Time had gone on, about four years of the Monday night wars and still nobody was the victor… however, the battle had finally seen it's first casualty, it had nearly taken the life of the WWE itself when it hit home… when it hit Vince McMahon…
"Stephanie…" Vince uttered in his sleep. He was bedridden and bandaged. He was strong and would physically be able to get over it, but mentally, for his family, it was a scar hit too close to heart for comfort. One of his eyes was covered with a patch, it had been hit and he was nearly blinded, the doctors didn't think they could save it. "Linda, Shane…" Vince cringed in his dreams, tossing and turning in his mind.
Stephanie came into the dark bedroom carrying a tray with soup and a bottle of medicine, "Dad, are you awake?" She whispered as she quietly crept over to his bedside. She sat down on the chair and looked down at him and sighed. "I'm sorry dad…"
"Stephanie…" This time Vince's eye fluttered open slightly. "Is that you, are you there?"
"Yes." She turned on the light, he squinted, then saw her clearly.
"Stephanie!"
"Here dad, I brought you something to eat. And you're due for some more medicine."
"You baby me too much you know." Vince tried to sat up but the pain shot through his body to prevent him.
"Careful dad." Stephanie set down the bowl.
"I'm fine, I can get up and move around."
"Not according to the doctors." She fed him a spoonful of soup.
Vince swallowed it and looked at her, "Stephanie?"
"Yes?"
"Why are you doing this?" He asked and she froze. "Why do you do this for me?" He wondered aloud at her. "After all that I've put this company through, you kids through, and your mother… with Sable and all, and then this. I don't think she and Shane can ever love me again. So then why do you, continue to be there for me…?"
Stephanie blinked quietly, she was shocked that he would say something like that, but she smiled softly, "Because dad… you're my dad, and you always will be. No matter what happens, I promise I will always love you, no matter what."
"Stephanie…" Vince smiled.
"Now come on and eat up before it gets cold." Stephanie went back to feeding him. Very few people outside the family knew of Vince's near fatal injuries, she never ever thought about telling Chris. She knew he wouldn't be able to handle it and keep it quite down. Now with Vince incapacitated possibly indefinitely, it was now up to her to be the boss. Stephanie got up and looked back at Vince, who was now asleep. She sighed and turned off the light, going to the door, "Yes I am a McMahon… but is this really my destiny…?"
As those four years had gone on, through the thick and thin, rain or shine, Chris was always there with Stephanie. Not always in public, he was still under WCW contract and to them a scouting dog. WCW superstars would come to attack and Chris would step in if Stephanie couldn't handle it alone, or if Linda was by herself and couldn't protect herself. Nobody ever came after him, but he was always protecting the lady McMahon's. None of them ever thought anything of it, it just seemed so natural, with him there, together. But there was one time, a battle that Stephanie had to face alone and by herself…
Sable stepped into the courtyard garden, in full springtime bloom of flowers, and smiled as she saw the back of her rival facing her, "You know Stephanie… I'd warned you all those years ago, not to fall in love." Stephanie turned slightly at that remark. Sable smirked, "You've been blinded by the feelings in your heart, you can't think and operate as a lady in this business now with this WCW man you're infatuated with. I was closer to Vince than you or your mom, I should be the one to take control and be in charge!"
"You? Closer to him than my family and our name?" Stephanie turned in seeming slow motion she was so angry. "I refuse to believe that YOU could ever be close to him after leaving him alone to be attacked and abandoning him in his hour of need!" She ran to strike her.
"Please! I'm a diva!" Sable got into a pose and rushed over with a punch of her own. "Take…"
"THIS!" Stephanie ducked, causing Sable to gasp in surprise as Stephanie swung up with a powerful uppercut and hit her right smack in her pretty little face.
