**Where Do We Go From Here?**

Hunter only ever visited Matt's home in Cameron once since Jeff and Matt haven't really been talking much since a whole lot of stuff went down at work. Still he hoped that Matt would take the time and listen to his story. Bret had a lot of people confused and it didn't help that Shawn was the type of guy you never get over. Plus, Shawn was his first love too and Hunter knew he would never get over him as long as they remained best friends, which he hoped would be forever.

He climbed the stairs of Matt's porch. After taking a deep breath calming his nerves, he rang the doorbell. In his head he prayed over and over, hoping to God he hadn't fucked up. He loved his best friend, but Jeff was everything to him that Shawn couldn't be and he did not want to give up on him, not without a fight. He came here prepared to beg if he must, especially since Jeff often kept him out of trouble and vice versa. That kid was a joy to wake up next to in the mornings and even more of a joy to be with. His carefree, live for the moment attitude changed Hunter in many ways. He could write a book on Nero if he wasn't so damn lazy.

The door swung open and there stood Jeff, phone in hand with newly dyed red hair all over the place as if he had just been sleeping. Only a glass door stood between them that had Hunter sweating bricks. If only that door wasn't there. He could just fling himself at Jeff's feet, holding him close and asking for forgiveness. Sure to others that might seem like a chicken shit move, but no one knew him the way Jeff or Shawn did. Hunter knew he was a selfish bastard and pretty difficult to live with at times, but Jeff did it like a charm. He doubted anyone else could stand to be around him like Jeff. He had sense enough to know this and when he saw that missed call from Jeff, he realized that his place was not at Shawn's side, but at Jeff's. This is the way it was supposed to be, but he knew the decision was not his to make.

Hunter shoved his hands in his pockets, speaking just loud enough to be heard clearly through the glass. "You know why I'm here Jeff. I fucked up big time again, but I'm willing to stand here on this porch all night if I have to if that's what it takes to get you to understand that I'm where I wanna be." Hunter leaned back against the glass crossing his arms. "One of these days Jeff I'm gonna learn to stay outta Shawn's business, but he's been my best pal for so long that it's hard for me. I've seen him go through so many changes and it just upsets me when something or somebody comes along threatening his happiness. But the flip side to this Jeffrey is that I feel the same way about you. I hate seeing you cry and it's only worse when I know that I'm the cause of it."

He paused a moment, waiting to see if Jeff would open the door but when he didn't, Hunter continued with his explanation. "This is the second time I've royally fucked up in less than a year. It's a new record if ya wanna know the truth. I usually fuck up at least once a week so I think I'm doing better." He sighed. "I know things are kinda weird right now, but I told Shawn before I left that I didn't want to lose you. I left him with Bret and told him that whatever happens, well…I'll just have to accept it as being what Shawn wants. I realized at some point doing that mess of an interview that I can't be his protector when it comes to his personal life. I realized that…all I've been doing is pushing you away even though you've been patiently putting up with all of my running back and forth. You could have left me the second I started getting those looks about me, but ya didn't."

Hunter turned to the side, touching the cool glass with the palm of his hand. "I wish this door wasn't between us Jeff. I wish I could hold you in my arms, apologize 1000 times then take you back home. I'm not even sure that's gonna be enough to get through to you, but I'll keep trying Jeff. You mean that much to me. Please don't…" He paused a minute to wipe his eyes, hoping to God he wasn't about to go home alone tomorrow morning. "Please don't make me go home alone. I need you Jeff. I don't wanna think about starting all over again with someone else cuz ya know, there's no one else like you. You're special and-"

"Shut up." Hunter jumped back, the door swinging open. Jeff stepped out onto the porch, shaking his head with a tiny smile on his face. "Just…shut up Hunt." He shoved his phone back in his pocket, relieved that he didn't try calling H again. He didn't want to come off as desperate even though he already made up his mind hours ago to go back home to Hunter. He knew how much Hunter cared for Shawn. His eyes were opened during the whole JBL incident, but he would still get jealous of Shawn from time to time. He reckoned it would always be like this and he would just have to trust that it would always end with Hunter coming back home where he belonged.

