Chris lay in bed, staring at the roof, unable to sleep. Switching the lamp on, he sat up and looked at his laptop. It had been three days since he'd found that damned website. Since then he'd been almost unable to face Stephanie, their usually brief, but light hearted meetings to go over their lines had become incredibly tense.
Snapping the lamp off, he lay down again, rolling onto his stomach to avoid the temptation of looking at the laptop. He hadn't been brave enough to log onto the Internet since, more than a little worried that he'd end up back at the Smoochy Dreams site. It was like a car accident, he reflected. It was disturbing and horrifying, but you can't bring yourself to look away.
'Why is this bothering me so much?' Chris asked himself, turning the lamp back on again. It couldn't be because there was a tiny bit of truth in what these girls were saying was it? No, no, no, no, NO! He was not secretly in love with Stephanie. He definitely wasn't repsonsible for.. what they were suggesting in that ridiculous page that managed to justify why all the insults were actually romantic. He sure as hell wasn't Stephanie's soul mate. Hell, he didn't even like her that much!
There was only one way to deal with this. Jaw set determinedly, Chris got up and strode across the room, angrily plugging in the laptop. He was going to reread everything on that page, then send a rather nasty email off to that insane duo who'd set up the page, then go back to sleep. End of story. Actually forget the rereading of the page. Just reread those *stupid* Dreamer Moments, then skip straight to abusive email. Maybe.
With a muttered curse, Chris abruptly turned off the computer. OK, so maybe he didn't like Stephanie that much, but he had to admit, she was a damned attractive looking woman. And she did have a good sense of humour. Maybe if he didn't hate Helmsley so much, he'd make the effort to get to know her. Although, since he *did* hate Helmsley, then gettting to know Stephanie would be a fantastic way of getting under his skin.
Finally, Chris dozed off to sleep, a smirk playing around his mouth. He was Chris Jericho damnit. What the hell did two girls with over active imaginations and no life know about him?
~~
It was easier to be cocky and confident at 4am in the morning when it was dark and there was nobody around, but to remain cocky and confident after less than 4 hours sleep and with Stephanie sitting opposite him at the table looking fresh faced and so cute that it should be illegal was a different matter.
"We'll keep the 'feud' going till Hunter returns.' Vince informed them. Then We can play this out one of two ways. 1. Hunter returns, goes ECW with you Stephanie, the fued between you Chris and Hunter cumulating in you winning the title belt."
"I like that plan." Stephanie grinned at her father, who laughed. Chris frowned and not just because Steph hadn't spoken a word to him all morning. "It's not bad, but kinda predictable. What's the other option?"
"Hunter returns is angry at Stephanie for buying ECW, stays with Team WWF. You and Hunter get into an argument about something, take the fight to the ring. Stephanie runs out, helps you win. You go to ECW - for storyline purposes only of course - and in a dramatic role reversal, Hunter insults Stephanie and you defend her honour. One of you files for divorce, which is granted. There's also the possibility of you two getting together romantically - storyline purposes only. What do you think?"
'Oh christ, there's a Dreamer on the booking team!' Chris thought angrily. Honestly, was there no escape? Glancing at Stephanie, he realised that her face had suddenly gone white, then blotchy red. Vince was beaming at them, seeming extremely proud of his idea. "Well?"
Neither of them could speak. Stephanie opened her mouth, but no words came out. Chris blinked, then shrugged. "Um.. well..."
"Tough decision isn't it?" Vince continued, seemingly oblivious to the fact that you could cut the tension in the room with a knife. He hugged Steph and nodded at Chris. "I'll leave you two to discuss it and get back to me as soon as you reach a decision."
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