AUTHOR'S NOTE: Welcome back once again my extremely loyal reading audience!

Here we are now! Another day, another chapter and a lot of new exciting twists, turns and plots. Thanks for all the continued support despite my update inconsistencies. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Remain blessed!

WARNING: This story may contain triggering scenes and strong language not meant for all audiences. Viewer discretion is advised. (I love to get that outta the way)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters except my OC Kendra and other OC's I might have forgotten to mention. This story is a pure work of fiction (hence its written on) and most of the events and facts are completely made up so... I guess that's it.

Chapter 26 - Old Habits Die Hard

"We did it!" Kendra squealed with joy once she and Shane were out of the court room... sorry Vince's office. (Hehehe) "I'm so happy. Finally, what a relief! Thank you so much Shane, you're the best" She said jumping up and hugging him.

Shane was stunned as he never expected this but eventually gave in and hugged the girl back. It was a nice wholesome moment until he set his eyes on someone familiar who cleared their throat spoiling their moment. Kendra let him go and turned around knowing exactly who made that sound.

"Hi Bret" She said to her brother who honestly looked like he was about to explode.

"Where the fuck have you been all night?!" He roared making her flinch a little. Shane noticed this and was a bit surprised so he decided to step in. "I've been worried sick!"

"Hey don't be so hard on her. She was with me. Helping me out... with work" Shane said. Kendra cast him a glance to which he shrugged to. It was quite obvious Bret had no clue about any of the proceedings of that night and he sure as hell didn't have the energy to explain to him. Plus it was really obvious that Kendra didn't wanna involve him.

"I can see that" Bret said as he turned his gaze over to Kendra giving her one of the dirtiest looks he had ever given her; and that was saying something! "Kendra. A word"

There was a pure look of terror on Kendra's face and it was extremely noticeable by Shane who instantly began to smell a rat. "She's still helping me out and it's obvious she's quite exhausted" Bret looked back and forth between them.

"Yeah I can see that" He said throwing some obvious shade. "Very well then, I don't wanna interrupt your 'work'..." Bret said making little air quotes with his hands. "...Kendra, we will most definitely talk later" He said before walking away. "Fucking whore" He muttered.

Shane heard Kendra breathe a very loud sigh of relief once Bret was out of sight.

"Thanks for that Shane, I'm definitely not in the mood to deal with Bret's BS right now" Kendra said. Shane nodded.

"That was more than just some BS Kendra. I know I shouldn't really get myself involved in your family matters but you and Bret's relationship looks a bit..." Shane paused and seemed to be deep in thought. "...God how do I out this nicely?"

"Strained? Toxic?" Kendra suggested.

"Yeah those. Is everything alright?" Shane asked. Kendra shrugged.

"Well Bret can go a bit over the top sometimes." To put it lightly "But all in all he's just extremely over protective"

"I'm protective to a fault too Kendra. I have a little sister but I don't think I could ever have an outburst like that. You looked visibly scared. Not to mention he also called you a whore."

"Yeah, that. Listen Bret's a bit intense and over the top sometimes but I can assure you he's pretty decent" She said trying to sound convincing.

"Alright, if you say so" Shane said deciding to drop the matter... for now. "So that aside, we finally got Vince Russo out of this company" Immediately Kendra's somewhat dull face brightened up again.

"I know right. God I thought this day would never come. Finally, peace of mind"

"Indeed. And I believe it calls for celebration. I propose drinks after the show?" Shane suggested. Kendra raised an eyebrow. "Oh come on it could be fun. To loosen up a bit and hang out completely outside the space of work" Shane suggested.

"I don't know, I don't even drink"

"Neither do I... that much. Well we could just hang out at the bar, chill and maybe play some pool?" Kendra's eyes brightened up a bit at the possibility of that. She did love pool. "I could invite my sister along if you're not really comfortable with the idea of hanging out alone with me"

"No it's cool. You are my new boss anyways. It could be fun" She said. She knew Shane was married and committed so he definitely wouldn't try anything absurd with her.

