Disclaimer: Don't own a thing, but gosh how I wish I did. Think of the possibilites.

A/N: A little something I worked on when I didn't have any internet access. Not a fun thing not to have, let me tell you that!

Guess Who?

The silence was eerie, he did not like it in the least. He looked to his right and there she was, looking up at him with wide eyes. If he could have one wish, it would be so he could erase the look of fright she showed in them. His hand reached out and took a hold of hers, he gave it a squeeze showing her that she wasn't alone in this, he was here with her. Anywhere she would go, he would be right beside her protecting her from what was to come.

He dreaded what was coming. It was an unstoppable action that would be forever lost in time. But if he kept her safe, protected her like he needed to, then everything would be okay. If it came down to it; her or him, he would willingly shield her body with his own.

Feeling her move next to him, he looked down and saw she was about to speak.

"Chris--" she began to whisper, only to be cut off as he pulled her to him; his body effectively protecting her own.

"Shh," he told her, his voice barely above a whisper. He couldn't take the chance of them getting found. "Don't speak. Don't move." he instructed her. "I can hear him out there. The last thing we can do is let him know we're close." So there they sat, like un-movable statues. The rising and falling of their chests being the only thing that could give them way.

It was dark; darker than the night that surrounded the outside and it gave him a slight feeling of hope. It was an added benefit to the situation they were currently in.

He couldn't get to what he couldn't see.

Daring a chance look Chris let go of her hand, turned just the slightest and let his head creep past the barrier that gave them their extra coverage they so greatly needed. His eyes widened and before he could think about it, he was on top of her. "He's there." he whispered into her ear, feeling her tense moments later. "Get behind me."

She wasn't going to be told twice. At this point in time, anything Chris told her to do she would do it; no questions asked.

"I know you're out there," a voice spoke, breaking the silence. "Don't think I won't find you." It threatened. "I'll take great pleasure in finding you both."

She whimpered then, in an almost pathetic fashion. Chris must of heard because the next thing she knew, he was right there beside her. His hand brushing away the stray strands of her hair. "Stephanie," he began in a whisper. "Don't listen to him. He's just trying to provoke us, so that we make a mistake." Chris explained. "But we aren't. We're going to get through this, get out of here and then I'm taking you home. With me. Where you belong." he finished, hoping he had reassured her at least a little.

Leaning forward, Stephanie pressed her lips to his for a brief second and then pulled back. "I'm holding you to that." she whispered back, a ghost of a smile appearing on her face.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" the voice taunted, undeniably close. Too close for Chris's comfort.

Getting to his knees, he pulled Stephanie up beside him. "See that car over there?" he whisper. Feeling her nod, he kissed the top of her head before telling her to hurry behind it. He felt her hesitate and looked down at the ground below him for any sort of distraction he could cause to take the attention off of her. Picking up a stone, he threw it to the opposite of where they both were, the second he heard it hit he pushed her forward and urged her to go.

Seeing her reach it safely, he looked behind him and watched the figure in black race towards the sound. Without a second thought he threw himself on to the ground and slide over next to Stephanie. The second he reached her, she was on her knees making sure he was all right.

"You think I'm that easy to distract?" the voice bellowed. "Think again! I'll show you how good I really am!" It promised.

"Chris, I don't like this." Stephanie told him quietly.

"I know, neither do I." Chris told her, taking her into his arms. "But it'll be find. I'd never let anyone hurt you I promise."

The bang of metal hitting the ground jerked them apart. "I really don't like to be kept waiting."

"If we just stay here for a while it'll be okay," Chris told Stephanie quietly. "He's already checked over here and the car is giving us added cover, so unless he's Superman and can see through metal then he won't find us." he finished hoping Stephanie believed some of what he was saying because he himself was having a hard time believing his own words.

