Title: Just This Once, Part 7

Author: Kora

E-mail: KrazyKora or WinterViolet24

Rating: R

Disclaimer: The following characters belong to WWE and all the people and companies who deal with all that legal stuff. I am simply using the characters for my own twisted enjoyment.

Author's Note: This is my first WWE fan fiction and I feel I should point some stuff out so I can avoid flames-

The arena was pumped. The sold out crowd flooded in, finding their seats. They held up colorful signs and cheered, even though no one had yet entered the ring. The lights above their heads twinkled with promise and each fan felt lucky to be here and watch the performance live.

Summerslam.

Some were looking forward to Kurt Angel facing Mysterio. Others, the highly publicized Brock vs. Rock match. But a large chunk had come to see the reappearance of Shawn 'HBK' Michaels, the ShowStopper himself, in the ring. An unsanctioned match, possibly Michaels' last match ever, had the crowd humming with excitement.

Stephanie didn't share their enthusiasm. Instead she paced around the GM office, her palms sweating. She adjusted her lilac colored suit and let out a shaky breath. She needed to relax. She didn't want a soul to see she was agitated. Especially Bischoff.

So far the fat weasel had had yet to pop up but she knew it was only a matter of time until the greasy, leather-jacket wearing, creep slid into her presence with a smug grin on his mug. Probably ready to leer about how RAW was the superior brand.

Stephanie rolled her eyes at that thought when Dawn popped in, "Are you all right, Stephanie?"

"Brilliant save for the fact that in only," she checked her watch then shook her head, too rattled to even contemplate time, "A short while, my boyfriend is going into the ring to face God knows what."

"Well, I'm sure Mr. Michaels is more than ready. From what you've said, he's been training for weeks. And its not like he hasn't done this before. He's been in this business longer than you and I, right?"

Stephanie gave Dawn a little smile, "Thanks, Dawn."

"I figured you'd probably need a little pick me up tonight. Personally, I think Shawn's going to do fantastic in the ring. I remember watching him on the television when he was in his prime," Dawn grinned and shivered, licking her lips, "That man was delicious."

"Yes, he was, still is." Stephanie confirmed.

"That body, those lips-smirking, scowling-those lips are to die for. And all that hair! And his eyes! And he looks as good now as he did then. You're a very lucky woman, Stephanie."

"Yes, I am." Stephanie replied, returning the grin, "Would you like to join me, Dawn? We could watch the matches together on this television right here."

"No, that's all right. I've got a lot of things to do-busy, exciting night. I just came in here to remind you to try and hold it together. Though I'll have to save some time to see Mr. Michaels' match. And Edge."

"Edge?" Stephanie asked with a raised eyebrow.

Dawn gave her a secretive look; "You're not the only one with secrets, Ms. McMahon."

With that she turned, sauntering to the door, she only stopped for a second to turn around and raise her hand in the air, cheering, "Go Smackdown!"

Once she was gone, she left Stephanie alone to wonder what other surprises were in store for her.

Shawn stretched again and let out a breath. Angle and Mysterio had finished up their match with Angle as the victor. This, of course, was a pain to everyone else. When Angle lost, he whined extensively and when he won, he gloated excessively. The latter was taking place not more than two feet from Shawn. Grating on his nerves as he tried to prepare himself for the match.

"Did you see how I handled that midget?" Kurt asked everyone who passed him, "I was as glorious as ever! Now that masked little boy will run back on the yellow brick road and tell Emerald City how I kicked his ass."

"Angle," Edge drawled, "For all we know, Mysterio is bald under that mask and then, boom, you can call him 'mini-me'."

Everyone burst into laughter. Angle turned to Edge, red faced, "Hey, I'm bald because of you, pretty boy! You're the reason the fans feel they have to taunt me due to my follicle disadvantages."

"Oh yeah? Am I also the reason you wore that toupee, insisted it was real hair, and you made a fool of yourself?"

"Yeah! I made myself look like an idiot! No, wait-ah!" Kurt bellowed and charged off, laughter following him all the way.

Shawn chuckled and patted Edge's arm, "Good one."

"Thanks." Edge grinned, "Hey, good luck tonight."

"Thanks man," Shawn replied, biting his tongue to not add, 'I'll need it'.

Suddenly Dawn appeared. She bounced over to Edge and gave him a quick hug, then, looking around to see if anyone was looking, snuck in a kiss to his cheek.

Shawn raised his eyebrow at that as he overheard their conversation, Dawn speaking first, "I brought you some water."

"Thanks, Dawnie." Edge said, taking a bottle of water from her and taking a long sip.

'Dawnie'? Shawn wondered with a bemused smirk.

She spoke again, "You're going to do great tonight, I just know it."

"I hope so."

"You will. I'm sure of it."

Edge grinned and looked her up and down; "You look nice tonight. Different kind of suit."

