Disclaimer: Vince McMahon owns the WWF and it's wrestlers. On my part it's only wishful thinking. :)
The song, "Stuck With You," is by Huey Lewis and the News and is not mine.
If you would like to use this story, please ask me first, thanks.
Chapter 13: Stuck With You
Stephanie choked out a strangled cry, dropping her bouquet of flowers and leaves, scattering them all over the earthen floor.
Startled, Chris released Mariah and turned around. "Steph!" he cried out.
"Leave me alone!" Stephanie screamed at him. Scratching her leg furiously, she ran off. Chris closed his eyes in frustration, only seconds ago to see the flicker of pain in Stephanie's eyes.
Taking a deep breath, Chris raced off after his beloved.
"He loves me not," Mariah muttered under her breath.
"Steph!" Chris yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth. Steph dug her fingernails into her stomach. The itch was becoming painful, *What in the world am I allergic to!* she thought furiously. Striking a solid object, she screamed at the top of her lungs. The "object," in front of her roared back.
Opening her eyes, she noticed a big black bear staring back at her. "Oh Blinky, it's only you," she said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Stephanie, watch out!"
Stephanie whirled around, "Jericho!" she practically spat out. "I will not watch out, it's only Blinky," Steph countered, standing protectively in front of bear.
"No it's not," a voice said calmly, pulling a bow and arrow from behind her back.
"Steph get down!" Chris ordered, lunging at her. He knocked Steph to the ground, covering her with his own body, as the sound of an arrow whizzed over their heads. Injured, the bear collapsed back onto all four legs and lumbered off into the woods, whimpering.
"Just a flesh wound," Mariah said calmly, as she placed the bow into it's holster, draped across her back and shoulder.
Chris slowly got off of Stephanie. "Steph, you okay?" he asked, turning her over. "Steph?" he asked again, this time concern laced in his voice. Gently, he brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
"I think she fainted," Mariah replied, peering into her pallid face.
Chris picked her up easily. He frowned though, when he saw the red marks on her arms, legs, stomach and neck. Mariah and Chris looked at each other in alarm, "Poison Ivy!"
As soon as they reached the treehouse, Chris gently placed her on the floor and started ripping up her pants legs, stopping halfway up her thigh.
"Okay, good, I'll go fetch us a bucket of cool water. Since we don't have any lotion, it's the next best thing. Chris nodded, barely paying attention to Mariah as he focused his attention on Stephanie. He winced inwardly as he realized what he would have to do.
"Goodbye my old friend, I'll miss you." Closing his eyes, Chris grabbed hold of his prized hockey shirt and pulled. Rrripp!
With each tearing sound, Chris cringed. Stoically, he tossed the remnants of his shirt over the wooden railing.
All warm and fuzzy, she felt something soft and woolly wrapped around her body - and strong arms around her! Stephanie's eyes popped open. Feeling her body stiffen, Chris's sleep - filled eyes snapped open as well, peering down into Stephanie's anger - filled baby blues.
"Release me!" she screeched, pounding on Chris's chest with her fist. "Whoa, hang on there, Princess," he said lightly, "we need to talk."
"There's nothing to talk about," she said stiffly, crossing her arms over her chest and turning her face away from his.
"Alright, fine, I'm not going to waste my breath then." Stephanie let out a gasp of surprise as she felt her rump meet with the cold, wooden floor.
"Hey!" she protested, "I liked it better before," Stephanie said quietly.
"Well, make up your mind then," Chris replied gruffly, hauling her back into his lap. "And if I didn't know better, just now, you sounded meek and subdued, like a sweet little housecat. Oh wait, let me rephrase that - hellcat, you just haven't unsheathed your claws yet," he bit out.
Wounded, Stephanie whispered quietly, "I knew I couldn't trust you with my heart."
"What?!" Jericho demanded.
Quietly, Mariah's head peeked over the top of the wooden steps etched into the tree trunk, "Aw, sweet Mary, Mother of Joseph, would you stop hurling insults at one another and just proclaim your love to one another!"
They turned to look at her in shock. Surprised at her words, a sheepish looking Mariah, quite embarrassed, turned abruptly and soundlessly made her way back down the carved steps.
"I heard you," Jericho responded quietly. Almost instantly she regretted her words as she noticed the wounded, defeated look in his eyes. Stephanie closed her eyes, *And here he is taking care of me, even though I have know idea what's wrong with me? No matter, I owe Chris an explanation.* She opened her eyes only to look into Chris's hardened ones.
Swallowing hard, she said quietly, "When I was fifteen I fell in love with my best friend."
Surprise lit up Chris's eyes, "Isn't that a bit young..."
She waved a hand at him, "Yes, yes, I know. Too young to truly realize what love is and too young to date. Mom and Dad used to give me that spiel all the time - and yes they were right," Stephanie said with a sigh. "I never thought I'd say that." She chuckled lightly.
"Please just listen to me, no jokes and no cracks, okay?" He nodded, seeing the pleading look in her eyes.
