Chapter Three - That's The Breaks, Boy.

"Truthfully, I'm not in any kind of mind to make thoughtful decisions. I don't know what makes sense to me at this point."

Paul stifled a poignant sigh at the harsh words that spilled from Shawn's mouth as HBK readied himself to walk out on the World Wrestling Federation.

"There's a big void for me," Paul exclaimed, "My best friend is no longer here."

Slamming the arena door behind him, Paul swept his long, blonde locks out of his face and dashed over to where his car was parked. An abrupt breeze suddenly chilled his whole body to the bone as he fumbled with the keys that he had hurriedly grabbed on his way out of the arena. The second that he climbed into the vehicle, Paul instantly turned up the heater and reached over to the back seat to retrieve his jacket that was sitting there. While the truth stood that he had indeed been stupid enough to leave the San Antonio arena right at the beginning of winter in nothing but his black and green wrestling trunks, the extreme anger and feelings of shock he held towards Shawn could also undoubtedly be factored in.

The entire situation was completely and utterly unbelievable to him. Shawn was leaving. Shawn was really leaving, after twenty-four years in the business, he had actually decided that enough was enough. And even though the true reality of the whole circumstance was obviously yet to set in, Paul was certain that he couldn't accept it. And he never would.

Turning on the ignition and setting his car into drive, Paul hastily and angrily tore out of the stadium car park and sped onto the highway. Where was he going? He didn't know. Nor did he particularly care. All he could think about was those few simple words that had resonated from Shawn's mouth.

I'm sorry, Hunter. It's time.

Time? Time for what? To move on and forget about everything truly amazing that had happened to him in the past twenty-four years? To leave Paul behind? Paul could barely even remember what his life and career had been like before he met Shawn. He cringed with severe guilt every time he thought about all the horrible and judgemental things that he had said and assumed about HBK in the past. He had never been more wrong about anything in his entire life.

While all these thoughts continued to take up a swirling occupancy in his mind, a sudden brainwave burst into Paul's head from out of the blue. The Undertaker was someone else who knew about Shawn's retirement, obviously – after all, it was he who would be ending HBK's storybook career. However, this also meant that Vince McMahon had to know. In spite of everything else, he was the Chief Executive Officer of the WWE and had to sanction the match. But if Vince knew, then did that mean...?

Hastily reaching over and yanking open the glove box of his car, Paul racked around for his phone, before retrieving it and calling his number one speed dial. He waited impatiently as the dialler began to chime in his ear, dangerously swerving in and out of the traffic before him, until the ringing finally stopped as the person on the opposite end of the line answered the call.

"Hey baby! How are you? Your match was absolutely fantastic, congratulations!"

Ignoring the sweet, charming tone of his boss' daughter – also known as his beautiful wife – Paul suddenly opened his mouth to sharply cut Stephanie off, "Did you know about this?"

There was an abrupt pause as Stephanie fell to silence, "Know about what, babe?"

"About Shawn!" Paul thundered, "About Shawn and how he's quitting after Wrestlemania, how he's retiring!"

"What?" Stephanie cooed with sadness. Despite this impetuous reaction, however, once the horrendous accusation that her husband had made to her set its tone, Stephanie allowed her softly spoken voice to make a rapid change to an ambience of irritation, "Wait, why would you think I would even know about that, let alone keep it from you?"

"Because your dad is the one who has to sanction all the matches, but I never heard it from him, I only got it from Shawn after he told Mark about it first!"

"Mark?" Stephanie repeated, "What does the Undertaker have to do with this?"

"Because he's the one that Shawn's going out against. His last match ever and he doesn't even want it to be with me!" Paul expressed with severe dishearten, "Now, did you know about it, or not?"

"No!" Stephanie countered with a similar volume, before she brusquely stopped again and sighed, "No, and don't make me yell at you, Paul, I've just got the girls to fall asleep."

An impulsive wave of guilt immediately swept over Paul at the mere mention of his two daughters. He groaned ashamedly in himself and took a deep breath.

