Chapter 8: The New Storyline
Chris stood outside of Vince McMahon's office, biting his lip. He dreaded going into that office. It was the office of a man who cared only about making people miserable, including his very own daughter. Sure, every man wants his daughter to look up to him and see him as a paragon of virtue, but to trample on her heart in the process? Simply put, that wasn't cool. It wasn't cool at all. Chris knew that he needed to go inside the office, as much as he didn't want to, but first he had to prepare himself. The previous day, he had been the equivalent of a brooding, broken man. In Vince's opinion, he had looked like shit. Things had changed since then, but Vince didn't need to know that. He didn't need to know that Stephanie knew the real reason they had broken up. Most of all, though, he didn't need to know that Chris was happy. He couldn't just come in there smiling, or Vince would be suspicious...
Chris knocked on the door to the office.
"Come in!" Vince called from inside.
Chris opened the door and walked inside. He walked over to the desk and stood in front of it with his arms folded across his chest. "What did you want me to come here for?" he asked, trying to sound angry and depressed. It wasn't that hard to slip into that role for him, when he thought of all the crap Vince had made him go through, all the tears he'd made Stephanie cry...
"Stephanie is going to be here soon," Vince said, leaning back in his chair and putting his hands behind his head. He saw the anguished look on the younger man's face when he mentioned his daughter's name, and he smiled before going on. "And then we can discuss this new storyline I came up with."
Chris sat down in a chair in front of Vince's desk and scowled at the older man. "So what's this new storyline about? Am I going to be in it with Stephanie?"
"Oh, most definitely. It'll be one of those romantic storylines that you seem to love so much," Vince answered, grinning. "It'll be like old times, huh? Like the days before you dumped my daughter..."
"Only because you forced me to dump her," Chris snapped angrily. "You know I wanted to marry her..."
"You should be glad that I made you break up with her before you proposed, then," Vince replied, sounding proud of himself. "It would've hurt ten times worse if you two had been newlyweds on your honeymoon or something."
"It still hurts, Vince. I'm hurting, and I know she's hurting because she has no idea what's going on," Chris said, deciding to play this game to the highest level. If he could make Vince believe that Stephanie still had no clue what had really happened, then maybe after he told her everything, they could plan that revenge she had been talking about.
"And she never will know, unless you want her to find out about that night with Trish..." Vince's voice trailed off and he smirked, knowing (or thinking) that he had the upper hand in this whole situation.
Chris looked down at the floor. It had been over a year since that night he had shared with Trish, and Vince was still holding it over his head. If it hadn't been for that one night with Trish, he never would've had to break up with Stephanie in the first place. Vince wouldn't have had any dirt on him at all... But there was that night, and what had happened had all been caught on tape. Therefore, Chris was at Vince's mercy...at least, until he was able to convince Stephanie that he had been totally inebriated and it had been a setup by her own father... But he would worry about that later, when he met up with Stephanie to tell her the entire story.
Just then, there was a timid knock on the door of the office. "That must be Stephanie. Chris, you remember that I have dirt on you," Vince said. "You are supposed to pretend that you never liked her and that it was all a big game for you. Got it?" Chris grudgingly nodded, and Vince smiled. "Come in!" he called.
Stephanie took a deep breath and erased the smile that had been on her face. When she was sure that she looked like the heartbroken woman her father had supposedly "comforted" on the day before, she stepped slowly into the room. "Hi Daddy," she said in a low voice. She looked over and saw Chris and stopped in her tracks. "Chris," she breathed, walking over to him. "Are you here to take me back?"
For a second, Chris wanted to say yes, but then he remembered that he was already back with her. He looked over at Vince, who had an expectant look on his face, then looked back at Stephanie. "Take you back?" he scoffed. "And why would I take you back, huh?"
"Because you love me," Stephanie whispered, stealing a glance over at her father. He was clearly eating this up, and it pissed her off. Who did he think he was, interfering in her personal relationship with the man she loved more than life itself? Obviously, he didn't know who he was messing with, but she was going to teach him, in due time, that he shouldn't play with fire...
"Look, Stephy, honey, I don't want to embarrass you in front of your dad, but if you insist..." Chris's voice trailed off, and he laughed before he continued. "I only stayed with you these two years because you're a good lay... And your dad is my boss. I mean, the perks that came with being in a relationship with you were just fab-u-lous!" He heard Vince snicker and he knew that he was falling for it, hook, line, and sinker. He looked at the older man. "Vince, I don't mean to be rude, but can we get on with this meeting? I have a hot date tonight, and I want to get sexy for my lady, you know?"
