Disclaimer: I own nothing so please don't sue!
A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews! They are greatly appreciated! That said, on with the story;-)
Chapter 3
Chris looked deep into Stephanie's eyes and only saw happiness. He released the breath that he was holding in, unaware that he had done so. He also couldn't stop the silly grin on his face. He reached over and gently placed her hand in his. "I've wanted to do that for the longest time," he said as he gently rubbed his thumb over her hand.
"I've wanted you to do that for the longest time," Stephanie admitted shyly with a slight blush on her face.
"See, I told you that you couldn't resist the Sexy Beast," Chris said smiling with a wink.
Stephanie laughed out loud wishing the night didn't have to come to an end. She had waited for this moment for so long that she wished she could freeze time right now. In all her life, there was nothing that had ever felt so right than this moment.
They sat there just looking at each other when Antonio came up. "Is everything ok? How did you like my little dessert?"
"Antonio, as always, everything was just perfect," Chris said never taking his eyes off of Stephanie. It was as if it was all a dream and he was afraid that he would wake up at any time.
"Yes, it was wonderful," Stephanie said breaking eye contact to look at Antonio. "I think you will be seeing quite a bit of us when we are in town."
"Excellent, and of course, I expect to see you with him from now on," Antonio said beaming with pride.
"If I have my way, you'll see her every time you see me," Chris said finally looking at Antonio. "If you will just bring me the check, we'll get out of your hair."
"Seeing as how this is a special moment, consider this, my present to you," Antonio said with a gleam in his eyes. Chris opened his mouth to dispute not paying the bill but Antonio put his hand up. "Now Christopher, you know better than to argue with me, especially in front of this beautiful young lady. Now, you two lovebirds go and spend some time together."
Chris looked at Antonio and while bothered by the free meal, he also understood that it was a gift. He wouldn't insult Antonio by insisting to pay for the meal. "Thank you Antonio," Chris said quietly.
Antonio nodded his head and gently picked up Stephanie's hand. After kissing it softly, he looked at her and said, "You be good to my Christopher. He is very special."
"Yes, he is," Stephanie said looking over at Chris.
Antonio walked off while Stephanie and Chris just sat there looking at each other holding hands. It was as if each one of them had decided that they wanted to memorize every detail of the night. Finally, Chris gently pulled his hand out of hers, slid out of the booth, and held his hand out for her. She placed her hand in his and stood up.
"I'm so glad you asked me out for dinner," Chris said his eyes as bright as the blue sky.
"I'm glad you said yes," Stephanie said with her eyes just as bright if not brighter.
They walked thru the restaurant hand in hand without a care in the world. Finally after all this time, it seemed as if things could be working themselves out for the better. Chris held open the door while Stephanie turned around and waved goodbye to Antonio. Antonio smiled and nodded his head in acknowledgement. Chris nodded his head and walked out the door after Stephanie.
Stephanie stopped and turned around, almost colliding with Chris. She knew if she didn't kiss him the way she wanted to she would absolutely explode. Chris stood there with a puzzled expression on his face, unsure of what Stephanie was doing. Suddenly it became clear as she stepped in front of him with her lips slighted parted.
Chris met her halfway and both of them groaned as their lips touched again. Stephanie opened her mouth just a tad bit more and that was all the invitation that Chris needed. He swept his tongue into her mouth and explored just a little. Suddenly Stephanie wrapped her arms around Chris and pulled him completely flush against her body.
Chris wrapped his arms around her and felt as though they were devouring each other. After waiting so long for this moment, he knew this night would be a night that they both would always remember. Suddenly a car went by and reminded them that they were out in a parking lot in the middle of the night. Reluctantly Chris ended the kiss with another gentle kiss before pulling her into a hug.
Stephanie stood there with her eyes closed and her face having the expression of total and complete happiness. She felt so safe and secure in Chris's arms. She had never felt this way about anybody before. She rubbed her hands on his back up and down enjoying the feel of his body against hers.
