We'll complete the events of Monday night first. Then, at the Orton household, a kind of role reversal: Randy asks Matthew concerning something he wants to do. How will Matt react? And with Backlash only one week away, will Matt do anything at all concerning the dream he had?

Hope you enjoy this chapter. Please review.

Matt and Randy returned from the vending machines, tossing a root beer to Camilla, a bottle of water to Batista, and an energy drink to Cena. After chugging the whole bottle, Batista went out to the hallway to warm-up; his match was next. Randy offered to help Dave, but Dave refused.

"Jeez … he's more of a loner than he usually is", Randy said after walking back into the room.

"He doesn't want to mess this up", Matt replied. "You know how much getting Hunter's belt means to him."

"Still, it freaks me out sometimes."

"He's just focused. Dave doesn't like to kid around like we do."

"Homeboy needs to chill then. It freaks me out too", John added.

"Heh … 'homeboy' …", Matt said during a chuckle. "You really got to drop that crap."

Cena rolled his eyes and quickly slugged down the rest of this drink. After all of it was gone, John crumpled up the can and lobbed it in the air, hitting Matt smack in the forehead.

"You son of a …", Matt got up and balled a fist.

"HEY! YOU TWO CALM THE HELL DOWN!"

After hearing Dave's bellow from the hallway, Cena and Orton cowered like two little scared kids. Out of the whole group, Dave was indeed the father figure, commanding respect and order when it was needed. Calming down, Matt peered over at his tag team partner.

"Look at him. He wouldn't betray me like that. He's too much of a goof. Then why the hell did I have that dream? What could have possibly prompted something like that? Am I just paranoid? Do I just not trust people? Am I scared? Worried? If I think that I can't trust John … what prevents me from not trusting Camilla … or even my own brother …"

"Matt?"

Randy's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "What's wrong? You look shaken." John and Camilla also looked at him curiously.

"I … no, nothing's wrong."

"Wait a minute. You went from happy and smiles one moment to looking like you've seen a ghost. Something is wrong."

The younger Orton took a deep breath before saying, "John .. you don't have a beef with me, do you?"

Cena was confused, squinting his eyes at Matt. "No! Of course not, dude. Why would I?"

Hesitating, Matt responded. "Last night, I had a stupid little dream that every person in Evolution turned on me after you and I won the tag titles at Backlash."

Both John and Camilla looked at each other with looks of confusion; this was the first they had heard of Matt's dilemma.

"Dawg, is that what you're thinkin'? All because of a dream? Listen here. You and me, and I think Randy will agree with me here, are the closest we're every going to get to being actual brothers. I've respected you ever since I met you that day at the hotel before Smackdown. You would have to pull something pretty damn underhanded for me to even think about turning my back on you. Now relax, bro!"

"… do you mean that?"

"Hell yeah, man! Why the hell wouldn't I …"

"Okay, okay, okay. I get it. I believe you. It's just that … the dream. It felt so real. I felt the pain from John's belt shot, the pain from Randy's RKO, from Batista's powerbomb, and from Camilla's belt. How can you explain that?"

Randy interjected. "Matt, you hit your head hard against that nightstand, remember? The pain probably came from that."

"But I felt it all over. My forehead, my neck, my back …"

"Matt, just shut up already!" Camilla snapped. "You're taking this way too seriously. You know we're not going to stab you in the back!"

"But .."

"But nothing! Remember this little sentence, Matt? You're eighteen years old! Dreams are just that! Dreams! They don't come true! Grow up!"

By the time Camilla finished shouting, she was face to face with her fiancée, who wasn't looking at her in the eye. She grabbed Matt's face with both hands.

"Honey … I'm sorry if I insulted you, but it's the truth! You need to shake yourself out of this dream thing! Betraying you is the last thing I would do, and I'm sure John and Randy would say the same thing!"

Matt looked down at the ground for a good while before finally speaking up.

" … Backlash needs to just come and go. Once we have the titles around our waists, that'll take my mind off this."

Cena got up and sat next to Matt, slapping him on the back.

