Oh my god.

It's finished, it's finished! YAHOOO

Let me take this time to thank my wonderful reviewers who kept this story going – you were fantastic, better then fantastic, you were awesome! As Dorinda would say – and i hope i get this right – asem rowend!

Let me just say, when I began this fic I had no intention of taking it to twenty chapters! But, here we are, it's crazy! And Dani, I still want to see your victory dance! FYI - this confused P Dizzle so I should clear it up - yes, we're down with Kiora - let me tell you now that Kioras' name is Courtney - want to know why you need to know that ? read on ...

Anyway, i disclaim, i still own nothing, except a folder of reviews and new appreciation of Carlito and Triple H for their roles in this story

i hope you had fun reading this guys, enjoy this last chapter ..I'm warning you now grab a drink and turn off your phone this is a long one .. and don't forget to leave me a great last review lol haha

From "What's the plan again?"

Torrie and Pete slid into the booth beside Stephanie and Paul. Steph and Paul had just returned from the hospital, and had just finished updating the group on Phil's condition. John sat silently beside Maria, her small hands shaking in his own. She had been happy a few moments earlier, yet now with the mention of Phil she had gone quiet again. Trish sat next to Maria, Shawn and Charlie finishing off the row. Benoit was sitting alongside Paul, and Jericho had pulled a chair up at the end of the table.

"He's in Intensive Care, but only as a precaution. He's being sent home into the care of his family today." Stephanie said.

"Can you all make sure I give Shelton his address before he goes?" Charlie asked darkly.

"Charlie ..." Torrie blurted out. "That's really harsh."

He shrugged. "I don't care. He deserves it."

"Anyway," Shawn said quickly, hurrying to change the subject. "What's going to be happening at RAW over the next couple of weeks?"

"There's going to have to be a lot of changes," Trish agreed. "Including title changes!" she said excitedly, rubbing her hands together. The group laughed, it was clear that Trish was the main contender to gain the Women's Championship again.

"Title changes for one," Paul said seriously. "A change in power ... "

"A change in direction," Stephanie cut in. "There's going to be an overhaul of the whole show. Along with the reformation of DX ... well John still has the belt, so we either head with the angle of John joning them and as a result they get even more powerful and piss off my father even more, which is what I think should happen, or John stays on his own, and we build a faction around him to oppose DX. Torrie and Maria, we need to get you in the ring as wrestlers as soon as possible, we might have to buy up some new talent by the looks. A few new girls, since the plan is to send Ashley to Smackdown, and with your meeting with my mother today, Jericho and Pete, well I'm looking at making one of you IC Champion and getting the other to head our tag team division which has been severely lacking of late."

"Jess is going to love having me on the road again," Jericho groaned.

"Oh boo hoo," smirked Benoit. "Like your going to object to having your cheesy mug all over tv every week."

"Well when you put it that way ... " Jericho wiggled his eyebrows. "My handsome face was the main reason that the show got off the ground, right?" Warded up napkins and toast crust suddenly went flying in his direction."Hey! What'd I say?"

"Jericho, somethings about you will never change." Pete laughed, shaking his head.

"And that's why I'm the King of the World!" Jericho proclaimed proudly to a chorus of groans.

The table fell silent, realising that there was no point in trying to tell Chris otherwise. Continuing to eat their breakfast in silence, they simply sat there, no one daring to give life to the questions they all wanted to know the answer too. What was Maria going to do about Phil? They were all wondering the same thing. Torrie was glancing at Charlie and Shawn, her eyes pleading with them to be the ones to say something. Trish looked to be in the middle of a silent argument with Jericho and Benoit over the same thing. Yet Maria just sat there, resting her head on Johns shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her, careful not to cause either one of them further injury. John finally noticed that something was up. Trish was about to burst her face was so red, and Stephanie was hastily whispering something in her husbands ear, while Paul was doing his best to make sure his eyes were averted far away from RAW's newest couple.

"Guys, what's going on?" John asked curiously.

"Nothing." Pete said, nonchalantly.

"Guysssss" John said again, a little more sternly. "What's going on?" He narrowed his eyes, staring at every person in turn, daring them to defy his question. But every Superstar returned his gaze blankly, no one meeting his eyes. That is, until his gaze fell on Trish. "Trish. Tell me."

"Well ah ... John ... Okay," she blurted out, trying to ignore the murderous stares of her friends. She never was any good at keeping secrets. "John, we want

to know ... need to know ... are the two of you going to press charges against Phil?"

Maria tensed up again, before settling down again as John murmured something into her ear. She nodded, and John began to speak. "Guys ... the thing is, we don't know yet."

"What do you mean you don't know yet!" Charlie, Shawn and Torrie all asked aghast.

"We don't know," Maria spoke up. "Because we haven't really had time to think about it ... I don't want him getting away with what he did ... " she trailed off quietly, before clearing her throat and speaking again."And I don't want him being able to do to someone else what he did to me .. and to John ..."

"Then have him charged and locked up." Paul deadpanned.

"It's not that easy ... " she whispered quietly. "I'd have to make a statement, and go to court , I just don't think I'm strong enough."

Stephanie reached across the table to place a hand on the young divas arm. "Maria, we would be with you every step of the way. All of us," she clarified, looking around at the Superstars before her who were all nodding their heads in agreement. "We want him to pay for what he did to you .. to John ... to all of us. Something has to be done."

"And quickly, Maria." Benoit spoke up. "I'm sorry Miss M., but it will help your case a lot more if we can show people proof of what he's done ..."

"I know," she said softly. "But ... if we place charges, he's going to get put in jail if he's found guilty right?"

"WHEN," Jericho interrupted. "When he is found guilty, not if, Maria."

"But he isn't necessarily a bad guy! Sure, I know what he did ... but why he did it ... he needs help guys, we can't just get him put in a cell to rot ..."

John smiled down at his girlfriend. "Always the compassionate one, Maria," he mused, his face hardening. "We'll help him. I don't know how .. but we'll do something."

They all looked at John like he was crazy. "John, why do you want to help him? After what he did to you! Let him rot! You've got to be kidding!" They all cried at once.

"What do you want me to say guys?" The Champ demanded. "That I'm going to find him, bust him open and give him the ass kicking he deserves?"

"Well yeah," chuckled Shawn. "That was the original plan wasn't it?"

"Sorry guys. The plan has changed. We dealt with that last night. I don't need to put Phil in hospital again to make me feel better. It won't achieve anything. He's got enough problems with Shelton and half the company on his tail." He looked down at Maria, and kissed her hair. "My focus is right here." he stated firmly.

"No, really." Pete asked incredulously. "John, look at what he did! You're going to let him get away with it?" Torrie placed a hand on her husbands arm, the guys really were getting carried away.

'Hey now guys, this is John and Marias' decision... And it's up to them ... " Torrie felt like a school teacher, lecturing naughty children. Almost as an after thought, she processed what she'd just said, her head whipping around as she digested the situation."Wait, why are we going easy on him again?"

"Guys, what do you expect me to do?" John asked, rather frustrated. "I refuse to do anything else to put any of you girls in danger, even though I know that we would have plenty of back up if something were to happen. Number two, this type of revenge just isn't my style .. we nailed him and his cronies; as much as I would love to see Phil get what he deserves, if Maria doesn't want to do this ... " His voice faded away, his heart torn between doing what he wanted and what was best by Maria.

"We can hold our own you know John," Trish shot back stubbornly.

"I know that Trish! But we got what we wanted didn't we? Phil got the holy hell beaten out of him! Adam and Amy are GONE from RAW, and the show might actually start making some sense!" John glanced sheepishly at Steph. 'No offence Steph."

She waved off his apology. "Don't worry about it, none taken."

"But," interjected Paul. "This isn't revenge. It's justice."

Charlie and Shawn nodded. "He's right," Shawn concluded. "If you press charges against Phil guys, you can prevent other girls from suffering the same fate."

"Or guys suffering from his lunacy." Charlie chimed in.

"Maria and John may be right though," Torrie pointed out. "There has got to be something going on in his head that doesn't just add up ..."

"Can we all stop talking about me like I'm not here!" Maria burst out. "Look, I know that something has to be done about Phil! I know that no one else should have to experience what Phil put us through! But if we press charges, and he's found not guilty, what if he comes after John again? We know that he needs some serious help! He can't get that if he gets put away! And what if he sends the OVW boys after us? I don't know if I'm strong enough to go through with it. He's so intimidating ... look what he's done to me already," she finished, a little teary.

"Maria, everyone here with us is on your side," Pete smiled as everyone nodded in agreement.

"No matter what, we're going to get to the bottom of this," Jericho said seriously. "If you decide to press charges, then we'll be with you every step of the way. If you don't, for whatever reason, we're going to help you out too."

"And Steph and Linda will help you in whatever way they can, I'm sure," Benoit said quietly.

"You got it," Steph enthused. "Lawyers, psychologists, anything, it's yours."

"All you need to do is make your mind up Sweetheart," John asserted. He didn't want to see Maria go through any additional stress, but is this was what she wanted, then it'd happen. "We've all got your back no matter what. Especially me," he whispered in her ear.

Maria smiled weakly. She felt like she was carrying the expectations of the world on her shoulders. What would she do?

And now ... the conclusion..

Torrie gaped in amazement at the object she was holding in shaky hands. Trish and Maria stood beside her, jumping up and down and squealing in excitement. The three RAW divas were standing in a cramped toilet cubicle in Madison Square Garden, moments before the show went on the air. The trio had grown a lot closer over the past eight months; Maria and Torrie welcoming Trish into their little crew shortly after the debacle they now only referred to sparingly, the 'Punk Affair'. Along with Stephanie and Lil, the girls were the glue that held the locker room together.

