A/N: Well, folks, here we are again, and it has been FOREVER since I last updated. Uh, sorry about that. I just haven't had the time. Thing is, I've really wanted to get moving on all of my unfinished stories lately, and I've just been stuck. Oh well, I guess it happens. Anyway, thanks to all of you who reviewed this time around!!

Slashdlite, as always, I love your reviews; hope you haven't given up on me; I know it's been a thousand years since I updated! Animal Luvr 4 Life, stick around to see it get even creepier!! :) Seraphalexiel, were you talking about "The Man in the Iron Mask" in your review? Sounds familiar… Anyway, there's gonna be some Hunter and Lion action comin' up, so stick around! Charmed2007, sunligh584, Captain, and Isi, thank you all for checking the story out, and I promise I'll try to be quicker with reviews from now on! I have a definite storyline in mind, so that might help… Takers Dark Lover, Matthew is certainly an enigma (HA! No pun intended!); one never knows what he's thinking, so stick around to find out…

The McMahons own everything. I own this computer, the clothes on my back, and a few comics. That's it.

Enjoy!

Evan moved across the plains of rock, picking his way with practiced grace through the hazardous natural formations that stood in his way. Behind him, loomed the shadow of Emperor Matthew's behemoth capital city, overflowing with miserable peasants and the black smoke from pit fires. In front, stretched one of this world's last remaining forests, trees pushing towards the horizon for as far as the eye could see.

Evan stopped for a moment, and smirked.

Matthew had long wanted to raze this forest to the ground.

The Hunter and the Lion hid within its confines, using the thick shadows and entangled underbrush to conceal themselves and their followers from any prying eyes. Soldiers of the emperor were on constant patrol in the forests, barreling through the foliage with their armor and swords. Their numbers far exceeded the rebels' lot. And yet, their prey somehow always managed to elude them.

Evan grinned. He knew these woods like the back of his hand.

He knew exactly where to find the Hunter and the Lion.

Cautiously, he made his way into the darkening trees, being sure to avoid any contact with Matthew's soldiers. The young thief kept his gaze on the path ahead, purposely ignoring the prickling on the back of his neck that told him he was being watched.

* * * * * * *

"Tell me about yourself, Jeffrey. Tell me about your home." Matthew watched his prisoner with a careful, wide-eyed fascination, like an entomologist who had just discovered an exotic new species of insect. "I want to know everything."

Jeff did not look at him, nor did he react to the quietly-spoken order. He stared, as if mesmerized, at a spot on the lushly-woven rug, concentrating on the riot of color and detail.

"Jeffrey", Matthew urged, his tone soft and sharp as a blade.

The young Hardy looked up.

"Why do you want to know about my home?", he asked, "Why do you care?"

Matthew glared. "I keep my own council, Jeffrey. And, I might remind you, it is not your place to ask questions. Only to answer them."

Jeff bristled, feeling an immediate and overwhelming instinct to defy Matthew's word. The arrogant monarch infuriated him. As Jeff looked into Matthew's face, however, he quickly found any notion of defiance draining away. He felt weak and foolish beneath the emperor's cold scrutiny. He quickly averted his eyes, moving his gaze back to the colorful rug.

Jeff sighed deeply. He was angry, and he felt violated. He didn't want to tell this bastard anything.

He was quickly realizing, however, that he had little choice in the matter.

"I-", he paused, wanting to start again, knowing that he had to be careful of what he revealed to this man. "I grew up on a tobacco farm. We still live on the land-"

"We?", interrupted Matthew, his sharp eyes watching every movement Jeff made.

The younger man's head shot up. "M- Matt. He and I live there now."

Matthew smiled, an unnerving grin that did not reach his eyes. "And Matt would be, allow me to hazard a guess, your brother?"

Jeff found that his gaze had been captured by Matt's frigid stare. He could do nothing but swallow, and nod weakly in reply.

"Fascinating", mused Matthew, tapping his finger on his bottom lip thoughtfully. The emperor cocked his head slightly, a small, strange smile perched upon his lips. "Tell me about him."

Jeff's eyes flashed angrily. "Leave him out of this."

Matthew leaned forward slightly, a gesture that was intimidating for all its subtlety. "Do not force me to call on Marckus."

Jeff appeared conflicted for several moments, before reluctantly giving in. "He- he's a wrestler, like me. He-"

"A wrestler?", interrupted Matthew, confusion written plainly on his features, "So you are soldiers of some sort, then?"

Jeff shook his colorful head. "No, we wrestle in arenas, in front of crowds, to entertain people."

"Entertain?", he spoke the word slowly, as if it were foreign to him. Perhaps, Jeff mused, it was.

"So, you and your brother have no useful occupation in society", Matthew murmured, as if speaking the concept aloud to himself in order to better understand it, "You are simply leeches, like the clowns who beg for money in the marketplace." He leaned in, a happy smile upon his face. "I have the clowns executed, you know."

Jeff glared. "We entertain people so they can forget about their everyday troubles. Your clowns do the same. That's our occupation in society."

"Hmmm, perhaps. But in the end, jumping about like an idiot on the street corner won't build you a home, nor will it protect you from the winter chill."

Jeff chose not to respond to this. His eyes fell back to the floor, and the rug.

A few moments passed, where Matthew appeared to be thinking. Jeff could've let the crackling fire and the close warmth of the room lull him to sleep, had he not been so uncomfortable in Matthew's presence. Suddenly, the emperor spoke, making the young Hardy twitch nervously.

"Your brother", he said lowly, "Tell me more about him."

