Hello all, I'm back from Spring Break (and no internet connection...oy vey.) Anyway, here's another chapter... It came out longer than I thought it would, but I think it works... Hope y'all enjoy it! We're only a 2 chapters away from a major turning point in the story, so bear with me until then! XD

The Undertaker had just changed out of his clothes and slid wearily into bed when there was a loud knock on his room door, followed by several soft, infinitely more annoying ones.

"Dammit," he muttered, turning to look at the clock. For the first time in months he had the chance to go to bed before 10pm after a day of training…and now this.

Another groan escaped his lips before he at last got up and went to the door. He opened it slowly, eyes half-closed.

"Were you sleeping?" the man at the door asked. 'Taker rubbed his eyes, clearing his vision.

"Oh… hi Shawn. I should have known."

Shawn laughed and clapped the larger man on the shoulder. "You really should have," he chuckled. "But, I came by to ask you something. Are you going to the Hall of Fame ceremony tomorrow?"

Mark shook his head. "I don't plan to. All that talkin' puts me to sleep." His green eyes glittered for a moment. "Why do you ask?"

Shawn shrugged. "Nothing important… I just wondered if you'd want to go with me. No doubt it'll be beyond boring, but I'm thinking that having you there will make things at least bearable."

"Oh…" The Undertaker was surprised at his own thoughts at that moment. He couldn't care less about the Hall of Fame ceremony, but the fact that Shawn was inviting him…

"In that case, sure." He gave his most charming smile, which, it turns out, was quite charming. "I'll go with you Shawn…as long as there's food or something afterwards."

Again, Shawn laughed, turning his head slightly to hide the blush that had come to his cheeks. "Thanks, Mark," he said with a smile, looking at the door frame before turning to go. "Oh," he called back over his shoulder. "Remember to wear tux. This is a formal occasion… No leather, no jeans, no pseudo-Satanic robes."

HBK's smile only widened as walked away to the music of Mark's laughter.

"You look great," Shawn said dramatically as his eyes wandered over the Undertaker's form. The man did look great, dressed in a dark blue suit with a white shirt underneath. "But where's your tie?"

Mark grinned. "I threw it out the window. Where's yours?" he asked, trying to hide the fact that he was staring at Shawn, who was dressed in a black suit with a shiny red shirt.

The Heartbreak Kid shrugged, and then had to smile when he realized that they both had their hair tied back. 'It's a shame… I love seeing that lovely black hair flowing free,' Shawn thought absently.

"Well," 'Taker began with a sigh. "Let's get this over with."

Shawn nodded. "Let's," he said taking his companion's arm at the elbow before walking inside.

The ceremony seemed to go on…and on…and on…

"This is so boring," Shawn whispered as he leaned on his elbow. He had been sitting for several hours and was getting fidgety. He looked over to Mark, and noticed that the man was perfectly still, head resting in his hand as though deep in thought. It was then that Shawn noticed his light breathing, and the fact that his eyes were closed.

'He's asleep!' he thought with a soft chuckle. Shawn took in the sight of him for another moment before quickly pushing his supporting arm away, causing Mark's head to crash down into the seat in front of them with a thud.

"The fuck?" the Undertaker whispered, sitting up and rubbing his forehead, suddenly awake. He looked over and saw Shawn holding back what was obviously a fit of laughter, blushing slightly when he noticed the looks from the people around him.

"Real funny, Michaels," he hissed, reaching behind the seat and grabbing the end of Shawn's golden ponytail. With one pull, the unsuspecting Heartbreak Kid's head hit the back of his own chair, cutting his laughter off with an "Ow!"

Several people turned to look in the direction of the two men, including Vince, who gave them both a nasty scowl. The Undertaker scowled back, and Shawn stuck his tongue out at the Boss. Flair, sitting in the middle of a row of women half his age, gave the two men a thumbs up.

"I'm glad you came with me," Shawn said between silent chuckles. There was sudden applause, and he looked up, thinking the ceremony was over.

"And now, for the final inductee…" Both men groaned simultaneously, wondering who was next to make an unnecessarily long speech.

"Bret, the Hitman Hart!"

'Taker looked over at Shawn, who had stiffened in his chair, his perfect smile replaced by a tight frown.

"You alright Shawn?" he asked softly. Shawn nodded absently, but then blinked and shook his head.

"I… Bret…" He sighed and rubbed his forehead with his hands. "Bret still hasn't forgiven me."

Mark nodded. "Figured as much. But he knows the whole story, right?"

"Yeah but…he still hates me. I've asked him to forgive me so many times and he just…" Shawn's blue eyes darkened. "Usually I don't care if someone likes me or not but… I feel guilty…"

The Undertaker smiled sadly at his friend and touched his arm lightly. "It's nothing you should concern yourself with anymore, Shawn. It wasn't your fault. And if he doesn't want to forgive you, that'll be on his head for the rest of his life. You've done your part."

"So you say," Shawn said with another sigh. "So Hunter and the others say, and so I tell myself. But sometimes I feel like…" He looked up at the podium, looking right at Bret. "Maybe one day he'll forgive me."

"Maybe. But if not, you don't need it. You're already a damn angel…"

HBK turned to 'Taker with a curious expression on his face. "Angel?" he asked, but before he could say more, there was more applause, and he realized that the ceremony was over.