There was no denying how valuable Shawn's friendship was to him, but even so, it couldn't even begin to compare to the affection and deep, deep love he held for Stephanie, Aurora and Murphy. Sadly, and regrettably to Paul, it was just hard to remember that sometimes amongst the business he was in.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, "I'm so sorry, Steph. I just can't get my head around it. Shawn leaving. But I shouldn't take that out on you."

"It's fine," she replied with the upmost understanding and assurance, "And you know the only reason Dad wouldn't have told you is because Shawn wanted to say it to you himself."

Paul heaved another heavy breath, "I know, I know. Doesn't make me feel much better, though. I had a bit of an argument with him just now."

"A bit?" Stephanie questioned suspiciously, earning an ironic chuckle from Paul.

"Okay, maybe a big argument," he conceded. As he continued to concentrate on the road, Paul found himself in a deep, pondering silence. "I just don't know what to say to him."

Stephanie felt her heart sink at the longing, mournful tone in her husband's voice. Paul had never been one to find the worst in any situation, in fact, in all the time she had known him, she could only recall one other circumstance in which Paul had allowed himself to get so down and miserable. And yet, unsurprisingly, that particular incident had also involved an argument with Shawn.

"You will," she assured her man, "You just need to go and make up with him. You know the right words will come to you. I mean, you don't exactly have the option of avoiding him now, do you, Mr. Unified Tag Team Champion?"

Amazingly, a small smile managed to creep across Paul's face at the mention of his and Shawn's latest achievement. But that didn't make light of the fact that there was evidently still much more that The Game needed to discuss with his best friend.

"You're right," Paul agreed, "As always. Thanks baby. And I'm sorry. I love you."

Paul felt his heart flutter as his gorgeous bride sweetly sang back down the phone to him, "I love you too sweetheart. I'll see you soon."

"Give the girls a big kiss for me?"

"Of course," Stephanie answered in an instant, "Good luck with Shawn, baby."

A mere second or two later, Paul was left alone with his sombre thoughts again, looking down at his phone and craving the touch of his exquisite wife to take all his pain and despondency away. But he knew there was no easy way out of this one. Paul knew he had to talk to Shawn. Because, as history had only shown, when he didn't – that's when everything fell apart.

The rest of DX stared on in anger at Paul's proposal to turn and leave.

"What do you mean 'the opportunity is prime'?"

"What do you want me to do?" Paul asked with a shrug.

X-Pac snorted with a sarcastic smile, "DX will go on without you. Me and the New Age Outlaws will write a new chapter in DX history."

The immediate heat that swapped Paul from the ventilation ducts upon re-entering the San Antonio arena boiled his body back to a comfortable, warm temperature as he rolled the sleeves of his jacket up and slowly made his way down the corridor. The building was quiet, which was strange, because he didn't think that he had been out on the road for too long and assumed that there would still be other Superstars and Divas hanging around the locker room. Just as he began to think that maybe he was wrong and that he might have also missed Shawn without getting to talk things through, Paul suddenly froze as his best friend emerged from around the corner.

For a moment – the absolute briefest of moments – Paul could only stop and face Shawn with a small, almost invisible smile. The Heartbreak Kid was standing there dressed in a pair of jeans and a black, short-sleeved jacket with his favourite cowboy hat sitting perfectly on top of his head. In his arms he held all four Unified Tag Team championships, as well as his luggage and Paul's, all packed up and ready to go. Hung over his shoulder was a pair of The Game's jeans and his joggers, the shoe laces tied in a loop.

Sighing in despondent guilt, Paul approached his friend, head facing the ground, "You didn't have to do that for me."

"Yeah," Shawn snorted in joking sarcasm, "'Cause you really know how to look after yourself."

As he took his bag, title and whatever else Shawn had of his, Paul couldn't help but feel that HBK was right. Paul had rushed out of the arena so fast and so recklessly that even where he stood, half of his fingers were still tapped up, his one knee pad was starting to make his leg itch and he could even feel his feet swelling from having his boots on for too long.

In another life, Paul may never have even known this caring, selfless side of Shawn. But even so, Shawn had always stayed the same person. Deep down, even bubbling on the surface, Paul knew that Shawn was still the same person that he had been back in the nineties – that person that was the polar opposite of how the young Game had perceived him to be. He just had a more acceptable hairstyle nowadays, as well as a more meaningful, rewarding way of life. But just because his new straight-edge, Christian lifestyle hadn't changed his personality, it didn't mean that his opinions hadn't changed.

