-1Author's note: 5 years ago, I wrote a fanfic that was met with little results and by my own judging that it sucked, I swore to myself that I never would write another fanfic again since I didn't have the talent for it. But lately, I've been watching WWE wrestling and the Triple H/HBK friendship-hatred-friendship storyline has become one of my favorite and I'm so excited that DX has reunited once again and raising hell. And this story had to come out of me somehow. I've always found that HBK/HHH have been one of the most complex relationship ever seen on TV (even outside of the wrestling world) and I'm a big fan of their friendship so, this is my tribute to them. It's from Triple H's point of view, where he tells the story of him and Shawn Michaels up until the DX reunion that happened on June 13th, 2006. Enjoy!

Once upon a time, you and me were a force to be reckon with.

You and me were unstoppable.

You and me could do anything.

We were Degeneration X.

We took no crap for no one and did what we wanted when we wanted. We only relied on each other, no matter what. We believed that united we would stand and together we would fall.

But then, you fell on your own. You got hurt and couldn't do the things you had been doing for the last 13 years, so you retreated and I was left on my own. I took the reing of what was left of our group and raised my own army and raised my own hell. I took your place as the leader and began to rise out of your shadow.

Years passed, things changed, I moved on and became successful on my own. But with the adulation came the loneliness. In these times of loneliness, I started to think. I started to think about the past, about who I used to be and how far I had become and most importantly, I started to think about you and me. About what we used to do and who we used to be. But with that, I also started to ask myself: who was I really to you? An ally that you could always rely on? A best friend that was there for you no matter what? Or was I something else? A sideckick? An underling that couldn't be as good as you? A kickstand that was just there to pick when you up when you couldn't stand up on your own anymore? Was I really that important to you? Did you just use me to stay at the top when you were already there before I came along?

Within all these questions rose fear. Within that fear rose jealousy. Within that jealousy rose hatred. And then you decided to come back. After all these years of not having you in my way, there you were once again. You looked at me as the brother I had always been to you, but I looked at you differently. You weren't the same person to me anymore. Now you were just a threat to the spotlight and the glory I had been working so hard to achieve in all the years that you were gone. And now just like that, you were going to take it all away from me and I would once again fall into you shadow. You were just something that stood in the way of where I wanted to be and I had to get rid of you, no matter what the price.

So I tricked you. I pretended to wanting to be your friend again and go back to what we used to be, Degeneration X. And that's when I stroke. I showed you my true colors and since then made you my arch enemy.We fought many battles, you and me. Streetfights, Hell in a Cell, Last Man Standing, you name it, we did it all.

Other years past, we went our separate ways and did our own things. I became champion 10 times, you completed your comeback. Sometimes our paths crossed again, but it was never for too long. To me you were just an afterthought like every other men I fought battles with. But deep down, deep deep down, something stayed with me. No matter how much I wanted to run away from it, no matter how much I tried to deny it, it was always there. That pain, that regret, that remorse, that burn inside of me about what I had done to you and how much I put you through. All of this for my own gain and success. But for what? At what price?

Sure, "Evolution" was great, but it wasn't like back when it was just you and me. And sure, winning championships was great, but you weren't there to share it with me. And no matter how good I felt about all the success and glory I received, I still felt alone. So alone.

Vince McMahon decided to make you life a living hell and from the looks of it, he succeeded most of the times. He had help: from his son Shane and from his personnal henchmen, the Spirit Squad. They humiliated you, they broke you down, they screwed you over and over again. I didn't personally care for it until Vince came to me and asked for my help since you and John Cena, the man I was after, had teamed up to take him on. I figued, why not kill two birds with one stone and joined forces with him against the two of you. After a while, our paths seperated once again and I went on my own against Cena while you continued your war against McMahon.

But then, I made the same mistake as you did. Angry after not getting what I wanted, I went to Vince and let out my frustrations. I said things that I didn't mean and with that, I set up my own personnal highway to hell. Vince started to get into my business, just like he did to you. He changed matches on the go, just like he did to you. He screwed me over, just like he did to you. And with that, I became more and more angry and with that, I began to understood what you were going through little by little. But still, I kept my mouth shut and did nothing about it. That is, until Vince asked for my services once again. He wanted me to finish you off, to hit you in the skull with my sledgehammer and end your career once and for all. Honestly, I was about to, but at the last minute you got out of the way and I hit Vince's precious son instead. To tell you the truth I still don't know who I really wanted to hit, but at the time I felt really bad about it and fearing the repercussions that would ensue if I didn't apologize for my actions, I did the cowardliest thing I'd ever done, I asked for Vince's forgiveness. And that's when everything started to change.

When you saw what I did, you became angry at me and confronted me over what I had done. I tried to justify my actions but you weren't having any of it. You said that the respect that you had for me after all these years and after everything we'd been through together was now gone. I still remember the look in you eyes when you said that to me. It wasn't just the hate that I had become accostumed to see everytime I looked at you, it was something worse. Something more vile than hatred. It was desdain. Like you were sick at the sight of me. And that shook something within me. No one had looked at me like that before. Sure, many people had hated me over the years for what I did to them, but nothing compared to what I saw in the look of your eyes. That woke me up, but when that happened, it was already too late.

I saw them. I saw what those jack-offs, Vince's personal henchmens did to you, how they broke your leg and I'm still asking myself to this day why? Why didn't I stop it? Why did I woke up too late and put a stop to this before the damage was already done? Maybe I'll never know, but at least I woke up. You calling me a "sellout" made me realise that I was my own man and I didn't need other people telling me what to do. So, when I was threatened, I attacked. When I was this close to being humiliated in front of the world, I turned the tables around on my new enemies and beat them at their own game.

But this came at a price.

He wanted me to suffer for defying him. He wanted me to pay and being punished just like you were when you defied him. I'll probably never tell you this face to face but I was proud of you when you stood up to him. Not wanting to bend to his will, not wanting to retire. I wish I had the guts you had, that you always have had. And also, I've always had respect for you too, whether we were riding down the highway together or we were bashing each other's brain's in. And no matter what, it was always there. That connection between us that I couldn't deny no matter how much I wanted to.

So there I was, being beaten down, being dismembered by 4 men at the same time, just because I refused to bow down and listen to the orders that were given to me. All because I defended you when you were at your most helpless. And believe me, if I had to do it all again, I would without even thinking about it.

Then, just as I was about to be completely destroyed, looking at a future of pain and suffering with a chair around my neck, out of nowhere you appeared. Like the hero that you are, the hero that you've always been. You ran and you saved me when I didn't deserve it in the least. After everything that happened between us, all the pain I've put you through, the battles we've been in, what did I do to deserve you saving my life? But then, you looked at me. And then I knew.

With one look, you forgave me.

With one look, I forgave you.

With one look, we weren't alone anymore.

With one look, we became united once again.

With one look, DX was reborn.

And now, Vince will wish he had never messed with us in the first place. Because,

Together, we are a force not to be reckon with.

Together, we are unstoppable.

Together, we can do anything.

And together, we are Degeneration X.

So, what did you think? Please leave a review, I would truly appreciate it. :)