"I realize, even though we've only been stuck here for four days, I think it's safe to say that we've bonded pretty well," Steph said shyly, desperately searching Chris's face for an answer, hoping that she was right. Steph let out a deep breath, as he slowly shook his head yes.
"I dated Todd until my senior year. We were very happy together, or at least at thought we were. The day of our graduation, I found him making out with Jennifer, my friend since I was in kindergarten, against his car, in the school parking lot." Chris opened his mouth to speak but Stephanie held up her hand, "Please, not yet." Seeing the pain etched on her face, he couldn't help himself, "You can stop if you want to," Chris said softly.
"No," she said softly, "I need to get this off my chest." The old Chris would have had a million comebacks for that line, but for the first time in his life it didn't really matter.
"I was horrified, hurt and embarrassed. They were oblivious to my presence, so in my shock, I ran away." Stephanie let her head fall down towards her chest, unwilling to let Chris see the few stray tears fall. Wordlessly, Chris placed his hand at the back of her neck and squeezed affectionately. Grateful for the comfort, Steph wiped away the tears with the back of her hand. She felt Chris's gentle pressure release off her neck as she raised her head. "I broke up with Todd right before the graduation ceremony, I wasn't going to let him be the one to break up with me first," Steph said fiercely.
"That's my girl," Chris whispered.
Steph smiled slightly and continued. "I remember the surprise in Todd's voice when he asked me why." Stephanie's eyes took on a faraway look. "I just told him it wasn't working out. I was curious to see what his response would be, if he would explain to me what was going on, how long he had been cheating on me behind my back, or if it was just some fluke. I was hoping he would say it was all a big mistake and come crawling back to me. He never did though, instead Todd shrugged his shoulders and walked away. I remember all the times he told me he loved me. Maybe at one time it had been real, but in the end it wasn't. He stopped caring - about me, about us." The flood of tears broke, like a dam cracking under pressure. Chris put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.
"I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair.
Just as quickly, Steph pulled away, "It was then that I swore I would never give my heart to another man again - and you're no different," Steph said softly, her heart aching at her words.
Jericho, attempting to control his indignation and hurt, replied, "I'm not like that dipstick, Todd."
"You were kissing Mariah weren't you," she accused.
"What did you expect me to do Steph?" Chris demanded in exasperation, running a hand through his hair. "In walks another beautiful woman, while you keep turning me off and on like a faucet, pushing me away, then reaching for me. You never told me you loved me and you never said, gee Jericho, you want to start a relationship. I pretty much poured my heart out to you and you stamped all over it. I didn't know where I stood with you. As a matter of fact, I still don't!" Chris pointed out matter - of - factly.
"Another beautiful woman eh?" Steph asked, the corners of her mouth quirking up in a smile.
"Yes!" he said, annoyed. "Look Stephanie, I know you are afraid of getting hurt but if you don't allow yourself to feel, you'll only miss out."
"On what? The pain, the anguish?! I've dated a few times since then, but know one ever gets close enough to Stephanie McMahon anymore," she said staunchly.
"And that's something you're proud of?" Chris demanded quietly.
She hung her head, "Mom, Dad and Shane don't even know everything that happened between Todd and I. All I told them was that we broke up. They don't know about Jennifer or anything," Steph's voice broke as she finished.
"Oh geeze Stephanie, you've been holding all this in for way too long hon," Chris said sympathetically, wrapping his arms around her - and this time she didn't pull away.
Her face buried against his chest, Steph whispered, "I love you."
It felt the most natural thing in the world for Chris to respond, "I love you too."
Late afternoon:
"Amy?" Matt called softly, opening the rear exit door. Arms wrapped around herself, her back turned to him, Amy refused to answer. "You're shivering," Matt stated quietly. Shrugging off his jacket, he placed it around her shoulders.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Amy asked, sorrow laced in her voice.
"I wanted to," Matt explained, frowning, "but Vince beat me to it."
"I know that you weren't intending to toy with my emotions and heart, but it sure felt like it Matt," Amy responded quietly.
Matt sighed, "I know and I'm sorry, but it doesn't change what I said out there or how I feel about you. Initially, it was Vince's idea to have me propose to you, as only part of the story-line. The more I thought about it though, the more I wanted to turn it into reality. I didn't want to tell anyone, especially not you, I wanted it to be a surprise. Then Jeff found out and you know how he is about secrets." Amy grinned, "Yeah, he doesn't know how to keep one."
"I practically made him swear to secrecy."
"Well, he did a great job," Amy commented dryly.
"Actually, the person that helped me the most was Adam. I asked if I could check out his c.d. collection, knowing he would have tons of musicians to choose from. Anyway, he went over the lyrics with me every spare moment I had and helped me with my, um, presentation."
Amy burst out laughing, "I hope no one saw you two. That would have been awkward at best!"
"No. Thankfully, there will be no rumors to quell," Matt said with a grin.
"You gave a huge sacrifice," Amy blurted out, whirling around to face him.
