A/N: This chapter is based around the song, "Stupid Girl," by Garbage.
To read the original version with song lyrics go to: bitter-solemnity. com /fics /FAR.php (just get rid of the spaces).
"So you're finally back."
"I wasn't even gone that long," she said, rolling her eyes.
"You were still gone."
"Oh don't even give me this sorry routine. Maybe if you cared that I got hurt tonight I wouldn't have left!"
"You didn't have to be leave. I asked you to stay," Hunter pointed out.
Stephanie snorted and gave him a look that said she thought his words were total bullshit. She walked out of the room, and into the bedroom, exasperated with her boyfriend. Hunter watched her go in and smiled. He wouldn't have stopped her even if he did care. She needed to meet with Chris. She needed to find comfort with him tonight.
She stared up at the ceiling, thinking about things. Mostly Shane. Nobody but Chris knew about the altercation they had had a while back. She'd rather not think about it, but there it was. She pushed it to the back of her brain and thought about plots she and Chris could pull on their unsuspecting co-workers. She felt the bed dip down as Hunter climbed in. He took her in his arms and kissed her jaw.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"You should be."
He sighed; she was going to make this hard on him, "I shouldn't have ignored you."
"Yeah, you shouldn't have."
"Stephanie, I'm trying to apologize."
"Fine, I accept," she said shortly.
He kissed her, "Thank you."
The next day, Hunter snuck away from Stephanie to meet with Edge about the plan. He needed to get the video camera to tape Stephanie's fake confession. He needed to use someone else's in case he got implemented in this scheme. He couldn't risk Stephanie finding out the truth. He met the man in a deserted locker room, away from everyone else.
"You got the camera?"
"Yeah. Are you sure you can pull this off?"
"Trust me. She's in the palm of my hand."
"She better be man," Edge said, though he remained skeptical. Stephanie in the palm of someone's hand, not likely, "Good luck."
"Luck isn't necessary," Hunter smirked, "I just want my Stephanie back."
"Dude, why do you care so much?"
"I love her," he shrugged, "I don't know why. I just do."
Edge nodded. He still didn't understand how anyone could love Stephanie given all the horrible things she did all the time. Hunter had to be crazy to love her, that was the only explanation. Either that or he was out to get her money and power. That one seemed more plausible.
"Whatever you say," he told him.
"Thanks," Hunter said, leaving after the exchange.
Later that same evening, Hunter and Stephanie entered a posh nightclub. He had convinced her, with little opposition, to go out tonight. Stephanie looked around, taking in the atmosphere as Hunter pulled her towards the bar by the hand.
"Beer and a Long Island Iced Tea," Hunter said to the bartender.
"Hunter, that's not what I drink," she complained.
"Loosen up a little babe," he said, kissing her cheek.
"Whatever," she responded, grabbing her drink and taking a sip. She hated to admit it was really good. She downed it pretty quickly and asked for another. Hunter did nothing to stop her, this was just what he wanted to happen.
Stephanie was sipping on her third drink and she was bopping her head with the music. Hunter laughed at her and she turned to glare at him. Was he laughing at her? How dare he laugh at her! She smiled lazily and reached for his hand, suddenly forgetting that she was angry.
"Having fun?" he asked.
"Mmhmm," she mumbled around her straw.
"Good, I think you needed to live a little. You're always around Chris and all that."
"Ugh," she groaned, "Do we have to get into that again?"
"No, we don't," he told her, "Not tonight, but how about we go dance?"
"Yay!" she said, clapping her hands as she shot up from her chair.
She led Hunter onto the dance floor, already hopping around to the music. They found a spot and Stephanie started swaying to the music as Hunter stood there and watched. Better let her use up all her energy now, it would be better later when she was barely coherent. Stephanie lost herself in the music, and the bright colors and lights surrounding her.
It was such a comforting thing to forget, to just be whisked away from all your troubles. The alcohol had clouded her brain and left her forgetting about Shane, and all that other stuff. She was just Stephanie again. She felt Hunter's lips against hers and she kissed him back eagerly, wrapping her arms around him. This was another good way to forget. She pressed her body up against his and let out a low moan as his hand grazed her breast.
"Hotel," she mumbled.
"Just the thought I had in mind."
Stephanie and Hunter left quickly to their car, and he drove even faster to the hotel. Stephanie had sobered up a little, but not enough to be totally thinking straight. She was sitting in Hunter's lap as he drove, kissing his neck and nibbling on his earlobe. Hunter almost lost control a few times when Stephanie shifted in his lap.
They were upstairs in no time, and Stephanie immediately went to unbuttoning his shirt. Hunter stopped her nimble fingers and she looked up at him as if he had grown two heads. He couldn't do this right now, first he had to get the confession out of her, before it was too late.
"Why'd you stop me?" Stephanie asked, kissing him hard.