And besides, it had been a while since she'd actually gone out with anyone to do anything that wasn't WWF related. This could be good for her mentally.

"Alright. We'll leave in thirty." Shane proposed and she nodded. "Alright, see you soon" He said hugging her once more before walking away. Once he left Kendra let out a huge breath.

Wow. This night had been a crazy rollercoaster. From whatever the hell wrestler's court was, to reliving all the past experiences to finally opening up about everything that happened. All in all, it was a hell of a ride. But she was glad she finally made it through. And she had one person to give most of the credit to.

Everything went well, Russo's ass is outta here and I'm now Shane's assistant. Thank you so much for all the help. You're amazing - kendra.

She put her phone in her back pocket and was about to head over to Sable and Marc's locker room when she felt a buzz.

Anytime Kendra. This calls for a celebration. Wanna go out for drinks or something? - Shawn.

Shit. She really wanted to go with him but she'd already made plans with Shane. And she wasn't sure if she could ask Shawn to tag along.

I'm sorry but Shane and I already have plans to hang out after the show - Kendra.

Damn.

Oh. Have fun - Shawn.

From the text, Kendra could tell he was disappointed and she felt so bad. All this would have been impossible without Shawn as he was the one who found the recorder and he had been giving her emotional support all through this. It wasn't fair to him and she knew it.

Could we hang out later tonight? In my room? Movie night? - Kendra.

She bit her lip in anticipation.

Now you're talking. Text me your room number once you get back to the hotel alright? - Shawn.

Alright - Kendra.

Yes, she was sure that night was gonna be a blast but there was this looming sense of fear she had about that night that she couldn't quite shake off no matter how hard she tried.

But she sure as hell couldn't call it off now, all she could do was hope and pray that everything ended up alright.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I honestly don't get what it is you're actually doing here." Bret said as he looked around the diner Owen dragged him and Jim Neidhart too. When they could all be on their beds sleeping.

"I agree. You never did explain fully what we're here for" Jim chimed in.

"You'll all understand in due time. But we have to stay completely undercover. It's for a good cause." Owen said before he found a table where they could sit. "Here" He said passing each of them a newspaper. "Let's just read these and act all undercover-y. Trust me I know what I'm doing" Owen said. Bret crossed his arms over his chest.

"Isn't that the exact opposite of what we should be doing? We're three grown men all reading newspapers at the same time. That'll definitely draw some attention" Bret said. Owen went silent for a while.

"That's true. Stupid" Owen said face palming. "Oh well, I guess one of you could leave to make it look less suspicious. Jim?" Owen suggested.

"You don't have to tell me twice. I'm gonna get a drink at that bar opposite this diner. See you guys whenever" Jim said before dashing the hell out of the diner.

"Honestly that should've been me" Bret said not really wanting any part in whatever the hell Owen was up to.

"Oh come on bro, aren't you the least bit curious?" Owen asked. Bret gave him a stone-faced look which made the younger man roll his eyes. "Alright. I guess I can easily do this alone" Owen decided. Plus, Bret was a bit of a liability in this plan because of his anger issues.

"That's the spirit bro! Goodluck with whatever the hell it is you're doing. I'm gonna join Neidhart at the bar. Don't miss me too much" Bret said. Owen gave him a blank look. "Wow. That didn't hurt me in the slightest. See you later" Bret said as he headed out of the diner. He still wondered what possessed him to join Owen with whatever he was up to.

The bar was surprisingly crowded for a Monday night but from the look of things it's like many of his coworkers decided to hit that place that night. Not to mention, WCW had Nitro in the same city which actually happened quite often. He scanned the bar for some familiar faces till he heard someone call out his name.

"Bret! Over here!" The voice of Brian Pillman called out. Bret turned around to see his friend holding a shot glass. "You look lost"

"Yeah, just looking for Neidhart or you know... anybody with common sense around here" Bret said. Brian chuckled.