Following the '24/7 Crusade', RAW had undergone some major changes; Stephanie was once more General Manger of Smackdown, mainly to allow her some time with her husband Paul who had been traded over there during the latest roster draft. Paul had taken with him Shelton Benjamin, Rob Van Dam and Paul Wright, as well as Ashley, allowing Chris Benoit and Rey Mysterio to move to RAW. Linda had taken over as Chairwomen of World Wrestling Entertainment, with Stephanie juggling her her duties to include the role of CEO Linda had vacated. Vince had been on 'vacation' according to Linda since that fateful evening last June; weird, considering that the man had never had a day off in his entire working life. But life was strange when it came to things like that; those were the breaks. New talent had been hired, replacing the older wrestlers who had decided to give their weary bones a rest. Among the retirees were the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Micheal's who had replaced Coach as the interim co-General Manager of RAW, a role he was sharing with Glen Jacobs when he was available; the gentle giant giving away the role of Kane to focus on his movie alter ego Jacob Goodnight. The filming of the sequel to 'See No Evil' was well underway, with Shane McMahon taking over the WWE production department, as per direction of his mother. Having gotten wind of Shane's little indiscretions back stage, and his constant swindling, Linda had nearly had a fit; but she had to look at it this way - at least one of her children turned out okay. Stephanie had really stepped up during her fathers absence; rating were up, attendance was growing weekly at both RAW and Smackdown! as well as at the house shows, and the storylines were almost interesting for once. The entire creative team had undergone a makeover from the bottom up; stagnant writers who had been there for years had been replaced by young people, with fresh ideas and the businesses best interests, not their own, in sight. Stephanie was thrilled with the work they had done; Pierre, Courtney, Sian, Dani and Dorinda had seemed a little rough around the edges in the beginning, but they were getting on track with everything now, and were progressing nicely. Jericho was back with the highlight reel, insulting and infuriating wrestlers much to the delight of the crowd, and DX was back with a vengeance. Even though they had been separated and Shawn had retired, little flashes of brilliance appeared weekly courtesy of Paul and Shawn, who had taken it upon themselves to become the industry's newest comedy duo; with Shawn co-General Manager of RAW he always found time to bend the law to irritate Triple H over on Smackdown, and Paul always returned the favour. Just last week, Shawn had replaced Paul's water he used for his entrance with white vinegar. Needless to say, Paul wasn't impressed! Shawn knew that he'd pay for that one ... and he guessed he'd find out how during the show tonight.

A knock was heard, and a cheerful voice rang out. "Divas, five minutes!"

Trish and Maria eyed up Torrie. The usually calm and collected diva was shaking, still staring at the small object in her hand. The pair grinned at each other as Torrie stuttered."It's ... it's ... "

"It's positive Tor!" Trish laughed, leaning in to hug her friend. "You're going to be a mummy!"

Maria giggled. "Great, just what we need! Another Torrie Wilson running around! Don't we have enough blonde's around here as it is?" The girls glared in Marias direction as the cubicle door burst open, a brunette blur dressed in a navy business suit panting after having run down the hall in her three inch heels.

"I heard screaming!" Stephanie gasped, struggling to catch her breath. "What's going on?"

Maria and Trish beamed. "Tor's going to be a mummy!"

The girls squealed, coming together for a group hug. Minus the pregnant one, of course. There was a 'thump', and the girls turned to see Torrie collapsed against the toilet.

She shook her head, trying to shake the away the stars that were spinning around before her eyes.

"Mu ... Mu ... "

"That's it Tor," Maria grinned slyly, mimicking her friend. "Mu ... Mu ... MUMMMM!"

"No more Playboy cover girl shoots for you Wilson," Stephanie mocked, wagging a finger in the direction of the blond bombshell. "Maternity wear all the way!"

"Baby showers ... little pink booties ... or blue ones .. "Trish chimed in wistfully.

"Another excuse to take Pete's' credit cards ..." Torrie giggled. "Changing table, nappies, bottles, cribs .." Torrie's eyes widened as the magnitude of the situation finally hit home. A massive smile spread across her face. "Oh my god! Girls! I'm going to be a mummy!" Torrie jumped on her friends and the quartet starting screaming all over again. Man, they were so loud you could have heard them in the next city! You could definitely hear them down the hall ...

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Charlie winced audibly as the girls continued. "Do they ever shut up?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Nope," Jericho affirmed, rolling his eyes. "I wonder what it is now. Last week, it was when Jess came to visit, the week before when Maria found those boots on sale ..." He trailed off, Benoit picking up where he'd finished.

"The week before that when Jackie came to show us the wedding photos ... for the THIRD time might I add. And the week before that, when Trish announced that her sister was pregnant ..."

On the opposite side of the locker room John looked up from where he was tying his laces and froze. "You don't think one of THEM is pregnant do you?"

The entire locker room was silent, Charlie and John barely daring to breathe. If one of the girls was pregnant, there was a good chance that one of them was involved. Jericho and Benoit looked on rather amused. There was no chance that Nancy would be pregnant ... and why would she tell the divas anyway? They weren't that close. And Jess? Well Jess was home with little Seth right now ... Jericho knew that there was no way she'd be willing to go though the pain of child birth again so soon ... especially when you consider she'd threatened to cut off certain body parts of her husband the last time she was in labour ...

"Nah ... " Charlie laughed awkwardly. "No chance."

John looked a little more worried. "No way, it's not possible ... right?"

"Well for both your sakes I'd hope it's a possibility" Jericho shot back.

"You have been getting down to business haven't you?" Benoit asked jokingly.

"Yes! Jackie and I ... no problems there!" Charlie said a little defensively. John stayed quiet, he didn't want to mention the fact that he and Maria ... he wanted to keep their relationship private, that was all.

"Woah woah woah junior," Jericho grinned, raising up his hands signaling Charlie to stop."Enough info man, really."

Benoit looked across the room at a lonely figure working out with a small weights set. Pete had been following the conversation, not contributing, just soaking up the atmosphere really. He'd really missed not being on the road with the WWE, and being with 'the boys'. His back to the guys, he turned slowly as he felt a pair of eyes gazing upon him intently. "What?"

"What about you?" Benoit asked curiously.

"Hey ... that's right" Charlie said, grateful to take some of the heat off him. "What if it's Torrie?"

"What do you mean, what if it's Torrie?" Pete laughed, setting down his weights casually. "Guys, we don't even know if one of them is pregnant. It could be something else. Trish probably discovered some sale that's on this weekend or something."

A heavy set of knuckles rapped on the door, a stage hand yelling out "Three minutes guys, and we're on the air!" on his way past. The guys fell silent again, forgetting their conversation and trying to get in the right frame of mind for the show. A few minutes passed when a small voice spoke up.

"Besides ... " Pete said hopefully. "It could be Steph, right?"

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"Here she comes again .. like good medicine .. every step she takes, my blood is flowing. Her legs go on and on for days ..."

Maria stood at the top of the stage, glaring at the fans. She was teaming with Victoria tonight, and they were taking on Trish and Melina, who had turned face to side with Trish when Trish had reclaimed the belt. Melina has come over from Smackdown! when Ashley had moved there, and she'd brought Nitro with her. They were no longer a team, but they still hung out together out back and traveled together.

Maria strutted down the ramp, blowing off the fans who were holding out their hands for high fives as she went past. It had been only a couple of weeks since Maria had turned on Trish, and the fans were still adjusting to her as a heel. They didn't know whether to boo her or cheer for her; she was still a crowd favourite regardless of what role she played, and she was loving it.

"Making her way to the ring, from Chicago Illionois, Mariaaaaaaaa" Lillian announced, trying her best to remain neutral as Maria came through the ropes. Lillian had also become close with the girls, mainly because of Jericho and Benoit, and she was finally beginning to feel accepted out the back. Lillian had been one who'd suffered during the roster split. Her closest friend (aside from Jericho and Benoit that is), Rob Van Dam had been swapped to Friday night yet again and she missed him like crazy. But slowly, the girls were making her feel like one of them.

"I ain't the lady to mess with," Blared out across the arena as Victoria prepared to come down to the ring.

While the raven haired diva made her way down the ramp, Maria got in Lillians face and pretended to jaw at her, getting in her face for the camera. Really, all she doing was trying to share Torrie's good news. The girls were nose to nose, Maria's eyes pleading with Lillian to just go along with the act. "It was positive," she hissed, trying to maintain her charatcer.

Lillians eyes widened and her smile was huge. She knew Torrie was taking the test, but she'd never dreamed it could have been positive. "Really?"

"Yes REALLY!" Maria shouted in her face. "Don't make this any harder than it already is!" she continued, for the benefit of the people in the front row.

Lillian quickly caught on, and it looked as if the girls were really going to rip into each other. "Oh really? Well that's just GREAT! You come out here and GET in MY FACE! What do you want me to do about IT?"

"Just be happy for me," Maria growled, moving her face closer to her friends. In other words, just be happy for Torrie.

"Oh I'm happy don't you worry," Lillian glared. "Just not for you!" I am happy for Torrie, Lillian said in her head.

"Just because you're JEALOUS!" Maria spat, her eyes shining. She was trying her best to keep up her aggression but she was just so excited for Torrie right now that she'd had to share the news with Lillian.

"Oh don't you worry! JEALOUS, OF YOU? NO WAY! I wouldn't go around telling anyone that if I was you!" Lillian knew exactly what Maria was doing; and she was thrilled. One, because it meant that Torrie was pregnant, and that was great news, and two, because it meant that they finally were accepting her into their little group. They trusted her.

"Don't worry, I WON'T TELL anyone!" Maria sneered. The guys didn't know yet, and Maria hoped that Lillian had figured out what she meant by that statement. Comprehension dawned in the blond divas eyes, and she was about to say something before Victoria came over and got in her face. Victoria, Mickie and Candice had continued to keep to their little clique backstage, refusing to even associate with the other divas, so there was no chance that she knew what was going on. Victoria just assumed that Maria was improvising on the script; she was, but not in the way that Victoria thought, obviously.

