Chapter 18

The days turned into weeks which again turned into months, and Corey could say that for the first time in his young life he was truly happy. His relationship with his mother had gone back to normal, Hunter got better and better with every passing day, and Joelle became the center of his being. Corey thought himself to be the luckiest guy on earth with the woman of his dreams by his side and a bunch of the greatest friends anyone could ever wish for.

Also he and Jordan became very close, they'd spend hours talking on the phone, and despite the problems they had had in the past Corey grew to love his sister.

The WWE came to Amarillo/Texas, and upon entering the locker room Corey was greeted by Chris, Bobby and Cameron. " Hey Champ, Shane wants to see you after your match." Cameron said, and Corey nodded. They got ready together and left for the catering area where, to no ones surprise, Hunter was sitting comfortably in one of the many chairs, leaned back against his wife who sat in a chair behind him.

" Hey Pops." Corey greeted, having decided to adress his father properly whenever talking to him.

" Did you already talk to Shane?" Hunter asked, smiling broadly.

" No..after my match..why? Is there something I should know?"

" Naw..don't wanna spoil the surprise.." Hunter started but got slapped by Jay. "SSsssssh.."

Corey looked from Hunter to Jay, then shrugged. A stagehand came up to them, telling them there were 10 minutes left before their match was about to start, so the four left catering and waited behind the curtain for their clue.

Corey was teaming with Bobby against Chris and Cameron, and after the match ended as scripted Corey left his friends for Shane's office where he was greeted with his boss already waiting for him.

" Come in, come in, have a seat." Shane said and made himself comfortable behind his desk.

" Is there a problem, Shane?" Corey asked curiously. Shane smiled.

" Yes and no. Let me ask you something, how long have you been our IC champion now?"

Corey thought about it before answering. " Almost 8 months."

Shane nodded. " I think your title reign will come to an end, like, the pay per view in two weeks." Corey stared at him, he had known that he could loose the title any time, but he wasn't prepared to loose it so soon. He was about to speak but Shane continued.

" I understand, Corey, I know what the title means to you, but it's time to pass the belt to someone else."

Corey looked down at his hands and nodded. Of course he couldn't keep the championship for the rest of his career, but still it hurt him somehow having to drop the title.

" Corey." He looked up and saw Shane smiling at him. " In your match with Bobby at No Way out you will loose your title to him, but this isn't all I have to say. You know we're already on the road to Wrestlemania." Corey nodded, and Shane continued. " Well, Corey, you and Chris will take part in the tournament for the World Heavyweight Championship, the finals will be the main event at Wrestlemania."

Corey almost fell out of his chair as he stared at Shane, his eyes almost popping out of his head.

" So, what do you say?" Shane asked, already knowing the answer.

Corey's mind raced, he would get a chance at the Heavyweight title, at WRESTLEMANIA, for chrissake. There was nothing to think about.

" I'm ready to pass my belt to Bobby right now." Corey said excitedly and Shane laughed.

" Wait til No Way Out, the tournament starts on Raw the Monday after the pay per view. Okay, that's all, tell your buddies, go back to the hotel, get some rest, and I'll see you next week."

The men shook hands and Corey practically bounced down the hallway and burst through the locker room door.

" What?" Bobby asked curiously, of course they wanted to know what Shane had to say.

Corey grinned at him and patted his belt that was flung over his shoulder. " My friend, that baby here is yours."

Bobby stared at Corey, then at the belt. " Wha..what?" Corey nodded. " Bobby Orton, it will be my honor to pass you this championship at No Way Out."

You could see the words enter Bobby's mind, and when they did he jumped and hugged Corey tightly.

" Are you serious? OH MY GOD!" he exclaimed and jumped around the room with Chris, Cameron and Corey laughing at him. The first one to stop was Chris.

" Hey, but.. why..I mean, why would Shane make you loose the title? You work hard, the fans love you.." Bobby stopped dancing around. " Yeah, what's in store for you?"

Corey grinned broadly and shrugged. " Oh, not much, I'll just take part in the tournament for the Heavyweight title."

The locker room fell completely silent, and then all at once his friends crushed Corey in a big bear family hug. " Are you shitting us??" Cameron shouted.

Corey laughed. " No..and it's getting better. The finals will be the main event at Wrestlemania." The group stared at him, then went for family hug round 2.

