Chapter Ten

"Dad, I'm telling you, there's something wrong with the database. Contact information is missing for some of our superstars." Stephanie said into the phone as she skillfully balanced it between her cheek and shoulder as she held the sleeping three month old close.

"Steph, I'm sure it's just a glitch. You haven't been on that computer in about four years. I don't know why you're troubling yourself with it."

"Did you not hear me yesterday at the cook out? I want my job back. I can not sit around this house all day taking care of these two kids. That's not my style and you know it. I need to do something constructive." Steph quickly replied as she began to pace around the nursery holding the chubby infant as he still slept soundly up against her chest.

"You are doing something constructive. You take great care of your boys. You're a great wife. Kurt tells me all the time how much he loves you. Why do you want to sacrifice time with the kids for time at the office?"

"I'm not going to be sacrificing any time with the kids. Andrew usually goes to preschool during the week and I plan on bringing Brandon with me to the office. Look, would you and Shane please start including me in the company business? Just because I have two children to look after doesn't mean I care any less about our company."

"I know Steph, I think it would be great if you started back at the office. That is if bringing the baby would work out for you. You and Kurt are coming to the function we're holding tomorrow night, right?"

"What function?" Steph asked, gently rubbing the baby's back as she waited for her father's reply.

"You know, for the amateur to technical superstar branch of the company Kurt and I set up. We're invited the entire roster along with everyone on the corporate level. Didn't Kurt tell you about it?"

"No he didn't…Look, I got to go. I'm sure you have to get back to setting things up for the PPV. I'll talk to you later Dad….Bye."

Stephanie ended the call and tossed the phone in the nursery glider before exhaling sharply. She couldn't believe how hypocritical her father could be. How could he preach to her about the importance of being with your children over work? Stephanie only had a handful of childhood memories spent with her father at home. He had always been busy with the company. Her mother, Shane, and nannies practically raised her. Whatever time she spent with her dad was special.

The function that her father mentioned made Stephanie believe that there would be a chance of her seeing Paul. If she could just see him; just look into his eyes, she was sure he would be in love with her as much as he always was. Their love was real. Stronger than any weird alternate reality that she was caught in.

"You okay?"

Stephanie turned her attention to the doorway of the nursery. She saw Kurt as he began to creep into the room. He was trying to be somewhat quiet because of the sleeping baby. Steph bit her bottom lip as he ran his hand through her hair once he approached her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why didn't you tell me about the function tomorrow?" Steph asked moving away from Kurt as she carefully placed the sleeping infant in the crib.

"I did. We talked about it a couple of days ago. Remember, we decided we were taking the kids with us. Baby, you know I don't keep anything from you." Kurt whispered in her ear as she turned around to face him. He then gave her a gentle peck on the lips.

"I'm sorry, I just feel really frustrated. I couldn't find what I was looking for at the office. I feel really shitty." Steph said rubbing her head with her hand. Her biggest fear was that her life would never go back to normal. Would she be able to find Paul tomorrow night and reclaim their life together.

"Is there something I can do to make you feel better, honey?" Kurt asked in a nice soothing hushed voice as he began to rub her back with his right hand. With his left he began to trace the lining of her jaw with his finger.

His warm touch was comforting. Stephanie involuntarily moved towards his hand, closing the space between them. She closed her eyes. It felt good to know that she was being touched by a man that truly loved her. But still, it wasn't Paul.

"Just hold me." Stephanie muttered as she began to cry. Kurt immediately took her into his arms. Steph put her arms around Kurt's neck as the hug tightened. She nuzzled her face into his neck, breathing deep the aroma of his cologne. Stephanie didn't mind his tight grip on her, in fact, it made her feel safe.

"I love you baby…" He whispered over her ear. His warm breath tickled her ear, causing her to hold him closer to her.

"I wanna hug too!' Andrew exclaimed as he ran into the nursery and clung onto Stephanie's legs. He had been watching them in the doorway. Andy's out burst caused Brandon to wake up and cry.

"Andrew, what did I tell you about yelling when the baby's asleep?" Kurt said removing his hands from Stephanie so she could get the crying baby from the crib.

"Sorry…" Andy muttered looking down at the carpet. His excitement had been diminished by his father's scolding.

"It's fine. He'll go right back to sleep." Steph commented in a whisper as she rocked the baby in her arms. Sure enough, the baby immediately fell back asleep allowing Steph to put him back in the crib.

"I don't want you going into your brother's nursery when he's asleep." Kurt told his son when the family was downstairs in the living room.

"Kurt, he's fine." Steph said pulling Andrew into her lap as they sat on the couch.

"Yeah, he's a good boy. Andrew, Daddy just wants Brandon to get a good nap. I didn't mean to get upset. You understand, right?" Kurt asked looking over at him as grabbed the remote control and held it close like it was a piece of gold. He simply nodded as Steph ran her hand through his hair.

"Daddy, can we watch Judgment Day? Please?" Andy asked holding the remote control out to Kurt for him to put it on.

"Pay-Per-Views don't come on till later. It will be on after you go to bed." Steph explained to the four year old.

"We can watch Sunday Night Heat it's on right now." Kurt added taking the remote from Andrew and turning on the TV.

"I thought we took Sunday Night Heat off the air and streamed it over the internet." Steph said as she watched Kurt search for the channel.

"No, USA picked it up along with RAW, remember? Even though it's just a bunch of midcards and PPV hype, it can still pull in the ratings." Kurt commented putting the program on. "Oh looks like we've got a filler match."

Stephanie's eyes widen as she saw Paul on TV. He was in the ring with MVP. What was he doing on Heat? Paul was above that. He was supposed to be on the PPV card; if not the main event than the second to last match on the card.

"Oh, Triple H and MVP, Andrew, you sure you want to watch this. It's going to be boring." Kurt said as he watched his son get to his feet, his eyes glued on the TV.

"MVP's gonna win! Triple H is stupid! He can't beat anyone!" Andrew yelled at the TV as he jumped up and down watching the action unfold.

"He doesn't get a push because his ring work sucks. Levesque thinks he should be entitled to be in the main event. Vince sure set him straight." Kurt said with a chuckle watch MVP continue to beat the hell out of Triple H.

"He's good on the mic." Stephanie muttered watching Paul take bump after bump, selling MVP's dominance in the ring.

"Yeah he was okay. I've seen better." Kurt replied putting his arm around Steph.

"Oh shit! Did you see that?" Stephanie yelled the moment she saw Paul thrown into the steel post by MVP. He taunted at the camera as Paul held his head. "Do you think he's okay?"

Stephanie moved to the edge of her seat, her eyes glued to the screen as the referee knelt down by Paul asking him if he was okay.

"Oh look! He's bleeding! Cool!" Andrew said jumping up and down.

"Andrew! That's not nice!" Stephanie barked.

"He's all right. It's obviously a razor blade cut. I bet that was Vince's idea. He and Shane sure do pull out all the stops for ratings. Even in the secondary programs like Heat. It's over, he's got him beat."

"He pinned him already? That wasn't long." Andrew said in a disappointing tone as he walked back to the couch and plopped down between Kurt and Steph.

"The matches aren't that long, son. The show is mostly for PPV hype." Kurt explained changing the channel.

"Andrew I think it's time for bed." Stephanie said getting up from the couch. She looked back at the four year old sitting next to his father.

"Do I have to?" Andrew whined looking over at his father for a second opinion.

"It's eight o'clock, it's time for bed. Come on, I'll get you read and tucked in." Kurt said picking up his son after he stood up. Realizing that Kurt was taking Andrew up, Steph sat back down on the couch. She watched them leave as she picked up the remote control.

Seeing her Paul on Sunday Night Heat jobbing to MVP was definitely a heart wrenching experience. Her heart ached for him as she saw how hard he was trying to sell the match even though it was on Heat. Not only did Kurt Angle blow off Paul's efforts but her supposed child also had no respect for him. She wished she was with Paul. She missed her daughter. Taking care of little Brandon only reminded her of Aurora.

"Where are you going?" Kurt asked as he passed Stephanie on the staircase.

