Chapter 7

Hunter walked down the hallway and stopped in front of his wife's office door. He knew she was going to be angry with him for what he had done. After all, the whole reformation of D-Generation X had been totally unscripted! But he hadn't had a choice in the matter. It was either bring DX back or his two favorite women would be harmed. Really, what other choice did he have but to follow the orders he had been given?

He stepped into her office and braced himself.

He expected for her to yell.

He expected for her to scream.

He expected for her to say that he was single-handedly trying to ruin her father's company, even.

He did not expect to find her sitting at her desk crying her eyes out.

"Steph? Baby?" He hurried over to her side and pulled her into a standing position. "What's wrong?" he asked, wiping her tears away. "Why are you crying?"

She looked up at him, into his eyes. The tears kept coming. "The tears won't stop," she said in a shaky voice. "They just won't stop."

"Is this about the whole DX thing out there? Because I can explain-"

She put a finger up to his lips, touching them softly. "Don't explain. Just...hold me...kiss me..."

He raised his eyebrow at her, confused, but who was he to deny his beautiful wife what she wanted? What she needed? He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. At the same time, he put his arms around her and held her close, just the way she wanted him to. After a minute, he broke the kiss and pulled back to look at her. He instantly knew from the troubled expression on her face that something was definitely wrong.

"Want to tell me what's making you cry?" he asked in a gentle voice, peering down at her.

She buried her face in his chest, breathing in his scent and putting her arms tightly around him. "Not just yet," she whispered, closing her eyes and just trying to memorize how it felt to be in this man's embrace.

She knew that once she told him why she was crying, he was going to leave her. There was no doubt in her mind. There would be no talk. There would be no trying to work it out. He would be hurting, he would be angry.

She sighed. "I'm not ready to tell you yet." I'm not ready to lose you yet...

"This place is kind of depressing, isn't it?" he asked. She nodded against his chest. He pushed some strands of her hair back. "What do you say we get out of here?"

"Ok," she agreed quickly. "Let me just pack my stuff up." She completed this task in record time and was ready to go in minutes.

The married couple stepped out into the hallway. Hunter put his arm around Stephanie's shoulder and kissed her on the top of her head. Stephanie put her arm around his waist and leaned against him as she walked. They walked down the hallway in silence, each one absorbed in their own thoughts, in their own problems. Each one was thinking about the mistakes they had made in the past, and how much they regretted what they had done now that their pasts were coming back to haunt them. People had been hurt, and now those people wanted revenge on them, on the people that they loved...

They were both so absorbed in their thoughts that they walked right by Chris Jericho without noticing. This had never, eeeeever happened before!

"Hey there Hunter, Steph," Chris said loudly, determined to make his presence known to his group member and to the woman he loved more than anything.

"Oh, um, hey Chris," Stephanie said, offering him a half-smile.

"Hey," Hunter said, not bothering to take the effort to smile. He was so down with his whole situation that he just didn't have it in him. He knew that Chris understood.

"You guys must be really preoccupied," Chris observed. "After all, you both walked right past me, and I'm a larger than life living legend! The King of the World! It's unprecedented, me getting ignored."

"Sorry. I guess you could say I'm a little lost in my thoughts right now," Stephanie apologized, looking at Chris. "I didn't mean to ignore you."

"It's ok, Stephy, I forgive you," Chris said, getting lost in her eyes. He would forgive her for anything and everything, just as long as he could look into her eyes...

"Yeah, Jericho, we were just going to head out," Hunter said with a sigh. "This place is so depressing... We just want to leave."

"I feel you. Any chance you guys are going to be swinging by the hotel?" Chris asked hopefully.

"Actually, that's probably where we're going," Stephanie said, eyeing him curiously. "Why?"

"Mind if I catch a ride? That is, if it's not too much trouble," Chris said, putting his hands up. "Because I don't want to bring you guys any trouble... From the looks on both of your faces, it seems like you have enough."