Matt stared at her in confusion, "What do you mean, Adam isn't that horrible to be around."
She shook her head emphatically, "No, not that, you put aside Pearl Jam for me! That was soo sweet of you!" Amy threw her arms around his neck and peppered his face with kisses.
He grinned as he wrapped his arms around her waist, *Hmm, I'll have to listen to different music more often!*
"Guys!" Jeff poked his head out the door and yelled frantically to them, "come on, the boat will be ready to take us out to the island within the hour. Let's move!"
Stephanie started to scratch her stomach mercilessly beneath the blanket, "Darn this allergy, maybe it's possible to have some kind of aversion to the island or something."
"Not likely," Jericho said grinning. "Now, quit scratching, it only makes Poison Ivy spread."
"Poison Ivy?" Steph cocked her head in surprise.
"You don't know what Poison Ivy is?" Chris blinked in surprise.
"Noo," she retorted. He doubled over in laughter, holding his aching sides.
Standing up, she threw the blanket off her shoulders. "Okay, I'm getting a draft," Steph complained.
"Have you taken a glance at your clothing attire lately?" Mariah tossed in Stephanie's direction.
Stephanie looked down at her bare legs, "Alright, who ruined my designer pants?"
"I did," Jericho stated, a challenge in his voice. Steph raised her head, only to look straight into his blue eyes, from across the room. His eyes read, *Want to make something of it?*
Mariah frowned, "I'm starting to feel like I'm being chased out of my own treehouse," she mumbled to herself, once again exiting down the steps.
"No, I don't want make something of it," Steph said softly, crossing the floor to reach him. She smiled, enjoying the look of surprise in his eyes.
"It's easier if the infected areas are exposed to air, so I ripped up your pants and.."
"Your shirt!" she gasped, grasping the frayed edges, you tore up your lucky shirt!"
"Aw, it's no big deal," Chris said, shuffling his feet.
"Yes it is," Mariah piped up, peeking her head over the rough hewn step, "it was an autographed shirt. Now it makes a good rag."
Chris flashed her a dirty look, "A rag!"
Mariah grinned saucily at him, then disappeared from view.
"You tore up your autographed, lucky shirt for me?! You never told me it was autographed!" Stephanie leaned forward to kiss him.
"Oh no sweetheart, as much as I would like to kiss you, I don't want to contract Poison Ivy from you, it's quite contagious you know."
She stared at him blankly. "Oh fine, whatever." Pouting, she ungracefully plopped down on the wooden plank floor, wincing slightly as she plopped down a little too hard.
Chris chuckled, "Reliving kindergarten again Angel?"
"Oh shut up junior." She refused to look at Chris, unwilling to let him catch the huge grin spreading across face.
"Chris, Stephanie, come here, quickly!" Mariah yelled from below.
Chris leaned over the railing, cupping his hands to his mouth, "Mariah?! Is everything okay?"
"Everything is just grand, now come on down!"
"I can't ever tell if that woman is serious or just being a smart - a.. oh never mind," Chris muttered to nothing but air, as he watched Steph make a beeline for the tree trunk.
"I think your rescuers are here," Mariah said matter - of - factly, pointing out to sea, where a large boat was plowing towards them.
"Daddy!" Stephanie yelled, waving her arms frantically. Chris frowned, stuffing his hands in his pockets. *I was just beginning to like this place, even more so the idea of being alone with Stephanie. Now everything will probably go back to the way it used to be.* Chris was surprised at how strongly he didn't want things to go back to the way they were, if anything he wanted things to move forward. Impulsively, Stephanie wrapped her arms around Chris's neck, surprising him a bit. "Isn't this wonderful, Daddy's here, he's finally come for me - I mean us," she amended, catching Chris's sharp look at her.
"Pumpkin!" Vince yelled, running towards them. Vince enveloped her in his arms, then quickly released her. Stepping back to examine his little girl, "What is wrong with your skin and you're clothes? You look - compromised," Vince said slowly, as if searching for the right words.
"Daddy!"
Highly offended, Mariah scowled at Vince.
"Poison Ivy," Jericho offered quietly.
Vince half - smiled, half - glared at Chris, "I trust you took good care of my little girl, at arms length of course."
"Well," Chris started to reply sheepishly.
Stephanie moved to grab Vince's arm, when suddenly Chris, a look of determination on his face, reached out to take Vince aside as well.
"Actually sir, may I speak to you for a second?"
Both Vince and Stephanie looked at Vince in surprise.
"Since when have you ever called me sir?" Vince demanded, quirking an eyebrow.
"Nevver evver, but I have a favor to ask of you."
"Who is the devastatingly handsome fellow with the blonde ponytail?" Mariah asked, intrigued.
"Who? Oh Paul?" Stephanie asked, surprised.
"In wrestling, he's known as Triple H., but all us friends know him as Paul."
*Hmm, I wonder what he's doing here.*
A beaming Jericho and a proud Vince strode back towards Mariah and Stephanie.
"So, what's the great news?" Steph asked.
