Chapter 7
By the next Monday Night RAW Trish had lost her sorrow, and replaced it with anger. Not only that, but Lita was livid as well, no one played her best friend like that. Molly Holly figured Christian was just something to have fun with, so the fact that he made a bet on her didn't matter much. Chris was only confused, he had no idea that Trish overheard him and Christian and didn't know why all of a sudden his girlfriend wouldn't speak or so much as look at him.
The night started off with Chris and Christian in the ring, Chris holding a dozen red roses. Christian was just there to have his buddies back, knowing his conniving ways would not only draw out the blonde vixen, but her red-headed comrade as well.
"What can I do to make this up to you?" Jericho asks, pacing around the ring, "I don't know what else I can do…"
When the crowd picks up, he glances up to see Trish storming down the ramp with Lita only a step behind. A smile broadens his face until he notices that Trish's anger hasn't seemed to lessen. Worry and fear start to seep into his cocky demeanor.
As the girls walk over to the steel steps Chris lifts the microphone back to his lips and says, "Whoa, whoa, whoa…man…"
He waits until the women are standing before him and Christian. "Talk about if looks could kill Christian. Look at your faces…I mean, what did we do to you guys that, that would make you feel this way? I mean what did we possibly do that could make…" he stops dead when Trish lifts a Canadian dollar, her head bowing down
When she looks back up he's smirking as if the explanation were a simple one. "Oh okay." He reaches forward and takes the coin from Trish, examining it for himself. "That's what this is about? The Canadian dollar?" his voice holds laughter, driving a stake of pain right through Trish.
"That's what this is about, the Canadian dollar? You're mad at us because of that bet?" he sounds incredulous, leaning back looking at Trish like she's blown everything way out of proportion. "Cause it was just a joke. It was just a stupid joke, I mean, you didn't…I mean maybe our sense of humor was a little bit off…but I mean you know us. I mean I can't believe you're seriously mad about that. It was a goof. I mean it was a little bit juvenile sure, but do you really think that Christian and I would make a bet for one dollar Canadian to see who could sleep with you guys first. Is that what you think?"
The crowd boo's their disapproval of the pathetic explanation.
"I mean, come on Trish, you know the chemistry that we have. You feel the connection between us, it's genuine, it's the real thing. And I would never jeopardize that for some stupid bet. I respect you way too much for that. I feel too much about you for that. And Lita, you know I would never hurt Trish, you know that. You know the real us." He turns back to Trish, "Trish you know the real me."
The crowd picks up a chant – 'asshole, asshole, asshole!'
"Don't listen to what they're sayin', you know the real me. That's why I'm…I'm askin…I'm beggin' you to please, please accept my apology." He reaches forward, offering her the roses. "I'm begging you Trish, please."
She hesitantly reaches forward, her eyes remaining locked with his. She takes the roses, a gentle brush of fingers against fingers, then looks down.
"You know the real me. It's all about you Trish, I can't stop thinking about you, all the time. You know how I feel…" he tries reaching forward to lift her chin, but the moment his hand touches her face she pulls away. "Trish please, you know how I feel about you. It's like I said last week, I've never felt this way about anybody my entire life. Trish please. I've never felt this way about anybody, ever. Accept my apology."
Gritting her teeth at the mockery he's made of her, Trish pulls back and slaps him right across the face. Chris is stunned and stumbles back at the power in her slap. He retreats back to the corner, and Trish is quick to follow. Only Christian, having sensed danger, grabs the blonde by the arms to pull her back and away from his friend. Lita, comes up and starts hitting Christian, causing him to lose hold on Trish.
Trish rears back and starts hitting Chris savagely with the roses. Only wanting to defend himself, Chris puts his arms in front of his face. When all the petals have been thrown off the roses, Trish feels the tears bubbling to the surface once more. Pulling back, she walks swiftly to the other side of the ring to escape from everything. But Jericho won't let her go, having got up seconds after she stopped hitting him. He caught her at the ropes, and grabbed her forearm, preventing her from leaving the ring, right as Hardy Boyz theme song came over the speakers.
Everyone stopped moving in the ring as Matt and Jeff came into view, Matt holding a microphone. "We just spoke with the GM, and Jericho, Christian, you two will be facing the Dudley Boys later on tonight. Get ready. Ladies, come on back."
The two girls slip through the ropes and run up the ramp, Lita right into Matt's open arms. While Trish stands by Jeff, looking over up a Chris. Jeff wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side. The four of them turn and walk back behind the curtain, right at the last moment Trish glances over her shoulder and sees Chris's pain at her in Jeff's arms.
