After dinner the night before Linda had barely slept because she was just so worried about Stephanie, she had thought about following her home but she didn't want to push her away from her when she was barely civil to her as it was. Deciding to go and check up on Stephanie before she went to work Linda got up earlier than normal so she could leave and catch Stephanie before she went to work.

Pulling into Stephanie's driveway she didn't see her car but then she figured she had put it in the garage so she wouldn't see it anyway. Grabbing her bag she climbed out of the car and made her way to the front door and rang the bell.

She stood waiting for the door to open but when it didn't she got a bit concerned so knocked loudly on the door to try and get her to open it for her as she had left her keys at home as they were only for an emergency.

Stepping back she looked up at the first floor windows to see if she could see any movement or signs that she was not at home but jumped when she heard somebody clearing their voice behind her. Turning around she looked to see who it was eventually spotting the neighbour stood at the fence, "Can I help you?"

"Are you looking for Miss Stephanie?"

Walking over to the older woman Linda nodded her head slowly, "Yes, she's my daughter and I just wanted to catch her before work."

Smiling politely the older woman leant on the fence, "She's already gone. She left about an hour ago with that muscled long haired blonde I assume to be her boyfriend."

Trying to mask the shock on her face she wanted to know what Paul was doing there but it did explain why she nearly said his name last night, "Why do you think he is her boyfriend?"

"Because no guy would do what he does without being very much in love with a woman. From one Mom to another you must know who she's dating though right? I know my daughter always told me who she was dating, well before she got married recently anyway."

Leaning on the fence a little Linda didn't know what to say but she did want to know more, "It's a really long and complicated story but I did know that she was dating him, I just thought it was over."

Not knowing the story and not wanting to start family drama the neighbour declined to mention how long he had been there, "Well if they've finished maybe he just came to pick up his stuff then? He did have luggage with him so she was probably dropping him off somewhere. I assume she is going on to work as she had like one of those bags people use to carry those new fangled computers in so hopefully you can catch her there."

Linda smiled appreciatively and was about to turn to leave when she remembered something that the neighbour had said earlier, "What did you mean that no guy would do the stuff he does if he wasn't in love with the woman?"

Forgetting that she had even mentioned that the neighbour looked at her quizzically briefly before she remembered why she said it, "Oh that. You see I'm an bit of an insomniac for various reasons that don't really matter so when I can't sleep I sit on the window seat in my bedroom and just look out over the garden and just admire the beauty of the area and I would often see him arriving at odd hours of the day and night but more often that not he wouldn't stay long. For example he would arrive ten or eleven o'clock in the evening and would then leave when she left for work or a little bit either side and then wouldn't be back for a week or more. Any guy that would willingly go out of his way, which it was clear that he does that, to spend less than twelve hours in one place must really love that woman as that is all kinds of crazy."

That was the side of the relationship that Linda never knew about, she never knew that he was there so often but for such a small amount of time, Vince was very wrong when he said that he didn't think their relationship had progressed. Sighing heavily she needed to talk to her husband, "Thank you for the help. I will try and catch Stephanie at work but thank you again."

The neighbour smiled politely before she went back to tending to the roses in her garden needing to keep herself busy so she didn't go crazy from boredom as she had no plans until tomorrow.

Arriving at work Linda was hopeful that her husband was already there and not yet busy because she really wanted to have a heart to heart with him and let him in on the brand new information that she had found out this morning.

Taking the elevator up to the top floor she headed over to her husband's Secretary, "So is my husband in yet today? More importantly though, is he free?"

Tracy smiled at her boss' wife, "Yes to both questions. He has a meeting in about ten to fifteen minutes though so you will have to make it quick."

"I will. Thanks Tracy."

Slipping quickly inside her husband's office she shut the door firmly behind her, "Okay you need to stop what you are doing and listen to me."

Lifting his head he looked at his wife oddly, "Well good morning to you too. Where were you when I woke up this morning?"

"Checking on our daughter. This is about our daughter."

Sighing he put his glasses on the desk and sat back in his chair looking up at his wife, "Okay I'm listening. Start talking as I don't have time to wait forever."

Taking a seat in front of the desk she pulled the chair forward and leant on the desk not wanting this conversation to be overheard, "I just had a very interesting conversation with Stephanie's neighbour when I went to check up on her. According to the neighbour Stephanie and Paul weren't just having a casual relationship, the two of them were pretty damn serious about each other. The neighbour told me that Paul would arrive at weird times of the day and night and stay sometimes just from late night until early morning and would then leave again. Vince this is more serious than it looked from the outside at the beginning."

Vince rolled his eyes at his wife, he hated it when women dramatised things like that, "Yes dear, whatever you say dear. I'm sure it is incredibly serious between them."

Giving her husband the look that would scare anybody she glared at him, "Vincent Kennedy McMahon, do not take that tone with me and do not mock me."

Gulping he subconsciously moved away from her afraid of what she would do as the last time she used his full name like that and gave him that look he had to sleep in the spare room for a week and he didn't want to repeat that, "Sorry dear. So why are things more serious than we thought? Apart from him staying over a few nights."

Sighing she shook her head at her husband, "Vince you don't get it. The two of them fell hard for each other from the second they met and when they dated they were madly close to being in love, so much so that he would go out of his way just to spend even a few hours with her."

Shuffling papers on his desk it would explain why Stephanie was so pissed with him and why Paul was being short with him, "Well as sorry I am that they've both been hurt by this, I can't go back and change my decision because nothing has changed within the locker room. Maybe in time, if they still feel like this about each other, then I can revisit the decision but for now the decision stands."

Shaking her head at her husband she stood back up, "Well I am glad to see that you are happy to not have any sort of a relationship with your daughter."

Turning around she walked out of his office not wanting to stick around as she knew if she did she would say something that she would regret.

Watching as his wife walked out he was pretending that he wasn't bothered but he really was, he missed his daughter but if she couldn't see that he was only doing what he had to do for business then that was her problem and not his.