A/N - Alright. So two years later and this one is finally done. I want to say a HUGE thank you to every and anybody that reviewed this. If it was only once or if you were here right the way through I'm really thankful that you took the time to drop a few comments. They really do mean the world so thanks. This was one of the first Trips/Steph stories that I wrote. 4th or 5th if I remember correctly and it is my version of how they really got together which quite honestly, any fan of theirs needs to have written at least one time lol. Maybe I'll decide to write a different version down the line but for now this is your lot! I hope I did one of my personal favorite moments in WWE history justice and also ended this fic on a high note. Thanks again and please let me know what you thought about this last chapter, good or bad lol. And yes the last line is cheesy but whatever! Ok, I'm done rambling and you can go read it now!

January 7th 2002

Paul shook his head as he listened to another 'Triple H' chant start up. He had lost count of the number of times that had happened over the course of the night. MSG seemed to be craving The Game. He just didn't know whether he was ready to face them yet. He let out a heavy sigh and ran a hand over his face. To say he was scared shitless was the understatement of the century. Despite the non-stop chants and the huge pops every time his name was mentioned or an old clip showed up on the titantron he couldn't stop the butterflies and nerves that had been tormenting his stomach for the past week. What if they didn't remember him? What if they didn't want him back? What if his music hit and he walked out there to crickets?

"Fuck," he muttered under his breath. He was one hundred and fifty percent bricking it. His eyes caught Trish Stratus and Jazz talking over their segment. He was after them. His stomach practically flipped over on itself as he thought about it.

"Breathe baby. It's gonna be fine." Her hushed words mixed with the feel of her soft hand gently kneading his neck instantly calmed him down. He took a deep breath and then turned to face her. Stephanie. She really had been his rock throughout this ordeal and without her there every step of the way he knew he wouldn't have made it. Despite the fact that sometimes she couldn't even be with him in Alabama, just hearing her voice will him on over the phone was enough. And when she did come to see him their time was even more special. Since their big bust up all those months ago they hadn't really fought again. Instead he channeled all his frustration and anger into rehab and now here he was, five months later about to make his return to the WWE.

"My stomach is doing somersaults," he laughed nervously.

Stephanie looked at him and felt her heart swell. She was so proud of him, so proud she could burst. Nobody knew just what he had gone through to get here, to get to this point right now just minutes before his big return, nobody except her. In a way she sort of felt like this injury brought them closer. It sure as hell made her realize just how much she really did love him and she was pretty sure it did the same for him. They had come out of the whole thing stronger. She slowly ran her hand from his neck down his arm and finally to his hand. Their fingers slid together. "That's perfectly normal. There are what? Twenty thousand people that have been going crazy all night out there waiting to see you."

"You're not helping."

"I'm sorry," she chuckled and gave his hand a squeeze. "Listen, just stop thinking about it. You're getting yourself all worked up over nothing. When you walk out of that curtain this place is going to explode, Paul."

He shook his head for a second and looked at her questioningly. "How can you know that? What if…"

"Stop!" She tugged on his hand insistently. "No more what ifs, you hear me? They're going to go crazy for you honey, I just know it."

Paul took another deep breath. He was just about to reply when he saw Vince walking towards them over her shoulder. He nodded his head and smiled at his boss. "Vince."

"Game! Are you ready for this?" Vince asked, slapping the younger man on the back. He smiled at the pair of them and couldn't help but chuckle at the frown that appeared on his face. "Oh come on, Paul. You can't still be nervous after hearing them chanting your name all night. They can't wait for you to get out there!"

"Thank you dad!" Stephanie cried in exasperation. "I've been telling him the exact same thing but he won't listen."

"Alright, alright! Bad enough getting yelled at by one McMahon all the time, I don't need another one joining in too!"

Vince and Stephanie looked between themselves and smiled that McMahon smile. "Oh nonsense! Just enjoy it, son. It's going to be a moment you'll never forget."

The trio started walking from the general backstage area to the gorilla. They watched the small monitor and saw that the Divas segment was now over. The 'Triple H Returns NEXT!' bumper appeared on the screen and suddenly a HUGE roar erupted from inside the arena. Paul's eyes grew wide. "Did you hear that?" he asked to nobody in particular. "God, that was unbelievable!"

