I couldn't get it out of my head. So I got on my computer and wrote it out. I hope you guys like it; I tried my best not to get too redundant for what happened, but I think it's much like my PotC fic 'Living Forever with Yourself'. This is my way of going through all the stuff that happened and giving a bit of closure to myself for it. I figured I would share it in hopes others could somehow gain from reading it like I did from writing it.

Shawn Michaels is my hero, and he will forever be remembered. I don't believe he'll ever return to the ring as a wrestler, but I do hope he'll make a couple appearances in the future. Also, I hope that Hunter will get smash Sheamus' skull in at some point during this storyline.

Favorite Quote: 'Isn't that like a silly Irish man? Bringing a pipe to a sledgehammer fight.'

Disclaimer: Do I look rich to you? -points to the mass of springs that is her bed- If I was rich, I would be sleeping on a mattress that doesn't bruise my sides every night, a'ight?
The Final Moments

"There's still time to change your mind."

Shawn looked up from where he was currently sitting on a bench in the locker room. Standing before him was none other than his best friend; One Paul Levesque or, as the Heartbreak Kid preferred to call him, Hunter. The man had finished changing into his wrestling attire and was currently taping his wrists. He was looking at Shawn with a hopeful half-smile playing over The Game's features despite the knowing, woeful look in his eyes.

The smaller male sighed, closing his eyes and lowering his head back into his hands. They had been trying to change his mind for weeks; His kids had been going crazy for just as long. Mark and he had gotten into it a couple times, lightly, but still. After all that...Hunter was still trying to sway him. It was true; The Deadman had told Shawn that he had until the very end to change his mind. He would give up the fabled Streak in an instant if Michaels decided to stay instead. That last 1-2-3 was still hanging in hopeful limbo for some of his friends and co-workers, making Shawn wish that his decision was different.

Still...

"I've made up my mind, Hunter. Nothing is going to change it at this point." He murmured, finally, raising his head to look at his friend with a mournful expression. "Please don't make this any harder than it already is. I need...I need someone here that understands. Someone who isn't still hoping against the inevitable."

Hunter sighed, ducking his head for a moment or so before nodding slowly, "Alright, Shawnie. I guess...This is what you really want, huh?"

"Geeze, Hunt. I don't think I could ever want it, per say. But you know...It's time." Shawn stood, stretching and moving to grab a few bottles of water, tossing one to his friend, "This is something I have to do. I have a chance here to go out with my head held high, without people thinking I stayed too long or anything like that. My kids are still at an age where they want me around all the time, and...I want to give that to them. They deserve to have daddy around more often."

"Yeah...I know what you mean, man." Opening his own bottle, Hunter took a long drink from it before sighing, "I just can't believe that it's happening. I mean...You just sorta wish that some things could go on forever, and now here's the day where one of those things are coming to an end."

"I know what you mean, Hunt. I really do." They lapsed into silence for awhile, one finishing preparations for his match and the other returning to thought. Finally, Triple H straightened up, jumping a few times from one foot to the other causing Shawn to look up with a smile, "Go get'em, Hunter. Show the kid just what it takes on the Grandest Stage of them all."

His best friend grinned at him, and crossed the room to clasp him in a strong hug, "Be sure to watch. We'll put on a show, and I'll want to hear your thoughts afterward."

"Of course." Shawn chuckled as they broke apart and the other vanished, shaking his head, "Some things never change..."

—Much later that night...—

"Y'ready for this, Michaels?" Mark's voice broke through the haze of his thoughts, blue eyes opening to meet the black-rimmed brown gaze of the Dead Man. He started just a bit and leaned back from the grim face. "Shawn?"

"Yeah. Sorry. I just...Had to get that out of my system, I guess." Shawn offered a weary grin for the man he had chosen to end his career with. "I'm ready."

They held each others gazes for a long while before the large man nodded slowly and straightened up from where he had been crouched before the blond. Shawn, in response, stood up and tilted his head back to lock gazes again in a stare down. It was something that they had done on several occasions before their various encounters. There was something different about it this time, though. The Showstopper felt as if there was an entire in depth conversation happening between them in the few moments they had stayed like that; As if he was baring his soul for the other man. Creepy, but not really surprising considering who exactly he was staring down.