" Man, this is awesome." Chris exclaimed. Corey turned to his best friend. " It is, I will take part in the tournament, and so will you."

Chris eyes grew bigger with every passing second. " No..wha..I..really?" Corey nodded, and Chris shrieked loudly before pulling the soon-to-be ex IC champ in another bear hug.

The guys talked a little longer before changing and driving back to the hotel where Corey met up with Joelle to tell her the amazing news. She almost burst of joy and the smile on her face remained for the rest of the night.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

No Way Out came and Bobby was as excited as can be, and when it was time for the title match he was a nervous wreck.

The match went by as scripted, and Corey lost his title in front of a more than shocked audience. Bobby was in tears when he returned backstage, holding his newly won prize and stroking the belt lovingly. Of course the guys went celebrating that night, returning in the early morning hours to get some rest before the Raw show in the evening.

Corey was unable to sleep, the tournaments would start today, he would face Juan Colon, the son of Carlito (Carribean Cool), for a spot in the quarter-finals.

Raw started with the usual explosion, and Corey couldn't wait for his match to start. And when it did, Shane nodded satisfied as he watched on the monitor in his office. Corey dominated Juan during the entire match and beat him via pinfall, entering the next round.

And so it continued during the next shows, Corey beat his opponent to enter the semi-finals where he would face Chris.

The next Raw show was held in Tulsa/Oklahoma and Corey was very excited, he would face Chris for the spot in the finals. Also fighting for the honor of performing at the finals at Wrestlemania were Cameron and Morgan.

Corey's match was first, and in his eyes it was the most intense one of his career with both men giving everything they had. After 25 minutes the fight was over with Corey pinning Chris after driving him to the mat with a powerbomb, and the crowd cheered loudly when Ruby announced Corey as the winner of the match and the first finalist to compete at Wrestlemania.

Corey returned backstage, exhausted and not quite realizing that he would perform on the grandest stage of them all, but reality hit him as soon as Joelle almost knocked him to the ground and showered him with kisses.

I'm going to Wrestlemania, Corey thought amazed. After a lot of hugs and congratulations Corey settled himself in the backstage area to watch the match between Cameron and Morgan. Whoever won would be his opponent at the pay per view, and Corey studied both men's moves intently.

The match went back and forth, Cameron received one hell of a beating, but having The Icon's blood running through his veins he came out of the match as the winner. Corey exhaled, his opponent for Wrestlemania would be the two time World Heavyweight Champion, Cameron Hickenbottom, and he knew this match would take him to the limit.

He left his spot and returned to the locker room where Cameron was already changing.

" Looks like it will be the both of us." Cameron pointed out and Corey nodded.

They showered and changed to return to the hotel where Corey immediately called Hunter who beamed with pride. " I hope you know what an honor it is to be in the main event at WM. That's our super bowl."

" I know..I can't believe it.." Corey exclaimed.

" And don't underrate Cameron, there's a lot more to him than he has shown yet. This will be some serious piece of crap to beat him."

" I know, uhm..will you be there?" Corey asked.

Hunter laughed. " You bet your ass I will. Listen, I gotta go..stupid rehab."

" Kay, talk to you soon. Bye."

" Son? Make me proud."

After the phone call Corey slid between the sheets and drifted off to a peaceful slumber, not knowing this had been the last time he'd talk to his father.

Wrestlemania was just around the corner and Shane had removed Corey and Cameron from the Raw card, giving them a free Monday night to relax and prepare for the next Sunday. About halfway during the show Shane walked up to them, telling them to meet him in the conference room after the show. So the whole roster made their way to said room, and upon arriving there they immediately noticed Jay sitting in one of the chairs, her eyes red and puffy, her hair and clothes a mess. Corey and his friends stared at her confused as did the rest of the roster, and they exchanged worried looks.

" May I have your attention, please." Shane said and the muffled conversations died down. Jay exhaled and stood up.

" Thank you for coming…uhm..you're probably wondering why I'm here..but..you see…" she trailed off, tears forming in her eyes. " Uhm…Hunter..is..pretty bad…I know, you all saw the advances he was making..and..we thought he was over the worst…but…he's not.."

Corey felt Joelle's hand on his shoulders but he didn't even pay attention to her, all he saw was Jay standing in front of them trying to fight back the tears, and he knew something horrible had happened.

