Chapter 10: The Question
"Who would've ever imagined that I, Stephanie McMahon, would be sneaking out of your hotel room at five in the morning?" Stephanie asked Chris as he walked her to the door.
"We've done a lot of things we never imagined we'd do," Chris reminded her, squeezing her hand lightly in his. He smirked at her. "And you know what kinds of things I'm talking about."
"Yes, I do know," she said, turning to look at him once they reached the door. "We've done a lot of crazy things with each other...to each other..." Her voice trailed off and she put her arms around him and leaned close, placing an open-mouthed kiss on his neck.
"Stephy... Save it for this weekend," he whispered, gently pulling away from her. It wasn't easy for him to do, since he didn't really want to make her stop. He just knew that if he let her kiss him, he'd never let her leave his room... But they had appearances to keep up for her dad, and he would do anything to get back at that old bastard...
"I can't wait until this weekend to be with you again!" she exclaimed, sounding distraught at the very idea. "Today is only Wednesday, after all. I went without you for almost two whole weeks, and I don't think I can't do it again for three days."
"You do have a point there," he said, nodding. He looked away, a pensive look on his face, then looked back at her. "I'm planning on going home today to my place in Florida, since Sunday's pay-per-view is nearby. Why don't you come along with me?"
"Spending the rest of the week at your place sounds appealing...but I'm sure Daddy will be wondering where the hell I'm at," she said logically. "You know how he loves to keep tabs on me and everything."
"Just... Oh, I have it! Just tell him you're coming to my house and we're going over the script," he suggested. "And make sure you tell him just how much torture it'll be just to be around me and everything."
"You have such a devious mind," she said proudly, hugging him.
"Devious? And this is coming from the devil princess herself?" he scoffed, hugging her back.
"Devil princess, huh?" she laughed, pulling back. "But in all seriousness, Chris, I just don't know... Why don't you come to my place instead?"
"And be in the same city as your dad when I don't have to be? Stephy, you must be going crazy," he said. He put one hand on her forehead to take her temperature. "Do you have a fever or something?"
"Maybe we'll have to play doctor to find out," she said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "Here, I'll go get the anal probe..."
"None of that," he said quickly, shaking his head.
"Relax. I was kidding..."
They talked for a bit longer, deciding where they would be spending the rest of the week before the big pay-per-view. After reaching a mutual decision, they shared a kiss...ok, a few kisses...and then she was gone with a promise to see him the next day...
Chris caught a flight to Florida and went to his Tampa home, and when he walked in the door, he vaguely wondered how he would occupy his time until Stephanie arrived. He was happy that she had finally agreed to come to his place instead of it being the other way around. When she wasn't with him, he felt so lost, so alone. It was like his happiness depended on whether he was with her or not. He knew it wasn't good to depend on her so much, but he couldn't help it. He loved her so much, and if they were to really break up someday, he wasn't sure how he would ever be able to go on...
He took his luggage upstairs and began to unpack. It didn't take him very long to unpack since he was so used to doing it. Practically half of his life was spent on the road, so he was accustomed to it all. He was done unpacking faster than he'd expected to be, though, and he found himself still not knowing what to do with all of his free time before Stephanie was set to arrive the next day.
His stomach growled a little and he looked at the clock. It was just barely six in the evening. "Guess I could order a pizza," he said to himself. He walked over and picked up the phone, then dialed the number for the nearest pizza place. He ordered a large supreme pizza, then sat down to wait. That's all he seemed to be doing lately, just waiting. Waiting to find out if Stephanie would leave him when she found out what had happened, but that wait was over. Waiting to figure out what kind of revenge Stephanie would plan for her father and Trish. Waiting for Stephanie to arrive so he could be with her. Waiting for the right time to pop the question...
The pizza came a few minutes later, and he tipped the pizza delivery guy twenty dollars and sent him on his way. He ate a few slices of pizza, then went and took a shower. He watched TV for a while, but that made him even more bored, so he tried reading a book. When that didn't work, he decided to just give up and go to bed. Looking at the clock, he saw that it was only ten o'clock, but he figured the sooner he went to sleep, the sooner Stephanie would be there. And that was all he really wanted. He looked forward to spending the rest of the week with her before the big pay-per-view. It had been entirely too long since they could spend some really quality time together without him having to feel guilty about the night he'd spent with Trish... He looked at the ever-present picture of himself and Stephanie that was framed next to his bed, then closed his eyes and dozed off...
