So I just realized that we're at chapter 26…And I'm nowhere near done! Oh, well…You can't always get what you want! But I'm not rushing this for anything!
August 27, 2000
"Well…The day of Summerslam I was still New York…And in bed…"
I was in mourning for a marriage that wasn't even technically over. For the past three days, all I had done was wallowed. I cried…Ate ice cream until I could barf…And had rented every chick flick possible. I hoped to sleep through Summerslam…Possibly the rest of 2000. I would have too if not for…
"KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK…STEPHANIE…KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK…STEPHANIE MARIE, THIS IS YOUR BROTHER! IF YOU DON'T ANSWER THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW…I'M GONNA BREAK IT DOWN!"
"Ugh!" I huffed, throwing off the covers of the bed and getting out, letting my feet touch the cool hardwood floor. "Hunter was right…I do love the floors." I thought as I made my way to the door, undoing every lock, "What the hell do you want?" I asked as I opened the door with anger.
"Well hello to you too!" Shane said as he walked in. Not only was he wearing his typical black suit, but on his shoulder was his new Hardcore title, which he won on the Raw I lost the women's title. Foley was making him defend it at Summerslam, "Jeez…You look like shit!"
Shane was right. My eyes were extremely puffy…I hadn't showered in days…Nor had run a brush through my hair. Still…You don't tell your Sister she looks like shit. "Thanks." I said sarcastically as I closed the door and leaned my back on it, "What are you doing here…You're supposed to be in Raleigh…Cutting pretty close don't you think?"
Shane had walked to the kitchen table and sat down. "I ain't going without my Baby Sister…I don't care what Foley says! Steph…You have to face Hunter…It's been three days…Summerslam's tonight! You gave him his space…Maybe Hunter's calm down…Maybe he'll listen to reason now!"
I laughed as I pushed my back off the door and made my way into the Kitchen. I opened one of the cupboards and grabbed the coffee can, measuring it into the filter. As the pot began to fill with water, I hoisted myself on top of the counter, putting the can back behind me and shoving the filter in the machine.
"Yeah…And maybe pigs will fly too, Shane! Don't you get it…This is bad…Really bad! This isn't just flirting or hugging or talking to someone else "Bad."…I kissed Kurt!" I yelled as I grabbed the full coffee pot, filling the machine with the water and starting it, "How can Hunter ever forgive me after what I've put him through…I can't even forgive me!"
Shane got up from the kitchen table and walked to where I was sitting. We were sitting face to face and were actually the same height because of the counter. Shane took both of my hands in his. "I gonna be honest with you, Steph…Hunter might not…But you'll never know unless you find out!" At that moment, the coffee beeped, signaling it was done. I looked at Shane, knowing what I wanted to do…And Shane did too as he moved out of my way, "Go take a shower…Do your makeup…Throw on your leather pants and your blank tank…And I'll fix up our coffee!"
I jumped down from the counter with an actual smile on my face. I turned around to face Shane while I continued to walk backwards. "Who says the coffee's for you?" I teased.
"Just go get ready…You have to be in "Talk to my Husband." mode." Shane teased back as I ran into the bathroom. For the first time all weekend, I remembered my reason to fight. Hunter wasn't gone yet…And he wasn't gonna be if I had something to say about it.
Three hours later, Shane and I were in Raleigh…And heading to the arena. We did indeed cut it very close as Summerslam was just about to start as our limo pulled up; we didn't even go to the hotel yet. Shane stayed behind to make a few calls, while I couldn't get out fast enough. I kept looking down at my Wedding ring, knowing I had to find Hunter. As I made way into the arena, Jonathan Coachman, Sunday Night Heat's interviewer, was standing by.
"Hey, Steph, listen…I really need to ask you something!"
"Coach…Have you seen Hunter…Is he here?" I asked as I cut him off, hoping Coach would give me the right answer.
"No…Hunter's not here yet…"I continued walking at the answer of "No.", "…But Kurt Angle is!"
I stopped walking at the mention of Kurt. "Where's Kurt?" I asked.
"He just came in and he went that way." Coach responded, pointing towards a hallway.
I went towards the direction Coach was pointing, wanting to talk to Kurt about what he had done on Smackdown. Then I thought about Hunter and why I was at Summerslam. That's when I turned back around and headed in the opposite direction towards Hunter's locker room.
I let myself in and dropped off all my stuff. I grabbed some coffee and began watching Summerslam on the TV. As I was sitting there, I started to get worried…It wasn't like Hunter not to be at a PPV when it started. As Trish's match began, I left the room and headed down towards Jan, the makeup lady's, booth; I just couldn't sit there and watch that skank without thinking about all the trouble she had caused.
"Everybody's talking about you kissing Kurt Angle last week!" Jan exclaimed in a sing song voice as soon as I sat down.
