Title: "No Right" (4/?)
By: twstofate (twstofate@hotmail.com)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: All wrestling personalities and products are property of the
WWE and the whole thing is fiction.
Distribution: ff.net, my site; otherwise ask first
Summary: Stephanie McMahon has lost the man she was in love with and Edge
is determined to find out why Stephanie refuses to let herself fall in love
again.
Note: Lyrics in this part are from "I Shall Believe" by Sheryl Crow.
*
// Not everything is gonna be the way I think it ought to be //
*
"You sure this is the right thing to do?" Edge asked, shifting nervously as he stood next to Kurt.
"It's too late to leave now," Kurt pointed out. "I've already rung the doorbell."
"I still don't understand why we are confronting him about this," Edge said. "Wouldn't it be better for us just to get the information from Trish."
"I've tried," Kurt sighed. "She doesn't know anymore than you and I."
"Well, Stephanie's only been back a couple of weeks," Edge said.
"And whatever seemed off when she first came back is still off," Kurt said. "You're the one who wanted to figure it out in the first place. We're here because you wanted to get to the bottom of the situation."
"I know," Edge sighed.
"Kurt, Edge," Chris Jericho said in shock when he opened his front door.
"Hey Jericho," Kurt said. "Can we talk to you for a bit?"
"Yeah, sure," Jericho said, opening his door for Kurt and Edge to come into his house.
Kurt and Edge let Jericho lead them to his kitchen and they each assumed seats at the counter while Jericho poured them cups of coffee. "What's up?"
"It's Stephanie," Edge said.
"What's wrong with Stephanie?" Jericho asked, his eyes clouded with concern as he lifted his head to look up at the other two men.
"We were hoping you could tell us," Kurt said.
"Doubtful," Jericho said, handing Edge and Kurt steaming mugs of coffee.
"Come on Jericho," Edge said. "You've had to have seen how withdrawn and quiet she seems lately. She's not Stephanie anymore."
"It's hard to notice from another show," Jericho said. "But I can kind of see every now and then."
"Then what's wrong with her?" Kurt asked.
"You're asking me questions I don't have the answers to," Jericho sighed.
"You were the last man she was involved with," Edge pointed out.
"How do you know about that?" Jericho asked.
"Trish pried that much out of Stephanie," Edge said. "But we don't know when you dated or why you broke up with her."
"I didn't break up with her," Jericho said. "And it was months ago. It started while she was my manager and it lasted until about the end of April. Then she left me and fell off the face off the earth."
"Don't lie," Kurt said.
"I'm not lying," Jericho said.
"Why would Stephanie be so brokenhearted if she had broken up with you?" Kurt asked.
"And why did it take seven months for her to react?" Edge asked.
"I think you're after the wrong person here," Jericho said.
"It has to be you," Kurt said.
"Why?" Jericho asked.
"Because we can't think of anyone else," Edge answered.
"Hunter?" Jericho asked.
"She would never go back to Hunter," Kurt said. "He humiliated her on national television."
"I had humiliated her several times on national television before she started seeing me," Jericho pointed out.
"It's not Hunter," Edge said.
"I don't know who else it would be since it obviously isn't either of you two," Jericho said. "Has she said anything that might give you a lead?"
"You still care about her," Kurt marveled.
"She hurt me when she left me," Jericho said. "But no one ever really gets her out of their blood. I'll always look out for her when I can."
"And how does Stacy feel about that?" Edge asked.
"Stacy's smarter than anyone gives her credit for being," Jericho said.
"Stephanie did say that once or twice people she had been involved with had gotten married to other people and that was always rough," Edge said. "Or something like that."
"When?" Jericho asked.
"The night she came back," Edge said. "The same week you and Stacy announced your engagement. That's a big reason we thought it was you who hurt Stephanie."
"It wasn't me," Jericho said.
"Then who?" Kurt asked, feeling frustrated.
"Who knows?" Edge asked helplessly. "He might not even be a wrestler."
"And are you sure it's just a break-up you're dealing with?" Jericho asked. "Stephanie's always been able to bounce back from a broken heart pretty quickly."
Edge and Kurt looked at Jericho as if he were crazy. "What else could it be?" Kurt asked.
"I don't know," Jericho said. "I'm just saying Stephanie isn't an easy person to figure out."
"We've realized that already," Edge answered dryly.
"You're sure it wasn't you?" Kurt asked hopefully.
"I'm positive," Jericho said.
*
"That was a waste of time," Kurt said, as he and Edge got back into their rental car.
"Not an entire waste of time," Edge said. "We can take Jericho off the list."
"Yeah, and we can put other possible issues on the list," Kurt said. "Bastard.why did he have to point out that Stephanie is far from typical?"
"Because he knows her," Edge said. "And he's worried too."
"Then why the hell isn't he helping?" Kurt asked.
"He had history with her," Edge said helplessly. "Maybe she would resent his help in the end."
