Stephanie Levesque was in the middle of a cleaning frenzy one afternoon. It came with the territory of being seven and a half months pregnant, since she had experienced the same phase with her first child, a daughter named Deja.

Stephanie was at the prime of her life. She was five months shy of her thirtieth birthday, happily married to her husband Paul (of six years), and had an incredible daughter who was four years old now. They lived in New Hampshire where Paul grew up, in an upscale neighborhood that protected their privacy with an abundance of trees. They both loved the serene atmosphere the surroundings of their home gave off. It was a safe and secure place for their children to grow up in, and that was certainly a top priority.

Paul was thirty-six years old and in the best shape of his life. He worked under Stephanie's father, Vince McMahon, who owned the WWE, a professional wrestling corporation. Aside from his overwhelming muscular figure, Paul had the softest hazel eyes anyone ever saw, and shoulder-length blonde hair.

Deja Marie McMahon-Levesque was the center of her parents' world. She made her debut in the world just days before her father's birthday. Now four years older, Deja was the spitting image of Paul (with a smaller nose). She had golden hair as long as her shoulder blades, sparkling hazel eyes, and a smile that could melt your heart.

While Stephanie was feverishly cleaning the kitchen counters, Deja came up from the basement with her Cinderella magic wand in hand. She tipped her head sideways and frowned at her mother. "Mommy, what'chya doin in here?" she asked.
Steph turned around with the sponge in her hand and replied, "Cleaning up." She paused. "Hey princess, feel like being my escort to the mailbox?"
"What's an ethcort?" Deja asked, making a puzzled expression. She had a small lisp.
"An escort is a person who walks someone to a place they are going or sometimes they walk with a person to their car."
"So does that mean Daddy is an escort?" she asked.
"He is sometimes," Stephanie nodded, "so what do you say? Would you escort me to the mailbox, your heiness?" Deja giggled as she shook her magic wand and nodded at Steph.

The pair walked down the long winding pathway that led to the mailbox.
"Did we get anything from the Magic Kingdom, mommy?"
Stephanie put on her thinking face and flipped through the mail, until she found a postcard from a business that was of no importance to them. She handed Deja the junk mail and smiled. "Looks like an invitation to the royal ball."
Deja grabbed the postcard immediatly and looked at it with excitement shining in her eyes. "It is!" she exclaimed. "I better get ready!"

Stephanie laughed softly at her daughter's wide imagination. She was extremely creative for her age. Steph and Deja turned back around and were about to walk back to the house, but a large moving truck caught Stephanie's eyes from across the street. She peered to get a better look at it and raised her eyebrows when she realized that someone new was moving in.
"Hmm."
"What is it, mommy?"
"I think we're getting some new neighbors," Steph told her. Deja was not very interested and ran up the circular driveway humming some incoherent tune.

Paul had a house show in New York that afternoon, so he didn't return home until the evening. Deja was already asleep when he arrived, but Paul made sure of tucking her in anyways. After that he hobbled to the bedroom where Stephanie was sitting up in bed, working on some documents for the writers. She smiled up at him and put her pen down, still wearing her reading glasses. "Did she wake up?"
"Nope," he chuckled, "the kid was out like a light."
"She wore herself out with all that Cinderella stuff," Steph laughed. "Oh, I wanted to ask you about something."
"What's up?" Paul asked, laying beside her on the bed.
"Did you know we're getting new neighbors across the street?"
"No," he frowned, "when did you find this out?"
"Today, when me and Deja were getting the mail," said Steph. "I saw the moving van."
"Did you introduce yourself?" he asked.
"No, I didn't see any people, just the movers."

Paul shrugged and began rubbing Steph's belly. "Who knows. Guess we'll just have to wait and see."
She nodded and then smiled down at her husband. He was always so adorable around Deja or even their unborn child. "How's this little guy been treating you?" Paul asked, looking up at her.
Stephanie rested her hand on the side of her protruding belly and sighed. "Not so bad," she told him, "I'm just tired a lot."
Paul smiled at her and continued to rub her stomach. He felt the baby kick against his hand.
"Ooo," Steph winced a bit. "Damn, I hope that isn't an indication that it wants to pull an all-nighter on me again."
Paul rested both of his hands on each side of her stomach and put his face close to it. "C'mon buddy, give mommy a break tonight so she can get her rest," he spoke to the baby.
"You know if you keep referring to this child as a boy and we're having another girl, she's going to resent you quite a bit," Steph told him, a smirk appearing on her face.
"I'm not worried about it, honey. This one's a boy, I can feel it," he grinned at her. Stephanie just giggled and playfully slapped his arm.

The next day was a relief for Steph because Paul had two days off before his next show. He spent the morning in the pool with Deja, while Stephanie got some much needed rest.

She was laying on the couch, enjoying the time to herself when the doorbell rang twice. Steph slowly wiggled her way off of the couch and waddled to the front door, groaning because her back was killing her. She opened the door and saw a slightly tall man, who looked to be somewhere in his mid to late-forties.
"Hi there," the man smiled at her, extending his hand to a cautious looking Stephanie. Her initial reaction was that a fan had gotten past the gates and trespassed onto their doorstep.
"I'm Steve Johnson, I live across the street," he continued, pausing momentarily. "Um, I just moved in...the other day."

Stephanie jumped out of her suspicious coma and shook her head. "Oh right, hi," she nodded, shaking the man's hand. "I'm Stephanie, nice to meet you."
Steve smiled at her and eased the tension. "I'm sorry to just drop in on you like this, but my cable isn't working for some reason, and I just wondered if it was the whole neighborhood or just me?"
"Our cable has been fine all morning," Steph told him. "Why don't you come in for a minute? I can get you the cable company's number."

"Thanks, that'd be great," said Steve, walking inside and closing the door behind him. Stephanie led him to the kitchen. "I could even ask my husband to take a look at it if you want," she offered.
"Nah, I don't want you to have to bother him," he replied, smiling at Paul and Deja through the glass doors. "I can take care of it."
Stephanie smiled at him and nodded, taking the phone book out from the cabinet. "Here we go," she said, flipping to the marked page. "I'll write it down for you to take home with."
"Thanks, I really appreciate this."
"Oh it's no problem. I know how stressful moving can be," she smiled sweetly. "Is your phone out too?"
"I think so but I've got a cell at home."

She waved her hand at him and shook her head. "Don't be silly. You can call from ours," she said, handing him the cordless.
"You're too kind, thank you," he said, dialing the number.

While Steve was on hold with the cable company, he and Stephanie made small talk with each other.
"Do you have just one child?" he asked.
"Yes," Stephanie smiled, resting her hand atop her stomach, "But not for long."
Steve smiled and asked, "When are you due? If you don't mind my asking..."
"Not at all. This one's due in May so I've got a couple months to go. We don't know if it's a girl or a boy though," said Stephanie.
"Well, congratulations."
"Thanks," she nodded, "Do you have kids?"
"No," he sighed. "My wife died several years ago of lung cancer. We couldn't have children but almost adopted. But when she got sick, we knew it would be wiser if we focused on her health, rather than bringing a child into that situation."
"Oh how awful. I'm so sorry to hear that," Stephanie said, putting a hand to her heart.
"Thank you," Steve said, clearing his throat, "She's not suffering anymore, that's what's important."

Steph was at a loss for words and wasn't sure if she should change the subject. Luckily, Steve did that for her.
"What is your husband's name?" he asked.
"Paul," she told him, "And our daughter is Deja."
"Deja?" he repeated, "that's quite unique. I bet you don't hear that name too often in public."
"Nope," Steph laughed, taking a seat at one of the island chairs, "you don't."

As if on cue, Paul walked in from the backyard, dripping from head to toe. Stephanie glanced at him and nearly blew a gasket when she saw his sopping figure standing over her nice and clean hardwood floors.
"Paul!" she screeched. Steve winced at the high tone in her voice.
"What?"
"I just washed these floors! Go outside and dry off, what is the matter with you?" she exclaimed. Paul groaned inwardly and shook his head, turning towards the back doors again. He stopped briefly and turned around to get a look at the stranger who was sitting in his kitchen.
"I don't believe we've met," he said, glancing from Steve to his wife.
Stephanie sighed and gave Steve an apologetic look for failing to introduce them. "This is our new neighbor, Steve Johnson. He moved in across the street," said Steph.
"Oh yeah, we thought somebody was 'movin in there. How's it going?" Paul extended his hand to Steve and shook it firmly.
"Good, thanks. It's a pleasure."
"Steve's cable is out so I let him use our phone to call them up," Stephanie explained. Paul just nodded and smiled.
"Well, if you will excuse me Steve, I have to go dry off before my wife decides to throw me out of our thiry story window," Paul laughed. Steve grinned and chuckled at the joke, while Stephanie just rolled her eyes.

About a half hour later Steve was preparing to leave their home. Deja came prancing inside in her Disney princess bathing suit. She had been out of the pool long enough to dry, unlike her father had done. She wore a yellow tank cover-up, made of terrycloth. Her wet hair had curled slightly and frizzed around her face. Stephanie smiled when Deja ran up to her and gave her a giant hug.
"Hey sweetie. Done in the pool for today?" asked Steph. Deja nodded and looked worn out from the sun. The tip of her nose was crisp and she had gotten some sun in her cheeks.
Stephanie nodded back at her and said, "Good, I think you've had quite a bit of sun for today."

Steve was smiling at the mother and daughter standing before him when Stephanie averted her attention to him. "Deja, I want you to meet someone," she said, planting her hands on Deja's shoulders. "This is Mr. Johnson, our new neighbor. Remember when you saw the moving truck yesterday when we got the mail?"
Deja sighed and rolled her eyes, responding with, "Mommy, I can't rememba. I had a ball to go to lath night."
Steph had to hold in her laughter and nodded at Deja. "I forgot about that, I'm sorry."

Steve knelt down to Deja's height and smiled at her, extending his hand to her. She looked at him funny at first. "Hello, Deja. It's very nice to meet you," he said.
Deja looked up at her mother warily but Stephanie smiled softly at her and nodded, silently telling her that it was okay. "You can shake his hand, silly goose," said Steph. Deja slowly put her hand in his and shook it, but wasn't quite sure why she had to do this.
"That'a girl," said Stephanie, "why don't you go find daddy and ask him to help you into some dry clothes? I'm going to walk Mr. Johnson to the door."
"You mean ethcort?" Deja grinned, looking as devilish as her mother used to look on television sometimes.
"Yes," Steph giggled, "Now get your little toosh moving." She winked at her daughter who smiled back at Steph one last time, and then went off to find Paul.

Stephanie sighed and smiled at Steve, looking rather exhausted. Steve couldn't help but chuckle. "Kids, huh?" he said.
"They're a riot," she agreed, leading him to the front door. "Well I hope that cable thing gets worked out. If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to stop by or call us up. We exchanged numbers right?"
"Yep," he replied, holding up the little piece of paper she had written it on. Steve smiled and gave her a nod. "Thanks again, Stephanie. I guess I'll be seeing you then."
"Yeah," Steph smiled, "Take care." With that, she closed the door and Steve went home.

Paul came into the room alone. He had been working out in his home gym. He wrapped his arms around Stephanie from behind and said, "He seemed like a decent guy."
"Yes, he did," she agreed, but then frowned, "but Deja was acting wierd around him for some reason."
"Baby, you know Deja, she's shy, especially around new people," said Paul.
"I know but it seemed kind of strange this time." Steph shrugged and brushed it off, figuring it was nothing to make a big deal out of. "Speaking of Deja, I told her to go find you so she could change into some dry clothes. So she's probably upstairs on a wild goose chase trying to find you," she laughed.
Paul chuckled and nodded, releasing Stephanie from his backward embrace. "I'll go find her," he said, heading to the staircase.

Over the course of the next two weeks, Stephanie and Paul had spoken to Steve several times. Mostly their conversations were brief or consisted of a simple wave from across the street. Paul went back on the road for a few days, leaving Stephanie and Deja to entertain themselves for the time being. He wanted to get as much work in as possible before he took time off to be with Stephanie and the new baby.

The doorbell rang one late afternoon while Steph was putting away some new baby clothes in the nursery.
"Mommy, can I get it?" Deja called from her playroom upstairs.
"Alright," Stephanie told her.

Deja made a mad dash for the stairs and ran to the front door. She opened it and looked up at a familiar smiling face. "Oh, hi there, Deja!" Steve greeted her in a chipper manner.
"Hi," she said timidly.
"Is your mommy here?"

Deja nodded at him and turned around, walking closer to the stairs so Stephanie would hear her. Steve followed her inside and closed the door. "Mommy?" she called.
"Who is it, sweetie?"
"Mr. Johnson are here." Steve smiled at the little girl and patiently waited in the living room.
"Okay, honey. I will be right down," Steph replied.

