Stephanie struggled to get up from her seated position on the couch. After a few attempts, she finally made it to her feet and started the long waddle to the kitchen. She rested her hands on her huge belly and spoke softly to the unborn inside.

"I wish you would hurry up and make an appearance, you know. I don't think I can take much more of this," she said, palming her bump.

"Stephanie! It's starting!" called Linda who was on the sofa in the living room, watching the pyro as RAW kicked off.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." She lifted her bottle of water and headed back to the living room. About half way there, the strangest feeling shot from her stomach, all the way down to her toes. She stopped dead in her tracks when she felt the wet sensation running down her legs. "Oh my god!" she whispered, not believing what had just happened. "Oh my GOD! Mom! Mom!" she called excitedly, looking down at the water pooled at her feet.

Linda came rushing to her, worried that something had happened to her very pregnant daughter. "What is it? Are you OK?"

"My water just broke," Stephanie winced, now feeling a burning sensation in her gut. She held on to the door frame and breathed evenly, trying to calm down.

"Right, we're going to the hospital. Where are the bags?" Linda asked calmly, taking her daughter's arm and leading her slowly towards the front door. She paused to switch off the TV before continuing to the door.

"They're at the door. Paul set them there before he left yesterday. Oh god, Paul. I have to call him, mom, I have to..."

"First things first, you need to get to the hospital. Then we'll call Paul. Now let's get a move on. You don't want to give birth in a car do you?" Linda rationalised, trying her best to get Stephanie moving.

"God no! I'm moving as fast as I can here." She grit her teeth and picked up the pace. They finally reached the car and she struggled inside. Linda hopped into the driver's seat and took off, the car practically flying down the road.

"I know you want to get us there quickly and all but I don't want to die before we even reach the damn hospital. Slow down, mom. I'm not in that much pain," Stephanie said, her hands gripping her seat belt for dear life.

Linda glanced at her daughter and smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I'm just so excited that's all. I can't believe my baby girl is going to have a baby of her own." Her eyes began to well up and she wiped at them with the back of her hand.

Stephanie looked at her mother and felt her own eyes tearing up. "I'm going to call Paul now. He needs to know as soon as possible so he can make it on time," she said, reaching inside the bag and taking out her cell phone. She punched in number one on her speed dial and waited anxiously for her husband to answer the phone.



The backstage area of the arena was chaotic, as per usual for Monday Night Raw. Paul joined his father in-law at the gorilla position. The show was just about ready to begin and the ten second countdown had already started. He opened the flap of his cell phone and snapped it shut again, repeating the motion over and over again until Vince looked at him. He mumbled a quiet "sorry" before walking away from the area. Suddenly the pyro exploded and he jumped, the loud bangs playing with his nerves. He began to pace up and down, wondering how his wife was and what she was doing. Probably watching the show right about now he thought to himself. He felt a tingling sensation in his hand and glanced down. His cell phone was vibrating and as her name flashed across the screen, his stomach flipped. Somehow he knew that this was it. He quickly snapped open the phone and pressed it to his ear, poking his finger in his other one to block out the noise of 15,000 screaming fans going crazy just a few feet away.

"I was just thinking about you," he uttered, walking away from the noise and headed towards the more secluded hallway.

"Paul! I'm on my way to the hospital; my water broke about ten minutes ago."

Even though he had felt that this was it, her saying it made it seem that much more real. Their baby was on the way. What the hell was he doing still standing here? He ran back to the gorilla position and talked to her at the same time.

"Oh god! Are you alright? You're not in pain or anything? I'm grabbing your dad and we'll be on the jet in about twenty minutes."

"I'm fine baby. Just hurry OK. I don't wanna do this without you," she said softly and then chuckled when she heard her father's rather loud "WHAT?" down the phone. She listened on as Paul told him to "hurry the hell up" or he was leaving without him.

