Yeay!!! I am soo freaking happy that ff.net is back up again, so now I can finish this story. That's right folks, this is the last chapter. That's how I wrote it, and this is the end!!! But I may just do a sequel once I finish the 20 other stories I'm working on. Thanks to all who stayed with this crazy ride from the beginning . . . and off we go!!

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Isn't it rich?? Isn't it queer??

Losing my timing this late

In my career . . .

Chris jumped, and spun around to face her. "Christ, Steph . . . you scared me!! What are you doing awake?? I didn't wake you up, did I??"

She shook her head. "Oh, I was awake before you came in . . . don't worry about it." She began to sit up again, and the now-familiar pain came back, worse than before. She shrieked, and clutched her abdomen. He ran over to her and grasped her hands, sitting down next to her.

"Here . . . squeeze my hands when it hurts. You're not going to hurt me. I know what it's like taking pain . . ."

He yelped in agony, as she practically wrenched his hand off. "You were saying?", Steph replied, as she gritted her teeth in pain.

"Ouch!! It hurts that much??"

"Obviously . . . what's the matter, Chris?? Can't take a little pain??"

He shook his head in annoyance. "Sheesh . . . you're lying in a hospital bed, recovering from something horrible . . . and you're cracking jokes! Wait, you're a McMahon . . . why am I not surprised?" She said nothing, just winced in pain as another spasm racked her. He slid onto the bed behind her, and pulled her back against him, so she could lie down. "Better?"

She nodded, and the thought hit him that she looked adorable when she was sick. It was quite funny, since that's not a compliment you hear too often, so he began chuckling softly to himself. She shook her head at his weirdness, and simply curled up to get more comfortable. He wondered exactly why he was doing this . . . she was his best friend's sister . . . and he'd never really given her a second glance before. Truth be told, he actually believed all the rumors going around about her, mainly because he helped spread them. But this was a different Stephanie than the one he normally saw.

"Hey Jericho . . .", she started.

"Don't call me that, Steph." He practically growled at her. He didn't know why he'd been so sharp with her, and immediately regretted it as he saw the look on her face. She looked downward, anywhere but at him. For some unknown reason, he felt horrible that he caused her more pain. "Steph . . . just call me Chris. Okay?"

"Okay, Chris . . . can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah??"

"Why are you being so nice to me??"

Honestly, he couldn't even explain it to himself, much less her. "Why wouldn't I be?? You've just been through hell!! Hunter practically killed you, beating you up for supposedly lying about the pregnancy . . . and having a miscarriage-"

"How did you . . ." Steph began to speak, but with one swift gesture, he pulled away the spread covering her, and revealed the extensive bruising covering her stomach and legs, running beneath her hospital gown.

"I'm not stupid, Steph . . . I know what 'multiple contusions' means . . . I don't have to have a medical degree to know that. I also know that Hunter doesn't treat you very well. So I put all the pieces together . . . I think it's now self-explanatory. Besides, with all that's happened, how could anyone be mean to you? I may be arrogant, but I'm not cruel."

She glanced down, a beaten look on her face. "But that's just the thing, Chris . . . you were cruel to me!" She continued babbling, oblivious to Chris' attempts to catch her attention. "I mean, you're always insulting me . . . calling me a bottom-feeding, brutal, trash-bag ho, and all that stuff. Just like everyone else in this business, who doesn't happen to have the last name McMahon, or happen to be Taker, Edge, or Rocky. And it actually does hurt, you know. I do have feelings. I'm not just some robo-bitch who can go from betraying her family, to slapping her mother, to losing everything that was ever important . . . to getting her husband back after 8 months, only to lose not only him, but my child!!! I can't go through that without being hurt in the process!!! It hurts, Chris . . . and you were a part of that hurt. Now maybe you-"

He cut her off by pressing a finger to her lips. "Stephanie . . ." She still looked down, toying with the edge of the blanket. "Stephanie . . . look at me." He tipped her chin up to look her in the eye. "I'm sorry, okay?? I don't apologize for anything, but I'm apologizing to you. I'm incredibly sorry I ever said those things, and I wish to God I'd never said them . . . I never thought you were a robot. In fact, that's part of the reason I said those things: to get a reaction. It was juvenile . . . and I really am sorry. You believe me, right Steph??" He studied her face, hoping for forgiveness . . .

"Chris, don't ask why . . . but I forgive you . . ."

With those words, Chris' heart lifted once again. He grinned down at her, a half-smirk on his face. "Thanks, Princess."

Stephanie McMahon was so happy to finally be called that by someone who didn't mean it as an insult, that she simply hugged him closer, and fell asleep in his arms. For some reason, she felt safe there . . . and that was something she never felt, except with the people she loved. Maybe Chris was now one of them . . .

Chris Jericho smiled happily down at Stephanie. He had a feeling he was going to be hanging around the McMahon house a lot more often, and not just because of Shane. And it hit him, harder than one of Hunter's Pedigrees. The girl had gotten under his skin, done more than that, actually. He couldn't believe it . . . after all those years of insults . . . that little wench actually made him fall in love with her!!!

And an extremely happy Shane McMahon grinned to himself before falling asleep as well, secure in the knowledge that, in his best friend, his little sister had finally found the Prince Charming who she wanted and deserved . . .

And where are the clowns?

Applause for the clowns . . .

They're finally here . . .

THE END!!!!!!!!!!

Review . . . o please o please????