While they waited for her to come downstairs, Steve sat next to Deja on the floor, where she was playing with her dollhouse. "This is a nice dollhouse, Deja," he said. "Did your mommy buy you that?"
Deja shook her head no, seeming like she was deep into her imaginary play. Steve bit his lip and looked off to the side, then pulled something out from behind him.
"I heard that you like Dora the Explorer, is that right?" he asked. Again, the only response he got from her was a nod. Steve smiled and continued, "Well I was buying some groceries the other day and I saw something that reminded me of you."

As Deja turned her head to see what it was, Steve held up a brand new Dora the Explorer doll. It was a big sister edition, so the doll also came with twin babies and accessories.
"I know you're going to be a big sister soon, so I thought this would be fun to have," he smiled at her.
"My mommy ith only 'havin one baby," Deja retorted, taking note of the twin dolls in the package.
Steve frowned. "Yes, but this could still be a fun toy...couldn't it?" He was desperate to win her affection.

Deja stared at the toy in Steve's hand and then finally accepted it. Stephanie came downstairs and saw them sitting together on the carpet. "Hey guys," she smiled.
She noticed a newly packaged toy sitting in Deja's lap. Curiously, she asked, "What do you got there, Deja?"
"I brought her a little present," Steve smiled up at Stephanie.
"Oh, Steve you didn't have to get her anything," she said, "You've got enough things to worry about with this whole moving in process."
"It wasn't an inconvenience, really," he insisted, "Besides, I couldn't resist. After you told me she was into Dora, I wasn't about to pass this cool thing up."

Stephanie smiled at a grinning Steve Johnson and then carefully sat down on the couch. She tapped her daughter's shoulder and said, "Deja, did you say thank you to Mr. Johnson for giving you that?"
"Thank you," Deja said, barely looking up at him. Stephanie just assumed that she was very intrigued by her new toy.
"You're welcome, sweetheart," he chuckled.
Steph looked up at him again. "So what brings you over here, neighbor?" she asked.
"I just came by to make sure you two were doing okay here. I know Paul's away on business, so someone has to keep an eye on his girls," Steve winked at her.
Stephanie gave him an awkward smile. "Oh...let me guess, Paul coaxed you into coming over here to check up on us while he's away?"
Steve laughed a bit and shook his head. "No, no. Nothing like that. But it's what a good neighbor does, right?"
"Um...yeah," Steph said slowly, "that's nice of you, thanks Steve. But we've been here like this plenty of times before, this is nothing new to me or Deja."
"Well then," he said, standing up and smiling at Stephanie, "I guess I should be going back home."
"Are you sure?" she asked, feeling bad since Steve had gave Deja that nice gift. "You're welcome to have dinner with us. I was planning on just throwing this chicken parmasiagn dinner in the oven, and steam some veggies but you are welcome to stay."

It didn't seem to take Steve long at all to decide. He smiled at her and accepted her invitation. Stephanie was beginning to notice that Steve was making himself quite at home lately, whenever he came over to their house. She was glad that he felt welcome there and all but it did rub her the wrong way when he helped himself to Paul's variety of imported liquors.
"This is fantastic," he said, after taking a swig of his Grey Goose. "Where did Paul get this from, do you know?"
"I'd have to ask him, I don't keep track of that stuff," she said, pulling the tray out of the oven. She was a little pissed off at Steve right now because he didn't even offer to help her with the heavy pot or tray she was handling. Paul always made sure that Steph wasn't overdoing it in the kitchen when she was pregnant. Any decent and sensible man would know that.

Steve nodded and took another swig as he leaned back in his chair. Stephanie felt uncomfortable around him at that moment, and knew that it would be wrong to ask him to leave over what was probably nothing. Instead, she called Deja into the kitchen to help her set the table. Deja enjoyed doing that because it made her feel like she was a great help to her mother, and lately that was, in fact, very true.
"Can I thet the table mommy?" she asked.
"Of course you can, honey. Thank you, you're a good helper," said Steph, scooping the peas and carrots into a different bowl.
"Are we gonna youth our nithe dishes?"
Steve chuckled and quietly mimicked the child, "Our nithe dishes, mom?"

Deja didn't catch on but Stephanie sure did. People had done that before joking around, but it was usually just family members who did it. The tone of his voice made Stephanie angry. She shot him a glare and then looked at Deja and shook her head. "No, princess. We'll use paper plates tonight. Let's save our dishes for when daddy comes home, how's that sound?"
Deja smiled brightly and nodded in agreement. "We could make him the King dinner from the palith (palace)!"
"Alright, it's a deal!" Steph enthused her.

Finally Stephanie served the food but she sat rather far from Steve at the dinner table. Deja was very protective of her mother, especially when Paul was on the road. His instincts had rubbed off on her somewhere along the line and Stephanie was proud.
Steve noticed the tension that was building around them and decided to break the ice. "Stephanie, this is a wonderful meal."
"Thank you," she said, looking down at her food.

Stephanie always missed Paul when they were apart, but something about this particular night had really gotten to her. Her hormones must have been raging because she missed him almost to the brink of tears.
"Mommy, can I theep in your bed tonight?" asked Deja, before taking a sip of her chocolate milk.
"Sure you can," Steph replied, brushing Deja's hair away from her eyes.
"You're a good eater, Deja," said Steve, smiling over at her. "Do you like when your mama cooks chicken?"
Deja just nodded and Stephanie spoke for her, "She's just like her daddy; loves food."

When dinner was over and Stephanie reluctantly served them all dessert, she took the liberty of kicking Steve out for the night.
"Well, Steve, it's been fun but I'm very tired and I'd like to get to bed early, which means I have to get Deja ready for bed early as well," she began. "But thank you again for bringing her the toy. I'm sure we'll be seeing you soon."
Steve nodded as he put his shoes and light jacket on. "Absolutely, Stephanie. Thanks again for dinner, it was lovely," he said. Without warning, Steve took Stephanie's hand and lightly kissed the top of it, acting like some Prince Charming.

He chuckled and winked at her, leaving Stephanie dumbfounded and disgusted. When he was finally gone, Steph cringed and washed her hand off with soap and water. "Yuck!" she exclaimed. This man was definitly irritating that night. The baby kicked her while she was washing her hands and she winced. "I'm sorry, kiddo. You were just as anxious for him to leave as I was, huh?" she spoke to it, rubbing her belly. Stephanie would be more than glad to just crawl into bed and sleep.

When Paul called her, Stephanie did not tell him about Steve. She knew it would just worry him and piss him off to the point where he would want to come home early. So Stephanie avoided Steve the best she could until Paul returned home.

Paul came home one morning rather early. He was in a relatively good mood when he greeted Stephanie and Deja in the kitchen. He came up behind his daughter who was sitting at the table, and put his hands over her eyes. "Guess who?" he said, a grin on his face.
Deja's excitement rose and she turned around as Paul removed his hands. "Daddy!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. "Yay!"
Paul chuckled and took her in his arms, giving her a giant bear hug. He didn't realize how much he missed her this trip until now. "Hey princess!"

Stephanie smiled from the stove. Her back was to them and she was making banana pancakes for breakfast. Paul carried Deja over there with him and inhaled the air deeply. "Man! Something sure smells good over here!" he said, making Steph turn around.
"Banana pancakes," she told him, "you hungry?"
Paul grinned from ear to ear. "Are you kidding? I'd have to be crazy to pass up your famous banana pancakes," he said, turning to Deja, "right?"
She giggled with delight and nodded in agreement with him. Steph turned down the heat on the stove and kissed Paul's lips softly. "I missed you," she whispered. Paul couldn't help but notice that she seemed a little distraught. He frowned.
"I missed you too, honey. What's wrong, is the baby been 'actin up on you?" he asked, with evident concern in his hazel eyes.
She shook her head and sighed. "No, the baby's fine. I'm just glad to have you home."
Paul smiled at her and rubbed her chin with his thumb, before letting Deja down. "Okay, I'm gonna grab a quick shower before we eat, is that cool?" he asked.
"Sure," Steph nodded, "I won't be done with these for another five minutes or so. Go ahead."

Paul kissed his wife's cheek and patted her tummy lightly. Then he left the kitchen and headed for the stairs. On his way there, he called back to her, "Hey Steph?"
"Yeah?"
"I thought I'd let you know that I invited Steve over to eat with us. I ran into him outside when the limo dropped me off."
Stephanie nearly dropped the pancake she had on the spatula. Her jaw did drop though. She didn't have a clue as to how she should answer that. Paul didn't say anything after that so she figured out that he had already gone up to take his shower.

Deja looked up at her mother and sensed that she was nervous. "Mommy, ith Mr. Johnthin bringing more prethents?" she asked.
Stephanie turned her head and tried to snap out of her daze. "Uh...I don't think so, Deja. Remember, you can't always expect someone to bring you presents when they visit. We don't want to seem greedy, do we?"
Deja paused but nodded at Stephanie. "'Kay!" she answered.

Steve came over just as Paul was coming back downstairs. He had changed into some jean shorts and a grey t-shirt. His hair was still wet so he pulled it back into a smooth ponytail.

The men walked into the kitchen together, a smile on Paul's face as he firmly patted Steve on the back. "Honey, look who's here," he said to his wife.
Stephanie reluctantly turned around and forced a smile. "Hi, Steve."
"Good morning, Stephanie," he smiled back at her.
"Here man, take a seat," Paul nodded towards the table and chairs. Deja just watched them, keeping her eyes glued on Paul and Steve until they sat down. He looked at his daughter and laughed a bit. "Dej, what's that look for?"
She shrugged and then looked down to focus her attention on her coloring book again. Steve and Paul just shrugged at each other and laughed, engaging in male conversation.

While the four of them were eating breakfast, Paul had gotten on the topic of wrestling with Steve.
"I watch it when I have time," Steve admitted, "which is quite often as of late."
The two men laughed and Paul nodded, taking a bite of his pancake. "Yeah well maybe we could get you a couple of tickets with some backstage passes when we do a show out this way. Bring somebody along with you?" Paul offered, making Stephanie's head jolt up.
"Well, I don't really know anyone around here besides you guys," Steve said.
"Then just bring yourself," Paul smiled at him, glancing over at his wife. "We could probably arrange that, couldn't we, honey?"
She swallowed the dry lump in her throat and shrugged. "You could check with some of the staff if you want. They'd be the ones to go to about that kinda stuff. I'll be swamped when I get back to work."
"I think we're scheduled to come back to the East coast right after the baby comes," Paul mentioned to Steve. "I'll let you know though."

Stephanie thought that the stress caused by that morning's meal would send her into premature labor. She couldn't wait for it to be over. Just to avoid Steve, she took Deja out shopping with her. But before Stephanie could leave the house, Steve pulled her aside.
"Look, Steph...I can sense that you're kind of upset with me. I assume it's because of the other night when I came by. Honestly, I wasn't trying to show you up with that doll I gave to Deja," he said.

Show me up? she thought. The nerve of this guy was almost too much.
"I may have been a little too forward with you guys, so I apologize if I caused you any stress," he said, giving her his most sincere look of apology.

She wasn't quick to forgive him but the look in his eyes got to her. He seemed very sincere and was trying to regain her respect. They were neighbors and that wasn't going to change anytime soon, so Steph figured 'what the hell,' and just forgave him.
"Thanks, Steve. Apology accepted," she nodded at him, shaking hands. He smiled and sighed with relief.
"Thank you, Steph."

About three weeks later Steve had a house warming party. Stephanie and Paul had invited some of the neighbors so Steve could get to know them too. Steve had an in-ground pool put in the backyard and even a tire swing for Deja if she came by.

At the party everyone was out back enjoying themselves, drinking everything from Cosmopolitans to Bloody Mary's. They had a ton of food between Steve's barbeque and everything that the neighbors brought. Deja was over on the tire swing being pushed by Paul. It hung from a large and beautiful willow tree. Stephanie was watching her husband and daughter from several feet away, while she sat in a chair and gave her feet a rest. Deja was laughing in the most adorable way.

Steve walked up to Stephanie and glanced in the direction of her gaze. He smiled when he saw Deja and Paul. Handing her a lemonade, he asked, "Are you having a good time?"
Stephanie looked up at him and smiled, taking the lemonade. "Thank you. And yes, it's a great party. What about you, are you enjoying yourself?"
"I couldn't have asked for a better day, ya know?" said Steve, looking sincerely at her as he continued, "but seriously Steph, thanks for helping me put this together. You and Paul have been great friends."
Steph patted him on the forearm and smiled. "Steve, it's no problem, honestly. We were happy to do it. You've been so kind to us, and putting in that tire swing for Deja was really nice," she said.
"Well she is an angel," he told her, "How're you feeling, by the way?"