Chris stood there with his arms wrapped around Stephanie hoping once again that the night would never end. It felt as though everything was finally coming together the way that it should be. He gently pulled away from her to look in her eyes but still kept his arms wrapped firmly around her.
"Well, I have to say, this has been a long time coming," Chris said.
"I would have to agree with that," Stephanie said.
"Where do we go from here?" Chris asked.
Stephanie stepped up on her tiptoes and gently kissed him on lips. "We will take this one day at a time. Personally, I'm content to just stand out here all night but you've got to work tomorrow."
"Ah yes, work. How right you are," Chris said with chagrin. "Where are you staying at?"
"Well, to be honest, I hadn't really planned on staying in town so I don't have anywhere to stay or any clothes with me for that matter," Stephanie said.
"You are more than welcome to stay in my room in a strictly platonic way. They were out of rooms with single beds so I've got an extra bed and I've got some extra clothes that you could sleep in," Chris said.
"Considering my options, I think that would be wonderful," Stephanie said with a smile.
Chris pulled away from her and led her to the car. After opening the car door for her, he jogged over to his side to get into the car. As they got in, Chris noticed Antonio standing outside waving goodbye. Chris and Stephanie both waved goodbye as they pulled out onto the highway.
Within a few minutes, they had arrived at the hotel. Chris quickly got out of the car and opened the door for Stephanie. She smiled as she got out and reached out to quickly grab his hand as they walked into the hotel together.
"C-man, what's up?" Jay asked dragging Trish behind him.
He had been watching and pacing the hotel lobby waiting to see Chris. Of course, he wasn't surprised at seeing Chris and Stephanie holding hands though it did, oddly enough, look right. Trish had been hounding him for the past hour to go to bed but he just couldn't do it. He had to see how the night ended for the two of them and by the looks of it; it was ending pretty damn well.
"Nothing much, getting ready to hit the hay," Chris said gripping Stephanie's hand just a little tighter. He hoped that Jay wasn't planning on saying something that Chris would have to bitch slap him for.
"Cool, did you have a nice time Stephanie?" Jay asked looking at Stephanie.
"I had a great time, thanks for asking," Stephanie said with a huge smile on her face.
"Well, seeing how you two had a great time and all, we're going to head up to our room," Trish said firmly grasping Jay's hand in her own. "Good night." She pulled Jay with her to the elevator unable to stop the smile on her face as she pressed the elevator button.
"What are you doing?" Jay asked when the elevator doors closed. "I still had plenty of questions to ask them."
"You dip shit," Trish said. "Do you want to ruin their first date? They had a great time, they looked like they had a great time, and I think you should mind your own business for a little while."
"Women, can't live with them, can't live without them," Jay muttered as the elevator door opened and they walked out.
Chris and Stephanie stood there waiting for the next elevator. Chris had intentionally kept behind missing the elevator that Jay and Trish were on. He could see the questions bubbling in his best friend's face and he was just not ready to answer them yet. Technically, their date wasn't over yet so he shouldn't have to share.
"What was that all about?" Stephanie asked with a small grin.
"You see, that was Jay wanting to know all the details of our date and since our date isn't over yet, I just figured he could wait until later," Chris said with a grin.
"So what are you going to tell him?" Stephanie asked intrigued.
"I'm going to tell him that we had a great time," Chris said as the elevator doors opened. "Ladies first."
Stephanie entered the elevator with a grin and Chris followed her. He pushed the button for his floor and then threw his arm around Stephanie's shoulder. "So don't you think we had a great time?"
Stephanie grinned and said, "The best time."
They stood there looking at each other with silly grins on their faces. He reached down and nuzzled his nose with hers. He then pulled back and kissed her on the forehead. The elevator stopped and they exited the elevator with Stephanie's arm around Chris' waist and Chris' arm around her shoulders.
"Well, here we are," Chris said pulling his key out of his pocket. He opened the door and waited for Stephanie to enter his room.
