As if loosing Chris wasn't hard enough, now Stephanie McMahon had to face
everyone at the holiday party. Reluctantly, she bought a ticket for a trip
from Florida to Connecticut. As the plane took off, she cradled and rocked
Joey in her arms as she stared out the window. She sighed at the cloud
filled blue sky, the sight would seem all that more beautiful to her, if
she had a long golden haired Canadian by her side.
"Well folks, it appears that we've caught a wind draft and will be arriving earlier than scheduled. Please fasten your seat belts and keep your seats in the upright and locked position."
Steph sighed as she followed the overhead voice's instructions. Joey was too young to understand what was going on, Chris was usually gone with the WWE, but this time Joey didn't realize that Chris wasn't coming back.
"Thank you for choosing American Airlines, we hope you join us again for all of your flying pleasures."
As the flight attendant opened the door, Stephanie stood up with the rest of the other passengers. She picked up her carry on from the compartment above, and made her way with Joey through a crowded aisle until they were out in the fresh New England air. She entered the terminal to wait for her bag. Finally it came around and she picked it up over her shoulder and began to walk towards the front of the airport when she stopped.
"Shane?"
Stephanie was shocked to see her brother Shane waiting for her. He wore a reassuring smile that lifted Stephanie's spirits slightly, but it was hard for him to not grimace. Chris Jericho was more than just his brother in law, but his best friend. He knew how hard things were going for Stephanie. Shane bent down and picked up the big bag that his shocked sister had dropped.
"Looks like you could use some help there sis." He slung it over his shoulder.
"Shane, I.."
"Come on, you could use a ride back home."
She smiled meekly, "Ok. Thank you."
Stephanie sighed and nodded. Shane led the way to the chauffeured car outside. He put Stephanie's baggage in the trunk, then got in with his sister and baby nephew. The car drove onto the freeway, it would be about fifteen minutes until they would arrive at the McMahon estate, so Shane used this time to talk to Stephanie. He turned to his sister who was brushing the bangs of her sleeping child with her hand. Shane smiled.
"He does look a lot like his old man, doesn't he?"
"Hm?" Stephanie looked up from her thoughts and her eyes met Shane's.
"I really feel bad about what happened to Chris, and."
"Look Shane." Stephanie cut him off. "I'd really feel a whole lot better if we didn't talk about it."
Shane drew back slightly, a little taken, "But Stephanie, I.."
"Please Shane." Steph took in a shaky breath. "Please."
Shane sighed and nodded, leaning back and placing his arm around his sister's shoulders, "It's ok Steph. I understand."
They were quiet for the remainder of the ride. Luckily for them, the freeways weren't crowded, so they made it back to the estate in ten minutes. The siblings got out of the car and Shane took Stephanie's luggage out of the trunk and carried them for her. Steph would be too proud to admit it, but she was exhausted and forlorn from the death of her husband. Carrying the bags up the stairs and to the door would've worn her out. She was hesitant to come because she didn't want to be a sympathy case, and she really didn't feel like talking about it, so she hoped her family would respect her wishes. The chauffeur opened the door for Shane and Stephanie, the first person they met inside was waiting for them.
"Shane, you're back so soon." It was his wife Marissa. "Oh and Stephanie, how are you?"
"Hi Marissa." Stephanie hugged her. "I'm alright."
Marissa smiled at the baby she held in her arms, "And that must be your baby boy."
"Yes." Steph smiled. "This is Joey." She shook him gently in her arms. "Wake up baby." Joey opened his eyes slowly and blinked up at the adults. "This is your uncle Shane and aunt Marissa." She cooed in a high pitched voice. "Say hello." Joey just stared up at Shane and Marissa as his mom rocked him.
Shane couldn't help but laugh, "Yea, just like his old man." But he stopped and cleared his throat.
Marissa spoke up to try and break the silent tension, "Joey, would you like to meet your cousin Shannon?"
"Oh, that'd be a good idea." Stephanie agreed.
"Come on guys, why don't you come in and sit down." Shane motioned down the hall.
Stephanie and Shane went into the den and sat down on two exquisite couches by the fireplace. Marissa entered the room from another door and held their daughter in her arms. Shannon was older than Joey by about a year, she could walk somewhat and say some easy little words, but she was still a young baby like her cousin.
Marissa sat down next to Shane on the sofa adjacent to Stephanie, "Shannon, this is your cousin Joey and aunt Stephanie."
