AN: I know it's been a while so to help you out, this is gonna jump around a bit, but it starts where we left off with Vince and Adam. If you go back and read the first part of the last chapter, you'll see what I mean.

Vince slammed his phone down on the receiver cursing under his breath. Just what the hell was Chris Irvin up to now? Vince never really figured they would make it an hour let alone almost three full days with this interview which is why he was now just a tad bit concerned. Vince leaned back in his chair closing his eyes as he recalled memories of his own; memories he wished were nothing more than bad dreams for everyone's sake…

~*~

"You wanted to see me Vince?" Bret closed the door quietly behind him taking a seat across from Vince. The room was pretty dark aside from the light peeking in from the blinds. Most of their meetings were always like this, mainly because Vince liked to leave the impression that he was alone most times. A lot of the roster would get offended if they knew how close Bret was to the boss so they usually kept their meetings low key. It was for the best.

Vince leaned forward across his desk smiling at his WWE Champ. "Yes, I did. Bret we need to discuss this year's upcoming Wrestlemania. I have big plans and I need you to come through for me."

Bret quirked his brow. "Usually when you say something like that it doesn't bode well for me." He frowned. "So you're breaking your promise to me again right?"

Vince sighed. "Bret that's not what I'm doing. The audience is changing; WCW is really starting to gain momentum and I need to create new stars otherwise I could very well be in serious trouble in the next few months."

"In other words I'm not doing the job for you," he said accusingly.

Vince sighed. "Bret, that's not what I meant."

"Yes it is!" he said hotly. "If you're trying to be upfront well tell the whole truth and not half truths. You should know I don't take too kindly to being lied to."

Vince stood to his feet and walked around his desk to stand next to Bret. He reached out to touch him but Bret stood as well to avoid his touch. "Bret, you're not being fair. At least listen to my proposal."

"It's him right?" he asked softly.

Vince blinked for a moment wondering if Bret somehow already knew despite Shawn not even knowing yet. "Er…"

"I only have one equal in this company Vince."

Vince thought about his words before a smile slowly crept up on him. That was one of the things he loved most about Bret Hart. Even though he was champ and even before then, he was always watching the competition. That was why he was so good. He knew that if he wanted to stay on top, he would have to find a way to stay a step ahead of everyone else only this time he kinda slipped, but Vince knew why. It's hard to see someone as your direct competition when you're in love with them. How could you bring yourself to be that much better than the one you love? It would probably feel a little shallow; as if you didn't want your significant other to succeed. On the other hand, you would be purposely neglecting yourself. It was kind of a lose-lose situation in Vince's view, but it was too late now. He had no choice but to put the belt on Shawn. WCW was really turning up the heat splitting their ratings until they were almost equal to Monday Night Raw's. It wasn't that Bret wasn't drawing, but Shawn was way over now and had been over ever since his feud with Diesel. It's been almost a year and Shawn had nothing to show for it. It was time to give the kid a chance to show what he can do. After all, unlike his friends, at least he chose to stay and that said a lot about his character despite the locker room gossip.

"I'll take your silence as a yes."

"I'm sure you won't have any problems working with him…or am I mistaken?"

Bret shrugged. "Don't know. That's gonna depend on him."

Vince closed the gap between them, squeezing Bret's shoulders gently. "Look Bret, you said it yourself that he was your only equal. He's just as over as you are now so…so I got to let him try."

"Sure it's not cuz he's so pretty?" Bret grumbled.

Vince shook his head. "Bret, you know you're my number one guy. Always have been and if you stick around—

Bret whipped around furiously glaring daggers at his boss. "What do you mean by if I stick around?" he snapped. "You know full well that me and my family are the most loyal men you have on this roster! Don't even try me like that Vince. If anything you should probably worry about your pretty little diva. His friends all went running off to the competition so whose to say that him and his new boyfriend aren't next huh?"

Vince shook his head sighing. "Don't you know I've considered that Bret? You know me. I look at all the possibilities but I don't think he's gonna leave. I believe in my heart that if he really wanted to go, he would have left by now. I think—Bret I think he wants to stick around and prove himself."

"To who? To you right because he has nothing left to prove to the guys. They all know he's good, but they also know he only cares about his little Kliq."

"That Kliq is now dead thanks to Kevin, Sean, and Scott. It's just him and the rookie Hunter."

"Rookie my ass," Bret scoffed. "You just don't know him like I do. He's so full of shit that I have a hard time breathing when I'm around him. He's nothing but trouble and if Shawn wins that belt I can assure you it's not going to be good. Shawn's not ready Vince."

Vince frowned. "Now look Bret, you know I value your opinion above all others, even some of my closest confidants like Patterson, but you know full well that kid's earned this."

"I'm telling you Vince he's not ready and I don't mean that in the way that you think."

"Then explain."

Bret sighed. "You know I hang out with him a lot. He's…sort of a friend."

Vince raised his brows. "A friend?"

Bret looked away, his face probably turning hot but because of the lighting, Vince had no proof. He could only tell by the way Bret was shifting uncomfortably that he'd pretty much hit the nail on the coffin. "Look Vince. He—He's got the ring talent. I'll give him that but his self esteem is shot. He won't be able to handle it. He can barely handle it now. The guys are always gossiping about him, saying things that are untrue and he just sort of falls apart. If it wasn't for me…"

Vince could understand what Bret was going through because he too worried about that blonde. So many things got back to him and it started day one with him and Marty. As for the other rumors, he knew they were probably fact. Shawn was hotheaded. Shawn was a diva. Shawn was gay and his lover was standing in front of him trying his best to look out for him as any good man would. Vince understood, but he also knew Shawn needed to do this. If anything it would at least get him the respect he so desperately wanted as well as give him a reason to feel good about himself.

"Bret, my decision is final on this. I just thought you'd like the heads up. I really think he can do this; he just needs the opportunity and your support. He looks up to you. I thought you knew this?"

"I—I do. It's just—

"You worry about him and I understand more than you think," he chuckled. "But give him a year and if it goes badly I'll have him return the favor at Mania 13."

Bret still did not look too happy about it but he eventually nodded his head. "Fine, but I'm telling you this is a mistake. And before you ask, I'm not trying to be selfish. Am I happy that once again my title reign is being cut short? No, but because it's Shawn I'm going to do what I always do which is what's best for business. The kid's hotter than me right now so I gots no problem doing the job. I just hope he can handle it."

Vince smiled. "Thanks Bret. I knew I could count on you."

~*~

Vince shook his head. Sometimes he wished he would have just listened to Bret, but Shawn was so stubborn, pushing his body to the limit night after night even at house shows so he didn't really have a reason to say no when Patterson suggested it. Shawn was not big at all; just a little fellow and the opposite of what Vince looked for in a champion, but he cared about that blonde just as much as he cared for Bret which was really what swayed his decision in the end anyway.

Vince picked up the phone again, this time dialing a number that he never figured he'd have the guts to try. The number when straight to voice mail and he decided to go ahead and leave a message hoping for the best. If Shawn could do it, so could he. "Hello Bret. This is Vince McMahon…"

~**~

Jeff Hardy slowly made his way up the porch steps dragging his luggage. He was so exhausted from his flight. Having to fly two long flights in the span of just a day and a half was a little more than draining. To make matters worse he didn't even know if coming here was the right thing to do, but it was the only place he could go and maybe be able to feel right at home. He dropped the handles of his luggage then rang the doorbell praying silently that someone was home. He waited a minute then rang it once more. For a while it seemed like he was going to be stuck until the door finally opened. "Jeff?"

Jeff lowered his in shame. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "But I didn't know where else to go. I—I left Hunter so—so I guess you were right about him."

"Oh Jeff…" Matt came outside onto the porch even though he was only wearing some tiny boxer shorts and just threw his arms around Jeff. "Don't worry about it. At the end of the day, I still love you no matter what. Come on. Let's go inside. You look like you could use some sleep."

~*~*~

"Sh-Shawn!" Hunter could only look down cursing under his breath.

"Oh see now you've done it," Bret grumbled. "Way to go big nose. Once again you've managed to make things worse."

Hunter shot Bret an angry glare. "Don't even try to put all of this on me!" he spat. "You're just as bad…"

The two of them continued to argue while Shawn stood outside the room, shaking his head. He always figured Hunter and Bret had something of a rivalry going on, but he never knew it was this bad. It was no secret that Bret hated Hunter back then and after Montreal, Hunter was only too kind to voice his extreme dislike of the older Hart. Shawn never really paid them any mind though. When he was with Bret, Hunter could hang it up because no one was ever going to just break them up. He loved Bret with all his heart and Hunter knew this all too well. On the other hand, at some point during his off and on again relationship with Bret, Shawn did grow feelings for Hunter, but it wasn't until sometime after Montreal did he allow things with Hunter to lead them to a physical relationship.

Shawn wiped his eyes. A part of him wanted to just run away and start his search for John, but he also knew that if he left right now, too many lives were going to continue to be screwed up. Hunter was already confused about his feelings for Jeff when Shawn knew all too well how much that kid loved Hunter and vice versa. And Hunter could ignore it all he wanted, but Shawn remembered just how miserable Hunter was a few months ago when he thought Jeff was gone for good. As for Bret, it was still unclear to him the extent of his feelings. Sure Bret claimed to love him and Shawn would be lying if he said he didn't still have deep feelings for him, but did they really want to try this again? Shawn had it good with John. There were no worries. There were no hidden agendas. Everything had been laid out on the table from both sides since day one but with Bret you never knew. Bret had a family and kids; something Shawn only had in his dreams and for him to just throw it away blindly because of an old flame made Shawn worry.

Shawn took a deep breath and headed back inside where the two rivals were still going at it something fierce.

"Oh yeah Bret, like you're a fucking saint!"

"Neither one of us were saints Hunter, but at least I had good reasons for my actions! You tried to take him away from me and you didn't even know me like that! I had a right to protect what was mine at all costs and you know full well that if the shoe was on the other foot, you'd have done the same. Hell, you're doing it now. You're trying to protect someone you love but the problem is Hunter, he's not yours to protect anymore."

"Then what's your excuse for jumping down my throat then?" Hunter shot back. "He's not yours either. In fact, you have a wife and kids which makes you look even worse than me—

"All of my children are practically grown Hunter," Bret growled. "And as for my wife…it's like you said about Jeff Hunt. It's possible that I don't love her anymore."

"Oh that's priceless—

"Both of you shut it!"

They both turned to see Shawn standing in the room shaking his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you two sometimes and before either of you open your mouths to cough out some kind of excuse, just save it. I heard everything and it didn't help that the two of you just ignored me to continue a 15 year old rivalry over someone who doesn't belong to either of you! How many times do I have to tell people that I am not some fucking prize to be won?" Shawn turned to Hunter. "You should know better than Mr. Ego here that I'm not putting up with this crap anymore. You found that out when you went all Cerebral Assassin on my boyfriend a few months ago and you…"

He turned to Bret sighing. "I'm too tired and frustrated to even bother. You can keep acting like you've already won Bret but I am not to be won. I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions and I've already told you that I'm not going to just run back into your arms. We slept together but you know that hardly means anything to me. I've slept with plenty of guys in the past Bret and just like last night, it meant absolutely nothing to me. My heart still belongs to man who has felt threatened by you since they day I told him 'I love you'. I'm almost willing to bet my soul he left to give me some space. I'm not happy about it, but maybe it was for the best. Now…" Shawn pushed past the two of them reassuming his seat for the interview. "I'm ready to finish this up because I'm getting nothing short of a migraine headache. Hunter, you can stay or you can go, but I'm not gonna sit here and listen to the two of you argue the whole time. It's bad enough without you being here."

