A/N: IT'S THE END OF AN ERA, EVERYONE!

I cannot thank you all enough for liking, following, and commenting on this story. This was definitely a labour of love, and although the updates at the end were few and far in between (thanks, work, you heartless bitch), I hope you all enjoyed the ride that was Gemma and Fergal. Be on the lookout for some future one-shots with these lovebirds.

I'm going to be taking a bit of a break from multi-chapter fics right now to focus on developing my next Adam Cole fic.

If you really enjoy my writing, go and follow me on Tumblr spine-buster. There is A LOT more writing there that I don't upload here.

Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart. You guys are the best.

Fergal was positive he had never been more nervous in his entire life. He wasn't this nervous the first time he got into a ring. He wasn't this nervous before his first match. He wasn't this nervous before any Best of the Super Juniors Tournament, sold-out match at Korakuen Hall, debut in WWE – nothing. That was all trivial now.

Gemma was finally allowed back on the ice.

He knew whatever he was feeling paled in comparison to what she must have been feeling. He knew that she had waited a year for this; that every breakdown, every temper tantrum, every stretch, every squat, every lunge, culminated in this moment. This was the moment for her.

He was with her in Toronto, obviously, for the big moment. Paul had allowed him to take some time off, and he'd be back in Toronto next weekend too, to help with logistical stuff pertaining to Gemma's hockey camp. It was going to be a busy week, and definitely an emotional week, where a lot of things would change for Gemma. He was almost sure she was ready…and he wasn't sure if he was ready.

He could feel the excited and anxious energy radiating off of her as they moved about her parents' house, getting everything ready. Gemma had packed her hockey gear, and chose her Team Canada jersey to wear for the occasion, since it was the jersey she played her last game in. James had already packed it into the trunk of her car – he and Nabilah were taking their own car to the Ricoh Coliseum, where everything was going to go down. Fergal was standing in the living room, holding Gemma's stick, as he watched her mull about the kitchen filling up her water bottle and contemplate out loud about bringing snacks. She was definitely nervous. The last thing on her mind should have been snacks.

"You almost ready?" he asked softly, taking into account the time. Her coach, Jane, and her teammates from Team Canada were going to be there for 11. It was already past 10 and they needed to drive all the way downtown to get to the arena.

She looked at him like she had forgotten he was in the living room. "Yeah, just about," she said. "Do you think I should bring an extra water bottle?"

"I'm sure they will have that there."

"What about Gatorade? I should bring Gatorade, right?"

"Gemma, they'll have Gatorade," Fergal smiled. He walked towards her as she opened the fridge, put the old water bottle she had taken out two minutes ago back in, only to pull out another one. "Gemma."

"It wasn't cold anymore."

"Gemma," he said more sternly so that she would look at him. When she did, he put his hand over hers. "I know you're nervous, but this is going to be great, okay?"

"I know," she nodded quickly. "I'm sorry…I'm not usually this…"

Fergal furrowed his brows. "Who're you kidding? Yes you are."

Gemma snorted. "Shut up. I'm a basket case, I know, but I've never gotten nervous about hockey before."

"So why are you nervous now?" he asked.

Gemma took a deep breath. Fergal's earnest baby blues were too much for her to handle at this point, so she focused on the water bottle instead. "It's…it's been a year, Fergal. An entire year since I've been on the ice…since I've played hockey. Do you know how long that is?"

Fergal knew it felt like a lifetime, that it was a lifetime for her. That she was robbed of the one thing she enjoyed most and now it was being given back to her, however small. He nodded his head as she leaned in to kiss her temple. "I know. I know how long it is."

"This is going to be insane," she let out a forced chuckle to try and hide the strain in her voice. The tears were already forming. "I'm so happy you're here to see it."

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

She turned towards him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders before giving him a kiss. "I only wish you could have seen me when I was in my prime."

"That's where you're mistaken, Gemma Saad-Fitzgerald," he kissed the tip of her nose. "You are in your prime."