The current look of awe on his face warmed Stephanie's heart. He really deserved this and judging from the reaction that just happened, New York was going to show him nothing but love when he went out there. She gave his hand one final squeeze before letting go and reaching for the water bottle on the desk behind her. She handed it to him and smiled. The three of them stood there during the commercial break, Stephanie feeling as proud as she ever had, Vince preparing himself for the return of one of his biggest superstars and the man who, quite frankly, was probably going to end up part of his family one day and Paul feeling a myriad of emotions.

"WE'RE BACK IN 10 GUYS! 9…8…..7….."

He listened to whoever was counting them back from commercial and took one more deep breath. This was it. After nine long months, every drop of sweat, every tear, every painful rehab session, every fight, every piece of will power and determination he had in his body, every ounce of passion he had for this business, all of it was about to come to a head right now. He looked into Stephanie's eyes and drew strength from them. He was ready for this.

"TIME TO PLAY THE GAME"

Suddenly Madison Square Garden absolutely ERUPTED at the first sounds of his entrance theme. Paul literally sucked in a breath. He was almost breathless! As he walked a little further towards the curtain and got closer to the sheer force of the noise from within the arena he couldn't help but turn and look at both Vince and Stephanie one last time. "Mother fucker!" he muttered in disbelief. He finally walked through the curtain and almost felt his heart stop as the reaction practically tripled or quadrupled in size, rippling throughout the The Garden and reverberating into his body. He couldn't fucking believe it! He kept his eyes trained on the ground as he poured the water from the bottle over his head, silently thanking every single fan in the building right that second for giving him such an incredible response. He literally couldn't hear himself think it was so loud. As he lifted his head and saw every single person on their feet, every emotion that had been pent up inside of him for all this time spewed forth in a huge ball of energy. The Game was back. He had made it.

Stephanie walked out from the bathroom in their hotel suite and smiled as her eyes fell on him. He was lying on the bed on his back staring into space with that silly little grin on his face. She couldn't blame him. The reception he had received tonight was mind blowing. She wasn't even being biased when she said that it was probably the loudest pop she had ever heard for any WWE Superstar ever. It honest to God blew the rook off of MSG. The place was literally shaking and she could only imagine what it must have been like for him to stand in the middle of it all and soak it in. Crawling into the bed beside him, she ran her fingers along the firm grooves of his abs, then slowly up his chest and finally to his face which she turned around to face her. "You still not over it, huh?"

"Of course I'm not over it! My ears are still ringing. Fucking hell, Steph I…I'm speechless!"

She just smiled at him before cuddling into his side, her arm draping across his abdomen. "I told you they would go crazy for you. Everybody wants a piece of The Game. Unfortunately for them, you belong to me and me only."

Paul chuckled as he glanced down at her. "Is that right?"

"It's absolutely right," she nodded, shifting so she could look up at him. "You are mine baby."

"Well I can tell you right now that I have absolutely…no problem…..with that…at all," he mumbled in between placing kisses all over her neck and shoulder. The buzz from earlier tonight still coursing through his veins and the feel of her in his arms had him feeling on top of the world.

Stephanie's eyes slid shut at the feel of his soft lips on her skin and she reached up to run her hands through his hair. She gave one final thought to what had happened tonight. That thought mixed with the emotions he was stirring inside of her with his touch right now had her reeling. She grabbed his face from her neck and looked him dead in the eye. "I'm so proud of you, Paul. You have no idea…." She trailed off, feeling her eyes water.

He saw her big blue eyes grow glossy and immediately reached up to wipe the tears gently away.

"I love you," she whispered softly, unable to hold it in any longer.

Just when he thought this night couldn't get any better, she looked at him with such emotion in her eyes and said that. His heart thumped madly as he leaned down and melded his lips to hers. He rolled her to her back and intertwined their fingers as he lifted her arms and lay them down above her head. He swore he felt something running from him into her and vice versa. She opened her mouth and their tongues tangled together. He lost himself completely in her kiss, his tongue winding with hers endlessly. Just like he belonged to her, she too belonged to him. She was absolutely everything to him; his partner, his lover, his best friend. And no matter what she would always be his baby.