"Wow, moving up in the world I see," Stephanie said surprised by the elegance in the room.
"Well, when you have the title of the First Undisputed Champion, you can live a little high on the hog," Chris said with a cocky grin.
"I'll have to file that for future reference," Stephanie said walking to couch and sitting down. She grabbed the remote and turned the TV on while Chris sat down beside of her.
"Ok, girl movie, guy movie or both," Chris said.
"Let's see what's on," Stephanie suggested as Chris laid his arm around her shoulders. She sighed as she laid her head down on his shoulder and got comfortable.
"Why Stephanie are you trying to take advantage of me?" Chris asked.
"No, I'm just using you as a pillow," Stephanie said with her trademark smirk.
"Oh great, well at least I know where I stand now," Chris said rolling his eyes.
Stephanie tactfully chose to ignore the last little comment out of Chris's mouth. She flipped threw the channels looking for a movie for them to watch. Chris was perfectly content to just lay there with Stephanie in his arms when suddenly the power went out.
"What the hell?" Chris asked in the pitch darkness.
"Chris, what is going on?" Stephanie asked with a touch of fear in her voice.
"Nothing baby, you stay right here and I'll go check it out," Chris said trying to pull himself away from Stephanie. Unfortunately Stephanie was having none of that and hung onto his arm as if her life depended on it.
"Uh sweetie, is there something you want to tell me?" Chris asked very calmly.
Stephanie shut her eyes and counted to ten very slowly. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth. "I'm terrified of the dark."
Chris was glad that the room was dark so that Stephanie couldn't see the grin on his face. Here he was thinking she was fearless in everything she did but she was scared of the dark. For some reason, it made her all the more attractive to him. He pulled her against his side and could feel her body trembling. He kissed her softly on the forehead and said, "Don't worry Princess, you're with me."
"Thank you," Stephanie said closing her eyes and for the first time in a long time, felt safe and secure in a man's arms. She almost couldn't remember the last time she felt that way. "I'm sorry, I know I'm being silly."
"Hey, we all have our fears. Want to know what mine is?" Chris asked trying to lighten things up a bit.
"What? What is the Chris Jericho afraid of?" Stephanie asked.
"Promise you won't tell," Chris said as if telling her the most important secret in the world.
"I promise," Stephanie said the seriousness in her tone assuring him that she was.
"Ok, I'm afraid of..." Chris said almost as if he was afraid to say it out loud.
"It's ok, it's just me. You know you can tell me anything," Stephanie said rubbing her hand up and down on his arm.
Chris took a deep breath and said, "Wrinkles."
Stephanie stood there for a moment stunned. She wasn't sure she heard him right. "Did you just say wrinkles?"
"Yes, I'm scared to death of them," Chris said mockingly.
Stephanie busted out laughing before punching him in the arm or at least what she thought was his arm. She relished the 'ouch' she heard come out of his mouth before realizing that she didn't seem to be so afraid of the dark anymore.
"There, that's much better," Chris said rubbing his arm where she had punched him. He would much rather hear laughter come out of her mouth than fear. Fear and Stephanie just didn't seem to go together very well in his mind and he was always right in his mind.
"What do we do now?" Stephanie asked.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?" Chris asked.
"Room service with some candles and a flashlight sir," the bellboy answered.
Chris tried to remember where everything was while still having Stephanie cling to his arm. He reached out with his other arm and felt his way till he got to the door. He opened the door and smiled at the young man standing outside the room.
"So Junior, is it just the motel or is the whole city down?" Chris asked.
"Actually sir, it's the entire block. It seems as though there was an accident that took out one of the power poles on the street. It looks like it will be at least 12 hours before there is any power," the bellboy said handing Chris the candles, matches, and flashlight. "The phone is still working so if you need anything other than cooked food, we should be able to handle it. Now if you will excuse me, I've got plenty of these to deliver."
"Certainly and thank you," Chris hollered out as the bellboy threw up his hand. He quickly shut the door and turned the flashlight on. "There, now it's not dark."
