Sean sighed and dropped his head to his hands listening to the video play rather than watching it. He knew everything on it anyway so there really wasn't any need to see it. "Sean, why do ya do this to yourself man?" Sean felt Brian sit down next to him, but didn't respond right away. Instead he listened to Paul's husky voice on the television. The tape was one of their old DX tapes… something he'd gotten off EBay. The picture wasn't the best anymore, but it did its job. "Because it's all I have." Sean finally said softly rubbing his temples with his knuckles.

"How long man? How long have you been doin this? How long have you been watchin' him from the side while some dumb bitch messes with his head? How long are you gonna wait for him to get off his butt? This is Hunter man… he ain't gonna wake up and smell the coffee. Shit if Stephanie hadn't stolen him Joanie would still be playing her head games with him."

Sean rubbed his temples listening to Brian, listening to his heart that had been telling him the same things for years.

"You've said a million times, man, that Paul saved your life… I think that it's time you stepped up and saved not only his heart, but his mind before she turns it into complete mush." Sean nodded feeling Brian pat him on the shoulder and leaned back into the couch trying to clear his mind so that his heart could be heard.

~~**~~ Two Days Later ~~**~~

Sean stopped the car and took a deep breath trying to still the butterflies in his stomach. He still wasn't sure that he knew what the hell he was doing. Kip certainly hadn't been pleased when he found out where Sean was going. He'd made his feelings for Paul well known and had been even more irate when he'd found out that Brian was supporting this. Finally though Sean decided that he'd had enough and made his point with a kick to Kip's jaw. "Look man, I appreciate your opinion, but the fact is this ain't DX and Paul ain't the one responsible for your life man. If you ever wanna get anywhere you need to stop blaming him for everything that's happened to you and start taking some responsibility for the decisions that you made. And if you seriously believe all that crap you say about him… well then I don't think that I need to be too concerned with your opinions because obviously you never looked past Hunter to see Paul when DX was together."

Reaching out he touched the button for the intercom and waited for Paul to answer. For the first time he wondered if Paul was even here. Just because he was on vacation didn't mean that he was necessarily home… this was Paul after all.

"What?"

Sean grinned almost bouncing in his seat. "Damn man, you're on vacation. Didn't anyone ever tell ya that ya should be happy?"

Inside the house Paul grinned glad to hear his friend's voice. "Seany! What the hell are ya doin here? Is everything ok?"

Out at the gate Sean rolled his eyes and grinned. There was a time when that question would have annoyed him. Everyone always seemed to think that he was in some kind of trouble, but now that he was clean and sober as he looked back he had to admit that usually they had reason to worry. "What a guy can't come visit one of his best friends just because? I swear man everything's cool… I just missed you. So open the friggin' gate and let me in!"

Paul laughed and pushed the button then hurried out the front door almost bouncing himself as he waited and fortunately it didn't take long. Soon Sean had the car parked and was rushing towards him. When they hugged Paul felt happy for maybe the first time on this… vacation as Vince was calling it. "Man, I missed you too," Paul said when he finally pulled back then let Sean into the house telling him to drop his things by the stairs before leading him to the living room where they sat facing each other on the spacious black leather couch.

"So you really came just because?" Paul asked not able to resist and lifted an eyebrow when Sean didn't immediately answer.

Sean smiled faintly at the question and looked down studying the leather intently as he tried to decide how to answer. "The other night I was sittin' at home with Brian… we were waitin for Kip to show up so we could go to dinner an' I was watchin' one of my DX tapes.

"Do you remember back in '98 when you an' I wrestled Dwayne in that three way for the IC Belt and then the next week Vinnie Mac made the two of us wrestle?"

Paul nodded sighing. He'd hated that night. Jo hadn't been supposed to interfere but she did anyway. She had been pissed that Sean would even be considered for a shot in a match that she believed was his. So despite the fact that he was scripted to win and Sean was cool with the ending as long as it was a clean match, she'd determined that she was gonna take matters into her own hands… literally. To this day he didn't understand her reasoning, but then there was a lot about Jo he still didn't understand.

