"Vince…you wanted to see me?" Shawn Michaels sat down in front of Vince's desk and waited to hear the verdict about the future of DX. The last few weeks on Raw had been hell. Although the show was still selling out with the highest ratings seen in a while, it was still tough being only one half of the world's most popular faction.

"Yeah. The past few weeks have been pretty intense."

"That's an understatement."

"Yeah I know and Shawn, I'm really sorry about this."

"Yeah well it's not like you could do anything about it Vince. Hunter's injury was completely accidental on the part of Rated RKO. Things like this just happen."

"Yes. I know. Sometimes things like this happen for a reason." Shawn sat up straight in his chair, raising his eyebrows at Vince.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well I don't man it like that Shawn so don't go getting all defensive on me. Both you and Hunter said it yourselves that DX was just a temporary thing you two wanted to do for fun. It was something you wanted to try out on a new school audience and to everyone's surprise, it caught on quicker this time than it did back in the Attitude Era."

"Yes I know but where are you going with this? I know something's up so go ahead and lay it on me. Based on the timeframe that Hunter's going to be out, we both pretty much deduced the end of Degeneration X."

"Yeah about that. You know this Sunday is your match to make Rated RKO pay for good."

"Yep. Where are we going from there?"

"Well…I think you should still don the DX attire and entrance for a while. It wouldn't hurt you know?"

"Yeah okay but if it's pretty much over for us, what becomes of me?"

"You're going to get HHH's shot at the WWE title at Wrestlemania this year."

"WHAT?! Why?"

"Because you're the only person that can make Cena look good in the ring. He's having a rough time right now. His wrestling's improved and he has a great connection with the crowd but for something like Wrestlemania, he needs someone who can bring the very best out of him."

"Fine. I'll do it, but how are we going to actually get to that point?"

"Glad you asked," Vince replied with a big grin. "You see, we have a while before Wrestlemania so I've been doing some serious thinking about how best to approach this match. Both you and Cena are face characters and I want to keep it that way. The way I see it, it'll make for a more entertaining match not to mention the tension would be off the charts!"

"Yeah…alright. I hear ya but exactly how are we going to build up this match? The road to Wrestlemania has already begun and I just don't know if we can make this believable."

"Why do you say that?" Vince asked eyeing Shawn curiously. Shawn let out a sigh and gave Vince a sort of knowing look.

"Well for starters, I haven't been in the ring with Cena since early 2005. That was the buildup to my massacre against the Immortal Hulk Hogan," he scoffed. "I just think it should be someone who's been in the ring with Cena. His style is so different from mine. I fear we're going to clash and make a mess of things. Besides, Cena and I aren't…all that close. He's just the young champ, the 'it' kid and so you know how we old folk are. We really pay him no attention whatsoever half the time. We speak and that's about it. Cena's a loner and since the reunification of DX, Hunter and I hang out all the time now."

"I see. So you guys completely ignore him even though he's the champ. The two of you are world class athletes that could be giving this kid the advice and encouragement that he needs yet…"

"Aw come on Vince! You know I only help when asked…or when it's a hopeless case. Cena seems to be doing just fine. He sells merchandise and fills arenas. I don't see the big problem."

"If you say so," Vince said feeling somewhat defeated. "I'm sorry you feel that way but it's the only option I have right now. I think you'll do fine although I'm glad you voiced your concern about working with Cena. I have been doing some serious thinking and I have been dying to try something new with him."

"Ok. So what does…?" There was a soft knock on the door and in walked Cena. He was still in his wrestling attire although anyone could have mistaken them for just everyday clothing.

"Shawn. Vince." He took a seat in the chair next to Shawn's. He looked absolutely terrified to a degree. It was so childlike that Shawn almost burst out laughing at the cuteness of it.

"Cena. There's no need to look so…sick," Vince commented. "I called you in here to talk to you about this year's Mania."

"Yeah, I was kind of wondering about that too boss. Since H is out, who am I facing at Mania?"

"Shawn." Cena's mouth just dropped and before he could protest Vince held up a hand. "You're going to do fine. I swear you two are being big babies about this. Suck it up and get to know each other. It's going to be a change for the both of you. Shawn, you've expressed interest in only being a semi-carder and you wanted to help put others over. Well, here's your chance to make Cena an even bigger star."