The two rivals finally shut their mouths not daring to contradict Shawn for fear of setting him off again which was something they both didn't want. Instead Bret took his seat while Hunter stood in a corner near the back, just a few feet shy from where Shawn was sitting. Chris waited for moment to see if all was calm and when no one offered to start things off again, he took a deep breath and looked to his notes for help. "Er…let's see. Well…um Shawn. I believe – before things got out of hand – we were talking about the night you won the belt for the first time."

"We can move on because there's nothing to tell after that," he said frankly. "In fact, why don't we speed things up a bit and skip to the days leading up to Montreal?"

"Well Shawn…I'd like that very much but you see, there are a few holes that need to be filled," Chris winced.

Shawn rolled his eyes. "Holes my ass. I'm ready to finish this shit so what holes Chris?" he snapped. "What in the world has got the eager investigator and ruiner of all lives curious?"

Chris held his head down, a little hurt by Shawn's words. Hunter and Bret could only shake their heads, both knowing that it was probably going to be like this for the rest of the day. "Shawn…I'm sorry," Chris managed. "I just—you said you wanted to tell all of your side…clear everything up. I'm just trying to help—

"Oh help," he scoffed. "Like you did a few months ago right?"

"Shawn…" Hunter started but Bret cut him a look that said let it go. Hunter sighed leaning back in his corner half wishing he just would have stayed away. From this point on it was going to be nothing but hell on earth and he wasn't sure if he was ready for this.

"Well?" Shawn snapped. "I'm waiting Chris."

Chris reluctantly started up with his questions again, saying a silent prayer to help him get through it. Just one more day God and I swear I'm done… "Shawn I wanted to ask you about Kevin and the others leaving you. I—I want to know all about the curtain call and what really happened that led to your very best friend abandoning you for the other company."

"Kevin left because he got tired of me," Shawn offered. "End of story."

"Now Shawn, you know that's not true," Hunter piped up. "Kevin cared about you very much."

"Apparently not enough to trust me and stay by my side."

"Shawn, Kevin left because his eyes got big. His friends that he left behind at WCW the first time kept calling him up, bragging about how much money they were making. You know Kevin loved his money. Money before honeys as he used to say."

"Whatever Hunter. My best friend, bodyguard and big brother left me behind without even discussing it with me first. Makes me wonder if I really did drive them all away or if I ever really meant that much to them at all…"

Bret was gonna speak up after that but he decided it was probably best if he remained silent. Besides, while he and Kevin had a mutual disliking of one another back then, Bret couldn't honestly judge Kevin as harshly as Hunter. It seemed to Bret now that maybe Kevin was just acting as an over protective brother and when Bret seriously thought about the things Shawn revealed, Kevin was responsible for getting his lover back to him safely many a nights so he kinda owed Kevin. He would say the same about Hunter but no. Hell would freeze over first.

Chris cleared his throat. "Hunter, Shawn knew Kevin a lot longer than you and even confessed to giving Kevin a hard time most nights when he wasn't feeling himself. Can you explain why you think Kevin didn't grow tired of being Shawn's bodyguard considering Shawn's diva behavior? Everyone has a limit Hunter so are you sure Kevin hadn't just reached his yet?"

Hunter shook his head. "Kevin adored Shawn and had it not been for Shawn's loyalty to Bret he probably would have asked Shawn to be his lover instead of Razor. Now Kevin loved Razor unconditionally, but I'm sure he loved Shawn just as much. In fact, I remember the night Kevin told me about his departure. We had a nice long chat about all sorts of things, but mainly Shawn…"

~~**~~

Hunter along with Shawn, Pac, and Razor watched the main event for Survivor Series from a small television in the break room. All the guys watched with heavy interest as two men who longed to kill each other outside the ring wrestle one hell of a match. When it was over all of the guys stood around chatting about the match and celebrations until Kevin finally made his way to the break room. He looked plum wore out from his match but he was grinning from ear to ear. Shawn was first to run over to him and jump in his arms. As usual Kevin held him up, planting a quick kiss on his lips. "Baby girl, shouldn't you be elsewhere?" he teased. "I do believe you have a new WWE Champion waiting for his real prize in his private quarters," he said with a wink.

