** I do not own any of the following characters. They are owned by or affiliated with WWE.**
Author's Note: I apologize for the extensive delay in updating this story. My creative energies have gotten the best of me lately and have pushed me in an entirely different direction, which is why I had to put this story on the side for a little while. I love the storyline I've got going here and the last thing I want to do is a half-assed job. I hope the rest of this story will live up to the first few chapters, as well as my "other" fic. At some point, I will re-post this fic under my other pen name. So, if you can't find this story anywhere, check for it under "Lady Charlotte"... Enjoy!
* * *
"What's really going on?" Jeff asked from the back seat. He could see that Jason hadn't been his usually joking self and seemed particularly edgy whenever Chris was around.
"What do you mean?" Jason asked innocently.
"Well, you and Chris don't exactly hang out a lot anymore..." Glen chimed in.
Jason looked over at the huge man in the driver's seat. "It's nothing, really."
"Must be something for you to ask me for a ride." Glen said, giving Jason a stern look.
"What was I supposed to do?" Jason said, slightly detached. "He wasn't in his room this morning when I went to get him, so I figured he left without me."
Jeff wasn't buying it. He knew that Chris would never be up before 9AM. "Did you guys have a fight or somethin'?"
Jason sighed aloud. "NO, okay? Everything is just fine..." Jason leaned his head against the window and stared out at the desert. Jason was getting a headache. All he wanted was peace and quiet. He'd hardly been sleeping lately, having been kept awake at night thinking about his friendship with Chris. He knew that he'd been pushing Chris away lately and rightfully so. It would serve to lesson the pain he'd feel when Chris found out the truth and ended their friendship. Jason ran his hand through his hair as he stared out into the distance. Jason cursed himself for being so insecure. Why did he have to do this to one of his closest friends?
"What are you thinking about?" Jeff asked suddenly, startling Jason. Jason let out a long sigh, knowing that he wasn't going to be left alone.
"If you must know," Jason grumbled, "I was thinking about Chris."
Glen made eye contact with Jeff through the rearview mirror. They exchanged thoughts for a moment. "What about Chris?" Glen asked.
Jason hesitated, but felt he might as well get at least some of it off of his chest. "I did something that I'm not really proud of... and when Chris finds out, he's going to hate me."
"What happened?" Glen asked, keeping his eyes on the road ahead of him.
"It doesn't matter now." Jason said sadly. "I was only thinking about myself... I should've thought about how it would effect Chris, not just me." Jason slouched under his seatbelt.
"You guys are good friends, right?" Jason nodded. "I'm sure if you talk to him about whatever it is, he'll understand." Glen said confidently.
"He might understand eventually, but I doubt he'd forgive me." Jason grumbled.
"If this is about..." Jeff's voice trailed off, his words hanging in the air like a death sentence. Jason turned slightly and met Jeff's eyes with a worried stare. "Then maybe staying away from Chris right now isn't such a bad idea." Jeff concluded, giving Jason's shoulder a gentle squeeze before he sat back in his seat. Jason turned around and looked back at Jeff, acknowledging the fact that Jeff did know what he was talking about.
"When he finds out that I had more influence over his future than he did, he's gonna kill me." Jason said sadly. He knew that Chris wasn't the type to fly off the handle and lose control of his temper very often, but he had seen him lose it with Paul backstage once. Jason's stomach cringed as he recalled the distorted image of Chris' face as Chris shoved Paul against the wall. Jason had been convinced that if Vince hadn't intervened, Chris might have seriously hurt Paul.
Jeff fixed the bandanna that was snugly wrapped around his head. He looked up at Jason, knowing that he was thinking about the time Chris had lost control and attacked Paul. No one had ever taken Chris seriously before that. "I know." Jeff said in a low voice. Poor, stupid Jay. Chris was going to hurt him and they both knew it.
** *
Stephanie sat in the passenger seat while Chris was filling up the gas tank. So far, she was enjoying the drive to Vegas. They had listened to CDs from Chris' collection and reminisced about childhood cartoons and television shows. It had been fun. She smiled to herself, thinking of how Chris had given her some sort of history behind almost every song that he put on. She was impressed by his musical knowledge and was equally impressed with his storytelling skills. She'd learned quite a bit about him during the drive and realized that she had really warmed up to him.
