Disclaimer: Since I can't own other people, I don't own anyone in this story
Summary: When Hunter realizes Shawn isn't listening to a word he's saying regarding his obsession with the streak, He feels like he has no choice, but to call in his last resort... Bret. Can the Hitman get Shawn to listen to reason? Or is Bret just wasting his time?
Shawn sat in his dressing room and sulked. It was the only thing that he could think of at the moment that could possibly make him feel better. He had lost his last chance to beat Undertaker's streak at Wrestlemania. He sighed, that thought just made him more depressed than before.
"Shawn you gotta snap out of this buddy. You're gonna let this drive you insane." Hunter said.
"Shut up! You just don't get it Hunter! I'm Mr. Wrestlemania and in the past 24 hours I've lost every possible chance I had of going to mania and proving why that's my name."
"Look I knew you had a thick skull, but I didn't know it got worse with age. You have to let this go man. You obsessed over this last year and you're doing it again. Hell, you've been talking about this since the slammys!"
"You know I only get like that when I really want something, and I really want this. It's important to me. You're my best friend. You should support me on things like this!"
Hunter scoffed, "I've always had your back! But count me out of this because this is starting to make you crazy and it's not like you're listening to me anyway."
Now Shawn was starting to get angry. How could Hunter abandon him like this? Couldn't he see how much beating the streak meant to him? Obviously he couldn't if they were having this conversation. "Hunter I know you failed at beating the streak and I did too, but I'm actually gonna go back and try to correct my mistake unlike you."
"Shawn," Hunter shook his head and walked to the door, "You've really gone off the deep end, you know that? I'm not gonna stand here and listen to you talk all this nonsense. Yeah I lost to Taker and I've lost to plenty of other guys too, but you don't see obsessing about it do ya? I'll come back when you're on the sane side again."
Shawn glared at the closing door, "I'd be happier if you didn't come back at all!"
Hunter heard Shawn's shout and just sighed. He really needed to get Shawn's head back in the game, especially with the triple threat match they have next week on Raw. He needed his friend and his partner back to normal.
He started going over his options. He could go to Vince or Taker and beg like hell for Shawn to get his match, but then if he found out, he'd have them cancel because he didn't earn it himself. He frowned when he realized he only had one other choice. He would have to find the one person he'd never thought he would ask for help and do just that.
Cena noticed how down Hunter looked and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey Hunt. Is there something wrong?"
Hunter just nodded and said, "Yeah and I need some help with it."
"Sure man. Just tell me what you need me to do."
Hunter hesitated before he said the next part. He wasn't used to having these words in the same sentence. "Would you mind telling me where Bret is? I really need to talk to him."
"You want to talk to Bret? I know he and Shawn have made up and are working on being decent toward each other, but I still thought you two still had some kind of grudge going on."
"Oh we do, but the one thing I know for sure about Bret is that no matter how much he denies it, he would still do anything for Shawn."
Cena glanced over at Shawn's door, "Well I hope for his sake that you're right. Cause Shawn looks like he's getting crazier by the day, so maybe Bret can work some kind of miracle on him.
"Thanks. Now can you tell me where he is? I've enjoyed this conversation, but I need to do this before I change my mind."
He chuckled and pointed toward the exit. "He was about to leave the last time I saw him."
Hunter started down the hall. "Thanks John! I owe you one."
"Just fix Shawn and we'll call it even!
Bret groaned when he heard his muscles popping when he got into his car. He may be in his 50s and a stroke victim but he could still kick ass when the time called for it. When he got ready to pull out, he heard someone one shouting behind him. When he saw it was Hunter, he resisted the urge to back over him, and instead got back out.
"Look whatever it is, can't it wait until later? I really don't feel like being bothered with you right now Helmsely."
"And I don't have time to put up with your bullshit. I...I need your help."
Bret stared at him for a moment and tapped both of his ears a few times to make sure they were clear. "Did you just say you needed my help? What the hell could you possibly need me for?"
"Shawn."
"You're actually coming to me for help with Shawn?" He started to chuckle. "Why do I find that so hard to believe? It used to be that whenever I tried to do anything for him. You would stop at nothing to push me away."
"You know damn well that isn't true." Hunter growled.
"Just keep lying to yourself. You've always been so good at that."
