sometimes2

      ~~
                         "Samantha O'Brien, I can not believe that you held out on me," Tori
                 practically booms as she walks into Triple H's dressing room a few nights
                 later.

"I did what?"

"Held out on me. Stephanie's all giggles and grins because you and Shane
have spent the better part of 72 hours together. How could you not tell me?"

                         I have to laugh. "I'm sorry, Tori. I really wasn't leaving you out on
                 purpose. It's just so new to me. . .the only reason why I told Stephanie is
                 because I needed to borrow an outfit from her the other night." I pause as
                 Triple H walks into the dressing room, chugging on his usual bottle of
                 water. "Are you mad?"

"Who?" Hunter asks. "Me?"

                         "No," Tori replies giving him a 'get with it' look. "Me. . .no, I'm not
                 mad, Sam. I'm just. . ." she pauses. "Nothing really. I understand. I was
                 just breaking your chops a bit. You'd do the same if you were in my place
                 and I was the one with a new man."

"New man?" Hunter echoes, the idea of me having a new man apparently
capturing his interest. "Anyone I know?"

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Don't tell me that Stephanie didn't tell
you."

                         Hunter sits back, looking blank, trying to remember if Stephanie had
                 mentioned anything to him. He's been a little preoccupied lately and
                 probably wasn't paying attention. Then, it hits him. "Oh. I remember now.
                 You and Shane. Right."

I laugh. "That's all I get? Just an "oh"? I expected more from you,
Hunter."

                         Hunter grins at me. "What? Do you want me to tell you not to date him? Or
                 lay some ground rules down for you," he asks. "I can do that, but I don't
                 think you'd like what I'd come up with."

                         I roll my eyes and grin. "No, believe me, that won't be necessary. I'm
                 going so slow with this that I think a snail's relationship has passed mine.
                   I was hurt once before, I sure as hell am not going to let myself get hurt
                 again. By anyone."

"Good for you sister!" Stephanie cheers as she walks into the room. "Us
women have to be strong and confident. Right, Tori?"

                         "You said it," she replies with a grin. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to
                 find Jesse and Sean and drag their asses in here." She stands up and bats
                 her eyes. "I'll be back."

                 ~~
                         It's been eight months now since my relationship with Dwayne ended and
                 three since my relationship with Shane began. It's amazing what a few
                 months can do to a person. Sitting alone in Shane's office, I find myself
                 reliving certain moments from the past eight months and realizing just how
                 far I've come.

                         I still can't believe that my heart has actually healed enough for me to
                 love another man. Love. That word startles me a bit as the realization hits
                 me. I love Shane. And not just the brotherly/sisterly love that I first felt
                 for him. This is it. The real thing. The deal that everyone talks about and
                 wants so badly. And I have it. . .now all I have to do is say it.

                         I shake my head and try to clear the cobwebs that have formed there. I'm
                 not going to be stupid this time. I won't say anything to Shane until he
                 says it first. That way, I can be sure that I'm not setting myself up for a
                 big let down. I just hope he does it soon. I'm so crazy about him that I can
                 hardly stand it.

                         I'm about to sink into a ridiculous fantasy I've been having lately about
                 my wedding, to Shane of course, when the man of the hour walks in with a
                 grin. He looks so happy to see me and it almost makes me want to cry. I'm
                 not used to such attention. My father died when I was a little girl, leaving
                 my mother to raise both me and my little sister, Shannon alone. She did the
                 best she could and we never wanted for anything, but because of the
                 circumstances, I was always a little more introverted and didn't even get my
                 first boyfriend until I was 18. "Hey there, beautiful," he greets, hiding
                 something behind his back.

                         "Hey," I answer with a smile as I stand up and kiss him quickly. I know
                 we're in his office and no one would dare come in with out knocking, but I
                 still feel awkward about being affectionate here. Probably because I haven't
                 really met his mother yet and I know that her office is just down the hall.
                 "What'cha hiding behind your back?"

"What makes you think I'm hiding something?" He asks, backing away with a
grin.

"I don't know. Why else would you have your hand back there?"

                         "Maybe I have an itch. Did you ever think about that?" He chuckles softly.
                 There are two things that he loves to do to me. He loves to spoil me, a job
                 he does quite well, by the way and he loves to tease me. He's also quite
                 good at that, too. I just stare at him until he breaks down. "Okay, okay,
                 you win." He takes his hand out from behind his back and hands me a white
                 rose with pink edging. Once again I am a pile of mush.

"Do you like turning me into a puddle of nothing," I ask as I take the rose
and breathe in it's scent.

                         He doesn't respond at first, just comes over to me and wraps his arms
                 around me tight. "Actually, yes, I do. This way I can be the big hero and
                 pull you back together."

                         I look up and kiss him softly. "Don't you know by now that you'll
                 always be my hero? You saved me from my biggest enemy - -" I pause and grin
                 sheepishly. "Myself."

                         "Again, I don't agree with you, but I've learned not to argue. I just
                 can't seem to win that fight." He pauses for a second then continues, this
                 time on a completely different track. "There's something that we have to do.
                 Something that I've really been avoiding because, as hopeful as I was about
                 this relationship, I didn't know how serious is was going to get."

"What were you avoiding," I ask, trying to guess, but unable to come
up with anything logical.

                         "I was avoiding the obligatory family dinner with my parents. I
                 managed to stave them off for the past few months, but my mother stopped in
                 to see me this morning and reminded me that it's been almost four months now
                 so the excuse of 'it's too early' is no longer valid."