Stephanie sighed and began to rub her stomach. "I'm tired and my feet are killing me. But what do you expect when you're eight months pregnant, right?" she said, trying to force a little smile.
Steve looked at her sympathetically and put his hand on her shoulder for a moment. "You're a warrior, Steph. I hope Paul realizes that when you need a good foot massage," he chuckled.
"Paul's great to me," she smiled, "He's so attentive and compassionate. Don't worry, I'm in good hands."

Later that night Stephanie and Paul were laying in bed together. Paul had on Conan O'Brien and couldn't stop laughing at the man's jokes. Stephanie seemed distracted though, and she didn't laugh at things she usually would have. Paul glanced at her and saw his wife making an uncomfortable face. She was fidgeting around like she was trying to get comfortable.
"What's wrong, honey?" he asked, frowning.
Stephanie shook her head and looked confused as well. "I don't know, I just can't get comfortable."
"What's the matter, is the baby 'doin backflips again?" he asked, chuckling lightly.
She shook her head and sighed heavily. "No...but it does feel like I'm experiencing some of those Braxton Hicks contractions," she retorted.
Paul frowned even more and asked, "Isn't it kind of soon to get those?"
"Not necessarily," she replied, "you can get them as early as the end of the seventh month, Paul."

She looked at him and saw how concerned he was. Stephanie gave Paul a reassuring smile and touched his hand. "Don't worry," she said, "I'll live. Watch your show."
"You sure you don't need anything?"
"Positive," she grinned, as Paul turned his attention back on the television.

Ten minutes later Paul was cracking up from what Conan was saying, when Stephanie suddenly blurted out, "Okay, I'm not fine! My water just broke!"

Paul's head whipped around faster than Kirstie Alley's when someone yells "Donuts!"
"What?!" he exclaimed, glancing at the comforter, "you're water broke?!"
Steph nodded with a terrified and pained look on her face. "What am I gonna do? It's a whole month early, Paul! The baby's not ready t- -"

"OWWWW!" she cried out, when a sharp contraction interrupted her other sentence. Paul immediatly took her hand and let her squeeze it.
"Okay...um...uhh I'll call my sister and see if we can drop Deja off at her place on our way to the hospital," said Paul.
Stephanie shook her head and said through grit teeth, "Deja's asleep, we can't wake her up."
"Okay then we'll call my mom and have her come stay with Deja," he suggested.
"I don't think I'll be able to wait here that long, I'm not gonna make it!"

Paul felt his mind racing in a panick over what to do. Then something popped in his head. "I've got an idea!" he said. "We'll just call Steve! He would come here and stay with Deja until my mom gets here."

Stephanie was reluctant to the idea but she was in too much pain and panick to argue. "Call them," she said, breathing heavily and slowly getting out of bed so she could change. "NOW!"

Paul nodded and grabbed the phone. Steve was more than happy to come by. When he arrived, Paul was helping Stephanie into the car. "Gosh, I hope everything's alright with the baby," he said to Paul. "Don't worry about Deja, I'll take good care of her okay?"
"Thanks, Steve. We owe you one," said Paul, hopping in on the driver's side. "My mom should be here within the hour, she'll relieve you."
Steve nodded and watched them speed off to the hospital. He grinned to himself as he walked back inside the Levesque's home, and made himself comfortable on the couch with a Mike's Hard Lemonade.

Paul was still a few minutes away from the hospital, but Stephanie's contractions were only growing closer together. She was feverishly trying to do her lamaze. Paul was holding her hand and focusing on the road at the same time.
"Oh God, Paul, please hurry!" she begged him. "I can't make it much longer."
"Just breathe, honey!" he tried to get through to her, "Breathe and do not push."

Just as they were pulling up to the entrance of the emergency room, Stephanie let out a blood curdling wail. "Hang on, baby. I'm gonna get a wheelchair," he told her, parking the car in front.
"The baby's coming, Paul!" she cried in a panick.
"Breathe, keep breathing!" he called to her from the doors.

Within minutes, Stephanie was rushed up to labor and delivery. Her doctor was paged immediatly along with a team of nurses from neonatology, since the baby would be born a month premature. Steph was scared to death over her baby's health. Hell, Paul was too but he had to stay strong for his wife.

Dr. Sara Morales was Stephanie's obstetrician for both Deja and this baby. Stephanie trusted her completely and had grown quite close to her doctor. "I don't understand how this happened!" Stephanie sobbed to them. "I was doing everything right. It happened so fast..."
"You didn't do anything wrong, Stephanie," Morales told her. She glanced at the fetal moniter beside them and nodded assuringly. "The baby's heart rate looks good, and I'm estimating that it's already a good five or six pounds," she told them.
"That's good, right? Those are all good signs?" Stephanie whimpered.
"Those are fantastic vitals, sweetie!" Morales smiled at her, patting Steph's hand gently.

Another contraction, which may have been the worst one for Stephanie yet, ripped through her abdomen and zipped up her spine, causing her to cry out in excruciating pain. She clutched her stomach and squeezed the color right out of Paul's hand. He tried coaching her the best he could, but Paul was beginning to feel helpless. "That's it, baby. Just breathe in and out, come on now."

Dr. Morales checked Stephanie's progress and nodded at the medical team who were waiting behind her. She looked back at Stephanie as she draped a blue sheet over her lower abdomen and thighs.
"Stephanie, listen to me sweetie," she said, getting her attention. "You're fully dialated and one-hundred percent effaced. That means it's time to push, alright?"
Stephanie nodded and Paul helped her sit up a bit, so she could be in a better position for delivery.
"Okay, on this next contraction I want you to push," Morales told her.
"It's coming," Steph gasped, grabbing Paul's hand again and taking in a deep breath.
"Go ahead and push."

Stephanie began to push and felt the baby descending quickly.
"Push, honey!" Paul encouraged her. "Come on, Steph, you're doing great!"

Morales was watching the moniters closely to make sure neither Stephanie's or the baby's heart rate went down. "Okay, now take another breath," she said, "And then give me just a little push."

Stephanie pulled herself up with the aid of Paul's arm for leverage. He held her up in position and rubbed her lower back, all the while watching their baby slowly make its way into the world. Stephanie let out a scream while biting the bottom of her lip.
"Alright now stop pushing and just breathe," instructed her doctor, "deep breaths. Don't push, just bare down."

"Breathe, sweetheart. That's it," Paul whispered soothingly in her ear. He kissed her cheek and smiled at her. "I love you."
"I love you too," she sobbed, wincing again.
"The baby's head is out," said Morales, smiling up at Paul, "Paul, would you like to take a look?"
He nodded and stepped away from his wife for a quick moment. When he saw it, he covered his mouth in awe, and looked at Stephanie with a tear in his eye. "The baby's right there, honey," he nodded, "You're almost there."

Stephanie waved him back over frantically and grabbed hold of his hand as soon as he came.
"Here we go, Steph. One more time, push!" Morales told her.

Steph wailed as the pain overtook her body like a train at full speed. "I can't take it anymore!" she cried, laying back and panting.
"Come on, Steph. You're so close, just one more push," Paul told her. He kissed her sweaty forehead and started helping her back up, propping the pillows behind her.
"It's almost over, you can do this! Come on baby, push!" he coached. "Push!"

With one last horrific cry, Steph pushed until she felt a giant weight slip from her body. Her cries were then replaced by their baby's. Stephanie collapsed against the pillows and struggled to catch her breath. She was so relieved to hear the baby cry.
"What is it?" she asked Paul.
He glanced over at the small infant and smiled, wiping at his eyes and looking back at her. "It's a boy, honey!" he sniffled. "We got our boy."
"We have a son?" she laughed light-heartedly. He nodded at her with a giant grin on his face.
"Yeah!" he said, kissing her again. "See? I knew it was a boy!"

Stephanie smiled sweetly at him but was clearly exhausted. She looked at Morales and the team of doctors who were examining the baby in a warmer. "Sara, is he okay? Is the baby okay?" Steph asked her doctor.
"He looks healthy, sweetie. His color looked good and he was crying pretty good too," she nodded.
Stephanie looked at her husband and sighed with relief. He continued to hold her hand and rub the backside of it.

A couple of minutes later, a neonatologist came over to them to update the Levesque's on their son. "The baby's heart rate is excellent. He's five pounds and about nine ounces, nineteen inches long."
"So he's healthy then?" asked Paul.
"He's going to be just fine. His lungs are still a bit undeveloped so we'd like to keep him in the NICU for a few days and keep observation," he explained. "Other than that, you have a healthy baby."

Morales and the other doctor smiled at Paul and Stephanie, who looked relieved and thrilled at the same time.
"Can I hold him?" Stephanie asked.
"For just a minute or two. We need to take him to the NICU."
Steph nodded and a nurse brought the baby over to Paul. Then he handed their son over to his wife. He couldn't stop smiling and tears were pouring down Stephanie's face when she took the baby in her arms for the first time.
"I can't believe you're here!" she spoke to the infant. He was content in his mother's arms. Steph kissed his forehead gently and Paul kissed his temple.
"We've been waiting a long time for you, little man," Paul said.
Stephanie smiled at him. "I love you so much already," she laughed.

A nurse came over and politely said, "I'm sorry but we really must take him to the NICU now."
Steph looked up at her and nodded, sighing heavily to herself. She kissed the baby one last time before giving him to Paul, who did the same thing and then passed him to the nurse.

After much contemplation, Stephanie and Paul came up with the perfect name for their new son. But they were keeping it a secret from everyone until they returned home with him, and could have a more formal introduction for the baby.

When Paul went home to get some rest the next day, Steve had called from his house. Paul's mother had been with Deja for quite some time now.
"Paul, hey, how is Stephanie? Is the baby going to be alright?" he asked over the phone.
"Yeah, Steve. They're both fine, we had a boy," Paul replied, sounding exhausted as ever.

Steve was silent for a minute because he was trying to comprehend how everything could be normal after all that.
"Congratulations!" He tried sounding enthusiastic but Paul was too tired to notice any difference.
"Thanks. Listen man, it's been a long night for me and I gotta get some sleep so I can get back to the hospital later."
"Oh of course, I didn't mean to keep you. I just wanted to call and make sure things are well," Steve lied.

Paul hung up the phone a second later and went to bed. Steve went into his kitchen and opened the fridge. There was leftover food from the party they had had yesterday afternoon. He scanned the items and spotted the pitcher of lemonade that he had served Stephanie. He grunted to himself and took the pitcher out of the fridge, proceeding to dump the liquid out into the sink.

Almost a week after his birth, the baby was finally able to go home. Everyone was dying to know what his name was. Deja was very excited to have a baby brother, especially since this meant that she would remain daddy's little girl. She was standing on one of the couches in the front room, waiting for her parents to get home from the hospital.

Paul's mother came up to her and smiled, putting a hand on Deja's back. "Do you see their car yet, honey?" Patricia asked.
"No," Deja sighed, putting her hands on her cheeks and resting her elbows on the windowsill.
"They'll be here soon, don't you worry. You know Grandpa Gordon is down in the living room with your cousins. Why don't you go play with them while we wait?" she suggested. Paul's parents were there, along with his sister Lynn, and her two children Peter and Nayssa. Stephanie's family was traveling, but were sent pictures of the new baby, and her brother's wife had came by the hospital with her two sons.

Deja shook her head and said, "I want to stay here and wait for mommy."
Patricia smiled at her and nodded, patting her on the shoulder. "Okay, sweetie. I'll be in the kitchen with auntie Lynn if you need me."

A few minutes later, Deja spotted a red Hummer coming through the gates. She jolted off of the couch and began jumping up and down excitedly. "They're here, grandma! They're here! Come on!" she squealed.

Everyone came to the front where Deja was and laughed at how excited she was. "Let's wait for them to come inside, honey. It's a little chilly outside and they wouldn't want to keep the baby out for long," Lynn told Deja.

"Deja, do you think your mommy will let us play with the baby?" Nayssa asked.
"Maybe not right away, girls. The baby is still very small and fragile, so they probably want to wait awhile before letting you play with him," Lynn said to her daughter and niece. They looked at each other disappointedly and sighed.
"Aw man," they said. The adults smiled at them.

Stephanie and Paul were walking up the front porch. Steph was holding the baby in his carrier and Paul had their bags. "Okay, buddy here we are," Steph spoke to him, "ready to meet your big sister?"
Paul smiled at them. "Ma said she's been antsy all morning."

