A/N: Sorry for the long delay with this one. I was stuck on this chapter. It should be updated more frequently from now on, I know where I want to take this story, so I should be able to update more often. Reviews are always loved and appreciated. :)

"I can't believe you want me to meet your parents!"

"Well, I figure since you're in my life right now, and for the foreseeable future, it would be the most responsible thing to do. Besides, my parents will be able to judge you well, and if they say that you're not worthy, well then, I'll dump you. So you might want to have a plan of leaving in case that happens."

Trish giggled and hugged him. "I'm really glad you want me to meet them."

"I'll call them right now so you know that I'm dead serious about this. Ok, maybe not DEAD serious about this because I really don't want to end up on an episode of CSI or something, although I don't live in Miami, New York, or Las Vegas. Man, I'm going to get normal CSI people, that sucks."

"Go, call them," Trish said, urging him on, practically grabbing his cell phone out of his pocket.

"Geez, why are you so anxious?" Chris asked. "I've never been with a girl that wanted to meet my parents so much. Oh wait, I get it now, you were a fan of my father's weren't you? And now you're just using me to get to him. I should've seen it coming, I should've known. Well if that's your evil plan Trish, I've thwarted you, be gone!"

"I just want to meet the people who raised someone as great as you," Trish said sweetly, batting her eyelashes.

"Wow, and I thought that all compliments were bad. I'm going to have to do a little more research on that," he said, grabbing his cell phone and pressing the speed dial number for his parent's house. "Mom, it's me."

"Me who?"

"You know who, don't play games with me."

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?" Loretta asked.

"I wanted to bring a girlfriend home for you to meet. Look at me being the compassionate son and wanting to be sure of your approval."

"Is this the blonde, young thing that you've mentioned?"

"Yes Mom," he said blandly.

"Fine, bring her home, will Stephanie be accompanying you?"

"I know you'd slam the door in my face if I didn't, so yes, she will."

"Good, then I'll allow you to come home."

"You drive a hard bargain Mom."

"You could learn a little something from it."

"Bye Mom, see you this weekend."

"Goodbye Christopher."

That weekend

"Here we are," Chris said, looking at Trish through the rear-view mirror. "This is where I grew up."

"It's nice," Trish said, looking out the window. "I just hope that your parents like me."

"They like Stephanie, that pretty much means they'll like anyone."

"Oh, you're so cute Snooks," Stephanie said, sticking her tongue and getting out of the car. "Don't worry Trish, I'm sure they'll like you just fine."

"Good, thanks for the reassurance, it's just always nerve-wracking to meet the parents, you never know how it can turn out."

The three of them got out of the car and grabbed their things from the trunk of the car. Stephanie grabbed the house key out of her pocket and opened the door, letting them inside as she instructed Trish where to put the bags for now, since Ted and Loretta liked them to be put in a specific place. Trish looked around at where Chris had grown up. The house was quite cozy and looked very homey. She was already liking it.

"Mom! Dad!" Chris yelled out. A few moments later he could hear voices from the kitchen.

"Chris is that you?" his mother called out.

"Yeah, it's us, you were expecting us remember," Chris yelled back.

Ted and Loretta walked around the corner and saw the three of them. Stephanie jumped up and down and Loretta raced towards Stephanie and hugged her tightly, the two of them swaying and giggling at each other. Trish was taken aback by this; Chris had never explained Stephanie's relationship with his parents. She had figured they were on good terms, but this? She hadn't expected this.

"Stephanie, you are looking better than the last time we saw you."

"The last time you saw me I had a cold and you had to take care of me because I was so sick."

"Ok, you've got me there."

"Come on, let me get one of those hugs from my favorite girl," Ted said, getting to Stephanie and giving her a big, huge bear hug. "You get cuter every single time that I see you."

"Dad, you always say that!"

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean that it's not true," Ted said, pulling away from her. "And I bet Chris is chomping at the bit because we wanted to see you first and foremost."

"Well who wouldn't want to see me first Dad, I'm the better-looking one out of the two of us."

"She's got me there," Chris said, hugging his mom and shaking his dad's hand. "Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Trish Stratus."

"Nice to meet you," Trish said, extending her hand. His mother shook it and gave her a smile.

"It's very nice to meet you," she said politely. "I'm glad that you could join us here, it's not often that Chris has a girlfriend long enough for us to meet her, so you must be very special."

"I hope so," Trish said, sending a small smile to Chris.

"You are a cute, young thing," Ted said, shaking her hand too. "My son has good taste."

"I know Dad," Chris winked.

"Why don't you take your things upstairs," Loretta said to Chris. "Ted take Stephanie's things up to her room."

"Ok, ok," Ted said, winking at Stephanie. "I guess I have to do what your mother says."

