Stephanie was just finishing a meeting with two lovely ladies from a mental health charity. Unsurprisingly this was now something that was close to her heart and she was always keen to work with charities in any case. The meeting had been to discuss the possibility of WWE sending a few superstars to meet some people will mental illnesses and film a few short segments to show on Raw or Smackdown. It was a nice change of pace for a Tuesday afternoon. "Well ladies thank you both for coming in to see me," Stephanie said warmly, standing from behind her desk. "I'll be sure to have someone from my team contact you again to make arrangements."

The two visitors both thanked Stephanie for her time and told her how much the support from WWE would mean to their charity and how much it would help to raise awareness of mental health issues in general. Stephanie had not mentioned that she suffered personally as that was something she chose to keep private for obvious reasons. "It's my pleasure," she said. "This is an area in which people really to increase their understanding. Before you go can we just get a picture together? We'll put it on the website with a write up about what we're going to do. I'll put it on my Twitter too."

The ladies agreed as they left Stephanie's office. "Lucy, take a picture for me," Stephanie ordered and handed her phone over to her secretary. Lucy took the picture and the two ladies shook Stephanie's hand, thanked her again and left. Stephanie reached out and took her phone back from Lucy. That was when it happened. Stephanie would never know what caused it or why it happened at that moment in particular but it did happen and she would never be able to undo it. Something someone had said to her came randomly into her head. She thought about it for a few seconds and then a realisation hit her like an atom bomb going off in her head. It shook her so much that she thought she was going to collapse and she felt overwhelmingly sick.

"Mrs. McMahon? Are you okay?" Lucy asked. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine," Stephanie mumbled. "Just a bit of a headache. I'm going to sit down for a few minutes. No calls."

"Do you want me to fetch your husband?"

"No," Stephanie managed to say as she walked into her office. She closed the door and leant with her back against it feeling short of breath as the realisation that she had made ran through her head yet again. She sank down to the floor as tears filled her eyes. "No. It can't be true," she whispered in horror.

Flashback

Stephanie lay curled up on the couch with Nikki's arms and a blanket wrapped around her. She was very scared and confused and she wanted her mom. She wanted to be in her safe place with her mom, she did not want to be alone. She could not focus on anything apart from that. Even her husband had given up on her, he thought she was a bad wife and a bad mother to their children. Nikki had just sent him out of the room which was good at least. Yes, at least Nikki was there. Nikki's voice was very soothing, maybe this place was safe too? Maybe it was safe to be with Nikki? She began to cry again as she tried to force her mind to focus on what Nikki was saying instead of being so scared. It was so hard to do. She had heard herself mumbling answers to Nikki's questions earlier but she had not really known what she was saying. At least it was nice and warm in this blanket and with Nikki holding her, that was comforting.

"Don't keep crying Steph, please."

That's it, Stephanie told herself, listen to Nikki. She can help. Talk to her. Trying to stop crying she managed to say, "I'm scared."

"Why are you scared sweetheart?"

"I'm alone," Stephanie said in absolute despair.

"You're not alone, you have Paul..."

"Paul doesn't want me, I'm a bad wife."

"Paul doesn't think that Steph, he loves you."

"He doesn't take care of me."

"He just doesn't know how sweetheart." Nikki sounded so reassuring. "It's not that he doesn't want to. I'll help him to get better at it."

Stephanie felt herself crying again. "I don't need Paul, I need you."

"You can't dismiss your husband like that Steph, but I'm here for you."

"But bad things still happen and I get scared."

Nikki sounded like she was crying too now, "You don't have to be scared, I'm not going to let anything happen to you and I'm not going to let you be alone. You mean the world to me. I'd do anything to protect you from being scared like this. You don't know what I'd do for you... what I've already done."

As Stephanie sat on the floor in her office those words repeated themselves in her head, Nikki's voice filled with emotion saying over and over, "What I've already done."

Tears ran down Stephanie's face as she realised how stupid she had been not to see it earlier. It was Nikki who had suggested that she should meet with John Cena.

It was Nikki who had gone to visit John in jail to arrange that meeting and after she had spoken to him she had said that John was afraid that someone would shoot him.

It was Nikki who had gone with her to the meeting with John and sat there silently as he revealed that he was leaving his apartment early the next morning and he probably was not coming back.

It was Nikki who had said nothing for the whole car journey home after she had admitted that she still felt afraid for her kids with John around.

It was Nikki who had protected her from Paul and her dad's questions and accusations after those detectives showed up on the day John was found murdered and questioned her about it.

In fact it was Nikki's idea that she was there with Vince that day to begin with, at that was because she had known the police would show up with questions, because she knew John was going to be killed.

Stephanie was sure of it, it was Nikki who had gotten someone to kill John Cena. She tucked her knees up under her chin as tightly as she could and wrapped her arms around her legs as she began to cry.