"What do you want to know?", asked Jeff, his tone stretched thin with exhaustion.

"Everything", replied Matthew evenly, "For instance, he looks like me, yes?"

Jeff's eyes narrowed. Why the sudden interest in Matt? "Yeah, he does. So what?"

Matthew smiled, ignoring Jeff's query. "What is he like? Is he a leader? Does he take charge of situations?"

Jeff spent the better part of the next hour telling Matthew all about his brother. He tried to withhold as much information as possible, but he found that the emperor's questions were extremely incisive, and difficult to dodge. By the time he'd finished interrogating Jeff, the emperor had all the information he'd ever need about his doppelganger.

Next, Matthew wanted to hear about Jeff's home itself. He wanted details on local culture, food, and geography. The emperor was thoroughly intrigued by Jeff's description of his little corner of North Carolina.

"Your home sounds like a magnificent place, Jeffrey", Matthew mused, "I see why you were reluctant to leave it."

Jeff scowled. "I'm always reluctant to be kidnapped, Matthew. I'm always reluctant to be threatened with death."

The young monarch looked away, as if unable to face the truth of those words. Jeff stared at him, watching his captor's peculiar reaction. The young Hardy felt cold dread seep into his gut as he realized that the black-hearted emperor had many of the same mannerisms as his own brother. They both fidgeted incessantly when things were bothering them. They were both heavy brooders.

Jeff hated looking at this imperfect copy of Matt. It was his eyes. Matthew's eyes were cruel, and they read no remorse for that cruelty. It was terrible to see eyes like that in his brother's face. Matt's eyes, his face, were always so warm. He was always laughing.

Jeff couldn't help but wonder if Matt was laughing now.

"Take him away", Matthew hissed coldly. He turned his back to the younger man, walking into the shadows of the fire-lit room.

Jeff felt a painfully strong hand grip his arm, suddenly. Marckus. The great mage began to forcefully guide him from the emperor's bedchamber, pulling him steadily along.

Jeff's stormy gaze never left Matthew's troubled face as he was dragged away.

As his prisoner left, Matthew stared down at an old scar on his palm, nearly invisible in the firelight. His breath quickened as memories returned to him.

"I'm sorry, Jeffrey", he whispered to no one, "Truly I am…"

* * * * * * *

Matt stumbled into the hotel lobby, as drunk as he'd ever been in his life. Tonight had been especially hard for him, and he'd needed something to dull the pain.

He was beginning to think that Jeff may never come back. That thought was slowly tearing him to shreds.

He stumbled, barely catching himself on the polished front desk. The clerk watched him with wary eyes as he passed.

Tears stung his bleary vision as he slowly made his way across the lobby and towards the row of elevators. He kept his head down, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. He just needed a bed, and the peace and darkness, and solitude that came with it.

He stopped, and pressed the button. He closed his eyes, waiting impatiently for the elevator to arrive. The heavy silence of early-morning settled over him.

"Where are you, baby brother?", he thought, pain clenching his guts, "Are you even alive?"

He didn't think that Jeff was dead. He couldn't face that. Not yet. Not until he knew for sure.

Suddenly, he felt a large hand fall upon his shoulder. Matt spun around, wide-eyed and startled.

"Sorry", said the Undertaker, "didn't mean to scare you."

Matt stared, trying to calm himself down. "Where the fuck did you come from?"

The Deadman smirked. "Just like you, kid. I was out at the bar, drinking." The large man cocked his head, studying Matt more closely. "You alright, Matt?"

The older Hardy looked away. "I'm fine. Just tired."

"Bullshit", the Undertaker growled, "Don't lie to me."

"What do you want to hear?", said Matt, his voice unsteady, "Of course I'm not okay! Fuck-"

He trailed off, turning away. He couldn't stand to see Mark's doleful, forlorn expression.

The elevator door slid open then, punctuated by a gentle ring.

"Come on kid", said the Deadman, his voice gentle, "Let's go."

Matt hesitated for a moment, before finally following Mark onto the elevator. His shoulders drooped with exhaustion.

He knew he probably wouldn't sleep tonight. The nights were always the hardest.

* * * * * * *

"Stop. I think you've gone far enough."

Evan froze in his tracks, making sure to keep his hands out where his pursuer could see them. He smirked. "I was wondering when you were going to come out into the open."

He heard the rustling of soft footsteps behind him. "Well, I had to be sure Regal and his goons weren't around, yes?"

Evan visibly relaxed at the sound of the voice, turning around. "You shouldn't have come yourself. It's too dangerous. This forest is crawling with Matthew's soldiers."

Soft laughter. "Fools, all of them. I could dodge them in my sleep. It's Matthew and his evil mage that concern me."

Evan looked grim as he studied the Lion's face. "I've just come from the fortress. There's something going on there. I think you and the Hunter-"

The Lion raised his hand for silence, and Evan immediately obeyed. The older man's sharp blue eyes roamed the forest, watching. Waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, he motioned for Evan to follow him out of the clearing.

"We shall return to camp, Evan", he said, his tone light, his eyes ever-watchful, "You may tell us your sordid tales then."

Evan nodded, and moved into step with the rebel leader.

They made no sounds. They left no traceable marks. They walked into the forest, and immediately faded away.

* * * * * * *

What's going to happen to Jeffro? What was that scar on Emperor Matthew's palm? Is Matt going to become an alcoholic? What's up with the Hunter and the Lion? Will Batman make a cameo in this story, as has been rumored on many of the Internet Wrestling Blogs?! The answers to these questions, and many more, in our next thrilling episode!