"I have never been so full in my life," Jericho said as he and Stephanie started to collect dishes from the table. "That is one of the best dinners I have ever had Mrs. McMahon."

"Thank you Chris," Linda said, smiling at her daughter's boyfriend. "You two know you don't have to clean that up. Betty is coming in later."

"We'll make her job easier," Stephanie said, gathering more dishes to take to the kitchen.

"Well, I'll go put food in containers," Linda said, getting up.

"I'm going to go turn on the game if you don't mind," Shane said. He hadn't talked much through the entire meal. Neither had Vince.

"Go right ahead," Linda said. "I don't know why this year would be any different from any other year. You leave Stephanie and I to clean while you go watch football."

"Mom!" Shane exclaimed. "It's the Giants and the 49ers. And the Giants are actually good for once!"

"You know I'm just giving you a hard time," Linda said.

Chris watched as Shane walked to the family room. He smiled as Vince followed his son about two minutes later.

Marissa sighed in relief. "Now that they are watching football they can ignore each other without making everyone else uncomfortable."

"How are you doing sweetie?" Linda asked her daughter-in-law.

"I'm great," Marissa said, grinning as she started to pitch in with getting all of the dishes into the kitchen.

"You can go watch football with Daddy and Shane sweetheart," Stephanie said as she took a stack of plates from Jericho.

"I came this weekend to be with you and not with your dad or brother," Jericho said, lightly kissing Stephanie. "And I think you know how I feel about them anyways. Plus they need bonding time."

"I never thought you were an optimist," Linda commented.

"They were dying to talk to each other," Jericho insisted. "They are too much like each other to hate each other forever."

"That's why I'm afraid they will hate each other forever," Linda sighed. "They are too much like each other."

"What's it like having Dad back in the house?" Stephanie asked.

"It's like the early days," Linda said. "Before there was a Shane or Stephanie."

"I don't think I want to hear this," Stephanie groaned, covering her ears.

"So," Linda said, turning back to Marissa. "When am I going to get some grandchildren? My kids are grown and I need someone to spoil."

"I told you that you were spoiled," Jericho teased Stephanie. She stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh that's mature Steph."

"You're a big bully," Stephanie said.

"Soon," Marissa said to Linda. "I haven't told Shane yet. I want to go to the doctor first, but I'm pretty sure."

"I'm going to be an aunt!" Stephanie whispered happily.

Linda and Stephanie hugged Stephanie. Jericho was a little shocked by how different the McMahons were away from the WWF. But they were never completely away from it because it was their life. He could see how badly Stephanie wanted to ask her mom's opinion on the ECW, but she was afraid to. Shane probably felt the same way with Vince.

It was weird, but in some ways, the McMahons were more normal than his own family. Of course, his father had been a hockey player. There was like three months where they would all be together in Winnipeg, and then nine months when it was pretty much just him and his mom. There seemed to be a routine with the McMahons, like they knew how to be together. It was hard to understand when he had never had it himself.

"You okay baby?" Stephanie asked Jericho.

"I'm fine," Jericho said.

"I was thinking a walk might be nice," Stephanie said, "you know, walk off some of the food."

"Is it okay with you?" Jericho asked Linda.

"Of course," Linda said.

"We'll be back," Stephanie said, grabbing her jacket and scarf. Jericho followed suit, grabbing his own jacket.
Stephanie slipped her hand into Jericho's when they got outside. "That was tense at points," Stephanie said, breathing a sigh of relief at getting out of the house.

"You could say that," Jericho said.

"Thanks again for coming," Stephanie said.

"How could I not?" Jericho asked.

"You could've said you were sick or something," Stephanie said. "Sounds like something some of my old boyfriends
would have done."

"Like Andrew?" Jericho asked.

"Him," Stephanie admitted, "But more the guys I went out with in college."

"Great taste in guys you have," Jericho snorted. "Can't even come meet the family."

"They can't all be winners like you," Stephanie said, with a bit of sarcasm.

"The world would get a little boring," Jericho said, nodding his head.

"You are way too full of yourself," Stephanie said, shaking her head a little. "Someday someone is going to take you down a notch and you are going to deserve it."

