Cloud Nine
by Kyizi
Disclaimer: The WWE and all related items do not belong to me; only the story is mine. No copyright infringement intended.
Rating: PG
Distribution: Please ask.
Pairing: Chris/Steph, Matt/Lita, and Jeff/Torrie
Spoilers: Up to and including "No Mercy" 2001.
Feedback: please, it makes me smile :)
E-mail: This is the fourth instalment of the Cloud Nine Series, following after "A Long Fall", "Just One of the Guys", and "False Communication".
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Chapter Four: Making it Right
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Chris sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Things weren't exactly going to plan. He had only just entered the arena and already he'd managed to scare the living daylights out of Torrie, which meant that Jeff was going to give him a Royal ass kicking, and piss off Lita by brushing her off and that meant Matt would kick the crap out of what was left of him when Jeff was finished, assuming, of course, that Lita didn't just castrate him herself. Groaning, he leaned his head against the wall of his locker room, counting the seconds until the show began. He knew what he was planning on doing was the "right thing to do" but that sure as hell didn't make it any easier.
Hearing a noise behind him, he frowned and turned around, astounded to see Shane McMahon grinning manically at him. If Chris hadn't disliked the guy already, the scary look in the young McMahon's eyes would have changed his mind quickly. Chris looked around his locker room, gesturing that he didn't see anything worth looking at, before turning back to his unwelcome guest.
"What the hell do you want, McMahon?"
"Oh, I don't know. Power, money, my father out of business, that belt…" As he trailed off, Chris picked up the WCW title belt and placed it over his shoulder. "Possessive already, I see." Shane laughed. "Well, we may have to see about that, unless, of course, you're looking for some new employment."
The insinuation alone was enough to enrage Chris and he was across the room in a matter of seconds, pressuring Shane into backing into a wall. "Never in a million years, McMahon. I'm WWF through and through. I may not like your old man, but I'd rather work my ass of for his company than that cheap crap you seem to be under the impression your running."
"There's no impression," Shane said, pulling himself together. "Make no mistake Jericho, I run that company and if you're not with me, then you're against me."
"Oh, I'm against you," Chris said, sneering, "but before you go running your mouth off about being in charge, you might wanna check exactly what it is that Heyman does when you're not around." With a final glare, Chris stalked off towards the stage. He was all fired up and he knew exactly what to do with it.
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Lita was pacing back and forth, tapping her fingernail against her teeth. She knew that Jeff was staring at her, wondering if she was about to go off at him. It wasn't his fault that Chris was being a jackass. As much as she loved Jeff and as much as she knew she could tell him anything, it was times like this that she needed her biggest confidant. Only the jackass was so conceited about his title win, that it didn't seem likely that he was going to lend her an ear any time soon.
"Li, will you calm down?" Jeff's gentle voice shook her from her musings and she turned to face him.
Smiling she turned to him. "Sorry, I was a million miles away."
"Anything you want to talk about?"
"It's, eh, well-"
"About Matt?" Jeff asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Yeah," she replied, sheepishly, sitting down next to him.
"You know, Li, I might be Matt's brother, but anything you tell me stays with me."
She sighed and leaned against him, curling her legs up beside her and allowing him to place an arm around her. "I know that, Jeff, I just don't want to trap you in the middle, but-"
"Chris is being an ass?"
"How did you know?" she asked, rolling her eyes.
"He bit Torrie's head off when he got to the arena. Nothing major, but you know how sensitive she is. She's risking so much and she couldn't even get him to pass on a message to me."
"I'll kill him!" Lita said as she sat up.
"Not if I get there first." He frowned. "Of course we might have to take The Rock's leftovers."
"What?" Lita asked. He nodded to the monitor before getting off his seat to turn up the volume and she watched the scene unfold.
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Torrie stared at the monitor before her, watching as Y2J entered the ring. She couldn't deny that she was upset with the WCW champ, but she knew he had a lot on his plate. She'd seen the look in his eye, he was torturing himself, and she had a feeling she knew why.
She had been unable to properly congratulate her friend when he had come backstage the other night. A smile from the background before anyone could notice really wasn't adequate when all she had wanted to do was squeal and hug him fiercely. She had seen the look in Jeff's eye when he and Chris had shaken hands and she had watched as the look in Chris' eyes had changed as well. She knew he was punishing himself for it and she couldn't help but wonder how he was going to make it right again. But she knew he would.
She shook her head at that thought. Jeff had been wonderful with her last night. He'd held her for hours, just talking to her. She knew how much he hated not being able to help her in the ring, knew how much he hated himself for letting her get hurt.
