Like Old Times

Raw: Montreal, Canada
10/25/04

Paul walked into the arena in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and sighed. He absolutely hated coming to Montreal, and it was mostly because of what happened at the 1997 Survivor Series. The other part of the hatred came from the fact the Montreal fans just wouldn't let it go. He shivered as he walked past the hallway where he and Shawn ran down while trying to get out of the arena that night almost 7years ago. Paul looked up and noticed Vince and Shane further down the hall. They were on opposite sides of the hallway, talking about something. Paul could tell it was serious by the look on Vince's face and the way he was making hand gestures. He decided he should face the music sooner than later, so he walked towards them. "Hey Paul!" Vince happily greeted him, making him smile and nod his head slightly. "What's up, Vinnie Mac?"

Vince shrugged his shoulders, not really knowing what to say. "Nothing, I guess. Just talking to Shane-O," Vince gestured to his son, who was leaning against the wall with his hands behind his back. Paul noticed the disgusting cut running along Shane's forehead and the slight bruising on his nose. He growled and looked down at the floor. Christian and Tomko are soooo gonna pay for what they did… He looked back at Vince. "Any word on Shawn?" He asked. Paul nodded his head no. "Nah… That's pretty much a dead issue by now. There's next to no hope about him calling me… It was just that one time during Raw last week when I had Shane's phone." Paul replied and rubbed his head. He was starting to get stressed over the situation. But then again… Who wouldn't?

"We really need to find him, ya know… I don't think it's a good idea for him to be wandering around on his own… You don't possibly think he could he here in Montreal… Do you?" Vince asked. Paul scoffed and nodded his head no. "I see no reason for Shawn to be up here… He's not thinking clearly…" Paul replied. He noticed a sudden movement, so he looked at Shane to see him nodding his head in disgust. "How would you know what Shawn's thinking? He doesn't even trust you." Paul wanted to either glare at Shane or punch him in the face, but he let the words settle in and realized how much his 34 year old brother in law was right. Shawn lost all the respect he had for Paul because of the lies… So how did Paul know what he was really thinking half the time?

Outside the arena, Bret Hart was making his way up the stairs, sighing as he did so. It had been awhile since he was last in the Montreal arena. He knew there was going to be some type of hostility between himself, the McMahons and the two members of D-X. Mostly the members of D-X… Even though rumors were flying about one of them…

Bret and Shawn Michaels never got along. They had one conversation many years before, but they never really hit it off well enough to become friends. There was always an unspoken respect between them, especially during the months leading up to WrestleMania 12. Of course, after that PPV, the two started getting into arguments backstage and had to be separated as much as possible. Everybody knows what happened in 1997, so there was really no use in going over that…

Bret's son, Blade, was still a wrestling fan. He mostly watched the WWE for the wrestlers his grandfather, the great Stu Hart, had trained in the Dungeon, Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit being among the list of names. The 14 year old Blade was watching Unforgiven and was trying to look bored with the match between Shawn Michaels and Kane, mostly because of the huge rivalry going on between his father and Shawn. Bret happened to walk in and catch the dazed look in Shawn's eyes… The look that WWE officials should take seriously and, when they see it, end the match. However, Shawn had always been an outstanding actor, and from what little pieces of the match Bret saw, he knew Shawn was trying to put over a concussion. Either that or exhaustion from blood loss. Maybe both.

The one thing Bret hated most about his son was the fact he was still a WWE fan. And he knew a little part of Blade was still a Shawn Michaels fan. Sure, it made him angry, but he understood where Blade was coming from. Shawn was extremely talented. No matter how much he hated him, he was able to say that. Shawn was a damn fine competitor in the ring. He had horrible social skills, but he was a great athlete, and that's what matters most in the WWE. Bret came home one day and noticed Blade's eyes were glued to the computer screen. Something he was reading him had distracted him enough that he didn't even notice his dad walked in the room. Bret slowly approached his son and looked at the screen. He saw an unofficial report saying Shawn had suffered a severe concussion and D-X was going to be brought back… That way Shawn could work through his amnesia. Amnesia?