After stopping in the gas station, Chris had brushed his fingers against the side of her thigh when he shifted the car into park. He hadn't done it deliberately as the gear shift was located between their seats. She wasn't even sure that he'd noticed. Nevertheless, the brief contact had given her butterflies. Goosebumps eruupted on her skin as she thought about it.
Turning to the window, she studied Chris. He was leaning against the car, putting the gas cap back in place. A few loose strands of blonde hair dangled in front of his mirrored sunglasses, having made their way out of his ponytail. The sun danced on his lightly tanned skin, accentuating his muscular arms and reflecting off the tiny beads of sweat that had formed just above his full, pink lips. He looked incredibly sexy.
Stephanie had always included Chris on her mental list of "hot" wrestlers, but had never really thought about getting to know him. Aside from the fact that Chris had signed with company around the time that she and Paul had gotten involved, Chris had been engaged to Jessica. Things were very different now, and Stephanie found herself wondering if Chris had been intimate with anyone since he and Jessica had split up.
Chris grabbed a squeegee and hummed happily to himself as he wiped away the light brown dust that had accumulated on the windshield. Chris had been such a gentleman when he'd helped her to his room last night. She was grateful that he hadn't tried anything on her but why would he? Stephanie was quite positive that Chris wasn't attracted to her in that regard. Stephanie just wasn't his type. She wasn't a petite, graceful blonde. She was a tall, clumsy brunette. Even if she was available, he would never be interested in her.
Suddenly, she recalled Chris gently pulling her close to him while they were on the elevator the night before. It felt good having his arm around her waist...but then she remembered something else that had felt even better.. his fingertips had found their way to the exposed skin just above the waistband of her pants and there, they traced light circles into her flesh.. Had she imagined it? Even if she hadn't, Chris had been drunk so he probably had no idea what he was doing. After all, if he was interested in her, wouldn't he have made a move on her once they got to her room?
Lost in her thoughts, Stephanie hadn't noticed that Chris had dropped the squeegee back in its bucket then disappeared. She looked around hesitantly for a moment, then saw him emerging from the mini mart with a grin on his face. He carried a bag with him as he walked back to the car.
"What'd ya buy me?" she asked, full of enthusiasm.
"Let's see..." Chris teased as he settled into the driver's seat. "We've got Sour Cream 'N Onion Pringles _a necessary item on ANY road trip_" he said in a deep voice, causing her to giggle. "Pretzels, some pop and some water. Take your pick my lady."
Stephanie sat there, mouth agape.
"What?" Chris asked, holding the now open can of Pringles in one hand and a bottle of Pepsi in the other.
"Did you say, POP?" She looked at him questioningly.
"Um..yeah, that's what this is." Chris held the bottle of Pepsi directly in front of her face. "POP." He made a face before giggling. "I forgot you guys call it soda or whatever. Pop is a Canadian/Midwestern thing."
"Pop..." Stephanie laughed, thinking of how strange it sounded to her. She honestly hadn't heard that expression before. She grabbed the bottle from him. "Thanks for the POP, Chris." she said teasingly.
"Your welcome... PRINCESS." he said, stressing the 's'. Stephanie stopped laughing and looked at him with a darkened expression. She hated being called princess... Paul usually called her by that name.
"Please don't call me that. I can't stand it."
The lightheartedness that had filled the car throughout the first leg of their trip suddenly disappeared. Chris felt like putting his foot in his mouth. He had only been teasing her, he didn't think she'd get offended by it. He rested the Pringles next to his seat and started the engine.
They rode in silence, neither of them putting any music on.. Stephanie stared out the window consumed with thoughts of Paul. She needed to break it off with him once and for all. He probably wouldn't care on way or another because he had never gave her any indication that he loved her. That, and he had already climbed to the top of the company and remained there. She wished that she could say that she'd miss him once they split up, but aside from their lusty encounters, there wasn't much for her to miss. She sighed heavily and turned her head, only to catch Chris looking at her.
Chris felt bad because he hadn't meant to make her upset. He kept glancing over at her, hoping that she'd say something. Anything.
"I'm not mad at you." She said finally, much to his relief. "It's just when you called me princess... it immediately made me think of Paul."
"Paul is a princess? I should've known." Chris smiled at her, trying to lighten her mood.
Stephanie chuckled a little. "No, silly. Princess is his pet name for me."
"Oh....sorry."
Stephanie patted Chris' arm. "Don't worry about it." She mumbled. The feel of her touch lingered on his arm long after she rested both of her hands on her lap.
