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Chapter Ten - Re-Generation X.

Cameron was twitching in excitement. Well, excitement and nerves. It was an odd combination of emotion, actually. One that he couldn't quite explain. Or that he could contain for much longer. His arms were swinging back and forth, his brow was beginning to secrete the thinnest line of sweat, and his breath was continuously hitching in the back of his throat with every heavy heartbeat that pounded against his chest. Yet, with the slightest despondence as he stood behind the black curtain of the entrance ramp and awaited his cue, Cameron knew that he was going to have to remain restful for that bit longer. Just a little, tiny bit longer.

Jumping slightly at the sensation of a delicate hand softly grabbing onto his arm, Cameron looked down at his tag team partner who stood beside him, the smile on his face mirroring the gorgeous one that gleamed back at him.

"The anticipation can be a bit hard to deal with, hm?" Aurora sang sweetly.

Twenty-four hours had passed since the Night of Champions pay-per-view, and now Aurora and Cameron found themselves – as they had many times now – stood at the top of the ramp behind the curtain ready to burst onto the scene on Monday Night RAW.

As the plot for the two second generation Superstars' quest for a legitimate title continued to unfold, and the narrative for that night in particular had become apparent to him, there wasn't much else that Cameron had been able to think about in the past day. Of course he had received rave reviews for his brief appearance at Night of Champions – all the wrestling experts in each corner of the globe crediting both he and Aurora for allowing their humorous sides to shine through. But that hadn't really caught his attention. He had even managed to put his questioning of Dean Elrick's sincerity when concerning Aurora on the back burner. Even though he did actually wonder at one point why he had spotted Dean touching Aurora's arm and getting sort of close to her after the Alliance's match-up the previous night.

A lump suddenly formed in the pit of Cameron's stomach.

He frowned at his own emotion – for the fourth or fifth time that night, as a matter of fact. Gazing back at Aurora out of the corner of his eye, he tried to shake the feeling that the memory of the night before had now re-triggered in his mind. He didn't have any reason to worry, right? Aurora had assured him that she wasn't going to get close with someone who she deemed untrustworthy. And so what if they were getting along and becoming friends? Close friends, actually... That wasn't anything Cameron should worry about. No, definitely not... But, then again...

"So! We'll see the two of you out there?"

The booming voice accompanied by a hard slap on his back caused Cameron to rapidly snap out of his trance once more. Grinning politely at Lance Elrick, he watched as the ponytailed Superstar and his twin brother stepped in front of him and Aurora, eagerly waiting for their music to hit.

An unexpected chill ran up Aurora's spine as she felt Dean's hand brush against her arm. She glanced up at him with timid eyes as he simply gawked at her for the briefest of seconds with a firmly set smirk before taking his position next to Lance. Her cheeks flushed with the palest possible colour of pink as she whipped her head back around to face Cameron, sensing all erratic emotion drain from her system.

The young Diva certainly was enjoying the friendship that she was quickly building with Dean. What she actually took the most pleasure in was that half the time it didn't feel so much like a friendship but rather a deep, deep understanding of one another. She knew that sounded completely hard to believe, but it was true that in just the few short weeks that they had known one another, Aurora and Dean had spoken many times about climbing the mountain top, catching a hold of the elusive brass ring, and then soaring high above the rest of the WWE Universe. And yet somehow, no matter how freely she was able to discuss her dreams with Dean, none of that seemed to compare to pure safety and warmth she felt just by being in Cameron's presence.

All of a sudden, the theme for the Elrick Alliance resonated throughout the arena, and before another single thought could be generated by either of them, Aurora and Cameron watched as Lance and Dean slinked between the curtains, their tag titles in tow, and disappeared.

Remaining in the silence that had been consuming him all this time, Cameron eventually allowed his train of thought to journey back to the matter at hand. Remembering what his best friend had spoken to him moments ago, Cameron licked his lips and gazed back down at Aurora, "Please tell me it starts to get better soon?"

Blinking in surprise to hear his voice, a small smile crossed Aurora's face, "The nerve-racking anticipation?"

She continued to watch, wide-eyed as Cameron simply nodded his head. All Aurora could do was titter an uneasy, little giggle. She just so happened to know exactly how Cameron was feeling. But not only that, she was almost, if not equally, as excited for the night's events as he was.

