Stephanie looked over at Jericho sitting next to her in the airplane seat,
sleeping deeply. She smiled softly as she watched him.
"You okay?" a voice from her other side asked.
"Yeah," Stephanie said. "I'm not going to kill myself or anything."
"It would be understandable," The Rock replied. "You've lost both parents and your husband in just under two months."
"It's been surreal," Stephanie said, nodding slightly to Rocky. "God, I was just getting used to having Kurt around all the time."
"At least you know he loved you," The Rock said. He looked at her for a moment, noting the tears in her eyes and he shook his head as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and let her lean into him. "At least you got to say goodbye."
"But he should be here," Stephanie insisted. "I'm not thirty yet, both of my marriages have ended, both of my parents are dead, and I'm going to have to wrestle for control of a company yet again."
"At least your dog didn't die," The Rock said. "Then you might have to write a country song."
Stephanie looked up at Rocky and smiled softly. "You're right. And I need to stay strong for Shane. I hate that he had to go arrange everything in North Carolina alone."
"But you couldn't miss Kurt's funeral," Rocky said.
"I'm glad you and Chris came with me," Stephanie said, willing the tears threatening to spill to stay in her eyes. "I really needed the support."
"You're welcome," Rocky said. "If it's any consolation, Trish flew down to stay with Shane."
"Trish?" Stephanie said. "I didn't realize they were friends."
"They've dated on and off," Rocky replied. "Ever since WrestleMania X- Seven."
"Wow," Stephanie said. "He never told me."
"I gather from Trish it was never anything serious," Rocky said. "They have each dated other people since, but they always seem to go back to each other."
"Including you huh?" Stephanie asked.
"That was a fling," The Rock said. "We were on the same side, things got carried away, Trish and I fell back to earth."
"Whatever you say," Stephanie said.
"They will stay together this time," The Rock predicted.
"I hope so," Stephanie said. "Shane deserves to be happy."
"You do too," The Rock said.
"That has to wait," Stephanie said.
"For what?" The Rock asked.
"For me to get the WWE in McMahon hands where it belongs," Stephanie said. "For my dad, for my mom, and now for Kurt."
*
"Hey Shaners," Stephanie said, hugging him when she finally got to his hotel room. Trish had picked Stephanie, Jericho, and The Rock up at the airport.
"Hey Stephanie," Shane said, holding his baby sister close. "God, I've missed you."
"Hey," Stephanie said, pulling back and looking into Shane's sad brown eyes. "I'm here now."
"Ric's will was read today," Shane said. "Mom was right, he hadn't had a chance to change it yet. But I talked to his lawyer afterward. He said that Flair had been thinking about it. He had an appointment to go over it about two days after he died."
"Well," Stephanie sighed. "I can't believe that little twerp David is going to own half of the company. At least Ric had some respect for the business and the wrestlers, but David…"
"I know," Shane sighed.
"How are we going to get control?" Stephanie asked.
"I don't know," Shane said, standing up to pace his hotel room. "I really couldn't even begin to know where we could start."
"How are you holding up?" Stephanie asked.
"What?" Shane asked, looking at his sister.
"You know, you've been here alone," Stephanie said, her blue eyes surveying Shane's face for any signs of anything worrisome.
"Not alone," Shane said. "Trish has been here."
"I hear you two are an item from time to time," Stephanie said. "Thanks for telling me."
"It's never been too serious," Shane said.
"And now?" Stephanie asked.
"Now…I don't know," Shane said. "Maybe I'm reading too much into everything."
"I don't think so," Stephanie said.
"Really?" Shane asked. "Why?"
"Call it women's intuition," Stephanie shrugged.
"How about you?" Shane asked. "How was Kurt's funeral?"
"About the same as any other funeral," Stephanie said, her eyes averting to the ground. "It was weird meeting Kurt's family. I'd met his brothers and his mom once before, but the rest of them. It was just strange."
"Yeah," Shane said. "Some people Mom had never mentioned were at the wake tonight."
"How was that?" Stephanie asked.
"It was okay," Shane said.
