The next eighteen hours or so were beyond awful.
Following his loss to Steve Austin, Mark, who was absolutely furious and embarrassed that he had lost the World Wrestling Federation Championship, continued his all-out assault against the Texas Rattlesnake, even after the show went off the air.
He couldn't believe what had just happened.
After months of careful planning, deliberation, and execution, in the blink of an eye, Mark was no longer the WWF Champion.
Like so many other superstars that he had put down throughout this entire championship journey — from Ken Shamrock to the Rock, to even Vince McMahon himself — Mark was now a loser.
In only three seconds flat, Mark had become the one thing that he promised himself that he would never become again. And as he continued his all out assault, the Undertaker wanted to make his most hated adversary feel the exact same pain that he was currently experiencing.
He wanted to make Stone Cold Steve Austin know just what it felt like to be a loser.
Following this vicious assault, Mark, storming through backstage area, crazed with anger, nearly kicked down the door down and to he and Stephanie's dressing room, as he ordered her back to their rental car.
Between his confrontation with Test and now losing the World Wrestling Federation Championship, these past few hours had been nothing short of miserable, and Mark wanted nothing more than to leave this godforsaken city as quickly as possible, even if he and Stephanie had to drive the nearly fifteen hours back to Houston themselves.
He was fed up and he was done.
Finding herself scurrying behind her husband as she and Mark made a beeline out of the arena, Stephanie could only sit in silence as Mark raced back to their hotel in record time.
After being ordered to pack the rest of their belongings as quickly as possible, Stephanie could only stand and watch as Mark, who was possessed with anger, actually began breaking various objects inside their plush suite.
Whatever wasn't bolted to the floor — lamps, tables, even chairs — Mark managed to destroy easily with his own bare hands.
Had it not been for Stephanie, who was only able to calm her husband's irate anger, by literally wrapping her arms around him, then absolutely nothing would have remained, not even the walls.
Mark was once again overcome with lunacy.
Standing with her husband in silence, Stephanie carefully gazed around a room, which honestly looked as if it had been hit by a hurricane. She could only imagine the type of charges that they would undoubtedly incur at such destruction, along with being outright banned from the property.
After packing their belongings and once again departing for the airport, Mark, not wanting to be in the state of North Carolina any longer than he had to be, then paid extra for the couple to catch an earlier flight back to Texas. Throughout their few hours in the sky, whenever Stephanie attempted to initiate conversation with him, she only received silence instead.
Even as the flight landed and the two were once again back in Houston, Mark continued to give Stephanie the silent treatment, which made her feel absolutely worthless as a wife. She knew he was angry, but she couldn't really tell if his anger had more to do with the fact that he had lost the championship, or worse… if he was truly angry at her.
After all, it was her idea for Mark to align himself with DX. And because she lacked the foresight to realize that Steve Austin might have pulled something like he had last night, Stephanie honestly couldn't blame him if he truly was angry at her.
Stephanie's plan had ultimately flopped, and because of this, Mark — the leader of the Ministry — was no longer the top guy. He was without the premier championship in all of sports entertainment, while the Acolytes, and even Mideon, were all title holders.
In so many ways, Mark losing the championship went well-beyond pride.
His very livelihood, both as the majority shareholder, and as the leader of the Ministry, depended on him being the man. And now, he simply wasn't, which made Stephanie feel guilty beyond words.
In essence, Mark losing the WWF Title was all because of her. And somehow, she had to find a way to fix things.
As the day lingered on, Mark continued to stew outside under the patio, while Stephanie made herself busy in the kitchen. She prepared a fresh batch of lemonade, which she felt could be a refreshing icebreaker not only for she and Mark, but also for the landscapers that he had snapped at earlier.
Afterwards, Stephanie carefully sat alongside her husband on the comfy patio furniture, as she placed a calm and loving hand on top of his, attempting to gain his attention. Unfortunately, however, Mark continued to ignore her, just like he had done on their flight back home.
He hadn't gotten any sleep, either.
Once the two were back home, Mark simply tossed his luggage in their upstairs closet, jumped on his bike, and immediately sped down the lonely highway. He hadn't eaten any lunch, she highly doubted that he had eaten breakfast, either, and Stephanie was nearly at her wits end on what she needed to do in order to appeal to him.