" He..uh..he's in hospital right now and…well..it doesn't look good.." the last words weren't more than a whisper, and glancing around Corey was met with empathic faces.

" What happened.." he said quietly, mentally preparing for the worst.

" His…knees..uhm..there's..an infection and…he's ..in a coma right now…" Jay was unable to continue, the pain in her heart was almost killing her and she let the tears fall.

" I..just wanted..to ask you..to pray..for him…they..don't know..if he'll..make it.." Shane was by her side in a heartbeat to catch her as she broke down and sobbed on the floor.

Corey's heart raced, he had heard enough. He jumped up and stormed out of the room, he felt like being alone.

Corey found it almost natural when he found himself at ringside, and he hid under the announcers table to let the tears fall. This just wasn't fair, he thought, why was this happening to him? Now that everything finally had seemed to be fine..

He didn't know how long he sat under the table, but when he returned to the back the hallways were dark and deserted, the locker room door was locked. Corey sighed, fortunately the back door was still open, so he left the arena and walked back to the hotel.

Entering the room he shared with Joelle he saw her sitting on the bed, and upon seeing him she rushed towards him and hugged him tightly.

" Where have you been? I was worried sick…" Corey hugged her back and sighed.

" Just..alone.." Joelle pulled away and took his face in her hands. " You could have told me…" and after a few seconds she added " I understand, Baby, I'm so sorry..but I just know he'll make it…"

Corey nodded. " Let's pray."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Corey and Joelle missed the Hall Of Fame ceremony to call Jay for an update on Hunter, but his condition was still critical and he hadn't woken up. The infection wouldn't pass off, so he was moved to intensive care. Corey hung up, feeling miserable and helpless.

" I should be there…with him.."

" But you're in the main event tomorrow, you can't just…" "Can't what? Joelle, there's a chance that we loose him, how can I go to Wrestlemania and pretend everything's just fine?"

Joelle sighed, of course he was right. Family was just more important than a title shot, and with Corey it was something different. He had missed a father his whole life, and now that he had found and accepted him the chances were 50:50 that he would loose him, for good.

Corey excused himself and left the hotel room. He wandered around to the nearby park and sat on a bench. What should he do? Go on to WM and win the belt, leaving his father alone where Corey knew he might need him? Or miss WM and the chance at the title for his father's sake?

Corey had never been so confused, and in his confusion he pulled out his cellphone and dialed a number he had never dialed before. A female voice answered after a few rings.

" Hello, this is Kim Levesque."

" Yes, uhm..this is..Corey..Corey Johnson…is..Brandon around?"

" Hang on." Kim said and after a few seconds Corey heard the voice of his brother.

" Hello."

Corey gulped. " Brandon?"

The line went silent, and Corey was afraid he had been hung up on.

" Corey?"

" Uh..yes…I.."

" What?"

Corey sighed. " I need your help." He whispered.

The line went silent again for a few minutes before Brandon answered. " Talk."

Corey told him about his conflict and finished " And I thought you..well..you could..tell me what to do..I…I don't know…"

Back in Kentucky Brandon had listened intently at what Corey had to say, he really sounded desperate, and Brandon could feel him. But he also was confused, he hadn't heard from Corey in months, and now he had turned to him of all people for advice. And somehow it made Brandon proud. " Go and win that title."

Corey gasped. " But..Dad..he might.." " Yes..he might..or he might not, we don't know. But what I know is that he wouldn't want you to miss the chance to become World Heavyweight Champion because of him. And you're not leaving him alone, Mom is with him, she practically lives at the hospital. I talked to Jordan, and I'll fly out to Greenwich this evening. She will be at the show if you need something."

Corey sighed, Brandon was right. He knew Hunter, he'd want for him to go to WM. He thanked Brandon and hung up to return to the hotel and inform Joelle about his decision.

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Corey was startled by the loudest explosin he'd ever heard, and he grabbed Joelle's hand and rushed down the hallway to watch the beginning of the biggest show of the year. He had never performed in front of so many people, and he was scared. This was probably the greatest moment in his career, his first Wrestlemania, and to top it he was in the main event. Jordan had flown in this morning and Corey was glad to have his sister by his side.

They were joined by Chris, Cameron, Morgan and Bobby, and together they watched the first matches until it was time for Joelle to leave for her match. She'd take part in a Diva battle royal, her biggest rival being Ivy in this match-up.

