Title: And So It Goes
Author: Brandy
email: ,
Rating: R (mostly language)
Characters: Chris (Irvine) Jericho, Amy (Lita) Dumas, Matt Hardy, Rogue and various other WWE superstars
Summary: After a bitter divorce from his ex-wife, Chris meets Rogue, a nightclub singer. Rogue has issues of her own, but will they push Chris away, or draw him closer?
Disclaimer: Okay people, you know the drill. Hands above your head and spread...damn! Wrong drill! All characters belong to Vince Mcmahon, lucky bastard that he is, and the wrestlers belong to themselves. (Though if Chris is willing to give up ownership....)I am receiving NO money from this whatsoever and this story in no way reflects the wrestlers real lives, other than how the live in my twisted little mind.. Oh yeah, and the names Rogue, Storm, Xavier...etc, may belong to the dude who writes the X-Men comics, but the characters themselves, belong to me! insert evil laughter here AND...... the song "And So It Goes" belongs to Billy Joel, "Nothing Man" belongs to Pearl Jam and "Grey Street" belongs to Dave Matthews.
Distribution: Megan, Cristal, any one else please ask.
Author's note: All feedback is much loved and appreciated!
Chapter One
Rogue rolled her shoulders, trying to loosen the knots that had formed. She always got this way before a gig, and this one wasn't any different. What was there to be nervous about? They'd played the Pink Flamingo at least once a month for the last two years. She jumped at the sudden sound of the voice on the mic.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the Pink Flamingo proudly presents to you.......Malice!"
Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, she caught her sister's eye, signaling her to go out. Rogue pasted a seductive smile on her face and sauntered onstage to sit at her pride and joy, her Pearl drums. Glancing at the crowd, she relaxed, as usual and got ready to start. She winked at her sister, and they began.
Chris Irvine, a.k.a. Chris Jericho, lifted his mug, taking a great gulp of beer. Matt had insisted on buying a pitcher and cajoled Chris, along with Amy and Victoria into drinking a glass. After his third, he stopped Matt from pouring another. "Okay, Hardy. Tell me again why we're here."
"I told you, " Matt said as he filled everyone elses glasses, "I went to school with the guy that owns this place." He sat the pitcher down and returned to his own drink, throwing an arm around Amy. "He's been on my case to come visit Tennessee for years." Matt shrugged and smiled at the woman next to him. "I figured telling him I'm getting hitched was a good enough reason to take him up on the offer."
Chris rolled his eyes as two of his closest friends smiled and looked deeply into each other's eyes. While he was thrilled that Matt and Amy were finally tying the knot, watching them make doe eyes at each other was starting to turn his stomach.
"You guys are just so cute!" Victoria giggled, already on her fourth beer of the night. "I wish Dave would hurry up and as me to marry him." she said, referring to her boyfriend of three years, Dave Batista.
"Yeah, then all we'll have to do is get Chris married off," Amy said, dragging her gaze away from her fiance long enough to smile at her childhood friend.
Chris snorted. "Not bloody likely. Not after Jessica." The table fell silent as everyone remembered Chris' ex-wife. A little less than three years ago, Chris had married his high school sweetheart and seemingly had the perfect life. He had his dream job, wrestling for the WWE, his dream house in Florida, far away from the biting Canadian cold and his dream wife, tall blonde and beautiful. It was exactly these reasons his world fell apart when he walked in on his wife, his love, having sex with his boss, none other than Vince McMahon. Not waiting for the questions she had known would come, Jessica told him that she was the reason he'd gotten the job with the WWE. After all, she'd said while laying there totally nude in their bed with another man, she had been sleeping with "Vinnie" since she was 16. Chris walked out, without a backward glance, and filed for divorce that day.
A loud voice came across the room, shaking the group from their individual thoughts. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Pink Flamingo proudly presents to you.........Malice!"
The people on the floor went nuts as the band walked out on stage and before they knew it, it was nearly impossible to see the stage sitting down.
"Wow! They must be pretty popular!" Victoria said, reaching for her beer. Everyone at the table nodded their agreement. As the band started off with an old Black Crowes song, "Hard to Handle", Victoria brushed off her hands and shoved her chair away from the table. "C'mon, Chris. You've gotta cheer up. Dance with me."
Chris reluctantly got up, knowing that the raven-haired diva's heart was in the right place.They made their way to the dance floor, finally finding a spot just big enough for one person. They bumped and grinded, going with the flow of the music and having a good time as the band flowed smoothly into another fast song. Chris forgot, if only for a moment, about his unhappiness.
Rogue and her sister, Storm pulled two bar stools up to the front of the stage and sat down at the microphones to finish the show the way they always did.
Rogue drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. As always her unfounded nervousness before the show was just that: unfounded. They were getting ready to close the show and nothing any different had happened. Rogue relaxed noticably as a small smile found it's way to her lips. She scanned the crowd, as she always did, searching for the one face, one soul to sing the last song directly to.
