Stay: Stephanie/Kurt Part 1 – Stephanie

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When I first met Kurt, I had written him off as a self-indulged ego-tistical jerk, maybe it was because of the proud way he carried himself down to the ring, never letting anyone see his weak side, or maybe it was just the way he made butterflies in my stomach flutter, everytime he looked my way.

"Mrs. McMahon?" A voice that seemed to be coming from right behind her asked.

Stephanie turned around, to come face to face with the man her father had been worked up over for weeks.

"You must be Kurt," She said coolly, looking disinterested, checking her nails.

"The Olympic gold medalist." He added.

She shot him an annoyed glance saying, "Whatever. And just for the record, it's Mrs. Helmsley to you. Mrs. McMahon is my mother."

Kurt readily agreed, nodded his head enthusiastically, "Of course, Mr. McMahon never told me you had a different last name than them."

"That's because I'm married."

"Oh." His face fell a little, as though he didn't expect what she just told him.

Stephanie didn't know why, but she felt her face beginning to flush under Kurt's gaze.

She turned her back to him, looking back only to tell him, "My father wants to see you, I'll lead you to his office."

That had only been the starting point. Before Kurt had come to turn everything I was so sure of upside down, I thought I was so in love with Hunter, that I would give the world to him. I followed all of Hunter's instructions without question, thinking that he knew what was right, and all that I had been taught was wrong unless Hunter agreed. Kurt made me realize that I was only degrading myself, not being the person I was born as. A McMahon.

I probably never would have crossed paths with Kurt after the day I had met him if Hunter had just been the perfect man that he was before I had married him. The money made Hunter change, he probably began to change even before we got married, I was just too blind to see. He didn't realize that by fighting with me, he only pushed me in the direction I thought I'd never go to, a direction with Kurt at the end of the road.

"Hunter, please! I was only trying to help you!" Stephanie pleaded, nearly on her knees begging for her husband's forgiveness.

"Lots of help you did, you made me lose the most important match of my life!"

"Hunter, I'll make it up to you, I promise. I'll just go down to the ring with you next week and help…"

Hunter cut in, hissing "NO! It's over, from now on you stay behind in the locker room, I don't need you ruining more matches."

"It was a mistake! I swear, I'll never do something like that again! It was Christian, he was the one that pushed me and…"

"ENOUGH, I don't need to hear any more of this. Don't mention this again. I'm not changing my mind. Not now, Not ever." Hunter slammed the door in her face, leaving her with tears streaming down her face.

Stephanie didn't have anywhere else to go, her father was gone to the other part of the country for the week, her mother went along with him.

She slid down to the floor, sitting so that her back was facing Hunter's door.

"Mrs. Helmsley, are you okay?"

Her blue eyes met with his before she realized that her tears were still wet on her face. She wiped it away with the back of her hand, her head low so that he couldn't see her face.

"I'm fine Kurt, I've never been better. You can skip along now," Stephanie said, muttering under her breath "with your Olympic gold medals."

"Hey, I'm not a bad guy. Just because I'm proud of my gold medals doesn't mean they're my whole life."

Stephanie's face blushed, she hadn't meant for him to overhear her last comment.

"If you need to talk about anything, you can always come talk to me. Of course, unless you want to talk about it to Hunter."

Stephanie sharply turned her head farther away from Kurt, not replying.

"I knew it, something happened between you and Hunter, wasn't it?"

"None of your business." She tilted her head up to show Kurt that she was fine on her own and that she didn't need anyone to lean on.

Kurt held his hands up, "I thought you looked like you needed someone to talk to, sorry for my caring."

Stephanie had to say something to have him stay she needed to talk to someone before she broke down, so she whispered, "Hunter. Hunter's mad at me."

Kurt knelt down beside Stephanie, helping her to her feet. "Let's go to my room to talk about it."

Her eyes narrowed; maybe Kurt didn't have the best of intentions as she had originally thought.

He laughed, saying to her as if he read her thoughts, "Don't worry Mrs. Helmsley, I wouldn't touch a daughter of Vince McMahon."

Stephanie joined in the laughter; her eyes that had been a dark stormy color now a sparkling ocean blue. "Kurt, call me Steph. We're friends now aren't we?"

It had first started with friendship; I wasn't sure when it had started to transform into something more, it just happened. That was the only way I could explain.

Hunter was just as sightless as I was when it came to relationships, he thought I was being faithful, thinking that a wife of his would have no reason to look at another man.

He was wrong. I never planned to go so low as to cheat on someone I was tied to bonds with; but then again, I never had met anyone as special as Kurt.

Stephanie tried to hold back her laughter, but a giggle escaped as Kurt pressed her back against the side of the arena building.

Kurt gently covered her mouth with her hand, "Shh, someone might find us here."

She smiled taking his hand away from her face, "What would you do if they did?"

He put an arm around Stephanie, dramatically saying, "Then I would proclaim my love for you until they know we were meant for each other."

Her smirk wilted, a serious look overcoming her eyes, "You…you love me?"

Kurt let his arm fall from her shoulder, "Well…sure, don't you?"

Her gaze fell to the floor, her thoughts unreadable.

"Steph?" Kurt said quietly.

Stephanie wrapped her arms around him, the silence setting a calming feel; she could hear his heart beating, the familiar warm feeling of his skin next to hers.

"I love you too."

Kurt's face lit up; he picked her up, whirling her around, bringing her back to earth only to place a kiss on her lips.

He didn't see as a single tear as lone as a single rose fell from her eye.

