Plans of Action

The Baroness Stephanie looked around cautiously before she stepped into the small cottage. Late was the hour and all within the house were still. She hated these nights but she knew that they served a purpose. Her husband was laying with his courtesan for no other reason than to give her time without interruption. Quickly she made the journey to the small room at the end of the hall and inside she saw the small cradle that was placed near the hearth. Her heart and her eyes filled with love as she peered over the edge and laid eyes on the infant inside.

With trembling hands, Stephanie reached in and lifted the sleeping baby. She breathed in her scent as she walked toward the chair to sit with the baby in her arms. "Not long now, little one. Soon you will be mine and I will love you so much, more than she ever could." Stephanie watched as the baby clutched onto her finger and her face settled into a peaceful slumber. "Once we are together, no one will ever separate us. You should have been mine, but no worries now. Your father will make sure that you have the family you deserve and the life you were meant to lead."

She sat in the dark room for hours holding Aurora close to her. She loved that baby and she could not wait until they would finally be a family. Although she hated to see others die for her dream to come true, it was the price that they had to pay. As a mother, she would do anything for her child, even if that meant killing that child's mother herself.

"I will visit soon, my daughter. And next time, maybe you will grace me with the color of your eyes." She placed a soft kiss on the baby's head before placing her back in her cradle. "Sleep well Princess Aurora…your mother loves you."

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Through the cloak of darkness, Hunter made his way back to his home. Upon entering his room, he laid eyes on his wife. She was adorned in a white satin bed gown, leaving her neck and arms naked for his eyes. Her skin was like porcelain and her light brown hair, hung low down her back. Her eyes dance wildly with delight and the smile that completed her attire made her face radiate. "Did you spend time with the baby?" He asked studying her smile and feeling his heart lift. "She is beautiful, is she not?"

Stephanie eyes danced with pride. "She looks like you, only with raven hair. She will be the most beautiful princess McMahon has ever seen." Stephanie embraced Hunter, but pulled away almost immediately. "You smell of her."

With a sigh, Hunter walked over to the basin and poured the water from the pitcher inside. He removed his clothing and started the task of washing before entering his bed with his wife. "You understand why it is this way, do you not? How else was I suppose to steal you time with your daughter?" He looked over at Stephanie's worried eyes and smiled. "With any luck, I may have made you a son this night."

Stephanie laughed happily at the prospect. Two children would be more than she dreamed of. "I can not believe that this will come true. We will have a family with children in our home. All of this is because of you."

Hunter walked slowly toward his wife and took in her beauty. "From the day I first met you, I vowed to make all of your dreams come true. We will have all that you have dreamed of and more."

They were so close, but one wrong move would ruin everything. Stephanie opened her arms and wrapped them around Hunter's large frame. "Promise me…promise me this will work." He could have promised her anything and she would believe him.

"It already has. I have sped up the plan; everything is going the way we need it to." Hunter smoothed the hair on her head and looked deep into her eyes. "The herbs you gave to Maria put her in dream-like state. I sent Christopher to her and it was fate that he bedded her. Then, I brought David to watch."

"But why?" Stephanie felt herself panic. Hunter's plan left no room for error, there was no reason to go this far. "Why would you reveal that Christopher was alive? David will ruin everything."

"Do not fret. I have insured that all will still go accordingly. I told David that it was Patricia that poisoned Maria's mind. He has no idea that we were the ones behind it all. He now thinks that Randal sent Christopher to take Maria as his prize. David is so angry that he will kill Randal, Christopher, and Patricia, putting a stop to any claims she might have for the Throne as well." He smiled with pride as he detailed his plan to his wife. "He trusts me. We spent hours discussing his revenge. I know exactly when and where Randal and Christopher will fall." He could not resist the laughter that came from his throat. "He has enlisted me to help him."

"And what of Maria? Does he think she betrayed him?"

Hunter shook his head. "I explained that she was poisoned and that Christopher took advantage of her by pretending to be his ghost. He feels pity for her and she will be unharmed."

"But what if he tells her that Christopher is alive?"

"And risk her leaving him? That would never happen. He will keep that secret until he can make sure Christopher has met the grave himself." A wicked grin crossed his face. "But if she would happen to learn of his lie by accident, well…she may be upset enough to kill David herself. That way we will not have to rely on King Jeffery and we will keep our port…we will take the Throne and owe nothing. And if you wish…we will take Maria and David's child as our own too." He hugged her tighter. "Don't you see, my love, this plan is becoming clearer everyday."

Stephanie did not wish to hear anymore. She would have children and her husband and her kingdom back. She was sure her heart would burst from happiness. "I love you." She whispered before kissing him. Even if he had laid with Candice only hours before, he was with her now and that is all that she cared about.

"I will meet Earl Jeffrey in Northumberland and then we will get to the next phase of our plan. He will be all too happy to help, when he learns that I know of his secret." He laid her back on the bed and kissed her passionately. "This is all for you. Everything I do is for you."

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David lay next to Maria listening to her call out Christopher's name as she slept. His heart ached with pain, but he knew that he must keep Christopher a secret. If Maria ever found out that he was alive, she would blame him as if he had known all along. It had taken so long for her to trust him, for her to love him; he could not risk losing that.

He held the tiny woman close to him, letting his hands play in her long hair. Her large eyes, although closed, mesmerized him. How could he part with seeing that face? How could he live without hearing her voice? She would leave if she knew; she would go to Christopher and reclaim what they had. That was sacrifice for love that he was not willing to make.

Maria's eyes opened slowly as she tried to settle on David's face. She held a lazy smile as she reached her hand to stroke the warm skin of his cheek. "I have been visited by an angel." There was such a sweet satisfaction in her whispered voice that it broke his heart. "I must confess… I sealed myself in eternal love with Christopher. I can never let him go." She rested her head upon his chin and sighed. "I will keep him with always, but know that his place in my heart is separate from yours. I love him in death, but I love you in life." Her eyes drifted shut as the last of the herbs played with her sanity. "Forever torn between my angel and my champion, I shall be."

David watched her slumber, loathing himself for ever trusting in love to begin with. But had he not given in, he would have not have known how her touch instantly settled his heart or how her smile eased his pain. Christopher did not deserve her; David would never have left her.

In the few months that he spent with her, she had become his everything. There was no way he would allow Randal and his band of misfits to tarnish the one shred of happiness he had. Randal would have his chest split open for harming Maria and possibly his child. Christopher would bleed to death slowly while the vultures feasted on his rotting corpse for taking the pleasure that David had grown to know as only his. Patricia would hang and have her neck snapped for being a part of the treachery. And when it was over, David and Maria would retreat to the Grecian Isles, leaving the country to Princess Ashley and Earl Jeffrey to rule as they saw fit. Maria often spoke of far away lands and once McMahon was rid of the threat, he would make good on his promise to show her the world. He would give her the world if he could, but he would never be able to give her complete honesty.

"Promise me something." She stirred in her sleep, feeling her hands upon his chest. "Promise me you will not fight in the games. Randal will kill you if you fight and I can not risk that."

That was a promise that he could not make. If he retreated from the Games, then his plan to end the treacherous three would be ruined. "I have pledged to the King that I will stand with his champions."

She shook her head as tears started through her closed lids. "Christopher died for honor and you shall die for duty. Just once, I wish someone to live for love."

David held her close and breathed in the scent of her hair. He searched his heart and made her the one promise that he could keep. "I will live for you."