Once Edge said it, Shawn noticed it as well. Dawn wore a brown suit jacket with a white silk blouse underneath and a short brown skirt. Despite the skirt's length, the entire ensemble was very conservative. Very un-Dawn-like.

Dawn gave a shy smile, "I know I usually wear more flashy clothing but...I don't know. A-A friend suggested I wear this. It's not a permanent change. I mean, I like looking professional but I do have my own sense of style."

"I think you look gorgeous." Edge assured her, making her cheeks turn rosy.

Shawn watched them and felt a twinge of envy tug at him. He wished Stephanie was here. He wondered if she'd come down to wish him luck. He watched the young couple leave and shook his head. He started his stretches again when he heard a voice behind him speak up.

"Isn't that sweet?"

Shawn rose up and turned to see Hunter. He stood with his jacket slung over his shoulder, idly twirling an apple in his one free hand. He took a big, crunchy bite, then continued, "Young love. Doesn't it make you sick to your stomach?"

"What do you want, Hunter?"

Hunter took another bite of the apple then tossed it to the side, his face decidedly self-satisfied. Shawn and Stephanie had made it their goal to avoid Hunter until the match. Of course, Shawn had broken that rule when he had rushed out during an episode of RAW when Hunter had been involved in a match.

He'd given Hunter a good taste of what was to come at Summerslam and had even delivered sweet chin music to the face of 'The Next Big Thing', Brock Lesnar. Stephanie had been a bit miffed at first then laughed it off, commenting, "Did you see Hunter's foot hit the camera when you knocked him and he rolled down the ramp? He was like a tumbleweed."

Shawn couldn't help but smile at that thought. Hunter construed the smile to have been born of arrogance and snarled, "What are you smiling at?"

"Nothing. Just a memory."

"Funny you should bring up memories, Shawn. 'Cause soon enough, you're going to be one. I'm going to make you famous."

Shawn frowned as Hunter continued, "Maybe after I'm finished with you I'll go check on Stephanie. I mean, she was mine first and she did go to great lengths to keep me. Or do you forget the pregnancy scam she pulled? Yeah, she's a manipulative one. She'll do whatever it takes to get what she wants. But you know what-I'm better than she is. They don't call me the 'Cerebral Assassin' for nothing. Austin, you-I've pulled some great tricks in my day. That's why Stephanie and I make sense. We belong together. I don't imagine it will be too hard for me to get her back from you. Especially after I've broken you. Do you honestly think Stephanie will keep up with you when you're paralyzed? When you can't satisfy her in bed? When you can't get it up?"

That was the last straw, In a flash Hunter was on the ground as Shawn was hitting him. Officials standing behind in the wings flew down on them, quickly separating them.

"Save it for the ring, boys." One referee said gruffly as they were parted.

"Get ready to be famous, Shawn! I'm going to crush you!" Hunter called out to him as they dragged him away.

Once Shawn had freed himself from the officials he shook himself off, Hunter's words still ringing in his head. What if everything he had said about Stephanie had been right? If he got hurt in the ring, if he ended up in a wheelchair, would she stay with him? Would he want her to, knowing he may be unable to satisfy her?

No, no he had to shake off everything Hunter had said to him. Still, Shawn had to admit Hunter had been right about one thing. He was the 'Cerebral Assassin' for a reason. And Shawn had fallen for his attack hook, line, and sinker.

Stephanie rushed down a flight of stairs and found Shawn working out. She rushed up to him, tapping his shoulder, "Hey."

He turned and saw her, happiness flooding him as he graced her with a wide grin, "Princess! Boy am I glad to see you."

He drew her into his arms, hugging her tightly. She looked him over-tight white shirt, tight jeans covered with swarthy, colored beads, and cowboy boots. Classic HBK attire. She couldn't help but find the outfit cute despite her rising anxiety.

She pulled away, breathless, "I just ran down here to-Bischoff and I watched some matches together but then I left him to rush down here and tell you I-oh Shawn." She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him, her mouth sealing over top of his.

Shawn's eyes widened and he lost his balance, falling back against a wall. Stephanie's hands were all over him, touching every where and she was grinding her beautiful body against his, making all his senses go crazy. His fingers threaded through her hair as he kissed her back but most of the action was one side as she dominated him. He managed after a few moments to back away, his own breath gone, "Steph, Steph-I'm wearing some pretty tight jeans and-um-not only is my excitement going to be obvious, it kind of hurts."

Stephanie looked down and let out a shaky laugh, pulling him into a hug, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry I guess my nerves are just jumpy. I'm all over the place."

"I understand, it's okay. Just-save all that sexual tension in you until after the match. Then we can mess around as much as you want."

"Really?" Stephanie asked, her tongue touching her lip in a way that made Shawn think of the devil himself. He let out a groan; "I shouldn't have said that."