"A bunch of us are at that table over there just chilling. Come on" Brian edged. Bret shrugged. Not really how he thought he'd spend his evening especially when he had fish to fry, but oh well. A bit of relaxation never hurts anyone.

Besides, what's the worst that could happen?

Meanwhile...

"...that's another big score for me. Woo! That's what I'm talking about!" She yelled out in excitement. Nine games and she had beaten Shane at pool each time. What can you really say about that?

"Hey no fair, you have to be cheating!" Shane declared. She shrugged innocently.

"Nah boss. I'm just that damn good." She said doing a little victory twirl. "And being that damn good is exhausting by the way. I say we call it a day for pool and sit down how's that?" She suggested.

"I would've loved to win a round but yeah sure I'm exhausted as well" Shane declared. "Drinks?" He proposed.

"Yeah. Mostly water or coke or something." She said as the walked away from the pool section to the seating section.

"Oh right. You don't drink. Why though? If I'm not prying" Shane questioned. She shrugged.

"I just don't like seeing myself drunk" She said with a tone of finality. Shane got the message that he shouldn't press on the issue more so he nodded.

"Alrighty then. I'll go get the drinks and your water. Just find somewhere to sit alright" Shane said. Kendra nodded as she found a booth to not too far from the bar stand.

As she waited patiently for him she decided to open up her phone which she kept on silent mode earlier on in the night. She saw she had some texts but two stood out in particular.

One from Owen.

We need to meet up and talk. - Owen

She wondered what that was about. And one from Bret.

Nice job kiddo - Bret

How... unsettling. She didn't really know what he meant by that but she definitely didn't wanna find out. It was Bret after all.

While she tried to decrypt whatever the hell it is that Bret was trying to say, Shane got back with two cups of sodas and wings. Kendra smiled at him as he sat down and passed hers over to her.

"Thanks Shane but uh... do you mind taking a drink from my cup?" Kendra requested. Shane raised an eyebrow wondering why she asked him to do that before his head finally clicked. He nodded and did just that. "Thank you." She said.

"That was actually really smart you know. But I wouldn't take advantage of any woman like that. I was raised better plus I'm married" He said flashing his ring at her.

"Oh I know. But you can never be too sure" Kendra commented. Shane nodded at that.

"You have a point. Speaking of which, do you remember that night I got drunk and missed our meeting?" Shane asked. Kendra cringed a bit at the memory but nodded. "I am very sure my drink was spiked and that Russo was behind it"

"Yeah that sounds like the kinda thing he can do. He's smart to an extent I'll give him that. Maybe he heard you talking to our about me or something and... well all that is in the past. Thank God" Kendra said eating a bit more out of her food. "I can't thank you enough Shane"

"Hey, my pleasure. Later this week my Dad will release an official statement on Russo's firing and then we'll call in your brothers to tell them what really happened" Shane said. Kendra's face got pale instantly which didn't go unnoticed by Shane. "We have to. And I know very well that you can't do it yourself otherwise you wouldn't have come to me"

"I..." Kendra started but stopped when she heard Shane's phone ring to which he picked up. And what do you know? It turned out to be his wife.

"Hey baby... Yeah I'm with her right now... I know it's been a ride but we came out successfully... Yeah... Alright lemme ask her..." Shane said. He was on the phone with who Kendra presumed to be his wife. "She wants to talk to you. Are you game?"

"Hello" Kendra said shyly.

"Kendra sweetheart. It's a pleasure to finally speak with you. I'm Marissa by the way. How are you holding up?" Marissa asked. Her voice laced with sympathy. Wow. She was really a sweetheart.

"Thanks for the caring about me Marissa and it's honestly a pleasure to talk to you. I'm actually doing really fine. Just the adrenaline might wear off soon and then I'll be incredibly tired but hey... at least I got a two hundred and something pound man off my back" Kendra joked. She heard a small giggle from Marissa.

"Preach sister! Honestly I never liked Vince Russo. The guy is a creep"

"That's an understatement. He's a fucking psycho" Kendra said.

