Like Old Times
Raw 9/13/04

"Now, I'm gonna go out there first. I'll say some stuff and then I'm gonna call you out. You're good with the whole dancing thing, right?" Paul looked over at Shawn and quirked an eyebrow.

"Why the hell wouldn't I be?" Shawn asked.

"Okay, my bad. When I wink at you, tear your HBK shirt and signal the 'X' fireworks. Then we'll hug and stuff like that." Paul stated.

Shawn blinked at him. "Do I look stupid to you or something?"

"Why would you ask such a thing, Shawn?"

"I know how to read, for one. And Vin Man already told me what was going on tonight… So let's just get out there and get it over with already."

With a nod from Paul, the two were once again walking down the halls towards the gorilla position, ready to shock the fans.

Paul walked down to the ring to Evolution's music, and was "proudly" sporting his Evolution colors. He slid into the ring and took a microphone, trying his best to keep his game face on. "A short time ago, I was out here telling everyone how badly Evolution needed a new member. Need I remind you, Evolution is the diamond of this business. We have the best of the past, the best of the present, and the best of the future. I believe I've found the perfect addition to Evolution… Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome… Shawn Michaels!"

Shawn figured that was his cue, so he jumped through the curtains and danced around the way he always did. He slid into the ring and took a microphone from Lillian Garcia, then stood in front of Paul.

"Hiya, Shawn. Long time no see. Haven't had the pleasure of standing in front of you in the ring since Kane decided to release some pent up anger on you back in June… But, you've been here long enough… And your brain is still intact, last I heard. You know all about Evolution. You've seen us around. You've been in the ring with us. Well, I've been talking it over with the guys, and we think it's best if you join."

"Best for me or best for you?" Shawn asked.

Paul grumbled under his breath. "Listen, man—"

"Don't patronize me, Hunter! I've known you for too damn long to take that crap from you!"

An awkward moment of silence passed between the two. Paul finally rolled his eyes and glared at Shawn. "You're right, man. We used to be really close."

"Best friends."

"Exactly. If you join Evolution, it'll be another chance for us to be best friends again, Shawn. Come on, you know you want to. You miss those road trips and late nights at bars."

"The road trips, yes. The late nights at bars, no. We've both matured since those days, Hunter."

"Could've fooled me."

Shawn shifted his weight from foot to foot, then stepped closer to Paul. "Listen here, Hunter… I don't appreciate you calling me out here and trash-talking me. I should teach you a lesson in this ring right now!"

Paul turned out towards the crowd. Everyone in the audience had their eyes peeled on the two that they hadn't even noticed members of the ring crew setting up the D-X fireworks on the mat. "You wanna go, tough guy?! Are you ready!?" Paul shouted, then turned to look at Shawn.

"Let's get ready to suck it!" Shawn shouted in response.

Both men tore their shirts so their D-X shirts were showing. They stood next to each other and did the crotch chop, which cued the fireworks, which cued the music. The fans were going absolutely insane as Triple H and Shawn hugged.

The two headed backstage, where they were greeted with numerous superstars and WWE personnel who were not only high-fiving them, but were congratulating them on the much anticipated return of D-Generation X, as well. Paul opened the door to their new locker-room, after taking a moment to appreciate the brand new 'D-Generation X' nameplate on said door, and walked inside with Shawn close behind.

"That was awesome."

Shawn chucked. "So… What crazy act are we going to carry out tonight? We already have the fans buzzing with our triumphant return to black and green. We need to come up with something awesome to do before the show ends." He stated, making Paul nod his head in agreement.

Eric Bischoff stormed into the D-X locker-room. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Triple H?! I thought you and I had a deal! And Shawn," Eric looked at the other man and saw a look on his face he had only seen one day at an airport back in 1999… And he didn't like it. "There is seriously something wrong with you. How could you team up with Triple H to form D-Generation X all over again!? This isn't the Attitude Era! We could get in trouble!"

