He hummed a jaunty little tune to himself softly as he worked, even as he
kept a watch out for any unwelcome interruptions. He loosened the third
screw.a couple more centimeters ought to do it.there. That should be
perfect. If his plans for the McMahon family-one McMahon in particular,
actually--were to come to fruition, there was a certain individual who he
needed out of his way.and this was the perfect opportunity to accomplish
that task. It wouldn't kill the man.just disable him long enough to make a
difference. This hell in the cell match truly was going to be worthy of its
name tonight. He stood up, his long legs aching from sitting on the floor
for so long working on the Cage.
"Hey, man! You gotta be careful.the cage is a delicate thing. We need to be careful with it. It's has to be set up exactly right." Nicole, one of the stagehands hurried up to him. He evaluated the young stagehand's expressions and quickly determined that she hadn't seen anything untoward. He smiled down at the girl. "Oh, I wasn't touching anything. I was just looking around for Chris Jericho. I need to speak with him."
"I think he was in the cafeteria, last I saw him. He was working on his computer."
"Thank you." This was perfect.he couldn't have set this up better himself.
"Of course." The stagehand started hanging the WWF banners around the ring, never noticing that the Cage which was about to be raised had been tampered with. After all, she and her team had just finished inspecting it.although Rod should've stayed with the cage. It was normal policy the Cage was never left unattended. Rod came jogging up behind Nicole. "Hey.let's get this baby raised, huh? We need to set up in the back after we're done." She decided not to say anything to Rod, it wasn't like it had been alone for too long. "Sure thing." They used the pulleys to lift the Cage over the ring. "It's going to be a great match tonight, huh? Hunter and Chris in the Cage.for the title no less! Who's your money on?" Nicole asked as they pulled.
"You really got to ask?" Rod grunted with the effort.
"No, I guess not. Hunter, right?"
"Damn straight."
Nicole laughed. "I think I agree, no way is he going to lose the title tonight." They secured the cage. "You want to grab a bite?"
"Sounds great, Nikki." They walked up the ramp together satisfied with a job well done.
Chris Jericho bit on his sandwich as he finished checked his e-mail. He was just about to shut down his computer when there was a little ding that meant he'd been IM'd. He flipped the screen back up and looked at the message curiously.
Mr. Jericho?
Chris shoved the sandwich in his mouth and typed: Yeah?
I have some important news for you.
Yeah, what's that? Chris typed.
Something that could get you what you covet most: The Undisputed Championship.
Chris froze, looked around the room for the jackass who was messing with him.
Who is this? He typed angrily.
It doesn't matter.
I think it does.
Do you want the Championship, or not?
What exactly are you talking about here? Chris pounded in on the keyboard.
It's really very simple.
What is?
All you have to do is get Hunter to one certain part of the cage.and then I promise you'll win your Championship.
Chris looked around the room frantically, starting to get freaked out. What was this bozo talking about exactly? He typed the question.
Simple. You and Hunter get in the Cage. You are the only one who will be able to walk out of it. Do you understand now?
Chris swallowed. What they were talking about.this was serious. He inhaled deeply, looking around a third time, this time to make sure no one was watching him. He tapped his hand on the table still deliberating.
Are you still there? The question popped up. Chris wasn't sure if he should answer. He could just close the laptop, pretend this entire conversation had never happened. His hand reached out to do just that and that was when he realized something:
He really, really wanted the Championship.
And he really, really hated Hunter. And given the chance, he had no doubt Hunter would screw him over any day of the week. Gradually, he rose the lid. He typed the words slowly:
Yeah, I'm here.what do I have to do? He paused, and then hit return. "Kurt, it was nice of you to walk me to my door, but Victor and Sam were perfectly able to do so.they're getting paid quite well to do so, actually." Stephanie told Kurt, refusing to slide the key into the lock before Kurt had backed off at least a little. She didn't want to invite him in, but she needed to drag the truth out of him somehow....To her surprise, Kurt grabbed the key from her hand and held open the door. Irritated that he just refused to take a hint, Stephanie marched past him and walked straight over to the mini fridge. Kurt escorted Sam and Victor over to the adjoining room. They looked at Stephanie helplessly, and she nodded that it was allright. Victor left the door open a couple of inches though. Kurt might be a jerk but she really didn't believe he was stalking her family.he was too uptight for anything of that sort. She pulled out an orange juice and studied it for any puncture marks. She twisted open the top and decided to hope for the best. Stephanie settled down on the plush bed and looked warily at Kurt. She was even more unsettled when he came and sat down right next to her. She practically flew off of the bed, and went over to the fridge saying: "Oh, I've been so rude.I haven't even offered you anything to drink. Um, I have.liquor, coffee, water, tea, juice.." Stephanie trailed off when she saw Kurt looking at her with a funny expression on his face.
"Is something wrong?" Stephanie asked Kurt.
"I don't know, Stephanie.you tell me." Kurt said.
Motel Four Miles Outside of Houston
"Stacy, I don't know what planet you're living on but this isn't the same room I woke up in this morning." Hunter said angrily, folding his arms across.
"Well, then you were even drunker than I thought, because this is for sure the same room." Stacy said definitively. She casually walked over to the small radio on the nightstand, fiddled with the knobs. She grinned when she heard the song, one of her favorites.it was fate, she decreed.
She's got you wrapped up in her satin and lace
Tied around her little finger
She got you thinkin' you can never escape
Don't you know your hearts in danger
There's a devil in that angel's face
If you could only see the love that you're wasting
I can love you better than that
I know how to make you forget her
All I'm asking is for one little chance
Cause baby, I can love you baby, I can love you better
"Stacy.the bed was over there. He pointed to the right side of the room where the bed was conspicuously absent. Hunter found himself in a curious state between fury and laughter..it was kind of hilarious how Stacy was trying to convince him they were in the same room despite the fact that the entire layout of the room was different. Hunter sank down into a chair and cringed when the springs squeaked and he felt the bottom of the chair collapse. "Oh, son of a-" he tried to lift himself out of the chair but it was well and truly collapsed and his ass was on the floor.