"I don't want you to either. You better hold that kid in, I'm tellin' ya," he said, practically pulling Vince away from the monitor. He saw the bewildered faces of several superstars and management around him and knew that they were freaking out. With Vince gone, things were usually even more chaotic but right now he didn't care. He just needed to get to his wife.

Stephanie relaxed in the hospital bed. They had been here for a little over two hours now. As soon as they had arrived at the hospital, they had been ushered to their private room and now they sat, anxiously waiting for the phone call to tell them their other halves were on the way. A fierce pain gripped her stomach and she instantly grabbed the rails on either side of the bed. Linda heard her daughter's sharp intake of breath and immediately sat up, reaching over to take her hand and comfort her.

"Another one? They're coming much closer together now."

Stephanie looked at Linda with a pained expression on her face. At first, the contractions were nothing more than a little flutter in her abdomen. But very quickly they had turned into a contracting vice like grip deep in her stomach. She was getting to the stage where some medical help wouldn't be 

ignored. God, how she wished Paul was here. He would be able to comfort her like no one else in this world could. She hoped to God that his plane had landed and that he was on his way. She didn't think she could last much longer without him.

"Just remember your breathing Steph and try to stay calm OK?" said Linda. She had been through this before, twice. She knew exactly what her daughter was going through. The first one was always the hardest. She subtly glanced at her watch and wondered what was taking Paul and Vince so long. They should have been here by now. The show was only an hour away by plane so something was holding them up.

"Finally, that one's over. They're definitely getting a lot stronger now. The next time the nurse comes in, I think I'll ask for 'some of the good stuff' as Paul likes to call it." She smiled at the mention of her husband's name. Reaching for her cell phone on the table beside the bed, she was just about to punch in his number when the door to the room was flung open and a very haggard looking Paul burst through. He immediately rushed to her bedside and took her hand, frantically looking her over.

"Jesus Steph...I'm so sorry...we had to wait for...clearance for the plane," he paused to catch his breath. Sprinting from the hospital entrance all the way to the maternity ward was no easy feat. His concerned eyes landed on her bump and he gently ran his hand over it. "Everything's OK though, right? There's no problems or anything like that."

"I'm fine babe, we're both fine. I'm just glad you're here," she said as she pulled him into a tight hug, closing her eyes and breathing him in. She felt much better just knowing that he was here and that they would be doing this together. They pulled away and he gently kissed her lips before leaning down to kiss her belly. His big hand spread out over her bump and he spoke softly to their unborn.

"Thought you were gonna pop out of there without me kiddo'," he joked. He lifted his head and saw Linda sitting in the chair just behind him. "Linda! I didn't even see you sitting there."

Linda just smiled at her son-in-law. "That's OK Paul. I think I can forgive you for forgetting your manners this time. Where is Vince?"

"He's parking the car. I couldn't wait so I got out at the door and ran here..." he trailed off, blushing slightly at the huge smile that adorned both Linda and his wife's face.

"You ran all the way from the entrance?" Stephanie asked, taking his hand.

"Well yeah. I didn't want to miss anything you know? I never would've been able to forgive myself if I missed the birth of our child, Steph."

Her eyes locked onto his and she tugged his hand, pulling him closer to her. "I love you, you know."

Linda smiled at them and realising that they probably wanted a private moment, she stood and headed for the door. "I'm just going to find your father," she said quietly and slipped outside.

Paul didn't even hear her leave. His full attention was on his wife who was pulling him closer still. Her hand rested at the back of his head and she pulled his lips to hers. "I love you too," he whispered and kissed her softly. As they broke apart, he felt tears springing to his eyes. Emotionally, he was all over the place. The entire plane ride, he was absolutely terrified that he would miss the birth or that 

something would go wrong. Now that he was finally here and could see that Stephanie and the baby were fine, his fear was replaced with excitement at the fact that their baby was almost here and then fear again at the thought of being totally responsible for someone else, someone else that he created.

"I see you finally made it."

Both Paul and Stephanie turned at the sound of Dr. Wilkes voice. She entered the room and came to stand at the other side of Stephanie's bed. Realising that she was talking to him, Paul chuckled and replied. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."

