Stephanie silently watched the four people lined up in front of her. Chris was sitting on the floor, playing with Lucilla, Lydia and Integra were talking quietly, and Mo was finishing up a cigarette on the balcony.

For reasons she couldn't explain, Stephanie's gaze was drawn back to Chris and Lucilla. It was the most relaxed she'd seen him in a long time and she realized for the first time how good he was with children. There was a tug at her heart as she remembered the way he'd played with their daughter and when she closed her eyes in an attempt to block out the pain, she could see it clearly – a weary, but smiling Chris carrying a happy and energetic little girl on his shoulder.

"You okay Steph?" Mo asked, watching the young woman closely. Integra and Lydia looked up, but kept talking, not wanting to make their friend feel self conscious. Stephanie turned away, not noticing how Chris's head had snapped up at Modina's question. "Just give me a minute."

"After all, what's another minute when ten of them have already been wasted?" grumbled Chris, making a big show of looking at his watch. "Believe or not, the world isn't at your beck and call Princess."

"Chris, shut up." Snapped Integra. "The fans may love you for being a complete and utter jerk, but we just think you're an asshole."

He sneered at the women on the couch, then picked Lucilla up and circled around the room with her on his hip. "Your Auntie Teg is a nasty woman Luce, yes she is."

"And Uncle Chris is just jealous because he's an emotionally immature asshole." Integra replied, glaring angrily at Chris.

"Stop it!" cried Modina, standing up. "I really don't care what the hell you two say to each other, but Stephanie has asked us to come here cause she has somethin' to tell us. So shut the fuck up and show her some goddamn respect!"

Glowering at each other, Chris and Integra sat down on the couch, Mo between them, just in case Lucilla's presence on Chris's lap wasn't enough to prevent things getting violent. Lydia sat on the arm of the couch, her arm resting on Teg's shoulder. She smiled encouragingly at Stephanie. "You have our full attention."

Swallowing nervously, Stephanie wiped her suddenly damp palms on her jeans and started to speak. "Thank you to all of you for showing up. You four have been the most influencial people in my life and without you I wouldn't be the person I am today."

"So we're responsible for turning you into a spoilt, selfish, heartless, manipulative bitch?" Chris raised an eyebrow. "Must remember to kick myself in the ass for that one."

Stephanie turned away, smothering a sob and visibly shrinking back from them. Without speaking, Lydia got up and hugged her tightly. Integra and Mo exchanged a look, and Chris could tell they were both fighting to keep their tempers.

It was with a shock that he realised that with his closest friends was the one place he wouldn't get cheered or congratulated for insulting Stephanie. Out in the ring, just looking at Stephanie the right way would get thousands of people screaming for him. The worse things he said about her, the more the crowds loved him. Even in the back, a snide comment about Steph was always appreciated. Here, it was likely to get him a black eye.

"That was out of line." Chris apologized, feeling guilty suddenly. "I'm sorry Steph, it was just... well, a reflex reaction I guess. I didn't mean it."

"Yes, you did." Stephanie looked up at him and sighed. "You meant it. Christ, I can't win with you can I? You hate me for not telling you everything I knew about our daughter and now that I've got you here to tell you something, you don't want to know."

"You didn't tell me that part." He replied, sounding like a petulant child. She shrugged. "If you don't want to hear what I have to say then, then fine. Leave and stop wasting my time."

"I said I was sorry." He repeated. Lydia gave him her favourite 'Don't piss me off bitchcakes' look that she used on Edge. "But you didn't mean it, so why should Stephanie accept your apology?"

"Look I hate to sound like a bitch about this, but I have a meetin with most of the women to discuss a possible wardrobe revamp and some guidelines for how much skin needs to be covered." Mo spoke hesitantly.

"Yeah Princess, get to the point." Chris shot Lydia and Integra angry looks, still sulking over their defending Stephanie. Teg shot him a look of disgust in return, while Lydia ignored him and patted Steph on the shoulder. "It's okay. You can tell us."

"A few nights ago, Vince had dinner with Hunter and I. He told me the truth about Daisy – that she hadn't died at birth. He still doesn't know that I already knew." Steph laughed bitterly. "I was too shocked by the fact that he was actually coming clean to really react to what he was saying."

"How'd your husband react?" asked Lydia.

'Hunter played the role of the concerned husband perfectly. Except it wasn't an act." Steph's face softened at the memory. Chris bit his lip and looked away. He was, as usual, torn. He was relieved that someone had been there for Stephanie and distressed that as usual, when Steph had needed someone, he hadn't been there.

"How did Vince justify his behaviour?" wondered Integra.

"He said that my mother Linda blackmailed him into it."

There was a few minutes of silence as they digested Stephanie's announcement. Lydia snorted in disgust. "Please tell me you don't actually believe him?"

"Well..." Stephanie's voice trailed off sheepishly and she refused to meet anyone's eye. The room fell silent for the second time in as many minutes. Chris was the first to react, leaping to his feet, feeling that if he didn't say anything, then he would explode.

"BULLSHIT! Linda would never do something like that, never!" He raged at Stephanie. "Out of the entire fucking McMahon family, out of all of you, Linda is the only one who has human emotions, who thinks about things like the consequences of her actions. She's the best of you all."