Paul cleared his throat, "I'm sorry I swore at you."

Again, laughing in cynicism, Shawn patted Paul on the shoulder, "I think that's the least of our problems right now, buddy."

Then, without saying another word, Shawn briskly walked along the hallway, opened the arena door, and turned back to look at Paul, holding the exit open for him to catch up. Pausing in a fleeting instant of bewilderment, Paul hastily dropped his bag and pulled his jeans on before grabbing all of his belongings again and racing out the door towards Shawn.

The two continued along in silence as Paul swallowed nervously, still wondering not only what the hell he was ever going to say to Shawn, but whether Shawn was going to say anything at all to him. Eventually – and after what seemed like a lifetime – the two degenerates made their approach to Paul's car. Their plan was the same as it always was when they were working in San Antonio. They would finish a show, drive up to Shawn's ranch, stay there the night with his family and then head off again early the next morning. Paul just hoped that it wasn't going to be an awkward, tense, regrettable night.

"Now," Shawn suddenly spoke, snapping Paul out of his trance, "do you wanna drive, or shall I?"

Faltering again, Paul simply shrugged his shoulders and waved his friend off nonchalantly, "You can."

With a beaming smile immediately appearing across his face, Shawn caught Paul's car keys as he threw them to him and then skipped around to the driver's side, dumping his bag and title belts in the backseat as the younger man followed silent suit.

As he climbed into the passenger seat, all that Paul could think about was everything that he and Shawn had said to each other earlier that evening. How Shawn had seemed so anxious, so dismayed, but now he was almost as chirpy as ever. How he, Paul, had so much anger. So much heated, steaming, irrational, immediate anger. And now all he felt was absolute terror that the relationship he held with the closest friend he had ever had was going to fall apart.

"So?"

Once more, the sound of HBK's voice derailed Paul's train of thought, as The Game turned his head and set a slight gaze upon his friend, "So, what?"

"So," Shawn reiterated, "there's obviously much more you want to talk about other than just telling me I'm not allowed to retire?"

The mere mention of the word 'retire' instantly caused Paul to shift his vision away, blinding himself with the headlights of the oncoming traffic as Shawn continued to steadily drive along. Paul quietly huffed in annoyance, "You obviously don't seem to so anxious about it anymore. So, do what you want, I don't care."

"Hunter, this is me you're talking to," Shawn directly snapped back, "I feel so relieved to have finally got this off my chest to you, but I know it doesn't end there. You don't have to hold back, ya' know."

As he tried to get some sort of grasp of control on all the chaotic thoughts swirling throughout his mind, Paul sharply swallowed another lump in his throat and turned back to Shawn, muttering the lamest, yet truest, excuse he could muster, "I don't want you to go."

Shawn felt his heart ache with a searing, yearning burn at the words that spilled from his best friend's mouth. Still, he calmly drove along the highway, taking a deep breath in an attempt to better prepare himself for what may be to follow.

"Why now?" Paul went on.

"It's just time."

"Don't humour me, Shawn."

A twinge of guilt struck a chord within HBK, "Twenty-four years is a long time, Hunter. I'm just done. I've achieved all I've wanted to achieve, my back's not going to last forever, and I'm at peace with where I am in my life and in my career. It's just the right time to let go."

Paul remained motionless, still filled with an abundance of confusion, "There's got to be more to it than that?"

A sweeping hush fell between the two for a sheer second or so, before Shawn softly licked his lips and took another breath, "I miss home. I miss my family, my kids. I miss Cheyenne squealing and jumping on me every morning to wake me up – all that red hair gettin' in my face," he added with a chuckle as his face turned sombre once more, "Cam's almost ten now. I don't wanna' miss seeing my boy grow up, bud."

"Well what about me – uh… us? The WWE Universe, everybody?" Paul spat, quickly bringing his emotions to a halt.

Shawn grinned at the original question that had crossed his friend's lips as he turned to shoot a smug glimpse at Paul, "You mean everyone who's gonna' miss me?"

