Chris walked down the halls in the back of the arena, whistling to himself. He knew he�d probably have another match tonight to defend his titles but he didn�t care. Nothing could be harder than what he went through on Monday. He beat Stone Cold Steve Austin and now held both titles.
Could life be any better?
�Hey guys.� Chris smiled as he walked into his locker room with the regular gang of Lita, Matt, Jeff, and Trish sitting around the television, watching the opening of Raw. �What�s going on?�
�I think you need to see this.� Matt said, as he moved aside and made room for Chris to look at the screen.
Chris dropped his bag and looked at Matt curiously before sitting himself down on the edge of the couch. He watched as Stone Cold pointed to the titantron and they started to replay some footage from Monday night.
He saw Steve raise the sledgehammer, he saw his own body stumbling up from the mat, and then he saw the worst. He saw Stephanie distract Steve and then he gave Stone Cold a stunner.
�That�s why he called her a bitch.� He mumbled to himself.
�That�s why who called who a bitch?� Jeff asked.
�I was laying on the mat and I started to get up, I couldn�t really see or hear anything. I barely saw the sledgehammer and then I heard him call Stephanie a bitch and I just snapped.�
Lita and Trish gave each other looks.
�Is that her music?� Chris asked as her theme started to play. �What is she nuts? They�ll tear her apart.�
He had to admit that he gave this girl credit. Not only did she referee a cage match but now she was going to get into the ring with a very irate Stone Cold Steve Austin, his dumb bell wife, and her own brother who he knew could never be trusted. That gut feeling was coming back again, this time worse than before.
�What in the hell did you think you were doing, Monday night?� Steve asked. �Answer me!�
Stephanie was quickly backed into a corner, shaking her head and feeling terribly frightened. She knew this would happen eventually and she had no one to protect her, no one, even Shane seemed to be behind Steve and she knew that she couldn�t count on her father.
�You were put into the match Stephanie to help me win the WCW title, not let me tap out.� Stone Cold said angrily. �And you distracted me! What? I said you distracted me from hitting that stupid Jericho with a sledgehammer and showing him what a real champion would do.�
�There was nothing I could do!� Stephanie paled, looking over at her brother. There was nothing in his eyes, they were void of any feeling, and Debra looked like she wanted to kill Stephanie herself. �If I didn�t ring the bell then a WWF official would�ve came down and done it for me.�
�All the WWF officials were preoccupied.� Stone Cone said. �I�m beginning to think that you�ve got a little thing for blondie, you stupid bitch.�
Chris jumped up from his seat in the back and Matt put a hand on his arm, restraining him.
�Don�t get involved Chris.�
Chris didn�t sit back down, but just kept glaring at the television.
�Oh now, I know you lost your mind.� Stephanie said, standing upright. No one was going to tell her that she had a thing for Chris Jericho. Not even psycho Stone Cold. She saw his eyes grow darker and she immediately regretted standing up to him. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the corner, motioning for Debra to get something.
Shane, her only brother, stood there and watched.
Debra came back into the ring with the sledgehammer.
�I�m gonna teach you not to interfere in my matches.� Stone Cold said. �Give it to her Debra.�
Stephanie almost fainted at the thought of being whacked with the sledgehammer. She didn�t though; she felt Debra�s cold hand slap her face and sting like a bee on a bright sunny day. She then felt a punch, right from Stone Cold, as he busted her lip open, causing blood to seep in her mouth.
Stephanie fell to the mat and Debra started kicking her, twisting her heel into Stephanie�s stomach.
Shane still stood there.
Steve Austin bent over Stephanie laughing, yelling and spitting in her face. He then turned around and looked at Shane with a sick smile.
�You had to grow up with her. She�s your sister.� Steve said. �I pity you for that.� He then handed the sledgehammer to Shane. �You get first shot.�
Stone Cold then hoisted Stephanie in his arms and after another slap from Debra he motioned for Shane to hit her.
Chris flew off of the couch and ran to the ring as fast as he could. He didn�t hear the music playing, he didn�t hear the fans scream, all he saw were the tears in Stephanie�s eyes as he slid into the ring and almost speared her, grabbing her from Stone Cold�s grasp, and rolling out of the ring with her. He stood her up and grabbed the ring bell, handing it to her.
�If Debra comes near you again.�
Stephanie nodded, more in shock than anything else, as she watched Chris slide back into the ring and go right after Shane, knocking him down and then tossing him out of the ring.