Bret shook the thought out of his mind. He mostly wanted to go to the arena to see if Vince was lying about the amnesia or not. That's not something to joke about! The thought of it being a huge storyline angered Bret more than actually sitting down and watching Raw with his son to see if Shawn acted any different. He did notice something odd about him… Something wasn't quite right about Shawn's stage presence. The look in his eyes didn't seem right. Bret knew this even after almost 7 years of not looking Shawn in the eyes and hearing his voice. Something's not quite right.

Bret looked at the arena doors and noticed somebody walking towards them. The person suddenly stopped and put a hand to their head, then turned and leaned their back against the door. Finally, the person slid down the door onto the concrete floor, still holding their head. Bret was alarmed by the action and ran as fast as he could. He knelt down in next to the person. "Hey! Are you alright?"

As soon as the person moved the hand away from their face, Bret gasped in shock and almost fell backwards. Imagine the odds… It was Shawn!

Shawn looked at Bret and tilted his head slightly. He didn't really know who the hell he was looking at, but the face was somewhat familiar to him. He was hoping the guy wasn't one of Vince's business associates that were hired to stalk him around and grab him when they got close enough… But then again… This guy didn't look like a business man. "Who are you?" Shawn asked.

Bret raised an eyebrow at Shawn. How the hell could he NOT know who I am? Honestly, who does Shawn think he is..? Some kind of… Bret's thoughts brought him back to the rumors of Shawn suffering from amnesia. Oh shit. Maybe it's true. Bret rubbed his head and tried to think of what to say. "Uh… My name is Bret… We used to work together… Do you remember me, Shawn?" He asked. Shawn studied Bret's face for a few moments.

It was 1997. They were in Montreal. Shawn was wrestling Bret for the championship. He remembered Bret saying he didn't want to lose; he wanted to take the title with him to WCW. Vince wasn't so pleased about Bret leaving the company with his belt. 'What do you want me to do?' He had asked. They had come up with the perfect plan… Shawn would put Bret in the Sharpshooter, and before Bret could reverse the move like they planned it, WWE referee Earl Hebner would ring the bell and say Shawn won… And that's exactly what happened. Shawn remembered the anger flowing through the arena. Everyone was angry with him. Triple H wasn't. He knew Vince, Shane and Earl weren't either. It was one of the lowest, if not the lowest, moment in his professional career… But it felt good to have the title back around his waist.

Shawn snapped back to reality from his flashback and nodded his head slowly. "I remember you… You're Bret Hart. You're the guy I fought back in '97… I pretty much stole the title from you, didn't I?" Shawn asked. Bret sighed and once again rubbed his head. Why, of all times and places, does he have to start in with this HERE?! Bret lowered his hand and looked at Shawn again. "Yes, I am Bret Hart… And I don't really want to discuss that, okay? Now… Why are you here in Montreal and why the hell aren't you with Triple H or Vince?! Do you know how dangerous it is for you out here?" Bret somewhat shouted, forgetting the whole reason why he came over to Shawn in the first place was because Shawn had somewhat collapsed holding his head.

Shawn scoffed and rolled his eyes, an action that was a lot like the Shawn Bret knew back in the day… But it wasn't how the new Shawn behaved. "I'm in Montreal 'cause I wanna be, ok, Bret? I'm pretty much sick of people telling me what to do, especially Paul and Vince. They're always on top of me. I can't take it anymore," Shawn paused for a moment to rub his head. "They're putting too much pressure on me. Paul is treating me like a child and Vince won't get off my back. It's like being back home with my dad, just 100 times worse…" Shawn stated and looked up at Bret again. Bret sighed. "I feel for you, Shawn. I really do… But you have to get inside. Believe it or not, being with Paul and Vince right now is the best thing you could do for yourself… Especially here in Montreal. You remember what happened… Don't you think it would be wise for you to try and stay away from the Canadian fans?" Bret asked.

Bret glared at Shawn when he shrugged his shoulders in response. "Want to hear the truth, Bret? I actually don't care. I really don't. I don't remember everything about that night, all I remember was the huge plan to screw you and get the belt away so you couldn't take it down to WCW. Little bits and pieces of the match, that's about it…" Bret decided it would be best if he interrupted Shawn. "Ok, I understand… Listen… You may not remember the whole night, but I do. And I'm telling you that it's really not safe for you out here. I think you need to come in the arena with me. We have to go find Vince."