Biting his tongue, Paul stubbornly heaved his shoulders again and turned back to the window, "If that's what you want to call it, sure?"

Refraining with all his might from bursting into stacks of laughter, Shawn simply shook his head as he let his eyes fix back on the road in front of him. As he sat there, still, quiet and in the deepest possible concentration, a memory suddenly re-emerged to him. Out of the blue, triggered by he and his dearest of all friends driving down the long, never-ending highway. Shawn squinted as the whole scenario appeared to him in his mind like a painting.

It had been the middle of the day - a bright, blue, beautiful spring day, and he and Paul were driving down the road, talking the world away. And that's when they had gotten onto the topic of what was to happen in the end. The end of either of their careers. And on that bright, blue, beautiful spring day, Shawn and Paul made a promise to each other – as wrestlers, as friends, as brothers – that when the time came that either of them thought the other was done – he would stare him square in the eye and tell him; "It's time". Paul wasn't ever given the chance to do that. Shawn had decided for himself, and as he released himself from the flashback that had overtaken his whole psyche, the Heartbreak Kid gazed over at the other wrestler – his friend, his brother – and in an instant, received the clearest of understandings as to why Paul couldn't accept that Shawn's time had come.

"Hunter?" he mumbled, the most genuine affection coating his voice, "You're losing a co-worker, not a best friend. Everything will work out."

Paul blinked in staggering surprise as he, too, released all the thoughts that had been consuming him as he turned back to Shawn. In the brief silence that had passed by, Paul had been considering what Shawn had mentioned about his family – his kids. If there was one wish that he could have granted, more than anything, Paul wished that he could wake up to the beautiful, smiling faces of his girls more often than he did. But even as this fact stood, The Game still couldn't accept that Shawn wasn't going to be around anymore.

"Doesn't mean I'm not going to miss you," the younger man softly admitted.

Shawn smiled gently as he patted his friend on the shoulder, his eyes still glued to the road, "You know I'm going to miss you too." There was another pause as Shawn's small smile abruptly burst into an array of uncanny chuckles, "But it's not like we didn't have any fun, right?"

Forgetting all else about him at that point, Paul allowed himself to succumb to a cackle of happiness too, "Yeah, you can say that again, buddy." He shook his head in disbelief at how quickly the conversation between he and his best friend had turned, before another thought suddenly became conscious to Paul, "Why are you wearing your cowboy hat? It's eleven o'clock at night!"

Shawn's beaming smirk grew as he jumped around the ring, cleverly impersonating Shane McMahon, "I'm getting so excited, look Dad, I'm dancing, Dad, I'm dancing!"

"SHUUUUTUP!" Paul screeched, similarly imitating Shane's father, Vince, "You want to play, pal? You want to dance? Well then, you and everybody else had better… Stand Back!"

"It's a fashion statement!" Shawn teased back, "Like those shiny new title belts of ours! Ah, my friend, we will be starting trends all over the place!"

"You're right there," Paul blissfully agreed, gazing over his shoulder to the four gold, glimmering Unified Tag Team championships that sat comfortably on the back seat of his car. As he kept his vision fixed on them – those which he and Shawn had strived for throughout their entire career as a tag team – a sudden thought arose within Paul, one that struck the sourest of notes. He shifted his sight back to Shawn, then back to the championships, before setting his intense stare back on HBK again.

Furrowing his brow in disappointment, Paul cleared his throat once more, "We didn't just win those so we could have them before you leave, did we?"

Shawn's jaw dropped as he shot his imploring vision to Paul, "No! No, of course not, Hunter, I promise you. We won them because we've earned it, I've earned it, you've earned it."

The paranoid cogs in Paul's mind were beginning to rotate at full force again, "Wait, we didn't just reform DX again for the sake of one last run, or something, right?"

"Hunter!" Shawn sharply cut in, "Hunter, look…" HBK soon found himself trailing off as he stopped to think for a second or two, "You know how much I love doing this with you. DX revolutionised the whole Attitude Era – the whole WWE. And, yes, I did want to give it one more go before I left, but that's not the only reason I wanted to reform."

