AUTHOR'S NOTE: This fic takes place in the same universe as Trouble and Deviant, but it stands alone. You do not need to read those fics to read this one, but the supernatural battle against Chaos they revolve around is also at the center of this story. Other than that, this fic is unrelated to those two. There should not be many spoilers, other than who some of the bad guys are. If you have read the other fics, this one takes place between the two stories, in the present time, right as Big Cass turned on Enzo. This fic will include many flashbacks of things that took place before it began. Those parts will be in italics and will be in the past tense, while the present will be in the present tense to help keep it straight. I hope you enjoy the story...

CHAPTER ONE: PROLOGUE

ERIC

This is the story of two brothers. There's no blood tie between us, but that ain't what makes a family. My name is Eric, otherwise known as the Certified G and Bonafied Stud, Enzo Amore. My brother is none other than Bill, a.k.a. Big Cass, and he's seven foot tall (okay, more like 6'10, but close enough, am I right?), and you can't teach that!

Anyway, before we were big, bad WWE superstars, we were just two kids who met on a basketball court and formed the most unbreakable bond in history.

It was a real nice day out. I was playing basketball, which I was pretty good at if I do say so myself. This kid showed up, and he was pretty huge, and all I could think was, Damn, this dude was born to play ball. I mean, what else does a kid that tall do for fun, right?

These punks who thought they owned the court got in his face. I watched for a minute, wondering how many ways this kid would pummel them. Instead, he stood there, silently taking their crap. Considering I'd seen him shoot, I knew the kid was good. Also, I fucking hated bullies, and I wasn't just gonna watch them pick on this kid.

"Get outta here, you fucking loser," one of them said.

"I see a loser on the court alright," I chimed in, "but it ain't him."

"Fuck off, Arndt," The punk said. These assholes knew me. "Mind your business."

"What? I'm just sayin', at least that guy can score a basket! He's one up on your ass!"

"I scored better than you yesterday, dumbass."

"And I scored with your mom last night. What's your point?"

"What'd you just fucking say?" The punk was ready to kill me.

"It's what your mama said that you should be interested in. And she was screaming my name all night long!" I grabbed the ball and shot it into the basket. "That's what it looks like to score, bro."

"You're fucking dead!" He shouted as he came at me. I was pretty sure I was about to get my ass kicked. I was a hell of a fighter, but this guy wasn't small and I'd thoroughly pissed him off. My mouth routinely got me into these situations. I knew the drill... But I was sure as shit gonna go down swinging.

Suddenly, right as the punk went for my throat, someone grabbed him and pulled him off of me. "It's not cool to pick on guys who are smaller than you," the big guy said.

"Fuck you," the punk retorted.

"How original." The big guy rolled his eyes. He let the punk go. The punk, of course, doubled his efforts and tried to attack the big guy. Naturally, I decided it was a good time to tap him on the shoulder and punch that punk in the face.

He cursed as blood trickled down from his nose. "I'm gonna fucking kill you!" He insisted. I was pretty sure he was bluffing. Still, I kicked him in his junk for good measure.

I was too busy laughing to notice his friend coming for me. Idiot Number Two grabbed me and tried to bash my head in. That's when my new big friend got between us and knocked that guy down on his ass. I laughed harder. When he got up, he took off running, but not before I spanked him on the ass and let out a "whoop" of triumph.

The first punk ran after him, not willing to stick around to see what we'd do next. "How you doin'?" I asked the big guy.

"Well... That was interesting," he replied.

"Never a dull moment with me, Friend. I'm Eric."

"Bill. Thanks for defending me."

"Trash talkin' is my thing. Thanks for saving me from the asskicking of a lifetime."

"Any time, Brother."

I picked up the basketball and bounced it toward him, saying, "Check?"

He smiled and sent it back at me. "Check," he replied. Just like that, we were brothers for life.

I stare at my brother now in confusion. He just followed Corey's lead and went way off-script. Did they rewrite it and not tell me? It's WWE. Sometimes, that does happen. Still, why the fuck is he confessing to being the one who attacked me? It's supposed to be the Revival. Besides, we aren't supposed to break up. Shit, Funko Pop is releasing an Enzo and Cass two-pack soon... It's the wrong time to break us up. What the hell is happening? He's saying shit he'd never say, not even if it were scripted. Bill knows I'm sensitive about a few things, and yet here he is, throwing all my insecurities in my fucking face. Anyone else would do it, sure, but Bill? He'd tell them to change it. He's the farthest thing from a bully... Bill's basically a gentle giant. So, for real, what the fuck is happening? Am I fucking crying? Shit.