"I was so pissed that night," Sean continued. "It seemed like she was forever sticking her nose in our business. It took me a long time to figure out why. Sometimes I wonder if I didn't hook up with her just to try and figure it out.

"The night I worked that Clockwork Orange match with Scott when Rainbow didn't show up though, Scott and I were hangin out after the show and we got to talkin about it… and damned if he didn't have the answer. At first I was like… no way man… but the more I thought about it… the more I distanced myself from her manipulation I realized that he was onto somethin'. The bastard is smart if nothing else and God knows he could teach even Jo a thing or two about manipulating people.

"He said that she was tryin her damnedest to try and keep some… space between us… some wall some… thing so that there was always some tension between us even if it was… tiny. When Scotty suggested it I had a hard time believing it because I couldn't figure out why but… I think that she must have known… I think she sensed that if she didn't… do something then… she wouldn't be able to keep us… apart."

Sean took a deep breath not looking up as he raced on. "I have spent so much goddamn time loving you and wanting to be with you and waiting for some… magical moment that I thought I needed when everything would be perfect and it would finally be ok for us to be… US. But it never came. I mean you hadn't even finished with Jo before you latched onto Stephanie and dude… if I thought Jo was a fuckin bitch… that wife of yours… I know you say you love her, but baby she ain't good for you.

"At least when Bri and I where still on roster you weren't so damn isolated, but now… I know we fucked up man. We were supposed to have your back and let our problems get in the way. We were supposed to be there for you and I can't help but wonder if we had been… maybe it wouldn't have lasted this long.

"They say that you don't laugh anymore. Glen tells me that when you were backstage that Dave was pretty much the only one you hung around with… and of course now Stephie has moved him away from you… leaving you alone again."

Sean finally dared to look up and saw Paul had gone away leaving Hunter's hard mask firmly in place. Sean though was undaunted. He knew how to deal with Hunter and stubbornly refused to let him fuck this up. Inching forward Sean took Paul's clenched fists into his hands and looked steadily into his eyes. "I love you and I can't sit by and watch these bitches play with your head anymore. You spend too goddamn much time hiding behind Hunter because he's the only thing that can deal with all this crap. You're not just my best friend Paul. You're not just the man that saved my goddamn life. You are the man I have loved since I was some damn geeky kid overwhelmed because the biggest names in the business were paying me some attention."

Lifting himself up on his knees Sean took Paul's face between his hands watching the bonds that held Hunter in place wavering and leaning forward let his lips hover just above Paul's. "Please, baby."

"Why would I want you like that?" Sean heard Hunter ask and froze.

Of course he'd considered the possibility, but with his normal optimism discarded it believing that he and Paul were meant to be. "I… I…."

He didn't know what to say and Paul or rather Hunter's next words only made matters worse. "What the hell would you think I want you? You come in here… insult my wife, make me sound like some weak fool, and think that I'm gonna just… proclaim my undying love? Jesus you've been reading too goddamn many of them fuckin sappy fan fic stories. You need to come back down to reality. No one manipulates me! I am The Game. I am not some… creation of my imagination and frankly if I was gonna be with a guy… YOU would be the last goddamn man on the list."

Sean could feel his body begin to shake and knew when his vision became cloudy that he was crying. He couldn't help it. He was naturally an emotional type of person. Logically he knew that this was Hunter trying to protect himself, but it didn't help. All he heard was his every dream going up in smoke. "I… I'm sorry." He finally choked out and stood hurrying to the doorway, but paused just before he reached it and spoke without turning back around.

"I know you Michael Jean Paul Levesque. I know you better than any fuckin' person in your life. I know the prices you've paid to get where you are. I know the pieces of your soul you've sold to stay there. I knew the man you were before The Game was created to enhance Hunter Hearst Helmsley. I know…

"I know that right before you wake up in the morning you growl and then whimper. I know that you hate that goddamn chicken and vegetable diet you practically live on, but do it because you're scared shitless of getting fat. I know that people have been manipulating you your whole life because I have heard all those motherfuckin' stories from when you were a kid. I know that the reason you got into body building was because you were tired of getting picked on and beat up. I know that you cry during sad parts of movies if you're alone or you think no one will notice. I know that you're scared shitless that you'll end up alone.