Paul remained wordless as he slowly allowed Shawn's explanation to sink in. It was quickly beginning to seem to him that no matter how many questions he asked or explanations he requested, he certainly was not going to be coming to peace or adjustment with Shawn's retirement any time soon.

"I wanted to reform because of how much gosh darned fun we have!" Shawn went on, "Because of how much of an honour it is to fight beside you, Hunter. You believe that, right?"

Paul swallowed. The seconds that ticked by as he sat in silence, mulling over his answer over and over again, seemed to drift by at the slowest possible rate. He could sense Shawn's imploring vision casting straight through him as the older man continued to switch between glaring at his friend and concentrating on the road.

The slightest drip of sweat began to run down Paul's forehead as he gently licked his lips, "I believe that you mean what you're saying... I'm not sure how I feel about Paul Levesque being such an 'honour' to fight beside..."

Paul shrugged his shoulders despondently as he turned to Shawn, "I love Undertaker and you, but when you go out there and tear it up; I think to myself that I have to up my game."

As at long last Shawn turned on his left indicator and slowly began to pull the car into the driveway of his ranch, Paul sat in frozen nervousness as he suspiciously gazed upon HBK who was sighing in what sounded like the most minor annoyance.

Taking his cowboy hat off and throwing it on the backseat, Shawn then racked his fingers through his long, blonde hair, "I'm not going to say this again, Hunter," Shawn huffed, "Stop being so ridiculous. You know how good you are, and I'm not talking about Paul, I'm talking about Hunter Hearst Helmsley. About Triple H! Why do you think I'm the only one who calls you that?" Paul simply sat in a dull quiet, shrugging his shoulders and staring down at the wrestling boots that still graced his feet as Shawn continued to ramble on, "Because I know that's who you really are! Paul Levesque was the shy, shrimped down, little guy who awkwardly came shuffling over to Kevin Nash and I all those years ago. Hunter is the strong, intelligent fighter who would take on a group of flamboyant, male cheerleaders to protect his best friend and throw Randy Orton out of his own living room window to protect his family! Hunter is my best friend. And you know once I'm gone you're just gonna' be just fine and keep getting better when you don't have me holding ya' down – "

"Shawn, you never – "

"Hunter!" Shawn spat, forced to snap back in over the top of The Game yet again. Taking a moment to console himself, Shawn turned off the engine of Paul's car and gaped up towards his front door, smiling in the most pure bliss when the front porch light suddenly turned on. Reluctantly coercing himself to turn away, he then took another deep breath and re-faced Paul.

"I know. I know neither of us is holding the other back, that was ridiculous," he admitted softly, "But I just need you to okay right now, okay, Hunter? It's not like this was an easy decision for me to make. There were so many different factors to take into consideration, and don't think for a second that you weren't one of them."

Gazing back up from his lap, Paul allowed a faint smile to cross his face at the kind and genuine words that flowed from Shawn's lips.

"But at the end of the day, this is the choice I made. And it's not even like we have to live with it straight away. 'Mania's still three months away."

"I know," Paul agreed.

"So! This is something we can deal with as time goes slowly on by, right, buddy?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Paul sighed and pushed his long locks out of his face similarly to how Shawn had, "I guess so."

Beaming softly at the younger man, Shawn placed a gentle hand on Paul's shoulder, "I'm sorry this came as such a shock to you, Hunter. The last thing I wanted was to cause an argument. But these next couple of months are all about you and me, okay? It's all about DX, and all about those titles."

Following HBK's gesture, Paul slowly turned around to face where the Unified Tag Team belts were sitting comfortably on the backseat of his car. The polished gold colour of the four of them mixed with the red and blue respective of each pair and gleamed back at The Game with all the honour and glory in the world. The fact that the four titles were finally in the possession of he and Shawn after twelve long years of tag team action still sent shivers up his spine. And as this sentiment continued to settle in the back of his mind, Paul turned back to his older friend, heaving another breath. If this was the final adventure the two were going to have as a tag team before Shawn's retirement, then wasn't it all going to be worth it for the two to end on such a positive, sweet sounding note?

"You're right," Paul declared tenderly, "You're always right."

