The Way Things Should Be!
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything, sad to say but true!
Time line: This is a few months after Stephanie got fired, and from here on in it really doesn't follow any of the current storylines on Raw right now, tho I do mention a little bit of the whole Trish debacle.
Spoilers: There is a mention of the Chris/Trish Feud thing but that's about it.
Dedications: This goes out to KiKi, this would really not be a story without her, as it all came about with a question she asked me, and due to my over active imagination and a little pushing from her, we have this.
Author's Note: Yet another one, will I ever learn to stop and concentrate on other stories I need to update? Time will tell. I originally planed on having this as a one shot story, but as time went on, the pages and words increased. So I've decided that I'm going to post it in two parts. I hope you guys enjoy it, and as always I would really appreciate your thoughts on what you think of it, so leave a review please.
Part One of Two.
Walking around the Mall in Connecticut, Stephanie McMahon glanced in shop windows to see if anything caught her eye. So far she only had a bag or two with her, of the things she had bought. This was the fourth time she had been in here, in the space of a week and she had bought what she had wanted on an earlier visit and right now nothing was appealing out to her. Oh, the life of someone unemployed was such much fun, she mused to herself sarcastically, if only they told you how wrong that was, she would have been at least prepared for the utter bordem her life had become.
She was only in the Mall, because sitting at home doing not much of anything was starting to annoy her in the worst way. She was determined not to be one of those people who did nothing but sit in front of the television all day, watching ridiculous talk shows and then just as suddenly have it turn into a full out brawl. She could watch Raw or Smackdown for that. The mere thought of those shows dampened her mood considerably. She would much rather, be behind a desk, checking over paperwork or signing contracts than where she currently was. Call her abnormal if you will, but that was just the way she was. But no thanks to her idiot father, that wasn't going to happen anytime in the near future. Most fathers who were angry at there daughter simply, grounded them, stopped there allowance or took away there cars. Oh but not Vince McMahon, no he had to punish his daughter by chocking her with a lead pipe, until she was unconscious, and on nationwide television, just to make it that little bit sweeter for himself.
Looking up, she was startled out of her thoughts, as she collided with someone, causing her to lose her grip on her bags and drop them to the floor. The person, a man, she had, had the run in with muttered a curse to himself and bent down to pick up her things. Stephanie studied him for a moment, he had on a baseball cap so she couldn't see his face. But by the way he was built, told her that he worked out regularly, maybe for his job. If she still had her job, she surely would have talked him into signing a contract and joining the Smackdown roster. After the man finished collecting her bags he stood up and faced her, and handed over her bags. Stephanie smiled and thanked him, after he had apologised for the incident, and she went on her way.
Deciding that she had, had enough of shopping, she made her way into a nearby coffee shop. The shop itself, was busy. Stephanie looked around for a free table but saw none, deciding to go elsewhere she turned ready to make her way out, when she spotted a spare seat. A man was already sat at the table but it didn't look like he had company. Walking up to the table, she stopped in front of the man, a morning newspaper obstructing her view of him.
Clearing her throat to get his attention she began, "Excuse me sir, I was wondering," but as the man lowered his paper, her words stopped short, and the look of surprise that covered both their faces was amusing.
"Stephanie McMahon, as I live and breath. What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Well, I live here. What's your excuse?" Stephanie questioned.
"Raw's here tonight, and I've heard nothing but good things about this coffee shop, so I decided, why in the hell not grace them with my astounding presence?"
"Still as egotistical as ever then huh, Jericho?" Stephanie mused.
"You know me Princess, once you've been King of the World, you can never go back to being a lowly peasant can you?" Chris remarked with his patent smirk.
"You know, I shouldn't even be speaking to you. After you jumped ship to Raw," Stephanie told him as she pull out the seat opposite him and sat down.
"Heh, well it is the superior brand isn't it? I had to do what's best for Chris Jericho!" he stated to her.
"Well, Raw sure wasn't the superior brand when I ran Smackdown! I'll tell you that,"
"Yeah, you were a good General Manger Steph, I'm sure you serviced your roster good and proper!" Chris remarked, causing Stephanie to gasp.
"You haven't changed one bit have you?" Stephanie wondered. "You're still the same, vile, disgusting rodent you've ever been, aren't you?"
"Now Stephanie, before you go comparing me to Trip's, I think you should get your facts straight," he told her. "I can tell you, I'm nothing but sexy, fascinating, tantalizing and desirable to the millions and millions of Jerichoholics around the world!"
"Yeah maybe to the ones like Rico," Stephanie rebutted, with a smile.
"Hey now!"