They walked inside and were greeted by numerous "Awe's" and words of congratulations.
Paul and Stephanie laughed a little and hugged everyone, but Deja pushed right through them and went up to her baby brother. "Is this my brother?" she asked.
"Yep," Steph giggled, "This is your little brother, sweetie. What do you think?"
Deja looked up at them and smiled. "I think he has a big nose like daddy!"

Everyone gasped at the little girl's blunt remark and burst out laughing. "Deja!" Stephanie exclaimed, trying to refrain from laughing anymore.
"Can I hold him?" she asked.
"In a few minutes, Dej. Let us get settled in first, alright?" said Paul. She nodded at him and followed the baby wherever he went.

"He's beautiful, you two!" Lynn said. "Congratulations."
"Thanks, sis," Paul smiled.
"Well don't keep us waiting another second!" Patricia pleaded with them, "What's this sweet boy's name?"
Stephanie and Paul exchanged blissful smiles with each other. She glanced down at the baby and then carefully picked him up. "Everyone, we would like you to meet our newest addition to the family: Rylan Paul McMahon Levesque."

Cheers of excitement filled the room and Deja was smiling so big that every tooth was showing.
"Hi, Rylan!" Paul's mother smiled, running her fingers gently down one of his arms. He was quite tiny compared to what his sister had been when they brought her home from the hospital.

The day was a very happy one for the Levesque family, but it was also very tiring. Everyone left early so Paul and Stephanie could get some rest, and they could spend some quality time with Deja and Rylan.

It had been a week since Stephanie and Rylan came home from the hospital. Paul had taken his leave earlier than expected but he would return to work earlier than expected as well. He was concentrating on his family now. Nobody had seen Steve since the night that Stephanie went into labor. But the Levesque's were clearly too preoccupied with their new son to notice.

Stephanie was about to give Deja a bath upstairs one evening, when the doorbell rang. She sighed and walked to the front door with Rylan in her arms.
"Oh," she said, upon opening the door, "hi Steve."
"Hello, Stephanie," he smiled.
She looked at him as if he were there to get something and then leave. "What's going on?" she asked him.
"For me? Nothing," he chuckled, "but I haven't heard from you guys since last weekend, I was getting worried."

Steph cleared her throat and gave him a strange look. She was trying to make it obvious that she was busy when he arrived. "Worried? Steve, we just had a baby. Babies take up an awful lot of your time when they're first born, especially when there's a hyper four year old added to the equation," she retorted.
"Of course, I understand. I spoke to Paul about a week ago over the phone. He told me the good news," Steve smiled, glancing at Rylan, "Is this him?"
"No, this is a stunt baby," Steph joked, then laughed, "yes, it's him. This is Rylan."

She looked down at her sleeping baby boy and smiled, running her hand gently across his head. "Why don't you come in for a minute? I don't want Rylan catching a draft with this door open," said Steph. Steve walked inside without hesitation and looked around.
"Where are the other half?" he asked.
"Oh damn, I forgot I was going to get Deja in the bath," Steph said, more to herself than him. She walked in further and called to her husband, "Paul, can you get Deja in the tub for me? I'm talking to the neighbor and I've got Rylan."
"Sure, babe," he responded from downstairs.

Paul came up from the basement and smiled at Steve as he passed by him. "How 'ya doin, Steve?"
"Good to see you again, Paul."

Stephanie let out a heavy and tiring sigh, making her way to the couch. "Want to sit for a minute?" she asked.
"Sure," he said, taking a seat next to her on the couch. She found it to be rather odd.
"So everything's alright with the baby, I take it?" he asked.
"Thank God," Steph nodded. She looked at Rylan with thankful eyes. "His lungs were a bit under-developed at first but he was a trooper. Just like his daddy, Ry's a strong one."

She looked up at Steve and smiled. He forced a smile on his face and then glanced down at the infant who had miraculously survived his premature birth. I should have given her that stuff sooner, Steve thought to himself.
"How long is Paul taking off for?" he asked.
"Well he's only doing shows that are in driving distance of the house, but right now he's off the schedule for a month," she said.
"It's hard enough dealing with one small child by yourself, but I can't imagine handling two alone," Steve commented, making Stephanie look at him strangely.
After a pause, she told him, "Steve, I'm not "by myself." Paul has a job but that doesn't mean he neglects his job as a husband or a father."
"Well yes, but I mean it will be tough when he goes back on the road."
"Not necessarily. In fact, the summer is just about here so we were thinking that we would take the kids on the road with us for awhile. We want to wait until Rylan is a little older though, and Paul has that time off, so it works out perfectly."

Steve's mind was racing. Was she seriously considering leaving town? His plan was already hindered now that Stephanie and Paul's baby had pulled through, but this would only further complicate the situation.
"Is it safe for the children?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.
Stephanie laughed. "Of course it is. We would never risk our kids' safety, Steve, come on. A lot of the guys travel with their children during the summertime. Deja loves it because our friends Mark and Sara have a little girl just about her age."
"Who will watch them when you're both working shows and such?"

Stephanie couldn't fathom why Steve was asking so many questions. He was acting like her father or something.
"We have a nanny for that," Steph told him, "But my whole family is there too so someone is always free to watch the kids."

Steve was beginning to make Stephanie feel uncomfortable. She decided it was time for him to leave. Luckily the baby started fussing and she was able to go off of that.
"I should probably go help Paul," said Stephanie, "I still gotta get Deja to bed and feed him one more time before putting him down."
"Oh okay, I'll show myself out," Steve said.

She had never been so relieved to hear those words. When he left, Stephanie took Rylan upstairs and found Paul goofing around with Deja in the bathroom. She was in her little terrycloth bath robe and being tickled by her daddy. Stephanie smiled and stood in the doorway, adjusting Rylan in her arms.
"What are you two goofballs doing in here?" she asked.
Paul turned his head and smiled at his wife. "We're just being silly," he said, "How's the little guy doing?"
"He's sleepy but I have to wake him up soon for his feeding."

Deja walked over to her mother and stood on her tip toes. "Can I give Rylan a kith, mommy?" she asked.
"Of course you can," Steph smiled, bending down to Deja's height, while carefully cradling Rylan.

Deja kissed his forehead and Rylan sighed contently. He wrinkled his nose a little but his eyes remained closed. "Night night, baby Rylan," whispered Deja.
Stephanie and Paul exchanged soft smiles, both nearly getting a tear in their eye. "That's very sweet, honey," said Steph, smiling at her daughter.

Stephanie and Paul tucked Deja in bed together, and then Steph went into the nursery where she liked to sit and feed Rylan in the rocking chair. Paul changed into some pajama pants and joined them in the nursery.
He smiled and came over to them. "Boy does he like to eat," Paul said.
Stephanie grinned and replied, "I wonder where he gets it from?"
"Hey honey, if I were getting fed the way he does right now, I'd cry all day long just so I could get more," said Paul, grinning like his cocky character on T.V..
Stephanie slapped his bicep and shook her head. "You're a little pervert," she laughed.

Steve's phone rang that night around eleven. He was still up, thinking about what Stephanie had said earlier. He glanced at the caller ID and groaned as he picked up the phone.
"What do you want, Candice?"
"Nice to hear from you too, Stephen," she sarcastically retorted.
"Sorry, but it's eleven o'clock at night. I've had a rough day."
"Does your rough day have anything to do with Stephanie McMahon?" she asked.
He shook his head and knew what she was getting at.

"Why are you calling?" he changed the subject.
"You never told me if your little plan worked. It's been like two weeks, Stephen!" she whined.
"I gave her the lemonade at the party. And it worked. Paul called me up that night, asking if I would stay with Deja for awhile."
"And?"
"And they had a boy," he paused, then raised his voice, "who spent a few days in an incubator and was then RELEASED!"
"Damnit!" she hissed, "I thought you said that stuff worked, Johnson!"
"It does work! But you were the one who kept wanting to wait on using it. If I had used that shit a month earlier, they wouldn't be one happy family over there right now."

Candice thought for a moment and then sighed with dismay. "Well...what are we going to do now?" she asked.
"We're gonna stick to our original plan but change a few things around, since there is a baby in the picture," he told her.
"One question, really quick," she requested, "Who does the little guy look like? Is it Paul?"
"No," Steve grunted, "Just like his mother, only his eyes are hazel."

Candice wasn't pleased about that, especially if she would eventually be helping raise these kids. She would make Paul her own if it was the last thing she did. And Steve was willing to go the same lengths to get Stephanie.

"Look, I'll do my part here in New Hampshire," said Steve, "you just worry about Paul and whatever happens on the road. They're planning to bring the kids along with them for part of the summer."
"Oh that's just great! Can't you talk them out of it? They trust you...right?" said Candice.
"I can only do so much, Candice!" he spat at her. He was beginning to feel frustrated and her sense of panick was no help.
"You better get your head on straight, Stephen," she warned him, "because if you mess this up again, we can both kiss our future mates goodbye!"

She hung up on him after that, leaving Steve furious. He slammed the phone back on the hook and stormed out of the room.

_GA_googleAdEngine.createDOMIframe('google_ads_div_Thread_Top_Medium_Rectangle' ,'Thread_Top_Medium_Rectangle'); A couple of nights later, Steve was sitting in his front room thinking about what Candice had said to him. When he glanced out the window, a large figure from across the street caught his glimpse. He sat up straighter and peered out into the darkness. It only took a moment for him to figure out that it was Paul, getting into his Hummer.

Steve glanced at the clock to his left and frowned. It was half past two in the morning. Where could he be going this late? He could only hope that Paul and Stephanie had gotten into a big fight, allowing him to execute his fake sympathy after dawn arrived.

It was killing him; Steve had to know why his neighbor was leaving in the middle of the night. He went outside and walked across the street. Paul saw his shadow walking towards him, and he squinted to get a better look.
“Steve?” he asked, frowning in confusion. “What’re you doing out here so late?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing,” Steve said, giving off a fake smile. “I’m always up this late; I have trouble sleeping at night. I just got worried when I saw someone in your driveway. I thought it might be a burglar until I realized it was you.”
Paul chuckled and said, “We have plenty of security to ensure that doesn’t happen, Steve. But I appreciate your looking out for us.”

Looking out for him? Steve thought, restraining himself from making a disgusted face.
“So why are you out this time of night? Don’t you have a newborn waking up and needing your attention every few hours?” Steve asked, chuckling in a rather derogatory way.
Paul sighed and looked up towards the bedroom windows. He nodded, “Actually that’s why I’m about to leave. We’re out of diapers, I told Steph I’d run out and get a couple packs before Rylan wakes up again.”
“How generous,” Steve replied, “It’s nice of you to let the wife get some sleep.”
“She’s the one who gave birth to him without a moment’s notice,” Paul shrugged, then smiled, “it’s the least I could do, you know?”

Steve nodded and sighed as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Well, I better be going back home then. Careful ‘drivin out there,” he said.
Paul was still smiling as he hopped into his vehicle. “Sure thing. Thanks, Steve. Night!”

Steve walked back to his house and watched Paul drive off. He glanced up towards the sky at a full moon, and then heard a little click in his mind. A sadistic grin spread across his face. His own words had just designed the perfect plan.

The first thing he did was to go inside and call Candice on her cell phone. She picked up and sounded groggy. It was obvious she had been sleeping. “Hmm?” she mumbled, her face buried halfway into her pillow.
“Candice, there’s going to be some new developments to our plan tonight. Paul went out to get diapers,” said Steve.
An angry and crabby voice retorted, “Steve, what the hell is wrong with you? It’s nearly three in the morning, you dumbass! So what if he’s buying Goddamn diapers?!”
Steve rolled his eyes and said, “Just trust me and be prepared to answer ANY phone calls you might get in the next few hours.”

Candice had absolutely no clue what Steve was talking about. And frankly, she was too exhausted to care. She muttered something in response and then hung up.

Steve hung up and grinned to himself, slowly setting the phone back on its receiver. Sorry, Stephanie, he thought to himself, but Rylan won’t be getting his diapers when he wakes up.

An hour after Paul left the house, Rylan woke up hungry and fussy. Stephanie fed him in the nursery and was surprised to see that Paul was still gone. She sat in their bed, cradling Rylan and waiting for her husband to return. It was only a matter of time before the baby would need to be changed. Deja woke up from the baby’s cries and wandered into her parents’ bedroom.

Stephanie looked over and saw her daughter walking in. She smiled at the sleepy little girl who was rubbing her eyes, and clinging to her princess Build-a-Bear.
“What’s the matter, sweetie?” Stephanie asked her.
“I heard Rylan crying,” she said, sounding only half away. Stephanie smiled and patted the sheets next to her.