Paul took a step forward, putting a hand on Eric's shoulder to back him away from Shawn. "Eric… I need to talk to you outside… Right now. Shawn, buddy, stay here. I'll be right back," He stated, then led Eric out of the locker-room and shut the door. "Eric… What the hell are you doing!?"

"I'm trying to stop you from making the biggest mistake of your career! Remember what happened last time D-Generation X was forming?! You got suspended, busted down to a jobber and you lost your opportunity to win King of the Ring, that's what! Don't do this again, Hunter. You're making a big mistake!"

Paul huffed in annoyance. "Listen, Eric. There's a reason why this is going down… Do you remember last night at Unforgiven when Ric and I came into your office? We tried to tell you there was something wrong with Shawn and you needed to stop the match? You remember what you said? You said there was nothing wrong with Shawn and that Naitch and I were imaging things. Fast forward to the end of the match. The whole world watched Shawn collapse in the ring. Quick trip to the hospital and a CAT Scan tells us he suffered a severe concussion. Only it's not your average concussion. No, that'd be too damn simple. He developed amnesia. Vince and I went to visit him and he swore D-X was still together. That match knocked him back to 1997. So… To make things a little easier, Vince decided to bring D-X back."

"I'm sorry, H. I didn't know. I swear I didn't know. I'll be nice." Eric stated. He never quite understood the friendship between Paul and Shawn, but it was starting to make sense.

"Now I'm gonna walk back into my locker-room, and you're gonna waddle your ass back to your office. This speech never happened. Now, go!" Paul shouted, making Eric run for his life down the opposite end of the hallway.

Paul re-entered the locker-room, only to jump back in shock when he came face-to-face with Shawn. "Jesus H!" Paul shouted, throwing his hand over his chest to try and calm his heart down.

"Sorry, bud. I just realized something, though. I was about to open the door and ask you, but you opened the door instead and… Well, you see how that turned out. Anyways, I wanted to ask you… Where's Ravishing?"

Paul looked around uncomfortably. "Uh… Ravishing? Um… Well… Listen, Shawn… You don't want to go there—"

"I said… 'Where's Ravishing?'" Shawn asked, this time more in vain.

Paul looked around awkwardly, allowing his eyes to land on his gym bag, which was slightly open. He was able to spot a bag of Twizzlers resting inside. If there was ever a time to bribe or distract Shawn with his favorite candy, now was definitely it. "Shawn! Look what I got!"

Shawn watched the other man run over to his bag and pull out the Twizzlers. The look on his face changed immediately. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!"

Paul stretched out his arm so Shawn couldn't reach the bag just as the older man went to make a swipe for it. "What do you say, you rude little jerk?"

"Give me the damn bag or you'll regret it."

Paul chuckled a bit. "Yeah, right… Come on, man. Just—"

Paul's sentence suddenly turned into a groan, since Shawn was kind enough to introduce his fist to Paul's abdomen. The younger man doubled over and dropped the bag of Twizzlers into Shawn's waiting arms. "Told you."

"Yeah… Well… Call me a glutton for punishment." Paul stated, sitting down on the couch as he watched Shawn tear open the bag of Twizzlers and start munching away.

"Thanks for the Twizzlers." Shawn commented, throwing one Paul's way so he could enjoy them, as well.

"You're welcome."

Shawn stared at the Twizzler and tilted his head slightly. "Didn't I shove one of these up that huge honker of yours?"

Paul stopped chewing on his Twizzler to think about it, and when the memory resurfaced, he growled and narrowed his eyes angrily. "Thanks for reminding me, asshole." He mumbled.

Shawn shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "Don't blame me for that. You instigated it."

"Whatever."

After a brief moment of silence, Shawn walked over to Paul and looked down at him. "What are we doing for the rest of the night?"

"I thought you knew how to read?" Paul retorted, making Shawn roll his eyes and sit square on his chest.

"I think I'll settle in here."

"Dude, get off!" Paul shouted, trying, but failing, to push Shawn away from him.