"Don't tell this to the general public, but I've actually missed our little quarrels over the past couple of years." Stephanie told him.
"Tell me about it. Have you seen Raw? I've been feuding with none other that Trash Stratus, and that slut can't even match you in the verbal assaults department, wanna come back and we can show them how it's really done?" Chris asked her wishfully.
"In a heartbeat Chris, but I'm pretty sure my dad would have something to say about that."
"Ah, so what! I could be doing my thing and then you could appear outta nowhere, and together we could show the world what they've been missing. Come on you have to give me something, Trish is completely doing my head in, if I have to hear her speak to me one more time, I think my brain will self explode!" he explained sullenly.
"My, my, my, is the self proclaimed King of the World, getting irritated by the Blonde Bombshell?"
"Blonde Bombshell my ass! In fact she is an ass, a pain in mine!" Chris stated, which caused Stephanie to laugh.
Noticing his watch, Chris scrunched up his face and he sighed.
Stephanie noticing this remarked, "Time for the show?"
"Indeed it is!" he answered with false enthusiasm. "Hey listen, if you're not to busy, maybe sometime this week we could meet up again? I'm in town till Friday, and I'll need a native to show me about, right?" he asked her as he pulled a pen out of his jacket, and wrote his mobile number down on a napkin, that was near by. "Call me, ok?"
"Ok," Stephanie agreed. Causing Chris to smiled at her and then he left the coffee shop.
Stephanie picked up her phone as it rang, muting the television as she answered.
"What is it Chris?"
"Hey, how'd you know it was me? I could have been some telemarketer or a stranger who dialled the wrong number!" Chris exclaimed.
"Well, I have ESP! But unlike them, Chris you're the one who's called me nightly, for the past 6 weeks. So I took a guess that it would be you, and hey would you look at that I was right!" Stephanie retorted.
"There's no need for sarcasm Stephy, aren't we beyond that at our age?" Chris remarked.
"Well, you are older than me, so maybe you're the one that needs to tone down the sarcasm. We don't want you to end up like one of those bitter old men, who's only friend is sarcasm, now do we?" Stephanie asked with a snicker.
"Ha, ha, ha, Steph! My sides are splitting cause that was so funny! Oh there goes my insides!"
"Is there a reason you called, or do you just like harassing me?" she questioned.
"It's cause I love harassing you of course!" Chris replied with a chuckle. "But seriously, the show's tomorrow night and I want to know what time your plane's getting in?"
"Hang on," Stephanie told him as she leaned over to get her tickets, and giving them a quick look over. "I should be getting in around ten in the morning." she said.
"Aw, man that means I have to get up real early and drive to the airport to pick you up! Stephanie McMahon the things you make me do for you, I've told you a hundred and one times that I am not your servant!" Chris told her jokingly.
"Chris, how many times have I told you that you will be at my beck and call? I say jump, you ask how high? I ask you to get me something, you don't buy the cheapest brand, you get the most expensive one! Really Chris, do I have to strap you to that chair again and go through this yet again, it's getting tiresome." Stephanie replied exasperated.
"Mmmh, you and me in a room, with me tied to a chair? Damn Steph when did you get so kinky? Not that I'm not liking the image I'm picturing though, tell me are you holding a whip to?" he asked lewdly.
"Chris you really disturb me sometimes. Now along with you, being a lonely old man with sarcasm as his only friend, the kids in your street will go, 'Man that's Chris Jericho house! Yeah dude, that Chris Jericho! I heard he does nothing now except, sit in front of his computer, looking back at how good he looked, and downloads porn! Yeah eww, how the mighty have fallen!'"
"Yeah, and Steph do you know what they'll be saying about you?" he questioned her. "They'll be like 'Oh My God, do you know who that is? Stephanie McMahon. Come on dude you remember her, how can you forget, her dad chocked her out with a lead pipe! Yes, that Stephanie McMahon! I know it's hard to tell, I mean look at her! I didn't know her new nickname was Droopy, and look at the pounds she's added, I'm thinking she'd give The Big Show a run for his money if she ever came up against him. Heh, I know she probably already has!" Chris finished, and was met with silence. "Steph? Hello, Steph?"
"Do you really think I'm fat?" Stephanie asked with a pout, even though Chris couldn't see it.
"Steph, when have you ever been fat? In all the time I've known you, you've never been close to it!" Chris amended.
"You're just saying that now aren't you? So I won't be mad at you when I see you tomorrow!"
"Nah Stephy, I'm not." Chris told her honestly. "So I know you've got the television on mute. What you watching?" he asked.
"Adverts." Was Stephanie's answer.