Shawn dropped to the floor grinning up at his best friend. "Oh he can wait. Besides I'd rather wait until that ego of his wears off."

"You'll be waiting forever doll," Pac snickered. "But enough talk of Mr. Excellence. How's about we go get a drink?"

"And just what are we celebrating?" Kevin asked. "I lost!"

"I think he means we want to celebrate the fact that there was no blood shed," Hunter offered. "Hell, I myself am a little more than shocked. There were a few times during that match where I thought for sure you were going to kill him."

"Naa…as much as I'd love to, my love for someone else keeps me from doing it," he said winking at Shawn.

"Yes and I love you for it," he grinned. "Well guys, as much as I would love to stick around, you know there's somewhere I need to be. Gonna go stroke his ego some more."

"And maybe something else as well," Razor added.

Shawn smirked. "That's his job." Shawn bent over just a little shaking his ass in his favorite red tights earning a few cat calls. "And I'll leave you with that. Now if you'll excuse me I have a celebration to attend."

The guys all groaned as Shawn left the room, each one mumbling about how lucky Bret was. "Hey, hey. Let the man go do his thing," Sean said. "Bret's a lucky bastard but that shouldn't stop us from having a good time tonight."

"Yeah, let's just get the hell out of here. I could do with a nice shot of whiskey right about now. Anything to keep my mind off of Shawn's tight ass," Hunter mumbled.

"I'm with him," Sean grinned. "So let's go!"

Kevin put down his glass nodding his head. "Sure guys. I'll meet you at the car in a few. I wanted to have a word with Hunter first."

"Oh alright, but don't be long," Sean said. He and Scott left the room leaving Kevin and Hunter alone. Hunter was a little on edge now because he wasn't expecting any private talks with Kevin so he couldn't help but wonder if he'd offended him in some kind of way.

"Er…is everything alright?" Hunter asked.

Kevin sighed. "I guess, but that's going to depend on you."

Hunter shifted uncomfortably. "Did I do something to piss you off? If it's about my Shawn comment then—

Kevin waved it off. "No, no. I'm not—I don't care if you voice how you feel about Shawn. Just…don't do it around Bret," he joked.

"I'll try to remember that the next time he's in me and Shawn's hotel room."

Kevin laughed. "In all seriousness H, I just wanted you to be the first to know that I'm planning to leave in a couple of months."

"Leave?" Hunter's jaw dropped.

"Yeah man. I think it's time for me to go ya know?"

"But-but what about the Kliq? What about your friends? What about Shawn?" Hunter could not believe this. He'd heard the rumors about Kevin speaking with Bischoff, but he never thought for a second Kevin would actually leave, especially since that would mean leaving Shawn behind.

"I love him. You know I do. I love him so much that…" Kevin shook his head. "You know I love him, but—it's complicated H."

"What's so fucking complicated?"

"Hunter…the only reason I'm telling you this is so that you will have time to figure out what you want to do. Both Sean and Scott are leaving with me, which means that just leaves you and Shawn. I was planning to ask the both of you to come with but something in my heart tells me you'll both say no. Shawn won't leave because of Bret and you…" He reached out and touched his shoulder. "You won't leave Shawn which is why you're the better man H; better than I could even hope to be. I'm not the guy but you…I know you'll take real good care of him for me."

"I—sure Kev, but don't you think…" Hunter looked down at his feet as he was suddenly overcome with feelings of anxiety and dread. He didn't even want to think about how it was going to be without Kevin and the others. He was also dreading having to deal with Hart on his own. "Kevin are you sure…?"

