That night Shawn Michaels had a match against Batista, with Stephanie in his corner. The bell rang twice for the match to begin. Stephanie was in an unusual attire for her change of style from when she was married to HHH in a transition to a business woman state. She had worn leather pants, high heels, and a deep pink t-shirt. During the match she cheered him on and clapped, distracted the referee, her usual she used to do for Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, HHH, and the members of ECW when need be.
It was near the end of the match when Eric ran down the ramp, sneaking up behind Stephanie, who was oblivious to his presence. Until he grabbed her by the waist and started trying to pull her backstage. Stephanie kicked and screamed, then turned around and not knowing who was holding onto her, slapped the dark haired General Manager behind her.
Stephanie then stopped, her eyes went wide and she covered her mouth, reaching out to touch his cheek, "Eric?!"
Eric snapped, he sneered at her and mouthed, 'you bitch' then quickly picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. Shawn quickly saw this and jumped out of the ring, chasing after Eric.
Stephanie kicked and hit Eric, outraged he was trying to carry her backstage away from the match. Shawn ran up behind them and jump kicked Eric on the back. Stephanie and Eric both fell down onto the hard rampway.
Stephanie held her head in pain, Shawn quickly checked on her and touched her face gently, not even realizing the match had ended and he was disqualified for being out of the ring for more then 10 seconds.
Eric stumbled up and attacked Shawn, they exchanged blows as the fans watched on, wondering what could have possibly started this to begin with. Slowly Stephanie forced herself to stand up. She held her back in pain but when she realized Eric and Shawn were duking it out, she had to stop it.
Stephanie yelled at them, demanding they stop fighting, but it obviously wasn't working. She quickly grabbed Eric by the arm and tried with all her strength to separate the two, as well as the referees who came down to help out.
Finally the two were separated, Eric and Shawn exchanged obscenities back and forth between Stephanie who was right in the middle of the mess. The refs dragged them both backstage, trying to keep one from the other.
A half hour later everything was a bit more calm. Stephanie finally swallowed her pride and decided to enter the General Manager office she shared with Eric.
'Maybe I should tell him about everything, he should know...this wasn't supposed to happen...,' she thought to herself. Finally she knocked quietly, almost hoping Eric wouldn't hear her.
"Come in." He called out, angrily.
Stephanie slowly entered and shut the door quietly. Eric looked up and shot her the dirtiest look he's given anyone. She walked over slowly and tried to keep a serious face on instead of sympathetic. She didn't know why he had tried to take her backstage, away from Shawn.
"What is it McMahon!?," he scowled, calling her by her last name.
Stephanie's ears shot up as if she had just been called something horrible. He had never referred to her as "McMahon" it was always "Steph, Stephanie, or Ms. McMahon" which was rare.
"What the hell were you thinking? Why did you come down to the ring when you knew I was out there and you start a fight with Shawn, and try to carry me off?! What were you thinking?!," she screeched.
Eric's eyes were full of hate and anger, he quickly rose up and looked Stephanie in the eyes, searching for the reason why she really came in here.
"If the only reason you came in here was to yell at me and demand to know why this and why that, then get the hell out of my office," Eric pointed to the door, "Get out."
Stephanie walked over toward him and inched closer, her eyes never leaving his, "Tell me why. This is the last time I am going to ask."
Eric let his eyes wander over her, he said it before he shouldn't have to repeat himself. It would make him feel like less of a man if he was rejected again. "I told you already Stephanie."
She looked off to the side, biting her lip to stop herself from yelling at the top of her lungs about how much of a jackass he was being. "Eric, you never said anything about attacking Shawn."
He had heard enough, Eric decided it was time to just spill everything then see what her reaction really was.
"Okay, Stephanie, this is what went on. I saw what you've been doing the past few weeks. Flirting with all the superstars backstage, knowing I was watching you do this, acting all moody toward me, more then usual I might add, and then - the icing on the cake. You started dating Shawn Michaels. That's when I decided I've had enough. I ran down to the ring, tried to grab you backstage to tell you that....," he paused for a moment, looking around the room, making sure no one was in there recording this, it would ruin his reputation for sure, "I was going to tell you I didn't think Shawn was good enough for you."
Stephanie was shocked, her lips parted to speak but nothing came out. Finally she processed everything and decided to speak, "You don't think Shawn is good enough for me? Who do you think is good enough for me Eric? Tell me."
Eric took Stephanie by the arm and lead her down over to the couch, they both sat down and he looked at her, trying to hold the words back. 'I should just say something cruel then make her move on, it's what I've always done. Say something rude to make her leave, you'll lose her forever, but it would be worth it, right?'
"Eric?," she said softly, "What is it?"