The men watched intently at what was going on in the ring, and Corey was amazed at how Joelle had improved her skills, she turned out to be serious competition for Ivy. Corey held his breath when Ivy whipped Joelle in the ropes, but she held on, and Ivy stormed towards her. Joelle ducked and pulled the ropes down with her, and Ivy sailed out of the ring and hit the floor, leaving Joelle alone in the ring and as the winner of the match. Corey beamed with pride and welcomed his girlfriend back with a huge bear hug.

" Now all you have to do is follow my example." She laughed and Cameron raised a brow at them. " We'll see." He grinned.

Corey excused himself and left for the catering area to grab a bottle of water when he saw Jordan approach him slowly. She hung her head, and when she looked at him with big eyes Corey almost dropped the bottle. She had been crying, it was obvious, her face was swollen and wet from the tears that still rolled down her cheeks.

Corey caught Jordan when she stumbled forwards and he felt her shaking.

" What's wrong?" he asked concerned, but all he got for an answer were silent sniffs and sobs.

" Jordy, what's wrong?" Corey asked again, starting to panic.

" Dad…" she sobbed, her voice hoarse and not more than a whisper.

" What? What's with him?"

Jordan slowly shook her head. " He's gone.." she whispered before bursting into tears again.

Corey felt his stomach turn and the room began to spin. No he couldn't be..

" But..no..why…I…what.." he stuttered and Jordan pulled away. " I..talked…to Mom…the infection..he's…too weak…they couldn't….do..anything…"

Corey felt hot tears run down his cheeks, and he pulled Jordan in another tight hug, and together they cried over the loss of their father in the middle of the hallway.

Corey's mind was blank, but at the same time a thousand thoughts ran through his head, and he saw his world shatter in millions of little pieces before his very eyes. The pain in his heart was too much to bear, and he thought about running, just leaving, no matter where to.

But his rational side took over, there was Jordan who needed him now more than ever, and there was the big match at the end of the night.

The match. How could he go out there and perform when his father had just passed away? And Corey decided to go talk to Shane and ask him to replace him. He told Jordan about his decision, but she shook her head.

" That's not what he would have wanted."

Brandon had said the same, Corey thought, but still, he had just lost his father, this was completely different.

" I have an idea." Jordan said and proposed her suggestion. Corey nodded in agreement, and after they cried together again they went in search for Shane.

When the roster found out what had happened there was a crying marathon back in the locker room. Cameron broke down at the loss of his godfather, and so did Joelle. After they had been informed about Jordan's idea by Shane they all agreed to attend, of course.

Before the main event took place Shane appeared on top of the ramp, followed by every active wrestler, stagehand, camera man and staff in the company, much to the surprise of the audience. Shane stepped in front of the group with Corey and Jordan by his side and cleared his throat before taking the microphone.

" Ladies and Gentleman, I'm standing before you with sad news. We have been informed that Paul Michael Levesque aka. Hunter Hearst Helmsley, known to the world as Triple H, has passed away ."

Shocked gasps filled the arena, and Corey put his arm around Jordan's shoulder who received empathic looks from the crowd.

Shane continued his speech and finished with the words "..but the Game will never be over. This night we will pay tribute to the life of Triple H."

The audience cheered and clapped loudly and the 'Triple H' chants started. After the bell had been rung ten times 'Goodbye is not forever' started to blast through the speakers and a video clip was shown on the Tron, reliving Hunter's most memorable moments such as his title wins, his proposal to Jay in the middle of the ring and his greatest matches.

The wrestlers joined in the applause of the crowd and returned backstage where they expressed their condolences to Corey and Jordan.

Shane approached them. " I..I don't know what to say…" Corey sighed and returned the hug.

" You don't..have to go..out there tonight.."

" I owe him." Corey whispered as a fresh wave of tears hit him, and Shane nodded.

They heard Ruby announce the main event and Corey joined Cameron at the gorilla position.

Cameron was announced first and he stepped through the curtain after the men wished good luck to each other and hugged.

Corey was a nervous wreck, this was the worst and best night of his life at the same time.