"You sure you're going to be okay?" Stephanie asked.
"I'm fine Steph," Shane said. "I'm not the one who has lost a husband."
"No, no you haven't," Stephanie said. "God, I wonder how hard it was for Mom. And she knew that he was going to die. I can't believe they planned it all."
"Me neither," Shane said. "I wouldn't have put it past Dad, but Mom?"
"Yeah," Stephanie said, nodding. "So we've got to get the company back for their sakes."
"Yeah," Shane said.
"I'm going to marry David," Stephanie said.
"Over my dead body," Shane said.
"Shane, it's what we have to do," Stephanie said. "There's really no other way to get the company."
"How are you going to get the company after you marry him?" Shane asked.
"Well, there's always whatever poison Mom and Dad used," Stephanie shrugged.
"No!" Shane exclaimed, kneeling in front of Stephanie. "I won't let you marry that asshole and I sure as hell won't let you commit a murder."
"Shane, let me do this," Stephanie said. "We just need to get David Flair out of this company. If I get caught then at least you will have the whole company."
"Stephanie, it's not worth it," Shane said.
"Mom and Dad thought it was," Stephanie said.
"What about Kurt?" Shane asked. "Kurt would not want you to do this."
"Kurt would understand," Stephanie said. "That was the wonderful thing about Kurt. He always seemed to understand me."
"Well I don't," Shane said. "Even if you should happen to get away with poisoning him, what will make him leave you his property and not his sister and brother?"
"Shane, when a man is in love he will do a lot," Stephanie said. "And when a man believes he is about to become a father, he will do even more."
"You're going to lie about having a baby?" Shane asked.
"No," Stephanie said. "I'm going to have a baby. That just means I'll have to get David into bed soon. Then I won't have to pretend I'm overly in love with him either."
"Stephanie, you're pregnant?" Shane asked, awe filling his brown eyes.
Stephanie's hand briefly covered her flat abdomen. "I think I am. I'm not certain. We have to do this though Shane. I can't think of anything else."
"I wish you'd give it time," Shane said.
"I don't have time," Stephanie said. "There's a very limited clock now."
"You okay?" a voice from her other side asked.
"Yeah," Stephanie said. "I'm not going to kill myself or anything."
"It would be understandable," The Rock replied. "You've lost both parents and your husband in just under two months."
"It's been surreal," Stephanie said, nodding slightly to Rocky. "God, I was just getting used to having Kurt around all the time."
"At least you know he loved you," The Rock said. He looked at her for a moment, noting the tears in her eyes and he shook his head as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and let her lean into him. "At least you got to say goodbye."
"But he should be here," Stephanie insisted. "I'm not thirty yet, both of my marriages have ended, both of my parents are dead, and I'm going to have to wrestle for control of a company yet again."
"At least your dog didn't die," The Rock said. "Then you might have to write a country song."
Stephanie looked up at Rocky and smiled softly. "You're right. And I need to stay strong for Shane. I hate that he had to go arrange everything in North Carolina alone."
"But you couldn't miss Kurt's funeral," Rocky said.
"I'm glad you and Chris came with me," Stephanie said, willing the tears threatening to spill to stay in her eyes. "I really needed the support."
"You're welcome," Rocky said. "If it's any consolation, Trish flew down to stay with Shane."
"Trish?" Stephanie said. "I didn't realize they were friends."
"They've dated on and off," Rocky replied. "Ever since WrestleMania X- Seven."
"Wow," Stephanie said. "He never told me."
"I gather from Trish it was never anything serious," Rocky said. "They have each dated other people since, but they always seem to go back to each other."
"Including you huh?" Stephanie asked.
"That was a fling," The Rock said. "We were on the same side, things got carried away, Trish and I fell back to earth."
"Whatever you say," Stephanie said.
"They will stay together this time," The Rock predicted.
"I hope so," Stephanie said. "Shane deserves to be happy."
"You do too," The Rock said.
"That has to wait," Stephanie said.
"For what?" The Rock asked.
"For me to get the WWE in McMahon hands where it belongs," Stephanie said. "For my dad, for my mom, and now for Kurt."