He brushed his fingers through his hair a few times then finally turned to her, "Stephanie, the only man I think is good enough for you is..," he paused, thinking of shooting out an insult but instead told her the truth. "I think I'm the only one good enough for you."
Stephanie couldn't believe it. She knew he told her he had feelings for her, but she thought he was lying to get into her pants. But why would he go through all this trouble if all he wanted was to sleep with her?
"Did you sleep with Gail Kim that night I came to your hotel room?," her eyes locked with his.
"No, I didn't, she was trying to sleep with me again so that way she could have her match," he said with total honesty, trying not to see the sadness in Stephanie's eyes from knowing he slept with some of the divas on RAW.
She quickly turned away, trying to rethink everything that just happened.
"Attacking Shawn was never part of my plan, he was just .. in the way," Eric laughed a little, "You know how I -"
"It was all a plan Eric," she finally said, her voice low, and wispy.
"What was a plan?," he asked her, getting closer to her, "Stephanie.." he reached out to touch her arm gently.
Stephanie stood up quickly, "Eric, I never meant for it to turn out this way. I was just trying to make you jealous. I should have stopped after the flirting, I knew what I was doing, and I knew it upset you, but I did it anyways. I was jealous you were sleeping around with all the divas here and -"
Eric cut her off, "I never slept with all of them, a few maybe, but not all of them. And what the hell do you mean you were trying to make me jealous? It already made me jealous that you had a lot of attention from the RAW superstars when I thought none of them even liked you Princess."
Stephanie sighed, "I tried to make you see how unfairly you were treating these women here on RAW. I didn't want to work with someone who treated women like objects Eric. I guess my plan failed though, I can't seem to get through to you."
He was outraged, for once he had been tricked. Eric Bischoff. Tricked by a McMahon. The more he thought about it the angrier he became.
"And you think I wasn't jealous of HHH for a long time Steph?! You think I didn't envy the man who had you for over a year? He saw you as his possession. His trophy. He was getting more admiration and respect from people because he was screwing the boss's daughter! You didn't see it, but everyone else did. He didn't love you. He used you to get to the top! Didn't you notice all those times he had the gold you were by his side? Have you ever considered that Stephanie?!," Eric yelled, trying to get his point through.
Stephanie had already started crying, thinking back to when she was married to Hunter and how everything Eric had just said made sense. Everyone did admire Hunter for being with her, but it wasn't because she was a good person. She knew back then she was a bitch, and dressed a little slutty, HHH was sleeping with her and that's what everyone knew was getting him all the title shots and main events.
Eric looked at Stephanie and saw the teardrops fall down her face, he had never seen her cry before at his expense. He had seen a lot of videos of when she was with HHH and how he was constantly yelling at her and making her cry but Eric never wanted to cause her any grief.
"Stephanie," he walked over to her and tried to comfort her, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to -"
Stephanie jerked away from his touch, "I hate you Eric, stay the hell away from me!," she screamed. She knew a lot of this was her fault, but after what he said about her and HHH when they were married, at the moment she couldn't forgive him. Everything was happening way too fast.
Stephanie turned and left the office as fast as she could, leaving Eric cursing to himself under his breath, wondering what he could do to make things right again, but part of him told him that it would be impossible to reach Stephanie. After all, she is a McMahon.
Eric looked everywhere for Stephanie that night, he hadn't heard anything about her leaving the arena, and everyone he asked hadn't seen her. It was possible they could be covering for her, the only place he hadn't checked was Shawn Michaels locker room. The last thing he wanted was to start something with him again. But if he wanted to talk to Stephanie, he'd have to see if she was in there.
Eric stopped at the door that said, "Shawn Michaels" on it, he paused before knocking then sighed and waited. To his surprise it was Stephanie that answered it, not Shawn.
When Stephanie saw it was Eric at the door, she tried to close it on him but before she could completely close it Eric allowed himself in, looking around to make sure Shawn Michaels wasn't there.
"Eric, please get out, I don't want to talk to you..," she started to head toward the door, but Eric moved in front of her.
"Get out of my way," she demanded. She then tried to move past him, but he moved in front of her again. "Eric, I mean it!"
Eric wouldn't move, he had to talk to her and let her know he didn't mean the things he said, even if they were true. "Stephanie, we're going to have work together so we have to, sadly, get along. I'm not letting you move unless-"
Eric was shut up quickly by Stephanie's lips pressing against his. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly, his hands running up and down her back, never wanting it to end. Stephanie broke the embrace and looked into his eyes, neither of them knowing what to say or do next.