"Why would she even have to know?" Kurt asked.
"I don't know," Edge said.
"Is there a Plan B?" Kurt asked, steering the car toward the airport.
"Not to my knowledge," Edge said.
"Maybe it's time to come up with one," Kurt said.
*
// Not everything is gonna be the way I think it ought to be //
*
"You sure this is the right thing to do?" Edge asked, shifting nervously as he stood next to Kurt.
"It's too late to leave now," Kurt pointed out. "I've already rung the doorbell."
"I still don't understand why we are confronting him about this," Edge said. "Wouldn't it be better for us just to get the information from Trish."
"I've tried," Kurt sighed. "She doesn't know anymore than you and I."
"Well, Stephanie's only been back a couple of weeks," Edge said.
"And whatever seemed off when she first came back is still off," Kurt said. "You're the one who wanted to figure it out in the first place. We're here because you wanted to get to the bottom of the situation."
"I know," Edge sighed.
"Kurt, Edge," Chris Jericho said in shock when he opened his front door.
"Hey Jericho," Kurt said. "Can we talk to you for a bit?"
"Yeah, sure," Jericho said, opening his door for Kurt and Edge to come into his house.
Kurt and Edge let Jericho lead them to his kitchen and they each assumed seats at the counter while Jericho poured them cups of coffee. "What's up?"
"It's Stephanie," Edge said.
"What's wrong with Stephanie?" Jericho asked, his eyes clouded with concern as he lifted his head to look up at the other two men.
"We were hoping you could tell us," Kurt said.
"Doubtful," Jericho said, handing Edge and Kurt steaming mugs of coffee.
"Come on Jericho," Edge said. "You've had to have seen how withdrawn and quiet she seems lately. She's not Stephanie anymore."
"It's hard to notice from another show," Jericho said. "But I can kind of see every now and then."
"Then what's wrong with her?" Kurt asked.
"You're asking me questions I don't have the answers to," Jericho sighed.
"You were the last man she was involved with," Edge pointed out.
"How do you know about that?" Jericho asked.
"Trish pried that much out of Stephanie," Edge said. "But we don't know when you dated or why you broke up with her."
"I didn't break up with her," Jericho said. "And it was months ago. It started while she was my manager and it lasted until about the end of April. Then she left me and fell off the face off the earth."
"Don't lie," Kurt said.
"I'm not lying," Jericho said.
"Why would Stephanie be so brokenhearted if she had broken up with you?" Kurt asked.
"And why did it take seven months for her to react?" Edge asked.
"I think you're after the wrong person here," Jericho said.
"It has to be you," Kurt said.
"Why?" Jericho asked.
"Because we can't think of anyone else," Edge answered.
"Hunter?" Jericho asked.
"She would never go back to Hunter," Kurt said. "He humiliated her on national television."
"I had humiliated her several times on national television before she started seeing me," Jericho pointed out.
"It's not Hunter," Edge said.
"I don't know who else it would be since it obviously isn't either of you two," Jericho said. "Has she said anything that might give you a lead?"
"You still care about her," Kurt marveled.
"She hurt me when she left me," Jericho said. "But no one ever really gets her out of their blood. I'll always look out for her when I can."
"And how does Stacy feel about that?" Edge asked.
"Stacy's smarter than anyone gives her credit for being," Jericho said.
"Stephanie did say that once or twice people she had been involved with had gotten married to other people and that was always rough," Edge said. "Or something like that."
"When?" Jericho asked.
"The night she came back," Edge said. "The same week you and Stacy announced your engagement. That's a big reason we thought it was you who hurt Stephanie."
"It wasn't me," Jericho said.
"Then who?" Kurt asked, feeling frustrated.
"Who knows?" Edge asked helplessly. "He might not even be a wrestler."
"And are you sure it's just a break-up you're dealing with?" Jericho asked. "Stephanie's always been able to bounce back from a broken heart pretty quickly."
Edge and Kurt looked at Jericho as if he were crazy. "What else could it be?" Kurt asked.
"I don't know," Jericho said. "I'm just saying Stephanie isn't an easy person to figure out."
"We've realized that already," Edge answered dryly.
"You're sure it wasn't you?" Kurt asked hopefully.
"I'm positive," Jericho said.
*
"That was a waste of time," Kurt said, as he and Edge got back into their rental car.
"Not an entire waste of time," Edge said. "We can take Jericho off the list."
"Yeah, and we can put other possible issues on the list," Kurt said. "Bastard.why did he have to point out that Stephanie is far from typical?"
"Because he knows her," Edge said. "And he's worried too."
"Then why the hell isn't he helping?" Kurt asked.
"He had history with her," Edge said helplessly. "Maybe she would resent his help in the end."
"Why would she even have to know?" Kurt asked.
"I don't know," Edge said.
"Is there a Plan B?" Kurt asked, steering the car toward the airport.
"Not to my knowledge," Edge said.
"Maybe it's time to come up with one," Kurt said.