"I know that you're still afraid that someday they'll forget who Triple H was. I know that they'll have to kill you to get you out of the ring, not because you need the spotlight, but rather because you can't imagine not wrestling. I know that it kills you to know everyone in the back hates you when they don't even know you and they should. I know that it hurts you to know that complete strangers hate you because they can't separate Triple H from Paul Levesque. I know that you used to sit up and wait for Brian to get back from partying because you were scared to death that he was gonna die on you some night and no one would notice he was gone.

"I know that you do good things and don't tell anyone because you think no one will ever believe that you did them. I know that you save an insane amount of what you make because you want to be set when you are forced to retire and never got into Hunter's flashy ways. I know that if you died tomorrow the people you love would be set for life and the rest of it would go to charities that you believe in.

"I know that you are a good man. I know you can be sweet and shy. I know that sometimes you have self confidence issues. I know that sometimes you have nightmares and you've never told anyone but me what they're about. I know that the only reason you told me was because you thought I was too high to remember.

"I know that you deserve to be happy. I know that you deserve to be unafraid. I know that you deserve to feel like you belong. I know that you deserve to feel like you can depend on someone. I know that you deserve to be loved.

"I know that you love me even if you won't admit it. I know it because you saved my worthless life. You stood by me and kept after me when you would have given up on anyone else. You gave me more chances than I deserved. You carried me when I didn't belong in your shadow let alone your arms. And I know that you and I could be forever if you could just believe that all that crap is behind me and give us a chance.

"I don't know why you should want to be with me. The truth is you shouldn't. The truth is you should've walked away from my sorry ass a long time ago, but you didn't and I thank God for that every fucking day. You deserve ten times the man I am, but I don't have any hope or dream that isn't centered around you loving me so I really pray that some day you gimmie a break and settle for ten times less of a man than you deserve.

"I know that you love me Paul because while I may not know why… I do know you."

Reaching up Sean brushed the tears from his face and calmly walked out of the room. He felt like there was some ball of ice that had wrapped itself around him because all he could feel was numbness. Carefully he made his way though the house and picked up his bags as he headed out of the house.

He was just storing his things in his car trunk when he felt a presence next to him, but was too drained to face Hunter again.

"Please don't go," he heard and shocked looked up to see Paul's wide scared eyes looking at him. Never in his life had he seen such a look of terror on his friend's face, not even all those nights he sat up watching him in the grips of that damn nightmare… not even after the doctor's told him he couldn't come back after the last knee injury and he would never wrestle.

"Paul," he started not sure of what he was gonna say, but Paul was furiously shaking his head from side to side and he stopped at a loss for words.

"Please don't leave. Don't go and leave me here all alone. Don't tell me all of that and leave me to know that I fucking destroyed the only chance I ever had of being loved. Please… please don't say I killed the one thing I always wanted. I…

"You aren't the only one who has waited for years… God Sean you're… you're a better man than I have ever been or could ever be. Never in my life did I imagine that you could love me. You're too… good. You're too caring and just… Goddamnit all. Please… please don't leave me here alone. You're the only one that can make all the bad things better and all the good things stay. You're…

"God Sean I love you. Please…

"Don't leave me."

He didn't know what to say. Standing there in the driveway…

Looking at Paul's strong face usually so confident and in control now twisted with fear and panic with tears running down his cheeks as his jaw worked grinding his teeth together.

He didn't know what to say.

Then he realized that he didn't need to say anything.

Reaching up he ran a hand over Paul's cheeks brushing away the tears and smiled at him as he felt his confidence return. He'd been right after all. He and Paul were meant to be together forever and there wasn't a person on the earth that could keep them apart now. Certainly not one of those boobed creatures that thought they could wrap his baby around their little fingers. Stephanie McMahon especially was in for a rude awakening.

Stretching upwards he placed his lips on Paul's and felt himself smile. Life was about to get interesting.

He hoped that the world was ready.

The End