"Well all that's gone and good now. Congrats on the new position. Hopefully that bonehead of a husband I married won't give you much trouble. Anytime he does, call me. I'll ask him to give you my number. Don't hesitate" Marissa declared.

"Alright thanks so much Marissa. You're really lovely. I look forward to meeting you one day"

"As do I. Well, I won't take much of your time. Have fun and remember you have a friend in me" Marissa said. She and Kendra exchanged more pleasant words before the latter handed the phone over to Shane.

"You women talk a lot holy fuck... Yes Marissa I know, language... Yeah probably soon, I'm tried and I'm very sure she is as well... I love you too... Sleep well." Shane said as he ended the call with his lovely wife.

"Your wife's a sweetheart" Kendra commented.

"I know. I thank my stars everyday I got someone as amazing as her" Shane said. Kendra smiled. She could see a sparkle in his eye and she recognized it all too well. Love. Something she yearned for deep within her soul.

She knew it was her fault. She'd always end up pushing potential lovers away or turning them into flings. But she couldn't help it then.

But maybe just maybe... she could open up her heart to other options. She had to start from somewhere after all.

"Hey, are you still with me?" Shane asked snapping her away from her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"You wandered off into space for a sec there. You alright?" Shane asked. She nodded then yawned.

"I'm just a bit tired. Maybe it is time to call it a night" Kendra suggested.

"Well I suppose so. Well c'mon. I'll drop you off at the hotel before I head to the jet. I'm my Dad would wanna get going as soon as possible" Shane said. Kendra chuckled a little.

"Thanks for all the help and support Shane. I'm sorry for being a bitch that time." She said with a smile. Shane laughed.

"You were justified. And water under the bridge. Now let's drop you off" Shane said as the both got up and exited the bar.

The journey back was nice and cool. They just talked about music and pop culture for a bit and soon enough they got to the hotel they were staying at to which Shane dropped her off and rode off to meet his Dad and sister. To say Kendra was exhausted was an understatement. All she wanted to do was to curl up in her bed and sleep. She was sure she'll probably sleep off on Shawn. Speaking of which...

Hey, my room number is 218 - Kendra.

Shawn didn't reply her instantly so she assumed he was busy. She didn't mind plus it gave her extra time to take a shower. She knew he'd come around eventually.

As Kendra slid the hotel key-card and stepped into her hotel room. She was really tired and due to that she didn't realize that the lights in her room were switched on, the TV was on and that she wasn't alone. As she walked further into her room, dropping her stuff she was greeted by a familiar face sitting cross legged on the couch.

"Hello little sis." Bret said in a cool voice as he switched off the TV. "I was wondering when you'd finally get back"

"What in the... oh no" She said. "Bret..."

"Let's have a little talk" Bret proposed.

Oh hell no. Not tonight. And with that thought Kendra straight on ran away from her brother. She didn't get too far though. As she opened the door, Bret slammed it shut behind her gaining a scream from her. She turned around to face him only to be greeted by a painful backhand straight to her face.

"Never ever. EVER! Run away from me again. You got it?" Bret asked. Kendra ignored the question as she held her face in pain. "Kendra"

"I... I got it" She said fighting back tears. What did she do to deserve all these? It had barely been a week. "You... promised not to hit me anymore"

"And you promised not to whore yourself around anymore! We both broke our promises how do you like that?" Bret said.

"I'm not a whore..."

"Shut up!" Bret yelled once again silencing her. "You're having an affair with a guy who's your coworker, who's married and who's the bosses son. Have you got no shame or self control Kendra?!" Bret yelled. Kendra shut her eyes close as the tears poured out. She couldn't deal with this right now. She just couldn't.

"Bret for once in your life can you sit down and listen to me?" Kendra asked as opened her eyes and looked into his. Her tears made Bret's anger fade a bit and he decided to step away from her. "Thank you."

