Disclaimer: All the events and character description taken place in this story is COMPLETELY FICTION. No copyright infringement intended. All characters are copy written to their respective owners. No profit is being made from this story. It should be viewed only as entertainment.
Chapter Ten
Kurt stood by the large metal doors that were the main backstage entrance to the Wachovia Center. He took a deep breath before sighing and glancing at his Rolex. It was now half past two. Karen was more than two hours late from the specified time she was to arrive with their kids. With each opening of the doors, Angle's heart leaps thinking it could be his two children walking through them. It had been almost a year since the last time he had seen Kyra and Kody.
Stephanie approached her husband with Andrew in her arms and Aurora at her side. Just looking at him, she could see how crestfallen he was that Karen never showed up. He had been the one to question if his ex-wife would really travel across the state with their two kids to come and see him. That didn't change the fact that he had been hoping Karen would prove him wrong. Steph didn't know what to say. What words were going to make Angle forget the fact that he wasn't going to see his two children today and he had to redirect his focus to his match that evening?
"Are you going to be okay?" Steph asked in a loving whisper as she placed her hand on his clothed muscular arm to get his attention as she spoke to him. Baby Andy had taken a handful of his father's short sleeved shirt in his fist the moment his mommy leaned close enough.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm focused on the match. It will be fine." Angle said reassuring his wife about his ability to go on with his duties at the pay-per-view. He allowed a hint of a smile to find its way through his sadness while looking at his youngest child who was smiling back at him. It was if the baby was trying to tell his father that he still had him to spend time with and love.
Little Aurora spotted an empty catering table a few feet away from where she was standing with her mother. She quickly ventured over to it with her favorite pink bear grasped tightly in her arm. Once she was at the table, she stood on her tip toes and made the stuffed animal stand on the edge of the table. She began to make the toy move back and forth as if it was dancing. Her attention quickly shifted when she caught sight of her father walking up. Before Paul could even greet his little girl, she ran back to her mommy and hid behind her from shyness. Though Paul could see her little face poking around her mother's legs ever so slightly so she could see him.
"Hey Aurora, why don't you go with Daddy for a little while." Stephanie told her daughter, encouraging her to warm up to Paul and go with him for part of the evening. She was trying to have Aurora come out from behind her but the child ignored the suggestion.
Angle was glaring at Levesque with a look of disdain on his face. He placed both of his hands on Stephanie's arms and gently moved her to the other side of him and away from Paul. He then held his hand to his son's face, almost like he was shielding his child from Levesque before he spoke.
"I need to talk to you, in private." Kurt said aloud before motioning for Paul to follow him over to where the table was a few feet away from Stephanie and the children.
Levesque gave his ex-wife a look as if to silently ask her what this was about. Stephanie shrugged and watched the two guys walk away. It was only out of curiosity that Paul agreed to follow Kurt over to where they could speak in private. What would he possibly have to say to him that couldn't be said in the presence of Stephanie and the children?
"I've got a lot of shit going on today so I'm just going to come out and say what I need to say to you. If you ever put your hands on my son again, I guarantee that I will make you sorry." Angle said in a low voice that was very intense just like the many promos that he cut in the past for both TNA and WWE; this however was not a scripted interview for television, he was now being dead serious and speaking the truth.
Paul said nothing as he looked right back into Kurt's piercing eyes that looked to burn a hole right through him. It was obvious that Angle was speaking as a father who was certain another man harmed his child. Levesque looked away before Kurt continued talking, he wasn't going to come out and admit to any wrong doing. That was all he needed; for Stephanie to find out he pushed her youngest child.
"You know, I love your daughter, Aurora. I would never ever harm her in any way. I would like you to extend me the same courtesy with my son." Kurt continued speaking frankly as Paul rolled his eyes, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
"If you're talking about courtesies, why don't you allow me to speak with my ex-wife without you constantly interfering all the time?" Paul asked allowing his frustrations to come right out as he turned the discussion right around on Angle.
"Why do you need to talk to Stephanie in private at all? What, do you think there is something you could do or say that would make Steph magically fall back in love with you?" Angle asked giving a chuckle to make Levesque feel like he was a complete joke for thinking that way. He let out a few more laughs looking down at the floor. When he did look back up at Paul, he became serious again.