"AH!" Sable fell and landed on her knees, holding her eye, sobbing, "My eye, you've ruined my beautiful face!" She growled up at her, having a bad black eye. "This isn't over, you'll pay for this, I'll see to myself for that!" She roared and stormed off. Stephanie just watched her go, a leer written all across her face, how dare she…
Vince McMahon lay in his bed, he was asleep yet he was conscious. He dreamed of the things he yearned for, the things he wanted, his vision of a perfect world that had shattered in the midst of the Monday night wars. He dreamed of a dominantly popular WWE with Sable as the women's champion and Triple H as the world heavyweight champion and his daughter was happy, she was on top of the world and standing right next to him as head of the company. But there was a tear hidden in secret in the back of his shut eye, because he knew that because of the way things had worked out that it could never be. Stephanie wasn't happy, his dream was dead, and he knew there was only one man to blame for it…
Linda McMahon walked past the weight room down the hall and stopped, looking in. She looked around and saw it empty so she walked inside and sat down. She looked at one of the smaller dumbbells on the floor and picked it up. It was a bit heavy at first but she continued to pump the iron and smiled as she got better and better with each rep. She concentrates as she lifts the weight.
"Wow mom." The voice caused Linda to gasp and look up to see Stephanie smiling. "It looks like you're really practicing to become stronger."
"Oh, yes." She blushed and stood up, dusting off her skirt.
"You're concentrating, that's good. You have to focus and work very hard as you raise the weight." She picked up a heavier one.
Linda smiled, "I'm just so proud of you, you impress me so much, I wish I could be more like you, but I couldn't ever be as strong as you are."
"Mom, you taught me all that I know, you're the strongest person I've ever known." Stephanie smiled warmly, causing Linda to smile back.
"Look out, look out!" A man cried as he ran down the hall, causing them to both gasp. "It's another attack, they got into the building!"
"Oh no, not again." Stephanie growled as she ran out of the room, Linda behind her.
"There he is!" One of the security men pulled out a taser. "Stay back, I'm warning you!"
"Please, that's nothing." The man growled as he easily shoved the smaller man down and looked up to notice the McMahon's.
"I'll give you a chance to escape, I'm really not in the mood for this right now." Stephanie sighed with frustration as she pushed Linda out of the way back towards the door.
"You don't give the orders here, not to me." The man snorted.
"But I do with you."
"Huh?" The man turned around to see Chris Jericho cracking his knuckles.
"You don't have a chance… IN HELL!" He roared and punched him, causing him to stagger back.
"You bastard…!"
"Stephanie, get your mom outa here!"
"Alright." Stephanie nodded. "Come on mom, we'd better let Chris handle this one."
"Right." Linda nodded.
"Not so fast, old lady." The man turned.
"What?" Linda gasped, frozen in fear as the man dove for her and caused her to fall backwards against the wall. "Ah… ow!"
"Mom!" Stephanie rushed over and shoved the man.
"Nice try." He laughed, barely phased.
"What's going on?" Stephanie wondered as her eyes shook in shock. "Am I not as strong as I used to be…?"
"Get out of the way I said!" Chris barked again as he tackled the man from behind and they began to tussle.
"Mom, are you alright?" Stephanie begged.
"I'll be fine…" Linda cringed, tears at the corners of her eyes. Stephanie's heart wrenched seeing her this way, she never wanted something like this to happen, ever, especially not to her.
"Cuff him boys." Chris stood with his foot over the man as more security guards appeared and took him away into custody. He then walked over to Linda and Stephanie. "Hey, are you guys alright?"
"Yes…" Linda put up a front.
"No." Stephanie choked.
"Huh?" Linda and Chris turned to her.
"It's not okay…" Stephanie was almost crying. "What happened back there? That's not like me. My mom is always my first priority, and she got hurt… and I wasn't able to help her." She looked at her hands as they shook with her flowing emotion. "I'm not as strong as I used to be, something's happened to me… I'm not who I was anymore…!" Linda and Chris were shocked, neither of them had ever seen Stephanie like that! Stephanie sighed to herself as she thought, "Is it like Sable said, is it because I fell in love?"
"Come on, let's get you to the trainer." Chris looked down at Linda who held the side of her face which was starting to badly bruise from where the man had hit her.
