Here's the next chapter! Sorry it took so long. I had Nightmare on Elm Street in mind while I was typing this. You'll probably notice the effects of that. :D I swear I didn't do it on purpose. Enjoy!


Chapter 2

There was a buzz going on the next week on RAW. Rumor had it that Shawn Michaels had come to talk to his former apprentice Daniel Bryan about what happened to his friend, Triple H. Though "talks" in that place were usually code for "confrontation". It had Brie biting her nails with anxiety. Would Daniel be punished for her actions? As if summoned by her thoughts, Daniel appeared behind her in the break room and rubbed her upper arms comfortingly. "Worried about me?" he asked.

Brie dropped her hand from her lips, rolling her eyes and turning to face him. "Of course I am. Who knows what Shawn's going to do?"

Daniel chuckled. "Shawn's not a bad guy Brie. I'm sure he just wants to question me about everything that went on during the rebellion."

"But that's what I don't get. I was the one who led the rebellion that brought Triple H down. Why doesn't he want to talk to me?"

"Uh, don't forget that I was the one who first started up the rebellion. Albeit, unintentionally, but still."

Brie shook her head with concern. "I still don't like it." She glanced up to meet his gaze. "I should go out there with you."

But Daniel shook his head. "No. You've done enough already. You need a break. Just let me do my thing, okay?"

"But Daniel-" he cut her off with a look. Finally, she relented. "Alright."

"Thank you." he said, kissing her forehead.

"Is that all I get? This is a lot of effort for me." she said, tilting her head back expectantly. Laughing, Daniel leaned down to kiss her on the lips. She felt the steady warmth radiate from the pit of her stomach, like usual. It reminded her painfully of the white-hot heat she'd felt when Randy had kissed her. And that made her stomach tighten, ruining the moment. Daniel pulled away, looking concerned.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Before Brie could open her mouth to respond, a gruff voice interrupted, saying, "I'll tell you what's wrong." They both looked to see Shawn Michaels himself standing in the doorway, his face deadly serious. Brie suddenly felt nervous, like he knew her secret and was about to spill it. But then his face broke out in a mischievous smile and he spread his arms wide. "I'm here!" He galloped forward and threw an arm carelessly around Brie's shoulders. She staggered under the sudden weight, smiling with humor and relief. "You know I make 'em hot Daniel." he said jokingly. They all laughed, though Brie saw Daniel eye HBK's arm around her shoulders with slight apprehension. Shawn seemed to notice too and quickly removed it, his face serious again. "Hello Daniel. It's been a while."

"Yeah, it has." replied Daniel, his face just as serious. The two men stared each other down for a few minutes and Brie looked back and forth between them anxiously.

Finally, Shawn broke the tension with a friendly smile. "It's good to see you again Daniel." He leaned forward and they hugged each other the way men usually do, patting each other on the backs. Brie sighed and decided that it might be best to leave the two to themselves, to catch up. She slipped quietly from the break room and made her way to the employee lounge to chill for a bit before her next match with Tamina Snuka. It was a small room with dark green upholstered chairs and couches set up in an organized manner and two TVs hanging opposite each other on the walls. There were a few wrestlers in there, and even fewer divas. Thankfully, Randy was nowhere in sight. Getting a bottle of water out of a vending machine, she settled herself in one of the few empty chairs and watched the match playing out on the screen: Los Matedores against 3MB. Oh, these guys again. she thought sullenly. They were a joke, in her opinion. The match ended quickly enough and someone came out to talk. She wasn't sure how much time passed exactly, but the room was so warm and the chair she was in was so comfortable, that she felt her eyelids sliding shut involuntarily. In the darkness of sleep, she heard a terribly familiar voice whispering things to her. I've fallen in love with you Brie...What I want, I take...Think about it, Bella...

Her eyes snapped open and she looked around, disoriented. The room was surprisingly empty and the screens were blank. Something's not right here. She thought, getting up. That's when a tall figure rose up out of one of the chairs on the other side of the room. Randy looked at her to her with eyes as bright as blue flames, piercing her from across the room. He was dressed only in wrestling gear and looked as if he'd just come from a match, his whole body glistening with a mixture of sweat and oil. Brie's heart started to pound and she felt that disturbingly intense heat begin to spread through her body. Though she tried to remain calm as she asked, "What are you doing here Randy?"

His smile was lustful. "I want you Brie." Abruptly, he was in front of her, his arms locking around her and his lips pressing eagerly against her's in a way that she wasn't familiar with. She tried pushing him away, but at the same time, had an inexplicable to give in. Daniel..I love Daniel! she thought repeatedly, desperately.


"Brie? Brie, wake up." She awoke to Shawn Michael's gentle prodding. She stared at the Hall-of-Famer, confused. She was still in the lounge, but there were other people there and another match was playing out on the TV. That was a dream? It was so realistic, that she could still feel the last remnants of the intense heat dying away, like a fire starved of wood.