"He's already a star. He's got the mic skills, the movies, the endorsements…what more do you want?" Shawn asked, his voice dragging with sarcasm. Cena couldn't help but to choke back a laugh causing Vince to glare angrily at the both of them.

"Joke all you want Shawn and Cena, you can laugh all you want. Starting Monday night, you two are going to become best of friends for a very long time. In fact, let's just say there's going to be a shakeup in the tag team division."

"WHAT?!" Shawn jumped up out of his chair and just glared at Vince. "I can't Vince. I can't replace Hunter like that. No diss to Cena but he's not Hunter and he never will be. DX…"

"DX is no more Shawn," Vince finished. "You said it yourself. Now like it or not you're going to go through with this. I think the fans will appreciate a team like this. Just think about it. John Cena, aka The Marine, helping out one of the best in the business to help him get revenge on Rated RKO."

"But Vince…"

"No buts Shawn. Rated RKO is great. DX was great but I think you two will also do great things for the business. Trust me. Now you two can leave. I just wanted to give you the heads up." Shawn turned on his heel and just stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him. Cena turned to Vince and shook his head.

"Vince, you know as well as I know about Shawn and Hunter. They've been pals for a really long time and to use me to replace the only other real partner he's had seems like a betrayal to Hunter. Granted I really don't know the extent of their friendship and all but that's the vibe I'm getting. If Shawn feels this strongly about it, don't you think Hunter's going to be pissed too?"

"Cena I hear you and I get why you're concerned but Hunter's not here and I'm only doing what's right for the business. I think you two can balance each other out and help each other in more ways than you think. Give Shawn some time to get over his childish feelings about loyalty. You don't have to worry because he has always done what I asked of him in the past even if he didn't like it."

"Yeah…I guess," Cena mumbled.

"Hey. Look on the bright side. You're getting to work with one of your idols. A dream come true right?"

"Yeah. Later Vince." Cena sulked out of the office and headed straight to the locker room. When he got there, Shawn was sitting on a bench staring at the floor. Cena had no idea what to do. He wanted to talk with Shawn but then he was afraid of pissing him off and that's not what he wanted to do. Shawn was the one guy he'd admired all his life and even if Shawn resented working with him, deep down Cena could never resent his idol. Cena cleared his throat nervously before taking a seat next to Shawn. There was a long awkward silence before Shawn finally spoke up.

"I'm sorry for behaving that way in Vince's office. It's not your fault we're being forced to partner up but I want you to know that you have nothing to worry about. When it comes to my job, I take it very seriously…well, most of the time," he added thoughtfully.

"Hey, you don't have to apologize to me. I don't know about the chemistry of tag team partners and whatnot so I have no idea what you and Hunter must be going through, but…I don't want to think of myself as a replacement. In fact, just call me whatever you want. I'm just…I am honored to be working with you," he added quickly. Shawn let out a chuckle.

"Kid you're something else. You flatter me and I don't know how I feel about that. You're not sweet are ya?" he whispered.

"WHAT?! NO!" Cena's face turned bright red and he stared at the floor. Shawn burst out laughing and patted Cena on the back.

"My God kid. You have got to lighten up. No wonder you're such a loner. You take things too seriously." Shawn stood to his feet and headed towards the door but stopped as he was pushing the door open. "Oh…yeah. Um…by the way…" He lowered his voice into almost a whisper and grinned at Cena. "Even if you were a little sweet, I wouldn't have cared. Sweet guys make my job easier." Cena's mouth just dropped as Shawn headed out the door doing nothing to suppress the major laugh attack. Cena let out a huge breath when Shawn had left. He had no idea what to make of Vince's decision and he really had no clue what to make of Shawn but still…A big grin crossed Cena's face. I think we'll be alright…my idol…doesn't get any better than that.


AN: Just the intro to a fun story I'm working on. Yes, there will be some slash in it between some of the wrestlers. Don't like don't read. Also, I will not be following the dates to the 'T'. I will fix them to fit my story so therefore it's AU. The wrestlers will be OOC at times but not too bad. Review and if you like I'll keep up the story.