"I can't tell you how happy I am to have a friend right now." Stephanie
said tearfully as she embraced him.
"Hey, hey, hey....what's wrong?" Kurt Angle asked, instantly standing to return Stephanie's tight hug.
"The better question would be what isn't wrong!" Stephanie cried out. "Everything was supposed to finally be wonderful and perfect and now everything is just messed up and I--"
"Shhh...Steph, okay, let's start at the beginning." Kurt said, his voice low as he stroked her hair.
"I don't--I don't know where to start."
"You look like you're going to pass out or something. Sit down, I'll get you something to drink. Vodka martini, right?" Kurt asked as he made his way to the mini-bar.
"Right--no, wrong... just a mineral water, please." Stephanie said.
"You look like you need something stronger than that. Here, take the martini."
"No! I don't want one! I just--drinking's not going to solve anything for me. Just the water."
"Okay, fine. Here you go. Now, tell me why you're so upset."
Stephanie looked into Kurt's face. "I just--what are you doing here?" she asked softly.
"Well, I haven't seen you in a couple months and I was worried about you so I decided to fly on down. I hope that's okay?"
"It's more than okay. I just--I need someone to talk to, so I'm really glad you're here. But as for what's wrong...do you have the entire night?" she asked tiredly.
"For you, Steph, of course I do."
Stephanie smiled at Kurt then, her first genuine smile in what felt like ages. "Okay, I guess the thing that's really making me so upset right now would be that my husband is cheating on me with that blonde twit Stacy Keibler."
Kurt blinked, stunned. Oh, man, this was sooo much better than he could possibly have hoped. He couldn't have planned this better himself. He'd always known Hunter was the biggest idiot on the planet, and finally, FINALLY, he had proven it. But he couldn't let Stephanie know his happiness at the thought of her dissolving marriage, so he quickly adopted a sympathetic face. "Oh, Steph, I'm so sorry. How did you find out?" he asked.
"I walked in on them at the hotel, here--it was so horrible. I just--I wanted to crawl up in a hole and die..." Stephanie said, disgusted that tears were starting to fall again.
"You didn't deserve that, Steph. You mean he's here? You want me to go kick his ass?"
"It's um, sweet of you to offer but, no, he's not worth it." Stephanie said out loud, but mostly she was just doubting his actual ability to hurt Hunter. Kurt was strong, but Hunter's strength was almost inhuman and when he got really into a fight, he was pretty much unbeatable.
"Okay. So go on. What else?"
And then Stephanie proceeded to tell him the whole story about how she had come across Stacy and Hunter, and how he said he wanted a divorce. She paused for a moment, debating over whether or not to tell Kurt about her pregnancy. The problem was she was so confused about everything. She didn't know what she wanted anymore.
Okay, that wasn't exactly right, Stephanie admitted to herself. She knew what she wanted. Despite his utter and complete stupidity in sleeping with Stacy, she still wanted her husband, and she wanted her family together. But she just didn't know if she could forgive him. And even if she could forgive him, she didn't know that he could forgive her...he was so angry about her lies, and she really couldn't blame him. But there had to be a way to get past all of this. There had to! One thing she knew she was certain about and that was that she still loved Hunter, and she always would. She'd tried to stop but no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't cut her feelings off for him, she couldn't cut him out of her heart and her life. They were, well, there really was no other word for it-- soulmates. He was her other half, the only person who had really ever understood her and loved her for the woman she was, not just her surname. And now there was the baby to consider as well. Some primitive part of her believed the baby was destiny--her way back into her husband's heart.
There had to be a way out of this mess.
And suddenly it hit her. There was. There was a way out of this mess and it was standing in the same room with her! She looked up at Kurt who was fixing himself another glass of grapefruit juice. He would help her, she knew. It would be an opportunity for him to stick it to Hunter, and she knew he wouldn't be able to pass it up. If this plan worked the way she thought it would, Hunter would finally see everything he thought he was so desperate to get rid of and he'd fight like hell to get it all back. At least, she prayed he still loved her enough to fight for her. And as an added bonus, she'd get a little payback for the whole Stacy debacle. The decision was made, and all she could hope was that it was the right way to play this out. Hunter was a strong, proud man, and it would take a bit of unconventionality on her part to get him to see the light.
"Kurt?" Stephanie asked hesitantly. "How would you like to be a father?" She watched in amusement as Kurt sputtered the grapefruit juice out of his mouth. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for his answer.