Hunter looked unsure of what to do. He was fidgeting, seemingly waiting for Jeff to send him home alone, but Jeff merely rolled his eyes then popped him aside the head.

"Ouch! What was that for?" he sulked.

Jeff crossed his arms. "You know you deserved that for being such a dick and I should send you back home alone anyway. Problem with that scenario is that I'd be stuck here living with my whiny brother who hasn't gotten laid in ages. I guess I have no choice but to leave with you since you came all this way back for me. I hope you realize though that these constant urges you have to be Shawn's savior are getting old," he said still scolding Hunter. "I told you a few months ago. The man wants people to stop interfering in his life."

"I know, I know," Hunter mumbled. "I'm gonna learn eventually. Maybe if you keep smacking me around, it'll start to finally sink in," he said, smiling weakly.

Jeff sighed. "Just…come inside. I know you're tired so get upstairs and get a nap. My brother and I will make dinner then you can start apologizing all over again."

Hunter couldn't ask for much more so without any arguments he followed Jeff inside grateful that he was being given another chance.

XX-**-XX

Adam and John boarded two separate planes since John was going back to Stamford while Adam was meeting the guys in Chicago for a house show. Adam gave John a big hug and a toothy grin. Adam loved being right and he was certainly right about John not really wanting to let go of Shawn. He encouraged his friend to grovel since he was stupid enough to leave him behind in the first place. Whatever happened after that…well…at least John could say that he tried. Adam called Randy who was waiting for him with open arms at the airport.

"God I'm glad you're back," Randy said, hugging him quickly. "So what's the deal? Did you find John? I've been calling you all night but your phone was turned off."

"Yeah," he winced. "Sorry pookie, but I didn't want my phone interrupting John and me. I found him up at his cabin. He was working as usual, but I was able to get through to him. He's on his way back to Stamford as we speak," he said smugly, feeling very proud of himself. "He should get there before Shawn leaves since Chris says they're done with the interview. I talked to him just a few minutes ago. He sounded pretty beat, but I don't feel sorry for the nosy git at all. That should teach him to mind his own damn business for a change."

Randy quirked his brow. "Someone should take their own advice."

"Oh come on! At least I had good reasoning for interfering. Not like I was trying to get high ratings for The Cutting Edge now come on. Let's get something to eat. I'm starving!"

Randy chuckled. "Sure thing drama queen. Just one thing though. Is John gonna call you or something later? I got to know how this all ends. I was snooping around your laptop and the whole Montreal thing really is quite fascinating."

Adam smirked. "I knew you'd eventually see things my way." He put his arm around Randy's waist as they walked. "Well, I'm hoping he'll at least call by Monday. I don't really expect him to do much tonight or tomorrow. I'm sure if things work out, they'll need time to talk, go over the interview, and all that good stuff."

Randy nodded. "Understandable, now where to blondie? I think I'm in the mood for a hamburger."

Adam popped his gum. "Hmmm…I was thinking a little fancier. Say…you on a nice bed of clean sheets?" he teased.

Randy picked up the pace. "You know, that works too," he grinned as they raced out of the airport.

XX-**-XX

When John rolled out of bed that morning, he was all for going back to retrieve his kitten but the longer he thought about it, the more he realized what a mistake that would be. He ran off and left Shawn all alone with his ex so what right did he have to go back and interfere, especially when he was certain Shawn was more confused than ever right now? He didn't which is why instead of boarding the plane for Stamford, he boarded one ten minutes later one way to Texas, and not San Antonio either. Nope. He was going back home to Houston. He was going to call the office making plans to be there bright and early for work. He would bury himself in his workload hoping it would help him forget all about the man he often envisioned spending the rest of his life with.