*
"Hey Shaners," Stephanie said, hugging him when she finally got to his hotel room. Trish had picked Stephanie, Jericho, and The Rock up at the airport.
"Hey Stephanie," Shane said, holding his baby sister close. "God, I've missed you."
"Hey," Stephanie said, pulling back and looking into Shane's sad brown eyes. "I'm here now."
"Ric's will was read today," Shane said. "Mom was right, he hadn't had a chance to change it yet. But I talked to his lawyer afterward. He said that Flair had been thinking about it. He had an appointment to go over it about two days after he died."
"Well," Stephanie sighed. "I can't believe that little twerp David is going to own half of the company. At least Ric had some respect for the business and the wrestlers, but David…"
"I know," Shane sighed.
"How are we going to get control?" Stephanie asked.
"I don't know," Shane said, standing up to pace his hotel room. "I really couldn't even begin to know where we could start."
"How are you holding up?" Stephanie asked.
"What?" Shane asked, looking at his sister.
"You know, you've been here alone," Stephanie said, her blue eyes surveying Shane's face for any signs of anything worrisome.
"Not alone," Shane said. "Trish has been here."
"I hear you two are an item from time to time," Stephanie said. "Thanks for telling me."
"It's never been too serious," Shane said.
"And now?" Stephanie asked.
"Now…I don't know," Shane said. "Maybe I'm reading too much into everything."
"I don't think so," Stephanie said.
"Really?" Shane asked. "Why?"
"Call it women's intuition," Stephanie shrugged.
"How about you?" Shane asked. "How was Kurt's funeral?"
"About the same as any other funeral," Stephanie said, her eyes averting to the ground. "It was weird meeting Kurt's family. I'd met his brothers and his mom once before, but the rest of them. It was just strange."
"Yeah," Shane said. "Some people Mom had never mentioned were at the wake tonight."
"How was that?" Stephanie asked.
"It was okay," Shane said.
"You sure you're going to be okay?" Stephanie asked.
"I'm fine Steph," Shane said. "I'm not the one who has lost a husband."
"No, no you haven't," Stephanie said. "God, I wonder how hard it was for Mom. And she knew that he was going to die. I can't believe they planned it all."
"Me neither," Shane said. "I wouldn't have put it past Dad, but Mom?"
"Yeah," Stephanie said, nodding. "So we've got to get the company back for their sakes."
"Yeah," Shane said.
"I'm going to marry David," Stephanie said.
"Over my dead body," Shane said.
"Shane, it's what we have to do," Stephanie said. "There's really no other way to get the company."
"How are you going to get the company after you marry him?" Shane asked.
"Well, there's always whatever poison Mom and Dad used," Stephanie shrugged.
"No!" Shane exclaimed, kneeling in front of Stephanie. "I won't let you marry that asshole and I sure as hell won't let you commit a murder."
"Shane, let me do this," Stephanie said. "We just need to get David Flair out of this company. If I get caught then at least you will have the whole company."
"Stephanie, it's not worth it," Shane said.
"Mom and Dad thought it was," Stephanie said.
"What about Kurt?" Shane asked. "Kurt would not want you to do this."
"Kurt would understand," Stephanie said. "That was the wonderful thing about Kurt. He always seemed to understand me."
"Well I don't," Shane said. "Even if you should happen to get away with poisoning him, what will make him leave you his property and not his sister and brother?"
"Shane, when a man is in love he will do a lot," Stephanie said. "And when a man believes he is about to become a father, he will do even more."
"You're going to lie about having a baby?" Shane asked.
"No," Stephanie said. "I'm going to have a baby. That just means I'll have to get David into bed soon. Then I won't have to pretend I'm overly in love with him either."
"Stephanie, you're pregnant?" Shane asked, awe filling his brown eyes.
Stephanie's hand briefly covered her flat abdomen. "I think I am. I'm not certain. We have to do this though Shane. I can't think of anything else."
"I wish you'd give it time," Shane said.
"I don't have time," Stephanie said. "There's a very limited clock now."