A/N Hey people I don't stay in the US so I don't know if the towns I've mentioned are correct so if they aren't I'M SORRY. Also The song is 'To Kill A Stranger' it doesn't belong to me it belongs to Fozzy.
Stephanie sighed contentedly, she had no idea what she was sleeping on top of and she didn't really care. All she could think at that particular moment was she had never been more comfortable than she was right now and she really didn't want to move. Ever. She lay there between sleep and reality for a while longer until she realized what she was laying on was moving. No not moving, breathing. She opened her eyes and was face to face with a sleeping Chris Jericho.
Her breath caught as she took in his features. She had never seen him looking like he did right now. He looked so peaceful, relaxed and content. She guessed that she was one of the few people that actually got to see him like this, she could be wrong, maybe she was, but all but she could think was that this was a unique sight in front of her. Stephanie then realized that Chris's arm was wrapped around her back, holding her to him - protecting her - she smiled; she felt safe for the first time in a long time.
She looked up, just as Chris opened his eyes, as Chris saw her a smile appeared on his face which Stephanie returned.
"Morning Steph."
"Good morning Chris."
"What time is it?"
Stephanie looked down at her watch.
"7:00am."
"Damn, we slept through the whole day."
"Yeah, we did, but you really needed it. You did drive the whole night before and you looked really tired."
"I guess, but we should get going soon. I was thinking about heading west we could make our way to Lincoln then from there to Pierre then head to Bismarck, then finally we'll arrive in Winnipeg. What do you think?"
"Yeah that sounds good."
"Cool. So I'll just head out, pay the man at the desk, and then go fill up the car and go get some food and stuff."
"OK, I'm gonna jump in a quick shower, will I have enough time?"
"Of course you will. I'll wait for you Princess. Take as long as you need."
"Thanks Chris, you're sweet."
"Well it has been said by some people every now and then, but don't tell anyone else, it might ruin my reputation."
Stephanie laughed, he was completely different from what she had thought he was actually like.
"OK, I won't tell anyone, I promise."
Chris got up from the bed and Stephanie instantly missed the closeness of him beside her. He headed over to his bag and pulled out a jersey which he pulled on over his t-shirt. He turned to look at Stephanie with a amused expression on his face.
"Thank God. I'm gonna go now, I'll see you when I come back thought. I should be about 20 minutes at the most."
"That's fine, bye Chris."
"See you, in a bit Princess."
He walked to the the door opened it and he was gone.
=
Stephanie sighed as she went into the bathroom. It was small and dirty, but it didn't really matter, she just needed a long, warm shower. She peeled off her clothes and looked in the mirror. Her bruises were fading a little, which was good, it made her feel a bit better.
Even though she was away from Hunter there were still reminders all over her body from her time with him. Her right shoulder for example, there was a visible scar on it which she had received when she had been roughly flung into the sharp pointed end of the coffee table they owned which was still in her living-room. There were more scars on her arms, on her legs and her back. They were all by that same person, her tormenter. The one man Stephanie hated most in the world. Her husband.
She moved away from the mirror and over to she shower. She pulled back the cheap shower curtain separating her from the small space they called a shower. She stepped in and turned it on, letting the water wash over her.
The only sound to be heard in the bathroom was the water spraying from the shower-head and the sound of Stephanie breathing. She used this time to think. Right now all she was thinking was thank God Chris Jericho had been walking by Hunter's dressing room when he had or she would still be with him. He was her savior. She didn't know how to thank him. There wasn't anything that could repay him for his kindness.
Stephanie reached forward and turned the shower off, she leaned out and grabbed a towel off of the rail and wrapped it around herself and headed back into the main room to get dressed.
=
Chris had just done all the things he needed to do and was headed back to the motel room to see if Stephanie was ready. He reached their door, opened it and walked in. He had one foot inside and froze. There was Stephanie McMahon like he had never seen her before. She was dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a black, WWE t-shirt. Her hair hung loosely as she brushed it. She looked up as she heard the door open and smiled at Chris when she saw him.
