A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone who has reviewed so far. I'm excited
about this story, so I hope you all like it.
*
"Hey buddy," Stephanie said when Jericho stepped into the room she was using as an office temporarily in the WWE headquarters.
"Hey Stephanie," Jericho said, settling into the chair across from Stephanie. "I see they kept your office ready for you."
"Shane tells me it was completely Daddy's doing," Stephanie said, leaning back into the cushions of her seat. "He refused to let anyone move into it, hoping I would come back."
"What are you doing back here?" Jericho asked.
"Well, there were some financial matters that needed to be sorted out and we know that I'm the champion of that," Stephanie said, smiling over at Jericho. "And I'm waiting for my lawyer to messenger some papers here so I can give my proxy to Shane."
"You're giving your proxy to Shane?" Jericho asked in surprise.
"Chris, you know better than anyone that I have another life now," Stephanie said to her ex-boyfriend and best friend.
"Stephanie, you have to stay with us," Jericho said. Stephanie raised her eyebrow in question at the desperate tone in his voice.
"Shane will take care of you guys," Stephanie said calmly.
"Look, I respect the hell out of your brother," Jericho said quietly, "but he lets himself get dominated by Linda and there is something not right about Linda."
"What are you talking about?" Stephanie asked.
"I don't want to talk about it in this building," Jericho said, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.
"Okay," Stephanie said. "I'll leave a message with Shane's secretary to have the messenger leave the papers on my desk. Lets go to lunch."
There was a light tap on the door and Stephanie and Jericho looked up to see The Rock standing in the doorway. "You said to meet me here," Rocky said to Jericho.
"Yeah," Jericho said. "Come with us to lunch."
"Excuse me," Stephanie said. "But I don't want to eat lunch with him."
"Stephanie, I want him to eat with us," Jericho said. "Trust me?"
Stephanie looked into the soft blue eyes that she trusted more than any other eyes in the world. She nodded slowly and got out of her chair. She grabbed her purse and followed Jericho and The Rock out of the building.
*
"So?" Stephanie asked. They had each ordered their meals at a quiet Italian restaurant and Stephanie looked at Jericho and The Rock expectantly. "What's up?"
"We don't think Vince's death was a simple heart attack," Jericho said.
"What are you talking about?" Stephanie asked in shock.
"We think that something either made him have a heart attack or he was made to look like he had a heart attack," Jericho said.
"I don't understand," Stephanie said, looking back and forth between the faces of her closest friend and her former foe.
"Stephanie, Vince was acting strange for the last few months before his death," Jericho said. "And Linda had been spending a lot of time with Ric Flair."
"Are you saying my mother was cheating on Daddy?" Stephanie asked.
"Most likely," Jericho said, nodding.
"Okay," Stephanie said. "You could have told me all of that. Why did Rocky have to come along?"
"Look," The Rock said. "Everyone knows I'm not a huge fan of your dad's. But I knew that he cared about the business and in his own messed up way he cared about the wrestlers. Something has been going on that has changed the whole atmosphere of the company."
"Shane can change that," Stephanie said.
"No, Shane can't," Jericho said. "Shane was never as strong as you or your dad."
"As much as I don't want to say it," Rocky said. "We need you Stephanie."
"But I have a life now," Stephanie said. "I haven't been in a wrestling ring or to a wrestling event in over three years!"
"You don't have a life," Jericho said softly to his friend.
"I'm a best-selling author," Stephanie said.
"And you live alone in a lighthouse on the coast of Maine," Jericho said. "I don't even know exactly where it is. Only you, Shane, and Vince knew that. I don't know your phone number either. You occasionally call me and we e-mail each other. You exist Stephanie. You don't live."
"I have no complaints," Stephanie said softly.
"Because you can't get hurt," Chris said. "You left after we broke up because you couldn't take another disappointment."
"You don't know that," Stephanie said. "I left because I was tired of being depressed and tired of hoping that I could become involved in wrestling again."
"Stephanie, I love you," Chris said with the sincerity of an old friend. "But you are only fooling yourself. I know that you've purposely isolated yourself."
Stephanie looked at Jericho, torn between feelings of betrayal and relief. Someone had finally realized that she had purposely detached herself from the world. But he had also confronted her in front of one of the few people she honestly detested.
"I don't need to be lectured Chris," Stephanie said quietly, but forcefully. "I'm happy with my life and that is all that matters."
