Disclaimer: I do not own the WWF or it's wrestlers, but I really wish I owned the storylines sometimes. :)
If you would like to borrow my story, please ask me first, thanks.
Chapter 7: Runaway Princess
Wasting no time, Chris grabbed a hold of her forearms, while Stephanie locked her fingers around his wrists.
Pulling her back onto solid footing, Chris held her close.
"You okay?" he asked breathlessly.
"Never been better," she quipped.
"I'm beginning to rub off on you," Chris said, a grin quirking up the corners of his mouth.
"Yeah, maybe," Stephanie said fondly. She dared look up at him, and noticed beneath his golden bronze tan, his face was pale.
"I really had you worried there for a minute didn't I?" Stephanie asked in surprise.
Jericho sighed, furrowing his brow, "Well yeah - for a minute," he replied slyly.
"Ooh!" Stephanie exclaimed, stamping her foot.
"What? What did I say?" Jericho asked, genuinely confused. "I don't get you Stephanie McMahon, can't you take a joke?" he demanded in frustration. When they reached the bottom of the tree, Chris repeated in exasperation, "So, do you want to use the treehouse, at least for now?" Stephanie actually felt bad for him, he reminded her of a little lost puppy - for the moment.
She sighed and turned around, "Alright, but we are not sharing the hammock!" Stephanie emphasized.
"I expected that," he muttered under his breath.
"What?!" she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Nothing," he muttered, turning away.
Sighing, Chris watched her storm back to the beach, *Why can't I just be real and stop trying to act like a goof?* he mentally chastised himself.
Biting her lip in frustration, Steph let her thoughts wander: *Why can't I just get closer to him? I wish I wasn't so scared,* she berated herself.
Trying to sound braver than she felt, Stephanie announced, "I'm going to explore some of this "'island paradise,'" she snapped to Chris.
"Yeah sure, whatever," Chris said with a wave of his hand.
"What, you're not going to try and stop me?!" Stephanie demanded, her hands on her hips.
"Sorry sweetheart, your Dad isn't paying me enough to be anything other than a baby-sitter for you," he shot back cruelly.
"Wha, what?" She blinked, her eyes wide.
"A paid escort, sounds like the good, old days," Stephanie replied bitterly. "Well, I'll relieve you of your hardship Lord Jericho," Steph said, bowing a mock curtsy.
"Steph," Jericho interrupted.
"No, here is your shirt too," she responded, pulling it off over her head. I have to hand it to you, great acting job." She clapped daintily. She swallowed the lump in her throat, the sting of the tears forming in her eyes.
"Steph, I'm not, I wasn't..."
"Maybe I'll see ya around," she replied coldly. She broke off in a run and disappeared into the trees.
Sometime later:
Chris tiredly rubbed his hands over his face, "Could this day get any worse!" he screamed at the setting sun. Truth was, Chris was worried sick about Stephanie. She had been gone for hours and he had no idea of where to start looking for her. He didn't even feel like wearing his hockey shirt, it reminded him too much of her. Scowling, he tossed the hockey shirt over his shoulder, "When I find her, she is going to need this," he said with determination, setting off on his merry way to find the fair Stephanie. He passed by a waterfall and thought nothing of it, until Chris saw a figure in the shadows. Chris blinked, once then twice. Nah, it couldn't be, Stephanie was taking a bath! Quickly, he turned away. If she ever found out that he was there, she would kill him. Unfortunately, his thoughts were so scattered, he failed to pay attention to where he was going.. and stepped on a twig. In the quiet of the forest, you could hear a pin drop. Instantly, Stephanie stopped swimming and looked up. Her heart pounding in her chest, she demanded, "Who's there?" No answer. Quickly, she stepped out of the waist high water. *Don't look, don't look!* Jericho gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.
Putting back on her clothes, Stephanie silently padded her way against the soft jungle floor. Jericho felt a cool hand on his back, "Peeping Tom!" she practically screeched in his ear.
"Would you cut it out, I didn't see anything!" he yelled back at her, angrily.