"Oh, okay. Is dinner with your parents a bad thing? Why were you
trying to hold them off?"

                         "It's not a bad thing," he admits as he moves to sit in his huge
                 leather swivel chair, pulling me with him, on to his lap. "But it's not a
                 night in Disneyland either."

                         I put my arms around his neck and adjust myself to get more
                 comfortable. "How bad can it be? I mean, okay, I don't know your mother very
                 well at all, having only met her once, but I've known your father for what
                 almost a year and a half now?"

                         "See, that's your mistake. You're thinking of the at work Vince
                 McMahon. At home, he's an entirely different person. He'll give you such a
                 third degree you'll think you're in the middle of the Spanish Inquisition.
                 And what he doesn't get to, my mother'll ask for him."

I shake my head with a grin. "You make them sound so wonderful," I
say with just a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

"I'm just trying to warn you in advance. . .look at it this way, if
you get through the dinner in one piece then you're a keeper."

"A keeper? Uh, okay."

                         He laughs at the expression on my face, snakes his hands up into my
                 hair and kisses me again, pulling away long enough to whisper the words that
                 I've been literally praying for. "I love you."

"I love you, too." I feel the tears spring into my eyes and spill
over so fast, I don't have time to stop them or hold them back.

"Hey, why are you crying?" The concern in his voice apparent.

                         I shake my head. "It's not a bad thing, I'm just a very high strung
                 person when I want to be. It's a lovely little gift I've been blessed with."
                 I pause and for reasons beyond my comprehension I actually tell him the
                 truth. "I've been hoping that you'd say that to me for a while now and I was
                 a little scared that you wouldn't. So to actually hear those words is a
                 relief. For that reason and for other reasons."

                         He tightens his grip around me and I let my head rest against his
                 shoulder. It's been almost a year since my life was turned upside down and
                 it quickly hits me that aside from getting me through it all, he's also made
                 me feel safe and secure. It's another realization that scares me to death.
                 "Why didn't you tell me how you felt?" He muses, out loud.

                         I look up at him, just watching him for a second before I respond. "I
                 was scared. I made that mistake almost a year ago and I didn't want to set
                 myself up for that again. I wanted you to say it first so that I knew it
                 wasn't a forced reaction."

                         "I'm not him, Sam," he gently reminds me again. "I'd never
                 deliberately hurt you like he did. I want to know that you feel comfortable
                 enough with me to tell me what you're feeling, even if it's to say 'Shane, I
                 never want to see you again'." He pauses and looks at me with such a serious
                 expression that the butterflies in my stomach begin to dance again.
                 "Although I hope that I never have to hear those words from you."

"You won't," I promise him in a voice that's so low, I doubt if it
even qualifies as a whisper.

"And you'll never hear them from me, either."

                         "I hope that my son hasn't scared you about my husband and I," Linda
                 McMahon says as we sit in the opulent lounge of the Beverly Hills Hotel.
                 "For Shane and for Stephanie too, actually, bringing home people that they
                 were involved with romantically has been torturous."

                         I look at Shane out of the corner of my eye and see him reach for my
                 hand, giving it a gentle squeeze and holding on to it. "Mom, I never said it
                 was torture, per say. I just said that you and dad are like generals in the
                 army."

"Call me crazy, but I think that's pretty much the same thing," she
murmurs. "But seriously, Samantha, please try to relax and enjoy yourself."

"I will, Mrs. McMahon, thank you."

A small smile forms on her lips before she speaks. "Vince, did you
give her the little speech about Mr. and Mrs.?"

"Well, I gave her the one about Mr. but not about Mrs.," he replies
with an affectionate grin at his wife.

"Like my husband, I don't like being referred to as Mrs. McMahon, so
please, call me Linda."

"I will," I reply, quickly understanding why Shane was trying to
avoid this in the first place.

                         Linda opens her about to speak again, but is interrupted by the
                 maitre'd announcing dinner. Silently, she stands up and heads into the
                 dining room. Vince also stands up and quickly follows her. Once they are
                 both out of the room, Shane turns to me with an apologetic look. "I can't do
                 or say anything to stop them, so just do the best you can and I promise that
                 I'll make it up to you."

                         "You'd better," I answer with a teasing grin. "Come on, let's get in
                 there before they start wondering what exactly it is that we're doing all
                 alone out here."

"Like I'd do that with my parents 10 feet away" he shudders. "No
way."

"Get your mind out of the gutter, McMahon. I wasn't talking about
that," I tell him with as much seriousness in my voice as I can muster.

He looks at me for a second then rolls his eyes as he mutters,
"much."

                         I grin and roll my eyes back at him as I follow him into the dining
                 room. All I can do is pray that this nice goes smoothly and that I don't do
                 anything to embarrass Shane.

                         Three hours and what seems like an eternity later, Shane and I
                 finally escape the confines of the restaurant. "So, was it as bad as I
                 said?"

                         "It was pretty bad," I admit. "But not as bad as you made it out to
                 be. Your mother is very sweet and I'm still reeling over the fact that she
                 offered me a job in the PR department of the company."

"Why are you reeling? You're qualified. And you sure as hell
impressed her by coming up with those ideas right off the top of your head."

"They weren't exactly off the top of my head," I tell him, feeling a
little nervous about this conversation.

"They weren't?"

                         "No. I've been thinking about them for a while. Coming up with ways
                 to get more females to watch wrestling comes easy to me because I was the
                 one who got all my girlfriends watching back home in Boston."

"Ah, I see. Well, lady genius, let me bring you back upstairs."

