Title: Just This Once, Part 5
Author: Kora
E-mail: KrazyKora or WinterViolet24
Rating: R
Disclaimer: The following characters belong to WWE and all the people and companies who deal with all that legal stuff. I am simply using the characters for my own twisted enjoyment.
Author's Note: This is my first WWE fan fiction and I feel I should point some stuff out so I can avoid flames-
It was you, Hunter.
You're damn right it was me...
-excerpt, RAW 8/05/02
"How could you challenge him to a fight at Summerslam?!" Stephanie screeched. Shawn sat before her, a calm but tight look on his face. She had been spending time with him in San Antonio, a short vacation for just him and her at his home. She had been enjoying business as well as pleasure, checking out a few local wrestlers before her flight tomorrow evening back to Smackdown's latest taping.
It was while doing said business that Shawn connected to RAW and made his announcement. He had not only revealed that Triple H, Hunter Helmsley, Stephanie's ex-husband and his best friend, had attacked him-he had also committed himself to an unsanctioned match-no, fight-at Summerslam.
"It wasn't all me, princess. He had a hand in it too, you know."
Normally Stephanie would light up when Shawn called her 'princess', his unofficial nickname for her, but at this moment she wasn't smiling. She and Shawn hadn't even been dating long and all ready she found a problem with their relationship. He would never talk to her-he'd just go out and do something. Oddly enough, this problem was quite common in the men she became involved with. She was starting to wonder if it was her or if all men were like this. The latter seemed more acceptable.
"I don't care, I don't care! All I care about it is you and I do NOT want you stepping in that ring!"
"Why? Because I'm facing Hunter? That's it, isn't it? Do you have no faith in me? I admitted I'm no longer the ShowStopper but I can still fight. Triple H isn't better than me, he isn't stronger and I can beat him. I know it!"
"Shawn, that's not it at all. Of course I have faith in you. You're ten times the man Hunter is. But sweetheart, you didn't even come talk to me about it. Didn't tell me of your intentions to go off on public television and place yourself in a match at one of the WWE's biggest events."
"So what, I have to run every little thing I do by you now? Do I have to ask permission to get a beer or wipe my own ass?"
"Don't be ridiculous-you know what I mean. You need to tell me about life altering decisions like this one. We're a couple now, Shawn. I deserved to know long before you told Bischoff and some RAW fans. Hell, I only found out by word of mouth! Dawn called and told me since-it seems-she's a secret avid fan of RAW or something," Stephanie scowled at that. She could still remember her assistance's call. She liked Dawn but she would have to talk to her about loyalty. Stephanie shook her head and pressed on, "I needed to know because if I had known before you committed yourself, I would have tried to talk you out of it."
"See? See, that's why I didn't tell you," Shawn said firmly, wagging a finger at her, "I knew you wouldn't want me to do it. You'd want me to back down. You think Hunter can take me, you're afraid-"
"Of course I am!" Stephanie bellowed, her face white, "I'm afraid but not for the reasons you think. I could care less about you and Hunter fighting. Honestly? I think you could give him a run for his money-maybe even take him. You were the ShowStopper long before he was the Game. What I'm afraid of is you. I'm afraid for you. Afraid you'll get hurt, whether at Triple H's hands or your own and you will end up in a wheelchair. Hunter wants to put you there and you're all hot and bothered to help him put you in it! I don't want you to end up crippled, Shawn or worse, because I care so much about you.
"What you said on RAW about the doctor's saying your almost one-hundred percent is bull and I know it because I spoke to one of your doctor's after Hunter's attack. Now believe me, I was just as shocked and upset about what Hunter did to you as anyone else and I do want him to pay but not at the cost of-of losing you. Don't you see? I care about you so much that if something happened to you-I don't know what I'd do with myself. I just don't..." She trailed off, tears in her eyes.
Shawn sighed, feeling like a real jackass, "All right. You're right. I probably should have talked with you first before doing this but everything will be fine, princess. I promise."
He could see the doubt in her cloudy eyes and he held open his arms. She rushed into them, crawling onto his lap to hug him tightly. He had never wanted to hold a person close to him this badly in all his life. He mummered reassurances, letting a hand run over her hair. It reminded him of how all this had started-their whole relationship. As he looked back he knew he wouldn't have changed a thing. Stephanie made him so happy he felt he could take on the world. And that world included Hunter.
Stephanie smiled against his chest. Here was where her relationship with Shawn differed from her past relationships. After she and Shawn argued it wasn't long before they made up, both apologizing to the other. She could remember daylong battles with Hunter. She was just as stubborn as he was, neither willing to give a little. Shawn was also just about as stubborn as Stephanie yet they were both eager to make up as soon as possible.
Stephanie snuggled closer to Shawn, placing kisses on his chest. He chuckled, "That feels mighty nice. Maybe we should argue more often."
"Oh yeah?" Stephanie asked and swiftly found his nipple through his shirt, gently biting it.
"OW! You little minx!" Shawn laughed and lifted her head up, giving her a deep kiss. They stayed that way for several moments until there was a knock at the door.
"Ohhh-I better get up and go get that." Stephanie purred, her mouth still on Shawn's.
