// March 2003 //
"What the hell is making all that noise?" Jeff Hardy asked irritably as he walked down the hallway of the arena.
The sound was really quite unmistakable. Jeff knew the wailing of a baby when he heard it. But who had a baby backstage? Jeff's curiosity got the better of him. He followed the sound of the baby's wailing to see Stacy Kiebler peering into a dressing room.
Stacy noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to see Jeff Hardy standing a few steps away, a confused look on his face. She placed a finger over her lips, motioning for him to be quiet as she beckoned him forward with the other hand.
Jeff stood there for a moment. He didn't like Stacy and he didn't care who knew it. But he wanted to know who was fool enough to bring a baby to a show. He took cautious steps forward and ended up standing next to Stacy.
Stacy watched as Jeff's mouth dropped open in shock. The crying had quieted considerably since Jeff had first heard the baby wailing. There were still some whimpers, but there were more calm whispers than anything else. The source of the calm whispers was the most shocking thing.
Jeff Hardy stood, rooted to his spot next to Stacy, as Kurt Angle paced his dressing room slowly, rocking a baby in his arms. He held the baby close to him, whispering to her.
Jeff turned to Stacy, his eyes asking for some kind of explanation. She shrugged her shoulders helplessly. They both continued to watch Kurt, even as he placed the baby into its carrier. He gently wrapped a blanket around it and stroked its cheek before turning towards the door.
Kurt's blue eyes widened in shock when he saw Stacy and Jeff standing at his dressing room door. He looked nervously over at Mackenzie before walking towards them and joining them in the hallway. He left the door open a couple of inches before starting to talk. "I'm sorry if her crying bothered you two," Kurt said. "She's been cranky all day long."
"What are you doing with a baby?" Jeff asked.
"She's my daughter," Kurt said.
"Where's Stephanie?" Stacy asked.
"I don't know," Kurt said.
"Well, will she be here at some point tonight so you can be in your first match back?" Jeff asked.
"I sincerely doubt it," Kurt said. "Stephanie left me. She left us."
"Wow," Jeff said softly. Kurt's voice had been soft, but there had been an edge to his voice. "How long?"
"A couple weeks," Kurt said. "Why do you care?"
"I don't," Jeff said.
Stacy glared over at Jeff. "Can I help?"
"Help?" Kurt asked, a confused look on his face.
"Yeah, can I watch her for you or something?" Stacy asked.
"I don't know," Kurt said, a bit nervously.
"You have a match tonight," Jeff pointed out. "Though I don't even know why you're back yet."
"I didn't have much of a choice," Kurt said. "I had a contract and Vince was threatening to sue."
"You're the father of his first grandchild," Jeff protested.
"And I'm the one who won't let his daughter have any contact with her daughter," Kurt said.
"What?" Stacy asked in shock.
"Nothing," Kurt said. "Don't worry about it."
"Okay," Stacy said uncertainly. "Do you want me to watch her for your match?"
"I'll stay too," Jeff offered. "Just because I wouldn't leave any kid with Stacy."
"That's real great Hardy," Stacy said. "You don't even know me."
"I know enough," Jeff replied, grinning at the woman next to him.
"Jesus," Kurt groaned. "You two are going to wake her up."
"No we won't!" Jeff and Stacy protested together. They looked at each other in shock.
Kurt smiled as he shook his head. "You two really don't mind?"
"I love kids," Stacy said, beaming at Kurt.
"And I like interesting stories," Jeff said, shrugging a bit.
"Alright," Kurt said. "My match is in twenty minutes. I need to head toward the ring in about five minutes."
"I'll go tell Matt I have something to do," Jeff said.
"I'll go grab something to eat," Stacy said.
After a couple of moments, Jeff was back at Kurt's dressing room. Kurt looked up and smiled briefly at Jeff. "I know we aren't friends, but I appreciate you looking after her for a bit."
"No problem man," Jeff said. "How much trouble can one little baby be?"
"You'd be surprised," Kurt said. "Anyways, thanks."
"Well, the payment is a full divulgence of the situation," Jeff said. "Not many people know it, but I'm an extremely nosy person."
"And why would I tell you about my life again?" Kurt asked.
"The way I look at it," Jeff said. "If you're going to be carting a baby around, you're going to need a couple of friends. I don't see your old friends tolerating children very well. They may think kids that are fans are nice, but those kids aren't around all the time."
"It's not like you have kids," Kurt said.
"No, but I do like them," Jeff said. "What's her name?"
"Oh, Mackenzie," Kurt said.
"Mack," Jeff said, looking at the little girl. "How old is she?"
"Six months," Kurt replied. He looked over at the baby in the carrier and smiled softly.
"I'll take care of her," Jeff assured Kurt.