                         Just before we reach my room, I look up at Shane, my heart racing
                 with the question that I have in my head. Where am I getting the nerve to
                 even think this, I wonder. "Uhm. . ." is all I manage to get out before my
                 voice trails off. Oh gee, now I really feel like an idiot. Smooth move,
                 Samantha, I chide myself.

"You ok? You look like you're in the middle of an argument with
yourself or something," he comments.

"I am, actually, a little." I bite my lip as I feel myself ready to
ramble. "I was thinking, wondering. . .nevermind."

                         He studies me carefully and I'm afraid that he knows what I'm thinking.
                 As much as I want this, as much as I want to make love with him, I'm just
                 too afraid to ask. . .now anyway. "Okay," he replies as he arrive at my
                 door. "Well, this is your stop, so I guess I'll say goodnight."

                         He looks almost disappointed and now I'm wondering if he really *did*
                 read my mind. I'd feel so bad if he thought that I was going to ask him to
                 stay, only to change my mind at the last minute. "Yeah, I guess so," I
                 mutter. "Good night, Shane. I hope that everything went well tonight."
                 Translation: I hope I didn't embarass you.

                         "You did a great job with them. They love you." Translation: No, you
                 didn't embarass me and you're in. He leans down and gives me a long, slow,
                 tender kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too." I unlock the door to my room and slowly back inside.
"Night."

                         "Night." He smiles at me quickly before heading back to the elevators.
                 As I watch him go I let out a sigh. I know what I want and yet I let him
                 leave. Shaking my head, I turn and walk into the room, closing the door
                 behind me.

                    ~~
                         I roll over in bed again, for what seems to be the 5,000th time. I can't
                 sleep. No matter what I try, I can't stop thinking about Shane and how much
                 I miss him at this very moment. I turn on my side and look at the clock.
                 It's just after 4 a.m. I snap on the small desk light next to me and sit up.
                 Trying to sleep is useless. It just won't happen. I look at the phone and
                 debate whether or not to pick it up, I know that he's most likely awake
                 still and if he isn't, he won't mind the interruption.

                         I pick up the phone and then quickly decide against it. This is
                 something that I have to do in person. Not on the phone. I make up my mind
                 in that instant. I'm not going to let the past or my petty fears get in the
                 way of something and someone who means so much to me. Standing up, I
                 quickly pull my dress back on then head to the elevators, on my way to
                 Shane, where I should have been in the first place.

                         I stand outside his room and I get an eerie feeling of familiarity. Nine
                 months ago I was in this same situation, standing outside his room, debating
                 whether or not to knock. But this time there is no debate. I knock softly
                 and wait. He's at the door in what feels like a nanosecond. Opening it
                 quickly he looks at me, concerned that something is wrong. "Sam? You all
                 right?"

                         I nod as I begin to tremble. God, I hate the fact that I have little
                 control over my emotions. They're always a constant giveaway. "I just
                 couldn't sleep. I couldn't stop thinking about you."

                         A smile forms on his lips. "Same here. I was going to go back to your
                 room after I left, but after thinking about it, I decided it wasn't a good
                 idea." He looks around the hallway and asks me to come in. "Are you sure
                 you're all right? Did you have a nightmare or something?

I shake my head. "No. I haven't slept at all. I've been torturing
myself for the past three hours."

"Toturing yourself?"

                         "Earlier I was going to ask you to stay with me tonight, but I chickened
                 out. I got scared and against my better judgement, I didn't ask." I pause
                 for a second before continuing. "See, there are a lot of things that are
                 hard for me to do. One of those things is telling a man that I'm in love
                 with that I want to. . ." again, my nerves fail me and my voice trails off.
                 I shake my head again and force myself to keep going. "I want to be with you
                 tonight," I whisper. "I want to make love with you."

                                 He looks at me, slightly startled but obviously very happy with the
                 request. "Are you sure?" He asks. Ever the careful surveyor of my emotions
                 and well being, I think.

                         I nod. "I'm positive. I want to be with you, Shane. I tried to fight
                 it tonight and I couldn't. I just . . ." I let my voice trail off before I
                 start sounding like a bad greeting card.

                          "I was biding my time on taking that next step," he admits. "I don't
                 make it a habit of sharing women's beds. I've only been with two women in my
                 life." I nod, calming down a bit now that I know he wants to be with me as
                 much as I want to be with him. I put my arms around his neck and lean into
                 kiss him. He looks at me and takes my face into his hands, standing so
                 close to me that I can almost feel his heart beating. "I love you,
                 Samantha."

I look at him for a second, trying to gather my thoughts which have
somehow become jumbled in my head. "I love you too, Shane."

                         The look on his face is so sweet it's almost heart breaking. The only
                 thing that I am thinking of right now is how much I love him and how badly I
                 want to show him that.

                         Keeping his hands on either side of my face, he bends down and kisses me
                 softly; one of those deep, longing kisses that makes you want more and more.
                 And boy does it work. Somehow, he manages to effortlessly scoop me up into
                 his arms never breaking the kiss. I put my arms around his neck, almost
                 automatically, since I seem to no longer have control over anything that I
                 do in response to what he does to me.

                         The walk to the bed seems like an eternity. I'm feeling a lot of
                 different feelings all at once. If it were anybody else here with me, I
                 would stop them right here and now. But with Shane, it's different. He
                 knows me so well. I can trust him with my whole being, something that I was
                 never able to do before. Without so much as making a sound, he gently puts
                 me on the edge of the bed then silently drops to his knees. He just looks at
                 me for a second, and I feel as if he's trying to memorize every detail so
                 that he'll never forget what happened here tonight.

