Midnight

by triplehhholic

Stephanie McMahon receives an unexpected Valentine's surprise from her boyfriend, Paul Levesque.......HHH/Steph

Midnight

Midnight

"Moving on to other matters……………"
Stephanie rolled her eyes as she sat back in her chair thinking that this meeting was taking forever. Then again, her father always did seem to like the sound of his own voice. Shifting in her seat, she crossed her long legs in front of her. She brushed her hair behind her ear and as her eyes travelled down the table, she saw that everyone's attention was on Vince as he strutted around in front of them. She smiled to herself knowing they were probably bored out of their minds but too afraid to show it. It was amazing just how many of the wrestlers were in awe of her father. Very seldom did anyone question him or step out of line. He almost seemed to demand their respect.

Stephanie bit down on her bottom lip as she tapped her pen against her notebook. Her hand froze in mid-air sensing him watching her. Her head turned towards the top of the table to find his gaze fixed on her. Despite the gentle expression on his face, there was that dark intensity swimming in his brown depths. It sent a tingle down her spine knowing it was the exact way he had looked at her when he had made love to her this morning. Paul. He was everything she hoped he would be and more.

Stephanie smiled to herself knowing she had always been attracted to him. From the moment they had started working together, she had fallen under his spell. She had been hooked but had acted professionally, of course. After all, she was his boss and he did have a long term girlfriend but she had to admit to enjoying their intimacy on-screen. She had never dreamed it would continue once the cameras had stopped rolling. But it had. There had been a definite chemistry between them that neither of them had been able to deny so when Paul had made the first move, she had been shocked but delighted.

It had been the night of her birthday. She hadn't even realised he knew. She had never told him the date but after the show he had given her flowers, a huge bouquet of blood red roses. She had been stunned and extremely touched. Of course, Paul had been his usual self and told her he had stolen them from a gas station down the road. She had laughed as he had hugged her and wished her a happy birthday. As they had broken apart, he had looked at her. It had been a look she had never seen before and it was a look that had made her catch her breath. Paul's hand had touched her face gently as his lips lowered towards hers. The kiss had been soft and sweet and it was a kiss she would never forget.

And honestly, she had never believed those kisses existed. The kind where your body tingles, the sparks fly and all that other romantic mumbo jumbo you read about in those slushy romance novels. But that kiss had proved her wrong. Sparks did fly, her body did tingle and her heart literally melted in her chest. Although they had kissed before, it had never meant anything. Well, not really. After all, cameras were rolling and millions of people were watching. It was hardly romantic or guaranteed to sweep her off her feet. But this kiss had been different. It had been just the two of them, alone. A beautiful, romantic moment now permanently engrained in her mind.

As she shifted in her heat, Stephanie swallowed hard feeling Paul's gaze still firmly fixed upon her. A crooked smirk appeared on his face as he let his eyes deliberately travel to her chest. She felt her temperature rise as his tongue ran along his bottom lip. Christ, she swore he lived to tease her. He always seemed to know which buttons to push but not that it really took much. One look or one touch and she became complete putty in his hands. Unfortunately, Paul knew it and used it constantly to his advantage.

"Stephanie, do you have any ideas?"

Blushing, she turned towards Vince. She heard Paul snort lightly in amusement across the table. Of course, she hadn't a clue what her father had been on about but fortunately she was blessed with the ability to bluff her way through it. Once she was finished, Vince seemed satisfied. She slowly exhaled as she sat round in her seat. Thankfully, the scraping of chairs quickly signalled the end of the meeting. She gathered her things together and bent down to pick up her purse. As she straightened up, she felt his presence behind he and she breathed in his familiar cologne. His whispered voice against her ear made her weak at the knees.

"You've been a naughty girl, Steph. You should have been paying attention to Daddy."

She licked her lips as she turned round. Paul's brown eyes were twinkling at her mischievously. "I could say the same thing to you. Your mind seemed to be on other things."

"Hey I can neither confirm nor deny such allegations." he said, smirking before he glanced over her shoulder. "Oops. Daddy is heading your way. Looks like you could be in trouble."

Stephanie groaned. "What does he want now?"

"Paul, Stephanie."

Paul nodded to acknowledge his greeting and Vince smiled.