He then picked up the sledgehammer and stalked towards Austin.
Stephanie didn�t want until Debra came towards her. Once the valet slid out of harms way she walked over to her, with ring bell in hand.
�Debra!�
Debra turned around in shock and Stephanie hit her, right in the face, and all she saw was gushing blood.
�I�m sure they�re as easy to replace as the boobs.� She smirked as she looked up in the ring and saw Chris advancing towards Stone Cold.
Steve had his hands up, begging Chris not to hit him. Stephanie was ready to jump back in the ring and beg Chris to let her hit him when she noticed them all coming out from backstage.
�Chris! Alliance members!� She screamed.
Chris chucked the sledgehammer and hit Austin hard in the jaw before tossing him out of the ring, towards the Alliance members. He then slid out of the other side and picked Stephanie up in his arms, hurling over the sidebar, and running towards the back.
�I can run you know!� She screamed over the crowd.
�Not in those shoes!� He yelled back as he burst through the doors and took a moment to think before heading towards the parking lot. �I�m going to deposit you somewhere safe, then I have to go get my keys.�
�But you could get hurt.�
�I�m not concerned about that.� Chris said. �I�m just concerned about getting you out of here alive.�
Again, he didn�t know where that thought came from, or why he went out there and rescued her from a fate that she probably deserved. He just kept telling himself he was repaying her for helping him win the belts.
Wasn�t he?
He kicked the door open that led towards the garage and saw Jeff and Matt standing near his car, with Lita climbing out of it.
�What are you doing here?� Chris asked out of breath and still holding Stephanie.
�We figured you�d need a lift.� Matt said looking at the way Chris was holding Stephanie.
Chris put her down quickly and helped her over to the passenger side.
�The whole damn locker room is after us.�
�No, they�re not.� Jeff said. �Undertake, Kane, The Rock, Kurt Angel, they all spilled out after you disappeared into the back. We got your things in there and Stephanie�s too.�
�You do?� Stephanie asked startled as she looked in Chris� rental car.
�Trish and I grabbed it.� Lita said. �She�s standing guard incase anyone comes this way. You better hurry.�
Chris looked at Stephanie desperately and then back at his friends. �I don�t know where to go.�
�You will.� Matt said. �Your cell phone is on. You�ll be receiving a call once you get on the main highway. They�ll tell you of a safe place.�
�But��
�I think I hear them!� Trish called from an open doorway.
Lita helped Stephanie in the car and Chris went to hug Jeff and Matt. �I don�t know why you�re doing this, but thank you.�
Matt shrugged. �They�re after you now too and that means they�re after us.�
Chris smiled, grateful that he had friends like this. He then climbed in the car with Stephanie and sped out of the parking lot quickly, heading to the main highway, and not looking back.
Stephanie curled up against the passenger side door with her head resting against the window. She knew she was leaving smudge marks, she knew that were going to try to come after her, she knew that everything was catching up to her. She deserved this for turning on her father. She deserved this for turning on her mother. She deserved this for hurting all the people that shouldn�t have gotten hurt. She just prayed that Chris Jericho didn�t throw her to the wolves after he got all this niceness out of his system.
She desperately hoped he wouldn�t leave her. She wanted him by her and she couldn�t figure out why. Was it because he saved her? Yeah, that had to be it.
They both jumped when Chris� cell phone rang. He scowled to himself and picked it up.
�Yeah.�
�You know how to get to I-80 west?�
�Yeah.� Chris said. �Then what?�
�Then take US 77 to US 136 and get to the Beatrice airport. You�ve got a plane waiting.�
�And where we going?�
�You�ll find out once you get there. She got any clothes to change into?�
Chris looked over at Stephanie who was listening intently to the conversation he was having.
�I doubt it. I�ll give her some of my things.�
�Good.� He said. �I�m sure we�ll be safe but I wanna make sure. They�ll be expecting you to head northeast into Iowa.�
�Alright.� Chris said. �Do we have enough time?�
�Enough time to get there, put her in your clothes, and get to where you�re going.� He said. �Even gave you sometime to fight in between. It�s a two hour drive, might want to tell her to take a nap, give you a rest.�
Chris chuckled. �I will. Will I see you?�
�I�ll be waiting on the other end.� He said. �I�ll see you in about five hours.�
