You've made it! Business is about to pick up... *JR's voice. I have been looking forward to posting this chapter for almost an entire year. Yup, that's how long ago I wrote this chapter. Thank you to everyone who's stuck with me. I know it's been a scary, painful ride. Keep hanging on!

TripSteph03, scoffie05, StepHHHelmsley, HHHungry, theeazymark, SPmess: Thank you so much for your thoughtful reviews! I wish you guys could see how excited I get every time that review notification pops up on my phone. HHHungry, your line about the French chef kiss sent me rolling!

July 2005

"Catalyst"

Linda McMahon had been the catalyst of their divorce so it was only fitting for her to initiate their reconciliation.

She wasn't a woman with many regrets, she didn't believe in such things. Her life was a charmed one, the product of hard work and endurance. Lord knew she had worked very hard. And she had, at times, endured even more. Unfortunately, much of what she'd endured was public knowledge. Her husband's transgressions had been paraded for the entire world to see while their humble, early days of struggle had been suffered in silence and in private. This pattern continued when her children reached adulthood. Her relationship with Shane and Stephanie underwent as much turmoil as her marriage due to power, money, and fame.

But those days were thankfully, finally, behind them. The previous February had brought them all a perfect baby boy. Shane's first-born son had brought them all into the same room for the first time in years. The little prince was so innocent, not yet tainted by the McMahon curse of greed and possessiveness, that the four elders were immediately shamed into conversion. They needed to do better, all four of them. They were a family; forever bound by blood and a unique past that none of them could run from. So they hugged and kissed and forgave. They promised to move forward differently. They vowed to purge the toxicity in their relationships.

And they had, slowly. It was a long road with twists and turns, but they were stronger because of it. Keeping in touch almost every day, they were open with each other, hell-bent on avoiding grudges and resentments. Counseling helped too. Vince was the most difficult to persuade to attend the sessions. But Linda had finally had enough, and they had no pre-nuptial agreement. The chairman had to choose between fixing his family and filing for divorce. The result was better than she could have ever hoped for. Her husband had chosen to finally assume the role as patriarch with dignity. He opened up, he apologized, and he led the McMahons in turning a new leaf.

Vince and Linda renewed their wedding vows on the thirteenth of July, the fourteenth-month anniversary of Declan's birth. Those in attendance were limited to immediate family and Shane's in-laws. It was a perfect, sunny day filled with unconditional love and joy. All was well.

Except, it wasn't really. The reuniting of the McMahon family had highlighted a key fact: Stephanie was alone. Her parents were committing themselves to each other once more. Shane and his wife had started a family and were in love more than ever. But the youngest McMahon, the one most dependent on receiving love, had no partner.

Staring into Vince's eyes, slightly squinted against the sun reflecting off of the beach's white sand, Linda thought of little else but her undying love for her husband. It wasn't until she looked towards her children that she thought all of this. Shane looked handsome, holding his happy, babbling son and standing beside his wife. Stephanie looked stunning in a pale yellow dress. But the empty space beside her seemed to sucker punch the matriarch right in the middle of the ceremony.

She had done that. Her daughter had only loved three men in her life. One was standing before Linda, one was bouncing his baby boy, and the last was far away from the coastal paradise where they all stood. Because of her. Because she had exposed Stephanie's lie and had all but convinced Hunter to leave her. To hate her.

In the back of Linda's mind, she recognized the horrible foundation on which her daughter's marriage had been built. She knew of the infinite problems that the couple had had. She understood that even without her meddling, Hunter may have very well still left Stephanie.

But the day was perfect. Vince was gazing lovingly back at her, and Shane had a family. The guilt for what she had done twisted her stomach. How could they all be so happy knowing Stephanie wasn't?

Vince and Shane didn't know the extent to which Stephanie yearned for her ex-husband. She rarely spoke of Hunter during their counseling sessions. She acknowledged her marriage to have severely affected her relationship with her family, but the pain of losing the man, that was something Stephanie spoke of only to her mother. So Linda carried that information with her like a penance, the last secret within the McMahon family.

