TITLE: My Enemy's Enemy (8/?)

AUTHOR: Bellerophon

EMAIL: bellerophon_666@hotmail.com

CATEGORY: WWF

DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, nor do I claim to.

DISTRIBUTION: Anyone can have this story as long as they ask first.

RATING: R

SUMMARY: What could've happened during the whole Alliance debacle.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This doesn't follow any particular time line, I've kinda taken artistic license and made a whole lot of stuff up. But hey, it's fiction so I'm allowed. It should become clear what's going on as the story progresses. Team Xtreme are still together, E&C have broken up, Jericho hasn't been the Undisputed Champion and the whole alliance thing is still going on. Make sense? Don't worry, I'm sure it will sooner or later. Thanks to everyone who offered to beta for me when I asked and also to those of you who have helped me with finding out a whole lot of stuff I didn't know.

CHAPTER 8

Chris winced. His hearing would never recover from this. His ear drums were not just ruptured, they'd been burnt to a crisp by the screaming harpy RVD was currently also trying not to listen to.

"I'm gonna get Hunter and I'm gonna slap the taste right out of his mouth!" Stephanie screeched. Chris was about to make a remark that she'd probably need to do more than that. Then she continued. "Then, then I'm gonna take his stupid sledge hammer and shove it up his ass!"

Chris winced again. There was an image he didn't need in his head. He heard the knock on the door and got up to open it. Stephanie beat him there, storming over and pulling the door open. She took one look outside then slammed it shut again.

"Who was that?" Chris asked, a bit nervous that if Stephanie spoke again the glass in the room might shatter.

"Oh, just the Hardys and Lita." She waved her hands. Then resumed her original line of thought. "That motherfucking bastard, he's ruining everything!"

Chris shook his head and opened the door. A nonplussed group of three stared at him. Matt was the first to comment. "Well, it'd be interesting to live with her, at least."

"Mmm, it'd also be interesting to murder her," Chris ushered them in. "We've run into a bit of a problem."

"Hey Rob," Jeff waved at the Alliance member, then started. "Wait a minute...Rob?"

Chris just patted him on the back. "I'm right there with you." He sat Jeff, Matt and Lita down. They all kind of shrunk away from Stephanie as she paced behind them.

"I hate him. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!" Stephanie flounced around and sat down on a chair. "Hey guess what? Hunter is a moronic caveman and I HATE HIM!!!"

Jeff, Matt and Lita rubbed their ears. "We picked that up," Lita moaned.

Chris pulled a face. "Calm down, princess. What does Triple H want with Test? And how in hell did you get him to help you? I thought he hated you almost as much as I do."

Stephanie sneered at him. "Contrary to what you think, I can be very charming when I want to. And Triple H, he'll probably beat Test up to find out information." She had reigned back all the insignificant emotions whirling through her, like guilt and anger and helplessness. For one thing, Stephanie was never helpless. And she would never let Chris Jericho and his little buddies see her feel bad about this. No, she had a plan. She just needed to get to the Alliance hotel.

"Oh." Chris frowned. "Wait a second, does Test know you're here? With us? In my hotel room?"

Stephanie smirked and nodded. "Well, that's just great. When Triple H founds that out, he's gonna send his goons around here and…" Chris fumed.

"When Triple H finds out? When? You know, Test is a lot stronger than you people give him credit for. If he'd just focus and stop being so, so, unfocused, he could be great! He could…" Stephanie trailed off. She was getting weird looks from the occupants of the room, except for Rob. He knew about how the people in the WWF underrated Test annoyed Stephanie to no end.

"Okay, why don't you try to focus? We still need to think of a way to stop him from blowing your cover. I guess we should go with a rescue? Maybe, possibly?" Chris threw ideas in the air.

Stephanie recovered her cool and pursed her lips. "Whatever you plan isn't going to involve me. I'm not going near Hunter or those stupid Alliance people."

"What do you mean?" Lita asked, confused. "Test is *your* insider."

'So?" Stephanie shrugged.

"So? So you should help us get him," Chris said thinking he was stating the obvious. Apparently not.

"Ha, I don't think so. He's a big boy, he can handle himself." Stephanie stated back.

"What, how could you even…"

"How is it any of your business what I…"

Jeff, Lita, Matt and Rob sat in bemusement as Stephanie and Chris yelled at each other. It soon degenerated into childish insults.