I'm gonna break the spell she's got on you
You're gonna wake up to find
I'm your desire my intentions are true
Hey babe, I know in time
You're gonna see what you mean to me
So open up your eyes cause seeing is believing
"Oh, gosh." Stacy burst out laughing, walking over to him as he futilely tried to pull himself up. She knelt down beside him and said softly: "Well, at least now-" she kissed him on the cheek,-"I have you"-behind his earlobe,-"exactly"-further down the neck, "where I want you." Hunter stared back at Stacy, redoubling his efforts to get himself out of the chair.
I can love you better than that
I know how to make you forget her
All I'm asking is for one little chance
Cause baby, I can love you baby, I can love you better
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about." Stephanie said as she turned her back to Kurt tensely.
"Yeah, yeah, you do. The whole ride back here, you were really quiet and-"
"Well, that's just because, with the bodyguards and everything, I just didn't feel comfortable speaking to you." Stephanie said smoothly.
"Are you sure that's all there is to it?"
"Well, what else could there possibly be?" Stephanie asked nervously, still trying to open up her orange juice's protective seal underneath the cap. Finally she dug a nail in and ripped it open.
"I don't know. I thought maybe it was my saying that I wanted to try and build.a relationship with you. You said that if we took it slowly, you would be open to the idea. I want to know if you're serious about that."
Hell, no. I wouldn't touch you with a two by four if I could help it. But she couldn't very well say that.at least not yet. She had to find out exactly what Kurt was up to. Which meant that she'd have to try and stop being so jumpy around him and put on a good show of it in front of him. Stephanie sat down on the bed, took off her shoes, crossed her legs together.at least her skirt was long. She looked at him expectantly, swallowing her orange juice.
"Steph, I-" Her watch started beeping. "Oh, vitamin time!" She trilled.
"You have your watch set for vitamins?" Kurt asked incredulously.
"Well, yeah. I'm always so busy, especially being back in the WWF again. But this is really important for the baby, I guess, so I wanted to be sure I'd always remember. This is the one way I can be sure." She pulled out her pill and downed it with her juice.
"This kid.it means a lot to you, doesn't it?" Kurt said slowly.
"This baby means everything to me." Stephanie returned seriously. "Right now, my biggest priority is making sure that my baby has everything it could ever need to make him happy." And that included getting his daddy to see the light and come home to them. But she was well on her way to that end, she thought happily.he loved her. He said he loved her. She had replayed their entire conversation at the restaurant over and over in her mind the ride over to the hotel, growing more and more ecstatic by the mile. She had her husband back. Now all she had to do was tell him two things: he was still her husband and they were having a baby. She refused to get depressed about those two little things though, he'd be mad but she'd make him so happy he'd soon get over it.
But there was still the task at hand: Finding out what Kurt was up to, if anything.
"I just want you to know, that your being pregnant.it doesn't change the way I feel about you." And it didn't. It probably would, if he was truly in love with her, but fortunately, he just wanted her.this kid better not get in the way of what he wanted though. He'd had enough of being the most talented guy in this business and still not having all the breaks. Being with Stephanie would certainly change all of that though.he just had to make sure all of her attention and devotion was where it belonged: solely on him.
"Ah, well.Can't tell you just how glad I am to hear that." Stephanie said dully. "Kurt?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, I was just still wondering about you and Stacy, at the restaurant today. I mean, how exactly did that come about?"
"I did mention how great she's been, right? She's really helped me out since my injuries. She's a true friend. But don't worry Steph, there's nothing more to it, I promise. Not like her and Hunter. I know that's got to hurt."
"It's not like it really matters either way." Stephanie said casually, picking up an imaginary piece of lint from the skirt. She felt Kurt's attention sharpen on her.
"It really doesn't matter to you? That Stacy slept with Hunter?"
She cringed at the way the words sounded. It made her sick even to picture it. "No, not at all. Were you not at the restaurant this afternoon at all? Hunter and I are so finished.this was just the last straw, the final nail in his coffin. I meant what I said. I can do much better than him. I think I'm off to a good start, don't you?" She reached out and playfully swiped at his shoulder. Kurt smiled.
"You sure are." He pulled her down on top of him on the bed. Stephanie swallowed hard, rolled off of him and lay on her side. "You haven't even answered my question." She teased gently.
"When I'm with you, any thought I'm having seems to fly right out the window."
Stephanie tried not to gag. He was so insufferable when he was trying to be romantic. Kurt and the tender arts..not a winning combination. She choked down the bile in her throat, smiled sweetly and twirled a long strand of hair around her finger. Kurt reached over and grabbed her hand.
"You're still wearing your ring! Why?" Kurt demanded.
"Hey, you're hurting me!" But his grip only tightened.
"Why are you still wearing your ring.if you're so over Hunter, why do you still wear his ring?"
"The thing won't come off!" Stephanie snapped. "Now. Let. The. Hell. Go. Of. My. Hand! Or you can get the hell out of my hotel room."
Kurt dropped her hand. "I'm sorry...it just threw me, that's all." He muttered.
"That's no excuse." She said, but immediately softened her tone. "But it's allright. I understand. I wish the thing would come off, but it just doesn't seem to want to."
That was a bad way to phrase it, she thought. She hastily continued. "But let's just change the subject, come on.what exactly are you doing with Stacy Keibler?" She kept the question light, teasing, not wanting to arouse any suspicions.
"Why, are you jealous?" Kurt asked, leaning on his side to face her now on the bed.
"Maybe." She teased coyly. "Should I be?"
"Steph, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. It's Hunter Stacy wants, I promise you that. She has a major thing for him.kind of an obsession, really."
"You don't say." Stephanie said, seething. It was nothing she hadn't known already, of course, but to hear the words from someone else just really made it hit home.
"Yeah..and I really can't think of two people who deserve each other more. Actually, Stacy deserves better, but hey, it keeps him away from you and that's all I really want."
"Mmm-hmm. Obsession, though.that's such a strong word, Kurt. Do you really think Stacy is obsessed with Hunter?" She asked, trying to keep the anger out of her voice.