Bret stood up and extended his hand for Shawn to grab. "I don't want to go in there," Shawn protested. Bret growled and let his arm drop to his side. "Shawn! You were going to go in there before you collapsed, weren't you? What's the difference in going in there with me," Bret asked. Shawn scoffed again. "You want to bring me to Vince and Paul. I was going to sneak around… The security guards know me… The only problem would have been running into somebody who would have told Vince I was hanging around…" Shawn replied. Bret rolled his eyes at Shawn's statement. "You're acting more childish than I imagined you would..," Bret paused to look Shawn in the eyes. "Listen, Shawn… Whether you want to or not… You HAVE to go inside. Ok?" Bret asked and once again extended his hand. He was surprised when Shawn grabbed it and got up.

Bret and Shawn walked into the arena and made their way down the hall. Bret had a sickening feeling of déjà vu… Whereas Shawn looked around in amazement and tried hard to remember if he had been there before. While looking down a certain hallway, Shawn flashed back and saw himself and Paul running through that same hallway, trying to get away from WWE road agents and wrestlers. Escaping after the Screwjob. Bret stopped walking when he noticed Shawn had slowed down. He turned to look at him and tilted his head, wondering what was wrong. "This hallway," Shawn started, almost as if he read Bret's mind. "It's so familiar…" He continued. Bret sighed and grabbed a hold of Shawn's arm. "That's because you used to frequent this hallway a lot back in the 90's… This was your main hang out spot," Bret lied through his teeth. He really didn't want to tell Shawn what he used the hallway for… Until he saw the look of skepticism on Shawn's face. "Ok, ok. That's a lie… You and Paul ran down this hallway to get out of the arena after our match… But don't tell anybody I told you, ok?"

Shawn smiled at Bret. "Thanks for being honest with me… It's nice to hear somebody tell me the truth..," Bret raised an eyebrow and once again looked into Shawn's eyes. "What are you talking about," He asked. Shawn shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever it sounds like, I guess. Nobody tells me the truth around here… They're relying on me to remember everything and continue with this whole D-X revival storyline they have going… The only reason why D-X is back is because of my amnesia… You know all about that, don't you?" Shawn asked. Bret nodded his head. "Yes… I do. And I'm sorry about that, Shawn… I really wish I could help you… Right now the only way I know how is to get you to Paul and Vince… Believe me… That's the best place for you while you're here…"

The two once again made their way down the hall to try and find Vince and Paul. Bret was racking his mind trying to remember Vince's favorite hangout spot in the arena, but it wasn't working out too well. Anyone who knew Vince knew he liked to hang out in the cafeteria, but Bret figured he wouldn't be there before the show started. Bret was about to turn down a different hallway when he heard that ever so familiar voice… "How would you know what Shawn's thinking? He doesn't even trust you." It was Shane McMahon! Bret turned down the other hallway, dragging Shawn behind him (and almost making him trip in the process).

Vince was the first to notice the two. He looked up at them in shock, making Shane and Paul turn to look at them as well. Shawn didn't quite understand what they found so odd about Bret being so civil to him. "What the...?!" Paul went to continue, but Bret cut him off. "Hey, nice to see you too… Look who I found roaming around by himself," Bret paused to lightly push Shawn in front of him. "He should not be out there by himself. You know it," Bret paused to point at Shane. "You know it," Bret pointed at Paul. "And you definitely know it!" Bret pointed at Vince. "But he doesn't know it…" Shane mumbled and looked away, making Bret glare angrily at him.

"What the hell are you doing in Montreal, Shawn," Paul shouted. When Shawn was about to answer, Paul cut him off. "And why the fuck haven't you called me? Or your wife? Don't you know how much we worry about you, Shawn?! You can't do that, ok? You can't run off and not call anyone. It's too dangerous," He shouted. Bret and Shane stared at Paul in shock. "Paul… Really, now? Did you feel it necessary to scream at him the minute he steps back into your life?" Shane asked, making Paul turn to look at him. "One more word out of your mouth and I'll punch your damn teeth out." Paul growled and then proceeded to grab Shawn by the collar of his hoodie.