Chris stared at her, God, she's beautiful, he thought.
"Did you take care of everything you need to do?"
"..."
"Chris?"
"..."
"Chris? Are you ok?"
He saw the worried look on Stephanie's face and realized she had been talking to him. Way to zone out you idiot, he thought. What did she say?
"Em, w...what did y...you say?"
"Did you take care of everything you needed to do?"
"That I needed to do? OH yeah! Yeah, yeah I did. We have a full tank of gas, food and everything."
"Good, so I'm ready to go. What about you?"
"I'm ready, let's go!"
They picked up their bags and headed out the room. When they got to the car, Chris grabbed Stephanie's bag and put both in the back seat. They both got into the car and pulled away from the motel.
=
The next few days they were driving non-stop each taking turns at the wheel every six hours. They stopped for the occasional bathroom break and to get more food and gas. When the quietness became boring, they turned on the radio and playfully fought over which radio station they wanted to listen to. Which always ended with Stephanie getting her own way.
While Stephanie slept Chris was always looking over at her and smiling. He loved the way she snored lightly and the way she would always mumble something stupid in her sleep. It alway kept him amused, sometimes making him laugh till he had to pull over, like when she had mumbled out 'No save the frogs, they never hurt us, all they do is hop.'
They had already driven through Lincoln and Pierre, they were half way through Bismarck, if Chris kept to the speed he was at he would be in Winnipeg in the early morning.
The night was dark and there were only a few motorists on the road with him. He had driven this road many times with his friends when he was younger. He had to admit he had enjoyed this journey with Stephanie. They had fun goofing around and doing stupid things. Like the time he tried to teach her a song.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"OK, ok. It starts out like:-
'I'm drowning in the shadows
That creep in my mind
And it's hard to escape
When there's no place left for me to hide.'
You got it?"
"Yeah go on."
"The next bit is the chorus :-
'And I keep on running the blood on my hands
The battle is won but will it ever end
And who am I to kill a stranger
After all that we've been through
And who am I to kill a stranger
Darkness has engulfed all the light in my life.'
Then the next bit goes :-
'And my urge to kill has grown stronger over time'
Then it's the chorus again but instead of 'Darkness has engulfed all the light in my life' it's :-
'The truth you've always knew
And who am I to kill a stranger
After all we've been through'
'It's a fever that's used for the thrill of the kill'
Then it's just the chorus again with 'And now I'm killing you'"
Chris looked over at Stephanie and couldn't help but laugh, at confused look that covered her face was comical. Stephanie looked at him and laughed along with him, then a determined look came on her face.
"Right, just start singing and I'll pick it up."
"OK Princess, let's do this!"
So they had spent the day trying to get Stephanie to learn the song which she finally did with much help from Chris.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He couldn't help but laugh as he thought back to that.
He looked at at the sign he was just passing, 30 miles to Winnipeg, time was really passing by fast. If he put is foot down on the gas, he could be there in 10 maybe 20 minutes.
=
He pulled into the driveway of his parent's house, it was about 5:30 in the morning and he was tired and just wanted his bed. He knew his parent weren't going to be happy with him turning up at this time but hopefully they'd forgive him.
He got out the car and went round to Stephanie's side, he opened her door and carefully pulled her out. With her in his arms he walked up to the front door and rang the door bell to get someone up. About 5 minutes later, the door swung open and his father stood there looking angry, but as he saw Chris he gave him a smile and then he saw Stephanie in his arms.
Just as he was going to ask something, Chris interrupted him.
"I'll tell you and Mom all about it when I get up. I just need my bed right now, is that cool?"
"Sure son."
"Thanks Dad."
Chris walked into his parents home and walked up the stairs and along the hall to his room. It still hadn't changed from the last time he was there, some of his clothes were still over his floor and other things that reminded him of his last visit.