At the same time, though, there was a sense of understanding slowly passing between them. Mark didn't want to end his career, but he understood why. Shawn understood what he was asking, and knew it was a tall order. They both understood what had to be done by the end of the night, and in that moment came to the agreement to put their all into it. Finally, blue eyes closed and a long sigh escaped. He was aware of a large hand on his shoulder for a moment before it vanished. When he opened his eyes, Taker was gone and a new sense of peace had overcome him.

Shawn turned to grab his bag and change into his wrestling attire. It wasn't his best outfit, and he hadn't really planned anything special entrance-wise. This would, perhaps, be his least decorated Wrestlemania, but he felt it was for the best this was. The Showstopper; Mr. Wrestlemania... This was the way he wanted to go out. Simple, a bit more than his normal entrance but simple for the Grandest Stage of them all. There was something in a humble entrance, that expressed where his mind was; On the match, the result, the stakes. Everything. How could that be shown by a flashy entrance? It couldn't; This way nothing would be taken away from the match itself. All focus would be on it.

"Alright." Once he was finished changing, Shawn found himself in front of the mirror, looking determinedly at his reflection, "This is it. The final moment, HBK. Your moment. You are the Show Stopper, Headliner, the Icon, the Main Event. Mr. Wrestlemania!" He paused, smiling slightly in memory of the reason behind all those names before murmuring with a soft sigh, "Today, the Heartbreak Kid will stand true to all his names. Make it good, Shawn."

Then, he turned and left the locker room; Fully prepared for what was to come from the future. He was met by Vince and Steph at the curtain, and took a deep breath in preparation for what must be another plea to re-sign. Truly, these past several weeks had been tiring on his mind and will. Peer pressure was a hard thing to handle when it was coming from those you cared about; Asking you not to leave something you loved. Still...This was the right choice. Shawn knew it was, because he could feel the peace already coming up over him.

"Good luck out there, son." Was all that was said by the Chairman, though, before Shawn found himself pulled into a strong and brief embrace. "I know you're going to go with your heart; So I won't try and change your mind anymore."

Once he was free of Vince, he found his arms full of the man's daughter, "You better give us one hell of a show, Shawn. Or I'm going to personally come down there and beat you to a pulp."

The blond laughed and turned his head to plant a kiss lightly on her cheek before pulling back, "Darlin', when have I ever failed to give a show to remember?" She smiled, and he continued on in a more serious tone, "Thank you...Uh. Where's--"

"Right here, Shawnie." Hunter's hand clasped onto his shoulder, causing Shawn to turn around with a grin, "Now I know that you're prepared for the ending here, but let's talk about during this match."

"Hm?" His friend slung an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close, assaulting the smaller male with a round of nostalgia of days gone past. "What about 'during the match'?"

"You're still gonna kick his ass, right?" Hunter asked in almost complete seriousness, startling Shawn so much that he couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud.

"Ahaha...Hunt, if you let me go out for my match I'll just show you the answer to that." He kept his tone light, wrapping an arm around the other and exchanging one more embrace before Sexy Boy hit the speakers. "Well, that's my cue. See you guys on the other side."

—During the Match...—

Shawn was exhausted, laying sprawled out on his back in the middle of the ring with Taker towering over him. How many hits was that, now? How many times had he kicked out....Tried for a pin himself? Honestly, he felt like it didn't matter in this moment. The Dead Man raised his arm to preform his signature throat slicing motion, but even as Shawn watched him through slitted eyes the large man paused. It took all of the blond mans will to move again and try to struggle to his feet.

"Stay down!"

He ignored the yell, reaching out to use the other man as a sort of base to pull himself up with. Shawn didn't expect to get all the way up, didn't even try; Just had to get to enough of a vertical base to lock eyes with his opponent. One hand clutched at the edge of the large man's wrestling gear, and Shawn leaned heavily against him before pulling back just enough to do what needed to be done. Mock the Undertaker; Piss him off, remind him of what they were doing here. The Heartbreak Kid clenched his jaw and dragged his own hand across his throat in a mockery of the other man. He watched the black-rimmed eyes go wide with rage.

Not but a few moments later he was on his back again, completely dazed as his arms were once again moved into the 'rest in peace' position and the referee counted to three. Taker's hands clenched on his arms, and when Shawn opened his eyes he was met with a pair of brown ones staring right back. The grip was almost painful; But he just offered an exhausted smile.

"Thank you." It was a shadow of a whisper, but the message was clear and had been received so he closed his eyes again and opted to rest while the other man did his thing. Once the Dead Man left the ring, he would get up and say goodbye to the fans.