After their solid defeat, thanks in part to the Dudley Boys, but mainly to Trish and Lita, Chris and Christian are angry beyond words. The girls simply stood, watching as the two men, well over two-hundred pounds, beat the two Canadians around the ring. Then, when watching wasn't enough, the girls climbed to the top turnbuckle, opposite one another, and head-butted the guys balls…the Dudley Boys held their legs open of course as fair retribution.
Storming into Eric Bischoff's office, Jericho immediately starts ranting and raving. "Those two women cost us the tag team titles. Something's gotta be done about this Eric! You gotta make this right! You've gotta make it right!"
Eric holds up his hands, trying to get Jericho to stop and listen for just a moment. "We'll get to that in just a minute. But I gotta know…" he chuckles at the thought, "I gotta know, did you two really have a bet to see who was gonna get lucky first?"
Chris hearing the harshness of it tries to explain, definitely in a calmer manner.
Christian won't allow the weakness to show, shouting above his partner. "You're damn right it was a real bet! And I was just about to close the deal with Molly, I can't believe this! You gotta do something about this Eric, you gotta do something!"
"Alright, alright guys," he starts, putting his hands up in a calming way, "Settle down, I got it, I got it. How 'bout if at Armageddon we got a tag team match up of Christian teaming with Chris Jericho…"
"Ok and?" Chris asks, looking at Bischoff as if he were slow in the head
"And your opponents are going to be…Lita and her partner Trish in Eric Bischoff's Battle of the Sexes at Armageddon!"
Jericho looks wary, not at all like this is what he wanted, while Christian is quick to jump on the band-wagon.
"I love it! I love it Eric, you're a genius. That's why you're the greatest GM of all time! I love it." He shouts, grabbing a hold of Jericho, "Chris this is unbelievable man. We got 'em, we got 'em right where we want 'em. Yes! Yes!"
Chris mumbles words, but they falls on deaf ears.
The giggle to Trish's theme song blares over the speakers as the lights dim. The lights come back and Trish is at the top of the ramp, after a short pause Trish walks purposefully down to the ring. The fans cheer her on. As she makes her way to the steel steps Lillian announces that this match is Eric Bischoff's battle of the sexes match.
"Introducing first, from Toronto, Canada – Trish Stratus!"
After riling up the fans a bit, another familiar theme song comes over the speakers – Lita. The red-head comes out from gorilla swinging, happy to be in front of the fans again. However, she's just as apprehensive about the match as her heart-broken partner.
"And her tag team partner, from Sanford, North Carolina – Lita!"
She gets to the ring and slides in, running right over to one of the corners, she jumps up and eggs the fans on. Hopping back down, she turns to her tag team partner to await the boys.
Right on cue, Christian's theme blasts over the speakers. As he walks out with a cocky swagger, Lillian announces him. "From Toronto, Canada, weighing in at 224 pounds – Christian!" he slaps his chest a couple times and points to the crowd, all the while sauntering towards the ring.
Before he gets into the ring, his partner's countdown begins and the lights go off. The pyrotechnics go off and the lights come back up to reveal Chris Jericho with his back to the ring.
"And his tag team partner from Winnipeg, Manitoba, weighing in at 250 pounds – Chris Jericho!"
He twirls around twice, in his customary fashion, then walks down the ramp. His eyes are focused on Trish, wondering how he got himself in this situation. How he went from holding her in his arms to having to wrestle her at a Pay-Per-View event. He walks up the steps and turns around to bounce against the ropes before slipping into the ring. His eyes remain locked on the woman who holds his heart, but Christian cuts him off, standing in front of him to get his head back where it needs to be.
Giving him some words of encouragement, Christian slaps Jericho's back for luck before backtracking out of the ring. The girls watch the two guys and discuss things for a moment then Lita climbs out of the ring.
Jericho just stands there, licking his lips with eyes filled with sorrow. Trish takes a deep breath and walks towards him, "Come on. This is what you want, isn't it? You got your match…" she tells him, getting closer and closer. She opens her arms up saying, "Go ahead, fight me. Let's go, let's do it!" Pointing to the ground she tells him, "Right here, you wanted the match and you got it – right here. I mean I don't even know what to think. You hurt me, and now you want to fight me so let's get it over with."
Jericho backs up, realizing her anger hasn't dissipated, and smacks Christian's chest, tagging him in. Christian is surprised and confused, but more than willing to get into the ring. He slips between the ropes, with a sick grin on his face, and tells Jericho, "Don't you worry about it, I've got these two little girls."
Jericho just turns away from the ring entirely, hanging his head.
Meanwhile Trish prepares herself for the match to come, knowing Christian won't hold anything back, he's more likely to punish her more than necessary. Christian lunges forward, making Trish jump back, but it was only a ploy. He bounces from foot to foot, watching his opponent get nervous, circling her like a vulture.
