*** This is going to be weird because I originally intended "Addicted" to be a one chapter story and this was originally going to be a second chapter for "Hallelujah" but the way it came out it worked better with "Addicted", so there you go. Also, I started writing this before Survivor Series so it doesn't work with current storylines...but who really cares, right? I don't own the WWF- this fic is disclaimed. And I also don't own the song which is "I'm On Fire" by Bruce Springsteen. With all that said and done...enjoy (and PLEASE review!!!) ***

// Hey little girl
Is your Daddy home? //

I followed her down the hall. She knew I was following her. She always knows. Just like I know she'll be waiting for me whenever he's away. And he's been away for months now. It's not that she's lonely. We've been sneaking around for well over a year.

"He's coming back," she whispered as I pulled her into my arms.

"What?" I asked, pulling back.

"He called me this morning," she said, not looking at my face. "He's coming back."

"So?" I asked.

"Don't you care?" She asked, her blue eyes already fiery.

"We've done this with him around before," I said. "The fact is that he's so absorbed in himself that he never really pays any attention to you."

"He's not the only one now is he?" she asked, turning away from me.

"What the hell?" I asked in shock.

"You could care less about me Chris Jericho," she whispered furiously. "At least Hunter likes my money."

// Did he go and leave you all alone? //

"Stephanie," I said, following her down a hall three days later.

"What do you want Chris Jericho?" she asked disdainfully.

"Don't play games," I said. "You decided you were going to purposely misunderstand me or you were going to test me or whatever."

"Do you realize that at any minute your friends or my employees could walk by and catch us?" Stephanie asked.

"Do you think I give a damn?" I asked.

"Jericho, I don't know what games you're playing, but I'm not participating," Stephanie said.

"You're not going to have a choice soon," I said.

"What are you talking about?" Stephanie asked.

"I know a few things you don't Stephanie ," I said. "You'll see at Survivor Series."

"Tell me," Stephanie said.

"Wait like a good little girl," I said, kissing her lightly and walking away.

// I got a bad desire
I'm on fire //

"Jesus Christ Jericho," Jeff said as he walked toward me the night before Survivor Series.

"Hey Jeffrey," I said happily. "How's my best friend?"

"How much did you drink?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "I'm not drunk."

"Okay, you're plastered then," Jeff said. "What's your room number?"

"Don't you have a girlfriend you should be with right now?" I asked.

"She's going to sleep early because she's going to win the Women's Championship tomorrow," Jeff said proudly.

"Lita might have something to say about that," Matt said, coming up from behind me.

"It could be that the mystery opponent is my girlfriend you know," I said.

"You want to say that a little louder Jericho?" Matt asked, looking cautiously around the hall. "I'm pretty sure I saw Hunter earlier."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure the shit's about to hit the fan," I said, suddenly sobering up.

// Tell me now baby is he good to you? //

"Make me puke," I said the next night at the venue. It was pretty normal for Hunter to come to the pay-per-views and see how everyone was doing and to hang all over Stephanie...like he actually cared or something.

"Jericho, you might want to not glare at Stephanie's husband," Lita said, stretching next to me.

"Am I being obvious?" I asked.

"Just a little," Lita said. "But at least you're supposed to hate him anyway. It's possible that no one would guess that you're in love with his wife."

"I can hope," I said. "Good luck Red."

"Don't wish me luck," Lita said. "We all know who's going to win. Hell, Kurt came and talked to me."

"Kurt crosses enemy lines a lot to talk to you anymore," I commented.

"Don't read too much into it Jericho," she said. "I love Matt. Matt loves me."

"I know," I said. "But be careful with the Olympic Zero. He's a nice guy."

// Can he do to you the things
I will do //

"Great job Stephanie," I said snidely as we ran into each other in the refreshment area. She beamed up at me, patting the women's championship belt proudly.

"Thanks Y2J," she said. "Not that I need your approval."

"It only took Kurt and Test helping you to get that belt," I said, wishing I could really congratulate her in public.

"It's more than would help you," she replied.

"You doing okay?" I asked lowly as I turned to the table to get a drink.

"Yeah," she said. "What do you know?"

"I can't tell you Stephanie," I said, bending down and pretending to fiddle with my boot. "But don't trust that man you say loves your money."

"Do you really love me?" she asked suddenly.

I looked around in shock. No one had overheard. "You'll find out soon."

"Jericho, stop playing with me," Stephanie said. "My future is on the line here."

"So is mine," I said. "Don't worry. You'll be okay. Especially now that you are a champion."

// I can take you higher.
I'm on fire //

Hunter was in the middle of the ring. He had cleared it of everyone, it didn't matter if they were WCW, ECW, or WWF. Stephanie climbed into the ring beaming up at him. I was just climbing back to the ring.

Hunter embraced his wife. She pulled away to celebrate with him when he pulled her close again. And then he prepped her for a pedigree. I sprang into action as soon as I heard Stephanie scream in terror. I flew at Hunter and knocked him away from Stephanie.