"She's only a McMahon by marriage. It's the lack of McMahon blood that makes her weak." Stephanie's voice was ice cold and full of disdain. Integra shivered at the glimpse of the cold hearted bitch Steph could be on very rare occasions, as her friend defended her family. "It's -"

"It's what makes her human." Chris shook his head. He looked at Stephanie and felt his anger drain away and be replaced with disgust. "Maybe you should take a few lessons from her."

~~~

"I can't wait to have kids." Edge laughed as Jason grabbed Christian's oversized sunglasses and tried to put them on.

"God, that's all the world needs, another Cage child." Christian adjusted the sunglasses on his son's face, so they rested on his nose. Jason smiled up at them innocently.

"That's a look that could only have from his mother."

"Hey Test." Edge and Christian greeted in unison. Test sat on the ground with them, as little Jason crawled over to the sandbox. "Where's the Cage women?"

"No idea. Lydia and Teg have Lucilla with them, so chances are they're with Stephanie." Edge shrugged and looked at Jason who'd crawled back over to give Christian a big muddy hug. "I really can't wait to have kids."

"What's stopping you?" asked Test. Edge sighed. "I don't know. Teg's not even 25 yet, I don't want her to be tied down too young."

"Oh please, she'd love it!" Christian rolled his eyes. "Integra is a family woman. You know those mothers in old sitcoms who work and raise the kids and still keep the house spotless and everyone happy? Well Teg reminds me of one of those TV mothers."

Test stifled a chuckle as Edge looked dubiously at his little brother who shrugged. "You know what I mean."

"I do." Edge sighed. "And it wouldn't affect her job at all, she could easily write from The Casa."

"It might influence Lydia to stay at home too." Added Christian. "It's not that I don't want her around, but I think it would be best for Lucilla and Jason if they had a familiar place instead of a succession of hotel rooms and car trips."

"Dude, they're only 15 months old." Test pointed out, stretching lazily. "Right now they need familiar faces, not places. If Lydia moves back to the Casa, then chances are they'll either forget you or they'll pine for you and for everyone else they're used to being around. And it's a given that Lyd will either fret for you or go insane. She's too much of a people person."

"You're not taking my niece and nephew away from me just yet." Edge said as he received a hug from his still muddy nephew. "And there's at least 10 others who would be annoyed if they stopped travelling with us just yet. It's best for everyone if Lydia, Lucilla and Jason stay on the road for a few more months at least."

Test nodded in agreement as a pious voice interrupted. "It would be best for those poor children if their parents got married."

"Piss off Kurt." Test rolled his eyes. "Lydia and Christian's relationship is stronger than any marriage I've ever seen – present company excluded Edge."

"How would you know?" asked Kurt primly. Christian's eyes glittered dangerously. "If anyone would know, it would be Test. We go way back."

Test nodded at Edge in thanks. "We had some fun times together, the six of us."

"How is Vanessa?" asked Christian. "Lyd got a Christmas card off her last year, but it was rather brief."

"Nessa's working security for some boy band. She says it's hell on earth, but the pay is good." Test filled them in. "She said that after 'the debacle that was my wedding day' - her words, not mine - she had to quit or get fired for throttling Stephanie anyway."

"Send her the love of the Fearsome Four." replied Edge, gently pushing Jason in Christian's direction. Christian scooped up his son. "Smells like it. C'mon dude, let's get the latest from our other halves."

The Canadian brothers excused themselves and headed back into the hotel as Kurt remarked "I'm sure Stephanie had her reasons for siding with Triple H."

"She does." Test replied with a shrug. "She's a bitch. But her 'marriage' is nothing more than a business partnership and good friendship. A fairly open friendship if you get my meaning."

Kurt Angle was niave, but not utterly clueless na he started to blush slightly as Test's meaning sunk in. "Oh. Do you think if I -"

"Absolutely." Test smiled. "But friendship is very important to Stephanie. You'll have to build up a good friendship before you try for anything more."

"Is that how you did it?"

"Not exactly. Steph and I had met before we met here. Extenuating circumstances - that neither of us want brought up again, so don't ask. Right now, the easiest way to get on her good side would be to defend her against Chris Jericho."

Something occured to Kurt. "You're not just doing this to get revenge on Stephanie? Because if that's it, then I won't be a part of it!"

"It's got nothing to do with that. I feel nothing except nostalgia when I look at Steph." Test replied, adding mentally. 'And more hate than I thought was possible to feel for one person. I'm gonna do what Jericho hasn't got the balls to do - destroy your marriage. And Kurt is just the first step.'

~~~

"We're in trouble." Hunter blurted before he even sat down. "Vince told Stephanie that Linda forced him to sign the adoption papers."

"That's not true!" protested the person opposite him. "If it was, then you wouldn't have been given the information about Christina."

"Yeah I know that, but Stephanie thinks Vince gave me the information. And he's not doing anything to disillusion her." Hunter explained. "I don't know if Vince knows where I got the information from or not, but he looked at me as though he was daring me to contradict him.Should I just tell Steph the truth?"

"No!" exclaimed the other hurriedly. "Christ knows what Vince will do to us when he finds out we told you. God, hasn't he put Stephanie through enough already? Does she really believe him?"

"Completely. Are you sure I shouldn't tell her the truth?"

"No. Let's just wait and see what Vinnie Mac has up his sleeve."