"Get outta my ring!" Victoria yelled, getting in on the act. Victoria hated working with anyone out of that group, let alone Maria. She hadn't done anything to get where she was, she'd simply entered a little contest and got to prance around half naked like she owned the place. She pushed Lillian, and the small diva pushed her back, hoping like hell that Trish or Melina came to her aid. Victoria was about to charge at her again when someone pulled her long raven hair and slammed her backwards to the mat.

"Lillian, get out of the ring!" Melina called. Lillian heeded her warning and slid between the ropes heading back to her ringside seat next to King, JR and Josh Matthews. The girls were ripping each other apart, Maria was trading blows with Trish in the far corner as Melina planted Victoria with a heavy clothesline. Referee Charles Robinson was trying his best to get one pair out of the ring, but it wasn't going according to plan. Finally, he managed to send Victoria and Melina to the outside and motioned for the bell to ring so the match could officially get underway.

"Wow JR! LOOK AT THOSE PUPPIES!" King laughed as he ogled the beauties in the ring.

"Now King, I wouldn't get to carried away if I was you," JR warned. "Keep that up while Maria is in the ring and you'll have an extremely angry John Cena on your tail!" Maria and John were still keeping their relationship on television at the moment. The pair had unbelievably good chemistry together and Stephanie was milking it for all it was worth. World Wrestling Entertainment had always blurred the line between their storylines and real life, and this occasion was no different.

"Oh pissshhh posh," King replied, rolling his eyes."I could take Cena no problem! He couldn't handle the KING!"

"Oh come on now King," JR scoffed."You're talking about a three time WWE Heavyweight Champion, one who has another title shot next week at Backlash might I add!"

"Against the first ever Undisputed and current World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho!" Josh Matthews enthused. The other two announcers just looked at him, having completely forgotten he was there.

"Um yeah ... " said King slowly, losing his focus. "As I was saying, I could take Cena! Just because his 'Chain Gang' is the new big thing on RAW doesn't mean that he can beat the KING!"

"The 'Chain Gang' is pretty damn powerful,' mused JR. "What with General Manager Shawn Micheals on their side and all! Between them, John, Rey Mysterio, Benoit and Carlito have a pretty strong grip on RAW! Just like the Evolutions of the past, this faction looks set to make a large impact on Monday Nights! And they have divas too! Maria is the Chain Gangs' Princess! What an asset for them to have!"

"But JR, they only have Maria! The self-proclaimed 'Kings of your World' have Torrie Wilson! Torrie Wilson JR! Jericho and Hass can take them!" King argued. "They have the belts, the important ones anyway! The Heavyweight Championship, the Intercontinental Championship! What do the Chain Gang have? Nothing, just those stupid Tag Team Titles that Benoit and Carlito have had for so damn long! Just you wait, Billy Kidman and Randy Orton will grab those belts at Backlash! Then they'll have ALL THE GOLD!" JR shook his head and went to say something before something caught his eye in the ring, forcing him to turn his attention back to the action.

"But they don't have the Women's Championship!" JR proclaimed. "And if this match is any indication of how Backlash is going to turn out next week then we're in for a real treat! Look at Maria! She's all over Trish! Could you imagine if John and Maria both won their title matches? Can you imagine!" The crowd was on their feet as Maria delivered a hurricanrana to the current Champion, followed by a moonsault. With Trish down on the mat Maria tried to lock in the STFU. It wasn't unusual for Maria to use her boyfriends moves in the ring. Although she'd been training with Trish to catch up to speed on her ring work, she didn't yet have her own submission technique, so she used Johns when the situation allowed. The STFU was locked in.

"Don't tap TRISH! DON'T TAP!" King clamoured.

"I THINK IT'S TOO LATE KING! TRISH IS GOING TO TAP TO THE STFU" JR roared. "Wait .. now wait a gosh darn minute! THAT'S TORRIE! What is she doing here!" Torrie jumped up on the apron and started to lean through the ropes, grabbing Maria's leg and pulling her off Trish. Maria turned to Torrie in shock and started to move toward her as Trish grabbed her from behind, rolling her into a cradle for the pin.

"ONE ... TWO .. THREE!"

The crowd were going mad! They wanted to see what would have transpired! Would Trish have tapped? Would Maria have won? Incensed, Maria grabbed a microphone. "What the hell was that Torrie? WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?"

Torrie stepped over to grab Maria's mic."That was about Backlash, that was what it was! We, the 'Kings of your world'" Torrie screamed to the fans delight, throwing a hand up in the air, "are here to offer Trish a proposition."

Maria leaned over the mic. "What does this have to do with me? You took my win!"

"Oh please," Torrie said, looking bored. "You'll get over it. And 'Princess', this has everything to do with you."

Maria lifted her chin in defiance. "Go on."

"Well, I'm here to offer Trish some ... well let me see, what would I call it? Insurance."

By now, Trish had grabbed a microphone and moved to stand with the girls in the middle of the ring. "I'm listening."

"Well Trish, it's like this. As you know, Maria has got a shot at your title next week at Backlash."

"Yeah, so?" asked Trish arching an eyebrow.

"Trish, you're kind of the 'lone horse'. I have my Kings, Maria has her pithy little Chain Gang, but who do you have? No one!"

"Just get to the point Wilson," Maria said pointedly.

"As Champion, Trish, you deserve to be treated like a Queen. Join us."

"Excuse me?" Maria and Trish both blurted.

"Join the Kings. We will do everything in our power to make sure you keep that title at Backlash. We can take you places Trish. We have Championship Gold, and after we re-claim all of our titles at Backlash, we will have complete power over RAW. What do you say?"

Trish looked at Torrie and at Maria. "What do you say? Should I join the Kings?" she asked the crowd. She was met with a loud roar, the fans voicing their approval.

"What will she do JR?" King asked anxiously."What will she do?"

"Sssh King I don't know! Shut up and then we can find out!"

Trish smirked to herself. Man they were good. Between the three of them, they walked all over this show. Add to that Steph, Lillian and the boys and they had it covered.

"Well?" Torrie asked.

"I'm in."

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"So are you all ready for the big day?" Pete asked John. The pair had become rather tight recently, and John had found himself turning to Pete for advice whenever he and Ri hit a rough spot; granted, they barely fought, but if Maria needed someone to talk to, John would listen, and if he wasn't sure of how to approach the situation he turned to Pete. Maria was still relying on Torrie a lot, which was understandable John figured. Whatever Torrie seemed to be doing for his girl was working, and he was grateful.

"Yeah ... " he replied slowly."Ready as I'll ever be I guess .. it's too late to back out now."

"That's right man, you're stuck with this on your shoulders for forever now. It'll turn out okay, don't worry."

John grimaced. "I hope so."

"Hey," Pete objected, raising his hand. "I know so."

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Stephanie ran from where she was talking to her mother over to her girls who had just re-entered the gorilla position. "Trish, Tor, Maria you girls were great out there! That was fantastic!"

"Well," Maria replied nonchalently, winking at the girls."I try."

"I?" Torrie asked indignantly, elbowing Maria in the side. "We rocked out there. We."

Maria was struggling to keep a straight face. "That's true Tor," she laughed. "Trish and I were great. You, on the other hand..." She sidestepped Torrie's arm which was raised to smack her and dashed away.

"Hey!" Torrie cried. "I resent that!"

Trish snorted, lifting her belt onto her shoulder. "Oh please. If you want to be catty, Victoria, Mickie and Candice are down that way." Pointing down the hall in the opposite direction she smirked. "Actually, cats are a little docile for them. If I'm comparing them to animals, they should be dogs."

"Ouch." Stephanie remarked. "Play nice."

"Yes mum," Trish teased her friend. The girls turned and headed down the hall to the locker room they were sharing this evening. Usually, Maria and John shared a locker room as did Torrie and Pete, yet due to promos being filmed tonight for the guys they were on their own. "So Tor," Trish asked casually when they had moved away from the rest of the roster and the unsuspecting ears of the backstage crew."When are you going to tell Pete about the little bundle of joy?"

"Preferably after he wins his match tonight ... " Torrie's voice drifted off. "And without an audience .."

"Aww Torrie," Steph complained jokingly." We wanted to watch."

"Girls, my only concern is that you'll all get to him first!"

"Oh Tor, honey, we wouldn't do that to you ..." Maria reassured her.

Torrie grimaced. "I know you wouldn't Maria, or you Steph, but as for 'miss-blabber-mouth' over there .."

"Torrie, this secret is all yours."Trish grinned. "But I can't wait to see the shade of pink that Pete's face will turn when he finds out!"

"Trish isn't your only problem," Steph informed Torrie. "This means no one can tell Jericho, Carlito or Shawn either. Talk about biggest mouths in the company," she complained, rolling her eyes.

"Oh well I guess I can still tell John then," Maria smiled cheekily.

"You wouldn't!" Torrie cried. "He's just as bad as them, if not worse!"

"Would too."

"You wouldn't dare!" Torrie gasped, launching herself at her best friend. Maria ducked and spun away, only to run into Chris Jericho.

"Woah little Miss M.," he jibed, capturing her into a hug."Someone's in a hurry. Having withdrawls from the boyfriend are we?"

Maria batted her eyelashes demurely at Jericho. "Why would I need a boyfriend with a great hunk of man like yourself running around?" Jericho lifted Maria off the ground and swung her around.

"Well," he smiled broadly."I'll give you three reasons ..."

A voice spoke up behind them. "Number one, he's married. Number two, he's an assclown. And number three, because I, your boyfriend, couldn't live without you."

"Oh damn," Maria replied."And here he comes now." Jericho gently planted Maria back on the ground and she ran to John, throwing her arms around his waist. He hugged her tightly towards him, ignoring the ranting of Jericho in the background.

"Oi!" Jericho objected. "No ripping off my lines!"

"Oh when was the last time you called anybody an assclown?" Stephanie yawned. "You'll live."

"Hmmpfff. It's the principle of the matter!" Jericho pouted as he followed the girls further down the hall into their locker room, leaving John and Maria alone.

