~Two years later~
Chris sat in his backyard, his two-year old daughter running around happily. It was a beautiful day, and he hadn't wanted to spend it inside. Besides it was rare that he had a whole four days off in a row. He wanted to make the best of his home time. He laughed as his daughter fell on her backside, and she looked at him with sad eyes obviously wanting Chris's attention. He went to pick her up as they both sat on the grass just horsing around. He loved hearing his daughter laugh, it was one of the most rewarding sounds he could ever hear.
The past two years had passed in relative calm. He and Regan continued to be on the road, and Regan had managed to charm everyone backstage, and was one spoiled little girl. He guessed that she reminded them all of Stephanie, and that was one of the reasons they loved her so much.
She was so much like her mother, and Chris could see a little bit more of Stephanie in her every day. She looked like Stephanie, the same hair, eyes, she was going to be beautiful like Stephanie had been, he could tell. The little girl was also headstrong and stubborn just like her mother had been. The look that she had gotten on her face the first time she had walked was one Chris would never forget. It was the look of determination that he had seen all too often on Stephanie. Sometimes when she smiled he felt like he was looking at Stephanie.
He still missed Stephanie terribly, although it did get a little better every day. He had managed to clear out a lot of her things, and they now sat in his attic. It had been hard the day he had taken the last of her clothes out of the closet, but in the end, it felt good to be moving on. He just had to take it a little bit at a time.
He thought about her often, sometimes it would just be what he saw of her in Regan, and other times he would walk by a picture of her, and he would stop to look at it, and think about her. He knew that time was healing all his wounds, and someday they might even be gone.
He had even managed to take Regan to Stephanie's grave at the cemetery. That had been a very emotional day for him. They stayed there for a long while just talking to her, and hoping that wherever she was that she was happy and that she was looking over the both of them.
Although Regan's first word had been 'Daddy,' surprisingly 'Mama' had come soon after. Chris would show Regan pictures of Stephanie, and they would watch old videos of her. He didn't want Regan growing up without knowing the spectacular person that Stephanie had been. He wanted Stephanie to be as big a part of Regan's life as he was.
"Daddy?" Regan said in her cute little voice.
"What is it sweetie?"
"Wefwing," she managed to say, and Jericho knew that she wanted to watch wrestling.
Regan had really taken a liking to wrestling, and given the family that she had been born into it was a good thing she did. She loved to watch all of the matches, and when she was backstage she would clap for all the wrestlers when she saw them on the TV. She and Chris would watch wrestling tapes at home all the time.
Chris took her inside, and popped a wrestling tape in the VCR. As the tape started, he realized that he had put in Fully Loaded 2000, with the Last Man Standing Match between Triple H and himself. That had really been a great match, and both men had come out of it looking like winners, but he also knew that the tape contained a lot of Stephanie.
He watched the first match silently, knowing that Stephanie was soon to show up on his screen. This had been during a time when they had been hating each other. Although they hated each other on-screen, off-screen they had been really good friends, which had eventually led to romance.
Stephanie came on-screen with the flowers that he had been "sending" her throughout the night, and he smiled at the memory. He had put an actual note in one of the bouquets, saying how really spectacular she really was, and she had given him the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. He had always loved her smile, not the bitchy smirk she had used on camera, but her genuine smile.
He looked towards his daughter, and she saw her eyes light up when she saw Stephanie. It made him feel good to know that he had succeeded in giving Regan at least a little piece of her mother. He tried his hardest to show Regan what a good person Stephanie had been, and how much Stephanie had loved her before she had died.
"That Mama," Regan said, pointing at Stephanie, and then looking back at him with a big smile.
"It sure is," he said smiling back.
"Where you?"
"I'm coming up," he told her. She nodded and went back to staring at the television screen.
He watched the rest of the tape, and then it finally came to the Last Man Standing Match. He watched as Stephanie blew a kiss at him, and he remembered how she was supposed to act disgusted by him. He laughed at the thought of her hating him, when in reality they had never hated each other.
"Daddy, look, look," she said pointing again to the screen.
Chris looked and he saw himself putting Stephanie into the Walls of Jericho. He had put her in that so many times that he had lost count. He had always made sure that he never put any real pressure on her, and would always check on her afterwards to make sure that she was fine. She had told him she always loved when he did that.
"It walls, it walls!" Regan said laughing. Even though she was two almost three, she still knew Chris's finishing moves.
Chris smiled at her youthful exuberance. If only Stephanie were here to see it, she had loved Regan so much. Then his life would be perfect. He sighed as he sat back and watched the rest of the tape in relative silence.
It was near the end of the main event between Chris Benoit and The Rock, when Chris heard the phone ringing. He didn't want to pick it up, but figured he might as well answer it. He got up to go into the kitchen, and answer the phone.
"Regan, stay here ok?"
"Kay" She said not taking her eyes off the screen.
He figured she would be ok for a second while he went into the kitchen. Chris walked into the kitchen and answered the phone, before walking into the living room again.
"Hello?"
"Chris, it's Vince."
"Oh hey Vince, and before you ask, we're both fine."
"You know me too well," Vince said chuckling, "Actually I was confirming that you were going on the Europe tour."
"Yeah, we are."
"Ok, I just wanted to make sure that you were. Don't forget we're leaving on Monday."
"Ok."
"Oh, and Linda says hello, and tell Regan she said hello to."
"Sure thing, bye"
"Bye."
Chris thought about going to Europe. He hadn't been there since Stephanie had passed away. When he and Regan went there next week, he wanted to go to the beaches at the North Sea on the edge of England, where Stephanie's plane had gone down. He was hoping to find some closure there.
And maybe, finally, he would be able to say goodbye.
