Disclaimer: I do not own the WWF or it's wrestlers, but if I could I would. :)
I you would like to use my story, please ask me first, thanks.
The song, "If This Is It," is by Huey Lewis and the News and is not mine.
Chapter 12: If This Is It
"If this is it
Please let me know.
If this ain't love, you'd better let me know.
If this is it
I want to know.
If this ain't love baby, just say so."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a muffled voice threatened from behind Vince. Vince turned around in surprise, only to have a gloved hand wrap around his throat in a vice-like grip. Vince stared at Kane, raw fear in his eyes. "Nighty-night," Kane growled as he slammed Vince into the mat. Matt grabbed Jeff's arm, raising it up in victory. Turning, Matt gave Jeff a hug.
"Man, I can just imagine it, all the fans cheering as I pin you for the three count," Jeff whispered longingly into Matt's ear.
"In your dreams little bro, in your dreams," Matt replied with a cocky grin as he pulled away from Jeff. The audience screamed "Hardys! Hardys!" as Team Xtreme, The Rock and Kane made their way to the back.
"Congratulations guys!" Jeff said, grinning from ear - to - ear.
"You knew about this didn't you?" Amy asked a smile tugging at her lips.
"I sure did!" Jeff announced proudly, "and I managed to keep it a secret!"
"You fellows were great!" Vince said excitedly, letting the curtain fall behind him.
"Whoa, wait a minute," Matt said, his jaw dropping, "that was all a set up?"
"Darn right, I figured you two weren't going to fight each other, so I had a back - up plan. I think the fans liked it better too!" he said proudly. Amy frowned, she could just imagine Vince strutting around like a peacock, his glorious feathers all on display.
"Well if you didn't think they were going to wrestle each other, why did you set them up for vengeance anyway?" Amy asked in frustration.
"Oh no honey, everything was fine until I came up with the proposal, then I just had the feeling that..."
"What!"
Matt frowned, a sick feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. *Uh oh, I didn't want her to find out this way!* he thought frantically, squeezing his eyes shut.
"I thought maybe you had worked together on this with Matt," Amy said, trying to keep her cool.
"Nope, this was all my idea. Now you two will have to act more like an engaged couple now," Vince said happily, rubbing his hands together.
Amy clenched her hands at her sides, "Act, ooh!" Amy stormed off, fighting tears. Helplessly, Matt watched her go, "Amy!" he called after her.
"Thanks Vince, thanks for everything!" Matt said, his voice dangerously low, as he tore off after Amy.
"What, what did I do?" Vince asked, perplexed.
Confused, Dwayne(the Rock) and Glenn(Kane) were at a loss for words.
"Amy thought the proposal was real," Jeff said simply.
"Oh, don't be silly, it was just for.." he trailed off as he looked at Jeff, who looked very imposing at the moment.
"It may have been a storyline in the beginning for you, but Matt decided to make it real. He wanted to surprise her."
"Well, Matt should have told me what he was intending," Vince replied defensively.
Jeff, his arms folded across his chest, nodding slightly, "Perhaps."
"Whoa, this transcends soap opera." Dwayne said, in awe.
Glen nodded, "I'm with you. Now might be a good time to leave, two's a crowd you know." They high - tailed it out of there, quickly making their way down the hall.
Early the next morning:
Sighing, Stephanie slowly sat up and rubbed at her gritty eyes. *That was a nice dream, I wish it would have been real - Ah! What am I thinking!* Quickly, she stood up and everything started to spin.
"Sit down there girlie, you're exhausted," a soft voice whispered in her ear.
"Chris!" Stephanie exclaimed excitedly, "You're up and moving around." Affectionately, she reached out to touch his unshaven cheek.
"That's becoming a regular gesture with you isn't it?" he asked, chuckling softly.
Abruptly, Stephanie pulled her fingers away, her face a deep crimson. Chris caught her fingers in his hand, "It's okay, I don't mind," he replied quietly.
"Ahem, I see you've awakened," Mariah said in a clipped tone of voice.