A warm smile spread across the older ladies face and she smiled at the couple. "So, I think it's time we checked how dilated you are, Stephanie. And I know how inseparable you guys are and all but maybe you'd like to go for some coffee, Paul?" she suggested. From her experience, most husbands were not very good with this part of the process and she kindly offered him a way out.

Paul looked at his wife and was about to refuse when Stephanie spoke for him. "That would be great Dr. Wilkes. And while you're at it, maybe you could get me some ice chips?"

"Why do I get the feeling that you're trying to get rid of me?" he asked, suspiciously raising an eyebrow while he got to his feet.

"Well, I know how easily you gag Paul and I don't particularly want you being sick all over the place." Stephanie said cheekily, winking at Dr. Wilkes who simply shook her head in response.

"Why the hell would I be..." he trailed off before a look of realisation crossed his face. "I think I'll just...go and get that coffee." He smiled nervously before quickly making his way out of the room.

Stephanie simply laughed at him. "He's such a wimp sometimes, I swear! Ask him to get hit in the head with barbed wire and its yes all the way, but ask him to stay here and watch this and he runs away! I don't know how he's gonna cope later when the baby actually comes out!"

"Men, Stephanie. Tough on the outside when they're really just big softie's on the inside. Anyway, why don't you just lie on your side and we'll get started."

Aurora tugged on her father's hand, trying to pull him towards the huge bouncy castle just a few feet away. Her eyes were wide with excitement and she was very eager to get there so she could get on it. She looked up and saw that her dad was still chatting away to her mom and frowned.

"Daddy!" she cried, trying to get his attention.

Paul looked down at his daughter's sad little face and immediately crouched down beside her. "What's the matter Princess?"

"I wanna get on that," she said, pointing to the bouncy castle. Her hopeful eyes looked up at him and he felt a tug at his heart. He could never say no to her when she did that face. He looked at Stephanie who simply nodded and began walking in the direction of the castle. He smiled and watched as her little face lit up. "Come on then, let's go."

The trio made their way through the small crowd until they reached the line for the castle. There were only about 3 other kids in front of them. As they stood in the line, Paul glanced around him. The small fair came to Nashua every year and they decided to bring Aurora this year as she was finally old enough to get on things. Thankfully, it was later in the day and not that many people were there. The occasional person came and asked for an autograph and he got stared at everywhere they went but most people were respectful enough to realise that he was with his family and probably wanted to be left alone. The gentle pull of his daughter's hand shook him from his thoughts and he watched as the other kids were coming out of the exit gate.

"Mommy! Daddy! Look it's my turn," Aurora said excitedly. She began pulling on his hand again as the line started to move. They reached the gate and he paid the young attendant before following his wife and daughter over to the "Shoe Area," where Stephanie was helping Aurora remove her little boots.

"Can I get on now?" she asked hopefully, glancing between her parents.

"You sure can." Paul smiled and watched as she ran over and tried to climb up the front. He looked at his wife and they both chuckled. She was too small to get her leg over the top. They both made a move to go and help and Paul reached out and touched her arm. "I'll go." Stephanie stood back and went to the parent's waiting area. She smiled and watched on, laughing as her daughter still tried to get on. Paul came behind her and lifted her up, setting her down gently on the bouncy surface. He stood for a minute, making sure that she had her bearings before making his way to the waiting area.

"She's a determined little thing. She was trying so damn hard to get up there," he said, coming to stand just beside his wife.

Stephanie smiled and reached for his hand. "Well, look who she has for parents." She looked at him and saw the proud look on his face.

"Yeah, I can't blame her there. It's in her genes."

"You got that right."

They both fell silent and watched their daughter. She was busy bouncing and chatting away to the little girl she had obviously made friends with. She wasn't shy that was for sure. No matter where they went, she always managed to make friends with somebody. Stephanie continued to watch until she felt that someone was watching her and turned to find Paul, staring at her with a gentle smile on his face.