"That's the kinda stuff I want to hear. Nothing is going to stop us from getting those straps."

For the first time since it started, Matt cracked a smile. To try to comfort himself, Matt looked at the tattoos on his forearms. They were the link to his brother, forever ingrained into his skin. Orton closed his eyes and thought about the day that he first met Randy, trying to force from his mind all the negative things that had come up recently.

SMACK!

"Owww!", Matt yelped, holding the back of his head. "What the hell did you do that for, Randy?"

"Just trying to help."

"What? How the hell did he know that … god, never mind."

Suddenly, the locker room door swung open and Batista walked into the room, holding his back. Everyone took a look at him in surprise.

"Well? Did you win?" asked Randy.

"…barely. That powerbomb of his … damn, it hurts."

"At least you won. That'll send a message to Bischoff", Camilla commented.

"Maybe. But this isn't over. After the match, he jackknifed me through the announcers' table."

"What?!" rang out John, Matt, and Randy at the same time. They all sprung up and started for the door, but Dave blocked them from exiting.

"No. This is my business. I don't need to get any of you involved. Besides, you have to get ready for your match, Orton", Dave said, pointing at Randy.

"Then let us take care of Nash", John suggested.

"No!" Batista screamed out, causing the hair on the back of everyone's neck to stand straight up. Angered, Dave went to the back of the room and started to scream, punching all the lockers he could.

"Okay … now he really needs to chill", Cena added as he watched Batista flip over a table after breaking it in half.

"I guess that's his way of venting", said a new voice coming from the locker room door. Everyone turned around to see Eric in the doorway.

"Randy … are you ready?"

Both Ortons snickered. "You had to say it like that, didn't you?" Randy asked.

"Couldn't resist. I haven't actually said that at all since I joined DX."

"Heh. Give me a minute to change."

While Randy went off to get in his gear, Eric visited with Camilla, John, and Matt.

"Looks like Evolution's gonna have a lot of gold in the future, huh? You have the Women's title, Camilla. Randy has the Intercontinental strap. And you two'll be tag champs after Backlash."

"Well, DX is gonna have some gold too. Shawn winning the championship is just as important as our pieces of gold", Matt replied.

"Don't you forget, I might have the Intercontinental title after Backlash too."

Matt acknowledged the fact by nodding. "Well, I don't think it'll matter. I'll have the Intercontinental title regardless when I get my rematch."

"I heard that!", yelled Randy as he hobbled out of the bathroom, tying one of his boots. "Rematch? You're too busy with your tag title hunt to come after me, little bro."

"Bullcrap! I'd be happy to take you anytime for that strap."

"Hey!" Eric interjected. "I get my shot first. You face whoever wins, Matt."

"I'm game. Name the time and the place."

"Whoa!", Camilla interjected. "Hold on! We don't need three of our own taking each other out! With the draft coming up, we'll need everyone we can get to face whoever is coming to RAW."

Everyone was a little stunned by Camilla's statement, even Batista in the back, who had stopped bashing in an old ice chest. The draft was indeed going to be big; Dave had told everyone to ignore it earlier, but the possible effects were too big to just brush aside. They could tear both Evolution and DX apart.

"I know that something could happen that could wreck all that we've worked for", said Dave, coming over to the younger group. "But we can't let that stop what we're pursuing now. Matt and John, you are going to work your asses off to win those tag titles! Camilla, you've already defended your title tonight, and I know that you're going to what it takes to keep it around your waist! Randy, you may have gotten lucky when you won that belt from Matt, but you're not gonna let anyone have an easy time taking it away! Hell, even you, Eric! You don't let the gloom of the draft overshadow your desire for that strap!"

Batista's little speech seemed to breathe life into the group. Heads were held high now. Randy and Camilla put their belts proudly on their shoulders.

"There's still one more match left for us tonight. Randy … Eric … go kick Hunter's ass."

"Gladly", Randy and Eric both said in unison. They gave each other a high five and started to walk out of the room. Matt slapped each other on the back and wished them luck.

