We need to have a chat about the future. That was how Hunter had ended the text message he had sent to Ronda earlier in the day, before she got to the arena for Smackdown. It was for that reason that the first item on her agenda for the night had been to go and see the boss in his office.

"You wanted to see me, Hunter?" she asked politely as she walked in, thankful that he was the only one in the room.

Hunter looked up from the paperwork he had been reading and smiled. "Ronda, how are you? How have you been since Sunday, I mean?" He gestured for her to take a seat on the leather-backed chair in front of his desk.

"Okay," Ronda decided was the right word, after sitting down and giving it some thought for few seconds. "Sunday night was tough. Once we got to the hotel, the adrenaline went away and it started to sink in that it was all over, I couldn't stop crying for a long time. Thank God that Seth was there, or I don't know how I would have gotten through it. Hopefully the worst of that is behind me though, at least after tonight. It's not going to be easy out there."

"I've seen it plenty of times, and I know it's definitely not easy to come to terms with it," Hunter said sympathetically. "You mentioned tonight, though, and that's the first thing I wanted to talk to you about. I've set aside some time at the end of the show for you to go out to the ring and say a few words. I know you'd like that opportunity, and I know the fans will expect something like that to happen."

"Thanks, Hunter," Ronda said genuinely. "I don't want to say all that much, to be honest. I'd just like to thank a few people and say goodbye. I've already told Seth I don't want a fuss making out of it. I'd only end up crying in the ring, and I'm trying to avoid that."

"I understand."

Ronda had tried her best to read the expression on his face as he said it. She was not convinced that Seth was going to go along with her wishes and not make a big deal out of her sendoff. If there was anything planned, the boss's poker face was good enough not to let on.

"With that in mind, though," Hunter went on, "I think we need to talk about where we go from here."

"Meaning?" Ronda asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Meaning do you really intend for this to be your last appearance for WWE? You must have thought about what to do after your in-ring retirement."

"I have thought about it, and I've been trying to figure out what you meant when you said my retirement doesn't have to mean the end. You've said that to me twice, so maybe, stop being cryptic now?"

Hunter took her typical bluntness in his stride. "I meant exactly what I said. Your retirement as a wrestler doesn't have to mean the end of Ronda Rousey in WWE. You're still under contract, after all. I am keen to keep you on as an on-screen talent. Specifically, I want you to take on the role of Smackdown General Manager."

"But that's Steph's job," Ronda blurted out on autopilot.

"Right now it is, yeah. What I'm proposing is to write something that involves her moving to Raw, with you coming in as her replacement on Smackdown. We're talking in a few months time of course, so we can get the whole surprise Ronda return aspect of it."

Ronda considered the offer, not that it required much consideration. She had not wanted to walk away from the wrestling business, and this role would see her working the same show as Seth, which of course meant precious time together. As Hunter had said, she was still under contract, so there was no financial aspect to dwell on. From her point of view, it seemed like a simple offer, and one that was acceptable to her.

"I liked that idea," she announced. "I'd like to go ahead with it. Is it, uh, that simple?"

Hunter chuckled. "I could see if I could find a way to make it harder, if you like?"

"No, simple works for me," Ronda said, managing a grin of her own. "I think this fits in well with the fact that I'm looking to invest, too. When that becomes public knowledge, it won't seem like such a leap for people to see me show up in a management position." She watched Hunter lean back in his chair, catching on straight away to her clever steering of the conversation towards the topic of the executive position she had requested after her investment went through.

"I know what you're getting at there," he said carefully. "We've not had the chance to sit down and discuss it as yet. That's all I can say to you at present. Honestly, I will speak in favour of the idea, but that still might not be enough to get it through. The Chairman can't just make a unilateral decision on something like that."

"I understand that," Ronda replied, figuring that she could not have realistically hoped to hear anything more positive than that at this stage.

They chatted for another few minutes about her proposed role as General Manager and plans for the segment later in the night, before Hunter brought an end to the meeting. As Ronda headed for the door, she heard him click his fingers in frustration. "One more thing, Ronda. I don't know how I managed to forget to mention it."