Deja climbed up on their king-sized bed and curled up by her mother. “Where’th daddy?” she asked, looking behind her at Paul’s pillow.
“He went out to get some more diapers. We ran out of them.”
Deja yawned and looked at her baby brother. “Ith he theeping yet?” she asked.
Stephanie looked down at the infant who seemed content now. She nodded and replied, “Yeah, I think he is, honey.”

“Do you want to stay in the bed with me until daddy comes home?” Stephanie asked. Deja nodded and stuck her thumb in her mouth.

The little girl was exhausted because she fell back to sleep almost right away. Stephanie kept Rylan in her arms, expecting Paul to return home any minute. She also loved the feeling of having a tiny newborn in her arms again. But after another half hour of waiting, Stephanie began to worry about Paul.

She glanced at the clock and sighed, before picking up the phone and dialing his cell. It rang and rang but Paul never answered. “Damn it, Paul,” she whispered. “Where are you?”
A few minutes later the phone rang, alarming Stephanie a bit. She grabbed it before it could wake up Deja. “Hello?” she answered quietly, glancing at both her children.
“Stephanie Levesque?” a voice said.
“Yes…who is this?”
“I’m calling from the emergency room at St. Joseph’s Hospital. We’ve just been notified that your husband was in a car wreck tonight, I’m afraid,” the woman said.
Stephanie gasped and immediately asked, “How bad?”
“We’re not sure yet, ma’am. He’s on his way here now by ambulance, so we’ll need for you to come down, in case anything needs to be signed,” she explained.
“Yes…of course. I’ll be right over, thank you for notifying me.”

Stephanie hung up and instantly dialed her mother-in-law’s phone number. “Hi, mom, it’s Steph. I’m sorry to be bothering you so late again…well, actually no. I’m not sure. Paul got into a fender bender when he ran out to buy diapers, so I have to go down to the hospital,” she lied, not wanting to upset his mother by acting frantic. “I’m sure he’s fine…that’d be great. Okay, thanks. See you soon.”

She hung up and sighed, placed Rylan in his bassinet, and threw on some clothes. As soon as Patricia arrived, Stephanie left for the hospital and prayed for her husband’s health the entire way there.

After parking her car at the nearest spot available, Stephanie rushed into the emergency room and asked someone at the front desk, “I’m looking for my husband, Paul Levesque. Someone called me and said that he was being brought here via ambulance.”
The older woman with glasses checked her computer and asked, “Your name, please?”
“Stephanie Levesque,” she replied, tapping her foot impatiently.
“Alright, Mrs. Levesque, they just brought him in. Why don’t you fill out these forms for us, and I’ll get a doctor to come speak with you?”
Steph nodded and sighed as she grabbed the clip board and found a seat.

Stephanie had gone as far as filling out her first and middle name on the forms, and then she just could not focus anymore. She needed to know if Paul was okay and what his condition was. She sighed heavily and placed the clipboard on the empty chair next to her. Then it seemed as though her eyes remained fixated on the double swinging doors that led to the emergency room.

She waited nearly twenty minutes before a doctor came out to speak with her. Her stomach felt sick, fearing the news was not good since it had taken so long for someone to come out. Folding her hands down and in front of her body, Stephanie drew in a deep breath and looked at the doctor.
"I'm Stephanie Levesque," she told him, "Paul Levesque is my husband. He was- -"
"Oh yes, the car accident victim who was just brought in," the doctor finished her sentence. She just lowered her head sadly and nodded.
"Um, what is his condition?" she asked, holding back her tears.
"Mrs. Levesque, according to the police it looks like your husband may have been hit by a drunk driver, and the driver must have been unharmed because he or she fled the scene," he explained. "They haven't found the other driver yet."
Stephanie shook her head and whispered to herself, "I knew I shouldn't have sent him out to get those diapers!"

The doctor looked at Stephanie emphatically and explained, "Paul has suffered a mild concussion, two broken ribs, and a dislocated shoulder. We may be able to pop that shoulder into place tonight, but he should try not to put weight on it until he goes for a follow-up."
"So he's going to be alright?"
"Yes, with some good rest and a few painkillers, he should be fine," the man in the white jacket assured her. "He also has some bruising and a few minor laserations. He'll be sore for awhile and we'd like to keep him here until the afternoon, just to be on the safe side."

Stephanie nodded and felt a wave of relief come over her. It was nearly four in the morning now and Rylan would be waking up for another feeding soon. She couldn't remember if she had made up any bottles for him in the past couple of days. Patricia would call her if there was a problem.
"Is it alright if I see him now?" Stephanie asked.
"Sure, follow me."

He led her to a single private room in the recovery wing. A nurse was in the room checking his vitals and distributing medication into his IV. When Paul looked over and saw Stephanie coming in, a tired yet very big smile crossed his lips. She quickly went to him and gently hugged him around the neck, being careful of the ribs.
"Oh my God, baby I was so worried!" she cried. "I can't believe this happened, I'm so sorry for sending you out this time of night."
"Shh, don't go getting yourself all upset now, Steph," said Paul, "I'm a tough guy, I can hack this. It isn't your fault, sweetheart."
Stephanie sighed and shook her head, taking his hand in hers. "Are you in a lot of pain still?"
Paul began to chuckle but then winced at the pain it brought to his broken ribs.

Stephanie winced for him and said, "Oh, be careful."
He nodded and replied, "I'm hurting a little bit but I expected as much."

She smiled weakly at him and caressed his cheek. "Your mom is at the house with the kids. They said you can go home later in the afternoon today," Steph told him.
"Good, I wouldn't want to stay that long in this damn place anyways. Is Rylan doing okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, he seemed pretty good when I left. I'm sure when he wakes up for his six A.M. feeding, he'll miss his daddy," she smiled at him.

Paul smiled too but he felt bad that he wouldn't be there when his kids woke up.
"What do you think my mom will tell Deja?" asked Paul, knowing that Stephanie wouldn't want to leave his side until they released him.
"I still have to call her and let her know that you're alright," said Stephanie, "but she'll be gentle with Deja and make sure she knows that you're fine. Plus you're coming home today anyways."
"That's true. Well, I hope she doesn't give Mom too much of a hard time," Paul grinned.

Steph began twiddling her thumbs in her lap, and glanced up at Paul while biting her bottom lip. "They told me that it might have been a drunk hit-and-run. But the police don't have a suspect right now."
Paul shrugged and groaned as he laid his head back against the pillow. "Hopefully the guilt will get the best of the guy, and he'll turn his own sorry ass in," he muttered.
"Did you get a look at the car or anything like that?" Steph asked.
Paul looked at her funny and sighed, yawning loudly. "Honey, I'm tired as hell right now. I barely saw that car coming."

Stephanie nodded and looked down at her lap again. She could tell that the medicine was kicking in, by the way Paul was acting. She kissed his cheek and rubbed the top of his head, smiling at him with those big and sweet blue eyes. "Try and get some rest then. I might catch a few winks myself on that cot thing over there," she nodded towards the window.
Paul smiled and gave her a soft nod. "You should, Steph. It won't do any good if we're both logs when we go home."

She gave him one more smile before he closed his eyes. Stephanie sat at his bedside for several minutes before feeling her own exhausted system kick in. Then she dragged herself over to the cot and fell asleep.

The morning that followed Paul's accident, the entire WWE staff seemed to be in chaos. There was so much buzz about what had happened, aside from changing that night's house show in a matter of hours. Stephanie, of course, did not come to the office that day and they all knew she would stay with Paul until they released him.

Candice arrived at the arena early so she could get a light work-out in, when she noticed the frenzy of people inside the building, and continuous chatter about something that had to be big. She walked up to Torrie Wilson, a good friend of Steph's, and asked her, "What's all the buzz?"
Torrie sighed heavily and looked at Candice with sad looking eyes. "Paul got into a car accident last night," she told her.
Candice covered her mouth with her hand and gasped. She had no idea that Steve would go this far to get what he wanted. She had even thought about the way they had conspired to drug Stephanie's lemonade, and began to realize how cruel and sadistic that idea was. "That's horrible! Is it bad?" she asked Torrie.
"All that I can tell you is that he stayed overnight in the hospital, and they're supposedly releasing him later today. So it can't be too bad if he gets to go home that early," she shrugged.


Candice nodded and looked down at the floors. "Thanks," she muttered, before walking away. It all began to sink in to Candice now; What she and Steve were doing was incriminating behavior, not to mention wreckless and out of their minds. So before Candice did any work that day, she put a call into her "good friend" Steve to set the record straight.
"Hey sweet cheeks, how is it over there this morning?" Steve snickered to Candice over the phone.
"I want out."
"What?"
"You heard me. I'm through, I can't do this anymore. I can't believe you would go as far as trying to run Paul off of the road!" she snarled.
"Lighten up, Candice! I didn't kill the guy and besides, I thought you wanted me to go the extra mile?"
"I never suggested a hit-and-run, you sonofabitch!"
"Whoa...you need to calm down. Paul is fine. In fact, he's coming home today. Maybe you should send him a get well card," he chuckled.
"Listen closely Stephen...I am through! Paul and Stephanie love each other and no one, not even you or I can break the bond there is between them. I'm moving on with my life and I'll find a guy who I actually have a chance with! I suggest you do the same."

Before Steve could say anything back, Candice hung up on him. He slammed the phone down and glanced out the window, towards the Levesque home. His eyes narrowed angrily and he thought, This is far from over, Candice. I'm going to make Stephanie mine one way or another.

Stephanie was very cautious and attentive to Paul as she helped him into the house. He was so glad to be out of that crowded hospital but his patience was running thin. The medication he was on had made him a little edgy.
"Okay, just stand over here. Let me open the door first, take it slow," Steph was saying to him.
Paul snapped, "Steph! I'm not a damn quadriplegic, okay? I can walk inside my house on my own."

Steph's head flew back around as she stared at him, shocked to say the least. Whenever he snapped at her it intimidated her. She knew it would be stupid to tear up over something so small, but his tone took her by surprise.
"Sorry..." she whispered, hanging her head and going for the door handle.
Paul glanced back up at her and sighed heavily. Her body language was proof enough that he had upset her. "Stephanie, come over here."

She stopped and stood frozen for a moment, and then turned around to face him. Paul stood only an inch away from her and took his wife's hands in his. "Honey, I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'm not used to being vulnerable. You know me, I hate being like this when I'm hurt."
Stephanie looked at him and smiled slightly. "I understand," she said, "I'm just worried and anxious about Deja to seeing you like this."
"Everything will be fine," he assured her, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand.

They smiled at each other before walking in the house together. Deja ran to the foyer as soon as she heard the door click.
"Mommy! Daddy!" she squealed, leaping into her mother's arms.
Stephanie and Paul smiled at her and kissed her on each cheek. "Hi, princess! Were you good for your grandma and grandpa, and auntie Lynn?" Steph asked.
"Yup! I even made daddy a get well card!"

Paul smiled at his daughter and hugged her gently. He wanted so badly to take her in his arms, but his ribs and his shoulder were in no condition for that. "That's very sweet of you, angel. I missed you like crazy!"
Deja turned to him with a smile but it quickly faded when she saw how banged up he was. The look on her face was a frightened one. "Daddy...you're thill hurt!" she cried, looking at Stephanie with a quivering lip.

Paul sighed and looked down at the floor for a moment. "Honey, Daddy is fine. He just has some owwies from his accident," Stephanie tried to explain to the little girl, as she sat down on a couch with her. Paul made his way over to them and sat down on the other side of Deja. He rubbed her back to calm her down and explained, "It looks worse than it really is, baby girl. I won't lie to you, I am sore from everything. But the doctors gave me medicine to help me, and they made sure that everything was one-hundred percent better before sending me home again."
Deja looked up at the man she had always said was her hero, and finally cracked a shy smile. He could see that she was still uneasy about the whole situation. "Tell you what," said Paul, "how about you be my nurse until I get all better? You can make sure I do what it takes to make these cuts go away, and help mommy with me and your baby brother?"
That put a bigger smile on her face. Deja nodded and glanced at her mother who was smiling back at her. "Would you like that, Deja?" Steph asked.
"Yeah, I wanna fix daddy tho he geth all better!" she said.

Paul grinned and then carefully pulled her over to his lap. He hugged and kissed his daughter who was sure to be extra gentle with him. "Thank you, sweetie," he whispered. "Do you want to show me that card you made now?"
She smiled and nodded, hopping down from his lap and running into the kitchen. Paul allowed Stephanie to help him up again and then walked with her to the kitchen. He stopped on their way there and Steph turned around and frowned. "Baby, are you alright?"
Paul smiled and nodded at her, gently pulling her over to him. He kissed her lips tenderly and stroked some of her blondish-brown hair. "I love you," he whispered. "Do you believe me?"
Stephanie grinned and said, "I believe you."

