A/N: I know it's been a super long time, but with school starting for me, my time is a bit more limited than before. I haven't forgotten these, so just bare with me. This one's a bit short, too, but enjoy it nonetheless. :)
Triple H walked backstage to find Stephanie after their segment; she had left before him as the storyline called for. He found her sitting in their office with her hanging down and her hair covering her eyes.
"Steph?" Triple H called out. "What's wrong?"
"I just want this night to be over." Stephanie replied without looking up at him. "I want all of this to end. The court meetings, the interviews, the meetings with attorneys, the media appearances…everything." Stephanie then looked up at Triple H to reveal that she had been crying. "It's wearing me down, Paul." Triple H sat down next to Stephanie and held her close to him.
"Don't let it get to you." He said to her. She shook her head.
"I can't help it, Paul. My father killed my mother, destroyed the McMahon family, and almost ruined our company. I'm constantly reminded of all that with every meeting and every court date we go to. I can't help but let it get to me." Triple H stood up from the sofa.
"Honey," He started. "When all this is over we are going on a vacation. It'll be you, me, Shane, and the girls." Stephanie looked up at him.
"Where will we go?" She asked skeptically.
"Doesn't matter. Anywhere away from here. We just have to make it through another three weeks and we'll be free from all this. Can you do that for me?" Stephanie closed her eyes.
"I don't know how much more of this I can take." She said. "And then I have to come here to work and put on a show for the fans. I almost fell out of character out there tonight."
"No one caught that, Stephanie."
"But I did, Paul. The stress from all this is finally setting in and it's spilling over into the job." That moment, the two owners heard a knock on the door of their office.
"Yes?" Triple H answered.
"The next segment is up in ten." It was one of the backstage cameramen.
"Gotcha." Stephanie said. "Thank you." She stood up from the sofa and looked at Triple H. "I gotta go and fix my face. It's gotten puffy. I can feel it."
"I'll be here." Triple H replied before he kissed his wife on the lips. Stephanie went to the bathroom to freshen up her face, leaving her husband in the sitting area alone. He shook his head as he thought about how stressed dealing with all the court appearances and interviews have been for her.
A week had passed since the tribute episode of RAW. Triple H and Stephanie were preparing for yet another interview regarding the prosecution of Vince McMahon and the murder of the late Linda McMahon. Triple H was in the bathroom putting on a tie when Aurora knocked on the bathroom door. He opened the door to see her standing in the doorway with a large blue hair bow in her hand.
"Daddy." She called out. "Can I wear this bow in my hair?" Triple H smiled at his daughter.
"Of course, honey." He said. Aurora jumped up and down with innocent happiness. Triple H then heard her speak out.
"Mommy." She said to her mother Stephanie. "Daddy said I can wear the blue bow in my hair!"
"Really?" Stephanie said. "Well, aren't you going to look pretty today?"
"I'm gonna go put it on right now!" Aurora then ran out of the room.
"No running, Sweet Pea!" Stephanie said, causing Aurora to walk down the hallway instead of run. Stephanie then turned to see her husband staring at her.
"You look beautiful." Triple H said with a smile. Stephanie responded with a smile of her own. Her smile then faded to a stoic frown.
"Paul." She said. "This is it. This is the last one. It'll be over after this." Triple H walked up to his wife and gently placed his hands on her shoulders.
"He's gonna get what's coming to him." He told his wife. "Don't worry."
"I'm not worried. I'm anxious. I've been waiting for this day for over a month now. I'm ready to get this over with so I can finally grieve for Mom." Triple H pulled Stephanie into a loving embrace.
"We are all going on a vacation once this is done." He said to her. "You, me, and the girls." He lifted his arm to look at his watch. "It's about time. Are you ready?" Stephanie nodded.
"I'm ready." She said.
The courtroom was full of people including Triple H and Stephanie along with Stephanie's brother Shane and her three little girls, and sitting at the defendant table was Vince McMahon and his lawyer. Shane looked over at his sister and saw that her face was fixated on their father. He frowned then adjusted his position in the seat he sat in.
