All characters are copyright 2009 World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. "The Price Is Right" copyright Freemantle Media

For better or for worse, here it is... the sequel to "Blood Brothers By Choice"

Superstar For A Day

Author's Note: While being stuck in bed recovering from a shattered hip, I happened to tune in to "The Price Is Right" and saw one of their "celebrity" showcases featuring a Formula One driver... this got me thinking... what if...

"How many more of these do I have to do?" Tom complained

"As many as I say." Shannon answered "Now come on."

Tom growled. "Remind me to beat the shit outta Matt and Jeff when I get the chance. You are sadistic...now I know why you run a tattoo parlor..."

"Just one more set and we'll take a break." Shannon said

"Can't we take a break now?" Tom whined "The Price is Right is on in five minutes."

"If you wanna get back in the ring, you have to be at one hundred percent." Shannon adjusted the weight. "Now one more set."

Tom groaned. When he'd heard that he needed strength training to regain the feeling in his right side, he thought that meant some light workouts, not two hours in a pool followed by daily weight training. And Shannon was like a drill instructor. His idea of a light workout involved lifting twice was Tom had been able to life when he was at his peak.

"Nine..." Shannon counted "One more, Tom... C'mon you can do it!"

"Fuck this..." Tom heaved and strained and finally lifted the weight.

"Great work..." Shannon praised him, which was unusual. Shannon's pep talks usually consisted of telling him about how much his Grandma could lift, which was always a lot more than what Tom was pressing. "Take ten. Matt and Jeff will be over soon."

"I'm taking a damn sight more than ten." Still seated, Tom reached for the remote and was soon engrossed in his favorite program.

"Jack... here is your showcase!" Those five words started the ride of a lifetime for one unsuspecting man.

"Please welcome WWE superstars Matt and Jeff... the Hardy Boys!"

Tom spit his water all down his front. "Shannon, you got to take a look at this!"

Shannon stuck his head into the den. "That was today?"

"You knew and you didn't tell me?" Tom demanded

"I forgot." Shannon lied

Tom turned his attention back to the television where Matt and Jeff were soaking in the cheers.

"Thank-you... thank-you..." Matt acknowledged the crowd. "Jack, this showcase is gonna help you become Xtreme. First you gotta look the part with this collection of WWE apparel!"

"From , you'll recieve this collection of signed WWE merchandise featuring such superstars as Triple H, John Cena, and of course, the Hardy Boyz! for all your wrestling needs."

"And now that you look like a superstar, you need to work on your moves with this gym membership!" Jeff added

"California Fitness, providing top of the line equipment for all your workout needs. Whether a beginner or a serious enthusiast, you'll get all the training you need. Build your body for tomorrow, today."

"Hey Drew," Matt shouted up to the host. "Remember that time you were in the Royal Rumble and you almost got choke-slammed by Kane."

"How could I forget... I almost wet myself." Drew chuckled

"Well, Jack, you won't have to worry about that when you attend this years Royal Rumble in New York City!"

"You and a guest will spend six nights at a luxury hotel in the heart of downtown Manhattan with five-star treatment including day spa passes, complimentary theatre tickets and of course ringside seats to the Royal Rumble! Enjoy all the excitement the WWE has to offer in their annual thirty man battle royal."

"Whoa, dude, that's cool, but the Rumble is only one day... and, man, I could only take so much spa stuff before I go crazy so how about you and I do the town." Jeff interjected "In your new Corvette!"

"This is the new 2010 Corvette convertible. Comes with all standard features plus Onstar system, Sirius Satellite radio, power steering, Corvette convenience group 3, eighteen disc CD-changer, trunk mounted cellular phone, power brakes, power door locks, remote keyless entry, and paint and fabric protectant... the Corvette convertible!"

"And as a bonus, we wanna make you an honorary member of team Xtreme for one day..."

"The next time the WWE comes to your town, you'll be our partner in a six-man tag match."

The audience roared approval. It was probably a good thing that the person bidding on this showcase was not a ninety year old Grandmother from Encino.