                         After another minute, he reaches around to my back and slowly undoes
                 the zipper of my dress so that there is no longer anything holding it up.
                 Out of sheer reflex, I go to grab the dress before it falls to my lap, but
                 Shane stops me. "It's okay," he whispers soothingly. Moving closer to me, he
                 put an arm securely around my back and gently teases my nipples, making them
                 harden into stiff peaks. I'm not even aware of it when I moan. When he hears
                 me, he moves his arm from my back, cups my breasts with his hands and gently
                 sucks on them, alternatingly. I squirm slightly, moving my hands behind me
                 for support.

                         He looks up and whispers, "lie back." I look at him for a second then do as
                 I'm told. Between the two of us, Shane's got the upper hand with experience
                 and I have no problem letting him take the reins. Once I am comfortably on
                 my back, he joins me on the bed where he quickly removes the dress from my
                 body and carelessly let's it fall to the floor. I'm lying next to him for
                 the first time ever, completely naked, save the thin material of my
                 underwear.

                         He lays on his side, propped up on his elbow, just looking at me. It's
                 dark in the room since only a small light is on so it's hard for me to see
                 the expressions on his face. But as I look back at him, I see tears in his
                 eyes and I have to bite my lip to fight back my own. "You are beautiful. .
                 ." three words that mean so much to me. He leans down to kiss me as I begin
                 to fumble with the buttons of his shirt, desperately wanting to feel the
                 pressure of his skin against mine. He breaks the kiss and helps me out.
                 After a few more minutes we are both completely undressed and the pounding
                 in my heart slows to a steady rhythm.

                         He pulls the covers back just enough for the both of us to slide under
                 them. I think it's to make me feel more comfortable, though I'm not sure and
                 I don't want to break the mood by asking. Shane is completely silent during
                 this time, just kissing and touching and getting to know the most intimate
                 places of my body. He's so damn good at it and I can't wait to return the
                 favor.

                         He pulls me closer to him as he lets his hand slide gently down my
                 body. I jump involuntarily as he touches a fairly sensitive area of skin
                 just above my vagina. He looks at me questioningly and I nod to reassure
                 him. It works and he continues moving his hand downward, kissing me softly,
                 first on my lips then on my neck as he does.

                         Reaching up, I run my hands over his chest feeling the hard, toned muscles
                 his daily workouts have given him. Just touching him is electrifying for me.
                 I run my hand down towards his stomach, smiling briefly as I hear him
                 involuntairly suck in a sharp breath.

                         His hand reaches its destination, and sends shivers up my spine. He smiles
                 when he feels that I'm already very wet. What I don't tell him is that I've
                 been like that for a while, that at times, the mere sight of him turns me
                 on. He swirls wetness over my clit, making a low moan escape from my lips
                 and my breathing turn shallow. His smile widens a bit as he realizes the
                 pleasure that his fingers are bringing me and moves them faster. Now I'm
                 completely unable to control the volume of my moans. This is a new kind of
                 pleasure that I've never experienced before. He keeps moving his hand,
                 bringing me closer and closer to orgasm until he stops.

                         Breathing hard, I look at him, confused. He quickly removes my
                 underwear and the next thing I know, he's on top of me, trying not to let
                 all his weight come down on me. I feel him enter me and I gasp. "Oh God," I
                 utter from the feeling.

                         "My Samantha," he whispers, the first words he's spoken in what seems
                 like hours. He adjusts himself slowly and begins to move a little faster,
                 finding his rhythm. I arch against him, biting my lip to keep myself from
                 becoming to loud. Noticing this, he gently swipes at my mouth so that I
                 release my lower lip. He then leans down and kisses me hard, moaning into my
                 mouth.

                         I put my arms around his neck and return his kiss, moving underneath
                 him, matching his rhythm. If I didn't believe that there is one man and one
                 woman created to fit together perfectly, I do now. The currents that are
                 being sent through me with every thrust from Shane are like little bolts of
                 lightning. I feel my climax building as I arch my back even further. Almost
                 as if he senses that I'm almost there, he speeds up his rhythm, the moans
                 coming from his mouth becoming louder and his breathing more labored. My
                 hands take on a life of their own as they slide down his back caressing
                 every available inch of skin I can reach.

                         "Shane. . ." It's more of a moan then an actual word. I'm so close
                 right now that I can barely stand it. He thrusts inside me a little harder
                 until at last he pushes me over the edge into a hard, earth shaking climax.
                 I scream. Then seemingly out of nowhere Shane has his climax. Feeling him
                 inside me, turns me on still and I moan again. When he's done he collapses
                 ontop of me, his head nestled against my breasts. I wrap my arms around him
                 and try to control my breathing. He kisses my breasts again, softly before
                 kissing my lips again, once.

                         After a bit, we both end up on our sides. Looking into his eyes, I kiss
                 him softly and practically cling to him, not wanting to lose the intimacy of
                 the moment. He looks down at me with a small smile. I look back up at him
                 and whisper, "I love you."

                         "I love you too, Angel" he replies and I am momentarily stunned. Shane
                 McMahon may be a sweetheart and the type of guy any girl can easily fall in
                 love with, but he's not the type to use cutsey nicknames for anyone.

"Angel?" I repeat, almost not sure if I even heard him correctly.