"For the record…I did not kiss Kurt…Kurt kissed me…Clearly!" I said, defending myself. Yet as I sat there, I knew that that was only half true. Kurt did kiss me…But I kissed him back. I got really quiet as I looked down into my coffee cup, thinking about all the gossip going around, "Why…Whose everybody?"
"All the girls in the locker room are having a little debate on whether Kurt's a "Hunk." or a "Hottie."!" Jan said, wanting to know the truth.
I didn't want to admit it, but thinking back to when I kissed Kurt, it felt like Hunter used to kiss me. "Well…Kurt is a good kisser!" I said with a twinkle in my eye.
"Oh."
I headed back to Hunter's locker room, hoping he had shown up during my time away; I had even left a note for him in case he did…It was still there when I came back. I settled in for Shane's match as it was about to begin. As much as I loved Shane…I knew that the chances of him staying Hardcore champ at the end of the match were not good. However…I didn't know how bad it would get.
Even with Andrew and Albert out there to help Shane, Blackman was hitting him with everything he could get his hands on: Kendo Sticks, Trash Cans, even a Leather Strap at one point. At the end of the match, Shane ended up on top of the Summerslam entrance way, with Blackman climbing after him. Once Shane got to the top…He had nowhere to go. Blackman kept hitting Shane with the Kendo Stick until Shane lost his grip and fell fifty feet back to the stage.
I screamed at the image in front of me. My Brother…My Best Friend…For all I knew was dead. Shane was just lying there, not moving.
"Is he okay?" I yelled out loud as I watched Shane being taken out by a stretcher, "Oh god…Oh Shane!"
Just then there was a knock on the door. I was too distraught to say anything.
It was Kurt! "Steph…I just wanna talk to you about last Thursday night and about how I really feel!"
I didn't care what Kurt wanted…All I cared about was my Brother. "Have you anything about Shane…Is he okay?"
"…Yeah…I think he just got the wind knocked out of him or something! He's moving…He's alright!"
"Kurt…He got a lot more than just the wind knocked out of him!" I said on the verge of tears. That's when Kurt pulled me in for a hug.
We stood there for a few seconds, just hugging. I knew I shouldn't have been hugging Kurt, considering that's how I got into the mess I was in. Still…There had to be exceptions with it being Shane. Of course… Leave it to Mick Foley to make into something else.
"Whoa…I'm not interrupting anything am I?" Foley asked, stirring the pot.
I pushed Kurt away from me, ending our hug. I wasn't in the mood when it came to Foley. "No, you're not interrupting anything, Mick…Is Shane okay?"
"Well, that's why I came in here…Because I wanted you to know that I think that he may have landed right on his…Kisser! I think we better check!"
I couldn't deal with Foley's innuendo's…Or even Hunter at that moment…Shane was my main priority. I followed Foley to where the ambulance was. They were just about to put Shane in when I got there. I tried to get Shane to talk to me, but he was unconscious. The EMT's raised him in and headed off. Foley gave me a concerned look, but knowing Foley…He didn't really care. I got back to the locker room just as they showed Hunter finally arriving. I sat down on the leather couch, ready for whatever came my way. That's when I heard footsteps. Hunter walked in angry, then noticed it was me. Hunter slammed the door and threw his bag on the floor. Shane was wrong…Hunter hadn't calmed down…And he definitely wasn't listening to reason.
"I want you to explain this to me…You explain to me how that kiss happened…You explain what it meant, huh! You tell me what possible explanation can you have…Tell me!" Hunter screamed.
"Hunter…It didn't mean anything…There's nothing really to explain…I was virtually unconscious!"
"Nothing to explain?" Hunter yelled, not believing what I was saying.
"Hunter…You're the one who carried me back from the ring…You saw how I hit my head…I was knocked out! Kurt took advantage of me…He kissed me and I had no idea what was going on! I don't know what he was doing…I don't know what he was thinking…I don't know!"
"That's just the point…I don't know what he's thinking either! I want you to stay away from Kurt Angle…After tonight…Kurt Angle will never be in our lives again!" Hunter continued to scream. I was once again on the verge of tears.
"Hunter…I don't know how Kurt feels for me…And I don't feel anything for him…" I took a step forward and put my hand on Hunter's chest, "…But I do know that you're the only man for me!"
I gave Hunter a kiss on the cheek. Hunter left to go get changed for the match while sat on the couch, hoping I had said enough to make things right. I didn't lie…But I didn't fully tell the truth either. When Hunter came back, he was in full on "Game Mode.".
"You're gonna destroy Rocky…I know you're gonna be the champ again…I can feel it!" I said as I sat on the couch while Hunter put on his knee pads.
Just then, my phone went off. I got up and picked it up. "Hello?"
"Steph…It's Kurt…Please talk to me!"
"Hi Mom!" I said, looking over to Hunter.
"Steph…What's going on?" Kurt said, wanting to talk.