"You can say that again," Hunter mumbled. He cleared his throat and spoke a little louder. "I don't think that would be a problem. Steph?"

"Not a problem," Stephanie agreed sullenly, already lost in her thoughts again. She looked down at the ground as she remembered the phone conversation she'd had with X-Pac.

"What's her problem?" Chris mouthed to Hunter.

"Hell if I know," Hunter mouthed back with a shrug.

Chris cleared his throat. "So, um, let me run to my locker room and grab my stuff, and I'll meet you guys in the parking lot."

"Ok. We're going to be in the limo," Stephanie said absently. "You won't miss us."

Chris watched the two walk away, particularly Stephanie. He didn't know why he loved her so much. It wasn't like he even knew her that well. He'd just always had a little thing for her ever since he'd met her, and that little thing had never gone away... She seemed to be happy with her husband though, so he figured that he'd probably never have a chance with her. That didn't matter, though. At least he was going to have the opportunity to doing something meaningful and help protect her. That was the only reason he'd asked to join DX, the only reason.

Sighing, he turned from his spot and hurried to his locker room. He went inside and gathered up his things, and he was about to leave when the door opened and someone stepped inside. Chris's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of this person standing in front of him, and his jaw went slack.

"At a loss for words?" the person asked, smiling at him.

"W-what the hell are you doing here?" he asked nervously, backing up a little.

"I'm here on business," the person said, stepping closer. "And speaking of business, why are you dipping in ours?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked, playing dumb. "Whose business?"

"Mine and Chyna's," the person replied, taking another step closer.

"I'm not in anyone's business but my own. My business is protecting Stephanie," he said bravely, standing his ground.

The person cocked his head to the side a little and looked at Chris, studying him. "You love her, don't you?"

"Huh? Me love Stephanie? That's...absurd," he stuttered.

"If you didn't love her, you wouldn't want to protect her," the person said logically. Chris looked down and the person laughed. "Yeah, I know I'm right. You love her."

"So what if I do?" Chris asked, looking down at his feet.

"You love her, but as long as she's with Hunter, you'll never have her."

"If her being with Hunter makes her happy, then I want her with him."

"You have got it bad," the person said with a low chuckle, but then the person got serious. "If you join us, we'll make sure Stephanie ends up with you."

Chris's head snapped up and he looked intently at the person. "How can you do that? There's no way!"

"Yes, there's always a way when Chyna and I are involved," the person said, extending their hand. "So what's up, Jericho? How bad do you want Stephanie? Are you in?"

Chris thought about it for a minute. Could he really cross over to their side for his own selfish reason, just to get Stephanie? Could he really do that and feel no remorse? But then he thought about it in a different light. He could be a double agent, faithful to Hunter's side and just using this person's side to get important information... Yes, that could work. He knew he probably wouldn't end up with Stephanie in his arms, but this would be a way to fully ensure her safety...

With that thought, Chris looked the person in the eyes. "I'm in," he said solemnly, shaking the person's hand. "What do I need to do?"

"I knew you'd see things my way...and I know you're already in cahoots with Hunter and whoever's on his side, so just go about things like you normally would've if we'd never met tonight," the person said. "I'll be around to get information when you least expect it...so be on your toes."

"I'm always on my toes," Chris said, pulling his hand back and picking up his duffle bag. "Now if you'll excuse me, my ride is waiting on me." He brushed by the person, but the person caught him by the arm and stopped him in his tracks. "What now?"

"Don't cross me, Jericho, or you'll regret it," the person said. "I mean it."

"Whatever," Chris said, wrenching his arm out of the person's grip. "And for future reference, don't put your hands on me." And without another word, he walked out of the room, leaving the person looking after him with a little smirk on their face.

A/N: So sorry it took me so long to update this... I had most of this chapter written LAST YEAR but I couldn't figure out how to finish it! Anyway...reviews are appreciated... Lol...