"Nice work out there Ria," John said, kissing her on the forehead. "You're doing really well baby girl." Her eyes shone at the unexpected praise. It didn't mean so much anymore, but when they'd first got together John had made a point of complimenting his girl every day, to help build up her self esteem. It seemed to be working, he thought. Her eyes were clear, a smile spread across her face, and she accepted the compliment, knowing that he truly meant it.

"Thanks!" She replied, bubbly as ever. That was another thing, she was slowly becoming herself again. Everyone could see it, and they knew that no matter what, they would do everything in their power to make sure it never happened again; never again would they allow someone to mess with her so much that she became as broken as she had been. It was a place that the friends never hoped to be again. "I didn't know if I did the STFU right though," she fretted. "I didn't want to make your finisher look bad."

"Hey, you were awesome!" He protested. "It looked great."

"But not as great as when you do it," she countered.

John grinned sheepishly. "Well no. But still great." Releasing her from his arms he grabbed her hand and pulled her into a nearby locker room. Closing the door behind them, Maria flung her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his. The passion that had been there from day one was still there, and it didn't look like someone was going to extinguish that particular fire anytime soon. Breathless, she pulled away, staring into Johns eyes.

"I've been wanting to do that for ages," she confessed. Tonights filming of RAW was the first time the couple had seen each other in three days. Maria had been away on a divas shoot in Mexico, and she hadn't seen

her boyfriend since arriving at the arena.

"Mmmm" John moaned softly, savouring the taste of her." I'm going to have to get myself in on one of these diva shoot deals. I missed you too much."

"I was only gone three days," she giggled.

"It felt like it was much, much longer." He grinned, settling himself down on a couch with Maria on his lap. They sat quietly, Maria laying her head on his chest, his fingers running through her hair. Moments later, John opened his mouth to speak. "Are you nervous about the big day?"

Maria kept her head down, her fingers tracing patterns on Johns arm. "No."

"No?" He asked surprised. "I would have thought ..."

She shook her head. "As long as you're with me I'll be fine." She curled up even closer to him, wrapping his free arm around her form, her other arm slung over it. "It's what I want, right?"

"What we both want,' he corrected her. "Don't worry, I don't intend upon leaving your side for a second."

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Pete and Randy were in guys locker room with Charlie and Benoit following their match against Mikey and Kenny. The two 'Kings' had demolished the Spirit Squad members easily, ensuring that they were now the favourites to win the belts off Benoit and Carlio at Backlash, increasing their winning streak to 13 straight. The tv was blaring in the background as Shawn walked out of the bathroom, fresh out of the shower. Pete and Randy were laughing uproariously at something on the screen.

"What's so funny?" Shawn asked, drying his hair with a towel.

Randy snickered. "Adam just lost. Again."

"To who?"

Pete was bent over with laughter. "Christian. Amy turned on Adam and helped Jay win."

"I thought Adam and Christian were a tag team again?" Shawn asked, rather puzzled. How was he supposed to keep up with these things?

"Pffft. They were a tag team again for all of five minutes. Not anymore." Benoit remarked. "It's about time someone screwed him over."

"It's just like Amy though," Randy added. "She always has to be one of the ones doing the screwing."

"Oh that's nice. If by a slim chance Amy ever gets back here she's heading straight into a program with you Randy." Stephanie said dryly from the doorway. Torrie, Jericho and Trish were behind her, having heard the entire conversation. "And for the record, I never heard that."

The guys turned around. "What are you Steph, Big Brother?" Shawn joked.

"No, actually I don't need cameras to spy on you guys so I can show up when you makes asses out of yourselves. It's more of a six sense." She shot back.

"God, did you and Jericho swap meds this morning?" Pete laughed. "You two are way too much alike."

"I resent that." Jericho responded. "My hair is soo much nicer than hers." He winced as Steph smacked him in the shoulder. For a small lady she really packed a punch.

"Steph, not that we don't love having you here." Benoit interrupted, knowing that if he didn't intervene this would take a turn for the worse."But what do you want?"

The first lady of Smackdown! stepped into the room, the trio dutifully following behind her. "Um Randy, can you give us a few minutes please?"

Randy shrugged. "Sure. Just let me grab my bag and I'll head out to the hotel. I'm done for tonight, right Steph?" He slung his duffel over one shoulder as Stephanie checked her clipboard, dropping several pieces of paper in the progress. Benoit and Charlie bent to pick them all up, failing to notice one that had slipped behind a chair. Undeterred, Steph continued searching for the nights schedule.

"Um .. Randy ... Randy. Sure, you can go. Thanks for tonight."

"No problem," he yawned. "I'll see everyone back at the hotel?" The group nodded, several stating they would come and find him if they decided to head out or anything. He said his good byes and left, pulling the door shut behind him.

"So what's up?" Shawn asked, pulling up a chair and turning the tv on low. The rest of the gang found chairs and made themselves comfortable throughout the room. Stephanie remained standing, setting down her clipboard and gathering several sheets of paper in her hands. She moved throughout the room, handing out papers to everyone, and started to speak.

"This is from John. He just wants to make sure everyone is clear on what will be happening next week. Now, you're all cleared of appearances and shows for the day of and the day after the actual event. I'm sorry guys, I know this is going to be a rather emotional time, but the only ones I can secure time off for were John and Maria, and they only get an extra day as it is. You guys need to read up on this, have everything and anything you might need to say ready. We can't screw this up." she finished calmly.

"It took them too long to make it this far as it is ..." Torrie stated sadly. Pete wrapped an arm around his wifes shoulders and pulled her closer.

"But they're here now, right?" Pete asked interrupting."All we can do is be prepared, and hope like hell that everything turns out the right way."

"It will," Jericho said confidently, growing rather serious.

"Nothing is going to prevent this from happening." Benoit reaffirmed. The group fell silent, caught up in their own thoughts. Finally, it looked like they could put this entire debacle behind them. Sure, for all the bad things that had come out of it, there were positives as well; the reformation of RAW, the group being brought together making them closer than ever, and Stephanie and Linda in charge. What else could they want? But what had happened .. the fallen domino that had caused this effect ... it didn't seem like it was worth it. Eventually, they started to stand, making their ways to various parts of the arena, all agreeing to meet up after the show.

The only people left in the locker room were Pete and Torrie. Pete was about to pick up his bags when Torrie approached him, rather hesitantly." Um Pete ..."

He turned to her, hearing the question in her voice. "Yeah? Honey, are you okay?"

"Oh, no, no nothing like that." she said hastily."I'm fine. But I need to tell you something." Torrie moved to her husband, yet she just couldn't find the words.

"Tor?"

"Um .. see .."

"Honey, what is it?" he asked, growing concerned. "You know you can tell me anything right?" Famous last words. In a moment of panic and fear of not knowing what to say, Torrie simply pulled the pregnancy test out of her pocket. Pete looked at Torrie, then at the test, then back at his wife. And then he fainted.

"Pete .. Pete!" Torrie knelt down beside her husband, digging for some smelling salts in her bag when her mobile rang. Momentarily forgetting about her search she answered the phone, sitting down beside the form on the floor. "Hello ... Oh hey Maria. Yes, I've told him. How did he react?" Torrie looked at her husband, shaking her head. "Well, I've got a faint idea of how he feels .. yep, out like a light" she giggled. "Oh thanks, I'm going to need some help getting him to the hotel. Can you bring John with you? Thanks. See you soon hon."

A mere fifteen minutes later Maria and John were helping a highly embarassed and extremely excited set of parents to be from the building. They were so preoccupied they didn't even notice the character lurking in the shadows. They failed to notice when the heavy set man dressed in a "Event Security" uniform slipped into the vacant room and picked up the wayward piece of paper Stephanie has dropped earlier. And most importantly, what they didn't notice was the man pulling out his cell phone.

"Adam?" a gruff voice spat. "It's me, Riggs. Uh huh ... yeh ... you won't believe what I just picked up ..."

The man smirked, knowing that this was their chance to get back at the WWE for everything that they had done.

"Will you like it?"

"Oh I think it will make you very happy indeed."

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"Your Honour, we find the defendant ... Not guilty!"

"NOOO!" Maria screamed, bolting upright in bed. Awakening out of a uneasy sleep, she gulped at the air in panic, looking around wildly at her surroundings, trying to establish where she was. Covered with a sheen of sweat, she was shaking uncontrollably.

"Hey hey hey," Torrie soothed, running over to the bed. "Are you trying to scare me to death?" Maria ignored her completely, tears streaming down her face. Torries eyes darkened. "You had that dream again didn't you?"

Maria remained silent, refusing to acknowledge the truth. Eight months on and he was still getting to her. What was wrong with her?

Torrie reached for the phone on the bedside table. That's it, she thought. Two nights in a row, I'm calling John.

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It had just hit 5pm. John was sitting in his hotel room on the Gold Coast, Australia. The last three days had been a whirl wind of red carpets and interviews for the Australian release of 'The Marine'. He was tired, cranky and missing home. Well, not home so much as the people waiting for him when he got there. He flopped back on the bed, reaching for his phone as it started to ring. Glancing at the caller ID he saw Maria's name flash up on the screen. It was what ... 2am back home? Why was she ringing so late?

"Hello?" he said with slight trepidation.

"John, it's Torrie."

"Tor? Why have you got Ria's phone? What's up?" he asked all at once.

"She's been having ... nightmares .." Torrie cringed, imaging his reaction.

"Nightmares?" His voice was cold. "About what Tor?"

"About him ..." she confirmed.

He swore loudly at first, then again, softly under his breath. Realising he wasn't around the boys, he stopped. Torrie didn't deserve to hear that. Anger built up inside of him. "Sorry. Can you put her on?"

"Are you sure? She's pretty distressed .. you'll only get upset yourself ..."

"I'll deal. Actually, can you put me on speaker phone?"