'Princess', he thought. In Chris' eyes, Stephanie was a princess. She was after all, an heir to the McMahon empire. She was pretty too and weren't princesses supposed to be pretty? He wondered why that nickname bothered her so much. As if reading his thoughts, Stephanie answered him almost immediately. "He usually says it to piss me off and to remind me of who I am."
"And you are...?" Chris asked bluntly.
"A McMahon of course." She sighed and leaned back in her seat. "It's like... he always makes me feel like the only thing I have going for me is a powerful name."
Chris could not believe his ears. "You know that's not true." Chris said reassuringly. "You've got a lot going for ya. You're really smart and you're good at what you do."
"Yeah ok, "Stephanie said sarcastically, "I'm SO good at what I do that no one likes the current storylines. Great way to do business!" Stephanie turned her head to face the window. "Everyone thinks that since I'm the head writer it's my fault that business is taking a downturn... including Paul."
Chris shrugged. "I know that you're in charge of creative, but come on. You're not the only writer back there... I know that the majority of the stuff we get to work with doesn't come from you, not to mention that Vince has the last word on what gets used and what doesn't." Chris held his breath and waited. After a long silence, he looked over at her.
"Thank you for understanding." She said, smiling genuinely. A great weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She'd been chided by so many people lately that she'd started to believe that maybe they were right. Maybe the downturn in business was her fault. Yet...Chris knew what everyone else did when it came to backstage politics and he still gave her the benefit of the doubt. It meant a lot to her.
"You're welcome." Chris reached over and took her hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She looked down at their hands and smiled. She squeezed his hand in return then wound her fingers through his.
A comfortable silence enveloped them as he drove towards their destination. The back of his right hand rested casually on Stephanie's thigh; their fingers still intertwined. She hadn't moved her hand and he didn't want her to; he was absorbed in the subtle electric current that coursed between them. Chris acted as if holding her hand was not a big deal to him when in fact, it was. When she'd squeezed his hand earlier, he pretended not to notice. He didn't want her to know that it had sent a warm shiver through him; a shiver he hadn't felt in a long time. That one gesture had awoken something within him that he'd thought he'd buried... and he wanted more of it.
* * *
Author's Note: I apologize for the extensive delay in updating this story. My creative energies have gotten the best of me lately and have pushed me in an entirely different direction, which is why I had to put this story on the side for a little while. I love the storyline I've got going here and the last thing I want to do is a half-assed job. I hope the rest of this story will live up to the first few chapters, as well as my "other" fic. At some point, I will re-post this fic under my other pen name. So, if you can't find this story anywhere, check for it under "Lady Charlotte"... Enjoy!
* * *
"What's really going on?" Jeff asked from the back seat. He could see that Jason hadn't been his usually joking self and seemed particularly edgy whenever Chris was around.
"What do you mean?" Jason asked innocently.
"Well, you and Chris don't exactly hang out a lot anymore..." Glen chimed in.
Jason looked over at the huge man in the driver's seat. "It's nothing, really."
"Must be something for you to ask me for a ride." Glen said, giving Jason a stern look.
"What was I supposed to do?" Jason said, slightly detached. "He wasn't in his room this morning when I went to get him, so I figured he left without me."
Jeff wasn't buying it. He knew that Chris would never be up before 9AM. "Did you guys have a fight or somethin'?"
Jason sighed aloud. "NO, okay? Everything is just fine..." Jason leaned his head against the window and stared out at the desert. Jason was getting a headache. All he wanted was peace and quiet. He'd hardly been sleeping lately, having been kept awake at night thinking about his friendship with Chris. He knew that he'd been pushing Chris away lately and rightfully so. It would serve to lesson the pain he'd feel when Chris found out the truth and ended their friendship. Jason ran his hand through his hair as he stared out into the distance. Jason cursed himself for being so insecure. Why did he have to do this to one of his closest friends?
"What are you thinking about?" Jeff asked suddenly, startling Jason. Jason let out a long sigh, knowing that he wasn't going to be left alone.
"If you must know," Jason grumbled, "I was thinking about Chris."
Glen made eye contact with Jeff through the rearview mirror. They exchanged thoughts for a moment. "What about Chris?" Glen asked.
Jason hesitated, but felt he might as well get at least some of it off of his chest. "I did something that I'm not really proud of... and when Chris finds out, he's going to hate me."