He walked over to his bed and put Stephanie down on it, then he lay down next to her. He was exhausted and was asleep within minutes, and he unconsciously wrapped his arms around her and snuggled up to her.
Stephanie sighed contentedly, she had no idea what she was sleeping on top of and she didn't really care. All she could think at that particular moment was she had never been more comfortable than she was right now and she really didn't want to move. Ever. She lay there between sleep and reality for a while longer until she realized what she was laying on was moving. No not moving, breathing. She opened her eyes and was face to face with a sleeping Chris Jericho.
Her breath caught as she took in his features. She had never seen him looking like he did right now. He looked so peaceful, relaxed and content. She guessed that she was one of the few people that actually got to see him like this, she could be wrong, maybe she was, but all but she could think was that this was a unique sight in front of her. Stephanie then realized that Chris's arm was wrapped around her back, holding her to him - protecting her - she smiled; she felt safe for the first time in a long time.
She looked up, just as Chris opened his eyes, as Chris saw her a smile appeared on his face which Stephanie returned.
"Morning Steph."
"Good morning Chris."
"What time is it?"
Stephanie looked down at her watch.
"7:00am."
"Damn, we slept through the whole day."
"Yeah, we did, but you really needed it. You did drive the whole night before and you looked really tired."
"I guess, but we should get going soon. I was thinking about heading west we could make our way to Lincoln then from there to Pierre then head to Bismarck, then finally we'll arrive in Winnipeg. What do you think?"
"Yeah that sounds good."
"Cool. So I'll just head out, pay the man at the desk, and then go fill up the car and go get some food and stuff."
"OK, I'm gonna jump in a quick shower, will I have enough time?"
"Of course you will. I'll wait for you Princess. Take as long as you need."
"Thanks Chris, you're sweet."
"Well it has been said by some people every now and then, but don't tell anyone else, it might ruin my reputation."
Stephanie laughed, he was completely different from what she had thought he was actually like.
"OK, I won't tell anyone, I promise."
Chris got up from the bed and Stephanie instantly missed the closeness of him beside her. He headed over to his bag and pulled out a jersey which he pulled on over his t-shirt. He turned to look at Stephanie with a amused expression on his face.
"Thank God. I'm gonna go now, I'll see you when I come back thought. I should be about 20 minutes at the most."
"That's fine, bye Chris."
"See you, in a bit Princess."
He walked to the the door opened it and he was gone.
=
Stephanie sighed as she went into the bathroom. It was small and dirty, but it didn't really matter, she just needed a long, warm shower. She peeled off her clothes and looked in the mirror. Her bruises were fading a little, which was good, it made her feel a bit better.
Even though she was away from Hunter there were still reminders all over her body from her time with him. Her right shoulder for example, there was a visible scar on it which she had received when she had been roughly flung into the sharp pointed end of the coffee table they owned which was still in her living-room. There were more scars on her arms, on her legs and her back. They were all by that same person, her tormenter. The one man Stephanie hated most in the world. Her husband.
She moved away from the mirror and over to she shower. She pulled back the cheap shower curtain separating her from the small space they called a shower. She stepped in and turned it on, letting the water wash over her.
The only sound to be heard in the bathroom was the water spraying from the shower-head and the sound of Stephanie breathing. She used this time to think. Right now all she was thinking was thank God Chris Jericho had been walking by Hunter's dressing room when he had or she would still be with him. He was her savior. She didn't know how to thank him. There wasn't anything that could repay him for his kindness.
Stephanie reached forward and turned the shower off, she leaned out and grabbed a towel off of the rail and wrapped it around herself and headed back into the main room to get dressed.
=
Chris had just done all the things he needed to do and was headed back to the motel room to see if Stephanie was ready. He reached their door, opened it and walked in. He had one foot inside and froze. There was Stephanie McMahon like he had never seen her before. She was dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a black, WWE t-shirt. Her hair hung loosely as she brushed it. She looked up as she heard the door open and smiled at Chris when she saw him.
Chris stared at her, God, she's beautiful, he thought.