"Thank God," the Undertaker muttered, standing up quickly. "I'm getting a drink now."He took Shawn's wrist, not wanting to leave him sitting there, and made his way over to the long table set up on the left side of the room. "Catch," he said with a smile, tossing a Pepsi to Shawn, who caught it absently.

"Thanks," the Heartbreak Kid answered, looking over to where Bret was standing. He knew that there would always be bad blood between them, but he always hoped that one day they could reconcile.

"I need to stop dwelling on the past," he whispered to himself, looking down at the soda in his hand and wondering where it came from. His blue eyes drifted upwards, and fell on Mark, who had his head tilted back as he was downing a glass of something strong, seemingly in one long swallow.

"I'll focus on the future," he laughed, shaking his head and opening the can.

'Taker felt his eyes watering from the strength of the drink when a tall figure came into view.

"I'm surprised you came," Kane began with a smile. "And you dressed for the occasion too!" He gave his brother a sly look. "I'd be willing to bet that this has something to do with Shawn."

Mark shook his head with a resigned smile. "It has everything to do with Shawn. You know how much I hate these kind of things." He poured himself another drink. "And I hate dressing like this even more. But…" His green eyes locked with his brother's. "But Shawn wanted me to come with him, and, well, here I am. There's not any more to it than that."

Glen's eyes narrowed slightly. "You should be careful, Mark. You know how you can get when--"

"I know what I'm doing, Little Brother," the Undertaker said sternly. "I'm no longer some kid who can't control his powers."

"But--"

Mark's eyes narrowed dangerously. "There's nothing to discuss," he said shortly, taking another long drink. Glen gave his older brother a sympathetic glance and touched his shoulder lightly.

"It'll work out, just don't worry." He couldn't stop himself from smiling suddenly. "And don't accidentally strike anyone down," Kane whispered, drifting off into the crowd. The Undertaker watched him go with a sigh before pouring himself another glass and popping a strawberry into his mouth.

Feeling better than he had a few minutes ago, HBK went over to talk to some of the other Superstars. He even managed a few smiles while chatting with the younger guys, unable to stay upset when they treated him like a demi-god.

While he was talking to Chris Jericho, however, he shot a glance over at 'Taker, and his smile faded slightly.

"Shawn, what's wrong?" Y2J asked, trying to figure out the source of the sudden frown.

"Nothing, Chris, I… I'll be right back," Shawn said quickly, giving the younger man a charming smile before walking off towards his dear friend, who was talking with a long-time pain-in-the-butt.

"Look, man, just drop it," the Undertaker was saying in something of an angry whisper as Shawn approached. "You really need to get your damn head out of your ass immediately."

The Immortal Hulk Hogan, who seem to be more drunk than anything else, only smiled at the larger, stronger man's words. "You know, 'Taker, you've always thought you were better than me, but you know what? If I asked Vince now for a match against you at 'Mania, I'd get it. And that'd be the end of your Streak too."

The Undertaker rolled his eyes. "You know, I could tell your sorry ass off, but you're not worth my time." He turned to leave, but felt a hand grasping his elbow. "Get the hell off me," he said in a low voice, not even bothering to turn around.

Hogan was furious, and even he didn't know why. "Listen here, you son of a bitch, don't you dare walk out on--"

"The man said not to touch him. I recommend you comply."

The Hulkster, 'Taker, and everyone in the immediate area turned to see where the threat came from, and realized with no little surprise that it was Shawn Michaels, his blue eyes hard and expression severe.

Unsmiling, Shawn put his hand over Hogan's and removed it from Mark's arm.

"Shawn just got majorly scary!" John Cena whispered to Y2J, both men not far from the table.

"Yeah," Chris said with a small smile. "He gets like that sometimes, but it's rare as hell. Glad to see him putting Hogan in his place, though." His smile only grew as he watched his hero leave, with several stunned Superstars watching his exit, and the Undertaker in tow.

"Showstopper indeed."

"Jesus, Shawn!" Mark said when they got outside. Shawn gave him a mysterious smile.

"What?"

"Back there… I think Hogan shit himself in terror of you." 'Taker laughed and patted Shawn's slender shoulder. "I always knew you had it in you."

Shawn gave a comic bow. "Yeah… I can get tough when I have to." He nudged Mark in the side playfully. "And I can't just sit by and let someone insult a friend. That's just not gonna work."

'Taker blushed slightly, grinning down at Shawn. "You never cease to amaze me," he said fondly. His mind wandered for a moment, and he wondered just how much Shawn was warming up to him. For that one moment, he considered dropping to one knee and telling the Heartbreak Kid everything; telling him that he loved…

…But the moment passed as quickly as it had come, and Mark only shook his head. "Hey, I heard that there's an after party at Flair's house…"

"How do you always know this stuff?" Shawn asked with a laugh.

'Taker smiled smugly. "I told you, they used to call me PartyTaker. I just know these things." He nodded towards his bike. "You up for it?"

Shawn sighed dramatically and shook his head. "I guess," he said in an exaggerated voice, unable to keep the ever-present smirk from his lips. "But only if you'll be there, Angel."

Review? Next update tonight or tomorrow!