Stephanie, what are we serving Vince for dinner tonight?" Hunter asked, double checking his shirt in the mirror. Stephanie shrugged. "Whatever he orders from room service." Off the look on his face. "I'm not cooking for him Hunter."

"Okay, it's up to you." He replied mildly. He hesitated for a minute. "Do you know what he wants to talk to you about?"

"No idea whatsoever." Stephanie shrugged. "He didn't say a lot. Although he did refer to a 'bit of a history' with Chris. I mean, I lived with him for a year, carried his child and love him with every part of my being, but that's only a 'bit of a history' to Vince."

"Love him with every part of your being?" repeated Hunter. He couldn't explain why, but he felt like he'd been hit in the stomach with his sledgehammer. Stephanie dropped her hairbrush and when she spoke her voice was quiet. "I still love him."

"After everything he's put you through?" Her husband asked incredulously. "After all the shit, you still love him?"

"It's not that simple Hunter!" She cried. "Didn't you just hear what I said? We lived together for a year. I carried his child. He took me in off the streets. I met his friends, who are still my friends. I met his family, who are probably screaming for my blood."

"You gotta understand something." Stephanie paused, trying to find the best way to explain it. "Back then, with all of us, Integra, Edge, Lydia, Christian, Chris and myself... so much was uncertain. The guys were busy training and getting what indie shows they could. Us girls were working steady jobs... well Integra and I were, Lydia job hopped constantly. We never knew where the next show would be, if we had the money to pay rent, bills or buy food."

"We didn't know if it would be worth it, if everything would pay off or if someone would get injured during a match and it would all be for nothing. The only thing I was certain about was that no matter what my future held, Chris would be in it. He wasn't just my lover, he was my best friend."

Hunter sighed. "Yeah, but -"

"No buts." Stephanie said firmly. "You can't tell me that things were different with you and Chyna."

He fell silent. It had been the same with him and Chyna. For years they'd been close friends as well as lovers and that was something that was too rare these days. He sighed. Stephanie was right. He had no right to judge her feelings for Chris, especially considering he was still uncertain of his own feelings towards Chyna. But no, that was a train of thought for another day, not for when his father in law was coming round for dinner.

"Hey." Stephanie touched Hunter's shoulder. "I didn't mean to dredge up bad memories."

"Nah, I'm fine." He smiled at her. "And if anyone should be apologizing, it's me. I'm judging you on conventional standards, and there's been nothing about your relationship with Jericho that was typical. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. It's just -" Stephanie was interrupted by a knock on the door. Her face fell. "That'll be Vince."

"We'll be there in a minute!" called Hunter. He turned to Stephanie and lowered his voice. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"Yeah, I do."

"No, you don't." Hunter looked at the door. "Steph, I don't trust him. I don't think you should either. He's got something up his sleeve and I think I know what it is. Don't believe what he tells you."

"Stephanie?" called Vince. "Hunter?"

"Just a second!" Hunter shouted back snappily. "Steph, please... just keep your guard up. For me?"

"Okay..." Stephanie was taken aback by the vehemence in his voice. "Hunter.. what do you know?"

Hunter moved towards the door. "I can't tell you. I made a promise. But I can tell you this - no matter what you hear tonight, I'm here for you." He swung the door open. "Vince! Hey! Sorry to keep you waiting."

"That's okay." Vince replied, insincerity obvious in his face. "Mind if I asked what kept you so long?"

"Uh..." Hunter glanced helplessly at Stephanie, unable to think of an excuse. "Well..."

"Sorry about that Dad." She smiled sweetly, and slipped her arm around Hunter's waist. "Hunter and I got.. well, busy and lost track of time."

Her father looked confused for a second, then realised what she was implying. "Oh.. OH! Uh, sorry."

Hunter smirked and tried not to laugh at the look his father in law's face. "Eh, it's no problem Vince. We'll just make up for lost time later, right baby?"

Steph just smiled and got her father a glass of water. The three of them sat down, Hunter and Stephanie on the loveseat, Vince opposite them in an armchair. He cleared his throat. "I came here tonight for several reasons. First of all, Hunter, I'm very proud of the way you've been handling Jericho."

"It's really nothing." Hunter glanced at Stephanie affectionately. "There's no way I'm gonna let him get away with it. No way."

"That's the spirit." Vince grinned with false jovility, then turned serious. "Now, the main reason I'm here.. it's about...well.. " He hesitated, a little uncertain as he met the cool gaze of his daughter. "It's about Christina Rose."

"My daughter is dead." Stephanie's voice was full of pain. Hunter reached for her hand and glared at Vince. "Is there any need to reopen old wounds?"

"I know this is painful honey, but I think it's something you need to know." Vince ignored Hunter. "Christina didn't die at birth. There was no hole in her lung."

"Then what happened?" Stephanie's voice was numb, not from the shock as Vince thought. She just couldn't believe that after all these years he was finally admitting the truth.

"It had been arranged with the doctors. They were to tell you that your baby had died. In fact, she was whisked away to a waiting couple who had already arranged to adopt her." Vince spoke quietly, avoiding the intense gazes of both his daughter and son in law and unaware that they already knew all of this. "From what I've discovered, she lived a happy and healthy life."

"What do you mean lived?" Stephanie asked, trying to sound suspicious. Her father still refused to look at her. "I recieved notification yesterday that on the first of April, Christina and her adoptive mother Mrs Moroe were in a car accident. Mrs Moroe survived. Christina didn't."

Stephanie tightened her grip on Hunter's hand. She was still grieving for her daughter and to hear Vince put it so casually hurt almost more than she could bear. Hunter watched her closely and put his other arm around her shoulders. "Are you okay honey?"

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news Steph." Vince finally looked up. "But I felt you had the right to know the truth."

'The truth? Oh this is going to be interesting.' Hunter thought, struggling not to lose his temper. Stephanie took a deep breath and looked Vince in the eye. "I never knew her, so I can't grieve for her. I did my grieving and I've moved on."

Out of all the lies she'd ever told her father, that was by far the biggest. Hunter squeezed her hand back as Vince asked "Will you be telling Jericho?"

"Why?" Steph replied blithely. "It's not like he even knew I was pregnant. Just a question though?"

Vince nodded in satisfaction at her reaction to the mention of Jericho. After seeing Raw he had a sneaking suspicion that the relationship had been re-established and the name calling and insults were just a cover for their true feelings. "What is it princess?"

Like yesterday, she tried not to shudder at the pet name. "Who masterminded this whole scheme? Obviously it wasn't you since you're telling me this now."

He looked at Stephanie and Hunter, sitting close together on the loveseat and wondered if he was doing the right thing or not. Well it was too late to back out now, Steph wanted answers and answers she would get.

"The person who masterminded the whole scheme..." He hesitated, then took a deep breath and continued. "The person behind your daughter being adopted out was your mother, Linda McMahon."