To Jade's dismay, the following week held no conversations between
her and Eric that involved that night's kiss. No matter how many times she
tried to bring it up to him, he would change the subject. She felt used
and hopeless and decided to turn to the only person she could really trust.
"You kissed him?!"
Stephanie McMahon's reaction was one for the books. Jade burst out laughing at the horrified, amused, jealous look on her sister's face. "Jealous, Steph?"
"Well-I mean, it's Eric Bischoff. He's your enemy. You hate him. On the other hand," Steph looked thoughtful, "he is kind of sexy."
"He is incredibly sexy!" Jade cried, flopping into the chair in her sister's office. "Sexy, charming, funny, smart and, believe it or not, he's human."
"Hmmm. Who would have thought?"
"I don't know what to do, Steph!" Jade became increasingly quiet. "I think I'm in love with him."
"In love with him or infatuated with his looks and personality? Jade, you're my baby sister. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I only want you to be happy, but you have to remember. He's a married man. A married man who's almost twenty years your senior."
"Only eighteen. Seventeen years next month."
"Whatever. The fact remains, what do you think he wants with you?"
"I don't know, Steph. I really don't know."
The following Monday night held great anticipations with both Eric and Jade. They had a big scene together and it was obvious that they couldn't avoid each other much longer.
Although Steph was the GM of SmackDown, she promised her sister she would be there for moral support. Steph was sworn to secrecy and was usually good at keeping secrets but this was one thing that nagged at her constantly. She confided in her boyfriend, Hunter, and before she knew it, the entire Raw roster knew that there were feelings between Eric and Jade. When Jade found out she went ballistic.
"Steph! I thought I could trust you!"
"Jade, I promise you. All they know is that Eric and you have formed a truce. Nothing more." "There had better be nothing more, or else its your ass, Steph!"
Twenty minutes before the show began, Eric was pacing the floors of the arena backstage, waiting for a run in with Jade. However, she never showed up to taunt him, as she so often did. Eric began to panic that she wouldn't show up at all when he spotted her and Stephanie McMahon walking through the halls towards the ring entrance.
He fought the urge to call to her, seeing as her sister was with her. Jade saw him and gave him the coldest glare she could possibly manage. Steph rolled her eyes at the lame attempt of her sister and steered her in the other direction, giving Eric an eye of her own. Eric felt his heart drop. He had something to tell Jade, some earth-shattering news that would shake her world. But he wanted to do it in the right time frame. And having her mad was never a good idea.
When his music hit, he timed his entrance right, putting on a big smile for everyone to hate. The audience hadn't accepted him as openly as he would have liked but he wasn't going to complain. Accepting the microphone as he entered the ring, he paraded around as he so often did. Deciding on the spot to change the script, he went with his gut.
"Before I say anything, I would like to do something spontaneous. I would like to call out Jade McMahon to the ring, if you please. Jade, come on out here."
The crowd waited, wondering what kind of mud slinging would go on between the two now. It was just last week that Jade had called the Raw GM a "washed-up wannabe" and they were eager to hear Eric's response to that.
When Jade didn't appear, Eric began to panic. When it was scripted, it was hard enough to wait for them to appear. But this was really live- unscripted. It was suicide with no life preserver in case you change your mind. "Jade, come out here, please. There is something I would like to discuss with you."
Eric faced the entrance with great anticipation, and fear. Then suddenly he heard the crowd roar louder than before. He turned around to come face to face with Jade, who's hazel eyes were a steely cold grey.
"Jade! Glad you could make it out here! What, did you come through the crowd or something?"
"Cut the crap, Eric. What the hell do you want?"
Eric dropped his character, for fear that if he didn't, he would lose the best thing that might have ever happened to him. "Jade, I have something to tell you."
"Unless its what I want to hear, Eric, I don't want to hear it."
"I don't know what you want to hear, Jade! You didn't tell me!"
"You didn't let me!"
Eric felt a tug at his heart. "Jade, don't be like this, please!"
"Be like what, Eric? Like you have been? A cheap moron who always gets what he wants, as long as it involves something for him?"
Eric found himself wondering if she was acting now, or being sincere. What would cause her to be so angry with him? Then it dawned on him: Stephanie McMahon. His rival competition. She had obviously convinced her sister to go against Eric.
Jade's face was twisted in emotional agony. She desperately longed to tell Eric her feelings and watching his face contort in pain caused her to break down in tears. She wept uncontrollably, not being able to control her sobs. She dropped the microphone, no longer caring about the show or anything else. She dropped to her knees, her hands covering her face.