"What's that?" Ronda asked, stopping near the door and turning back to face him.

"Daga has organised a little something for you, as a thank you. She wanted to be here herself to tell you about it, but she's got the night off. She got a minor injury in her shoulder Sunday night, so I gave her a few days off at home."

"Organised what?" Ronda asked suspiciously. The whole thing about Elena not being there because of some lame injury sounded like a particularly unconvincing line of bullshit. As if her friend would miss her sendoff show for a reason like that. Something was going on.

"She told me she wanted to do something to show her gratitude for you putting her over in that main event, so she's organised a friend of her family to be here tonight to sing a couple of songs for you. It should be, uh, very different for a wrestling show, that's for sure."

Ronda shook her head in confusion. "Hunter, what are you talking about? What friend of her family? And singing, for me?"

"Ever heard of Andrea Bocelli?"

"I think so," Ronda said. "An opera singer? Daga arranged for an opera singer to sing for me, on Smackdown?" She was touched that her friend would make the effort to get someone who she felt sure was a big name in opera to perform for her, but she did not know anything about that type of music herself. It certainly did not seem like the kind of thing wrestling fans would appreciate. Having said that, the big win had meant a lot to her friend, and rejecting her gesture of thanks would be outrageously rude and ungrateful. "That will certainly be something different," she hedged.

"I met him a short time ago," Hunter said. "He's actually a really nice guy, and has good English. He's also blind, so you're going to have to lead him out to the microphone we'll have set up on the stage, and you'll have to stand with him while he performs."

"Uh, okay," Ronda mumbled, wondering what exactly Elena had gotten her into.

Hunter stood up and walked around his desk. "Come on, I'll take you to meet him. Daga's really confident his performance, unconventional though it might be for our audience, will prove to be a memorable moment."

Ronda was not sure about that, but she decided to give it a chance, thinking that she would be happy to be proven wrong.

Standing behind the curtain, seconds before her farewell segment was due to begin, Ronda still was not sure what to expect in terms of the fan's reaction to hearing two opera songs. Would they be bored by it? Might they even shit all over it? She hoped that her presence on the stage and the fact that the performance was essentially going to be for her would be enough to stop that happening.

When she was given the signal, she lead the way through the curtain, linked arm in arm with Andrea Bocelli. As Hunter had said, the handsome singer was a lovely man. He was one of those rare people who you could just chat to from the first moment you met them, as if you were old friends. He had spoken of his friendship with the D'Agostino family, who were a notable name in Italian business, and had gone on to say that he considered it an honour to come and sing at Ronda's farewell. Although he did not have an interest in wrestling, he had explained that he knew Ronda was one of the most popular stars, and that loosing her to early retirement was a big blow to the fans. Plus there was the fact that Elena had told him about how she was being booked to beat Ronda in her final match. Knowing how important that was to her had been all it had taken to convince him to make the trip to America and perform without even charging WWE a fee for doing so. Even with her reservations about opera being suitable for the occasion, Ronda had felt herself welling up at the incredible gesture made by both Elena and Andrea.

Ronda was to lead him to the podium and remain there while he performed two songs. He had given her the names, but she had forgotten the first one. It had been something in Italian, which had not meant anything to her because she knew nothing about opera and did not speak the language. The second song had an English title: Time to Say Goodbye. Ronda expected hearing that to be where things started to get emotional, both for her and the fans, if they actually got into the performance. To give Andrea every chance at a receptive audience, she had decided to introduce him herself when they got to the microphone.

The fans gave her an emotional cheer along with generous applause, despite her lack of entrance music. Most of them were probably confused as to what the hell was going on, she realised. Some of them began to chant her name as she and Andrea reached the microphone stand which had been erected at the top of the entrance ramp. She made sure Andrea was okay with knowing where he was so they could unlink arms.

"Thank you," she said over the top of the chanting of her name, which was getting louder by the second. "I'd like to introduce Andrea Bocelli. Team Rousey, he's here to perform for us."

