~Two weeks earlier~
"Aww, Daddy, I don't want to go," Stephanie whined into the phone. Chris lay next to her in bed, as he watched her on the phone.
"But Stephanie I need to you to go, we need a McMahon representative to do the press junkets."
"Daddy, can't Shane do it?"
"No, Shane has to stay behind, Stephanie will you please do this for me?" Vince asked nicely.
"Fine Daddy, but you owe me now," Stephanie relented. She rolled her eyes towards Chris.
"Ok Princess," he said before they said their goodbyes and hung up. Stephanie lay back on the bed, resting her head on Chris's shoulder.
"So I take it you have to go to Europe," Chris whispered into the morning air.
"Yeah," Stephanie sighed, as she stroked the top of her daughter's head, who was currently lying on Chris's chest.
"We'll miss you," Chris said smiling down at her.
"I wish I didn't have to go, I always have to be the one to go overseas for different tours."
"It's because you're the best McMahon for the job."
"I'm sorry, I'm not a McMahon, I'm a Jericho," she said grinning at him. He grinned back at her.
"Sometimes I forget," he said laughing softly, the movement causing Regan, their six-month old daughter to hold her head up in curiosity. Stephanie kissed the top of her head, before Regan once again laid her head on Chris's chest.
"Well, you should remember next time," she said pretending to be upset.
"Forgive me?" Jericho answered, giving her his best pout.
"Don't give me that face, aww don't make me feel bad for you...Of course I forgive you, idiot," she finished laughing, as she leaned up to kiss him.
"Good, I don't know what I'd do if you never forgave me," he said winking at her.
"I really don't want to go though. I hate the fact I have to leave you and Regan behind."
"We'll be fine, I'm sure we can manage by ourselves for a few days, can't we Regan?" Jericho said tickling the little girl's feet, causing her to giggle and smile.
"Yeah, but I'll be gone for five days, that's the longest I'll have been away from her."
"I'm glad you're thinking of me as well," he said sarcastically.
"Of course I think of you," she said kissing him, "But I've been away from you for longer, and besides Regan's my baby."
"We'll call you everyday."
"Promise?"
"Of course we promise."
~A few days later (At the airport)~
"Ok, so you have all the numbers that I gave you, and my itinerary, and you have all numbers in case there's an emergency at home right?" Stephanie asked quickly.
"Yes, yes, now you need to stop worrying."
"I can't help it, I worry."
"I know," Jericho said, leaning in to kiss her.
"I love you," she said to Regan, who smiled, she turned to Chris, "And I love you too."
"I love you," he said kissing her again.
"Well, I've gotta go," she said as she broke away, "I'll miss you both."
"We'll miss you too," he said. She kissed him again, and then kissed Regan, before turning to go into the airport.
"Have a nice flight," he called.
"I will," she called back before disappearing into the airport.
~A few days later~
"So how's the press thing so far?" Jericho asked her over the phone.
"It's ok, there are a lot of fans in Great Britain."
"I know," he said chuckling.
"Shut up," she said jokingly.
"So where are you headed to next?"
"I'm scheduled to go to Norway tomorrow, I'll be catching a flight tomorrow morning for that. Then I'll make a quick stop in Germany, and after that I'll be on my way back home, thank goodness."
"Sounds fun," he said sardonically.
"I wish you were here, and Regan too."
"Well, we wish you were here."
"How is my baby?"
"She's fine, you want to talk to her?"
"Definitely," she replied, before she heard a shuffling noise, and then the giggling that could only be her daughter, "Hey baby, it's Mommy, I miss you so much, and I can't wait to come home so I can see you. I love you"
Stephanie could hear more giggling before Chris came on the phone again. She smiled as she thought of the smile that she knew would be on both their faces. If anything, Regan was a Daddy's Girl. She guessed it ran in the family.
"So we'll see you in a couple days then." She heard his voice say over the line.
"Yeah, I'll see you in a few days."
"Ok, I love you Steph."
"I love you too."
~The next day~
Chris was sitting down on the couch watching some television as Regan was taking her nap. Stephanie hadn't called him that morning, and he hoped that she would call him once she got to her hotel in Norway. She was probably going to be doing promotional signings and interviews all day, and he wanted to speak to her before she was too tired to talk.
The phone rang in the kitchen and he got up to answer it. He didn't want the noise to wake up Regan. He hoped it was Stephanie, he missed her.
"Hello," he answered.
"Chris?" a choked voice asked. Chris was able to recognize the voice as Vince's.
"Yeah, Vince is that you?"
"Yeah."
"What's the matter? You sound upset."
"Chris, I've got bad news," Vince said, choking back a sob. Chris got a sinking feeling in his stomach. There was only one reason that Vince would call him with bad news, and that reason was his life.
"Is it Stephanie, is she ok?" he asked frantically, his heart pounding.
"Her plane, it crashed, no survivors," Vince managed to stutter out the information.
Chris felt his entire body go numb. He dropped the phone with a loud bang, but he didn't care. He looked out the window and saw it was a beautiful day. And he couldn't see anything but the grayness that was slowly seeping into his body. It was like he was trapped in an eternally beautiful moment, but he wasn't able to feel it, because he was wrapped in complete pain.
It seemed as if time stopped, and everything ceased to be, except for him standing in his kitchen, knowing that he had lost his Stephanie. This is it, he kept thinking, this is the very moment where his life ended. Everything around him had suddenly changed, without any warning, and it was all gone. Time seemed to start again, and Chris found himself standing in his kitchen staring down at the phone, but not caring enough to pick it up and talk to Vince.
Instead he collapsed to the ground in tears.