About three weeks after Paul's accident, he and Stephanie took the kids to a nearby house show. It would be Rylan's very first show, but Stephanie and Paul were not allowing the crew to film their children. Since his doctor had told him not to compete for 6 weeks, Paul was just going to cut a promo out in the ring with Shawn Michaels. The fans would go crazy and the WWE would get a good review for the night.

The Levesque's were in Paul and Stephanie's private dressing room with Shawn, who happened to be Deja's godfather. "Daddy, can I go out there and play with you and uncle Shawn?" Deja asked.
The men chuckled and Paul knelt down in front of her. "I'm sorry, sweetie," he began, gently stroking her cheek. "But we're not going to the ring to play. We have to put on a little show for the audience. Maybe tomorrow morning I'll take you to the office and we can play around where the training guys do."
"No way, Paul. She is not getting into a ring with a bunch of trainers around, it's too dangerous," Stephanie declared.
"I'm not an idiot, Steph. I was going to let her run around in the ring when the room isn't in use," he looked at her, before turning back to Deja. "What do you say?"
"Okay," she nodded, then retorting with a frown, "but Daddy?"
"Yeah baby?"
"What ith an audith-ienth?" she asked.

Shawn chuckled from where he was standing, and Paul just smiled at his curious daughter. "The fans are the audience, honey. The people who come to these shows to see Daddy wrestle."
"Oh."

A staff worker knocked on their door and peeked his head in, warning them, "You're on in two minutes, DX."
"Thanks," they nodded at him.

"Well, Hunter?" said Shawn, picking up his goddaughter and tossing her over his shoulder, "should we head out there and throw this little rugrat around for fun?"
Deja screamed and kicked her feet, punching her godfather's back with her tiny little fists. "No!" she howled, her tone shrieking like Stephanie sometimes did.
Paul turned halfway around and rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's go before the cue managers have a coronary."
"Put me down!" Deja screamed once more, before Shawn set her back on her feet.

Deja ran to Stephanie who was on the couch, feeding a bottle to Rylan, and curled up at her side. She stared down her godfather and her daddy suspiciously. Steph sighed and shook her head at them, and put her arm around Deja. "Stop teasing my little princess, Michael Hickenbottom," Steph warned.

A snickering little giggle erupted from Deja's mouth. She found Shawn's real last name to be hilarious, as most children would. Stephanie laughed and winked at her daughter, while Paul gave them all a quick kiss goodbye. Shawn just gave Stephanie a playful glare. Then the two men left to do their promo.

About an hour later Stephanie and Paul were packing up what they had brought, and were preparing to go home when there was a knock at their door. "Come in," Paul said. The door opened and in walked Candice Michelle. Stephanie and Paul looked up and smiled at her. "Hey Candice," said Stephanie.
"Hi, Steph," she smiled shyly. "Hey, Hunter."

Paul nodded at her and smiled. "What's up?" he asked, zipping up Rylan's diaper bag.
"I was hoping I could speak to you guys a minute?"
"Sure," nodded Steph, securing the straps on Rylan's carrier.

Candice looked over and suddenly gasped at the sight of him. "Oh my gosh! Is that the new baby?"
Paul smiled and Stephanie giggled dismissively. "Yeah, this is him. Our little Rylan," she announced proudly.
Candice walked closer and knelt down to get a better look at the sleeping infant. "He is absolutely gorgeous, you guys!" she gushed.
"Thank you."

Stephanie glanced at Deja who was asleep on the couch. She smiled before turning to Candice again, and asked her, "So what did you want to talk to us about?"
Returning to a more serious mood, Candice stood up and sighed heavily. "I came here to give you a heads up."
"About what?" Paul frowned.
"It's your neighbor, Steve Robertson."
"Robertson? Our neighbor's last name is Johnson," Steph told her.
"That's what he told you, but it was a lie. Everything you think you know about him is a lie."

Stephanie shook her head in confusion and asked, "Wait a minute, I'm confused here. What are you talking about?"
Candice took a deep breath and prepared to tell them something that could possibly end her career. "I know who the real Steve Johnson is. And the man living across the street from you is dangerous. You're not going to like what I have to say," she continued, "but you deserve to know the truth."

By the time Candice got done explaining the horrific truth, Stephanie and Paul were in a frozen state of shock. They looked at each other for a moment and Stephanie's jaw remained wide open. She looked at her precious daughter who was still asleep beside them.

"I'm so sorry, you guys. I should have said something sooner but Steve can be very intimidating," said Candice. She had left out the part about her involvement with the scandal.

Stephanie's eyes shifted until they were fixated directly on Candice. "Yes, you should have. How could you keep this information to yourself, knowing for so long that this was going on?" Steph asked, showing her betrayed feelings.

All Candice could do was look down at the floor in shame. "I wish I had a logical excuse, Stephanie. I really do. But Steve is a dangerous man; I was afraid that if I told you what he was up to, that he would come after me too."

Sighing heavily to herself, Steph squeezed her husband's hand for support. "Well, I can understand that," she admitted, before looking over at her infant son. Her facial expressions saddened once again and she asked Candice, "He put something in that lemonade I drank too, didn't he?"

"I think so," Candice sighed. "He didn't want anything else to interfere with his plan."

Steph glanced at her husband with tears in her eyes. He sighed and nodded at her, showing her that he understood how she felt right now. Paul rubbed her back in gentle circles and kept his arm around her waist.

"I don't understand," Stephanie began to sob, "Why would anyone want to be so cruel to an innocent child? We almost lost our son because of him!"

"Baby," Paul tried to calm her, "I agree with you but the important thing is that Rylan is healthy and safe now."

"Thank God," Stephanie nodded.

Candice stood there feeling highly uncomfortable. "Please don't tell Steve that I told you anything. There's no way of telling what else he is capable of. I'll help you as much as I can, but he cannot know that I told you," she begged the couple. "You can fire me if you want to...I'd understand. I probably deserve it."

Stephanie looked at her husband first and then sighed. She returned her gaze to Candice and said, "Well, you didn't have to come to us about this and risk your job. But you did and that means a lot to me."

Candice smiled a little but still she felt guilty. "Don't worry, Candice. I'm not going to take your job away from you," Stephanie assured her.

"Thank you, Stephanie," Candice sighed with relief. "Thank you both. And again, I can't tell you how sorry I am for everything."

"Apology excepted," Paul nodded, then looking at his wife, "We should probably get the kids home so they can sleep in their own beds."

Stephanie nodded in agreement and stood up, brushing the front of her pants off a little. She extended her hand to Candice and shook it firmly. Paul did the same. "Thanks again," they said.

"I'll keep you posted," said Candice.

Stephanie and Paul grabbed their bags and then brought the kids to the car. Deja stirred in her father's arms and made a noise. "Shh, go back to sleep, kiddo. We're going home now," he whispered to her.

After getting in the driver's seat of their car, Paul looked over at his wife and sighed heavily. She was still so distraught over this situation. "Paul..." she began, in a timid voice, "I don't feel safe going back there right now. Not with him so close by."

"I had a feeling you would say that." He paused. "Alright, we'll do this; I'll take us to my parents' house for tonight, until we can figure out a better plan. How does that sound?"

She nodded and smiled at him weakly. "Alright."

Paul reached out and covered her hand with his. "Don't worry, Steph. I won't let anything happen to you or our kids. I love you too much to let this guy destroy our lives."

She smiled at him and said, "I know that, Paul. I love you too."

Deja yawned heavily as her mother pulled the covers up to her waist, and smiled down at her little girl.
"Mommy, why are we thaying at Nana'th tonight? We theep at home when Daddy hath work."
Stephanie sighed and rubbed Deja's arm, answering her, "I know we do, sweetheart, but there are some things going on by our house that we shouldn't get too close to right now."
More like someone they should not get close to. Stephanie knew that Deja was smarter than people gave her credit for. She was probably sensing that there was a bigger reason than what her mother told her.
"Alright, do you want to know the truth?" Stephanie asked, as Deja nodded her head. "I thought so."
Stephanie drew in a deep breath and began to explain the situation in a more kid-friendly way. "You know our neighbor, Mr. Johnson?"
Again, she nodded. "Well, a friend of your daddy and I knows him very well, and it turns out that he is not the nicest man."
"How come?"
"It's complicated, honey. But Mr. Johnson has been lying to us and we don't tolerate that, do we?"
Deja grinned and shook her head, "Nope! He gotta get punished!"
Steph giggled and nodded in agreement. "You're probably right on that one, but until somebody does take action of the situation, Daddy and I think it is better for us to stay here where we know we'll be safe. Do you understand a little better now?" she asked.
"Yeah," Deja shrugged, snuggling up to her princess Build-a-Bear. That was a sign that she was ready to go to sleep, so Stephanie kissed her on the forehead one last time before turning out the light.
"Alright, good then. You go to sleep now and don't worry about a thing. Daddy and I would never let anything happen to you or Rylan," Stephanie promised her daughter, "If you need us, we're just across the hall."
"Okay, mommy. Night night!"
Stephanie smiled sweetly and ruffled back Deja's hair. "Goodnight, baby."
After leaving the night light on and shutting Deja and Rylan's door ajar, Stephanie wandered across the hall to where her husband was. He pulled a shirt over his head as she walked in, and smiled at her curiously. "Are the kids okay with everything?"
"Content as ever," Steph grinned, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his muscular figure. Paul kissed the top of her nose and whispered, "Excellent."
Stephanie giggled and welcomed Paul's lips, as they engaged in a passionate kiss. "As much as I want to right now, we are not having sex in your parents house, especially with them sleeping a door away from us," Stephanie told him. Paul began to pout like a small child and let his shoulders sink in disappointment.
"Oh, fine!" he groaned. "But we'll be making up for loss time when my parents are not around, Mrs. Levesque."
Stephanie grinned seductively at her husband and playfully grabbed at his ass. "Sounds like fun to me."
Paul shook his head as he walked over to the bed. "Tease," he kidded.
As she was sliding under the covers next to Paul, Stephanie felt the need to tell him, "I told Deja why we had to come here."
Paul quirked an eyebrow at her and asked, "Steph, are you sure that was a good idea? She's pretty young to be dealing with something like this."
"Don't worry. All I told her was that Steve was not such a nice guy, and that you and I felt it would be safer for us to be here for the time being," Steph assured him. Paul nodded in understanding, agreeing that she had chosen the right words when explaining things.
"Speaking of that, what are we going to do about that sonofabitch?" Paul asked, anger evident in his tone of voice.
"We are going to the police first thing tomorrow, after breakfast when your parents can watch the kids. I already spoke with them about it, and they said it was fine."
"Great because I wouldn't feel right about bringing two small children to a police station. I want them to be as sheltered from the situation as possible," he said.
"I agree, which is why I asked them," Steph smiled at him, getting one in return. "I just hope that there's something they can do for us. We'll have to find proof that he drugged my lemonade at the barbeque. Candice's allegations will not convince the cops, unfortunatly."
"Well, they'd be stupid not to realize the truth. I mean, you drank that lemonade and felt fine beforehand. And by nightfall you were in labor. You weren't due for over four weeks, Steph."
"I know that, but the system sucks, Paul. What else can we do?"
"You're right, I know," he nodded. "Let's just try and get some sleep for right now, okay? We'll worry about all of this in the morning."

　

Stephanie and Paul had breakfast with the kids the following morning, and then left them with Paul's parents while the couple went to talk with police. While they were in the car a light bulb went off in Stephanie's mind.

Paul noticed her changing expression and raised his eyebrows at her, curiously. "What's wrong?"
Stephanie looked to her husband and said, "I just remembered something; Mark's brother is a cop."
Paul could only frown and ask her, "Mark who?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes, "Mark Calaway. Remember he told us when Sara was having problems with that crazy fan?"
"Oh yeah," he nodded, "But what does that got to do with us?"

Stephanie sighed as she looked out the window. "I guess it doesn't. He's stationed in Texas, if I remember correctly. But it wouldn't hurt to mention something to Mark about it."
"Well if you think it'll help, then give Mark a call."
She nodded and took out her cell phone, just as Paul looked at her strangely. "You want to call him right now?" he asked.
"Why not?" said Stephanie. "The sooner we can put this all behind us the better, right?"
Paul sighed but nodded in agreement. The last thing he wanted to do was prolong this situation, and put his family through more Hell.

Stephanie hung up with Mark just as Paul was parking the car at the police station. "What did he say?"
"He's calling his brother up in a few minutes. He was putting the girls down for their naps, I guess Sara isn't feeling well."
"They're good people," said Paul, making Stephanie nod in agreement. Mark and Sara were both in the wedding party at Paul and Stephanie's wedding, after all.