"You're nothing but a trashbag, skanky…"

"You immature, Canadian loser…"

Finally Stephanie flung her hands in the air. "You can all do what you like. Test knew what he was getting into when he joined me and this is his problem. Now if you'll excuse me, the ice bucket is empty and I want a cold drink." Stephanie grabbed the bucket off a table as well as her purse and stormed out. Chris flung his hands in the air.

"Great. Just great. What are we going to do? Dammit! Stephanie McMahon is a cold hearted, hell bitch!" Chris snapped.

Rob smiled. "You know, I didn't really see it before, but wow. The rumours are true."

"Oh I know , it's so cute. I feel like we've gone back to grade school." Jeff gushed and sighed dramatically.

"Don't even start about me *secretly* liking Steph O'Mac. You've have to be mentally challenged to think that. I mean, she's acting like a bitch about this and Test was her fiancee!" Chris fumed. "Ice? Who gets ice in the middle of a crisis?"

Matt cleared his throat. "Not to say that your school boy crush on Stephanie isn't entertaining in it's own way, but if she's going to get ice, why did she take her purse?"

Chris tried to wring the life out of the pillow he was holding. "Shit, shit, shit." That manipulating, conniving, scheming, sneaky...

"Like she'd actually leave him there." Rob raised an eyebrow. "They didn't get on too well for awhile. But Test, well, he knows her better than most."

Chris got caught on the cryptic comment but let it go and snorted in anger. He didn't like that tiny little spark of jealousy in his mind. Not that he was jealous. And not that it was just a tiny spark either.

"Okay, Chris, go after her." Lita gestured to the door.

"Oh come on," Chris whined. "Don't make me suffer like that."

"Please, like you're suffering. Now get out there, man. You know you want to anyway." Matt reasoned. Chris stood up and walked to the door. He stopped in the doorway.

"I will go after her. But not because I secretly like her. I will go after her because that is the gentlemanly thing to do. One of you check on Edge and Christian. They're in the bedroom and I don't want to come back and find out there's a body in there." Chris turned and marched out the door.

Matt and Lita shared smiles. Jeff sniggered. "He's so in denial."

Lita raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't you be if you had a thing for Stephanie McMahon?"

Jeff pulled a face. "Don't suggest such a thing."

Matt laughed before pushing Jeff off the lounge. "Why don't you go check on the blonde brigade? Better check Edge hasn't killed Christian in some awful way."

"Do I have to, Dad?" Jeff whined.

"Jeff..." Matt warned jokingly.

Jeff huffed and left the room. He bounced into the bedroom and was about to start singing offkey but he realised the audience wouldn't really hear alot. Edge was sleeping on the chair in the corner and Christian was still pretty knocked out from pain killers. He leant over Christian and began flicking his ears. Christian almost straight away opened his eyes.

"Shield your eyes, it's a crayola storm," Christian threw an uncoordinated arm over his head. "Why don't you dye your hair a normal colour, instead of purple and blue."

"Oh ha ha ha. Just as well I wore my corset for my sides have split," Jeff fake laughed and rolled his eyes.

"The last thing I want to hear about is you wearing a corset, Hardy. Why were Jericho and Steph having a screaming contest?"

Jeff tried not snigger at Christian. He sounded like he was talking around a gobstopper.

"What's going on out there?" Christian tried not to sound like he had a wad of cotton balls in his mouth. Damn pain killers. Sure, it felt like he was floating on air and he had the sleep capacity of a very lazy cat, but when it came to actually talking to people, he tended to sound drunk. Or he started being all uninhibited and revealy about things he wished he could just forget about. Just as well Edge was asleep. Things could've gotten uncomfortable. "I heard yelling."

"Yeah. Stephanie's doing some sort of weird backwards heroic thing to save Test." Jeff shrugged. "She tried to get away without telling anyone so Chris has gone after her."

"Save Test? From who? And why?" Christian tried not to give anything away about Test being undercover but he was getting a bad feeling. It could've been some sort of psychic intuition thing. Or it could've been the peach cobbler he ate at the hospital.

"Don't try to act ignorant. Ve haff vays off making you talk," Jeff laughed. "Oh, I'm so silly. Seriously though. We know Test is the other insider. Triple does too, apparently."

It wasn't the peach cobbler. Christian considered how awesome it would be to be psychic. He imagined being the all powerful king of the world, but then Jeff's words got through his doped out brain. "Wha...? Triple H has Test? No, how do you know about Test? No, wait, what's Stephanie doing? No, why is..." Christian stumbled over his words and tried to gather his thoughts.