The next morning
Well, he'd put it off as long as he could. He'd eaten, then showered, after the clerk from the law firm had dropped off the divorce papers. Hunter looked distastefully at the papers sitting on his bed. It somehow didn't sit well with him that a bunch of papers could just instantly dissolve his marriage, but that's the way it was. He pulled out a Bic and scribbled his name on the pages. He picked up the papers and left his room, getting into the elevator and getting off on Stephanie's floor. He quickly located her room and before he could change his mind, rapped three times on her door. He saw a shadow of movement behind the peephole and schooled himself to show no expression whatsoever.
To his utter shock, it wasn't Stephanie pulling open the door but that jackass Kurt Angle. "What the hell are you doing here? Where's my wi-- Stephanie?" Hunter demanded, shouldering his way past Angle.
"She's right here!" Stephanie's voice sang out as she emerged from her bathroom.
"What is he doing here?" Hunter demanded angrily, gesturing to Angle.
"He's my friend, he's here and I really don't have to say any more than that, now do I?" Stephanie asked defensively.
"Are you having an affair with him!?" Hunter asked incredulously.
"Why would you even care? You're sleeping with Stacy now and why would you even care who I'm with?"
"Damn it, I am not slee--Stephanie, just answer the question!" he demanded lividly.
"What were you going to say, Hunter...you were going to say something and-- " Stephanie began hopefully.
"I wasn't going to say anything except that--I want a divorce!" he yelled, slamming the papers onto the desk in the room and pulling the cap off a pen. He shoved the pen into her hand. "Here. Let's get this mockery of a marriage over with. We can go our separate ways!" he said.
Stephanie swallowed hard. No! This wasn't supposed to happen! Not like this! She had to stall this, she couldn't sign, not now! She looked at Hunter pleadingly but saw nothing in his expression but pure rage. There was no way he was going to let her not sign these papers. But she couldn't! She couldn't let it all end like this, at least not without one hell of a fight! She glanced sideways at Hunter again as her eyes looked over the papers, the words not making the slightest bit of sense to her.
Just when she was starting to panic, an idea occurred to her. So Hunter wanted a signature did he? She'd give him a signature. She quickly moved her body in front of the papers and scribbled hurriedly. She did the same thing on the second page and shut the document's cover page and handing it back to Hunter forcefully. "Fine! It's done! Now, get OUT of my room!" She yelled, praying he was so angry he wouldn't actually read them.
Hunter looked at her face for a moment. It almost seemed as though he were...disappointed? She wondered hopefully. But her gamble had paid off, he wasn't looking at the papers.
Still looking at her face, as if he were almost memorizing it he said "This really--it's for the best, Stephanie. It's over. I'll be flying back to New York tonight, Smackdown's tomorrow...so we won't have to see each other anymore." he said hollowly. Then he just turned around and left.
Kurt meanwhile, had watched this entire exchange elatedly. She was divorced! And he'd do everything in his power to make her stay that way. This was his chance, the chance he'd waited nearly two years for. He'd have Stephanie now, Stephanie, an invaluable ally. All his life he'd thought women were the parasites of the species. They'd weaken the will, destroy the spirit, but Stephanie would be much more of a help to him than a hindrance. So what if she was pregnant with Hunter's child? There were ways to overcome that. All that mattered was that she focus all of her attention on helping him finally get the respect in the Federation that he so richly deserved.
But there was something in Stephanie's expression that gave him a moment's pause. "Steph?" he queried.
She smiled at Kurt. "Yeah?"
"You're taking this awfully well." he commented.
"I know, aren't I? But I told you last night what my plan was, Kurt."
"But I thought--"
"What?" Stephanie cut him off. "What, that just because Hunter thinks we're divorced that I'd drop the plan? No, Kurt, it's going full steam ahead. Exactly like I said."
"What do you mean--"thinks we're divorced"? Kurt asked, forcing himself to take a deep breath as the rage he was starting to feel was beginning to make his the air seem red.
"We'll Kurt, do I look like "Mrs. Abraham Lincoln?" Stephanie teased.
"Mrs.--What?!"
"I didn't sign my actual name! And if I know Hunter, which I do, he won't even look at those papers! He'll just send them back to his attorney."
"And don't you think that maybe they'll notice this?" Kurt asked sarcastically.
"They'll notice what I pay them to notice. Stephanie said crossly, already pulling out her cell phone. She checked her address book and dialed hers and Hunter's attorney's office. Luckily, the executive secretary at the law firm had worked closely with Stephanie on quite a few WWF Contracts, and Stephanie knew that the girl--with the proper incentive, of course--could be persuaded to overlook the documents for a couple of weeks. Hopefully, that would be all the time she needed. So lost was she in her conversation, Stephanie didn't notice Kurt Angle's enraged visage.