"Don't waste your time. Steph is the happiest she's ever been. You're nothing but an unpleasant memory to her now." Kurt said in almost a whisper that had such force it caused him to shake. Paul felt his anger building as well; One of Angle's fingers were only inches away from his nose while he was pointing at him.
"That's bullshit, that's what you feel safe thinking." Paul replied matching Kurt's intensity as he swatted away his hand like he would a pesky fly before continuing.
"The truth is that when Steph lays in bed at night with you, she's thinking about me and what we had together." Levesque told him not holding a single thing back. His words caused Angle to look away and wet his lips. He glanced over at Stephanie who was silently mouthing the word 'what' because she was curious as to what they were discussing. Kurt used a hand to quickly rub his nose before making his reply.
"The only thing Stephy is thinking about in bed with me is how damn good it feels while I'm fucking her brains out. It certainly isn't your name that she moans and screams." Angle said throwing his words at Levesque like rocks aimed right at his face. He even smirked after his words only to get under Paul's skin even more.
Paul could feel his self control begin to slip away after Angle's crude comment. Kurt bringing up the fact that he was now the one being intimate with Stephanie was a low blow. It caused him to actually think about the woman he loved having sex with a man who he despised. It even made him think back to how he felt when he found out that Stephanie had slept with Angle when they were separated. He shook with anger as all the memories and terrible feelings came flooding back to him before Kurt turned his back to Levesque and began to walk away.
"Paul no! Kurt!" Stephanie hollered as soon as she saw her former husband lunge forward out of nowhere and swiftly attack her husband from behind. Her eyes were wide from shock and concern.
The unexpected blow to the back of the head caused Angle to trip forward before he instinctively whip around to face Levesque. It was when Paul went to swing again that Kurt ducked down and with his weight drove his shoulder into Paul's torso. Angle's defensive maneuver happened so quickly and with such force that before Levesque knew it, he was on his back looking up at the ceiling in shock that he just had his feet taken out from under him. Kurt was like a pit bull now. He laid on top of Paul with all his weight and contorted him into a legit submission hold that twisted Levesque's head, neck, and shoulder like he was a pretzel.
"Big mistake, Levesque! You don't want to go with me! There's no way your in my league!" Angle hollered tightening his hold causing Paul to wince in pain through his hair since it was all jumbled and over his face.
"Kurt, get off of him! You're scaring the kids!" Stephanie yelled as Andrew began to cry after taking the lead from his older sister who was afraid of the backstage violence that came out of nowhere. Aurora was hiding her eyes in her mother's dress shirt after she was scooped up by Steph in an attempt to comfort her and Andy.
"Whoa, whoa, Kurt, come on man, chill! Take it easy!" Shane McMahon yelled as he ran onto the scene with his father close behind. The scuffle could be heard down the hallway and they came as soon as they head the commotion. The two McMahons pulled Kurt off of their former in-law and tried their best to restrain him.
"Kurt, he's not worth your time. Calm down damn it, he's in the opening tag title match tonight and he can't be getting injured. Just think with your head, son. Tonight is about business, not personal squabbles." Vince told his son-in-law as he and Shane both held Angle back. Paul was still lying on the floor holding his neck and one shoulder blade with his hands.
"What brought all this on? You're going to need some ice for the back of your head." Steph told her husband as she looked at him with concern. She had her hand placed on the back of his head where she could feel a bruise already forming with the swelling. Angle was breathing heavy. He was still worked up from the altercation. Stephanie's words didn't phase him.
"Steph, come on, bring the kids. We need to have some space between these two." Vince told his daughter as he motioned for her to follow him, Shane, and Kurt.
Stephanie was still somewhat in shock by what had just transpired between Angle and Levesque. She was looking down at her ex-husband for a moment, silently assessing whether or not he was really hurt. After all, he was the father of her daughter and she was worried for his welfare as well as her husband's. She thought for a brief second about going over to check on him but decided to follow her family down the hall with the children in her arms.
"What the fuck are you all looking at? The show's over!" Paul barked out at the group of mid card wrestlers who were standing nearby in the hallway. They had all gathered there as spectators of the brief fight between Kurt and Paul. Levesque's words caused them to disperse while making comments about Angle getting the best of the fight. The altercation was over and there was nothing more for them to see.
"Are you all right? What possessed you to do this? What did this accomplish?" Shawn asked each question one after the other as he helped his friend to his feet. Paul was still favoring his right shoulder. He kept his left hand on it in an attempt to alleviate the pain.