"Yeah," Jeff nodded understandingly, "I'm confused too." He walked over to the table and picked up the container of pills. "Wow, they put you on Sentronium Barbituate. Not bad." He popped the lid and tapped out two pills. "Here ya go. Time for your medically prescribed narcotics."

Christian ignored the outstretched hand. "No, I don't want any more of those. I want to be able to think clearly."

"Oh, I'm sure it doesn't matter. I didn't know you could think clearly when you weren't hopped up on pain killers. I don't think too many people will notice the difference." Jeff smirked. It was fun to taunt the weak and injured sometimes. Usually when the weak and injured had wrapped numerous steel chairs around his head.

"Screw you, Hardy."

"Just take your pills, Crusty."

"Don't call me that, you dorkchop" Christian snapped. He gave Jeff the finger and felt his ribs twinge. Shit, maybe he did need them. Christian frowned. That was no good, he wanted to be able to concentrate on a topic for more than thirty seconds and with those pills, he just couldn't do that. Hmm, a plan seemed in order.

"Jeez, touchy." Jeff rattled the pills in his hand. "Come on, don't make me shove them down your throat."

Christian smiled sweetly. Bingo. He held his hand out and took the pills. But Jeff didn't see him swallow one and palm the other one. Christian decided to begin a nice little stash beneath his pillow.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Jeff smiled brightly and walked over to peer in Edge's sleeping face. Christian decided this was an opportune time to go back to sleep. Edge was bound to wake up soon and he didn't want to face Edge at the moment. Call him a coward, but Christian wasn't ready to face his older brother yet. Maybe he would be in about twenty, thirty years. Maybe a bit later. Christian closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.

But he could still hear Jeff wake up Edge and he could still feel Edge's intense gaze on his back. God, why had he told Edge all that stuff. He'd managed to stay quiet on the inferiority complex so long too. Edge had just thought he was crazy, or jealous. Why had he gone all confrontational? Ugh, it felt like he was back in high school, watching Edge get all the girls, watching his parents fawn over Edge 'cause he was the big sports star, just sitting in some corner just watching it all.

Christian ignored Jeff and Edge snapping at each other and let the drowsiness take hold. If sleep was it took to stop thinking about that crap, then sleep he would.

Edge, well, he'd deal with his older brother later.

*********

Cold, soothing material was lying over his forehead. His head rested on something soft. And something else was stroking his hair. Test was confused. Wasn't he supposed to be beaten up by Triple H and his goons? What was going on? He opened his eyes and saw Stacy staring down at him.

"Are you okay?" She wiped the cloth over his cheeks.

Test winced. "Well, I've been better." He then realised the softness he was lying on was Stacy's legs. Mmmm, Stacy's legs. No, focus, focus, focus. Stephanie was always telling him to focus and now was the time to start doing that. He began sitting up and felt Stacy help him.

"Why are you doing this?" He blurted out. Smooth. He'd never been good with the tact. "Why are you helping me?"

Stacy blushed slightly and looked away. "I don't know. I guess I just like you."

"You *just* like me?" Test pushed. He didn't know why, but he wanted to see where this would go.

"Maybe I don't just like you," Stacy chanced a peek at Test. He was smiling slightly at her. She smiled back before looking away again.

"You know, you don't have to stay here." Test kept talking. Well, babbling. He was a bit nervous about where that conversation was going. He liked it, but still…"You don't have to stay and get treated like crap by Triple H and his sidekicks."

"I don't get treated.."

Test interrupted her. "Stacy, I've seen it. You deserve better than that. You, you could," Test made the offer he'd been thinking about. "You could come with me. You could get in the WWF and help get rid of Triple H."

"Wha…" Stacy just looked confused.

"You could tell Stephanie who the traitors in the WWF are and she'll make sure the WWf takes you on." Test smiled brightly. Things were all working out. Except for how he was being held captive in Alliance headquarters and couldn't really get the information out to Stephanie but whatever. Details, details.

Stacy frowned. "I don't know…I'm not…I wouldn't…" She sighed and considered it. It would've been a good idea except for a few things. For one, why would the WWF want her? She was no wrestler. Just a Baltimoore cheerleader with nice legs. Test seemed to think she would be okay but all she ever did was screw things up. "No. No, I don't think so."