"Aww, Daddy, I don't want to go," Stephanie whined into the phone. Chris lay next to her in bed, as he watched her on the phone.
"But Stephanie I need to you to go, we need a McMahon representative to do the press junkets."
"Daddy, can't Shane do it?"
"No, Shane has to stay behind, Stephanie will you please do this for me?" Vince asked nicely.
"Fine Daddy, but you owe me now," Stephanie relented. She rolled her eyes towards Chris.
"Ok Princess," he said before they said their goodbyes and hung up. Stephanie lay back on the bed, resting her head on Chris's shoulder.
"So I take it you have to go to Europe," Chris whispered into the morning air.
"Yeah," Stephanie sighed, as she stroked the top of her daughter's head, who was currently lying on Chris's chest.
"We'll miss you," Chris said smiling down at her.
"I wish I didn't have to go, I always have to be the one to go overseas for different tours."
"It's because you're the best McMahon for the job."
"I'm sorry, I'm not a McMahon, I'm a Jericho," she said grinning at him. He grinned back at her.
"Sometimes I forget," he said laughing softly, the movement causing Regan, their six-month old daughter to hold her head up in curiosity. Stephanie kissed the top of her head, before Regan once again laid her head on Chris's chest.
"Well, you should remember next time," she said pretending to be upset.
"Forgive me?" Jericho answered, giving her his best pout.
"Don't give me that face, aww don't make me feel bad for you...Of course I forgive you, idiot," she finished laughing, as she leaned up to kiss him.
"Good, I don't know what I'd do if you never forgave me," he said winking at her.
"I really don't want to go though. I hate the fact I have to leave you and Regan behind."
"We'll be fine, I'm sure we can manage by ourselves for a few days, can't we Regan?" Jericho said tickling the little girl's feet, causing her to giggle and smile.
"Yeah, but I'll be gone for five days, that's the longest I'll have been away from her."
"I'm glad you're thinking of me as well," he said sarcastically.
"Of course I think of you," she said kissing him, "But I've been away from you for longer, and besides Regan's my baby."
"We'll call you everyday."
"Promise?"
"Of course we promise."
~A few days later (At the airport)~
"Ok, so you have all the numbers that I gave you, and my itinerary, and you have all numbers in case there's an emergency at home right?" Stephanie asked quickly.
"Yes, yes, now you need to stop worrying."
"I can't help it, I worry."
"I know," Jericho said, leaning in to kiss her.
"I love you," she said to Regan, who smiled, she turned to Chris, "And I love you too."
"I love you," he said kissing her again.
"Well, I've gotta go," she said as she broke away, "I'll miss you both."
"We'll miss you too," he said. She kissed him again, and then kissed Regan, before turning to go into the airport.
"Have a nice flight," he called.
"I will," she called back before disappearing into the airport.
~A few days later~
"So how's the press thing so far?" Jericho asked her over the phone.
"It's ok, there are a lot of fans in Great Britain."
"I know," he said chuckling.
"Shut up," she said jokingly.
"So where are you headed to next?"
"I'm scheduled to go to Norway tomorrow, I'll be catching a flight tomorrow morning for that. Then I'll make a quick stop in Germany, and after that I'll be on my way back home, thank goodness."
"Sounds fun," he said sardonically.
"I wish you were here, and Regan too."
"Well, we wish you were here."
"How is my baby?"
"She's fine, you want to talk to her?"
"Definitely," she replied, before she heard a shuffling noise, and then the giggling that could only be her daughter, "Hey baby, it's Mommy, I miss you so much, and I can't wait to come home so I can see you. I love you"
Stephanie could hear more giggling before Chris came on the phone again. She smiled as she thought of the smile that she knew would be on both their faces. If anything, Regan was a Daddy's Girl. She guessed it ran in the family.
"So we'll see you in a couple days then." She heard his voice say over the line.
"Yeah, I'll see you in a few days."
"Ok, I love you Steph."
"I love you too."
~The next day~
Chris was sitting down on the couch watching some television as Regan was taking her nap. Stephanie hadn't called him that morning, and he hoped that she would call him once she got to her hotel in Norway. She was probably going to be doing promotional signings and interviews all day, and he wanted to speak to her before she was too tired to talk.
The phone rang in the kitchen and he got up to answer it. He didn't want the noise to wake up Regan. He hoped it was Stephanie, he missed her.
"Hello," he answered.
"Chris?" a choked voice asked. Chris was able to recognize the voice as Vince's.
"Yeah, Vince is that you?"
"Yeah."
"What's the matter? You sound upset."
"Chris, I've got bad news," Vince said, choking back a sob. Chris got a sinking feeling in his stomach. There was only one reason that Vince would call him with bad news, and that reason was his life.
"Is it Stephanie, is she ok?" he asked frantically, his heart pounding.
"Her plane, it crashed, no survivors," Vince managed to stutter out the information.
Chris felt his entire body go numb. He dropped the phone with a loud bang, but he didn't care. He looked out the window and saw it was a beautiful day. And he couldn't see anything but the grayness that was slowly seeping into his body. It was like he was trapped in an eternally beautiful moment, but he wasn't able to feel it, because he was wrapped in complete pain.
It seemed as if time stopped, and everything ceased to be, except for him standing in his kitchen, knowing that he had lost his Stephanie. This is it, he kept thinking, this is the very moment where his life ended. Everything around him had suddenly changed, without any warning, and it was all gone. Time seemed to start again, and Chris found himself standing in his kitchen staring down at the phone, but not caring enough to pick it up and talk to Vince.
Instead he collapsed to the ground in tears.