AN: From here on out, expect this to jump around a bit. It will bounce back and forth between the present interview and past happenings told from both Bret and Shawn's POV. I don't plan to make the story too long but then again, I didn't expect so many people to read the first chapter. So it continues…Why do our boys despise each other so much? That is still yet to be seen…

Man…These two really hate each other. I knew it was bad but I thought that with Shawn's faith and all he would be able to keep things straight. Goes to show what assuming will do for ya. Chris sighed. He looked back and forth between the two men trying to figure out who would be best to question next but they both looked equally disturbed. Shawn was staring down at his bottle of water with a face that Chris almost swore was filled with sadness. Bret on the other hand had a face void of anything – not even anger. Hmm…maybe we can discuss their relationship. That seems like a good place to start. Chris sat up nervously in his chair clearing his throat.

"Gentlemen let's proceed again. Now Shawn…Bret, it's no secret that you two grew up to be some of the biggest rivals in WWE history but sometimes there's a lot more to rivalries than meets the eye." Both Bret and Shawn shifted nervously in their seats, neither one meeting Chris' eye. Chris continued. "I'll use myself as an example. Shawn, you and I are great rivals onscreen but I'm not afraid to admit to the Universe that you're one of my very best friends." Bret scoffed mumbling something incoherent but Chris ignored him. "My point is gentlemen that not all rivals hate each other in real life. Now I'm sure you guys probably hate each other now but before Montreal – way before that incident – were you ever friends?"

"Define friends," Shawn replied.

"What do ya mean?" Chris asked. Shawn shrugged.

"Well…depending on your definition of 'friends' will determine whether or not I can answer you truthfully."

"Oh cut the crap blondie!" Bret snapped irritably. "We were friends. There are too many witnesses to say otherwise."

"Fine," Shawn answered dryly. "We might have been friends at some point but—

"Oh we were a lot more than friends," Bret smirked. Shawn glared towards the divider.

"Thought you didn't want to go there?"

"Oh I'm sorry," he sang. "I thought this was a tell all interview."

"Oh well then," he laughed. "If that's the case…" Shawn looked up at Chris and smiled. "Bret and I were the best of friends once. In fact…" Shawn looked over at the divider batting his eyelashes playfully, "he was one of my first wrestling friends second only to Marty…"

~*~*~

"Shawn…Shawn I don't know if I can do this." Shawn turned to his partner Marty and kissed his forehead.

"It's going to be alright."

"But Shawn, remember when we came to the interview the other day? The guys practically acted as if we didn't exist."

"Yeah they did but who cares? Marty, you and I are The Midnight Rockers. No one noticed us when we first started wrestling. We made them notice. You and I…we do things in the ring that other tag teams only wish they could do." Marty looked up at his friend and smiled.

"I guess you're right."

"Now come on. We need to go change quickly before we miss our first match." Shawn grabbed his friend's hand leading them inside the arena. The place was buzzing with talk and filled with life as the stage hands scurried about in a frenzy getting things ready for the night's show. Shawn and Marty spotted a few guys in tights and followed them up the hall until found the locker rooms. Shawn took a deep breath then headed inside. Guys were scattered about in their groups laughing or going over moves. No one seemed to notice the two new comers, which was just fine with Shawn. He led Marty to an area near the far back of the room and both men started changing into their gear. When Shawn finally got his tights on, he started to feel as though he were being watched. He glanced over at Marty who was pretending to busy himself with the belt around his waist. Shawn shook his head. Marty was a great guy and an even better wrestler than him sometimes. He just wished that Marty showed a little more confidence in himself but until then, it was up to Shawn to encourage him. He needed Marty and Marty needed him so it the perfect friendship for now. Shawn smacked his friend across the jaw playfully.

"Hey! What gives? That hurt!" Shawn laughed.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself! You were staring so intently at your belt that I was almost certain you were on another planet."

"No, I'm good. It's just…weird." Marty lowered his voice so that only Shawn could hear him. "We're being watched…well, mostly you and I don't like it."

"Oh Marty," Shawn laughed. "You know I don't care—

"Yeah but…but one of the guys is Bret."