Stephanie sat down on one of the beds while watching Chris set up the candles. He placed one in the bathroom, one on the nightstand that was between the two beds, and one on the television set. She smiled softly as she thought of how silly she must have looked earlier but it couldn't be helped.
"There, no more darkness," Chris said with a silly smile on his face.
"You know, there is just something about candlelight, isn't there?" Stephanie asked.
Chris noticed the soft look in her eyes and practically melted right there. There was no other woman in the world that could make him feel this way with just a look other than Stephanie. She was, in his mind, the perfect woman for him. He couldn't help but bend down and kiss her softly on the lips saying, "I think there's just something about you."
Stephanie's blush was slight but still there. She was so unused to getting compliments. Of course, growing up in the McMahon family didn't help any there. Sure, her mom was the one to make sure that Stephanie knew how special she was but it felt so good hearing it from somebody who's opinion she truly valued that wasn't related to her. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak when there was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Chris asked walking over to the door.
"Open the door," a mumbled voice said.
Chris rolled his eyes immediately recognizing the voice. He grinned at Stephanie before opening the door and see Chris Benoit on the outside.
"Took you long enough," he grumbled as he walked into the room only to stop dead in his tracks. "Stephanie?"
"Hi Chris," Stephanie said grinning from ear to ear. "I've been meaning to call and congratulate you on your World Heavyweight Championship."
"Thanks, I appreciate that," Benoit said grinning showing that he had his tooth in this time instead of out. "So, did you two finally decide to get together or what?"
Chris stood there at the door rolling his eyes getting ready to shut the door. He noticed that the door wouldn't close and looked down on the floor. There was a foot in the doorway. He glanced over to see an over excited Jay standing there with a sour-faced Trish behind him.
"Hey C-man, short time no see," Jay said grinning from ear to ear as he pushed his way thru pulling Trish a bit unwillingly into the room. "Hey Steph, Benoit, what's up?"
"Not much," Benoit said looking at Trish face and grinning. She looked totally irritated and he knew it was at Jay. "So what are you two doing out and about?"
"Well, with the power off, we thought we would just go and hang out with some friends. After all, there sure isn't any watching television or listening to the radio now is there?" Jay said his cockiness coming thru in spades.
"Hi Trish," Stephanie said quietly wondering what was up with the blonde bombshell from Canada. She looked as if she wanted to be anywhere else but where she was. "Since you're here, want to help me for a second?"
"That would be great," Trish said her face showing relief. The whole way down to the room she was trying to talk Jay out of coming here. It wasn't that she didn't like Stephanie or Chris; it was just the fact that her busybody boyfriend couldn't wait until the morning to found about Chris and Stephanie's date.
Stephanie turned to walk to the bathroom with Trish right behind her. Stephanie shut the door and turned around. "Ok, what's wrong?"
"Is it that obvious?" Trish said chewing on her lip.
Stephanie laughed a giggle and said, "Only a little and only to the ones who know you so well."
Trish rolled her eyes and said, "You know, I just don't know what I'm going to do with him. He is the worst gossip I've ever met. Seriously, there isn't a woman on this planet that could hold a candle to Jay when it comes to gossip."
"Really, I wouldn't have thought that Jay was the type but I don't really know him that well," Stephanie said looking a little surprised.
"Are you kidding me? Never tell Jay anything that you don't want anybody to know. It is guaranteed to get around the company in less the two hours," Trish said smiling a small smile.
"So noted for future reference," Stephanie said with a grin. "Ok, so why are you two here?"
Trish took a deep breath and with an annoyed look said, "Because my boyfriend couldn't wait until tomorrow morning to find out about your first date with Chris."
"So tell me, how did it go? Where did you go? What did you do? Have you kissed her yet? Come on man, I've waited long enough, I want details and I want them now," Jay said sitting down on the bed and looking at Chris with an 'I'm not going to take no for an answer' look.
