Chris kneeled in front of Regan as she was about to board the plane. She
threw her little arms around his neck and hugged him fiercely. He hugged
her back and closed his eyes. Then he pulled away and let Stephanie hug
the little girl.
"Now I want you to be good for Grams and Gramps ok?" Chris said to the little girl.
"I will," Regan said, biting her lip a little, "Daddy?"
"Yes Princess?"
"Do I have go to Gams?" she asked.
Chris sighed as he looked at her. He didn't want to have to send her to his parent's, but he didn't want her caught in the crossfire of what he, Stephanie, and Kurt were about to do. He had told Stephanie when this whole thing had started that Regan had to remain unaffected, and that's the way it had to be.
Regan had already been through too much in her short life. She'd lost a mother when she was only an infant, been raised on the road, never knowing what it was like to have a permanent residence, and then gained a mother back. The last thing he wanted to do was to put her through a fake divorce between her parents.
"Princess don't you want to visit them?"
"I wanna stay wif you and Mama," she told him.
"It's only for a little while, I promise."
"Sweetie," Stephanie interjected, "When you come back, I promise that you, me, and Daddy will go somewhere together ok?"
"Where?" she asked, suddenly curious.
"Hmm....anywhere you choose?"
"Disneywand," she said happily.
"Ok, then Disneyland it is," Stephanie said, kissing her forehead.
"Are you ready?" the flight attendant for the flight asked, walking up to them.
Chris and Stephanie both kissed Regan one more time before standing up and nodding. The flight attendant took Regan's hand and they started walking down the jet-way to the plane. Regan looked back and waved at them and they waved back at her until she disappeared around the corner. Chris sighed and wrapped his arm around Stephanie's waist.
"You ok?" Stephanie asked.
"I guess."
"Sweetie, we don't have to go through with this plan."
"No, I want to, we have to."
"But I know how you feel about it and I don't want to do anything that you're not in agreement with."
"No, Steph, I'm fine with it," he said, turning to her, "Do what you gotta do and all that."
"I just don't want to push you into anything."
"You're not," he said, kissing her cheek.
They watched as Regan's plane pulled out and made its way down to the runway and take off. Then they turned and walked together out of the airport. They had a show to get ready for and they knew that what was going to come after the show was what was most important. They got to their car and rode in silence to the arena, both thinking of what was going to go down.
Stephanie looked out the window, watching the passing scenery. She felt Chris's hand sneak its way into hers and intertwine fingers with her. She gave his hand a squeeze and then kissed it softly before putting it back in her lap, holding the back of Chris's palm against her swollen belly.
"Is Kurt clear on what we're doing?" Chris asked, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, I called him and told him about what we were planning on doing."
"And he's cool with it?"
"He said if we were cool with it then he was cool with it," she said, turning to look at Chris.
"Ok great."
"Chris?"
"Yes?"
"You don't think that something will happen to make us really break up do you?" she asked.
"Stephy baby, I don't think that anything could tear us apart ever," he answered honestly.
"You actually believe that?"
"Steph, I love you more than anything in my life, with the exception of maybe Regan and this little one," he said, rubbing her stomach with the back of his hand, "But other than them, you are it for me. I didn't spend the past two years mourning your death only to leave you when you came back."
Stephanie smiled and rolled her eyes, "Then I guess we have no choice but to go through with this."
"Don't worry, it'll all be over soon, and then we can go to Disneyland," Chris said, eyeing Stephanie.
"She looked so sad I had to say something," Stephanie countered.
"It's ok, we'll go on a vacation before you have to stay at home."
"It'll be fun."
They rode the rest of the way in a comfortable quiet. They finally arrived at the arena and Stephanie let go of Chris's hand. They got out of the car and Chris took Stephanie's things and carried them inside. They knew what was going to have to happen after the show and they were both nervous.
They walked into Chris's locker room and Stephanie sat down on the couch, deep in thought. She rubbed her stomach comfortingly, just thinking about what was going to happen over this next weekend. She and Jericho were going balls out on this one and it could make or break them.
She felt another hand join hers on her stomach and she smiled softly up at Chris. He looked down at her, an open look of love on his face. She caught him looking at her like that every once in a while. She knew that sometimes he was still in awe that she could be here, with him again. She'd never truly know what it was like for him in those two years she was gone, but when she saw him looking at her like this, she knew that he must've had it hard.
"Chris," she whispered.
"Yeah baby," he said, resting his palm on her stomach.
"Please tell me how you found out I died," she pleaded.
She just had to know this. When she had had amnesia and was living in England, she used to picture that she had a family back home, waiting for her. She would picture these imaginary person's reactions to her disappearance and sometimes she'd wake up in a cold sweat as she pictured someone being heartbroken at her leaving.