"I bet this is kinda funny. I don't remember you teaming with anyone but your brother before", Eric commented as they walked to the entrance ramp.

"Well, the only other person I've ever tagged up with is …"

"Hunter …", Eric said. " … and I pinned you in that match."

"Well, uh … you caught me from behind, that's, uh … not really … um …"

"Just drop it. You'll get another chance at me at Backlash."

Triple H had already made his way to the ring; his music was still playing. Randy himself hit the stop button on the soundboard, making the sound guy chuckle.

"Bash his head in, would ya? HHH is such an ass to me sometimes."

"We'll have him down for the count in no time", Eric responded with Randy smiling.

"Good. He bosses me around and I'm goddamn tired of it." The sound guy pushed a button.

Are you ready?

The classic DX opening started, and the crowd started to go wild.

"You know, that music is pretty cool", Randy said.

"Maybe you should try it out some time."

BREAK IT DOWN!

"The following handicap match is scheduled for one fall! Currently walking down the ramp, from San Antonio, Texas, weighing in at 223 pounds, Eric Barringer!"

The referee had to hold Hunter back as Eric walked around the ring, his eyes locked onto the Game to make sure no funny business occurred. As the two enemies stared at each other for what seemed like hours, 'Line in the Sand' started to play.

"Introducing his tag team partner, from St. Louis, Missouri, weighing in at 245 pounds, he is the Intercontinental Champion, Randy Orton!"

Randy didn't mess around; he only held his belt up in the air as he rushed down to ringside. After a brief conversation with Eric, Randy decided to start off the match. Once the bell rang, Triple H leered at Orton. Randy saw the look of intense hatred on Hunter's face; it wasn't something he wanted to look at for very long. Hunter started to move at a slow pace towards Randy, still weak from the earlier attack from Matt and the Dudleys. Randy executed a nice standing dropkick, knocking down the Game. Hunter stayed flat on his back for quite a while; Randy saw this opportunity enough to try out one of his old moves.

Matt widened his eyes as Randy got onto the turnbuckle, knowing what was coming.

"He hasn't done this since Smackdown …", he said out loud.

"Done what?", Cena asked.

"A flying cross body block."

Triple H stumbled to his feet as Randy flew into him, knocking the Game back down. With the biggest grin on his face, Orton moved into the position for the RKO. Eric started a clap, which the audience emulated. Triple H pulled himself back up using the ring ropes and turned around to receive a kick in the stomach.

"That little … god, he knows how to get me pissed off", Matt reacted.

"What? How could he be pissing you off?", asked a confused Batista.

"He's stealing my goddamn move", Matt responded as he watched Randy hit the MKO.

"You know, you do use the RKO a heck of a whole lot", responded Camilla.

Defeated, Matt sat back down as his older brother eagerly tagged in Eric.

"Make … him … tap", Orton said to Barringer.

Only happy to oblige, Eric locked in the Camel Clutch. An already worn-out Hunter hardly responded, and the ref already started to raise an arm in the air. The ref repeated his action after the arm fell. However, Barringer let go after the second count. Randy looked at him curiously, but smiled as Eric brought Triple H in the Pedigree position. Orton egged Barringer on as Hunter's face was slammed down into the mat.

"1, 2, 3!"

"Here are your winners, Randy Orton and Eric Barringer!"

The whole arena went wild, happy to see Triple H get beat down yet again. Randy and Eric celebrated together in the ring until the ref handed Randy his belt. Both men looked down at the gold in front of them and then at each other. The crowd could sense the tension as Orton lifted the belt high in the air.

"That's gonna be mine."

"You wish."

Matt sat at the dining room table, carefully constructing a house of cards. Camilla and Batista were in the kitchen fixing a meal, and John and Randy were goofing off in the backyard.

"What the hell are they doing?", asked an irritated Dave, hearing things crashing and falling over.

"I don't know … don't really care, to be honest. If they get hurt, it's their problem."

"I think it'd be quite funny if one of them fell flat on their faces", came Matthew from the dining room.