The fans began screaming as Vince McMahon stormed down the ramp. Entrance music was forgotten as the unwritten scene unfolded in front of their very eyes. Technicians backstage didn't know whether or not to keep filming.
Vince grabbed the microphone from the stage where his daughter had let it fall, and began lashing out at Eric. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he roared, directly in Eric's face. Eric tried to back up, but Vince wouldn't let him go anywhere. "What the hell are you doing, Eric? Why is my daughter in tears? Why did I get a concerned phone call from Shawn Michaels at seven o'clock this morning, regarding my daughter and you? Would someone tell me what the hell is going on here?"
His job no longer mattered to him. Neither did ratings, nor sticking to the script. "Vince, I love your daughter. I am in love with her. Last night, I went to my wife and told her that it was over. I told her that I had found someone else I was in love with. We're getting divorced."
The crowd's noise silenced and suddenly you could hear a pin drop. Jade looked up in amazement, a smile lighting up her face. She didn't know whether to laugh at the aspect of Eric admitting that he loved her, or cry at the look on her father's face. Vince's face raged red and she waited for the explosion.
"What do you mean, you're in love with her, Bischoff? I didn't hire you to fall in love with my daughter. I hired you to do a damn good job on Raw, and now all you can tell me is that you love my daughter?"
Eric wouldn't back down. This is for Jade, he thought to himself. He took a step towards Vince. "Vince, I am in love with Jade. Like it or not. I don't know how she feels about me, though," he said, turning her way.
Jade jumped up and embraced him, causing him to throw the microphone down on the canvas of the ring. "I love you, too," she whispered in his ear. "And I always will."
Eric's smile could have lit up the entire arena. Never in his life had he felt as ecstatic or happy as he did that moment. Giving up, Vince, too, threw down the microphone, jumped over the bottom rope and left ringside, with one last glance at his daughter embracing Eric Bischoff in the middle of the ring for everyone to see. Slowly, he shook his head and began to walk away.
Meanwhile, off to the side, Steph stood in silence, taken aback by the sudden display of emotion in the drama filled scene. She felt tugged into the picture through her sister and the family love they shared, but also felt torn because of her father's reactions and the nature of Eric Bischoff, being the GM of her rival show. Just like her father, she shook her head, leaving ringside where she had promised she would stay, with one last glance at her sister enjoying true happiness.
"You kissed him?!"
Stephanie McMahon's reaction was one for the books. Jade burst out laughing at the horrified, amused, jealous look on her sister's face. "Jealous, Steph?"
"Well-I mean, it's Eric Bischoff. He's your enemy. You hate him. On the other hand," Steph looked thoughtful, "he is kind of sexy."
"He is incredibly sexy!" Jade cried, flopping into the chair in her sister's office. "Sexy, charming, funny, smart and, believe it or not, he's human."
"Hmmm. Who would have thought?"
"I don't know what to do, Steph!" Jade became increasingly quiet. "I think I'm in love with him."
"In love with him or infatuated with his looks and personality? Jade, you're my baby sister. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I only want you to be happy, but you have to remember. He's a married man. A married man who's almost twenty years your senior."
"Only eighteen. Seventeen years next month."
"Whatever. The fact remains, what do you think he wants with you?"
"I don't know, Steph. I really don't know."
The following Monday night held great anticipations with both Eric and Jade. They had a big scene together and it was obvious that they couldn't avoid each other much longer.
Although Steph was the GM of SmackDown, she promised her sister she would be there for moral support. Steph was sworn to secrecy and was usually good at keeping secrets but this was one thing that nagged at her constantly. She confided in her boyfriend, Hunter, and before she knew it, the entire Raw roster knew that there were feelings between Eric and Jade. When Jade found out she went ballistic.
"Steph! I thought I could trust you!"
"Jade, I promise you. All they know is that Eric and you have formed a truce. Nothing more." "There had better be nothing more, or else its your ass, Steph!"
Twenty minutes before the show began, Eric was pacing the floors of the arena backstage, waiting for a run in with Jade. However, she never showed up to taunt him, as she so often did. Eric began to panic that she wouldn't show up at all when he spotted her and Stephanie McMahon walking through the halls towards the ring entrance.
He fought the urge to call to her, seeing as her sister was with her. Jade saw him and gave him the coldest glare she could possibly manage. Steph rolled her eyes at the lame attempt of her sister and steered her in the other direction, giving Eric an eye of her own. Eric felt his heart drop. He had something to tell Jade, some earth-shattering news that would shake her world. But he wanted to do it in the right time frame. And having her mad was never a good idea.