If Mark would simply open up, and allow Stephanie into his world so to speak, then she knew that she could undoubtedly right this wrong. He just had to open up and let her in. Stroking the top of his hand gently, before giving it a loving squeeze, Stephanie called out tenderly to her husband, saying, "Mark, please. You haven't said a word to me all night…"
"I mean, I know you're upset. And I know you're upset with me. And in all honesty, you have every right to be. But baby, please. Won't you just please talk to me?"
Despite her pleas for her husband to speak to her, however, Mark simply continued to stare in front of himself, not even acknowledging his wife's presence. This all just felt so hopeless to her. Mark wouldn't speak to her, and he obviously wasn't in the mood to return any of her affections, either.
Stephanie hated when Mark was like this. And although she wanted to burst into tears, she also realized that crying wouldn't solve anything. She had to be the rational one.
She had to find a solution to this.
Knowing that he wanted to be alone, Stephanie unfolded her legs and prepared to leave. She knew when wasn't wanted.
However, she instantly felt Mark grab her by the hand, which made her nearly jump for joy.
"Finally!" she exclaimed to herself.
Feeling him gently tugging her next to him, Mark maneuvered Stephanie's back into his chest, as he wrapped his arms firmly around her. She couldn't go anywhere, not even if she wanted to, and she definitely didn't want to.
She just wanted Mark to speak to her again.
Gently nipping at her neck, which caused an involuntary shiver to whisper across her body, Mark finally said to her, "I'm not upset with you. I've just got a lot on my mind."
Realizing that he was undoubtedly plagued with worry, Stephanie bit her lower lip and said to him, "Baby, I know you're upset, but don't have to shut me out. That won't help either of us, and it definitely won't help you win your championship back."
Nodding his head slowly, acknowledging the fact that he had been ignoring her, Mark calmly responded, "You're right. I'm sorry."
Hearing him apologize, especially since he was such a prideful man, also made Stephanie come around. She wanted to help him, but she couldn't do that unless he opened up to her.
"Look, baby," she started solemnly. "I know you said that you're not upset with me, but I can't help but to feel that I'm responsible for all this. If it wasn't for me, then you'd still be the champion right now. At least let me help you defeat Steve Austin. I feel that it's the least that I can do."
Though he realized Stephanie's willingness to help him, Mark had already made the mistake of allowing his wife to be involved in his business before, and he wasn't about to make this same mistake twice.
Stephanie was pregnant, and as the man of the house, he couldn't risk bringing so much unnecessary stress and worry to his wife's expectancy.
It was his job to deal with Steve Austin not her's.
Not to mention the fact that Mark already had a plan for Stone Cold next week — and he promised that it was going to be very painful.
"Look, Steph. I know you want to help," he said, while playing with a tress of her long brown hair. "But, I can't allow you to do that. What me and Austin have going on is between us." Placing the flat of his hand against the small bump at the base of her stomach, Mark then said, "You're pregnant. This ain't nothing but unwanted stress. I can't allow you to go though that again."
"But baby, I feel responsible," Stephanie bemoaned. She truly wanted to help him win back his title. "Plus, I'm not stressed. But, I would be if you didn't do something about all of this."
Feeling the rather humid Texas breeze whisk around them quickly, Mark assuredly answered, "Stephanie, I've told you: I'm not mad at you, so you shouldn't feel guilty. If anyone is to be blame it's…"
Trailing off and turning his head slightly, since he honestly didn't want to say something that he may regret about Stephanie's mother, Mark attempted to bite his tongue as much as possible. After all, in his opinion, if it wasn't for Linda, then he would have never been in this mess in the first place.
Knowing who her husband was undoubtedly referring to, Stephanie, with her heart nearly inside her stomach, replied lightly, "Mark, I know how you feel about my mom, and… you're right.
"I can't argue with you about any of this. You are absolutely right," Stephanie conceded.
Besides the fact the fact that Mark was no longer the WWF Champion, Angel had also delivered quite the bombshell to her client earlier in the day, and her stellar announcement had everything to do with both Stephanie's mom and Steve Austin once again.
Not only had Austin written himself one of the most lucrative contracts in all of sports entertainment, but the Rattlesnake had also effectively intercepted Angel's own bid to make Mark the highest paid WWF superstar.