"Hey, hey, hey....what's wrong?" Kurt Angle asked, instantly standing to return Stephanie's tight hug.
"The better question would be what isn't wrong!" Stephanie cried out. "Everything was supposed to finally be wonderful and perfect and now everything is just messed up and I--"
"Shhh...Steph, okay, let's start at the beginning." Kurt said, his voice low as he stroked her hair.
"I don't--I don't know where to start."
"You look like you're going to pass out or something. Sit down, I'll get you something to drink. Vodka martini, right?" Kurt asked as he made his way to the mini-bar.
"Right--no, wrong... just a mineral water, please." Stephanie said.
"You look like you need something stronger than that. Here, take the martini."
"No! I don't want one! I just--drinking's not going to solve anything for me. Just the water."
"Okay, fine. Here you go. Now, tell me why you're so upset."
Stephanie looked into Kurt's face. "I just--what are you doing here?" she asked softly.
"Well, I haven't seen you in a couple months and I was worried about you so I decided to fly on down. I hope that's okay?"
"It's more than okay. I just--I need someone to talk to, so I'm really glad you're here. But as for what's wrong...do you have the entire night?" she asked tiredly.
"For you, Steph, of course I do."
Stephanie smiled at Kurt then, her first genuine smile in what felt like ages. "Okay, I guess the thing that's really making me so upset right now would be that my husband is cheating on me with that blonde twit Stacy Keibler."
Kurt blinked, stunned. Oh, man, this was sooo much better than he could possibly have hoped. He couldn't have planned this better himself. He'd always known Hunter was the biggest idiot on the planet, and finally, FINALLY, he had proven it. But he couldn't let Stephanie know his happiness at the thought of her dissolving marriage, so he quickly adopted a sympathetic face. "Oh, Steph, I'm so sorry. How did you find out?" he asked.
"I walked in on them at the hotel, here--it was so horrible. I just--I wanted to crawl up in a hole and die..." Stephanie said, disgusted that tears were starting to fall again.
"You didn't deserve that, Steph. You mean he's here? You want me to go kick his ass?"
"It's um, sweet of you to offer but, no, he's not worth it." Stephanie said out loud, but mostly she was just doubting his actual ability to hurt Hunter. Kurt was strong, but Hunter's strength was almost inhuman and when he got really into a fight, he was pretty much unbeatable.
"Okay. So go on. What else?"
And then Stephanie proceeded to tell him the whole story about how she had come across Stacy and Hunter, and how he said he wanted a divorce. She paused for a moment, debating over whether or not to tell Kurt about her pregnancy. The problem was she was so confused about everything. She didn't know what she wanted anymore.
Okay, that wasn't exactly right, Stephanie admitted to herself. She knew what she wanted. Despite his utter and complete stupidity in sleeping with Stacy, she still wanted her husband, and she wanted her family together. But she just didn't know if she could forgive him. And even if she could forgive him, she didn't know that he could forgive her...he was so angry about her lies, and she really couldn't blame him. But there had to be a way to get past all of this. There had to! One thing she knew she was certain about and that was that she still loved Hunter, and she always would. She'd tried to stop but no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't cut her feelings off for him, she couldn't cut him out of her heart and her life. They were, well, there really was no other word for it-- soulmates. He was her other half, the only person who had really ever understood her and loved her for the woman she was, not just her surname. And now there was the baby to consider as well. Some primitive part of her believed the baby was destiny--her way back into her husband's heart.
There had to be a way out of this mess.
And suddenly it hit her. There was. There was a way out of this mess and it was standing in the same room with her! She looked up at Kurt who was fixing himself another glass of grapefruit juice. He would help her, she knew. It would be an opportunity for him to stick it to Hunter, and she knew he wouldn't be able to pass it up. If this plan worked the way she thought it would, Hunter would finally see everything he thought he was so desperate to get rid of and he'd fight like hell to get it all back. At least, she prayed he still loved her enough to fight for her. And as an added bonus, she'd get a little payback for the whole Stacy debacle. The decision was made, and all she could hope was that it was the right way to play this out. Hunter was a strong, proud man, and it would take a bit of unconventionality on her part to get him to see the light.
"Kurt?" Stephanie asked hesitantly. "How would you like to be a father?" She watched in amusement as Kurt sputtered the grapefruit juice out of his mouth. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for his answer.
