"Come on baby," Kurt said, pulling Stephanie down the hall. He grinned
back at her. "You waiting to catch a glimpse of The Rock too?"
"You know better," Stephanie said.
"Yeah I do," Kurt said. "You've seemed happier this past month."
"I've been happier," Stephanie said. She looked into the blue eyes that were both her home and her goal. The pair of eyes that made her feel complete, but were never quite hers. "I feel almost normal."
"Sweetie," Kurt admonished as he pulled her into his arms. "You are normal."
"Normal people do not occasionally forget the past three years of their lives," Stephanie said, pushing gently against his chest. But he refused to let her go.
"You're right," Kurt said, his arms settling around her waist. "You aren't normal. Because normal is boring and stupid. I love you, just as you are."
Stephanie smiled. She leaned her head forward and rested her forehead on his shoulder.
"Love fest alert," Shane said as he walked down the hall with Chris Jericho and Matt Hardy.
"Gross," Jericho joked.
"Hey guys," Kurt said. He hadn't gotten along very well with any of the other men over the span of their acquaintances, but they were all on the same side. And Shane and Jericho really cared about Stephanie. He could see it in their eyes.
"Can I call you Mom?" an obnoxious voice asked as there was a bit of a disturbance at the entrance.
"David you have a mother and I have children of my own," Linda said as she walked into the arena on the arm of Ric Flair.
"Still," David said. "It would make us feel more like a family."
"What the hell?" Stephanie asked.
"I have no idea," Shane said. "Mom!"
"Shane, Stephanie," Linda said, walking over to her children. Ric stopped her for a moment and whispered something in her ear. She nodded to him and he walked off in another direction.
"What's going on?" Shane asked.
"Yeah, why does that little jerk want to call you Mom?" Kurt asked.
"Because I married his father," Linda said softly.
"But Daddy," Stephanie whispered. She felt Kurt's arms tighten around her.
Kurt looked up and gave Jericho and Shane a look before pulling Stephanie away from them. "We're going to our dressing room."
Shane watched his sister walk out of hearing range and then asked. "You're fucking kidding aren't you?"
"Don't talk to me like that Shane Brandon McMahon," Linda warned.
"I will talk to you any way I damn well please because it seems to me like you just got married to my father's biggest enemy," Shane said. "And he's only been dead about a month!"
"I can't explain it to you Shane," Linda said. "Just know I have my reasons."
"Reasons you can't share with your son?" Shane asked. He looked over his shoulder and sent a scathing look down the hallway Ric and David had walked. "Your real son."
"David with never be my son," Linda said. "You and Stephanie are the only children I will ever have and the only children I will ever want."
"Then explain to me why you married Ric Flair!" Shane exclaimed.
"I can't!" Linda exclaimed. "Soon."
"Were you cheating on Dad?" Shane asked. Linda looked down at the floor and Shane's mouth dropped open in horror. "Oh my God!"
"Shane dude," Matt said, looking at the people gathering around Shane and his mother. "We should go check on Steph."
"Yeah," Shane said. He looked at Linda again. "I loved you. I trusted you. But I can't anymore. I want you to stay away from Stephanie. She has enough problems without you."
Stephanie jumped a little in Kurt's lap when the door to their dressing room slammed open and Shane, Matt, and Jericho walked in. A bit of Shane's anger melted away when he saw Stephanie sitting in her husband's lap, her eyes red from crying.
"It seems like all I do anymore is cry," Stephanie laughed.
"What the hell are these rumors about?" an irate Rock asked as he barged into the room.
"It looks like you and Chris were right," Stephanie said, wiping the remaining tears from her cheeks. "My mom was probably cheating on my dad with Ric Flair."
"She was," Shane said softly.
Stephanie's eyes flew to her brother's face. He had always defended Linda to Stephanie, even when he himself was angry with Linda. He had always been sure Linda knew what she was doing and she would never do anything that would hurt the family. She stood up and went and hugged her brother.