Yeah, Steph lets go out tonight. I swear it'll be fun, you'll be with me what's the worst that can happen? Oh, how he hated himself for that damn suggestion. Stephanie was happy to stay in tonight, but no not him, heaven forbid Chris Jericho ever listen to his girlfriend. If, no when they got out of this, he made a vow that he would listen to ever word she said, it was the least he could do after getting them into this situation after all.

"He's really not handling this well." Stephanie spoke out with a tired sigh.

"He has to face it sooner or later Steph," Chris told her with a sigh of his own. "You're with me. Not him."

"All I wanted was Stephanie." the voice called out. "But no, not when Chris Jericho is in the picture."

"She picked me man," Chris called back. "Deal with it." he finished irritated.

"Oh, I'll deal with it once I find you." the voice replied back almost sinisterly. "Don't you worry about that." the voice finished a sickening smile crawling onto his face as crept over to where he gathered Chris's voice originated from.

"Steph, we gotta move again." Chris told her, helping her to get to her feet. "It's all my fault. I'm sorry."

"It's okay Chris," Stephanie let him know as she hugged him from behind. "We're in this together, I don't blame you for a thing."

Turning to her, Chris took a moment to take her in. Even in the scarce, bad lighting that surrounded them it couldn't mask her beauty. There was not a single thing on earth he wouldn't try to keep her safe. Moving his head towards her, he hungrily captured Stephanie's lips with his own. His lips burned with something akin to passion, but it overwhelmed him to much too just simply be that. Lust have left him months ago as well, so he knew it wasn't that, it was a desired craving he had welcomed then but now, now the feeling was so fierce and fervent he was almost consumed whole.

"I love you." Fell from his lips before thought even returned to him and in that moment between utter astonishment and acceptance, the clarity he felt when he spoke those words made him almost free from all his troubles and any unwelcomed situations present or future. He was in love. He was in love and for the longest time he could remember in his life he had never felt so elated.

Stephanie, for her part had been genuinely surprised at Chris's confession. She herself had felt the exact same thing for him, and had been for a while. She just hadn't wanted to speak those words first in fear of scaring him away. The moment they had worked out their chaotic life and found that neither wanted to live in their own without the other, they had both sought each other in hopes of a relationship together. A life. Now that they were on the same page she couldn't help but feel a little light-headed. Reaching up a shaky hand, Stephanie trailed it over Chris's cheek feeling the bristle of his beard underneath her fingertips. "I love you too, Chris." she breathed out.

The smile that covered his face at that moment had been the brightest he had, had the energy for given their current predicament. Pulling her to him again he revelled in the feel of her against his body. "We're gonna get out of here." he promised. "We just have to figure out how." Looking over her head he spotted another car about fifteen feet away, it was a risky chance to take, but from the sounds he heard behind him their current position was blown and it was either risk it or face the consequences.

Chris never liked turning away from a challenge.

"Ok, sweetie there's a car over there," he whispered to Stephanie pointing in the direction of said car." It isn't far away and if we're fast we'll make it and for a little bit longer we'll be safe." he let her know, slipping his hand into her own. "When I could to three, I want you to hold tight to my hand and run like there is no tomorrow. Don't ever let go of my hand till we reach the car." he instructed. "Ready?" he whispered to her, watching her nod in agreement. "One," he began, tightening his hold one her hand. "Two," he whispered bringing her hand up to his mouth, placing a chaste kiss on the back of it. "Three!" he finished and before he reached the last syllable, he was moving forward with Stephanie close behind him.

She felt her hand start to slip from Chris's grasp as he got further ahead of her. She wasn't much of a runner - a problem with her knees when she was younger - and she was almost desperately hanging on. If I just open my hand just that minuscule bit, he can run ahead and be safe. He won't need to worry about me anymore. I won't be a dead weight holding him back, stopping him from reaching safety. If i just open it the slightest bit... She found her hand already set in motion to do the exact action that floated through her head. Chris could go on without her. Her hand opened and...she was pulled forward with her momentum propelling her forward faster. Chris's grasp was now fully around her wrist and he gave her a smirk as he looked behind towards her. "Don't think you're bailing on me now McMahon." his voice floated to her with a certain amount of ease that she hadn't heard in it at all in the past couple of hours. "Just because I tell you, I love you, doesn't mean you can jump ship. I'm not that scary."

