Big thanks to Paulluvssteph, dldb and Sara 1406. Your reviews are SO appreciated and get me cracking on updates sooner. I hope you and the rest of the readers enjoy this one. :)

WWE Corporate Headquarters

Stephanie furrowed her brow in concentration while she rode the elevator. Normally, there'd be at least one or two other people on with her and she'd make small talk. Likely because she ducked out ten minutes early, she was all alone. The ride from the 22nd floor to the lobby gave her a little time to think. She decided she was still very hurt by Hunter's actions. But, she realized that totally giving up on him in terms of their marriage didn't mean she should stop trying to convince him of the existence of the life they had created together.

Her imagination had taken over and she just couldn't bear the thought of looking into a little face that was a mirror-image of hers, Hunter's, or a combination of both, trying to explain why they had never met Daddy. She came to the conclusion that, "Daddy didn't believe Mommy was pregnant with you, so she stopped talking to him and moved" did not quite suffice. Not when an innocent child was going to suffer because of Hunter's dumb beliefs and her wounded feelings.

A few ideas had crossed her mind. She could call Hunter up and explain to him why he was an absolute idiot and needed to get on a plane to see her as soon as possible. That idea had problems, because he'd probably either flat out hang up on her before she could explain, or laugh, call her a liar and tell her to go screw herself after she explained. The next idea she had was to show up unannounced and simply show him she was pregnant. But, in the state of mind he'd been in when she'd last seen him, that was likely to go badly, too. Hunter would probably demand a paternity test – something that she wasn't entirely comfortable with doing before the baby was born. Her next option was show up, unannounced, with the baby in tow when he or she was born. If Hunter couldn't see a resemblance between himself and their child, at least a paternity test would be something she could allow without reservation.

Now, she just needed to spend the next few months figuring out which approach was best. Then she needed to start mentally preparing herself for his initial rejection of their child. Once it had been proven that he really was a father, she had no doubt Hunter would want to be very involved. They had been very candid with each other about how much they wanted to be parents. All she hoped for at this point was that he made a better father than he did a husband.

The apprehension she felt subsided, now that she at least had ideas on what to do about her situation. When the elevator dinged, she walked off and said her goodbyes as she exited the building and entered the parking garage. Stephanie walked in the direction of her car briskly, with a small smile teasing the corners of her mouth. Complications aside, she couldn't wait to be a mommy. These days, that was the only thing she could truly get excited about. Granted, she loved her new job, house and city, also, but this was different. This would be everything. Hell, it already was, since being a good parent began with taking care of the baby while pregnant. Already, her senses were attune to any and every danger to her child whether it was physical, environmental or dietary.

So, she wasn't all that surprised when her hand instinctively moved to protect her stomach, when the lights above her began flickering. A few seconds later, a tall man jumped out in front of her from behind a support beam in the parking structure. She shrieked and her body tensed in preparation to defend herself.

"Hey whoa, calm down, Steph. It's just me!" The figure said quickly, taking a few steps back.

Stephanie unclenched and lowered her fist. She squinted in the dim lighting and asked, "Kurt?"

Above them, the lights stopped flickering and held steady. "Yeah! How are you?"

"I'm good," she smiled. "How are you? I didn't expect to see you here."

"I'm good, too," he beamed at her. "I had some merchandise ideas to pitch at headquarters today. I was just about to leave, when I thought I saw you, so I-"

"Decided to jump out and scare the living hell out of me?" She finished for him, thumping his arm with a chuckle.

Kurt's face flushed and he shrugged. "Something like that. I was just about to go grab some dinner. Want to join me? Catch up on old times?"

Worriedly, she chewed her lip. Technically, she used to enjoy Kurt's company. But his plays for her had caused major problems in her marriage. Then there was the way things had gone down during the Invasion. She wasn't sure if she should...trust him. She couldn't pin it, but her gut told her something was off.

Stop being silly. I must still just be freaked out by those damn flickering lights and that he came out of nowhere. He's never hurt me intentionally before. Though, trying to destroy my marriage caused me personal pain. And screwing over the Alliance caused me financial pain. She was stuck. At some point, she had to eat dinner. And she always felt a little lonely when she returned to her empty house. She was friendly with her coworkers, but excluded from their after-work bar hopping because she was pregnant. A little social interaction with someone she wasn't related to, might be just what she needed.

As if on cue, her stomach grumbled. Kurt smirked and she laughed and shook off her nerves. "Sure," she told him. "I know a great place. Just follow me there in your car."

"Where are you parked?" He asked her.

"The blue BMW at the end," she gestured and began walking.