"You've got one minute before I take matters into my own hands" Bret threatened. Kendra sighed.

"Of course" She mumbled sarcastically.

"What was that?"

"Nothing" She quickly replied. "Anyways, what I was saying was that Shane is my boss now. You see Vince Russo..." And at that point Kendra's phone begun to ring. It just so happened that she dropped it on the couch close to where Bret was sitting who picked the phone up and glanced at the caller ID. Shane.

Oh God.

The room was silent except for the sounds of Kendra's thumping heart and the sound of her phone ringing. Bret didn't say or do anything as he continued to watch the phone ring and ring until it stopped ringing. You could cut the tension in the room with a knife.

"Bret..." Kendra paused as the phone started to ring once more. Bret once again kept his eyes fixated on the phone as it continued to ring and ring until it stopped. Then a text message popped up.

Guess you're already asleep. That sucks but I don't blame you cause today was wild as well. Just wanted to say Goodnight and congrats once more :) - Shane.

Bret laughed. "You care to explain to me why the bosses son called and texted you? An intern?" Bret asked as he stood up. Kendra took a few steps back.

"I... I..." She noticed Bret take a few steps closer to her and did what anyone sensible would do. She ran. This time not to the hotel room door but to the bathroom door as she got in and locked it behind her at the nick of time.

"OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR!" Bret yelled, his voice filled with rage as he banged continuously on the door. Kendra winced. "I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR YOU'RE SLEEPING IN A FUCKING HOSPITAL TONIGHT!"

"i'm not going to Bret. Not while you're like this. For goodness sake Bret calm down!"

"You want me to calm down when you're fucking Shane McMahon? When you did God knows what with Billy Gunn? When you constantly disobey and disrespect me constantly? When you're gradually turning back into the fucking whore you used to be?!" Bret yelled. The last statement he made tore through her soul but she said nothing as she wiped a tear away from her eyes and sniffled a little. She heard Bret sigh from the other end. "Kendra, please open the door"

"No. I know you're gonna beat me up. I can't go through that again" She said amidst tears.

"Kendra fucking open the door" Bret said in a warning tone.

"No."

"Kendra" Bret called out but got no response from his sister. "I'm not gonna hit you alright. Just come out and explain yourself"

"I cam explain myself from inside here. I don't trust you!" She said.

"Kendra. I swear I'm not gonna hit you. You have my word" He said in the most sincere tone she'd heard him use in a long while. "Just come out." Kendra sighed. She didn't trust Bret one bit but one thing she knew about him is that he was a man of his word... most times.

Slowly she opened the door and stepped out looking warily at her brother. Then she shut the bathroom door slowly. "I'm out now"

"Good. Oh and one more thing" Bret said.

"Which is?" As soon as Kendra uttered that statement she was violently shoved to the floor by Bret. While still recuperating from the shock Bret circled her with nothing but contempt in his eyes. She couldn't believe he lied to her.

"You know I'm so sick and tired of your crap Kendra. Seven years and nothing's changed. You're still as loose as ever. So you know what? Fuck whatever Tina says. I'm taking matters back into my own hands before I suffer the consequences of your shit once again" Bret said.

What?

"What the hell are you talking about Bret? What does Tina have to do with anything? What consequences? I was the one who went through all that shit. You just made it worse!" She retorted. Bret laughed dryly.

"I made it worse? Wow. I fucking sacrificed a lot for you too. How do you think it affected me huh? No one even cared about how it affected me!" Bret yelled. Kendra was stunned. That was the first time Bret had ever directly addressed what he went through to Kendra.

"Bret..."

"You know what it's fine. It's fine. Yes I promised I'm not gonna hit you. Yes I did and I won't go back on my word. Plus it looks like your skull is way too thick anyways" Bret said as he stalked towards her. Kendra was relieved but she couldn't understand why he was coming closer to her with that same glaring anger in his eyes. "What you need is a constant reminder. Get up" He said pulling her up by her arm.