"Try not to make her too weird while I'm gone," Kurt said.
"Funny," Jeff said dryly. "Good luck Kurt."
"Thanks," Kurt said before heading out of his dressing room.
"I was hoping you would change your mind," Stacy said when she walked back into the room with a bottle of water and a cup of yogurt.
"I didn't trust you to remember that you promised to watch on that long walk to the cafeteria," Jeff said, watching Stacy walk into the room. She was wearing tight black pants and a halter-top. It was a pretty modest outfit for Stacy.
"Wow, you get funnier every time I talk to you," Stacy said sarcastically. She plopped down on the couch next to Jeff. "So what do you think happened?"
"What are you talking about?" Jeff asked.
"I'm talking about Kurt and Stephanie," Stacy said, her tone slightly exasperated. "I mean it was so romantic. He took care of her after Hunter manages to maneuver her right after the company. She has his baby, they get married. What happened to the fairy tale?"
"I don't know," Jeff said, "but I intend to find out. From the source."
"Like Kurt would actually tell you," Stacy said disdainfully.
"You don't know me anymore than I know you," Jeff pointed out. "You don't want me to make assumptions about you, kindly refrain from making them about me."
"I didn't make any assumptions about you," Stacy said. "I just know that you and Kurt don't like each other."
"We don't really dislike each other either," Jeff said. "Trish has always been his friend."
"You and your damn girlfriend," Stacy muttered.
"Stacy, you are sitting next to the baby, don't curse," Jeff said. "And Trish is not my girlfriend."
"What do you mean Trish is not your girlfriend?" Stacy asked.
"She's not my girlfriend, she never has been," Jeff said simply.
"Oh," Stacy said.
"Wow," Jeff said, looking over at Mackenzie for a moment.
"What?" Stacy asked.
"The math is off," Jeff said.
"What are you talking about?" Stacy asked.
"Mack is six months old," Jeff said. "Stephanie only left the company about a year ago."
"Who is Mack?" Stacy asked.
"Mackenzie, the baby," Jeff said, gesturing toward the peacefully sleeping girl. "She's six months old, which means Stephanie was pregnant when she got kicked out."
"So she wasn't lying to Hunter?" Stacy asked.
"I don't know," Jeff said.
"Then why did you bring it up?" Stacy asked.
"Forget it," Jeff said.
"Don't treat me like I'm stupid Jeff Hardy," Stacy said. "Are you insinuating that the child is Hunter's?"
"I was going more along the lines of Kurt and Stephanie were having an affair," Jeff said. "I mean, Kurt was the first person Stephanie helped after Hunter dumped her."
"That's true," Stacy mused. "Should we ask Kurt?"
"We?" Jeff asked.
"Well, we both care about Mackenzie don't we?" Stacy asked.
"Do you already care about her?" Jeff asked. "I was just being a good person."
"Knowing you, you'll start to care for her," Stacy said, waving her hand carelessly.
"That's the thing," Jeff said. "You don't know me."
"Jesus Jeff," Stacy sighed. "I know your attitude."
"Just like you knew Trish was my girlfriend?" Jeff asked.
"That's different," Stacy said. "You two are together all the time."
"We're friends," Jeff said quietly. "Maybe even best friends."
"There's something more here," Stacy said. "You like her!"
"No," Jeff said, shaking his head. "I used to think.but I was wrong. Just forget it."
"Okay," Stacy said. She looked over at the baby. "She really is very pretty. I love babies."
"That is unexpected," Jeff said. "And she is pretty. She's got a lot of hair."
"And it's curly," Stacy said. "I want one."
Jeff turned to look at Stacy. There was an edge of sadness to her voice. "What's wrong Stacy?"
She shook her head softly. "Nothing."
"I don't believe you," Jeff said. "But I'll let you be."
"Thank you," Stacy said softly.
"You two aren't at each others necks," Kurt said when he walked back into the room. He peered into the carrier. "And Mackie is still breathing."
"How'd the match go?" Jeff asked.
"Ankle lock," Kurt said, flashing a quick grin to the other two adults in the room. He turned back to Mackenzie and said, "I just have to change and we'll be heading back to the hotel sweetie."
"Hey, Stacy and I have questions!" Jeff exclaimed.
"Yeah!" Stacy seconded.
Kurt stood there for a moment. "Do you guys like pizza?"
"Is the sky blue?" Stacy asked.
"Yes," Jeff answered simply.
"Okay, I'll order some from this great place in town and you guys can come to our room when you get back," Kurt said. "I'm leaving early."
"Sounds good," Jeff said, nodding his head. "Lita is here, so Matt has other plans."
"I'm in," Stacy said.
"No hard bodies to drool over?" Jeff asked. Stacy just rolled her eyes.
"I'll see you two later," Kurt said, chuckling to himself.
