"Lyd!" Christain ran into the room. "Guess who was just on the phone and what they wanted to tell me?"

Lydia laughed at his excitement. "Um, your mother and she wanted to tell you that your actually an only child and that Edge was placed on Earth as an experiment by an alien race who wanted one of their own to adapt to life on Earth as a normal human being and having failed miserably, they're taking him back to his home planet?"

"I heard that!" Shouted Edge from the bathroom where Integra was overseeing Jeff Hardy bleaching a few white streaks into Edge's already blonde hair. Christain laughed as Lydia shouted back "I don't care!"

"Not quite, but this is nearly as good."

"HEY!"

Ignoring his older brother Christain continued. "I'm in the Rumble."

"OHMYGODBABYTHATSFANTASTIC!" squealed Lydia, jumping on her boyfriend. Her favourite type of match was the battle royal, and her favourite event was the annual 30 man battle royal - The Royal Rumble. "What number?"

"I'm not telling." He teased. She pouted. "Aw, come on."

"You're dreaming Lyd." called Edge from the bathroom. "We're not meant to tell anyone."

"Bet Teg knows." She replied. Integra came out with a grin. "You'd love to know wouldn't you?"

"She does!" Lydia looked set for war, but Integra and Edge were saved by a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." Integra wiped her hands on her jeans and headed for the door. Opening it, she let out a gasp of surprise. "Steph?"

"Hi." Stephanie looked nervous and excited. "Can I come in? I've got something I need to tell you and Lydia."

"Um, yeah, sure." Integra held the door open. "Lyd? There's someone here to see us."

"Out in a second." Lydia called. Jeff stuck his head around the bathroom door. "Hey Steph."

"Hi Jeff." She smiled at him. "Ready for the Rumble?"

"Oh yeah. I've a got a few things planned for those damned Dudleys." He laughed. Lydia came out of the room next door, carrying Lucilla. She stopped dead when she saw Stephanie and put Lucilla on the floor. "What are you doing here?"

"I come in peace." Steph held her hands up in a gesture of surrender. "There's something I'd really like to talk to you and Teg about. Preferably over coffee. And definitely in private."

Lydia looked doubtful. "I don't know."

"I'll tell you everything you want to know." promised Stephanie. She glanced at the floor nervously. Lydia exchanged a look with Christain. He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Go on. I can watch the twins."

"Thanks baby." She smiled at him. "I'll just get my bag."

About half an hour later, the three of them sat around a secluded table in small coffee shop looking at each other. Stephanie cleared her throat. "Where do I begin?"

"How about telling us why?" Lydia asked sarcastically. "Or is that too much to expect?"

"Lyd..." Integra said softly. Lydia glared at her. "Don't 'Lyd' me! I'm sorry, but I have no idea what the hell is going on and I want some answers. Is that too much to expect?"

"No it's not." Stephanie said firmly. "And I really should've told you earlier… or at least warned you what could've happened. If it's any consolation, I wasn't sure until the last minute that I was going to side with Hunter."

Lydia sighed and lit a cigarette. Steph looked at her in surprise. "I thought you quit when you found out you were pregnant?"

"I did." She smiled ruefully. "But I've been so stressed lately... there's been a lot I've had to deal with over the past month."

"Anything I can help with?"

"She's refused all help. Insists on dealing with it herself." Integra spoke for the first time. She smiled affectionately at her friend. Lydia smiled back. "It's a family thing... which means it's gonna be messy and the less people involved the better."

"Family as in you, Christain and the kids, or your family?" questioned Stephanie. Lydia sighed. "My family. It's won't be pretty. But not to distract from the original issue..."

"It was a combination business/personal decision. Everything I said about wanting revenge on my father for the Ministry of Darkness and the Corporate Ministry was true. But there's a lot more to it than that." Stephanie took a deep breath. "You both know that Vince blackmailed me to get me to leave Chris. When I got back, I got sick. The docs did some tests and only one came back positive - the pregnancy test."