"Hey, come make yourself useful and peel these oranges!"

"Hold on! I have to …"

They were all interrupted by a football that flew through the open kitchen window, through the door into the dining room, through the card house, and straight into Matt's chest, knocking him out of the chair. Camilla ran over to aid Matt, who was gasping for air. Batista dropped what he was doing and ran outside, grabbing John and Randy by the back of the neck and dragging them inside. Matt had gotten up, recovered but enraged, and immediately confronted his friend and his brother.

"Who threw it?! Huh?! Who did it?!"

John barely nodded his head towards Randy.

"….yeah. it was me", the older Orton said quietly.

Matt took a deep breath and calmed himself down, much to the surprise of everyone around him. Spinning around, he sat back down at the dining room table. Looking at his fallen masterpiece, Matthew started to pick up the pieces and rebuild.

"You're not … mad?", asked his brother.

"No. It was kinda funny. Let 'em go, Dave."

Batista squeezed his captives' necks before releasing his grip. Cena went upstairs to escape the situation while Randy sat down next to Matt.

"You're really not mad at me?"

"Do you want me to be?"

"No … I guess not." Randy twiddled his thumbs before picking up some of the cards himself.

"Why did you come in here?"

"Well … to apologize … and …"

"Apology accepted. Now let me rebuild this thing."

"But I wasn't finished. I need to ask you for advice about something."

Matt put down the cards he had in his hand and looked directly at his brother, a little frustrated. "What? What could my older brother possibly want advice for?", he said, raising his voice steadily throughout the sentence.

"Hey, cut me some slack! I said I was sorry!"

"Alright, alright. What do you want to ask about?"

Randy hesitated before saying anything. "How did you know when you wanted to propose to Camilla?"

Matt spit out the sip of water that he was taking. "You mean you want to…"

"Yeah. I want to propose to Torrie."

"What?!" Camilla and Dave poked their heads in from the kitchen with looks of confusion on their faces.

"Hold on. Hold on. Hold the damn phone. Are you sure you want to pop the question? I mean, you haven't even really gotten to know her a lot!"

"Yes, I have! You forget that while you were training here at home, I was on Smackdown with her the whole time! What was it … five, six, seven months? We got to know each other, and then when we finally went on that trip to that water park …"

"Water park?!", yelled a voice from upstairs. Cena poked his head down the stairs, reacting to the mention of such a place. "Dude! We totally have to make our way to that!"

"…. you're not helping, John", Randy mumbled. "… when Torrie and I were in the wave pool, I told her all about what happened to me in high school. Right then and there, I felt the same way I did when I loved Jennifer! I've never felt that way since high school, and I want to keep that forever! Look … I never showed you guys this, but this is what Torrie gave me for my birthday." Randy pulled out the piece of heart from under his shirt and displayed it to everyone. "I have part of her with me at all times, and she has part of me with her! Now I don't want just this! I want to be with her!"

"Wouldn't it be funny if she got drafted to RAW?" Batista commented.

"That's what I'm hoping for. Not hoping. Praying. Or me to get drafted to Smackdown."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's not get overzealous here. If you get drafted to Smackdown, you'll leave us behind!", Batista exclaimed

"But I'll have Torrie …"

"… but what will I do?" cried out a surprised Matt. "I don't know what I would do if I got separated from my family!"

"I know … I know. I'm just desperate for this. I've wanted another chance at love for as long as I could remember. Seeing you and Camilla together, going to get married … I admit, it made me jealous."

"Then let's hope she gets drafted to RAW. If … If you think you're ready. More importantly, if you think she's ready."

"I guess I'll find out."

"… can we eat now? I'm starvin', guys", Cena interjecting, holding his stomach.

"Yeah … I guess. You'll just have to peel an orange yourself if you want one."

One RAW left to Backlash. Randy anxiously waits for the draft. Dave is still determined to get his shot at the World Heavyweight title. John and Matt still have one more tournament match to go before the final. For some, things will go right. For others, things will go wrong.

Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it, and please review!

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