Chris sat in his backyard, his two-year old daughter running around happily. It was a beautiful day, and he hadn't wanted to spend it inside. Besides it was rare that he had a whole four days off in a row. He wanted to make the best of his home time. He laughed as his daughter fell on her backside, and she looked at him with sad eyes obviously wanting Chris's attention. He went to pick her up as they both sat on the grass just horsing around. He loved hearing his daughter laugh, it was one of the most rewarding sounds he could ever hear.
The past two years had passed in relative calm. He and Regan continued to be on the road, and Regan had managed to charm everyone backstage, and was one spoiled little girl. He guessed that she reminded them all of Stephanie, and that was one of the reasons they loved her so much.
She was so much like her mother, and Chris could see a little bit more of Stephanie in her every day. She looked like Stephanie, the same hair, eyes, she was going to be beautiful like Stephanie had been, he could tell. The little girl was also headstrong and stubborn just like her mother had been. The look that she had gotten on her face the first time she had walked was one Chris would never forget. It was the look of determination that he had seen all too often on Stephanie. Sometimes when she smiled he felt like he was looking at Stephanie.
He still missed Stephanie terribly, although it did get a little better every day. He had managed to clear out a lot of her things, and they now sat in his attic. It had been hard the day he had taken the last of her clothes out of the closet, but in the end, it felt good to be moving on. He just had to take it a little bit at a time.
He thought about her often, sometimes it would just be what he saw of her in Regan, and other times he would walk by a picture of her, and he would stop to look at it, and think about her. He knew that time was healing all his wounds, and someday they might even be gone.
He had even managed to take Regan to Stephanie's grave at the cemetery. That had been a very emotional day for him. They stayed there for a long while just talking to her, and hoping that wherever she was that she was happy and that she was looking over the both of them.
Although Regan's first word had been 'Daddy,' surprisingly 'Mama' had come soon after. Chris would show Regan pictures of Stephanie, and they would watch old videos of her. He didn't want Regan growing up without knowing the spectacular person that Stephanie had been. He wanted Stephanie to be as big a part of Regan's life as he was.
"Daddy?" Regan said in her cute little voice.
"What is it sweetie?"
"Wefwing," she managed to say, and Jericho knew that she wanted to watch wrestling.
Regan had really taken a liking to wrestling, and given the family that she had been born into it was a good thing she did. She loved to watch all of the matches, and when she was backstage she would clap for all the wrestlers when she saw them on the TV. She and Chris would watch wrestling tapes at home all the time.
Chris took her inside, and popped a wrestling tape in the VCR. As the tape started, he realized that he had put in Fully Loaded 2000, with the Last Man Standing Match between Triple H and himself. That had really been a great match, and both men had come out of it looking like winners, but he also knew that the tape contained a lot of Stephanie.
He watched the first match silently, knowing that Stephanie was soon to show up on his screen. This had been during a time when they had been hating each other. Although they hated each other on-screen, off-screen they had been really good friends, which had eventually led to romance.
Stephanie came on-screen with the flowers that he had been "sending" her throughout the night, and he smiled at the memory. He had put an actual note in one of the bouquets, saying how really spectacular she really was, and she had given him the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. He had always loved her smile, not the bitchy smirk she had used on camera, but her genuine smile.
He looked towards his daughter, and she saw her eyes light up when she saw Stephanie. It made him feel good to know that he had succeeded in giving Regan at least a little piece of her mother. He tried his hardest to show Regan what a good person Stephanie had been, and how much Stephanie had loved her before she had died.
"That Mama," Regan said, pointing at Stephanie, and then looking back at him with a big smile.
"It sure is," he said smiling back.
"Where you?"
"I'm coming up," he told her. She nodded and went back to staring at the television screen.
He watched the rest of the tape, and then it finally came to the Last Man Standing Match. He watched as Stephanie blew a kiss at him, and he remembered how she was supposed to act disgusted by him. He laughed at the thought of her hating him, when in reality they had never hated each other.
"Daddy, look, look," she said pointing again to the screen.
Chris looked and he saw himself putting Stephanie into the Walls of Jericho. He had put her in that so many times that he had lost count. He had always made sure that he never put any real pressure on her, and would always check on her afterwards to make sure that she was fine. She had told him she always loved when he did that.
"It walls, it walls!" Regan said laughing. Even though she was two almost three, she still knew Chris's finishing moves.
Chris smiled at her youthful exuberance. If only Stephanie were here to see it, she had loved Regan so much. Then his life would be perfect. He sighed as he sat back and watched the rest of the tape in relative silence.
It was near the end of the main event between Chris Benoit and The Rock, when Chris heard the phone ringing. He didn't want to pick it up, but figured he might as well answer it. He got up to go into the kitchen, and answer the phone.
"Regan, stay here ok?"
"Kay" She said not taking her eyes off the screen.
He figured she would be ok for a second while he went into the kitchen. Chris walked into the kitchen and answered the phone, before walking into the living room again.
"Hello?"
"Chris, it's Vince."
"Oh hey Vince, and before you ask, we're both fine."
"You know me too well," Vince said chuckling, "Actually I was confirming that you were going on the Europe tour."
"Yeah, we are."
"Ok, I just wanted to make sure that you were. Don't forget we're leaving on Monday."
"Ok."
"Oh, and Linda says hello, and tell Regan she said hello to."
"Sure thing, bye"
"Bye."
Chris thought about going to Europe. He hadn't been there since Stephanie had passed away. When he and Regan went there next week, he wanted to go to the beaches at the North Sea on the edge of England, where Stephanie's plane had gone down. He was hoping to find some closure there.
And maybe, finally, he would be able to say goodbye.