Austin's latest deal was so lucrative, that not only was he the highest paid talent, but he had also successfully negotiated a clause in his contract which forbid anyone in the entire company from having a higher salary than his, which effectively made Mark's own bid for this same lucrative contract null and void.
On top of this, Linda's own contract with the World Wrestling Federation had also been renewed, as well. Not only had she also renegotiated a higher salary for herself, but she also removed the provision in her contract which stipulated that she and the board could only exercise three executive decisions per calendar year — a move which directly challenged Mark's authority.
In essence, Linda and the board could interfere with the Ministry's plans whenever they felt like it.
It was cumulative voting at its finest, and in Stephanie's mind, it truly felt as if her husband was in a no-win situation. She couldn't blame him for being upset.
In only twenty-four hours, Mark has lost the WWF Title, Steve Austin had upended his plans of being the highest paid talent, and the board of directors had also managed to seize back a large portion of control within the World Wrestling Federation.
Everything was going wrong for him, and Mark sourced all of his discontent directly back to his mother-in-law. In truth, Mark was coming very close to outright admitting that he hated Linda. And the more that he stewed and sat to himself, the more he felt justified in his feelings.
Seeing him now gritting his teeth in anger, Stephanie realized that time was continuing to pass them by. If they were going to defeat Stone Cold, then they both had to think of a plan and fast.
"Mark, I know how you must feel," Stephanie said, as she began rubbing the top of her husband's hand tenderly. "That's why I want to help you. Even if you tell me no in the end, let's at least try put our collective heads together and think of something to win your title back.
"That should absolutely be our main priority right now."
Turning his attention to her once again, Mark, gazing back at his wife and noting the sincerity in her eyes, finally acquiesced and said, "Ok. But Steph, this is the last time. I've already told you: I don't want you involved. I don't want you getting hurt. So, I'll hear you out and that's it.
"Are we clear on this?"
Nodding slowly, acknowledging her husband's concern, Stephanie answered, "Crystal clear, because what I'm about to say has absolutely nothing to do with me. Baby I promise, it's not going to be anything like last time with Paul and Joanie."
Hearing those two names nearly made Mark jump out of his skin, but he kept himself composure.
"Ok. Shoot."
As April came to sit in between them, Stephanie proposed, "Mark, after you told me that you were going to fire Saphirra, I felt bad for her. I wanted — and still want to — send her off on a happier note. I mean, I know she's not your priority right now, but I still think there's something that we can do to at least help her out on her new journey."
Tonguing the inside of his cheek, since he had absolutely no idea why Stephanie was even bringing Saphirra up, Mark found himself nodding tersely, allowing Stephanie to continue.
Just where was she going with all of this?
"Well, I've been thinking. I've been thinking of ways of how this could benefit all three of us, and I think that I may have the perfect plan."
"Go on," he responded, as April nudged her way on top of Stephanie's lap.
"I mean, you're not going to like hearing this," she cautioned, watching as Mark tilted his head to the side warily. He was determined to hear Stephanie out. But, that didn't mean that he would actually go along with anything that she had concocted.
At least she had been forewarned.
Gathering her courage, Stephanie finally admitted to her husband, "Mark, I think it's pretty obvious that Saphirra has feelings for you. I mean, they may have cooled down over these past few weeks, but that doesn't mean that I entirely trust her when it comes to you."
Though he was well-aware of the fact that Saphirra's affections for him, Mark was never one to admit this fact, simply because he didn't care about his servant's feelings.
Saphirra was only a pawn to him. Nothing more and nothing less.
And though he recognized that Stephanie had every right to be suspicious, Saphirra, unlike Test, would never disrespect her master's marriage, no matter what her feelings for Mark were.
At least she had that going for herself.
Eyeing Stephanie curiously, Mark then watched as she said, "Mark, we both know that this woman has massive feelings for you. But babe, just firing the poor thing, without her having anywhere to go, is just plain cruel.
"In my opinion, there's definitely a way to win both your title back and send Saphirra off on a happier note."
Still not exactly sure what his wife's angle truly was, Mark, leering back at Stephanie caustically, responded shortly, "I'm listening."
