**Some of the occurrences from here on out may not be completely accurate
time-wise, but I'm going to have to fudge it a little. Sorry if that
irritates anyone, but I had some cute ideas over the weekend and I need to
fudge the timelines so they'll work. Thanks for everyone's support!! ( **
Brock and Stephanie had been dating for about 2 months, and things were going great. Steph and Brock were fast becoming great at hiding their little secret. They would talk on the phone to each other when at the arenas so no one would see them together. On their days off they would take turns staying at each other's houses. Steph was still playing Paul's wife on tv, but things were still shaky between the two of them off camera, but not as hostile as it was before. He had started to lose some of the cocky edge that he had when he started hanging out with Flair.
Paul was getting ready for his big tag match with Austin when there was a knock at the door. He went to answer it, and there was Stephanie standing in a very short gold dress with her hair down and crimped, and looking very good. "What's up?"
Stephanie looked at him, "I'm just here to let you know that you need to be to gorilla position in 5 minutes."
"You got it."
Stephanie turned and started to walk away. Paul could tell that she was happy, no longer was there a sad walk, and instead there was a bounce to her step. He wished that he could be the one to put that bounce there. "I can't figure out what the hell she sees in him." He thought to himself.
Stephanie was on her way to gorilla when she ran into Brock. "Hi!"
Brock smiled at her and checked her out. "Gee Steph, you look nice."
She smiled back, "Thanks!"
He leaned close to her, "Could you wear that back to the hotel tonight?"
She giggled and playfully smacked him in the arm. "We'll see, maybe I'll have to tell Julie that I'll return it tomorrow night. But I've gotta run, we're on in.3 minutes."
While Steph was talking to Brock, Paul was headed towards gorilla and watched the two of them interact. He could remember when that was them.
Steph noticed Paul heading towards her. "Gotta run hon, I'll see ya when I'm done."
Brock nodded "sounds good."
Steph turned towards Paul, "Ready to knock them dead?"
Paul nodded, "You know it, where's Austin?"
"Already up there, he was chatting with Slaughter."
Soon the match started and Stephanie was at ringside cheering on her "husband" and his partner. The match was really getting the crowd going. Brock was watching on a monitor in the back and couldn't help but smile, Steph did such a great job at being a heel.
Steph turned her back to the ring to look out at the crowd, and she could hear Paul insisting on finishing the match. She turned back around and seen that he was limping and watched as Jericho put him in the Walls of Jericho on the announce table. She had never heard Paul yell as much as what he was that night. She motioned to Earl to go over by her, "What's going on?"
He answered quickly, "Hunter's hurt, too stubborn to let it go."
As soon as the match was over, Paul collapsed and curled into a ball holding his leg. "I think I tore something, it was pretty bad." Paul had never felt so much pain, and he didn't even do anything different, he had been healthy. Steph went over to him and held his hand and pushed his hair back out of his face.
"They've got the paramedics coming down, we'll get you to the hospital." Steph told him in a comforting tone. She held his hand tightly and she had tears in her eyes.
"No, no paramedics, just have them help me up the ramp." Paul insisted.
"Stop being stubborn, if you tore something, then you shouldn't be on it." Steph started but he wouldn't have it. "Fine, I'll tell them."
Soon the ref's were helping Paul up the ramp and Steph followed behind him with tears falling. She knew that it was probably bad, and she knew that him and Austin were at the top right now and that Paul wouldn't be thinking about himself, he would be thinking about the business. "I know him better than he knows himself." She thought to herself.
"Once they were behind the curtain they got him on the gurney and started to push him towards where the ambulance was. "Wait, can I have a minute?" Paul asked.
"That's up to you, you're the one hurt" The trainer responded.
"Steph, can I talk to you?"
Steph turned around puzzled, "Sure." She walked over to him.
Paul looked up at her with a scared, pained look in his eyes, "I'm sure you probably have other things to do, but would you come with me? I understand if you won't, but. I.." Paul was stammering while wincing. He was in unbelievable pain.
