Title: "No Right" (5/?)
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 "Call and Answer" by Barenaked Ladies.
*
// It's getting to the point where we have almost made amends. I think it's the getting to the point that is the hardest part. //
*
Sweat poured down her face. Her breathing was erratic. A voice inside of her told her that she should stop, but she persisted.
"Was I not skinny enough?" another voice in her head asked. "Was I too overbearing? Was she sexier than me?"
She closed her eyes, willing the questions that had battered her mind to stop. They at least receded to a dull whisper. They were there, but they weren't driving her to destruction for the moment.
She hit the stop button on the stair-mill. She grabbed her towel and wiped down the equipment before wiping it across her face and arms.
"I was wondering when you would finish," a voice said from behind her.
Stephanie McMahon jumped. She turned quickly to see Chris Jericho grinning at her.
"What are you doing here?" Stephanie asked.
"This is the WWE gym, right?" Jericho asked, looking around at the different exercise equipment.
"I meant," Stephanie said, trying to calm her breathing and regain her composure. "What are you doing here, talking to me?"
"Oh, that," Jericho said. "Are you going to cool down on a bike?"
Stephanie nodded. "How did you know?"
"I've watched you for three years Stephanie," Jericho said. "I might have spent some of that time watching you because it was best not to be caught by surprise by you or your ex. But I know your routines pretty well."
"What do you want?" Stephanie asked suspiciously.
"To talk to you," Jericho shrugged.
"We have nothing to talk about," Stephanie said.
"I would disagree," Jericho said.
"Of course you would," Stephanie sighed. "You always were a difficult bastard."
"Thanks," Jericho said.
"Only you would take that as a compliment," Stephanie said, shaking her head as she started walking toward the exercise equipment.
"Look, I'll talk," Jericho said. "You can listen."
"Fine," Stephanie said. "If it will get you out of my hair."
"Don't pretend to hate me Stephanie," Jericho said. "You don't hate me."
"Yeah, I do," Stephanie said.
"Why?" Jericho asked.
"Because you deserted me!" Stephanie exclaimed. "I thought we were friends. Sure, we had broken up and we weren't romantic anymore, but we were friends."
"What in the hell are you talking about?" Jericho asked.
"I'm talking about when you defected to RAW," Stephanie said quietly. "God, I really could have used a friend around then. But you had to show your true colors."
"I didn't want to leave Stephanie," Jericho said softly. "I had to."
"Why?" Stephanie asked. "Did you have to make more money? Did you have to follow my loser ex-husband so he could try to hold you down for a little longer? Did you have to go and work for Eric Bischoff, a man who has said he never saw you as a main-eventer?"
"I had to protect the woman I love," Jericho said quietly. "I found out she was going to defect a couple of weeks before it happened. I couldn't let her get pulled into Eric's world again. I had to be there for her."
"You left for Stacy?" Stephanie asked. She sounded dumbfounded.
"Yeah," Jericho replied. "I had to protect her."
"Why didn't you tell me what she was doing?" Stephanie asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"And get her fired?" Jericho asked. "Stacy likes being a Diva Steph. I would be dead if I cost her that job."
"I wouldn't have fired her," Stephanie said weakly.
"Liar," Jericho said.
Stephanie hung her head in frustration. "You're right."
"I wanted to stay so badly Stephanie," Jericho said. "And when I told you I was SmackDown all the way, I wasn't lying. I hate RAW."
"Join the club," Stephanie said glumly.
"Edge and Kurt came to see me," Jericho said.
"What?" Stephanie asked.
"They're worried about you Steph," Jericho said. "So am I?"
"Why are they worried about me?" Stephanie asked in shock.
"Come on Stephanie," Jericho said. "You don't have that fire you used to have. Every now and then, it will flare up in your eyes. But everything you do seems to take so much effort anymore."
"So?" Stephanie asked. "Why in the hell did they come to you?"
"Because of a conversation you and Edge had," Jericho said. "A conversation in which you told him it always hurts when someone you loved marries someone else."
"So?" Stephanie asked.
"Apparently it was the same week Stacy and I announced our engagement," Jericho said.
"Of course," Stephanie sighed.
"Who is he Stephanie?" Jericho asked.
"No one," Stephanie said. "He doesn't matter. He's out of my life."
"He's hurt you Stephanie," Jericho said. "He's changed you. No one has ever changed you after things have ended. Hunter didn't. I sure as hell didn't."
"Look, it's over," Stephanie said. "It doesn't matter anymore. I've grown up."
"I wish you hadn't," Jericho said.
"What?" Stephanie asked.
"I wish you were still the alive, fiery woman I fell for," Jericho said.
Stephanie smiled sadly. "I might never be her again," Stephanie said. "But maybe it's for the best. I mean, everyone has to grow up sometime."
"Do they?" Jericho asked.
Stephanie looked over at Jericho for a moment. "Why are you worried Chris?"
"I still consider you a friend," Jericho said. "You might not consider me one, but I'll always be there for you."
"Thanks," Stephanie said.
"It wasn't me was it?" Jericho asked. "I'm not the reason you changed."
"No, you aren't," Stephanie said.
"Tell me," Jericho said.
"No," Stephanie said firmly. "I just want to forget about that whole part of my life."
"That's what worries me," Jericho said. "At least I know Kurt and Edge are looking out for you."
"I wonder why," Stephanie said.
"They always have," Jericho said simply.
"What?" Stephanie asked.
"You know that a lot of the guys watch out for you Steph," Jericho said. "We're all big softies where you are concerned. For the most part anyways."
"Unless you get on my bad side," Stephanie said, her smile a ghost of what it used to be. It made Jericho want to cry. What could have hurt her so badly?
"Right," Jericho said. He pulled Stephanie off of the stationary bike she was on and hugged her for a long time. Stephanie let herself break down and need a shoulder to cry on.
*
// It's getting to the point where we have almost made amends. I think it's the getting to the point that is the hardest part. //
*
Sweat poured down her face. Her breathing was erratic. A voice inside of her told her that she should stop, but she persisted.
"Was I not skinny enough?" another voice in her head asked. "Was I too overbearing? Was she sexier than me?"
She closed her eyes, willing the questions that had battered her mind to stop. They at least receded to a dull whisper. They were there, but they weren't driving her to destruction for the moment.
She hit the stop button on the stair-mill. She grabbed her towel and wiped down the equipment before wiping it across her face and arms.
"I was wondering when you would finish," a voice said from behind her.
Stephanie McMahon jumped. She turned quickly to see Chris Jericho grinning at her.
"What are you doing here?" Stephanie asked.
"This is the WWE gym, right?" Jericho asked, looking around at the different exercise equipment.
"I meant," Stephanie said, trying to calm her breathing and regain her composure. "What are you doing here, talking to me?"
"Oh, that," Jericho said. "Are you going to cool down on a bike?"
Stephanie nodded. "How did you know?"
"I've watched you for three years Stephanie," Jericho said. "I might have spent some of that time watching you because it was best not to be caught by surprise by you or your ex. But I know your routines pretty well."
"What do you want?" Stephanie asked suspiciously.
"To talk to you," Jericho shrugged.
"We have nothing to talk about," Stephanie said.
"I would disagree," Jericho said.
"Of course you would," Stephanie sighed. "You always were a difficult bastard."
"Thanks," Jericho said.
"Only you would take that as a compliment," Stephanie said, shaking her head as she started walking toward the exercise equipment.
"Look, I'll talk," Jericho said. "You can listen."
"Fine," Stephanie said. "If it will get you out of my hair."
"Don't pretend to hate me Stephanie," Jericho said. "You don't hate me."
"Yeah, I do," Stephanie said.
"Why?" Jericho asked.