"I was wondering if I could steal my daughter away. I've a few things we need to go over before Smackdown."

"Sure. I was going to head to the gym anyway."

Stephanie frowned. "You were? What happened to taking me to lunch?"

Paul tapped her nose playfully as he stepped aside to let a few of the wrestlers brush past. "I'll make it up to you. Besides, I hear catering does a mean chicken salad."

"Will you be back to catch the show?"

"I wouldn't miss it." he said, brushing his lips over her cheek. "I'll see you both later."

Vince nodded his head. "See you, Paul."

Paul smiled and felt his stomach twist with a nervous excitement as he walked out the room. Vince had done his part. Now it was up to him to set the rest of the plan motion……..

Stephanie frowned as she hung up worrying that her call had gone straight to his messaging service again. Paul had literally vanished into thin air on her. No-one had seen him or heard from him since the meeting and he hadn't even turned up for the show which was unusual in itself. She was starting to feel extremely anxious knowing anything could have happened to him. Paul could have hurt himself or worse, be lying in a hospital somewhere. Feeling the knots of panic in her chest at that thought, Stephanie snapped her laptop shut and grabbed her black wool coat.

"Are you leaving already?"

She turned round to see her father standing in the doorway. She picked up her leather purse from the seat. "I have to. I'm worried about Paul."

Vince frowned. "Worried? Why would you be worried?"

"I haven't heard from him all day. Not to mention the fact he hasn't even shown up here."

Her father walked across to place his hand on her shoulder and he squeezed it reassuringly as he smiled at her. "Calm down, Stephanie. Everything is fine."

"How can you know that?" she asked, confused.

"I talked to him earlier. He's back at the hotel."

"And you never thought to bring this to my attention earlier?" she said, throwing her hands in the air.

Vince chuckled. "You do know you're getting yourself worked up over nothing."

Stephanie glared back at him as she lightly snorted. "Well if you or Paul had even thought to tell me what was going on, I wouldn't need to get worked up now, would I?"

"True. But poor Paul. I pity him when you get your hands on him."

As her anxiety at her boyfriend's disappearance slipped away, she felt her lips curve up gently. "He'll live."

"Good. I'm happy to know my world champ will be in one piece." Vince grinned rubbing her shoulder affectionately. "He's a good man, you know."

"I know."

"I'm just glad the pair of you refused to listen to me when I tried to keep you apart." he said as he guided her towards the sofa and gestured for her to sit down. As she shifted on the cushions to face him, he took her hand in his and squeezed it. "He makes you happy, doesn't he?"

Stephanie's eyes sparkled with her answer. "Yes he does."

"And you love him?"

"Of course I do." Her brow furrowed quizzically as she looked back at her father. "But Dad, what's with all the questions?"

"Humour your father, dear. I just want to make sure my daughter is in safe hands."

"Well, you don't have to worry. Paul and I love each other." she told him. "And we're happy. In fact, I've never been happier."

"Good." Vince looked at her tenderly as his eyes scanned her face. "Because 've only ever wanted what's best for you, you know."

"I know."

"I want you to have a wonderful future, Stephanie. And I want you to share that future with someone who loves you unconditionally; someone who will look after you and care for you. That's what's important in this life, you know. All the money and possessions in the world don't mean a thing if you don't have someone to share it with."

Stephanie smile was genuine yet confused as her father pulled her into a hug. As his big hand patted her back, she wondered what had caused his sudden heart to heart. But whatever his reasons, she knew he was only looking out for her. Her father always had felt the need to protect her despite her ability to take care of herself.

"So what do you say we get out of here?" he suggested breaking their embrace.

She nodded her head and stood up, smoothing down her skirt. She pulled on her coat and grabbed her laptop and purse before looking up to see Vince holding out his arm towards her.

"Fancy accompanying your old man back to the hotel?"

"Why, certainly." she grinned, linking her arm through his.

Vince smiled as he led his daughter out into the corridor. Although he was happy, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness about tonight. His baby girl was all grown up. She was now a beautiful young woman with a bright, promising future. A future he knew would be filled with success and happiness and more importantly, love.