"Of course, anything you've seen of interest?"
"Yup," Stephanie answered, her voice suddenly void of the sulkiness, she had previously. "Something for you actually, for your birthday."
"Oh, do tell, I'm all ears!" Chris replied eagerly.
"Could you actually picture someone covered in nothing but ears? Wouldn't that just be horrible? Do you think there's anyone out there, that's actually covered in ears or has more ears than they should have?" Stephanie wondered, while also screwing her nose up, at the picture her mind was visualising.
"Yeah Stephanie, that would be uber gross, thank you so, so much for the visual! Now back to my potential present?"
"Viagra," Stephanie told him with a snigger.
"You are so dead tomorrow when I come and pick you up, so dead, you'll be deader than death!" Chris threatened.
"Did I touch a nerve Chrissy?"
"That's it, if all I'm going to get out of this phone call is abuse, then I'm hanging up! One more insult girly and your ass will be listening to the dial tone! I mean, did I have to call you up, just to make sure I could be on time for your plane arriving tomorrow? No I didn't, but I was being nice. But you know nothing about being nice, no you don't! You just throw your insults at me and expect me to wave them off, like it didn't hurt me!" he ranted down the phone.
"Is that it, is you're little tantrum over?" Stephanie asked, receiving no answer she continued. "Note to self Stephanie, never insult Chris's sex drive or else you'll end up with him throwing a hissy fit like a five year old down the phone!" and the dial tone was her answer.
Laughing to herself, she counted to ten, and just as she had suspected, the phone started ringing again. It continued ringing, until the answering machine picked it up.
"Hi,"
"God, I thought,"
"As you can tell I'm not in right now, leave a message after the tone along with your name and number, and I'll try to get back to you!"
"Stephanie! Answer the damn phone! I mean it!" Chris's voice floated angrily throughout the room. "I cannot believe you let your answering machine get me! How rude! Two can play at this game! I'm just gonna tell you obscene joke then! What do you call a gay dinosaur? Mega-sore-a..." Chris started.
"Ok, ok I'm here!" Stephanie told him as she answered the phone.
"Finally! You insulted me to my very core, Stephy, insulted!"
"Tell it to someone who cares!"
"You're mean,"
"Thanks it's my speciality, after all I did get my best pointers from you right?" Stephanie told him.
"Yeah, that's right! I have much to teach you, the best is yet to come!"
"Is that a promise?" Stephanie wondered.
"Oh, count on it!" Chris promised.
"So why did you call back?"
"Well, you know me, I'm just dying to annoy you even more than I was." Chris joked. "But truthfully, it's cause I wanted to say goodnight to you."
"Such a sweetie aren't you?" Stephanie told him with a smile.
"Never a truer word spoken. Goodnight Steph, I'll see you tomorrow when you get in."
"Night Chris, see you there," and those were their last words to each other until the next morning.
Chris's morning just seemed to go from bad to worse, to ultimate disaster. It was like the Gods themselves were trying to stop him from getting to the airport on time. He knew if he was late Stephanie would have him hung and pelted with rotten food, oh it may not be the olden days, but he was pretty sure if Stephanie could find a way to do that, then no one would dare stop her.
It all had started off when he woke up in his hotel room soaking. It turned out that at some point during the night, the waterbed he had requested in his room had sprung a leak, and as a result his boxers and t-shirt he wore to bed were drenching him to the bone. He had then looked at his clock beside him on the night stand, and his only reward were the flashing 0:00, that seemed determined to mock him. After letting out a groan of frustration, he took a step out of his bed, and his foot squelched into the watery carpet. The only words floating through his head that early in the morning were, today really wasn't going to be his day.
And he was right, because there he was, sitting behind the steering wheel of his rental car, not going anywhere. He was boxed in from all sides, so he could neither move forward or reverse out of where he was sat. There had been a minor road accident, 10 minutes before, but Chris felt like he had been sitting, staring at the same spot for a lifetime or two, when all he wanted to do was put his foot down on the pedal and get the hell outta here.
Another five minutes ticked slowly by for him, and he breathed a sigh of relief as the traffic in front of him picked up, finally he was moving again, maybe he was actually gonna make it on time.
Stephanie came out of the airport doors and looked about, she didn't see Chris anywhere. Well this was just perfect, she grumbled to herself . Like her day wasn't already bad enough, ok so it wasn't massively disastrous but that little kid, who had been sat behind her, and insisted on kicking her chair, had really irritated her to no end. Of course when she had lifted her coffee, for a drink, the boy had thought it funny to do it one last time, just to make sure the contents of her cup, spilled all down her. Taking another look around, she finally spotted Chris, jogging towards her. When he stopped in front of him, they both took in each others appearances and simultaneously spoke.