"Um .." Torrie looked at Maria, rubbing her back gently. Her friend was frozen, her eyes murky. This was bound to be highly personal. Torrie didn't know if she wanted to hear their private conversation.

"Please Torrie," John pleaded."I can't be there right now can I? She needs you to be there, I need you to be with her. She's going to need reassurance, and you're my back up."

Torrie sighed. "Got it. Okay, hang on." As much as she loved Maria, this was Johns place. After hearing the chilling screams coming from Marias room last night she'd insisted that she stay with the younger diva while John was away. She'd wanted to call John yesterday, but Maria had refused, stating that she didn't want to worry him. She could do this on her own, right? Torrie swapped the phone over to speaker and John heard a sniffle in the background.

"How are my two favourite girls?" he asked, sounding a little forced. Torrie was silent, unsure if she should answer or wait for Maria to speak. John paused, waiting for a response."Maria. Sweetie, talk to me."

Torrie saw the tension ease slightly from her friends face when she heard John's voice. "Hey J.C."

"How are you doing Princess?" John knew that the only why to handle this and get a response out of Maria was to tread slowly, and carefully. The nightmares had stopped a couple of months after Phil had been released from hospital, but now it seemed they were back. He wished he was with her, he felt so helpless. "Torrie said you were having trouble sleeping."

"I ... I had a nightmare." Maria said slowly. "About Phil .." she winced at even the mention of his name. Torrie pulled the younger girl into a hug, willing her the strength to continue. Releasing her, she pulled the covers over Maria, trying to keep her warm and calm her down. Maria eased back into the bed as Torrie moved to get her a glass of water.

"And what happened?" John inquired, his voice flooding the room. "Did he hurt you?"

"No ... " She replied hesitantly."He couldn't get to me. He tried, but no one would let him. He tried to touch me ... and then suddenly we were sitting inside a court room ... and he was there, and the jury was speaking and ..."

"Woah Ri slow down." He knew this would happen. The stress of next weeks upcoming event was getting to her already. He hated this, hated being away from her, hated the fact that this had ever happened. It had all turned out for the better, yet who knew? It could have happened eventually the other way too. "Tell me what you saw, and slowly."

"The Jury said he wasn't guilty John! They let him go free!" Marias eyes began to tear up again."He was going to come after me, just like last nights dream, I know it!"

"And what happened in last nights dream? Did you escape?" John knew that this was hard for her, and that there was nothing he could say to make it all better. The only thing he could do was wait until he got home, wrap his arms around her, and never let her go.

"Yes ..."

"Who stopped him Ri?" Her boyfriend asked gently.

"You .. you did. And Benoit, and Jericho. Pete and Shawn were there, and so was Charlie." She blushed, thinking about how funny this must sound. "I'm sorry, I think I kind of over reacted. I'm just missing you ..."

John breathed a sigh of relief. Crisis averted. "I'm missing you too baby girl. I'm coming home as soon as possible, okay?"

Her face brightened. "Really?" She sounded excited, like a child who had just been given a puppy for Christmas.

John chuckled softly. "Yes, really. You two look after each other until I get back okay? Thanks Torrie."

"No problem John," Torrie called from the other side of the room, settling back into bed. "Take care."

"Always. Ri, pick up the phone." Maria snuggled under the blankets and brought the phone to her ear, lowering her voice. "I miss not having your arms around me when I go sleep," she said forlornly.

"I miss not being able to smell your shampoo on my pillow, believe it or not. Even though I always complain about it ..." He grew serious suddenly." Maria, if the stress of everything is getting to you ... we don't have to do this right now ..."

"No!" She protested. "We have too.' She quickly changed the subject, not wanting to discuss it any further. "I love you."

"I love you too. I'll see you in less than 72 hours I promise. Are you going to be okay?" As she responded, yes she would be, they said their goodbyes, Maria drifting into a deep sleep.

This time, without any nightmares.

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"I'm going to miss this," Torrie whispered to Pete. His arm was casually slung around her shoulder, the pair heading out to the airport with Maria and the guys to go and meet John and Stephanie. Stephanie had traveled with John to ensure that the current movie being filmed for WWE Productions on the Gold Coast - where Stone Cold's and Kane's movies had also been filmed - was under control. Shane was currently living there with his wife Marissa and their children, but Linda still didn't trust him to be running things properly. So, she and Paul had taken a small vacation with the time they'd had off, under the guise of checking on her older brother. Unfortunately for John, he'd been stuck with the happy couple the entire time.

"You'll be back before you know it," Pete whispered back reasssuringly."It won't be the same without you that's for sure."

Trish smiled. Sitting on the other side of Torrie she could hear the couples conversation."All emotional already are we Tor?" she teased.

"No!"

"So are."

"I am not Stratus!"

Jericho sat forward in his side on the other side of Pete. "Who's emotional? And why?" Although all the divas knew - well Maria, Trish, Lillian and Steph anyway, not all of the guys knew she was pregnant yet.

Torrie sighed, glaring at Trish. "I knew it! It had to be you, didn't it!"

"At least I didn't tell Pete!"

"Yeah, well it's a miracle!" Torrie winced. "Alright, I might as well spill." Lillian and Maria shared knowing looks, they couldn't wait to see the reaction of the guys when they heard. Maria smiled to herself. John had laughed for a good ten minutes at least. He had been so relieved to find out that it wasn't Maria - not that he'd ever admit it aloud ... he wanted kids, sure, just not right now. Torrie sighed again. "Alright guys, listen up, I'm only saying this once."

"Well, spit it out." Jericho said, sitting back and folding his arms.

"This doesn't leave the limo." She warned.

"We're waiting ... " Shawn sang in a sing song voice, before taking a sip of his drink. Along with Benoit, Jericho and Charlie, he had been drinking some beer they had discovered in the mini bar of the McMahons vehicle.

"I'm pregnant," she blurted out.

All at once, the boys spat out their beer. In unison, they chorused. "You're WHAT?"

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"So when's the big day?" Adam asked, full of rage.

"Next week," Riggs replied. "Tuesday."

Adam tapped his fingers against the table top. He was sitting in his hotel room, far away from New York, far away from the WWE. Since he had been fired he'd lost everything. Sure, he'd been picked up by TNA, but then Amy had turned on him ... it was time to get revenge. "Bring it forward. Tomorrow," he said finally. "Thursday."

"You got it boss," Riggs confirmed, hanging up the phone.

"You got it." he leered, his eyes gleaming. He picked up the phone. disguising his voice. "Mizz Smart? I'm Patrick Malone, Mr Brook's lawyer. I'm afraid I can't make next weeks court date. Oh I see. No, that doesn't suit me either. How about tomorrow? Yes, Thursday. Will the defense be prepared? Oh I'm sure they will. Perfect. We'll see you then."

Gotcha.

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Everyone piled out of the limo, laughing and congratulating Torrie and Pete. Maria smiled, she was estactic for her friend, this was fantastic news. She heard a faint ringing and began to dig through her bag, searching for her phone. The others continued on towards the airport entrance, not noticing their friend had stopped. Lillian turned around, seeing Maria standing back near the limo.

"Maria, you coming?" she called. "I would have thought you'd be the first person inside!"

Maria held up her ringing phone. "I'll be inside in a minute."

Lillian frowned. "Do you want me to wait with you? You shouldn't be out here alone ... " Benoit put a hand on Lillians arm, silencing her.

"It's okay," he said. "I'll wait with her." Lillian nodded and hurried to catch up with the others. Benoit headed back toward Maria, reaching her just as she answered her phone. "Hello?"

Chris took his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. It was a little cold outside, and he didn't really need it. He leaned against the car, just waiting.

"Yes, I'm Maria Kanellis. Yes ... tomorrow? But that's so soon! Why?" She sounded a little confused, and rightly so. She wasn't ready .. they couldn't do this tomorrow! She started to shake, almost dropping the phone. She wasn't prepared to stand before a jury tomorrow! This wasn't happening, she needed more time ... she needed John! Chris saw the state his 'little sister' was in and grabbed the phone.

"Chris Benoit speaking, what is this all about?" he demanded. "What? Why has it been moved? Can it be changed? No?" Chris sounded a little defeated, but he sucked in a big breath and the wolverine appeared. "Fine! We'll be there! Don't you worry!" He slammed the flip phone closed and Maria fell into his arms for a hug. "Hey... Miss M., don't worry. We're good, we'll be fine."

"Really?" she asked, a little uncertain.

"Really."

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John stifled a yawn. Who knew that flying half way around the world with Paul and Stephanie would be so boring? Oh wait. He did.

"Paul!" Stephanie giggled in her husbands ear. John rolled his eyes. Damn, thank goodness they were heading across the tarmac to the airport terminal. He couldn't take this much longer. His face lit up at the crowd awaiting them inside. Not fans, for once. But it seemed that half the locker room was in there!

He stepped inside, feeling a rush of warm air as he made his way over to his friends. "Yo, what are you all doing here?" he asked in surprise." Did I miss something?"

"Oh yes Johnny-kins." Shawn simpered." You missed me, I know you did."

The others all stood to the side, rolling their eyes, pretending they didn't know Shawn. The airport was reasonably empty, if only for a few elderly couples and airport workers. Still, they had their reputations to consider.

"Ahhh. Yeah man." John replied, coughing slightly." You were the one I missed the most. How'd you know?"

"Ohhh it's cos I'm just a sexy boy! Sexxxxy booooooooy!" Shawn sang. The airport fell silent, everyone turning to look at Shawn who was belting out his theme song at the top of his lungs.

"Oh lord." Jericho mumbled." And you guys think I'm an embarrassment?"

"It's good to have you back guys," Lillian said warmly, swatting Jericho in the arm.

"It's good to be back," Steph replied." What did we miss?" As the group chatted away, John tuned out slightly, searching for Maria. Where was she? Surely she'd be here? He grabbed Charlie by the elbow.

"Charlie, where's Ria?"

"What? I think she's outside with Benoit. She's on the phone."

John frowned. "How long ago? And to who?"