He pushed open the front door of his Texas home, a whiff of Shawn's favorite evergreen candles hitting his nostrils. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought, but hopefully a hot bath plus more work would do the trick. He flipped his phone to silent then headed upstairs to get comfortable for a long, lonely evening of paperwork.

Miz was waiting at the door to take Chris's coat and camera as he dragged his body into the room. Chris fell back onto the bed; Miz joining him moments later as the two of them lay in silence, enjoying each other's company. Chris rolled over on his side, smiling a little. "It's finally over Miz. It's all done. All that's left now is the editing."

Miz kissed his cheek. "Congrats man. You made it through the impossible interview. How does it feel now that you're finally done?"

Chris looked down. "To be honest Mike, it's not exactly a grand feeling. I thought maybe it would feel cool ya know? I managed to reunite old friends and rivals. I got the exclusive of a lifetime. I figured in the beginning that by the time it was over, I could get on my show, strut about the ring smugly and give the audience what they've all secretly longed for."

"But…?" Miz asked.

Chris shrugged. "Guess it just doesn't feel right anymore, especially after all the things I've seen and heard." Chris sat up on the bed reaching over the side to get his lap top. "I'm about to start editing, but since everyone's gonna see this anyway, you can help if you want."

Mike moved to sit next to Chris. "Sure. I'll help." Chris fired up the interview, the two men settling in for a long night of editing.

XX-**-XX

Shawn stayed in the warm, comforting arms of Bret just a little while longer until he felt he needed to pull away. He stared down at their entangled hands, the sight reminding him of a time ages ago when their hands were constantly entangled-usually in bed. He sighed, dropping their hands as thoughts of their future swirled around in his head. He loved Bret with all his heart. That's something that would never change, this interview being a perfect example of that. Bret could kiss him anytime or anywhere and no doubt it would have the same effect every time. However, that didn't mean it was right. He thought long and hard about everything from the last couple of days, all of it swirling around in his mind and some of it tugging the strings around his heart.

He really hated that everything from this moment on depended on his next few words, but he wanted it this way. He wanted the chance to just finally do what HBK wanted to do, but with matters of the heart, often times the head want conflicted with the heart want. Oddly enough though, this was one of the rare times that his heart was agreeing with his head. It seemed like everything had come full circle and now all he had to do was get it off his chest.

He let go of Bret's hand, looking up with a confidence he didn't have years ago when they first hooked up. "This interview Bret was probably the best thing and the worst thing to ever happen to me in a long time," he said softly. "The best thing about it was being able to see you again and apologize for lying to you twelve years ago. I shouldn't have lied, but…it's not like you didn't know the truth all alone."

Bret grabbed his hands again, squeezing them. "Don't let go Shawn. I'm trying to enjoy these last few moments with you and yeah. You're right," he nodded. "I wasn't 100% sure but I had a feeling in my gut that you knew about it. It's okay now though. It's behind us and I hope we never have to worry about it again. I don't wanna talk about Montreal anymore Shawn. I just…want us to be okay."

Shawn's eyes lingered on their hands, but he didn't let go deciding that he too liked holding Bret's hand. He took a few moments thinking over his next few words, almost unaware that Bret was sitting down pulling him into his lap. Shawn blinked, his heart racing a bit as Bret's arms slid around his waist caressing his sides. "It's okay. I'm not gonna try anything. Like I said, I just wanted a few moments alone with you is all. Take your time. I'm really in no hurry anymore."

Which was the truth. Bret was in no hurry to leave the room anymore. When Chris left symbolizing the end of a long, tense interview, it seemed like all the air came back into the room. He could breath once again and what's better was that he could breath again with Shawn. He watched the face of the confused man in his lap as he, no doubt, attempted to search his heart for answers to questions that would effect them both forever. He knew Shawn had an answer when his head dropped and one of his hands enclosed the cross around his neck. "Go ahead Shawn. What's on your mind?"