"Eric offered us a shitload of money to come back and it's no secret that they're starting to crush us in the ratings. I need to be there Hunt and I would love it if I could bring you all with me but…I just know we're on separate paths. From this point on I'm going one way while you're following Shawn as it should be. One day he'll wake up and realize that he could do so much better," he said nodding towards H, "but for now I just applaud you for sticking it out. I know you love him. Fuck I love baby girl too," he choked out. He reached up to wipe a tear from his face that fell then laughed it off. "Look at me. Crying like a little bitch all because Bret beat me to him. And I think I might be fucking rambling on…"

"Yeah, you are," Hunter joked trying to lighten the mood for fear of crying too. It was all too much to take in at one time. "Say. How about that drink now?"

Kevin wiped his eyes. "Yeah let's get a drink. To Shawn…"

"And the Kliq," H added. He put his arm around Kevin's waist and with forced smiles, they both headed to find the guys.

~~**~~

When Hunter finished speaking, Bret had the strongest urge to say something in retaliation to Hunter's story until he looked over and saw that Shawn was fighting tears. "Shawn? Baby are you alright?" Bret asked.

Shawn lowered his head speaking up softly. "This reminds me of the conversation I had with Kevin just weeks before the actual Curtain Call. I almost forgot—well not really. It's just another one of those memories that I tried to push back because it hurt so much. Kevin told me about his plans, but I already knew. I just had this feeling…"

~*~*~

"Shawn? Baby girl can we talk?"

"Sure." Shawn and Kevin had just won the tag team championship and they were now standing outside the break room. Shawn had his tag belt around his waist and his IC gold thrown over his shoulder. Both men were pretty exhausted and Shawn was so ready for a shower and a good night's rest. "So what's up Big Sexy?" Shawn asked. He leaned against the wall running a hand through his curly, sweaty hair groaning. "I so need a shower, but I know better than to go in there now. Too many eyes," he joked.

Kevin shook his head smiling. "Such a girl, but you're my baby girl. Always will be no matter what."

Shawn smiled. "Awe, is my big sexy bodyguard feeling sentimental all of a sudden?" he teased.

Kevin shrugged. "A little…well, actually a lot. You see Shawn, I got to tell you something but I don't really want to. Not really."

Shawn's smile quickly faded and was replaced with a frown. "Kevvy what's wrong? Is something the matter?" Kevin looked down, but Shawn quickly closed the gap between then cupping Kevin's face. "Kevin? Kevin look at me. Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing. It's just…Shawn you know those rumors about me and Scott and Pac? Well they're true. We…we kind of made a deal with Bischoff and next month we're leaving."

Shawn dropped his hands, his heart sinking with them. "Oh."

"I'm sorry baby girl, but I just think it's time for me to move on. You're about to blow up – you and Hunter both while the rest of us are gonna attempt to make a name for ourselves elsewhere."

"Kevin you know you could stay," Shawn said quietly. "You know Hunter and I would never leave any of you hanging."

"Yeah well with Bret – and no offense to your beloved – but with him and his family around, there's not much room for all of us."

"But Kevin—

"Shawn listen sweety. You are it. You are the guy. Bret knows it. Vince knows it. The Kliq knows it." He chuckled. "It's your time to shine baby. If you're constantly worried about the rest of us then that takes away from you doing you. I don't want that when I know I could go elsewhere and be just like you."

"But Kevin," he choked, but he was cut off when the bigger man pulled him into his arms.

"Shawn…baby girl, don't worry so much. Hunter's not going anywhere so you won't be completely alone."

