You thought I forget about this, didn't you? Classes have really wrecked my writing schedule. Ugh.

There's more than titles on the line tonight. Family. Honor. Revenge. Will Bad Blood be spilled?

Warning: this one's a little lengthy. Hope you enjoy it!


Through the magic of their parents' fat wallets, Michael, Adrian, and Travis were once again in the front row. However, their demeanors weren't as excited and colorful as they normally were. The trio sat in their seats, holding their popcorn buckets and drinks … shaking. Little splashes of coke and kernels were starting to cover the ground at their feet. A combination of trepidation and rage filled the hearts of the three teenagers, both of which were directed at Dave Batista. Even though they hadn't been in close contact with Matt and Camilla for quite a while, they still felt like they had a responsibility to take out someone who mercilessly attack their friends. But with a vindictive freak in Batista in front of them, the group felt powerless to do anything. The steel cell hanging above the ring didn't do anything to help. They could even see the hesitation in Lilian's face as she climbed into the ring, her eyes fixated on the same conglomeration of chain link fences above her.

"The following contest is scheduled for one fall and it is for the World Tag Team Championship!"

Some life was pumped back into the crowd as they realized who would be coming out soon. Rob Van Dam's music filled the arena, getting only a minimal amount of cheers. The ECW Originals hadn't exactly been fan favorites as of late; it seemed as if any team that ran into the tag champs became disliked. Even Tommy Dreamer, normally a major draw for the fans, couldn't help boost the volume of RVD's signature chant.

The one thing that did get the crowd riled up was the guitar riff that signaled the entrance of Matt and John. Michael, Adrian, and Travis led the cheering as the pair walked onto the stage. Orton's face was blank as he posed to his pyro; a feeling of complete and total anger had taken control of his personality. Matt desperately wanted to get his hands on Batista again, but RVD and Dreamer would have to do. The tag belts shining around their waists, Orton and Cena stepped into the ring. Lilian gave a little nod to the pair before stepping outside. Matt's eyes wandered down to a portion of chain hanging from John's pocket.

"What the hell did you bring that down here for?"

"A contingency plan, bro. In case something goes wrong."

"What?! Are you crazy? You would get us disqualified rather than win the match?"

Cena turned to Matt and put a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, yo. It's not like we're going to need to use it!"

"Then why …" Matt didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. John had yanked both belts off their waists and gave them to the referee before stepping out onto the apron. Focusing back on the match, Matt tensed all the muscles in his body before looking over at his opponents. Both Van Dam and Dreamer could sense the anger radiating from Matt; it was as if the mat underneath him started to melt. After a short moment of bickering between the two, Dreamer reluctantly agreed to start the match.

And then, the bell rang.

Orton immediately charged at Dreamer, knocking him down with a clothesline that everyone within a 2-mile radius could hear. When Dreamer got back up, Matt met him with a flurry of martial arts-style kicks and punches, landing everywhere from the back of Tommy's head to his ankles. Cena was a bit surprised at his partner's new antics, surmising that it was only to show up Van Dam's attack style. With an almost sadistic grin on his face, Matt picked up Dreamer and tossed him hard to the ropes. The ECW Original was met with a classic Orton dropkick, much to Randy's delight backstage. Matt picked Dreamer back up once again and whipped him to the opposite side of the ring. However, Van Dam was able to slap Dreamer on the back, which counted as a tag. This distracted Matt just enough for Dreamer to lift a knee straight into Matt's midsection. Orton was sent to his knees, which set Tommy up perfectly to bring Matt's head straight down into the mat with a DDT.

RVD rolled Matt over and set him close to the ropes, then signaled to the crowd for Rolling Thunder. Cena cringed as he saw RVD's entire weight come crashing down on Matt's chest, blowing the wind further out of him.

"1, 2, …"

Matt didn't have the wherewithal to kick out, but wisely put his foot on the nearby bottom rope. The crowd cheered at Orton's last-ditch effort to save himself. A frustrated Van Dam peeled Matt off the mat. However, with a rush of adrenaline, Orton grabbed RVD and tossed him across the ring with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Both men were now lifeless on the floor and the referee started his ten-count. Cena's hands started to gravitate to the chain in his pocket, but remembered the look Matt gave him before the match. Desperate, John looked around, spied Michael, Adrian, and Travis, and came up with a plan. Dropping to the floor, Cena whispered something over to the trio. When John got back onto the apron, he started to clap. Simultaneously, Michael, Adrian, and Travis started a "Let's go, Matt!" chant.

The sheer volume of the arena caught Matt's attention around the count of six. Steadily, Orton started to crawl over to his partner. With his hand mere inches from getting the tag, Matt felt something grab onto his leg. RVD had gotten to his feet and yanked Matt back into the center of the ring. Much to Cena's shock and disgust, Van Dam applied Cena's own STFU on Orton. The hope and joy dropped like bricks off of Cena's face, taking the theft of his move as a shot to his pride. John started to climb into the ring, but was met with resistance by the referee, threatening disqualification.

"Roll onto your side! Do something!", John screamed desperately.

Not wanting John to resort to the chain, Matt seemed to take heed of Cena's advice and pushed hard with one hand, shifting both his and RVD's weight to the side. Orton freed his leg from the hold and started to stand up, evidence of total body strain taking over him. Using the ropes to gain leverage, Matt finally got close enough to John to make the tag. Matt shifted RVD off his back and onto his shoulders, prompting the crowd to think Orton might deliver an FU. However, Matt instead lifted RVD up and over his head, slamming Van Dam's sternum against his knee. Almost instantly, Cena slingshotted himself up and over the ropes on a leg drop across RVD's back. Out of the corner of his eye, Orton saw Dreamer getting something from ringside. Not wanting the match to get out of hand, Matt rolled out of the ring towards Tommy.

Meanwhile, Cena had locked in the STFU, showing RVD how to properly apply the hold. Outside the ring, Matt and Tommy were struggling for control of a steel chair. With the referee's attention turned towards John and RVD, Matt took the easy way out. Kicking Dreamer in the stomach, Tommy quickly dropped the chair to the ground. Looking back inside the ring, Matt could see Van Dam's hand poised ready to tap out. With the chair now down on the floor, Orton could only think of one thing. Just as RVD tapped out, Matt brought Dreamer down onto the chair with a swift RKO.

"Here are your winners, and still the World Tag Team Champions, Matthew Orton and John Cena!", Lilian proudly said into the microphone.

The referee handed the champs their belts, and Cena went up to the turnbuckle to show it off.

"The champs are here!", he shouted out, holding his championship belt up in the air. Matt climbed up to the adjacent turnbuckle to do the same, but he couldn't help but feel conflicted about John bringing the chain down to the ring.


Randy was on his way out to the ring; it was his turn up next. Although he would have much preferred to go up against Matt Hardy, Jeff would have to do. Turning a corner, he saw his brother and John coming down the hall. In an effort to show him up, Randy took the Intercontinental belt off his waist and hoisted it onto his shoulder. Matt rolled his eyes and hoisted his own belt onto his shoulder. The two Ortons stared each other down for a while, and Cena stepped in between the two before something got started.

"Whoa, hold on, guys. Don't go …"

"I'm not stupid, John", answered Matt. "I wouldn't kick my brother's ass before he has to defend his title."

"You know I'm going to take you down once we get home Tuesday", Randy replied.

John sighed, a little irritated at the brothers being … well … brothers. Pushing Matt back, Cena urged the younger Orton to back off and let his brother get to the ring. Matt stepped away, although not breaking eye contact with Randy. As Randy walked away, Cena held Matt back, sensing that Orton would double back and possibly tackle his older brother down.

"You two gotta relax, dawg", John stated. "Know when to joke around. Tonight's not a good night."

"Chill, John. I wouldn't jeopardize Randy's chances of losing tonight … unless he was facing me. Maybe then would I bash his head in."

John rolled his eyes and the tag champs walked back to the locker room, where they were greeted and congratulated by the rest of the group. Shawn and Camilla were ecstatic and proud of the pair, but a plain-faced Eric was in the corner. Looking over at his best friend, Matt almost went over to try to encourage him again. HBK put a hand on Matt's shoulder and shook his head.

"Don't bother. He's concentrating. He'll need all the space he can get."

"Did he say anything to you when we came back earlier?"

"Yeah. He nearly broke down crying. Kid couldn't stop telling me he was sorry."