"Are you happy Stephanie?" Rocky asked.
Stephanie looked at Rocky with shock. "Do you really care?"
"Yeah," Rocky said, nodding solemnly.
"Why?" Stephanie asked.
"Because you and I were friends once upon a time," Rocky replied. "Back when you were engaged to that idiot Test."
"We were, weren't we?" Stephanie asked.
"Would it be so bad coming back to wrestling?" Rocky asked. "You could still write if you really love it and you might be able to find some inspiration other than this blond dolt for your heroes occasionally."
Stephanie blushed furiously, "You read my novels?"
"I'm your inspiration?" Jericho asked his friend.
"Yeah I do," Rocky said, chuckling softly at Stephanie's embarrassment.
"I'm your inspiration?" Jericho asked Stephanie again.
"Yeah," Stephanie said softly. "You're the only person outside of my family that I'm close to."
"I guess I'll have to read them more often," Jericho said, grinning at Stephanie.
"Egotistical jerk," Stephanie muttered.
"The thing is Stephanie," Rocky said, drawing her attention back towards himself. "We need you. You have the same strength and love for the business that your dad had. If we're going to survive, we need you to lead us."
Stephanie looked at the two men sitting in front of her. "I'll think about it."
*
"Hey Shaners," Stephanie said, leaning against the doorway of Shane's office.
"Hey," Shane said, smiling at his sister as he looked up from the paperwork on his desk.
"How are you doing?" Stephanie asked, sitting in the chair across from her brother.
"I'm a little overwhelmed," Shane admitted. "Dad's shoes are big."
"Hard to step into?" Stephanie asked sympathetically.
"You could definitely say that," Shane said.
"Sorry bro," Stephanie said. She paused for a moment before she asked, "Would you mind if I didn't sign my proxy over to you right away? If I waited around here for awhile?"
"Are you serious?" Shane asked.
"Yeah," Stephanie said tentatively.
"That would be great," Shane said. "I don't think I can do this all by myself."
"Really?" Stephanie asked.
"I wanted to ask you to stay, but I knew you loved your lighthouse and all," Shane said.
"It'll still be there," Stephanie said.
"Well, welcome back to the WWE," Shane said.
"Thanks," Stephanie said, smiling at her brother.
*
"Hey buddy," Stephanie said when Jericho stepped into the room she was using as an office temporarily in the WWE headquarters.
"Hey Stephanie," Jericho said, settling into the chair across from Stephanie. "I see they kept your office ready for you."
"Shane tells me it was completely Daddy's doing," Stephanie said, leaning back into the cushions of her seat. "He refused to let anyone move into it, hoping I would come back."
"What are you doing back here?" Jericho asked.
"Well, there were some financial matters that needed to be sorted out and we know that I'm the champion of that," Stephanie said, smiling over at Jericho. "And I'm waiting for my lawyer to messenger some papers here so I can give my proxy to Shane."
"You're giving your proxy to Shane?" Jericho asked in surprise.
"Chris, you know better than anyone that I have another life now," Stephanie said to her ex-boyfriend and best friend.
"Stephanie, you have to stay with us," Jericho said. Stephanie raised her eyebrow in question at the desperate tone in his voice.
"Shane will take care of you guys," Stephanie said calmly.
"Look, I respect the hell out of your brother," Jericho said quietly, "but he lets himself get dominated by Linda and there is something not right about Linda."
"What are you talking about?" Stephanie asked.
"I don't want to talk about it in this building," Jericho said, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.
"Okay," Stephanie said. "I'll leave a message with Shane's secretary to have the messenger leave the papers on my desk. Lets go to lunch."
There was a light tap on the door and Stephanie and Jericho looked up to see The Rock standing in the doorway. "You said to meet me here," Rocky said to Jericho.
"Yeah," Jericho said. "Come with us to lunch."
"Excuse me," Stephanie said. "But I don't want to eat lunch with him."
"Stephanie, I want him to eat with us," Jericho said. "Trust me?"
Stephanie looked into the soft blue eyes that she trusted more than any other eyes in the world. She nodded slowly and got out of her chair. She grabbed her purse and followed Jericho and The Rock out of the building.
*
"So?" Stephanie asked. They had each ordered their meals at a quiet Italian restaurant and Stephanie looked at Jericho and The Rock expectantly. "What's up?"
"We don't think Vince's death was a simple heart attack," Jericho said.
