TITLE: A Ghost of a Chance Chapter One?

AUTHOR: Juliet3:16
EMAIL:
RATING: R
CONTENT: VIOLENCE, ATTEMPTED RAPE/NON CONSENSUAL SEX, IMPLIED RAPE, ADULT LANGUAGE.
CATEGORY: ADULT, ANGST, DRAMA
SPOILERS: Up through Judgement Day 2002 but begins a year later. One further note: Austin still walked out on the company, but Ric Flair remained owner of RAW.
SUMMARY: A ghost story, WWF style. Chapter One takes place after the day/night after the prologue.
DISCLAIMER: Vince owns everything, I own nothing, end of disclaimer.
DISTRIBUTION: the Realm. Anybody else, please ask.

A Ghost of a Chance

Chapter One

Stephanie walked into the arena as usual the next afternoon with a confidence that, on this particular day she really didn't feel. She didn't get a whole lot of sleep the previous night, dreaming of various moments of her and Hunter's relationship, inter sped with the lasting image of his body falling from the Hell in a Cell a year ago. She decided she would avoid the interviewers as much as she could that day and evening. Well, at least Mark Lloyd and Terri Runnels. Hopefully Coach would get the hint that she didn't want to talk.

Because RAW was taking place in Albany that evening, she was able to drive to work that day instead of flying out. Made it both easier and harder to travel in many ways these days.

As Stephanie walked toward Ric Flair's office, she fought to bite back a groan. Mark Lloyd was standing in the hallway not too far from the RAW owner's office. The RAW commissioner was well aware of what day it was and what question he and Terri Runnels probably wanted to ask Stephanie. The brunette quickened her pace, hoping that she could just make it into Flair's office before -

"Stephanie, Stephanie wait!" Lloyd's voice rang out in the hallway.

No such luck.

Stephanie McMahon swallowed her second groan in as many minutes as the annoying RAW interviewer scurried over to her microphone in hand. His eagerness and wolfish expression made Stephanie want to vomit.

"Steph, many are surprised to see you here tonight, in light of what today - " Lloyd started to ask without a preamble.

"I know what today is Mark," Stephanie cut him off eager to get this over with as soon as possible, while trying to maintain her professional business facade, "however, given my past relationship with my late, estranged husband, I'm sure most people will understand my want to just do my job today while figuring out a way to honor Triple H. Now, if you'll excuse me, me and Mr. Flair have business to attend to."

Lloyd apparently wasn't finished.

"What about the persistent rumors that the death of Triple H was an orchestrated plot by you and your father?"

Stephanie stood in shock for a few moments. She knew the rumors as well as anybody. Some fans liked to hurl 'killer' and 'murderess' at her every chance they got. Fortunately those fans seemed to be in the minority at most venues. Still she was surprised that Lloyd would be so brazen to ask the question.

"No comment," she said simply to Lloyd as she opened the door to Flair's office and promptly shut it in the short interviewer's face. Stephanie gave a sigh as she pressed her forehead against the oak door of the office.

"I'm sorry."

Stephanie turned at the soft voice and looked into the kind eyes of Ric Flair.

"Sorry about what?" Stephanie asked rhetorically. Both knew what Flair felt sorry for. Only one of them knew that the apology wasn't necessary.

"If I'd asked you to come before everybody got here or kept Lloyd and the other interviewers away from you - "

"He would've tried to get those questions in anyways, Stephanie interrupted gently, "if not in front of your office, then my office or somewhere else later. It's over and done with and hopefully no one else will ask about Hunter tonight."

Ric nodded and together he and Stephanie went over that night's matches which seemed infinitely easier in Ric's view since he traded the nWo to SMACKDOWN shortly before Stephanie singed on as RAW commissioner.

After making up the match lineup for the evening, Stephanie headed down toward the lockerroom that was set up for her office that evening. As she walked she suddenly noticed Chris Jericho, one of the men who Ric got in the trade for the nWo to SMACKDOWN, walking beside her.

"Hey Steph," Chris said.

"Jericho," she replied civilly, but shortly. She wasn't entirely sure if her cool reserve toward her former business partner had to do with the events that led to the end of that partnership and ultimately her temporary exile from the WWF, or his involvement in her estranged husband's death; despite it being deemed an accident. Perhaps a bit of both Stephanie decided. She hoped he was just stalking her to inquire about the match listings for that night and not planning to make some type of crass dig about the anniversary of Hunter's death. She really didn't feel like talking about Hunter anymore that night, especially after her encounter with Mark Lloyd.

Jericho was silent as she came to a stop in front of her office. As she opened the door, he reached out to touch her hair in an unsettling manner.

She whirled around and slapped him so hard he had to turn his body around in the direction of his head to keep it from coming off. She slammed the door to her office with such force, it could've shook the foundations of the arena.

So focused was Stephanie on getting way from Jericho that she missed the grave look of confusion on the Canadian's face.

:-D More soon. :-D