"Chris?" Stephanie looked up once the trainer had fixed Linda and left. "Can you leave me and my mom alone please?"
"Sure." Chris nodded and left, closing the door behind him. Stephanie sighed and sat down.
"What's wrong Stephanie?" Linda asked, turning to her, bandages on her side of her face.
"It's just that…." Stephanie sighed. "I dunno…" Linda watched as Stephanie pulled the chained ring out of her pocket and held it tightly as she looked at the make up box that was next to it in the bag. "Is it because…." She turned away, her voice choking. "Over the years, I've lost who I was, I'm not as strong anymore… Sable was right, I should've never fallen in love! You got hurt, dad nearly died, and now who knows what could happen next! I can't do this anymore, I can't be the leader I know you want me to be!"
"Stephanie…" Linda watched her daughter cry, something she hadn't seen her do in YEARS, and she felt bad.
"I wanted to give this to Chris, as a symbol of my love for him, love, something I shouldn't ever have had, love, what has caused all of this. But if I follow my heart, bad things will happen, and I don't want them to happen to Chris!" Linda sighed as she looked at her.
Later, in the courtyard….
Chris sighed as he sat on the bench, "This isn't right." He was thinking to himself.
"Hello there Chris."
"Huh?" He looked up to see somebody standing there. "Stephanie."
"I'm glad you're here." She sat down with a smile. "We have to talk."
"Sure…" He gulped slightly.
"Chris there was something, that I'd wanted to give you, the other day…" She opened her purse reluctantly. "I wanted you to have this ring, as a promise, from me to you…" She handed it over.
"Wow, thank you." He put it over his neck and looked down at it. He turned to her but his smile fade when he saw her staring off into the distance. "Stephanie…?"
Stephanie sighed, "Chris, there's something that's been on my mind for a long time… I have a plan to stop the fighting, it will make everyone happy." She turned to him. "All both you and I have ever wanted was to be who we're meant to be, you a wrestler, me to live a normal life. You and I have been together for a few years now, and, you're still under a WCW contract. It's only temporary, it can be voided if either side chooses. For some reason they haven't acted against you yet, after all that you've done for me, and our company, so, I'm thinking…"
"I know what you're thinking." Chris cut her off, and she turned to him. "I honestly don't know why I haven't switched over, but, I know that if I do that something might happen. They know I've been fighting them on your side, they know I've been hanging around you constantly, helping you and your family and everyone in the WWE."
"Chris, don't you see, they know they'll loose and they're afraid. You have to think about yourself and save yourself."
"But, you… they…"
"They don't matter. If you're worried about me, then be with me. Here, in the WWE."
"But, I…" Chris didn't understand, he looked at the ring, it couldn't be this easy could it?
"All my life I wanted to be a normal girl, but I'm a McMahon, and this is my destiny. If you join us, then WCW will surely fall, and the war will end, and my mom can lead the WWE and I can be happy and be normal who I am, who I wanted to be"
"I always wanted to be a pro-wrestler. I didn't care about anyone else other than myself… but that all changed when I met you, I wanted to help you, and your family. I wanted to be in the WWE, but, I didn't want the other side to hurt you, like they hurt your parents."
"So then would you? Would you become a WWE wrestler, for yourself…? For me?"
Chris's eyes shook, this was a dream come true, "Only, only if, you can be happy, to make you what you want to be, normal, to make you happy."
Stephanie smiled, "It will make me happy Chris."
"Then I agree."
"Oh Chris…." Stephanie beamed.
Chris smiled back warmly, "Come on, I'm going to the hotel to make a phone call." He stood up and they walked off together.
Late that afternoon, as the sun was setting….
Chris and Stephanie walked out of the hotel with a smile on their face, Chris had resigned with Eric Bishoff and the WWE. All they had to do now was go back to the headquarters and write up a contract to sign. But they took a detour, there was a big lake in the park down the road and they decided to take a romantic ride, they were just so happy. As the sun began to sink lower and lower, they figured it would be best to head back now, so Chris rowed them to shore. They smiled, the words he spoke earlier in both their minds, 'I agree, I'll do it, for you, for us, to make everyone happy….' Chris tied the rowboat to the little dock.
