"What will you name him?" Shane asked, looking down at his nephew.
Stephanie looked up at her brother, the man who had been there through her delivery. "I was thinking Brandon Christopher Angle."
"You left out Rocky," Shane said, reaching out and running a finger down the baby's chubby cheek. "He's been there for you too."
"I know," Stephanie said. "But I think he'll understand."
"I'm sure he will," Shane agreed.
"We need to take the baby back to the nursery Miss McMahon," a nurse said, wheeling a plastic cart into the room.
"Okay," Stephanie said, smiling one last time at her son. She leaned her head next to him. "I'll show you the world. It will be yours."
"Dad always said that to us," Shane said, after the nurse had taken the baby from the room.
"I know," Stephanie said, reaching her hand out to grasp her brother's hand. "It feels like we can finally move on."
"I know," Shane said.
"We deserve it," Stephanie said. "We brought the McMahon legacy back into the family."
"You did it Stephanie," Shane said.
"I never could have done it if you hadn't been there," Stephanie said. "You gave me a lot of strength bro."
"Thanks," Shane said, smiling at his sister. "Sometimes I think of you as a little girl still. I know you aren't a little girl, but part of me wishes you were. I wish you didn't have to live through all you've lived through."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Stephanie said. "I've learned from my life. I can tell who I can trust and who I can't. And I have real friends."
"Did she have the baby?" Jericho asked as he rushed into the room, Rocky and Trish on his heels.
"She had a son," Shane said, smiling over at his friends. Trish came over to wrap her arm around Shane's waist. "Seven pounds, five ounces."
"And his name?" Jericho asked.
"Brandon Christopher Angle," Stephanie said. She leaned against Rocky as he propped a hip up onto her bed.
"Great name," Jericho said, grinning.
"What's he looked like?" Rocky asked.
"Blue eyes," Stephanie said.
"Curly brown hair," Shane said.
"Chubby little cheeks," Stephanie giggled.
"And a great smile," Shane said. "It reminds me of someone."
"Kurt," Stephanie said, smiling serenely.
Shane thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, it reminds me of Kurt."
"That was all I wanted," Stephanie said. "Well, besides the baby being healthy. I wanted the baby to have Kurt's smile."
*
"You've never looked more beautiful," Jericho said from the doorway of Brandon's nursery.
Stephanie looked up at her friend and smiled softly. She continued to glide in the rocking chair with Brandon in her arms. "Thank you."
"And this guy," Jericho said, coming into the room to look down at Stephanie's son. "He's going to be someone, I can tell."
"He's a McMahon," Stephanie answered.
"I don't think I'll ever know everything," Jericho said, crouching next to the chair so he could look at both Brandon and Stephanie easily. "But that's okay with me."
"I knew going in that Kurt was the father," Stephanie said. "I never intended to stay with David."
"You don't need to tell me Stephanie," Jericho said. "I trust you. I've trusted you ever since you became my manager."
"That's nice to have," Stephanie said.
"As a friend, can I tell you something?" Jericho asked.
"Sure," Stephanie said.
"I see how you look at The Rock," Jericho said. "And I see how he looks at you. He loves you Stephanie. He and I might not be the best of friends, but he's a good man."
"I know that," Stephanie said.
"Then you should stop holding back," Jericho said.
"I'm not," Stephanie insisted.
"Then why isn't he living in this house with you?" Jericho asked. "Why haven't you told him about your entire past?"
"I'm not ready for a relationship Chris," Stephanie said. "You might not have had enough time to see it, but I loved Kurt with all my heart."
"Loved, as in past tense," Jericho replied.
"No, I love him still," Stephanie said.
"And now you have Brandon to remind you of Kurt for as long as you live," Jericho said. "Kurt wouldn't want you to stop living."
"Kurt probably wouldn't have wanted me to marry David Flair either," Stephanie shot back at her friend.
"Probably not," Jericho conceded.