"Because I want to talk first."
"Sex first, talk later," she mumbled against his lips.
"Steph, let's talk, we never talk."
"Yes we do, we're talking now, sex," she begged.
"Sit down on the couch ok," he said, "I'll be right there."
"Ok," she said, going over to sit on the couch.
Hunter walked over to the spot where he had positioned the camera so that it would catch the ensuing conversation. He pushed the button discreetly and then walked over to sit next to Stephanie. In a flash she was straddling his lap and kissing him with mounting passion.
He pulled away slightly, "Steph, wait just a second."
"I don't wanna wait."
"I just want to make sure that your arm is ok?" he said.
"It's fine," she told him, "Not hurting at all."
"So what are you saying, that Brock didn't really hurt you?"
"Yeah, he didn't really hurt me," she said, clearly. Hunter knew he had, and that Stephanie was far too aroused right now to care what she was saying.
"Steph, can I ask you something?"
"Hmm..."
He might as well ask her when she was inebriated, "Have you fucked Jericho?"
Stephanie pulled back a moment, looking him straight in the eyes, "No."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure, I've never ever, ever, ever fucked Chris, not a single time, ever," she giggled.
"Good. So basically you're using him then."
"What?" she asked, "Using him?"
"Yeah, you know, I mean, come on, you know you don't want him, so you must be using him."
Stephanie rolled her eyes, but he knew that from the camera angle Chris would never be able to tell. She looked at him and wondered if he was actually being serious. She scoffed and went back to kissing his neck.
"Yeah, I'm using him," she said, a note of sarcasm in her voice, but not enough to really tell.
"You are."
"Of course," she said, just wanting to stop talking about this and get to the sleeping together part, "Do you really think I wanted to be friends with Chris Jericho. Nah, I wanted to see if I could get him to be my bitch and then when he finally succumbed, I'd break him like a twig. That's what I was planning all along, isn't it brilliant? I'm just using Chris Jericho."
Hunter laughed, that had been way to easy. Stephanie had finished her little speech with a sarcastic smile and a roll of her eyes. Luckily for him, she had her back to the camera and you could only see her profile. Chris would be none the wiser.
"That's all I wanted to hear."
"Now can we go into the bedroom," she said, "Unless you wanna do it here?"
"Go wait on the bed, I'll be right in there, ok," he told her.
"Ok," she said, giggling as she licked her lips playfully.
Hunter got up and went back to the camera, turning it off. He'd have it edited later, but right now, everything he needed was on that tape. And soon, very soon, Chris would be out of his life and Stephanie's as well. He smirked to himself, now he'd go celebrate, he thought as he walked into the bedroom.
"You're looking awfully chipper today?" Chris said as Stephanie sauntered over to him, a little more swing in her hips.
"I found you, of course I'm more chipper, you always put me in a good mood," she said, poking his stomach.
"So what's on the agenda for tonight?"
"Hmm," she said, reaching out to grasp his hand, "You tell me."
"I was thinking we could," he said, then leaned in so his mouth was right next to her ear and whispered something in her ear.
Stephanie pulled back and gave him an incredulous look, "Chris, I didn't know you had it in you to think of something so...mean."
"I only take after my better half," he said.
"We are so going to have to do that later," she said, her eyes lighting up.
He smirked, "Definitely."
"But right now, I have to go talk to my father," she said, shaking her head, "I'll see you later."
He was about to walk off and think about how they could execute his little idea when he noticed something sitting in front of his locker room door. He bent over to pick up an unlabeled manila envelope. He turned it over, looking for any markings, but didn't see any. He stood back up and looked around, wondering who had left it there.
He shrugged and walked inside his locker room. He opened the envelope and saw a video tape inside. He took it out, but there was nothing on it. Who would be sending him videos? Watch it be some porn from some fan of his or something. He chuckled to himself as he stuck it in the VCR in his room, might as well check this out.
He sat down and pressed the play button on the remote. What he saw was a grainy video that looked to be a security tape. He could make out two shapes and then heard Stephanie's voice, and then Hunter's. Oh god, if this ended with them having sex, he was going to puke his brains out. He watched and listened disinterestedly. This was boring. Then he heard something piqued his interest. He rewound the tape and listened again.
"I'm just using Chris Jericho."
Thinking he hadn't heard it correctly, he listened over and over again, thinking it would change one time. His eyes narrowed as he finished with the video. How dare she? She had been using him all along. He felt the hatred rise up in him. If she lied to him all along, was the thing with Shane a lie too. Maybe everything had been lies. He got up quickly, going to find out some answers. That little bitch, if she had tried anything on him, he would...he didn't know what he'd do, but it wouldn't be pretty. As he walked out angrily, the words kept playing over in his head.
"I'm just using Chris Jericho."