The big boot sorta tells me the heel turn is legit. My best friend, my brother has betrayed me. I look into his eyes, and then I know it's so much more... The guy in the ring with me isn't Bill... It's his shell. And it's empty.

No, I think. They couldn't have gotten to Bill. He's too smart for them. But looking at him, I can't deny it. Somehow, the idiots working for that evil son of a bitch Chaos have turned Bill evil... And there's not a damn thing I can do about it right now because we're in front of an audience and I have to sell this. It ain't hard... My heart is literally breaking into a hundred million pieces as I think about what they must have done to him... My brother needs me, and for the first time ever, I have no idea what to do... But I'm damned well going to find a way to save him anyway.

BILL

I'm screaming inside of my own head. The heel turn is bad enough, but I know I have to hurt him... Have to kill him... And I can't let that happen. I'm trying to fight, but it's impossible. What's happening to me? How did I get here?

"I need you, Bill!" Leah screamed as soon as I picked up the phone.

"What's wrong, Lee?" I asked her.

"He's pissed, Billy... He's so fucking pissed. He's going to kill me!"

"Leah, slow down. Who's pissed? What's happening?"

"Chaos..." Her voice cracked with terror. "I tried to leave, like you said, and now he wants me dead!"

"Where are you?" I'd been trying to get Leah to walk away from the dark side for months. She had pretty much sold her soul to get ahead... She wanted to be on top, and she wasn't willing to wait and work her way there. I loved Leah with all my heart, but I couldn't stay with her if she was evil... I should have given up on her, but I couldn't, so I kept trying to save her... I'd finally told her it was them or me, and she'd chosen them... But now, it seemed she'd changed her mind, and I knew he'd kill her if she didn't have protection.

"I'll text you the address. Please hurry, Bill. I'm scared!"

"Oh, Baby," Leah says as I get backstage. She wraps her arms around me and kisses me. I feel nothing. Actually, that's not true. Physically, it's nice... But there are no emotions attached. I figure you have to have a heart and a soul to feel things like that. I no longer have either. "That was perfect!"

"It could have been better," I say numbly.

"No, it was great. He's very happy with you... Now we just need to complete the mission. Get rid of the useless little ferret and be done with it."

"I... Leah, no. I... I can't." I am trying to fight. I have to fight... Why am I fighting again?

"He's holding you back, Baby. You know he is."

"He's holding me back," I reply automatically. It is like a script was just set off in my head now, and I can't go off-book. "He must be destroyed."

"That's right, Baby. Kill him. Kill Eric."

Eric, I think. I hesitate.

"Enzo," Leah says quickly. "Kill Enzo. He's nothing. He's useless. He's holding you back."

Suddenly, I forget everything else. I have a mission. I have to kill Enzo. And I will. Just like I killed the woman he loved. Of course, he doesn't know that yet. I can't wait to throw it in his face and watch the last of his strength shatter. He's so weak... I'm going to enjoy destroying him.

GRACIE

I am so thoroughly screwed... The night of Money in the Bank, I showed up. I'm still an NXT Diva, but Paul's looking to bring me up soon, so he calls me in frequently for dark matches, meet and greet opportunities, or just to observe and learn. I blank for a moment on what happened next... It's hard to retain things where I am... Then it all comes back to me.

I got to the arena early because Bill texted and asked me to come see him and Leah. When I got there, I knew something was wrong. To say my "Spidey Senses" were tingling would be an understatement. It was more like my entire body was sent into an instant state of Red Alert. Every hair stood on end. Every instinct in me was screaming to get ready for a fight... But why? I knew Leah was on the wrong side of things, but Bill was one of my two best friends, and he'd never let her hurt me... Not that she could. I'm stronger, both physically and psychically. Also, unlike "Car-mel-la," I actually am a New Yorker. That bitch is from Massachusetts. It's why her accent is so over-the-top. It's fake, just like everything else about her.