He was wearing a pair of comfortable looking jeans that hugged his body like a second skin. A light blue sweater was paired with it, setting off nicely his long, blonde hair. Her breath caught in her throat as their eyes met. Even from her distance up on the stage, Rogue could tell that his eyes would be the same gorgeous color as his sweater. Taking note of her assesment of him, a cocky smile lifted his full lips. Rogue arched an eyebrow: she had definitely chosen her mark.
She closed her eyes briefly. Opening them she nodded imperceptively at her sister. Storm's high clear voice blended with Rogue's low, smoky one as they performed their trademark song.
In every heart, there is a room
A sanctuary, safe and strong
To heal the wounds from lover's past
Until a new one comes along.
A hush fell over the crowd as the sisters sang a capella. Rogue stared out into eyes like the sea after a storm. The man had yet to look away, but the grin on his face was slowly fading. She lifted a corner of her mouth in a half-smile as she sang the next verse directly to him.
I spoke to you in cautious tones
You answered me with no pretense
And still I feel I said too much
My silence is my self defense
And every time I've held a rose
It seems I only felt the thorns
And so it goes and so it goes
And so will you soon, I suppose
But if my silence, made you leave
Then that would be my worst mistake
So I will share this room with you
And you can have this heart to break.
As they finished the song, Chris couldn't help but be captivated by the drummer's voice. He had noticed her earlier when they'd played Sheryl Crow's "The First Cut". He'd always been fond of red heads and blondes, but there was something about this little brunette that he couldn't look away from. While Matt and Amy slow danced and Victoria caught a cab back to the hotel, Chris was left to his own devices, polishing off what was left of the luke-warm beer. When he'd looked up to find the pretty brunette staring at him, he couldn't help but grin. And damned if the arch of that perfectly shaped eyebrow didn't give him a chubby. Throughout the song, though, the smile had faded. The Billy Joel song she was singing was the only thing he'd listened to through his divorce from Jessica. Sometimes he felt that the words were the only things keeping him sane.
She held his gaze until the song was finished, looking away only when she rose to take a bow. Chris worked his way to the stage, deciding that he HAD to meet her. As he approached, she was laughing at something the woman next to her was saying. The laugh lit up her face, making the entire room seem brighter. Chris shook his head, wondering where that thought had come from and silently berating himself for drinking so many beers. He stood in the doorway she would have to pass through before leaving. As she walked over to stand in front of him, she arched her eyebrow at him again, immediately sending all of the blood in his body to his groin.
"Can I help you?" she asked looking him dead in the eyes. Chris' thoughts stumbled over one another as soon as he heard her voice. How the hell could such a little body carry such a voice? She sounded like Jack Daniels whiskey --- smooth, mellow and southern. He pasted on his "charming" smile.
"Hi. Can I buy you a drink? he asked. She shrugged.
"Not exactly an origianl line, but...sure. Killian's --- longneck, "she told the bartender as they walked over and grabbed the only remaining empty stools. Rogue took a long pull from the bottle the bartender set in front of her and turned to him her dark eyes burning with questions.
"So......if you didn't already know, my name's Chris."
She set her beer down and gave him smile, showing him the small dimple in the lower right corner of her mouth. A very kissable mouth, Chris thought again wondering if it were wise to have had that last beer.
"No, I didn't know. Should I?"
"You don't know who I am?!?", Chris asked, stunned. He wasn't trying to come off as conceited, but he had become so accustomed to people recognizing him, that the thought of her not knowing him hadn't even crossed his mind! He grinned slowly, thinking that maybe this wasn't such a bad thing. "Nevermind. Forget I said that. Hi, my name's Chris," he said, extending his hand. She clasped his hand , lightly turning it so that, should he choose, he could kiss the back of her fingers. He blinked, trying to remember the last time he had shook hands "properly" with a woman.
"Hi. I'm Rogue, "she said, waiting for the expected, "Is that your REAL name?" But it never came. Instead, Chris laughed, causing his blue eyes to twinkle merrily.
"Your parents must be real X-Men fans."
Rogue smiled back, at last comfortable with the handsome stranger. "Yep. I have two older brothers named Xavier and Gambit and two younger sisters named Storm and Jubilee." Chris laughed outright again.
"That's great! Fantastic names!"
"Yeah, well we like them." Chris turned on his stool to see a taller, fairer version of the woman sitting on his left. Her green eyes sparkled in the low light and her red hair swung carelessly againt her shoulders. "Hi. I'm Storm", she said, shaking Chris' hand.
"Hey. I'm Chris."
"Nice to meet you, Chris." She reached around her older sister, grabbing her beer.