"No…I mean like the prime of my career."

"I mean what I said," Fergal smiled. "You are in the prime of your career. Just because you're not playing hockey doesn't mean you're not in your prime. You're starting this hockey camp, you're giving a once in a lifetime opportunity to thousands of girls across this country…and who knows what else is going to come your way. I would say that's the prime of a career."

Gemma scrunched her face to hide back the tears as she his her face in the crook of Fergal's neck. "What did I do to deserve you," she mumbled.

"You were you," he whispered in her ear. "Now let's go so you can be you again."

The car ride to the Ricoh Coliseum was eerily reminiscent of Fergal and Gemma's early car rides through the streets of Orlando. She was mostly silent, looking out the window at all the houses and buildings on the way. The only time she spoke was when she directed Fergal through the streets, bypassing what the navigation system was telling him so they could take the quicker route. Once they arrived, they were ushered to the private parking area. Fergal didn't bother finding a spot close to the door this time.

Once he parked, he turned off the ignition and looked over at Gemma in the passenger seat. She was staring straight ahead, deep in contemplation. She was mere steps away from the rink – steps away from her moment.

"You alright?" he asked. She nodded her head. He reached across and grabbed her hand in his, stroking her fingers with his thumb. "You wanna go in?"

"Ferg?" she ignored his question.

"Hmm?"

"Before we go in, can I talk to you about something?"

"Of course."

She took a deep breath, collecting herself before squeezing his hand gently. "I just…I want to let you know…when I started this, rehab…I was so…angry at everything. At the world, at hockey, at my physiotherapist, at you, but most importantly, at myself. And you helped me not be so angry. You helped me remember the good things in life…and you…you helped me…" she began tearing up, her voice cracking, "you helped me smile again. And that's the most powerful thing anyone could have ever done for me. I know it hasn't been easy for you – I know how difficult I can be – but you never gave up on me, even when I gave up on myself," she was crying at his point, her cheeks and eyes red as tears rolled down her face. "So before we go in there, I need you tell you…I need to tell you how much I appreciate you, and admire you…and how much I love you," she took a deep breath. "I love you so much Fergal. So much. I can't picture myself with anyone else but you. I can't picture anybody being able to do what you've done. I love you. I love you."

It was Fergal's turn to cry. It had taken Gemma a few months to say those words after he said them, but it was worth it. God, everything this past year was worth it. All the highs and lows, the deep talks to the blow-out fights, every phone call, every message, every car ride – he would do it one hundred times over if it meant he could hear those three words come out of her mouth again. "I love you too, Gemma," he mumbled, leaning over to kiss her. It wasn't a new sentiment, at least for him – he had kept his promise when he told her that her not saying it wouldn't make him stop saying it – but now that he heard it once, it was all he wanted to hear for the rest of his life. "I love you so much."

"I love you. I love you," she repeated. "And I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you for what you've been able to do for me."

"But you don't have to," he affirmed. "Being you is enough. You getting to this moment is all the repayment I'll ever need. Seeing you succeed and be happy is the best thing in the world to me," he said, kissing her again.

She took a few deep breaths, letting his words sink in. When their tears ceased to fall, she bit her lip. "Ready to go in?"

"Are you ready?"

With a nod of her head and a final kiss, Fergal opened his door.

Fergal firmly believed that what he was witnessing before him was magic. There were no words to describe the happiness, the delight, the exuberance that was on Gemma's face as she skated along the ice. He remembered the videos he watched of her when she won her gold medal and thought to himself that she might even be happier now than she was then. Her laughs were so loud and infectious, he could hear them from where he sat in the penalty box. Her teammates were all smiles as they skated with her, passing around a puck and taking light shots towards the nets. Media had showed up from some of the major sports outlets to film. On more than one occasion they had gotten in the way of the hockey players, who virtually trampled them over.