"I'm going to take a bath. I don't feel so well." She replied not bothering to even stop to talk to him. She was in quite a hurry to get in what seemed to her to be a very inviting Jacuzzi tub. There had to be somewhere in that house that she could get some tranquility.

Stephanie sighed as she sank into the warm bubbly bath water. The combination of dim lighting as well as the steady jet streams allowed Stephanie to forget about her illusive husband and child and their replacement with Kurt Angle and the two boys. She closed her eyes, breathing in deep the sweet smelling aroma that the lit candles around the tub provided.

"You look comfortable."

Steph opened her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Kurt walk into the master bathroom. He smiled, walking to one side of the Jacuzzi. He was right behind Steph as he knelt down on the tiled floor. She said nothing as she looked over her shoulder at Angle.

"Is there room in there for me?" Angle whispered before giving Steph a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Kurt, I just want to relax. Okay?"

"Maybe I can help you…" Kurt quickly replied picking up a teal washcloth from the near by towel basket. He dipped the cloth into the water. Steph said nothing as she watched him wet the cloth. Slowly, he brought the wet washcloth to her shoulder blade and squeezed, allowing the warm water to stream down her back. Steph let out a sigh as she felt his lips on her neck while he continued to use the cloth to rinse the warm water on her back.

"Kurt…Please, I need some time to myself. I have the worst headache in the world." Stephanie complained moving away from his touch.

"Fine…If that's what you want. I'm going downstairs." Angle muttered let the wash cloth fall into the tub before simply getting to his feet and walking out of the bathroom.

She could tell that Kurt didn't like being pushed away. Steph felt bad for repeatedly distancing herself from him. For some reason beyond her own knowledge, Kurt Angle truly believed that he was her husband. He was in love with her and frequently wanted to show it. Why would God allow this to happen to her? Why did she have an overwhelming attraction to a man who she knew wasn't her husband? Why did everyone except her believe she was Mrs. Kurt Angle?

After soaking for a bit longer, Stephanie went right to bed. She must have slept all night because she didn't even remember hearing Kurt come to bed. When she awoke, Kurt's side of the bed was empty. She was all alone in the master bed room. Without hesitation, she quickly got out of bed and donned her cloth robe that was in her walk-in closet. She entered the nursery to find an empty crib. Where was the baby? Quickly she ran downstairs and into the kitchen. She exhaled at the sight of Andrew eating cereal. She then saw Brandon sleeping in the baby swing.

"Where's your father?" Stephanie asked Andrew walking up to him.

"Daddy left for work. He said you have to drop me off at school. He's busy." Andrew replied before taking a bite of cereal.

"Great…What's your preschool called?"

"Cowan Center…Don't you remember?" Andy asked setting his spoon down in the bowl.

"Cowan Center…I've heard of that. It's on Greenwich Academy's campus…Okay, I know where that is." Steph muttered to herself pacing around the kitchen. Andrew looked at her like she was acting nuts. He pushed his cereal bowl away from him and got out of his chair running toward the living room.

"Andrew, where are you going? You're still in your pajamas. Let's get you dressed so I can take you to preschool." Stephanie called after the four year old.

"I wanna watch cartoons!" He whined grabbing the remote control.

"No, we don't have time for that. It's almost 8 AM, we need to get going. Now come on, let's find something for you to wear." Steph said as she took Brandon out of his swing and into her arms.

"I wanted to watch cartoons…" Andrew said under his breath as he reluctantly followed his mother upstairs to his room.

Andy's room was elaborately decorated. It was obvious that the theme of his room was of the recent Disney film, Cars. Every memorable character from the movie was easily spotted on his wall. Andrew's bed frame was a custom made car that looked like the main character.

"Hey, no, we don't have time for you to play. We've got to get going." Steph said pulling Andrew away from his sea of toys on the floor. It was easy to see that the child never wanted for anything. The room itself was testimony of his parents' dedication to make their son happy…Supposedly her and Kurt.

After what felt like eternity, Steph managed to get out of the house with the two kids. Getting two small children into an automobile was a chore in itself. Steph used to think getting Aurora in the car was a challenging task, until now. She wiped a bead of sweat from her brow as she climbed into the driver seat of the Lexus. Right after she turned the ignition key to start the car, Brandon began to wail. Steph slammed her head back against the headrest, looking into the rearview mirror of the car.