"Well," she started again. "Shat if we had a little extra 'help' in winning your title back? Maybe even seven feet worth of help? Maybe even your brother, Glenn, perhaps?"
Almost shocked at what he was hearing, Mark found himself gazing around the patio incredulously.
What was Stephanie thinking?
Since denouncing his brother nearly nine months ago, Mark had completely turned his back on his younger, weaker sibling. While the two brothers had been pitted against each other in various matches over these past few months, Mark wanted absolutely nothing to do with Glenn whatsoever.
Neither he nor the Ministry had time to trifle with the weak.
Seeing a look of utter astonishment and confusion on his face, Stephanie, realizing that she had to explain herself rather quickly, continued carefully.
"Ok, let me just put it like this: Mark, you and Glenn are brothers. Despite everything that two have gone through; despite everything that you two have put each other through, at the end of the day, you and Glenn are blood."
As she said this, Stephanie carefully crossed her index and middle fingers together, clearly indicating the DNA connection that Mark and Glenn shared, which caught the eye of her doubtful husband.
Stephanie was adamant that these two, despite not speaking to each other in nearly a year, still shared a bond, and that bond went well-beyond DNA. She just needed to emphasize this.
After all, in her mind, Kane was her husband's one-way ticket to regaining the WWF Championship.
"Mark, you and Glenn know each other better than anyone else. So I honestly don't think it would hurt to try to get him back on your side."
Though he wanted to be as nice as possible, Mark was finding it very difficult to be polite.
It was one thing for Stephanie to suggest that she form an alliance with Triple H, and by proxy, Degeneration-X. At least that was something that had been in the works since well-before Over the Edge.
But, the idea of he and his little brother somehow working things out was almost laughable to him.
Gliding his hand across his facial hair, attempting to gather his words as carefully as possible, Mark replied coarsely, "Steph, I know you've put a lot of thought into this, but my brother, he's not like us. He wants friends; he wants companionship. The Ministry isn't a place for people like him.
"And quite frankly, I don't want anything to do with him."
Though she was well-aware of the fact that he was going to be apprehensive about the idea of reconciling with his brother, Stephanie was determined to make him see the light. Right now, Mark was only looking at the glass half-full.
She had to make him see a broader, more complete perspective.
"Well, I don't want anything to do with Shane, but under the right conditions, we could still use him to get what we wanted," she stated wickedly, smiling deviously at the thought of getting even with her older brother.
Seeing a determined look in her eye, Mark allowed Stephanie to continue. Maybe she did have a point…
"Mark, you just said it yourself. Kane wants friendship. He wants companionship. That's the one thing that he's always longed for. And now he's best friends with X-Pac and even the Road Dogg.
"But Mark, what about a relationship?"
Feeling that he now knew where she may have been going with all of this, Mark listened intently, as Stephanie then asked, "I mean, Mark, has Glenn ever been with a woman?"
"Don't know, don't care," he replied curtly, since he honestly didn't want to draw up the mental image of his brother being sexual with anyone. He honestly could care less. As if she had somehow heard his inner thoughts, Stephanie then replied, "You'll care after I remind you that there's a first time for everything, and that's exactly where Saphirra comes in."
"So you basically want Saphirra to fuck Kane?" he asked boldly. He should have seen this coming from a mile away.
"You don't have to be so crass about it," she responded, nudging her husband in the arm. Mark could be very crude in his verbiage at times, especially when it pertained to sex. She didn't want him to think of her plan in such a vulgar manner. This was all simply just a means to and end.
"Whatever she does," she explained, "We just need her to help reel him in for us. Think of it this way: Kane helps to reclaim your title, Austin is finally out of our hair, and you won't have to worry about Saphirra anymore either, because she'll be preoccupied with your brother.
"It makes perfect sense."
Seeing that he was potentially contemplating her idea, Stephanie, wanting to drive her point further home, then added,"I mean, come on. X-Pac may be Kane's friend and all, but like you've always said: blood is thicker than water. You and Glenn are brothers. Paul is Glenn's father.
"And with Saphirra's help, he'll have all the incentive in the world to realign himself with his older brother. Not to mention the fact that you both have a very large common enemy in the Big Show…"
Seeing her husband's face contort in visible anger, as he was undoubtedly remembered being Chokeslammed through the ring all those weeks ago, Stephanie wanted to smile to herself gleefully.
