Part 3

To say that Kurt was jubilant to receive the phone call from Shane about visiting the Alliance Headquarters was undeniably an underestimation. The instantaneous change in his mood and expression returned him to almost his normal state; notwithstanding the stain of sadness that still clung to his very spirit. All of his family and close friends knew why it was there, it was simply because it had been Shane and not Stephanie who had wanted him to return.

Kurt packed his overnight bag as swiftly as he could and jumped into his midnight blue sports car, speeding straight off to collect the ticket that had been prearranged for him and to hop onto the first plane to Connecticut - despite Shane's assertion that there was no need to rush. As it turned out he need not have hurried as he was forced to wait in those uncomfortable plastic airport chairs for nearly five hours before he could board a plane, as a consequence it was virtually midnight when he finally arrived at his chosen objective.

After checking into the closest affably priced hotel that he could find at that time of night, he crashed and fell into the first good night's sleep he'd had in weeks. He awoke early the next morning feeling better than he had in a long time and hurriedly got ready to meet with Shane McMahon. In his mind he was already back and he hoped that with his invariable presence backstage and at events, Stephanie's feelings for him might resurface and give him a much needed second chance - despite her Neanderthal husband's attendance.

He showed up at Alliance Headquarters at nine o'clock on the dot and was once again forced to wait - this time it was for the reason that Shane was holding a creative team meeting about implementing changes to The Alliance's shows. In due course people started to exit out of what had once been Vince McMahon's office. When the office was devoid of everyone but it's latest owner, Shane's secretary showed him inside.

He entered and took seat across the desk from Shane McMahon and waited impatiently for the young owner to acknowledge and greet him. Shane did not disappoint, greeting him seconds later despite the strange look he gave him in concurrence.

"Kurt," he said shaking his hand. "Welcome to Alliance Headquarters."

"Thank you."

Shane picked up a file that had been laying on the top of his large, stately mahogany desk. "I gather you know why I called you?" At Kurt's slight nod of the head, he continued handing Kurt the folder, "I suggest that you have your attorney run through the contract. After all you may find some of the contractual terms unusual."

"Unusual how?"

Shane sighed, "For example the contract will be given on a month-to-month basis until we - and I do mean *both* Stephanie and I - agree that we can trust you."

Kurt could not find fault with that, he had after all betrayed them at a critical time. "Is there anything else that you would care to highlight?"

Shane's expression went from one of control to one of apprehension. "Well, the - uh - general feeling among the superstars is that you - uh - do not deserve a title shot..."

"And you agree with them," it was a statement and not a question.

"Oh hell, Kurt," Shane replied. "You betrayed us when we needed and trusted you. If you were Steph or I would you give you a title shot? No, you wouldn't; at least not until you were certain of where loyalties lie. For all I know you may run off with our title and join some other company."

Kurt scrunched the contract that he held within his hand, torn between tossing it away and signing immediately - lawyer's approval or no lawyer's approval. It was everything he wanted and needed and yet at the exact same time it was also the opposite. "Can I have some time to think about this?"

"I can let you have one week. If I or Paul Heyman don't hear from you by the close of business seven days from now, consider the offer rescinded."

Kurt nodded his understanding and rose from his seat. Shaking the hand that Shane offered him once more, he took his leave and hurried out of the building, anxious to have a long and hard think about his future - immediate and long term.

When Stephanie waltzed into the hotel room that she was sharing with her husband while they were attending the Raw and Smackdown shows for the week, she found that it was empty still. She could not even claim to be surprised, Hunter had taken off to go bar hoping with Austin; just as he had every other night they had been on the road. Not that she and Debra hadn't been invited, it's just that she had not wanted to spend *another* night in some seedy beer joint surrounded by loud, obnoxious people.

Sighing loudly Stephanie flopped down onto the lumpy king-sized bed and closed her eyes, wishing that she was back at home and not stuck out in the middle of Arizona with an absent husband. Forcing herself to get up once again, she stripped off the outfit she had worn to the arena and changed into her comfortable black silk pajamas. Intending to catch up on some paperwork while it was quiet, she grabbed her leather monogrammed briefcase and dragged it onto the bed with her.

She must have fallen asleep because the next thing that she knew Hunter was back in the room and he was gently removing her work and tucking her in. "Hey," she whispered sleepily. "Did you have fun with the guys?"

"It was fun, but it would have been better if you had been there," Hunter replied as he set to work removing his own clothing.

Stephanie could not help but lay back and be in awe of Hunter's physique - after all it had been one of the things that her post teenaged mind had been attracted too - but these days even that was not enough to stir her blood. It was a invariable exertion in everything that she did to keep up her marriage, but in the end she held onto the hope that it would all be worth it. Plus a part of her felt that she needed the stability, the commitment that Hunter offered after that catastrophe with Kurt.

Not that all of the problems within her marriage were exclusively his or her own fault. Of course Hunter had been overly focused on his own career and to an extent - okay to a great extent - neglectful of her and her needs, but she had been equally as selfish on more than one occasion. She had added her own amount of lies, half truths and scams and not to mention the fact that her choice to marry Hunter in the first place had been based on her own father's hatred of the man. Naturally after daddy had accepted Hunter her interest and attraction had waned slightly and then Kurt had joined the WWF.

As much as did not want to divulge it, she had been engrossed by Kurt from the moment that they had first been introduced. And it wasn't just his physique - although it was magnificent - that had drawn her to him, he was simply dissimilar to every other man she had ever met, including her brother and father. She had managed to push aside her feelings for him - despite her stint as Kurt's best friend/manager - until he had joined The Alliance. Obviously she had been mistaken about Kurt's feelings for her, if he had in reality had any he would not and could not have betrayed her the way he had.

Feeling the bed dip beside her and Hunter pull her into his open arms, Stephanie lay still and tried to wish herself to sleep - with a bit of luck a dreamless one. Regrettably it did not occur and she lay there with her head on Hunter's chest listening to his heartbeat until exhaustion at long last overtook her in the early hours of the morning.

Kurt was on Shane's doorstep at seven o'clock that next morning, holding in his hand the signed contract. At the point in time he was beyond caring whether he woke up Shane or his wife, Marissa, all he cared about was turning over the contract so that he could begin working again. All right so getting to be around Stephanie was also on his mind, but he was prepared to deal with that situation once all of the legalities were out of his way.

After a few minutes the carved oak front door was opened by Shane McMahon who was still wearing his pajamas and robe, with an extremely pissed-off expression playing upon his features. The expression remained the same even after he saw who had rang the bell, although it had been mixed with a good dose of confusion.

"Angle? What in hell are you doing here?"

"Delivering your contract - signed and notarized," Kurt replied holding out the documentation.

Shane attempted to shake the sleep from his befuddled brain, "You could not have gotten a lawyer to go through it this fast."

"I don't need a lawyer's seal of approval," Kurt told him confidently. "What I need is to start working again."

Taking the signed papers, Shane sighed knowingly. "Please tell me that this has absolutely nothing to do with my sister?"

"Why would it have anything to do with Stephanie?" Kurt asked playing dumb.

"Oh, come off of it, Kurt. Every single person who works backstage knows how you feel about her. I just want - no need - some reassurance that you are not going to do something stupid where she is concerned," Shane explained as he eyed Kurt carefully.

Kurt smiled, "The best I can promise is that I will not do anything that she does not want me to do."

With that Kurt walked away, leaving Shane stood at the door with a disturbed look etched across his face. "That's what I was afraid of," he whispered before closing himself inside the house.

TBC...