"Dad, I can take them up later if you want me to," Stephanie said sweetly and politely.

"I wouldn't hear of it!" he roared and she giggled as she gave him another hug. He and Chris grabbed the suitcases, leaving Stephanie and Loretta with Trish. Trish stood there a little nervously as Loretta sized her up unabashedly before turning to smirk at the smiling Stephanie.

"So Trish, won't you come into the kitchen and have a cup of coffee?" Loretta asked nicely.

"I'd like that," Trish smiled cordially. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me, thank the coffee pot, it's the one doing all the work," Loretta joked and Stephanie giggled madly.

"So Mom, please, please, please tell me that you are making my favorite for dinner this weekend. If you're not I'm going to just fall over and curl up in a ball and suck my thumb in anger all weekend long."

"You're too thin, of course I'm making my special ribs with barbeque sauce," Loretta said, lacing her arm through Stephanie's. "How could I have you over and not feed you? I know that you and Chris never get good food while you're on the road."

"We eat fine Mom!" Stephanie protested.

"Yeah, I'm so sure," Loretta said with a roll of the eyes. "Please Trish, take a seat."

"Thanks," Trish said, taking a seat at the kitchen table. Stephanie walked over to the cupboard and grabbed enough mugs for everyone. She knew her way around the kitchen as she went to grab the sugar from the counter and the milk from the fridge as Loretta grabbed the coffee pot and began pouring it into the mugs.

Stephanie sat down in her usual spot and Loretta sat next to her, patting her hand before turning to Trish. "So Trish, tell me a little bit about yourself."

"Um, I'm not sure what you'd want to know."

"Where are you from is a good place to start."

"Oh, I'm from Toronto."

"Oh, a Canadian, that's always a good thing."

"Mom, I'm not Canadian," Stephanie pouted.

"You're an honorary Canadian," Loretta said good-naturedly. "Besides, you know you're part of our family and as part of our family, that means you're Canadian."

"Cool, I had no idea that just by saying I was part of your family that makes me Canadian. You really DO learn something new everyday."

"So Trish, any brothers or sisters?"

"I have two sisters."

"Interesting."

This conversation was going nowhere and it was kind of awkward for both sides. Trish felt as if this were a face-off of some sort. Stephanie and Loretta seemed so comfortable together, like they really were family and Loretta could see honest affection for her "daughter." Trish felt like she had no chance of getting close to Chris's mother, and she had been hoping to do so over the weekend.

Chris and Ted mercifully came back into the room and pulled up chairs to the kitchen table as they already had coffee cups sitting for them. Chris smiled over at Trish and then at Stephanie who winked at him and stuck out her tongue. Chris just sipped at his drink and observed the people around the table.

"So what happened while I was gone?" Chris asked.

"Well, they discovered another planet behind Pluto and sent a space mission up to check on it," Stephanie said.

"Really? That must've been a rather new development."

"No, not at all, you were just gone for a really long time."

"Oh, I get it now Stephers."

"Do you Snooks?" Stephanie shot back.

"Hey Trish, do you want a tour of the place," Chris said. "Just to get a little more acquainted with it?"

"I'd like that," Trish said, taking his hand. They left the room and Stephanie snickered to herself.

"Well that was…interesting," Loretta deadpanned. "Does she always seem so…mute? Or am I just used to your and Chris's jibber-jabbering all the time without stop?"

"Um, the second one," Stephanie said. "Because I like the word jibber-jabbering."

Chris was upstairs, showing Trish around and she pulled him into the bathroom for a moment. "In the bathroom Trish, this is really pushing the limits, but I guess if I take you against the shower wall we could maneuver around a bit."

"Why didn't you tell me about Stephanie and your parents?"

"What about Stephanie and my parents?" Chris asked, confused.

"Um, she calls them Mom and Dad!" Trish said.

"Yeah, she's been doing that for like 3 years or so. Is that a problem?"

"Why does she call them that?"

"Because they're like her mom and dad," Chris said and he didn't get where the anger was coming from. He had gotten so used to Stephanie calling his parents mom and dad, and given the situation with her own parents, he couldn't blame her.

Trish sighed sadly. "I was hoping that this trip would help me get closer to your parents, so that they would like me, and Stephanie's here and…I don't stand a chance do I?"

Chris took her in his arms and kissed her forehead. "Trish, why didn't you tell me?"

"It didn't seem like it was a big deal," Trish shrugged as she rested her head against his warm, lean body. "I didn't realize how close she was to your parents."

"You have to think of it in terms like this," Chris explained. "Steph is like my little sister, and in many ways, that's how I regard her. I mean, in situations like…well, Hunter for instance."

