�You think this is about coffee? You don�t see what lies under this. You want to see Chris Jericho�Well, the more you cheer for him, the more I hate him. The more you want to see him, the more I want to end him.
�After I beat Blackman to become the Hardcore Champion, I�ll challenge Jericho to a title defense. Then when I tear his face apart, when I rip out his pretty blonde hair, when I beat him so bad that his appearance is so repulsive that he too wears a mask as a shield�when I do that�it will all be legal!� - Kane
09 November 2000 � Thursday
Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley watched the SmackDown video of Kane and Chris Jericho�s feud with mixed emotions. Kane�s words sent chills down her spine, but Chris�s face lifted her heart.
She knew that Chris�s current troubles were all her fault. It had been her who had acted without thinking, but it was Chris who was paying the price. Stephanie hated herself for it, for having gotten him in that position. But he constantly assured her that he could take care of himself. Still, she couldn�t help but worry. She knew what kind of man Kane was. He was always true to his word, and if he said he would do�those things to Chris, he would do them.
The video vignette ended, and it was followed by Chris�s countdown. Stephanie leaned forward, her heart already racing with anticipation. She hadn�t seen him in person in the past couple of weeks. How she�d missed him.
Darkness. Bright fireworks. Finally�Chris.
An involuntary smile formed on her face at the sight of him. That was something she needed to work on. What would Hunter think?
�I miss you,� she whispered, her hand reaching out to touch the screen. To touch him.
*
�Who does she think she is?� Kane asked himself angrily. �What gives that whore the right to threaten me?�
He was waiting for his four corner, number one contender match for the WWF Championship Belt, but he didn�t care about winning it. Certainly it would be a bonus, but all he could think of was beating the hell out of Jericho.
Anything to get back at that bitch, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley. Since he couldn�t touch her, he went after the person she cared most about.
*
Chris wasn�t sure how long he would last against Kane�s rage. He didn�t believe the man�s flimsy excuse of �jealousy� as the reason he was getting chokeslammed every week. Kane was pissed at Stephanie, and was taking it out on him. Chris didn�t really care. As long as she was safe. That was his main concern.
He had the sudden urge to call her, but knew that now wasn�t the time. Despite the room�s concrete exteriors, it had eager ears. He�d missed seeing her in person, and even on TV. She�d gone home sick two weeks ago, and had yet to return.
When Chris had watched her get driven away, he had panicked. Even a phone call later that night did not allay his fears. A stomach virus, she had assured him. His first thought had been that she was pregnant, but he quickly discarded the idea. He knew that she wasn�t ready for kids yet, and both of them were taking precautions.
A pang of longing hit him, and more than anything he wished to see her face, her smile. Her.
Author�s note: This is currently unfinished. I took notes and I know pretty much what�s going to happen and all that, but for some reason I can never seem to get the muses to get working on it. So, there is more to this...it just has to be written yet. But since it seems to work fine as it is at the moment, it�s been put up here.