"Because you deserted me!" Stephanie exclaimed. "I thought we were friends. Sure, we had broken up and we weren't romantic anymore, but we were friends."
"What in the hell are you talking about?" Jericho asked.
"I'm talking about when you defected to RAW," Stephanie said quietly. "God, I really could have used a friend around then. But you had to show your true colors."
"I didn't want to leave Stephanie," Jericho said softly. "I had to."
"Why?" Stephanie asked. "Did you have to make more money? Did you have to follow my loser ex-husband so he could try to hold you down for a little longer? Did you have to go and work for Eric Bischoff, a man who has said he never saw you as a main-eventer?"
"I had to protect the woman I love," Jericho said quietly. "I found out she was going to defect a couple of weeks before it happened. I couldn't let her get pulled into Eric's world again. I had to be there for her."
"You left for Stacy?" Stephanie asked. She sounded dumbfounded.
"Yeah," Jericho replied. "I had to protect her."
"Why didn't you tell me what she was doing?" Stephanie asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"And get her fired?" Jericho asked. "Stacy likes being a Diva Steph. I would be dead if I cost her that job."
"I wouldn't have fired her," Stephanie said weakly.
"Liar," Jericho said.
Stephanie hung her head in frustration. "You're right."
"I wanted to stay so badly Stephanie," Jericho said. "And when I told you I was SmackDown all the way, I wasn't lying. I hate RAW."
"Join the club," Stephanie said glumly.
"Edge and Kurt came to see me," Jericho said.
"What?" Stephanie asked.
"They're worried about you Steph," Jericho said. "So am I?"
"Why are they worried about me?" Stephanie asked in shock.
"Come on Stephanie," Jericho said. "You don't have that fire you used to have. Every now and then, it will flare up in your eyes. But everything you do seems to take so much effort anymore."
"So?" Stephanie asked. "Why in the hell did they come to you?"
"Because of a conversation you and Edge had," Jericho said. "A conversation in which you told him it always hurts when someone you loved marries someone else."
"So?" Stephanie asked.
"Apparently it was the same week Stacy and I announced our engagement," Jericho said.
"Of course," Stephanie sighed.
"Who is he Stephanie?" Jericho asked.
"No one," Stephanie said. "He doesn't matter. He's out of my life."
"He's hurt you Stephanie," Jericho said. "He's changed you. No one has ever changed you after things have ended. Hunter didn't. I sure as hell didn't."
"Look, it's over," Stephanie said. "It doesn't matter anymore. I've grown up."
"I wish you hadn't," Jericho said.
"What?" Stephanie asked.
"I wish you were still the alive, fiery woman I fell for," Jericho said.
Stephanie smiled sadly. "I might never be her again," Stephanie said. "But maybe it's for the best. I mean, everyone has to grow up sometime."
"Do they?" Jericho asked.
Stephanie looked over at Jericho for a moment. "Why are you worried Chris?"
"I still consider you a friend," Jericho said. "You might not consider me one, but I'll always be there for you."
"Thanks," Stephanie said.
"It wasn't me was it?" Jericho asked. "I'm not the reason you changed."
"No, you aren't," Stephanie said.
"Tell me," Jericho said.
"No," Stephanie said firmly. "I just want to forget about that whole part of my life."
"That's what worries me," Jericho said. "At least I know Kurt and Edge are looking out for you."
"I wonder why," Stephanie said.
"They always have," Jericho said simply.
"What?" Stephanie asked.
"You know that a lot of the guys watch out for you Steph," Jericho said. "We're all big softies where you are concerned. For the most part anyways."
"Unless you get on my bad side," Stephanie said, her smile a ghost of what it used to be. It made Jericho want to cry. What could have hurt her so badly?
"Right," Jericho said. He pulled Stephanie off of the stationary bike she was on and hugged her for a long time. Stephanie let herself break down and need a shoulder to cry on.