Matt cracked a small smile. He knew how much Eric valued his friendship with HBK and realized how important it was to him that the effects of his outburst before the pay-per-view started be rectified. The echoes of 'Line in the Sand' reverberated throughout the building, and Matt, John, Shawn, and Camilla turned their attention to the monitor. Randy was making his grand entrance in the usual Orton fashion: full of confidence. Lilian proudly introduced him to the crowd before Randy started to pace slowly down the ramp. Orton looked at his opponent already in the ring, carefully surveying possible strategies. However, the realization that Torrie Wilson was at ringside distracted Randy.

"What the hell …", Randy questioned. "What does she think she's doing?" Randy could only surmise that she was going to try to aid Hardy in some sort of way. "That's not happening. I'm not losing this belt to that piece of crap."

Climbing in the ring and handing the Intercontinental belt over to the referee, Orton never took his eyes off Jeff. Hardy could feel Randy's anger just as Tommy Dreamer did from Matt. When the bell rang, it was Hardy who made the first move, charging at Randy like a crazed bull in a coliseum. Orton successfully dodged the charge as if he were a matador. With a simple flick of his hand and a sly grin on his face, Randy taunted Jeff to try it again. Hardy flew one more at Orton, but was met with a vicious European uppercut to the jaw. Jeff stumbled back into the ropes to recover, but only to walk into a elevated spinebuster by Orton. Taking a second to gloat, Randy posed to the crowd, receiving cheers and applause from every corner of the arena.

Turning his attention back to the match, Randy nearly let himself get whacked in the head by a roundhouse kick. Jeff used this opportunity to snap back with another kick, this time aiming for the stomach. Using Randy's downward momentum, Jeff used a simple falling jawbreaker to knock Orton off his high perch. Backing Randy into a corner, he mounted the turnbuckle and started punching Orton in the head multiple times. Only a faint count could be heard from the crowd, and before long, the referee had forced Jeff to back off. Hardy whipped Randy to the opposite turnbuckle, but was reversed. Orton took his chance and leaped, smashing Hardy's body with a splash.

A still groggy Randy adjusted his jaw before laying into Jeff's face with some right hands. Knocking Hardy down to the ground, Orton circled his opponent's body like a vulture, stomping on a random appendage every few seconds. Suddenly, Randy dropped to the ground in a cat-like stance; the audience knew what was coming and responded with a round of roaring applause. Orton readied the RKO as Jeff started to come to his feet. However, Torrie started to climb up onto the apron, distracting the referee. Randy looked over at someone getting up from the announcer's area; Lilian had strolled over to where Torrie was and pulled her back down. Wilson stood in confusion on what had just happened before receiving a stern slap in the face. The crack of Lilian's hand against Torrie's cheek resonated throughout the arena, causing the fans to react appropriately. Torrie was knocked to the ground, Lilian gloating above her.

"That a girl", thought Randy before turning around, only to get a kick in the stomach. Jeff grabbed Orton's head and put him in position for the Twist of Fate. Hardy started the motion, but Randy somehow wriggled out of it. When Jeff turned around to try to recover, he walked right into an RKO.

"1, 2, 3!"

"Here is your winner and still the Intercontinental Champion, Randy Orton!"

Randy took the belt from the referee and quickly set it on his shoulder; instead of posing like he usually would, Orton hopped out of the ring and wrapped his arms around Lilian. Backstage, Matt smiled, thinking that Randy might pop the question then and there. However, his slumped back against the wall when his brother only kissed his girlfriend and got his hand raised in the air by her.

"You could have done it then, you know."

"I know. But I've got something else planned for that."


Thousands of heads were staring straight up in the air as the steel cell that had been hanging from the ceiling slowly started to descend to the ring. It was especially intimidating to the trio sitting ringside; the chain-link cell was coming down mere feet in front of them. Backstage, Eric was staring at the monitor with the same pale face he assumed earlier in the day. As a video package played highlighting the points of the feud between Eric and the Undertaker, Orton was eerily reminded of his own feud with Kane. Matt had wanted desperately to go over and talk to his best friend to try to pump him up, but Shawn refused, citing that Eric would be 'ready when he's ready'.

"He'll be fine."