She fell into him as he came to a stop behind the car and she wanted to just burst into laughter. It was like they were a teenage couple out running her father as they ran without a care in the world. Of course they were not running from her father and they were not carefree, so her need for laughter subsided and she felt herself sigh as Chris's arms once again found their was around her. Chris was her protector.

The sound of their pursuers yell of frustration, - no doubt because of Chris and Stephanie thawting his attempts at capturing them - echoed throughout their dank surroundings. "I'll find you!" the voice shouted with venom. "When I'm through with you both, you'll be unrecognisable!"

"Chris what do we do now?" Stephanie asked him and he noticed with a sense of despair that the fear that had dissipated from her eyes earlier had resurfaced and he doubted he could do anything to make that go away, no matter how badly he wanted to.

"Well," Chris drew out quietly. "I guess we lay low right now." he suggested, completely at a loss of what to do. This wasn't exactly a situation he found himself in often.

"You know I thought it would be easy," the voice called out, it had lost its previous venom and frustration and took on an uncharacteristic light tone, an almost happy one. It unnerved both Chris and Stephanie. "Track you down, gloat a little and then take care of what I have to do." The sound of his footsteps sounded like he was pacing, working out a plan as he spoke. "Sure it'll be messy, but in the end it'll be worth it." he spoke with a laugh. "Well, maybe not for you. You'll be covered in it."

His hand gripped the butt of his weapon, it fitted comfortably in his hand and it gave him a sense of power and he relished in it. If it was the last thing he did, it would be having revenge on those two. Chris was his main priority, he came out of the blue and took Stephanie right from under his nose and that wouldn't do. If Stephanie happened to be in the line of fire...well so be it, things happened and casualties were a likely possibility.

"When I find you Chris," the voice drew out slow, taking on a cold tone. "I might get trigger happy. Are there any particular areas that you don't want me to shoot at?" he wondered humourlessly. Silence was his answer. "It's not like you to be quiet Stephy, in fact I heard it was an impossibility." he threw out, insult and all. "Maybe after I take care of your boy, we can have a nice little chat. That is if you don't get caught in the cross fire."

If he admitted it to himself, he was getting extremely frustrated. How could two people escape him like they did. They were in an enclosed space and yet they still eluded him. How in the hell? The more agitated he got the more his grip tightened. He wanted this over with and over with soon. Find targets, eliminate targets. That was his main goal. His minor one being take out one and leave it at that, he already had wasted enough energy. Leaving one behind to drown in their defeat sounds like justice. But his justice was screwy at best, he knew that. Victory would be his soon, he could smell it. It was like a sixth sense. And yet if he actually thought that thought through he would realise that, your sense of smell was in fact one of your five senses.

Looking around Chris was getting desperate. Getting out was the number one thing. Well, it was the second most important thing; keeping Stephanie safe was by far the most important thing that he had to do. Clenching his fists in frustration he leaned his head back against the side of the car and let out a sigh. He felt Stephanie turn to look at him and he rolled his head around till he was facing her. Opening his mouth to speak he noticed something out of the corner of his eye and his mouth snapped shut. Standing straighter he looked close and when he realised what he saw he had to control himself from taking Stephanie in his arms and spinning her around gleefully.

A way out. Victory would be theirs, he could feel it.

Smiling at Stephanie, he pointed out the rays of light seeping in through the cracks surrounding their escape. "It looks like a door." he whispered to her.

"Chris you did it!" Stephanie whispered back excitedly.

"You go first and then I'll come after you reach the door." Chris told her.

"No." Stephanie told him sternly. "Together. We go together Chris, I won't leave you behind."

"Princess," Chris began with an easy smile. "We will get out of this together, I just want you to run to the door first and wait for me."