"Ah!" Stephanie slipped on the boat as she went to step out and grabbed Chris's shirted chest to hang on. She froze and realize what she'd done and looked up. Chris looked down at her and drew her into a hug. She closed her eyes, "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Chris spoke softly. "We should be happy. I'm becoming a WWE superstar, you're going to be normal like you wanted. I'm doing this for you, so we can be…"
"Stop."
"For everyone, and us…."
"Sh." Stephanie looked up and put a finger on his soft warm lips. "That's all I need to hear."
"Stephanie… I really truly and deeply do lo…" Chris couldn't finish, his mouth was just too inviting for hers to resist, their lips met in their first kiss. Chris felt his body go limp as Stephanie's body went numb, it was the most magical moment they both had ever lived, they seemed to be floating in an eternity of happiness, a perfectly wonderful joy. They go back to the headquarters and draw up a contract, both signing it. "Tomorrow." Chris speaks up. "Tomorrow let's meet again."
"Alright." Stephanie smiles. "And, there's something I want to do… Chris. You've done more for this company than any other superstar. My dad has Triple H as the champion, but, now as a WWE superstar, I think you deserve it more than he ever has."
Chris's eyes widened, "Are you serious? You're kidding me! You have to!"
"No way, I'm not." Stephanie smiled. "Are you happy?"
Chris choked, "Very!"
"Good, I'm glad." Stephanie laughed. "Because, so am I." They smiled deeply into each others eyes. "I'll call you okay?"
"Alright." Chris nodded and kissed her. "Good night." He left. As he walked home he felt the ring strung around his neck and he smiled, he walked past a jewelers and stopped to look in the window. He grinned as he saw what he wanted and went inside. What he was looking at on the display case was a beautiful gold ring with a ping gem on it. He knew it wasn't as beautiful as Stephanie, but he couldn't buy a thing in the world to match that. He left the store and looked down to see it on the necklace next to his, he tucked it under his shirt and smiled, tomorrow morning he would give it to Stephanie, as a promise.
That night…
Stephanie was sitting in her room when her cell phone rang, "Hello?"
"Hey it's me. Chris."
"Chris?" Stephanie blinked
"Sorry, my cell is charging, I had to call you on the hotel phone."
She paused, "Wait, are you smoking? You sound kinda funny."
"Yeah, sorry. It's my last one, I swear! Look, tomorrow I can't wait till the afternoon, I want to see you first thing in the morning."
"Alright, and I'll bring you the title."
"The title? Are you sure…?"
"Yes Chris of course, I'm in charge now, until the war is over at least. I know my dad won't like it, nor will Triple H, but it's going to make me happy."
"And, I want you to be happy. I just don't want you to get hurt."
"Nothing will go wrong, everything's going to be fine. I have the belt in my office, come by in the morning and we can talk everything out."
"Alright."
A wicked smile in darkness…
Early that morning…
Stephanie woke up at the crack of dawn and started to leave the house, she was walking down the hall when a small voice stopped her, "Stephanie?"
"What?" She turned to see her mom half asleep.
"Where are you going?"
"To the office, I have some things I have to hurry and take care of."
Linda hesitated, she wanted to say something else but all that came out was, "Alright, just be careful."
"I will mom." Stephanie smiled, it seemed to last a very long time to Linda but really it was only a few seconds. Stephanie left.