"If you want me to come with, I will." Steph answered quietly. "I'm going to go and grab your bag and I'll be right there." Steph jogged off to grab his bag.
"She walked into the men's locker room to gather his things and Brock was in there. "Steph what happened?"
"Paul tore something, and I'm going to accompany him to the hospital." Steph began when Vince walked in the locker room.
"Why are you going to go with him?" Brock inquired.
"Because he asked me to." Steph answered back quietly.
"And? You know that you don't need to answer to him anymore. If you don't want to go, you don't to." Brock answered back. That was the only bad thing about their relationship. Brock was uneasy when it came to Paul due to all of the locker room talk and Steph was uneasy about Nicole because she had his child.
"I know that, but I think that he's probably a little scared, and he's in a lot of pain, and I'm just going so he has someone when they tell him the diagnosis. It's not like I'm going to be spending the night or anything." Stephanie defended herself. "Don't worry about it."
Then the door to the locker room swung open and in walked Vince. "Steph, you need to go to the hospital with Paul as his wife, we're sending a camera crew for a piece on confidential."
"Yes dad, I was already going to, I was just getting his stuff." Steph answered in a stressed tone. "I was on my way now"
"Thanks Steph." Vince answered and got out of there. He knew that Paul was a touchy subject for the two of them, especially because it was early in their relationship.
"Look, I've gotta run they're holding the ambulance for me. I'll call you when I get to the hotel." And with that Steph left.
Steph got to the ambulance and climbed in with his bag. She picked up Paul's hand, "I'm here, I've got your stuff, it'll be ok."
Paul squeezed her hand. He knew how lucky he was that she was coming along. Not just for the angle, but she was always supportive of him, no matter what. He was really starting to realize what he lost. He looked over at her, and she didn't seem happy. But he figured it was because he was hurt.
They arrived to the hospital and they wouldn't let her in the emergency room, she had to wait in the waiting room. A while later they finally called her over and explained that she could go in and see him now, but that he needed quiet, he was on a painkiller so he might not be totally with it.
She walked into the room and Paul's leg was heavily bandaged. He appeared to be sleeping. She looked around and the camera crew was nowhere around. She set his bag down in a corner of the room and walked over to the side of his bed. She placed her hand on his and tried not to cry. All she could think of is how important wrestling is to him and what must be going through his head. She wondered how bad the injury was because the doctor wouldn't tell her what was wrong because she wasn't family.
Paul turned his head and seen Steph standing there holding his hand. "Hey Steph."
She jumped, "I thought you were sleeping."
He smiled at her, " I was. Thanks for brining my bag, I'm going to be here awhile."
"What's wrong? What happened?" Steph inquired.
"Well, when I planted my foot, it felt like I had been shot, and I just had incredible pain and heat race up my leg." He began and his face fell, "And I tore my quad. They say that it can be a career-ending injury, your dad is having Dr Youngblood come out to look at the x-rays and give his opinion."
Steph leaned over and held Paul, "Oh Paul, I'm so sorry. I know that you'll get better, you won't let it hold you down."
Paul held her, "Cameras are here," he whispered in her ear.
Steph lifted her head a little and laid it on his shoulder while still holding his hand. Paul leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I won't let this get me down."
The camera crew taped that and turned off the equipment. "We'll be back when Youngblood gets here to go over everything with you."
They both nodded in unison.
The camera crew left and it was just Paul and Stephanie. Steph looked at him, "I have a favor to ask of you."
"What's that?"
"I know that they'll be really big, but can I borrow some clothes from you? I don't want to run around in this." Holding out her dress.
Paul started to laugh, "Go ahead."
Steph went and changed and came out in a pair of his track pants and one of his sweatshirts. "They're only a little big." She said trying not to laugh.
"Oh yeah, only a little." Paul said sarcastically. They both started to laugh. It cheered Paul up a little to laugh. "Steph, can we talk?"
"Sure Paul, what's up?" Step asked as she sat brought a chair over to the side of his bed.
