The months passed slowly, deliberately, each day melding into the next day, until she couldn't distinguish any passing of time save for a sunrise and sunset. She felt old, and she shouldn't feel this way. But she had lost her one crutch that kept her being herself. Now she was only what others saw of her, she was only what Hunter wanted her to be.

And so was her life, so was each day that brought her closer to being Mrs. Helmsley. That idea, it wasn't such a bad thing when she really thought about it. She did love Hunter. It wasn't like she was pining after someone else, pining after Chris. She laughed at the idea. She didn't do anything with Chris now except hate him. It was his fault she was in this situation anyways.

She still didn't know what she had done, as strange as that was. She thought that over time, she'd realize whatever mistake it was that she made, but she still didn't have the foggiest idea. But she wasn't going to dwell on it, she and Chris hadn't spoken for four months now, and she didn't think he had any intention of speaking to her ever again. She could live with that. She had lived with that for four months and she could live with it now.

Of course, she'd hate Chris Jericho with every fiber of her being for the rest of her life, but she could live with that too. She'd just send him daggers every time she passed him, and she'd just make his life miserable because she wasn't in it. Not that he'd care, but she'd think it. Think it only, never say or do anything, because Hunter, Hunter didn't like her like that.

She wanted to please Hunter, because he was the only one that loved her, that stood by her. She owed it to him to get married, and she wanted to be with him, if only because he was the only one who wanted to be with her. If that was the situation, she'd take it, and take it she did, changing everything about her. Even that mean temper began to fade, until only bursts of the old Stephanie showed up every now and then.

They were getting married in one month. She had been busy making preparations with her mother, who inputted information on every single aspect of the wedding. You would think she was the one getting married with all the talk she did about the flower arrangements, and the dresses, and the music. But Stephanie just let her take care of it. She knew that this wedding was as much a showcase for her parents as it was a way to show her love for Hunter.

"Hey you."

Speak of the devil, she thought, as she looked up at Hunter, "I thought you had a meeting or something."

"I did, but I skipped it."

"That's not good."

"Whatever," he dismissed, "I wanted to come be with my soon-to-be wife."

"We still have a month."

"We should just get married in Vegas or something."

"I don't think my parents would be pleased with that."

"You're right, I just can't wait until you're Stephanie Helmsley."

She smiled demurely, ducking her head. He was so giddy about it, and she wanted to make him so happy. She looked up and waited for him to kiss her, which she knew he would. She wasn't disappointed as a few seconds later his lips touched hers. She kissed him back, blocking out the rest of the world, and focusing on the one man who loved her.

Chris laughed as Edge recounted the story of what had happened the other night when a bunch of them were driving from one arena to the other. They had gotten a flat tire along the way and the three of them trying to change the tire had caused many a mishap, especially when the spare tire had gone rolling across the highway. Thankfully it was late and they could run across the road to get the runaway tire.

"I can't believe you guys risked your lives for a tire!" Trish exclaimed.

"Are you kidding me?" Chris said, "The road was empty, it wasn't a big deal."

"Yeah, it's not a big deal, not a big deal until you're flattened on the road," Dawn told them, "You need to be more careful."

"Don't worry baby," Edge said, leaning in to kiss her, "We're all safe and sound and nothing happened."

"This time," Dawn muttered.

Chris laughed as Dawn shoved Edge in the arm, causing him to fall dramatically off the bench, dumping him and Dawn on the floor. Everyone started laughing and Dawn blushed and sat up, adjusting her shirt and sitting back down on the bench. Chris chuckled and looked at his watch, seeing that he had a promo coming up soon. He got up and stretched before everyone noticed him standing up.

"Where you going?" Christian asked.

"I have a promo soon," he told them, "I have to work, unfortunately."

"Suck it up," Trish joked.

"Thanks a lot," he said, giving her a look, "Don't you have a match later?"

"Yeah, but not right now, but we can't all be the big man on the show, trying to go after the champion. We're just lowly wrestlers," Christian said, faking a pout.

"Well, little boys and girls, I'm out."

Chris walked out of the room and down to the gorilla and out to the crowd to cut a promo challenging Hunter to the title. Hunter came out to the ring and Chris frowned. Whenever he saw Hunter, he remembered Stephanie, the woman he had all but forgotten over the past several months. He rarely thought about her, and if he did, it was only fleeting. He didn't even care what happened to her.

"You know, it's amazing how the past few months have been," Dawn commented as she watched Chris on the screen.

"You're telling me," Edge said, turning off the television so he could hear, "He's completely changed."

"Yeah, I guess it really was Stephanie who was just making him bad," Trish said, "But have you seen her lately?"

"Oh God, she looks terrible," Torrie piped in, "Her clothes, she looks like my grandma. Not to say I don't find it hilarious, cause I do, but I just have to say she's changed."

"Like we even care about her."

"We don't," Torrie said, "She was just a bitch and she brought Chris down."