"It will when you see him."

There was a heavily mixed frenzy of reactions for the Elrick Alliance as they stood tall in the centre of the ring. Usually, Lance and Dean were quite well-liked by the WWE Universe, but at that particular moment, the fact stood that the two were obviously going to be feeling incredibly angry and vengeful towards Cameron Michaels and Rory Helmsley. And when it came right down to it, the two second generation Superstars were rapidly becoming a lot more popular than most of the other wrestlers on the roster, least of all the Tag Team Champions.

An angry scowl crossing his face, Lance Elrick eventually raised the microphone that was in his hand up to his mouth, "Do you really think we're that stupid?" he spat, "Do all of you think my brother and I are complete idiots, San Antonio?"

A passionate cry echoed throughout the AT&T Centre at the mention of their home town as the disgusted expressions remained glued to the faces of Dean and Lance.

"'Cause we're not, ya' know!" Dean exploded in fury, "Our match last night – in which we retained our WWE Tag Team titles, by the way – was almost completely sabotaged! And we know exactly who was behind it."

"And just because they managed to blow their own cover, either," Lance cut back in, "But because we know that these two people are jealous of the Elrick Alliance and are so desperate to have what we have, that it's pathetic!"

A devious smile crept across Dean's face as the sound of the crowd booing began to elevate in volume, "So Cameron Michaels and Rory Helmsley," he started, turning to face the entrance ramp, "The time for your stupid little games is over! If you two are the real competitors that you claim to be, then come down to this ring right now and face the Elrick Alliance like real champions would!"

The entire arena then fell to a sharp silence as everyone waited, a breath held in, to see if their home town hero and his best friend would grace them with their presence. The following few moments seemed to stretch on for a lifetime, but once Cameron's music hit, the San Antonio crowd blew up with ballistic bliss to see the young Michaels appear at the top of the entrance ramp with Rory right by his side.

Cameron's heart was racing as the multitude of ecstatic responses from his home fans near enough slapped him right across the face with their extreme mass. It was the loudest collection of cheers that he had ever heard in his entire life, and as he caught a glimpse of the proud smile that lay visibly across Rory's face, he chose to revel in the moment for just a second or two longer.

As the Universe soon began to calm themselves once more, Cameron re-directed his handsomely amused grin away from the crowd and down to where the Elricks were still standing heatedly in the middle of the ring. Holding his ground at the top of the ramp with Rory, Cameron then produced his own microphone, "I'm sorry, have we done something to upset you?"

"Don't play dumb with us Michaels," Lance immediately snapped, "All you two were worried about last night was creating your own set of Tag Team titles, and then when Triple H told you both 'no', you decided it best to throw a little tantrum," he droned with a patronising tone, "The only thing that Dean and I are having trouble understanding is – how the hell is that a problem of his or mine?"

"It's not our fault that Daddy wouldn't give you what you wanted, sweetheart," Dean hissed, narrowing his eyes and diverting all attention towards Rory.

As the vile boos filled the atmosphere inside the AT&T Centre the second that the unwarranted comment slipped from between Dean's lips, Rory allowed a chuckle of disbelief to escape the back of her throat as she glared down the ramp at the Elrick twins.

"And it's not our fault if the two of you mistake a simple protest for a tantrum, as you called it," she calmly retorted, "And as a matter of fact, guys, this is a problem of both of yours. Because as long as the two of you hold a set of Tag Team Championships, Cameron and I are going to keep protesting for our right to have our own."

The corner of Cameron's mouth upturned in a smirk at the sound of the delighted cheering from the audience, "And if that means continuing to interfere in your matches, then that's exactly what we're gonna' do."

Both Elricks gritted their teeth together, "You think you have so much to be proud of?" Lance boomed in rage, "Playing juvenile practical jokes on us and then calling that some type of formal protest?!"

"Ooh, speaking of which!" Rory chimed back in with a playful tone, "Check out what I grabbed from the production truck last night!"

Curiosity peaked amongst the crowd and both sets of deep, brown Elrick eyes tightened in uncertain suspicion as Rory revealed what seemed to be a remote control of some sort from the back pocket of her jeans. The smile on Cameron's face was stretching from ear to ear as he watched his best friend fiddle with a couple of the buttons before reverting her attention back to the ring.