To his surprise, however, a minute or so later Mark was standing over him again. Then the large man was helping him up and back to his feet, the two of them stumbling until Shawn's back hit the ropes; Taker's free hand gripped the top rope as well, to keep from falling against the smaller male. It wasn't any surprise, the match had taken a lot out of them both—It hadn't been the longest, but it was definitely one of the more physical encounters that they'd given.

"You're one crazy sonova bitch." Mark told him in dead seriousness as they clasped hands, only receiving a grim smile in return. Then, for the seemingly hundredth time that night, Shawn found himself exchanging an embrace. It was a slight shock, but the reason behind the action was swiftly remembered, "I'm glad to have been the one who stepped into this ring with you for the last time, Shawn."

"Yeah. Me too."

That said, the embrace was broken and the larger male departed from the ring and back up the ramp. Mr. Wrestlemania closed his eyes and bowed his head for a moment to try and gain hold of his emotions before raising it with another sincere smile as chanting filled the arena.

"Thank you." He couldn't say it enough.

—Several minutes later; Backstage—

"Oh Shawn...We'll miss you!"

"I'll miss you ladies, too. But you know...These things have to happen. There's plenty of young talent out there to make up for it." The Divas had converged on him in one massive group hug before breaking apart and giving way to reveal the large group of gathered Superstars past them. Shawn felt tears welling up in his eyes again. He dashed a hand over them in a valiant attempt to stay composed, "Geeze, ya'guys...A man just can't catch a break these days."

That earned several chuckles from the group as the man moved towards them. He'd barely reached them before finding himself surrounded, hands clapping him on the back and grasping his own. Pulled into several more hugs and exchanging all sorts of words, last bits of advice, praise and thanks. By the time he'd finished with everyone who had gathered, Hunter's family had grouped with his own and were waiting by the door of the locker room. He grinned, stooping down to hug his kids before giving his wife a kiss.

"You'll be sorely missed, love..." Rebecca told him with a soft sigh, smiling through her own tears.

"Nah...No more than Steve or Dwayne." He winked, before glancing towards the locker room, "Let me go ahead n'shower real quick and get changed; Then we can head out, okay?"

She nodded, and gave him one last kiss before letting Shawn vanish into the locker room. Once the door had closed behind him and the man was sure he was alone, he leaned back against the surface behind him and let out a small sigh. That was it; He was retired. No more in-ring action, maybe a few appearances in the future but that would be it. Tomorrow, he would say goodbye properly and in his own way, but the physical side of things was over, and he closed his eyes at the thought before heading into the shower.

Once he had cleaned up and changed out of his wrestling attire, Shawn stretched and grabbed an ice pack to wrap a towel around and place on the back of his neck. That done, he headed back out of the locker room and was immediately caught around the shoulders by Hunter. A slight wince escaped him in return of the sudden gesture, but otherwise his best friend was being more gentle than usual.

"All set to head out for dinner?" Hunter asked lightly, leading his friend out of the arena and towards the parking garage.

"Huh?"

"To dinner, Shawn. We're all going out to dinner, you, Becca, Steph, me, Vince, and the kids. Don't tell me you forgot?"

"Ah." Shawn laughed lightly in recognition, shaking his head, "Oh, Hunt, I'm sorry. I guess I did sorta forget in all the excitement."

As they entered the garage, Shawn was met with the sight of a long limo and blinked in surprise. Hunter snickered and dragged him over to it, the door opening as they approached. Cameron and Cheyenne's heads poked out, Aurora set in between them. Shawn smiled, Claire must be sitting with her mother inside the limo. The three kids waved in a hyper-active fashion that caused the best friends to chuckle as they climbed into the limo, lightly moving their kids as they went.

—The next night..—

There were no words to describe how he felt after saying goodbye to the WWE universe. It was perhaps the hardest thing he had ever done, not because he was hanging up his boots but because all the heartbreak left in his wake. Of course, Shawn had known the moment he made the decision that the Heartbreak Kid would go out breaking more hearts than anyone should be able to break in a lifetime. Thus, here he was, accomplishing yet another feat unimaginable.