Chris looked down a moment, and Stephanie could see his lip quiver slightly. She knew this was hard on him, and she understood that, but a part of her just desperately wanted to know how he had reacted. She loved him so much and she knew she'd be devastated if he died, and the sick part of her wanted to know his reaction.
"I was sitting on the couch," Chris said, looking up, his eyes glassy from tears, "Regan was taking her nap, and I was watching television. You hadn't called yet and I was wondering why you hadn't, and hoping you'd call soon because I missed you and wanted to talk to you before you were too tired to talk. Then the phone rang and I got up thinking it was you."
Chris looked past Stephanie and she could see him looking into the past. A lone tear escaped his eye and trickled slowly down his cheek until Stephanie's hand came up to intercept its trajectory. She wiped it away and looked into his eyes.
"I'm right here Chris," she whispered.
He continued, looking into her eyes, "It was your father and he said he had bad news. I knew it was about you and he said that your plane had crashed and there were no survivors. I dropped the phone and stood there, just thinking. Then I collapsed in tears and just cried for what seemed like hours. I didn't want to believe it, I didn't want to think it. Finally, Regan started to cry and I picked myself up and went and got her. I held her the rest of the night because I was so afraid that I would lose her too. I didn't have anything to live for anymore except her."
Stephanie started crying and looked into his azure blue eyes. His tears spilled over and he made no attempt to hide his tears. Everyone had seen him cry at Stephanie's funeral so he had no shame crying. She threw her arms around him and he pulled her to her. They stayed locked together for a few moments before Stephanie wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and pulled away, sending him a weak smile.
"Thank you for telling me," she said.
"You wanted to know," he shrugged, wiping his eyes so it looked like he wasn't crying.
"I just needed to know. I know you love me Chris Jericho."
"Stephy, you should know by now that I've loved you for the longest time."
"I do know. Trust me. You're willing to put up with this idiotic plan just to be with me."
"I'm already with you, but I will do anything to make sure that you, Regan, and the baby are safe and happy."
"Then I guess the best thing to do is go forward with this."
"Yeah," he sighed, "So when is Kurt getting here?"
"Did I hear my name?" Kurt said, walking in.
"Big ears," Jericho joked.
"Very funny Chris, can we just get down to business," Kurt said, sitting down in one of the leather chairs.
"Why so serious?"
"Because if this woman thinks that she can replace my friend Stephanie, she's got another thing coming to her," Kurt said somberly.
"You're so sweet Kurt," Stephanie said, blushing a little.
"I know," Kurt winked at her.
"Ok you two, save the flirting for when Trish is around and not when Stephanie's husband is around," Chris said, rolling his eyes a little.
"Jealous?" Kurt said.
"Of you Kurt? Not a chance."
"Ok you two, they'll be no fighting over me," Stephanie said, shaking her head, "Let's get this plan squared away."
"Ok, so after the show is over, what's going to happen?" Kurt asked.
"I'm going to come back here and I'm going to find you two, in some sort of embrace or something," Chris told him, "Stephanie scheduled me in the last match and you're in the middle of the show Kurt so it works out."
"Ok, sounds good, now will Trish be with you?" Kurt asked.
"Yeah, since she accompanies me to the ring, she'll be with me. So I'll open the door, and find you guys and then I'll come in and shut the door so no one else can hear."
"I made sure we got a soundproof room," Stephanie interrupted.
"So we'll argue and mock fight," Chris said, "Now Stephanie, you stay as far away from us as possible."
"I know Chris, because you don't want to hit the baby," she said.
"Yeah. So then I'll say this isn't worth it, Steph isn't worth it, and that it's over between us and grab my stuff."
"And Trish will just be loving this whole thing," Stephanie said, "So she'll obviously offer to put up Chris."
"Yeah, so then we'll go out and we'll get drunk, or at least Trish will. I'll bring her back to her room and put her to bed. Then I'll take a room key, come back to my hotel room with Steph, then the next morning, sneak back into her room and then we pretend like we slept together so she'll think we're kind of together."
"And then when she gets her little wedding, we drop the bombshell on her that she and Chris are nothing and that she's fired," Stephanie said, smiling cruelly.
Kurt just sat there dumbfounded. Now, he knew Chris and Stephanie were intelligent people. He also knew they were good people. But dear God, he didn't realize they were two of the most conniving masterminds ever to grace the earth. He just looked at them.
"Wow," he finally said, "That is one hell of a plan."
"Yeah, it is," Chris said, laughing, "Thanks in part to the woman to my right."