"God, I wanna punch the fuck outta him!" Shane said loud enough for Vaughn to hear.
"You said a bad word, Uncle!" Vaughn nearly shouted, soliciting the attention of her mother.
"Vaughn!" Stephanie scolded. "Use your inside voice." Vaughn pouted.
"Yes ma'am." The little girl said before sitting still in her seat. Stephanie then turned back to look at the back of her father's head then said, "Besides, it's not a bad word. It's an adult word. You can say it when you're an adult and really want to beat the fuck out of someone." Triple H turned to look at Stephanie.
"Seriously, Steph?" He asked. Stephanie shrugged her shoulders. Aurora then looked at her mother.
"What does that word mean, Mommy?" She asked Stephanie.
"I'll tell you when you're older, okay?" Everyone then saw the judge return to the courtroom and they all stood to their feet as the man sat down.
"You may all be seated." The bailiff said to the people. They all did as they were told. The judge looked around the courtroom before beginning to speak.
"Court is now back in session." He said before turning to the jury. "Does the jury have a verdict?" A man in a blue suit stood up to speak.
"Yes we do, your honor." He said. "Due to the confession of the defendant, we find Vincent Kennedy McMahon guilty of all charges."
Those words resonated in Stephanie's ears like a requiem being played for her grief. She heard nothing else. The applause of the spectators and loved ones of the fallen, the shouts from the judge for the courtroom to be returned to order, and even Triple H saying the words 'It's over' repeatedly could not be heard by her as her heart slowly began to sew itself back together. Stephanie felt a tear fall from her eye and a smile lace across her face.
A week had passed since the final trial. Triple H and Stephanie had taken time off to recuperate after the past month of meetings, interviews, and court appearances. Shane, their children and they were on their way to the airport to take a plane to their vacation destination. However, Stephanie and Shane wanted to make an important stop. The limousine the family rode in came to a halt in what looked like a graveyard and Shane and Stephanie stepped out, both of them with floral arrangements in hand. They both walked past the vast garden of tombstones then stopped at one of the larger stones. On the stone was Linda McMahon's name. Both Shane and Stephanie planted their vases of flowers at the base of the tombstone. Stephanie then hugged her brother with mournful tears as he shook his head while looking down at his mother's grave. The two siblings then looked at each other.
"I still can't believe she's gone." Shane said to Stephanie.
"Me either." Stephanie replied before letting out a mournful sigh. "But she is. Today would have been her birthday." Shane laughed.
"Remember that party we threw for her?" Stephanie blinked.
"Which one?"
"The one where she almost killed Paul when he jumped from behind the table and shouted 'Surprise' at her?" Stephanie's eyes widened with excitement.
"Yes! That was hilarious. I still remember the mark she left on his neck after she choked him out!" Shane and Stephanie shared a moment of laughter. "Remember the one where Mom had some of the old red wine in your cabinet that you were saving for that time got married again?" Shane shook his head.
"She was a mess." He said simply.
"That night was crazy!" The two laughed again before catching their breath. "We all had some fun times as a family."
"We did." Shane agreed. His face then filled with sadness. "It really sucks we won't have any repeats." Stephanie closed her eyes to keep from crying again. They then heard Stephanie's daughter Vaughn call out to them.
"Mommy!" She shouted. "Uncle Shane! Daddy said we're gonna miss the plane!" Stephanie looked at Shane.
"We'll have to make our own then." She said to him with a smile. "We can do it. We already have a head start." Shane allowed his face to wear half of a smile.
"Yeah." He said. "Let's go before we're late to the airport." The two siblings began heading back to the limousine. Stephanie looked over to her brother.
"When are you going to get rid of that van, Shane?" She asked.
"Outta nowhere with it huh?" He asked sarcastically.
"I've been asking for years! Get you something new and put that thing to rest already. It's falling apart, and it isn't like you can't afford a new vehicle."
"The van's running just fine. There's nothing wrong with it."
"It may be running, quote-unquote, 'just fine', but there is plenty wrong with it. The most notable issue is it being the kryptonite of the female population. It looks a mess!"
"Whatever! It's a chick magnet!"
"Oh, my god…"