He knew this was a bad idea, but of course bad ideas were his specialty after all. "I don't know why I wasted my time talking to you." He turned to go back inside. "At least I know not to come to you about anything concerning Shawn. You're not as much help as you seem to be."
Bret glared at Hunter's retreating form, but something made him follow the other man back inside the arena. "Wait a minute. This is about him breaking Taker's streak right?"
Hunter nodded. "He's starting to obsess over it and you know what happens when he gets like that."
"Yeah and it's not pretty. I'll talk to him, if that's what you want. I can't piss him off anymore than I've done in the past."
"You got that right." Hunter muttered.
Bret decided to ignore that. "I'll try to talk some sense into him, but you know Shawn and sense aren't really a good combination."
"You know Bret, I think that's the first time we've agreed on something."
He smirked at that, "Yeah, better not let it happen to often or the world might end." He knocked on Shawn's door. "Shawn? It's Bret. I wanna talk to you."
"Go away!" Came the muffled reply. "Hunter probably sent you to give me another lecture!"
"Do you really think Hunter would send me anywhere near you?" The sound of a lock clicking was Bret's response and the door was opened and he was suddenly pulled inside. Shawn looked angry and tired, but mostly defeated. Something he hadn't seen on Shawn in a very long time.
"Now what is it you want Bret?"
"I heard about your fascination with Taker's streak."
Shawn glared daggers at him. "So Hunter did tell you! I'm gonna tell you right now before you get into one of your long winded sermons, this is something I have to do. I've never let anything beat me before and I'm sure as hell not gonna let this be the first. I don't care what you or Hunter say, I gonna do whatever I can beat the streak--"
"Go ahead."
"--And neither one of you can do a damn thing to..." Shawn trailed off when it dawned on him what exactly Bret had said. "Wait a minute...did you just tell me to go ahead?"
Bret nodded. "Yeah I did."
"Well what happened to you coming in here to try and talk some sense into me? Or what about telling me how stupid it is to be obsessed with Taker's streak?"
"Did you hear me say any of that?" Shawn shook his head and Bret continued. "That's what the plan was, but I scrapped that. I knew if I came in here and told you all of that, I'd be wasting my breath. You've never been one to listen to reason anyway."
"Then why did you want to see me?"
"I want you to be careful. You're worrying a lot of people with your actions. I mean superkicking referees Shawn? It's not like you've never lost a rumble before!"
The guilty look Shawn gave him made him ease up a little. "It's just you're treading mighty close to fire and you're getting more and more likely to get burned. When you want something I know you won't stop until you get it, even if you do have to go through hell to get it.
Shawn smiled and then just as quickly that smile became a frown. "Yeah, but for once there's nothing else I can do. I've lost all my chances at facing him at Mania."
"Not exactly beautiful. Don't forget Raw isn't the only show that has an elimination chamber match. If you didn't qualify for this one, try the next best thing and at least that way you can challenge Taker directly."
Shawn quirked his eyebrow at him, "I can't believe you actually want to help me with this. It used to be that you would be the first one telling me how I have no business doing that and I'm a fool for trying."
Bret stood and pulled Shawn into a hug. "Well if someone would have said you were doing this a few years ago I would have. I've changed a lot since back in the day and you have too, but if you tell anybody I said that, I'll deny it like hell."
He rolled his eyes and bowed, "Whatever you say, oh royal hitman."
"Good. I am glad I could help though. I really want to keep things good between us this time. I don't want there to be anymore problems."
"Thanks. That means a lot to me actually."
An awkward silence formed between the two. Nowadays, if they had to be around each other they were civil, but as soon as business were done, they couldn't get away from each other fast enough. It wasn't because they still hated each others guts, there would always be a little anger between them, but this was different. They hated each other for so long, they didn't know how to any other way to act around each other.
Shawn was the first to speak, "Bret...do you want go get some dinner? I'd like to repay you... for being the only person to back me up!" Hunter winced where he was listening outside the door.
Bret smiled. He had always loved when Shawn was pissed at Hunter. "Thanks. Sounds like fun."
"And maybe we could actually learn to act like friends again?"
"Whatever you want Shawn." He opened the door and gestured for them to leave. "Shall we?"
Shawn took Bret's arm and pulled out of the room, glaring at Hunter as he went. He turned back to the Hitman and smiled. "We shall."
