Chris stood in the middle of the ring waiting for the glass to break and Stone Cone Steve Austin to come out and take both titles with him to the Alliance. He couldn�t help but think negatively. He couldn�t help but stand in the middle of the ring and know he was screwed. Something bad was going to happen, he felt it, he sensed it.
Steve Austin�s theme music hit and the rattlesnake headed down to the ring with a fierce look on his face.
He was without Debra and Chris assumed that was because the way the match was set up. No holds bar, no disqualifications, a cage match. He was lucky if pieces of his face and body didn�t go flying at the audience members.
He took a deep breath and watched Steve Austin step into the ring. Now they were waiting for the special guest referee. He was waiting for Shane or William Regal to appear at the top of the ramp and come down in one of those referee shirts.
He felt his stomach drop to his feet when Stephanie�s theme music hit.
�Shit.� He cursed under his breath.
She must have a death wish. Didn�t she know that in cage matches the only people someone looked out for were themselves? When bodies are being thrown they�re not checking to see if they referee is out of the way or not. She would get torn to pieces.
That and the match was definitely out of his hands.
She signaled for the bell and it began.
Stephanie winced at the gruesomeness of the match. She use to be around this all the time when Hunter was around. Left and right he was sledgehammering people and blood didn�t make her so squeamish, but now, after watching Stone Cold throw Y2J into the side of the cage, she felt her stomach do flip-flops. She didn�t know if she could stand this.
She took a deep breath and put on a brave face, walking around Chris Jericho and screaming to Stone Cold to kick his ass.
Chris knew he was the first one cut open and that pissed him off royally. He got Stone Cold back in twofold, slicing his lip, and then that big stupid baldhead of his. He was annoyed now. He couldn�t believe Regal put him in this match. He couldn�t believe Stephanie helped him win that stupid belt. He couldn�t believe he couldn�t stop thinking about her.
What?
Where did that thought come from?
�Chris!�
He let go of Stone Cold�s head and looked over at Stephanie.
�Are you trying to kill him?!� She screamed.
He looked down at Stone Cold and noticed he forehead was gushing blood. He must�ve spaced out and kept knocking his head against the cage. He smirked. Serves the certified psycho right.
He pushed the bloody wrestler on his back and then jumped on the ropes, ready for the lionsault. When he flipped over, Stone Cold rolled out of the way and Chris landed hard on his ribs.
�Fuck.� He cursed panting. �Gotta stop doing that move.�
He shakily climbed to his knees and Stone Cold landed a few good punches to his ribs and abs. Stephanie was cheering again, letting Steve do whatever he wanted.
Chris cursed his luck and fell on his back after receiving a clothesline. Stone Cold then picked Chris up by his hair and rammed him into the side of the cage, over and over.
Chris now knew the meaning of payback being a bitch. He groaned as he fell to the mat, expecting an easy pin and he was ready to give it. But Stone Cold disappeared.
Stephanie looked over at Jericho moaning and rolling around on the mat. Stone Cold left the cage though and she was wondering why he didn�t just pin the bastard. It was a hard fought victory, but Steve would have both belts. Her eyes widened as she saw him step back into the ring with a weapon in hand.
A sledgehammer.
Stone Cold stood over Chris cursing and spewing, spitting left and right, telling him to get up.
Chris didn�t want to listen. He didn�t want the belt anyway. He wanted to win it on his own. He was content to lie there.
Stone Cold, however, wanted it a different way. He pulled Chris up by his long hair and Chris saw the sledgehammer. He didn�t have the strength to move and he tried to brace himself for the swing he knew was coming.
�Steve!� Stephanie screamed.
Steve Austin turned to Stephanie and she felt her face go pale. Why did she call him? Why did she stop Steve from hitting Chris? He deserved it, the asshole, and yet, she kept thinking that he didn�t.
�What?� Stone Cold Steve Austin yelled at her. �Why are you trying to distract me while I�m trying to finish a match here, you damn bitch?�
Chris took all the energy he had in him and kicked Stone Cold right in the stomach. The former champion dropped the sledgehammer and Chris Jericho kicked it away before giving Steve Austin a stunner.
�Oh my God!� J.R. said on the microphone. �Can you believe it? Can you believe it? Chris Jericho gave Stone Cold his own finishing move. My God! And he�s putting him in The Walls of Jericho!�
Paul Heyman sat next to J.R. in shock. His mouth fell open further when Stone Cold started to tap out. Stephanie was not edging over towards the bell, or was she?
Chris knew that he would never win but he wanted to inflict as much pain as he could on Stone Cold. This was for all the attacks on the Alliance members who didn�t deserve it. This was for the WWF championship belt. This was for the WCW championship belt. This was for calling Stephanie a bitch.