Leah smiled at me and I was reminded of a snake. "Hey guys," I said cautiously. "What's up?"

"I need to talk to you," Bill said.

I saw it then... His eyes were dead. His energy was off. This wasn't Bill, but it was his body. "Bill... Shit, Bill," I whispered. I knew they'd turned him. I'd seen it before. I should have run, but this was Bill... I couldn't just leave him.

He lunged at me. I ducked out of the way. Leah continued smiling as he attacked me, but she didn't make a move to help him. They were testing him. They were trying to see if they truly had full control over him.

"Bill, don't do this," I begged him. "This isn't you."

I saw the slightest bit of recognition in his eyes. "Gracie..." He whispered. "Kill me."

I shook my head. "I can't do that, Bill," I said softly. "We're in this together, till the end. Remember?"

"I'll kill you."

"You won't."

"I have to. And Eric, too."

"You're still in there, Bill. I don't know how, but you're not like the others he's turned."

"I can't fight it... Not for long."

"Kill her, Baby!" Leah shouted as she realized he'd stopped attacking me. "Do it!"

"Gracie... Run..."

I tried, because I knew this was it. He was about to lose control. Unfortunately, it happened too quickly, and Bill is stronger than me. He hit my head so hard, it sent me flying into a wall. He pinned me to it and systematically began beating the hell out of me. Bill, the man who would never so much as put his hands on a woman, was going to beat me to death, and slowly at that.

Clarity, I thought. He just needs clarity.

I tried to focus through the pain in my head to reach out to Brian Myers. Like his current Curt Hawkins gimmick, Brian can actually force people to "face the facts." What I mean is, he has the remarkable gift of giving anyone whose mind Chaos has invaded instant clarity with a touch of his hand. Unfortunately, I suddenly remembered that Brian was back home in New York because his wife had just given birth to their first baby. He wasn't an option.

More pain than I could process shot through my body. I was out of time. Bill was going to kill me. I had exactly one option left, and it was risky with my head injury. Still, it beat certain death, so I gave it a shot.

I focused as best as I could and astral projected out of my body. I watched as Bill's shell (because it wasn't really Bill in there) continued pounding his fists against my shell (because the lights were on in my body, but no one was home) and Leah laughed like a hyena in heat. I was safe for now. I have a protection spell on my body that prevents it from dying if I'm not inside. What should have killed me left my body in a magickal coma instead, and with any luck, I'd be able to heal before I slipped back in. If I ended up back in my body too soon, the damage would still kill me.

I felt a portal open behind me and I stumbled into another realm. I wasn't in the world of the living, but I wasn't dead either... I was stuck in-between.

I curse as I realize what happened. I'm not sure how much time has passed, and I have no idea where the hell my body is. My body is essentially trapped in a state of eternal sleep like I'm some Goddamned Disney Princess and I have no idea how to find my way back.

The evil Egyptian God of Chaos, whose name no one ever uses (he's like Voldemort), suddenly appears. He laughs at me. "I was wondering why your body wasn't quite dead yet," he says. "What an impressive parlor trick. Let's fix that, shall we?"

"Nah, that's cool," I say casually. "I think I'll pass."

"You can't hide forever."

"Who's hiding? I just decided to go for a walk."

He tries to lunge at me. I know if my soul dies, it won't matter what happens to my body because I'll never return to it. I close my eyes and wait for Chaos to get closer to me before I stab him with my favorite astral weapon, a sword I can actually summon on the earthly plain, too. Her name is Brooklyn, because she's as badass as the borough I call home.

Chaos curses at the unexpected attack. It won't kill him, but it sure as fuck hurts the son of a bitch. I open a portal and dive into it with no clue where I'll end up. It doesn't matter, because anywhere is better than here.

I look around and realize I recognize nothing. The asshole is right; I can only run for so long. I'm going to need to reach out for help, but with my head as injured as it is, the only people who might hear me are Bill, who's not an option, and Eric, who is currently in very real danger. I'm going to have to try soon, but for now, I need to gather my strength. I pray Eric is safe. I don't know what I'll do if anything happens to him, but I do know one thing... If we lose Eric, we're never going to get Bill back.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. There's plenty more to come. Reviews are greatly appreciated.