When his music hit, he timed his entrance right, putting on a big smile for everyone to hate. The audience hadn't accepted him as openly as he would have liked but he wasn't going to complain. Accepting the microphone as he entered the ring, he paraded around as he so often did. Deciding on the spot to change the script, he went with his gut.
"Before I say anything, I would like to do something spontaneous. I would like to call out Jade McMahon to the ring, if you please. Jade, come on out here."
The crowd waited, wondering what kind of mud slinging would go on between the two now. It was just last week that Jade had called the Raw GM a "washed-up wannabe" and they were eager to hear Eric's response to that.
When Jade didn't appear, Eric began to panic. When it was scripted, it was hard enough to wait for them to appear. But this was really live- unscripted. It was suicide with no life preserver in case you change your mind. "Jade, come out here, please. There is something I would like to discuss with you."
Eric faced the entrance with great anticipation, and fear. Then suddenly he heard the crowd roar louder than before. He turned around to come face to face with Jade, who's hazel eyes were a steely cold grey.
"Jade! Glad you could make it out here! What, did you come through the crowd or something?"
"Cut the crap, Eric. What the hell do you want?"
Eric dropped his character, for fear that if he didn't, he would lose the best thing that might have ever happened to him. "Jade, I have something to tell you."
"Unless its what I want to hear, Eric, I don't want to hear it."
"I don't know what you want to hear, Jade! You didn't tell me!"
"You didn't let me!"
Eric felt a tug at his heart. "Jade, don't be like this, please!"
"Be like what, Eric? Like you have been? A cheap moron who always gets what he wants, as long as it involves something for him?"
Eric found himself wondering if she was acting now, or being sincere. What would cause her to be so angry with him? Then it dawned on him: Stephanie McMahon. His rival competition. She had obviously convinced her sister to go against Eric.
Jade's face was twisted in emotional agony. She desperately longed to tell Eric her feelings and watching his face contort in pain caused her to break down in tears. She wept uncontrollably, not being able to control her sobs. She dropped the microphone, no longer caring about the show or anything else. She dropped to her knees, her hands covering her face.
The fans began screaming as Vince McMahon stormed down the ramp. Entrance music was forgotten as the unwritten scene unfolded in front of their very eyes. Technicians backstage didn't know whether or not to keep filming.
Vince grabbed the microphone from the stage where his daughter had let it fall, and began lashing out at Eric. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he roared, directly in Eric's face. Eric tried to back up, but Vince wouldn't let him go anywhere. "What the hell are you doing, Eric? Why is my daughter in tears? Why did I get a concerned phone call from Shawn Michaels at seven o'clock this morning, regarding my daughter and you? Would someone tell me what the hell is going on here?"
His job no longer mattered to him. Neither did ratings, nor sticking to the script. "Vince, I love your daughter. I am in love with her. Last night, I went to my wife and told her that it was over. I told her that I had found someone else I was in love with. We're getting divorced."
The crowd's noise silenced and suddenly you could hear a pin drop. Jade looked up in amazement, a smile lighting up her face. She didn't know whether to laugh at the aspect of Eric admitting that he loved her, or cry at the look on her father's face. Vince's face raged red and she waited for the explosion.
"What do you mean, you're in love with her, Bischoff? I didn't hire you to fall in love with my daughter. I hired you to do a damn good job on Raw, and now all you can tell me is that you love my daughter?"
Eric wouldn't back down. This is for Jade, he thought to himself. He took a step towards Vince. "Vince, I am in love with Jade. Like it or not. I don't know how she feels about me, though," he said, turning her way.
Jade jumped up and embraced him, causing him to throw the microphone down on the canvas of the ring. "I love you, too," she whispered in his ear. "And I always will."
Eric's smile could have lit up the entire arena. Never in his life had he felt as ecstatic or happy as he did that moment. Giving up, Vince, too, threw down the microphone, jumped over the bottom rope and left ringside, with one last glance at his daughter embracing Eric Bischoff in the middle of the ring for everyone to see. Slowly, he shook his head and began to walk away.
Meanwhile, off to the side, Steph stood in silence, taken aback by the sudden display of emotion in the drama filled scene. She felt tugged into the picture through her sister and the family love they shared, but also felt torn because of her father's reactions and the nature of Eric Bischoff, being the GM of her rival show. Just like her father, she shook her head, leaving ringside where she had promised she would stay, with one last glance at her sister enjoying true happiness.