"What happened to you?"
"Don't even ask!"
"Let's get outta here, before my day gets any worse," Chris groaned as he clasped his hand together with Stephanie's and pulled her with him as he left the airport.
"You to huh?" was Stephanie's parting remark as they got lost in the crowd of a sea of people.
Hours later they sat in Chris's locker room, Raw had started and had been running smoothly for almost half an hour. Chris wasn't up for another 20 minutes, and with that, all he had was a Highlight Reel. Sure he loved to wrestle, but there really wasn't anything like, going out there and preforming in front of millions, while he ripped another superstar to shreds, it just sent chills all through him. The crowd chanting his name over and over again, wasn't all that shabby either.
"Chrissy go get me water," Stephanie requested, from her spot on a chair in Chris's locker room.
Looking up from the magazine her was reading, Chris looked at her like she had just asked him to shave his head bald. "Get it, yourself! Can't you see I'm busy?" he told her.
"Oh yeah, real busy!" was Stephanie's sarcastic reply. "I'm sure you're ass is getting a really good work out, with all that weight you're putting on it! You haven't moved form that sofa since we got in!" she complained.
"Yeah, well you haven't either, you just have to constantly flick through every single channel available, to see if anything good is on. You settle on one for all of a second and then you start doing it again!"
"Please?" Stephanie begged.
"You, want it, go get it yourself sweet cheeks! I'm quite comfy laying here," Chris told her, and just to emphasize his statement, he moved around on the sofa, then sighed happily, and went back to reading his magazine.
"What are you reading anyway? 1001, more ways on how to be a complete jerk? If so then don't worry you've already got them sorted!"
"Actually, it's 'The Most Influential Rock Gods of the Last 50 years'" Chris told her.
"Men and there magazines, I'll never get it." Stephanie muttered.
"Just think of it like, women and there essential need to gossip with each other," he retorted.
"Uncalled for!" Stephanie accused.
"But totally true," Chris snickered.
Before Stephanie could reply, there was a knocking on Chris's door, to which Chris yelled for them to come in. The door opened and a show technician stood there uneasily, Chris Jericho, was never easily to handle. But Chris Jericho and Stephanie McMahon, they both had been doing nothing but absolutely terrorising the event staff, with their pranks throughout the past couple of weeks. Today looked as if, they were both too bored to even attempt anything, and for that he was thankful.
"Uh, Mr JerichoChris, sir.." the man stuttered.
"Spit it out ass-clown I don't have all day!"
"Your uh, your segment is up next,"
"Well, thanks Junior, I'll be right out!" Chris replied.
The man left, closing the door behind himself, and once it fully closed Chris started to chuckle.
"You do know that was mean, don't you?" Stephanie questioned him.
"Of course I do, gotta keep them on there toes, it's all fun, and don't tell me you wouldn't do the exact same thing?" receiving no answer, Chris continued. "Told you! Now, ma'am," Chris started as he pulled himself up off of the sofa with a sigh. "I have to go and entertain the millions of Jerichoholics out there, who came to Raw just to see Lil' old me," taking Stephanie's hand in his, he leaned down and kissed it, with a smile playing on both their lips. "Excuse my departure fair lady, I know it'll be torturous on you soul, but I got's to do what I got's to do! Till later, I bid you farewell," Chris told her, as he left.
Stephanie laughed to herself, the things he did, never seemed to stop. She was glad, she had met him again when she did. No matter how she was feeling Chris, was the one right there to cheer her up, or he was now that they were friends. Their was things he would just do for her and other things he wouldn't. Like, oh say getting her water.
"Make me get up and get my own water, guess I gotta get the chair out again," Stephanie muttered to herself as she walked out of his locker room, and down the hall to the refreshments table. Their was alway something to drink there, but that being said Eric Bischoff's was the GM of the show, and didn't part with money easily, if she was lucky maybe she come find a dripping tap.
Reaching the table she was in luck there was an assortment of bottled water, and oh was that chocolate cake? It was! So busy was she, trying to cut a bit of it, she didn't hear the person behind her approach.
"Stephanie."
She froze, she'd know that voice anywhere. It hunted her, taunted her in her dreams. And along with it, his laugh, mocked her until she felt like she was once again a small child, wanting nothing but his praise, his approval. Any girl, when they were small wanted there father to be proud of them, she wasn't the only one was she?
Putting down what she had lifted, Stephanie turned to face him.