Paul looked over at his wife as he turned off the ignition. "You ready for this?"
Stephanie drew in a deep breath and stared him square in the eye. "I don't know if you're ever ready for a thing like this. It's only the beginning."
"I know," he nodded, rubbing the top of her hand with his thumb, "but everything will be okay, I promise. That scum bag is not getting away with this for much longer."

Steph shot him a little smile and the two walked into the police station, hand in hand. After explaining to an officer at the front desk of their problem, they were escorted up some stairs and down a small hallway, where they were greeted by a detective.
"I'm Detective Venzuelas," he introduced himself, pointing to a couple of chairs in front of his desk. "Please take a seat."
"Thank you," Stephanie nodded, sitting down next to her husband and folding her hands in her lap. She looked at Paul who gave her a reassuring smile.

"I understand that there have been threats made against the two of you?" Venzuelas asked them. "Would you mind explaining that situation in further detail?"
"It all started when a new neighbor moved in across the street," said Stephanie. "He said he was recently divorced and at first, we thought he was a decent enough guy. He told us his name was Steve Johnson, but we just found out that his last name is actually Robertson."
The detective nodded as he looked down at some files on his desk. "We have him in our files. Are either of you aware that this guy has been convicted before?"
Stephanie looked at Paul with a frown and shook her head at Venzuelas. "No," she said, "We weren't aware of that. On what charges...may I ask?"
The man sighed as he folded his hands in front of him, and looked at them both in a serious manner. "Murder. Steve Robertson and his wife were separated, much to this guy's chagrin. When the wife decided that she wanted to go through with a divorce, Robertson had a complete fit."

Venzuelas paused before concluding with, "We found the wife's body in an oversized garbage bag a week and half later. She had been stabbed once in the chest and then strangled to death, before he dumped her body into the New York river."

Stephanie gasped so loud it was nearly classified as a horrified scream. Paul instantly reached for her hand, and moved closer to his wife. He was struck speechless and could feel the color fading from his face.
"If he murdered her then what the hell is he doing out of prison?" Stephanie shouted, angered even more so than before.
After a heavy sigh, Venzuelas tried explaining, "Mrs. Levesque, he was charged and put to trial, and convicted of second degree murder. Unfortunatly they made an appeal five months after the conviction, on the grounds that Robertson had undergone temporary insanity. He was released after only six months of prison, but we've been trying to pin him for something else ever since."

That's when Paul decided to speak up. "He tried to kill our son and ran me off the fucking road in the middle of the night; Could you pin him for that?" he growled.
Venzuelas looked at Paul with extreme interest. "He almost killed your son?"
"An employee who works for my father came to us the other night. She said that she and Steve had conspired together, in hopes of breaking up Paul and I. Supposedly, she told him she wanted out, once she found out that Steve ran my husband off the road one night."
"And what about your son?"
"Stephanie was barely eight months pregnant with our son, when Steve hosted a barbeque at his house. He gave her some lemonade at the barbeque and by nightfall, she had gone into premature labor," said Paul, his blood boiling at the memory of it.

Venzuelas looked mortified himself and recorded all of the information being given to him.
"Given this man's history, I doubt we'll have a hard time putting him away for good this time. If this all checks out to be true, then you're looking at fifty years, at least."
"Good," said Stephanie, crossing her arms over her chest. "Now what happens?"
"Now I tell you to take your children someplace safe, put as much distance as possible between you and Steve Robertson. We'll start working on the case and I'll call you whenever I have an update, alright?"

Both of them nodded but Paul sighed to himself. He and Stephanie had a second house out of state, and that would be fine to take the kids there for now. But both of them were apprehensive about yanking Deja away from her home and her friends. However, they knew it was necessary in order to keep their family safe, and Paul would stop at nothing to ensure that.

Deja sat in her father's old room, on the same bed that Paul slept in growing up, and watched her mother intently as she packed yet another suitcase. The little girl looked down at her lap with a heavy sigh. Stephanie heard it clearly and turned around, sighing herself when she saw the look on her daughter's face. She reached out her hand and placed it upon Deja's shoulder.
"Are you feeling okay, sweetie?" she asked her, getting a shrug in response. Stephanie frowned. "What bothers you?"

"I'm not thick, mommy," Deja said glumly, as Stephanie had been checking her forehead for a temperature. She pulled back and stared at Deja and gave her an understanding nod.
"You're confused, I know. I'm sorry we keep moving you guys all over the place, Deja."
"I mith our houth," the youngster replied sadly.

Stephanie stopped packing for a moment and sat down beside Deja, taking a long look around the room that her mother-in-law had never wanted to change since Paul had left home, years ago.
"I miss it too, Dej. But try to remember that Daddy and I are only doing this because we want you and Rylan to be safe. We have to go to the Hamptons and stay at that house until the police can fix our problems with Mr. Johnson," Steph tried to explain. She wasn't about to tell Deja the real problem with Steve, or the fact that his last name was not Johnson. It was too much for a kid to handle and she had enough to deal with, being the child of the famous Triple H.
"Okay," Deja replied, although she was still down in the dumps as Stephanie could see.

As soon as they had everything packed up again, Stephanie and Paul said their goodbyes to his parents, with the kids and then left for the Hamptons. Their house there was extremely secure and the only ones who even knew about that house (besides the owners) were immediate family of Paul and Stephanie.

Stephanie looked over her shoulder while Paul was driving, and saw both Deja and Rylan sleeping soundly in the back of the car. She smiled a little as Paul glanced in his rearview mirror to get a peek. He chuckled lightly and winked at his wife. "Those two look like they could start snoring any minute. We better have our earplugs ready," he teased.
"They couldn't possibly be as loud as you, darling," Stephanie laughed. Paul pre-tended to blush and turn away shyly at her remark. "But in all seriousness, I am glad that Deja is finally getting some rest. I'm so afraid that one of them or both of them are going to get sick, with us dragging them around everywhere. It's got to be tough on those kids."
Paul nodded with a sigh and said, "I know it is, honey. But soon we'll be settled in the Hamptons and the four of us can just relax."
"Sure, but for how long this time?" Stephanie asked, looking at him sadly and sighing to herself. The only thing Paul could do was rub his wife's hand soothingly and show her that he felt the same way.

A couple of hours later the Levesque's had arrived at their beautiful home in the Hamptons. Deja woke up when the car had been put in park. She yawned and looked around wearily, as Paul was opening the door on her side of the car. "Come on, peanut. We're here," he said, lifting her out of her booster seat and into his arms.
"Is it morning, Daddy?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"No," he chuckled, "It's still night time. But look where we are!" Paul pointed at the house and Deja smiled. She was too sleepy to get excited right now.

Stephanie smiled as she came around the other side, and got Rylan out of his carseat. He was wide awake now and wiggling all over the place. "You must be getting hungry again," she said, tickling his tummy, "you are so squirmish, little guy!"
Paul smiled at his son and brought Deja inside the house. Then he went back out to the car and started grabbing their things. Stephanie went into the living room to feed the baby before he got fussy.
Deja ran outside after getting her second wind, and asked Paul, "Daddy, can I help?"
"Sure!" he smiled at her, "why don't you carry this diaper bag inside, and give it to mommy?"

She nodded and skipped inside the house, the diaper bag looking almost as big as she was from a distance. Paul couldn't help but laugh and shake his head, as he took the remainder of the bags inside.

He grabbed an ice tea for himself and a Snapple drink for Stephanie, on his way into the living room. "Here's a Snapple if you want it, when you're finished with him," he said, nodding towards the baby.
"Thanks," said Steph, returning her gaze to Rylan. She always loved nursing the baby because it was an intimate time for her to bond with him, quality mother-son time. Paul knew how much Stephanie cherished these moments and went upstairs to help Deja unpack, so his wife could enjoy herself.

Another two weeks had gone by and the police were still trying to gather enough concrete evidence, in order to make an arrest on Steve. Apparently he had been laying low, which only made him harder to find. Paul made the decision to stay off of the road until this was all resolved, unless it was a special occasion where he and Stephanie would bring the kids to a show.

Deja had begun her first year of pre-school, and so far she was loving it. Her favorite things to do were the arts and crafts. She loved bringing her projects home to show off to her parents. On a Tuesday morning Paul offered to take Deja to school, so Stephanie could have the morning with Rylan. Paul walked his little girl up the steps and into the pre-school, where her teacher was awaiting all of her students at the classroom door. Paul knelt down to Deja's height and rested his hand on her shoulder. Smiling, he told her, "Alright, I'm going to hand you off to Miss. Davidson, so I can get back home to help out Mommy."
"Okay, Daddy! I'm gonna have a big thurprithe for you and Mommy later!" Deja exclaimed. Paul chuckled softly and nodded, removing his hand from her shoulder and pulling her into a hug.
"I can't wait to see what it is! Have fun and be a good girl, okay?"
"I know, Daddy," Deja shook her head, as if his reminder was silly to even mention. She turned to face her teacher who smiled at Paul and then happily escorted Deja into the room. After making sure that she was safe and inside the classroom, Paul went to his car and drove back home.

It had started out just like any day for the Levesque family. The morning had been a little crazy but then again, a morning with two kids under the age of five would be chaotic. When Paul returned home with the Starbucks he had promised his wife, he found her on the living room couch feeding their son. He smiled and admired them for a moment, and proceeded to walk in and greet them. He placed the hot beverage on a coaster that sat on the coffee table. Stephanie smiled up at him, "Thank you."
"What would you do without me?" Paul teased her.
"Probably go insane before lunch," she laughed, "With our kids, I can't live without my caffeine!"
"Don't I know it!" he replied, his eyes growing bigger at the thought.

He leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his son's forehead. "Is it me or does it seem like Rylan is eating, everytime I see him?"
"He takes after his father," Stephanie said, grinning up at Paul. "Would you do me a favor, and transfer the laundry from the washer to the dryer?"
"Maybe," said Paul, tapping his chin in thought. "But what will I get in return?"

Stephanie looked up as an evil smirk crossed her lips. "I'm afraid it would be inappropriate to discuss in front of the baby," she said.Paul's eager eyes lit up as he showed off a wide grin, and wandered off to the laundry room.
"Daddy's so gullible," Stephanie cooed to Rylan, smiling at him. "I think he deserves a reward for being such a good Daddy though, don't you?" The infant just stared up at his mother with those big hazel eyes, melting Stephanie's heart. She truely felt blessed to have such an incredible family.

After taking a shower and putting on a little make-up, Stephanie made some lunch for herself and Paul. He had spent his free time in their home gym, working on that already buff body of his. He came back inside just in time to eat, and sat down with his wife while Rylan took a nap upstairs.
"This is an unusual yet pleasant situation," he smiled at Stephanie.
"What's so unusual about it?" she asked, laughing quietly and handing him a large glass of ice tea.
"No kids?"
"Oh," Stephanie nodded, "well then, yes it is unusual." Paul smiled at her and complimented, "This looks great, baby."
"Thanks. Dig in!"

Halfway through their meal, Stephanie said to Paul, "I'll go to the school and pick up Deja, if you wouldn't mind staying with the baby?"
"Why would I mind?" he smiled at her. "Besides, I think it's about time that he and I had a little guy time together. I think his little sister is desperate to conform the poor kid to feminism."
"Conform him?" repeated Stephanie, raising her eyebrow. "Now you're starting to sound like my father."
"Please!" Paul pre-tended to cry with horror, only getting a smile in return.

About an hour after they ate lunch, Stephanie put on her coat and headed off to pick up Deja at school. Paul told her to expect a surprise from their daughter, but he could not say anything more than that. It had Stephanie very curious. As she pulled into the circular driveway that was at the front of the school, her happy face faded into a terrified one. There were police cars surrounding the school, two ambulances, and a fire engine parked at the side. Frightened parents and curious passerby's stood admist the chaos, biting their nails and chattering anxiously.

Stephanie parked the car right where it was, and turned off the ignition before jumping out of it. A sick feeling began to brew in the pit of her stomach, and she darted for the entrance to the school. But a policeman in a SWAT uniform contained her. "Whoa, hold it, ma'am. You cannot go in there, we've got a dangerous situation on our hands," he said.
"I don't care! My daughter is in there, now let me through!" Stephanie snapped at the officer.
"I'm sorry, ma'am but these are strict rules that I cannot bend in this situation. As far as we know, the children are all alive. But there's a hostage situation taking place inside the school," he explained.