"I really don't know any other word to use. He's played her at every turn but she keeps coming back up and begging for more. If that's not an unhealthy obsession, I just don't know what the hell is."
"I guess so.but how far would she go?"
"What?"
"How far would Stacy go.to get Hunter?" To sink her pathetic little claws into him? She asked silently.
"Why all the questions?" Kurt asked, trying to keep the suspicion out of his voice.
She knew she was pushing too hard, but damn it! She wanted to get to the bottom of all of this.
"I'm just curious, I suppose. Plus, if she's scheming against him, I need to know."
Kurt sat up frowning. "Oh, you do? Why exactly is that, Stephanie? I-" He started to say that he'd heard her in the restaurant, hanging all over Hunter and his little proclamation of love, but he didn't want to tip her off that he'd been eavesdropping. "-thought you didn't give a flying leap anymore." He finished.
"No, nothing like that, of course not, Kurt!" Stephanie pretended outrage. "I am my father's assistant, Hunter is the Undisputed Champion.it's business. If Stacy's doing something, I need to know so that I can properly evaluate its impact on my company. You understand, don't you?"
"Yes. Yes, I do.I have to say it's a relief to see you and your incredible business acumen making a comeback. "
"Thank you, I think it's rather great myself." Stephanie grinned.
"And to that end, let me just say.." Kurt walked over to the mini fridge and grabbed his own orange juice. He knocked it against Stephanie's bottle- " to the beginning of an absolutely unstoppable force. It's about damn time you woke up and saw what's been in front of you all this time." Stephanie echoed, pasting on a smile. What a jackass.
"Haven't you heard that resistance is futile?"
"What are you, a Trekkie?" Hunter asked desperately. Damn this chair! Had.to.get.up!
"I will confess to a little crush on Captain Picard.it must be the voice, don't you think? I'm helpless to men with great voices, I think that's one of the reasons I can't get myself over you."
"Oh, God." Hunter muttered, finally getting some traction and hauling himself out of the collapsed chair. He slid up and out onto the floor. Stacy sat astride his legs, causing him to look up at her. Rather than ask her to move, which he didn't believe she was about to do, he picked her up. He lifted her up as easily as if she were made of air and sat her down on the bed.
"Ooh, man of few words, huh?" Stacy teased, vamping a pose on the bed.
"Oh, God." He repeated. He remained standing. "Stacy, I feel the need to go over a couple of things with you." He said, running his hand through his hair agitatedly.
"Yes, Hunter?" Stacy asked sweetly.
"Okay, you know I can't remember.having sex with you last night. I told you I wanted for you to help me to remember, you said you'd bring me back to the room we had last night. This isn't the room."
"That's just semantics!" Stacy sputtered.
"Semantics? Semantics? Stacy! I-you-!" Hunter reined in his temper before he started yelling. "Stacy, please explain to me how not being in the same room is just semantics?"
"Well, to tell you the truth, I couldn't get the same room. It was being used." She lied quickly. After all, she didn't want him actually remembering that nothing had in fact happened.and he probably would have been more likely to remember if the environment had been recreated in its entirety. "And we don't even need that stupid old room to make your memory come back. After all, you have me. And I assure you.I'm unforgettable, like you said earlier. So.." Stacy slid off of the bed, startling Hunter, but to his relief, she walked right past him. Then she turned off the lights and fiddled with the radio. A seductive melody began to play.
"Sit down." She invited, pointing to the bed. He sat down, trying to concentrate on her voice, on her face..anything to help him remember. "Well, it's not exactly perfect, but.I certainly can't complain about the company." She giggled.
Hunter froze. That laugh..it was the same laugh! It was her, it had been Stacy who he'd been with last night. Shit. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to focus the memory. Nothing. He opened his eyes again, looked up. Stacy smiled down at him, pulling her hair behind her face. He smiled back, reached up and pulled her hands into his and pulled her underneath him on the bed. He looked down at her face. "So, Stace..make me remember." He whispered.
"Uh-Okay." She squeaked. "Um, I guess the first thing to do would probably be to kiss."
"Kiss?"
"Well, that is how these things generally start out, you know."
Hunter shrugged. He grinned when he thought about how much he was going to enjoy telling Stephanie all about the 'sacrifice' he was making on her behalf. Oh, the things men do for love, he thought, leaning in to kiss Stacy.
He pulled back after he was certain she was well and truly distracted. "So who was the guy in the room last night?" he asked quickly, throwing her off her guard.and it worked.
"Just Kurt." She murmured. Her eyes opened wide, her lips swollen from the kiss. "Hey! What the hell are you trying to pull?!"
But for some reason, the mention of Kurt's name focused Hunter on the voices he had heard.and now he was remembering words. He remembered..he remembered. Hunter's eyes opened slowly.
Stacy had been looking at him rather accusatorily, but seeing the hardened expression now on his face, quickly adopted a more concerned look.
"Hunter?" She asked quietly. "Um, are you okay?"
Kurt settled back onto the bed. "You know, I always knew it was only a matter of time before you came around." He said confidently.
"Is that so?" Stephanie asked. This was good for her, she told herself. Being with Kurt like this, it was good, because it was helping her with anger management. If she could survive the rest of this conversation without seriously injuring him, she could get through anything without losing her cool.
"Definitely. Hunter's a caveman, a Neanderthal. You need a man who's like you, who appreciates the finer things in life..not to mention someone you don't have to be afraid to bring out in public."
"You don't say.." Stephanie seethed. When he wanted to be, Hunter was the classiest man she'd ever met. At least he wasn't a whining, sniveling little crapweasel like Kurt. She had to physically bite her tongue.
"But now you've seen the light, it's taken a lot longer than I thought it would, sure, but hey, it's never too late. And now you finally know that Hunter is nothing but a classless, worthless jerk-off who isn't worthy to breathe the same air as you."
It was taking every single ounce of self-restraint not to pop Kurt one. She opened her mouth to agree vaguely, but she couldn't form the words. She didn't need to, Kurt was more than happy to keep talking for the both of them.