"I'll tell ya later," Chris said off - handedly. Feeling slightly hurt at Chris's brush off, Steph remained silent, momentarily.
"Vince, this is Mariah, Mariah, meet Vince McMahon, Stephanie's father."
"Charmed, I'm sure," Mariah answered icily, an edge to her voice.
"A woman with spunk, hmm, I like it," Vince said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Oh no you don't, don't get any ideas about using her as your boy toy in another storyline," Steph reprimanded, shaking a finger at her father.
"Boy toy?" Mariah asked, a confused look on her face.
"It's a long story - which you don't want to hear, believe me," Chris emphasized.
"Daddy, was getting us stranded on this island your idea?" Stephanie asked point blank.
Vince's eyes widened in surprise, "Whatever gave you that idea?"
Chris crossed his massive arms over his equally massive chest, "You mean who."
"Alright, I did plan the train trip to get the two of you alone."
"Why?" Stephanie asked.
"To bring you two closer together - as friends, hopefully more. I do want a son - in - law to contr, I mean have, one day you know."
Confirming their suspicions and then some, Steph and Chris looked at each other in embarrassment.
"Well, what I really want to know are which wrestlers helped you in this little scheme of yours?" Chris demanded, trying hard not to smile.
Vince swept his arms in the direction of the boat, "Why don't you ask them yourself."
Surprising Chris and Vince, but no one more than herself, Stephanie found herself asking, "Mariah, do you want to come back with us?"
Mariah's jaw dropped. "You mean it?" she asked incredulously.
"Well sure, I, we, don't want to deny you a shot at a new life, that is if you want it?" Steph asked shyly.
Mariah glanced at the hunk, Steph had called Triple H.
"I would like that very much, thank you - but we have to take Blinky with us."
Chris and Steph laughed.
"Blinky, who's Blinky?" Vince asked.
Mariah put two fingers in her mouth and whistled shrilly. A big black - brown bear lumbered towards the group.
"Bl, Blinky, I thought it was like your pet cat or something," Vince stammered, his face pale.
"Only if you want to befriend the local Jaguar," Mariah replied sarcastically, stroking his fine, yet course hair. Chris and Steph looked at each other, laughing uneasily, sharing the inside joke.
"Oh wait!" Mariah exclaimed, "let me just get a few more things." A few minutes later, Mariah struggled towards them carrying a medium sized drawstring pouch that matched the color of her jungle outfit.
"A few things eh, women never pack just a few things," Chris said, raising an eyebrow. Perhaps you could imagine Mariah's surprise, when Chris's next words were this, "Here let me take that for you. It looks heavy."
"Thanks," she said, a smile on her face. As the group neared the boat, Paul leaned towards Shane and whispered, "Who's the babe standing next to Jericho? She has gorgeous hair."
"How should I know, besides, I'm sure that's not all you find gorgeous," Shane replied with a smug smile.
"You're just trying to start trouble short stuff," Paul retorted, trying not to smile.
As the boat pulled away from shore, in a way, Steph couldn't believe they were actually leaving. A part of her was sad, which surprised her.
"You okay?" a voice whispered in her ear.
"Yeah, I guess so, I can fairly believe everything that has happened in the past what, four to five days? I'm losing count," she said with a laugh.
"Well, that's bound to happen, when you're sick half the time or in and out of consciousness," he said quietly, his tone of voice sober.
"Listen, Chris, don't you even feel bad or guilty for one second. I wouldn't have gotten out of those scrapes if it wasn't for you. Most of the time I put myself in those situations anyway."
"Hey, what's so funny?" she asked defensively.
"You, that you didn't even know what Poison Ivy was," he replied, doubling over in laughter again.
"I only went to summer camp once okay, Mom and Dad made me come home after only a few days, because they thought it was too dirty."
"Well, that is kind of the idea," Chris replied dryly, raising an eyebrow.
"So, I liked this little excursion that Dad inaverdently let me go on. I liked being stuck with you."
Chris looked at her sharply.
*Oh shoot, I hadn't meant to let that slip out.*
"Do you want things to go back to the way they were, at least in front of the cameras?" Chris asked quickly.
"No!" she blurted out, quite loudly.
Everyone around her stopped talking and stared at them.
"I expect there will be some changes, no, quite a few changes to the script," Steph answered, smiling slyly.
"I liked being stuck with you too, so I was wondering, how would you like to be stuck with me - permanently."
Steph turned away from him, her eyes focusing on the setting sun, as if brush strokes of water colors in shades of red, pink and gold dripped down, melding with the gulf waters. Chris waited with bated breath for her answer. "Don't fall overboard," Chris joked, reaching out to tuck a strand of chestnut hair behind her ear.
"Yo, you mean? You're serious..." her voice trailed off.
"Ah hah," Chris replied with a smile.
"Yes it's true, I am happy to be stuck with you.
Yes it's true, I'm so happy to be stuck with you, because I can see that you're happy to be stuck with me."
Will she say yes?
Will Mariah become Vince's next "boy toy?"