"Brandon, here's your binky…" Andrew said popping the pacifier in his brother's mouth. The baby's crying immediately subsided as he sucked fiercely on the Nuk.

"Thank you Andrew, you're such a good big brother." Steph said putting the car in reverse. It was a short drive to the Greenwich Academy campus. After finding a parking spot, Steph got the kids out of the Lexus; first starting with Andrew and then the three month old. Brandon leaned his head into Stephanie's face while she held him, power walking the whole way into the preschool building as Andy ran closely behind.

"Hi Andrew, we were all wondering when you were going to come in."

Stephanie smiled at the older staff member as she re-adjusted her grip on the baby and her handbag. Andrew quickly ran off into the playroom filled with all the other children.

"Not even so much as a good bye…" Steph commented as she started to walk away.

"Oh Mrs. Angle, you'll need to sign your son in." The staff member reminded her pointing at the attendance booklet on a small table. Stephanie traipsed over to it and picked up the chained pen that was attached to it. Without thinking, she signed next to Andrew's name: Stephanie Levesque.

"Oh shit, I'll have to cross though out, I signed the wrong last name." Steph said as she began to cross out the Levesque. The lady looked at her like she was crazy. Stephanie thought that she might be right. Never before had she been so confused about her own identity.

Signing "Stephanie Angle" made Steph feel the same way she first did when she had just started the McMahon-Helmsley storyline. She felt like she was acting trying her best to portray the part of Mrs. Kurt Angle when she knew for sure that she wasn't really Kurt's wife. Everyone else had to be crazy. This new life couldn't be real. No amount of signing the name "Stephanie Angle" could convince her other wise.

"Mom, there's got to be more information on file for Paul Levesque." Stephanie said into her home phone as she sat in her living room feeding the baby.

"Stephanie, it's the strangest thing. For some reason our database is missing information on Mr. Levesque. Did you tell your father about this?"

"Yes! Dad completely blew me off. You know what, it doesn't matter, I'm sure Paul will be at the function tonight. I'll have a chance to speak to him there."

"What do you have to talk to him about? I mean, I know you want to get back into the business, but Steph, Paul Levesque is hardly a top guy anymore. You know that his hay day was back in the 90s. We only keep him around because our long time fans still remember Degeneration X. You don't have any storyline ideas for him do you?" Linda asked, completely intrigued by her daughter's inquiry about Levesque.

"I just want to talk to him, Mom, is that okay? Do I need Dad or Shane's permission before I do that?" Steph yelled into the phone, causing the nursing infant to flinch.

"No, of course not, Stephanie…Look honey, I'm sure you've got your hands full with that adorable little angel. I'll see you at the function. Don't you dare leave my grandbabies at home. This is a family affair."

"Yeah…I'll see you later then…Bye."

As Stephanie hung up the phone, she couldn't help but wonder why everyone looked down on Paul Levesque. Why had he fallen so far down the superstar status ladder. Surely a simple disagreement between Paul and her father wouldn't sink Triple H's career. The way everyone closed to her had been describing Paul was completely opposite of what Stephanie had every known. It was if Paul Levesque was being described as a completely different person. He couldn't be. He was her husband and the father of their baby. Wasn't he?

"Mommy! Daddy got me ice cream on the way home!" Andrew announced running into the living room. His mouth was covered in chocolate ice cream. Angle obviously wasn't worried about the child spoiling his dinner.

"Hey, Andy, why don't you go wash off your face. You've got chocolate ice cream all over it." Steph directed following Andrew back into the kitchen.

Stephanie caught sight of Kurt. He was wearing a well pressed business suit. She was seeing him from the back as he scanned the open refrigerator before closing it. Steph could he had seen her when he turned around and walked to the kitchen window. He said nothing as he gazed out into the back yard.

"Kurt…" Steph called out as she slowly walked up behind him. He didn't answer her as he continued to stare off into the distance. Steph wet her lips, searching her mind for the right words to say. She knew that he was still upset with her after what happened in the bath room last night. Stephanie didn't know how to even start explaining her odd behavior.