"Yeah right, sure you didn't. I'm sure that wasn't part of the job description," she retorted.
Keeping his eyes on her face, Jericho said nothing for a moment. "Here, you'll need this," he said, handing her his hockey shirt.
"Why are you doing this?" Stephanie asked, her voice breaking. "Are you trying to make me pity you?" For the second time, Chris noticed the tears in her eyes.
"No!" he sighed in frustration. "Look, Vince did not pay me to be a baby-sitter to you. I just said that out of spite. Right after the train exploded, I felt responsible, like a baby-sitter, but darn it Steph, the more I'm around you the more I care," he finished lamely. Totally catching Jericho off guard, Stephanie rushed at him like a linebacker, and buried her face against his shoulder.
"No one has said anything that nice to me in a long time." Shocked, Jericho reluctantly put his arms around her. "That is most certainly the last phrase I expected to come out of your mouth," Stephanie replied, a genuine smile on her face as she pulled away.
"So, how about we stay at the treehouse tonight?" Chris asked, a wide grin on his face. They made their way back to the treehouse and upon entering, an exhilarated Stephanie exclaimed excitedly, "I feel like Jack after climbing the beanstalk."
"Don't you mean more like Jill, after that tumble you almost took today."
Stephanie grinned, "Don't you mean more like Jack and Jill, because you would have tumbled after me," she smirked.
"Hey, you're getting good," Chris complimented her.
"I learn from the best." Stephanie gingerly approached the railing, careful not to put any weight on it.
Jericho watched Stephanie thoughtfully, her glistening, chestnut curls clinging to her back. "Hey Steph, I've been wondering, concerning your accusation about Vince paying me to baby sit you. Steph, are you listening?"
"Mmm hmm."
"What if Vince set this whole thing up intentionally?"
That got Stephanie's attention. She turned around, alarm in her eyes. "You really think Daddy would do that?"
"No offense, but what Vince McMahon wants, Vince McMahon gets."
Stephanie nodded thoughtfully, "That would make sense. We know it was set up somehow because of all the accessories found in the cabin: the hairpiece, the glasses, sideburns.." she trailed off.
"Exactly, and what are you willing to bet, since it was Vince, he had some of our wrestler friends help him out with his - ahem, "'little project?'"
Stephanie's eyes lit up, "Remember when I said the engineer's voice was so deep and raspy? Well, what if it was because 'he' was actually a 'she'?!" Stephanie deduced triumphantly.
Chris mulled it over thoughtfully for a second, "You are probably right," he surmised with a smile.
"The question is why?" Stephanie started pacing back and forth. Chris smiled, he could practically see the wheels turning in her head. "The train wreck could have killed us all though, maybe being stranded on this island wasn't part of the plan," Stephanie guessed, her face darkening.
"Yeah, you're right, that couldn't have been part of the plan, but apparently he wanted us to get together."
Stephanie's head shot up, "What do you mean, " 'get us together?'"
Chris rolled his eyes, "Don't look so panicked Steph, it's not like he's trying to get us married to each other or anything. I think he probably set this up in an attempt to have us get along. You know how he and just about everyone else say we fight too much."
"Yeah," Stephanie laughed shakily, "everyone is always saying we just fight to hide our true feelings from each other." Dead silence as both Stephanie and Jericho locked eyes with each other.
Breaking the silence, Jericho cleared his throat and smiled, "Well, maybe Vince's plan is working... Wait a minute!"
"What, what?!" Stephanie asked impatiently.
"Does Vince ever come up with a plan on his own?" he asked pointedly.
"Hey, wait a minute, I resent that!" she exclaimed.
"No, Vince resembles that," Chris said with a chuckle. Turning serious, Chris looked up at Steph imploringly, "Come on Steph, when have you ever known your father to come up with a plan all on his own?"
"Never," she admitted with a sigh.
"Then the real question is, who is Vince's mystery partner?"
Is this the end of Stephanie and Jericho's feud?
Is the treehouse really abandoned? I mean, Jericho has been known to be wrong before...
