Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2011 22:30:49 -0500
From: Paul Tolbert <jatonblue@gmail.com>
Subject: Til A Death Do Us Part 29

Hunter's POV

"OMG is that what I think it is?!? Awesome!"

"Shawn put that down please."

"No way! This is sooo cool. $2,000 bottle champagne on a private jet is a
luxury I don't wanna take for granted, not one bit buddy. I love flying on
the corporate dime of the WWE. Night travel is even better. So many city
lights illuminating the earth below us. It's so beautiful...and quite
romantic."

"Yeah well don't get use to it. These flights on the corporate jet and its
many perks might not last much longer for us..."

"You...you mean--?"

"I don't know."

"Oh..."

The second I said that I knew Shawn's heart would flutter like the beating
wings of a hummingbird, only to have his hopes shatter with my inability to
take action. He knew of my situation and the dilemma I was faced with; It
was my fault after all. I put us into this position and I absolutely hated
myself for it. It didn't have to be this way, but I allowed it to go on for
so long that I've gotten so use to the 'status-quo'.

This isn't how I wanted to live my life with Shawn, all secretive and 'in
the closet', but in my mind I didn't have a choice. Back in 2003 I made the
absolute worst mistake of my life, I married Stephanie McMahon. She isn't a
bad person; quite the opposite, however my heart didn't belong to her, it
belonged to Shawn. I married her for all the wrong reasons; money, power,
and to spite Shawn for what I thought he'd done to me.

One thing led to another after that fated night and now Steph and I have 3
beautiful girls, one of who is almost a year old. That's the only thing
about our union I don't regret, and a big factor in why I haven't divorce
Stephanie. I hate the idea of breaking up our family, but I can't keep
doing this to Shawn either. Something is going to have to give and in my
eyes it's a lose-lose situation any way it's sliced. God I'm such an idiot!

"Hunter? Hunt? H-ello???" I tried ignoring him but I didn't want to give
him another reason to be upset with me right now. I practically dragged him
kicking and screaming out of our lush hotel room in Greenwich to go back to
Los Angeles. He cares about Randy & Rey just as much as I do, however he
really was looking forward to spending some alone time with me.

Stephanie was in New York on business and the girls were with their
grandparents. It was risky going back to Greenwich for a few days with be
with Shawn, especially since I told the wife and in-laws I would be in
L.A. I always did risky things like that. Once Steph and I had a small
gathering at our estate and Shawn was there. I hadn't seen him in 3 weeks
and I couldn't wait to be intimate with him again. While Steph and the
guest were downstairs having some intelligent discussion, Shawn and I
fooled around, in the bed I shared with Stephanie. Secretly I was hoping
she would walk in and catch us in the act, sparing me the uncomfortable
task of having to break the news to her on my own.

When Shawn and I got to the airport he calmed down and was understanding
about the situation, but I think he's just suppressing his anger, which
will no doubt end up erupting later on, sooner rather than later.

"Hunt? Hu-nt?!?"

"Sure. Maybe we'll do that later, go hunting." I smiled.

"You trying to change the subject buddy? How rich, like the owner of this
sweet jet, which I'm sure will be yours one day if 'you-know-what'
continues." He rolled his eyes annoyingly at me, to which I cringed. I knew
he was referring to the fact that if I kept up this illusion to Stephanie
and Vince that I loved her and was committed to the marriage, then one day
I would be running the WWE. While I do dream of taking over the reigns of
the company from Vince one day, There was nothing I wanted more than to be
with Shawn out in the open. He sacrificed everything for me, why couldn't I
do the same for him?

"We'll be in Los Angeles soon. Just calm down until then OK?"

"I drank 3 Red Bulls from the vending machines in the airport
earlier. There's no calming me down buddy. Forget about that shit."

"Fine. I'm going to go talk to the Pilot."

"WHY?!? Is there something going on? Bad weather? Low fuel? Terrorist
attack?"

"Shawn! Stop it!"

"Sorry! Geez."

Shawn doesn't like to ride airplanes most of the time. He gets very
stressed out about the whole ordeal. In fact, I'm surprised he's just now
freaking out. Usually he has to be soothed over before we even get in the
car to drive to the airport, after that flying is usually a stitch until
something small sets him off, like me talking to the pilot or looking out
the window all of a sudden. I think his main concern at the moment is
getting to L.A. to see Randy & Rey and anything else, including his fear of
flying was on the back burner.

"Look Shawn I--"

Shawn's HBK theme song ranged loudly from inside my coat pocket. Shawn
began to give me the widest grin I've seen on him in months.

"Oh?"

"It's...it's my cellphone." I replied nervously, already knowing who was on
the other end of the soon-to-be answered, and unwanted call.

"With my wrestling theme song playing as a ringtone. Ooooooooooh?"

"Shush you." I chuckled lightly and fished out my WWE-funded iPhone and
cringed when I saw the name displayed on the small, brightly-lit LED
screen, as if expecting it to be someone else other than the person I knew
it was. I only used that ring tone for one person and one person only...

I took a deep breath and answered the call.

"Yeah?"

["Where are you?"]

The voice on the other end was slightly irritated and annoyed. I didn't
speak much to her lately these days. I wanted to just it to end already and
put everyone out of their misery but I was too scared.

"I'm headed back to Los Angeles to see Ran--"

["Heading back?!? I thought you were already there?"]

"Shit." I mumbled under my breath. I forgot that I had told her I was still
in L.A. while I really was with Shawn celebrating our anniversary in
Greenwich.

"Yeah um...I left briefly to deal with some stuff and--"

["Whatever Hunter. I just wanted to call and let you know I'm bringing up
the girls to stay with me in New York 'til I get back."]

"Yeah sure that's fine. No problem."