"What the hell is making all that noise?" Jeff Hardy asked irritably as he walked down the hallway of the arena.
The sound was really quite unmistakable. Jeff knew the wailing of a baby when he heard it. But who had a baby backstage? Jeff's curiosity got the better of him. He followed the sound of the baby's wailing to see Stacy Kiebler peering into a dressing room.
Stacy noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to see Jeff Hardy standing a few steps away, a confused look on his face. She placed a finger over her lips, motioning for him to be quiet as she beckoned him forward with the other hand.
Jeff stood there for a moment. He didn't like Stacy and he didn't care who knew it. But he wanted to know who was fool enough to bring a baby to a show. He took cautious steps forward and ended up standing next to Stacy.
Stacy watched as Jeff's mouth dropped open in shock. The crying had quieted considerably since Jeff had first heard the baby wailing. There were still some whimpers, but there were more calm whispers than anything else. The source of the calm whispers was the most shocking thing.
Jeff Hardy stood, rooted to his spot next to Stacy, as Kurt Angle paced his dressing room slowly, rocking a baby in his arms. He held the baby close to him, whispering to her.
Jeff turned to Stacy, his eyes asking for some kind of explanation. She shrugged her shoulders helplessly. They both continued to watch Kurt, even as he placed the baby into its carrier. He gently wrapped a blanket around it and stroked its cheek before turning towards the door.
Kurt's blue eyes widened in shock when he saw Stacy and Jeff standing at his dressing room door. He looked nervously over at Mackenzie before walking towards them and joining them in the hallway. He left the door open a couple of inches before starting to talk. "I'm sorry if her crying bothered you two," Kurt said. "She's been cranky all day long."
"What are you doing with a baby?" Jeff asked.
"She's my daughter," Kurt said.
"Where's Stephanie?" Stacy asked.
"I don't know," Kurt said.
"Well, will she be here at some point tonight so you can be in your first match back?" Jeff asked.
"I sincerely doubt it," Kurt said. "Stephanie left me. She left us."
"Wow," Jeff said softly. Kurt's voice had been soft, but there had been an edge to his voice. "How long?"
"A couple weeks," Kurt said. "Why do you care?"
"I don't," Jeff said.
Stacy glared over at Jeff. "Can I help?"
"Help?" Kurt asked, a confused look on his face.
"Yeah, can I watch her for you or something?" Stacy asked.
"I don't know," Kurt said, a bit nervously.
"You have a match tonight," Jeff pointed out. "Though I don't even know why you're back yet."
"I didn't have much of a choice," Kurt said. "I had a contract and Vince was threatening to sue."
"You're the father of his first grandchild," Jeff protested.
"And I'm the one who won't let his daughter have any contact with her daughter," Kurt said.
"What?" Stacy asked in shock.
"Nothing," Kurt said. "Don't worry about it."
"Okay," Stacy said uncertainly. "Do you want me to watch her for your match?"
"I'll stay too," Jeff offered. "Just because I wouldn't leave any kid with Stacy."
"That's real great Hardy," Stacy said. "You don't even know me."
"I know enough," Jeff replied, grinning at the woman next to him.
"Jesus," Kurt groaned. "You two are going to wake her up."
"No we won't!" Jeff and Stacy protested together. They looked at each other in shock.
Kurt smiled as he shook his head. "You two really don't mind?"
"I love kids," Stacy said, beaming at Kurt.
"And I like interesting stories," Jeff said, shrugging a bit.
"Alright," Kurt said. "My match is in twenty minutes. I need to head toward the ring in about five minutes."
"I'll go tell Matt I have something to do," Jeff said.
"I'll go grab something to eat," Stacy said.
After a couple of moments, Jeff was back at Kurt's dressing room. Kurt looked up and smiled briefly at Jeff. "I know we aren't friends, but I appreciate you looking after her for a bit."
"No problem man," Jeff said. "How much trouble can one little baby be?"
"You'd be surprised," Kurt said. "Anyways, thanks."
"Well, the payment is a full divulgence of the situation," Jeff said. "Not many people know it, but I'm an extremely nosy person."
"And why would I tell you about my life again?" Kurt asked.
"The way I look at it," Jeff said. "If you're going to be carting a baby around, you're going to need a couple of friends. I don't see your old friends tolerating children very well. They may think kids that are fans are nice, but those kids aren't around all the time."
"It's not like you have kids," Kurt said.
"No, but I do like them," Jeff said. "What's her name?"
"Oh, Mackenzie," Kurt said.
"Mack," Jeff said, looking at the little girl. "How old is she?"
"Six months," Kurt replied. He looked over at the baby in the carrier and smiled softly.
"I'll take care of her," Jeff assured Kurt.
"Try not to make her too weird while I'm gone," Kurt said.