"I mean let's face it. Hunter was probably some youthful animalistic physical attraction right? Not to mention it drove Vince insane to think of his precious little girl at the mercy of some degenerate, am I right or am I right?" Kurt said arrogantly.
"You're-you're" An asshole. You're abhorrent. A moron. An idiot. "absolutely right." She finished. "Hunter really had me turned upside down there for a while.I didn't even know which way was up. But thankfully, I've seen him for what he really is.and Stacy will too."
"Let's not talk about Stacy anymore." Kurt drawled.
Good. Then I can kick you the hell out of here and call Hunter. Moron. Aloud, she said: "Okay then.I just wanted to be sure that there were no surprises in store.I'm trying to really restore this company again. Having a champion who is.well, let's just say 'in disgrace' is not exactly conducive to business. But if you don't know anything, you don't know anything." She shrugged it off, starting to stand. She was startled when Kurt pulled her back down on the bed.
"I know it was the animalistic attraction that kept you with Hunter for these two years.."
Animalistic attraction?! Where the fuck did he come up with this bullshit? She wondered.
"..but you know as well as I do that I can more than substitute."
Stephanie froze underneath Kurt's stare. Oh, God, no. She didn't want him to start talking about it again, they had already talked it to death eight months ago. She had tried to pretend it had never happened and for the most part, had succeeded admirably.
"Steph, ever since last November you've acted differently around me. I've tried to ignore it, I've tried to be your friend, but now you're acting weird again, like you were right after it happened. I thought you wanted to forget about it, and even though that's not what I wanted, I've tried. But I can't help it anymore, Stephanie. I can't just ignore the fact that eight months ago we made love." Kurt told her.
"Look, we've already talked about this. Don't you get that I don't even want to discuss it at all? It's-it's a non-issue! Kurt, it was Hunter's and my anniversary and he wouldn't even speak to me, it was like I didn't even exist for him anymore, he was so damn busy with his rehab on his leg. And I tried everything, he didn't care and.I was hurt. I wanted to hurt him, and that's why.that's why I slept with you, Kurt. There was nothing else to it though, it was just sex."
"But that couldn't have been all there was to it, Stephanie! I know you, I know you wouldn't have just slept with me for the heck of it-"
"But that's exactly what I did! You know that! Kurt, we discussed this to death months ago. I told you that I was committed to my marriage, committed to Hunter and it was a mistake." One that she'd regret for the rest of her entire life, she knew. Sleeping with Kurt had been the single stupidest thing she'd ever done..of course, the whole baby lie had been a close second. Not to mention buying ECW, coming so close to marrying Andrew..God, she'd done a lot of stupid things in her life, but the one thing she'd ever done that hadn't had any positive repercussions whatsoever had to have been when she'd slept with Kurt late last year. She'd been drunk, on her anniversary, stood up by her husband, she'd been depressed, and she'd been hurting.Kurt had just been there, completely in the right place at the wrong time for her. She wanted to hate him for taking advantage when she was vulnerable, but she accepted that she'd been stupid enough to turn to him in the first place. It had been the single most horrible experience of her life, and she'd gone crazy the next morning thinking Hunter would find out, he'd leave her for good. So she'd begged Kurt to forget all about it and pretend it had never happened. She liked to pretend she hadn't really been that stupid, that it had all been just some really bad nightmare. To his credit, he hadn't brought it up since. Until now.
"Why are you talking about this now?" She whispered up to him, starting to cry. He couldn't tell Hunter, Hunter could never know.she'd made so many mistakes and he had forgiven her today. This would just screw it all up.
"Why are you crying?" Kurt asked.
Because I hate you, I hate you.and I don't want to remember the worst, lowest night of my life. Is that good enough for you Kurt, you jerk? She longed to scream. "I don't know. I just-hormones. Pregnancy. All that." She said sadly.
"I know why. Remembering, it overwhelms you. It does that to me too. That night, it was amazing, I know. And I've been wanting to repeat it ever since." Oh, God. This wasn't happening. He couldn't actually think that.she had enjoyed it. He couldn't possibly be that delusional! But he was...
"Kurt, stop it." She whispered, starting to sob. Damn him, why was he rehashing all of this? Why couldn't he just have blocked it out, like she had done? She didn't want to remember that horrible, sinking feeling she'd had when she had awakened the next morning...to find Kurt next to her in the bed. She didn't want to remember the bile rising in her throat when she thought about Hunter's reaction if he ever found out about this complete and utter betrayal of their vows.
"Why? It's what we both want, isn't it?"
"No, I don't. I want you to stop. I need-I need to think about things now." But he was still on top of her, caressing her thigh..
"Kurt, get away from-from me." She choked out, pushing at him. He simply held her tighter, pulling her hair harshly into his hand. It hurt, it stung.
She couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't take this anymore. "Get out!" She screamed, finally snapping and losing it. With almost inhuman strength, she shoved him off of her and onto the floor. The adjoining bedroom door swung open and Sam came out. Victor followed suit.
"Please make him go away." Stephanie said, gasping, choking, crying, glad the bodyguard was finally earning his keep.
"Steph? What the- Steph?" Kurt asked incredulously. But Sam and Victor escorted him out. "What the hell kind of game are you playing?" Kurt yelled. "We are going to talk about this Stephanie. And let me tell you one thing! If somehow, some way you are still clinging on to the delusion that you actually still want that s.o.b., how do you think he's going to feel when he finds out about us? I won't stay quiet, not anymore! You can't just screw with me like this, Stephanie!" Kurt shouted as Sam and Victor finally got him out of the door. Stephanie fled to the other bedroom. Then she realized she had to throw up and ran for the bathroom.
When she felt like she'd thrown up every single thing she'd ever eaten in his entire life, Stephanie stroked her stomach in a circular motion. "Well, at least I didn't sleep with anybody but daddy four months ago, huh? We both are really, really happy about that, let me tell you." She told the baby. "But I somehow don't think your father's going to be as relieved. Everyone calls me a slut.a whore. I never thought it was true. Neither did your father.he was the only one who ever defended me. And it wasn't true, at least not before. I hope your father doesn't hate me after he finds out. I'm so sorry..I didn't mean to. It was all just a horrible, horrible night. Do you think he might forgive me?" She whispered, somehow feeling better just talking to her baby.
