Ch. 8.

After he left the hotel, Chris Benoit made his way back to the arena and went in search of Stephanie or Vince to find out what they wanted him to do. He didn't mind having to return as he would have been there anyway, if it hadn't been for Austin. Since the show was taking place in his home town and the fans expected him to be there, Chris would have felt bad if he had been forced to miss the show completely. He didn't count his unscheduled appearance and was keen to be in a proper match.

As he was considering this while wandering around back stage, he turned a corner and walked straight into someone who was also paying very little attention to their surroundings

"Sorry." apologised Chris automatically, still not really paying attention. He stooped to pick up a notebook and several loose sheets of paper which he had knocked out of the other person's hands.

"Aren't you even going to say hello?" asked the person, in a familiar female voice which rooted Chris to the spot.

Standing up slowly, his back to the person, he tried to argue with his first instincts. "It couldn't be ..... it's just coincidence." he thought to himself as he turned round.

However, what he saw shattered any assurances his mind tried to make and the colour drained from his face.

"Shannon!" he gasped.

"No kidding, Sherlock! Hey, Chris, how've you been?" she said calmly.

"I ..... I ..... good." he stammered weakly.

"Really? You don't look too good now. In fact, you look like you've seen a ghost!"

Trying to get back in control of the situation, Chris took a deep breath which enabled him to answer in more or less his normal voice, "Well, I guess you could say that's not too far from the truth. I can't believe you're here."

"What? In Edmonton, the place I LIVE? C'mon, Chris, I'm not the one who left - I'M the one who's supposed to be here, remember?" she said, her seeming confidence crumbling a little.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. Why are you HERE, at the arena?" he asked.

"We all gotta move on; I'm a reporter now, sent by my oh-so-caring boss to do the groundwork for a story on you guys. He actually wants an interview with you personally- how ironic is that?" she said, faltering a little as she continued, "Plus, if I'm honest, I gotta admit I was a little curious. I mean, I've seen you on television, but it's not the same; we haven't spoken in years."

"I thought that was how you wanted it." Chris said quietly, looking away from her accusing gaze.

"So did I, but I think my "it's for the best" theory was flawed."

Chris glanced at his watch and wondered how urgently he was needed. Deciding that they would cope without him, for a while anyway, he made up his mind. "Listen, Shannon, do you wanna go get a coffee or something? I think we should talk."

Looking slightly uneasy, Shannon glanced over her shoulder as if looking for someone and shook her head. "I really shouldn't ....."

"I thought you needed an interview anyway?"

"Well, yeah, but I've been looking for you for hours. I have to go now."

"So it WAS you I saw earlier!" clarified Chris, "I thought it was, but then I told myself I was imagining things."

"When did you see me?" demanded Shannon in surprise.

"When I came out to ringside earlier, you were in the crowd." he explained.

"And you managed to pick me out of all those people?" she said sceptically, although a little taken aback.

"What can I say? Guess you must have caught my eye." he said softly, "So when do we do this interview then?"

"I ..... I don't know ....." she said.

"I've got tomorrow completely free, how about meeting me somewhere?"

"Do you really think that's a good idea?"

"Well, I don't see how you're going to get your interview if I'm not there!" Chris grinned, teasing her, "We could go to the park, like the old days."

Shannon was about to protest, on the grounds that "the old days" were probably better left just there, in the past, when she heard someone calling her name and turned round to see who it was.

"Oh no!" she murmured, too quietly for Chris to hear, as a guy jogged up to them.

Chris looked on with interest as the new arrival tried to get his breath back.

"Shannon, I've been looking everywhere for you. Wow! You're Chris Benoit! I didn't think she'd actually manage to meet you!" he panted, "I'm a big WWF fan."

"Oh," said Chris in amusement, looking to Shannon for an explanation. However, she looked down at the ground and refused to meet his gaze. Puzzled by her strange behaviour, he turned back to the guy, "You're a reporter too, are you?"

"Who, me? Hell no! I'm Billy, Shannon's boyfriend." he replied.

"Ah, of course." Chris said tersely, with a tight smile as he directed a questioning look towards Shannon, who had lifted her head hesitantly to look at him.

"I saw you out there earlier, that was so cool! It looked so REAL - a lot of preparation must have gone into that." said Billy enthusiastically, totally oblivious to both his girlfriend's discomfort and Chris's hostility, which were equally obvious.

"Less than you'd think." said Chris wryly, "Well, nice meeting you both, but I've got to go now. Shannon, if you want that interview - tomorrow."

He nodded curtly at them both and hurried away before anyone had the chance to speak.

"He seems all right." commented Billy, "Must have been in a hurry though."

Shannon sighed and started to head for the exit, "I thought you were going to wait in the car."

"Well, if that was what you wanted, you should have thought about that before you disappeared for hours." snapped Billy as he followed her, his defences rising as soon as he thought he was being criticised, "All that and you didn't even get the damn interview!"

"Sorry! Look, lets not argue about it now, lets just go." said Shannon, as she led the way through the car park, eager to avoid any rows.

As they pulled out of the car park, with Billy behind the wheel, Shannon stared out of the window at the rapidly disappearing arena. She almost wished that she hadn't bothered going. She could have made some excuse to her boss and had the assignment given to someone else, ANYONE else. She should have known that it would only cause problems and she didn't even have an interview to show for her trouble. Yet, part of her knew that it was something she had to do; she had to see him in person. She had thought it would clear everything up in her own mind, little had she known it would only serve to make her more confused. Now, she was going to have to decide whether or not she would meet him - she did need that interview, but was it likely to come at a high price. She leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes, suspecting that if she didn't have a headache yet, she was definitely in for one soon.

*****