Vince tried hard not to smile when he saw his daughter's face crumple, but he couldn't, and he ducked his head down for a minute. When he was confident that his face held a more serious expression, he looked back up. "Well, Steph, you heard the man. Why don't you have a seat so we can get this over with? Chris here has a hot date tonight...with a lady." And it's not YOU, he added mentally.
Rub it in, Daddy, Stephanie thought, sitting in the chair next to Chris's. Rub it in, because the lady he has a date with tonight is ME, you old bastard! She forced herself to keep looking gloomy, though, as she wondered what the real reason was that Chris had broken up with her. She knew that it had something to do with her dad, and knowing him, it was probably something really bad. She tried to overlook his faults, she really did, but it was impossible because he had so many! She didn't know why or how her mom put up with him for so many years...
"You're both probably wondering why I asked you both to come here," Vince began. "Steph, you've been wanting to get back on TV in front of the fans for a long time, and Chris, I think you need to be elevated to main event status again. I think a romantic storyline between the two of you would kill two birds with one stone..." His voice trailed off as he added, under his breath, "Hell, it would kill three birds with one stone. Four, even..."
"Daddy! He dumped me, ok! Why would you put me in a storyline with him? A romantic one at that?" Stephanie asked, trying to react in the way she knew her father wanted her to react. "I don't think I can do this..."
"Oh, it should be easy as pie, Vince. You're brilliant!" Chris exclaimed, clapping his hands lightly. "I mean, I spent two years pretending that I felt romantic feelings for her, so it should be really easy for me to go through with this storyline. When do we start?"
"You don't really mean that, do you, Chris?" Stephanie asked in a small voice, looking at him. He caught her eyes and nodded slowly, then winked slightly so she would know that he was just acting. She'd already known that, though. She looked away, putting her hands up to her face. "Daddy... I don't know if I can go through with this... It's going to be so painful." And now it's time to turn on the waterworks, she thought, and seconds later, tears were running down her face.
Those acting lessons we took together last summer are really paying off, Chris thought, holding back the smile that threatened to appear on his face. "Oh, suck it up, Steph! I thought you were tough!" he exclaimed, then looked at Vince. "Geez, Vince, I don't know how I put up with this constant crying for two whole years," he said.
Vince gave Chris a thumbs up as Stephanie started sobbing loudly. "Calm down, Stephanie. Did I teach you to be dependent on any man besides me?" he asked. She shook her head no, and he went on. "This storyline could be fun for you... Hell, maybe you could somehow try to persuade this stubborn man to get back with you or something. Who knows?"
"That's not going to happen," Chris said matter-of-factly. "I've moved on to bigger and better things... Or should I say, smaller yet more experienced women?" He grinned widely at Vince, and Vince returned his grin. He wanted to slap the grin off the old bastard's face, but he knew he couldn't do that or there would be a huge lawsuit coming his way. At least Stephanie's not really believing this shit, he thought. Because then I'd feel even more horrible than I felt when I broke up with her last Friday...
Stephanie wiped her tears away and took a deep breath. "Ok," she said in a shaky voice. "I'll go through with this storyline...but only because I'm a good sport, and I really want to get back on TV."
"Good. Now, as you both know, there's a big pay-per-view coming up this Sunday night," Vince said. They both nodded, and he went on. "I was thinking, since you have that match against Kurt Angle, Chris, that there could be a point where you're about to get pinned, and then Steph would run in and distract the referee. This would allow you to cheat, maybe hit Angle with a steel chair or something, and then you could pick up the win. Steph, you would just walk up the ramp and come backstage without even looking back at him, but you could have that smug look on your face, that look you always get when everything goes just the way you planned it."
Oh, you mean the smug look I'm going to get after Chris and I get our revenge on you? Sure, I can do that, Stephanie thought. "Yes," she said softly. "I suppose I can do that."
"And what? I'm supposed to thank her or something?" Chris asked, raising his eyebrows.
"After you win, you're going to, like, lean against the ropes and look after her," Vince explained. "You know, and make that 'confused' look you make when you run your fingers through your hair..."
"And what happens after that?" Stephanie asked curiously.
Vince laid two scripts on the desk and pointed at them. "You two can read the scripts to find out what happens next," he said. "We're going to cut this meeting short, because I know someone has a hot date tonight." He looked pointedly at Chris, then at his daughter so he could see the effects his words had on her.