"Don't. I'm all ready 'up'." Shawn replied throatily, and indeed Stephanie could feel his arousal beneath her. She giggled at the comment and continued making-out with him when the knocking returned, stronger than before.
They both groaned and rolled their eyes simultaneously as they broke apart. Stephanie rose up from Shawn's lap and went to the door. She opened it to see Hunter, his eyes burning with anger.
"Stephanie with Shawn, what a big surprise." He growled and stormed in, slamming the door shut behind him. Shawn leapt to his feet, ready to fight. Stephanie stepped between them, eager to keep the peace, "Hunter, what are you doing here?"
"Could ask you the same, but there's no point. Let's just say I have some connections that got me here quicker than if I could teleport. When I saw Shawn was calling from San Antonio I remembered this place and knew this is where he had to be. Best friends don't keep secrets, you know. Shawn told me about all of his old hangouts. But then, I guess some friends do keep secrets, don't they Shawn? You know, I'm actually glad you're both here. I did come to see him," he pointed at Shawn, "but having you both here will save me some trips. I think when I talk about this, you both should be present. I mean, I had to come tell Shawn what a good acting job he did tonight getting all the fans sympathy. Psh, if they only knew the real truth-"
"What truth, Hunter?" Shawn snarled.
"The truth about why I'm really fighting you at Summerslam, the truth about their Saint Shawn Michaels-"
"What the hell are you babbling about?"
"I'm talking about you fucking my wife!" The sentence thundered out of him and struck Shawn and Stephanie hard. Hunter delighted in their shocked faces, his anger immeasurable, "That's right, I know! I know you fucked her 'cause I was there! I saw you!"
Neither Shawn nor Stephanie spoke, both still too lost in shock as Hunter continued, "I went to Smackdown's office and caught you two fucking like mad on Stephanie's desk. Honestly Steph, you think you'd have at least had the decency to lock the door instead of letting just anyone walk in and see what a whore you are."
Stephanie flashed to that night, remembering how she had tried to lock the office door but had been unable to do so-too caught up in passion with Shawn to care. She cared now though as she asked numbly, "Why were you there?"
At this point Hunter seemed a little uncomfortable, admitting quietly, "I came to see you. I wanted to talk."
Stephanie's eyes lowered and a wave of pity swept through her for Hunter. He had been serious that day at the hospital. He really had wanted to repair their relationship. She knew she wouldn't have agreed but part of her felt bad at the same time.
Hunter quickly returned to his anger though, pointing at Shawn, "Unfortunately I didn't get the chance because I caught him, my best friend Shawn Michaels, all over you like white on rice!"
"Hunter, I was going to tell you..." Shawn started but Hunter interrupted.
"Tell me what? That it was an accident? 'Oh yeah, Hunter, Stephanie just fell and landed on my dick'. Sorry. Not biting. Or maybe you were going to be serious about it and tell me in some nice, man-to-man way that you fucked my wife!"
"Whoa! Hold it! I am NOT your wife anymore, Hunter and I can see and date whoever I want to!" Stephanie fumed, her own finger now poking Hunter's chest accusingly.
"Yeah, but him! My best friend! I mean, my god, you sure can pick 'em! You could have had anyone-Edge, Jericho, Cena and you had to chose Shawn! My best friend?"
"What's with this best friend bullshit! Just earlier tonight you were threatening to put me in a wheelchair, basically saying that I'm a weakling who needs your protection twenty-four-seven because I can't take care of myself. Now, I don't know about you, but that isn't what 'best friends' say to each other. So when Stephanie manages to get you with a comeback, you and I are best friends again? Make up your goddamn mind!" Shawn roared.
"Oh, I'm sorry Shawn. I guess I'm just a little absent-minded considering you two betrayed me! Even worse-you screwed me over! Your head deserved to go through that window and I'll do a lot worse at Summerslam! The only reason I didn't tell those little, slobbering fans out there tonight what you really did is because I would have looked like a jackass. I mean, for all I know, you've been fucking Steph behind my back for years. Even when we were married. It's not much of a stretch-after all there was that incident with Angle. And its not like its hard to get into Stephanie's pants. She might as well have a green 'go' light between her legs."
Shawn charged forward then and decked Hunter hard. Hunter recovered quickly and hit Shawn back. The two men began to fight viciously, Stephanie screaming and trying to pull them apart. At last she got Shawn free, his hair and clothes ragged, his lips bleeding. Hunter looked about the same, torn shirt and bloody nose.
Stephanie held Shawn a moment to two, then charged over to Hunter, her voice tight as she spoke, "Hunter, I'm sorry you found out about Shawn and I the way you did and I'm sorry that our relationship is over but you betrayed Shawn first. Or have you forgotten about your 'let's get ready to suck it' DX routine."
"Yeah, what about that you son of a bitch!" Shawn spat, blood leaving just as much as saliva.
"I told you why I did that, Shawn. It was for your own good. You think you're this great icon or something. You're as full of yourself as that old bag of bones Hulk Hogan but at least he's earned some respect. You? What have you done? Besides stealing my ex-wife, what great contribution have you made? You're only two steps away from being a lousy, useless CRIPPLE!" Hunter gave Shawn an evil grin, "Face it, I did you a favor."
"That is ENOUGH!" Stephanie bellowed and shoved Hunter hard, actually causing him to take a few steps back, "You know, I actually felt sorry for you when you told me you stopped by to talk to me, I was sorry you caught Shawn and I together the way you did. I even felt a little guilty because I worried about hurting you when Shawn and I finally decided to sit you down and talk to you about our relationship but now, I don't give a damn! You will NOT talk to Shawn that way, understand?!
"You can say whatever you want about me but I will not hear one bad word about him from your filthy mouth! I'm glad I'm with him now, glad I slept with him and am building a relationship with him. Shawn is a wonderful man and he is a great icon-even if to nobody but me. But you? You're a selfish, egotistical monster! You were a mistake, Hunter! Do you understand? You were a mistake and I wish I had never gotten involved with you! The only good that came out of us was my meeting Shawn. When you two go at it at Summerslam he's going to cream you. Hey, for all we know, you'll end up the cripple! Or has someone forgotten that a knee injury almost made him a cripple himself? Face it Hunter, knee injury/back injury...you have just as much to lose as Shawn does."
Hunter gave her a humorless laugh, "So much for the 'good times' we shared, huh Stephanie?"
There was an uncomfortable silence as Shawn pulled Stephanie close. Hunter merely glared at them, "You know what, you two deserve each other. You're both washed up has-beens. But Shawn, just a piece of advice, what she did to me-don't think she won't do it to you. It's a disease women get and Stephanie's got a severe case of it, its called 'fresh meat'. Give it a couple of months and she'll be checking out someone else. Always needs something new to 'tap that ass'."
Hunter left with those words, slamming the door behind him. Stephanie practically withered at the sound, all ready struck by his harsh words. Shawn held her tightly and kissed her hair.
It was a while before either of them spoke again that evening. They had settled in front of the television, watching it numbly when Stephanie whispered, "I lied to him."
Shawn rose an eyebrow and looked at her as she continued, "I lied to him. He wasn't a mistake. I am happy I met him, I...I really loved him once."
Shawn clicked off the television and sighed, "I know that, princess and I'm sure deep inside he knows that too. You just wanted to hurt him."
"I did," she replied, feeling stupid, "I did want to hurt him. He was just saying so many horrible things about you and about me I just..."
"Well he had to find out about us eventually and now he did. We knew it would be ugly, maybe not that ugly, but ugly none the less. At least it's out in the open and you and I can move on with our relationship. You didn't want to keep it a secret forever, did you?"
"No but, I mean now that it will no longer be a secret I mean, what if the thrill is gone and you lose interest in me? Or what if it's only our bond over Hunter that connects us and you and I don't work out? I just-I probably should have thought about this more before I dived head first into a new relationship fresh off a divorce. All my relationships end badly and I-"
Shawn interrupted her, "Stephanie, calm down! You're getting hysterical! Look, you're seeing too far ahead into the future. You've got to learn to live for the moment. You don't know what's going to happen tomorrow anymore than I do. Yeah maybe this relationship will work out and maybe it won't. But the difference between me and the past men in your life is that if we have a problem, I'll try and work it out with you. I'm not worried about losing the thrill or interest in you-you're too interesting to lose interest in," he chuckled at that, the sentence sounding funny to him.
"I'll never know you completely just like you'll never know me completely. We'll always be learning something new about one another. And yes, Hunter is the bond that brought us together but he's not the thing that'll keep up together. I'm sure we have a lot more in common then just our association with him. I mean, you like to eat, right?"
Stephanie gave him a wavering smile, "Yes, I like to eat."
"Good, I like to eat too. There, we have something more in common despite Hunter. Now let's see what else we've got." Shawn walked over and took a seat next to her on the couch, rubbing his hands together. She shook her head, "I don't know, a city girl and a country boy, I can't imagine how we're at all alike."
"Well the least we can do is give it a shot. For example, do you like wrestling?"
"Of course."
"Me too, what else."
"Shawn, things aren't this simple..."
"Of course they are, it's just that people over analyze today. They think if you don't work hard, don't break a sweat, that you don't deserve it. That you're not worthy. Well not everything is like that; you just need to learn to relax. Now, do you like Lord Frederic Leighton paintings?"
Stephanie was astonished he'd remembered the painter's name, "You know I do."
"Good. I'm starting to become a fan of him myself. This one piece he did, 'Flaming June'? It's a real work of art. Looks like someone I know..."
"Shawn..." her voice was low as she scooted closer to him. He continued, eager to please, "And one of my favorite movies is 'Miss Congeniality', I could just watch it for hours with a cold beer and some popcorn..."
"Shawn..." her breath was brushing along his cheek now.
"Do you own a cowboy hat by any chance?" he asked as she reached out to touch his face, their eyes meeting.
"Yes, I do."
"Me too. Now it's your turn, let's see what matches."
"I like star gazer lilies. I like men who send them to me. And I like kissing." She whispered as she drew closer, her face inches from his.
"Oh really? Kissing? I like doing that too. Any particular person you like kissing?"
"Just one." She said with a smile as his lips met hers.