Turning to where her back is to Jericho, Trish looks back and forth, tauntingly Christian opens his arms up and says, "Come on baby, I'm right here."
Trish inches her way forward, but feeling cocky, Christian turns around and walks over towards Lita. Angry, Lita stands on the bottom rope and leans forward, Christian proceeds to taunt her, except she smacks the taste from his mouth. Stunned, he holds his face and stumbles backwards. Capitalizing on her advantage, Trish rolls Christian up. One…two…and a kick out.
Quick to his feet, Christian turns towards Trish, who by this time has also made it to her feet, and grabs her by the forearms. Man-handling her, he whips her around and throws her into the corner. Trish's back slams into the turnbuckles ad she falls down, bouncing slightly.
"Tag her in! Come on Lita!" Christian yells, pointing for Trish to tag in her partner.
Slow to get to her feet, Trish looks between Lita and Christian, Christian just motions for Lita to come get some. Trish asks Lita if she wants to get in the ring with him and sure enough, Lita tags in and starts to climb through the ropes. But Christian, having been dubbed the 'Creepy Little Bastard' runs over and smacks Lita in the back with his forearm.
Jericho bites his lip and watches Trish, not really caring about the match. His mind races with thoughts of what he should do, and how things got to the way they are.
The ref pushes Christian back and Lita falls into the ring, curling up on the mat. As she pulls herself together she gets to her knees and Christian decides she had enough time to recover. Walking over to her, he grabs her by the hair and pulls her to her feet. Once she's mobile, he walks her into the corner. Getting up close and personal, he pushes her head back and tells her how she's a stupid conniving whore.
Having spoken his peace, he pulls her out of the corner, into the middle of the ring, and picks her up for a suplex. However, Lita knowing his intentions, slides down his back and wraps her strong legs around his waist and sinks her nails into his face. Christian stumbles backwards, trying to get her hands off his face. Right back to Jericho, where he reaches up and grabs Lita's hair and pulls her off his of his partner.
The ref yells at Jericho not to interfere, but he's not paying attention, he's glaring at the red-head curled up on the mat. Christian tags him in, happy to see his friend finally getting into the match. Jericho climbs into the ring quickly and bends down, picking Lita up by the hair. Not wasting any time, he picks her up and suplexes her.
Stepping back he gives her a few moments to let the pain sink in, then he walks right back up to her and grabs her hair, continuing on forward, he tags Christian back in. Christian slips back into the ring and takes Jericho's hold of Lita's hair. Picking her up, he walks her within a few feet of the corner then throws her into it – face first. Lita crumbles to the ground. Christian turns his back to her and lifts up his arms as if he were posing for the crowd – very pleased with himself.
Turning back around he goes over to Lita and picks her up, with her back to his chest, and puts her on the top turnbuckle. Climbing up to the second rope, he places one of Lita's arms around his neck; only Trish walks along the edge of the ring and starts yelling at him, providing a distraction for Lita. Giving Lita enough time to pull her arm down and elbow him in the jaw. Throwing a couple more elbows, Christian starts getting stunned by the surprisingly powerful shots. The more elbows he receives the farther from Lita he leans, and finally with enough space she pushes him off the ropes and into the ring.
Lita quickly stands up on the top rope, and as Christian starts getting to his feet, she launches herself off into a back-flip. Without enough rotation she lands up smacking her head into his broad chest. While he's down and gasping for air she stumbles over to Trish for the tag, holding her head.
The moment Trish is tagged in, she climbs to the top rope and waits for Christian to turn around before launching herself at him. With the Cross-body, they're both in perfect position for the ref to start his count. One…two…and a kick out. Trish rolls away and Lita comes out of nowhere and starts putting the boots to Christian. Trish hops up and the two women begin wailing on Christian. Once he's backed into the ropes they get him to his feet and sling him across the ring. Planning on a double-team they stand waiting in the middle of the ring, except Christian has other plans and clotheslines both women.
Almost immediately Lita rolls out of the ring, cradling her neck. Trish lays motionless in the center of the ring. Jericho watches, breathing heavy with a knitted brow, still unable to fathom this match. Christian rolls Trish over and covers her. One…two…and as the ref goes for three, he lifts her up by her golden mane.
Holding on tight to Trish's hair, he gets to his knees and then slowly to his feet all the while pulling Trish along. Turning towards a concerned Jericho he points at him and says, "This is for you man." He takes Trish by the forearms and twirls her around so her head is bent against his head, looking down into the mat. Then he drops down, slamming Trish's face into the canvas. He quickly pops back into a sitting position and smirks at the crowd. Christian turns around and rolls the nearly unconscious Trish over and covers her. One…and the fans start going wild. As the ref is going down for two Jericho yanks Christian off of Trish, he looks at his despicable partner then over at Trish. Whirling around he grabs the ref by the collar and points at Trish, "Look at her! This match is done. Finished! Call the bell, this is over!"