Authors Notes: Ah, how I loved writing this chapter. There will only be one left (I'm thinking) so I'm trying to make it the best one. Thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews! These are the most reviews I've ever received on any of my Steph/Eric stories! And I must have at least 5 stories up on fanfiction dot net (I think). I'm glad to see more Eric/Steph shippers out there! Be proud, it's a great pairing I think! And hopefully one day they'll start the storyline again when Steph comes back on tv! --Throws confetti for those who reviewed and everyone who likes Eric/Steph--
It was near the end of the match when Eric ran down the ramp, sneaking up behind Stephanie, who was oblivious to his presence. Until he grabbed her by the waist and started trying to pull her backstage. Stephanie kicked and screamed, then turned around and not knowing who was holding onto her, slapped the dark haired General Manager behind her.
Stephanie then stopped, her eyes went wide and she covered her mouth, reaching out to touch his cheek, "Eric?!"
Eric snapped, he sneered at her and mouthed, 'you bitch' then quickly picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. Shawn quickly saw this and jumped out of the ring, chasing after Eric.
Stephanie kicked and hit Eric, outraged he was trying to carry her backstage away from the match. Shawn ran up behind them and jump kicked Eric on the back. Stephanie and Eric both fell down onto the hard rampway.
Stephanie held her head in pain, Shawn quickly checked on her and touched her face gently, not even realizing the match had ended and he was disqualified for being out of the ring for more then 10 seconds.
Eric stumbled up and attacked Shawn, they exchanged blows as the fans watched on, wondering what could have possibly started this to begin with. Slowly Stephanie forced herself to stand up. She held her back in pain but when she realized Eric and Shawn were duking it out, she had to stop it.
Stephanie yelled at them, demanding they stop fighting, but it obviously wasn't working. She quickly grabbed Eric by the arm and tried with all her strength to separate the two, as well as the referees who came down to help out.
Finally the two were separated, Eric and Shawn exchanged obscenities back and forth between Stephanie who was right in the middle of the mess. The refs dragged them both backstage, trying to keep one from the other.
A half hour later everything was a bit more calm. Stephanie finally swallowed her pride and decided to enter the General Manager office she shared with Eric.
'Maybe I should tell him about everything, he should know...this wasn't supposed to happen...,' she thought to herself. Finally she knocked quietly, almost hoping Eric wouldn't hear her.
"Come in." He called out, angrily.
Stephanie slowly entered and shut the door quietly. Eric looked up and shot her the dirtiest look he's given anyone. She walked over slowly and tried to keep a serious face on instead of sympathetic. She didn't know why he had tried to take her backstage, away from Shawn.
"What is it McMahon!?," he scowled, calling her by her last name.
Stephanie's ears shot up as if she had just been called something horrible. He had never referred to her as "McMahon" it was always "Steph, Stephanie, or Ms. McMahon" which was rare.
"What the hell were you thinking? Why did you come down to the ring when you knew I was out there and you start a fight with Shawn, and try to carry me off?! What were you thinking?!," she screeched.
Eric's eyes were full of hate and anger, he quickly rose up and looked Stephanie in the eyes, searching for the reason why she really came in here.
"If the only reason you came in here was to yell at me and demand to know why this and why that, then get the hell out of my office," Eric pointed to the door, "Get out."
Stephanie walked over toward him and inched closer, her eyes never leaving his, "Tell me why. This is the last time I am going to ask."
Eric let his eyes wander over her, he said it before he shouldn't have to repeat himself. It would make him feel like less of a man if he was rejected again. "I told you already Stephanie."
She looked off to the side, biting her lip to stop herself from yelling at the top of her lungs about how much of a jackass he was being. "Eric, you never said anything about attacking Shawn."
He had heard enough, Eric decided it was time to just spill everything then see what her reaction really was.
"Okay, Stephanie, this is what went on. I saw what you've been doing the past few weeks. Flirting with all the superstars backstage, knowing I was watching you do this, acting all moody toward me, more then usual I might add, and then - the icing on the cake. You started dating Shawn Michaels. That's when I decided I've had enough. I ran down to the ring, tried to grab you backstage to tell you that....," he paused for a moment, looking around the room, making sure no one was in there recording this, it would ruin his reputation for sure, "I was going to tell you I didn't think Shawn was good enough for you."
Stephanie was shocked, her lips parted to speak but nothing came out. Finally she processed everything and decided to speak, "You don't think Shawn is good enough for me? Who do you think is good enough for me Eric? Tell me."
Eric took Stephanie by the arm and lead her down over to the couch, they both sat down and he looked at her, trying to hold the words back. 'I should just say something cruel then make her move on, it's what I've always done. Say something rude to make her leave, you'll lose her forever, but it would be worth it, right?'
"Eric?," she said softly, "What is it?"
He brushed his fingers through his hair a few times then finally turned to her, "Stephanie, the only man I think is good enough for you is..," he paused, thinking of shooting out an insult but instead told her the truth. "I think I'm the only one good enough for you."