"I went and retrieved us some lunch," Mariah said off - handedly, dragging the carcass of the jaguar behind her.
"Eww, we're going to eat that?" Stephanie asked in disbelief, scrambling behind Chris.
"After it's cooked, yes," Mariah responded drolly. "I highly doubt our friendly neighborhood tribe will miss him."
Chris cocked his head, looking at her in confusion.
"Cannibals," Mariah explained.
"Oh, that's nice. Anything else we should know?" he asked dryly.
Curiously, Stephanie piped up, "So, how did you end up on this island?"
"Well, my parents put aside a sizable amount of money for me. One day I decided that I wanted to come to America. My parents did not understand nor agree with my decision, but being that I was eighteen and they could tell it was what I really wanted, they reluctantly accepted my choice and kissed me goodbye. When I came to the United States, it was much more different than I anticipated. In Ireland, we lived in the country, where life is at a more leisurely pace. Here, it is noisy, crowded and everything moves at a much faster pace. I really didn't care for your way of life at all, so I bought this island and moved out here."
"This is your island?" Stephanie asked, stunned.
"Yes," Mariah answered proudly, "and I must admit, it is nice to see some civilized faces." Mariah's quick glance at Jericho did not go unnoticed by Stephanie, who fought valiantly to keep from reaching out to punch the jungle tramp.
"You mean, you wanted to be stranded out here and live..." Chris spread his arms out in front of him, "like this?" he asked incredulously.
"Did I want to be stranded, not exactly. I sailed back and forth between the east coast of Florida and Andros..."
"That's the name of this island, it sounds like some kind of space thing," Stephanie commented with distaste.
Mariah glared at her, "The name is of no importance," she said stiffly.
"Anyway, after I made my last trip for supplies, a severe storm whipped through the area, demolishing my only way off the island and I've been stuck here ever since." An angry frown creased her tanned face, "As far as 'living like this,' as you called it - I consider this paradise. Peace and quiet, and an endless, pristine beach that stretches for miles. The cannibals know not to mess with me, and as long as I stay on my side of the island, I'm safe from them."
"Okay, okay," Chris replied, raising his hand in defense, "Geez, touchy aren't we? I suppose you don't care about the latest fashion either, do ya?" Jericho commented appraisingly. Scantily clad in a rich, forrest green - colored top, exposing her midriff, while her bottom half was nothing more than a loin cloth covering both front and back. Both articles of clothing seemed to be made out of the same velvety, forrest green material. Stephanie frowned, not liking the way Chris was looking at Mariah - like she was some kind of bronze goddess or something.
"Out here, I don't really view fashion as a matter of importance, " Mariah said icily.
*Sheesh, she's worse than Steph with PMS!* "Perhaps not, but you might want to work on your people skills."
"Isn't that like the pot calling the kettle black," Mariah retorted her green eyes boring into Chris's.
"Hey, I get along with people really well!" Chris exclaimed.
"Not from what I've seen." With a gasp, Mariah clapped a hand over her mouth. Steph looked on in amusement, at the sight of seeing real emotion pour forth from Mariah for the first time. Guiltily, Steph admitted slightly to herself that she enjoyed watching Mariah squirm in her own web of deceit.
Chris narrowed his eyes, "You've been watching us?!"
"I uh..."
"Almost from the beginning," Stephanie finished for her, deciding to get Mariah off the hook - for now. *Chris won't forget that easily,* Steph thought to herself smugly.
Thinking back to his evening swim, Chris's mind raced to Mariah. Warily Chris asked, "How much did you see?"
"Um, I'm going to go for a walk, I need some air," Stephanie blurted out, not liking where this conversation was heading. She did not want to hear about Chris's body parts and Mariah mentioned in the same sentence.
Turning from an embarrassed Mariah, Chris studied Steph, "Are you sure you're feeling up to it hon?" he asked in concern. Steph's head snapped up, her eyes locking with his. Chris blushed, slightly uncomfortable and a bit surprised, at how easy the term of endearment slipped past his lips.