"You shouldn't park so far, Steph. Especially not with the flickering lights. It's not safe," he frowned.

Stephanie nodded, truly touched at his concern. "Yeah, I know. I'm just not much of a morning person so I get here just in the nick of time for work. The early birds get the good spots," she laughed. She walked to the driver's side of her car and touched the handle. The locks disengaged and she opened her door and climbed in.

"I'll be following you in a red Lexus SUV. See you there." With that, he gave her one last smile and closed her door, before walking off in the direction of his own car. I love it when I accomplish my goals.

Streets of Stamford, Connecticut

Hunter drummed his knuckles against his steering wheel, absently. He seriously hated red lights. And stop signs. And speed bumps. He was still debating on whether or not he hated jaywalkers, too. He just wanted to get to where he was going in the quickest and most efficient way possible. It seemed like whenever he was in a rush, he was caught by every red light that there was and slowed down by signs, obstructions and people in the road. His foot slammed on the gas pedal as soon as the light turned green.

Obscenities made their way out of his mouth when the next light turned red before he reached the intersection. As he sat in his car impatiently, his thoughts drifted to Stephanie. He wondered if she was on her way home at this very moment. As distracted as he was, he initially failed to notice the dark, metallic blue BMW that pulled up beside him.

What caught his attention was the song that he could hear playing from the other car. He knew this song. It was "It's Been A While" by Staind. Stephanie had fallen in love with this song when she'd purchased their album in 2001. She listened to it whenever she could. Really, he didn't mind. At least it was rock and not the bubble gum pop she sometimes made him listen to.

When he turned his head, his breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened. He couldn't believe his luck. There was his absentee wife sitting in traffic right next to him, completely unaware of his presence. He felt as if he was looking at her for the first time. In a way he was. It had been three months since the last time he saw her. He studied her hair, the profile of her face, through her tinted windows. He was entranced by her as he watched her sing along with the song. Her fist was clenched and up in the air, with her pretty face scrunched up as he saw and heard her belt out the line "It's been awhile, but I can still remember just the way you taste."

Unable to help himself, he started laughing at her. He was so focused on her, captivated by her little rock show and the fact that she was even sitting there at all, that he failed to notice the light turn green. His hazel eyes blinked in shock when his rock star sped off through the intersection and hit a right turn at the end of the next block.

"Well, damn" he muttered. He had to try to catch up to her. He hit the gas pedal and sped off, cutting in front of the car to his right, before making the same turn that Stephanie had. He caught glimpses of her car a few blocks down, but other cars were getting in his way, obscuring his view. He saw her get in a left-turn only lane. Then it hit him: he knew exactly where she was going. There was a shopping center nearby, that had tons of restaurants. There were three that she fancied, in particular.

If he was right about this, he could pretend that he hadn't semi-stalked her at work and planned to full-out stalk her at home. He could pretend he just happened to be in the neighborhood. He weaved in and out of the lanes, to close the distance between his car and Stephanie's. Figured it would be easier all around if they arrived in the parking structure around the same time. Then he could probably talk her into having dinner with him.

A self-satisfied grin appeared on his face when he watched her turn onto the street of the promenade. He watched, irritated as a red Lexus SUV did the same thing. The damn car had been in his way most of the time, blocking his view of her car. Hunter sped up, got into the lane to the left and signaled briefly before jumping in front of the SUV. Take that, asshole, he thought. Yes, it was childish, but right now he didn't care. It was luck or fate that had put him and Stephanie at the same red light at the same time. So, anyone or anything that stood in the way of him getting to her was a problem he intended to bulldoze his way over.

Stephanie made a right, into the parking structure and came to a stop. Hunter watched her window roll down and her arm come out to retrieve a parking ticket. He heard her car's engine purr effortlessly when she accelerated through the lifted gate. As he reached the machine, he was prepared by having his window down and arm out already. Before his window was totally aligned with the machine, his hand reached forward to press the button. He took the ticket as he rolled by the machine and through the gate. His car didn't make a complete stop at any point...but he was pretty sure that it wasn't illegal. He sped off in the direction he saw Stephanie go.

Bless you and your habits, Stephanie. She was backing into a space as she usually did. When they were riding together and in a rush, he used to complain that backing in took more time. She would argue back, that it took less time to get out of the space when they were leaving. He would argue that that was beside the point, since they were in a hurry now. Today, however, he was grateful that her preferred parking style gave him more time to find a park of his own and get back to her. He sighed as he scanned her aisle. There were no more parks. He drove to the next aisle and parked in the first space he saw.

A genuine, pleased smile crossed his face while he exited his car. That smile turned into a half-sneer when the red SUV he had cut off, rounded the corner and parked right next to him. Hunter chose to ignore it and began walking to where Stephanie was.