"You know, technology these days is really something quite spectacular," she spoke slowly, "Like, for example, what do you think might happen if I aimed this remote above your heads and pressed the red button?"

Instantly, the crowd roared in colossal anticipation of the hilarity they were all certain was about to ensue, as the Elricks screamed at Rory to stop right before she lowered her dainty finger down onto the giant, red button that glared back her, pushing it and laughing away as she did. Time stood still for Dean and Lance for the briefest of seconds until a small blast was heard and the Tag Champions were ruthlessly showered with brightly coloured confetti.

A wave a of confusion swept over both the twins and the San Antonio crowd, while Cameron and Rory merely gazed on with great wonder and happiness at the scene they had created.

"Aw, that's so pretty!" Rory chirped, "That could totally be our thing now, like, signature confetti wherever we go, or something!"

"I like it, I like it..." Cameron agreed teasingly.

With their state of shock gradually wearing off, and their heart rates returning back to their normal pace, Dean and Lance were seething, just about ready to rip their hair out, "Enough!" Dean screeched, "Enough of all your games and enough of all your crap! You two wanna' be champions? You really think this is how champions are supposed to act?!"

The infuriated tone in Dean's voice brutally pierced both Cameron and Rory's ears as they collapsed into a guilty silence, swapping nervous glances with one another. The members of the San Antonio Universe had all melted into a confusing mixture of those cheering, those still laughing at the practical joke, and the rest who were booing the Elrick Alliance, however, each group was also waiting patiently as Cameron was mulling over what to say next.

Shrugging his shoulders at Rory, the young Michaels eventually sighed, "I guess you two are right," he admitted softly, "I mean... this is Texas, right?" The question that danced off his lips was followed by a pause to allow for the crowd rejoice loudly and proudly for their beloved state, "Heck, this is my home town! Where is my Southern hospitality?" he went on, a wily grin upturning on his face once more.

Returning the gesture, Rory brought a hand up to Cameron's shoulder. He never really had too much of a southern accent other than when he was actually in Texas – that's when his adorable little twinge turned into something a bit heavier. But it was still utterly charming to hear, if not more so.

"Well, what did you have in mind, Cam?"

"I'm glad you asked, Rory, you could be educated by this, too, actually," he recommenced, shifting his vision back to the ring, "You know what we down here in Texas really enjoy? We love, and I mean love, our smoked brisket, and of course, our good 'ol moonshine."

Rory tried her absolute hardest to keep her laughter settled within her as she heard the San Antonio locals cheer out in excitement at the sheer mention of such things. She could have sworn she even heard a few hoons in the front row 'yee-hawing' in delight. In fact, with this thought distracting her, she almost jumped in surprise when Cameron took the remote control out of her hand and pointed it back towards the ring. The smile had suddenly fallen from her best friend's face and Cameron was glowering in an expression of all seriousness. A collective gasp was inhaled in unison throughout the entire crowd.

"Though, of course," he began, "We had to ground the brisket up just a little bit for you two."

With the single push of a second button, another shower instantly plummeted down upon the Elrick Alliance. Although, this one was a little bit more harmful.

The foul stench that engulfed the AT&T Centre made Dean and Lance choke on their own alarmed shrieks as their clothing, skin and hair was stained with the vile smelling alcohol and minced, rancid meat. The explosion of overjoyed, booming laughter that was reverberating about the arena was not even registering in their awareness as the twins slipped over in the uncanny mess and landed flat on their backsides in the centre of the ring, their eyes watering from the horrid smell that could not be escaped and the unbearable texture that uncomfortably coated their extremities.

Struggling to deal with the smell herself, Rory continued to cackle away along with the crowd until she glanced back up at Cameron to find that the young Superstar was quite possibly the only person in the building who wasn't particularly finding any humour in the situation. His features remained set in a stern stare as he took to the microphone once more, "So in case you're still not understanding what we're trying to say," he belted out with passion, "The two of us are a legitimate tag team – just as you two are – and we deserve the opportunity to be credited for it!"

Almost as if he was preaching to the choir, the WWE Universe immediately cried out in fanatical agreement with Cameron, "In other words," he went on, "My name is Cameron Michaels."