"Couldn't have done it without you baby," she said, kissing Chris's cheek.
"Let's just hope it all goes according to plan."
"Now I want you to be good for Grams and Gramps ok?" Chris said to the little girl.
"I will," Regan said, biting her lip a little, "Daddy?"
"Yes Princess?"
"Do I have go to Gams?" she asked.
Chris sighed as he looked at her. He didn't want to have to send her to his parent's, but he didn't want her caught in the crossfire of what he, Stephanie, and Kurt were about to do. He had told Stephanie when this whole thing had started that Regan had to remain unaffected, and that's the way it had to be.
Regan had already been through too much in her short life. She'd lost a mother when she was only an infant, been raised on the road, never knowing what it was like to have a permanent residence, and then gained a mother back. The last thing he wanted to do was to put her through a fake divorce between her parents.
"Princess don't you want to visit them?"
"I wanna stay wif you and Mama," she told him.
"It's only for a little while, I promise."
"Sweetie," Stephanie interjected, "When you come back, I promise that you, me, and Daddy will go somewhere together ok?"
"Where?" she asked, suddenly curious.
"Hmm....anywhere you choose?"
"Disneywand," she said happily.
"Ok, then Disneyland it is," Stephanie said, kissing her forehead.
"Are you ready?" the flight attendant for the flight asked, walking up to them.
Chris and Stephanie both kissed Regan one more time before standing up and nodding. The flight attendant took Regan's hand and they started walking down the jet-way to the plane. Regan looked back and waved at them and they waved back at her until she disappeared around the corner. Chris sighed and wrapped his arm around Stephanie's waist.
"You ok?" Stephanie asked.
"I guess."
"Sweetie, we don't have to go through with this plan."
"No, I want to, we have to."
"But I know how you feel about it and I don't want to do anything that you're not in agreement with."
"No, Steph, I'm fine with it," he said, turning to her, "Do what you gotta do and all that."
"I just don't want to push you into anything."
"You're not," he said, kissing her cheek.
They watched as Regan's plane pulled out and made its way down to the runway and take off. Then they turned and walked together out of the airport. They had a show to get ready for and they knew that what was going to come after the show was what was most important. They got to their car and rode in silence to the arena, both thinking of what was going to go down.
Stephanie looked out the window, watching the passing scenery. She felt Chris's hand sneak its way into hers and intertwine fingers with her. She gave his hand a squeeze and then kissed it softly before putting it back in her lap, holding the back of Chris's palm against her swollen belly.
"Is Kurt clear on what we're doing?" Chris asked, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, I called him and told him about what we were planning on doing."
"And he's cool with it?"
"He said if we were cool with it then he was cool with it," she said, turning to look at Chris.
"Ok great."
"Chris?"
"Yes?"
"You don't think that something will happen to make us really break up do you?" she asked.
"Stephy baby, I don't think that anything could tear us apart ever," he answered honestly.
"You actually believe that?"
"Steph, I love you more than anything in my life, with the exception of maybe Regan and this little one," he said, rubbing her stomach with the back of his hand, "But other than them, you are it for me. I didn't spend the past two years mourning your death only to leave you when you came back."
Stephanie smiled and rolled her eyes, "Then I guess we have no choice but to go through with this."
"Don't worry, it'll all be over soon, and then we can go to Disneyland," Chris said, eyeing Stephanie.
"She looked so sad I had to say something," Stephanie countered.
"It's ok, we'll go on a vacation before you have to stay at home."
"It'll be fun."
They rode the rest of the way in a comfortable quiet. They finally arrived at the arena and Stephanie let go of Chris's hand. They got out of the car and Chris took Stephanie's things and carried them inside. They knew what was going to have to happen after the show and they were both nervous.
They walked into Chris's locker room and Stephanie sat down on the couch, deep in thought. She rubbed her stomach comfortingly, just thinking about what was going to happen over this next weekend. She and Jericho were going balls out on this one and it could make or break them.
She felt another hand join hers on her stomach and she smiled softly up at Chris. He looked down at her, an open look of love on his face. She caught him looking at her like that every once in a while. She knew that sometimes he was still in awe that she could be here, with him again. She'd never truly know what it was like for him in those two years she was gone, but when she saw him looking at her like this, she knew that he must've had it hard.
"Chris," she whispered.
"Yeah baby," he said, resting his palm on her stomach.
"Please tell me how you found out I died," she pleaded.
She just had to know this. When she had had amnesia and was living in England, she used to picture that she had a family back home, waiting for her. She would picture these imaginary person's reactions to her disappearance and sometimes she'd wake up in a cold sweat as she pictured someone being heartbroken at her leaving.