Around 11:30 that night, Stephanie slipped quietly into the house and shut the door. She hoped that Chris hadn't put the alarm on. She had stayed behind at the arena to talk to her dad and play the part of the heartbroken daughter for a few more hours before she had decided to go to the hotel. Once back at the hotel, she'd thought about Chris and about how much time they'd already spent apart, and a few minutes later she'd found herself at the airport. Luckily, she had found a ticket to where she needed to be, and now here she was in Tampa, hoping that she would be able to surprise Chris.
"Pretty dark in here," she muttered, making sure the door was locked before making her way through the house and up the stairs. She turned on a light in the hallway right outside of the master bedroom and opened the door, and there he was, asleep. God, he's beautiful, she thought, a smile coming to her lips as she looked at him. She observed him for a brief moment, thinking that he was one of the most gorgeous men she'd ever seen, and then she stepped into the room. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to him, reaching up to gently touch his face. "Chris," she whispered.
Chris stirred after a moment and opened his eyes a bit, looking up at Stephanie. "Am I dreaming?" he asked, looking at her through sleepy eyes. "Or are you really here?"
"I'm really here, sweetheart," she replied, running a finger over his lips. "If you want solid proof, touch me."
He sat up and touched her, then smiled. "Yeah, that's my Stephy," he said with a little laugh. He rubbed his eyes a little, trying to fully wake up. "How'd you manage to get here tonight?"
"It was easy. I thought about you and the fact that you would be here all alone in this bed tonight, and somehow I sprouted wings and flew here," she joked. "It was so amazing!"
"No really," he persisted, reaching over to touch her again. "I thought your dad would've had you on lockdown by now."
"Yeah right," she scoffed. "After what you told me about him last night..." Her voice trailed off and she shook her head. "My father is an asshole. A real asshole."
"I agree," he said, nodding his head. "Have you been thinking about this revenge that you mentioned yesterday?"
"I had a few hours on the plane to think about it, and I think I have an inkling of an idea of how we could go about getting revenge on them both," she said, an evil smile on her face. Her smiled turned genuine as she looked into his eyes again. "But I'd rather talk about that in the morning. I have something else in mind for you and me tonight..."
"And what would that be?" he asked, although he already knew what she was talking about. He watched her as she stood up and started undressing. "Oh, so this is what's on your mind, huh?"
She pulled her shirt over her head and smiled at him, leaning back over the bed and kissing him softly. "You know what's on my mind, Chris... You're always the one on my mind..."
"You're always on my mind, too," he said, pulling her closer. "I can't believe I didn't just tell you when it first happened... Then I never would've had to go along with your father's stupid plan..."
"Let's not talk about my father tonight," she whispered. "I want tonight to be about us... I want you tonight, Chris..."
"And I want you tonight, too," he whispered back, touching her face. "I want you tonight and every night for the rest of our lives..."
They shared a knowing look, and then no other words were spoken as he pulled her into his arms and her body melted against his...
The Next Day...
Stephanie woke up the next morning and glanced over at the clock next to the bed. It was already past noon, getting close to three, and she was just getting up. She had a reason for that, though, since she and Chris hadn't really gotten to sleep until 5 in the morning. They'd had a long night, to say the very least. But she'd slept for a long, long time, and maybe another reason for that was because of the fact that she hadn't slept much at all in the past week. "I guess we really wore each other out, huh?" she asked Chris, yawning a little. When he didn't reply, she looked turned over in the bed, reaching for him, only to find that he wasn't there.
She got up and walked over to the closet to get her robe, then went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and take a quick shower. Afterwards, she padded barefoot through the house, looking for him. She knew his house as well as she knew her own, but she didn't find him anywhere. However, she did find what seemed like a letter on the refrigerator door. Upon scanning it, she decided that it was more like a note than a letter, though, and she sat down on a bar stool to read it.