Lydia started choking on her cigarette. "You're kidding me?"

"No." Stephanie said quietly. "I was three weeks pregnant when I returned to Greenwich."

"Oh my god!" Shrieked Integra, causing several tables of people to look at them. Lydia stood up and waved at them with a sarcastic smile. Integra blushed and hissed "Sit down Lydia!"

Lydia sat down, smirking. "So what did you do?"

"There was only one option as far as I was concerned. I was lucky - Mom gave me her full support and Shane was just incredible. I hid from Vince as long as I could - which was about five months. By the time he found out, it was too late for him to do anything. Vince wasn't happy about becoming a grandfather, but he was away until 8 months. Giving birth was just amazing... although it does hurt like hell."

"Try squeezing out two of them." Lydia smiled sympathetically. Stephanie cringed. "Oh god, one was bad enough!"

"But its worth it at the end right?" Integra asked. Lydia nodded. "Definitely. I wouldn't trade the destructive duo for anything. But back to Steph."

"There were some complications during the birth, I lost consciousness shortly after delivering a baby girl - Christina Rose." Stephanie faltered a little. Despite the fact that Christina, that her baby girl was still alive, the grief had been so strong for such a long time that she still felt it now. "When I came round, Mom was in my room. She'd been crying, so I asked what was wrong, then the doctor came in and told me... Christina had died."

"Oh Stephanie." Lydia reached across the table and placed her hand over Stephanie's. Integra moved her chair next to Stephanie's and put an arm around her shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

"There's more... it's got to do with why I choose to stay married to Hunter -"

"Does Chris know this part?" Lydia interrupted her blue eyes boring into Stephanie's. Steph shook her head. "He knows what I've just told you."

"Lydia?" Integra asked in slight confusion.

"I'm sorry, but Chris has a right to know everything! I mean, damnit Steph..."

For the first time in recorded history, Lydia couldn't find the exact words to express how she felt. "It's just... I don't want to know anything that Chris doesn't. I just don't feel I have that right."

She shouldered her bag and stalked out, leaving the other two staring after her in bewilderment. Stephanie looked distressed. "I didn't mean to..."

"She'll be fine. This stuff with her family... it's getting to her." Integra sighed. "Anyway, you were saying?"

"Somehow Hunter knew about Christina... someone had given him information about her... including adoption papers. My little girl hadn't died, but had been given up for adoption by Vince."

"Oh my god."

"Hunter offered me a deal - if I did something for him, he'd give me more information on Christina's adoption. I failed to deliver - not through lack of trying! - and Hunter got his revenge by having me drugged and marrying me. He said later that if I stayed married to him, he would help me gain custody of Christina, in return for my help with some other matters - mainly him getting the title."

"That's it?" Integra raised an eyebrow. "That's an awful lot of work on his behalf for not a lot in return."

"I'm not gonna question it. I just want my baby girl back." Stephanie said with a sad smile. Integra smiled back. "When are you going to tell Chris?"

"I... I don't know."

"You are planning on telling him right?"

"Well, um, actually..."

"Stephanie!" Integra was horrified. "You have to tell him! He's the father of your child! You two are soul mates, neither of you can deny it and what's more, I know you still love him! And he still loves you, but you're both too bloody stubborn to admit it!"

"Teg, I..." Steph didn't know what to say. Integra stood up. "You'd better tell him. He has a right to know."

"I don't know if I can."

"You'd better. It's the right thing to do."

Stephanie looked at the table. How could she tell Chris all this, especially when he wouldn't even speak to her? Since she'd made him and Chyna co-IC champions, he avoided her like the plague. If she passed him in the hall, he looked straight through her. Once she'd tried to speak to him, but the look of deep sadness in his eyes had made her forget what she wanted to say. She wanted to tell him, she really did. Just the chance to explain things to him, then he could possibly forgive her. Then, hopefully, when Christina was in her custody and the two years of marriage to Hunter was up, she, Chris and their daughter could finally be a family.