"Woo-hoo!!" crowed Shane as they entered the Alliance's meeting room. "That was AWESOME!! Did you see their faces!! My God, I thought JR was gonna have an epileptic fit!! You my man, were great and I promise you are never gonna regret coming to the Alliance."
Regret it? Chris allowed himself a wry chuckle he made his way over to the opposite couch to where his new boss was sitting. He'd almost chickened out – only the sight of Shane lurking in the shadows watching him enter the stage had reminded him of what exactly he had to lose if he turned down this chance of a lifetime. He wasn't dumb by any means, he'd seen how being in the Alliance had elevated Test from being a mid-carder into one of the top guys in the business, he knew what it could do to his career. That's why he'd called Shane and if the rumours about Austin were true, then he was exactly what the Alliance were looking for…
"Thanks Shane, and I hope I don't. Now –"
"What the HELL was THAT all about" screeched a voice from the doorway. He didn't even have to turn around, he'd know anywhere whose voice that belonged to.
"Good evening Princess, nice night isn't it?"
"Nice?? NICE!!!! Wh-"
"Steph will you stop screeching and calm down??" pleaded Shane as he rose to shut the door in the hope of stopping the entire stadium from over-hearing what was about to go down between the McMahon siblings. Not there was much chance of that; when Steph yelled, she yelled, regardless of who was around. This, thought Chris as he sat back with a smirk covering his face, was gonna be *good*
"CALM DOWN??? What the HELL were you thinking Shane??? Chris JERICHO??? Have you forgotten EVERYTHING that man's done to me!?!"
"Stephanie if you'd just listen to me for a moment. I-"
"What happened to working together? To telling each other everything?? How am I meant to trust you when you don't tell me things!!! How are the guys meant to respect me if you're the one with all the info?"
As much as he was enjoying watching her lay into her brother like that, he figured that he'd better step in soon before this verbal assault turned ugly.
"Actually Princess, Shane didn't know for sure I *was* going to deflect until I did"
"Don't you DARE start with me Jericho." Stephanie stated as she whipped round to face him. "I am so NOT in the mood for your bull-shit right now. What the hell are you doing with us anyway?? Did Daddy send you over to spy on us? Or did Matt find out about your little rendezvous with Lita and you figured this was the safest place to hide???"
Chris took a step back at the force behind the words that were spoken. Then he took in what she'd said and furiously began to yell back at her "OK, number 1 I have not and never would have an affair with Lita and she would never cheat on Matt and Number 2 –"
"Can you 2 stop fighting now!! Gees, you've been in the same room for two minutes and look what's happened!! Chris go and take a shower and I'll talk to you when you done."
"Yeah Jericho, run along now!!" sneered Stephanie
"Shut up Stephanie!! I can't believe how bratty you're being about this!! OK, so I should have spoken to your before but I *knew* you'd react like this and this is too good an opportunity to miss!! Jericho is –"
"A conceited jerk who's ego actually manages to weigh more then he does?"
"No, one of Dad's top wrestlers"
"Yeah right and I'm the WWF Champion!!!! That's a load of bull Shane and you know it!! I can't believe you didn't tell me….."
Chris realising that he was no longer wanted nor needed in the room, promptly got up and left. So, Shane recruited him to piss off Vance huh? Typical, once again he was just a pawn to the McMahons'. Well this time it was going to be different. Turning the corner he bumped into one of the three people he had been hoping to avoid.
"Well look who we have here"
Crap, that was all he needed. He'd been desperately hoping that he'd be able to put off this confrontation, even though he knew it was going to have to happen some day, but not right now, not when he was still having his own internal battle.
"Matt." He acknowledged. Suddenly he found himself pushed up against the wall.
"Did you know my girlfriends sitting in our locker-room crying her eyes out trying to work out what we ever did to you to make you turn on us like that? Now me and Jeff, we're used to people turning on us. Not quite in the style you just did, but we're used to it. Lita isn't and for some strange reason, seems to think it's her fault and that she must have done something to upset you."
"Matt, man, you know it's not like that. I did it –"
"To further your career?" the hands pinning him by his shoulders to the wall didn't loosen one bit
"Exactly. Shane and the Alliance were offering me an opportunity I knew I'd never get in the WWF, I'd have been crazy not to have taken it. You know you-"
"Don't! Don't think for one second you know us. Because you don't. If you did you would have never have treated us like that. I thought we were friends."
"We are-"
"No Jericho, we aren't. Friends don't do that to one another. And we're not going to be for a very long time to come, if ever." Finally the elder Hardy let go of the death grip he had on his shoulders and started to walk away. However, as a thought occurred to him, he turned back to face Jericho, still pressed up against the wall.
"One more thing though, I don't want to ever here that you have been hassling my brother or girlfriend with useless apologies, alright? We want *nothing* to do with you anymore, do you understand me? Nothing. You didn't just leave the WWF – you left us and don't think for one second I'm going to forget how you turned your back on us." With that he walked off, not once turning round to even glare back at him.
Chris felt like he had been physically hit, only now was the enormity of what he'd just done beginning to sink in. Matt was right, he hadn't just left a company - in doing so he'd given up all his friends as well.