"Usin Chobi, aubt Stephamie." Shannon attempted the new words.
Stephanie smiled, "Joey, say hi to your cousin."
"Ba gai." Joey jabbered and Steph laughed to herself.
Shane smiled and stood up, "Well, I'll get us some snacks. Are any of you thirsty?"
"Yea, I'd like something to drink while you're up." Marissa said.
"Could you just get me a water or something?" Steph asked.
"Sure. I'll be right back." Shane walked out of the room. He came back in and set the drinks down on the coffee table between the two sofas. He sat back down and looked at the grandfather clock in the corner. "We'll have plenty of time to rest before mom and dad come back."
Vince and Linda McMahon were at the WWE headquarters downtown to take care of some things. Raw had been a special dedication to Chris but business had to carry out as usual. Raw had been in Philly and a few of the superstars had gone to the company building, they were Christian, Matt Hardy and Kane. They had to do some work with Linda and Vince about Chris.
"You're not blaming us for his death, are you?" Kane asked.
"What? No!" Vince stood up from his paperwork. "But it's up to us to take things into our hands because it was a match with you that injured him."
"But it's not Kane's fault, Vince." Matt spoke up
"Yea. We all got our flu shots but Chris didn't." Christian chimed in.
"Nobody is blaming anybody, things like this happen." Linda cut in. "But we have to take precautions and accept the ramifications for what has happened. We aren't pointing fingers or playing the blame game, it's work and this is what we have to do."
Kane sighed and nodded, "I understand."
"Nothing is going to happen to anybody, Stephanie isn't pressing charges against you Kane." Vince turned around from the file cabinet.
"Then why am I here?" Kane asked.
"Because we feel that the fans might jump to conclusions and hastily react, and for your safety and that of the company, you might want to lay low for a while, at least until after we come back from our recess." Linda replied.
"Yes, that would be a good idea. I get it." Kane nodded.
"You shouldn't feel guilty Kane." Linda put a hand on his shoulder. "You did nothing wrong and we aren't blaming you."
"We need to take your safety into hand." Vince came over. "And we don't want this to turn into something controversial like the Bret Hart incident."
"But this is different, this is more like an Owen Hart incident." Christian added.
"That's not the point." Vince said back, then turned to Kane. "Look, you understand that what you did wasn't your fault right? We know that. Things like this happen all the time and I don't want you to feel guilty for something you didn't do. Got it?"
"Got it."
"It would be good for you to take time off not only for protection but so you can clear your head and calm down. You should relax after what happened." Linda agreed.
"Thank you Linda." Kane nodded and left the office.
Vince turned to Matt and Christian, "As for you guys, you're Chris's best friends on the Raw roster. You travel with him and were the last ones seen with him before his death. Is there anything you can tell me, anything at all you want to?"
"I just kinda feel guilty." Christian sighed. "Because when we all went to get our flu shot, we didn't take Chris."
"But he wouldn't have come along quietly either, even if we forced him." Matt added.
"I know that Chris brought this down on himself, no matter how much warning he got or from who, but I still feel like I could've done something. Like you said Vince, I'm Chris's best friend, I travel everywhere with him on the Raw roster. I could've made Chris go, somehow I could've been the one to prevent this all from happening."
"No Christian, no." Vince shook his head. "Chris brought this down on himself, you aren't to blame. You aren't at fault, Kane's not at fault, Matt's not at fault, Linda and I aren't at fault, Chris brought this down on himself. Not even Stephanie could persuade him to do otherwise. Look, we all knew that Chris wasn't too fond of needles and we knew what he was doing was wrong. Sure, any of us could've done something otherwise to change his mind or forcefully persuade him, but even if we did try, you know how headstrong Chris is, would it have done anyone any good? So what I say is, it's just another page in the book, a sad chapter though it may be, but we have to move on and not point fingers. Like Linda said, we aren't playing the blame game. Alright?"
Christian and Matt sighed as the looked at each other, "Ok."
"Good. Now, you guys should go. Your break starts now and I don't want to keep you away from your plans." Vince said. Christian and Matt nodded and began to leave. "But just remember, it's nobody's fault. Ok?"
"Yea boss." Christian and Matt nodded and went out the door.
Linda sighed and sat down on a chair next to the desk, then turned to Vince, "You know, if you think this was bad enough, just think how hard it's gonna be when we go home and have to contend with our own daughter."
"Yea." Vince sighed. "It's gonna be hard to face Steph, but we have to do it."