Stay tuned, don't click that button...
If you would like to borrow my story, please ask me first, thanks.
Chapter 7: Runaway Princess
Wasting no time, Chris grabbed a hold of her forearms, while Stephanie locked her fingers around his wrists.
Pulling her back onto solid footing, Chris held her close.
"You okay?" he asked breathlessly.
"Never been better," she quipped.
"I'm beginning to rub off on you," Chris said, a grin quirking up the corners of his mouth.
"Yeah, maybe," Stephanie said fondly. She dared look up at him, and noticed beneath his golden bronze tan, his face was pale.
"I really had you worried there for a minute didn't I?" Stephanie asked in surprise.
Jericho sighed, furrowing his brow, "Well yeah - for a minute," he replied slyly.
"Ooh!" Stephanie exclaimed, stamping her foot.
"What? What did I say?" Jericho asked, genuinely confused. "I don't get you Stephanie McMahon, can't you take a joke?" he demanded in frustration. When they reached the bottom of the tree, Chris repeated in exasperation, "So, do you want to use the treehouse, at least for now?" Stephanie actually felt bad for him, he reminded her of a little lost puppy - for the moment.
She sighed and turned around, "Alright, but we are not sharing the hammock!" Stephanie emphasized.
"I expected that," he muttered under his breath.
"What?!" she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Nothing," he muttered, turning away.
Sighing, Chris watched her storm back to the beach, *Why can't I just be real and stop trying to act like a goof?* he mentally chastised himself.
Biting her lip in frustration, Steph let her thoughts wander: *Why can't I just get closer to him? I wish I wasn't so scared,* she berated herself.
Trying to sound braver than she felt, Stephanie announced, "I'm going to explore some of this "'island paradise,'" she snapped to Chris.
"Yeah sure, whatever," Chris said with a wave of his hand.
"What, you're not going to try and stop me?!" Stephanie demanded, her hands on her hips.
"Sorry sweetheart, your Dad isn't paying me enough to be anything other than a baby-sitter for you," he shot back cruelly.
"Wha, what?" She blinked, her eyes wide.
"A paid escort, sounds like the good, old days," Stephanie replied bitterly. "Well, I'll relieve you of your hardship Lord Jericho," Steph said, bowing a mock curtsy.
"Steph," Jericho interrupted.
"No, here is your shirt too," she responded, pulling it off over her head. I have to hand it to you, great acting job." She clapped daintily. She swallowed the lump in her throat, the sting of the tears forming in her eyes.
"Steph, I'm not, I wasn't..."
"Maybe I'll see ya around," she replied coldly. She broke off in a run and disappeared into the trees.
Sometime later:
Chris tiredly rubbed his hands over his face, "Could this day get any worse!" he screamed at the setting sun. Truth was, Chris was worried sick about Stephanie. She had been gone for hours and he had no idea of where to start looking for her. He didn't even feel like wearing his hockey shirt, it reminded him too much of her. Scowling, he tossed the hockey shirt over his shoulder, "When I find her, she is going to need this," he said with determination, setting off on his merry way to find the fair Stephanie. He passed by a waterfall and thought nothing of it, until Chris saw a figure in the shadows. Chris blinked, once then twice. Nah, it couldn't be, Stephanie was taking a bath! Quickly, he turned away. If she ever found out that he was there, she would kill him. Unfortunately, his thoughts were so scattered, he failed to pay attention to where he was going.. and stepped on a twig. In the quiet of the forest, you could hear a pin drop. Instantly, Stephanie stopped swimming and looked up. Her heart pounding in her chest, she demanded, "Who's there?" No answer. Quickly, she stepped out of the waist high water. *Don't look, don't look!* Jericho gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.
Putting back on her clothes, Stephanie silently padded her way against the soft jungle floor. Jericho felt a cool hand on his back, "Peeping Tom!" she practically screeched in his ear.
"Would you cut it out, I didn't see anything!" he yelled back at her, angrily.
"Yeah right, sure you didn't. I'm sure that wasn't part of the job description," she retorted.