"Hey, man! You gotta be careful.the cage is a delicate thing. We need to be careful with it. It's has to be set up exactly right." Nicole, one of the stagehands hurried up to him. He evaluated the young stagehand's expressions and quickly determined that she hadn't seen anything untoward. He smiled down at the girl. "Oh, I wasn't touching anything. I was just looking around for Chris Jericho. I need to speak with him."
"I think he was in the cafeteria, last I saw him. He was working on his computer."
"Thank you." This was perfect.he couldn't have set this up better himself.
"Of course." The stagehand started hanging the WWF banners around the ring, never noticing that the Cage which was about to be raised had been tampered with. After all, she and her team had just finished inspecting it.although Rod should've stayed with the cage. It was normal policy the Cage was never left unattended. Rod came jogging up behind Nicole. "Hey.let's get this baby raised, huh? We need to set up in the back after we're done." She decided not to say anything to Rod, it wasn't like it had been alone for too long. "Sure thing." They used the pulleys to lift the Cage over the ring. "It's going to be a great match tonight, huh? Hunter and Chris in the Cage.for the title no less! Who's your money on?" Nicole asked as they pulled.
"You really got to ask?" Rod grunted with the effort.
"No, I guess not. Hunter, right?"
"Damn straight."
Nicole laughed. "I think I agree, no way is he going to lose the title tonight." They secured the cage. "You want to grab a bite?"
"Sounds great, Nikki." They walked up the ramp together satisfied with a job well done.
Chris Jericho bit on his sandwich as he finished checked his e-mail. He was just about to shut down his computer when there was a little ding that meant he'd been IM'd. He flipped the screen back up and looked at the message curiously.
Mr. Jericho?
Chris shoved the sandwich in his mouth and typed: Yeah?
I have some important news for you.
Yeah, what's that? Chris typed.
Something that could get you what you covet most: The Undisputed Championship.
Chris froze, looked around the room for the jackass who was messing with him.
Who is this? He typed angrily.
It doesn't matter.
I think it does.
Do you want the Championship, or not?
What exactly are you talking about here? Chris pounded in on the keyboard.
It's really very simple.
What is?
All you have to do is get Hunter to one certain part of the cage.and then I promise you'll win your Championship.
Chris looked around the room frantically, starting to get freaked out. What was this bozo talking about exactly? He typed the question.
Simple. You and Hunter get in the Cage. You are the only one who will be able to walk out of it. Do you understand now?
Chris swallowed. What they were talking about.this was serious. He inhaled deeply, looking around a third time, this time to make sure no one was watching him. He tapped his hand on the table still deliberating.
Are you still there? The question popped up. Chris wasn't sure if he should answer. He could just close the laptop, pretend this entire conversation had never happened. His hand reached out to do just that and that was when he realized something:
He really, really wanted the Championship.
And he really, really hated Hunter. And given the chance, he had no doubt Hunter would screw him over any day of the week. Gradually, he rose the lid. He typed the words slowly:
Yeah, I'm here.what do I have to do? He paused, and then hit return. "Kurt, it was nice of you to walk me to my door, but Victor and Sam were perfectly able to do so.they're getting paid quite well to do so, actually." Stephanie told Kurt, refusing to slide the key into the lock before Kurt had backed off at least a little. She didn't want to invite him in, but she needed to drag the truth out of him somehow....To her surprise, Kurt grabbed the key from her hand and held open the door. Irritated that he just refused to take a hint, Stephanie marched past him and walked straight over to the mini fridge. Kurt escorted Sam and Victor over to the adjoining room. They looked at Stephanie helplessly, and she nodded that it was allright. Victor left the door open a couple of inches though. Kurt might be a jerk but she really didn't believe he was stalking her family.he was too uptight for anything of that sort. She pulled out an orange juice and studied it for any puncture marks. She twisted open the top and decided to hope for the best. Stephanie settled down on the plush bed and looked warily at Kurt. She was even more unsettled when he came and sat down right next to her. She practically flew off of the bed, and went over to the fridge saying: "Oh, I've been so rude.I haven't even offered you anything to drink. Um, I have.liquor, coffee, water, tea, juice.." Stephanie trailed off when she saw Kurt looking at her with a funny expression on his face.
"Is something wrong?" Stephanie asked Kurt.
"I don't know, Stephanie.you tell me." Kurt said.
Motel Four Miles Outside of Houston
"Stacy, I don't know what planet you're living on but this isn't the same room I woke up in this morning." Hunter said angrily, folding his arms across.
"Well, then you were even drunker than I thought, because this is for sure the same room." Stacy said definitively. She casually walked over to the small radio on the nightstand, fiddled with the knobs. She grinned when she heard the song, one of her favorites.it was fate, she decreed.
She's got you wrapped up in her satin and lace
Tied around her little finger
She got you thinkin' you can never escape
Don't you know your hearts in danger
There's a devil in that angel's face
If you could only see the love that you're wasting
I can love you better than that
I know how to make you forget her
All I'm asking is for one little chance
Cause baby, I can love you baby, I can love you better
"Stacy.the bed was over there. He pointed to the right side of the room where the bed was conspicuously absent. Hunter found himself in a curious state between fury and laughter..it was kind of hilarious how Stacy was trying to convince him they were in the same room despite the fact that the entire layout of the room was different. Hunter sank down into a chair and cringed when the springs squeaked and he felt the bottom of the chair collapse. "Oh, son of a-" he tried to lift himself out of the chair but it was well and truly collapsed and his ass was on the floor.