"Well," Stephanie said, as she pulled away from Shane. "The battle lines have been drawn. It just so happens my mom is on the other side."
"Battle lines," Jericho said. "Sounds like we're talking business now."
"You guys know who you can trust," Stephanie said. "From here on out, the people in this room are the only people I trust."
"Same here," Shane said.
"We're going to find a way to get Flair out of this company," Stephanie said. "Before I thought I might be able to just counterbalance him like my dad did. Now I see that he cannot remain a part of this company."
"So? Plan?" The Rock asked.
"Do you know the word patience?" Stephanie asked him.
"Occasionally," The Rock replied, shrugging.
"Good plans take a little time to formulate," Stephanie said. "First of all, there's a few people who don't really have a side right now. They are going to be crucial. We need all of them on our side."
"Is this war then?" The Rock asked.
"Yeah," Stephanie said. "And I intended to take no prisoners."
"Stephanie," Kurt said softly. He hadn't seen this harsh, determined side in his wife since she had been in the Alliance. And even then it hadn't seemed near as personal. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," Stephanie said. "The fact is that my father died a month ago. There were a couple of people who had suspicions that his death was no accident. I'm inclined to agree with them now."
"What?" Shane asked.
"Shane, this is all too coincidental," Stephanie said. "Dad was in great shape, Mom has an affair, and Dad ends up dead. Now Mom is married to Dad's enemy?"
"Oh shit," Shane said.
"That's what I'm saying," Stephanie said.
"We need to get to the bottom of that," Shane said. "It might actually help us get all of the WWE back. We owe it to Dad."
"I'm glad you and I are agreed," Stephanie said. "What about the rest of you?"
"You know I'm in," Jericho said.
"Me too," The Rock said.
"Same here," Matt said, nodding his head.
Stephanie looked over expectantly at her husband. "I'm always on your side."
"Okay," Stephanie said, nodding her head. "I don't know how we are going to do it, but we will get the Flairs out of the WWE."
"You know better," Stephanie said.
"Yeah I do," Kurt said. "You've seemed happier this past month."
"I've been happier," Stephanie said. She looked into the blue eyes that were both her home and her goal. The pair of eyes that made her feel complete, but were never quite hers. "I feel almost normal."
"Sweetie," Kurt admonished as he pulled her into his arms. "You are normal."
"Normal people do not occasionally forget the past three years of their lives," Stephanie said, pushing gently against his chest. But he refused to let her go.
"You're right," Kurt said, his arms settling around her waist. "You aren't normal. Because normal is boring and stupid. I love you, just as you are."
Stephanie smiled. She leaned her head forward and rested her forehead on his shoulder.
"Love fest alert," Shane said as he walked down the hall with Chris Jericho and Matt Hardy.
"Gross," Jericho joked.
"Hey guys," Kurt said. He hadn't gotten along very well with any of the other men over the span of their acquaintances, but they were all on the same side. And Shane and Jericho really cared about Stephanie. He could see it in their eyes.
"Can I call you Mom?" an obnoxious voice asked as there was a bit of a disturbance at the entrance.
"David you have a mother and I have children of my own," Linda said as she walked into the arena on the arm of Ric Flair.
"Still," David said. "It would make us feel more like a family."
"What the hell?" Stephanie asked.
"I have no idea," Shane said. "Mom!"
"Shane, Stephanie," Linda said, walking over to her children. Ric stopped her for a moment and whispered something in her ear. She nodded to him and he walked off in another direction.
"What's going on?" Shane asked.
"Yeah, why does that little jerk want to call you Mom?" Kurt asked.
"Because I married his father," Linda said softly.
"But Daddy," Stephanie whispered. She felt Kurt's arms tighten around her.
Kurt looked up and gave Jericho and Shane a look before pulling Stephanie away from them. "We're going to our dressing room."