Before Stephanie could answer him, a familiar face appeared before them. "Detective Venzeulas!" Stephanie cried. "Deja is inside the school. What is going on?"
Venzeulas escorted Stephanie away from the other officer and put his hands on her shoulders. "I've been informed that Steve Robertson is inside your daughter's school. He's holding the entire building hostage inside the gymnasium."
The man watched as all of the color faded from Stephanie's face. Tears began to stream down her cheeks uncontrollably. "What does he want?" she cried. "And why isn't anybody in there stopping him?!"
"It's not that simple, Mrs. Levesque. Robertson is considered armed and dangerous right now. There are protocols we must follow."
"Screw your protocol! That son of a bitch has my daughter!" Stephanie hissed, whipping out her cell phone.

The phone at home rang and rang, but Paul never picked up. "Damnit, Paul! Where are you?"
"Stephanie!" a voice shouted from close by. Her head spun around only to see Paul himself running towards her.
"Paul!" she cried, running into his arms and breaking down. He sighed heavily and rubbed her back in little circles, even though his own head was spinning right now.
"Where's Rylan?" Stephanie asked, as she looked up at her husband.
"My mother is staying with him. He's fine," Paul assured her, "The news are saying that bastard is holding the school hostage?"
"Venzeulas is here. That's pretty much what he told me, but no one has been killed," she said, trying to control her tears in order to speak.
Paul's hazel eyes were filled with tears of worry. "Has he hurt anyone at all though? I mean...is Deja alright?"
"I don't know yet," Stephanie sighed, burying her face in his shirt again. "Why did I send her to school so soon after this mess, Paul? She could have waited awhile, or at least until Steve was caught. I'm such a fool!"
"Hey," Paul's stern voice said, as he lifted her chin up to meet his gaze. "Don't do that. Do not go blaming yourself for what is happening in there. Blaming ourselves will not make the situation any better, and we have to be strong for Deja right now. Okay?"

Stephanie nodded and wiped her eyes, sniffling back some tears. Her entire body was shaking with fear. Paul pulled her close to him once again, trying to calm Stephanie down while his eyes focused on the building. His heart thumped heavily against his chest. His throat went bone dry, as the realization that his innocent little girl was being held hostage right now, in that very building. Paul closed his eyes and silently prayed for a miracle.

Meanwhile inside the school, Steve stood in front of a large student body and faculty; Each one of them with a terrified look in their eyes. Children were crying, teachers were shaking while at the same time trying to keep their students calm. Steve Robertson was focused on one person at the moment, and that of course was Deja Levesque. He forced her to get up and walk over to him, and then he kept her there at his side. Steve was gripping a .45 Caliber Pistol in his right hand, keeping it close to Deja's tiny body, just so she would not try and make a sudden move. Considering she was only four years old, there was a very slim chance of her attempting any fast ones.

The terrified little girl was biting down on her bottom lip, her teeth chattering quietly. Her small body shook from head to toe, and all Deja wanted at that moment was her mommy and daddy. Steve glanced over at her and snarled, "You can stop thinking about your mommy or daddy playing hero, and running in to save you, Deja. They'll never get in here and if they do..." He held up the pistol for her to see and smirked as he blew on the tip. "Well if they do, you won't have to worry about seeing either of them ever again."
Deja's eyes went wide as she gulped and reverted her eyes to the floor again. She knew that responding to any of Steve's comments would only cause her harm. One brave teacher however, did not have the same fear.
"What are you hoping to get by keeping us all here like this?" the woman asked. Everyone's eyes were suddenly on her.
Steve glanced at the woman and glared at her. "Just shut up and don't ask any questions!"

The truth was, Steve himself was not even sure of what he was going to accomplish by holding a school hostage. He knew that Stephanie and Paul were his targets, and they obviously would not be entering the building. At this point, Deja was his only advantage.
"The next person that questions me gets killed! Is that clear?" he shouted to the crowd. He received a room full of nods. "Good!”

　

The crowd outside of the school was growing and so were the amount of police officers on site. Stephanie and Paul stood among the other one-hundred and something fearful parents, waiting to hear some good news. Paul had Stephanie wrapped up in his arms, and insisted on staying calm for his wife. One of them had to be. He just kept thinking about that jeering little look Deja had given him, when he reminded her to behave at school. Paul knew he had to think positive about the situation. That was the optimistic side of him, but the realistic side of him worried that he might never see that innocent look again. The thought alone made his stomach churn.

They had been waiting like that for nearly two hours, when Detective Venzeulas approached the apprehensive couple. "Any news?" Stephanie asked immediatly.
"Actually, yes."
Stephanie and Paul drew in a deep breath and exchanged nervous glances. Venzeulas then shocked them both by telling them, "Robertson is requesting that Stephanie go inside the school. Supposedly he wants to "talk." This is entirely up to you, Stephanie, but we might be entering the negotiating stage here."
"Absolutely not," Paul stated. "She is not going in there. This is probably just another one of his tricks, she could get killed!"
"Paul," Stephanie stopped him, putting her hand to his chest. "Maybe I should go. Now before you start ranting and raving at me, let me talk."

Both men gave her their full attention, although Paul did not look happy. "If I go in there and talk to him, he might let Deja and the rest of the hostages go. This is probably his crazy way of getting me to come back to him, you know? Granted, he is a crazed lunatic but the man does believe he's in love with me."
Paul drew in a deep breath. "Steph, I do not want you risking your life for that asshole! He's maniacal and who knows what he's capable of!"
"I understand how you feel, Paul, but I need to do this. I have to get our daughter back. Please forgive me," she whispered.

Paul's eyes filled up with tears as she kissed him on the lips. They embraced once more before Venzeulas and another officer escorted her away, telling her the drill. As he watched his wife walk towards the school, Paul couldn't help but fear that she may not come out of there.

Stephanie had made it inside the school. She walked past the main office and down the hall, until she reached the gymnasium. She took a deep breath and entered the room, gasping at the sight of these poor teachers and small children, frightened beyond belief. A small part of her felt like this was her fault that they were all in this situation.

Steve turned when he heard the doors open and close, as did Deja. "Mommy!" she cried, about to run to Stephanie, but Steve grabbed Deja by the arm, holding her back. Deja whimpered at the contact.
Stephanie's eyes turned to slits as she gave Steve a deadly glare. "Get your hands off of my daughter!" she demanded. Steve smiled at her and obeyed the command. For a moment he looked as though his expression had grown softer. But Stephanie could see the evil beneath facade.
"Come closer, darling. I promise not to bite," he laughed.

Stephanie looked at him and shook her head in disgust. She walked over to him and stopped at Deja's side. Kneeling down for a moment, Stephanie hugged her daughter close, not wanting to let her go. But Steve was growing more impatient by the minute. "Alright, we've all seen enough of the Cleaver reunion here, so let's cut the crap and get down to business!"
Stephanie stood back up with her arms crossed over her chest, and stared at Steve with raw emotion. "What do you want, Steve?" she asked. "You've got everybody in here, you've caused a huge uproar in this small town, so what is it that you want?"
"Funny you should ask," he said, standing up with his gun in hand, and walking closer to Stephanie. She backed away nervously, and kept one eye on that gun he was carrying.

"I have been missing you so much, Steph. Really, I have. I must have gone to your house at least five times this week, but you were still on vacation," he pouted. "I was getting a little worried since you've been gone so long, and I know that Deja must be starting pre-school any day now. You and Paul would never want her to miss out on a good education, I'm sure."
"Get to the point," Stephanie said, through grit teeth. It didn't phase Steve though. He was amused by his own actions.
"Patience, my sweet," he said, caressing her cheek. Stephanie turned her head defiantly, feeling like scum at his touch. "So I did a little harmless research and what do you know? You guys have been living here in the Hamptons for the last month. I felt I'd pay you a visit and make sure you were planning on coming home soon?"
"Actually, Steve, we are not sure if we'll be staying in Nashua much longer," said Stephanie. "Paul and I think that we need a change, and the kids do too. We've been staying here while we decide on a location we'd rather move to."
"I think moving elsewhere is a fantastic idea, Stephanie, I really do; For Paul and the kids, it is."
"What do you mean?" she eyed him suspiciously.
"Sweetheart, it is time that you and I came clean about our feelings for each other, so we can begin our life together. Paul will be fine and so will the children, as long as you agree to come back with me."
"Is that a threat, Steve?"
"Let's not think of it as a threat, but more of a new beginning for everyone. You and I can get away, spend quality time together, and one day have children of our own."

Stephanie could feel the chunks rising in her throat, just listening to this guy fantasize about having children with her.
"I know you've been scared, Stephanie, but everything is fine now. You can admit to Paul the way you feel about me. Hell, tell the whole world how you feel!" he smiled.
She nodded repeatedly while contemplating that thought. "Okay," said Stephanie, "I do want to tell you and everyone else how I feel about you, Steve."

Steve was smiling dreamily at her, while everyone else watched them as if they were watching a soap opera. He had a twinkle in his eye as he awaited her answer.
"Steve?"
"Yes, my love. Say what you feel."
"I think you are a psychotic, manipulative CRIMINAL!"

The man's jaw dropped and she watched as the anger washed over his face. But Stephanie did not care, and she was not afraid of him anymore. "You disgust me! I hate your guts and I would never be with you, if you were the last man on Earth! You tried to kill my son, my husband, and you have tried to destroy our lives, but you failed. You are a failure and I hope you rot in jail for the rest of your life. And when you die, I pray that you meet your maker and suffer through all eternity for what you've done to my family AND your ex-wife, may she rest in peace!"

Deja was grinning from ear to ear but kept her head down, just in case Steve saw it. She was very proud of her mother, and Stephanie felt stronger for standing up to him like that. But then as if in slow motion, Stephanie watched Steve's face turn red, and he looked like a pure maniac. He raised his gun and let go of the clip. Stephanie's eyes went wide when she realized that Steve was now aiming at her daughter. As his finger let go of the trigger, Stephanie screamed and jumped in front of Deja, pushing her out of harm's way. "NO, MOMMY!" Deja screamed, as the sound of the bullet echoed throughout the room.

The other children covered their ears and began to cry again. The teachers gasped in horror and covered their mouths with their hands. Paul heard the shot from outside and screamed out as well. "STEPHANIE!"

Paul made a dash for the school and managed to push through all of the officers in his way. He ran faster than he had ever run, and didn't stop until he was in the gym. To his right, Paul saw his little girl on the floor, curled up in a ball and crying hysterically. He looked to his left and saw his wife crouched and down on the floor. His heart dropped in his stomach and everything seemed to be spinning. His eyes slowly scanned the rest of the room but stopped abruptly at the sight of something else.

Paul's marraige to Stephanie seemed to flash before his eyes in that one moment. From his Valentines Day purposal to the birth of their second child together, and he certainly did not want those memories to end there. They always knew that they would end up with three kids eventually. Stephanie could not leave them.

He looked slightly to the left of his wife's body and saw Steve Robertson's, laying there in a pool of blood. The question though, who's blood was it? Paul rushed to his wife's side and crouched down to see if she had a pulse. Suddenly, Stephanie picked her head up and whispered, "Paul?"
His head whipped around until their eyes met. "Steph! Are you okay? Were you hit?" he asked frantically.
"I don't think so," she said, as Paul helped her sit up. They both looked over at Steve and realized that it was him who had been shot. One of the snipers must have shot him point blank in the head. The massive amount of blood on the floor made Stephanie a little queasy.

The rest of the hostages had piled out of the gym as quick as they could, after Steve went down. Stephanie and Paul were the only ones in there now, with the exception of Deja. They turned and saw her crying in a little ball, and rushed to their daughter's side. Paul scooped her up immediatly and hugged her tightly to his chest.
"Shh, it's okay, honey. It's all over now, okay? You're safe, everybody is safe," Paul whispered soothingly in her ear.

With all of the trauma that Deja had been through, Paul and Stephanie wouldn't be surprised if the poor thing cried all night. They knew that this event would take a lot of time and therapy for all three of them to get past it. But right now their only concern was getting out of there and being a family.

Paul looked over at his wife who sighed heavily, and he could see the worry in her eyes. He nodded to assure her that Deja was going to be okay. Now that Steve Robertson was out of their lives forever, they were all going to be okay. "I love you," Stephanie whispered, closing her eyes and resting her forehead against his chest.
"I love you too," he replied, pulling her into his arms. "Let's get the hell out of here and go home. This time let's go to our REAL home."
"Home again," she sighed.

Paul walked out of the school that day, with the most hope and relief that he had felt in a long time. With his arm wrapped around his wife, and his beautiful little girl safely in his arms, Paul knew that their family would only grow stronger from this. They could finally go home and be a family and be safe. Finally, they wouldn't have to live in fear of finding danger at their door.
The End