I'm gonna break the spell she's got on you
You're gonna wake up to find
I'm your desire my intentions are true
Hey babe, I know in time
You're gonna see what you mean to me
So open up your eyes cause seeing is believing
"Oh, gosh." Stacy burst out laughing, walking over to him as he futilely tried to pull himself up. She knelt down beside him and said softly: "Well, at least now-" she kissed him on the cheek,-"I have you"-behind his earlobe,-"exactly"-further down the neck, "where I want you." Hunter stared back at Stacy, redoubling his efforts to get himself out of the chair.
I can love you better than that
I know how to make you forget her
All I'm asking is for one little chance
Cause baby, I can love you baby, I can love you better
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about." Stephanie said as she turned her back to Kurt tensely.
"Yeah, yeah, you do. The whole ride back here, you were really quiet and-"
"Well, that's just because, with the bodyguards and everything, I just didn't feel comfortable speaking to you." Stephanie said smoothly.
"Are you sure that's all there is to it?"
"Well, what else could there possibly be?" Stephanie asked nervously, still trying to open up her orange juice's protective seal underneath the cap. Finally she dug a nail in and ripped it open.
"I don't know. I thought maybe it was my saying that I wanted to try and build.a relationship with you. You said that if we took it slowly, you would be open to the idea. I want to know if you're serious about that."
Hell, no. I wouldn't touch you with a two by four if I could help it. But she couldn't very well say that.at least not yet. She had to find out exactly what Kurt was up to. Which meant that she'd have to try and stop being so jumpy around him and put on a good show of it in front of him. Stephanie sat down on the bed, took off her shoes, crossed her legs together.at least her skirt was long. She looked at him expectantly, swallowing her orange juice.
"Steph, I-" Her watch started beeping. "Oh, vitamin time!" She trilled.
"You have your watch set for vitamins?" Kurt asked incredulously.
"Well, yeah. I'm always so busy, especially being back in the WWF again. But this is really important for the baby, I guess, so I wanted to be sure I'd always remember. This is the one way I can be sure." She pulled out her pill and downed it with her juice.
"This kid.it means a lot to you, doesn't it?" Kurt said slowly.
"This baby means everything to me." Stephanie returned seriously. "Right now, my biggest priority is making sure that my baby has everything it could ever need to make him happy." And that included getting his daddy to see the light and come home to them. But she was well on her way to that end, she thought happily.he loved her. He said he loved her. She had replayed their entire conversation at the restaurant over and over in her mind the ride over to the hotel, growing more and more ecstatic by the mile. She had her husband back. Now all she had to do was tell him two things: he was still her husband and they were having a baby. She refused to get depressed about those two little things though, he'd be mad but she'd make him so happy he'd soon get over it.
But there was still the task at hand: Finding out what Kurt was up to, if anything.
"I just want you to know, that your being pregnant.it doesn't change the way I feel about you." And it didn't. It probably would, if he was truly in love with her, but fortunately, he just wanted her.this kid better not get in the way of what he wanted though. He'd had enough of being the most talented guy in this business and still not having all the breaks. Being with Stephanie would certainly change all of that though.he just had to make sure all of her attention and devotion was where it belonged: solely on him.
"Ah, well.Can't tell you just how glad I am to hear that." Stephanie said dully. "Kurt?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, I was just still wondering about you and Stacy, at the restaurant today. I mean, how exactly did that come about?"
"I did mention how great she's been, right? She's really helped me out since my injuries. She's a true friend. But don't worry Steph, there's nothing more to it, I promise. Not like her and Hunter. I know that's got to hurt."
"It's not like it really matters either way." Stephanie said casually, picking up an imaginary piece of lint from the skirt. She felt Kurt's attention sharpen on her.
"It really doesn't matter to you? That Stacy slept with Hunter?"
She cringed at the way the words sounded. It made her sick even to picture it. "No, not at all. Were you not at the restaurant this afternoon at all? Hunter and I are so finished.this was just the last straw, the final nail in his coffin. I meant what I said. I can do much better than him. I think I'm off to a good start, don't you?" She reached out and playfully swiped at his shoulder. Kurt smiled.
"You sure are." He pulled her down on top of him on the bed. Stephanie swallowed hard, rolled off of him and lay on her side. "You haven't even answered my question." She teased gently.
"When I'm with you, any thought I'm having seems to fly right out the window."
Stephanie tried not to gag. He was so insufferable when he was trying to be romantic. Kurt and the tender arts..not a winning combination. She choked down the bile in her throat, smiled sweetly and twirled a long strand of hair around her finger. Kurt reached over and grabbed her hand.
"You're still wearing your ring! Why?" Kurt demanded.
"Hey, you're hurting me!" But his grip only tightened.
"Why are you still wearing your ring.if you're so over Hunter, why do you still wear his ring?"
"The thing won't come off!" Stephanie snapped. "Now. Let. The. Hell. Go. Of. My. Hand! Or you can get the hell out of my hotel room."
Kurt dropped her hand. "I'm sorry...it just threw me, that's all." He muttered.
"That's no excuse." She said, but immediately softened her tone. "But it's allright. I understand. I wish the thing would come off, but it just doesn't seem to want to."
That was a bad way to phrase it, she thought. She hastily continued. "But let's just change the subject, come on.what exactly are you doing with Stacy Keibler?" She kept the question light, teasing, not wanting to arouse any suspicions.
"Why, are you jealous?" Kurt asked, leaning on his side to face her now on the bed.
"Maybe." She teased coyly. "Should I be?"
"Steph, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. It's Hunter Stacy wants, I promise you that. She has a major thing for him.kind of an obsession, really."
"You don't say." Stephanie said, seething. It was nothing she hadn't known already, of course, but to hear the words from someone else just really made it hit home.
"Yeah..and I really can't think of two people who deserve each other more. Actually, Stacy deserves better, but hey, it keeps him away from you and that's all I really want."
"Mmm-hmm. Obsession, though.that's such a strong word, Kurt. Do you really think Stacy is obsessed with Hunter?" She asked, trying to keep the anger out of her voice.
"I really don't know any other word to use. He's played her at every turn but she keeps coming back up and begging for more. If that's not an unhealthy obsession, I just don't know what the hell is."
"I guess so.but how far would she go?"
"What?"