She had hoped that would help to get people to pay attention, but most of them just carried on chanting, even as the music to the first song, Nessun Dorma, began to play. Even when Andrea began singing, her name continued to echo around the arena. She held up a hand and gestured for them to quiet down, which she was pleased to see actually worked in fairly short order.

Ronda tried to focus on the words to the song, in the hope that she could appreciate them despite not speaking a word of Italian. She soon realised that the language barrier was not a problem. Opera seemed to her to be as much about the emotions the singer's voice could stir within you, rather than the words they were actually singing. Andrea certainly had her hooked almost from the start. His voice was truly incredible. The song actually seemed reminiscent, too, once he got into it. She decided she must have heard it on TV at some point.

As the song went on, she looked around the arena. A large majority of the fans were now absorbed into the song as well, which really was a testament to how well it was being sung. If you could get opera over with wrestling fans, you really were special.

When Andrea brought the song to an end with the final sustained note, Ronda felt goosebumps breaking out on her arms. She wanted to tell him how great she thought it had been, but she knew he was not done yet. There was the second song to come. The fans, not knowing that, were applauding what they thought was the end of the singing. When more music started to play, they quickly quietened down again, this time without being asked.

Almost immediately, Ronda realised that Time to Say Goodbye was a much different song to the first. This was a much slower, more emotional song, as was appropriate for the title. Thinking about the title and what it meant in her context started to stir emotions within her. When Andrea sang the title in English as part of the song, the only English words in it, she felt herself welling up again. It really was exactly that: Time to say goodbye. It was then that she really appreciated Elena's gift for what it truly was. Although they both knew they would be friends for life, Daga was still saying goodbye to her as a colleague, and an opponent, and this was how she had chosen to do it. It truly was a very special gift.

Looking out at the crowd again, she could see people crying themselves, moved to tears by the powerful song as much as her retirement. As Andrea brought the song to its conclusion, Ronda knew it was a moment she would never forget. Andrea thanked the fans in English, who in turn gave him a standing ovation and enthusiastic applause as Ronda hugged him and said, "Thank you, Andrea. That was truly beautiful. I'll never forget it."

"My pleasure, Ronda," he told her, then Renee Young came through the curtain and onto the stage. It had been arranged ahead of time that she would lead Andrea to the back, so that Ronda could go down to the ring to address the fans.

She made her way down the ramp amid applause and more name chanting. Surprisingly, she felt like she might get through without breaking down. There was more of a celebratory feeling to the atmosphere than anything else, and she was being lifted by it. The chant quickly changed to, "Thank you, Ronda," when she climbed into the ring and walked across to get a microphone. Smiling broadly, she tried her best to acknowledge the support.

"Thank you, guys," she began, when there was half a chance of anyone hearing her. "I expected to come out here tonight and feel like I might burst into tears at any moment, but I actually feel great. It feels like you guys are carrying me right now, so thank you for that." More cheering made her pause for a moment.

"I don't have a lot that I want to say. Elaborate speeches aren't really my thing, as I'm sure most of you know. All I wanted to do was say a few words of thanks. First of all, I want to thank all of you, the fans. Not just those of you in the arena tonight, I mean everyone out there who has ever supported me in any way, be it cheering for me, sending me supportive tweets, donating to the Rousey Foundation, the list goes on. I truly appreciate everything you've done for me, and I know that I live the privileged life I have largely because of all of you. I'm just trying my best to deserve it."

She had not thought through the rather obvious consequence of ending on those particular words. The crowd quickly started chanting, "You deserve it."

"The next people I want to thank are Triple H and Stephanie. I know I've not always been the easiest person to manage, but they've always stood by me. Hunter brought me back to WWE after I was released from my first contract, and that's the main reason I'm standing here today. They've both also been incredibly supportive of the Foundation, which means so much to me, and to the people in need who we've managed to help so far." Generous applause rained down.

"Next, I'd like to thank the most important person in my life, my husband. No husband could treat his wife better than Seth treats me, and no woman could love their man more than I do. I am truly blessed in so many ways to have him in my life. I love you, honey." The uncharacteristic final sentence drew more applause, which turned to a loud cheer when Seth's music hit.