"Buddy, what the hell?" A male voice called from behind him. He really paid it little attention, since he could plainly see Stephanie's car just a few yards away.

"What the hell was that?" They yelled behind him, grabbing his arm. Without thinking about it, Hunter grabbed the hand clutching his arm and twisted it as he spun around to face the courageous jerk that clearly wanted to lose the use of a limb.

"Kurt?" He asked, dumbfounded and surprised.

"Hunter?" Kurt felt the exact same way, but with a hint of irritation and frustration. "Ow," he yelled as the surprise wore off and the pain in his hand took over. He reared back with his free hand and gave Hunter a solid punch in his left side. Hunter released the hold instantly, giving Kurt a kick to the gut.

"Kurt? Want me to call security?" Stephanie's voice asked frantically, behind them. Both men halted and turned around. "Hunter?" She asked, not totally believing her eyes.

Hunter backed away and shifted his eyes repeatedly, between Kurt and Stephanie. She was clearly surprised to see him, but didn't seem at all surprised to see Kurt. "You knew he was here," he said in an accusatory tone.

"We were on our way to dinner," Kurt told him, angling his body so that Stephanie couldn't see the smug smile he added for Hunter's benefit.

Incredulously, Hunter laughed. He should have known better. So, this was why Stephanie hadn't contacted him. The vultures were already moving in on her. Of course Kurt Angle would be the first in line to take his shot at her. Throughout his marriage, Kurt was a constant thorn in his side. Obviously he knew where Stephanie worked and had followed her over. That meant they kept in reasonably close contact. In his opinion, Kurt had been very bold in his advances on his wife, when they were still living as a married couple. He wondered how much bolder the prick had become during their time apart. Three months;, that's how long Kurt Angle had probably been after her, unrestrained. He must have gotten in pretty good with her, if she kept Kurt apprised of her whereabouts but didn't so much as send a telegraph to her own husband. The very thought made his hands clench and unclench into fists rapidly. "Couldn't help yourself, could you?" He directed at Stephanie.

Her shock was replaced with confusion. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what it means. We're not divorced or even legally separated. We haven't discussed anything at all about what we're going to do about us and you're already with this jackass," he gestured to Kurt, indifferently. Kurt wasn't necessarily the damn problem this time. Hunter could understand that men were drawn to beautiful women. But, Stephanie was his wife...his wife that had lied to and then vanished on him. The least she could do was wait until they'd resolved their situation before she tried to replace him.

"What's there to discuss, Hunter?" She threw her arms up in the air. "You made it perfectly clear you don't want me."

"Because you lied to me! I was angry! I figured you'd come and talk to me about it!" He yelled, pulling at his hair. This woman infuriated him to no end. "But no, of course you didn't," he threw in sarcastically, "Instead, you go and hop in bed with the first scavenger who picks at the remains of this marriage!"

Fury and insult flashed in her eyes and her jaw tightened as she prepared to respond.

At this point, the couple didn't remember that Kurt Angle was on the same planet as them, let alone standing a mere five feet away. They both turned to him, surprised when he interjected with, "Don't talk to her that way, Hunter. I'll break your damn ankle if you do."

"Shut up, Kurt," they said in unison and turned their attention back to each other.

"You were angry?" Stephanie asked with wide eyes. "Angry is a damn understatement! I have never seen such stupid, childish behavior from a grown man in my entire life," she hissed out between her teeth.

"Childish?" He yelled. She nodded. "Children lie, Stephanie. They tell lies of all sizes and don't accept responsibility even when they've been caught. Are you sure you want to call me childish?"

"Damn you, Hunter!" Damn you straight to hell! She hated that stupid, confident smirk of his when it was used in an argument. She especially hated it today, because he was so completely off base. "You know what? I-" she gasped, with her hand flying to her stomach, exclaiming, "Oh!"

Hunter watched, terrified at the way she suddenly clutched her stomach. Fear turned into confusion at the smile that crossed her lips and sparkle that appeared in her eyes when she muttered, "Amazing."

Concern and curiosity forced him to reign in his previous anger. Finally, he took a good look at her. Her skin was radiant, her hair was shinier and healthier than he'd ever seen it. But he didn't get it. Not even thirty seconds ago, she had looked prepared to give him one of her trademark bitchslaps. Possibly with some extra sting on it. Now she looked like a damn kid on Christmas who'd received exactly what they'd asked for and then some. Who the hell has that kind of reaction to a stomach cramp? He wondered.

It was then, that he looked down. And he noticed: Stephanie was very pregnant.