Matt looked over to his brother, who had just emerged from the bathroom, refreshed after his match.

"How do you know? He hasn't said a word all afternoon. Eric's probably freaking out over there and …"

"He'll … be … fine. Didn't you say he was practically an Orton earlier? Then why should he have a problem? You faced your fear in there against Kane and succeeded. He'll do the same."

At that moment, Eric got up and grabbed a bottle of water. He went over to the full-body mirror in the corner of the room and looked at himself. Taking a deep breath and making the sign of the cross, Eric opened the water bottle and poured some over his long light-orange hair. Shawn let out an audible chuckle; this little ritual reminded him of Hunter. Looking someone in the eyes for the first time that night, Eric shook hands with HBK. Going over to Camilla, she gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek for good luck. John and Randy both slapped him on the back before Eric stepped in front of Matt.

"Be careful out there", Orton stated. "For the love of god, don't go on top of the cell."

Eric chortled softly and put a hand on the shoulder that Matt had separated. "I think I learned that when I saw what happened to this."

Orton smiled at seeing his friend finally relax. Eric and Matt gave each other a hug and a couple of slaps on the back before Eric turned towards the door and started his way to the ring. With the whole room silent, Eric turned around and said …

"Lighten up, people. You all act like I'm walking to my death bed or something."

Turning back around, Eric slipped off the DX shirt he was wearing and tossed it to the floor. What Matt and Randy saw both surprised them and put a giant smile on their faces: Eric had the same across-the-upper-back tattoo as both Ortons.

Ringside, Lilian hesitated before getting up to announce the match.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is the Hell in a Cell match!"

The sound of the Undertaker's motorcycle filled the arena, but that didn't stop Eric from concentrating on his way to the ring. Taker's theme song only started to fuel his mindset.

"I have to tear it up out there, but I can't let myself go completely. Taker's not stupid. If I screw up, he'll take advantage immediately."

When the DX theme song started to play, Eric didn't stop to pose; making a beeline for the ring, he entered the cell, slid into the ring, and gave Taker one hell of an uppercut. The bell rang to officially start the match, switching Eric's 'attack mode' on. Mirroring the best of what Taker himself could offer, Eric let loose with an incredible array of lefts and rights. The fans thought for a moment that they were watching a boxing match. Barringer had managed to push Taker back into a corner, continuing his barrage of punches, hitting Taker in the face, stomach, and neck. The Deadman, however, managed to power his way out of the corner and reverse their positions; Eric was the one now taking punch after punch. With Barringer dizzy in the corner, Taker backed up all the way to the opposite side and caught Eric with a huge body splash.

Eric yelled out, a terrible pain in his chest taking control of his body. Falling to his knees, Barringer tried to get his focus back on the match, but the throbbing ache took his attention once again. Looking up, Eric saw Taker's boot going right for his chest and rolled to the side. Using all his strength, Barringer tried clotheslining the Deadman over the top rope. Initially failing, Eric ran to the opposite ropes, gained as much momentum as he could, and tried again. Taker stayed in the ring a second time and smiled at Barringer's attempts, wrapping his hand around Eric's neck. The next thing Eric knew, he was being tossed over the top rope, his back slamming against the steel cell.

Eric felt a sharpness pierce the skin on his back as he fell, and there was no doubt to him that he was now bleeding. Lucky for him, Eric managed to land on his feet. Taking the few precious moments he had, Eric shot his hand under the ring and felt around for anything. However, Taker grabbed Eric by the hair and pulled straight up. Barringer managed to land his hand around something and swung it up and over his head, smacking Taker hard in the cranium. The Deadman's grip on his hair was no more.

Barringer had a lead pipe in his hand. Something in his head clicked.

Eric climbed into the ring, a couple of crimson streaks going down his back. Acting like he was playing a game of Whack-a-Mole, he let loose on the Undertaker's lower back, repeatedly smashing the blunt object over Taker's spine. Once Taker was flat on the mat, Eric dropped back to the floor and pulled Taker by his hair down to ringside. Holding the Deadman's head to the cell wall, Barringer grinded Taker's forehead against the steel, wanting the same red liquid to run down Taker's face as was his own back.