                         He nods and says it again. "To me, you are an angel," he tells me. "You
                 came into my life at a time when I thought my world was crashing down around
                 me and I thought I couldn't take my life anymore. Then you came to me when
                 you needed help and could have just easily gone to someone else - -"

"But Shane - -" I try to interrupt, but a finger to my lips stops me.

                         "You could've gone to anyone else, Sam, but you didn't. And best of
                 all, you allowed yourself to be healed and to fall in love again and you
                 chose me to do that with. No one has ever let me in as much as you have.
                 Thank you."

                         "You're welcome," I whisper as I lay back down, my head again on his
                 chest. Without realizing it I let out a small yawn and blink to try to keep
                 my eyes from shutting on their own. Shane gives me a gentle squeeze and
                 tells me to go to sleep. He's not going anywhere and he'll be here in the
                 morning when I wake up. I lean up and kiss him once more before cuddling up
                 again, and fall asleep happily cocooned in his arms.

"Hello?" my mother Patricia answers breathlessly. I know that she had to
run for the phone because she picked up after the third ring, the next ring
kicking on the answering machine.

"Hi Mom," I say with a grin.

                         "Samantha! Hi!" I grin. All of my life my mother and my sister have been
                 my best friends. When things weren't so great in the early days we only had
                 each other to rely on and it forged an incredible, unbreakable bond between
                 the three of us. "How are you, sweetheart?"

                         "I'm good, Mom. I'm really good. Listen, I wanted to let you know that
                 I'm going to be in town in two weeks with the WWF. We're doing "Raw is War"
                 at the Garden.

"Does that mean you'll be able to spend time here at home?"

                         I sigh before responding. "No, I don't think so mom. But, I checked with
                 Shannon and she's on spring break that week, so I was hoping that maybe you
                 guys could just travel with us for that week."

"How can we do that?" She asks me. "That's expensive."

                         "I know, but it's taken care of. Vince and Linda McMahon want to meet you
                 and Shannon anyway." It's been five months now since my relationship with
                 Shane began and although we managed to keep our sleeping together a secret
                 for now, everyone in the WWF knows that we are together and that it's
                 definitely serious.

"So does that mean we'll actually get to meet this fabulous Shane that
you tell us all about?" She teases.

"Yes," I grin. "Mom, he's wonderful. I know you guys are going to love
him."

                         "I'm sure we will," she says with a light voice. I know that she's
                 grinning on her end of the phone. "You're an intelligent girl and I'm sure
                 he treats you like a queen."

                         "That he definitely does," I reply as Shane walks into the room. I grin
                 at him briefly before continuing. "He's even letting me use his cell phone
                 right now because yours truly, the daughter that you believe to be so
                 intelligent, forgot to charge the battery on her cell phone."

                         My mother laughed. "Well. . .I don't have a come back for that one. .
                 .where are you?" she asks, probably wondering if I'm calling long distance
                 or not. I am.

"We're in Dallas tonight and then it's on to Louisiana tomorrow."

                         "Oh wow, well in that case, I won't keep you any longer then I have to.
                 Tell Mr. and Mrs. McMahon that Shannon and I appreciate the offer. I'll see
                 you in two weeks, sweetie."

                         I must have a huge happy smile on my face because now Shane's grinning
                 too. "That's great Mom. I can't wait to see you guys again. I miss you so
                 much."

"We miss you too."

"I'll definitely talk to you before we get to Boston and we'll go over
the details of everything. Okay?"

"Sounds good to me. I'll talk to you soon. Take care of yourself."

"I always do," I remind her. "And give my love to Shannon."

"Will do. Love you, sweetheart. Bye."

                         "Bye." I stay on the phone until I hear the connection break. Looking up,
                 I practically jump up and down as I tell Shane the news. "They're coming and
                 they're going to stay with us for a week."

He laughs. "That's great. . ." he says. "And I can tell how excited you
are."

"I'm like a little kid, I know. But I haven't seen my mother or my sister
in so long. I'm going to have so much fun while they're here."

                         He grins again and pulls me close, kissing me softly. "I love seeing you
                 like a little kid. And I'm looking forward to meeting your family. You've
                 told me so much about them that I feel like I know them already."

"Funny, they say the exact same thing about you."

                         It's the day before the arrival of my mother and sister when Shane and I
                 get busted, big time. For the past month we've been switching rooms almost
                 every night. One night we'll be in his room, the next we'll be in mine. So
                 isn't it just lucky for us that the morning after a night in my room,
                 Stephanie comes knocking on the door bright and early while we are both
                 still sound asleep. "Who is it," I call out, still wrapped in Shane's arms.
                 Somehow the knocking hasn't woken him up. Lucky him.

"It's Stephanie," she replies. Stephanie?! Oh my god.

"Shane, Shane, wake up. . ." I shake him a little and finally it nudges
him out of sleep. "Shane, Stephanie's outside."

                         "She what?" Now he's definitely awake. He stands up quickly, giving me a
                 chance to admire him again as he reaches for his pants. "We'll have to tell
                 her now. There's no way out for me."

                         I nod as I put my bathrobe on, tying it securely around my waist. I take
                 a deep breath as I open the door, praying that she doesn't react badly. "Hey
                 Stephanie, come on in," I say with a grin.

                         "It certainly took you long enough," she comments with a smile as she
                 steps in the room, not noticing Shane yet. "Tori, Trish and I are going
                 shopping in a little while and we wanted to know if you wanted. . ." her
                 voice trails off as she sees Shane standing there. "Shane? I mean, should I
                 come back later?"