"I want to apologize to you." Paul started.
"Paul it's not your fault you got hurt, you have nothing to apologize for." Steph answered. "McMahon's are not that cold and heartless."
"No Steph, I'm not talking about the leg, I'm talking about you. I'm sorry that I cheated on you with Trish. I never should have done it, and I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry that I was such an asshole to you. You deserve so much better that that." Paul had tears in his eyes. When he spoke his voice quivered. "I look back on the way that I behaved when we broke up and I can't believe what I put you through. I stomped all over the fact that you loved me. You loved me through every up and down we could encounter, and all I did was hurt you. I'm so sorry about what I did."
Steph was crying by this point, she never thought that she would hear Paul apologize. She hopped up on the bed and held him. She laid her head on his shoulder and all she could do was cry. The Paul that she had fallen in love with was finally showing back through. But she was already moving on with her life, and she was in a relationship with Brock. She was happy with Brock. Paul was just going to have to deal with being just friends.
Stephanie sniffled and lifted her head and looked at Paul, "Paul, I really appreciate your apology and I accept it. Does this mean that we can be friends now?"
Paul smiled and held Stephanie close, "Yes princess, we can be friends now."
They sat there holding each other smiling. Happy that they were finally able to make peace.
Dr. Youngblood showed up at 2:00 a.m. and they filmed their consultation and as soon as the camera crew left, Steph stood up. "I've gotta get going, I'm sorry, but I'm really glad that we were able to clear the air."
"Me too."
Steph leaned over and gave Paul a kiss on the cheek. "I'll check in with you tomorrow before I fly out to see how things are going."
Paul nodded, "Ok drive careful."
"I will."
On Steph's way out the door, he said to her, "Tell Brock hi for me."
Steph turned and looked at him with a caught with hand in cookie jar look, "I'll do that." And she quickly walked.
Paul knew that Brock didn't like him, and now that him and Steph were friends again, he knew that that would cause Brock some serious jealousy. Paul knew exactly how to play the game.
**Well, what do you guys think so far?? What happens when Steph shows up to Brock's room wearing Paul's clothes and smelling like his cologne? Please read and review!!!**
Brock and Stephanie had been dating for about 2 months, and things were going great. Steph and Brock were fast becoming great at hiding their little secret. They would talk on the phone to each other when at the arenas so no one would see them together. On their days off they would take turns staying at each other's houses. Steph was still playing Paul's wife on tv, but things were still shaky between the two of them off camera, but not as hostile as it was before. He had started to lose some of the cocky edge that he had when he started hanging out with Flair.
Paul was getting ready for his big tag match with Austin when there was a knock at the door. He went to answer it, and there was Stephanie standing in a very short gold dress with her hair down and crimped, and looking very good. "What's up?"
Stephanie looked at him, "I'm just here to let you know that you need to be to gorilla position in 5 minutes."
"You got it."
Stephanie turned and started to walk away. Paul could tell that she was happy, no longer was there a sad walk, and instead there was a bounce to her step. He wished that he could be the one to put that bounce there. "I can't figure out what the hell she sees in him." He thought to himself.
Stephanie was on her way to gorilla when she ran into Brock. "Hi!"
Brock smiled at her and checked her out. "Gee Steph, you look nice."
She smiled back, "Thanks!"
He leaned close to her, "Could you wear that back to the hotel tonight?"
She giggled and playfully smacked him in the arm. "We'll see, maybe I'll have to tell Julie that I'll return it tomorrow night. But I've gotta run, we're on in.3 minutes."
While Steph was talking to Brock, Paul was headed towards gorilla and watched the two of them interact. He could remember when that was them.
Steph noticed Paul heading towards her. "Gotta run hon, I'll see ya when I'm done."
Brock nodded "sounds good."
Steph turned towards Paul, "Ready to knock them dead?"
Paul nodded, "You know it, where's Austin?"
"Already up there, he was chatting with Slaughter."
