Stephanie was finding no comfort with Hunter.  He didn't even seem to care that she had been attacked earlier that evening.  She was seriously shaken up and he was sitting there, watching television.  Why didn't he even seem to care?  He was supposed to care about her and he wasn't even making sure she was alright.

She knew of someone who would care.  She glared at Hunter, angry that he was virtually ignoring her.  She went into the bedroom and grabbed the hotel phone.  She dialed Chris's room, hoping that he was there, and not fucking some chick.  The last thing she really needed was to hear all about what a nice piece of ass he had gotten.

"What?" Chris's irritated voice said over the line.

"Chris, it's me."

"Oh well then, what's up beautiful?" he asked, his voice becoming husky and deep.

"Do you want to go down to the lounge and get a drink or something?"

"It's late."

Stephanie bit her lip.  She didn't want to tell him that she was feeling particularly vulnerable at the moment.  She knew Chris understood her, but she was still hesitant to let him see her while she was like this.  Could she really let him see her when she was weak?

"Please," she pleaded, hating the tone of her voice.

Chris picked up on it immediately.  Something was obviously wrong, but her pride was keeping her from actually telling him what the problem was.  Maybe it was that asshole she was with.  That was probably it.

"I'll meet you in the lobby," he told her.

"Ok."

Stephanie hung up and went to her suitcase to change out of the slinky pajamas she had switched into earlier.  She walked out of the bedroom and looked over at Hunter, who's eyes were still glued to the television.  She stood there and glared at him, trying to get his attention.  When she saw it wasn't working, she cleared her throat loudly.  He finally turned and acknowledged her.

"I'm going out," she told him.

"Where?"

"Downstairs," she answered, "Don't wait up."

She turned around, reaching for the door.  She grabbed the doorknob just as she was grabbed on the arm.  She yelped in pain and pulled her arm away from his grasp.  She rubbed it gently, trying to assuage the pain, then glared at Hunter.

"You son of a bitch, that hurt!" she yelled.

"I'm sorry," he said contritely, "I forgot about your arm."

"It still hurt."

"I said I'm sorry," he told her testily, "Who are you going out with?"

"I'm not 'going out' with anyone."

"Fine, who are you meeting?" he clarified.

"I'm going to see Chris."

"Are you going to his bedroom?"

She huffed, "No!  We're meeting downstairs."

"Don't go………"

"What?"

"Come on, just stay with me."

"And get ignored some more?  No thanks."

She didn't want to hear anymore and left.  He would just ignore her more if she stayed.  She took the elevator down to the lobby and looked around.  Chris was sitting with his back to the elevator.  She walked up to him and started massaging his shoulders.

He looked up to see her, "About time you showed up."

"I got caught up."

"How?  Fucking the boyfriend."

"No," she said, "He was bugging me."

"Do you want to go somewhere more private?" he asked, looking at her face.

"Like where?"

"The coffee shop?" he said.

"Sure."

He got up and together they walked into the nearly deserted coffee shop.  They went to a booth in the far corner and sat down.  Stephanie unconsciously rubbed her arm, Hunter having really aggravated it.  Chris noticed her actions and his eyes narrowed.

"What's the matter with your arm?"

"Hunter just grabbed it," she told him, then upon seeing his look, "It was an accident, he forgot the I was hurt."

"Was it?" he asked suspiciously.

"How dare you insinuate that he would hurt me on purpose," she hissed, then got up, "If you're going to act like this, I'm going."

"See now you expect me to go after you and beg you to stay with me, even though you were the one to call me."

She turned to him, "So you wouldn't go after me?"

"Not if it's just a ploy to get me to feel something for you."

She sighed and sat down again, "Fine, you win."

"So why'd you call me?"

"Hunter was practically ignoring me!" she said in disbelief, "I was hurt tonight and he didn't even care."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Chris, that's not the point," she told him.

"Then what--"

"Brock scared me tonight," she whispered quietly.

"He reminded you of Shane huh?"

She looked at him, her eyes clear from their usual guarded state, "How did you know?"

"Why else would you be scared?" he asked, knowing Stephanie hardly showed fear.

"It was the look in his eyes," she told him, "It was Shane all over again.  And then he grabbed my arm--"

"Just like Shane," he finished.

She wiped furiously at the tears she had unwittingly shed, "God I don't know why I'm getting all emotional."

Chris sighed,, he hated seeing her like this.  It always shattered the usual impression he had of her.  Seeing her at her most vulnerable was always a shock to his system.  He scooted over to her and held her tightly against him.

"I'm so sorry," she told him.

"Don't be, better me than someone who could use it against you."

"You're right."

