"Hey David," Stephanie said sweetly, sitting next to the son of Ric Flair.
"How are you coping with everything?"
"Fine," David said. "Why would you care?"
"Because I think I kind of understand what you're going through," Stephanie said, scooting just a little closer to him. "No one deserves to go through it alone."
"I'm not alone," David said defensively.
"And where are your friends?" Stephanie asked.
"Who needs friends?" David asked, looking up into Stephanie's eyes. He paused for a moment as he looked into the limitless blue. "I mean, I don't need them."
"I don't believe you," Stephanie said softly. "Losing Kurt has taught me so much."
"Like what?" David asked derisively. "That he was a dork?"
Stephanie clenched her fist to hide her anger and forced a light laugh. "Besides that. It taught me that it's ridiculous spending my time trying to position myself in the best possible way so I can't get hurt again. I will get hurt, there's no way to stop it."
"You know, I'm really sorry about Kurt," David said, a glimmer of sincerity shining through.
"Thanks," Stephanie said. "It'll get easier. I'm strong enough."
"You are strong," David said. "I wish I was as strong as you are. I'm weak."
"Weak?" Stephanie asked.
"Yeah, I have to do what I want to do when I want to do it," David said. "I have no willpower, no delayed gratification."
"Maybe you can learn it," Stephanie shrugged.
"You want to teach me?" David asked.
Stephanie looked over at him, a plan formulating in her head. "I can give you a lesson tonight in the hotel. Midnight."
"The hotel?" David asked.
"Yeah," Stephanie said. "I need to get my mind off of everything anyways."
"Okay," David nodded.
"Your room," Stephanie said. "I'll be there."
*
He had been too easy. There was no fun involved when plans came together perfectly. She could feel the manipulative McMahon side of her coming out. She felt this righteous anger that allowed her to let David Flair touch her, again and again.
She slipped out of his arms and grabbed at her clothes. She slipped the black leather pants back on and her purple top. She looked down at him sleeping peacefully. She managed to keep from shuddering while she thought about the fact that she would have to sleep next to him for quite some time.
She shook her head in disgust at herself as she left the room. The whole night she had seen Kurt in her mind's eye, looking at her with disgust. It had nearly broken her resolve and her heart. Then she remembered all her parents had sacrificed so that they company could end up back in McMahon hands. Then she could bear anything.
"What the hell are you doing?" a voice filled with disgust asked.
Stephanie turned around to see The Rock standing in the hallway. "What does it look like?"
"Jesus, your husband has been dead for two weeks!" The Rock said.
"You couldn't understand," Stephanie said as she turned and walked down the hall towards her room. "No one could."
"You could try me," Rocky said, following her down the hall.
"Fine," Stephanie said. "But only because you deserve to know what the hell is going on because you seem to take a lot of abuse from David."
"Who is your new boy toy," Rocky pointed out.
"Just come into my room," Stephanie said, opening her door and letting him in.
"So?" Rocky asked as he paced the room. She looked at him and smiled ruefully as she thought about how he had paced the ring that same way so many times.
"My dad knew he was going to die," Stephanie said. "He and my mom planned it. Mom was going to marry Ric and convince him to leave the company to her. He had cancer. But he didn't have a chance to change the will before the accident."
"And you're sleeping with David because?" Rock asked.
"Because I'm finishing the job," Stephanie said. "I'm going to make him believe I'm pregnant with his child and convince him that Kurt was sterile."
"Are you really pregnant?" The Rock asked.
"Yeah," Stephanie said.
"Congratulations I guess," Rock said, sitting down on the bed next to her.
"Thanks," Stephanie said. "I know that you probably don't understand why I feel the need to do this."
"I don't understand why you would want to be involved with David for the rest of your life," The Rock said. "I mean, he'll want to be a part of the child's life."
"He won't be," Stephanie said with certainty. "He won't be."
"Stephanie?" Rocky asked.
"Trust me," Stephanie said.
"I don't know," The Rock said. "That's dangerous."
"I know," Stephanie said. "Sometimes I don't trust myself."
Rocky was taken aback to see a solitary tear roll down the side of Stephanie's face. He held out his arms to her and she gratefully sank into his embrace.
*
"You're sure it's mine?" David asked.
"Positive," Stephanie said. "You're the only other person I've slept with in years. Kurt was sterile. Do you want to see the medical records?"
"No," David said. "That's okay."
"Well," Stephanie sighed. "What do you think we should do?"
"We should get married," David said.
"Wait a second," Stephanie said, not wanting to seem too eager. "Plenty of couples have children without getting married."
"Not people from North Carolina," David said.
"But I just lost my husband," Stephanie said.
"You aren't going to pretend that my child is Kurt Angle's child," David said.
"But, I loved him and I don't love you," Stephanie said.
"You really should have thought about that before you decided to jump in the sack with me," David said. "You're going to be a Flair Stephanie. Learn to live with it."
*
"I can't believe you are going through with this," Shane said, hugging his younger sister.
"The hard part is getting him to put me and this kid in his will," Stephanie said.
"True," Shane said. "You've gotten this far."
"My feelings exactly," Stephanie said.
"Well, good luck," Shane said.
"Who needs luck?" Stephanie asked. "I've got brains."