Shawn really liked the idea of making decisions on his own. Thing is, this was one time he wished he didn't have to. He really hated matters of the heart, but at least this time, he knew in his head and in his heart that this was what he truly wanted. Shawn dropped his hand, meeting the set of dark eyes that would win him over every time once upon a time. "So much has changed Bret. You and I are not who we used to be twelve years ago. I would like to think we've both changed for the better."

Bret laughed a little. "Maybe you did, but up until a few days ago, I was still pretending to hate your guts. That's not what I'd call change Shawn."

"You don't hate me now right?" he asked.

Bret cupped the side of his face, but just as quickly dropped his hand back down to his side. "No. I could never really hate you Shawn. Even when I said that to you years ago, I didn't mean it. I loved you so much it hurt. I was really just trying to make you feel what I felt, but now I know you weren't feeling that much better. We were both fools Shawn."

"Yeah, we were, but now we've both grown up a little. You…" he smiled. "You got married. You have a wife and kids. You look…great Bret. You've been taking care of yourself and you really have no idea how much it means to know that you're okay. You had me worried for a while. All that anger oozing from you…" He fidgeted with his necklace. "I prayed a lot of nights for forgiveness, if only so you would stop frowning so much and smile. Your smile was dead to me for so many years Bret. I didn't think I'd ever see it again."

Bret pressed their foreheads together, smiling big. "How's that? Is that big and bright enough for you?"

Shawn laughed. "Yeah, I guess that works." He looked down, his stomach slowly coiling into a tight knot. The longer he sat here, the harder this would be on them both. "Bret…I don't think I can let you bust up your happy home," he said quietly, deciding to just come out with it rather than beat around the bush.

"You know, I had a feeling you would say that."

Shawn raised his head, Bret's saddened expression tearing him apart. "Bret, before you came to Stamford, you and I both know you had every intention of going back home to your wife. If we would have acted like…well…like what we both expected one another to act like then you and I would have done the entire interview behind a wall, never locking eyes with one another because you hate me."

Bret shook his head. "No, no God Shawn I don't hate you," he replied, almost pleadingly. "You've always been one of those people who believed that everything happened for a reason. I don't think we'd have lasted much longer with the divider. We're both too damn stubborn and truth is, I think a part of me wanted to see you Shawn. I think…the reason I agreed to do this interview in the first place was the excuse to see you one more time."

"Maybe Bret, but that doesn't change the fact that you're married. If you were able to walk down the isle and say 'I do' it's because you love her. Maybe you don't love her the way that you love me, but there's something about her that makes you feel complete."

Bret thought about this for a second, his eyes lingering on the gold band around his finger. "I…I love her to a degree Shawn," he admitted. "I love Jackie and I love how she's completely devoted to me. She goes out of her way to make me happy and she kinda brought me out of a dark place. I was…slipping in and out of depression, but she got me out of the house and traveled with me. Showed me that life was still worth living so yeah. I do love her, but it's not the same Shawn." He paused. "Nothing will ever compare to what we had…have."

"Bret, this is hard for me ya know." He wiped his eyes. "You and I were so good for one another at one time, but I just think that right now, we should just…leave the past and what we had behind and continue moving forward, without each other. We're not young anymore so we can't do like we used to. You managed to find a life without Shawn Michaels and after many failed attempts, I found one without a Hart. We both managed to find some kind of inner peace so I don't see any reason why we should take steps backwards when we were both moving forward."

"Shawn, I don't see how the two of us being together is a step backwards," he scowled, not liking this at all. "Montreal is what's been keeping our relationship estranged for so many years, but now that we've cleared up that gigantic misunderstanding I don't see why we can't try again." He moved a piece of hair out of Shawn's face. "You still love me and I still love you so why won't you give us a chance? Why does it have to be like this? I'm sorry if I seem pushy. I know I told you to make your own decision, but you'll have to give me something better than what you're giving me. We made love Shawn. Maybe the circumstances are questionable, but you never would have let me have you if a tiny part of you didn't want it. Tell me I'm wrong."