Radiating a proud, goofy smile, Shawn nodded his head, "Well, I know that!" he barked, earning a teasing shove from Paul.

All of sudden, the two friends were forced to snap their heads up at the sound of the screen door of Shawn's house abruptly slamming shut. The two degenerates' eyes then fell upon the tender image of HBK's family standing on the front porch – Rebecca looking as beautiful as ever holding an incredibly sleepy Cheyenne in her arms, and Shawn's young, brunette son, Cameron, dressed in his pyjamas and dashing towards the car as fast as his legs could carry him.

With anticipation consuming his entire core to the brink, and his senses whirling around stir crazy with excitement, Shawn then spun around to calmly face Paul once more, licked his lips and opened his mouth to speak, "This last chapter is all about me and you, buddy. But in saying that, as much as you're always going to be one of the most important people in my life, the rest of my days are going to be all about them."

Trailing along Shawn's line of vision, Paul allowed his eyes to fix themselves upon the sight of the three people who he, too, has grown to love and care for deeply. Although, it was obviously nowhere near the amount of adoring affection that Shawn held for them. As Cameron's little legs continued to carry him as quickly as possible towards Paul's car, the younger degenerate couldn't help but wish that his family was there too. Not only so he could be with them, but also to help remind him that at the end of the day, no matter who was coming or going from his life, his wife and two princesses would always be the ones who would stick by him until the very end. And as this thought continued to linger on through Paul's mind, for the first time, he was actually beginning to understand where Shawn was coming from.

"But we can keep talking about this between now and 'Mania, right?"

Snapping out of his trance, Paul met his best friend's eyes, nearly flinching at the imploring vision that HBK sent shooting back towards him. But deep down in the chaotic pit of his stomach, Paul knew that Shawn was right, and for now, the only thing that the two could do was let things lie and then deal with them whichever way they decided to unfold in the coming months, together.

"Anything for you, bud," Paul concluded, his soft smile growing at the expression of pleasant surprise and relief that crossed Shawn's face, "Now, go on, don't keep your kids waiting!"

Before another single word could be spoken, Shawn swung open the driver's seat door of Paul's car at full force, until he took the briefest of moments to glance back at his tag team partner, "Ya' know I love ya', Hunter."

Rolling his eyes amongst an array of cynical chuckles, Paul playfully shoved Shawn out of the car, "Yeah, yeah, you're not retired yet! There's still plenty of time for all that mushy crap, Shawn."

Laughing off his best friend's sarcasm, Shawn finally made it out of Paul's car and dashed over to Cameron, lifting the small boy off his feet and swinging him around in the air before collecting him in a tight, affectionate hug. Paul watched on in silence, the most genuine of smiles gleaming across his face before he, too, stepped out of the car and shut the door behind him, suddenly being grabbed around the waist by a petite pair of arms.

"Uncle Paul!"

Looking down by his side, Paul grinned to discover that Cameron was now attached to him, and that Shawn had made his way to the front porch, holding his baby girl in his arms and sharing with his wife the most tender of kisses.

"What's up, Little Heartbreaker?" Paul exclaimed, reaching down and picking Cameron up for himself, "Hey, do you wanna' see the gold Daddy and I won tonight?"

As the young boy eagerly nodded his head, Paul giggled at Cameron's enthusiasm, then reached down and opened the backseat door of his car. Instantly, the shining gold colour of the title belts caught Cameron's attention.

"Whoa," he mumbled noiselessly.

Paul nodded in agreement, "Pretty cool, huh?"

"You know what's cooler?" Cameron immediately went on, "The way you held the ladder for Dad while he climbed up and grabbed them! That was, like, the awesomest thing I've ever seen! You guys are, like, the best team ever, hey?"

Faltering over his words, Paul gawked down at Cameron, the most genuine expression of pride, mixed in with a little disbelief, sprawled obviously across his features.