"It was worth getting my hands on that little son of a bitch. You don't know how great it felt clocking him on the back of his bald head." Paul replied through grit teeth.
"Well I'm glad you got one good punch in. Is your shoulder going to be okay? You know our unified tag title match with Carlito and Primo is slated to open the pay-per-view. Do you want to have an EMT look at it?" Michaels asked.
"I'll be fine. It's going to be a forgettable match anyway. Vince just wants the new unified tag champions to get a credible win. At my expense of course. What else is new?"
"This conflict between you and Angle is only going to escalate. I'm going to go talk to Stephanie. Maybe I can help defuse the situation. This has all gone on long enough." Shawn said completely ignoring his DX buddy's comments about the details of their match for the pay-per-view.
"I have a feeling your match with Hardy tonight is going to steal the show." Shane told his brother-in-law as they sat on one of the leather couches in the locker room.
"Yeah, just like our King of the Ring match in 2001." Kurt replied with a smile. He had been holding a small pack of ice to the back of his head that his wife had gotten for him. He didn't need it anymore.
"We've got to do another match together." McMahon said causing Angle to let out a laugh.
"I'm serious. We had great in ring chemistry."
"Shane O, no offense man, but I saw your so called punches to Orton when you and Vince were feuding with him last year. And besides, you know I'm a stiff worker. Marissa would be pissed at me if I gave you one too many stiff shots."
"Yeah, you're right. I remember how upset she got when she saw how bloody I was after our street fight. Shit, I know Steph would get just as upset if we had another match like that. I know she worries about you."
"I know she does. I keep telling her my health is fine. I could go for any physical they require for MMA tomorrow and I would pass. I was cleared last year to fight but they didn't want to give me the money up front." Angle explain shifting the conversation to his MMA aspirations.
"Oh I know my sister. She'll freak out if go and take the physical to be cleared to fight. I wouldn't do it if I were you." Shane told Kurt speaking with complete honesty and sincerity.
"I know, I'm well aware of the fact that she's completely against the idea. I just can't help think about how I would do in the cage. I mean, I mastered the art of both amateur and professional wrestling. I know that if I committed to training for MMA, I could be a success. The time to do it would be now though. I'm not a young guy anymore." Angle admitted.
"Yeah, we sure can't beat the clock." Shane commented running his hand through his dark brown hair that now had a good amount of white growing in.
"Going grey there, huh Shane O?" Kurt asked with a smile as he playfully punched McMahon in the arm.
"At least I have a full head of hair." Shane quickly replied returning a swift jab to the arm causing Kurt to laugh out loud.
"Touché…" Angle muttered with a smile as he rubbed his shaved bald head with his right hand while Shane laughed.
Stephanie sat in a tan leather sofa in one of the many backstage rooms. In her hand she held a clipboard that had all of her notes had written in pen on a sheet of paper that had the current pay-per-view card printed out on it. She was going over everything again by herself since the production meeting had already taken place earlier in the day and there were a few tweaks made to some of the matches.
Aurora and Andrew were both asleep next to her on the sofa. They had both conked out fifteen minutes ago which allowed Stephanie to get a good amount of work done without having any interruptions.
"Hey Steph, can I talk to you for a sec?"
The voice entering the room caused Stephanie to immediately look up from her clipboard. She smiled when she saw that it was Shawn who was requesting to speak with her.
"Yeah sure, just be quiet. My little ones are asleep." Stephanie whispered pointing out her sleeping children to her long time friend.
"I'm worried about Paul. It's been a year since you guys parted ways but he's still not over you. It's really taking a toll on him. He's not behaving like himself and I think you need to sit him down and talk to him." Michaels explained in a hushed voice.
"Shawn, I appreciate the fact that you're Paul's friend and you're worried about him, but it's not my responsibility anymore to deal with him and all of his bullshit. That's the magic of divorce. With all the shit he put me through that last year of our marriage, it's no wonder he's feeling regretful. That's his problem and I'm not going to lose any sleep over it." Steph explained in a calm and quiet voice.
"I understand…" Michaels said quietly. He realized that Stephanie wasn't interested in knowing anything about Paul's current emotional state. There was no point in pressing the issue with her. Shawn wanted to keep things friendly between them.
"The only thing I can hope for from Paul is that he stops playing the victim and actually steps up and becomes a father to Aurora. Here she is asleep and where is he?" Steph asked raising an eyebrow.