"And your showcase, designed to teach you how to be Xtreme... can be yours if The Price Is Right!"

"Now, the match is strictly a bonus... do not factor that into your bid." Drew cautioned

Jack looked to the audience for help. Everyone had their own ideas.

"Seventy-two thousand." Jack said

"Seventy-two thousand." Drew repeated "Mary, you've bid twenty thousand, seven hundred... we'll be back with the winner right after this."

Both Jack and Mary fidgeted nervously while the "commercial" played out.

"And we're back... Mary, you bid twenty thousand seven hundred. You had the living room, carpeting, and the wave runner... actual retail price is twenty four thousand eight hundred twenty two. A difference of four thousand one hundred twenty two."

"Jack, you had the WWE showcase. The memorabilia, gym membership, trip to New York for the Royal Rumble and the Corvette. Seventy-two thousand was your bid... actual retail price is seventy-six thousand one hundred seventeen. A difference of four thousand one hundred seventeen... you win by five dollars."

Jack jumped around excitedly. Whether it was because of the 'Vette or he was a huge WWE fan, was uncertain.

Before the credits were even over, the screen went dark. Shannon had abbreviated Tom's viewing.

"Back to work." He said

"Fuck you." Tom retorted

"Come on. We want you all hot and sweaty when Jeff gets here, don't we?" Shannon giggled

"Then why don't you just let me fuck you like an animal?" Tom retorted, enjoying the blush that came to Shannon's face. "That would be a little less torturous don't you think?"

"Sorry, man, but I don't do sloppy seconds." Shannon added yet more weight to the leg press. "We're doing this in reverse this time... we're starting off heavy and gradually lessening the weight."

"Anybody home?" A familiar voice stopped the latest round of torture.

"Down here." Tom shouted

"Don't think this gets you off the hook." Shannon waggled his finger.

"Whatever." Tom toweled off his face. He still stank, but at least he wasn't dripping with it.

"Hey, Tommy." Jeff shouted, running toward him as if to hug him, but stopping halfway. "You stink, bro."

"It's called a workout. You should look into it sometime." Tom answered, looking down at his sweat-stained workout clothes.

"How's the therapy going?" Matt asked

"It's painful." Tom responded "But my doctor thinks I'll be back to one hundred percent very soon."

"Awesome!" Jeff bubbled over with enthusiasm "Work isn't the same without you."

"Glad to see that someone misses me." Tom looked sternly at Matt and Jeff. "'Coz neither of you seem to be real good with returning my calls."

"Yeah, about that..." Jeff stuttered

"Lemme grab a shower and then we can talk about it." Tom said "I know we're not finished, but I need to clean up."

"You still owe me a set." Shannon added

"Don't you have a set of your own?"

Shannon blushed. He was one the easiest people on the planet to embarrass. While Tom was in the shower, the other three talked in low tones.

"Does he know?" Jeff asked

"No, he doesn't. You should've told him a long time ago." Shannon answered "The fact that neither of you kept in contact much isn't gonna help."

"I told you Jeffro." His brother added his own agreement.

"Did you really want me to do this over the phone? Why do you think I've avoiding calling him back?" Jeff whispered fiercely.

"Well, one of you better tell him today. He's been busting his ass to get back into ring shape so he can be around the two of you again. In case you hadn't noticed, Tom doesn't have a lot of friends outside the business." Shannon interjected "Fuck, I can see how lonely he's getting."

"Help yourself to beer if you want." Tom shouted from the upstairs landing. "I be right down. I just have to find something to wear."

Jeff went for the liquor, but Matt stopped him. "Jeff, you really need to tell him and you need to be sober when you do it."

"Matty, one beer isn't gonna hurt."

"I agree with Matt." Shannon added "You know how you get when you start drinking."

"I don't think Tom will believe you if he hears it from you when you're drunk and running around naked." Matt stated

"But drunk is fun! So is naked!" Jeff danced around the two and helped himself to a beer, much to their annoyance.