The smile of pride had defiantly reappeared across Rory's face, "My name is Rory Helmsley."

"And collectively, we are" Cameron stated, heaving in the deepest of breaths, "the team Re-Generated."

With the entirety of his heart and soul near enough exploding right out of his chest, Cameron was completely and utterly blown away by the deafening applause that thundered from the AT&T Centre. He had been waiting all day to speak those words, and as the official name of the second generation tag team rolled off his tongue, he had never felt so energised and ecstatic about anything else over his whole twenty-five years on Earth. It was exactly the kind of formal union that the fans had been waiting for, and now, more than ever, the WWE Universe could hardly contain the immense enthusiasm they felt for the son and daughter of two of the industry's greatest legends to be cementing their names in the history books together.

The emotion was something that Rory couldn't help but come close to swooning over, as well. The close relations that she could easily feel building between Re-Generated and D-Generation X sent her hopes soaring thousands of miles above the clouds. What it told her was that it was only certain that now she would be gaining the same prestige, the same honour, the same fame that her father had before her. If not more so.

"Now if you don't mind," Cameron suddenly cut back in above the crowd, snapping Rory awake from her trance. She jaggedly gawked up at him with an awkward smile as he simply gestured for her to duck around the corner of the backstage area, which she did, before returning with two steel chairs and two pairs of water-proof rainboots, "I would suggest that the both of you get out of our ring, because I'm afraid Rory and I aren't leaving here until we get what we want."

With nothing more to be said, and as the Elrick Alliance still scrambled about the ring in physical disgust, Cameron's theme music hit once more as he and Rory made their triumphant march down to the squared circle. They stifled another laugh or two as Dean and Lance hastily rolled out under the bottom rope and ran off in the opposite direction, past the announce desk and the timekeeper and through the crowd towards the back of the arena.

As the two young degenerates then slipped into their rainboots and climbed into the ring, avoiding as much of the putrid mixture of food and booze as possible and firmly setting their chairs in the centre, the attention of the crowd was then directed to the jumbo-tron as it lit up and showed the image of one of the backstage corridors.

A fresh set of delighted cheers encapsulated the arena as Triple H materialised on the screen, strutting his way down the corridor until he was stopped by one of the senior referees.

"Hunter? Sorry to bother you."

Turning to face the man, Triple H grinned his adorable, goofy grin, "No, not at all, what's up, Carson?"

The referee scratched his balding head, "Um, well, I was just wondering about the match I'm supposed to officiate next, how am I going to do it when Rory and Cameron have all that gunk lying in the ring?"

A bewildered silence crossed over Triple H as his eyes went blank, "Aurora and Cam have got what?"

"Haven't you been watching what's going on out in the ring?"

"No," Triple H answered, "I've just got out of a meeting, in fact, I was just about to go and talk to the two of them about the little stunt they pulled last night at the pay-per-view... What have they done now?"

Swallowing an uneasy gulp, Carson took a deep breath, "They dumped smoked brisket and moonshine on the Elrick Alliance."

As his jaw immediately dropped to the floor at his feet, Triple H tried to cough up a word or two, but instead was forced back to a completely baffled quiet, "Is that some kind of joke?"

"No, sir."

Triple H hesitated, "...smoked brisket?"

"It was ground up, sir."

While the sounds that echoed from the arena determined that the crowd still saw amusement within the practical joke, Triple H had impulsively succumb to a severe migraine as he clutched mercilessly at either side of his forehead, "These kids are gonna' be the death of me..." he muttered, "Okay, look, just give me a minute or two. I'm gonna' go make a quick phone call," he then instructed the senior referee. Heaving one final deep sigh, the COO placed a solemn hand on Carson's shoulder,

"I have a feeling I'm gonna' need back-up for this one..."

Sooo, this is making me super excited! I'm already half way through the next chapter :') WHAT DID YOU GUYS THINK? I'm just happy I was able to think of something original, because when I thought of what Aurora and Cam could possible dump on top of the Elricks, all I could picture was green slime and manure from the '06 DX days :/ HAHA.

Let me know what you guys thought of this, and what you think of the team Re-Generated! weeeee. Feed me your reviews! :D

And thank you. :)

Till next time guys,

Reneyyyyyyyyy x