Paul sat in his home with all the lights off except those on the Christmas tree that mocked him with their cheerfulness. His lovers were in Canada with their families and while he had been invited to spend time with his own recent events had taken him out of the mood. His house was quiet and empty and felt very lonely. Lately he had considered selling it, but it somehow it felt wrong. He had worked so hard to buy it and loved the house and the grounds more than anything. It had always been his sanctuary from a world that sometimes seemed to hate him more than accept him at times.

He longed to fill the house with love and happiness and laughter, but that didn't seem possible. At one time he had believed that he and Stephanie could do that, but quickly after they got married it became evident that it wasn't going to happen. He now knew that the only things that would make him happy and fill his home with the things that he longed for were the things that he now dared not to go after. In his hands were his release papers given to him after the final Raw before the Christmas break along with his buy out check.

Vince had apparently decided that he had become more of a headache than anything else now that he had adjusted to live on the undercard again. He was now more concerned with making sure the others were used correctly than his own return to the top. It seemed that it wasn't any fun to torment him when he didn't get aggravated. When he started asking for people on the undercard to work with it seemed that had been the final straw. One would think that a big name asking to work with under developed talent would be a good thing, but in a company that thrived on personal gain and pleasure derived from making other people miserable being happy and content while helping others when you were supposed to be feeling the pains of punishment was just not tolerated.

Shifting in his oversized leather chair he knocked his empty pop can off the arm of the chair and heard the clank echo through the nearly empty room bringing his thoughts back to his home. Most of his home was nearly unfurnished since Stephanie's exit from his life. He was now as he was at the time she left more than happy to let her have their things from the home… his home. He had been intending to ask Chris and Jay to move in with him, but now… they had hope left, they had a future left, but all that he had left was a nearly empty home and dream so old it he had long ago given up any hope that it could ever be achieved.

Leaning down he picked an old worn notebook off the floor. It was filled with plans and ideas formed and created over the years. He started it on a whim and had added to it little by little. The lessons he learned from his brief time in WCW, from his years with the Kliq, from his friendship with Shawn, from his years of servitude to and tutelage under Vince all held their marks on it. Some of his best ideas were housed inside of it greedily kept from Vince and Stephanie not willing to share them with people that wouldn't appreciate them. Lovingly he flipped though the book running his hands over the pages. Lately he had added a lot to back things for himself, his lovers, his friends, and various others he had found interesting over the years, but he held little hope that they would ever be used.

Closing his eyes he leaned his head back resting it against the chair closing off his mind to try and rest when a familiar sarcastic voice reached his ears along with two sets of foot steps crossing his room. "Gee Hunter I never imagined you being into Minimalism or is this some odd Feng-Shui concept?" Paul opened his eyes and sat up with a jerk staring surprised at the sight of his lovers. Jay made his way around Chris and slipped into his lap carefully looking at him concerned. "Pauly what happened to your house? Did someone steal all your things?" Paul shook his head and laughed then eased back into his chair again pulling Jay with him. When the smaller man curled into him Paul kissed his temple then looked at Chris as he answered the question. "Yeah, to quote our very own Chrissy a vicious, nasty, smelly, rotten, filthy, greedy, she-bitch named Stephanie McMahon."

Chris snorted and looked around nodding. "Divorces suck," he muttered then looked back at Paul. "Why haven't you bought new things though? Surely you aren't waiting for her to come back." Paul glared at Chris then looked down into Jay's worried eyes. Softly he smiled running his cheek over Jay's forehead and kissing him again before turning his eyes to look at Chris again. "I was waiting to ask some cute Canadian blonds to help me redecorate then move in, but… I got a Christmas present from Vinnie that made me think maybe I shouldn't."

Chris scowled and looking down saw the release papers by the chair and growled. "Vince is a fool." Jay nodded sniffling. "Yeah. Adam called me to gloat about your release. You were right he's Stephanie's new boyfriend. He said that Chris and I had two options quit now or stay and be HIS new toys." Paul growled hugging Jay tightly before turning his eyes back to Chris who waved a hand in the air. "Doesn't matter. We wouldn't have stayed there without you anyway, Assclown. You should have known that. Course we had to buy out our contracts and since Jay's was almost brand new…" Jay sniffled then biting his lip looked up at Paul. "Shawn helped us and loaned us the money. He said that he wasn't gonna let Adam get his hands on us so we are now officially unemployed."

Paul's eyes fell to the notebook before a card appeared in front of his eyes. "Shawn says Ho, Ho, Ho," Chris passed along and Paul took the card running his thumb over Shawn's distinctive scrawl as Jay spoke hesitantly. "Shawn said that you had some… plan. He said that you'd been workin on somethin for awhile now an' we shouldn't worry 'cause we wouldn't be unemployed long. What's he talkin' about Pauly?" Paul opened the card and a letter fell into his lap along with a check. Carefully he unfolded the letter then smiled softly reading Shawn's short note.