Before he had said those three words, what Kurt and I shared, I considered a joke. Not a joke, as in a laughing matter, but I considered what I had gotten into something that I could quickly get out of if I had gotten bored, or if someone happened to find out.

Though after he had said those words, all of a sudden, it wasn't a joke anymore, but something very very real. A situation that could not only ruin my reputation, but my marriage with Hunter as well. No one knew what was going on, I didn't have anyone to talk to. I was unexpectedly very alone, so alone.

Did I love Kurt? That was a question I didn't know the answer to.

Stephanie crept back into the room she and Hunter shared after sneaking out to meet Kurt.

"Steph, what are you doing up?" Hunter said, the sleep impairing him from thinking straight.

Stephanie froze midway to her side of the bed, "I couldn't sleep so I just went outside to get some fresh air Hunter, go back to sleep."

He seemed to accept her reason, turning his back to her, mumbling about having to go work out at the gym tomorrow morning.

She sighed in relief, that was close. She wasn't sure if she could think up of a reason every time she went off with Kurt, she wasn't sure if it was worth the risk.

Stephanie discarded her clothes at the edge of the bed, lifting the sheets and pulling it over her.

She closed her eyes, but was awoken as she felt a tight grip around her neck.

She immediately reached to touch her neck, only to find the person's hands gripped tightly around her neck. She could feel her lungs begin to burn for air.

"You think you could have gotten away with this?" Hunter murmured harshly into her ear.

Her eyes widened, she shook her head.

"That's not going to work, you act so innocent but that's not really what you are, are you Stephanie? Going around behind my back, doing something you wouldn't want your old man to know…"

Stephanie could feel her vision starting to darken before the hold on her neck loosened.

"Now, now, Steph, don't go to sleep, you're not going to get away that easily."

She fell to the ground, her hand limply on her shoulder, her breaths coming out in short gasps..

Hunter touched her face. She flinched, trying to back away but from the lack of air she found she could only glance away.

"See what you made me do Steph? It doesn't have to be like this, no, no. It can be the perfect couple that we used to be, before you messed it up." He said in a sing song voice, falling back on the bed.

Steph glanced out at the window; she didn't want to give Hunter the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten to her.

"I know you're cheating on me, don't try to deny it."

She stayed silent, she knew the guilt would be in her eyes, there was no way to hide it.

"Don't be such a whore Steph, just because you're a McMahon…."

Stephanie cut him off getting to her feet and turning to him, "Don't give me that whole lame speech again. You're right, I am seeing someone. And he's a better lover than you ever were you're a heartless bastard ever since you saw what you would gain from this marriage, you were so intrigued you forgot about us. Suddenly you would do anything to get your hands on the status and money. You're not the Hunter I knew and loved; you're just a jerk that filled his shoes. I go to him because he helps me find myself, you don't at all, you only help in making me more lost in myself, so lost I don't even recognize myself anymore. Is that what you wanted to accomplish? Then congratulations, you've achieved your goal."

His face hardened, as he roared, "Get the fuck out, and this time, STAY OUT."

She grabbed her bag, walking out the door with her head held high, never giving a glance back.

She heard the door slam so hard that the walls shook, she winced but kept on walking.

Stephanie knocked on the only door to the place she would be accepted.

"Steph? What are you doing here?" Kurt rubbed his eyes.

"Can I stay here for the night? I have no where else to go."

I had lain in Kurt's arms that night, feeling more safe than I ever had. That's when I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, I was in love with him, and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

When Hunter had done what he did, he arised an emotion in me…fear. If he were capable of almost killing me, it sure wouldn't have taken a lot to hurt Kurt if he found out who it was.

I wasn't sure if I could survive, emotionally as well as physically, if Kurt was hurt in the hands of Hunter.

Maybe I wasn't thinking rationally, what I did hurt me and Kurt both, maybe me more than him.

Kurt would always be able to find someone to love him, to reassure him that things would be all right, and I was right. Now, he's married, to whom I consider the luckiest woman on earth. I tell myself; at least I was able to get a taste of what real love was like, even though it might have been just for a fleeting second.

"Listen Kurt, what we have…is really special." Stephanie started.

Kurt agreed flashing her a smile.

"Kurt, I think though it would be best if we weren't together."

His smile vanished, replaced by confusion. "What do you mean Steph? I thought we were great together, I thought this is what you wanted."

Her hands went to wrap herself around herself. "That's the problem Kurt, I don't know what I want. I definitely don't want Hunter, but I'm not sure I want you."

"Did…did I do something wrong?"

"No, you're perfect, maybe too perfect. I'm sure you'll find someone special, more deserving of you."

Kurt grabbed her hand, "No one's more special than you Steph, I don't want anyone but you Steph, can't you see that?"

"I can't, I'm sorry Kurt. I wish it could have ended differently, can we still be friends?" She touched the side of his face, but he backed away as if her touch burned on impact.

"Kurt, please, try to understand."

"I don't understand at all Steph, everything was going fine, what went wrong?"

"I'm sorry Kurt."She tried to kiss his cheek but he turned his back to her.

As she walked away from him, she could hear him say, "I'm sorry too Stephanie…"

That had been 7 months ago. I haven't talked to him since, though god knows how many times I've tried to talk to him. He just seemed to stop noticing my existence. After I had broken up with him, I went back to Hunter; he seemed to know that too, because every time he saw Hunter and me together, his face blanched of any emotion.

Hunter had readily taken me back, just as I knew he would have. I was the supplier, the endless checkbook to never ending money. I didn't like being used, but I don't have anyone else to go back to, I had no choice.

I always say, "Stephanie McMahon, always on top" though this time, I'm not sure if that's exactly the case.

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Please R&R