Stephanie couldn't believe it. She knew he told her he had feelings for her, but she thought he was lying to get into her pants. But why would he go through all this trouble if all he wanted was to sleep with her?
"Did you sleep with Gail Kim that night I came to your hotel room?," her eyes locked with his.
"No, I didn't, she was trying to sleep with me again so that way she could have her match," he said with total honesty, trying not to see the sadness in Stephanie's eyes from knowing he slept with some of the divas on RAW.
She quickly turned away, trying to rethink everything that just happened.
"Attacking Shawn was never part of my plan, he was just .. in the way," Eric laughed a little, "You know how I -"
"It was all a plan Eric," she finally said, her voice low, and wispy.
"What was a plan?," he asked her, getting closer to her, "Stephanie.." he reached out to touch her arm gently.
Stephanie stood up quickly, "Eric, I never meant for it to turn out this way. I was just trying to make you jealous. I should have stopped after the flirting, I knew what I was doing, and I knew it upset you, but I did it anyways. I was jealous you were sleeping around with all the divas here and -"
Eric cut her off, "I never slept with all of them, a few maybe, but not all of them. And what the hell do you mean you were trying to make me jealous? It already made me jealous that you had a lot of attention from the RAW superstars when I thought none of them even liked you Princess."
Stephanie sighed, "I tried to make you see how unfairly you were treating these women here on RAW. I didn't want to work with someone who treated women like objects Eric. I guess my plan failed though, I can't seem to get through to you."
He was outraged, for once he had been tricked. Eric Bischoff. Tricked by a McMahon. The more he thought about it the angrier he became.
"And you think I wasn't jealous of HHH for a long time Steph?! You think I didn't envy the man who had you for over a year? He saw you as his possession. His trophy. He was getting more admiration and respect from people because he was screwing the boss's daughter! You didn't see it, but everyone else did. He didn't love you. He used you to get to the top! Didn't you notice all those times he had the gold you were by his side? Have you ever considered that Stephanie?!," Eric yelled, trying to get his point through.
Stephanie had already started crying, thinking back to when she was married to Hunter and how everything Eric had just said made sense. Everyone did admire Hunter for being with her, but it wasn't because she was a good person. She knew back then she was a bitch, and dressed a little slutty, HHH was sleeping with her and that's what everyone knew was getting him all the title shots and main events.
Eric looked at Stephanie and saw the teardrops fall down her face, he had never seen her cry before at his expense. He had seen a lot of videos of when she was with HHH and how he was constantly yelling at her and making her cry but Eric never wanted to cause her any grief.
"Stephanie," he walked over to her and tried to comfort her, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to -"
Stephanie jerked away from his touch, "I hate you Eric, stay the hell away from me!," she screamed. She knew a lot of this was her fault, but after what he said about her and HHH when they were married, at the moment she couldn't forgive him. Everything was happening way too fast.
Stephanie turned and left the office as fast as she could, leaving Eric cursing to himself under his breath, wondering what he could do to make things right again, but part of him told him that it would be impossible to reach Stephanie. After all, she is a McMahon.
Eric looked everywhere for Stephanie that night, he hadn't heard anything about her leaving the arena, and everyone he asked hadn't seen her. It was possible they could be covering for her, the only place he hadn't checked was Shawn Michaels locker room. The last thing he wanted was to start something with him again. But if he wanted to talk to Stephanie, he'd have to see if she was in there.
Eric stopped at the door that said, "Shawn Michaels" on it, he paused before knocking then sighed and waited. To his surprise it was Stephanie that answered it, not Shawn.
When Stephanie saw it was Eric at the door, she tried to close it on him but before she could completely close it Eric allowed himself in, looking around to make sure Shawn Michaels wasn't there.
"Eric, please get out, I don't want to talk to you..," she started to head toward the door, but Eric moved in front of her.
"Get out of my way," she demanded. She then tried to move past him, but he moved in front of her again. "Eric, I mean it!"
Eric wouldn't move, he had to talk to her and let her know he didn't mean the things he said, even if they were true. "Stephanie, we're going to have work together so we have to, sadly, get along. I'm not letting you move unless-"
Eric was shut up quickly by Stephanie's lips pressing against his. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly, his hands running up and down her back, never wanting it to end. Stephanie broke the embrace and looked into his eyes, neither of them knowing what to say or do next.
Authors Notes: Ah, how I loved writing this chapter. There will only be one left (I'm thinking) so I'm trying to make it the best one. Thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews! These are the most reviews I've ever received on any of my Steph/Eric stories! And I must have at least 5 stories up on fanfiction dot net (I think). I'm glad to see more Eric/Steph shippers out there! Be proud, it's a great pairing I think! And hopefully one day they'll start the storyline again when Steph comes back on tv! --Throws confetti for those who reviewed and everyone who likes Eric/Steph--
