Rating: PG
Summary: A little boy makes a Christmas wish.
Type of fic: Story
***
Part Five
07 December 2010
�Hey, beautiful! Sorry I�m late!�
Stephanie grinned as she stood up to greet her bestfriend, Chris Jericho. She had asked him to join her for coffee. �That�s okay. I just got here myself.�
Chris kissed her cheek, and the two of them sat down. He grinned back. �Liar.�
She laughed. �Would you rather I tell you that I�ve been waiting here over an hour?�
�Of course not. So, what may I ask is this little invitation for?�
�Do I need a reason to have a little break and catch up with my bestfriend?� she asked innocently.
�You do if you had to drag me nearly halfway across the country.�
�One state away hardly qualifies as halfway across the country.�
Chris just grinned.
�Actually, I just needed to talk to someone.�
�Let me guess�Rocky?�
Stephanie bit her lower lip and nodded. �Yeah.�
�Well, what�s going on?�
�I told you about Bryce�s letter, right?� she asked. Chris nodded. �Well, Dwayne and I have been talking quite a lot lately.�
He brightened. �That�s great!�
She smiled. �Yes, I think so too, but if we haven�t come to any conclusions just yet.�
Chris looked at her carefully. �Do you love him?�
�I do. More than anything.�
�So, what�s stopping you?�
Stephanie hesitated. �I don�t�I mean, I�m not sure he still feels the same for me. When we talk, it�s always about Bryce, and I�m not saying that�s a bad thing. It�s just I would like to talk about our marriage as well, you know. If maybe it�s worth saving it for us as well, and not just for Bryce.�
�Why don�t you tell him that?�
�I�m scared.�
Chris shook his head. �What�s to be scared of? He�s your husband, Steph. We may not see eye to eye on everything, but I do know that he would never have married you if he didn�t love you.�
�That was nearly eight years ago, Chris,� she reminded him. �Eight years is quite a long time.�
He smiled at her. �You know what I�m thinking?�
�No.�
�You see it as eights years of marriage already been and gone. I see it as a year and a half shy of your ten year anniversary.�
Stephanie felt her heart skip a beat at his words. Chris was right. It was hard to believe that she and Dwayne had been married for nearly ten years. Ten years. It was an exhilarating feeling to realise the thought, and she had to wonder how she would feel when they eventually reached their ten year anniversary.
�Ten years, Steph,� Chris said, his voice firm. �Ten years of marriage to Rocky. Can you believe it?�
She started laughing, suddenly feeling happier than she had in a long time.
end part five.
