Chris reached up and started to slap the alarm and its annoying ringing noise. When it didn�t stop he jumped up in bed and looked around in the darkness. It was just after six in the morning. It took him a second to realize it was the phone. He grumbled as he reached for it. He was going to kill Stephanie for asking for a six am wake up call.
�Yeah, thanks for the wake up call.� He mumbled.
�Where is Stephanie?�
�Huh?� Chris asked rubbing his eyes. �Who is this?�
�This is her husband.� Hunter said angrily. �Who is this?�
Shit, was the first thought that crossed Chris� mind, lying in the gutter somewhere, blooded and bruised from Hunter�s fist was the next.
�One moment please.� He said stuffing the phone under his pillow and walking over to her bed. He hated to wake her up. She looked more beautiful asleep then she did when she was awake. It was either wake her or deal with Hunter himself.
�Steph.� Chris said shaking her.
�Chris.� She moaned softly.
He swallowed hard, wishing he were in the pretty little head of hers. �Steph, you have to get up.�
�Mmm.�
He groaned out loud. His pajama bottoms were shrinking at the moment with all the noises she was making and he didn�t want to explain to The Game that he couldn�t wake his wife because she was having a possible erotic dream about his worst enemy. He had to get her up. He could think of no other way but this.
Chris grabbed the pillow from under her head and whacked her in the backside with it.
�Ow, Chris! What was that for?�
�Shh.� Chris said. �And shh. You�re other half is on the phone and I already have Stone Cold and Shane after me, I don�t need another man with a sledgehammer in the picture.�
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he stood upright. Wasn�t Hunter the only one who carried a sledgehammer in the WWF? Why were Steve and Shane walking around with it?
�Hunter.� She gasped as she shoved him out of the way and grabbed the phone from under the pillow. �Hunter?�
�Who was that?�
�That was Chris.� Stephanie said as she looked at him and held her hand out, motioning for him to stay and listen. �You�ve seen us on television right, Hunter? He�s protecting me from Stone Cold and Shane. He�s making sure I�m safe.�
�He�s sleeping with you to make sure you�re safe?�
�No, no, Hunter. How could you insinuate that?� She asked turning her back on Chris. �I love only you, you know that.�
Chris knew that this phone call was about to get emotional so he decided since he was up he might as well get a shower, a cold shower, since the thoughts of Stephanie and what she was dreaming about was still running around in his head.
�Some men have all the luck.� He mumbled about Hunter as he grabbed his bag and headed into the bathroom.
�I�m saying it because of the incident with Kurt Angle.� Hunter said. �Do you remember that?�
�I have no feelings towards Chris beside friendship.� Stephanie said. �He saved me and there�s no one else here on my side. All the wrestlers are more protective towards Steve than they are towards me and I can�t go to Daddy.�
�So get time off and come home.� Hunter said. �I could use you by my side.�
�I�m a distraction.� Stephanie said. �The doctor told you that already. I need to be here, Hunter, for my business. There�s no need to get jealous of Chris.�
�I�m not jealous of Chris Jericho.� Hunter snapped. �I was just calling to tell you that I love you, forget it now.�
�Hunter�� Stephanie sighed when she heard the click on the other line. She sat down on Chris� bed and hung the phone up.
�You ok?� Chris asked.
Stephanie looked up startled. �Where did you go?�
�I was going to get a shower.� Chris said. �But I forget my special treatment conditioner.�
She laughed softly. �You�re worse than me. I�m fine. Sorry the phone woke you.�
�I�m sorry I woke you.� He said. He really was. He wouldn�t have minded getting up and listening to her dream.
�Would you like to get some breakfast after we both get dressed?� She asked. �My treat. Maybe we could talk more strategy.�
�Or maybe we could just have some fun.� Chris smiled as he grabbed his condition. �I�ll be out in ten.�
�Ok.� Stephanie said and smiled until he closed the bathroom door. She then brought her hand up to her cheek and wiped away the dampness that lay there from her silent tears. She was grateful that the sun had yet to rise and the room was still dark. She didn�t want Chris to see her tears.
�I don�t like the look I�m seeing.� Stephanie said as she finished up her pancakes at IHOP. �What are you grinning about?�
�I was thinking.�
�No.�
�But you didn�t even hear what I was thinking about.�
�I don�t think I want to.� Stephanie pointed out with a smile. �Go ahead, tell me.�
�Let�s go to Boston right now, let�s go get a flight and get there and rent the best hotel room and just be tourists.�
�Tourists?�
�Tourists.� Chris smiled. �We�ll hit a Walmart, buy some dress down clothes, you can wear a hat, I could, shades, and stuff like that. We could go to the Aquarium, tour the baseball stadium. We could paddleboat!�
�Are paddleboats in season?�
�Is that a yes?�
�Shopping at the harbor?�
Chris nodded eagerly.
�One condition.� Stephanie said softly. �Could we drive there?�
Chris smiled and leaned across the table. �Yahoo says it�ll take four hours and six minutes but I can get us there in three and a half.� He winked.