What will happen between Mariah and Paul, if anything?
Stay tuned...
Don't click that button...
The song, "Stuck With You," is by Huey Lewis and the News and is not mine.
If you would like to use this story, please ask me first, thanks.
Chapter 13: Stuck With You
Stephanie choked out a strangled cry, dropping her bouquet of flowers and leaves, scattering them all over the earthen floor.
Startled, Chris released Mariah and turned around. "Steph!" he cried out.
"Leave me alone!" Stephanie screamed at him. Scratching her leg furiously, she ran off. Chris closed his eyes in frustration, only seconds ago to see the flicker of pain in Stephanie's eyes.
Taking a deep breath, Chris raced off after his beloved.
"He loves me not," Mariah muttered under her breath.
"Steph!" Chris yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth. Steph dug her fingernails into her stomach. The itch was becoming painful, *What in the world am I allergic to!* she thought furiously. Striking a solid object, she screamed at the top of her lungs. The "object," in front of her roared back.
Opening her eyes, she noticed a big black bear staring back at her. "Oh Blinky, it's only you," she said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Stephanie, watch out!"
Stephanie whirled around, "Jericho!" she practically spat out. "I will not watch out, it's only Blinky," Steph countered, standing protectively in front of bear.
"No it's not," a voice said calmly, pulling a bow and arrow from behind her back.
"Steph get down!" Chris ordered, lunging at her. He knocked Steph to the ground, covering her with his own body, as the sound of an arrow whizzed over their heads. Injured, the bear collapsed back onto all four legs and lumbered off into the woods, whimpering.
"Just a flesh wound," Mariah said calmly, as she placed the bow into it's holster, draped across her back and shoulder.
Chris slowly got off of Stephanie. "Steph, you okay?" he asked, turning her over. "Steph?" he asked again, this time concern laced in his voice. Gently, he brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
"I think she fainted," Mariah replied, peering into her pallid face.
Chris picked her up easily. He frowned though, when he saw the red marks on her arms, legs, stomach and neck. Mariah and Chris looked at each other in alarm, "Poison Ivy!"
As soon as they reached the treehouse, Chris gently placed her on the floor and started ripping up her pants legs, stopping halfway up her thigh.
"Okay, good, I'll go fetch us a bucket of cool water. Since we don't have any lotion, it's the next best thing. Chris nodded, barely paying attention to Mariah as he focused his attention on Stephanie. He winced inwardly as he realized what he would have to do.
"Goodbye my old friend, I'll miss you." Closing his eyes, Chris grabbed hold of his prized hockey shirt and pulled. Rrripp!
With each tearing sound, Chris cringed. Stoically, he tossed the remnants of his shirt over the wooden railing.
All warm and fuzzy, she felt something soft and woolly wrapped around her body - and strong arms around her! Stephanie's eyes popped open. Feeling her body stiffen, Chris's sleep - filled eyes snapped open as well, peering down into Stephanie's anger - filled baby blues.
"Release me!" she screeched, pounding on Chris's chest with her fist. "Whoa, hang on there, Princess," he said lightly, "we need to talk."
"There's nothing to talk about," she said stiffly, crossing her arms over her chest and turning her face away from his.
"Alright, fine, I'm not going to waste my breath then." Stephanie let out a gasp of surprise as she felt her rump meet with the cold, wooden floor.
"Hey!" she protested, "I liked it better before," Stephanie said quietly.
"Well, make up your mind then," Chris replied gruffly, hauling her back into his lap. "And if I didn't know better, just now, you sounded meek and subdued, like a sweet little housecat. Oh wait, let me rephrase that - hellcat, you just haven't unsheathed your claws yet," he bit out.
Wounded, Stephanie whispered quietly, "I knew I couldn't trust you with my heart."
"What?!" Jericho demanded.
Quietly, Mariah's head peeked over the top of the wooden steps etched into the tree trunk, "Aw, sweet Mary, Mother of Joseph, would you stop hurling insults at one another and just proclaim your love to one another!"
They turned to look at her in shock. Surprised at her words, a sheepish looking Mariah, quite embarrassed, turned abruptly and soundlessly made her way back down the carved steps.
"I heard you," Jericho responded quietly. Almost instantly she regretted her words as she noticed the wounded, defeated look in his eyes. Stephanie closed her eyes, *And here he is taking care of me, even though I have know idea what's wrong with me? No matter, I owe Chris an explanation.* She opened her eyes only to look into Chris's hardened ones.
Swallowing hard, she said quietly, "When I was fifteen I fell in love with my best friend."
Surprise lit up Chris's eyes, "Isn't that a bit young..."
She waved a hand at him, "Yes, yes, I know. Too young to truly realize what love is and too young to date. Mom and Dad used to give me that spiel all the time - and yes they were right," Stephanie said with a sigh. "I never thought I'd say that." She chuckled lightly.
"Please just listen to me, no jokes and no cracks, okay?" He nodded, seeing the pleading look in her eyes.