He smiled as he guided Stephanie into the black limousine. He held her hand as it pulled away from the arena and as she patted his knuckles gently he thought about the man waiting for her back at the hotel. Little did Stephanie know what Paul had planned for her once she got there. He had to admit he had been shocked but extremely happy when Paul had asked his permission to marry his daughter. He adored Paul and he had also been touched by his thoughtfulness. After all, asking for the daughter's hand was considered old-fashioned. He had never thought Paul was a man who followed tradition but then again there were a lot of things about Paul Levesque that had surprised him the last few years. He was no longer the young rebellious man that had caused him numerous headaches more times than he cared to remember. He was mature and grounded. He was also smart and an extremely likable person. But most importantly, he truly loved Stephanie and treated her with the utmost respect. He had more than proved that over the last couple of years which meant Vince had been more than happy to grant his permission. He knew Paul would make his daughter extremely happy and he knew he would love her and give her the future he had always wished for both his children…….

Back at the hotel Paul jiggled his leg nervously and lifted his wrist to check his watch for the umpteenth time. It was thirty minutes until midnight. Only two minutes after the last time he had checked. Sighing softly, he quickly stood up and pushed back his hair. As the soft blonde strands fell around his face, he stared around the hotel suite feeling the knots tighten in his gut. Waiting for Stephanie was driving him crazy and he was nervous as hell.

Feeling restless, Paul began to pace around in front of the small cream cloth sofa. He just couldn't keep still and his stomach was churning nauseously but despite his nerves, he knew in his heart that he was doing the right thing. There was not one ounce of doubt or hesitation in his mind. Stephanie was the one. She was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

Paul chewed down on his lip knowing he had found himself thinking about the future a lot lately. He wasn't entirely sure why. All he knew was that when he imagined it, he always envisioned Stephanie by his side. She was the person he wanted to grow old with and after two years together, he simply couldn't imagine living without her. She was his lover and best friend and more than that, she was his heart.

Finding Stephanie had been so unexpected. She had come along at a time in his life when he thought he was content. He was in a relationship with a woman he thought he loved but he couldn't have been further from the truth. It was Stephanie had shown him what love could really be.

At first, he had fought the feelings he could feel developing for her. After all, he had been with Joanie at the time albeit their relationship had been extremely rocky and the situation with Stephanie wasn't exactly simple either. She was Vince's daughter. He knew he would be committing career suicide if they ever did get together. But his reasoning began falter as he spent more time with Stephanie and found himself falling even harder. She was so beautiful, smart and funny. She also listened to him and he found himself thinking about her all the time even finding excuses to call her up for the simple reason that when they were apart, he missed her. So when his relationship with Joanie had finally ended, he had been relieved instead of sad. It was one less obstacle in his path and protecting his career wasn't his priority any more because Stephanie had given him something else to live for.

But despite all of that, he hadn't actually planned on kissing her that night. But he just hadn't been able to help himself. Those beautiful blue eyes had been shining back at him, sucking him right in and when their lips had met, it just felt so right and he knew from that moment he wasn't going anywhere because Stephanie had stolen his heart. He had fallen in love.

Paul smiled and reached into his pocket, pulling out the box that was hidden inside. His hand shook as he opened it and the lid sprung open. The diamond sparkled like tiny flashes of rainbow in the glow of the light. God, he hoped Stephanie liked it. He had been so nervous about it and had spent the better part of the afternoon looking for the perfect ring. He swore the sales clerk was close to throttling him on numerous occasions too as he had scoured the glass casing but he had eventually found what he had been looking for. It had cost him a pretty penny too but he wasn't complaining in any way. After all, how could you put a price on forever?

Just then he heard the unmistakable lilt of her voice outside the hotel door. He could also hear Vince and he must have escorted her to the room. Paul let out a calming breath as he shoved the ring back in his pocket. So this was it. The moment of truth. Christ he was bricking it! In fact, he felt physically sick. The thought of proposing of Stephanie was worse than the thought of performing in front of fifty thousand people. He had never been so nervous in his entire life and he just hoped he could actually speak when the time came. The last thing he wanted was to stammer like an idiot or even worse be a complete mute.

Paul raked his fingers through his hair and it felt like an eternity until the door eventually opened. His heart began to pound as Stephanie walked through the door. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair fell softly across her shoulders. As her eyes met, she smiled causing his heart to melt. He loved her smile. It was so beautiful.