"Did I hear someone say naked?" Tom joined them, freshly showered, shaved, and shampooed.

"Jeff." Matt pointed.

"Doesn't surprise me." Tom got his own beer from the fridge, kissing Jeff softly on his way past. "Mmm... candy."

Jeff's expression changed to one of sadness.

"Tom, we have some bad news." Matt sat down.

"Vince doesn't want me back?" Tom questioned

"No, man. He's actually counting the days until you come back and he can tear you apart for what you did." Matt answered

"Then what?" Tom sat down next to Jeff. He went to put his arm around him, but Jeff pushed away.

"Jeff better tell you. He can explain this better."

Jeff drank deeply from the beer and swallowed nervously. "Tommy, it's over."

"What's over?" Tom asked, likewise chugging his own beer,

"You and me... us." Jeff replied

"What do you mean?" Tom demanded. It sounded like Jeff was breaking up with him.

"You've been gone so long... and I've met someone else." Jeff sighed "I wanted to tell you sooner, but I didn't want to do it over the phone..."

"How long?"

"Three months." Jeff said

"Three months? Three months!" Tom threw his beer bottle. It hit the wall and shattered, raining glass and beer onto the floor.

"Tommy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen!" Jeff cowered. When Tom got this angry, his fury sometimes took complete control of him.

"You knew?" Staring at Matt and Shannon, Tom vented. "You both knew and you didn't tell me. After all we've been through...?"

"Tommy, calm down. What would you have thought if either I or Shannon had said anything?" Matt moved to the other side of the couch, boxing Tom between his brothers. Shannon stood in the corner, wishing he was anywhere else.

"Who is it? Is it someone from work?"

"No." Jeff said "His name is Jack."

"Jack? Jack!" Tom repeated, the name sounding familiar. "Not that guy from the game show?"

"Tommy, I'm sorry. It was supposed to be just a match. You know, he stands in the corner. But I felt something when we first met..."

"After what we've stuck together through, this is what it boils down to. Jeff, I crippled myself for you..."

"I know." Jeff felt six inches tall right then.

"Fuck, I was willing to go to jail for you." Tom covered his eyes with his hand. "Get out!"

"Tommy, I..."

"Get out!" Tom shouted, more forcefully.

Jeff stood up, but apparently it wasn't fast enough for Tom, who pushed him toward the door.

"I'm going." Jeff sulked

"What are you staring at Hardy?" Tom turned his glare to his other brother.

"I wanted to tell you sooner, but it was all Jeff's idea." Matt sighed "He's really fucked this up big time. Look, if you need someone to talk to, call me."

"That's cute. I've wanted to talk to you for months. Now you suddenly decide to be there for me? You should leave too."

"Fine, bro, but don't blame Jeff for this. It wasn't entirely his fault." Matt stormed out, leaving only two.

"What did he mean it wasn't entirely Jeff's fault?" Tom demanded

"I dunno. You want me to leave too?" Shannon asked

"Would you mind? I promise you we'll do an extra set tomorrow." Tom pleaded

"Yeah. If it gets too much for you, I'm only a few blocks away." Shannon said

"Thanks." Tom exhaled loudly "But I'll be okay. I just need to look at this rationally."

"Tom... I know what you need... you need to get back into the ring fast. Maybe that will help you forget..."

"I wish... we work for the same company still... and it's not like I'd ever go to TNA."

"How about ECW?" Shannon suggested

"What d'you mean?" Tom asked

"ECW is now one hundred percent Hardy boy free. Matt's still on Raw and Jeff is on Smackdown." Shannon explained

"But I'm not ready. You said so yourself." Tom dropped back onto the couch, resting his chin on his knees.

"I'll lie." Shannon stated

Two weeks later...

Tom walked into the arena, bag in tow, thankful that Shannon was such a convincing liar. Now to face the guys.

"Welcome back." Tommy Dreamer was the first to notice him.