Christian gets to his feet and is completely confused by his friend's reaction. He steps up towards Jericho, "What the hell man?"
Without even turning towards his partner, Jericho pushes Christian back into the turnbuckles. Christian steps back up and starts tapping on Jericho's shoulder; Chris is still trying to get the ref to call the match. Finally the ref signals for the bell to be rung, Christian getting angry, grabs Jericho and turns him to face him. Jericho not wanting to listen to anymore of Christian's bullshit turns and shoves the man into the corner. Stunned Christian lands in the corner, on the ground, and stares unbelievingly at his fellow Canadian.
Chris turns away from Christian and looks down at the woman lying on the mat. Christian starts shouting, "What the hell man? What the hell?" and Jericho turns back towards him, hatred written across his features. Looking back down at Trish he starts pacing the ring, running his fingers through his hair. Christian slides out of the ring, still unable to fathom what just happened. With Christian out of the ring Chris turns and stands in front of Trish, looking down at her, unable to believe he let this happen.
Eric Bischoff's music comes over the speakers and Chris steps away, running his hand through his own blonde mane, into the corner facing the ramp. As Bischoff makes his way down the ring, walking with a definite purpose, Chris backtracks, realizing he just got himself into a lot of trouble – ending the general manager's custom matches. Eric walks straight up the steps, into the ring, and to the back side to get a microphone. Chris just walks back and forth in front of Trish, watching the trainer and two referees try to help her.
"What in the hell…what're you doing stopping my Battle of the Sexes Match?" Eric questions, pissed off at his supposed obedient wrestler. As he begins yelling at Chris, the three other men in the ring slide out and Trish tries to roll out as well. "Do you have any idea…" he starts but Jericho rips the microphone out of his hand
There's a very tense, 'sizing each other up', moment before Jericho lifts the mic to speak. "Why don't you shut the hell up? Do you have any idea how much of a jackass you are Bischoff? I've been tryin' to tell you all week, this match never should've happened. It never should've taken place. I never wanted it to happen in the first place. Is this the result that you wanted, is this how you wanted it to end? Huh? I hope you're satisfied you stupid son of a bitch." And he slams the mic into Bischoff's chest, anger coursing through his veins
Having spoken his peace, Chris walks to the ropes and climbs out, not wanting to deal with the idiotic manager a moment more.
"What the hell you are talking about? What are you talkin' about? I made this match for you!" he tells Chris, standing against the ropes, pointing at the back of Jericho. "And this is how you show you're gratitude? Hey Jericho turn around and look at me!" Jericho slows and looks back, turning slightly. "Maybe it's just because you're a little angry, maybe it's because you're a little frustrated. So you don't want to wrestle in a girl's match? Well how 'bout if I put you in a match tonight, in this very ring, with someone who's equally as angry and equally as frustrated? Kane! Think about that next time you spout off to me…"
Jericho starts shouting back up at the ring, "You stupid son of a bitch. You dumbass!"
Getting back backstage, Chris immediately goes to Trish's locker room. Pausing he takes a breath and knocks on the door. "Trish?" he knocks again, "Trish if you're in there I want to talk to…"
The door swings open, revealing a still dress-out Trish with a large ice pack on her neck. He steps back and she walks through the door way, disbelief and anger clouding her features. Looking at her, he finds himself at a loss for words. Glancing between her face and her neck and the floor he tries to speak, but nothing coherent comes out.
"I…I'm…are…are you ok?" he finally manages
Looking away Trish rolls her eyes, "Am I ok?"
"Yeah…"
"No I'm not ok, you know what if…you know what it doesn't matter…" she scrunches her nose and puts her hand on her head then back down. "if I'm ok cause now, now I know the real Chris. I know the real Chris Jericho is an asshole." Chris looks away ashamed. "And you know what? You know what's going to make me feel better? It'll make me feel better if you never talk to me again." And with that she walks back into her locker room and slams the door.
Chris stands at the door, running his hand through his hair he looks up at the ceiling. 'How did I manage to fuck everything up?' he asks himself. And walks away, knowing his night isn't over yet.
And little does Trish know, neither is hers.
There's trouble in paradise...the question now remains - is the damage done irreparable? And what of Jeff? Sorry for the delay in updating...super busy with papers and tests, its like one thing after another. Let me know what you think of this, and where it could go...
Love, KtBug