She had Mark right where she wanted him. Because unlike last time, even if the board did try to interfere with their plans, there was simply nothing that could go wrong with this plan.
She just needed him to say yes…
As he slowly began to stroke his facial hair in deep thought, Mark, finally turned to his wife once again, before asking carefully, "You don't think his face is going to be an issue for her?"
Scoffing incredulously, Stephanie rolled her eyes and asked bewilderedly, "Why should it, especially with her track record? I mean, she's dated everyone from the likes of Val Venis, to Billy Gunn, to even having some sort of weird relationship with Dustin and Brian Heffron for God's sake. If anything, she should consider Glenn to be a massive upgrade."
Once again, Mark contemplated each of the scenarios at hand.
Though he didn't want anything to do with him, Mark realized that using Kane to his own benefit could prove quite beneficial for him. He also realized that had it not been for his own hubris, then Steve Austin would have never walked out of SummerSlam the previous year as the WWF Champion, either, and that was a mistake that he vowed that he would never make again.
Maybe with his brother's help, history wouldn't repeat itself.
Though he and Paul had turned their backs on the Big Red Machine, an entire eight months had passed since Mark initially formed the Ministry. In that time, Kane had formed a very strong bond with X-Pac, and he was showing more humanly characteristics than he had ever shown before.
And while things may not have turned out well the last time that they had joined forces, again, eight months had passed since Mark had decided to realign with Paul Bearer. It was just like Stephanie had stated before.
Blood was thicker than water.
Staring back at his wife, while he continued to comb his long facial hair, Mark finally replied, "Ok. But… this so-called plan of your's needs some fine-tuning. A lot of fine-tuning."
Nodding slowly, but gulping just the same, Stephanie was shocked that Mark was agreeing to somewhat go along with this latest plan of her's. She was honestly expecting him to say no. But since he hadn't, she found herself replying shakily, "O…ok."
"I mean, how much fine-tuning could he be talking about?"
Watching as he held a finger to her face, Mark replied matter of factly, "For one, the way I see it, we need to get a move on all this and fast. I'll talk to Paul and he'll get my brother on a plane to Texas. But since this was all your big idea, you need to be the one to get Saphirra down here, ASAP."
Shrugging her shoulders, since this would honestly be no trouble at all, Stephanie then gently reminded her husband, "Sure, but Mark, she is still injured."
Remembering how Saphirra's own flesh and blood nearly came close to snapping her ankle sent a visible chill down her spine. She honestly wouldn't be surprised if Saphirra remained on crutches for the remainder of the summer, that's how badly her ankle had been damaged.
Mark, however, rolled his eyes impatiently, and said sharply, "Valet or not, Saphirra has wrestling experience. She knows how to work through pain. The way I see it, we have to be out of here by Saturday to make Sunday Night Heat. I want to have all this nipped in the bud before we board our flight."
Sighing aloud, since she recognized just how much pain Saphirra was undoubtedly still in, Stephanie was just about to offer a rebuttal until Mark interrupted, saying jaggedly to her, "And two, and speaking of Saphirra... we are not running a dating service here, Steph.
"Listen, I know you mean well, but Saphirra is a big girl. And when I get ready to get rid of her, she has to be able to fall on her own two feet. Point I'm making is, her job is to get my brother on our side. Nothing more, nothing less. We can't afford any other distractions, not after what happened between us and DX."
Shocked by what she was hearing, Stephanie attempted to protest, but Mark cut her off again.
"I know what you're going to say Steph. Saphirra is attracted to me. But unlike Test, Saphirra would never try anything with me, because believe it or not, Saphirra respects you, Steph. She even fears you. You know that, and you take advantage of that.
"Whatever you said to her back in Kansas City spooked her so badly that she almost hasn't been the same since. Isn't that why she's basically your errands girl at this point? Isn't that why she switched your drink at No Name?"
Floored that he was not only calling her out, but that he was also very-aware that she had basically blackmailed Saphirra into doing her biddings, Stephanie turned her head in self-admitted guilt, choosing not to answer his clearly rhetorical questions.