"I know, I'm glad he got away from her, they were so bad for each other, he's better now, the way he used to be," Edge said, "I feel like he's really back to his old self."

"I don't think he's talked to Stephanie at all since everything happened," Christian interjected, "Maybe once or twice, but not a lot."

"Yeah," Edge said, "Not even when Stephanie and Hunter announced their engagement."

It was pretty much consensus that Chris was better off now that he wasn't with Stephanie any longer. The minute the friendship from hell had ended, it was like how it used to be, which could only be concluded that Chris and Stephanie were so very wrong around each other. But the terrible twosome was no more, and all was well in the world.

"Which I thought was a little weird," Trish said, "You'd think he'd react some way or another."

"Well, maybe Stephanie was holding something over his head that cause him to stay with her?"

"I don't know, I mean, really it could be anything. Who knows?"

"So who called the meeting and didn't invite me?" Hunter said, walking into the room.

Everyone looked up. They hadn't become friends with Hunter because of the plan, but they had a newfound respect for him, if for no other reason than he stopped Chris and Stephanie from ruining anyone else's lives. Hunter invited himself in and sat down on one of the benches.

"Chris might come in here any minute," Dawn said, "He can't find you in here or he'll suspect something."

"Don't worry about it," Hunter said, winking at her, "He's off at a meeting with Vince. I just came in here to thank you guys for taking Chris off my back."

"Well thanks for taking Stephanie off of ours," Christian said.

"I don't have to deal with that punk anymore, it's great," Hunter told them.

"Well, we're glad you're fiancée isn't a heinous bitch anymore."

Chris walked down the hallways. His meeting with Vince had been short and he had been allowed to leave early. He turned a corner and saw Stephanie standing there, a water bottle in hand. She saw him and looked down, as if she wanted to shrink into the background or something. He looked at her for only a moment before continuing on his way.

Surprisingly, he felt nothing as he passed her. Or if he had felt something, he had promptly pushed it out of his mind. But no, nothing, and that was just fine with him, he was glad to be rid of her actually. He went over to the dressing room where everyone was hanging out and was surprised to hear one voice. Surely that voice was coming from somewhere else and not from the dressing room where all his friends were.

He walked slowly to the room, careful not to make a sound and put his ear up to the door. The door was thin and he could hear pretty clearly through it. He did hear Hunter's voice in there, but that was impossible. Why would Hunter be in there, he wasn't even friend's with any of his friends.

"I do have to say that the plan was genius."

"Yeah, I know," Edge said, "Perfect way to get them apart."

"You know, I actually didn't think it would work for a while," Dawn admitted.

"Why?"

"Because they talk to each other so much, you know, I just thought they would figure it all out."

Chris's eyes narrowed as he listened in. What were they talking about? What plan? They couldn't be talking about him could they? He had to listen in more to understand what was going on. He hoped they would reveal whatever it was that they were obviously hiding.

"Yeah, but come on, you know once Chris saw that tape he'd flip out," Christian said.

"Yeah, brilliant work on that tape Hunter, I don't know how you did it."

"You just get Stephanie drunk and she'll say anything," Hunter chuckled, "It wasn't hard for her to say that she had been using Chris."

"I bet she didn't even remember."

"I don't think she did actually."

Chris's face was turning red from the anger that he was feeling. Now he understood what plan they were talking about and he couldn't believe he had been duped. He should've known better. Stephanie had never steered him wrong before, why would she just randomly start? He should've seen this coming, he should've been able to tell it was a plan.

Stephanie had been telling the truth when she said she didn't know what she had done. He felt sick to his stomach as he realized what he had said to her, what he had done to her. He had had sex with her and then just left her. If he had known what had happened, God, she had to have hated him.

He wanted to rush into that room and kill the people who had tried to fool with his life. They had claimed to be his friends, but they had torn him and Stephanie apart. How dare they do that to him and how dare they do that to Stephanie. He thought back to how she had looked earlier. Frumpy, that was the perfect word for it, she looked frumpy. God, Hunter was so to blame for this, and he'd pay.

They'd all pay.

"Chris fell for it hook, line, and sinker," Christian laughed, "I don't think he even questioned it at all."

"Stephanie didn't, he just yelled at her and left."

Chris stood outside and muttered, "You keep thinking that Hunter."

He had to find Stephanie, that was the first thing that came to his mind as he pulled away from the door. He had to find Stephanie and tell her about all of this. He just hoped that she would talk to him. It had been upwards of four months since they had last spoken, and he knew that she might not want to see him. Yet, he had to try, they had to figure something out.

They had to work through this because there were people out there, thinking they had stopped something. But they were going to be so wrong. If anyone wouldn't stand what this was, it was Stephanie. He only hoped that Hunter hadn't corrupted her so much that the old Stephanie had gone away. He needed the old Stephanie, he needed her brains, he needed her power, but most of all....

He needed to plot a little revenge.