Test was taken aback. Why would she say no? "Why, Stacy? Why do you want to stay here?"

"Hey, man, why wouldn't she want to stay?" Triple came sauntering into the room. "Hey Stacy, maybe I'll take you out after this for a little celebration." He winked at her. She felt that same dirty feeling rise. "After all, I am the Game."

"Cut the rope, Hunter. I'm sick of this game." Stacy picked up some of it and held it out. Triple H just smirked at her.

"Come on. Stacy. Sit your ass down. I want you to watch what I do to this moron." Triple H shoved Stacy onto the ground. She cried out as she fell. Test forgot about how he probably had broken ribs and lunged at Triple H.

He just laughed and knocked Test back.

Test glared at Triple H. He really hoped this idiot got sent to jail and had a fatass cellmate called Big Bertha. Triple H just kept on smirking.

"Isn't it ironic? I'm the reason Stephanie the Slut left you in the dust the first time and now you're helping her? Damn, are you a glutton for punishment or what? And I'm going beat your ass again. Stephanie will come crawling back to me just like she always has, and you'll get left behind again." Hunter pushed him down and kicked him in the stomach. Ow. That really, really hurt. He lay there for a few seconds, waiting for the next blow. It didn't come.

But he did hear a thump and then heard something crumple down beside him.

Test opened his eyes. Huh. Triple H was lying moaning on the floor, with blood flowing from a cut on his forehead. He looked up to see Stacy standing above him, sledge hammer in hand.

"How's that for irony, you son of a bitch?" She smirked. Test raised an eyebrow in question. "Still think they'd be willing to listen to me?" Stacy asked smoothly. Test could see the anxiety in her eyes. If the WWF wouldn't listen to Stacy, then she was basically out of a job.

"They'll listen," he reassured her as he pushed himself to his feet. "Stephanie will make them listen." He laid a hand against the wall, resting for a second. Then he grabbed Stacy's hand and pulled her to the door, supporting his ribs with his other hand. "We'd better get out of here. He won't stay out of it for long, and he's gonna be pissed when he does wake up."

Stacy nodded and looked out the door. "It's clear." She hauled up some of the heavy rope connecting them into her arms. They left together, walking quickly, trying not to attract attention. Their obscurity didn't last long, the Dudley Boys appearing behind them and raising the alarm.

Test began running, trying to ignore the burning pain in his ribs. But he couldn't ignore Stacy as she lagged behind. She limped, biting her lip. He pulled her along and asked her what was wrong.

"I twisted my ankle," she was obviously trying to ignore it as well. It was a bit of a give away that something was seriously wrong with Stacy Kiebler though, if she couldn't run and flaunt her long legs.

Test gritted his teeth. This was going to hurt. He ignored her squeals and swept Stacy up into his arms. He began running through the lobby, hoping a taxi would be outside. He wasn't going to be able to keep up all the energetic stuff for long.

Stacy was almost ignoring the current crisis. Mmmm, nice big muscles. She licked her lips and then heard Bubba Ray swearing and yelling behind her. Oh yeah.

*********

Stephanie waved down a taxi and got in the back. She gave the address of the Alliance hotel and settled back in the seat. She swallowed back the lump in her throat. This whole mess was just getting out of control. No one was supposed to get hurt to help her. Especially not Test. God, he's been so good to her. He'd forgiven her, he'd understood why she was the way she was, he…

"Stephanie, you crazy woman, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Jericho suddenly appeared next to her in the cab.

"What am I doing? What are you doing?" She redirected his question and said to the taxi driver, "The Clairmont Hotel, please."

"No, no Clairmont hotel, you're not going anywhere," Chris tried to make the taxi guy stop. Stephanie just reached over and let a hundred dollar note fall onto the guys lap and he kept going.

Stephanie decided to just talk to Chris. Them fighting never get them anywhere. It just made her all flustered and…well, it made her think things about Chris that she didn't want to think. He was her enemy. That was much easier. "Jericho, listen to me. I am not going to let Hunter beat up Test because of me."

"Okay, fine. But go back to the hotel and we'll figure something out together," Chris swallowed and restated it. "I mean, as a group."

"No. I'm stopping it now." Stephanie ignored his comment and the feelings it provoked.

"Damn it, Stephanie." Chris swore. "What are you going to do? Just walk in and demand they release him?"

Stephanie glared at him. "You know what, Jericho. I'm not the bimbo you say I am. I do actually have a plan."