"I…I can't," he admitted. "I'm sure I did wonder and thinking back on it, it…it was…" He was blushing at the memory of being trapped beneath Bret, clinging to him experiencing what seemed like a distant memory before today.

Bret pulled him closer, nuzzling his neck with a sigh. "It was good Shawn and it'll always be good if you want it."

"Bret don't do this," he pleaded softly. "Don't make this harder on us than it has to be. I can't…we can't do this again. How many times have we broken up, got back together only to break up again?"

"Several times, but that was then Shawn. I don't think it'll be that way now."

Shawn was eerily silent for a long time which forced Bret to pull away. He watched Shawn for the longest time who looked ready to burst into tears again. Bret sighed. He didn't want to admit it, but it looked like Shawn's mind was made up. He no longer cared for him the way that Bret wanted and while the hard truth hurt so much, he really couldn't be mad at him. Coming into this interview, no one could have predicted what would happen. Bret sure as hell didn't expect to have this overwhelming urge to leave his wife to be with the man he claimed to hate for twelve years. As he sat here thinking on it, he had to admit that trying to explain this one to his wife would be quite the doozy. On impulse, Bret leaned forward coaxing Shawn into a kiss, his own eyes tearing up knowing that this would be the last freebie.

Shawn dropped his head after the kiss, tears dropping into his lap. "I'm in love with John," he said quietly. "I wish I had the strength to explain why, but I don't. Just know that until John wormed his way into my life, it was still all about you. John gave me the strength to let go so I did. Just not completely and I think he knew that. He encouraged me to find closure with you and I want to Bret. I want to leave here knowing that you're gonna continue living your life while I attempt to build a new one…with or without John." Shawn threw his arms around him. "I love you so much Bret, but…I like things the way they are. I don't really want to throw my life away and start a new one. My life isn't perfect, but it's the closest it's ever been and I don't really feel like starting over. We're both older. You already have kids and I don't, but I want some. I'm…no one knows this except Mark and John but I'm actually planning on retiring this March. Even my body is ready to quit."

Shawn pulled back twirling a strand of Bret's hair. "I'm an old man now and all I want to do is do old man things. I wanna lay in bed all day unless it's hunting season. I don't wanna have to worry about booking a flight to the next show. I'm tired of taking bumps on the mat and I'm tired of all the damn drama. The last few months with John have been what I've spent my whole life searching for since Montreal…and I don't want to give it up." Shawn slid out of Bret's lap, extending his hand. Bret reluctantly took it, allowing Shawn to pull him up. They both stared at the door, neither one making much of an effort to get to it just yet.

"So I guess…this is goodbye right?" Bret asked, his voice wavering a bit.

Shawn smiled a little before slowly releasing Bret's hand. "I…guess so. Unless you plan on coming to a few shows, I'm done after this mania. I'm not doing any interviews. No movies. No nothing. I'm going home to my ranch to do old people things and live life outside of the crazy wrestling world. I think I've earned that."

Bret chuckled, wiping his eyes. "Yeah, I think so too Princess-Shawn." He looked over at the door again, Shawn's eyes doing the same. "At least we're friends again Heartbreaker. I hope that at least, never changes."

Shawn held his hand as they walked towards the door. "Only if you don't want it to." The door swung open and out they went, shutting the door literally and emotionally behind them; that part of there lives never to be spoken of again outside that door…at least in such depth. They hugged one last time, big smiles on their faces as well as warm tears.

"Vince gave me a call so I'm gonna get back with him before I fly back to Canada."

"And I'm…I'm just going home," Shawn sighed. "Take care Bret. I hope you stay in touch."

"You too Shawny. Take care and…good luck. I hope you and John have many happy years together. You've earned it and he's a lucky guy."

Both men got on the elevator and when they reached the last floor, they exited, releasing the other's warm hand going their separate ways. For Bret, it was bittersweet and somewhat disappointing, but deep down he felt Shawn was right. They weren't young men anymore and up until Chris called him on the phone about the interview, Shawn was the last person on his mind. How easy one's mind can change after a few short hours. Days ago, he'd have left the interview knowing that he would get over Shawn again. However, what Shawn didn't know was that this time, it wasn't going to be as easy especially since he was taking with him the memory of the one night they shared, one he was sure to replay over in his head for a while. In time, he'd heal again. He always did. He just wished he didn't have to.