"Trust me, later, you'll be glad you did." She whispered, rubbing her body against his one more time as a reminder of what was to come.

"We're going to fail horribly at this trying to wait thing, aren't we?" Shawn chuckled.

"Hey we've gone a few weeks without being in the sack together. And I don't see anything wrong with celebrating your victory."

"'My victory'? You so sure I'm going to win."

Stephanie pressed her forehead against his, her eyes downcast as she whispered, "I have faith in you, Shawn Michaels. I know you'll beat him. Just remember what you promised me."

Shawn gave her a tiny smile, "I remember, I'll keep my promise."

Stephanie nodded and drew away. She gave him one, soft, gentle kiss then wished him good luck, giving him a timid wave as she left. He watched her go and felt his heart ache. He wondered what was going to happen, his future only a heartbeat away. He heard someone calling for him; his entrance music had all ready started playing. With a quick prayer he turned and went to face his destiny.

The match seemed a blur in retrospect. Shawn could remember Triple H tossing him about like a rag doll for a good chunk of the time, he could remember his back crying out in agony, he could even remember his face pressed against the mat, all his energy and hopes leaving him. He thought he was going to lose. He thought that it had all been a mistake. Despair had started to flood him, defeat at hand.

Then he had heard it. It started off slow, then became a roar, a chant. 'HBK'. He heard his name flow through the fans. Filling his ears, his senses and all the sudden he felt alive, re-charged. A surge of adrenaline shot through him and he had risen up. He had fought back. With a vengeance.

Hunter didn't start a chance once Shawn got going. Trash cans, chairs, ladders, tables-Shawn used everything he could find at his command. He tore through Hunter. Made him pay for what he had said, what he done, how he had made him feel. And the crowd, with their powerful chant of his name, kept him going. They ate up every action. He was alive. HBK was not dead; he was a living, breathing force-a powerhouse.

Stephanie stood in the wings and watched, her heart pounding hard, her voice loud as she cheered for Shawn. As she watched him fight, she knew she shouldn't have ever even thought of keeping him from the ring. He had been meant for this. This was what he had been born for. This was one of the best matches that had ever taken place in WWE history.

And when Shawn had held Hunter for the count, the entire world watching stood on their feet. Shawn Michaels, after so long from the ring, had defeated Triple H, the Game himself. Stephanie had squealed so loud with joy that people around her were positive they'd have eardrum damage. She jumped up and down, clapped her, hands-she was ecstatic.

Shawn himself was beyond ecstatic, he was so out of his mind happy that there wasn't even a word to describe it. In that moment, he was on top of the world. Everything was perfect.

Then it exploded.

Triple H slammed a sledgehammer into his back. Shawn collapsed to the mat. Stephanie screamed in horror. The entire audience was livid. It took all of Stephanie's strength not to run out to Shawn as the paramedics helped him out of the ring. Once he was in the wings, Stephanie rushed to him, tears in her eyes.

"Shawn, Shawn..." she sobbed.

His pain was unbelievable but he smiled, his eyes glowing, "Did you see me out there?"

"Yes, yes, Shawn you did wonderful." she blubbered through her tears, her hands running over his face as she followed the paramedics out to the ambulance.

"Steph...I thought you should know. That suit. It isn't your color."

Stephanie couldn't help but laugh through her tears. Shawn was still being the joker, still being upbeat despite what had happened.

"I won, Princess," He whispered, then held out a hand for her to take, "We won."

"Yes, we did. Oh Shawn, I-I think I'm in-I'm falling in-I lov-"

"Shh." He whispered, "I know. I know."

A paramedic interrupted them, "I'm sorry Ms. McMahon but I have to take him in the ambulance now."

"Can I ride with you?"

"I'm afraid not, ma'am."

"WHY NOT! WHY-"

"Steph, shh, shh-it's okay. I'll be fine." Shawn replied calmly.

"Okay, I'll follow in my car. I'll meet you there. I promise!" She called after him. She cringed when she saw his face fill with pain as they loaded him into the ambulance. They drove off and she started to walk over to her purse, determined to get her keys and follow. On the walk over she saw Hunter, he was having the gash on his forehead looked over by one of the paramedics. With a scowl she charged up to him.

"HUNTER!"

Hunter turned and was met with an earth-moving smack to the face. He actually fell back a bit and turned to Stephanie with confused eyes. She had her hands on her hips and gave him an ugly look, "I hope you're satisfied!"

With that she turned on her heels and left. Hunter watched her go and rubbed a hand to his face. Her slap had stung but not so much as the look in her eyes. A small part of him, the part that was still good and listened to reason, knew he had made mistakes with her, with Shawn. That part of him knew he had crossed a line tonight. But as he watched her leave he knew he had lost her forever and whatever goodness was left in him hardened. Leaving only 'The Game'.