                         "No. I was just on my way out. I've got to get ready for a breakfast
                 meeting with Dad," he replies. He finishes dressing, grabs his coat and
                 heads out of the room, stopping to kiss me goodbye briefly. "Bye Sam,
                 Steph."

                         "Bye," I answer back softly as I look over at Stephanie who has a look on
                 her face that I can't quite describe. As he closes the door behind him, I
                 turn to Stephanie. "Are you okay?" I ask her.

"I'm. . .yeah, I'm fine," she replies, shaking her head. "I was just
thinking about how I finally got the proof that I wasn't crazy."

"What?"

"Sam, I'm sorry, but everyone knows that you've been sleeping together. .
.for what, a month now?"

I'm sure that my jaw has hit the floor at this point. "Oh. . .and we
thought no one knew."

"Well, we do," she pauses and grins. "Anyway, the reason I came here was to
ask you if you wanted to go shopping with Tori, Trish and me."

"Sure, that'd be great. Just let me get showered and dressed. I'll meet
you in your room in say. . .an hour?"

                         "Great. We'll be waiting for you there." She looks at me again for a
                 second then slips out the door. I sit down on the bed with a heavy sigh. I
                 know now that everyone in the organization knows about Shane and me sleeping
                 together.

"So?" I ask, excitedly as I hug my mother and sister over and over again.
"What did you think?"

                         "Sam, when you came out with the Regime and I saw that look on your face,
                 I turned to Mom and said 'she looks like such a BITCH!'" She laughed. "You
                 act completely different when you're out there."

                         Just as I'm about to respond, Stephanie strolls over to us with a big
                 smile. "She's supposed to," she tells Shannon. "We actually have a contest
                 going to see who can look the bitchest. Me or her."

"Tough call," Shannon responds, clearly in awe that she's backstage at
WWF and talking to Stephanie McMahon-Helmsely.

"Mom, Shannon, this is Stephanie. She and Tori have been my best friends
for a long while now." I grin at Steph. "We're the three musketeers."

"It's nice to meet you Stephanie. You're Shane's sister, right?"

                         "Yes, I am and it's nice to meet you too." She's about to say more when
                 Hunter calls her over to where he is. "Excuse me," she says with a cute
                 grin. "Duty calls."

"Sam, are Stephanie and Triple H really married?" Shannon asks.

I nod. "Yes, they are. Come on, let me introduce you to everyone."

"Me first," Shane interjects from behind me, slipping his arms around my
waist. Smiling, I lean back against him.

                         "Mom, Shannon, this is Shane." Shane extends his hand to both of them,
                 complimenting my mother on what a wonderful daughter she has in me and
                 telling Shannon that I must really love her because I talk about her all the
                 time and how much I miss her.

"You do that?" She asks me.

"Of course I do. Those 10 page e-mails I send you constantly aren't done
just for show."

"True," she replies. "Because if they were, I'd be seriously worried
about you."

                         Three nights later, My mother, Shannon, Shane and myself are sitting in
                 their room, just talking and having a good time. Looking at his watch, Shane
                 stands up and polietly starts to excuse himself. "As much fun as I'm having
                 here with you ladies, it's three a.m. and I think its about time that I head
                 back to my room."

                         "Bye, Shane" Shannon answers without looking up, her being transfixed on
                 a video Shane gave her that shows a lot of Crash Holly, her favorite
                 wrestler.

                         "Good night, Shane," my mother says, standing up to shake his hand.
                 "Thank you again for dinner. Your parents are lovely people and it's nice to
                 see that my daughter has so many people looking out for her.

                         "You're welcome, Patricia. And we all love Sam." He pauses for a second
                 then grins. "Me the most of course, but nonetheless everyone loves her.
                 She's become the darling of the WWF."

"All right," I grin as I stand up. "Enough with the let's embarass
Samantha deal, okay?"

"Sorry, sweetie," my mother answers with a grin.

"I'll be right back," I tell her as Shane takes my hand, obviously
wanting me to walk him to the door.

                         Once we are outside he looks at me with these sad puppy dog eyes he knows
                 I can't resist. "I don't wanna leave you again tonight. I miss you when
                 you're not there."

                         Oh, just kill me while you're at it, I think to myself as I put my arms
                 around his neck. "I know, I don't like it either. . .but, if we stay away
                 from things that revolve around 'I'm the guy that's doing your daughter',
                 you'll stay in my mother's good graces." I pause for a second and then grin.
                 "And if you get through this week with your patience in tact, I'll make it
                 up to you. I promise."

                         That brings a big smile to his face. "I can hardly wait." He kisses me
                 softly, his arms tightening around me, not wanting to let go. After a minute
                 or so he pulls away. "I love you. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay," I answer as I relcutantly pull away. "Good night."

                         He kisses me again quickly once more, mutters good night then turns and
                 heads off in the direction of his, well, our room. When he's gone, I turn
                 and go back inside my mother's room.
                   My mother looks up when she sees me come in. "You know, Samantha, if you
                 want to go back to your room with Shane, we don't mind."

"Excuse me?" I say, unable to believe what I had just heard.

"Busted," Shannon mumbles with a giggle.

"Samantha, I'm your mother. I know you. Did you really think that I
wouldn't know that you and your boyfriend are sleeping together?"

"Well, I. . ." I know that I'm blushing like mad. How embarassing is it
to be busted by your own mother?

"You don't need to offer an excuses," mom continues. "I just want to ask
one thing and then I'll drop the subject."

"What's that?" I ask, nervously.

"Are you two careful?"