"Wait a minute," Benoit said looking irritated at Jay. "It's none of your business what went on tonight you moron."
"Thank you Benoit, I appreciate that," Chris said with a little smirk on his face.
"Hold up now, aren't I the one that told you that you needed to just go for it?" Jay said.
"Yes, but that is not at all how it happened," Chris said with an irritated look on his face.
"Then by all means C-man, do tell," Jay said with another smirk.
Chris looked at Benoit who shrugged his shoulders. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about his first date because technically it wasn't over yet. Stephanie was still with him and he just didn't want to jinx anything with her. "Nope, can't tell you."
Benoit grinned from ear to ear. Normally anything Jay wanted, Chris would do but not this time. He was learning more and more about how Chris dealt with Jay on a daily basis. Granted, Jay was a good guy but everybody in the company knew if you wanted to keep something secret keep it away from Jay.
"That's so not fair," Jay said whining reminding Chris way too much of Adam.
"Who said life was fair?" Benoit said with a grin on his face.
"What business is this of yours Wolverine?" Jay asked with a mad look.
"Absolutely none whatsoever," Benoit said enjoying the fact that he was irritating the hell out of Jay.
"Ok you two, cool it," Chris said with a smile on his face. "Look, I will talk about when I want to, not when you want me to."
The bathroom door opened and Trish walked out followed by Stephanie. She walked up to Jay with a smirk on her face. "Since you're not going to find out anything tonight, can we go back to the room now?"
"No, I'm not leaving until I get some answers," Jay said with that stubborn look on his face.
Chris looked at Stephanie and shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't sure how to handle this or if he really wanted to deal with it at all. Stephanie looked at him and winked. He knew she was up to something but he wasn't sure what just yet.
"What do you want to know?" Stephanie asked with a sweet, deceptive smile on her face.
"Finally, somebody who wants to know what I want! I want to know what happened on you two's first date," Jay said smirking at Benoit who was giving him a 'go to hell' look.
Stephanie smirked at Jay and said, "Well, technically the first date is not over yet so how can he tell you anything?"
"Do you mean you two were getting ready to do the nasty? Well, alright C-man," Jay said with an astonished look on his face.
"Jay, I think you're opening your mouth too much," Benoit said getting pissed. Stephanie and Chris were two good people who deserved a lot more respect than they were getting. "If you don't knock it off, I'm going to make you tap right here in the middle of the room."
"Dude, you are way too old for me. I could outdo you anytime," Jay said letting his character get the best of him once again.
"Oh no," Trish whispered to herself. She cared a lot about Jay and he was a lot of fun but right now he was totally being a creepy little bastard and it served him right if Benoit threw him down and did make him tap.
Chris looked at Stephanie and noticed the gleam in her eyes. He shook his head thinking it could not be good. He knew her all too well and saw the wheels in her mind turning full speed ahead. "God help you now Jay," he thought to himself.
Benoit didn't say one word. He walked up to Jay until he was nose to nose with him. Jay smirked the whole time not seeing the danger that he was in. "I will make you tap," Benoit said with a slight smile on his face.
"Oh yeah," Jay said moving his head from side to side as if popping his neck. "Let's see you try and make me tap."
Chris shook his head the minute he heard Jay say that. Jay didn't know what he was dealing with and Chris decided right then and there that he was totally and completely on his own. He knew that Jay could be obnoxious but he had no idea that he was this bad.
Benoit looked over at Stephanie and noticed her nodding her head. He knew right then that he had permission to do what he was about to do and he was going to enjoy it. He looked at Trish and noticed the worried look on her face. He winked at her to let her know that he wouldn't hurt Jay too bad but that he was going to teach him a lesson.
Benoit reached out with his leg and tripped Jay to fall face first on the bed. He then pounced on him, hooking the Crippler Crossface on Jay before he could say a word. He locked it in but not as tight as he would have if he were in a real match. He didn't want to hurt Jay; he liked him. He just wanted to teach him a lesson.
