Stephanie walked down the hallway looking down at the pad of paper in front of her. It wasn't long before she smacked right into Chris Jericho, who caught her quickly before she landed on the hard ground.
Stephanie slowly leaned up and smiled. "Thanks, I'm sorry I didn't see -"
Jericho leaned her all the way up so she could stand. "Well, you should watch where your going, next time I may not be there to catch you, or I could just let you fall." He looked at her for a moment, then down at the notebook in her hands. "What were you looking at ?"
Stephanie tilted the notebook toward her chest. "That is none of your business Jericho."
"Really?" He asked, then quickly took it from her, turning his back.
Stephanie grabbed his arm. "Give that back right NOW Jericho!" She screeched.
Chris grinned. "Hmm.. seems you have all the matches decided for tonight already. Do you really think Eric will approve of every match you made for tonight though?" He handed over the notebook with an arrogant smile on his face.
Stephanie grabbed the notebook quickly from Jericho. "I don't need Eric's approval to do anything." She huffed.
"Oh really? So you're the only GM of RAW now?" He mocked her.
"You're such a bastard sometimes Chris." She glared.
"Well aren't we still the little smart ass." He mocked her again.
"Shut up Jericho, just.. shut up!!" She screeched.
Jericho sighed. He knew that this wasn't the way to win her over, but he really enjoyed picking on her. "Princess, you'll never change." He turned his back to her suddenly and started to walk off.
"Wait! Chris.." She caught up with him.
Chris turned toward her and looked on suspiciously.
"Look, I have changed." She started.
Chris let out a half-hearted laugh.
"I'm serious." She said sternly.
"Alright, alright. Say you have changed.." He paused. "It would be a huge shock to everyone but.."
"I have Chris. I'm no longer under Hunter's influence." She insisted.
Chris moved closer. "I know you've changed Stephanie, you just haven't changed the way you feel about me." He frowned, then touched a lock of her crimped wavy hair.
Stephanie took in deep breathes. "Chris, what are you.."
"Stephanie!" Eric called out from a short distance.
Stephanie turned away from Chris and looked at Eric with a half smile. He grinned and moved closer to Stephanie, but then noticed Jericho standing in front of her. "Can I help you?" He asked angrily.
"Why don't you help yourself by getting some new hair products Ken!" He mocked Eric then laughed and walked off.
Eric shook his head and then stood there for a moment, processing those words. He ran his hand through his thick dark hair then turned to Stephanie. "What was that all about?" He asked curiously.
Stephanie paused then looked at him with concern in her eyes. "I don't really know. He's been acting very strange lately."
Eric looked both ways to make sure no one was coming down the hallways then leaned in toward Stephanie and kissed her gently. "I don't want to keep my feelings for you a secret anymore Stephanie..." He whispered.
She sighed then looked down. "If anyone knew.. they wouldn't take me seriously, and my Father would probably destroy your career."
Stephanie noticed Eric's angry pout he usually did when he was contemplating doing something harsh or irrational. Stephanie decided she'd try and cheer him up as best as she could. "Eric.." She sauntered closer. "You know I love that sexy little pout you do.." She put her hands on his chest and pressed her body closer to him.
Eric smirked, realizing what she was trying to do. "I'm not going to change my mind Stephanie.." His eyebrow cocked up.
Stephanie sighed then stopped the act. "I don't think it's a good idea Eric, it could jeopardize our career, and I don't want everyone thinking I'm a slut again. You have no idea how long that took for people to stop chanting 'slut' over and over again."
Eric stopped himself from making comments about her past, and her reputation. "People still chant asshole when I go out to the ring, and I don't care one bit." He let out a small laugh.
Stephanie kept her straight face on. "Eric, it's the double standard. If a man sleeps with a woman who he works with, he's praised for it, or admired. But the woman is then called a whore, a slut.. easy.." She raised up an eyebrow this time. "The list goes on. It's always been that way. I have the respect of very few superstars here already. Plus, your reputation isn't at all that wonderful either." She made sure to keep her voice low.
Eric sighed then took her by the hand, leading her into his office and shutting the door. "I know I've had a shaky reputation since I've been the GM of Raw, but that all changed when.." He paused then looked at her for a moment. "When I fell in love with you." He had an ashamed look on his face.
Stephanie let out a soft sigh. "Eric, it's not that I don't want to tell anyone..."