                         I sigh. That's an easy one to answer. "Yes, we are. I'm on the pill, as
                 you know and at the most crucial times of the month, we use extra
                 protection."

                         I could see her let out a visible sigh of relief. "Good. Now, like I said
                 before, I don't mind if you want to be with Shane."
                    "No, really it's okay. Shane understands that I don't get to see you all
                 that often. I have four more days left with you and Shannon and I don't want
                 to miss a second of them."

"Okay, sweetheart, if you're sure."

"I'm sure, but thanks anyway."
~~

"Are you okay?" Shane asks, his voice solemn in the darkness.

                         My mother and sister left early this morning, going on a flight back
                 home to Boston as I, and the rest of the organization headed on to Orlando,
                 Florida. "Yeah, I'm all right," I answer as I wipe a stray tear away. I
                 feel bad crying and being down like this, especially since Shane did
                 everything he could to try to cheer me up. And ontop of all that, we just
                 finished making love, not five minutes ago for the first time in a week.
                 "I'm sorry that I'm like this," I whisper.

                       "Don't be. I understand that you're upset about your Mom and sister
                 leaving. I watched you with them for this past week and I can see how close
                 the three of you really are."

I grinned. "I don't know what I'd do with out them. . ." I look up
with a small grin and kiss him softly. "Happy anniversary, by the way."

He looks at me for a second before he responds. "That's right. It's
six months today. Wow, half a year. It went so fast."

"Tell me about it. . .and it's been a year since everything started."

                       "You've come a long way, Sam. I'm so proud of you. You've got your job
                 in the company down pat, the people love you and my family loves you. Did I
                 tell you that my father referred to you as his other daughter the other
                 night in an interview?"

I sit up and look at him. "He did?" I ask. "He really thinks of me
like that?"

                       "He does. . .as a matter of fact, he actually came to me today and
                 asked me how much longer was I going to pretend that I'm still in high
                 school."

"High school?" I ask, not quite getting it.

"In other words, when are we getting married."

"Ohhh. . .and what did you tell him?"

                       "I told him to mind his own business," he jokes with a grin. "I told
                 him that we've talked about it but we want to wait for a little while. .
                 .that is what you want, isn't it?"

                       I nod. "Yes. I'm just now getting the hang of my job and getting used
                 to the attention I get now that the whole world knows we're a couple. I want
                 to keep it low key for a little while longer."

"I agree completely. . .but Samantha, I do want you to know that I do
intend on marrying you one day, if you'll have me."

I grin and kiss him hard. "Do I even have to respond to that last
part?"

"That depends."

"On what?"

                       "On how you care to respond to it," he grins at me before taking me
                 into his arms and kissing me, all the while lying me back down on the bed.
                       ~~

                       The next few months seem to blend into each other. Each day is so
                 filled, from the time I get up in the morning until the time I go to bed at
                 night. Things are so hectic now in preparation for Wrestlemania, the
                 biggest event of the year, that I feel like I barely see Shane anymore.
                 Except for at night when we are both lying in bed, trying to stay awake long
                 enough to watch the rebroadcast of the local news.

                       Before I know it, Wrestlemania has come and gone. There were no big
                 title changes at Wrestlemania, except for the fact that Triple H won the
                 title back from the Rock in a 60 minute iron man match. Watching him from
                 the office, I was so proud of him and I could tell that Stephanie was just
                 elated. It's about time that the belt went back to its rightful owner.

                       I'm also so proud of Shane who stood up to the 7 foot, 500 pound Big
                 Show and kicked his ass all over Wrestlemania. He looked like he had been
                 seriously hurt by Show so I was freaking out for a while. But when he came
                 backstage he assured me that he was fine and even went to the onsite doctor
                 to appease me.

                       Now, another six months has passed and Shane and I are about to
                 celebrate our one year anniversary as a couple. Provided of course, that I
                 can tear him away from his desk long enough to have a real date with him. I
                 look at my watch on the day of our anniversary and realize it's 4:30. I'm
                 set to leave at 5 p.m., early for me. But I have to because I'm meeting
                 Stephanie and Tori so they can help me with my hair and make up for tonight.
                 Standing up, I stretch and smooth down my skirt before heading to Shane's
                 office to remind him once more, about tonight.

"Shane?" I ask as I rap softly on the partically opened door. "Can I
come in?"

He looks up from his computer and smiles at me. "You know that you
never have to ask permission to come in here."

                       I grin. "Sorry. Force of habit, really. . .uh, I actually came in here
                 for two reasons. One, I need you to look at this run down I have for Stone
                 Cold when we're in New York City next week. He's booked to do a few
                 different things and he's okayed it, so now it just needs your approval
                 before confirmation."

He takes the paper from me and places it on top of his 'to do' pile.
"Consider it done. What's the second thing you came in here for?"

"The second thing is to remind you once more that we have reservations
tonight at 7:30."

                       He stands up and comes around, walking past me to shut the door. He
                 then turns around and comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around me and
                 kisses my neck which is exposed to him from my hair being up. "You know I'll
                 be there," he begins. "I can't believe it's been a whole year already since
                 we started dating. . .and God, how much deeper I've fallen in love with you
                 over the past 365 days."

I turn around and kiss him softly. "I love you too. . .Happy
Anniversary."

"Happy Anniversary."

                       I kiss him once more before pulling away. "Okay, I really have to get
                 going. Stephanie and Tori are going to be here any minute. . .I'll see you
                 at the resturant later on tonight, okay?"

He nods. "Til then. . .I love you."

"I love you, too."