"I'm really sorry…About last night…"Stephanie whispered, placing her right hand on his thick forearm. She pulled the arm to her, forcing him to turn and look at her. Their eyes met. If she didn't know better she would have thought he was about to cry.

"Something's wrong Kurt. I haven't been feeling like myself lately." Stephanie confessed, her face showing the anxiety she had been carrying around since the day she woke up as Mrs. Angle.

"Obviously since you refuse to touch me…." Angle quickly replied looking down at the kitchen sink and then back up at her.

"Kurt, I'm sorry. I just-"

"Don't you love me anymore, Steph? Don't you care about us? Our whole life together?" Angle asked, each question flowing out consecutively.

"Of course I care about our life. I've been doing my best to take care of the kids, I-"

"That's just it! You've been taking care of our kids…but what about us? What about our time? We've never gone a weekend without making love…Even when you were pregnant…And this is not just about sex. When is the last time you told me that you loved me? I tell you that I love you every single day." Angle whispered with an intensity.

"Mommy? Daddy?"

Both Stephanie and Kurt looked over at Andrew who was standing in the entrance to the kitchen. He looked concerned. His eyes darted back and forth between his parents. Stephanie could tell he was uneasy. In fact, he looked to be on the verge of tears. How long had he been standing there? Did he even understand why his father was so upset? Neither she nor Kurt said anything as Andrew watched them, awaiting an explanation.

"I love you…I'm sorry I haven't been acting like myself. I really do love you…us…our kids…" Steph whispered to Kurt as if she was telling him a secret. She felt his hands move to her waist. Slowly he pulled her into his arms. She felt him exhale, as if it were out of relief.

"I love you." He whispered back before moving in for a kiss. Steph took a quick sharp inhale before she felt his lips meet hers. She allowed him access to her mouth, letting him take complete control of their kiss. She opened her eyes for a moment to see if Andy was still watching them. He was no longer there. Perhaps the defused argument was enough for him to return to his room. Steph heard herself moan as the kiss intensified.

She tried to keep her mind on Paul and Aurora as she felt herself succumbing to the mind blowing kiss. She couldn't keep it together. Everything was in the moment. Her hands touched his face as she kissed him back, matching his passion. She could feel herself slipping into the role of Mrs. Kurt Angle. The scary thing is, it wasn't that hard. She didn't want the kiss to end. Everything felt good: his embrace, his lips, and his tongue all contributing to the symphony of passion that was continuing to intoxicating her body with each passing second.

"Mommy, Brandon's crying!" Andrew yelled down from the second floor landing that over looked the vestibule. His announcement caused Kurt to break the kiss. Allowing Stephanie to collect her senses as she stared off into space, trying to figure out what had just happened.

"You better go check on the baby and get ready. The functions at five, we don't want to be late." Kurt whispered as he pulled on his suit. Fixing any ruffles that might have been created by their moment of unbridled passion.

-------------------------------------------------------

"Aww, aren't they both just precious in their little suits!" Linda gushed viewing her two grandsons.

Stephanie had found herself at the company function with Kurt and the kids. As usual, the McMahons were seated at the front of the banquet hall on a stage that overlooked all the other tables. Steph ignored her mother's ongoing praise as her eyes scanned the large room for Paul. Batista, Randy Orton, John Cena; those were some of the superstars she was able to spot in the sea of well dressed superstars. She was so busy searching that she didn't even notice her mother taking the three month old from her grasp.

"There he is…" Steph muttered allowed as she spotted Paul in the very back of the room. He was sitting alone at one of the tables. His dirty blonde hair was pulled back in a short ponytail. He had his signature beard that she loved on him. It was her Paul. Stephanie had to contain herself. She wanted to jump off the stage and run to him. She didn't want to cause a scene. This was her chance. She had found her husband and hopefully her child. Suddenly she wondered, what should she say? Would he automatically recognize her as his wife that he hadn't seen in days? Could he explain to her why she was being called Kurt Angle's wife? This was her chance to find out.