_________________________________________

"Okay," the man who appeared to be the head of the hotel security said, "we will be paying a visit to this Mr. Levesque."  He regarded Adam, Amy and Kurt one-by-one before he and the other man left.

Adam glanced uncomfortably over at Angle, gently steering Amy to the other side of the room.  Despite the fact that Kurt was a friend, he needed to speak privately to her.

The redhead looked up into the tall blond's pensive face expectantly, knowing he was about to ask her some questions - and rightfully so.  But he hesitated as he glanced back over at the other man.  Kurt was across the room and hadn't moved from the spot upon which he'd been standing, but his eyes had followed them.

"Excuse us, Kurt...please," Adam said, grabbing Amy by the hand.  He practically dragged her into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

"He'll probably be on the other side of the door with his ear pressed against it," the Canadian muttered.

"Never mind him, Adam," the diva said, pushing some long strands of red hair behind one ear.  She crossed her arms under her breasts.  "What do you want to know?"

"How did you know I was going to ask you a question?  I mean, about something to do with you?"

"Just call it a hunch," the redhead replied.  "And baby, I think I know you," she added with a slight smile despite their dire situation.

Adam ran his hand through his hair.  "Okay," he said softly.  "How do I say this?  The gun..."

"I got it back in my ECW days," she replied.  "I never would have gotten one, and I never even wanted to see one - but this obsessive fan started to stalk me.  That was where I drew the line...it's just for protection, Adam - just like a condom..."

The tall blond arched an eyebrow at her sexual analogy.  "Ames, is that thing...legit?"

"Oh, yeah," she replied softly.  "Totally...don't worry."

After a brief moment of silence as Adam recalled how the woman had saved him yet again, he pulled her into his arms.  He held onto her tightly, marveling in the redhead's inner strength and amazing will.  She was truly an angel - his guardian angel.  And he loved her even more than ever.

"You are amazing," he breathed, and she clung tightly to him.  He pressed his face into her soft hair, inhaling deeply of its fragrant scent.  "I love you, angel...and I owe you my life..."

The diva pulled back slightly to gaze up into his beautiful emerald orbs, which were filled with emotion.  "I love you, too, Adam Copeland," she whispered, her voice nearly breaking as she became choked up.

"Come on," the blond man said, "let's go back out there before Kurt thinks we're having wild sex in here..."

*

Stephanie knocked sharply on the door to her father's executive suite.  She shook her head as she realized that he always stayed in ritzy quarters on the road - and always had.  Although she had grown up extremely wealthy being Vince McMahon's daughter, she'd always thought that sort of thing was a bit too extravagant.  Taking more after her mother, she was always perfectly happy staying in a nice, simple room.  Well, that was her father - everything had to be luxurious, and nothing but the best would do for him.

The door suddenly opened, and the sleepy-looking man peered out at her.  "Stephanie?"  As he looked her over, he realized his daughter was fully dressed and appeared to have never been to bed.  At the same time, she looked dead tired.

"Daddy, I need to talk to you."

"Now?" the man asked incredulously.  "It's nearly four in the morning...can't it wait?"

"No," the brunette said, shaking her head for emphasis.  "It absolutely cannot."

"Okay," he said in a retreating tone of voice.  He held the door open more widely, and Steph stepped into the extravagant suite.  When her father flipped a switch that suddenly illuminated the room via a lamp in one corner of the sitting room they were in, she glanced around, thinking it all pretty - albeit extremely wasteful.

"What's the matter, honey?" Vince asked with a yawn.  He sat down on a cozy armchair, gesturing for her to take a seat on the nearby love seat.

Stephanie declined the offer, choosing to stand instead.  She debated with herself about how to go about bringing up the very delicate yet unbelievable subject to him.  She recalled Adam's words from a few moments earlier: "For some crazy reason, this man was hired by Vince McMahon to kill me..."  His statement couldn't be true - it couldn't!

"Daddy," Stephanie began, pacing back and forth a little.  "Something happened tonight..."

"What happened?"

She turned to fully face him.  She had to see the expression on his face when she told him.

"Daddy, Paul attacked Adam tonight..."

"Oh?"

Stephanie's mouth suddenly went dry as she could swear she detected a look of interest cross her father's face.  His eyes widened ever so slightly.  She could read his emotions very easily - always could.

"Paul got into his room with the intention of attacking him with a sledgehammer..."

"What?"  This time, Vince tried to look and sound shocked.  He actually hadn't known about this - this time, Levesque had acted on his own, without his prodding.

"That's right...and...well, there was a struggle, and-"

"And Paul hurt Copeland?"

Stephanie felt downright sick.  There was a distinct note of excitement in her father's voice as he asked the question - which meant only one thing - that it was true.

"No - he didn't get a chance to..."  She swallowed hard, realizing she couldn't keep up the facade any longer.  "...damn you, Daddy!  You orchestrated everything!"  Stephanie felt hot, scalding tears burning behind her eyelids.

Vince sprang up from the chair upon which he'd been sitting.  He grabbed his daughter by the wrists almost frantically as she began to sob.  "Honey..."

"Don't you touch me!" the brunette cried, striking him in the chest with both hands.  "How could you?!  You hired Paul to kill Adam???  Why? Why would you do such a horrible thing?!"

"Because I despise that miserable bastard!  I've hated his stinking guts since the day you told me you two were an item!" Vince spat, his face reddening in his now intense anger.

Stephanie's tearful eyes widened.  She couldn't believe her ears.  Well, she had known her father had disliked Adam way back then, but she was shocked, as she'd never realized the extent of his hatred for her former boyfriend.  Before she could say or ask any more, the older man continued.

"Steph, when that son of a bitch broke it off with you - ripped your heart out of your chest without compunction - all I could think of was making him pay!  That is why I did what I did.  If only Paul hadn't screwed up - if he'd run Copeland down in that parking lot on Monday night, you and I would not be having this conversation right now!  Don't you see, honey?  This is his fault - all his fault!  I did all of this for you, Stephanie - because no one gets away with hurting my little girl - no one."

Tears were streaming down the young woman's face as she listened to her father's maniacal tirade.  She could not believe it.  She felt as though all of this were a horrid dream from which she would soon awaken, but she knew otherwise.  This was all very real - and her father was insane.

Stephanie moved her hands away from her face as she stared at him.  "You're crazy!  Why else would you do something so horrible!  Why would you think I would ever want Adam hurt in any way?  Daddy, I...I still love him," she whispered.  "Yes, he hurt me when he ended our relationship...but I just want him to be happy.  That's all I ever wanted."

"How can you say that?" her father demanded.  "How can you want that wretch to be happy after the way he crushed your heart?!"

The brunette flinched slightly, then, recovering, she stood up tall, her back ramrod straight.  She looked the man directly in the eye and stated, "That's what I want..."