The next morning
Well, he'd put it off as long as he could. He'd eaten, then showered, after the clerk from the law firm had dropped off the divorce papers. Hunter looked distastefully at the papers sitting on his bed. It somehow didn't sit well with him that a bunch of papers could just instantly dissolve his marriage, but that's the way it was. He pulled out a Bic and scribbled his name on the pages. He picked up the papers and left his room, getting into the elevator and getting off on Stephanie's floor. He quickly located her room and before he could change his mind, rapped three times on her door. He saw a shadow of movement behind the peephole and schooled himself to show no expression whatsoever.
To his utter shock, it wasn't Stephanie pulling open the door but that jackass Kurt Angle. "What the hell are you doing here? Where's my wi-- Stephanie?" Hunter demanded, shouldering his way past Angle.
"She's right here!" Stephanie's voice sang out as she emerged from her bathroom.
"What is he doing here?" Hunter demanded angrily, gesturing to Angle.
"He's my friend, he's here and I really don't have to say any more than that, now do I?" Stephanie asked defensively.
"Are you having an affair with him!?" Hunter asked incredulously.
"Why would you even care? You're sleeping with Stacy now and why would you even care who I'm with?"
"Damn it, I am not slee--Stephanie, just answer the question!" he demanded lividly.
"What were you going to say, Hunter...you were going to say something and-- " Stephanie began hopefully.
"I wasn't going to say anything except that--I want a divorce!" he yelled, slamming the papers onto the desk in the room and pulling the cap off a pen. He shoved the pen into her hand. "Here. Let's get this mockery of a marriage over with. We can go our separate ways!" he said.
Stephanie swallowed hard. No! This wasn't supposed to happen! Not like this! She had to stall this, she couldn't sign, not now! She looked at Hunter pleadingly but saw nothing in his expression but pure rage. There was no way he was going to let her not sign these papers. But she couldn't! She couldn't let it all end like this, at least not without one hell of a fight! She glanced sideways at Hunter again as her eyes looked over the papers, the words not making the slightest bit of sense to her.
Just when she was starting to panic, an idea occurred to her. So Hunter wanted a signature did he? She'd give him a signature. She quickly moved her body in front of the papers and scribbled hurriedly. She did the same thing on the second page and shut the document's cover page and handing it back to Hunter forcefully. "Fine! It's done! Now, get OUT of my room!" She yelled, praying he was so angry he wouldn't actually read them.
Hunter looked at her face for a moment. It almost seemed as though he were...disappointed? She wondered hopefully. But her gamble had paid off, he wasn't looking at the papers.
Still looking at her face, as if he were almost memorizing it he said "This really--it's for the best, Stephanie. It's over. I'll be flying back to New York tonight, Smackdown's tomorrow...so we won't have to see each other anymore." he said hollowly. Then he just turned around and left.
Kurt meanwhile, had watched this entire exchange elatedly. She was divorced! And he'd do everything in his power to make her stay that way. This was his chance, the chance he'd waited nearly two years for. He'd have Stephanie now, Stephanie, an invaluable ally. All his life he'd thought women were the parasites of the species. They'd weaken the will, destroy the spirit, but Stephanie would be much more of a help to him than a hindrance. So what if she was pregnant with Hunter's child? There were ways to overcome that. All that mattered was that she focus all of her attention on helping him finally get the respect in the Federation that he so richly deserved.
But there was something in Stephanie's expression that gave him a moment's pause. "Steph?" he queried.
She smiled at Kurt. "Yeah?"
"You're taking this awfully well." he commented.
"I know, aren't I? But I told you last night what my plan was, Kurt."
"But I thought--"
"What?" Stephanie cut him off. "What, that just because Hunter thinks we're divorced that I'd drop the plan? No, Kurt, it's going full steam ahead. Exactly like I said."
"What do you mean--"thinks we're divorced"? Kurt asked, forcing himself to take a deep breath as the rage he was starting to feel was beginning to make his the air seem red.
"We'll Kurt, do I look like "Mrs. Abraham Lincoln?" Stephanie teased.
"Mrs.--What?!"
"I didn't sign my actual name! And if I know Hunter, which I do, he won't even look at those papers! He'll just send them back to his attorney."
"And don't you think that maybe they'll notice this?" Kurt asked sarcastically.
"They'll notice what I pay them to notice. Stephanie said crossly, already pulling out her cell phone. She checked her address book and dialed hers and Hunter's attorney's office. Luckily, the executive secretary at the law firm had worked closely with Stephanie on quite a few WWF Contracts, and Stephanie knew that the girl--with the proper incentive, of course--could be persuaded to overlook the documents for a couple of weeks. Hopefully, that would be all the time she needed. So lost was she in her conversation, Stephanie didn't notice Kurt Angle's enraged visage.