Tom nodded, walking over to an empty locker and unpacking. By the time he'd gotten his bag emptied, almost everyone had come over to him. They'd all heard about the breakup and while, some of them were surprised to hear about the relationship in the first place, all offered condolences. It was starting to get on Tom's nerves, but he didn't let it show, even though he didn't want to talk about it to anyone.

"Tom, it's good to finally meet you. I'm Tiffany... ECW's General Manager."

"Tom Hardy... former member of team Xtreme and now jilted lover and brother." Tom took one last item out of his bag and placed it on the top shelf of his locker. It was a purple lizard. It did the same for Tom that Bunny did for you-know-who.

"When you're unpacked, could you come to my office... I want to go over some things with you."

"I'm ready now." Tom petted the lizard and followed her.

"Tom, Evan... Evan, this is Tom Hardy..."

"Uh, Tiffany... I don't like that name any more." Tom sighed

"I know, but you're gonna be stuck with it for a couple of weeks. We can discuss a change once you get going with your program with Evan."

"We're fighting?" Tom asked, wondering how this guy was even old enough to wrestle.

"No. It's you two against the team of Mark Henry and Tony Atlas tonight. I'm sure you've watched ECW?"

"Yeah. Two and oh against Henry... not bad for a kid who can't shave yet." Tom smiled cockily.

"I have some other matters to attend to. Space is tight here, so if you want to talk it out in here, that's fine."

"Thanks Tiffany." Evan stated

"That's what I'm here for. Tom, if you need anything, just let me know." Tiffany departed, her short skirt riding up. Evan watched her leave a little more closely than Tom.

"So... what can you do?" Tom asked, finally sitting down.

Evan was still glazed, staring at the door.

"Earth to Evan..." Tom snapped his fingers.

"Huh?" Evan blinked "Did you say something?"

"You got a thing for her?" Tom smiled

"No...she's my boss." Evan answered "I mean, she is good looking and all, but I... I mean she's..." Like Jeff, Evan easily got embarrassed.

"You want her, don't you?"

Evan turned a darker shade of red. "Tom, she's my boss... I couldn't..."

"Part of you wants to." Tom glanced slyly at Evan's crotch.

Evan crossed his legs, trying to adjust himself in the process. Tom laughed... what was it with kids today?

"I know what you're gonna ask and I'm twenty-six and yes, I have." Evan said

"Dude, what you do is none of my business unless it involves me. Right now, the only business that we have is this match... so, how do you want to do this?" Was Tom reading too much into Evan, or was the kid looking at him the same way he'd just looked at Tiffany?

"I need to get men off my mind." Tom thought "Maybe find a rat after the show."

Later that evening,

"Here are your winners, as a result of a disqualification... Evan Bourne and Tom Hardy!" Ring announcer Tony Chimel shouted

The fans were cheering, but it was hardly the same in the ring. Tom and Evan had been completely dominated by the two powerhouses during the match and they'd won when Mark Henry had struck Bourne out of frustration with a chair. Evan was groggy on the mat, blood oozing from his scalp.

"Damn, he looks hot like that." Tom could feel the blood rushing to his own face.

"C'mon kid, let's take care of that cut." Tom helped Evan to his feet, the younger superstar's knees wobbling.

"Yeah, I think I got a boo-boo." Evan replied

"We'll get that taken care of." Tom asked, wondering why everyone on the roster acted like they were six when they got hurt.

While Tom waited, his phone went off. It was a familiar ring, and one up until earlier today he would've been thrilled to hear. He flipped it open and then closed, automatically sending it to voice mail.

"How you making out?" He stuck his head into the trainer's room.

"Why doesn't he answer?" Jeff whined

"Maybe he doesn't want to talk to you." Matt replied

"But I just wanted to see how his first night back went." Jeff sighed "He's still my brother."

"After what happened today, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't want to talk to you ever again." Matt replied "As for being our brother, it's up to him..."

TBC

All good things must come to an end! Will Tom be able to move on? What about Matt... he's stuck in the middle!

I assure you, this their entire world is gonna get turned on its ass!