Charlie shrugged. "I don't know who ... ten minutes ago maybe?" His gaze fell upon a pair entering the room. Nodding in their direction he said to John, "There she is now."

He turned, seeing a distraught diva clinging to the arm of her friend. Maria looked up, sensing a pair of eyes upon her. Seeing John, she relinquished her grip on Chris and ran towards him. He opened his arms and stoked her hair, whispering to her as she sobbed against his chest. "Hey there ... it's okay?"

Glancing up at Chris, he asked softly." What's going on?"

Chris shook his head. "It'll be easier to tell everyone at once." By now, the rest of their friends had gathered around, curious as to Marias reaction.

"'We're listening." Paul spoke up." What's going on?"

Benoit sighed. "Steph, can you get that plane all gassed up and ready to fly tonight?"

"Well ... yeah, I guess so," she frowned. "Where are we going?"

"Las Vegas, Nevada."

"But we're not due there until next week," Charlie responded, confused. "I thought we had to be there next Tuesday for the case ..."

John shot Charlie a look and he promptly shut up, allowing Chris to continue. "We just received a call from Tim McIlrath, the WWE lawyer representing you against Punk next week John. Except, he won't be representing you next week. The trial has been moved forward. The charges against Phil Brooks will be heard in the probation hold at the Las Vegas County Jail. Tomorrow morning."

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The quiet murmur of Stephanie talking to her mother on the phone at the front of the plane was the only sound that could be heard as John watched Maria twist and turn in her sleep. Her head was resting on a pillow in his lap, her feet curled up beside her. He shook her arm gently, just enough to wake her up, not enough to scare her. "Beautiful, wake up," he whispered. Maria murmured something incoherently as John hoisted her into his arms. "Hey," he said softly." I want to talk to you sweetheart, wake up."

Maria turned to face him, her eyes opening slowly. "This isn't happening."

The former Champ smiled sadly. "I'm sorry bub, it is happening. But I promise you, after this, it'll all be over." Using his thumb to brush away the tears that were running down her face, he traced the crown of her forehead with his fingers. Staring into the empty depths of her eyes he used his other hand to push a loose piece of hair behind her ear, resting his hand on her cheek. "And then we'll go out for ice cream," he teased. "Banana choc chip with sprinkles."

"What if something happens?" she pressed, unable to let it go so easily. Whatever happened in that hearing tomorrow was going to determine her future... Phil could get locked away, and she could continue to live happily ever after with John ... or Phil could get off and decide to go after John, and inadvertently her, again. John smoothed her hair as she shuffled out of his arms to snuggle up beside him.

"Nothing will happen bub. I promise you. Even if it does ... we'll make it through together, alright?" He looked down expecting an answer, only to find his girlfriend already asleep. He sighed, knowing that the sooner this was over with the better. It would be roughly 8pm in Vegas when they arrived yet he was exhausted already, both physically and emotionally, and he figured that everyone else aboard the flight was too. Everything was going to turn out okay though ... right? He pulled a blanket over himself and Maria. It had to be ... but if everything was going to be okay ... why did he have such a bad feeling about this?

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"Your Honour, if I could bring to your attention Article 3, the photographic evidence of the wounds inflicted upon Miss Kanellis by the defendant." WWE lawyer Tim McIlrath handed a file containing several photos cataloguing Marias injuries to the jury. After giving them sufficient time to examine the photos, he pulled out a remote, turning on a video. "May the jury please direct your attention to the television on your left. The following footage illustrates said treatment of my client. The footage was shot over two consecutive weeks, in both Tacoma and Pittsburgh."

"OBJECTION your Honour!" Mr Malone, Phil's lawyer yelled. "This evidence isn't valid. Everybody in this court room knows that World Wrestling Entertainment is completely fictional! This was a storyline! It was set up!"

"BULLSHIT!" Stephanie cried." That was not a story line! It WAS real! Phil Brooks never had the authorisation of anyone in my company to do any of those things to Maria!"

"SIT DOWN, ALL OF YOU!" The Judge bellowed." That is up to the jury to decide! Who do you think you are?"

"I'm Stephanie McMahon-Levesque." She replied primly. "I am Head of the Creative Department with World Wrestling Entertainment! I can tell you that Phil Brooks is full of crap," she snapped.

"That is uncalled for Mrs McMahon-Levesque!" The Judge retorted. "You will have your turn to tell your story. Mr McIlrath, continue."

Stephanie sat, grumbling all the while as the footage was shown. John winced as Maria just sat, staring. It was the first time she had seen it, and it scared her. She looked terrible; she watched as the Maria of eight months just stood in the ring and allowed Phil to beat down on her. It was truly horrifying. She sat still, numb, for the rest of the morning session as her friends gave evidence on her behalf. Unfortunately, then it was Mr Malone's turn.

Turning to Maria he smiled wickedly. "Your Honour, I call to the stand Brent Dobbyn and Michael Lynch." Maria flinched at the names, the colour draining from her face. Torrie and John swore as the rest of their friends looked on blankly. When it came to keeping your private life private, Maria was a professional; no one had any idea why the names meant so much. Pete scrawled a quick note on a piece of paper with a question mark on it, passing it to his wife. She wordlessly wrote a reply, and passed it back.

'Let's just say that they rival Phil in the ex-boyfriend stakes ... Exactly the same level of treatment, the same kind of manipulation, the same level of humiliation ... just not on an international scale ... Phil wasn't the first to treat her this way .. abusive relationships are a pattern, a cycle .. and Maria is a textbook example of the victim."

Pete's face grew angry. It went a bright red, and he virtually threw the paper on to Trish, who read it, absolutely glowering. Before long, the paper had made it round their little group before reaching Shawn, who tore it into little shreds.

Mr Malone, ignoring the unpleasant murmurs coming from behind the barrier, saw the looks of pure anger that were being shot in his direction and continued. "Mr Dobbyn, please take the stand." Brent winked at Maria as he casually slauntered to the bench. She shivered, feeling like she wanted to throw up.

The Bailiff approached him. "Do you swear upon this bible in this court that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?"

'The evidence which I shall give to the court and jury sworn between our Sovereign the President and the prisoner at the bar shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God.'

Mr Malone grinned. "So Mr Dobbyn. Tell us about your relationship with Ms Kanellis."

Brent looked straight at Maria, his eyes then narrowing in on John. "What can I say? She's nothing but a no good, good for nothing slut." Chaos ensued.

"OBJECTION!" Mr McIlrath yelled. "SLANDER!"

Maria jumped up and ran from the court, John jumping up to follow her. He was halfway down the aisle when an arm grabbed him and pulled him back. "You gotta stay here John." Torrie said quietly. "You're more help to her in here right now." Her eyes met his and he knew she was right. He nodded, and let her go. "Jericho," she muttered," Come with." Chris jumped to his feet and followed his friend out the door. Pete grabbed Johns shoulder and directed him back into his seat as Judge McCaw attempted to gain some order.

"SIT DOWN! Mr Malone, re-direct or lose your witness."

The trial continued, Phil sitting in his seat smiling to himself as John fretted. But as always, the real drama was outside with Maria.

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"I can't do this, I can't do this!" she sobbed nervously.

"Miss M., it's almost over." Jericho said, pulling her into his arms tightly. "A few more hours, and we should be good to go."

"Honey, look at me." Torrie lifted Marias chin to look her directly in the eyes. "You're better than this, bigger than him, bigger than this. Brent can't touch you anymore. John won't let it happen, I won't let it happen."

"We won't let it happen, any of us." Chris corrected." You know that."

Maria took a deep breath. She was honestly terrified. Having to see Brent and Michael was plenty, but hearing Brent say those things just made everything come rushing back." You're all with me?" she questioned.

"We're with you."

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"Mr Lynch. What can you tell us about Ms. Kanellis in regards to her personality and her likes and dislikes?"

Michael looked at Phil, knowing that all he was doing here was putting the last nail in that bitches coffin. "What can I say? She was one tough lady." His eyes burned with desire as he looked at John, as if remembering everything that he had had with Maria and wanting Cena to know. "She liked it rough."

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Members of the jury, you are charged with an important and solemn duty to evaluate all of the evidence you have heard here today and, to reach a fair and just sentence. Remember, guilt is not at issue in this case. Your only duty is to consider those facts discussed with weigh in favour of or against a particular sentence. YOUR DECISION MUST BE UNANIMOUS."

Phil Brooks sat, grinning, along side his defence lawyer. Temporary insanity. It was definitely the way to go. The judge and jury would believe it for sure. He'd get sentenced, serve a little time in a hospital ward and be free to go. Simple as that. On the other side of the room Maria stared straight ahead, not even turning to look at Brooks. His face was etched within her brain; she definitely didn't need to see it again. John sat beside her, clasping her hand. The media section was full, a bevy of reporters eagerly waiting the verdict and the reaction of either the happy couple or a triumphant Phil. To their right sat Torrie and Pete, Trish, Stephanie and Paul, Lillian and Benoit. Behind them sat Jericho, Rob Van Dam, Glen, Becki, Charlie and Shawn, virtually all of their friends turning out to hopefully see an act of justice. Phil had no one with him... or did he? Two cloaked men sat in the far corner of the court, trying not to draw attention to themselves. They hadn't been there for the actual hearing, yet they had shown up in the recess before the verdict. You could virtually smell the tension in the air. Something major was about to happen.

The Judge re-entered her chambers and sat behind her desk, waiting for the bailiff to approach. "Members of the jury, have you reached a decision?" The head juror nodded, as the Judge continued. "Will the spokesperson please hand the sentence form to the bailiff?" The judge read the notification slip and sighed. Abuse. She had seen more assault charges than any other kind pass her door. This one was no different. Judge McCaw lowered her glasses to the bridge of her nose, peering down from the bench." Will the defendant and counsel please rise?"