Trish could feel Chris tense up and she pulled away, looking at his face. It was set, his jaw set and his teeth clenched together. His eyes were staring through the wall and into some far-off place and for the first time ever, Chris scared her. The look on his face went beyond anger to a deeper, more sadistic place and it frightened her a little bit.

"What situation with Hunter?" Trish asked softly.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Chris said suddenly, his voice sharp and staccato. "Suffice to say the guy is a loser and if he ever gets near Stephanie again I'm going to rip him a new one."

"Its ok," Trish told him, massaging his shoulders lightly. "Calm down."

"I'm calm," he said. "Look, Stephanie is like my sister, my parents regard her as my sister, that's it. So just think of her as my sister, and my parents love her like a daughter, but that doesn't mean that you can't get close to my parents."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I would say something glib like of course I'm right, but then that would imply that I was always right, and my track record isn't that great, so I'm going to have to just say that in this certain instance, yes, I am right."

Later that evening everyone was getting ready for bed. The night had gone rather smoothly, although Trish still had yet to really talk with Chris's parents, but she would just try harder tomorrow. She wanted to be with Chris for a long time, and she wanted to get to know his family as best as she could. She just hoped they would approve of her. She wanted to be liked in the even that she and Chris ever got married.

Stephanie washed her face and brushed her teeth and pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail. She walked out of the bathroom and down the hallway. She knocked lightly on Chris's door and he called out from within to come in. She opened the door and stuck her head in to see Chris pulling his shirt off and Trish sitting cross-legged on the bed putting lotion on her arms.

"Just wanted to say goodnight you guys, don't let the bedbugs bite, but if you do, I think we have some calamine lotion in the bathroom. I know those bedbugs are mean little suckers."

"Night Stephers," Chris said affectionately.

"Night Steph," Trish said, smiling at her.

Stephanie closed the door behind her and was about to go to her room when she saw the light from downstairs was on. She didn't recall anyone being down there so she went down to investigate and found Chris's parents in the kitchen talking. Ted was leaning against the counter and Loretta was seated at the table. Stephanie walked into the room with a smile on her face.

"I thought you guys were in bed," Stephanie said.

"We just wanted to come down and have a glass of water," Loretta answered. "And make sure everything was locked up."

"Oh, so you weren't talking about Trish?" Stephanie asked with a slight grin, sitting down next to Loretta and leaning her head on her shoulder. Loretta patted her head affectionately.

"Ok, so we might have been," Loretta said, laughing. "But we have every right to. Our little boy is dating her."

"So tell me what you think of her," Stephanie said. "I won't tell Chris, I promise."

"And how can we be so sure of that?" Ted asked suspiciously.

"Dad, I wouldn't break your confidence like that."

"We'll tell you what we think if you tell us what you think," Loretta reasoned.

"Deal," Stephanie answered.

"Ted, you first?" Loretta said.

"She's pretty…someone I could see Chris with for the looks. Her personality…she's nice, she's a very nice girl, but just…not who I pictured Chris with."

"Yeah, that's my feelings on it as well," Loretta said. "I can see where he'd think she was pretty and date her because of that, but she's not his type, whatever that may be. Maybe we should just stay out of it, but I know my son…"

"She's kind of prissy," Stephanie said quietly. "She's a really great person though, and I think that she balances Chris well. Do you guys feel the same way?"

"If we're being honest here, I think you balance him well," Loretta said.

Stephanie groaned lightly. "Mom, I appreciate the sentiment."

"No, hear us out," Ted said. "I think it's like this. Whoever you two decide to be with in the long-run, they'll balance you in a certain way, maybe in the love area or something like that, but you and Chris, you're like two halves of a whole."

"If you didn't look so much like your father," Loretta told Stephanie, "I'd swear that you and Chris were twins…and that they stole you away from me when you were born."

"I wish," Stephanie said. "You should just adopt me Mom."

"Oh would that I could," she said. "But I think you're a little too old for that. But you and Chris, you two are one-of-a-kind. Never in my life have I seen two people who connect as much as you two do. And it doesn't even have to be love, it can be friendship."

"Though if you want to make it love, go right ahead. We'd already like you," Ted added.

"Dad," Stephanie scolded. "Ok, I'm going to bed."

"Night sweetie," Loretta said, hugging her as Stephanie lifted her head off of her shoulder. She went over and hugged Ted goodnight before heading upstairs. "So, do you think those two will ever get their acts together?"

"No," Ted laughed. "As much as I would wish for Chris and Stephanie to get together, I just don't think it's in the cards for them Lor."

"I would LOVE to have Stephanie as my real daughter."

"So would I, but we have to trust our kids are making the right decisions for them, and we can't force them to be together. As long as they have each they'll be alright."

"Yes, as long as they have each other…"