"Hart?"

"Yes!" he hissed. "He's been staring at us…well you since we got in here."

~*~*~

"I was NOT staring," Bret huffed. He sat up in his chair feeling slightly indignant. Chris looked to Shawn for a little help but Shawn was a bit beside himself. His hand was covering his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. After a minute or two, Shawn finally spoke up again.

"I'm sorry Chris. I got a little tickled. I haven't had to recall such memories in so long that—

"I don't care because you know full well that I wasn't staring at you," Bret grumbled.

"Oh? So you're calling Marty a liar?"

"No but—

"That's what I thought. Anyway Chris, maybe he wasn't staring but he did in fact notice me."

"How could anyone not? With that long, thick, bleach blonde hair of yours and those yellow tights, you were kind of hard to miss," he chuckled. Chris stared at the two of them in disbelief. The mood seemed a bit…lighter now which made Chris' head hurt. Just what the hell is up with these two?

"Uh…so did you guys speak? What happened next?" Chris asked.

"Marty and I left the locker room for our first match. We ignored the celebrity and went on our merry way."

"What happened after the match?" Shawn frowned.

"A lot." Shawn took a swig of his water then sighed. "A lot of people don't know this but Marty and I had a hard time winning over the other guys. I mean, sure we kicked ass in the ring every night but that wasn't enough for some of them." Chris waited for Shawn and Bret to start fussing again but to his surprised, both men remained quiet. Chris cut his eyes towards Bret and noticed that he looked almost sad, but Chris couldn't be sure.

"I take it the rest of the night was kind of bad."

"Yeah. I uh…after our match Vince called me into his office. Marty went back to the locker rooms to shower and change. Vince uh…told me that he was pleased with our first match and he hoped that we would continue to wow him every night. It was…It was a good feeling considering Marty and I were kind of off in the ring."

"You were fine." Shawn and Chris both looked towards Bret clearly surprised.

"They…they were fine?" Chris asked. It had been a while since Bret said anything so Chris was not going to miss this chance at getting his point of view. Bret raised his shades so that they rested on top of his forehead. He tapped his finger against the side of his water bottle. Never taking his eyes off it, he spoke again softly.

"Yeah. They were great. I was impressed."

*~*~*

Bret sat in his corner backstage talking with his brother Owen and his cousin David. They were all family and thus hung out together all the time. Some of the other wrestlers hated it but they didn't care. All the guys had their little groups the only difference was that Bret's group members were all family. Bret finished lacing up his boots then proceeded to run a comb through his gorgeous wavy black hair. His brother Owen was going over some match endings with David. They were laughing and goofing off but after a while they got eerily silent. Bret suddenly looked up.

"Alright guys. Why are you so quiet all of a sudden? Are you keeping something from me again?"

"No, no, no," Owen hissed. "It's just…well see for yourself." They moved to the side so Bret could get a look at the new comers. Both had blonde hair though the shorter of the two had bleach blonde hair – it was nicer looking too. The two guys were changing quietly in the far corner ignoring all of the stares that were being cast their way. Bret shrugged.

"So we got a couple of new comers. No big deal. They don't look like much of a threat to any of you so leave 'em alone."

"Yes but…" Owen grinned. "They look so…scared. They won't last two weeks if they don't buck up." Bret looked over their way again. This time he met Marty's eye but the kid dropped his head pretending not to notice. Bret shrugged.

"Yeah. They look a little nervous but that's to be expected. Maybe after tonight they'll get used to it."

"I guess but if they continue to dress like that then people will start to think other things about them," David grinned. The guys tried not to stare as Marty and Shawn walked by them leaving the locker room. Once they were gone, Owen's face lit up.

"Hey! How about we go check 'em out? You know, see what they're bringing to the table."

"Oh please," David replied. "No one on this roster is anywhere near good enough to give the Hart Foundation a run so—

"Aww come on cuz! Look, just…aren't you the least bit curious as to why Vince hired them?" David and Bret cast each other wary looks.