"Hey Fitz!" her coach called out. "You think your shot held up?"

The smile on Gemma's face stretched from ear to ear. "You bet your ass it did."

"Let's find out, shall we?" he smirked. "Hey boys!" he pointed to all the cameramen. "You're gonna wanna catch this."

Two of her teammates skated back onto the ice with targets that they placed on the net in specific areas. Two at the top, two at the bottom, and one where the goalie's five-hole would be. They cheered as a bunch of pucks were brought towards Gemma, who set herself up in her regular shooting position.

As the cameras rolled, Gemma took pucks and began shooting the targets. Cheers erupted every time one was hit – and in a mere 15 seconds, it was all over. She'd been able to hit all five targets in only 15 seconds, using only 10 pucks. Her teammates surrounded her in cheers and congratulatory headbutts.

Fergal noticed her coach setting up pucks in a pyramid at the opposite end from where he was sitting in the penalty box. He motioned over for another camera man to get in behind the area so he could film. "Hey Gem!" he called out to her again. When she looked his way, he pointed towards the pyramid. "Is that the best you got?"

Fergal watched as Gemma's face changed from happy to competitive. She saw the challenge and wanted to rise to it. It was apparently easy to hit targets in a net, and she wanted to go one step further.

She pushed five pucks in front of her, organizing them all in a line. Fergal watched in anticipation her first shot, which knocked the top puck off. Her second shot completely wiped out the puck on the left. Her third shot hit the remaining puck so hard it crashed into the glass behind it. Her fourth was a slapshot to the rest of the period, causing it to explode and leaving one sole puck rolling along the boards. With her last shot, with sniper-like accuracy, she shot her last puck and knocked the rolling puck off the boards.

Once she was finished, she looked at her coach with her eyebrows raised. "Still the best shot in the game, huh?" she smirked.

"Atta girl," Fergal mumbled to himself proudly.

It had been a week since Gemma had gotten back on the ice, and it was like she was a completely different person. Fergal could see and sense the difference the second she stepped off the ice at the Ricoh Coliseum last week. Since then, the two videos of her target practice had gone viral, showcasing just how much of a true talent she still was, despite not having been on the ice for an entire year.

Now, her main focus was the hockey camp. She and Fergal had met with some Hockey Canada executives last night and were scheduled to meet up with John and some guys from the Toronto Maple Leafs for dinner to talk sponsorship opportunities. She had gone out to lunch with her mom earlier in the day before she came back to rest and get read for that night. Nabilah had gone to get her hair done; James was playing a round of golf with his buddies. Gemma was sitting at the kitchen table, painting her nails, while he was sprawled out on the couch, watching TV. It was a rare, quiet moment in a life that was a whirlwind from the moment he opened his eyes to the moment he shut them to sleep.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Gemma standing in the doorway. "Ferg?"

"Hmm?"

She walked over to the couch slowly, sitting down facing him. He pulled himself up from lying down so he could look at her. "We…we need to talk."

The four words any person walking the earth would dread to hear. He gulped. "About what?"

"When I…when I said I was going out with my mom today, I was lying," she began.

Sirens began going off in Fergal's brain. She wasn't exactly off to the best start. "Okay…where did you go instead?"

"I uh…I went for a job interview," she revealed.

"A job interview?"

"Yeah. With Hockey Night in Canada."

Fergal calmed down considerably, but there was still some skepticism on his part. "Okay…"

"About a week ago, they had called me and asked me to come in. I didn't tell you because I had no idea what it was about. I thought maybe they just wanted an interview after those videos went viral. But they…they asked me to be on Hockey Night in Canada."

Fergal could barely process the words that were coming out of her mouth. She had known about it for a week? Hockey Night in Canada? "Gemma, that's amazing," he finally let out.

"You think so?"

"Of course!" he exclaimed. "Gemma, Hockey Night in Canada is like…an institution. This is…this is like everything you've ever wanted as a kid, besides being a hockey player. This is your dream."