"I realize, even though we've only been stuck here for four days, I think it's safe to say that we've bonded pretty well," Steph said shyly, desperately searching Chris's face for an answer, hoping that she was right. Steph let out a deep breath, as he slowly shook his head yes.
"I dated Todd until my senior year. We were very happy together, or at least at thought we were. The day of our graduation, I found him making out with Jennifer, my friend since I was in kindergarten, against his car, in the school parking lot." Chris opened his mouth to speak but Stephanie held up her hand, "Please, not yet." Seeing the pain etched on her face, he couldn't help himself, "You can stop if you want to," Chris said softly.
"No," she said softly, "I need to get this off my chest." The old Chris would have had a million comebacks for that line, but for the first time in his life it didn't really matter.
"I was horrified, hurt and embarrassed. They were oblivious to my presence, so in my shock, I ran away." Stephanie let her head fall down towards her chest, unwilling to let Chris see the few stray tears fall. Wordlessly, Chris placed his hand at the back of her neck and squeezed affectionately. Grateful for the comfort, Steph wiped away the tears with the back of her hand. She felt Chris's gentle pressure release off her neck as she raised her head. "I broke up with Todd right before the graduation ceremony, I wasn't going to let him be the one to break up with me first," Steph said fiercely.
"That's my girl," Chris whispered.
Steph smiled slightly and continued. "I remember the surprise in Todd's voice when he asked me why." Stephanie's eyes took on a faraway look. "I just told him it wasn't working out. I was curious to see what his response would be, if he would explain to me what was going on, how long he had been cheating on me behind my back, or if it was just some fluke. I was hoping he would say it was all a big mistake and come crawling back to me. He never did though, instead Todd shrugged his shoulders and walked away. I remember all the times he told me he loved me. Maybe at one time it had been real, but in the end it wasn't. He stopped caring - about me, about us." The flood of tears broke, like a dam cracking under pressure. Chris put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.
"I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair.
Just as quickly, Steph pulled away, "It was then that I swore I would never give my heart to another man again - and you're no different," Steph said softly, her heart aching at her words.
Jericho, attempting to control his indignation and hurt, replied, "I'm not like that dipstick, Todd."
"You were kissing Mariah weren't you," she accused.
"What did you expect me to do Steph?" Chris demanded in exasperation, running a hand through his hair. "In walks another beautiful woman, while you keep turning me off and on like a faucet, pushing me away, then reaching for me. You never told me you loved me and you never said, gee Jericho, you want to start a relationship. I pretty much poured my heart out to you and you stamped all over it. I didn't know where I stood with you. As a matter of fact, I still don't!" Chris pointed out matter - of - factly.
"Another beautiful woman eh?" Steph asked, the corners of her mouth quirking up in a smile.
"Yes!" he said, annoyed. "Look Stephanie, I know you are afraid of getting hurt but if you don't allow yourself to feel, you'll only miss out."
"On what? The pain, the anguish?! I've dated a few times since then, but know one ever gets close enough to Stephanie McMahon anymore," she said staunchly.
"And that's something you're proud of?" Chris demanded quietly.
She hung her head, "Mom, Dad and Shane don't even know everything that happened between Todd and I. All I told them was that we broke up. They don't know about Jennifer or anything," Steph's voice broke as she finished.
"Oh geeze Stephanie, you've been holding all this in for way too long hon," Chris said sympathetically, wrapping his arms around her - and this time she didn't pull away.
Her face buried against his chest, Steph whispered, "I love you."
It felt the most natural thing in the world for Chris to respond, "I love you too."
Late afternoon:
"Amy?" Matt called softly, opening the rear exit door. Arms wrapped around herself, her back turned to him, Amy refused to answer. "You're shivering," Matt stated quietly. Shrugging off his jacket, he placed it around her shoulders.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Amy asked, sorrow laced in her voice.
"I wanted to," Matt explained, frowning, "but Vince beat me to it."
"I know that you weren't intending to toy with my emotions and heart, but it sure felt like it Matt," Amy responded quietly.
Matt sighed, "I know and I'm sorry, but it doesn't change what I said out there or how I feel about you. Initially, it was Vince's idea to have me propose to you, as only part of the story-line. The more I thought about it though, the more I wanted to turn it into reality. I didn't want to tell anyone, especially not you, I wanted it to be a surprise. Then Jeff found out and you know how he is about secrets." Amy grinned, "Yeah, he doesn't know how to keep one."
"I practically made him swear to secrecy."
"Well, he did a great job," Amy commented dryly.
"Actually, the person that helped me the most was Adam. I asked if I could check out his c.d. collection, knowing he would have tons of musicians to choose from. Anyway, he went over the lyrics with me every spare moment I had and helped me with my, um, presentation."
Amy burst out laughing, "I hope no one saw you two. That would have been awkward at best!"
"No. Thankfully, there will be no rumors to quell," Matt said with a grin.
"You gave a huge sacrifice," Amy blurted out, whirling around to face him.
Matt stared at her in confusion, "What do you mean, Adam isn't that horrible to be around."