She laughed. �Let�s go to Boston.�
�Favorite part so far.� Chris smiled as he and Stephanie stood in line for the paddleboats.
�Um�when I got to touch the sharks in the Aquarium.� She smiled. �I loved that.�
�You didn�t like the baseball park?� He frowned.
�I�m a girly girl, no.� She laughed.
�But you like wrestling.�
�Well that�s different.� Stephanie said. �Wrestling involves girls and boys on an equal playing field, sorta.�
�You�re never going to see me valet for someone.� Chris snorted.
Stephanie bit her lip with a smile, thinking about how she would love for Chris to eat those words.
�How many?�
She snapped out of it when the man asked how many boats they needed. She stuck her hands in her jeans to grab some money when Chris stepped in front of her and paid, stating only one boat, and was asking how far they could go out.
He was doing that all day, paying for her, asking things, pointing things out; it was almost like they were a�
�Enjoy the ride, Miss.� The man said as Chris took her hand and led her over to a big yellow paddleboat.
�I owe you for that.� She said.
�No you don�t.� He said. �This was my idea, my treat, now be quiet and get in the thing.�
�Aye, aye, Captain.� She saluted as she climbed into the boat.
He laughed as he climbed in after her and strapped on an orange life preserver.
�What�s this for?� Stephanie asked.
�In case the boat tips over.�
�Over?� Stephanie said. �You didn�t say anything about tipping over.�
�You panic a lot for someone in the wrestling business, you know that?� Chris smiled as he put hers on and tied it up. �We�ll be ok and if this thing goes, I�ll save you before I save myself.�
�Chris��
�Paddle.� He smiled as he started his feet going in a motion and headed them out towards the middle of the river.
Stephanie held onto the sides of the boat and helped him paddle. She grew calmer as they moved farther and farther away from everyone, going into their own little world. She knew that if this little thing did tip over Chris would probably save her before he saved himself. He was selfless like that. She saw that with what had been going on recently. No matter how battered and bruised he got he rescued her. No matter what was going to happen this coming Raw, Chris threw the match with the Hardy�s because he didn�t want to defeat his friends. He had compassion in him that she wasn�t aware of. She liked that. She couldn�t help but think that if she weren�t a married woman things would be so much different. She might be with Chris.
Chris watched the water out ahead of him, gently lapping around, passed the boat, and out as far as the eye could see. He couldn�t remember the last time he had this much fun with someone. He cherished the times that he had with the Hardy�s but still that often felt weird. It was usually Matt and Lita paired off and Jeff and Chris were left to cause some trouble. This time he was out with Stephanie and instead of causing trouble he was showing her things that she never had time to see before. They watched a game and then toured the baseball park afterwards, they touched fishes and sharks in the Aquarium, they even ate a hot dog from a sidewalk vendor. One they both agreed was very good. Now they were sitting in a paddleboat together and he was at peace for the first time in a long time. He looked over at her and smiled softly. If only she wasn�t married, things would be so different. Maybe they would be together.
�This is so beautiful out here.� Stephanie whispered with a smile as she looked over at him. �I mean I know it�s not much but still it�s��
�Quiet and peaceful.� Chris said. �I know what you mean. We don�t get much of these moments with our lives.�
�No, we don�t.� She laughed softly. �Thank you for today. This was such a nice break from the wrestling world.� She sighed. �I don�t even want to think about Monday and what we have to face.�
�I have to face. I threw the match.�
�We.� Stephanie said. �We are in this together, don�t forget that.�
�Hunter doesn�t want us in this together.� Chris said.
�Hunter has to accept the fact that you helped me.� Stephanie said. �You�re on our side now. He�ll get over it.�
�I have to agree with him.� Chris said. �I�d be a little wary if my beautiful wife was staying in a hotel room with another man.�
Stephanie laughed softly and then stopped and looked at him. �Did you just call me beautiful?�
�Come on Steph, you know how beautiful you are.�
�It�s different when you hear it from a man that you�� She stopped and looked up at him with those blue eyes of hers.
�That you what?� He whispered as he stopped paddling and turned towards her.
�That you admire.� Stephanie smiled softly. �That you look up too.� She licked her lips as she leaned closer to him. �That you think is beautiful as well.�
�Men aren�t beautiful.� Chris whispered as he smiled softly while he ran his hand through her hair.
�You are.� Stephanie whispered titling her face up towards him. �Chris, you are so beautiful.� She sighed as she felt his breath lightly upon her cheek. He was going to kiss her.
�Hey! It�s time to bring the paddle boat back!�
Chris sighed as he pulled away and steered the thing around. �Guess we should get back. It�s getting dark anyway.�
�Right.� Stephanie agreed and nodded. She settled back and started to paddle as Chris steered them back to the harbor. She should�ve been glad for the interruption. She was a married woman and planned on staying faithful to Hunter.