Shawn wanted to reply in Paul's defense that he was in fact getting ready for their match that was going to take place in an hour. The events that had taken place earlier in the night didn't at all make Aurora available to Paul. The Heartbreak Kid wanted to make Stephanie aware of this but quickly dropped the issue when he saw Vince McMahon quickly enter the room.
"Dad, what are you doing? He's asleep. Where are you going with him?" Stephanie asked her father in a whisper as she saw him gently lifting his sleeping grandson from the sofa.
"Shh, I'm spending time with my grandson. I want him with me at the gorilla position for the start of the show." Vince told his daughter as he started carrying the baby off. Andrew awoke and gave a few whiny cries.
"That's too close to the stage, it's going to terrify him when the pyrotechnics go off. He's tired just put him back down with his sister."
"He'll be fine. He's with his gramps. He says 'see you later, mommy. I want to get close to the action.'." Vince said aloud speaking in his baby talk voice. He was swaying as he walked with Andrew, keeping him from beginning to cry.
"Why don't you take Aurora with you instead? Dad, you're going to throw off his sleep pattern. You're not the one that will have to be up with him all night." Steph called after her father. She was wasting her breath for Vince had already left the room with her son.
"I'll see you later, Stephanie." Shawn finally said after Stephanie had returned her attention to her paper work.
"Bye Shawn…" She replied without even looking up at him.
Kurt's eyes remained fixed on the hallway wall in front of him as he quickly did a few stretches to further warm himself up for his match that was up next. Stephanie was standing right there next to him looking worried as she watched every move he was making during his stretch routine. Shane was nice enough to watch the kids so that Steph could focus completely on her husband's match.
"Kurt…" She said aloud waiting for him to break his concentration and look at her.
He was wearing a brand new singlet with matching knee pads that he had custom made just for the pay-per-view like he had done many times before in the past. The straps were down and he had his signature black hoodie jacket that he had become partial to while working for TNA.
"Yeah." He finally replied after a few seconds. Angle stopped what he was doing and looked right into his wife's eyes.
"Please be careful…" She told him as she lovingly pulled the black hood of his warm up jacket over his head for his entrance to the ring.
"Steph, I'll be fine. Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll make you proud, I promise." Kurt whispered with a smile before he leaned in and gave her a tender kiss to her already parted lips.
All the boys in the back were all gathered around the backstage television monitor for the Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy match. This was a normal ritual backstage for the matches at the top of the card. Even though the match wasn't the main event, all the guys still took notice because it was Angle and Hardy who were out there performing.
Stephanie was right in the front row of the group. She stood there with her hands clasped together and under her chin while she watched the match get underway. She felt the presence of a knot in her stomach which would tighten with every bump Kurt took.
Paul was standing up against the wall with Shawn. He was watching Stephanie instead of the match. He rolled his eyes each time she winced and made a face because the bump Angle took looked painful. Kurt being in the upper card in a non title match at the pay-per-view made no sense. The point of the show was to have all the WWE championships defended in one night. How did a number one contenders match fit in there? This match should have taken place on RAW.
"Kurt…Be careful…" Stephanie whispered aloud as the pace of the match began to pick up. With Hardy's high flying agility came a number of risky spots that pained her to watch. Hardy taking a flying leap out of the ring onto Angle caused him to hit the ground hard. He laid there for a moment with the look of pain on his face. Steph couldn't be sure if the pain was real or if he was selling the move. Maybe it was both.
Jeff did his famous team xtreme pose before going under the ring for a ladder. Steph's eyes widened, she was worried about how the ladder was going to come into play in the match after it had been changed to no disqualifications earlier today, much to her disapproval. Hardy taking his time removing the ladder from under the ring gave Angle the opportunity to get to his feet and gain the upper hand with a few hard German uppercuts. Angle then through Jeff into the ring before pushing the ladder in as well.
Kurt leaned the ladder up in one of the corners of the ring before he went over to Hardy who was already starting to get up off the canvas. He grabbed hold of him by his long multicolored hair and then once he was to his feet, he used his arm to make it look like was going to Irish whip Hardy into the ladder but Jeff quickly countered with an Irish whip of his own and set Angle flying into the ladder. Kurt's head along with the rest of the front of his body slammed into the ladder causing him to double over in pain. The crowd cheered as Hardy began to jump around on the opposite side of the ring, being a showman to the cheering crowd while gaining momentum for the next spot.