"I'm good…I'm just here with Hunter…He's getting ready for his match!" I said, letting Kurt know Hunter was next to me.
Hearing the mention of his name, Hunter looked up. "Is that your Mom…Let me talk to her!"
I cringed at what Hunter was asking. "Oh…Hang on a sec, Mom…"
I gave Hunter the phone, hoping Kurt would hang up. He did. "Hey…Hello…Hello…That's weird…Your Mom just hung up on me."
"Oh…That is weird." I said innocently. I felt bad, I didn't want to lie to Hunter, but I also didn't want to start World War 3 either. That's why I also agreed to stay in the back like Hunter asked me to.
As the title match was about to begin, Kurt came out to the ring and grabbed the mic. "I know all you people are expecting me to apologize for what happened last Thursday night on Smackdown…So I am. I apologize…For not doing it a lot sooner! I didn't win these gold medals by backing down or second-guessing myself…I'm proud of myself for giving Stephanie the kind of passion that you, HHH, could never give her!"
The crowd was going crazy. I couldn't believe Kurt said that…Was he trying to get himself killed? Hunter was livid as he left the locker room, slamming the door. I watched on the TV as Hunter got out to the ring and went right after Kurt, not even waiting for Rocky to show up. Kurt tried to get onto the floor, but Hunter pulled him right back in.
Hunter cornered Kurt into the turnbuckle, stomping and choking him When the Ref got in the way, Hunter shoved him down too. This gave Kurt enough to time to regroup and come after Hunter, sending them both back outside the ring. Kurt was surprisingly being just as barbaric as Hunter, throwing Hunter into the barricade, then the ring steps. That didn't last for long as Hunter got his momentum back, rolling him onto the Spanish Announce table.
That's when I saw it…The look in Hunter's eyes. A summer's worth of frustration and anger and…Hurt…Boiled up into that one moment. Hunter was about to set Kurt up for the Pedigree, when the table broke. Hunter looked okay, but Kurt…I knew he had to be injured or something. Hunter didn't care though as he pulled out his sledgehammer. That's when Rock showed up. I have to say that's the only time I was happy to see the Rock…This match was for the WWF title after all.
Rocky got the first punch in against Hunter, ducking against Hunter's sledgehammer shot. Hunter rolled out onto the floor, Rock right behind him. Hunter and Rocky kept going back and forth. Every time Hunter would get a shot in, Rocky would come back stronger. Meanwhile, the Paramedics were checking on Kurt…There was no doubt that he had a concussion. As Hunter had Rocky in the corner, I could see he noticed Kurt getting loaded on the stretcher. That's when Hunter had that look in his eyes again. Hunter took his attention away from Rock and went outside the ring stop the Paramedics from taking Kurt. He started beating up Kurt, who had no way of defending himself. Just as Hunter was about to take the stretcher, Rocky came back into the mix and him and Hunter got back into it once more. By that point…I had seen enough. I left the locker room and went to check on Kurt as he was being brought to the back. Once I knew Kurt was being taken care of, I headed down to the ring to help Hunter.
Hunter was getting the best of Rock…Despite the fact he didn't want me at ringside. At one point, Hunter called for me to get the title. I did as Hunter asked as he held Rock. I brought the belt in the ring and instead of hitting Rock…I hit Hunter! I rolled out to the floor as Rock went for the pin. After only a two count, Rocky then came after me, only to be stopped by Hunter. Hunter and Rock went back and forth as Sgt. Slaughter escorted me to the back. As soon as Sgt. Slaughter let go of me, I ran to the back where I found Kurt on the stretcher.
"Please, Kurt…Help Hunter…Please!" I begged.
"Okay…Steph…I'll do it for you!"
I grabbed Kurt and began dragging him back down to ringside. I hoped there was enough time to help Hunter. When we got out there, Hunter had just hit the pedigree on Rock and was going for the pin. Instead of helping Hunter…Kurt pulled Hunter out if the ring and threw him into the ring steps! Kurt then made his way into the ring and tried to cover the Rock for himself. I stood there in shock, recalling the last few moments in my head. Part of me wanted to help Hunter…Yet the other wanted him to pay for turning me away when Sgt. Slaughter was escorting me to the back.
As Kurt and Rocky went at it, Hunter made his way back into the ring, asking me for the sledgehammer. I slid it into the ring. Hunter went for it, but Kurt stopped him. That's when I jumped in the ring to save Hunter. Hunter went after Kurt, taking a swing. But instead of hitting Kurt…He hit me! My last memory of Summerslam was Hunter bending over me to see if I was okay. Everything after that went black…
Now I know what you guys are thinking…And the answer is no! Stephanie doesn't have sex with Kurt! But…She does let herself admit a few things! Never the less…Stephanie and HHH still end up back together by the end of 2000…So yay! Next chapter…The full identity of Stephanie's whereabouts!