Shawn wrapped his ams tighter around Kevin, sobbing into his chest. "But I want you to stay. I don't want you to go. What am I supposed to do without you? People will hurt me and they already don't see me as a champ. They think I'm weak and—and…"

"Shh…Shawn don't—don't talk like that," he scolded. "Remember what I told you about holding that pretty little head of yours up high?" Shawn simply nodded, his throat too knotted up to speak again. "Well I want you to keep doing it." Kevin stroked Shawn's spine ignoring the stares that people gave them as they walked by. He sighed. "Baby girl, just because I'm not around doesn't mean things have to change for you. I want you to keep going out there night after night tearing it up in the ring. I want you to keep proving why you deserve to be champion and I want you to continue giving Vince hell. And while you're at it, give Bret hell too." This earned him a small laugh. Kevin raised Shawn's head smiling down at him. "I love you ya know? I may be leaving, but I love you more than I can put to words."

Shawn wiped his eyes. "Love you too Kevin." He stood on his toes which gave him just enough height to press his lips to Kevin's. He didn't care who saw or what they said about him and apparently neither did Kevin. He picked the blonde up off the floor pulling him tighter against him. "God I love you," Kevin murmured. "Never forget…"

~*~*~

By the time Shawn finished speaking, everyone in the room was practically in tears. Bret was sad because Shawn was sad and it didn't help that he'd been wrong about Kevin all those years. Hunter was crying for the same reason as Bret. He hated see Shawn cry and having to recall how close they both were to Kevin only added to the hurt. Chris was barely holding on and it seemed to be the thing when it came to this interview. Not a day had gone by that Shawn or Bret hadn't left him exhausted from crying so much. "Wow. Shawn I…" Chris wiped his eyes. "So I guess Hunter was right. Kevin did love you. There's no doubt – at least in my mind – that he loved you."

"Maybe," Shawn answered quietly. "But he still left."

"Yeah which lead to the infamous Curtain Call," Chris noted. "And speaking of that, who's idea was it?"

"It was mine," Shawn answered. "Hunter and the others…we talked it over and I even asked Vince about it. Hunter told us Vince said it was alright but apparently the guys in the back didn't like it. Thought it was a spit in the face to the company."

"Bret, how did you feel about it?" Chris asked.

"He felt the same as the others," Shawn answered.

Bret shrugged. "Well yeah. You guys broke kayfabe. You're never supposed to do that even if your best friends are selling out. The wrestling world hasn't been the same since. It's hard for people to buy into what we do now that they know it's not real."

"That's not the point Bret!" Shawn snapped. "Is the job always more important than friends, families or in your case, lovers?"

Bret frowned. "That's not fair and you know it."

"That was important to me Bret!" he snapped. "You…I could do things in public with Kevin and Hunter that I couldn't do with you. They were never afraid to challenge the outside world, unlike you, who were too stuck on his self proclaimed, God-given perfect reputation. These guys were my friends and not just behind closed doors!"

"You can yell and scream all you want Shawn, but you let your feelings ruin our industry. You know the dirt sheets had a field day with this and ever since then—

"I don't really care anymore. I've longed since made up for my mistakes and if I had to do it over again, I still would have hugged my friends that day. Was it right? Probably not. Did I care? Not really because some things are just more important than business. But of course you wouldn't know that now would you?"

"Whatever Shawn," Bret growled. "I'm not going to argue with you over something so trivial. Besides, it's pretty obvious that most agreed with me. Your new little boyfriend paid the price for you. If you ask me, I think that saying you'd do it all over again is a pretty selfish statement. You'd make your best friend pay all over again just to have your moment in the spotlight with Kevvy?"

"Oh don't do this Bret," Hunter griped. "Don't use me against Shawn. I told him many times before that's it alright. Having to scratch and scrawl my way to the top gave me a new perspective on things and I'm damn proud of what I managed to accomplish. Unlike you Bret, I didn't have everything handed to me on a silver platter."

"Goes to show just how much you know about me Hunter. For your information—

"Goddammit will you two shut up?" Shawn snapped. "Stop it. Just…forget it. Curtain Call – bad idea. I get it so can we move on?" The two rivals clamped their mouths shut, but not before damning the other to hell. "Ugh! Thank you now Chris…"

"Uh…right. So um…where exactly do we go from here?" Chris asked.