"Well, it appears you haven't gone AWOL on me after all. Where have you been?"

Paul lifted his shoulder in a casual shrug as he tried his best to remain calm. "I just thought I'd hang out here tonight."

"And miss the show?" Stephanie said removing her coat and placing down her bag and it down on the cream sofa. "Are you feeling alright because you never miss one, ever."

"Yeah well I guess I was just tired that's all."

She smiled as she walked across to stand in front of him. Her finger trailed slowly down his bicep as she breathed in his familiar scent. "Been working too hard in the gym, huh?"

"Actually I think it was that workout last night and this morning that did it." he replied, smirking as teased her. "I didn't get much sleep."

"Well I didn't hear you complaining at the time."

"Nope. Those were definitely moans of appreciation." he grinned, winking at her. His stomach was still twisting in knots but at least he sounded coherent.

Stephanie had smiled and stepped back letting herself admire his dress shirt and trousers. She always did like Paul in black and her fingers reached to toy with the ends of his long blonde hair. "So, you're looking pretty sharp tonight, Levesque. Are you trying to impress anyone in particular?"

"Well there is this one broad. She's pretty hot."

"And do I know her?" she asked, playing along.

"I think so." Paul said as his hand reached out to graze her cheek softly. "She's pretty special." he whispered. He bent down and kissed her softly.

Stephanie's lips curved up gently as they broke apart. "Are you trying to woo me with your sweet talk again Levesque?"

"Well I have it on good authority that it works."

"You think so, huh?"

"Oh I know so." Paul smirked cockily. "A few whispers in your ear and your clothes would be falling off."

"You sound pretty sure of yourself there."

"Like I said, it works." He gripped hold of her waist and pulled her towards him. "Want to try it?"

"Down boy! I was hoping for something to eat first. I'm starving."

Paul's eyes widened in alarm as she stepped away from him and he watched her anxiously as she wandered over to the sofa. Despite his calm façade, his nerves were totally shot. There was no way he could wait until Stephanie had dinner. He'd be a complete wreck by then. Paul bit down on his lip as she picked up her purse from the sofa.

"Paul, would you mind ordering me something from room service. I think I'm going to take a shower."

Paul's stomach instantly dropped. "You can't." he blurted out.

Stephanie shook her head in amusement. "Of course I can. I'll only be five minutes." She walked towards the bedroom but she didn't get far as Paul gripped her arm and whirled her round to face him.

"You can't go in there yet."

Stephanie furrowed her brow, confused by his protest. She also noticed his breathing was heavy and he looked extremely pale. As her hand reached up to touch his face, she felt the clammy heat on her fingertips. "Paul, are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

"Yeah."

She frowned. "Are you sure because you really don't look so good."

"I'm fine." He looked away and Stephanie's hand dropped to her side as he shuffled his feet nervously.

"Okay. I'll be back in a minute."

"No." he cried forcefully as he grabbed the hand that reached for the shiny door knob.

Stephanie stared at him in disbelief. "Paul, what's going on?"

"Nothing."

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not."

"Well there's something going on. You won't let me in the bedroom and you're jumping around like a nervous idiot."

"I am not."

"Oh yes you are."

Stephanie's blue eyes stared at suspiciously as her mind began to work overtime. Paul was hiding something. She knew it and then there was the fact he had been acting weird ever since she got here. Not to mention he was all dressed up and had been missing for the better part of the day. Before she even realised it, the words were out of her mouth. "Is there someone else in there?"

Paul's brown eyes widened with his surprise. "Of course not."

"Then what's with the weird behaviour?"

Paul sighed as his hand rubbed his chin wearily. This wasn't exactly going to plan and he had wanted to wait until after midnight. It would then officially be Valentines Day but he guessed it didn't matter what day it was. The last thing he needed was Stephanie getting mad at him on tonight of all nights and judging from her pissed off expression, she wasn't that far away from losing her temper. Which meant he had no option but to do this now.

Paul stepped in front of her and opened the door. He stood aside and gestured for her to step inside the bedroom.