"Um yeah, I'm fine really. Thanks for asking," Steph replied smiling softly.
"Maybe I should go with you, he offered, "I mean, last time, I almost lost you," Jericho coughed out the last word.
"What?!" Stephanie exclaimed, raising a delicate eyebrow.
"Um, never mind. Uh, listen, just be careful okay," he replied casually.
"Always," Steph responded flippantly.
Mariah stared at Jericho as Steph walked off, "You two are just plain weird."
"Darn that man, he infuriates me! I mean, why doesn't Chris just tell me how he feels instead of mumbling something unintelligible. It must be a guy thing, but I don't get it." She sniffled, thinking of what her Mom always used to tell her, * Don't even try honey, men are hard to understand and I doubt us women will ever be able to figure them out.*
Stephanie jerked her head up, a sly smile spreading across her face, "It doesn't matter, because I heard what Jericho coughed out anyway." Her heart and thoughts warming towards Jericho as Steph said to herself, "I can't believe Chris, he actually used a term of endearment towards me, with no hint of sarcasm or casualness. Somehow, I feel safe with him." She smiled, feeling secure in the thought. *He truly was concerned about me, but is it love? Well, I suppose there has to be something there, Chris already told me I fascinate him.* "That's not the same thing as love though," she muttered to herself, a dark frown creasing her face. "And how do I feel about him?" Absent - mindedly, Steph picked up a daisy and pulled off the petals one - by - one. "He loves me, he loves me not. Darn!" she exclaimed, stamping her foot, "that is not the answer I was hoping for." She moved forward, spotting bright colored Petunias just ahead. "Ooh, these are so pretty!" She scooped up several yellow, pink, purple and red Petunias. Steph spotted some Red roses up ahead, noticing the shiny thorns sticking out of their stems. Frowning, she remembered Jericho comments comparing her to the Rose. *I wonder if he thinks Mariah is like that?* she thought sadly to herself. Suddenly, feeling tired, Stephanie plopped down on a rock beside a small stream. Resting the flowers down beside her, she propped her chin in her hands. "He seems to be attracted to Mariah and she to him." *What if he's in love with her?!* The thought raced through her mind in a blind panic. With a sigh, Steph stared at her reflection in the crystal, clear water, "What does she have that I don't have? Gee, let me think, could it be the clothes," she replied sarcastically. "Maybe it's the hair or her body." Viciously, Steph cut through her reflection mirrored on the water's surface. *I'm just going to have to talk to him,* she thought with a sigh. Taking a deep, shaky breath, Stephanie thought to herself, *I have no problem yelling or screaming at Daddy, Vince McMahon, my billionaire father, and yet I don't even have the courage to talk to one of his employees.* Tracing her steps back down the same trail, Steph noticed some bright, shiny leaves beckoning her attention. "Oh, the sunlight reflects off these so prettily. I'll have to take some of these too!" Gathering several, she tucked them under her arm, next to the Petunias. Realizing the clearing was just up ahead, she slowed her pace. Hearing voices up ahead, Steph stopped in her tracks, distractedly scratching her hand.
"Do you find me pretty?"
Chris swallowed hard as Mariah wrapped her arms around his neck. "Um, you're certainly not ugly," he replied nervously.
"So, what's 'not ugly,' about me?" she purred, smiling seductively.
Chris looked at her red hair, the flecks of gold and brown catching in her locks, as they stood under the sun's rays. Unable to resist, he grasped a wavy strand between his fingertips. "Is that all?" she demanded. Startled, he jumped, almost immediately releasing her hair. He gulped, "Um no."
Stephanie's heart pounding in her chest, she couldn't bear to look, *Don't fall for it Chris!* she practically willed him.
"It's your eyes." Spellbound, he stared down into them. Pools of sea - green, dotted with flecks of blue. Without further ado, Mariah seized the moment as her lips claimed his.
Is this relationship over before it even started?
Will Matt be able to patch things up with Amy, or does their relationship belong to the ages now?
Stay tuned, don't click that button...
I you would like to use my story, please ask me first, thanks.
The song, "If This Is It," is by Huey Lewis and the News and is not mine.
Chapter 12: If This Is It
"If this is it
Please let me know.
If this ain't love, you'd better let me know.
If this is it
I want to know.
If this ain't love baby, just say so."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a muffled voice threatened from behind Vince. Vince turned around in surprise, only to have a gloved hand wrap around his throat in a vice-like grip. Vince stared at Kane, raw fear in his eyes. "Nighty-night," Kane growled as he slammed Vince into the mat. Matt grabbed Jeff's arm, raising it up in victory. Turning, Matt gave Jeff a hug.
"Man, I can just imagine it, all the fans cheering as I pin you for the three count," Jeff whispered longingly into Matt's ear.
"In your dreams little bro, in your dreams," Matt replied with a cocky grin as he pulled away from Jeff. The audience screamed "Hardys! Hardys!" as Team Xtreme, The Rock and Kane made their way to the back.
"Congratulations guys!" Jeff said, grinning from ear - to - ear.
"You knew about this didn't you?" Amy asked a smile tugging at her lips.
"I sure did!" Jeff announced proudly, "and I managed to keep it a secret!"
"You fellows were great!" Vince said excitedly, letting the curtain fall behind him.
"Whoa, wait a minute," Matt said, his jaw dropping, "that was all a set up?"
"Darn right, I figured you two weren't going to fight each other, so I had a back - up plan. I think the fans liked it better too!" he said proudly. Amy frowned, she could just imagine Vince strutting around like a peacock, his glorious feathers all on display.
"Well if you didn't think they were going to wrestle each other, why did you set them up for vengeance anyway?" Amy asked in frustration.
"Oh no honey, everything was fine until I came up with the proposal, then I just had the feeling that..."
"What!"
Matt frowned, a sick feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. *Uh oh, I didn't want her to find out this way!* he thought frantically, squeezing his eyes shut.
"I thought maybe you had worked together on this with Matt," Amy said, trying to keep her cool.
"Nope, this was all my idea. Now you two will have to act more like an engaged couple now," Vince said happily, rubbing his hands together.
Amy clenched her hands at her sides, "Act, ooh!" Amy stormed off, fighting tears. Helplessly, Matt watched her go, "Amy!" he called after her.
"Thanks Vince, thanks for everything!" Matt said, his voice dangerously low, as he tore off after Amy.
"What, what did I do?" Vince asked, perplexed.
Confused, Dwayne(the Rock) and Glenn(Kane) were at a loss for words.
"Amy thought the proposal was real," Jeff said simply.
"Oh, don't be silly, it was just for.." he trailed off as he looked at Jeff, who looked very imposing at the moment.
"It may have been a storyline in the beginning for you, but Matt decided to make it real. He wanted to surprise her."
"Well, Matt should have told me what he was intending," Vince replied defensively.
Jeff, his arms folded across his chest, nodding slightly, "Perhaps."
"Whoa, this transcends soap opera." Dwayne said, in awe.
Glen nodded, "I'm with you. Now might be a good time to leave, two's a crowd you know." They high - tailed it out of there, quickly making their way down the hall.
Early the next morning:
Sighing, Stephanie slowly sat up and rubbed at her gritty eyes. *That was a nice dream, I wish it would have been real - Ah! What am I thinking!* Quickly, she stood up and everything started to spin.
"Sit down there girlie, you're exhausted," a soft voice whispered in her ear.
"Chris!" Stephanie exclaimed excitedly, "You're up and moving around." Affectionately, she reached out to touch his unshaven cheek.
"That's becoming a regular gesture with you isn't it?" he asked, chuckling softly.
Abruptly, Stephanie pulled her fingers away, her face a deep crimson. Chris caught her fingers in his hand, "It's okay, I don't mind," he replied quietly.
"Ahem, I see you've awakened," Mariah said in a clipped tone of voice.
"I went and retrieved us some lunch," Mariah said off - handedly, dragging the carcass of the jaguar behind her.
"Eww, we're going to eat that?" Stephanie asked in disbelief, scrambling behind Chris.
"After it's cooked, yes," Mariah responded drolly. "I highly doubt our friendly neighborhood tribe will miss him."
Chris cocked his head, looking at her in confusion.
"Cannibals," Mariah explained.
"Oh, that's nice. Anything else we should know?" he asked dryly.
Curiously, Stephanie piped up, "So, how did you end up on this island?"
"Well, my parents put aside a sizable amount of money for me. One day I decided that I wanted to come to America. My parents did not understand nor agree with my decision, but being that I was eighteen and they could tell it was what I really wanted, they reluctantly accepted my choice and kissed me goodbye. When I came to the United States, it was much more different than I anticipated. In Ireland, we lived in the country, where life is at a more leisurely pace. Here, it is noisy, crowded and everything moves at a much faster pace. I really didn't care for your way of life at all, so I bought this island and moved out here."
"This is your island?" Stephanie asked, stunned.
"Yes," Mariah answered proudly, "and I must admit, it is nice to see some civilized faces." Mariah's quick glance at Jericho did not go unnoticed by Stephanie, who fought valiantly to keep from reaching out to punch the jungle tramp.
"You mean, you wanted to be stranded out here and live..." Chris spread his arms out in front of him, "like this?" he asked incredulously.
"Did I want to be stranded, not exactly. I sailed back and forth between the east coast of Florida and Andros..."
"That's the name of this island, it sounds like some kind of space thing," Stephanie commented with distaste.
Mariah glared at her, "The name is of no importance," she said stiffly.
"Anyway, after I made my last trip for supplies, a severe storm whipped through the area, demolishing my only way off the island and I've been stuck here ever since." An angry frown creased her tanned face, "As far as 'living like this,' as you called it - I consider this paradise. Peace and quiet, and an endless, pristine beach that stretches for miles. The cannibals know not to mess with me, and as long as I stay on my side of the island, I'm safe from them."
"Okay, okay," Chris replied, raising his hand in defense, "Geez, touchy aren't we? I suppose you don't care about the latest fashion either, do ya?" Jericho commented appraisingly. Scantily clad in a rich, forrest green - colored top, exposing her midriff, while her bottom half was nothing more than a loin cloth covering both front and back. Both articles of clothing seemed to be made out of the same velvety, forrest green material. Stephanie frowned, not liking the way Chris was looking at Mariah - like she was some kind of bronze goddess or something.
"Out here, I don't really view fashion as a matter of importance, " Mariah said icily.
*Sheesh, she's worse than Steph with PMS!* "Perhaps not, but you might want to work on your people skills."
"Isn't that like the pot calling the kettle black," Mariah retorted her green eyes boring into Chris's.
"Hey, I get along with people really well!" Chris exclaimed.
"Not from what I've seen." With a gasp, Mariah clapped a hand over her mouth. Steph looked on in amusement, at the sight of seeing real emotion pour forth from Mariah for the first time. Guiltily, Steph admitted slightly to herself that she enjoyed watching Mariah squirm in her own web of deceit.
Chris narrowed his eyes, "You've been watching us?!"
"I uh..."
"Almost from the beginning," Stephanie finished for her, deciding to get Mariah off the hook - for now. *Chris won't forget that easily,* Steph thought to herself smugly.
Thinking back to his evening swim, Chris's mind raced to Mariah. Warily Chris asked, "How much did you see?"
"Um, I'm going to go for a walk, I need some air," Stephanie blurted out, not liking where this conversation was heading. She did not want to hear about Chris's body parts and Mariah mentioned in the same sentence.
Turning from an embarrassed Mariah, Chris studied Steph, "Are you sure you're feeling up to it hon?" he asked in concern. Steph's head snapped up, her eyes locking with his. Chris blushed, slightly uncomfortable and a bit surprised, at how easy the term of endearment slipped past his lips.