"Nah, it's a great seat. I think I'll keep it. I can see the whole locker-room from here!"

"Shawn!"

"That's my name, don't wear it out."

"Stop being an asshole!"

"Make me!"

"What the hell is going on in here?!"

Shawn and Paul turned to look at the doorway at the introduction of the third voice and were somewhat surprised to see Vince McMahon standing there. With Shawn distracted, Paul lifted his arms and shoved the older man off of him, making him land on the floor with a soft thump. The two members of D-X hopped up and smiled sheepishly at their boss.

"Hiya, Vince."

Vince huffed in annoyance. "Don't 'hiya Vince' me, you buffoons. I've been looking for the two of you everywhere."

"Where else would we be but here?" Shawn asked.

Vince narrowed his eyes angrily at Shawn, then huffed in annoyance again. "I was hoping you'd be in my office, where we were supposed to have a chat about the future of D-Generation X."

"Sorry, boss. We got a little sidetracked." Paul stated, bowing his head in apology.

"It's alright, I guess… Just don't do it again. I'm not a very patient man. The two of you should know that by now."

"Sorry, Vin Man." Shawn stated.

Vince nodded. "Alright, let's head over to my office and discuss a couple of things."

With a nod from both members of D-X, Vince turned around and exited the room. Shawn and Paul followed him silently; both men far too afraid of pissing their boss off any further than he already was. The silence ended in mere seconds, as Shawn grew tired of behaving, when he shoved Paul into the wall.

"Shawn!" Paul shouted, bouncing off of the wall and hitting the man in question on the shoulder.

"I didn't do anything!"

"My ass!"

"Maybe gravity increased."

"You would've felt it too, jerk."

"You sure you didn't trip over your nose?" Shawn asked.

Paul's face twisted in anger. When he was about to lunge at Shawn, Vince turned around, effectively stopping the two from fighting. "What the hell is going on with the two of you?! Grow up already, damnit!"

"Sorry, Vince." Paul grumbled.

"My bad, Vin Man."

Vince scoffed, then turned his back and started walking away again. "Yeah. You're bad, alright."

Shawn quirked a confused eyebrow. "Did he just make a punny?"

"God, I fucking hope not," Paul replied, then looked up the hallway they were walking passed. "Say, isn't that—"

Before he was able to finish his sentence, Tyson Tomko and Christian ran down the hall and pounced on the two members of D-X, knocking them into the wall and then tossing them to the floor. Vince was barely able to get out of the way as the four men started brawling.

"What in the hell are you two doing?!" Vince shouted, standing a safe distance away from them so he didn't catch a rogue fist to the face.

"Piss off, McMahon!" Tomko shouted, grabbing a hold of Shawn and throwing him towards Vince, then rushing forward to grab Shawn again and throw him head first into a wall.

"Hey!"

Tomko and Christian stopped what they were doing, only to see the remaining members of Evolution running down the hall towards them. They got the idea and ran down the opposite end of the hall, leaving Paul, Shawn and Vince on the floor. Dave and Ric approached Paul, who was rolling around, whereas Randy hung back near Shawn and Vince.

"Are you guys okay?" Randy asked.

"I'm fine," Vince grumbled, pushing himself off of the floor, only to come face-to-face with his son Shane, who seemed to have magically appeared out of nowhere. "Jesus! Where the hell were you a minute ago?!"

Shane gestured behind him, then slowly shook his head. "I heard the commotion and ran here, but Evolution got here first. What happened?"

"Tomko and Christian attacked us for no reason, that's what happened," Paul replied, angrily trying to push Dave away from him. "I don't remember you telling us we had a new feud."

"That's because I didn't." Vince growled.

Paul rolled his eyes and moved closer to Shawn. "You okay?"

Shawn groaned, rubbing his head with his left hand. "Well, I seem to be in one piece…"

"That's a miracle." Dave remarked.

With Paul and Randy's help, Shawn was once again standing. Paul checked him over quickly to make sure he was okay, completely ignoring the other man's protests and snide comments. "I just need to make sure you're okay!"