Ronda closed her eyes for a moment. She had suspected that Seth was going to ignore her request not to come out to the ring during her speech and make a big deal of it. Any hopes of getting through without crying had probably just gone out of the window, she thought. When she opened her eyes, she knew it for sure. Seth was not the only person who had walked out onto the stage. Maggie was linked arm in arm with him, and Ronda's mother and sisters were walking just behind them. Given the issues she'd had with her family over the years, albeit that they had made some progress towards reconnecting recently, she certainly had not expected them to come and see her at WWE.

Biting her bottom lip, she waited for them all to get in the ring. Seth held the ropes open for them and offered a hand to help Maggie, who went first. "I told you not to do something like this," Ronda said to her best friend as she walked over. They shared a warm embrace.

"I know you did. We ignored you," Maggie replied, grinning.

Ronda laughed, to her own surprise. "We'll talk about this after the show."

Ronda then exchanged greetings, hugs and kind words with her family members, thanking them all for coming. Then it was Seth's turn. Tears trickled from her eyes as she looked into his and saw the love he felt for her in them. "I told you not to do this," she said into his ear as they hugged each other. "I was doing well till you came out, now I'm crying. I really should kill you," she chuckled.

They pulled apart and Seth took her microphone. Turning to the crowd, he laughed and asked them, "You know what she just said? She's going to kill me for this after we get in the back." Laughter filled the arena, and everyone in the ring joined in. "Before I die though, babe, I have to say that if you really thought people weren't going to come out to wish you well for your retirement, you've got another thing coming."

Almost soon enough to interrupt him, Elena's music hit. Some of the fans booed on instinct, thinking that this might be some kind of in-character interruption, with the heel coming out to shit on the celebrations. Ronda knew differently, and had to close her eyes tightly for a few seconds to keep the tears in as Elena quickly made her way to the ring. As if she would not have been here, Ronda thought, making a mental note to talk to Hunter about lying to her.

The Italian's music faded out when she entered the ring, and the two women stood several feet apart, looking eye to eye. The crowd were unsure as to what was going on, but then a smile broke out on Elena's face and she began to applaud Ronda as she walked forward. Applause quickly followed from the fans, who saw the raw emotion involved in their embrace.

"Thank you for arranging Andrea to come and sing for me, Daga. That was incredible."

"It was the least I could do," Elena replied. "You've done so much for my career over the last couple of months. I can't even tell you what it means to me. I'm going to miss you."

"Who said I was going anywhere?" Ronda asked as they separated, reminded of something that she and Hunter had agreed she would say to the audience before she left the ring.

"You're staying on the show?"

"I hope so," Ronda hedged. "Thanks again for coming out. I love you."

"I love you, too, Ronda." Elena walked over and shared a hug with Seth, who thanked her for coming out.

Then the next piece of entrance music hit. It belonged to Charlotte Flair, current NXT star, Ronda's friend, and daughter of her mentor, the late Ric Flair. The taller woman was greeted warmly by the fans, as most of them knew how close Ronda and Ric had been, and guessed that was the main reason Charlotte was there.

Ronda just about kept her emotions in check long enough to greet her friend when she entered the ring. "Thanks for coming, Charlotte. It really means so much to me."

"I wouldn't have missed it," Charlotte replied as they hugged. "My dad is so proud of you right now, you know that? After everything you've been through in your personal life, to be out here retiring in such a way, putting Daga over like that, it would have meant so much to him if he could have been out here instead of me."

Both women were crying by the end of her comments. They held each other tightly for what seemed like a very long time, sharing their grief, but also trying to give each other strength.

"I can only hope to carry on making him proud. Your dad changed my life, Char. I was in a seriously bad place when he decided to step in and help me. Again, thank you so much for coming out."

"You're welcome." Charlotte smiled, then moved on to speak to Seth.

Sarita Lopez was the next to come out. At one time, she and Ronda had been at odds to say the least, but they had buried the hatchet and then moved on to become friends. Sarita was currently on leave due to pregnancy, and Ronda had not seen her for some time. The two women exchanged a hug and some kind words.