Sitting up straighter, she tugged her half-empty water bottle from where it was stuck between the cushion and chair arm and took a long swig before remembering that Shawn was there, his rugged face etched with deep concern. "Uh, sorry, I guess I dozed off." she said, forcing a small laugh. Shawn didn't join in. She took in his expression and asked carefully, "Is something wrong?" She looked around, wondering if Daniel was nearby, but didn't see him.

Finally, Shawn said, "Oh yeah, I'd say so." and settled himself on a nearby couch. His tone and position reminded her of a father about to lecture his teenage daughter.

"Well, what is it?" she prompted when he didn't speak right away.

"Look, Brie, I'm not quite sure what's going on between you and Randy," Brie's stomach tightened as soon as he said the name. Was she talking about him in her sleep? He continued, "but based on what you were mumbling in your sleep, it seems like you still love Daniel Bryan."

Brie was confused, then it dawned on her. "You saw Randy and I in the hallway that night."

He nodded seriously. "Yep."

Suddenly, it all made sense and the Bella twin was in a panic. "Oh God! You didn't...does Daniel know? What did you tell him?"

HBK shrugged, "Nothing really. I figure it's between you and your hubby and it would be wrong of me to get involved."

Brie sagged with relief, almost all of the tension leaving her body. "Thank you Shawn." she said, her words dripping gratitude.

"Don't thank me. I didn't say anything because I'm hoping you'll be the one to tell him. If it's simply a misunderstanding, or Randy is targeting you for some reason, Daniel should understand." Brie nodded, but already knew she wasn't going to tell him. This problem with Randy was something she would handle on her own, without Daniel's knowledge. If she could stand up to an evil dictator and his wife, one man shouldn't be a problem. "Don't try taking him on Brianna." remarked Shawn, as if reading her train of thought. "I've known Randy Orton for a long time. He's devious, and if you're not careful, he will get you."

"But I've kept him at bay before. Why should this time be any different?" She smirked. A few good kicks to the groin, and he would forget all about chasing her.

"Because he's more determined this time. From what I've seen, he wants you about as badly as he wanted that title and you've seen what he did to get it." Shawn's words sent a chill down her spine. Yes, she knew the things Randy was willing to do to get something he dearly wanted. He didn't care who he had to hurt, or what harmful tactics he had to use. Suddenly, she was frightened. Not for herself...but for Daniel. "You understand me?" asked Shawn, his eyes intent on her face.

After a moment, Brie nodded. It was at that moment she felt a tap on her shoulder that nearly made her jump out of her skin. It was Nikki. She was wearing one of her boyfriend's many hats along with her wrestling gear. "Sorry to interrupt, but your match is next, sis." Her dark eyes flicked to Shawn questioningly. He stood quickly.

"I'll take that as my cue to leave." he said, giving Brie a loaded look. She nodded at him, understanding. They parted ways in the hall.

"What was that about?" Nikki asked as they made their way to the stage entrance.

"Nothing really. Shawn just wanted to talk to me about something..." Her voice trailed off when she spotted Randy walking toward them, looking almost exactly like he had in her dream, minus the smile. Brie felt her stomach tense as they made eye contact and his lips turned up at the corners. He nodded at her as he passed. She didn't return the silent greeting, but Nikki's eyes missed nothing.

"Whoa, what was that?" she asked in shock. They were just reaching the entrance.

Brie decided to play dumb. "What was what?"

"You know exactly what! Randy Orton just smiled at you!" Thankfully, Brie didn't have time to answer this, as their music hit and it was time for them to go out in front of the WWE Universe.


Later that night, Brie met Daniel in the parking garage. She was just managing to dodge her sister's persistent questioning about Randy when John Cena showed up to take Nikki back to their place. Brie was so caught up in her relief at not having to make up excuses to her twin, that she didn't notice the strange silence between her and Daniel in the car as they pulled out of the garage. "Daniel?" she asked, slightly nervous.

"Hmm?" he asked absently, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

"...Is everything alright?"

He spared her a puzzled glance. "Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"

"Well...you're awfully quiet."

"Oh, I was just thinking about the discussion Shawn and I had."

She was suddenly, overwhelmingly nervous. Had Shawn lied to her? "What sort of discussion?"

"Well, it started out friendly enough, but got a little heated when we got to the subject of Triple H. In the heat of the moment, he told me that the WWE was like a snake pit and I can't trust anyone. Not Triple H, not him...not even you." He chuckled. "I swear, I almost put him in the yes lock." Brie laughed with him, but the nerves didn't go away. Daniel still looked concerned. "I was just wondering why he would even bring you into it."

Brie looked out the window, her mind a mess of words and images. "I...I really don't know."


Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think! :) I will update as soon I can.