The press were at the ready, cameras poised. Trish gripped Stephanie's' hands, both divas sucking in deep breathes. Lillian wrapped her arms around herself, praying that everything turned out okay. Becki was between Charlie and Shawn, eyes closed. This could go either way she realised. Ever since Phil had been ejected from the WWE she had lived in fear at the fact that Phil and his goons could come back at any time and she would be powerless to stop them. As soon as Phil had been brought up on charges, the first thing she had done was move out of the apartment she had shared with John. The only thing was, she'd had no where to go. She knew that John would have said she could stay with him and Maria, but she would have felt like she was imposing. Everyone else was married or in a serious relationship. So, surprising even herself, she had moved in with ... she shuddered, wondering what she had been thinking ... Randy Orton. It was nice, she had to admit, and he was gorgeous... but still...

Maria's palms were sweaty, her hand slipping in Johns. "It'll be okay," she repeated over and over." It'll be okay."

"Mr Brooks, have you decided to change your plea?" Judge McCaw asked, frowning.

"Uhh, no your Honour."

"Mr Brooks, you do realise that a plea of temporary insanity is very hard to prove."

"Yes, your Honour."

"Very well. Bailiff, please read the charges."

"The defendant is charged with the following. One count of unlawful possession of property pertaining to the possession of a utility vehicle, several breaches of contract issues in regards to his contract with World Wrestling Entertainment, and numerous charges in relation to unaggravated assault in regards to employees of World Wrestling Entertainment. The defendant is also facing a charge of attempted murder against a Mr. John Cena, as well as charge including assault with intent. The defendant is also facing numerous charges that involve a Ms. Maria Kanellis, including a charge of battery under the Violence against Women Act (revised 2005)." The Bailiff paused heavily before finishing. Unfortunately, someone decided to finally use their initiative.

"We, the jury, find the defendant ..."

A cloaked figure jumped up, brandishing a double action semiautomatic Colt All American 2000 pistol. "He's not guilty! NOT GUILTY DAMNIT!" The entire court room spun around to see Adam Copeland cock the fire arm, ready to fire at Phil. Before anyone could stop him, he moved quickly throughout the room, using Jason Riggs as an enforcer, throwing people out of the way. Lillian screamed as Rob threw her to the floor covering her, Pete following suit covering Torrie with Charlie covering Trish. Stephanie remained standing, Paul and Glen by her side, backed up by Benoit and Shawn who were headed to the other side of the room in the hopes of warding Adam off. Maria slid to the floor, John standing in front of her protectively, motioning for her to crawl under the seat to go to Torrie and Pete.

"LET ME THROUGH! LEMME AT HIM!" Adam screamed." That son of a bitch Brooks cost me my career, my girlfriend, everything! LET ME AT HIM! HE'S NOT GUILTY! Because if he's guilty, I don't get to lay a finger on him!"

As Adam moved through the room, Phil tried vainly to escape, yet the officers at each door were preventing him from doing so. Judge McCaw had ducked behind her wooden desk as soon as the gun had glinted in the light streaming from an open window, and was now screaming at someone to take Adam out. Adam backed Phil up against a wall, making the man squirm. Riggs soon put a stop to that, coming up to Phil and holding him in place. Adam aimed the fire arm straight at Phil's head. "You. Just. Don't. Get. It." he sneered." You've ruined everything. EVERYTHING!" Adam put his finger on the trigger and pulled.

It was at that moment that Paul crash tackled him, causing the shot to ricochet off the ceiling and hit the back wall. Phil saw that this was his chance, and headed for the door, jumping over still bodies. He didn't get that far though, before Shawn and Benoit took him out, Benoit delivering a blow to the back of his head knocking him out cold. As Adam squirmed on the floor, Paul sat on his legs, making sure he couldn't go anywhere.

Lillian, Trish and Torrie huddled together in one corner as Stephanie and the boys gathered around the witness table that Judge McCaw was crouching behind. The judge stood, sighing loudly. "Security, have 'that man' taken away. As for the other one ..." She glanced around, looking for Riggs. Much to her amusement - though she'd never admit it - Riggs was trying to escape out the far door. However, he failed to see the small foot that was stuck out in front of him. He tripped over Maria's leg and fell heavily, causing the young diva to smile brightly." As for the other one, take him away as well, I want him out of my sight."

The media were having a field day, several stations capturing the entire incident on film. Now, they jostled for the Judges attention. "Judge McCaw, Judge McCaw! Can we still get a verdict?"

She smirked, looking down at an out-to-it Phil on the floor. "Well you can, as long as someone fills him in later," she joked caustically. "Bailiff?" For the last ten minutes, since Adam had leapt out of nowhere, the Bailiff had been frozen on the spot, scared out of his wits. "Bailiff!" She repeated, a little louder this time. "A verdict!"

"We, the jury, find the defendant ..." he looked a little dazed, almost afraid that if he said the wrong thing someone would pull a gun on him.

"Guilty. Guilty on all charges."

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"The crowd is smoking tonight JR!" King enthused from ringside. "Backlash is ready to begin!"

Looking down the barrel of the camera JR picked up where King left off. "That's right folks; we'd like to thank you for joining us tonight for our April Pay-preview, Backlash! We've got a real show for you tonight Ladies and Gentleman; you're in for a treat! Maria faces off with current Women's Champ Trish Stratus with a shot at the title! But that's not all - Trish has the "Kings of your World" on her side! Will Torrie, Jericho and his men ensure they keep the title?"

"That's the least of their worries! And even if they get involved JR, they have to face the 'Chain Gang'! They're set to be in Marias corner! Well, that thug Cena will be anyway!"

"Yes King, Cena will be in Maria's corner, and she in his when he faces off with Jericho for the Championship tonight! Will Trish be in Jericho's corner?"

"Stay turned to find out!" Josh Matthews piped up, rather unnecessarily. The two announcers just looked at him - why was he there again?

"Uh ... yeah!" King chimed in. "The tag team titles, the World Heavyweight Championship and the Womens Title, just some of the action set to take place tonight on BACKLASH!"

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"Nervous?"

"No. Are you?"

"Kinda. It's my first title shot, my first real one, AND it's at a pay-per-view! And you've got a title shot! Of Course I'm nervous! Very nervous!" she pouted.

He laughed, not at her, but at her manner. She was jumping up and down, trying to warm up, but she was so nervous she could barely stop shaking. "You'll be fine."

"Easy for you to say! You've done this a million times before!"

"I'm in your corner," he countered, coming in to scoop her up in his arms. "That's gotta count for something!"

"But I'm so scared!"

"I don't have to kiss you again in front of millions of people all over the world to calm you down, do I?" He asked, arching an eyebrow, reminding her of their first real kiss, even if it had only been for the camera.

"Well ..." she joked slyly. "It wouldn't hurt!" He set her down on the floor, making her stand on tip toe to reach his lips.

"It definitely won't hurt," was the last coherent thought she had before she was swept away by the power of the kiss.

Wouldn't hurt at all.

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"ONE ... TWO ... THREE!"

Lillian lifted the microphone to her lips, glad that one of her friends had won, yet saddened another had lost. "Your winner and new World Heavyweight Champion ... JOHHHNNNNN CEEEENNNNAAAA!"

The crowd erupted as Maria jumped into the ring to celebrate with the new Champ. She hadn't been so lucky, winning by DQ when Torrie had interfered, but hey, she had a rematch clause and she was planning on using it! The Kings had failed to take the Tag Team Titles off Benoit and Carlito, yet Charlie still had the Intercontinental belt so there was no chance that things on RAW would slow down anytime soon.

"Hey gorgeous!" John exclaimed, spinning Maria around the ring. "What did you think?"

"You were great, as usual!"

"Aww shucks .." He hid his face, pretending to be embarrassed. "You're only saying that!"

She giggled. "Yeah, I am!" Taking in the expression on his face she laughed again. "Joking, I'm joking!"

"You better be Kanellis! Or you'll be sleeping in your own bed tonight!"

"Good!" She shot back quickly. "I won't have you hogging the blankets for once!"

"Me? Never!" He had to shout to be heard over the roar of the crowd. "What do you say we head back to the locker room and see who's up for going out?"

"Sounds good!"

The pair slipped out of the ring, John holding the ropes open for Maria, who held out her hand for him to take as they walked up the ramp. With his belt slung over one shoulder, and Maria on the other arm ... life was good.

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"Goddamnit Torrie, push!" Pete cried, standing beside her bed. She had been in labour for over fourteen hours now, and Pete had been beside her every step of the way. There was an eager bunch of WWE Superstars crowded in the hallway, the guys wincing every time Torrie yelled some obscenity at her husband. "You're cutting off the circulation in my hand!"

"Don't you tell me to push! This is all your fault! You put me here in the first place! The pain you're feeling is nothing!"

"Me! I never saw you objecting!"

"Okay guys, EWW. STOP NOW!" Jess laughed from the other side of the bed. "Don't worry Pete, I said exactly the same things to Jericho when I had little Seth." Torrie had wanted to have a birthing coach with her for her first pregnancy... maybe her only pregnancy if the pain was any indication of how it was going to be every time she was in labour. Jess had been the perfect choice, considering none of the other girls were mothers yet.

"Alright Torrie, I need you to push one more time, one more big push!" Dr. Norton said with a massive smile across her face. Torrie scrunched up her face with concentration and pushed, gripping onto Pete's arm with all she had. "That's it! I can see a head! One more push!"

"C'mon Tor, you're almost there," Pete said softly, using his free hand to push her hair back from her eyes." You're doing an awesome job."

"It hurts so much," she cried, teeth gritted together. "I can't do one more push."

"Tor, you can do it, I know you can. You are giving me the greatest gift - becoming a father, and I promise I will do everything in my power to love you both so much it hurts."

"How can you make that sort of promise when you haven't even seen the baby yet?" She panted, trying to gather the strength to push one more time.

"Because I love you so much that I would die for you, and if our baby is even the slightest bit like you, I know that it won't be a problem." She stared at him, taking in the glowing expression upon his face, the smile that reached his eyes full of love. She knew he was telling the truth.