"Um yeah, I'm fine really. Thanks for asking," Steph replied smiling softly.
"Maybe I should go with you, he offered, "I mean, last time, I almost lost you," Jericho coughed out the last word.
"What?!" Stephanie exclaimed, raising a delicate eyebrow.
"Um, never mind. Uh, listen, just be careful okay," he replied casually.
"Always," Steph responded flippantly.
Mariah stared at Jericho as Steph walked off, "You two are just plain weird."
"Darn that man, he infuriates me! I mean, why doesn't Chris just tell me how he feels instead of mumbling something unintelligible. It must be a guy thing, but I don't get it." She sniffled, thinking of what her Mom always used to tell her, * Don't even try honey, men are hard to understand and I doubt us women will ever be able to figure them out.*
Stephanie jerked her head up, a sly smile spreading across her face, "It doesn't matter, because I heard what Jericho coughed out anyway." Her heart and thoughts warming towards Jericho as Steph said to herself, "I can't believe Chris, he actually used a term of endearment towards me, with no hint of sarcasm or casualness. Somehow, I feel safe with him." She smiled, feeling secure in the thought. *He truly was concerned about me, but is it love? Well, I suppose there has to be something there, Chris already told me I fascinate him.* "That's not the same thing as love though," she muttered to herself, a dark frown creasing her face. "And how do I feel about him?" Absent - mindedly, Steph picked up a daisy and pulled off the petals one - by - one. "He loves me, he loves me not. Darn!" she exclaimed, stamping her foot, "that is not the answer I was hoping for." She moved forward, spotting bright colored Petunias just ahead. "Ooh, these are so pretty!" She scooped up several yellow, pink, purple and red Petunias. Steph spotted some Red roses up ahead, noticing the shiny thorns sticking out of their stems. Frowning, she remembered Jericho comments comparing her to the Rose. *I wonder if he thinks Mariah is like that?* she thought sadly to herself. Suddenly, feeling tired, Stephanie plopped down on a rock beside a small stream. Resting the flowers down beside her, she propped her chin in her hands. "He seems to be attracted to Mariah and she to him." *What if he's in love with her?!* The thought raced through her mind in a blind panic. With a sigh, Steph stared at her reflection in the crystal, clear water, "What does she have that I don't have? Gee, let me think, could it be the clothes," she replied sarcastically. "Maybe it's the hair or her body." Viciously, Steph cut through her reflection mirrored on the water's surface. *I'm just going to have to talk to him,* she thought with a sigh. Taking a deep, shaky breath, Stephanie thought to herself, *I have no problem yelling or screaming at Daddy, Vince McMahon, my billionaire father, and yet I don't even have the courage to talk to one of his employees.* Tracing her steps back down the same trail, Steph noticed some bright, shiny leaves beckoning her attention. "Oh, the sunlight reflects off these so prettily. I'll have to take some of these too!" Gathering several, she tucked them under her arm, next to the Petunias. Realizing the clearing was just up ahead, she slowed her pace. Hearing voices up ahead, Steph stopped in her tracks, distractedly scratching her hand.
"Do you find me pretty?"
Chris swallowed hard as Mariah wrapped her arms around his neck. "Um, you're certainly not ugly," he replied nervously.
"So, what's 'not ugly,' about me?" she purred, smiling seductively.
Chris looked at her red hair, the flecks of gold and brown catching in her locks, as they stood under the sun's rays. Unable to resist, he grasped a wavy strand between his fingertips. "Is that all?" she demanded. Startled, he jumped, almost immediately releasing her hair. He gulped, "Um no."
Stephanie's heart pounding in her chest, she couldn't bear to look, *Don't fall for it Chris!* she practically willed him.
"It's your eyes." Spellbound, he stared down into them. Pools of sea - green, dotted with flecks of blue. Without further ado, Mariah seized the moment as her lips claimed his.
Is this relationship over before it even started?
Will Matt be able to patch things up with Amy, or does their relationship belong to the ages now?
Stay tuned, don't click that button...