She shook her head emphatically, "No, not that, you put aside Pearl Jam for me! That was soo sweet of you!" Amy threw her arms around his neck and peppered his face with kisses.
He grinned as he wrapped his arms around her waist, *Hmm, I'll have to listen to different music more often!*
"Guys!" Jeff poked his head out the door and yelled frantically to them, "come on, the boat will be ready to take us out to the island within the hour. Let's move!"
Stephanie started to scratch her stomach mercilessly beneath the blanket, "Darn this allergy, maybe it's possible to have some kind of aversion to the island or something."
"Not likely," Jericho said grinning. "Now, quit scratching, it only makes Poison Ivy spread."
"Poison Ivy?" Steph cocked her head in surprise.
"You don't know what Poison Ivy is?" Chris blinked in surprise.
"Noo," she retorted. He doubled over in laughter, holding his aching sides.
Standing up, she threw the blanket off her shoulders. "Okay, I'm getting a draft," Steph complained.
"Have you taken a glance at your clothing attire lately?" Mariah tossed in Stephanie's direction.
Stephanie looked down at her bare legs, "Alright, who ruined my designer pants?"
"I did," Jericho stated, a challenge in his voice. Steph raised her head, only to look straight into his blue eyes, from across the room. His eyes read, *Want to make something of it?*
Mariah frowned, "I'm starting to feel like I'm being chased out of my own treehouse," she mumbled to herself, once again exiting down the steps.
"No, I don't want make something of it," Steph said softly, crossing the floor to reach him. She smiled, enjoying the look of surprise in his eyes.
"It's easier if the infected areas are exposed to air, so I ripped up your pants and.."
"Your shirt!" she gasped, grasping the frayed edges, you tore up your lucky shirt!"
"Aw, it's no big deal," Chris said, shuffling his feet.
"Yes it is," Mariah piped up, peeking her head over the rough hewn step, "it was an autographed shirt. Now it makes a good rag."
Chris flashed her a dirty look, "A rag!"
Mariah grinned saucily at him, then disappeared from view.
"You tore up your autographed, lucky shirt for me?! You never told me it was autographed!" Stephanie leaned forward to kiss him.
"Oh no sweetheart, as much as I would like to kiss you, I don't want to contract Poison Ivy from you, it's quite contagious you know."
She stared at him blankly. "Oh fine, whatever." Pouting, she ungracefully plopped down on the wooden plank floor, wincing slightly as she plopped down a little too hard.
Chris chuckled, "Reliving kindergarten again Angel?"
"Oh shut up junior." She refused to look at Chris, unwilling to let him catch the huge grin spreading across face.
"Chris, Stephanie, come here, quickly!" Mariah yelled from below.
Chris leaned over the railing, cupping his hands to his mouth, "Mariah?! Is everything okay?"
"Everything is just grand, now come on down!"
"I can't ever tell if that woman is serious or just being a smart - a.. oh never mind," Chris muttered to nothing but air, as he watched Steph make a beeline for the tree trunk.
"I think your rescuers are here," Mariah said matter - of - factly, pointing out to sea, where a large boat was plowing towards them.
"Daddy!" Stephanie yelled, waving her arms frantically. Chris frowned, stuffing his hands in his pockets. *I was just beginning to like this place, even more so the idea of being alone with Stephanie. Now everything will probably go back to the way it used to be.* Chris was surprised at how strongly he didn't want things to go back to the way they were, if anything he wanted things to move forward. Impulsively, Stephanie wrapped her arms around Chris's neck, surprising him a bit. "Isn't this wonderful, Daddy's here, he's finally come for me - I mean us," she amended, catching Chris's sharp look at her.
"Pumpkin!" Vince yelled, running towards them. Vince enveloped her in his arms, then quickly released her. Stepping back to examine his little girl, "What is wrong with your skin and you're clothes? You look - compromised," Vince said slowly, as if searching for the right words.
"Daddy!"
Highly offended, Mariah scowled at Vince.
"Poison Ivy," Jericho offered quietly.
Vince half - smiled, half - glared at Chris, "I trust you took good care of my little girl, at arms length of course."
"Well," Chris started to reply sheepishly.
Stephanie moved to grab Vince's arm, when suddenly Chris, a look of determination on his face, reached out to take Vince aside as well.
"Actually sir, may I speak to you for a second?"
Both Vince and Stephanie looked at Vince in surprise.
"Since when have you ever called me sir?" Vince demanded, quirking an eyebrow.
"Nevver evver, but I have a favor to ask of you."
"Who is the devastatingly handsome fellow with the blonde ponytail?" Mariah asked, intrigued.
"Who? Oh Paul?" Stephanie asked, surprised.
"In wrestling, he's known as Triple H., but all us friends know him as Paul."
*Hmm, I wonder what he's doing here.*
A beaming Jericho and a proud Vince strode back towards Mariah and Stephanie.
"So, what's the great news?" Steph asked.
"I'll tell ya later," Chris said off - handedly. Feeling slightly hurt at Chris's brush off, Steph remained silent, momentarily.