"Why would I lie to you?!"

"Shawn," The man in question turned to look at Shane when he spoke. "He's a paranoid mother hen. You've gotta let him do what he wants."

Shawn chuckled, and no longer complained about Paul checking him over. Paul, on the other hand, mumbled incoherently under his breath. "I have a question, Vin Man."

Vince rubbed some dust off of his suit pants. "What's that?"

"What happened to Ravishing?"

Vince and Shane looked one another in the eyes, then back over at Shawn and Paul. The latter of the two had his eyes narrowed angrily and was looking up at the ceiling, silently cursing under his breath. Evolution had their eyes fixed on the two members of D-X awkwardly.

"Uh, Shawn—"

"Ahem," Vince shouted, effectively silencing Ric Flair when he was about to break the news. "We'll discuss that in a bit, Shawn… Shane, why don't you stick around and have a chat with Evolution…? I'm sure there are some things you guys need to catch up on… Shawn and Paul, follow me, please."

Vince turned around and started leading the way towards his office once again. "Ask one fucking question and nobody gives you an answer… Jesus Christ." Shawn mumbled, then lowered his head and followed his boss.

Evolution stared at Shawn's retreating figure with wide-eyes, then turned to look at Paul. "Sorry you had to hear that." Paul stated, then jogged away to catch up with Shawn.

"Shane… You mind telling us what's going on?" Randy asked.

"Sure. Once I figure it out, myself."

"Come on, man," Dave grabbed Shane and turned him so the two were face-to-face. "You gotta know something."

Shane shrugged. "All I know is Shawn was hospitalized with a concussion after his match last night. He just dropped an f bomb, so I'd wager it was pretty severe," The young McMahon paused as his cell phone went off, so he dug in his pocket and opened it. When he remained silent for a few moments, Dave tapped his shoulder. "Huh? Oh, sorry. Paul just texted me. Said Shawn suffered from a severe concussion last night and was diagnosed with amnesia. He thinks it's 1997."

"That explains D-X returning out of nowhere." Randy commented.

Shane narrowed his eyes at his phone. "Thanks for telling me now, asshole," He grumbled, then pocketed the phone and looked back at Evolution. "Honestly, it's like I'm not his brother-in-law or something!"

"So… What'd you want to talk about, Vin Man?"

Vince sighed, then folded his hands and leaned forward on his desk, looking Shawn in the eyes. "Shawn… I believe it's been explained to you that the year is currently 2004, correct?"

Shawn blinked. "Well… Yeah, but—"

"A lot of things have changed from how you remember them. I'm afraid one of those changes comes from Ravishing… Shawn, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but Rick passed away five years ago."

Shawn sat back in his chair, a sad expression forming on his face. "Oh."

"I'm sorry, Shawn. I know you guys were close."

"Yeah."

Vince looked up at Paul for help, so the other man stepped forward and put a supporting hand on Shawn's shoulder. "It was heart failure, bud."

"Damn."

"What's wrong?"

Shawn shrugged. "A lot has changed. I mean, it's been seven years, sure, but for some reason it seems like just yesterday to me, and I'm not even trying to joke around when I say that."

"I know, man." This time, it was Paul's turn to look at Vince for help.

"Don't worry about it, Shawn," Shawn turned to look at Vince. "It'll all make sense in due time… Now, as for next week, I want you two to take it easy, alright? We're gonna have a schedule for you guys soon enough. But, for now, just… Stay calm."

Paul scoffed. "I doubt we'll have trouble with that."

A/N: Hey guys! If you're re-reading this, you can see the chapter is completely different from the original. It was somewhere between on purpose and on accident… I can't decide which.

However, if you do want the original chapter(s), feel free to PM me your email address and I'll send them your way. I'm going to be rewriting these one by one, so expect a lot of changes.

If you're reading this for the first time, welcome! Please be patient with the format of the earlier chapters and the amount of time it's taking me to post the rewritten chapters.

Cheers!