Shawn swiped a hand over his eyes as he returned to the back. He paused, however, upon noting three wrestlers standing before him. Hunter, no surprise there; Taker, only a mild shock after the display before his speech; And...Bret Hart. That was perhaps the most surprising of all, but the older man simply walked up and clasped him on the shoulder with an understanding and slightly envious smile. Bret had been forced into retirement after his accident with his head. Shawn was on the receiving end of a very rare thing: Controlling when and how he left the wrestling ring, without being looked down at other than the doubt that past 'retired' wrestlers had caused by their returns.

"Shawn...You deserve it, probably more than anyone, so don't waste it." Was the only thing Bret had to say before he embraced the younger male briefly and walked away.

That left Mark and Hunter, both standing before him a bit reluctantly. The blond had to smile; How many times would this be Hunter had said 'goodbye'? The man seemed to be channeling Shawn's own wishes to say a million farewells—Even if they'd see each other soon enough for some random holiday or get together. After all, they were best friends and their families were close-knit now; Rebecca and Stephanie wouldn't let them hear the end of it if they didn't still have their little gatherings.

Mark, on the other hand...Having the Deadman tip his hat to him had been a high feeling of honor for Shawn. Still, it didn't seem to be enough. They had shook hands and embraced after the match, in the ring, but...

"You'll be missed around here, Michaels..." The other Texan finally spoke up, cutting the thoughts short as he moved forward, though the large arms were crossed over his chest tensely, "It won't quite be 'home' without ya."

"Ah, well, you know what they say about home..." Shawn smiled, tapping the left side of his chest lightly; Just over his heart. Then, he grinned and reached up to clap a hand on the crossed arms, "I'll miss you too, Deadman."

He received a slight scowl for his effort, though the smaller man knew better and shrugged it off, standing between the two other men and tossing an arm over both their shoulders. Yeah, he had to reach up, but the homely effect was worth it. The fact that neither shoved him off just made him grin more, ducking his head to hide more tears. A few moments of silence passed before Hunter shifted and placed an arm over Shawn's shoulders in return and Mark uncrossed his arms to place a hand on the top of his head.

"Us old timers...It's long pass the time we step aside, Shawn. We've given all we good, our very best, to this business and putting on a show...Can't ask for more'n that." The large Texan drawled in a low tone, "I'll hang around a bit longer to help build these youngin's up, but I think it's high time that they were ushered in and allowed to work on their own legacies."

"Yeah. They'll certainly have something to contend to, though. Thanks to you two." Hunter chimed in, "Taker has the bar set for undefeated streaks, and Shawn...Well, you just set the bar for being the greatest in-ring performer ever." He shook the other lightly, grinning, "Everyone now is going to aspire to accomplish even a slightest bit the things that you did, Shawnie. Or to have half the streak the Deadman has."

"You're forgetting about yourself, Hunt..." Shawn finally spoke up in a low voice, though he was smiling again.

"Nah, I don't count. I'm married into this business now, and no one can follow that or they're gonna get their teeth knocked down their throat by my trusty ol' sledgehammer." They all chuckled at that, picturing an older Triple H holding 'Sledgie' threateningly at Aurora's first boyfriend, then Claire's. Then, Hunter pulled away, "Now, though, I gotta go deal with Chris for the crowd. You should start heading home, yeah?"

Shawn hadn't realized that they had been standing there for so long. Already Chris and Adam had finished their dark match, and Hunter's cue had come. He watched on the nearby screen with Taker as the Game headed down the ramp and delivered a pedigree to Chris, followed shortly by 'Sweet Chin Music' and a bit of humor. A laugh escaped Shawn, and he clapped with the rest of the crowd before turning his attention to the last man beside him with a smile.

"Well, he was right. I should be getting out of here; Got a plane to catch n'all..."

Taker nodded, crossing his arms thoughtfully and keeping his gaze on the monitor. When Shawn didn't move, the Deadman raised an eyebrow and looked over at him curiously. The blond looked a slight bit embarrassed, shifting from one foot to another and rubbing the back of his neck nervously. It didn't take very long to realize the reason behind this oddity, and his lips twitched upwards the slightest bit as he dropped his arms to his sides and turned towards the other.

"Need a ride, Michaels?" The smaller male laughed and nodded sheepishly, muttering something about not having a rental, "Huh..Come on, then."

And so did Shawn Michaels leave RAW after saying his farewell, pausing just a second after entering the parking lot behind Mark to glance back. A smile played on his lips as he murmured, "The Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels...Has left the building."

'I'll miss y'all, too.'

Fin