"Vince, this is Mariah, Mariah, meet Vince McMahon, Stephanie's father."
"Charmed, I'm sure," Mariah answered icily, an edge to her voice.
"A woman with spunk, hmm, I like it," Vince said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Oh no you don't, don't get any ideas about using her as your boy toy in another storyline," Steph reprimanded, shaking a finger at her father.
"Boy toy?" Mariah asked, a confused look on her face.
"It's a long story - which you don't want to hear, believe me," Chris emphasized.
"Daddy, was getting us stranded on this island your idea?" Stephanie asked point blank.
Vince's eyes widened in surprise, "Whatever gave you that idea?"
Chris crossed his massive arms over his equally massive chest, "You mean who."
"Alright, I did plan the train trip to get the two of you alone."
"Why?" Stephanie asked.
"To bring you two closer together - as friends, hopefully more. I do want a son - in - law to contr, I mean have, one day you know."
Confirming their suspicions and then some, Steph and Chris looked at each other in embarrassment.
"Well, what I really want to know are which wrestlers helped you in this little scheme of yours?" Chris demanded, trying hard not to smile.
Vince swept his arms in the direction of the boat, "Why don't you ask them yourself."
Surprising Chris and Vince, but no one more than herself, Stephanie found herself asking, "Mariah, do you want to come back with us?"
Mariah's jaw dropped. "You mean it?" she asked incredulously.
"Well sure, I, we, don't want to deny you a shot at a new life, that is if you want it?" Steph asked shyly.
Mariah glanced at the hunk, Steph had called Triple H.
"I would like that very much, thank you - but we have to take Blinky with us."
Chris and Steph laughed.
"Blinky, who's Blinky?" Vince asked.
Mariah put two fingers in her mouth and whistled shrilly. A big black - brown bear lumbered towards the group.
"Bl, Blinky, I thought it was like your pet cat or something," Vince stammered, his face pale.
"Only if you want to befriend the local Jaguar," Mariah replied sarcastically, stroking his fine, yet course hair. Chris and Steph looked at each other, laughing uneasily, sharing the inside joke.
"Oh wait!" Mariah exclaimed, "let me just get a few more things." A few minutes later, Mariah struggled towards them carrying a medium sized drawstring pouch that matched the color of her jungle outfit.
"A few things eh, women never pack just a few things," Chris said, raising an eyebrow. Perhaps you could imagine Mariah's surprise, when Chris's next words were this, "Here let me take that for you. It looks heavy."
"Thanks," she said, a smile on her face. As the group neared the boat, Paul leaned towards Shane and whispered, "Who's the babe standing next to Jericho? She has gorgeous hair."
"How should I know, besides, I'm sure that's not all you find gorgeous," Shane replied with a smug smile.
"You're just trying to start trouble short stuff," Paul retorted, trying not to smile.
As the boat pulled away from shore, in a way, Steph couldn't believe they were actually leaving. A part of her was sad, which surprised her.
"You okay?" a voice whispered in her ear.
"Yeah, I guess so, I can fairly believe everything that has happened in the past what, four to five days? I'm losing count," she said with a laugh.
"Well, that's bound to happen, when you're sick half the time or in and out of consciousness," he said quietly, his tone of voice sober.
"Listen, Chris, don't you even feel bad or guilty for one second. I wouldn't have gotten out of those scrapes if it wasn't for you. Most of the time I put myself in those situations anyway."
"Hey, what's so funny?" she asked defensively.
"You, that you didn't even know what Poison Ivy was," he replied, doubling over in laughter again.
"I only went to summer camp once okay, Mom and Dad made me come home after only a few days, because they thought it was too dirty."
"Well, that is kind of the idea," Chris replied dryly, raising an eyebrow.
"So, I liked this little excursion that Dad inaverdently let me go on. I liked being stuck with you."
Chris looked at her sharply.
*Oh shoot, I hadn't meant to let that slip out.*
"Do you want things to go back to the way they were, at least in front of the cameras?" Chris asked quickly.
"No!" she blurted out, quite loudly.
Everyone around her stopped talking and stared at them.
"I expect there will be some changes, no, quite a few changes to the script," Steph answered, smiling slyly.
"I liked being stuck with you too, so I was wondering, how would you like to be stuck with me - permanently."
Steph turned away from him, her eyes focusing on the setting sun, as if brush strokes of water colors in shades of red, pink and gold dripped down, melding with the gulf waters. Chris waited with bated breath for her answer. "Don't fall overboard," Chris joked, reaching out to tuck a strand of chestnut hair behind her ear.
"Yo, you mean? You're serious..." her voice trailed off.
"Ah hah," Chris replied with a smile.
"Yes it's true, I am happy to be stuck with you.
Yes it's true, I'm so happy to be stuck with you, because I can see that you're happy to be stuck with me."
Will she say yes?
Will Mariah become Vince's next "boy toy?"
What will happen between Mariah and Paul, if anything?
Stay tuned...
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