It was only 6.30, but Stephanie hardly ever slept in. Besides, she also had a flight to catch around noon and the night had been rather restless anyway. Her thoughts had been with Hunter who had been sleeping on the couch. Or lying awake was probably more like it. She had heard him move around on and off in the living room area of the suite until she got out of bed at 4 and joined him. They had stayed up talking and she succeeded in getting him out of his Shawn-induced funk, at least a little.

He had left for his own room about half an hour ago to pick up his suitcase. Obviously, he and Shawn had checked in together last morning before things went batshit at the arena later. He told her he would be back in a bit so they could grab some breakfast together. Personally, she hoped he was talking to Shawn right now and they were putting yesterday's fight behind them. After all this wasn't the first time Shawn had gone on one of his temper tantrums and lashed out at the person that cared about him the most. Usually Hunter took it in stride, aware it was the drugs, pills or whatever Shawn was on at that particular moment talking. Stephanie had asked him once why he was putting up with all the crap Shawn was throwing at him. She remembered how Hunter's eyes had turned soft and he simply replied that relationships weren't only about being there for the good times but also surviving the tough ones when you loved somebody.

However, she couldn't shake off the feeling that even Hunter's patience had run out at this point. And really, who could blame him? She was still in college when they got together so she hadn't been around in person, but she heard the stories. Shawn had always been a handful and in a way her father had been glad that the young well-mannered man struck up a friendship pretty much straight away with "his troublemaker" as he sometimes used to call Shawn fondly. He had been counting on Hunter's reasonable and more importantly responsible self to rub off on Shawn. That didn't always work out and not even strictly to Hunter's advantage, but for the most part he did indeed manage to keep Shawn sort of in line. God knows how bad things would have been if he had not been around. She wasn't certain when exactly their friendship had turned to love and she hadn't asked, but Hunter had never wavered in his support. Not when Shawn broke his back and got "absolutely impossible to deal with", as her dad had put it, in the lead-up to his last match against Steve. And neither in the months afterwards or when he had his surgery. When she was paired with Hunter to put the McMahon-Helmsley storyline into motion, Shawn wasn't on TV much anymore, but, working closely with Hunter, it didn't take her long to realize the strain that was already on the relationship. Him being away a lot for shows all over the country didn't make it easier, but she had admired Hunter's drive to make as much time as possible to actually be home or call when he couldn't be. Lately he had often appeared drained when they met up at the venue after a few days off and the still regular phone conversations she had caught bits of sounded tense. Hunter didn't speak about it often, but when he did confide in her, he never seemed angry with Shawn. Just worried and tired.

Stephanie admired how despite all of these issues, he kept fighting and didn't give up on his partner. She often wondered what it must be like to love someone that unconditionally and would consider herself lucky if she also found that one day.

It was all the more tragic that it now looked as if Shawn had finally pushed Hunter too far.

She was just putting her make up bag into her carry on and was so lost in her musings that she almost missed the knock on her door. When she opened it, it was Hunter standing in front of her, his expression more closed off than she had ever seen it. He slid past her without a word, pulling his suitcase behind, and slumped down on the couch.

Stephanie took a seat across from him and broke the silence. "I take it seeing Shawn didn't go well?"

She didn't expect Hunter to start laughing. Not his usual playful laughter with a glint in his eyes but a rather bitter one.

"Well, he would've had to be there for that." He ran a hand through his hair, staring straight ahead at the wall. "The bastard just left. No note, no nothing."

When Hunter did look at her, the raw pain in those hazel eyes almost made her cry.

"I am so sorry, Hunter. I was really hoping he'd come to his senses."

Hunter continued as if he hadn't even heard her. "You know, part of me was relieved when I stepped into our room and he wasn't there anymore. How sad is that? I just... I meant what I said last night, Steph. I am not willing to put up with his shit anymore."

She got up and sat down beside him. Pulling him into a hug, she tried to offer at least some comfort. His shoulders shook, but no tears fell. He was doing his best to hold it together, even if it was clearly a losing battle.

They stayed like that for a while and neither of them said anything until Hunter coughed and broke away, his gaze cast down and his voice not completely steady. "Sorry for dragging you into this mess. You've already got enough on your plate and shouldn't need to play counselor for my fucked-up relationship."

She could tell he was trying to make light of this whole thing. She had learned quite some time ago that it was his automatic defensive mechanism when it came to Shawn being an ass for one reason or another and hurting him in the process. However, today she would not have any of that.

"Hunter, you're my friend. And I'm there for you. It's that simple." She gave him an encouraging smile.

"Still... Thank you, Steph. I must have said it a million times last night already, but I am really glad you are."

They sat in silence for a few minutes when her eyes fell on his suitcase. "You were planning to fly home to Texas together today, right?"

Hunter grimaced as if he was only now remembering that dreadful fact. "We were." He sighed. "I figure I'd better call the airline and see if they can rebook me on a flight to Boston instead."

A thought occurred to Stephanie.

"I think I got a better idea." He looked at her expectantly. "How about you come to New York with me? You can be the surprise guest for an appearance I am scheduled to do. And once that's done, we'll just enjoy ourselves until we have to fly out to Houston for WrestleMania. What do you say?"

"I'm not sure, Steph. You've done so much already. I don't..."

When Hunter hesitated, she gave him her best puppy dog face.

"Let me help. If nothing else, it'll take your mind off what's been going on for a few days. And I'll guarantee you a good time." She bumped her knee against his. "Come on, it'll be fun."

He seemed to ponder it a little longer, but then smirked at her after all. "Okay, McMahon, I'm in."

She slung her arms around his big neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Stephanie was glad that she could keep an eye on him and hopefully keep his spirits up. And quite frankly, it would also do her some good to relax out in town for a bit before the craziness that was WrestleMania would take over their lives once again.