"What happened?" Glen asked, keeping his eyes on the road ahead of him.
"It doesn't matter now." Jason said sadly. "I was only thinking about myself... I should've thought about how it would effect Chris, not just me." Jason slouched under his seatbelt.
"You guys are good friends, right?" Jason nodded. "I'm sure if you talk to him about whatever it is, he'll understand." Glen said confidently.
"He might understand eventually, but I doubt he'd forgive me." Jason grumbled.
"If this is about..." Jeff's voice trailed off, his words hanging in the air like a death sentence. Jason turned slightly and met Jeff's eyes with a worried stare. "Then maybe staying away from Chris right now isn't such a bad idea." Jeff concluded, giving Jason's shoulder a gentle squeeze before he sat back in his seat. Jason turned around and looked back at Jeff, acknowledging the fact that Jeff did know what he was talking about.
"When he finds out that I had more influence over his future than he did, he's gonna kill me." Jason said sadly. He knew that Chris wasn't the type to fly off the handle and lose control of his temper very often, but he had seen him lose it with Paul backstage once. Jason's stomach cringed as he recalled the distorted image of Chris' face as Chris shoved Paul against the wall. Jason had been convinced that if Vince hadn't intervened, Chris might have seriously hurt Paul.
Jeff fixed the bandanna that was snugly wrapped around his head. He looked up at Jason, knowing that he was thinking about the time Chris had lost control and attacked Paul. No one had ever taken Chris seriously before that. "I know." Jeff said in a low voice. Poor, stupid Jay. Chris was going to hurt him and they both knew it.
** *
Stephanie sat in the passenger seat while Chris was filling up the gas tank. So far, she was enjoying the drive to Vegas. They had listened to CDs from Chris' collection and reminisced about childhood cartoons and television shows. It had been fun. She smiled to herself, thinking of how Chris had given her some sort of history behind almost every song that he put on. She was impressed by his musical knowledge and was equally impressed with his storytelling skills. She'd learned quite a bit about him during the drive and realized that she had really warmed up to him.
After stopping in the gas station, Chris had brushed his fingers against the side of her thigh when he shifted the car into park. He hadn't done it deliberately as the gear shift was located between their seats. She wasn't even sure that he'd noticed. Nevertheless, the brief contact had given her butterflies. Goosebumps eruupted on her skin as she thought about it.
Turning to the window, she studied Chris. He was leaning against the car, putting the gas cap back in place. A few loose strands of blonde hair dangled in front of his mirrored sunglasses, having made their way out of his ponytail. The sun danced on his lightly tanned skin, accentuating his muscular arms and reflecting off the tiny beads of sweat that had formed just above his full, pink lips. He looked incredibly sexy.
Stephanie had always included Chris on her mental list of "hot" wrestlers, but had never really thought about getting to know him. Aside from the fact that Chris had signed with company around the time that she and Paul had gotten involved, Chris had been engaged to Jessica. Things were very different now, and Stephanie found herself wondering if Chris had been intimate with anyone since he and Jessica had split up.
Chris grabbed a squeegee and hummed happily to himself as he wiped away the light brown dust that had accumulated on the windshield. Chris had been such a gentleman when he'd helped her to his room last night. She was grateful that he hadn't tried anything on her but why would he? Stephanie was quite positive that Chris wasn't attracted to her in that regard. Stephanie just wasn't his type. She wasn't a petite, graceful blonde. She was a tall, clumsy brunette. Even if she was available, he would never be interested in her.
Suddenly, she recalled Chris gently pulling her close to him while they were on the elevator the night before. It felt good having his arm around her waist...but then she remembered something else that had felt even better.. his fingertips had found their way to the exposed skin just above the waistband of her pants and there, they traced light circles into her flesh.. Had she imagined it? Even if she hadn't, Chris had been drunk so he probably had no idea what he was doing. After all, if he was interested in her, wouldn't he have made a move on her once they got to her room?
Lost in her thoughts, Stephanie hadn't noticed that Chris had dropped the squeegee back in its bucket then disappeared. She looked around hesitantly for a moment, then saw him emerging from the mini mart with a grin on his face. He carried a bag with him as he walked back to the car.
"What'd ya buy me?" she asked, full of enthusiasm.