When she'd been tabled a few weeks ago, Chris had actually had to lock Jeff in his locker room to stop him from going after the Dudleys and he'd paid for it, but at least Jeff hadn't ruined the plan. She loved him with all her heart and it ate her up to know she was causing him so much pain, but she knew that it was for the best, that it'd all work out for the best in the end. The Hardyz had finally got themselves a match with the Dudleys at Smackdown and if she knew Jeff, and she did, they were going to pay.
Smiling as Tajiri made his way into the room, she spoke a few words before heading towards the Hardyz locker room, the long way of course, hoping to surprise Jeff before his match with The Hurricane. Smiling, she turned into a corridor, glancing from side to side, making sure that no one had seen her. She didn't need people wondering where she was going.
Moving quickly, she walked the small distance to Jeff's locker room, surprised when she heard a noise coming from one of the, supposedly empty, rooms. Frowning, she cautiously opened the door.
"Hello?"
Torrie moved into the room and stopped short as she saw the figure huddled in the corner, the small frame of the woman shuddering with heart wrenching sobs. Torrie quickly crossed the room and pulled the woman into her arms, surprised when she met with no resistance.
"Shh. It's okay, everything's fine." She rocked the woman back and forth, praying that no one would find them. She doubted that would help matters, for either of them. "It's okay, Steph, we'll work it out."
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"Welcome to RAW is Jericho!" Chris sauntered about the ring, smiling at the crowd, pretending that it didn't kill him to hear the boos. He smirked and nodded his head. "Yes, I know, I know, everybody just loves the Ayatollah at the moment. Really, I'm basking in your warmth and affection, right now."
At their further yelling, he shook his head and turned to the titontron. "Okay, in all seriousness I'm calling out the Rock. No, no, no, don't get your panties in a twist about it, I just want to chat. I mean, I am after all the New WCW champ-"
"If ya smeeeeell…what The Rock…is cookin'!"
As The Rock's music came over the sound system, Chris forced his grin to stay in place. He knew what he was doing and, if he got his ass kicked because of it, well, he sure as hell deserved it. As the former WCW champ entered and began to pace the stage, Chris couldn't help feel a pang of jealousy as the fans screamed and yelled for his current rival.
"Well? The Rock is waiting, Y2…Jackass." Chris smirked as the fans cheered. "You have somethin' to say to The Rock? You think you have something The Rock wants to hear?"
"I think I might, Rock." Chris walked to the ropes, leaning on them as he continued. "We had one hell of a match last night, jerky, went well, I thought. Right until the end."
"Oh, you think?" The Rock asked stilling his movement.
"Yes, Rock, I think. As hard as that may be to believe, I think. I think that Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley is a dirty disgusting trashbag ho that threw me a chair during the match."
"Oh you think that do you?"
"Yes, I-"
"It doesn't matter what you think!" Rock began to pace again. "It seems to the Rock that Y2Jackass has a bit of a problem with The Rock. It seems that J2Jackass couldn't win without a little…help. The McMahon family Ho may have thrown in the chair but she sure as hell didn't make you use it. Well, the Rock says this, last night, jerky, you showed your true colours. You didn't choke, no, no, no. You showed the Rock that he underestimated Y2J. You showed the Rock that he has a score to settle."
"The why don't we settle it tonight." Chris felt his smile widen as the fans cheered. This was they way it was meant to be, the fans were meant to cheer for him. Granted, a lot of them were likely for the Rock, but there was no booing.
"Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah, woah, woah! Is Y2J proposing what the Rock thinks he's proposing?"
"I don't know about proposing, Rock, sorry, I just don't feel that way about the Rock's stroodle. However, if you mean the match? Yeah, I want the match. I want to go into this thing with the belt and leave with the belt. No chairs, no skanky McMahon Tramps and no choking. So, what do you say, Rock, you up for it?"
Rocky grinned. "Oh the Rock is definitely…up for it. The Rock will gladly kick the Ayatollah's ass tonight."
"Well, we'll see, jerky, we'll see. You'd better watch, Rocky, the Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla is back on form, and he's more than ready and willin' to beat you fair and square."
Chris smiled and returned Rock's nod as the Brahma Bull spoke, "Okay, jerky, we'll see, tonight. Win or lose, the Rock says this Chris Jericho, you'd better watch out for that belt, because the moment, and the Rock means the moment, that you turn your back, the Rock will take that shiny new belt of yours, shine it up even more, turn that son of a bitch sideways and stick it straight up your candy ass! If ya smeeeeeell what The Rock is cookin'."
Chris grinned and nodded one last time to the Rock. As he left the ring he couldn't keep the smile from his face. He could hear a Y2J chant starting up behind him as his music broke through The Rock's. Everything was working, it was all working out. All he needed to do now was dish out more than a few apologies, kick the Rock's candy ass fair and square, and hopefully things would be back on track.
If he could only stop thinking about the Billion dollar princess and what it was that she'd been trying to tell him.
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End of Chapter Fourxxxxx