"And he never liked Rocky," Stephanie said.
"Who cares?" Jericho asked. "He loved you and he would want you happy. If it's The Rock who makes you happy, then be with him."
"I never thought I would hear this from you," Stephanie said. "It was a year after you and I broke up before you stopped pestering me to give us another chance."
"And if you decided to do that now," Jericho said, grinning at his friend. "I wouldn't complain."
"I love you Chris," Stephanie said, leaning her head against his shoulder. "But I'm not in love with you."
"Break a guy's heart," Jericho joked.
"Not likely," Stephanie said.
"What's going on with Shane and Trish?" Jericho asked.
"I can't tell you," Stephanie said. "I thought Trish was your friend. You Canadians always stick together."
"You say Canadians like it's a bad thing," Jericho said.
"No, I love Canadians," Stephanie said.
"Good to hear," Jericho said.
"It's time to put this little one in his crib," Stephanie said.
*
Jericho and Stephanie walked downstairs together, Jericho holding the baby monitor in his hands. They stopped to see Trish and Shane laying together on the couch, an old movie playing on the TV.
Shane opened his eyes and looked over at Stephanie and Jericho. "Hey guys," he whispered.
"Comfortable?" Stephanie asked.
"Comfortable enough," Shane said. He would have shrugged if Trish hadn't been draped over him.
"Good to hear," Stephanie said.
"Hey, what's that on Trish's hand?" Jericho asked.
Shane took Trish's hand in his and brought it to his mouth to kiss her palm gently. The diamond ring glittered.
"Congratulations," Stephanie whispered.
"Thanks," Shane said.
"What's going on?" Trish asked, as she slowly awoke. She looked down to see Shane beneath her. "Hey."
"Hey yourself," Shane said softly. "We fell asleep."
"Congratulations Trish," Stephanie said. Trish looked over at Stephanie in surprise. "And welcome to the family."
"Thanks," Trish said, blushing.
"You two deserve to be happy," Stephanie said.
"So do you Steph," Trish said.
Stephanie looked up at her brother, the man who had been there through her delivery. "I was thinking Brandon Christopher Angle."
"You left out Rocky," Shane said, reaching out and running a finger down the baby's chubby cheek. "He's been there for you too."
"I know," Stephanie said. "But I think he'll understand."
"I'm sure he will," Shane agreed.
"We need to take the baby back to the nursery Miss McMahon," a nurse said, wheeling a plastic cart into the room.
"Okay," Stephanie said, smiling one last time at her son. She leaned her head next to him. "I'll show you the world. It will be yours."
"Dad always said that to us," Shane said, after the nurse had taken the baby from the room.
"I know," Stephanie said, reaching her hand out to grasp her brother's hand. "It feels like we can finally move on."
"I know," Shane said.
"We deserve it," Stephanie said. "We brought the McMahon legacy back into the family."
"You did it Stephanie," Shane said.
"I never could have done it if you hadn't been there," Stephanie said. "You gave me a lot of strength bro."
"Thanks," Shane said, smiling at his sister. "Sometimes I think of you as a little girl still. I know you aren't a little girl, but part of me wishes you were. I wish you didn't have to live through all you've lived through."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Stephanie said. "I've learned from my life. I can tell who I can trust and who I can't. And I have real friends."
"Did she have the baby?" Jericho asked as he rushed into the room, Rocky and Trish on his heels.
"She had a son," Shane said, smiling over at his friends. Trish came over to wrap her arm around Shane's waist. "Seven pounds, five ounces."
"And his name?" Jericho asked.
"Brandon Christopher Angle," Stephanie said. She leaned against Rocky as he propped a hip up onto her bed.
"Great name," Jericho said, grinning.
"What's he looked like?" Rocky asked.
"Blue eyes," Stephanie said.
"Curly brown hair," Shane said.
"Chubby little cheeks," Stephanie giggled.
"And a great smile," Shane said. "It reminds me of someone."