Dear Stephy,
You looked so beautiful sleeping there that I decided to leave without waking you up. I know how much you hate it when you wake up and I'm not next to you, and believe me, I didn't want to leave you there alone, but there's been something on my mind for quite some time and last night I came to a decision. I can't tell you what's on my mind right now, but by the end of today you'll know... I should be back in a couple of hours. As I write this, it's about noon, and I'm pretty sure that it's about three or four in the afternoon now that you're reading this... I'll be back soon...
I love you...
Chris
"I see you got my note," Chris said, and she looked up sharply and noticed him leaning in the doorway. He was wearing some jeans and a brown shirt that showcased all of his muscles, and he was smiling at her.
She got up and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him. "Where'd you go?" she asked curiously.
"I had some business to take care of," he said vaguely, putting his arms around her.
"I gathered that much," she said with a little smirk. "But where did you go?"
"See, I would tell you," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "But that would ruin the surprise."
"Ooh, there's a surprise?" she asked happily, and he nodded. She put both her hands beneath his shirt and ran them slowly over his muscular chest, then looked at him, licking her lips. "Is it a surprise for me?"
"Actually, yes, it is," he answered, biting his lip. "But I can't tell you what it is right now, or else it wouldn't be much of a surprise anymore."
She pulled his shirt over his head, then pressed a soft kiss to his chest. She trailed kisses from his chest to his neck, stopping at his ear. "What do I have to do to get you to tell me what this little surprise is?" she purred into his ear, reaching behind him to lightly trace the muscles in his back.
"Come on, Steph, this isn't fair," he said, shivering a little as she touched him. "You know I can't resist your touch."
"Yes, I know that," she said, running her tongue along the edge of his earlobe. "So why don't you just go ahead and tell me?"
"Sorry, no can do," he said, pulling away from her. "You'll find out later on tonight, and you'll love it...I hope."
"Just tell me," she said, pouting a little and looking at him with sad eyes.
"That might work on someone else, but remember, I took those acting classes with you last summer. I know you well," he said with a little laugh. He grabbed his shirt from her and pulled it back on, then walked over to the refrigerator and opened it, wondering what they should eat. He didn't know why he was looking in the refrigerator, though. It wasn't like they were going to be eating there, anyway, with the plan he had...
"Damn it, you do know me," she said, pretending to be a little angry, but she wasn't. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind, leaning against him. "Yeah, you know me well, but I honestly wouldn't have it any other way."
"Neither would I," he said, turning around to look at her. "Now why don't you go upstairs and get dressed so we can go...somewhere?"
"Where are we going?" she asked curiously.
"I can't tell you," he said, brushing her hair back out of her face. "But I'll tell you this. Don't wear heels, because you will truly regret it."
"No heels... Are we doing something that involves nature?" she asked knowingly.
"How'd you know?" he asked.
"I didn't. You just told me," she said, smirking. She turned and headed out of the kitchen, pausing to look back at him from the doorway. She smirked again at the look of surprise on his face. "What? I've learned a few things from you, Mr. Jericho. I've learned a lot of things from you..."
"I'm sure you have," he said, smiling at her as she walked away, going to get dressed. He added, with a little smile, "I'm sure you've learned a lot, soon-to-be Mrs. McMahon-Jericho..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the diamond engagement ring that he had purchased for her earlier in the day. It was absolutely stunning, just like the woman he had purchased it for. She'll love it, he thought with a little smile. I'm sure of it...
Two hours later, they were finally ready to go. "Took you long enough," he grumbled when she walked down the stairs.
"But you love the end product, don't you?" she asked, spinning around slowly in front of him so that he could see how great she looked from all angles. "I look good, don't I?"
"Your jeans..." His voice trailed off as he looked at the tight jeans she was wearing. "God, you're so hot..."
"Hey, you're not so bad yourself," she teased, winking at him.
He looked at the clock on the wall, surprised that it said that it was five o'clock. "Have you eaten anything yet?" he asked.
She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "No, I can't say that I have," she said after a minute. "No wonder my stomach's grumbling."
"You know, I planned on us having a little picnic today, but it's a little late to do that now," he said. "What do you say we go grab a bite to eat somewhere and then go to the beach?"