"Did you take care of everything you need to do?"
"..."
"Chris?"
"..."
"Chris? Are you ok?"
He saw the worried look on Stephanie's face and realized she had been talking to him. Way to zone out you idiot, he thought. What did she say?
"Em, w...what did y...you say?"
"Did you take care of everything you needed to do?"
"That I needed to do? OH yeah! Yeah, yeah I did. We have a full tank of gas, food and everything."
"Good, so I'm ready to go. What about you?"
"I'm ready, let's go!"
They picked up their bags and headed out the room. When they got to the car, Chris grabbed Stephanie's bag and put both in the back seat. They both got into the car and pulled away from the motel.
=
The next few days they were driving non-stop each taking turns at the wheel every six hours. They stopped for the occasional bathroom break and to get more food and gas. When the quietness became boring, they turned on the radio and playfully fought over which radio station they wanted to listen to. Which always ended with Stephanie getting her own way.
While Stephanie slept Chris was always looking over at her and smiling. He loved the way she snored lightly and the way she would always mumble something stupid in her sleep. It alway kept him amused, sometimes making him laugh till he had to pull over, like when she had mumbled out 'No save the frogs, they never hurt us, all they do is hop.'
They had already driven through Lincoln and Pierre, they were half way through Bismarck, if Chris kept to the speed he was at he would be in Winnipeg in the early morning.
The night was dark and there were only a few motorists on the road with him. He had driven this road many times with his friends when he was younger. He had to admit he had enjoyed this journey with Stephanie. They had fun goofing around and doing stupid things. Like the time he tried to teach her a song.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"OK, ok. It starts out like:-
'I'm drowning in the shadows
That creep in my mind
And it's hard to escape
When there's no place left for me to hide.'
You got it?"
"Yeah go on."
"The next bit is the chorus :-
'And I keep on running the blood on my hands
The battle is won but will it ever end
And who am I to kill a stranger
After all that we've been through
And who am I to kill a stranger
Darkness has engulfed all the light in my life.'
Then the next bit goes :-
'And my urge to kill has grown stronger over time'
Then it's the chorus again but instead of 'Darkness has engulfed all the light in my life' it's :-
'The truth you've always knew
And who am I to kill a stranger
After all we've been through'
'It's a fever that's used for the thrill of the kill'
Then it's just the chorus again with 'And now I'm killing you'"
Chris looked over at Stephanie and couldn't help but laugh, at confused look that covered her face was comical. Stephanie looked at him and laughed along with him, then a determined look came on her face.
"Right, just start singing and I'll pick it up."
"OK Princess, let's do this!"
So they had spent the day trying to get Stephanie to learn the song which she finally did with much help from Chris.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He couldn't help but laugh as he thought back to that.
He looked at at the sign he was just passing, 30 miles to Winnipeg, time was really passing by fast. If he put is foot down on the gas, he could be there in 10 maybe 20 minutes.
=
He pulled into the driveway of his parent's house, it was about 5:30 in the morning and he was tired and just wanted his bed. He knew his parent weren't going to be happy with him turning up at this time but hopefully they'd forgive him.
He got out the car and went round to Stephanie's side, he opened her door and carefully pulled her out. With her in his arms he walked up to the front door and rang the door bell to get someone up. About 5 minutes later, the door swung open and his father stood there looking angry, but as he saw Chris he gave him a smile and then he saw Stephanie in his arms.
Just as he was going to ask something, Chris interrupted him.
"I'll tell you and Mom all about it when I get up. I just need my bed right now, is that cool?"
"Sure son."
"Thanks Dad."
Chris walked into his parents home and walked up the stairs and along the hall to his room. It still hadn't changed from the last time he was there, some of his clothes were still over his floor and other things that reminded him of his last visit.
He walked over to his bed and put Stephanie down on it, then he lay down next to her. He was exhausted and was asleep within minutes, and he unconsciously wrapped his arms around her and snuggled up to her.