Well, Vince and Linda can look on the bright side, Stephanie doesn't want to talk about it, so they wont have a long conversation on the topic. But this is gonna be one downer of a holiday party at the McMahon estate.
"Well folks, it appears that we've caught a wind draft and will be arriving earlier than scheduled. Please fasten your seat belts and keep your seats in the upright and locked position."
Steph sighed as she followed the overhead voice's instructions. Joey was too young to understand what was going on, Chris was usually gone with the WWE, but this time Joey didn't realize that Chris wasn't coming back.
"Thank you for choosing American Airlines, we hope you join us again for all of your flying pleasures."
As the flight attendant opened the door, Stephanie stood up with the rest of the other passengers. She picked up her carry on from the compartment above, and made her way with Joey through a crowded aisle until they were out in the fresh New England air. She entered the terminal to wait for her bag. Finally it came around and she picked it up over her shoulder and began to walk towards the front of the airport when she stopped.
"Shane?"
Stephanie was shocked to see her brother Shane waiting for her. He wore a reassuring smile that lifted Stephanie's spirits slightly, but it was hard for him to not grimace. Chris Jericho was more than just his brother in law, but his best friend. He knew how hard things were going for Stephanie. Shane bent down and picked up the big bag that his shocked sister had dropped.
"Looks like you could use some help there sis." He slung it over his shoulder.
"Shane, I.."
"Come on, you could use a ride back home."
She smiled meekly, "Ok. Thank you."
Stephanie sighed and nodded. Shane led the way to the chauffeured car outside. He put Stephanie's baggage in the trunk, then got in with his sister and baby nephew. The car drove onto the freeway, it would be about fifteen minutes until they would arrive at the McMahon estate, so Shane used this time to talk to Stephanie. He turned to his sister who was brushing the bangs of her sleeping child with her hand. Shane smiled.
"He does look a lot like his old man, doesn't he?"
"Hm?" Stephanie looked up from her thoughts and her eyes met Shane's.
"I really feel bad about what happened to Chris, and."
"Look Shane." Stephanie cut him off. "I'd really feel a whole lot better if we didn't talk about it."
Shane drew back slightly, a little taken, "But Stephanie, I.."
"Please Shane." Steph took in a shaky breath. "Please."
Shane sighed and nodded, leaning back and placing his arm around his sister's shoulders, "It's ok Steph. I understand."
They were quiet for the remainder of the ride. Luckily for them, the freeways weren't crowded, so they made it back to the estate in ten minutes. The siblings got out of the car and Shane took Stephanie's luggage out of the trunk and carried them for her. Steph would be too proud to admit it, but she was exhausted and forlorn from the death of her husband. Carrying the bags up the stairs and to the door would've worn her out. She was hesitant to come because she didn't want to be a sympathy case, and she really didn't feel like talking about it, so she hoped her family would respect her wishes. The chauffeur opened the door for Shane and Stephanie, the first person they met inside was waiting for them.
"Shane, you're back so soon." It was his wife Marissa. "Oh and Stephanie, how are you?"
"Hi Marissa." Stephanie hugged her. "I'm alright."
Marissa smiled at the baby she held in her arms, "And that must be your baby boy."
"Yes." Steph smiled. "This is Joey." She shook him gently in her arms. "Wake up baby." Joey opened his eyes slowly and blinked up at the adults. "This is your uncle Shane and aunt Marissa." She cooed in a high pitched voice. "Say hello." Joey just stared up at Shane and Marissa as his mom rocked him.
Shane couldn't help but laugh, "Yea, just like his old man." But he stopped and cleared his throat.
Marissa spoke up to try and break the silent tension, "Joey, would you like to meet your cousin Shannon?"
"Oh, that'd be a good idea." Stephanie agreed.
"Come on guys, why don't you come in and sit down." Shane motioned down the hall.
Stephanie and Shane went into the den and sat down on two exquisite couches by the fireplace. Marissa entered the room from another door and held their daughter in her arms. Shannon was older than Joey by about a year, she could walk somewhat and say some easy little words, but she was still a young baby like her cousin.
Marissa sat down next to Shane on the sofa adjacent to Stephanie, "Shannon, this is your cousin Joey and aunt Stephanie."
"Usin Chobi, aubt Stephamie." Shannon attempted the new words.
Stephanie smiled, "Joey, say hi to your cousin."
"Ba gai." Joey jabbered and Steph laughed to herself.