"How far would Stacy go.to get Hunter?" To sink her pathetic little claws into him? She asked silently.
"Why all the questions?" Kurt asked, trying to keep the suspicion out of his voice.
She knew she was pushing too hard, but damn it! She wanted to get to the bottom of all of this.
"I'm just curious, I suppose. Plus, if she's scheming against him, I need to know."
Kurt sat up frowning. "Oh, you do? Why exactly is that, Stephanie? I-" He started to say that he'd heard her in the restaurant, hanging all over Hunter and his little proclamation of love, but he didn't want to tip her off that he'd been eavesdropping. "-thought you didn't give a flying leap anymore." He finished.
"No, nothing like that, of course not, Kurt!" Stephanie pretended outrage. "I am my father's assistant, Hunter is the Undisputed Champion.it's business. If Stacy's doing something, I need to know so that I can properly evaluate its impact on my company. You understand, don't you?"
"Yes. Yes, I do.I have to say it's a relief to see you and your incredible business acumen making a comeback. "
"Thank you, I think it's rather great myself." Stephanie grinned.
"And to that end, let me just say.." Kurt walked over to the mini fridge and grabbed his own orange juice. He knocked it against Stephanie's bottle- " to the beginning of an absolutely unstoppable force. It's about damn time you woke up and saw what's been in front of you all this time." Stephanie echoed, pasting on a smile. What a jackass.
"Haven't you heard that resistance is futile?"
"What are you, a Trekkie?" Hunter asked desperately. Damn this chair! Had.to.get.up!
"I will confess to a little crush on Captain Picard.it must be the voice, don't you think? I'm helpless to men with great voices, I think that's one of the reasons I can't get myself over you."
"Oh, God." Hunter muttered, finally getting some traction and hauling himself out of the collapsed chair. He slid up and out onto the floor. Stacy sat astride his legs, causing him to look up at her. Rather than ask her to move, which he didn't believe she was about to do, he picked her up. He lifted her up as easily as if she were made of air and sat her down on the bed.
"Ooh, man of few words, huh?" Stacy teased, vamping a pose on the bed.
"Oh, God." He repeated. He remained standing. "Stacy, I feel the need to go over a couple of things with you." He said, running his hand through his hair agitatedly.
"Yes, Hunter?" Stacy asked sweetly.
"Okay, you know I can't remember.having sex with you last night. I told you I wanted for you to help me to remember, you said you'd bring me back to the room we had last night. This isn't the room."
"That's just semantics!" Stacy sputtered.
"Semantics? Semantics? Stacy! I-you-!" Hunter reined in his temper before he started yelling. "Stacy, please explain to me how not being in the same room is just semantics?"
"Well, to tell you the truth, I couldn't get the same room. It was being used." She lied quickly. After all, she didn't want him actually remembering that nothing had in fact happened.and he probably would have been more likely to remember if the environment had been recreated in its entirety. "And we don't even need that stupid old room to make your memory come back. After all, you have me. And I assure you.I'm unforgettable, like you said earlier. So.." Stacy slid off of the bed, startling Hunter, but to his relief, she walked right past him. Then she turned off the lights and fiddled with the radio. A seductive melody began to play.
"Sit down." She invited, pointing to the bed. He sat down, trying to concentrate on her voice, on her face..anything to help him remember. "Well, it's not exactly perfect, but.I certainly can't complain about the company." She giggled.
Hunter froze. That laugh..it was the same laugh! It was her, it had been Stacy who he'd been with last night. Shit. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to focus the memory. Nothing. He opened his eyes again, looked up. Stacy smiled down at him, pulling her hair behind her face. He smiled back, reached up and pulled her hands into his and pulled her underneath him on the bed. He looked down at her face. "So, Stace..make me remember." He whispered.
"Uh-Okay." She squeaked. "Um, I guess the first thing to do would probably be to kiss."
"Kiss?"
"Well, that is how these things generally start out, you know."
Hunter shrugged. He grinned when he thought about how much he was going to enjoy telling Stephanie all about the 'sacrifice' he was making on her behalf. Oh, the things men do for love, he thought, leaning in to kiss Stacy.
He pulled back after he was certain she was well and truly distracted. "So who was the guy in the room last night?" he asked quickly, throwing her off her guard.and it worked.
"Just Kurt." She murmured. Her eyes opened wide, her lips swollen from the kiss. "Hey! What the hell are you trying to pull?!"
But for some reason, the mention of Kurt's name focused Hunter on the voices he had heard.and now he was remembering words. He remembered..he remembered. Hunter's eyes opened slowly.
Stacy had been looking at him rather accusatorily, but seeing the hardened expression now on his face, quickly adopted a more concerned look.
"Hunter?" She asked quietly. "Um, are you okay?"
Kurt settled back onto the bed. "You know, I always knew it was only a matter of time before you came around." He said confidently.
"Is that so?" Stephanie asked. This was good for her, she told herself. Being with Kurt like this, it was good, because it was helping her with anger management. If she could survive the rest of this conversation without seriously injuring him, she could get through anything without losing her cool.
"Definitely. Hunter's a caveman, a Neanderthal. You need a man who's like you, who appreciates the finer things in life..not to mention someone you don't have to be afraid to bring out in public."
"You don't say.." Stephanie seethed. When he wanted to be, Hunter was the classiest man she'd ever met. At least he wasn't a whining, sniveling little crapweasel like Kurt. She had to physically bite her tongue.
"But now you've seen the light, it's taken a lot longer than I thought it would, sure, but hey, it's never too late. And now you finally know that Hunter is nothing but a classless, worthless jerk-off who isn't worthy to breathe the same air as you."
It was taking every single ounce of self-restraint not to pop Kurt one. She opened her mouth to agree vaguely, but she couldn't form the words. She didn't need to, Kurt was more than happy to keep talking for the both of them.
"I mean let's face it. Hunter was probably some youthful animalistic physical attraction right? Not to mention it drove Vince insane to think of his precious little girl at the mercy of some degenerate, am I right or am I right?" Kurt said arrogantly.