Keeping his eyes on her face, Jericho said nothing for a moment. "Here, you'll need this," he said, handing her his hockey shirt.
"Why are you doing this?" Stephanie asked, her voice breaking. "Are you trying to make me pity you?" For the second time, Chris noticed the tears in her eyes.
"No!" he sighed in frustration. "Look, Vince did not pay me to be a baby-sitter to you. I just said that out of spite. Right after the train exploded, I felt responsible, like a baby-sitter, but darn it Steph, the more I'm around you the more I care," he finished lamely. Totally catching Jericho off guard, Stephanie rushed at him like a linebacker, and buried her face against his shoulder.
"No one has said anything that nice to me in a long time." Shocked, Jericho reluctantly put his arms around her. "That is most certainly the last phrase I expected to come out of your mouth," Stephanie replied, a genuine smile on her face as she pulled away.
"So, how about we stay at the treehouse tonight?" Chris asked, a wide grin on his face. They made their way back to the treehouse and upon entering, an exhilarated Stephanie exclaimed excitedly, "I feel like Jack after climbing the beanstalk."
"Don't you mean more like Jill, after that tumble you almost took today."
Stephanie grinned, "Don't you mean more like Jack and Jill, because you would have tumbled after me," she smirked.
"Hey, you're getting good," Chris complimented her.
"I learn from the best." Stephanie gingerly approached the railing, careful not to put any weight on it.
Jericho watched Stephanie thoughtfully, her glistening, chestnut curls clinging to her back. "Hey Steph, I've been wondering, concerning your accusation about Vince paying me to baby sit you. Steph, are you listening?"
"Mmm hmm."
"What if Vince set this whole thing up intentionally?"
That got Stephanie's attention. She turned around, alarm in her eyes. "You really think Daddy would do that?"
"No offense, but what Vince McMahon wants, Vince McMahon gets."
Stephanie nodded thoughtfully, "That would make sense. We know it was set up somehow because of all the accessories found in the cabin: the hairpiece, the glasses, sideburns.." she trailed off.
"Exactly, and what are you willing to bet, since it was Vince, he had some of our wrestler friends help him out with his - ahem, "'little project?'"
Stephanie's eyes lit up, "Remember when I said the engineer's voice was so deep and raspy? Well, what if it was because 'he' was actually a 'she'?!" Stephanie deduced triumphantly.
Chris mulled it over thoughtfully for a second, "You are probably right," he surmised with a smile.
"The question is why?" Stephanie started pacing back and forth. Chris smiled, he could practically see the wheels turning in her head. "The train wreck could have killed us all though, maybe being stranded on this island wasn't part of the plan," Stephanie guessed, her face darkening.
"Yeah, you're right, that couldn't have been part of the plan, but apparently he wanted us to get together."
Stephanie's head shot up, "What do you mean, " 'get us together?'"
Chris rolled his eyes, "Don't look so panicked Steph, it's not like he's trying to get us married to each other or anything. I think he probably set this up in an attempt to have us get along. You know how he and just about everyone else say we fight too much."
"Yeah," Stephanie laughed shakily, "everyone is always saying we just fight to hide our true feelings from each other." Dead silence as both Stephanie and Jericho locked eyes with each other.
Breaking the silence, Jericho cleared his throat and smiled, "Well, maybe Vince's plan is working... Wait a minute!"
"What, what?!" Stephanie asked impatiently.
"Does Vince ever come up with a plan on his own?" he asked pointedly.
"Hey, wait a minute, I resent that!" she exclaimed.
"No, Vince resembles that," Chris said with a chuckle. Turning serious, Chris looked up at Steph imploringly, "Come on Steph, when have you ever known your father to come up with a plan all on his own?"
"Never," she admitted with a sigh.
"Then the real question is, who is Vince's mystery partner?"
Is this the end of Stephanie and Jericho's feud?
Is the treehouse really abandoned? I mean, Jericho has been known to be wrong before...
Stay tuned, don't click that button...