"What do you mean buy constant... HOLY FUCK!" Kendra couldn't get another word in as Bret who was still in possession of her arm twisted and turned it around similar to putting her in a submission move. And God it hurt like hell. "BRET PLEASE I'M BEGGIING YOU STOP!" She pleaded but it fell on deaf ears as Bret only increased the pressure he was putting on her arm and twisted it even mote putting a lot of stress on her elbow. "BRET HAVE MERCY PLEASE, I'M IN A LOT OF PAIN. I DON'T DESERVE THIS. STOPPPP!" She cried out. Kendra tried desperately tried struggling out his grasp but it was to no avail. She had a very good idea of what he was gunning for.

"Shut the hell up" Bret commanded.

"BRET YOU'RE GONNA BREAK MY ARM, YOU'RE GONNA FUCK UP MY ARM, PLEASE DON'T DO THIS. PLEASE... GODDDD!" She was in intense pain and tried struggling once more but Bret's grasp was firm. Soon enough, before she could escape... she felt something move. "AAAHHHHH!" She wailed out as Bret immediately let her arm go.

"That should be an elbow sprain. Go get it checked out. It should take about a month to heal. Anytime you think about trying anything stupid, just take a good look at your arm" He said. Kendra was too stunned from the pain to even say anything as she held her left arm in her hand wondering what the fuck she was gonna do. "Goodnight" He said simply as he walked out of the door.

"Oh no, what the fuck am I gonna do with my fucking arm?" Kendra whispered to herself as she realized she couldn't move her hand without going through a world of pain. She definitely had to go to hospital or clinic or something to check this How was she supposed to go buy her job for crying out loud? How was she supposed to do anything?

As she went about that thought she heard a knock on the door. Quickly she wiped away her tears. "Come in... Hi Shawn" She said.

"Kendy... what happened?" He asked as the first thing he noticed was how distraught she looked not to mention her tear stained cheeks and the way she was holding her hand in pain. "What's up with your arm?"

"I think I sprained my elbow. I'm in a lot of pain" She said her voice cracking slightly. "I'm sorry I know tonight is supposed to be movie night and all but..."

"C'mon, there's a clinic downstairs. Let's get you there, pronto" Shawn suggested. She nodded in agreement as she was in no place to argue. She and Shawn went over to the clinic which was thankfully still open.

"This is a bad sprain. You'll probably need to be in a cast for about three weeks to a month. How did this even happen?" The doctor asked. Kendra shrugged.

"I fell" She said. The doctor gave a questioning look but didn't push much further as she proceed to put Kendra's arm in a cast. She gave her some pain medications and told her how to go about the injury, her arm, the cast and everything else in between. Kendra thanked the nice lady, took the drugs and went on her way with Shawn.

She noticed one thing though that throughout that night Shawn had been unusually quiet. That bugged her. So she decided to question him.

"What's up Shawn? You've been quiet" She asked. Shawn took a deep breath. He opened his mouth but shut it once more. "Oh come on, talk to me Shawn."

"You know it's funny. I come to your room. You looked petrified as hell, it's obvious you had been crying, there were obvious signs of a struggle all around the room, there were some faint red marks on your face and there's a bruise on your arm too that you probably hadn't noticed." Shawn pointed out. Kendra looked down at her arm and noticed it too. It looked like someone had squeezed her arm tightly. "So with all this, you're still claiming that you fell down?" Shawn asked.

"Yes I am." Kendra said.

"Kendra. Listen to me and listen to me good. I'm not stupid and I will never be. The only question I have is; how long has Bret been doing this to you?" Shawn asked.

This was an extremely hard chapter to write but I had to get it over with. Holy fuck.

I'm sorry if this chapter is a bit uncomfortable to read but it's an essential part of the Bret and Kendra dynamic I had to explore. Anywho it looks like Shawn has an eye for detail... or maybe because it's Kendra who knows. And Kendra's wholesome friendship with Shane is really nice.

Till the next chapter you guys. Remember to always stay safe. Lots of Love.