Eric cut her off. "And it's not that I want to brag about sleeping with the boss's daughter, but Stephanie.." He put his hands on her hips and brought her closer to him. "I love you."
Not a single word escaped her lips when she heard him say those 3 words. Stephanie was not only surprised but a little bewildered as well. Eric looked at her, wondering if she would reject him, or tell him she didn't believe he could ever love anyone. But instead he felt her lips press gently against his for a passionate kiss. She broke the kiss slowly then looked him in the eyes. "I love you too." She whispered through glassy eyes.
Eric hugged her tightly and stroked her hair. "I wish you weren't ashamed of me."
Stephanie broke the embrace. "I'm not ashamed of you Eric."
"It would be different if you were seeing Shawn Michaels." He said coldly.
Stephanie was shocked. "How dare you say that! I have no feelings for Shawn, and I'm sure he has no feelings for me at all." She insisted.
Eric looked down for a moment, then back up at her with anger in his eyes. "I see the way he looks at you, the way he touches you.." He started.
"Eric, the chances of Shawn being in love with me is like.." She paused. "Chris Jericho being in love with me!" She laughed. "It's just not possible!"
Eric tried not to let himself smile, but he couldn't help it. A small smirk appeared on his face. "I hope that's enough reassurance for you." She smiled.
Eric guided her over to the couch. They sat down at the same time and looked at each other for a moment, trying to break the moment of silence between them.
Back in Chris Jericho's locker room he sat on the bench, preparing for his upcoming segment on the highlight reel. It wasn't long before Shelton Benjamin walked in to Jericho's locker room. Jericho cocked his head up and looked at the young superstar before him. "Hey Shelty." He said.
Shelton looked at him with a cocky smile. "I saw you with Ms. McMahon earlier." He began to pace around Jericho, as if he was trying to figure him out.
"What about it?" Jericho asked.
Shelton laughed. "I know Chris, in fact, I think a lot of people know your secret." He then walked over and sat next to Jericho and looked at him for a moment.
"I don't know what you're talking about Shelty, but I don't have time for this." He stood up and headed for the door, grabbing his shirt and slipping it on quickly. He put his hand on the doorknob.
"You're in love with Stephanie McMahon." He called out to him.
Jericho stopped and put his arm at his side. "I don't.."
"Oh come on Chris! It's very obvious man, you shouldn't even try to hide it. I mean, who wouldn't be attracted to a young, beautiful brunette like herself. She's a very attractive woman." He commented.
Chris quickly spun around. "Don't talk about her like she's just some piece of ass to you Shelton, because she's more then that." He closed his eyes suddenly and looked down, realizing that he just caught him off guard.
Shelton stood up and walked over to him. "That's what I mean. I'd be careful if I were you Chris, I'm just trying to save you from getting burned by another sweet piece of eye candy you think you 'love.' Like Trish?" He smirked.
Jericho pushed Shelton against the wall. "Don't you talk about my personal life like it's any of your damn business Benjamin!" He screamed.
Shelton kept a straight face. "I was just trying to help you. I'm trying to show you that you don't need anymore distractions. The whole thing with you and Trish was bad enough, but now Stephanie? I'd suggest concentrating on more important things.. like maybe a certain championship belt?"
Chris sighed then let go of Shelton, standing there for a moment. "You're right."
Shelton and Chris exchanged looks before Jericho headed for the door again. "I don't want you telling anyone about this." He said before opening the door. "It wouldn't be good for my career and well being if anyone knew about my feelings for Stephanie."
"I won't tell a soul." Shelton smirked.
Jericho nodded then headed out the door, shutting it behind him. Shelton stood in Jericho's locker room, he looked toward the entrance to his locker room and waited just in case Jericho showed back up. Shelton began scrummaging through Chris's belongings in his duffel bag and smirked when he saw two magazines with Stephanie on the cover, a blank video tape labeled: SM, and an old shirt of Stephanie's she used to wear when she was married to HHH: Brains, Beauty, and Sometimes - Bitch!.
Shelton held the items in his hands and smiled to himself proudly. "Oh, this is too good to be true."
Author Notes: Uh oh, someone discovered Jericho's secret! Sorry for my short chapters in this story, but I'm having a bit of a writer's block at the moment. I have a bunch of ideas in my head, I just haven't discovered how I want to use them. Oh, and sorry for the sappyness, I had to put it in there somewhere though. It's a good change from "Raw Awakening" since it was so angsty and this is a bit more angst/romance/drama. Thank you for the reviews, and I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!