Stephanie twisted her hands nervously, pacing the length of the floor. She tried to keep as calm as possible, but it was no easy feat. And how could it be when she kept imagining all the scenarios of how her father would react to her news of having a date with the newest member of the WWF's roster?

"Steph, will you calm down?" Shane demanded. He was sitting on the edge of his bed as he watched her pace. She'd come into his room awhile earlier to talk to him, ask for his advice on how to break the news to Vince. But her current antics were starting to grate on his nerves and get him feeling uneasy.

"How can I, though, Shane? You know what Daddy is like! I really don't want to have to cancel my date with Adam." She shook her head in despair. "I really like this guy, Shane... I really, really like him!"

"I know you do," the dark-haired man replied. "Sit, relax... It's only a date. It's not like you're annoucing you eloped with the guy." Reaching out for her arm, he grasped her over to sit beside him.

The distraught brunette sighed, closing her eyes. She ran her right hand through her long hair, then reopened her orbs.

"Come on, it's not going to be all that horrible."

"Really?" Stephanie countered. "And you know this how?"

Shane shook his head and gave her a slightly amused look. She really was such a good girl, with not one rebellious bone in her body, from the looks of it.

"Oh, come on, Steph... I don't get why you're panicking. Look, even in the worst case scenario, what could happen?" He paused and gave her a meaningful look, waiting for her to answer the question.

"Dad can forbid me from going out with him," she finished, giving him a strange look. What exactly was his point?

"So?" Shane said with a shrug.

The brunette stared at him with an incredulous look on her pretty face.

"What do you mean, 'so?'"

Her older brother shook his head. Did she always have to be such a goody two shoes? He loved his sister, but she seemed to lack any real sense of adventure.

"I mean, what difference does it make if Dad forbids it?" he said, raising en eyebrow as he met her blue eyes. "You like Adam, and I already know he's a good guy... Do what you want. Go out with him anyway."

Stephanie's eyes widened in surprise. She'd always known that Shane was a bit of a rebel. He would do whatever he wanted when he wanted, although he'd never done anything too over the top or illegal. But now he was trying to convince her to do the same? She wasn't sure she could... After all, she was Daddy's Little Girl, and she always felt the need to have Vince's approval. On top of that, he'd always been very over-protective of her.

On the other hand, the idea of rebelling definitely appealed to her. And it was even more tempting when a man was involved. Hell, Shane was right... She was a grown woman. She could date whomever she chose. She eyed her brother squarely and nodded.

"You know what? I'll do that." She held her head up high, her chin positioned in a most determined yet defiant manner. Vincent Kennedy McMahon might have been her father, but so what? he certainly wasn't the boss of her! Okay, so he was her boss at work, but that was all. Her personal life was her own, and she had every right to handle it as she saw fit.

"That's the spirit, Steph!" Shane exclaimed. He grinned, happy to see that she was agreeing with him. He only hoped that if it came down to the scenario she had in mind, she would have the courage to stand up for herself. Lord knew, their father could be quite the hardass.

"There's just one thing you're overlooking, though."

Stephanie's fierce expression transformed so taht she again resembled a deer caught in headlights.

"What's that?" she questioned meekly.

Shane smirked at her and said, "You haven't even told Dad about your date yet. He might end up not even caring. So don't get your panties in such a bunch just yet."

The brunette rolled her eyes and swatted him in the shoulder. God, big brothers could be so dumb sometimes. But he did have a point. She stood up and stuck her tongue out at him in a playful gesture.

"Yeah, yeah... Point taken," she said. "Okay, so I guess I should just get it over with, then." She steeled herself and took a deep breath, then exhaled it. "I might as well do it now."

"Tell Mom first," the young man suggested. "If she gets an inkling that Dad would give you a hard time, maybe she can help you."

"Oh, way to get me all nervous again," she muttered.

Shane stood up and walked her to the door as she prepared to go out into the hall. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You'll be fine."

The brunette wasn't quite as sure as he was as she stepped out of the room. She started for the opposite wing of the house, where she knew her mother would be, as she'd retired to her room earlier in the night. She found the door half-open and stuck her head in tentatively.

"Mom?"

Linda McMahon was sitting on a plush antique chair, a book in her hands. She pushed the reading glasses down her nose as she looked up.

"Hi, Stephanie," she said.

"Can I talk to you?" the brunette asked, her voice small and uncertain.

"Of course, honey. Come on in." She set her book aside, placing it on the vanity table nearby as her daughter entered the room.

"Mom, someone asked me out at the show last night," Stephanie blurted, deciding to just get right to the point, "and I'm worried that Daddy may not approve."

Linda frowned.

"Who is this young man?" she asked.

"It's the new guy... Adam Copeland," she replied.

Her mother's face brightened considerably.

"Oh, him... He seems very nice."

Stephanie smiled, nodding.

"Yeah, he is, Mom."

"Why don't you think your father would approve of you dating him?"

The young brunette shrugged.

"Well," she explained, "he sort of yelled at him during yesterday's meeting." Before her mother could question that, she elaborated. "He was whispering with someone. But a lot of the other guys were talking, too! I don't know... Maybe he only did that to Adam because he's new."

Linda nodded and gave her daughter a reassuring pat.

"I'm sure that's all there was to it," she said. "You know how your father is, Stephanie. His bark is always worse than his bite. Just talk to him," she said. "Everything will be fine. And if he doesn't approve, well, just know that I do." She winked at the young woman.

Suddenly, Stephanie was feeling a whole lot better. She came and knelt by Linda's chair to hug her.