Shane smiled and stood up, "Well, I'll get us some snacks. Are any of you thirsty?"
"Yea, I'd like something to drink while you're up." Marissa said.
"Could you just get me a water or something?" Steph asked.
"Sure. I'll be right back." Shane walked out of the room. He came back in and set the drinks down on the coffee table between the two sofas. He sat back down and looked at the grandfather clock in the corner. "We'll have plenty of time to rest before mom and dad come back."
Vince and Linda McMahon were at the WWE headquarters downtown to take care of some things. Raw had been a special dedication to Chris but business had to carry out as usual. Raw had been in Philly and a few of the superstars had gone to the company building, they were Christian, Matt Hardy and Kane. They had to do some work with Linda and Vince about Chris.
"You're not blaming us for his death, are you?" Kane asked.
"What? No!" Vince stood up from his paperwork. "But it's up to us to take things into our hands because it was a match with you that injured him."
"But it's not Kane's fault, Vince." Matt spoke up
"Yea. We all got our flu shots but Chris didn't." Christian chimed in.
"Nobody is blaming anybody, things like this happen." Linda cut in. "But we have to take precautions and accept the ramifications for what has happened. We aren't pointing fingers or playing the blame game, it's work and this is what we have to do."
Kane sighed and nodded, "I understand."
"Nothing is going to happen to anybody, Stephanie isn't pressing charges against you Kane." Vince turned around from the file cabinet.
"Then why am I here?" Kane asked.
"Because we feel that the fans might jump to conclusions and hastily react, and for your safety and that of the company, you might want to lay low for a while, at least until after we come back from our recess." Linda replied.
"Yes, that would be a good idea. I get it." Kane nodded.
"You shouldn't feel guilty Kane." Linda put a hand on his shoulder. "You did nothing wrong and we aren't blaming you."
"We need to take your safety into hand." Vince came over. "And we don't want this to turn into something controversial like the Bret Hart incident."
"But this is different, this is more like an Owen Hart incident." Christian added.
"That's not the point." Vince said back, then turned to Kane. "Look, you understand that what you did wasn't your fault right? We know that. Things like this happen all the time and I don't want you to feel guilty for something you didn't do. Got it?"
"Got it."
"It would be good for you to take time off not only for protection but so you can clear your head and calm down. You should relax after what happened." Linda agreed.
"Thank you Linda." Kane nodded and left the office.
Vince turned to Matt and Christian, "As for you guys, you're Chris's best friends on the Raw roster. You travel with him and were the last ones seen with him before his death. Is there anything you can tell me, anything at all you want to?"
"I just kinda feel guilty." Christian sighed. "Because when we all went to get our flu shot, we didn't take Chris."
"But he wouldn't have come along quietly either, even if we forced him." Matt added.
"I know that Chris brought this down on himself, no matter how much warning he got or from who, but I still feel like I could've done something. Like you said Vince, I'm Chris's best friend, I travel everywhere with him on the Raw roster. I could've made Chris go, somehow I could've been the one to prevent this all from happening."
"No Christian, no." Vince shook his head. "Chris brought this down on himself, you aren't to blame. You aren't at fault, Kane's not at fault, Matt's not at fault, Linda and I aren't at fault, Chris brought this down on himself. Not even Stephanie could persuade him to do otherwise. Look, we all knew that Chris wasn't too fond of needles and we knew what he was doing was wrong. Sure, any of us could've done something otherwise to change his mind or forcefully persuade him, but even if we did try, you know how headstrong Chris is, would it have done anyone any good? So what I say is, it's just another page in the book, a sad chapter though it may be, but we have to move on and not point fingers. Like Linda said, we aren't playing the blame game. Alright?"
Christian and Matt sighed as the looked at each other, "Ok."
"Good. Now, you guys should go. Your break starts now and I don't want to keep you away from your plans." Vince said. Christian and Matt nodded and began to leave. "But just remember, it's nobody's fault. Ok?"
"Yea boss." Christian and Matt nodded and went out the door.
Linda sighed and sat down on a chair next to the desk, then turned to Vince, "You know, if you think this was bad enough, just think how hard it's gonna be when we go home and have to contend with our own daughter."
"Yea." Vince sighed. "It's gonna be hard to face Steph, but we have to do it."
Well, Vince and Linda can look on the bright side, Stephanie doesn't want to talk about it, so they wont have a long conversation on the topic. But this is gonna be one downer of a holiday party at the McMahon estate.