"What?" she asked softly, bumping her shoulder into his.

"Nothing, it's just, sometimes she really looks like you and it just...I don't know... I get this funny feeling. A good feeling though, if you know what I mean."

"Strangely enough, I think I do know what you mean."

"Good," he smiled at her happily, "I'm not talking like I'm crazy then."

"Well, you are crazy baby. A good kinda crazy though. If you know what I mean?" she winked and bumped his shoulder again and laughed when he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, kissing her hair.

"You know that makes you even worse right? I mean, you already know that I'm crazy yet you stay married to me and mother my child." He smiled smugly, thinking that he had her caught out and was pleasantly surprised when her felt her lips against his. She kissed him softly before pulling back and looking into his eyes. His smug smile returned and he shook his head. "You're such a cheater. You have no comeback so you try to distract me with your kisses instead. Well I can tell right now that it's not going to wor..."

She kissed him again and smiled against his lips when she felt him respond to her. As they broke apart, it was her turn to smile smugly and she reached up to play with the collar of his shirt.

"Damn woman. You'll be the death of me, you know that?" He smiled in spite of himself and leaned in for another when the loud whistle stopped him. They turned to find the attendant shouting "Time up." As they walked towards their daughter, Paul whispered in her ear. "I hope we can return to this later tonight."

Stephanie smiled slyly in his direction and whispered back, "I most certainly hope so."

"OK Steph, breathe, just breath OK?"

The sounds of Stephanie's wails and the pained expression on her face had Paul wishing that their kid would just pop out already. He couldn't stand to see her like this.

"I'm breathing...Oh God...is anything happening yet?" she looked down at the doctor with hopeful eyes.

"Yes Stephanie, we can almost see the head. Keep pushing!" barked Doctor Wilkes, wanting to keep things going.

Stephanie squeezed Paul's hand again, letting out a long groan as she pushed with all her might. Despite the fact that Paul could no longer feel his hand, he was determined to keep coaching his wife through this. "That's it baby, you're doing great."

"We've got the head! OK Mrs. Levesque, a few more big pushes," said the mid-wife, cradling the tiny head in her hands.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh...oh God!" she screamed, bearing down hard and pushing with everything in her. She was absolutely exhausted. As she pushed again, she suddenly felt a huge weight drift from her body. She collapsed back onto the bed, completely spent and closed her eyes. They quickly flew open again with the most wonderful sound of her newborn's cries filling the room.

"Jesus! Steph, we've got a girl. We've got a baby girl, oh my God!" Paul's excited voice carried from the end of the bed where he was watching the doctors and nurses expertly cleaning their new born. He came back up to her end of the bed and his huge smile was contagious, causing her to smile too. 

His hand swept across her sweaty forehead and he kissed her there softly, his hand coming down to palm her cheek. "I'm so damn proud of you, Steph. I love you so much," he said sincerely, his eyes full of emotion and a little bit watery.

"I love you too," she whispered and pulled him down for a quick kiss. They broke apart and looked to the foot of the bed to see the nurse walking towards them, a little pink bundle in her arms.

"Who wants to hold her first?" she smiled, looking down at the cute baby girl tightly bundled up in the pink blanket.

Paul looked at Stephanie and smiled, "You did all the work, you take her first." The nurse smiled again and gently placed the baby in her open arms. She felt the tears well in her eyes as she looked down at her daughter.

"My God! I can't believe it Paul, look at her." She looked at her husband and saw that he was smiling gently at their daughter, his finger softly stroking her little cheek. His hand was bigger than her head and she just couldn't get over how small she looked.

"She's a wonderful little thing isn't she? Who do you think she looks like?" he asked, moving his finger to her hand. They both gasped in surprise when her little hand wrapped around it and she sighed contently, snuggling into her mother's embrace. Paul looked at her and wiped away the tear that fell from his eye. "This is a perfect moment. An absolutely perfect moment," he whispered, shuffling closer to Stephanie on the bed and wrapping his arm around her.