But an elbow to Eric's stomach stopped the assault. Taker was getting back to his feet and kept his retaliatory attacks at a steady pace. Once Eric was stunned and disoriented, Undertaker picked up Barringer and rammed him face first into the steel. The whole cell shook violently, causing everyone in the immediate vicinity to jump. Lilian happened to be sitting right in front of where Eric hit the cell, causing her to shriek. Eric's forehead now had blood running down it, matching the cut on Taker's own head. Barringer was tossed like a rag doll back into the ring, and Taker made the motion for the Last Ride. The group backstage watched in dismay as Eric was lifted into the air.

But Taker's own move backfired. The Deadman had lifted Eric so high, he was able to grab the top of the cage. As Taker tried to slam Eric to the canvas, he encountered the resistance of the whole cell. Looking up, Eric managed to wriggle his leg out from around Taker's head and forcefully kicked him hard square in the jaw, sending Taker face first down to the canvas. Now hanging dangerously from the top, Eric managed to use all of his upper body strength to make it to the side of the cage and climb down to the floor. Making use of the lead pipe on the floor, Barringer slid back into the ring and quickly slapped on the Camel Clutch, using the pipe to lift under Taker's throat. The veins on Barringer's neck nearly popped out; Eric was using all the energy left in his battered visage to make Taker tap out.

But Taker wasn't tapping out. In fact, Taker wasn't doing anything at all. After a while, Eric let go and flipped his opponent on his back.

"1, 2, 3!"

A relieved Lilian announced, "Here is your winner, Eric Barringer!"

While the Evolution/DX group celebrated, another person in another section backstage just growled at the monitor. Bursting down the door in front of him, the World Heavyweight Champion took his belt and started his way to the ring.

A short while later and Eric was patched up by the trainer and was now mere steps away from the locker room. When he opened the door, Barringer was nearly knocked down by his ecstatic best friend.

"Dude!", Matt screamed out. "You were freakin' awesome! You beat Taker down like a piñata!"

"When did you get that tat, man?", asked Randy. "We never noticed."

"I thought I might surprise you guys. Matt keeps saying that I'm part of the family … so I went out to that shop you were telling me about in St. Louis and I got it."

Both brothers high-fived each other and took Eric to the back of the locker room for a chat. While she watched the three men socialize, Camilla couldn't help but notice a small scowl on Cena's face. And while all of this was going on, HBK slowly slipped out of the room so Eric could enjoy his celebration.

"If this is what I have to do … it's done."


"The following contest is scheduled for one fall, and it is for the World Heavyweight Championship!"

DX's music played in the arena once again as HBK made his usual entrance. Although Shawn was going up against a sinister opponent as they come, there was absolutely no difference in his demeanor. Getting into the ring, Shawn did the same thing as he usually did. But there was something different about the air around him. Everyone in the arena, including everyone backstage, could sense that Shawn was here for something different than a title. To add confusion, Shawn asked Lilian for a microphone.

The mood was shattered by Batista's blaring theme song. Dave walked down the ramp to the ring and stared down Michaels.

"Why did you do it?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Why did you do what you did to the Ortons, Dave?"

Batista grinned and snatched the microphone from Shawn.

"… Evolution was supposed to be mine. Evolution was supposed to be led by me, not that bastard Triple H! Once that little piece of crap Orton got the wheels rolling, I was going to capitalize and take Evolution for myself. I was going to be the leader. I was going to be the headpin. I was going …"

"… to turn into Triple H".

Batista's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets. "But you and that kid turned this group into a 'family'. My plan was ruined before it even got off the ground!"

"You were about to become the very man you hated. And now the transformation is complete, Dave. You're no better than the man I call my brother!"

Dave took a sudden step back and slammed the World Heavyweight title belt against Shawn's head. Backstage, Matt and Eric shot to their feet, full of intention to get to the ring and tear Batista apart. But when they opened the door of the locker room, they froze in their tracks.

"What the …", Eric sputtered out. Someone was standing right in front of the door. Upon realizing who it was, both Barringer and Orton looked like they had seen a ghost. The man in front of them picked up the DX shirt that Eric had taken off earlier and put it on. Barringer couldn't believe his eyes. Neither could Matt for that matter. In addition, Randy, John, and Camilla had walked up behind the pair and their jaws instantly fell to the ground.