"Alright. Fine. We'll go watch but don't make rude comments to them if they suck," Bret warned. "I don't want Vince getting onto us for being rude. We're supposed to set an example…most of the time," he laughed.

"Yeah, yeah now let's go!"

The guys left the locker room and stood backstage watching the match. For some reason Bret just couldn't take his eyes off of Shawn. The way he moved in the ring was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. For just a bunch of kids, they really can hold their own. Owen and David made comments throughout the match but Bret just watched, taking in their moves like a book. They were quick – very quick – and had a knack for reading each other's moves. They moved together as one and it looked so good. It was like they'd been wrestling together all their life. They were just that good. The crowd seemed to be impressed with them too and by the end of the match, they'd manage to win over a lot of skeptics including his brother Owen.

"Dude, they were really good," Owen said. "What did you think Bret?"

"I agree. They were good." Really good… "Alright fellas. Let's go."

Bret, David, and Owen went back to the locker rooms to await their match. Not too long afterwards, Marty walked in but he was alone. Bret frowned. He had thought about introducing himself to them but he didn't want to speak to just one of them. Plus, he was really only interested in speaking with the other partner, Shawn, who seemed to be more confident in the ring than Marty. Bret waited around for Shawn to show but when he didn't he had to leave. It was time for his main event match he didn't want to be late.

*~*~*

Silence. Dead silence and then Shawn finally spoke up.

"I didn't…know you waited up for us." Bret let out a sigh and then a small chuckle.

"I did. Like I said, you guys impressed me. I'd never seen anybody fly around the ring like you two did. It was…unbelievable." Bret couldn't believe he was saying these things but anything else would be a lie. That night was ingrained into his memory because he really had been impressed. At first glance, Shawn and Marty looked like two girls way out of their league but in the ring it was like their entire personas changed. They may have looked funny but their moves made up for it.

"Wow. That's…I'm really surprised right now," Chris replied. "You're actually…complimenting Shawn."

"I can't believe it either."

"Well…no, I think this is great!" Chris exclaimed. "So…so this just proves that you didn't hate each other at first glance." Both men shook their heads. "Alright. So everything I've heard up until this point has been nothing but good things. How did it turn out to be such a bad night?" Bret decided to let Shawn take it from here. After a minute of silence, Shawn finally spoke up again.

"Marty…"

~*~*~

Shawn hurried out of Vince's office with a smile on his face. Vince loved them and he couldn't wait to tell Marty! Shawn quickly entered the locker room. By now, most of the other guys had already gone so the locker room was pretty empty. Shawn headed towards the back and saw that Marty's things were still there. He grinned.

"HEY MARTY!" Shawn called out to him but he got no answer. Shawn walked over to the shower area where water was still running. Ahh he must be in here. Shawn stripped out of his gear then started for the showers. He quickly spotted Marty who was all alone standing underneath the sprinkler, looking down at his feet like something was wrong. "Marty?" His partner pretended to ignore him which made Shawn wonder. He approached his good friend determined to get to the bottom of it. "Marty look at me." When he still wouldn't listen, Shawn grabbed his shoulders spinning him around.

"Shawn no—

"Oh God…" Marty's jaw was swollen big time and his face was red as a cherry. "What happened?"

"It's nothing," he grumbled. Marty turned away but Shawn wasn't about to let it go. He grabbed Marty's shoulders forcing him back against the wall.

"No! I wanna know what happened to my friend."

"Shawn let go of me!"

"I won't! We're partners and friends. If you can't talk to me about it then who can you talk to?" Marty shoved Shawn away and started sobbing.

"God Shawn…you can't keep fighting all my battles for me."

"Marty, who did this?"

"I…I don't know and even if I did I wouldn't tell you," he choked. "It doesn't matter Shawn. One of these days you won't be around to fight my battles for me. I…I need to learn to stand on my own."

"Yes but for now you have me. You'll always have me." Shawn pulled his friend into his arms and just held him close.

"Bret," he whispered. "He stopped them from hurting me."

"Bret?" Maybe he isn't the douche I heard he could be after all…

"Yeah and I'm sorry Shawn. I really am." Shawn pulled away a little frowning.