"It is…this does mean a lot…" her words sounded unsure. Fergal became nervous at how hesitant she sounded about this. "But I'm putting what it means to me aside for now, okay? It just means a lot in general. It means I'm going to be based in Toronto long term. It means both of my jobs are here. It means that I can't move, even if I wanted to -"

"Gemma -"

"It means that you've gotta be willing to be here. To move to Toronto," she deadpanned, her voice quivering. Fergal knew there were tears coming because she had already thought about how this talk would go in her head. She'd give the proposition to him. He'd say no. They'd break up. She'd be alone and lonely. She'd work her job, and be happy about it, but her personal life would be void. He'd go on working in the WWE. Soon, they would become distant memories for each other. One day, down the road, she'd flip on the TV and WWE would be on, and she'd see him in the ring, and remember their short, fleeting relationship. But it would all be over.

"So if you're not committed, I need to know now. Before anything goes forward. So that I know where we stand."

"Gemma…" he said softly, holding both her hands in his. "I've been committed from the beginning."

She came to a slow realization of what he had just said. "So you'll stay."

"Yes."

"You'll move to Toronto."

"Yes."

"You'll…you'll…" she tried to get out, but tears interrupted her.

"Yes, yes, yes," Fergal embraced her.

When she broke down and cried into his shoulder, grasping at him as if he would float away, he realized the magnitude of what had just happened. It was what happened over the last week, really, that culminated to this moment, to her crying on his shoulder, overjoyed. She had said 'I love you' before she knew anything official about his willingness to move to Toronto for her. She had exposed herself, made herself vulnerable, made herself susceptible to heartbreak, all before she knew his decision. She had taken the biggest, greatest risk of her life, not knowing if it would lead her to sadness or happiness.

She hadn't let fear get in the way of making a decision. And it had the best payoff.

"I feel like I'm walking into Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory," Gemma declared as Ron MacLean escorted her and Fergal throughout the Hockey Night in Canada studios. She had called that morning to let them know her decision, and not even ten minutes later Ron had called her, offering to show her around her new workplace. She 'dragged' Fergal along, but he was just as willing as she was. After all, he wanted to see where his girlfriend would be working a majority of the year, and he wanted to meet her colleagues.

"It is a bit magical, isn't it?" Ron nodded his head as they walked on set. "Elliotte should be here any second to give you the crash course in teleprompter reading. Why don't you take a seat?"

Gemma looked at Ron like he had two heads. "You serious?"

"Better get used to it now, right?" he smiled.

As Gemma walked around the desk, taking everything in, Fergal had to stifle his laugh. She really did look like a kid in a candy store. Soon a man emerged – Elliotte, probably – who began to talk to her all about the set up and production, pointing out each microphone, camera, and teleprompter on set.

As Fergal stood off to the side, watching Gemma take it all in, Ron ended up standing beside him. "You must be Fergal, Gemma's boyfriend," he extended his hand.

Fergal loved how when he was in Canada, he was simply 'Gemma's boyfriend'. "That's me."

"The wrestler," Ron went on. "I saw you at the NHL Awards. PK Subban told me who you are."

Fergal chuckled. "Yeah, PK and I are making a buddy-cop movie. The Rock is going to produce it."

Ron shook his head. "That boy comes up with the craziest ideas. But hey, he did tell me a little bit about you. Guy from Ireland? Lived in Japan? Moving to Toronto now?" Ron smiled. Fergal nodded his head at it all. "You must really like Gemma. No Irish guy I'd know would choose to go through Canadian winters."

Fergal chuckled, but kept his eyes on Gemma looking at the teleprompter and messing up her lines already. The smile that took up half her face stretched from ear to ear. "I know. It's not the easiest or the most straightforward of paths. And Gemma…this past year. She hasn't been the easiest or the most straightforward either. But I love her. And she loves me. And that's the beginning and the end of everything."