Chris rolled his eyes. "Fine, what is it?" IF it was a good one, maybe he'd go along with it.

"I'm going to tell Hunter I've changed my mind and I want to get back together with him." Stephanie told him. "I'll tell him that I want to help him overtake the WWF and he'll believe me, because he's an idiot, and also because that was what I was planning to do anyway." Stephanie frowned for a moment. "Before he had to come and get all macho and buy my company."

Chris sighed. "That is the stupidest plan I've ever *ever* heard in my life. Okay, I admit, Triple Nose isn't the brightest crayon in the box but no idiot would believe that for a second. Why would you want to get back together with him after he pulled a stunt like this?"

Stephanie smiled humourlessly. "Wouldn't be the first time. Anyway, I'm a McMahon, right? McMahon's go for power? Right now, Triple H is the power."

Chris shook his head vehemently. "No. No good. That's not a plan. That's a Kamikaze mission."

The taxi arrived at the Clairmont and Stephanie threw another hundred at the driver before getting out. Chris jumped out after her. Her grabbed her arm and held her back. "Stephanie, come back to the hotel. This is too dangerous."

"I won't let Hunter hurt Test again. I won't. It's been my fault too many times and he deserves better than that," Stephanie yelled.

"You're making a big mistake, Steph." Chris warned. Wow. He didn't know she actually cared that much about what had happened. Chris swallowed down the bit of jealousy again and concentrated on how he couldn't believe she actually thought he would let her do this.

"You loser," she spat out. "I am not making a mistake. I have a plan. But you're not included, so go away!"

"I can't let you do this," he stated. That was it, he wouldn't let her just walk back into the Alliance like a lamb to slaughter.

"You can't stop me," Stephanie pushed him away.

Chris felt the familiar hotness rise. Stephanie just made him so, so... He seized Stephanie and pulled her close for their third kiss.

It didn't last as long as their last two but while it did...Chris was quite sure he'd never kissed anyone quite like Stephanie. She managed to struggle against him and almost kiss him back at he same time. Except this time, Chris almost thought she was actually responding. That was weird. But the thought was pushed out of his mind when he began feeling the kiss. It hit him in the pit of his stomach. He'd never noticed before that Stephanie had such soft lips. He never noticed it. Then it was over.

Stephanie pushed him away. She stared at him for a moment in shock. Then she slapped him.

"You immature, stupid, loser..." Stephanie began ranting.

Chris just breathed in and out, ran a hand through his hair and tried to concentrate on getting the butterflies in his stomach to go away. He was about to try and calm her down and get her to leave when he saw a really odd sight behind her. Over Stephanie's shoulder, Chris thought he saw Test running out of the revolving hotel doors carrying Stacy Kiebler in his arms. Huh, there was also a rope dragging behind them. That was odd. Maybe he was in a state of shock after kissing the roadkill again.

"...lazy, idiotic, insane, crazy, dorky...what are you looking at?" Stephanie snapped at him. She was still trying to catch her breath after he, he...kissed her. Jericho just pointed behind her. She turned around and saw...Oh my god.

"Steph! Steph!" Test came barrelling down the steps carrying, of all people, Stacy Kiebler. "You gotta get us outta here! Triple H is only a bit unconscious and...shit." He put Stacey down who smiled weakly at Stephanie and held up some rope. Stephanie looked down and saw it was attached to both of their ankles. Test flagged down a taxi, having noticed that the Dudley boys had just come out of the hotel. D'von saw him and started running down.

Test swept Stacy up again and herded a shocked Chris Jericho and Stephanie McMahon into the taxi. He put Stacy in next before shoving them all over and sitting in the back as well. "Novatel Hotel, please," he told the taxi driver before looking out the window. The Dudleys were still running down the stairs. Test turned away as the taxi left the hotel behind. He shifted slightly, noticing Stacy's slim body beside him. Sitting forward, Test was going to say hi to Stephanie but her and Chris Jericho's faces were suspended in shock. Test eyed Stacy and smiled at her before speaking.

"I guess we have some explaining to do."

**************

My Poor Matt muse has run away because Jericho and Stephanie chased him away with water pistols. So here I am, writing more of my neglected Smoochy Dreamer stories. Enjoy, my pretties.

This chapter is for Lisa, because even though there wasn't any E&C stuff, you are my bestest reviewer. And there will be some soon. I promise.

Bellerophon