"Bye, Stephanie…" Linda sighed, she felt very strange. She wanted Stephanie to stay, but there was something in the air, something… was wrong…
Stephanie drove to the building and looked around, "Chris isn't here yet. Silly guy probably slept in." She opened the doors and went inside. She walked down to her office but stopped, she turned and saw the bathroom. She went inside, leaving the door open and walked in front of the mirror. She opened her purse and took out the little make up kit. She rolled the lip stick and went to raise it to her lips. But right as she did, a man jumped out of the shadows and attacked her, hitting her upside the head with something, the force of the blow throwing her down against the toilet. "Ah!" She gasped in horrible pain, she'd hit her shoulder and her head hit the corner of the wall and the tile floor. She shook as she put her hand on her arm and revealed blood. She looked up, her vision blurry from the blow to the head and gasped as she saw a back to her, a man with long blonde hair holding the WWE title, the ring not around his neck. "C-Chr…"
"Thanks for the title you fool, I'll take good care of it, thanks. I never had any intention of joining you, I can tear up that contract and run back to Ted Turner with this gold, I'll be treated like a hero and the WWE will fail." The voice snickered, she could barely hear him, her ears were ringing and his voice sounded like an echo. "And don't bother putting on that make up, it won't help you anymore anyway…" He ran off. Stephanie is crushed.
"What… Chris? But… how, why…" Her eyes fluttered and she passed out.
He walked back to the office and put the title down on her desk. He turned around, wearing a black lucha libre mask to cover his face, but the long blonde locks were a dead giveaway. But now it was time for part two of the closing act…
Later, after opening hours…
"Where is she?" Chris paced on the steps.
"Morning, you're here early Chris." One of the men smiled.
"Have you seen Stephanie?"
"No I'm afraid not."
"I hope she's okay." Chris began to worry as he followed the man inside. More people began to come and get to work. "I'll go to her office and wait there…" He went and found it empty, but the title was on the table. He picked it up, and simply holding it next to him seemed like such a surreal dream come true. He smiled, but just then something flew right past him. "Huh? What the..." He looked down at the chair on the ground and then turned slowly to the door, wide eyed as he saw… "Stephanie…!'
"Die, you vile WCW dog!" She spat coldly, her eyes full of tears.
"What, Stephanie!" Chris was in shock. She painfully picked up a stool by the door, but before she could throw it, Chris ran off. "Stephanie, how could you betray me like that! I thought you… I said that I loved…" He choked and looked down at what he held, the WWE title. "I'll just take this then…" He starts to run away.
Down at the end of the hall a man was walking, he stopped and turned. It was Triple H. He was very angry that Stephanie McMahon, a woman he once loved, had betrayed his trust in her family and taken the title away from him, a title that he earned and was rewarded by her father, a title that she was going to give to somebody just because she loved him and he had helped her, he didn't work for it. He no longer loved her anymore. Next to him Ric Fair stepped up, they both had noticed the commotion, but Triple H just turned and walked away.
"Shouldn't we help?" Ric asked but got no reply, so he ran after Triple H.
Chris ran to the arena, "Nobody is here yet, she'll never think to find me here."
"Is that a fact, you WCW dog."
"What?" Chris turned and gasped. Impossible! "You sure are persistent."
"You can't loose me like that."
"I meant what you called me, you said you'd never call me that again!"
"And you said that you, that, you…" Stephanie couldn't speak, she was tearing up. "Take this!" She grabbed a trash can and threw it at him, but Chris dodged and ran off. He ran back out of the arena and to the bar across the street.
He panted as he slunk down against the wall behind a table, "She'll never think to look for me in here."
"You forget yourself again."
"Huh!"
"You obviously didn't know me at all."
"Stephanie!" Chris stood up.
"Bad move, you fool." Her eyes flashed, "NOW DIE!" She picked up a fire extinguisher and threw it so it landed painfully against his ribs, it hit the rings around his neck.
"Ah!" The wind was knocked out of him and he slunk back down limply, panting for air. "Why Stephanie…" He coughed as his vision began to blur. "We were going to be happy, but you had to stab me in the back, even after, when I said that I…" He fainted.
"You, had to betray me. Sable was right, I should've never listened to my heart…:" Stephanie thought behind tears. She looked down and saw the ring around his neck and she felt her heart hurt. "Oh…" She sighed painfully as she began to fall.
"Steph!" Linda gasped, she ran in and caught her, her face still bandaged. "Stephanie! Stephanie!" She had arrived at the office when Chris started to run away, so she followed, knowing that something was wrong. She looked at Chris, what was going on.