"Vince." His eyes bore into hers, trying to intimidate her, but he had done that for the last time, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of doing it again. It felt like they were in a staring contest, neither one willing to back down or look away. Finally after what had felt like an eternity, Vince took a step back and looked her up and down, not actually believing she had dared to come back.
"What are you doing here? Didn't I fire you? Oh, that's right! You quit didn't you?" Vince sneered.
"Oh dad, you keep thinking that, but we all know I never quit! I couldn't! You'd already choked me out before I could say anything. And just so you know, if I had a choice, I would have never uttered those words, just to spite you!" Stephanie taunted back.
"Why are you here then? Going to beg me for your job back? I don't think there's any position higher than floor sweeper right now, but I'm sure we could work something out."
"Can you answer me a question? How are we possibly related? I mean someone as evil as you couldn't have possibly loved anything in their life, or maybe you just love Shane? Is that it, was I a mistake? Or maybe Shane was too? Hell, that's probably why you married mom! You didn't want to bring a bastard into the world right? You couldn't face another you? Or you couldn't handle the competition, of the later years?" she said, her voice full of contempt.
"Stephanie, watch your mouth, I'm still your father." Vince warned.
"That's news to me daddy! The last time I checked the dictionary, father meant; a male who protects and loves their child. Nowhere in it did it say a man, who is spineless and their only wish is to hurts and berate the child they claim to love!" Stephanie cried, already feeling her eyes moisten with angry tears.
"Stephanie," Vince spoke, his voice softening as he saw the tears glistening in her eyes. He moved in to wrap an arm around her, but she pushed him away.
"Are you happy now? Are you? Do you know I haven't though of what you've done to me in weeks? I was actually having fun with Chris. But no I meet you and you open your mouth and all the hurt you caused me comes back ten fold! Do you take pride in that? Because if you do then you have a very sad existence," she told him, her hurt clearly showing.
"Chris?" Vince asked.
"What do you care? It's not like you have in the past few months, why should I tell you anything?"
"Benoit? Christian?" Receiving a negative response on them, his eyes suddenly widened. "Jericho?" Seeing a smile tug at the corners of Stephanie's mouth, he knew he was right. "You and Chris Jericho?" he asked hoping he was wrong.
"So?"
"Stephanie, you will not date Chris Jericho, I forbid it!" Vince demanded.
"I am not dating him! He's my friend, and since when have you got the right to tell me what I do? Did you suddenly jump back into your role of a father? I'm sorry it doesn't work like that, if you think you can just waltz in and pick up where you left off, you are sadly mistaken," she told him.
"Stephanie, please I am your father," Vince pleaded.
"Yeah? Well why the hell don't you act like it?" Were Stephanie's parting words as she turned on her heel, and stalked away from him, leaving him in her aftermath. Vince's eyes followed her, he wanted to follow her himself, but he knew he didn't have the right. She was right, some father he was. Frowning he turned in the opposite direction, heading to his office for tonight, he had a lot to think about.
Chris flung open the door to his locker room, a smile on his face. The crowd had loved him, but what else was knew there?
"Honey, I'm ho..." he started, but as he saw Stephanie sitting on the sofa, crying, his mood instantly sobered, and he walked over to her and sat beside her. When he did, she was immediately in his arms and he could feel the sobs that racked through her, as they vibrated throughout his own body. Trying to sooth her, he gently ran his hand through her hair. He let her cry it out, she obviously need to, until her sobs turned to sniffles and the occasional hick up.
"Hey," Chris began, smoothing her hair back so he could see her face. "Is everything alright down there? Or did you create a new ocean? Maybe we could call it the 'Stephacific' that would be a righteous name," he joked, gaining a laugh. "Yay, she speaks! Well, kinda, she makes noise!" He finished, only hearing a mumble in reply. "What was that? Chris is the greatest guy in the world? Ah, I knew it!"
"I said thank you!" Stephanie told him.
"What happened? Was it Hunter?" Chris asked.
"No, worse. It was my father. We had a run in and stuff happened."
"That Jackass! You know what we could do? We could put something to make him sleep in his drink, and tie him up to a chair, and dye his hair bright pink then..."
"Then we could put him in the middle of the ring and have the audience members throw paint filled balloons at him!"
"See, that's why I like you, you just totally think what I do!" he exclaimed.
"Wishful thinking huh?" Stephanie questioned.
"Oh, you say the world and I'll ah, call my connections and have it arranged." Chris told her with a bad attempt at an Italian accent.
Before Stephanie could reply the door to Chris's locker room was being knocked on again.
"Does the Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla, never get any peace these days?" Pulling open the door he asked "What do you want Junior?" Before seeing, Vince stand before him.
End of Part One.