Vince was about to step in until he saw somebody else move first… Bret shoved Paul away from Shawn and stood in the middle of them. "Lay one fucking hand on either Shawn or Shane and I'll break that damn honker of yours before you can say 'Pinocchio,'" Bret paused and realized what he was doing. He saw Shane looking at him in an odd way. "Bret… Relax… You don't have to stand up for me." Shane told him, making Bret nod his head no. "Don't say anything, Shane," Bret looked back at Paul. "Now you'd better start treating Shawn right. And you know damn well what I mean. Lying to him isn't going to get you anywhere…" He stated. Vince took that moment to clear his throat. "Bret… I'd like to speak with you. Come with me, please… You too, Shane." Bret looked Paul in the eyes once more before pushing passed him and walking away with the McMahons.

Once they were out of earshot, Vince turned to look at Bret, who shrugged his shoulders. "What," He asked. "Why the hell would you get involved in that, Bret!? You don't like Shawn and Paul doesn't like you. I know Shawn doesn't remember, but he doesn't like you either. Why would you care about what happened between those two?" Vince asked. Bret sighed. "It doesn't matter whether I like him or not, Vince… You guys aren't treating Shawn right. There's something wrong here, Vince… And it's not going to take long before he snaps."

Paul turned to look at Shawn and narrowed his eyes angrily. "I'm so pissed off at you right now I don't know what to ask you first," Paul stated. "Who said I'm going to answer any of your fucking questions, Paul?" Shawn asked. Paul noticed the extremely pissed off look on Shawn's face and grew a little concerned for his own well being. Although he hadn't seen that face in several years, he remembered what happened to the people the face was directed at. Paul sighed and ran his hands through his hair. As he did so, the fireworks went off; signifying Raw was now on the air. "Shit… We have to go to the locker room..," Paul looked up at Shawn and saw he wasn't about to go anywhere. He had crossed his arms over his chest and was staring at Paul with the extremely pissed off face. "Uh… Can we at least talk there?" He asked.

Shawn didn't budge. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell I did to Bret Hart back in '97," Shawn replied, making Paul smack himself in the forehead. "Oh sweet Jesus… It took amnesia from a concussion to give you a conscience!? Please, Shawn… Don't mourn over the past. It's done. Let's move on to the future," Paul stated, sounding kind of pissed off with the fact Shawn wasn't listening. "No can do, Paul. Either you tell me what I did or I'm out of here. It's as simple as that." Shawn replied. When a few moments passed without Paul saying anything, Shawn turned to leave, making Paul grab his arm. "Ok… Ok… I'll tell you," Paul paused, making Shawn turn to look at him. "Ok… There was a lot of hostility between you and Bret… For years. You guys weren't friends and you didn't like each other but you had an unspoken respect for one another. Anyway… In 1997, Bret asked Vince for some kind of weird ass raise… Some new kind of contract or something… Vince refused to give it to him… So Bret signed a deal with WCW, only problem was, he was the champion. And everyone knows you can't leave with the title… He didn't want to lose it in Montreal… So you and Bret sat down and mapped out the match. You would put him in the Sharpshooter and he would reverse it. The match would end in a no contest and he would remain champion… So you and Vince started talking… And you basically asked him what he wanted you to do… So you came up with the perfect plan: to get the referee to ring the bell and say Bret tapped when you put him in the Sharpshooter and when he was trying to reverse it..," Paul paused for a moment to think if he left out anything. "You got the title and Vince got a black eye, not to mention, several million dollars worth of damage to his cameras at ringside…"

"All because we got the title off of him when he was switching companies? That's what the big fuss is about," Shawn asked, making Paul nod his head. "Yes, Shawn… That's what the big fuss is about..," Paul paused for a moment and watched as Shawn let his arms drop to his side. The two started walking to the D-X locker room. "I'm glad you don't really feel all too guilty about what happened all those years ago… Cause I wouldn't like to have to smack you upside the head and tell you to get over it, ya know?" Paul asked and chuckled dryly. Shawn scoffed. "Who said I don't feel bad about what I did? What kind of a conceited asshole would lie to somebody's face one minute and go out and do something completely different the next? Jesus," Shawn paused for a moment to rub his head. Things were starting to fit together like a puzzle now. "That's why you guys won't tell me everything… You don't want me asking too many questions and you don't want me to know about how much of a jackass I was…"