Soon the match started and Stephanie was at ringside cheering on her "husband" and his partner. The match was really getting the crowd going. Brock was watching on a monitor in the back and couldn't help but smile, Steph did such a great job at being a heel.
Steph turned her back to the ring to look out at the crowd, and she could hear Paul insisting on finishing the match. She turned back around and seen that he was limping and watched as Jericho put him in the Walls of Jericho on the announce table. She had never heard Paul yell as much as what he was that night. She motioned to Earl to go over by her, "What's going on?"
He answered quickly, "Hunter's hurt, too stubborn to let it go."
As soon as the match was over, Paul collapsed and curled into a ball holding his leg. "I think I tore something, it was pretty bad." Paul had never felt so much pain, and he didn't even do anything different, he had been healthy. Steph went over to him and held his hand and pushed his hair back out of his face.
"They've got the paramedics coming down, we'll get you to the hospital." Steph told him in a comforting tone. She held his hand tightly and she had tears in her eyes.
"No, no paramedics, just have them help me up the ramp." Paul insisted.
"Stop being stubborn, if you tore something, then you shouldn't be on it." Steph started but he wouldn't have it. "Fine, I'll tell them."
Soon the ref's were helping Paul up the ramp and Steph followed behind him with tears falling. She knew that it was probably bad, and she knew that him and Austin were at the top right now and that Paul wouldn't be thinking about himself, he would be thinking about the business. "I know him better than he knows himself." She thought to herself.
"Once they were behind the curtain they got him on the gurney and started to push him towards where the ambulance was. "Wait, can I have a minute?" Paul asked.
"That's up to you, you're the one hurt" The trainer responded.
"Steph, can I talk to you?"
Steph turned around puzzled, "Sure." She walked over to him.
Paul looked up at her with a scared, pained look in his eyes, "I'm sure you probably have other things to do, but would you come with me? I understand if you won't, but. I.." Paul was stammering while wincing. He was in unbelievable pain.
"If you want me to come with, I will." Steph answered quietly. "I'm going to go and grab your bag and I'll be right there." Steph jogged off to grab his bag.
"She walked into the men's locker room to gather his things and Brock was in there. "Steph what happened?"
"Paul tore something, and I'm going to accompany him to the hospital." Steph began when Vince walked in the locker room.
"Why are you going to go with him?" Brock inquired.
"Because he asked me to." Steph answered back quietly.
"And? You know that you don't need to answer to him anymore. If you don't want to go, you don't to." Brock answered back. That was the only bad thing about their relationship. Brock was uneasy when it came to Paul due to all of the locker room talk and Steph was uneasy about Nicole because she had his child.
"I know that, but I think that he's probably a little scared, and he's in a lot of pain, and I'm just going so he has someone when they tell him the diagnosis. It's not like I'm going to be spending the night or anything." Stephanie defended herself. "Don't worry about it."
Then the door to the locker room swung open and in walked Vince. "Steph, you need to go to the hospital with Paul as his wife, we're sending a camera crew for a piece on confidential."
"Yes dad, I was already going to, I was just getting his stuff." Steph answered in a stressed tone. "I was on my way now"
"Thanks Steph." Vince answered and got out of there. He knew that Paul was a touchy subject for the two of them, especially because it was early in their relationship.
"Look, I've gotta run they're holding the ambulance for me. I'll call you when I get to the hotel." And with that Steph left.
Steph got to the ambulance and climbed in with his bag. She picked up Paul's hand, "I'm here, I've got your stuff, it'll be ok."
Paul squeezed her hand. He knew how lucky he was that she was coming along. Not just for the angle, but she was always supportive of him, no matter what. He was really starting to realize what he lost. He looked over at her, and she didn't seem happy. But he figured it was because he was hurt.
They arrived to the hospital and they wouldn't let her in the emergency room, she had to wait in the waiting room. A while later they finally called her over and explained that she could go in and see him now, but that he needed quiet, he was on a painkiller so he might not be totally with it.