"Let's see..." Chris teased as he settled into the driver's seat. "We've got Sour Cream 'N Onion Pringles _a necessary item on ANY road trip_" he said in a deep voice, causing her to giggle. "Pretzels, some pop and some water. Take your pick my lady."
Stephanie sat there, mouth agape.
"What?" Chris asked, holding the now open can of Pringles in one hand and a bottle of Pepsi in the other.
"Did you say, POP?" She looked at him questioningly.
"Um..yeah, that's what this is." Chris held the bottle of Pepsi directly in front of her face. "POP." He made a face before giggling. "I forgot you guys call it soda or whatever. Pop is a Canadian/Midwestern thing."
"Pop..." Stephanie laughed, thinking of how strange it sounded to her. She honestly hadn't heard that expression before. She grabbed the bottle from him. "Thanks for the POP, Chris." she said teasingly.
"Your welcome... PRINCESS." he said, stressing the 's'. Stephanie stopped laughing and looked at him with a darkened expression. She hated being called princess... Paul usually called her by that name.
"Please don't call me that. I can't stand it."
The lightheartedness that had filled the car throughout the first leg of their trip suddenly disappeared. Chris felt like putting his foot in his mouth. He had only been teasing her, he didn't think she'd get offended by it. He rested the Pringles next to his seat and started the engine.
They rode in silence, neither of them putting any music on.. Stephanie stared out the window consumed with thoughts of Paul. She needed to break it off with him once and for all. He probably wouldn't care on way or another because he had never gave her any indication that he loved her. That, and he had already climbed to the top of the company and remained there. She wished that she could say that she'd miss him once they split up, but aside from their lusty encounters, there wasn't much for her to miss. She sighed heavily and turned her head, only to catch Chris looking at her.
Chris felt bad because he hadn't meant to make her upset. He kept glancing over at her, hoping that she'd say something. Anything.
"I'm not mad at you." She said finally, much to his relief. "It's just when you called me princess... it immediately made me think of Paul."
"Paul is a princess? I should've known." Chris smiled at her, trying to lighten her mood.
Stephanie chuckled a little. "No, silly. Princess is his pet name for me."
"Oh....sorry."
Stephanie patted Chris' arm. "Don't worry about it." She mumbled. The feel of her touch lingered on his arm long after she rested both of her hands on her lap.
'Princess', he thought. In Chris' eyes, Stephanie was a princess. She was after all, an heir to the McMahon empire. She was pretty too and weren't princesses supposed to be pretty? He wondered why that nickname bothered her so much. As if reading his thoughts, Stephanie answered him almost immediately. "He usually says it to piss me off and to remind me of who I am."
"And you are...?" Chris asked bluntly.
"A McMahon of course." She sighed and leaned back in her seat. "It's like... he always makes me feel like the only thing I have going for me is a powerful name."
Chris could not believe his ears. "You know that's not true." Chris said reassuringly. "You've got a lot going for ya. You're really smart and you're good at what you do."
"Yeah ok, "Stephanie said sarcastically, "I'm SO good at what I do that no one likes the current storylines. Great way to do business!" Stephanie turned her head to face the window. "Everyone thinks that since I'm the head writer it's my fault that business is taking a downturn... including Paul."
Chris shrugged. "I know that you're in charge of creative, but come on. You're not the only writer back there... I know that the majority of the stuff we get to work with doesn't come from you, not to mention that Vince has the last word on what gets used and what doesn't." Chris held his breath and waited. After a long silence, he looked over at her.
"Thank you for understanding." She said, smiling genuinely. A great weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She'd been chided by so many people lately that she'd started to believe that maybe they were right. Maybe the downturn in business was her fault. Yet...Chris knew what everyone else did when it came to backstage politics and he still gave her the benefit of the doubt. It meant a lot to her.
"You're welcome." Chris reached over and took her hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She looked down at their hands and smiled. She squeezed his hand in return then wound her fingers through his.
A comfortable silence enveloped them as he drove towards their destination. The back of his right hand rested casually on Stephanie's thigh; their fingers still intertwined. She hadn't moved her hand and he didn't want her to; he was absorbed in the subtle electric current that coursed between them. Chris acted as if holding her hand was not a big deal to him when in fact, it was. When she'd squeezed his hand earlier, he pretended not to notice. He didn't want her to know that it had sent a warm shiver through him; a shiver he hadn't felt in a long time. That one gesture had awoken something within him that he'd thought he'd buried... and he wanted more of it.
* * *