Chris looked down a moment, and Stephanie could see his lip quiver slightly. She knew this was hard on him, and she understood that, but a part of her just desperately wanted to know how he had reacted. She loved him so much and she knew she'd be devastated if he died, and the sick part of her wanted to know his reaction.
"I was sitting on the couch," Chris said, looking up, his eyes glassy from tears, "Regan was taking her nap, and I was watching television. You hadn't called yet and I was wondering why you hadn't, and hoping you'd call soon because I missed you and wanted to talk to you before you were too tired to talk. Then the phone rang and I got up thinking it was you."
Chris looked past Stephanie and she could see him looking into the past. A lone tear escaped his eye and trickled slowly down his cheek until Stephanie's hand came up to intercept its trajectory. She wiped it away and looked into his eyes.
"I'm right here Chris," she whispered.
He continued, looking into her eyes, "It was your father and he said he had bad news. I knew it was about you and he said that your plane had crashed and there were no survivors. I dropped the phone and stood there, just thinking. Then I collapsed in tears and just cried for what seemed like hours. I didn't want to believe it, I didn't want to think it. Finally, Regan started to cry and I picked myself up and went and got her. I held her the rest of the night because I was so afraid that I would lose her too. I didn't have anything to live for anymore except her."
Stephanie started crying and looked into his azure blue eyes. His tears spilled over and he made no attempt to hide his tears. Everyone had seen him cry at Stephanie's funeral so he had no shame crying. She threw her arms around him and he pulled her to her. They stayed locked together for a few moments before Stephanie wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and pulled away, sending him a weak smile.
"Thank you for telling me," she said.
"You wanted to know," he shrugged, wiping his eyes so it looked like he wasn't crying.
"I just needed to know. I know you love me Chris Jericho."
"Stephy, you should know by now that I've loved you for the longest time."
"I do know. Trust me. You're willing to put up with this idiotic plan just to be with me."
"I'm already with you, but I will do anything to make sure that you, Regan, and the baby are safe and happy."
"Then I guess the best thing to do is go forward with this."
"Yeah," he sighed, "So when is Kurt getting here?"
"Did I hear my name?" Kurt said, walking in.
"Big ears," Jericho joked.
"Very funny Chris, can we just get down to business," Kurt said, sitting down in one of the leather chairs.
"Why so serious?"
"Because if this woman thinks that she can replace my friend Stephanie, she's got another thing coming to her," Kurt said somberly.
"You're so sweet Kurt," Stephanie said, blushing a little.
"I know," Kurt winked at her.
"Ok you two, save the flirting for when Trish is around and not when Stephanie's husband is around," Chris said, rolling his eyes a little.
"Jealous?" Kurt said.
"Of you Kurt? Not a chance."
"Ok you two, they'll be no fighting over me," Stephanie said, shaking her head, "Let's get this plan squared away."
"Ok, so after the show is over, what's going to happen?" Kurt asked.
"I'm going to come back here and I'm going to find you two, in some sort of embrace or something," Chris told him, "Stephanie scheduled me in the last match and you're in the middle of the show Kurt so it works out."
"Ok, sounds good, now will Trish be with you?" Kurt asked.
"Yeah, since she accompanies me to the ring, she'll be with me. So I'll open the door, and find you guys and then I'll come in and shut the door so no one else can hear."
"I made sure we got a soundproof room," Stephanie interrupted.
"So we'll argue and mock fight," Chris said, "Now Stephanie, you stay as far away from us as possible."
"I know Chris, because you don't want to hit the baby," she said.
"Yeah. So then I'll say this isn't worth it, Steph isn't worth it, and that it's over between us and grab my stuff."
"And Trish will just be loving this whole thing," Stephanie said, "So she'll obviously offer to put up Chris."
"Yeah, so then we'll go out and we'll get drunk, or at least Trish will. I'll bring her back to her room and put her to bed. Then I'll take a room key, come back to my hotel room with Steph, then the next morning, sneak back into her room and then we pretend like we slept together so she'll think we're kind of together."
"And then when she gets her little wedding, we drop the bombshell on her that she and Chris are nothing and that she's fired," Stephanie said, smiling cruelly.
Kurt just sat there dumbfounded. Now, he knew Chris and Stephanie were intelligent people. He also knew they were good people. But dear God, he didn't realize they were two of the most conniving masterminds ever to grace the earth. He just looked at them.
"Wow," he finally said, "That is one hell of a plan."
"Yeah, it is," Chris said, laughing, "Thanks in part to the woman to my right."
"Couldn't have done it without you baby," she said, kissing Chris's cheek.
"Let's just hope it all goes according to plan."