Jericho said, "but Rhyno gored me and you fell."
Stephanie closed her eyes as she remembered what the Undertaker had told her. She felt heartbreaking pain when she realized she was no longer with James. "How are you?"
"I didn't think you would care," Jericho said.
"Of course I care," Stephanie said. "You're a human being aren't you?"
"Yeah," Jericho agreed, "but you seemed pretty happy when I got gored through the SmackDown set."
"Oh yeah," Stephanie said. "Well, that's in the past. Now, answer my question."
"I'm fine Princess," Jericho said. "But I think you might need medical attention. Can you walk?"
"I think so," Stephanie said. He helped her to her feet. After three steps she faltered. Jericho stopped her and swept her into his arms. "You don't need to carry me."
"Don't worry," Jericho said. "I don't have any nasty germs on me."
"But you just got gored," Stephanie said. "You need medical attention yourself."
"Then we'll get it together," Jericho said. "The fact is that I can walk and you can't. Now stop acting weird because you are really starting to freak me out."
Stephanie remembered that Jericho didn't know that they were meant to be together. But she knew and she was determined to get what she wanted.
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