"Guess he really does know everything…"
Realizing that there was no viable way for Stephanie to challenge him on this, Mark then said, "Exactly. So you don't have to worry about that, and you don't have to worry about her being in any real relationship. Saphirra is to have no emotional attachment to my brother and that's final."
Hearing him enunciating his words, which absolutely meant that there was no way to sway him on this, Stephanie kept her head turned in the other direction, feeling horrible about this current predicament.
After all, this had been her idea. Despite her actions, Stephanie truly did care for Saphirra and wanted the best for her.
This just wasn't fair at all.
Acquiescing and sighing aloud, Stephanie heard Mask then ask, "And third, how are you going to explain this newfound attitude of your's? My brother may be intellectually challenged, but even I don't think that he's that stupid enough not to notice that something is off with you."
Shaking her head wildly, attempting to take her mind off of Saphirra for a moment, Stephanie found herself suddenly smiling underhandedly.
If there was one thing that she had prepared herself for, it was this.
"Speaking of attitudes, I never told you something," Stephanie started, her eyes dancing with deceit. "Back in Moline, I visited your brother's and Sean's dressing room. Road Dogg was there, but he didn't stick around. Anyway, Sean and Glenn were both angry with me, after you basically kicked the snot out of X-Pac back in San Diego. So I 'apologized' to them.
"I sold them this story about how miserable I was and how awful you were. And they bought it."
Although Stephanie was smiling devilishly, Mark certainly wasn't. Even though he had managed to defeat Stone Cold with Shawn's assistance, this was also the night that Kane had sucker punched him, apparently for no good reason. Suddenly, things were becoming a lot clearer for him.
Still, he allowed her to continue.
"Mark, I know you were angry with me after all that, but it's just like I told you before: things will always work out for us. So if it will helps you regain your title, then I'll pretend to be the poor, defenseless, sad little Housewife," she mocked. "I mean, wasn't that the plan all along?"
Though he still intended to have more than a thorough word about her about continuing to do anything behind his back, Mark was honestly more interested in the fact that Stephanie was once again proving to be everything that he wanted her to be.
Stephanie now possessed a dark and manipulative center and he liked it. Smirking back at her, Mark kissed his wife atop of her forehead, saying as he went, "We have to make this quick."
Seeing her nod in compliance, since time was truly of the essence, their collective attentions quickly turned to the direction of their home, as the sound of the doorbell could be heard echoing throughout.
While Mark removed himself from his seat to answer the door, Stephanie began to rub April's swollen belly vigorously.
As she continued to pet her baby lovingly, Stephanie then heard two familiar voices walking onto the patio. Looking up, Stephanie was soon joined by not only Mark, but also by John and Kristen, who had recently returned from their vacation to Hawaii.
Jumping from her seat to greet her newfound friends, Stephanie quickly surmised that this trip to Maui must have done the pair wonders. Not only was Kristen glowing from her recently acquired golden brown tan, but she was also beaming from ear to ear.
She looked absolutely gorgeous, and Stephanie couldn't recall ever quire seeing her friend like this.
As Mark returned to his seat, the two ladies exchanged a warm embrace with each other. They hadn't spoken in over a week, and Stephanie couldn't wait to regale in all the wonderful stories that Kristen undoubtedly had to share about exotic trip to the Aloha State.
However, Stephanie's eyes instantly became glued onto the rather large, magnificent cut diamond ring on Kristen's left middle finger. The ring was so brilliantly cut that it would be hard for anyone not to notice. It also must have set Kristen back a pretty penny, as well. No ring could be as flawless as the one she was currently staring at without the value of it ranging in the upper hundred thousands.
Amazed at such a beautiful piece of jewelry, without even thinking twice, Stephanie gently lifted Kristen's hand back up to eye level.
She once again took notice of a smaller, yet similar cut diamond ring positioned immediately behind the first. The fact that both rings were positioned on Kristen's left hand — along with both pieces of jewelry being firmly attached to her wedding finger — instantly made Stephanie go rigid with shock.
Her blue eyes instantly lit up with anticipation!
Gazing back and forth between the pair vigorously, as her mouth sagged open in utter astonishment, Stephanie watched as John wrapped his arm around his new bride's shoulder, as Kristen announced proudly, "Well… we got married."