What?
There goes that thought again.
All thoughts were pushed aside when he heard something else, something above the roar of the crowd, something that sounded like�
�The new WWF and still WCW champion, Chris Jericho!�
Did Lillian just say his name? He heard a few people screaming break the hold, break the hold, Stephanie not being one of them.
He released Stone Cold and wiped the blood from his eyes. Lillian was stepping into the ring with the two belts.
They were his and he earned them, all on his own.
Chris laughed as he held up the belts towards the crowd and received cheers and Y2J chants in return. He was the new champion, no, champions.
He turned around and saw Steve starting to crawl towards the door of the cage. He then noticed that Stephanie had slipped out and was now running up the ramp and hurrying backstage.
He was wondering why she was rushing, but he didn�t care, he was on cloud nine right now and no one could touch him, not even Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley.
Chris climbed out of the ring and received pats on his back from the fans. He smiled the whole way up the ramp, still unable to believe that he was champion. Yet, in the back of his mind, in the pit of his stomach, he still felt that something was horribly wrong.
He shook it off and headed into his locker room where he saw his four friends sitting in the exact same position as they were last night with the exact same looks on their faces.
�What?� He laughed.
�Are you sure you didn�t defect?� Lita asked cautiously.
Chris laughed again. �No, Lita. I did this all on my own. They look nice eh? Maybe I�ll bring them in the shower with me.� He grinned.
Matt and Jeff threw each other worried glances and decided that it was best that Chris saw the tape himself on Smackdown when they knew they would replay it.
�You wanna head out with us?� Matt asked. �We were going to hit a few bars before we turned in tonight.�
Chris looked at his friends, Matt and Lita, and Jeff and Trish. He all of a sudden felt like a fifth wheel and knew that if he went out with them he�d be a little bummed out.
�No, go without me.� He smiled. �I�ll see you back at the hotel.�
�Alright.� Matt said. �Congrats man.�
�Thanks man.� Chris grinned as he grabbed his gear and headed towards the shower. It was a great night.
Stephanie was terrified as she sat in the back of her limo changing on the way to the hotel. She told the driver to take the longest route there and she still had him driving around for a few extra minutes. She didn�t want to run into any other Alliance member or Stone Cold on her way into the hotel. She was in a lot of trouble and she didn�t know how to get out of it.
Once again she helped Chris.
Once again she didn�t know why.
She just couldn�t see someone getting hit with the sledge hammer again. Those times before�
The limo driver stopped the car and she quickly finished putting on her new attire. He pulled the door open and she stepped out in a pair of Nike sneakers with matching sweatpants and an XFL sweatshirt and matching cap. She nodded to him and hurried into the hotel, making a beeline for the elevator. She groaned inwardly as she saw Chris Jericho standing there waiting for the same one.
He looked over at her and snickered. �Nice outfit, Princess.�
She ignored him, praying that the elevator would come soon and put her out of her misery. She smiled gratefully when it dinged and hurried in with Chris following behind her. She noticed Rhyno and Rob Van Dam walking in and she quickly pressed the door close button and then her floor number.
Chris leaned over her and pressed his with a smirk. �Someone waiting for you?�
�Leave me alone.�
�What�s with the get up?� Chris asked. She watched the floor numbers go higher and higher. �You look kinda cute.� Did he just say that?
Stephanie looked over at him startled, but still didn�t say anything.
�You looked cute last Thursday too. I didn�t get a chance to tell you.� Chris said. �With those matching shorts that went with my pants. Loved the boots.�
�Shut the hell up!� She screamed.
�Oohh, stealing my catch phrases as well now?� He grinned.
Stephanie bit her lip until it hurt. Couldn�t this thing move any faster? Obviously Chris wasn�t aware that she was the one who stopped Steve from swinging that hammer. He wasn�t aware that her life was in danger. She had no doubt that Stone Cold was looking for her and she was deathly afraid of what he would do when he found her.
�Yoo-hoo, Princess.� Chris whistled, trying to get her attention. He didn�t know what was wrong with her tonight. Usually she was more catty and she just didn�t want to be bothered with him. He then remembered something. He remembered the way she hurried out of the ring and up the ramp. Her limo was gone by the time he reached the garage and yet she arrived after him?
He shook his head, telling himself that he had to stop thinking of her.
The elevator dinged again and Stephanie sighed gratefully, holding the door open so he could get out.
�Have a nice night, Princess.� He grinned as he turned around and waved to her. �Don�t stay on your back too long.�
�Oh!� She groaned as she hit the door close button again.
Chris chuckled as he headed back to his room. Tonight, he was going to get a good night sleep, as the WWF and WCW champion.