Both of us have a hot date tonight...with each other, Chris thought. He reached for one of the scripts, and at the same time, Stephanie reached for one as well. Their hands touched, and he could feel the familiar tingle run down his spine as he felt her. He quickly grabbed a script and pulled away, because he knew that if he didn't, he'd pull her into his arms and never let her go... Tonight, after I explain everything, if she stays with me, I'm going to make love to her all night long. I'm going to make up for lost time...
"Can I go now, please?" Stephanie asked, looking at her father. "I can't be in here with him right now... I just can't."
"Sure, you can go," Vince said. As Stephanie and Chris both stood up to leave, he spoke again. "Oh, Chris, one moment, please."
"Fine," Chris said with a sigh, sitting back down. "But make it snappy, please. I have a date, remember?"
"Yes, yes, I'll make it quick. I just need a word with you," Vince said. He watched his daughter leave, then turned back to Chris, who was once again scowling. "You played that role perfectly, Chris, perfectly. How the hell did you think of all that stuff to say?"
"Hell if I know," Chris muttered, looking away. He sighed. "But you know I love her, Vince. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to pretend that I don't."
"You'll pretend if you know what's good for you," Vince said, narrowing his eyes. "Do you really want her to find out what you did with Trish Stratus?"
"No, I don't," Chris answered, standing up. "If I really wanted her to know, I would've told her when it first happened, you assclown!"
"Don't get loud with me!" Vince shouted, standing up. "I can easily call Stephanie back in here and pop this tape in the VCR, and then we could all watch it. See how much she'd really love you after seeing all that shit you did with Trish that night..."
"What, do you fucking carry that tape around with you everywhere you go?" Chris asked. "God, you're so fucking perverted."
"That, I am," Vince said with a laugh. "And no, I don't carry the original tape around with me everywhere... I have many, many copies of it, though, and it's always fun to watch... It really gets me in the mood to see Trish riding the life out of-"
"You're a prick," Chris interrupted, heading for the door. "A real prick."
"I know, but remember this, Jericho," Vince said, using his last name. Chris looked over at him, and he went on. "I may be a prick, but I'm your fucking boss, and I control your life."
"That's what you think," Chris muttered, and he walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Then he leaned against the door and closed his eyes, plagued and disturbed by memories of that night with Trish... I'll never drink again, he vowed. Never again in life...
"I waited for you," Stephanie said in a soft voice from behind Chris as he leaned against the door.
He opened his eyes and looked at her. "You were awesome in there," he commented.
"Of course I was awesome, and so were you," she replied, smiling at him. "Daddy won't know what hit him when we get our revenge on him."
"God, your father is horrible..." His voice trailed off as he looked away for a minute. He had to tell her the whole story as soon as possible. He'd held this secret for a year, and it was time for him to let it out. "What do you say we get out of here and head back to my hotel room?"
"Yes, let's do that," she agreed as they started walking down the hallway together. "And then you can tell me the whole story about why you did what my dad told you to do...and dumped me."
"Yeah, I'm going to tell you everything," he said in a low voice. "But I want you to promise me that you won't leave me when I tell you everything..."
"I'd never leave you," she whispered. She looked around, then stopped walking and pulled him to her. "I can't live without you, Chris..." She kissed him softly, then pulled back and touched his lips. "Whatever you tell me... If it pisses me off, I'm going to direct all that anger towards my dad... He's the one behind it all, right?"
"Him and Trish Stratus," he replied. She looked oddly at him when he mentioned Trish's name, and he shook his head. "Come on... I'll tell you everything at the hotel..."
They walked together to the end of the hall, and then she spoke. "You know, we shouldn't be seen together right now. Everyone knows that we broke up, and if we're seen together, it might get back to my dad and he'll figure out that we're back together," Stephanie said logically. "So..."
"You're absolutely right," Chris replied, smiling at her. "But what am I saying, babe? You're always right."
"So I'll meet you at your hotel room in about thirty minutes?" she asked.
"That'll be fine," he agreed. "Me and you...in my hotel room... I can't wait." But telling you this secret of mine... I wish I didn't have to, he added mentally.
"I love you," she whispered.
"I love you, too," he whispered back. "I'll see you soon..."
They gazed at each other for a few more moments, and then they both went their separate ways...
A/N: I was feeling inspired, and this chapter is the result of that! I know it's been a while, but I'm hoping you guys still like this story... In the next chapter, we'll find out what kind of "dirt" Vince has on Chris... Curious? I am!