"Hey!" Rogue frowned. "You'd better drink that out back, "she said, signaling the bartender for another. "If Ben catches you...." Storm sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Okay, okay. Nice to have met you Chris. Ro, I'll be loading the amps." Storm sashayed off, swinging her hips for the benefit of whomever may be watching. Chris looked on appreciatively. Rogue sighed. She was used to her baby sister stealing the attention and she knew she couldn't help it: it wasn't her fault she'd been born gorgeous. She sighed again, following this one with a chuckle.
"Just so you know, she just turned 20 last month."
"Twenty?!" Chris exclaimed. "God! Man me feel like a dirty old man, why don'tcha?" He smiled, tearing his eyes away from her retreating sister's backside. "She's cute, though. Looks like her older sister."
"So, how old is old, Chris?" she asked, ignoring the attempted compliment. Chris sighed heavily.
"I'll be 35 in June."
"Thirty-five? You don't look old enough to vote, much less be almost eight years older than me!"
"Well, " he said thoughtfully, "I think I'll take that as a compliment."
"It was meant as such."
"Okay, Thank you." He said resisting the urge to reach over and brush the lock of white hair covering one eye away. "So....how old are you?" Chris asked, suddenly curious to find out everything possible about this woman. Rogue covered a grin as she took another pull from her beer.
"I don't know where you're from, but down here it's impolite to ask a lady her age."
"I'm from Canada and before you say anything," he said holding up his hands in mock surrender, "no we don't always use manners." He grinned mischeivously. "Then tell me how much you weigh." Rogue looked up at him, startled but amused.
"I turned 27 in January and as to my weight, there's no way in hell I'm telling you that."
"YOU don't look old enough to vote," Chris said, repeating her earlier comment and reaching over to take hold of her hand.
"I get that alot," she said, staring at their intertwined fingers. How could she possibly be so relaxed with him? Rogue wondered. "It's probably 'cause of my height and the fact that I have Charlie Brown cheeks."
"Charlie Brown cheeks?" Chris asked, puzzled. "I can understand the height thing....you're what? Five three?" Rogue straightened up and puffed out her chest.
"I'll have you know I'm a full five feet four inches thank-you-very-much." she said in mock indignation.
"So what about the weight then?" Rogue snorted.
"Do you actually expect me to tell you my weight? For the love of Pete, Chris, just look at me!"
Chris looked at her with a frown. She was far from fat. The worn jeans she had on had a hole right above her right knee and perfectly hugged the soft curve of her hips. Her black "baby doll" t-shirt emblazoned with "Malice" in pink glitter, stretched over the generous swell of her breasts and left just a little strip of stomach visible when she moved certain ways. "What? You have lots of curves," he said, letting her watch him undress her with his eyes. "And honey, from where I'm standing they are in ALL the right places."
"Why Chris! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were flirting with me, " Rogue said, uncharacteristically moving closer to him and flirting back. Unable to resist the urge any longer, he reached over and brushed the lone strip of white hair behind her ear, causing her brown curls to bounce slightly. His hand hovered near her cheek, aching to see if it was a soft as it looked....
"Who says I'm not?" he breathed, moving closer still, until their breaths mingled. Rogue closed her eyes, already imagining the sweet taste of his full lips...
"Hey Chris! We'd thought you'd bailed on us!", Matt said, clapping Chris on the back, not noticing the situation he was interrupting and effectively ending anything that might have happened. Matt glanced at Rogue and gave her a sheepish grin.
"Oh! Hey, sorry bout that!"
Rogue pulled back stuttering, her large amber eyes widening at what had almost taken place. "T-That's fine. I-I was just going to load my equipment."
"Well, hey...uh...I'd really like to see...or hear...you again. Can I call you sometime?" Chris seemed genuinely confused by what had happened and more than a little pissed at Matt for interrupting them.
"Uh..sure" Rogue wrote the number down on a nearby napkin quickly before she lost her nerve. "It was nice meeting you, Chris."
Matt and Chris both wathed her walk away, following the delicious sway of her hips. "Man, has she got a walk on her." Matt said sitting down on the stool Rogue had vacated. "Sorry about bustin' in on ya like that. Amy and I are about to go meet up with Ben and I wondered if....." Matt suddenly slapped his forehead. "Duh, Matt!" he said, looking over at a sarcastic Chris. "You were hitting on her, weren't you?"
Chris looked at his friend blandly. Maybe Matt had taken one too many chair shots to the head lately... "You must have been in the gifted classes in school, huh Matt." he said as he took a drink from the beer Rogue had left sitting on the bar. As his lips closed around the bottle, he couldn't help but wonder what she would taste like.
"So, you got her digits, right? Give her a call! It's about time you got laid!", Matt joked. He looked over at his friend , noting the intense look on Chris' face. "Seriously though, "he said, placing a hand on Chris' shoulder. "it's good to see you smile again." He got up saying that he and Lita would see him back at the hotel. But Chris' mind was somewhere else, already thinking about big amber eyes full, pouty lips and wondering what he would say when he called her.