"I can do this," she said to herself. "I can do it."

And she pushed.

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"Six pound, five ounces!" Stephanie yelled joyfully. The WWE Superstars around her all cheered, ecstatic that Torrie had given birth to a healthy baby. Stephanie, unable to make it to the hospital because of her commitment to the RAW brand that evening was holding fort in her office; Paul, Shawn, Benoit, Trish, Lillian, Jericho and John crowding around her desk as the phone rang.

"Mom is fine, tired but happy and Dad is apparently in a state of shock," she laughed." But at least he didn't faint!"

"What about the baby?" Lillian clamoured.

"Yeah!" Trish cried. "Diva or wrestler?"

"What do you think?" Stephanie said, eyes gleaming. "Takes after …"

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"Her mother, of course! Typical Wilson! She's a DIVA!" Jess burst out.

Maria squealed with happiness. "Yes! I KNEW IT!"

"Great," Charlie groaned. "Another girl in the locker room."

"Hey!" Jackie Gayda Hass objected, elbowing her husband. "Take that back!"

"How is she?" Maria asked eagerly.

"Torrie is fine, exhausted, but okay. Little Taine is being checked over now, but as soon as possible Pete will be out to take you to see her in the nursery. She has a tuft of dark brown hair, and beautiful brown eyes like her daddy." Jess smiled. "She's perfect."

"She is," spoke up a new voice. Pete emerged from the nursery, looking a little worn out but excited." She might look like her dad, but I swear she's a Wilson. She hasn't stopped crying," he joked.

Maria ran over to him, giving him a hug. "Congratulations DAD!"

Pete returned the hug gladly. "I guess John will be the next lucky guy we say that too," he said smiling. His gaze drifted over to his friends sitting on the couch. "Or maybe even Charlie …." He laughed as his friends face turned an interesting shade of red.

"Or not…" Jess commented.

"God no!" Charlie said unsteadily." I don't earn enough to support Jackie, her shopping habit, and a baby!" Jackie swatted Charlie again, and the pair started up a conversation with Jess, moving down the hall to find some coffee. Pete sat down heavily, leaning his head against the wall.

"So what's it like to be a dad?" Maria asked curiously.

"Amazing. Beautiful. Scary ... terrifying ... all of those things at once." He smiled. "And we haven't even left the hospital yet!"

"You'll be a great dad," Maria told him. "Taine is going to be the luckiest, and the most loved little girl. She has a wonderful pair of parents! You have nothing to worry about."

"Wonderful pair of parents? As far as I know, Taine is our first child."

Maria looked down at her feet. "You might as well claim me as an experience. I'd like to think that thanks to you guys I turned out okay."

"Hey," he chided."No way. If anyone was the child it was John."

She giggled, before falling silent. It was possible that Torrie and Pete would never know the impact they had had upon her life, and on Johns. They couldn't ever realise how they had been the wall that Maria had so sorely needed. The pair of them, Trish, Lil, Benoit, Jericho, Jess, Shawn, Charlie, Glen, Rob, Steph and Paul .. everyone had played a part in who she was today, and how she had broken free on the vicious cycle she was stuck in. Her eyes grew hard, and she sighed. What could she do to make them realise? "He wasn't alone," she reminded him.

"No, and now he never will be." Pete smirked. "It's impossible to separate you two." He saw her eyes sparkle at the mention of John and their relationship. Pete smiled, and put his feet up on the couch he was sitting on. "How about you go and visit Torrie? I'm sure she'd love to see you."

Maria nodded vigorously and leapt to her feet. "Thanks Pete!" She called over her shoulder, bounding down the hall, her moment of sadness forgotten.

Pete smiled as he closed his eyes. How his friend intended to put up with her seemingly limitless energy supply he had no idea.

But good luck to him.

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Torrie woke out of her light sleep to see a slim figure standing in the door way. "Maria?" She asked groggily.

"Gorgeous Tor. How are you?"

"Tired," Torrie answered, her voice barely above a whisper. "How's Taine?"

Maria gestured toward the crib along side the bed. "Have a look for yourself."

"She looks like an angel," Torrie breathed, as Maria placed her daughter in her arms. "Hey there Taine," she cooed. "Say hello to your god mother Maria."

"Tor, she is like two hours old she can't talk," Maria laughed. "Wait ... god mother? Tor, no."

"Why not Maria? I can't think of anyone Pete and I would rather have."

"There are plenty of people! Trish, Steph, Lil .. "

"And none of them would be as great as you." Torrie soothed. "Too late Maria."

"Awww .. well, if you insist!" She grinned, laughing. "The girls say hello, by the way, and they can't wait to see you. You better watch out, I think Steph is going to commandeer the company jet and come and visit!"

Torrie rolled her eyes. "Look out Mercy Hospital, here comes 'Cyclone Stephanie'."

The girls sat in silence, just watching Taine sleep. "Tor?"

"Yeah?"

"I have an idea... but it's kind of tricky, and I'm going to need your help."

"Ooooo do tell." Maria leaned over and whispered in her friends ear conspiratorially. Torrie's eyes widened and a smile spread across her face.

"Are you in?"

Torrie grinned wickedly. "Oh, I'm in."

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Back home in Las Vegas. Reluctant to leave the area they had become so accustomed to while staying at Pete and Torrie's place, they had moved in down the street. It was late morning, the sun dancing across the floor. A lone figure lay in bed, reaching out for a body to snuggle up too. But there was no one there.

Groaning, the figure rolled over smashing into a bunch of ... pillows? No, not pillows. Balloons. 44 Balloons, each floating at eye level, each secured to a single sand bag on the floor. Each one printed with a single word.

"I love you with all my heart. I don't ever want to let you go. You make me smile, catch my tears and kiss away my problems. I'm ready to fall in love with you all over again. John Cena. Will you marry me?"

"Whhaaa ..." John spluttered. He sat up in amazement. Maria was proposing? No way. This was supposed to be his department. He grabbed his phone, and speed dialled Maria's phone number. No answer. She was on a divas shoot somewhere, and wouldn't be back for days.

What should he do? As much as he wanted nothing more than to be married to Maria, he always envisioned that he would be the one to propose .. okay, so under that tough exterior was a total romantic.

He made a decision. He knew it could backfire, he knew it could have serious ramifications. He was going to say no.

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Lillian spat out her smoothie. "You asked him to what?" The girls were lazing around on a beach off the coast of Mexico, waiting for their shoot to begin.

"Marry me."

"What if he says no?" Stephanie asked slowly. "I mean, he won't .. but what if ... "

"Hey!" Trish objected."He'll say yes. He'd be mad not too!"

"Of course he'll say yes," Torrie said, her voice clear as a bell over the speaker phone."Because if he doesn't, he has a locker room full of pissed off diavs and disappointed wrestlers to answer too."

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"So how are you feeling today Maria?" Angela inquired.

RAW's youngest diva shrugged. 'I'm alright. I'm kinda wanting to go home though." This was supposed to be her last therapy session. Tomorrow would mark a year since Phil had been sentenced, and she felt that she was finally over the whole debacle. She could see now that none of it was her fault, and she realised that she was someone; her own person, free of anyone unless she choose to change that. It was a great feeling.

"And why is that?" Angela frowned. "Are you feeling anxious? Is something bothering you?"

"I don't know. I ... I proposed. To my boyfriend. I'm kind of nervous as to his reaction to be honest."

"Ahh I see."

Angela was the company psychologist. She had been commissioned to travel with the WWE in the event that someone needed someone to listen to, to bounce ideas off ... just to offer someone that little push they needed. She was impressed with Maria's progress; she was doing really well, and Angela figured that this shoot was just what she needed to boost her self esteem that extra little bit. It both surprised her and pleased her that Maria had proposed to John. If he said yes, then it was a vital step in Maria being able to say ' yes I'm in control of my life'. But if he said no ...

"Maria, I think we're almost all finished here. Just tell me again. How do you see yourself? What do you as a person demonstrate to others? Who do you want to be seen as?"

Maria took a big breath. "Well I'm a WWE diva. I'm told every day that I'm supposedly sexy, intelligent, desirable and all that jazz."

"But how do you see yourself?" Angela pressed. Unbeknownst to both women, the door was slightly ajar and a man seated outside could hear every word being said.

"Strong." Maria decided. "I'm tough and I'm independant. I can be funny and I can show my friends that I love them. I'm a god mother. I mean something to somebody; to that child and to her parents." The man outside straightened up, proud of what he was hearing.

"And what about John?"

"Well ... I love him with all I am. He makes me who I am, and I hope that he needs me like I need him." The figure outside winced. She didn't know? Right, scrap that plan he'd formulated in his head.

"I'm not sure about that Maria. He is a big part of who you are, but he doesn't make you who you are."

"That's true." She admitted.

"So again, from the top. Who are you?"

"I'm a WWE diva. I'm tough, strong and independant. I can love, and I am my own person. I mean something to someone."

"Baby girl, you forgot something." A shadow fell across the room, making her look to the doorway with a question in her eyes.

"What did I forget?" She asked quietly.

He walked over to her, clasping her hands and pulling her to her feet. Placing his hands on her hips and pulling her close he murmured something in her ear. Quietly, just loud enough for her to hear.

"You're beautiful. You're my light when all the others go out. You are my lover, my best friend, and I couldn't live without you." Gazing into her eyes he smiled briefly before continuing.

"You're the person who saves me from myself and keeps me going.

"You are the fiance of a WWE Superstar." He smiled broadly as Maria gasped, and just kept going.

"The answer is yes."

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Yes .. yes I'm sorry I lied. I said a short conclusion ... my computer says this one is 33 pages I got slightly carried away .. can you blame me? I swear, it's all entirely relevant. Anyway, thanks again for joining me on this crazy ride ... if i ever decide to torture myself and write another story .. i'll catch you round some time!

Cheers guys!