Alexa watched the younger brother of the Hardy Boyz walk out of the gym. She remembered when the brothers vanished three years ago. One day they were there, then the next, gone. Now, one shows up out of the blue and apparently his brother was coming back, too.

"I thought they died," Riley blurted.

Alexa looked at her, unsure if she was joking or not.

"Anyway. We 'ave twenty pounds of scrap." Riley started walking. "Think that's six hours worth?"

"Maybe," Alexa replied, following.

They walked out of the gym to the irradiated city of Los Diablos with the sky orange from the setting sun and walked to a beat-up, red Buick as Alexa removed the keys from her pocket and unlocked it. She opened the driver's door, hopped behind the wheel, reached into the back for her purse, slipped the pouch of scrap inside it, and tossed the purse in the backseat. "We still have to plan the routes; pack; make sure if there isn't any territory to be aware of."

"And weapons," Riley answered; sitting in the passenger seat, closing the door.

She sighed. "And weapons." She closed her own door and slipped the key into the ignition. After 22 years of living in the wasteland, Alexa was finally planning to breakout– to have a normal life. The thought alone was almost surreal. "We really are going to do this, aren't we?"

"Yeah. We'll get the outta this hellhole and join the real WWE in the real world. That's what we'll do." Riley paused. "After I go back to Australia for a year or so…." Her amber gaze drifted out the window.

Alexa nodded, inhaling. "Yeah. The weather is getting colder, so we should do it soon." She reversed the car and drove out of the parking lot.

"Too right." Riley smiled at her. "Rusty Nail, yeah?"

She chuckled. "Absolutely."

The Rusty Nail was a convenient bar because of how close it was to the gym and it was the only bar that actually tries to be decent in such a city. After a mile drive through broken lonely streets with people wandering around, the Buick parked on the curb of the semi-empty street and, just as Alexa killed the engine, Riley opened the glove compartment and pulled out a folded map.

Alexa picked up her purse, looking at her friend. "Really? Now?"

Riley grinned, tapping the map. "Time to start plannin', mate."

They hopped out of the car, locked it, and walked across the street to the bar that had a metal sign drilled above the door with words spray painted in red: "The Rusty Nail."

Riley opened the door to the small, crowded bar and deeply inhaled the scent of cheap booze and cigarettes. "Whiskey, 'ere I come."

Spotting two stools at the counter, the pair snagged them.

A young bartender approached them. His dark hair was pulled back as his green eyes begged for countless hours of sleep. "What can I get you two?"

"Two shots of whiskey, please." Alexa removed the pouch of scrap from her purse, slid over two bullets, and returned the pouch back into the purse.

The bartender silently picked up the bullets, walked way, then returned; placing two shot glasses before the customers and poured golden whiskey.

"Cheers."

"Thanks."

The friends picked up their glasses as the bartender disappeared.

Riley beamed. "Cheers to the best women's tag team in the whole bloody wasteland."

Alexa giggled. "Cheers."

They clicked the glasses, downed the whiskey, and placed the empty glasses down.

Riley unfolded the old, worn map of California that she kept for eight years and laid it on the counter.

"Right now?" Alexa questioned, moving the shot glasses aside.

"Why not?" She flattened it out, leaned over the counter and snatched a pen out of a cup while the bartender wasn't looking. She uncapped it, scribbled out "Angeles" and wrote "Diablos" above the scribble. She began to study it. "Judging by this map….Struth. It's an eight hour drive."

"We can do it."

"Y'know it." She chuckled.

Alexa tapped the capitol. "I heard the boarder is passed Sacramento."

Riley drew a line through the state, roughly above the city. "Hopefully we'll be able to stick to the I-5N." She smirked with a glint in her eye. "Or we can try to smuggle ourselves through Mexico. That's how I got 'ere."

She looked at her. "I'd rather not risk that, thanks."

The Aussie shrugged. "Worth a shot. Twenty pounds for eight hours?"

"We will need plenty of supplies, too. Food. Water. Medical. Gas. That's at least ten right there. Who knows how much those weapons of yours will be."

Riley sat up. "I'll take care of that. Starting tomorrow, I'll gather has many supplies as I can without goin' overboard." She slipped a silver necklace out from under her shirt, fiddling with a silver ring on the chain that carried a fire opal.

Alexa placed a hand on her shoulder, gently smiling. "We'll get out of here."

She ran a hand through her blonde hair, tucking the ring back under her shirt. "Yeah. I just wanna go…now. We actually have a plan."

She nodded. "We will. Soon."

"Right." Riley smiled in disbelief. "Very soon." She folded up the map, tucking it into her jacket pocket, and hopped off the stool. She removed her own small pouch of scrap. "I need to piss. Get me a beer, Lexi." She handed over three nails and a copper wire, then walked away.

Alexa shook her head with a smirk as she removed her pouch of scrap, took out a couple of scraps of nails and another bullet, and hailed the bartender down. "Two bottles of beer, please." She slid the scrap towards him.

With a curt nod, he took the payment and turned away.

Movement caught the corner of her eye.

"Hey."

She glanced at a man with short, red hair and a smooth smirk on his lips. She hummed, looking ahead of herself.

"Want me to get you anything?"

The bartender placed the set of opened beers down and disappeared.

Alexa hummed, picking up her beer.

"Well, never mind then," the man lamely chuckled. "So, what's your name?"

She took a swig of the stale beer.

"Hey, I'm talkin' to you!"

"Wow, that's a bit rude." A second voice questioned in a light Southern accent. "I think she's ignoring you to the point you should question your own existence."

Alexa nearly choked on her beer and tried not to smile at a tall man with shoulder-length black, curly hair and unamused, dark eyes locked on the redhead; leaning against the counter behind him with his head tilted. Her eyes slowly grew, wanting to call out who he was, but looked back ahead of herself to regain her composure. She wanted to see how this played out.