All of the others sat quietly, neither of them really wanting to speak up. Bret was still fuming at Hunter and was silently praying he'd go away. Hunter wasn't sure if it was his place to decide since this technically wasn't his interview so after several minutes of an uncomfortable silence, Shawn finally broke the silence.

"Oh give me a break," he scoffed. "I'll help you guys out. Chris, the rocky road to Montreal and the end of my career starts here."

AN: I'm back. I guess. Not sure what's going on in my head as of late. Between my love for Flaircest, Hunter/Cena, and the Sims 2, I just don't quite know. I'd like to finish this one soon as I really don't have too much longer to go. Montreal is right around the corner – or rather a year from now time period wise so we'll see. Shawn's retirement put me in a catatonic state of shock for almost a month, but slowly I'm putting my heart back together again. Hope there weren't too many mistakes. Find any, point them out. I'll fix em eventually.

FYI

- I laughed my ass off when researching for this fic. I laughed because I didn't realize it was Bret that beat Kevin for WWE Championship. I mean I was dying reading that. So um yes. This was actually 100 percent true. The time frame is a little off because the Curtain Call actually took place after Shawn won the belt at Mania 12. It was about 2-3 months afterwards, but for the sake of this story, we're gonna say it happened while Shawn was still IC champion before Mania 12. It works and if it doesn't for you then I'm sorry about your damn luck! (BMI ftw!) I'm not changing it. This shit's hard enough to keep up with as it is. I couldn't remember if I said that Kevin and the others were already gone when Shawn won the belt and when I went back to read, my head was overwhelmed so hopefully I didn't just royally fuck up. (Feel free to let me know if I did. I'll have no choice but to royally fix it or delete this in a fit of rage and fury :D)

- Again, not trying to make Shawn look like a God or a whore, but all the Kliq stories make me feel like they were all really, really tight. Even Kevin still tweets about his friendship with Hunter and Shawn so take it how you like. If you're concerned about the kiss then go watch old footage of them. Shawn and Kevin were magic on screen and even Vince said they were practically inseparable. So...I'm using that theory that says if you spend so much time with a person you're bound to grow feelings for them. Shawn and Kevin's love is not like the love between Shawn and Bret so don't get all huffy if the kiss disturbed you. Just get over it because you can't possibly tell me that you don't feel a connection between Shawn and Kevin.

- Bret's Bret. You either like him or you don't. Oh moody... I kinda missed having that egomaniac in my head. :D

- Where's JBL? Well he's around. It's just not his time anymore. In fact, not really sure what lies ahead for him or any of the other couples aside from JoMo and Mark. (Don't worry. JoMo and Mark are my favorite invention. They will stand the test of time in this fic. :D) So DK, tell Marky he doesn't have to worry.

- I was attacked by a vicious spider while typing this chapter. I'm blaming VKM for that. n_n

- Spring prompt…you should be reading those completed fics. All of them are hella good. :D

- I actually shipped a het couple. Shawn and Maryse. Guess what? I liked it. T_T Don't judge me.

- Special thanks to Sera for bringing Shawn back to me. Lava for letting her H sex up my John Cena in frills. Jeri and Thor for making me laugh with Ric-Rod randomness and DK for letting me turn her grumpy deadman into teddy bear Marky Mark! :D

- When is the next update? Ha Ha Yeah…right. Someday. Better than never right?

- As always, questions...concerns? Feel free to ask when you review. I'll get back to you when I can.

Recommended Readings

If you love me then you'll read the following:

1) "Sins of the Father" by Seraphalexiel and cowritten by me and wrestlefan4 [.net/s/5770984/1/Sins_of_the_Father]

2) "Sober" by me (XxShawns_Guardian_AngelxX) and cowritten by the lovely slashburd [.net/s/5880964/1/Sober]

3) "A Big Red Encounter" by Dark Kaneanite [.net/s/5688294/1/A_Big_Red_Encounter]