"Thanks," Jericho said.

"Anytime," Stephanie said.

"I like this," Jericho said.

"What?" Stephanie asked.

"That we can be going out with each other and still make fun of each other," Jericho said. "Hell, you can put me down while you hold my hand."

"I like it too," Stephanie said.

"When do you figure it out?" Jericho asked.

"What?" Stephanie asked.

"Us," Jericho said. "It's been bugging me for awhile. I keep wondering what exactly happened that would make us completely reverse our opinions of each other. It just all happened so quickly that I didn't really question it while it was happening."

"So what was the question?" Stephanie asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"When did you decide you liked me first of all?" Jericho asked.

"Liked you as a friend or liked you as more than a friend?" Stephanie asked.

"Both," Jericho said.

"That's a lot harder to answer than you might think," Stephanie said.

"I'm listening," Jericho said.

"It might take awhile," Stephanie said.

"I've got all weekend," Jericho said.

"Can we talk about this tonight?" Stephanie asked. "If you don't like my answer I don't want to have to explain us having a fight to my family."

"You're starting to scare me Steph," Jericho said.

"Well, I'm a little scared myself," Stephanie said.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jericho asked.

"Can we just forget about this until tonight?" Stephanie asked. "When Mom and Dad go up to bed we'll talk about it all."

Stephanie just hoped she would have a good way to tell him when she knew she liked him by then.

*

"So?" Jericho asked Stephanie as they sat in front of the fire around midnight.

"You really want to talk about this?" Stephanie asked.

"So you don't really like me?" Jericho asked.

"I like you a lot!" Stephanie exclaimed. "More than you know."

"So when did you realize it?" Jericho asked.

"Well, I realized that I considered you a friend that night that we helped Jeff dye his hair orange," Stephanie said.
"And we went out for thai food after."

"I remember," Jericho said. "That wasn't too hard, was it?"

"That's not the hard part to explain," Stephanie said.

"Okay," Jericho said.

"Do you remember that night that I was on the apron and Rhyno gored you and I fell?" Stephanie asked.

"Yeah," Jericho said. "You were lights out for a few minutes there."

"Yeah, well, while I was lights out something strange happened to me," Stephanie said.

"An out of body experience?" Jericho asked.

"Kind of," Stephanie said. "To make a long story short I was sent back to my former self by the Undertaker to find my soul mate. It was you. That's when I knew I liked you as more than a friend."

"You were out for three minutes at the most," Jericho said.

"But it was a week in my mind," Stephanie said. "I don't know how to explain it Chris. Apparently every soul has one soul that is it's perfect mate. Truth be told, if it hadn't been for that experience I never would have gone after you."

"So our entire relationship is based on some dream you had?" Jericho asked in shock.

"It was more than a dream Chris!" Stephanie exclaimed. "I never knew what love was until I saw what James and Daphne had. He had your eyes. So did Robbie."

"Robbie?" Jericho asked.

"Their son," Stephanie said.

Jericho sat there thinking. Then he realized the timing of her fall. "That's when you started making nice with the Hardys."

"Yeah," Stephanie said. "I didn't know how else to get close to you."

"You manipulated my friends because you thought we were soul mates?" Jericho asked, scooting away from Stephanie.

"Manipulated?" Stephanie asked.

"Jeff actually considers you a friend," Jericho said in disgust.

"I consider Jeff a friend too," Stephanie said.

"A real friend doesn't have ulterior motives when they make friends," Jericho said.

"You made friends with me because you were worried about Jeff," Stephanie pointed out.

"I didn't intend to become your friend," Jericho said. "That happened on its own. Or I thought it did."

"It did!" Stephanie said.

"I don't think so," Jericho said. "I hope you had fun playing with me Stephanie. I really thought you had changed, but I was just a toy for your amusement."

"Chris, stop!" Stephanie said.

"Why?" Jericho asked. "You played me Stephanie. You made it so you could get close to me and you played me."

"But I love you Chris," Stephanie said.

"You don't know what love is," Jericho said. "I need you to drive me to the airport."

"No!" Stephanie said.

"This isn't up for debate," Jericho said. "You can take me or I call a cab."