The redhead spun around to him. "Who the– back off!"

"Oi." Riley returned; leaning against the counter by her seat with her legs crossed, glaring at the two men, who were both now looking at her. "Whose ass am I kickin'?"

Alexa sighed, snapping her head to the redhead, earning his attention. "I'm Alexa Bliss." She gestured to her friend. "This my tag partner, Riley Voss, and the guy behind who you is Matt Hardy. Yes. The Matt Hardy if that name rings a bell." She tightly smiled with a head tilt. "Get the picture?"

The redhead slyly smiled. "So I finally got your name, sweetheart–"

Alexa frowned.

Riley's breath hitched. "Oh no."

She slapped him across the face, grabbed his hair, and bounced his head off the counter, then took a drink of her beer as the other two watched him sink to floor in a groaning mess.

The bartender heavily sighed, about to take a step. "I'll toss him out."

Matt smiled, raising a hand. "No need." He grabbed the redhead by the back of his neck and shoulder, hauling him to the door, then stopped just as the door opened to Jeff Hardy, who plastered himself against the open door, allowing his brother to toss the redhead out like trash.

Jeff looked at him with puzzled eyes. "You done?"

"Yep."

Alexa leaned over to her friend; watching the approaching brothers, whispering, "Both Hardy Boyz in one day?"

"Who's bloody next?" Riley murmured, taking her seat. "Edge?"

Alexa waved, smiling. "Hi, Jeff."

Jeff smirked. "Nice to see you two again."

Matt looked at her and his brother. "You know each other?"

"Ran into them at the gym," he answered. He placed a hand on his brother's shoulder with a grin. "Do the names Alexa Bliss and Riley Voss mean anything to you?"

Matt smiled at the women. "Yeah, they're the Sanguine Wanderers. I know because we already had an informal introduction." He held out a hand. "Matt."

Alexa chuckled, taking his hand. "Alexa. You can call me Lexi."

Riley shook his hand with a polite smile. "Riley."

"Now we had a proper introduction." He looked at his younger brother, frowning. "Now, why are you here?"

Jeff grinned. "Man, I came here to find you! They helped convince Jonny to take us back."

Matt blinked. "What?"

His brother laughed, grabbing his shoulders with shining, hazel eyes. "We're back in the game, man! We have a match tomorrow at eight!"

Matt looked at the women. "Is he serious?"

Jeff dropped his arms, unamused. "Really?"

Riley chuckled. "He sure is! Lexi and I fabricated a lie on the spot that you two kicked ass in a bar fight and still had it. Nearly happened, too." She took a swig of beer.

Matt looked back at his brother. "Do you know who we are going against?"

He shook his head. "No idea." He inhaled. "Look, Matt, I know screwed up, but–"

Matt smirked, patting him on the shoulder. "We'll talk about this later." He turned to the women. "Want to get a table?"

Agreeing, the women snagged their beers from the counter as Matt went to the opposite end of the counter for his own drink. They found a nearby table and Alexa sat by her friend and Jeff.

"So," Riley looked at the brothers. "Why now all of a sudden? You two 'ave been gone for three years and now we run into you both at separate places in one day. What gives? And you," she pointed to Jeff with a playful smirk, "showed up in both places."

Jeff laughed. "Yeah, it was weird to run into you guys again, but I had see if Matt was here." He smirked at him. "It's not like there's a lot of places to go to around here." He looked back at the women with his fingers loosely interlocked on the table. "We would have gone back sooner– a year sooner– but we knew Jonny was going to be a pain and today I figured might as well at least try, y'know?"

"He hates everyone," Alexa chortled, taking a sip of her beer.

"Honestly, if you guys weren't there, he wouldn't have let us back in."

"Nope," the three others simultaneously answered.

Jeff chuckled. "Maybe try harmonizing next time."

Matt smiled at him. "I have to ask: How thrilled was he to see you?"

He snorted, grinning. "He hates us."

They all busted up laughing.

"When I told him that it was not just me who wanted to come back, but you too, it was like double trouble for him. I couldn't tell if he actually bought their story or if he just wanted them to stop talking, but I wasn't going to question it."

Matt lightly shook his head. "I knew Jonathon would rather see us dead than step foot in his turf."

Jeff scoffed. "He's not a crime lord."

He looked at him. "He might as well be. He has Kane, who, I'm pretty sure, has confirmed kills."

"He does," Riley quietly replied, taking a swig of her beer.

The brothers both looked at her, horrified.

Alexa chortled. "He used to run with The Undertaker. What do you expect?"

Matt looked like he saw his life flash before his eyes; Jeff was avoiding her gaze; and Riley roughly swallowed her beer as if she was about to choke, staring at her with large eyes. "That was true?"

Alexa slowly nodded. "Yes."

"I forgot about Kane," Jeff whispered, lowering his gaze.

"Maybe we shouldn't go back…." Matt murmured.

Alexa rolled her eyes, smiling. "Guys. What is Maco going to do? Have Kane kill you in the ring for coming back? No. As for Kane's connections with a crime lord, what does that matter?" She lit up. "You'll be fine! Besides, when words gets out the Hardy Boyz are back after three years, can you imagine how many people would come to see you two? Jonathan would have so many people in the audience, he would feel like Vince McMahon himself."

Riley smiled at her. "Aw, you're remembering things I taught ya." She shook her head, waving a hand. "Anyway." She smiled at the brothers. "We'll be in the back rootin' for ya!"

Jeff leaned into his seat, smiled at his brother, and clapped him on his shoulder. "Relax, Matt. We'll be fine."

Matt looked at him as if questioning his brother's mental state.