He straightened himself when the first sounds of his entrance music hit, and when he appeared on top of the ramp his music was cut and Motorheads 'The Game' started to play. Corey slowly made his way down the ramp and climbed the apron. He took a big sip of his water and spat it high in the air, and the crowd cheered loudly. He jumped over the ropes and looked back at the Tron were a picture appeared, a picture of him and Hunter, both grinning broadly. Corey felt the tears come again but he fought them back and faced Cameron in the middle of the ring.

The bell rang, and the two men locked up. Cameron gained the advantage and took Corey in a front head lock, but Corey whipped his opponent in the ropes only to be taken down with a shoulder block. Getting to his feet Corey received a few straight right hands before reversing and taking Cameron in a hammer lock. Cameron tried to free himself from Corey's grip several times, but when Corey wouldn't let go Cameron bent forward, lifting Corey with him, and let himself fall backwards, driving Corey to the mat again. Corey let go off Cameron's arm and rolled out of harms way when Cameron attempted a leg drop. Corey took Cameron in a figure four leg lock, but Cameron was able to reach the ropes, so Corey let go when the ref called for a clean break. The two men jumped to their feet and stood nose to nose before circling each other and locking up again. Corey backed Cameron in the corner and hit him with a few chops before kicking his opponent hard in the guts. Corey dragged Cameron out of the corner and attempted a back suplex but Cameron reversed it with a neckbreaker.

The match went back and forth a few more minutes, and both men felt the efforts of the match slowly get to them. Cameron had driven Corey to the mat with a firemans carry and climbed the turnbuckle to hit Corey with a flying elbow drop, and after he did so he went for the cover, but Corey kicked out at 2. He would NOT loose this match. Hunter's last words for him had been 'make me proud' and Corey intended to just do that. He was pulled to his feet and whipped in the ropes, but he took Cameron down with a running clothesline and after hitting him with a standing moonsault went for a cover on his own, but Cameron avoided the three count. Corey grunted in frustration and punched Cameron hard in the face before pulling him to his feet and attempting a vertical suplex. Cameron hit the mat hard and Corey went for the next cover, Cameron kicked out at 2.

Corey pulled Cameron up only to be met with a straight right hand to the jaw and he stumbled backwards into the corner. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Cameron preparing the sweet chin music, but Corey ducked out of the way and kicked Cameron hard to deliver the powerbomb, but again Cameron reversed it with a hurricanrana, and both men fell to the ground exhausted. Corey's vision was a blur, and he turned his head in trance towards the Tron from where Hunter still grinned down on him, and Corey felt the tears fall. But the longer he looked at Hunter's picture the more he felt the strenght come back to him, and he gritted his teeth. He would win this match or die trying!

Corey managed to pull himself up, using the ropes for support, and when he saw Cameron stumbling towards him Corey lifted his leg and kicked Cameron had in the guts.

He pounded his fist against his heart and pointed to the sky, and delivered a thunderous pedigree leaving Cameron breathless. Corey was crying hard when he hooked Cameron's leg for the cover, and when he heard the bell ring he broke down.

Sitting on his knees in the midle of the ring Corey heard Ruby announce him as the new World Heavyweight Champion, the ref handed him the belt, and through his tears he saw Jordan running down the ramp and slide into the ring. He reached out to her, unable to speak, and cried hysterically. Jordan clung to him for dear life as she cried with him, and Corey looked up to see Joelle, Chris, Morgan and Bobby slowly appraching the ring. He tried to get up but his legs gave away under him, and his friends entered the squared circle and pulled him in a family hug.

Meanwhile the crowd was on their feet and cheered in approval, and Chris pulled Corey up to his feet and hugged him tightly. Morgan approached him from behind and lifted Corey up on his shoulders causing another round of loud cheers.

Corey was in a daze, looking down he saw his friends smiling up at him, looking around he saw the fans go wild, and when he looked at the Tron he swore he saw Hunter's grin widen on the picture, he swore he could smell the cologne, and he swore he heard his voice, telling him how proud he was.

Still crying Corey raised the belt high above his head and pointed to the sky. He had fought his whole life, and in the end it had all been worth it. He had lost a lot along the way, but the losses were nothing compared to the enrichments he had gained.

He had asked himself his whole life if his father was proud of him, and feeling Hunter's presence at this very moment he knew the answer.

The fight of his life was finally over.

-The End-

Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed my story, special thanks to Hanna, you're probably the greatest inspiration I ever had!!!