A/N: Okay, this is the final chapter. :( I have to admit, I'm a little upset that this story is coming to an end! I cannot thank you all enough for the amazing response this story has gotten, you've made it so worth taking the time to write it. Every single review means so much to me but I especially have to give a shoutout to Tess and Jen, you girls have been my BIGGEST motivation in writing this story!, thank you all so much! Hope you enjoy the last chapter, don't hesitate to leave your opinions. Thanks again!!

PART 44

After what had been the longest day she had in awhile, Trish was ready for bed. She had remained at Adam's for almost another hour, and then made good on her promise to meet up with Dawn Marie.

They had originally planned to go out and grab something to eat, but they decided against it. Trish was still a little leery of being out in public, and Dawn figured the two of them would get more talking done in the privacy of her hotel room. Later in the evening, Stephanie McMahon joined them. The three ladies had a very relaxing time, catching up on each other's lives aside from all the drama. Trish remembered how good it felt to have some female companionship for once.

Yawning tiredly, she stepped into her hotel room, her eyes immediately searching for the clock.

"What a joke," she laughed at herself, shaking her head.

Here she was, ready to about crawl into the bedroom, and it was only nine o'clock. Her metabolism had dropped so terribly lately. Still, she was all smiles. Her life seemed to be getting back on track, a prospect that only days earlier she would have considered impossible.

That was not to say she didn't have a long way to go. She was not going to kid herself. Recovering from such a traumatizing situation would take some serious time, and there were some aspects of her life that would just never be the same. She knew that there would not be a day in her life where she wouldn't feel the need to glance over her shoulder every once in awhile. She would never be able to sit still in a room with a man she wasn't familiar with. And God only knew how long it would be before she could ever be intimate with a man again, Randy included.

His name popping up in her thoughts drew Trish out of the cloud. Suddenly she remembered that Randy was already in the room, and she placed her purse down to search for him. She found him in the bedroom, lying down on the bed. The television was on, playing softly in the background, but Trish was not so sure he was even watching. Her notion proved to be true when she shut the set off, and Randy didn't even budge.

Trish took a moment to study him, laying shirtless in black sweatpants before her. She placed a hand over her heart, the tugging sensation she was getting there reminding her just how terribly she had missed him. She immediately walked over to the bed, settling down beside him and burrowing herself into him

"Oh, Randy, I've missed you," she breathed, hugging him tightly.

At this point, Randy snapped from his trance and became fully aware of her presence. He pulled her to him, and even though he had done this so many times before, he felt like he was holding her for the first time. He held her close, smiling to himself as he discovered that she still used that same floral scented shampoo he had always loved.

"I love you, Trish," he said, still amazed at how easily the words he had always struggled with rolled off his tongue.

Though she didn't reply in words, Randy knew she loved him as well. The feeling of her heart beating rapidly against his own chest told him so. He couldn't believe it was over. The pain, the heartache, the trauma... it was all done with. No more sleepless nights, no more nightmares. It was almost too good to be true.

"They got Ric today," he noted, out of the blue. Trish cocked her head to the side, eyeing him curiously. "He turned himself in, actually. Right outside his own home."

"Wow," Trish gasped. She had to admit she was a little surprised... she had almost forgotten about Ric. "That's good..."

"Yeah, it is... I guess..." Randy replied, his uneasy tone worrying the blonde diva.

"What's wrong, Randy?"

With a sigh, he shook his head, "Nothing, babe. Just feeling a little nostalgic." When Trish's puzzled gaze did not waiver, he explained. "Ric was like a father to me... I just don't understand how he got swept up in this mess."

"Same way you did, Randy," Trish said. "I guess he wasn't able to pull away like you were. He wasn't as strong as you are."

Randy said nothing for a moment, taking her comment into consideration. The more he thought about it, she had a point. He had spent a great deal of time over the past few days kicking himself in the ass, wondering how in hell he could have been so weak, so naive as to follow Paul, when in reality, he should have been commending himself. He saw the light before it was too late, and he escaped. He got out of a situation not even Dave or the Nature Boy himself could escape. That said tons about his character.

"You're right," he said with a smile, and then added, "but I'm nowhere near as strong as you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I know you want to just move on, and put all this mess behind us, and I'm all for that. Trust me, this isn't going to be a time in my life I'm going to reflect on very much. But at the same time, there are some things I have to say to you, Trish, before we bury the issue for good," he explained.

He knew some of the things he would mention were very sensitive subjects to Trish, and he didn't want to risk hurting her now, of all times. But he wouldn't be able to live with himself knowing he never said anything to her, never told her how much her strength inspired him to be strong.

"So say them," she insisted, with a firm nod. "I want to hear what you have to say."

Then, it was like the words left him. Trish was staring at him expectantly, and he couldn't remember a damn thing he wanted to say. He had rehearsed the monologue over and over again in his head, at least fifty times that day alone. And now, he was drawing a blank. Then, as he glanced down at her, he decided that he didn't need a mental script. Just looking into those big brown eyes was motivation enough. He'd have to speak from his heart for once.

"It's just that... well, Adam and I have been getting a lot of praise lately, for what we've done. I just think that people are focusing so much on the fact that we 'saved' you that they're starting to neglect the fact that any normal woman would have given up by now. I screwed our relationship up so badly, most women would have sworn off men... and they sure as hell wouldn't have forgiven me. Paul raped you, and yet you still manage to get out of bed each day knowing it only made you stronger. You've been through so much, and yet you still find reason to get up in the morning. Even if we didn't end up together, I'd still love you so much for your courage, and for your will. You amaze me, Trish... you absolutely amaze me."

Randy exhaled slowly as he concluded his mini speech, his eyes settling on his beautiful girlfriend. He felt a pang in his heart as he noticed the tears that had since built in her dark eyes, and using the pad of his thumb, he gently wiped them away. Trish placed her hand over his, her heart nearly pounding joyfully out of her chest. If there were ever any doubts in her mind that this man didn't love her, they were long gone.

"Oh, Randy... I love you," she said, a smile spreading from ear to ear.

Her grin was contagious, and soon enough a similar one spread across Randy's face as well. In a somewhat daring move, he placed his lips on hers, kissing her ever so softly. Had it been any other man, Trish probably would have made a run for it, but not with Randy. It felt right with Randy, just as it always had.

The pair sighed simultaneously, causing Trish to giggle lightly. She smiled again... it felt so good to laugh. And, as she was just recently beginning to realize, it felt so good to be alive. Despite all the people who had hurt her in the past few months, she felt as though no one could touch her. Not with Randy by her side.

"It's over, Trish... it's all over," Randy noted, still grinning like a madman.

Tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear, Trish craned her neck and kissed him on the cheek.

"This might be over, Randy... but for us, it's only the beginning."

::The End::