She walked into the room and Paul's leg was heavily bandaged. He appeared to be sleeping. She looked around and the camera crew was nowhere around. She set his bag down in a corner of the room and walked over to the side of his bed. She placed her hand on his and tried not to cry. All she could think of is how important wrestling is to him and what must be going through his head. She wondered how bad the injury was because the doctor wouldn't tell her what was wrong because she wasn't family.
Paul turned his head and seen Steph standing there holding his hand. "Hey Steph."
She jumped, "I thought you were sleeping."
He smiled at her, " I was. Thanks for brining my bag, I'm going to be here awhile."
"What's wrong? What happened?" Steph inquired.
"Well, when I planted my foot, it felt like I had been shot, and I just had incredible pain and heat race up my leg." He began and his face fell, "And I tore my quad. They say that it can be a career-ending injury, your dad is having Dr Youngblood come out to look at the x-rays and give his opinion."
Steph leaned over and held Paul, "Oh Paul, I'm so sorry. I know that you'll get better, you won't let it hold you down."
Paul held her, "Cameras are here," he whispered in her ear.
Steph lifted her head a little and laid it on his shoulder while still holding his hand. Paul leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I won't let this get me down."
The camera crew taped that and turned off the equipment. "We'll be back when Youngblood gets here to go over everything with you."
They both nodded in unison.
The camera crew left and it was just Paul and Stephanie. Steph looked at him, "I have a favor to ask of you."
"What's that?"
"I know that they'll be really big, but can I borrow some clothes from you? I don't want to run around in this." Holding out her dress.
Paul started to laugh, "Go ahead."
Steph went and changed and came out in a pair of his track pants and one of his sweatshirts. "They're only a little big." She said trying not to laugh.
"Oh yeah, only a little." Paul said sarcastically. They both started to laugh. It cheered Paul up a little to laugh. "Steph, can we talk?"
"Sure Paul, what's up?" Step asked as she sat brought a chair over to the side of his bed.
"I want to apologize to you." Paul started.
"Paul it's not your fault you got hurt, you have nothing to apologize for." Steph answered. "McMahon's are not that cold and heartless."
"No Steph, I'm not talking about the leg, I'm talking about you. I'm sorry that I cheated on you with Trish. I never should have done it, and I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry that I was such an asshole to you. You deserve so much better that that." Paul had tears in his eyes. When he spoke his voice quivered. "I look back on the way that I behaved when we broke up and I can't believe what I put you through. I stomped all over the fact that you loved me. You loved me through every up and down we could encounter, and all I did was hurt you. I'm so sorry about what I did."
Steph was crying by this point, she never thought that she would hear Paul apologize. She hopped up on the bed and held him. She laid her head on his shoulder and all she could do was cry. The Paul that she had fallen in love with was finally showing back through. But she was already moving on with her life, and she was in a relationship with Brock. She was happy with Brock. Paul was just going to have to deal with being just friends.
Stephanie sniffled and lifted her head and looked at Paul, "Paul, I really appreciate your apology and I accept it. Does this mean that we can be friends now?"
Paul smiled and held Stephanie close, "Yes princess, we can be friends now."
They sat there holding each other smiling. Happy that they were finally able to make peace.
Dr. Youngblood showed up at 2:00 a.m. and they filmed their consultation and as soon as the camera crew left, Steph stood up. "I've gotta get going, I'm sorry, but I'm really glad that we were able to clear the air."
"Me too."
Steph leaned over and gave Paul a kiss on the cheek. "I'll check in with you tomorrow before I fly out to see how things are going."
Paul nodded, "Ok drive careful."
"I will."
On Steph's way out the door, he said to her, "Tell Brock hi for me."
Steph turned and looked at him with a caught with hand in cookie jar look, "I'll do that." And she quickly walked.
Paul knew that Brock didn't like him, and now that him and Steph were friends again, he knew that that would cause Brock some serious jealousy. Paul knew exactly how to play the game.
**Well, what do you guys think so far?? What happens when Steph shows up to Brock's room wearing Paul's clothes and smelling like his cologne? Please read and review!!!**