"Kurt," Stephanie said, smiling serenely.
Shane thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, it reminds me of Kurt."
"That was all I wanted," Stephanie said. "Well, besides the baby being healthy. I wanted the baby to have Kurt's smile."
*
"You've never looked more beautiful," Jericho said from the doorway of Brandon's nursery.
Stephanie looked up at her friend and smiled softly. She continued to glide in the rocking chair with Brandon in her arms. "Thank you."
"And this guy," Jericho said, coming into the room to look down at Stephanie's son. "He's going to be someone, I can tell."
"He's a McMahon," Stephanie answered.
"I don't think I'll ever know everything," Jericho said, crouching next to the chair so he could look at both Brandon and Stephanie easily. "But that's okay with me."
"I knew going in that Kurt was the father," Stephanie said. "I never intended to stay with David."
"You don't need to tell me Stephanie," Jericho said. "I trust you. I've trusted you ever since you became my manager."
"That's nice to have," Stephanie said.
"As a friend, can I tell you something?" Jericho asked.
"Sure," Stephanie said.
"I see how you look at The Rock," Jericho said. "And I see how he looks at you. He loves you Stephanie. He and I might not be the best of friends, but he's a good man."
"I know that," Stephanie said.
"Then you should stop holding back," Jericho said.
"I'm not," Stephanie insisted.
"Then why isn't he living in this house with you?" Jericho asked. "Why haven't you told him about your entire past?"
"I'm not ready for a relationship Chris," Stephanie said. "You might not have had enough time to see it, but I loved Kurt with all my heart."
"Loved, as in past tense," Jericho replied.
"No, I love him still," Stephanie said.
"And now you have Brandon to remind you of Kurt for as long as you live," Jericho said. "Kurt wouldn't want you to stop living."
"Kurt probably wouldn't have wanted me to marry David Flair either," Stephanie shot back at her friend.
"Probably not," Jericho conceded.
"And he never liked Rocky," Stephanie said.
"Who cares?" Jericho asked. "He loved you and he would want you happy. If it's The Rock who makes you happy, then be with him."
"I never thought I would hear this from you," Stephanie said. "It was a year after you and I broke up before you stopped pestering me to give us another chance."
"And if you decided to do that now," Jericho said, grinning at his friend. "I wouldn't complain."
"I love you Chris," Stephanie said, leaning her head against his shoulder. "But I'm not in love with you."
"Break a guy's heart," Jericho joked.
"Not likely," Stephanie said.
"What's going on with Shane and Trish?" Jericho asked.
"I can't tell you," Stephanie said. "I thought Trish was your friend. You Canadians always stick together."
"You say Canadians like it's a bad thing," Jericho said.
"No, I love Canadians," Stephanie said.
"Good to hear," Jericho said.
"It's time to put this little one in his crib," Stephanie said.
*
Jericho and Stephanie walked downstairs together, Jericho holding the baby monitor in his hands. They stopped to see Trish and Shane laying together on the couch, an old movie playing on the TV.
Shane opened his eyes and looked over at Stephanie and Jericho. "Hey guys," he whispered.
"Comfortable?" Stephanie asked.
"Comfortable enough," Shane said. He would have shrugged if Trish hadn't been draped over him.
"Good to hear," Stephanie said.
"Hey, what's that on Trish's hand?" Jericho asked.
Shane took Trish's hand in his and brought it to his mouth to kiss her palm gently. The diamond ring glittered.
"Congratulations," Stephanie whispered.
"Thanks," Shane said.
"What's going on?" Trish asked, as she slowly awoke. She looked down to see Shane beneath her. "Hey."
"Hey yourself," Shane said softly. "We fell asleep."
"Congratulations Trish," Stephanie said. Trish looked over at Stephanie in surprise. "And welcome to the family."
"Thanks," Trish said, blushing.
"You two deserve to be happy," Stephanie said.
"So do you Steph," Trish said.