Stephanie found herself looking away from the monitor. She knew another ladder spot was coming up. Hardy charged toward Kurt who was there to meet him with a belly to belly over head suplex which threw Jeff up and over Angle and right into the ladder. The fans stood up and cheered. Steph could hear the huge pop from where she was in the back.
"This match is unbelievable. Angle's definitely still got it." Adam "Edge" Copeland told Stephanie while the match continued to drag on. The battle had moved to the stage which was considerably high off the ground. They exchanged rights back and forth, both wobbling on the edge of the front of the stage. They were obviously both getting tired after going back and forth for a good twenty minutes. The crowd was completely into the match and the story it was telling.
"Nice table spot." Jason "Christian" Reso commented as Jeff took the bump off the stage and into a table which broke clean in two.
"Oh my God, Kurt. What are you doing?" Steph said as she watched her husband back up far away from the edge of the stage while waiting for Hardy to get to his feet. He was planning to do a spot.
Angle ran and quickly took a Swanton dive off the stage and right into Hardy who was going to try and do his best to catch him and cushion the fall. The force that Angle hit into Jeff was too much. Angle's boots hit into him causing Hardy to fall backwards which allowed Kurt to come down on the concrete right on his back, shoulder blades, and worst of all, neck.
"Kurt…" Steph said muffled through her hand that was placed over her mouth. She was in shock by the botched spot and was hoping and praying that Kurt would signal to the referee that he was okay to get up and finish the match. The audience in the Wachovia Center was going nuts. They were on their feet chanting the famous "Holy Shit!" chant that had a few "Angle is God" chants mixed in.
It was the sight of her husband's face showing his agonizing pain that made Stephanie begin to lose her composure. The referee was afraid that Angle had broke his neck yet again and he wanted to have the EMTs step in but Kurt refused. He kept muttering that he was okay.
"I think he's okay, Steph." Irvine told Stephanie trying to reassure her as she watched the monitor with her eyes filled with tears.
"He's hurt! Look at him holding his head and neck! Why didn't Dad call to put a stop to the match! He could be paralyzed!" Stephanie sobbed frantically as much of the backstage attention began to shift to her because of her emotional state.
She continued to cry and watch helplessly as the ending spot of the match finally came when Hardy did a Swanton Bomb onto Angle who was lying on top of a ladder in the center of the ring. After Jeff got the three count and his music began to play, both he and Angle were just lying there; both exhausted and in pain. The whole arena was on their feet applauding the two performers.
"Don't tell me she's actually going out there." Paul muttered to Michaels as he watched Stephanie quickly push her way through the crowd of wrestlers backstage and run toward the stage access.
"Yeah, it looks like it. She did the same for you when you were injured. I hope Kurt's okay. That was a hell of a botch." Shawn pointed out watching the monitor from afar. He could see Stephanie running down the ramp toward the ring.
"Fuck him, he deserved what he got. I hope the asshole becomes a quadriplegic. Look at Steph making a fool of herself on live television sobbing." Paul muttered with a scowl on his face as he watched his former wife run into the ring where the EMTs were helping Kurt to his feet. Shawn looked on at his friend with disappointment.
Levesque felt a wave of unbridled jealousy overcoming him as he watched Stephanie tending to Angle who was unsteady on his feet. Both her hands were on his face, she was looking into his eyes and speaking to him through her tears. By the look on Angle's face, Paul could tell that the lights were on but no one was home. He was a damn fool for continuing the match. Paul was sure he would get commended for it, the fucking suck up. Levesque thought about when he was injured earlier that night and how Stephanie didn't lift a finger to help him or see if he was okay yet she had all the love and compassion in the world for Kurt when he got injured. It was like she was trying to make him jealous; trying to make him furious.
"Poor Kurt, do you think he's going to be okay?" Torrie asked Paul walking over to him. She too had been watching the match on a monitor backstage but had only come out to the large grouping of wrestlers after the botch in the match.
Paul looked at Torrie who was awaiting his response. His eyes scanned his body up and down quickly before he cracked a smile and looked back at the monitor screen where Stephanie was still fawning all over her injured husband.
"Oh yeah, everything's going to be just fine…" Paul muttered as he flashed a smirk at Torrie which caused her to look puzzled. Perhaps it was time he started to play the game that Steph had up until now had been controlling.