Stephanie walked over beside of Trish and noticed the smile on her face. She grinned back at her and walked over behind Benoit getting ready to ask him to stop when she noticed Jay tapping out on the bed.
Chris laughed out loud and said, "Well Jay, he made you tap."
Benoit released the hold and stood up beside of Stephanie. Jay jumped up and turned around the fury on his face clear for everybody to see. He was breathing hard, had been embarrassed in front of his hot girlfriend, and still didn't know anything about Chris's date with Stephanie. He grabbed Trish hand practically pulling her out behind him saying, "Come on, we don't need this," before stomping out of the door. Trish waved bye with a huge smile on her face.
"Sorry guys, I couldn't handle anymore of his mouth tonight," Benoit said with a slight smirk on his face. "Although, I couldn't help but notice that you two seemed to enjoy that as much as I did."
"Jay can be hard to deal with at times but he is a good guy," Stephanie said grinning from ear to ear. "I do have to say I enjoyed the look of shock on his face when you put him in the Crossface, that was priceless."
"I don't know baby, I kind of enjoyed the look on his face when he was falling down face first on the bed. It was like he knew what was coming and couldn't stop it. That was great man, just great," Chris said holding his hand out for Benoit to shake.
Benoit shook his hand and grinned from ear to ear. "You know, anytime you two need any help with that one, I would be more than honored to help. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll leave you two alone." He patted Stephanie on the shoulder and headed towards the door.
"Hey Benoit," Stephanie said as he put his hand on the door handle.
"Yeah," Benoit said turning around to look at her.
"Thanks," Stephanie said with a huge grin on her face. "I don't think I have ever enjoyed watching you put the Crossface on somebody as much as I did tonight when you did that to Jay."
"Anytime Steph, anytime," Benoit said winking at her before he walked out and shut the door behind him.
Chris grinned at Stephanie before grabbing his bag. He pulled out his normal sleeping shorts, his extra pair of shorts, and a couple of t-shirts. "Well, it's getting late and we've got to get up early in the morning. Take your pick of what you want to wear to bed. You can change in the bathroom while I change out here."
"Ok," Stephanie said looking at the T-shirt sizes. "Let's see, this one is an extra-large." She held it up and grinned, "New shirt?"
Chris grinned as he watched her reading his shirt. It was a new prototype that said, "Don't you wish you were me?" on the front and "Y2J - The King of the World" on the back. "Yip, don't you like it?"
"It's definitely you," Stephanie said with a smirk. She grabbed a pair of shorts to go with it and headed towards the bathroom.
A few minutes later she came out of the bathroom and smiled as she saw Chris. He was lying on his bed with just a pair of black shorts on. A slight blush rose on her cheeks though why she wasn't sure. She had seen him without his shirt on thousands of times but this time was different. Then it hit her; instead of seeing just the wrestler, she saw the man and she really liked what she saw.
Chris grinned as he saw her come out of the bathroom. He had already turned the covers back on her bed while waiting for her in his own bed. He noticed how the shirt just barely did fit her chest and had to blush himself at the thought. He mentally shook his head of his thoughts.
The one thing that he wanted to do was to make this work between him and Stephanie. He knew he had to take things slowly and one day at a time. There really was no other way. He also wanted to treat her as she should be treated. She was a lady thru and thru. There was no denying that, no matter what he had said about her on television.
"A penny for your thoughts," Stephanie said quietly standing beside of his bed. She had quickly noticed that he had blown out the candles except for the one on the nightstand. She had taken care of the candle in the bathroom.
"Huh? Oh, I'm sure that it would just bore you," Chris said grinning from ear to ear.
"Somehow I doubt that," Stephanie said. She bent down and softly kissed him on the lips. She then turned and got into her bed. "Good night Chris."
"Good night Stephanie," Chris said watching as she closed her eyes. He waited until she was completely asleep before blowing out the candle. He laid there in the dark wondering what the future held for him and Stephanie. He hoped things would work out between them. He really and truly hoped that they did.