"You're-you're" An asshole. You're abhorrent. A moron. An idiot. "absolutely right." She finished. "Hunter really had me turned upside down there for a while.I didn't even know which way was up. But thankfully, I've seen him for what he really is.and Stacy will too."
"Let's not talk about Stacy anymore." Kurt drawled.
Good. Then I can kick you the hell out of here and call Hunter. Moron. Aloud, she said: "Okay then.I just wanted to be sure that there were no surprises in store.I'm trying to really restore this company again. Having a champion who is.well, let's just say 'in disgrace' is not exactly conducive to business. But if you don't know anything, you don't know anything." She shrugged it off, starting to stand. She was startled when Kurt pulled her back down on the bed.
"I know it was the animalistic attraction that kept you with Hunter for these two years.."
Animalistic attraction?! Where the fuck did he come up with this bullshit? She wondered.
"..but you know as well as I do that I can more than substitute."
Stephanie froze underneath Kurt's stare. Oh, God, no. She didn't want him to start talking about it again, they had already talked it to death eight months ago. She had tried to pretend it had never happened and for the most part, had succeeded admirably.
"Steph, ever since last November you've acted differently around me. I've tried to ignore it, I've tried to be your friend, but now you're acting weird again, like you were right after it happened. I thought you wanted to forget about it, and even though that's not what I wanted, I've tried. But I can't help it anymore, Stephanie. I can't just ignore the fact that eight months ago we made love." Kurt told her.
"Look, we've already talked about this. Don't you get that I don't even want to discuss it at all? It's-it's a non-issue! Kurt, it was Hunter's and my anniversary and he wouldn't even speak to me, it was like I didn't even exist for him anymore, he was so damn busy with his rehab on his leg. And I tried everything, he didn't care and.I was hurt. I wanted to hurt him, and that's why.that's why I slept with you, Kurt. There was nothing else to it though, it was just sex."
"But that couldn't have been all there was to it, Stephanie! I know you, I know you wouldn't have just slept with me for the heck of it-"
"But that's exactly what I did! You know that! Kurt, we discussed this to death months ago. I told you that I was committed to my marriage, committed to Hunter and it was a mistake." One that she'd regret for the rest of her entire life, she knew. Sleeping with Kurt had been the single stupidest thing she'd ever done..of course, the whole baby lie had been a close second. Not to mention buying ECW, coming so close to marrying Andrew..God, she'd done a lot of stupid things in her life, but the one thing she'd ever done that hadn't had any positive repercussions whatsoever had to have been when she'd slept with Kurt late last year. She'd been drunk, on her anniversary, stood up by her husband, she'd been depressed, and she'd been hurting.Kurt had just been there, completely in the right place at the wrong time for her. She wanted to hate him for taking advantage when she was vulnerable, but she accepted that she'd been stupid enough to turn to him in the first place. It had been the single most horrible experience of her life, and she'd gone crazy the next morning thinking Hunter would find out, he'd leave her for good. So she'd begged Kurt to forget all about it and pretend it had never happened. She liked to pretend she hadn't really been that stupid, that it had all been just some really bad nightmare. To his credit, he hadn't brought it up since. Until now.
"Why are you talking about this now?" She whispered up to him, starting to cry. He couldn't tell Hunter, Hunter could never know.she'd made so many mistakes and he had forgiven her today. This would just screw it all up.
"Why are you crying?" Kurt asked.
Because I hate you, I hate you.and I don't want to remember the worst, lowest night of my life. Is that good enough for you Kurt, you jerk? She longed to scream. "I don't know. I just-hormones. Pregnancy. All that." She said sadly.
"I know why. Remembering, it overwhelms you. It does that to me too. That night, it was amazing, I know. And I've been wanting to repeat it ever since." Oh, God. This wasn't happening. He couldn't actually think that.she had enjoyed it. He couldn't possibly be that delusional! But he was...
"Kurt, stop it." She whispered, starting to sob. Damn him, why was he rehashing all of this? Why couldn't he just have blocked it out, like she had done? She didn't want to remember that horrible, sinking feeling she'd had when she had awakened the next morning...to find Kurt next to her in the bed. She didn't want to remember the bile rising in her throat when she thought about Hunter's reaction if he ever found out about this complete and utter betrayal of their vows.
"Why? It's what we both want, isn't it?"
"No, I don't. I want you to stop. I need-I need to think about things now." But he was still on top of her, caressing her thigh..
"Kurt, get away from-from me." She choked out, pushing at him. He simply held her tighter, pulling her hair harshly into his hand. It hurt, it stung.
She couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't take this anymore. "Get out!" She screamed, finally snapping and losing it. With almost inhuman strength, she shoved him off of her and onto the floor. The adjoining bedroom door swung open and Sam came out. Victor followed suit.
"Please make him go away." Stephanie said, gasping, choking, crying, glad the bodyguard was finally earning his keep.
"Steph? What the- Steph?" Kurt asked incredulously. But Sam and Victor escorted him out. "What the hell kind of game are you playing?" Kurt yelled. "We are going to talk about this Stephanie. And let me tell you one thing! If somehow, some way you are still clinging on to the delusion that you actually still want that s.o.b., how do you think he's going to feel when he finds out about us? I won't stay quiet, not anymore! You can't just screw with me like this, Stephanie!" Kurt shouted as Sam and Victor finally got him out of the door. Stephanie fled to the other bedroom. Then she realized she had to throw up and ran for the bathroom.
When she felt like she'd thrown up every single thing she'd ever eaten in his entire life, Stephanie stroked her stomach in a circular motion. "Well, at least I didn't sleep with anybody but daddy four months ago, huh? We both are really, really happy about that, let me tell you." She told the baby. "But I somehow don't think your father's going to be as relieved. Everyone calls me a slut.a whore. I never thought it was true. Neither did your father.he was the only one who ever defended me. And it wasn't true, at least not before. I hope your father doesn't hate me after he finds out. I'm so sorry..I didn't mean to. It was all just a horrible, horrible night. Do you think he might forgive me?" She whispered, somehow feeling better just talking to her baby.