Paul's head jerked up instantly to look at Shawn. "Don't you dare fucking say that about yourself! You are not a jackass. You never were and you never will be. Ok, maybe you were a little cocky, brash and arrogant… But that's the attitude that created D-Generation X and made us who we are today," Paul paused for a moment when it looked like Shawn wanted to say something. "But what if somebody doesn't necessarily remember the person they are today?" Shawn asked, making Paul turn to glare at him. "No need to say something like that, Shawn… I'm trying to say… That D-Generation X helped this business and changed it forever..," Paul paused when he saw none other than Christian walking down the hallway, heading in the same direction Vince took Bret and Shane. "I wonder what he's up to… Creep…" When Paul finished his statement, Christian turned to look at him. Paul couldn't quite translate the expression on his face, but he knew it wasn't the same one Christian would usually use when looking at the two members of D-Generation X.

Bret Hart paced back and forth in the hallway, trying to let everything settle in. First Shawn gets hurt in a match and then Vince brought back D-X to keep things from getting too confusing… Then Jay "Christian" Reso starts attacking Shawn from behind by hitting him in the head? Bret was pretty close to Christian at one point, and he knew that sounded nothing like him. He had to talk to him… Pronto. Bret eventually looked up and saw Christian turn down the hallway, so he jogged over to him and gave him a quick hug. "Hey, Jay," Bret greeted him. "Hi, Bret," Christian returned the gesture. The two separated. "So… What is this about?" Christian asked, making Bret sigh. "I think you know damn well what this is about, Jay..," When Christian still looked confused, Bret decided to spill the beans. "It's about what you've been doing to Shawn," Christian rolled his eyes and went to walk away, but Bret grabbed his arm. "Listen to me, Jay. There is something really wrong with this whole situation, discounting Shawn's condition. I don't understand why you and Travis keep attacking him like that. There's no need to make his head injury worse, ya know… So… Are you going to talk to me?"

"You sound just like Adam," Christian shouted and yanked his arm away from Bret. "The minute I start doing something you don't like, you come out of the woodworks to try and stop me," Christian turned to look Bret in the eyes. "What I don't understand is why you give a shit in the first place. You and Shawn hate each other. Why choose now, of all times, to suddenly care about what happens to him?" Christian asked, making Bret narrow his eyes angrily. "Because I encountered him outside and was actually able to talk to him without Paul or Vince breathing down our backs. The man is really hurt, Jay. He's really confused. He lost so many memories and all you can care about is why I suddenly care? I feel bad, ok, Jay? I feel bad for Shawn and what he and his family must be going through… I actually thought it was nothing but a storyline… But after I spoke to him..," Bret paused to look Christian in the eyes again. "Vince had nothing but bad things to say when I asked him how you were doing in the business. You're lucky he doesn't fire your ass," Bret paused to hear Christian scoff. "You do know Shane is the one who keeps making excuses for you and saving your career, right," Bret smirked when Christian gave him an odd look. "Even after you and Travis beat the shit out of him last week."

"Why the hell would he do that..? Man, he's less like Vince than I thought..," Christian thought out loud, making Bret chuckle. "You have no idea how right you are when you say that..," Bret paused for a moment. "So… Are you going to talk to me? Tell me what's going on? I might be able to help you…" Christian nodded his head no. "No way… I'm too far into this. Nothing can really help me now, Bret. Not even you."

"Never say never, Jay." Bret stated. Christian sighed and ran his hands through his hair, then paced back and forth a little. He stopped in front of Bret and turned to look him in the eyes. "Ok, Bret… Here it goes…."

Vince sat down in his office and sighed. He looked over at Shane and narrowed his eyes angrily at the young man. "What's going through your head, Shane-O," He asked. Shane shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure, dad. Just feel a little weird… About how Bret was in such a rush to get out of here. I'm starting to think he called Christian up," Shane replied. Vince rolled his eyes. "So? What's it matter to you?" Vince asked. Shane turned to look at his dad. "Bret might be able to talk to him and find out why he's torturing Shawn… Might be able to talk him out of hurting him in the future," Shane saw the weird look Vince was giving him. "Come on, dad. This is a chance to stop Shawn from getting worse. I mean, if Bret is able to convince Jay…"

Vince once again narrowed his eyes at Shane. "Ok… Just don't keep your hopes up, alright?"