I put him in the Walls of Jericho until I saw Rocky get into the ring. "Can you take of this ass Rocky?" I asked. The Rock was happy to oblige, HHH is one of the few people he dislikes more than me.

"He was going to help the WWF you jerk," Vince McMahon screamed from ringside.

"You monster," I said. "He was going to destroy your daughter. If that's what you think is okay, I don't think I need to work for you anymore."

I walked over to Stephanie and picked her up into my arms. She was sobbing. I helped her out of the ring and then picked her up again as I carried her out of the arena. "It will be okay baby," I whispered to her.

"You knew," she cried brokenly.

// Sometimes it's like someone took a knife
Baby edgy and dull //

I heard the pain in her voice, the pain that cut to my soul. "I didn't know per se, I just had an idea Steph," I said. She continued to cry.

"How could you not tell me he was going to try to hurt me?" she asked, not looking into my eyes.

"I didn't know he was going to try and pedigree you Steph," I said. "I just knew that he had been talking to Vince a lot lately."

"Everything's over now," Stephanie cried. "My marriage, my company, everything."

"Hey, I am still here for you," I said.

"You just lost your job Jericho," Stephanie said. "You don't really need me hanging all over you while you try to find another way to make a living."

"Last time I checked, I happen to own half a company," I said. "And I never agreed to my company dissolving if my wrestlers lost some match."

"Fine, you think ECW can solve everything...you're an alcoholic Jericho," Stephanie said. "You think I didn't notice that you are always drinking didn't you. Well I notice."

// And cut a six-inch valley
Through the middle of my soul //

"Do you even know why I drink Stephanie?" I asked her. "Do you have a clue?"

"Because you can't handle your life," she said sounding just a bit testy.

"Because I can't handle you," I said, finally setting her down on the ground. "But so help me God I need you Stephanie. How many of the men in your life could have said that?"

"Don't blame me for your drinking!" Stephanie screamed. "I have enough to deal with Jericho! I can't be responsible for that too!"

"You aren't!" I said. "And I can get better now because you are finally get rid of that asshole you are married to."

"Can you get better?" she asked sarcastically.

"Why is it half the time I want to strangle you and the other half I want to run you off to bed?" I asked her.

"You're just lucky I guess," she said.

// At night I wake up
With the sheets soaking wet //

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jeff asked.

"He's proving a point," Stephanie said. I could hear a note of concern in her voice. But I was too keyed into my uncontrollable shaking.

"Your dad wants to know where he is," Jeff said.

"He's decided to stop drinking," Stephanie said. "He's weak. I can't let anyone get near him yet."

"I thought you were mad at me Princess," I said, my jaw garbling my words.

"Jericho, I'm always mad at you," she said. "It doesn't change the fact that I love you."

"Matt and I will keep Vince off the trail as long as we can," Jeff said. "He'll be better eventually."

// And a freight train running
Through the middle of my chest //

I looked over at the chair beside the hotel bed I was lying on. She was curled up in a ball, sleeping. She was so beautiful. Over the past three weeks she had introduced me to a woman I had never known existed. A woman who stood by me while I was screaming bloody murder at her. I never understood when people said that their heart swelled with love for someone before those weeks.

"You're awake," Stephanie said, as she raised her head.

I held out my arms to her. She climbed onto the bed and curled up next to me. "Thanks for being here for me baby," I said. "I know I'm not cured, but I think you made this a lot easier."

"Well, now that I know you are my future," Stephanie said. "It's hard to leave you stranded."

"Your future?" I asked.

"You're the only one who stood up for me," Stephanie said. "I think part of me always thought maybe you didn't love me, but when you did that...I knew."

"I can't believe you doubted me for a second," I said.

"It was me," Stephanie said, "I'm not too trusting of others."

"Promise to trust me?" I asked her.

"I will try my hardest," she promised me, kissing me softly.

// Only you
Can cool my desire //

She held onto my hand as she signed a paper, a paper freeing her from her marriage. She had just signed another paper serving Vince with a notice that the ECW was still alive.

"You ready for this meeting?" she asked me.

"You're still the boss," I said. "I'll just be another wrestler."

"You'll be more," Stephanie said. "You'll be a leader. An inspiration."

"I don't need to be a leader Stephanie," I said. "All I need is to do my job. I need you and wrestling. Since I seem to have both, I'm flying high."

"Will you lead my team?" she asked.

"I didn't realize it was that important to you," I said.

"I want to entrust everything I have to you," she said.

"Steph," I whispered.

"Everything I have, I want it to be ours," she said.

// I'm on fire
I'm on fire
I'm on fire //

I remember when everything about Stephanie and I was attraction, hate, and tortured love. It's hard to remember liking that. Because, walking down a hallway with her hand in mine is one of the greatest experiences I've ever had. I don't care that my old fans won't like me anymore. I don't care that I'm not wrestling for the greatest wrestling company anymore.

All that matters is that the one woman who showed me what true love and desire is believes in me enough to give me all that she has.