Baby,

I think it's time that Vince's worse nightmare came true. I know it won't be all of us like we once planned, but I'm right there with ya. Here is a down payment on my part and as soon as I get Dave out of this damn contract and get out of my own I will be right there with ya. Randy is set, if only we could all be third generation, huh? Kid is jus waitin on your call too. You know the Energizer Bunny… When Kliq calls he comes running. Justin is around somewhere and I am working on tracking him down.

I included some phone numbers I thought you might want. Adams and Clark, Spanky, my cousin Michael Shane, Dave has written down O'Haire's and Matt Hardy gave us Joey Matthews and Christian York's. Don't think much about Matt's involvement just yet. He's helping us with a minor detail, but I don't wanna talk much about that 'til he gets some people liberated if ya know what I mean darlin'.

Don't fret. You can do this. Dave and Randy will be there soon with my notebook and some other things tonight. I won't call you or see you 'til I get out of here… but don't ever doubt I am with you.

All My Love,

Shawn

Paul looked at the check and could tell when Jay had seen the total by his reaction. "Holy crap Pauly! How many zero's are on that check?" Paul smiled and patted his empty leg and Chris came over and curled up with him and Jay. Paul smacked Chris in the butt with the notebook then smiled at him. "Take this Mister King of Sheboygan." Chris stuck out his tongue then reaching back took the notebook and couldn't resist the natural impulse to open it. "What is it Chrissy what is it?" Paul watched Chris frown as he flipped through the pages. "Looks like… ideas. Angles, storylines, characters, there's even set stuff in here. What is this Paul?" Paul took a deep breath and stared at the tree not believing he was really going to say the words out loud. "That is our new job. Shawn and I are starting a new fed."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Later that Evening *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Paul smiled opening his door wondering where he was going to put all the people. "I'm a free man!" Stevie squealed and Paul laughed. He'd been aware that Stevie was on the chopping block in the Christmas cuts, and knew his friend was more than happy to have it finally come. Motioning in Stevie and Raven Paul smiled shaking the later man's hand before leading them into the sparsely furnished living room. "Sorry I haven't gotten new furniture yet 'cause I wasn't expecting company. Congrats Stevie on your freedom from Purgatory." Raven snorted elegantly handing some bags of groceries to Chris who took them to the kitchen before replying. "That place is much worse than Purgatory." Raven followed Stevie to a bean bag chair where they two curled up together as Raven studied Paul. "So what are you going to do now with your new… free time?"

Jay giggled and danced around the room decorating with the remaining Christmas things he'd found. "Pauly's gonna start his own wrestling fed!"

Raven lifted an eyebrow and looked at Paul. "Do tell." Paul shrugged hoping it appeared more casual than shy as Chris came back in and settled back down in his lap. When the doorbell rang again Jay danced off to answer it as Paul explained. "I've had the idea for a long time. Shawn and I both have notebooks with ideas. It is one of the reasons we became friends. We have the knowledge, most of the money we need, and a helluva start at a killer line up all we need now is some more money, a TV deal and to finalize a couple more details and we are set."

Jay bounced back in on his way to the kitchen with more bags as Dave and Randy trailed behind him. Paul nodded a greeting at the two men before continuing. "People always say that wrestlers can't run a wrestling organization, but I don't think that is true if it is done right. I mean who knows wrestling better than wrestlers? We know what is good and bad. We know what the fans are enjoying and not and if you get the right people you will almost have an immediate fan base. As long as you put the people still wrestling low enough on the totem pole that they don't have the power to… well turn into me… but make sure they still have a voice that is not only heard but taken seriously, then put the elder non-active wrestlers at the top, how could it fail?"

Dave handed Shawn's notebook to Raven before crossing to shake Paul's hand then settled on the floor with Randy in his lap. "It can't and I know that frankly Randy and I are counting on it. We know we don't have Shawn's money, but we want to contribute a little at least." Randy nodded fast and Paul smiled. "Hey I've never turned down money." The men chatted except for Raven who studied Shawn's notes and Paul who was studying Raven. He knew the other man could bring something to the new organization that they wouldn't find other places and would also give it an air of respectability and trustworthiness with the Indy workers that he and Shawn didn't have. "OK I'm in on the condition that you let me be an equal partner with you and Shawn."

Paul nodded as Jay came back in and handed Shawn's check to him. Jay danced it over to Raven smiling happily. "That's the price of the down payment. We can talk about the rest of the financial stuff later." Raven nodded and rubbed Stevie's back as he lifted his eyes to look at Paul. Raven whispered to Stevie asking who then handed him his checkbook and a pen. "Shawn called. Said that I might want to bring my checkbook with me." Paul smiled faintly as he watched the check made out and danced over by Jay who then settled back down with Chris and Paul. "So what are you going to call this new organization?" Paul shrugged sighing. "We've argued about that forever and five centuries. For now though… I think just a new start." The other men nodded each looking forward to the chance.

The End, but only for now.