"What are you talking about?" Stephanie asked in shock.
"We think that something either made him have a heart attack or he was made to look like he had a heart attack," Jericho said.
"I don't understand," Stephanie said, looking back and forth between the faces of her closest friend and her former foe.
"Stephanie, Vince was acting strange for the last few months before his death," Jericho said. "And Linda had been spending a lot of time with Ric Flair."
"Are you saying my mother was cheating on Daddy?" Stephanie asked.
"Most likely," Jericho said, nodding.
"Okay," Stephanie said. "You could have told me all of that. Why did Rocky have to come along?"
"Look," The Rock said. "Everyone knows I'm not a huge fan of your dad's. But I knew that he cared about the business and in his own messed up way he cared about the wrestlers. Something has been going on that has changed the whole atmosphere of the company."
"Shane can change that," Stephanie said.
"No, Shane can't," Jericho said. "Shane was never as strong as you or your dad."
"As much as I don't want to say it," Rocky said. "We need you Stephanie."
"But I have a life now," Stephanie said. "I haven't been in a wrestling ring or to a wrestling event in over three years!"
"You don't have a life," Jericho said softly to his friend.
"I'm a best-selling author," Stephanie said.
"And you live alone in a lighthouse on the coast of Maine," Jericho said. "I don't even know exactly where it is. Only you, Shane, and Vince knew that. I don't know your phone number either. You occasionally call me and we e-mail each other. You exist Stephanie. You don't live."
"I have no complaints," Stephanie said softly.
"Because you can't get hurt," Chris said. "You left after we broke up because you couldn't take another disappointment."
"You don't know that," Stephanie said. "I left because I was tired of being depressed and tired of hoping that I could become involved in wrestling again."
"Stephanie, I love you," Chris said with the sincerity of an old friend. "But you are only fooling yourself. I know that you've purposely isolated yourself."
Stephanie looked at Jericho, torn between feelings of betrayal and relief. Someone had finally realized that she had purposely detached herself from the world. But he had also confronted her in front of one of the few people she honestly detested.
"I don't need to be lectured Chris," Stephanie said quietly, but forcefully. "I'm happy with my life and that is all that matters."
"Are you happy Stephanie?" Rocky asked.
Stephanie looked at Rocky with shock. "Do you really care?"
"Yeah," Rocky said, nodding solemnly.
"Why?" Stephanie asked.
"Because you and I were friends once upon a time," Rocky replied. "Back when you were engaged to that idiot Test."
"We were, weren't we?" Stephanie asked.
"Would it be so bad coming back to wrestling?" Rocky asked. "You could still write if you really love it and you might be able to find some inspiration other than this blond dolt for your heroes occasionally."
Stephanie blushed furiously, "You read my novels?"
"I'm your inspiration?" Jericho asked his friend.
"Yeah I do," Rocky said, chuckling softly at Stephanie's embarrassment.
"I'm your inspiration?" Jericho asked Stephanie again.
"Yeah," Stephanie said softly. "You're the only person outside of my family that I'm close to."
"I guess I'll have to read them more often," Jericho said, grinning at Stephanie.
"Egotistical jerk," Stephanie muttered.
"The thing is Stephanie," Rocky said, drawing her attention back towards himself. "We need you. You have the same strength and love for the business that your dad had. If we're going to survive, we need you to lead us."
Stephanie looked at the two men sitting in front of her. "I'll think about it."
*
"Hey Shaners," Stephanie said, leaning against the doorway of Shane's office.
"Hey," Shane said, smiling at his sister as he looked up from the paperwork on his desk.
"How are you doing?" Stephanie asked, sitting in the chair across from her brother.
"I'm a little overwhelmed," Shane admitted. "Dad's shoes are big."
"Hard to step into?" Stephanie asked sympathetically.
"You could definitely say that," Shane said.
"Sorry bro," Stephanie said. She paused for a moment before she asked, "Would you mind if I didn't sign my proxy over to you right away? If I waited around here for awhile?"
"Are you serious?" Shane asked.
"Yeah," Stephanie said tentatively.
"That would be great," Shane said. "I don't think I can do this all by myself."
"Really?" Stephanie asked.
"I wanted to ask you to stay, but I knew you loved your lighthouse and all," Shane said.
"It'll still be there," Stephanie said.
"Well, welcome back to the WWE," Shane said.
"Thanks," Stephanie said, smiling at her brother.