"You're … you're not supposed to be here!", Randy exclaimed. "I … I … Shawn and I … we took you out on RAW! You're supposed to be out until Surviv …"

"I need to do something I should have done a long time ago." The man paused and looked down at what he was holding in his hand. "And then I'm doing the same to you guys."

Everyone looked at each other as the man turned and walked towards the ring.

"What the hell is going on?!", asked a confused and bewildered Eric.

Back in the ring, Batista was putting a near lifeless Shawn Michaels in position for a Batista Bomb. He had shoved off at least six referees in dragging a table into the ring and setting it up. Shawn was struggling, but to no avail.

But a well recognized guitar riff filled the arena … only it wasn't 'Line in the Sand'.

"It's time to play the game … time to play the game!!!"

Triple H walked out onto the stage. The man who was supposed to be injured. The man who was supposed to be on the bench for five more months until Survivor Series. Everyone in the arena was confused, but cheered for the Game once they saw that he was wearing a D-Generation X t-shirt.

Shawn was the only one who knew what was going on the entire time.

Batista had let HBK go and watched his former colleague walk down the ramp. Triple H held his trusty sledgehammer in his hand and climbed up and into the ring. Dave didn't let Hunter establish a base and immediately attacked the Game, leveling him with forearm after forearm to the back of the head. But one swipe of the sledgehammer to Batista's stomach put the Animal down on his knees. Shawn had pulled himself up and, to the astonishment of the whole building, started to tune up the band. When Batista got back to his feet, Hunter did the classic DX 'Suck it' taunt and pointed behind Dave. Batista turned around and was met with Sweet Chin Music. The Animal stumbled around, only to receive a kick to the stomach from Triple H. Hunter put Batista in position for the Pedigree, pointed directly at Shawn, and rammed Dave's face into the canvas. Hunter then grabbed the microphone, ran over to Shawn, and helped his friend to his feet.

"This may be too little too late, Shawn … but I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I let …"

"You don't have to go any further. You're my best friend. 'I'm sorry' is all I had to hear."

"I still need to explain myself. I … I always thought that you were the big cheese. Back when we first formed DX, I looked up to you. Then when you got injured and I was left with DX in my hands … I ran with it. I went crazy with power. Sure, we got off on the right foot, but everything got messed up. Then when you came back … and then at SummerSlam in that match … I felt like you wanted to take back what you felt was yours."

Shawn smiled. "You know … you don't have to look up to me. We're on the same level, Hunter. We've always been on the same level. What you do need to do is apologize to the rest of the family back there. If there's one thing I've learned since all of this has taken place … is that family is the only thing that matters. I consider you part of my family. I've always done that. Now you need to get those Orton brothers to accept you."

To the delight of the fans, Hunter and Shawn embraced in the middle of the ring over Batista's motionless body. Each man ascended opposite turnbuckles and made the classic 'X' above their heads. Michael, Adrian, and Travis started a 'DX' chant, which the whole crowd instantly picked up. Backstage, the rest of the group was still in shock.

"What the hell is going on?!", Camilla asked, repeating Eric's earlier question.

"I ... I have no earthly idea", answered Eric.

"Wait a minute … what about the title?"

"I think it's safe to say that the match is shot to hell. Dave'll keep the belt."

The locker room door opened to reveal Hunter and Shawn. Randy and Matt shot to the front of the group.

"What the hell makes you think you can just barge back in here and demand that we accept you!", Randy screamed out.

"I'm not … I'm not demanding that …"

Matt stepped in front of Randy and extended his hand to the Game.

"What … what the hell are you doing?", Randy stuttered.

"Any man that saves one of us from a monster like Batista deserves a second chance. And if I'm wrong …", Matt began because of Randy's protest, "… you can tear my head off later."

Hunter uneasily shook Orton's hand.

"If you screw up one time … turn your back on us in any way …"

"You have my word that I won't."

Matt squeezed Hunter's hand tightly. "I've heard that from you before."

"This time I mean it."


What does this mean for the future of Evolution and D-Generation X? Who will be chosen to go after Batista's World Heavyweight Championship? Also, with the return of the Game, someone gets pissed off and tries to make life a living hell for the family.

Please tell me what you think. I had something else planned, but I put this in instead on a whim.

Hope you enjoyed it!

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