["Anything else you failed to tell me?"]

"No..."

After that she hung up the phone abruptly. She was pissed at me for some
reason, becoming very passive-aggressive over the last few months. Maybe
she was catching on to what's been happening behind her back. Stephanie was
a smart girl, but she was completely oblivious to what Shawn and I have
been doing for the past few years, or at least she hasn't said anything
about it. I looked at my phone before putting it back in my pocket. I
looked up at Shawn who's silly grin had been replaced with a look of
confusion.

"It was Stephanie." I said quietly, more to myself.

"How odd..." Shawn replied.

"Why?"

"Because. When your phone ranged earlier, your standard ringtone played,
you know that old boring english telephone ringer, but when Stephanie
called...my theme song played. Do...do you have that ringtone play
specifically for her calls?"

"Yes..." I nodded.

"WHY?"

"To remind me of you whenever she calls."

"I'm confused."

"You know, I--I just want you to be on my mind when I'm talking to her on
the phone, to remind me that I love you and not her. That's all."

"OK...That's weird, but acceptable. So, what did she want?"

"She just called to tell me she's gonna bring the girls up to New York with
her."

"Oh OK."

"I'm sure they'll be happy about that. They love their Grandma Linda but
too much of her takes its toll on people."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's why the Connecticut public rejected her ass for the
Senate seat she desperately wanted."

"Shawn..."

"Please. You were thinking the same thing."

"Maybe..."

######## Shawn's POV

Hunter shuffled back to his seat and began looking out of the window. I
hated seeing him upset over his marriage to Stephanie. I knew he was
between a rock and a hard place, but part of me wasn't buying his act of
wanting to divorce her and be with me. I knew he loved me, but I also knew
he loved his job. We both know that when the McMahon's feel scorned, they
will be out for blood. Stephanie was a nice girl, but if you crossed her,
god wouldn't help you because he'd be too scared to.

"So..." I said playfully twiddling my callous thumbs. I sure Hunter didn't
like the way I constantly pushed him about the situation, trying to
encourage him to break things off with her, but I'd given up my own
marriage to be with him years ago. He was supposed to do the same, but
choked at the last minute.

Sometimes I blame myself for what happened. He married her to hurt me. He
thought I was sleeping around behind his back, which I wasn't but at the
time that's what he believed. He was so upset and angry he sought out Steph
for comfort, and revenge, revenge she was unknowingly more than willing to
help him dish out.

Stephanie had a huge crush on Hunter and certainly wasn't silent about
it. She practically threw herself at him every chance she got. It was very
desperate and quite sad actually, how Hunter had time and time again
rejected her and yet she still kept coming for him.

When I found out they'd gotten married at some drive-thru chapel in Vegas
in 2003 shortly after Hunter and I had a huge fight I was devastated. How
could he do that to me? How could he think I would cheat on him?

"Hunter?"

"I don't feel like talking right now Shawn."

"It's not about you or Stephanie Hunter. I get it, you won't divorce her."

"That's not true Shawn." He kept his eyes glued to the neat-looking red
carpet on the floor, avoiding any visual contact with me at all cost.

"Well it seems like that to me." I was becoming heated. I tried to suppress
my anguish over the situation, but it's been 4 years since he'd promise to
divorce her and I quite frankly have had enough of the empty promises that
went unfulfilled.

"Shawn--"

"You know what Hunter, just stop." I jumped up from my seat, more so
because the plane had hit a bit of turbulence. "I'm sick and tired of all
of this. I gave up everything for you, my family, my career, everything and
what have you done? Absolutely nothing. We had a few weeks to ourselves,
something that doesn't happen that often and instead of spending it with
me, you went to L.A. It was our anniversary and you spent most of it away
from me. You even drag me from our hotel to come with you to Los Angeles."

"Randy and Rey need me."

"No they don't. They were OK without you and they will be OK without
you. You don't have to cuddle them all the time."

"How can you say that Shawn? After what that monster put them through they
need all the support we can give them. They are falling apart. I thought
you cared about them."

"I DO! That doesn't mean we have to hold their hand every step of the
way. Their grown men, they can take care of themselves. They will be
fine. Let them take control of their own situation. Instead of worrying so
much about their issues, why don't you focus on ours for a fucking
change. I can't...I just can't keep doing this."

"What are you saying?" Hunter said, getting out of his seat and walking
over to me nervously. He was a strong man who usually kept his feelings
bottled up, except when it came to me. He was such a blubbering mess when
he and I were alone. I thought it was cute.

"I'm saying...You need to make a choice and you need to make it soon. You
either want to stay married to Steph so you can claw your way to the top of
the WWE, or you want to divorce her and be with me."

"This isn't about wanting to claw my way up to the top of the corporate
ladder of the WWE."

"I don't believe you. You've always had your eye on always being the best
at everything. When you got into the WWF, you were always gunning for that
#1 spot and when you married Steph, that's when you set your sights for
Vince's position. You'd do anything to keep that path the way it is right
now, including stringing me along for the ride. I mean that has to be the
reason...unless you really are in love with Steph. Is that it Hunter? Are
you in love with her?"

"NO! THAT'S NOT WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING!"

"Well that's what it feels like. Use our time in L.A. to get your shit
together Hunter, cause after all this is over if you still can't take
action one way or the other, I'm done."

I stared at his hurt eyes for a few seconds before walking to a separate
section of the plane to gain some much needed privacy. My intentions
weren't to hurt him, but I need to give him a sense of urgency to make a
decision. 4 years is long enough to sit on your hands. He might not be
willing to take action, but I guess the bigger question is, Will I be able
to take action if he doesn't? And what action would that be? I could either
leave him...or tell Stephanie the truth.

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