"What for?"

"For being so…timid and weak."

"You're neither of those things Marty. If you were then you wouldn't be wrestling."

"I…maybe." Shawn watched the water fall over Marty's face as he tried to think of something else to say, but he couldn't. Instead he let his heart speak for him.

"Marty?" His friend looked up at him, his face filled with an innocence Shawn was yet to get used to. He slid a hand along side of Marty's face entangling his fingers in the soft, wet strands. Marty closed his eyes and Shawn captured his lips, pulling him forward into a quick, passionate kiss.

"What was that for?" Marty asked a second later.

"Uh…I…don't know." I have no idea… Both men went back to their shower areas where they showered in complete silence, both with a lot on their mind.

~*~*~

"I always knew you were queer," Bret snided.

"Screw you Bret!" Shawn snapped. "You don't know anything about Marty and me so just keep your damn mouth shut!"

"I don't need to know anything. You just told me everything I needed to know."

"I was not gay Bret!" Shawn growled. "Marty and I were just really good friends and when you work with someone for so long and live together, you're bound to grow feelings for one another."

"And in your case, Marty was a guy which makes you queer."

"And what does that make you Bret?" Shawn challenged.

"I'm not gay," he answered coolly.

"You slept with me."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?"

"You heard me," Shawn smirked. "You slept with me – and several times I might add." Bret jumped to his feet and started pushing at the divider.

"YOU COME OVER HERE AND SAY THAT TO MY FACE! I DID NOT SLEEP WITH YOU!"

"Oh, well then I guess the technical term would be 'fuck'," he snapped back.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Bret punched the divider, his body filled with rage but Shawn just sat there laughing to himself.

"You're still the same homophobic maniac that I knew way back when. You…you haven't changed a bit and it's sad."

"What's sad is all your lies—

"THEY'RE NOT LIES BRET!" Shawn jumped to his feet pressing his face to the divider. "I cannot lie anymore because my faith doesn't allow it. You on the other hand need to get a grip. You slept with me willingly several times and if that doesn't make you gay then you really are delusional."

"I'm…I'm not gay. I have a wife—

"Whoa ho! Wow. Whoop-dee-do! You have a wife!" Shawn exclaimed. "Well I tell you what. Keep on hiding behind your precious wife and kids but it still doesn't make you any less than what you already are."

"Shut UP!" he yelled. Shawn punched the wall.

"No, YOU shut up! God! I'm so sick and tired of you! You're killing me! But you know what? I don't care because I'm not holding anything back Bret. I've done it for so long – kept everything about my past hidden for 12 long years and I'm sick of it! If you can't handle the truth then go. Get the hell out of here but whether you admit your side of truth or not, I'm not holding back. You did sleep with me Bret and I willingly let you. That my friend is the truth." Both men stared at the wall that was dividing them seething with anger while Chris looked on cautiously. Bret banged his head against the wall.

"I hate you," he whispered. "I really do."

"Yeah well the feeling's mutual."

"I won't let you ruin me."

"And I'm done covering for you."

"I never fucked you Shawn."

"And what would you call it Bret? I didn't fuck myself." There was a long pause before Bret spoke up again.

"I don't know what I did. I just know I didn't fuck you."

"Oh come on! You know what? Screw it. Chris I'm out of here. I can't take anymore of his crap for the day. He knows he slept with me and I'd swear it on a bible if I have to." Shawn stormed across the room biting his lip. He felt like bursting into tears because it hurt so much. The truth. All he wanted was for Bret to admit what he did but because he won't, he was making Shawn out to look like a liar and Shawn hated it. Ever since Montreal people were wary to believe anything he said and it didn't help that Bret wasn't talking. If Bret would only admit his side of Montreal… I didn't even want to talk about Marty or our past together but he backed me into a corner… I hate him! Shawn turned the knob and opened the door.

"Shawn wait! I…I didn't fuck you but…" Bret sighed. I hate him so much but I can't go back on my word… It's now or never I guess…

"Good bye Bret."

"No Shawn I…I didn't…fuck you because I made love to you."