Chapter 1

She nervously tapped her fingers on the steering wheel, staring straight ahead at the building in front of her. She had been sitting in the car, parked for over an hour now and was having the hardest time pulling herself from the vehicle. If she went inside, she knew she was admitting to the problems that drove her here in the first place. It had been a little over 5 years since she officially left the WWE. Granted, she did some special appearances here and there and she worked as a trainer on Tough Enough, but it wasn't a full time return.

To say she didn't miss it was an understatement. She missed the fans, she missed her friends and she missed entertaining people. What she didn't miss was the 250 days of traveling, not being able to see her family or loved ones, and the hell she put her body through. It's amazing though how easy it was for her and Ron to stay together through it all. It's uncommon for wrestlers to maintain healthy relationships when being on the road constantly. But they seemed to find a way to make it through. So how did they make it work for the 6 years she was in the WWE and how did it all fall apart so quickly once they said their vows?

Truth be told, it hadn't fallen apart just yet, but they were on the verge. It seemed as though all the troubles started when she signed up to train on Tough Enough. Ron never seemed to have a problem with her fame before, and though he never came out and said he did, she felt as though he was jealous of her stardom. Maybe he was hoping she would leave it all behind…every last bit of it and never look back. But that's not the way Trish was wired. So, it was a mutual decision for her to go back to the WWE. They both realize things were not working out. Maybe some space between the two of them was exactly what they needed to realize exactly what they're without.

She had contacted Vince the night before and when he agreed to work a contract, she took the first flight out. The contract was to only be a one year contract, with a possibility of it turning into more, though the optimist in her was hoping that would not happen. So why was she feeling all this uncertainty to walk in the building and go back to the days she loved? Because things change, and people change. She's seen so many friends come and go in this sport. Some messed up on steroids or pain killers, some turned to alcohol, and others merely trying to keep a family together. She's watched her friends cheat on their husbands and their wives. She's also seen death come as well. Sure, some of the wrestlers left to make it big, and some have. But now, she looks at the current roster and is in awe of the few remaining comrades she once performed with.

The Smackdown brand did have a few superstars that she had worked with in the past, but hardly any of them were good friends of hers. Other than Jason, Mark, and Booker, the other remaining superstars kept more to themselves. There of course was Randy as well. The two of them were never really close, but were always friendly and respectful with each other. And the Raw brand had even less familiar faces. Other than Hunter, Rey, Nick, and John, there were so many new faces on the roster. She couldn't lie about being excited to see John and Nick again though. The two of them both have this uncanny way about making her laugh. She really misses joking around with them.

She wasn't sure what brand Vince was going to put her on and to be honest, she wasn't sure it would make a huge difference. One thing she did know, it would be quite a shock when she would make her appearance. As the deal was such a last minute decision, none of the wrestling tabloids even had the slightest clue she was coming back. No one really did for that matter.

She took a deep breathe and opened the car door. As she walked into the arena, she was overtaken by a sense of nostalgia. It was as if she had never left. Walking down the halls to find where Vince had set up shop, everyone was busy preparing for the night's show. The audio and video techs were wheeling in all the equipment, she could see the ring being set up from afar, and she could smell the catered food set up in the make-shift cafeteria. The only thing missing were her old friends. She passed a few of the divas on her way. As she kept her attention forward, she heard some muted whispers and quick looks. Yes, that's right ladies, I'm back. I'm back to save the women's division.

After about ten more minutes of wandering around, she found Vince's office. After knocking twice she heard Vince summon her in.

"Trish! How's everything been" he asked as he embraced her in a hug.

She sighed, "Good, but very busy". She knew Vince wasn't buying her act.

"I was actually very surprised to hear from you. I never thought I'd see the day where YOU ask ME to come back. I was getting too used to calling you for favors."

Trish laughed, "Well, I figure with all the favors I've given, you could help a girl out."

Vince nodded, he could tell something was bothering her but he wasn't one to pry. He didn't need to know her reason behind her return. All he wanted was a guarantee that she wasn't going to cut out half way through the contract.

"Have a seat please. So, what were you thinking in regards to the contract?"

Trish nervously fidgeted, "Well, I was thinking a year contract to start…with negotiation for longer once we get closer to the end of the year?"

Vince nodded slowly, she could tell he had something brewing in that brain of his. "Trish, let's be honest with each other. We've known each other a long time. I don't know what your reasoning is for coming back, and I'm not going to question it, but I almost feel like you don't really want this. So let's try this instead…We'll start you with a year contract, after the year is up, you can decide to do what you will. But if staying is what you decide, be ready to negotiate a longer term than just a year. You know I usually like to keep the contracts for a 3 to 5 year term so that I'm not going through negotiations every year."

Trish breathed a slight sigh of relief. So many thoughts were running through her brain at that moment. If things worked out with Ron, there was no way she would want to stay longer than a year, however, if they didn't, there was no way she could go home. But it seemed as though Vince read her mind. Obviously, he knew something was up, but wanted to help her in any way he could.

"Deal…where do I sign and what brand am I going to be with?"

Vince chuckled, "I'm glad you asked…you're going to be appearing on both brands for right now, though once things settle down, Smackdown will be your home. Coming up, we have a live tour that Kmart is sponsoring. It begins on November 30th so you'll be touring with Smackdown. But as for the regular Raw and Smackdown tapings, you should hopefully be able to make all of those. Currently Randy and Stu, as well as Beth and Natalie are doing that as well as some of the others and the ratings have really started improving."