Shane shook his head as he watched Stephanie walk out of the hotel room.
"Fine," David said. "Why would you care?"
"Because I think I kind of understand what you're going through," Stephanie said, scooting just a little closer to him. "No one deserves to go through it alone."
"I'm not alone," David said defensively.
"And where are your friends?" Stephanie asked.
"Who needs friends?" David asked, looking up into Stephanie's eyes. He paused for a moment as he looked into the limitless blue. "I mean, I don't need them."
"I don't believe you," Stephanie said softly. "Losing Kurt has taught me so much."
"Like what?" David asked derisively. "That he was a dork?"
Stephanie clenched her fist to hide her anger and forced a light laugh. "Besides that. It taught me that it's ridiculous spending my time trying to position myself in the best possible way so I can't get hurt again. I will get hurt, there's no way to stop it."
"You know, I'm really sorry about Kurt," David said, a glimmer of sincerity shining through.
"Thanks," Stephanie said. "It'll get easier. I'm strong enough."
"You are strong," David said. "I wish I was as strong as you are. I'm weak."
"Weak?" Stephanie asked.
"Yeah, I have to do what I want to do when I want to do it," David said. "I have no willpower, no delayed gratification."
"Maybe you can learn it," Stephanie shrugged.
"You want to teach me?" David asked.
Stephanie looked over at him, a plan formulating in her head. "I can give you a lesson tonight in the hotel. Midnight."
"The hotel?" David asked.
"Yeah," Stephanie said. "I need to get my mind off of everything anyways."
"Okay," David nodded.
"Your room," Stephanie said. "I'll be there."
*
He had been too easy. There was no fun involved when plans came together perfectly. She could feel the manipulative McMahon side of her coming out. She felt this righteous anger that allowed her to let David Flair touch her, again and again.
She slipped out of his arms and grabbed at her clothes. She slipped the black leather pants back on and her purple top. She looked down at him sleeping peacefully. She managed to keep from shuddering while she thought about the fact that she would have to sleep next to him for quite some time.
She shook her head in disgust at herself as she left the room. The whole night she had seen Kurt in her mind's eye, looking at her with disgust. It had nearly broken her resolve and her heart. Then she remembered all her parents had sacrificed so that they company could end up back in McMahon hands. Then she could bear anything.
"What the hell are you doing?" a voice filled with disgust asked.
Stephanie turned around to see The Rock standing in the hallway. "What does it look like?"
"Jesus, your husband has been dead for two weeks!" The Rock said.
"You couldn't understand," Stephanie said as she turned and walked down the hall towards her room. "No one could."
"You could try me," Rocky said, following her down the hall.
"Fine," Stephanie said. "But only because you deserve to know what the hell is going on because you seem to take a lot of abuse from David."
"Who is your new boy toy," Rocky pointed out.
"Just come into my room," Stephanie said, opening her door and letting him in.
"So?" Rocky asked as he paced the room. She looked at him and smiled ruefully as she thought about how he had paced the ring that same way so many times.
"My dad knew he was going to die," Stephanie said. "He and my mom planned it. Mom was going to marry Ric and convince him to leave the company to her. He had cancer. But he didn't have a chance to change the will before the accident."
"And you're sleeping with David because?" Rock asked.
"Because I'm finishing the job," Stephanie said. "I'm going to make him believe I'm pregnant with his child and convince him that Kurt was sterile."
"Are you really pregnant?" The Rock asked.
"Yeah," Stephanie said.
"Congratulations I guess," Rock said, sitting down on the bed next to her.
"Thanks," Stephanie said. "I know that you probably don't understand why I feel the need to do this."
"I don't understand why you would want to be involved with David for the rest of your life," The Rock said. "I mean, he'll want to be a part of the child's life."
"He won't be," Stephanie said with certainty. "He won't be."
"Stephanie?" Rocky asked.
"Trust me," Stephanie said.
"I don't know," The Rock said. "That's dangerous."
"I know," Stephanie said. "Sometimes I don't trust myself."
Rocky was taken aback to see a solitary tear roll down the side of Stephanie's face. He held out his arms to her and she gratefully sank into his embrace.
*
"You're sure it's mine?" David asked.
"Positive," Stephanie said. "You're the only other person I've slept with in years. Kurt was sterile. Do you want to see the medical records?"
"No," David said. "That's okay."
"Well," Stephanie sighed. "What do you think we should do?"
"We should get married," David said.
"Wait a second," Stephanie said, not wanting to seem too eager. "Plenty of couples have children without getting married."
"Not people from North Carolina," David said.
"But I just lost my husband," Stephanie said.
"You aren't going to pretend that my child is Kurt Angle's child," David said.
"But, I loved him and I don't love you," Stephanie said.
"You really should have thought about that before you decided to jump in the sack with me," David said. "You're going to be a Flair Stephanie. Learn to live with it."
*
"I can't believe you are going through with this," Shane said, hugging his younger sister.
"The hard part is getting him to put me and this kid in his will," Stephanie said.
"True," Shane said. "You've gotten this far."
"My feelings exactly," Stephanie said.
"Well, good luck," Shane said.
"Who needs luck?" Stephanie asked. "I've got brains."
Shane shook his head as he watched Stephanie walk out of the hotel room.