One last time, Linda looked to her daughter before refocusing her attention to the ceremony. Stephanie was beautiful, and she had grown into a good woman. She would be an excellent mother. Linda was confident that her daughter would find another. She would love again. And it would be a stronger, healthier love. Linda was sure of this.

Upon returning to Connecticut, it was clear that fate had different plans. Relaxed and tanned, the family agreed to meet for lunch across the street from Titan Towers just one week following the nuptial renewal. It was a small, over-the-counter sandwich shop where Marissa could meet them all and easily tend to the baby. It broke up an already easy day with a light workload; most of the wrestlers were in town to resign and negotiate contracts. Lawyers and agents did most of the heavy lifting for these proceedings.

Triple H never entered her mind, until he entered the shop.

They had been chatting happily, taking turns entertaining Declan when she saw him saunter up to the counter, texting on his cell phone, and unaware that his ex-wife and her family sat just feet away. The shock wore off within a second and four of the five adult McMahons turned to see the reaction of their youngest woman.

Stephanie's eyes hungrily followed the movements of her ex-husband. It made them all a bit uncomfortable the way she seemed unable to stop. The baby babbled happily in her lap, unaware.

"Steph?"

Shane's question hung in the air for a moment too long. His sister's gaze was transfixed. It took Hunter finally looking up and recognizing them for her to snap out of it.

Her cheeks red, Stephanie answered, "Yeah?"

"Are you alright?"

The former WWE champion approached. Stephanie's eyes flickered frantically from him to her family and back. Linda squeezed her daughter's knee under the table.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Vince!" Exclaimed Hunter, thrusting his hand out for the chairman to shake.

"Hunter," Vince comfortably replied. "How are you?"

"Alright. My agents are up there tryna empty your pockets."

A hearty chuckle from Vince, Shane looked disgusted, "I wish them the best of luck. They need it, trying to convince me a veteran is worth next-big-thing money."

Hunter clenched his chest mockingly, "I'm not done yet, old man."

"We'll see. Just don't expect any special treatment. When you're done, I plan on taking you out back and shooting you just like the others."

The two laughed maniacally.

Declan was delighted at the sound. While the others were a bit disturbed by the ease in which Vince joked with his employee, the baby squirmed and squealed happily. His amusement drew everyone's attention to him, causing Hunter to finally look towards Stephanie.

"Congratulations, Shane-O."

Shane looked aggravated and responded with a curt, "thanks," but Hunter paid him no mind. He was watching Stephanie avoid his gaze and tickle the giggling baby.

"Are you laughing," she cooed. Declan babbled up at her.

"Looks like you're going to have to set up another trust fund, Vince."

"Yeah, I do."

Linda and Melissa exchanged matching glances. Hunter had yet to drag his eyes away from Stephanie and the baby.

"Well, I'll let you get back to your lunch," the two shook hands again. "Marissa, it was nice to see you. Congratulations, he's a handsome young man despite his genetics."

Shane's wife gave a soft laugh at Shane's eye roll.

"Thank you, Hunter. Always nice to see you."

"Linda," he nodded his farewell. She responded with a close-lipped smile and a nod. Beneath the table, she gave another quick squeeze to her daughter's knee.

Hunter walked away without a word to Stephanie. The latter didn't stop cooing to the baby, ineffectively hiding her nervousness. It took a moment, but soon Vince broke the tense silence that fell over them and then everyone continued to chat like they had before the interruption.

Linda was the only McMahon that watched Hunter exit the shop. She was the only one who saw him glance back at his former spouse. She was the only witness to his solemn expression at Stephanie blowing raspberries to her nephew's cheek.

The memory of Hunter's retreating form stayed at the forefront of Linda's mind for three days. Stephanie refused to discuss the interaction and waved off her mother's inquiry of her love life. She had been doing this for months; questioning her daughter and becoming frustrated when it sounded like the young woman had given up.