                         I arrive at the resturant early, extremely excited. I'm excited because
                 not only is it exactly one year today since Shane and I started dating, but
                 it's also the first time in a long time that we get to be ourselves. Just
                 Shane and Samantha the couple. Not Shane and Samantha members of the
                 McMahon-Helmsely Regime. It's been too long since we've had a night like
                 this to ourselves.

                         I glance at my watch as the waiter makes his first approach to the
                 table. It's 7:35 and Shane's not here yet. The waiter offers me a menu and I
                 polietly tell him no thank you, and explain to him that I'm waiting for my
                 date who's probably on his way now. The waiter nods and heads back off to
                 where ever he came from. I'm getting an uneasy feeling in my stomach, like
                 something's trying to tell me that Shane's not going to be here tonight. I
                 push it back and ignore it because I know that he'll be here. He's as
                 excited about this as I am. Aside from that, I reminded him about it before
                 I left the office and he *promised* me he'd be here. I know that he'd never
                 break a promise. . .

                    ~~
                         Did I say never break a promise? I meant almost never break a promise.
                 It's 10:00 and he still hasn't arrived yet. Now I can't take the stares any
                 longer so I pick up my purse and head out of the resturant. Pulling out my
                 cell phone I dial Shane's ready to reach through the phone and shake him
                 when he picks up. "Hello?"

                         "Shane, where the hell are you?" I ask as I fight with myself to keep my
                 voice down and remain as calm as possible. I may not be in the resturant any
                 more but I'm still in public nonetheless.

"I'm at work. . .are you all right?"

Am I all right? Hmmm, good question. Let's ponder that, shall we? "No
Shane, I'm not all right. Look at your watch and tell me what time it is."

"It's 10:05. . .why?"

                         Oh my God, how dense is he? He just does not seem to be getting it.
                 "Shane, does the phrase 'we have reservations for 7:30' or 'please don't
                 forget' ring a bell to you?"

                         "Oh Shit." Hmmn, interesting choice of words for a man who is in so deep
                 in it that if he sees daylight again he'll be lucky. "Sam. . .I completely
                 lost track of time. I'm so sorry."

                         Sorry. Hmph. Another interesting choice of words. "How could you do this
                 to me, Shane? We've been planning this for weeks now. It's not like I sprung
                 this on you at the last second. I even reminded you before I left the office
                 today. Shane, it's our anniversary!"

                         He lets out a sigh and I want to ask him what gives him the right to
                 sigh. I'm the one who was stood up on my anniversary, not him. "Baby. . .I'm
                 on my way right now. Give me 10 minutes and I'll be there."

"No, Shane. Don't bother. I'm not going to be here in 10 minutes. I'm
leaving now."

"Samantha, please don't be mad. I really didn't do this intentionally. I
swear to you."

                         "I'm sure you didn't. I'm just not feeling very hungry anymore. Bye." I
                 hear him about to respond and hang up anyway. I can't listen to any excuses
                 that he makes. Because that's all they are. Excuses. Empty excuses.

                         I get back to the hotel looking like a racoon from all the crying I did
                 in the car on the way from the resturant. It occurs to me that I may be over
                 reacting but I can't stop myself. Shane promised me on more than one
                 occassion that he'd never intentionally hurt me. What happened tonight was
                 like a not so pleasant flash back to my time with Dwayne. I don't wnat to
                 remember it.

                         I go upstairs to the room, I'm about to go in when I hear Shane's voice.
                 I listen at the door and I can tell he's on the phone with Stephanie. He's
                 telling her what happened tonight and to be on the look out for me because I
                 am upset and he knows better then to come near me until I've cooled off.
                 Wow, maybe he does have a brain in his head after all. Who knew?

                         Shaking my head, I go to Stephanie and Hunter's room and knock on the
                 door. She opens it and looks at me all sad. She's always her brother's
                 champion and hates to see us fight. I'm expecting to hear her say something
                 to me about going back to my room and working things out. Instead, she
                 surprises me. "Shane told me what happened. I reamed him out for it."

"You did?"

She nods. "I did. He does feel bad though, Sam. He really didn't do it
on purpose."

                         I sigh. "I know that Steph, but there's just no excuse for him
                 forgetting. I mean, I reminded him right before I left to meet you and
                 Tori."

"You did?" I nod. "He didn't tell me that."

                         "Of course not. That would make him look really dumb, admitting that he
                 was reminded a mere three hours earlier." I look over and see Hunter lying
                 on the bed, watching but not saying a word. "Hunter, I'm sorry. . .I don't
                 mean to intrude on your night off and I especially feel bad about bad
                 mouthing your brother in law infront of you."

                         "Don't worry about me. There have been plenty of times where I would
                 have liked to kick the shit out of him myself." The mental image I get from
                 those words makes me grin. "I'm just worried about you."

"I'll be fine," I pause and look from him to her. "I love him, guys,
that hasn't changed. I'm just pissed off at him right now."

Stephanie nods. "We understand. You're welcome to stay in our room with
us tonight, if you don't want to go back to your room."

                         "You really don't mind?" I ask, hesitantly. I do want to stay with them,
                 but not at the expense of ruining pre set plans. She nods. "Thanks guys I
                 really appreciate it."

"Don't worry. You'd do the same for me," she answers as she tosses me
shorts and a tee shirt. "So you don't have to sleep in your dress."

                         I look down at my dress and realize that I forgot I was wearing it. "Oh,
                 yeah. Thanks. I'll be right back," I mutter as I head into the bathroom to
                 change.