As she did, Stephanie immediately gasped and brought her hand up to her mouth. Her purse fell to the floor with a heavy thud. Her wide eyes looked around disbelievingly at the romantic setting and the first thing she noticed were the red rose petals scattered all over the bed. Their beautiful fragrance invaded her senses and candles were lit across the room casting a soft glow across the walls where the shadows flickered against them breathtakingly.

The tears began to well in her eyes and Stephanie blinked them back as she looked over at Paul. He was watching her intently and her heart melted at the tender expression in his eyes. She honestly couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe this was the reason why he had been missing all day. He obviously had all this planned and she didn't have a clue about any of it.

"Do you like it?"

She pressed her lips together and slowly nodded her head. "It's beautiful."

"But not as beautiful as you."

Stephanie smiled at Paul bashfully. She bit down on her lip as she walked towards the bed where her hand ran across the silky petals. "This is all so amazing."

Her hand moved to reach out towards him and his warm fingers clasped around hers tightly. "Thank you." she softly whispered.

"You're welcome." Paul smiled back tenderly as his thumb lightly grazed her knuckles. "Wait here a second."

Stephanie nodded and her eyes followed him in a stunned silence as he disappeared into the adjoining bathroom. As her gaze travelled around the room, she saw the champagne sitting on ice on the nightstand and grinned. Paul really had thought of everything. She was so lucky and he was so amazing.

"These are for you."

She turned round and her smile got even wider as she took the extravagant bouquet of roses from his outstretched hand. "You must have bought out the entire florist today."

"Wrong, McMahon. I whipped them from a delivery van outside. Someone's going to be unhappy when they don't get their flowers on Valentines."

"Poor soul." Stephanie giggled as she closed her eyes and breathed in the heady scent. "So I get what all this is for now. Valentines Day."

"Will you be mine, McMahon?"

Stephanie smiled tenderly as her eyes fluttered open. "Always."

"Good. In that case, open the envelope."

"What envelope?" she frowned, momentarily confused and quickly peered into the flowers. The white paper square rested between the stems. Her hand reached in and carefully pulled it out placing the bouquet on the bed as she opened it up. Inside was some cotton wool. She looked up at Paul as she took it out. "What's in here?"

He shrugged. "Unwrap it and you'll find out."

She peered at him suspiciously. "What are you up to?" she asked as her fingers lifted the cotton wool. That was when she was stunned into silence for the second time that night. The diamond ring rested in the palm of her hand and a tear rolled down her cheek as she met his gaze.

Paul's heart was racing wildly in his chest as he realised this was it. This was the moment he had been preparing himself for. He swallowed thickly as he rubbed his clammy palms on his trouser legs and gestured towards the bed. "Sit down for a second."

Stephanie could only nod and follow his instructions. She was too stunned to speak. The petals tickled her bare legs as the mattress dipped underneath her weight.

Paul let out a shaky breath as he got down on his knees in front of her. His elbows rested against her legs and as their eyes locked on one another, he felt his fear disappear. Instead it was replaced by love, the overwhelming love he felt for the woman sitting before him. He offered Stephanie a shy, lopsided smile as his hand cupped her face and the pad of his thumb brushed away her tears. His voice was gentle and tender when he eventually spoke.

"I love you, Stephanie. More than I ever thought it was possible to love someone and you've changed my life. You really have. You've shown me how amazing it can be when you find that perfect person, that person you want to share your life with. And I want to share my life with you, Steph. Now and always because I just can't imagine being without you."

Paul lifted his hand away and took the diamond from her palm. His fingers trembled as he clutched the ring between them. He took her left hand in his and smiled. "So you can guess what's probably coming next, huh?"

Stephanie chuckled relieving the tension. "Yeah, but I still want to hear it. Don't think you're getting away with it."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

Paul shifted his body so he was kneeling on his left leg only. He lifted his head and their eyes connected once more. His heart swelled with love knowing he was staring back at his future. "Stephanie Marie McMahon, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she nodded emphatically. "Yes. Yes, I'll marry you."

She grinned as he slipped the diamond onto her finger and wrapped her arms around his neck as their lips met in a searing kiss.

Just then the midnight chimes rang out from the church across the street interrupting their embrace. As they broke apart, Paul smiled at Stephanie he brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Happy Valentines Day, Steph."