Shane watched his sister walk out of hearing range and then asked. "You're fucking kidding aren't you?"
"Don't talk to me like that Shane Brandon McMahon," Linda warned.
"I will talk to you any way I damn well please because it seems to me like you just got married to my father's biggest enemy," Shane said. "And he's only been dead about a month!"
"I can't explain it to you Shane," Linda said. "Just know I have my reasons."
"Reasons you can't share with your son?" Shane asked. He looked over his shoulder and sent a scathing look down the hallway Ric and David had walked. "Your real son."
"David with never be my son," Linda said. "You and Stephanie are the only children I will ever have and the only children I will ever want."
"Then explain to me why you married Ric Flair!" Shane exclaimed.
"I can't!" Linda exclaimed. "Soon."
"Were you cheating on Dad?" Shane asked. Linda looked down at the floor and Shane's mouth dropped open in horror. "Oh my God!"
"Shane dude," Matt said, looking at the people gathering around Shane and his mother. "We should go check on Steph."
"Yeah," Shane said. He looked at Linda again. "I loved you. I trusted you. But I can't anymore. I want you to stay away from Stephanie. She has enough problems without you."
Stephanie jumped a little in Kurt's lap when the door to their dressing room slammed open and Shane, Matt, and Jericho walked in. A bit of Shane's anger melted away when he saw Stephanie sitting in her husband's lap, her eyes red from crying.
"It seems like all I do anymore is cry," Stephanie laughed.
"What the hell are these rumors about?" an irate Rock asked as he barged into the room.
"It looks like you and Chris were right," Stephanie said, wiping the remaining tears from her cheeks. "My mom was probably cheating on my dad with Ric Flair."
"She was," Shane said softly.
Stephanie's eyes flew to her brother's face. He had always defended Linda to Stephanie, even when he himself was angry with Linda. He had always been sure Linda knew what she was doing and she would never do anything that would hurt the family. She stood up and went and hugged her brother.
"Well," Stephanie said, as she pulled away from Shane. "The battle lines have been drawn. It just so happens my mom is on the other side."
"Battle lines," Jericho said. "Sounds like we're talking business now."
"You guys know who you can trust," Stephanie said. "From here on out, the people in this room are the only people I trust."
"Same here," Shane said.
"We're going to find a way to get Flair out of this company," Stephanie said. "Before I thought I might be able to just counterbalance him like my dad did. Now I see that he cannot remain a part of this company."
"So? Plan?" The Rock asked.
"Do you know the word patience?" Stephanie asked him.
"Occasionally," The Rock replied, shrugging.
"Good plans take a little time to formulate," Stephanie said. "First of all, there's a few people who don't really have a side right now. They are going to be crucial. We need all of them on our side."
"Is this war then?" The Rock asked.
"Yeah," Stephanie said. "And I intended to take no prisoners."
"Stephanie," Kurt said softly. He hadn't seen this harsh, determined side in his wife since she had been in the Alliance. And even then it hadn't seemed near as personal. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," Stephanie said. "The fact is that my father died a month ago. There were a couple of people who had suspicions that his death was no accident. I'm inclined to agree with them now."
"What?" Shane asked.
"Shane, this is all too coincidental," Stephanie said. "Dad was in great shape, Mom has an affair, and Dad ends up dead. Now Mom is married to Dad's enemy?"
"Oh shit," Shane said.
"That's what I'm saying," Stephanie said.
"We need to get to the bottom of that," Shane said. "It might actually help us get all of the WWE back. We owe it to Dad."
"I'm glad you and I are agreed," Stephanie said. "What about the rest of you?"
"You know I'm in," Jericho said.
"Me too," The Rock said.
"Same here," Matt said, nodding his head.
Stephanie looked over expectantly at her husband. "I'm always on your side."
"Okay," Stephanie said, nodding her head. "I don't know how we are going to do it, but we will get the Flairs out of the WWE."