She leaned against his chest, trying to shelter herself from the memories that the subject of Shane brought up.  Unfortunately they were ingrained in her memory.  She buried her face in Chris's shirt, letting him comfort her.  She didn't want comfort, but she needed it and any feelings of pride overrode that feeling of needing someone.  Hunter would never get it, never understand why she did the things she did.

"You stupid little bitch!" he yelled furiously.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly as she stood meekly in front of him, "I didn't know."

"Like hell you didn't know!  Don't give me that fucking routine Stephanie," Shane yelled in her face.

Stephanie stepped back, trying to get some breathing room, but Shane's hand grabbed her arm and held her in place.  She could see the fire building in is eyes and it scared her, it scared her so much.  She hadn't meant to hurt him, she didn't know that Marissa would run off with her old college friend.  She had just casually introduced them, nothing else.  But looking into Shane's face, you would thinks she had pushed them to be together.

"I'm not giving you any routine, I'm sorry Shane," she repeated.

"Sorry, you're sorry!  Sorry isn't going to bring her back you bitch!"

"Shane, please, you're hurting me," she said, tears streaming down her cheeks as his grip tightened around her arm.

"Oh, does that hurt Stephanie, does that hurt!" he screamed, gripping her even tighter, though she hadn't thought it possible.

"Yes," she sobbed.

"Good, you deserve to hurt you little wench, after what you did to me, you deserve to feel a little pain."

"Shane, I'm begging you, please, let go of me."

He let go of her all right, shoving her straight into the wall behind her.  He head smacked into it and she fell to the floor in a heap, grasping the back of her head as she felt the warm trickle of blood dampening her brown hair.  She stayed down, praying that Shane would leave and stop torturing her.

"That's where you belong you slut, on the floor!" he said, kicking her, "You can take my slut of a wife with you."

She just kept crying, hoping this would be over, hoping that Shane would get tired of her.  She didn't know how much more of this she could take.  She touched her arm, which was still throbbing.  She was hurting everywhere, she didn't know which place to worry about first.

"Nobody will ever like you Stephanie, nobody will ever respect a little slut whore like you.  You're nothing to everyone Stephanie.  You might as well never make any friends because you will just stab them in the back.  That's what you do best, you stab people in the back.  You aren't even worthy to be called my sister, I hate you, everyone hates you.  Don't fool yourself into thinking anyone will love you.  They won't, you'll see you lying bitch, nobody will ever even care about you," Shane said, spitting on her before he left, slamming the door behind him.

Stephanie stayed on the floor, unable to get up.  She lay there, looking at the wall and vowed to herself that she would never be put in this position again.  She would be a bitch, it was what she did best.  She would never let anyone see her for what she was, she would never back down from anything.  She swore to herself that she would never be lying on a floor after being beat up by anybody.  Shane was right, she would never have anyone.  Getting close to someone only brought pain and hurt. 

She wouldn't put herself in that position again…ever.

"Hey, you're ok," Chris told her, "Don't worry about it."

She pulled away, "Yeah, I'm ok, I'll be fine right, I'm Stephanie McMahon and everyone is afraid of me."

"That's right, and you take no prisoners."

She sniffled, "I'm sorry you saw me like this."

"Saw you like what?" he asked, playing dumb.

"In a weakened state."

"Happens to the best of us, but I think it's best left forgotten, ok, because I don't need some sort of humanized Stephanie walking around, who am I going to plot with then?" he said, nudging her gently.

"Oh, she's not going anywhere,' Stephanie said slowly, reaching out to run her finger down Chris's jaw, "I'm right here."

"Good," he said, winking at her.

"If I didn't have a boyfriend," she said, leaning in to kiss his cheek as she moved his mouth to her ear, "I may have to take you to bed."

"You wish," he whispered huskily.

She suddenly hugged him, "Don't ever let me get like that again."

"Yes ma'am."

Little did Stephanie and Chris know during this entire exchange they had been watched.  A mystery person watched from a table on the other side of the large coffee shop, observing their every move.  They smirked as Chris took Stephanie in his arms.  Hunter would sure love to see that pretty little picture.  Then Stephanie's kiss to Chris's cheek, probably a little foreplay for later or something.  The person whipped out their cell phone and dialed Hunter's number.

"Hello?" Hunter's voice said.

"Yeah, they're down here in the coffee shop."

"Doing?"

"Playing all lovey-dovey."

"Good," Hunter said, "And is she crying on his shoulder?"

"Yeah."
"Perfect, just what we wanted.  Now all I have to do is get a false confession that she was using Chris the entire time, and we're home clear."

"You think she'll actually say that?"

"Don't worry, I have my ways."