"You need to move on, Stephanie."

"I am, Mom. I just haven't met anyone yet."

"You're not even looking."

"I am, I'm waiting for the right one."

"You're not letting anyone stick around long enough to find out IF they're the right one."

"I'll know right away."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I knew right away last time."

"That's ridiculous."

"It isn't but okay."

"You knew you loved Hunter from the first date?"

"There was no first date, and I guess I didn't know, but… The feeling was there."

So there was nothing to be done but get involved. Linda saw no other way. And she didn't want to, but there was no time like the present to do what was needed. She told Vince and her staff that she would be late for work due to a much needed spa appointment, and headed to Hunter's house instead. It was his day off and she'd had an underling check to make sure he was home.

Ringing the doorbell, it was several minutes before he opened the front door.

"Linda?"

"Hello, Hunter."

"What can I –"

"I just need a few minutes of your time, if you'll have me," she gestured inside.

"Uh, yeah. Of course, come in."

It was odd, being in that house again. The one her daughter had decorated for him. Everything was more or less the same. He offered her something to drink when they reached the kitchen, but she declined.

"This won't take long."

"Okay," he let the word trail off nervously.

"My daughter," she watched the blood drain from his face, "Is why I'm here."

"I haven't spoken to –"

"I know. That's the thing. You see, Hunter, I'm a grandmother now. And it's the most wonderful thing to ever happen to me. My family's in a good place. Finally, we're solid. Things have been great."

Hunter looked amused, "That's –"

"I'm not finished," she could be as intimidating as her husband sometimes. "Shane starting a family has been a blessing to us all, and I want the same for Stephanie. I want her to remarry and have a family of her own."

Tension filled the space between them.

"What does this have to do with me?" He asked sternly.

"I need you to let her go."

"Huh? We –"

"She's not moving on. She buries herself in work and avoids meeting new people. I think she thinks there's still a chance that the two of you could… forgive. And forget."

"That's not gonna happen."

"I know. That's why I need you to hurt her."

Disbelief, confusion, and irritation all spread across his face before settling on anger. He squared his shoulders and set his jaw before staring down at her intimidatingly. Linda had forgotten how protective he could be of Stephanie.

"What?" It was a question, but his tone implied a threat. "You McMahons never change."

"It's nothing like what you're thinking. I want my family to keep getting closer. But she needs to move on from you Hunter. It's not healthy."

"What Steph does is her business. And frankly, it's not my job to look after her."

"I know. But maybe you could gain something from it too? Maybe you could use some closure?"

"I don't need closure. I don't need anything from her. And I don't need you showing up here–"

"I told you she wasn't pregnant! I betrayed my own daughter for your benefit. You owe me."

They stared each other down. Both stubborn and ready to walk out.

Hunter spoke after a moment of silent glaring, "What do you want me to do?"

"Talk to her. Put her out of her misery," he avoided her sad gaze. "She's punished herself long enough. She's deserves to move on."

"And you think I should be the person to do that?"

"I think you're the only person who can do that."

Linda watched him shuffle his feet and scratch the back of his neck. He was conflicted so she continued, "I already gave you permission to hurt her. Say whatever you think you have to say to make her understand. She needs to know there's no hope for you coming back."

Hunter met her eyes. She saw the same sad expression he wore at the lunch shop, and it deepened as she spoke.

"Tell her you don't love her, that you never loved her. Tell her she's dead to you."

Did Linda image the way he seemed to reel backwards? She couldn't tell. He didn't move but he somehow seemed to lean away from her.

"I know you think I'm being harsh, but she deserves – you both deserve – to be happy. Get some closure and be done with this. I think you could use it as much as her."

She was disappointed when he didn't speak, but a small nod seemed to be all he could manage. She quietly thanked him and allowed him to walk her to the door.

"Please do this sometime soon. I want grandchildren from both of my children so she needs to move along quickly."

Linda walked out of the front door with a final glance at her former son-in-law. He looked ill.