"Are we going to get in the water?" she asked, raising one eyebrow.
"If you want to," he said with a shrug.
"I don't want to."
"Then we don't have to... Let's just go."
Later That Night
"I can't believe it took us this long to get to the beach," Chris said as he and Stephanie walked down the beach together. It was already nine o'clock, and he had planned on them getting there by at least seven.
"We're here now, though," Stephanie said, linking her arm with his. "And we went shopping, too. I mean, that's what I call a fun day!"
It's not so fun for me. I'm just nervous as hell now, he thought, biting his lip at the thought of what he would be doing soon. The extra time they'd spent shopping had just made him sweat more, wondering if he'd have enough courage to actually propose to her... Wondering if she'd accept his proposal or turn him down...
"You ok, honey?" she asked after they had walked for a few minutes in silence.
"Yeah, just a little nervous," he said. Before she could ask him why he was nervous, he stopped walking. "This looks like a good spot. What do you think?"
"Sure," she agreed, looking at him. "Why are you so nervous?" she asked as he began to spread their blanket out on the sand.
"There's something I have to do tonight, and I'm not so sure how to go about doing it," he admitted, sitting down on the blanket and pulling her down next to him. "But I'm going to do it, and I'll just hope that it turns out well."
"What are you talking about?" she asked curiously. "And what's this surprise you told me you had for me?"
"I have it," he assured her. "I'm just a little nervous right now..."
"Don't be nervous, Chris," she said, leaning over to kiss him lightly on the cheek. "You're perfect at everything you set out to do, and whatever you're going to do tonight won't be any different. You'll be perfect."
"And I think that just gave me the confidence that I needed," he said, taking a deep breath. He took her hand. "Here, stand up, I have a question for you."
She looked at him quizzically, but stood up nonetheless, and he stood up as well. "Something wrong?" she asked him, suddenly nervous and for no apparent reason.
"No, Stephanie. Everything's absolutely perfect with us, and it has been that way for a long time," he began, touching her face lightly. "We've been through a lot together these past few years. We've had our ups and downs, from the time we spent supposedly disliking each other and taunting each other to the time when we finally got together and fell in love. You've made me so happy, Stephy, and I've realized that I need you. I need you so much, and I want to be with you... I didn't know if you'd stay with me even after I broke up with you last week and after I confessed about that night..."
"That night wasn't your fault, baby," she interrupted, one hand touching his face.
"I know, but I still felt guilty for keeping it from you for a whole year. Now that you've decided to stay with me, I've realized that our relationship can truly withstand anything. You're it for me, Stephy, you're all I want. That's why I've asked you here with me tonight..." His voice trailed off as he got down in front of her on one knee and pulled out the ring that had been burning a hole in his pocket all day. Her eyes widened as she saw the ring, and she looked into his eyes again. He took a deep breath and went on. "Will you... Will you be mine, Stephanie? Will you marry me?"
"Yes, Chris," she answered, without hesitation. "Yes, I'll marry you."
He smiled and slipped the ring onto her finger, then stood up and pulled her into his arms. "I honestly thought you might've said no," he whispered, closing his eyes.
"How could I ever say no to you?" she asked, right before she kissed him. She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled. "You've made me so happy, Chris. I can't wait to tell everyone..."
He pulled back and looked at her, biting his lip. "How are we going to tell your dad?" he asked. "If we tell him... If we tell anyone, he'll do everything in his power to break us up."
"You're right," she said, frowning a little. "We can't tell anyone yet... How much does that suck? Tonight's the happiest night of my life, and now I can't even tell anyone."
"Ah, Stephy, don't worry about it. They'll all find out soon enough," he assured her. He looked down at the blanket, then looked around. "This place is pretty deserted... The stars are shining above us, the waves are crashing against the shore... Let me make love to you right here..."
"You sure know how to get me in a better mood," she said with a little giggle.
"What can I say? That's my goal in life," he said with a smile, and then he pulled her down onto the blanket with him and covered her body with his...
A/N: So I finally updated this story... I didn't quite know where to end this chapter and so much was happening, but I think I finally figured it out.