Paul turned on the TV in the D-X locker room and watched as the second match came on. By the time he was able to talk to Shawn and get him back to the locker room, the first match had come and gone. He sighed and watched as Shawn paced back and forth. What Shane had said earlier was really starting to get to him. "How would you know what Shawn's thinking? He doesn't even trust you." He hated that he was truly starting to think Shane was right. The conversation from before, and the pure distrust in Shawn's eyes as he listened to Paul talk, was proof of it.

Paul was pretty sure that Vince hadn't scheduled them to do anything on the show, mostly because Shawn was gone and, instead of coming to Raw, Paul was supposed to be looking for him. Paul growled when somebody knocked on the door. Shawn was the closest person to it, so he opened to it and raised an eyebrow when he saw Bret. "Can I help you?" Shawn asked. Bret nodded. "Yeah. Let me in. We need to talk."

Shawn nodded his head and stood to the side, allowing Bret the chance to walk into the room. He and Paul locked eyes for a moment and exchanged an angry glare, but it stopped the moment Shawn slammed the door shut and turned to look at them. "What's going on?" Shawn asked. Paul nodded his head. "Yeah. What's up?" He asked, figuring it was best to act civil with Bret in front of Shawn. Hey, he could always plot evilly in his mind. Bret sighed. "Listen. I need to explain something to you guys… I don't know if you'll believe it or not… But I really think you should know the truth about this whole Christian and Tyson Tomko thing…"

Before Bret could finish his statement, the door was literally knocked off the hinges, making Shawn and Bret duck out of the way. The three men in D-X's locker room turned to look at the door way. They saw a very pissed off looking Tyson Tomko glaring back at them. "Hey there Travis… What's going on?" Bret asked. Tyson reached out and grabbed Bret's face with one hand, then pulled him close. "Shut the fuck up, Bret," He shouted and shoved Bret backwards, making the older man fall on his ass. Shawn jumped forward to help, only to be grabbed by the collar of his hoodie. "Oh, look at what we have here," Tyson teased, making Paul stand up and approach him slowly. "Let him go." Paul warned. Tyson looked over at Paul. "And I should do that why?"

Shawn tried to squirm away from Tyson, but the man was just too damn strong. Paul took another step closer, then noticed Tyson's hand move from Shawn's hoodie to his throat. "I said let him go," Paul shouted again. Tyson shoved Shawn to the ground and then turned his attention to Paul. "Oh shit." Paul mumbled as he watched Tyson charge at him, then grab him and throw him into the wall. Paul slid to the floor and stayed there, the pain in his head too much for him to overcome. Shawn and Bret jumped up to attack Tyson, only to have their heads rammed together. Bret fell back on his ass again, whereas Shawn stayed vertical. Tyson grabbed him by the shoulders and was about to pick him up, but was hit in the back of the head with a lead pipe instead.

Tyson and Shawn both fell to the ground. Shawn, however, scooted as far away from Tyson as he could. He wound up next to Bret, who was leaning against the back of the couch. "Holy shit," Shawn gasped. He was still in shock at how close a call that was. Once the lead pipe fell to the ground, Paul, Bret and Shawn looked up at the man who was holding it. "Holy shit..." Shawn breathlessly repeated in shock as to who he was looking at.

Christian.

"What the fuck is going on around here?" Paul asked, making Bret chuckle. "I told you I had something to tell you about the whole Tyson and Christian thing…" He responded. Shawn sighed and rubbed his head angrily. "Would somebody care to explain the situation?"

A/N: Muhahaha! Bet you didn't see that one coming! I decided to have a bit of a twist in this chapter… Mostly because I'm sick of Christian being a bad guy… I've always liked him, but at the time I started this, I figured it would be a good idea to incorporate a real feud in this story. I've changed my mind. (Also because my BFF told me to make Christian a good guy, lol). Anyway… There WILL be a new villain in this story…

And that person is going to be revealed at a later time.

Hope you enjoyed the update, there will probably be another one coming up soon. R&R please. -Chessy