"If we run together, I won't have to wait for you." Stephanie pointed out reasonable.

"Ok," Chris sighed, relenting. "Get in front of me then."

She did as she was told. "When I say so run with me, ok?" Chris instructed, watching Stephanie once again nod her head in agreement. "Ok," he whispered. "And go!" he said pushing her forward.

She was twenty feet in front before she realised Chris wasn't following her and she stopped dead. Which probably wasn't the best thing to do. She looked back and saw Chris run the other way. What the hell was he doing?

Chris wasn't about to put her in danger. If he let Stephanie run ahead, he could hold back and cause a distraction. Which was why he was running in the opposite direction from Stephanie. Slamming his hands off of a random car, he could only hope he drew attention to himself. The scurrying of footsteps towards his location indicated he was successful. Stopping when he was at, he let out a breath. Stephanie was safe.

"Do I smell a victim?" the voice rang out almost like a singsong.

"I'll face you," Chris shouted out. "Come on! I'm right here!"

The footsteps got quicker and quicker and Chris anticipated him from every direction. You'll never get her now. "Come on! I'm. Right. Here." Chris yelled out again. "Show me what you're made of."

The silence he heard wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"Well I was expection your boyfriend," the voice spoke out smugly. "But you'll do."

The second Chris heard his voice he spun widely and spotted Stephanie rooted to where she stood. His breath halted as he saw Stephanie's wide eyes look from the gun in the mans hand to Chris's. The second their eyes caught each other he was moving, he was full out running. His eyes widened as the gun rose up and was level with Stephanie's abdomen. I'm not going to reach her. The shot that rang out almost deafened him and his stomach plummeted.

"Stephanie!" Tore from deep within him, as he woodenly came to a stop. He watched as Stephanie staggered backwards and then look up at him with shock written all over her face. She sank to her knees and in that instant he was moving again. He fell to his knees as sat beside her. "Baby." he breathed out as he took her face in his hands.

"Chris," she choked out, her breathing ragged. She fell into him and he felt the wetness spread onto his own clothes. Closing his eyes he knew it would stain and get through to his skin. He'd be marred in it.

He saw the shadow of the figure fall over Stephanie's body, turning his head he glared up at him.

"One down, one to go." the voice sniggered. "Start running."

"Damn it Kurt!" Chris ground out through gritted teeth. "Look at her! You're freaking game has gone to far!"

"It's only a paint ball!" Kurt argued.

Letting go of Stephanie, watching as she held her stomach protectively, he glared up at Kurt again, before pushing him backwards. "If she bruises you're a deadman."

"Listen man," Kurt began perturbed. "You agreed to this. It's supposed to be fun!"

"Just because you're sulking because she never chose you as a partner, doesn't mean you can go all S.W.A.T on us and like friggin hunt us like animals!" Chris raged.

"She's fine!"

"No, she's not!" Chris fumed at Kurt.

"She is! Look at her." Kurt stressed with a smirk turning his head to look at Stephanie. His smirk faltered when he saw Stephanie breath in and out trying to get her breath back. "Steph?"

"Chris I wanna go home." Stephanie wheezed out.

"You got it babe, home it is." He smiled down at her as walked closer and helped her stand up.

"Guys, seriously it was meant to be fun." Kurt said in a way of an apology.

"Maybe next time you can come round for drinks or something? You can buy the beer?" Stephanie suggested with a small smile.

"Count on it." Kurt promised, looking sheepish. Maybe he had got to ingrossed in the game.

"Let's go Princess," Chris said, wrapping an arm around Stephanie's shoulders as the walked towards the exit.

Today hadn't been the worst day in Chris's history, there were days back in past when he was just starting out when he lived in barely liveable motels and sometime hardly had enough money to get from one state to another for the next show. Yes, tonight he had been hunted like some sort of prey by his best friend no less, but as he shoulder to shoulder with Stephanie, he honestly could say he didn't want to be anywhere else in the world right now.

He had everything he wanted, especially the woman he loved.

End.

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