removing rear axle and seal

Hi, I'm attempting to replace the bearings and axle seal on the rear side. I've removed the cover for the differentials, drained the oil out, turned the diff til i found the bolt that holds the gear pin, removed the gear pin and some gears then I removed the "C" clip from the axle. the gears on the axle are loose, and at this point, I believe the axle should slide right out, but for some reason it won't budge, it feels like some thing else is holding it in, any ideas????