Nikki Bella, who had been Ronda's friend almost since her first day with WWE, was next to come out. Neither of those people showing up surprised Ronda, now that she knew Seth had been making arrangements. There was no way either of them would not have been a part of it.

Ronda smiled again when Roman Reigns' music hit. Most of the crowd even spared him from boos for once. Roman and Ronda had been friends for a long time, and on one occasion had been a lot closer than that, shortly after she had broken up with Seth the first time they had been together. Due to the fact that Roman was married, and also the fact that Ronda had ended up getting back with Seth, that night together had always been kept secret. Thankfully, it had not ruined their friendship, or Roman and Seth's friendship. Thanks to Roman being drafted to Raw, they now did not get to see him very often.

"I'm sorry, Ronda," Roman said as the embraced. "Injuries can be very cruel, but you sure achieved a hell of a lot in this business."

"It's okay, I've made my peace with it," she assured him. "Thanks for coming out, Rome, it really means a lot."

"You couldn't have stopped me," Roman smiled, then gave her a friendly peck on the cheek. He made to walk over to Seth, but stopped and added, "Oh, I hope you don't mind, but I made a call of my own and arranged one more person to come."

Ronda was about to question who he was talking about, but she did not get the chance. The Rock's music hit, and the roof nearly come off the arena. Ronda could not help herself laughing as the co-star in her most recent movie made his way down to the ring. Filming that movie had been one of the best experiences of her career, mainly due to getting along so well with Dwayne, whose wife she had been playing on-screen. They had begun the project as acquaintances and ended it as friends.

While the fans cheered and chanted, "Rocky," Ronda embraced him and thanked him for coming.

"Roman said you told Seth you didn't want anyone making a big deal of this, but I weighed it up and decided that as they're considering a sequel to our movie, I didn't want you showing up and kicking my ass."

Both of them laughed at that, then Ronda said, "Seriously, thank you so much for taking the time to come. I really couldn't have imagined you doing this for me."

"My pleasure. I'm just sorry your neck made you stop earlier than you would have wanted. But you've got such a bright future in front of you, even without wrestling. Now, how about we give them a picture to remember tonight by?"

"How do you mean?" Ronda asked, grinning.

"Come here." Dwayne took her by the hand and walked into the centre of the ring, before raising it as a referee would after a winning effort in a match. The fans cheered raucously.

Just like that, Ronda realised that it was over. She had not ended up as a total blubbering mess as she had feared. In fact, it had been a lovely experience to have all these people come out especially for her. There was only one thing left to do. "Can I please have that microphone?" she asked Seth, who handed it over.

"Thank you, everyone," she began, meaning those in the ring. "It means so much to me that you all came out here for me. I just have one more thing to say." Taking a deep breath, she turned to face the crowd. This was the pre-arranged moment she had talked about with Hunter.

"My retirement doesn't mean the end," she told the audience, being as cryptic as Hunter had himself with almost the exact same sentence. It was not even clear if she meant the end for herself, or for women's wrestling. "Your job now is to support the other women in WWE. There are so many great talents here, I know women's wrestling is in good hands. I hope it works out without me." Her voice broke as she delivered the final sentence.

Seeing the difficulty she was having, the fans started applauding again as Seth hugged her. "Come on, honey, let's go to the back," he suggested. Ronda was ready to do exactly that, so she allowed him to take her hand and lead her towards the ropes.

There was still one more surprise to come as she and Seth lead the rest of the entourage up the entrance ramp. The Authority's music hit, and Hunter and Stephanie walked out onto the stage, followed by the rest of the women's roster. They divided equally to form a guard of honour at the top of the entrance ramp, applauding as she made her way between them, thanking them all as she did so. Another chorus of, "Thank you, Ronda," echoed around the arena.

It was the last straw for Ronda as far as her emotions were concerned. She could not bring herself to turn back and look at the fans one last time, because tears were streaming down her face. For the last time, as far as most people knew, she disappeared through the curtain.

END

A/N: The next story in this series has now been published. It is called A Night To Remember. Head over to my profile page to find it and check it out.