Once Bret got to his car, he pulled out his cell doing something he thought he'd never do again in a million years.

"Hello. Vince McMahon speaking."

"Vince this is Bret. When can we meet?"

XX-**-XX

Shawn wasted no time calling in a flight back to Texas. He had roughly an hour to get back to the hotel and pack so he could get the hell out of Connecticut. He just barely made it in time to catch the afternoon flight. He was so tired, but commercial flights sucked so going to sleep was out of the question. Instead he had plenty of time to ponder his decision, each and every time concluding that this was the way to go. If he'd have gone back to Calgary with Bret, a whole mess awaited them both. First they would have to explain to his family that he was bi-sexual, which would have gone about as well Montreal all over again. Once that hurdle was over and done with, the media attention would have been ridiculous. It would mean explaining Montreal all over again and all of that was unnecessary drama he did not want. Not only that, but he really did love John just as much and he knew that love was still strong if all he could think about during the sessions was getting back home to John. His conscience felt clear, his soul felt free and for the first time since 1995, he felt on top of the world.

All of the thinking and musing got him through the long flight. He was beat, but he wasn't dropping dead to the world until he was home. He drove the rental car down the bumpy dirt road, making a mental note to have it paved soon. He left all of his luggage inside of it, taking only what he deemed was necessary for tonight. He glanced down at his watch. It was nearing midnight which meant he'd been wide awake for almost 40 hours give or take. He fidgeted with his keys trying to find the right one, but gave up after a few seconds lazily opting to use the key hidden under the rug. He quietly pushed open the front door, his heart almost leaping out of his chest. There was John asleep upright on the couch. His laptop was sitting open on the coffee table and there were papers sprawled everywhere. It was so normal and so familiar that it made him sprout tears of joy.

He quietly latched the door back then took a moment to peel off pieces of clothing. He didn't really feel like putting on more clothes, but he had a sudden desire to wear something that screamed John. He drug himself down the hall into the bed room, grabbing a pair silk boxers with letters H-B-K on them that John gave him a few weeks ago. Lastly he grabbed a fleece blanket, dragging it behind him back into the living room. One of John's arms hang limply over the arm of the couch while the other rested on stacks of important stock reports. Knowing John would no doubt reach for the papers first, Shawn opened the tiny box which damn near burned a hole in his hand and with some work, slipped the ring on John's finger. The thought of John waking up to a diamond ring and stocks amused him so he almost laughed out loud. Just as quickly, the jet lag mixed with hours of no sleep hit him all at once and he found himself crawling into John's lap straddling him, his head finding the familiar spot in the crook of his neck where he found the most comfort every time. He pulled the fleece over the two of them and just seconds later, he was sound asleep.

XX-**-XX

Chris and Miz finished editing the interview late that evening. Chris was fairly happy with his work, but now came the fun part. He stuck the drive back into his computer. Do you wish to save file? Chris smirked, hitting the delete button. Miz blinked. "C-Chris! Do you know what you just did? That's not gonna go to the recycle bin. It's-it's gone for good!"

Chris put away his lap top yawning. "Yeah, I know, but the world isn't ready for something that epic. Those two hard copies are gonna be sent to Shawn and Bret. Unless they choose to share, no one but us will ever know what really happened between them and I'm okay with that." He fell back against the sheets, curling into Mike who was ready to fall out too.

"I…understand. I don't think they'll argue with you either." He put his arm around Chris, the two of them out snoring loudly moments later. The edited discs were placed in jewel cases with custom art by Mizzicho. Heart to Hart. To anyone looking at his desk, they would seem like ordinary CDs, but they were far from ordinary. It was the interview of a lifetime, one the world would never see.