What the nine year old boy had just done was conclusively sum up all the incredibly positive factors of the night that Paul had been too angry and disappointed to see for himself. He and Shawn were finally the Tag Team Champs, and in doing so, they had purely embodied what every tag team in any wrestling brand should ever be about – team work. But most importantly, throughout it all, the two degenerates had done what they always had; they proved and further solidified themselves as one of the greatest and most prestigious tag teams in the entire history of the WWE. And now, not only did Paul feel a little ridiculous for not being able to realise that for himself, he also felt incredibly humbled to be able to say that he had a best friend who was able to raise such an intelligent and beautiful boy like Cameron.

Squeezing the boy in a tight hug, Paul smiled, "You got that right, Cam."

Bursting into a collection of giggles, Cameron then tried to playfully squirm and wrestle his way out of his Uncle Paul's firm grip until they were suddenly rejoined by HBK.

"Okay, come on now, Little Man," Shawn announced, "There'll be time to play in the morning, I think it's time for you to go to bed, don't you?"

"But Dad…" Cameron whined to his father with a pleading tone.

"No buts," Shawn lightheartedly cut in, "the only but will be your butt getting into bed, now off you go."

Groaning out a long, annoyed "fine", Cameron then exchanged a quick hi-five with Paul before jumping out of his arms and running back to the house where Rebecca and Cheyenne were waiting for him. Shawn looked on at his son with a devoted and loving smile, and then turned back to Paul, giving his comrade a friendly slap on the arm, "Come on then, bud, let's get these bags into the house."

Nodding his head in silent agreement, Paul then slowly brought his senses back to life as he began to help HBK with all of their luggage. By this stage of their night, Paul was sort of hoping that his mind would have settled into a nice, easy and relaxing thought pattern. One that brought all the events of the evening to peace within him. Winning the Tag Titles, learning about Shawn's retirement, and then, consequently, getting into an argument with him about it. But, alas, Paul's thoughts were more frenzied and present than ever.

It was beyond clear that these next few months before Shawn's final match would be difficult to deal with. However, thanks to Cameron, he also knew that ultimately he had to take the bad with the good and focus purely on all of Shawn and his best memories – the memories that made the two of them who they were today. But above all of that, most importantly, Paul now truly had realised how valuable his friendship with Shawn Michaels was, as well as the fact that he could never have been more wrong about the assumptions he had made of HBK all those years ago before being confronted with the most significant dream of his entire life. And he would be sure not never forget it. Or make Shawn doubt for a second about how he felt.

"Hey, Shawn?"

Whipping his blonde ponytail around, Shawn gazed back at Paul from where he stood on the front steps of his porch, holding his bags and his titles, "Yeah, Hunter?"

Sighing in happiness, all Paul could do was smile. These next few months were certainly going to be a crazy ride.

"I love you, too, man."

Paul winced as his doctor carefully strapped up his throbbing quadricep, "I'm going to be out for a while, so this run of DX is pretty much over."

A faint smile crossed Shawn's face as he looked down at his friend, "We're so hot at this point that I'm gonna' keep coming out to the DX theme. But there's no thought of bringing someone in to replace you."

The touching words from HBK caused Paul to instantly grin, beaming through all the physical pain he felt taking over him, "I think the other guys will probably all get mad about what I'm going to say, but to me, DX was always you and me."

A brief moment of silence fell over to two men as Shawn reached out and patted Paul on the shoulder. The younger friend sighed happily as he continued to smirk,

"So for better or worse, the world is stuck with you and me forever."

Wazzzzuup! This story is finally finished! :) I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, what did you all think? :)

It was so much fun to write this story as I am absolutely obsessed with DX and I miss Shawn like craaaazy, and I'm also happy to have it all neat and tidy and finished for you all before the boys reunite next week on RAW 1000! :D Obviously, no-one really knows what went down between HBK and his peers, especially Hunter, after he announced his retirement, but this was just my little spin on it that I saw fit considering how close they are with each other :D Plus it's cute, and I like cute :)

Anyways, as always, all these little fun facts and flash back moments are legit and come from the boys' auto-biography 'The Unauthorised History of D-Generation X' which if any DX fan hasn't read by now definitely should because of its pure amazingness!

Thank you all for reading, I will be back atcha sometime soon with a new WWE story that has come to me in the past couple of days, so stay tuned! :)

Till next time guys,

Reneyyyyyyyy x