"Funny," Jeff said dryly. "Good luck Kurt."
"Thanks," Kurt said before heading out of his dressing room.
"I was hoping you would change your mind," Stacy said when she walked back into the room with a bottle of water and a cup of yogurt.
"I didn't trust you to remember that you promised to watch on that long walk to the cafeteria," Jeff said, watching Stacy walk into the room. She was wearing tight black pants and a halter-top. It was a pretty modest outfit for Stacy.
"Wow, you get funnier every time I talk to you," Stacy said sarcastically. She plopped down on the couch next to Jeff. "So what do you think happened?"
"What are you talking about?" Jeff asked.
"I'm talking about Kurt and Stephanie," Stacy said, her tone slightly exasperated. "I mean it was so romantic. He took care of her after Hunter manages to maneuver her right after the company. She has his baby, they get married. What happened to the fairy tale?"
"I don't know," Jeff said, "but I intend to find out. From the source."
"Like Kurt would actually tell you," Stacy said disdainfully.
"You don't know me anymore than I know you," Jeff pointed out. "You don't want me to make assumptions about you, kindly refrain from making them about me."
"I didn't make any assumptions about you," Stacy said. "I just know that you and Kurt don't like each other."
"We don't really dislike each other either," Jeff said. "Trish has always been his friend."
"You and your damn girlfriend," Stacy muttered.
"Stacy, you are sitting next to the baby, don't curse," Jeff said. "And Trish is not my girlfriend."
"What do you mean Trish is not your girlfriend?" Stacy asked.
"She's not my girlfriend, she never has been," Jeff said simply.
"Oh," Stacy said.
"Wow," Jeff said, looking over at Mackenzie for a moment.
"What?" Stacy asked.
"The math is off," Jeff said.
"What are you talking about?" Stacy asked.
"Mack is six months old," Jeff said. "Stephanie only left the company about a year ago."
"Who is Mack?" Stacy asked.
"Mackenzie, the baby," Jeff said, gesturing toward the peacefully sleeping girl. "She's six months old, which means Stephanie was pregnant when she got kicked out."
"So she wasn't lying to Hunter?" Stacy asked.
"I don't know," Jeff said.
"Then why did you bring it up?" Stacy asked.
"Forget it," Jeff said.
"Don't treat me like I'm stupid Jeff Hardy," Stacy said. "Are you insinuating that the child is Hunter's?"
"I was going more along the lines of Kurt and Stephanie were having an affair," Jeff said. "I mean, Kurt was the first person Stephanie helped after Hunter dumped her."
"That's true," Stacy mused. "Should we ask Kurt?"
"We?" Jeff asked.
"Well, we both care about Mackenzie don't we?" Stacy asked.
"Do you already care about her?" Jeff asked. "I was just being a good person."
"Knowing you, you'll start to care for her," Stacy said, waving her hand carelessly.
"That's the thing," Jeff said. "You don't know me."
"Jesus Jeff," Stacy sighed. "I know your attitude."
"Just like you knew Trish was my girlfriend?" Jeff asked.
"That's different," Stacy said. "You two are together all the time."
"We're friends," Jeff said quietly. "Maybe even best friends."
"There's something more here," Stacy said. "You like her!"
"No," Jeff said, shaking his head. "I used to think.but I was wrong. Just forget it."
"Okay," Stacy said. She looked over at the baby. "She really is very pretty. I love babies."
"That is unexpected," Jeff said. "And she is pretty. She's got a lot of hair."
"And it's curly," Stacy said. "I want one."
Jeff turned to look at Stacy. There was an edge of sadness to her voice. "What's wrong Stacy?"
She shook her head softly. "Nothing."
"I don't believe you," Jeff said. "But I'll let you be."
"Thank you," Stacy said softly.
"You two aren't at each others necks," Kurt said when he walked back into the room. He peered into the carrier. "And Mackie is still breathing."
"How'd the match go?" Jeff asked.
"Ankle lock," Kurt said, flashing a quick grin to the other two adults in the room. He turned back to Mackenzie and said, "I just have to change and we'll be heading back to the hotel sweetie."
"Hey, Stacy and I have questions!" Jeff exclaimed.
"Yeah!" Stacy seconded.
Kurt stood there for a moment. "Do you guys like pizza?"
"Is the sky blue?" Stacy asked.
"Yes," Jeff answered simply.
"Okay, I'll order some from this great place in town and you guys can come to our room when you get back," Kurt said. "I'm leaving early."
"Sounds good," Jeff said, nodding his head. "Lita is here, so Matt has other plans."
"I'm in," Stacy said.
"No hard bodies to drool over?" Jeff asked. Stacy just rolled her eyes.
"I'll see you two later," Kurt said, chuckling to himself.