Author's Note: I'm backkkkk.

And I'm back with a new chapter of In Time.

I don't know if I still have an audience because I haven't updated in quite a while, but I really pray I do. I have a lot of nice ideas for this story, I just to find the time to write. But enough about that... enjoy chapter 8!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, or the WWF or stuff like that. I only own Lacey Michaels and some other OC's I might make up along the way. This is a pure work of fiction and all these events occurred in my head.

Warning: This story contains certain themes, language and/or triggering scenes that may not be appropriate for all viewers. View discretion is advised. Don't say I didn't tell you so. You have been warned.

Chapter 8 - One Eighty

No. No. No. No. No.

Those were the words that swarmed through the head of Bret Hart after he woke up and realized were he was. Slowly, but surely, the memories of the previous night cam crawling in and he was horrified at the realization.

What the hell had he just done?

He slept with Lacey Michaels.

The sister of his mortal enemy.

His brother's crush.

The girl Jim had warned him to stay away from.

The girl he was protecting from Scott Hall.

And the girl he himself was quickly developing feelings for.

He had no idea what to do at that point and it was eating him up inside. He truly cared about this girl, and he wanted to take things further with her. He liked her that much. He liked spending time with her, he liked having conversations with her, he liked protecting her and God... the sex with her was awesome.

But at what cost?

He pondered for a few minutes before finally arriving at a decision. He carefully made his way out of her bed, ensuring that he didn't wake her up. He then proceeded to dress up, grab his phone and wallet, then proceeded to exit her room, not bothering to leave a text or a note.

It was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do. But he knew he was doing the right thing in the long run.

"What are you doing here?" Jim Neidhart asked, after Bret had knocked on his door several times. "It's fucking six in the morning."

"I slept with Lacey" Bret admitted. Jim looked Bret up and down, disgust and disappointment evident in his eyes. "I know, I know. It just happened. She called me over because she was scared and..."

"Bret, you're starting something that's gonna be hard to finish. I hope you know that."

"Jim..."

"I specifically warned you to stay away from her for the sake of your brother. I know you like her, and heck, I can see that she has eyes for you too. But Bret, at what cost? Owen's been pining for her for months. Months! He's gonna be crushed if you swoop out from underneath him and take the girl he's into. It's not fair" Jim advised in a hush tone, knowing that people were still asleep, and because he didn't want to risk anyone listening in on their conversation.

"I know, Jim. I know. And I've made a decision" Bret said, with a sigh. "It's gonna be one of the hardest ones I've ever made but I've got to. I'm gonna let her go. It's gonna hurt her, especially after what we shared last night but... I've just decided to"

Jim nodded at his brother in-law's statement in approval. He had nothing against seeing Bret and Lacey together, and heck, after Bret's divorce from Julie, he wanted nothing more than to see Bret happy with someone else.

But Jim was a man of honor. And he knew that lines had to be drawn at particular times for the greater good. And one line that had to be drawn was at the point of two brother's pining over the same girl. Especially when those two brothers happened to be his brother in-laws.

Love did strange things to people. He had seen situations like these end up in ugly fashions and all he wanted to do was to shield his family from it. And despite obvious sparks between Bret and Lacey, it was better for everyone if Bret let it die.

In Jim's opinion, if she didn't get together with Owen, then she got together with neither of them. It would save all of them an incredibly messy situation.

And with the knowledge of the fact that Bret and Lacey had slept together already, Jim knew that damage control had to be fast and effective.

"Bret, I'm happy you've decided not to go after her. It shows great fortitude and maturity." Jim acknowledged.

"There's a 'but' coming, isn't there?"

"But... it's not gonna be enough for you to say that you want nothing to do with Lacey. You've gotta take it to the next level" Jim advised. Bret scrunched his eyebrows up in confusion as he wondered where his brother in law was heading with this.

"I don't follow" Bret said.

"Make her think you hate her." Jim said. "Make her think you used her, you've gotten what you want, and now you're rid of her. It will sting, but it's the fastest way to get her out of your system, and to get you out of hers."

Bret felt his heart sink to his stomach. Jim wasn't serious. He couldn't be.

"Jim..."

"I mean it" Jim said. "Family first Bret. And Bros before h..."

"I get it" Bret said through gritted teeth. "I get it"

"Good for you man. See that hatred you have for Shawn, spread it out to the sister." Jim said, giving Bret a pat on the back.

Bret, though downcast, knew that he had to do the right thing. For his sake, he hoped that Owen wouldn't make a move on Lacey. If he wasn't going to be with her, it would definitely eat him up inside if his brother was with her instead.

He relayed the prayer over and over in his heart, trying to fight and ignore the sudden wave of guilt and despair which was growing within him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lacey got up a few hours after Bret did, and was shocked to find out that the bedspace beside her was empty and cold, which signified that he had been gone for a while. She was disappointed at that fact, as she was looking forward to cuddling with him or maybe going for another round, but she knew as WWF champion he probably had a million things to do. And she was okay with it.

She sat up and grabbed her phone, expecting to see a text or something from Bret but was quite disappointed when she nothing of that sort. She also searched around for a note but frowned when she didn't see that either.

"What the hell is going on?" She whispered as she decided to make a call to Chyna. She didn't understand what was going on and tried her best to ignore the growing feeling of disappointment in her chest.

"Hey Lace, what's up?" Chyna asked.

"Hi Chyna. Are you busy? Are you with Hunter or are you...?"

"Actually I was just about to leave our room to go work out. Wanna join?" Chyna proposed.

"Yeah. Of course. But please can you stop by my room quickly? I'm on the edge of breaking into hysterics" Lacey admitted, trying to remain calm. Chyna went silent for a while but suddenly Lacey heard a knock at her door. She quickly hung up the phone as she made her way to the door.

Maybe it was Bret?

With excitement in her steps, she opened the door, but the glimmer in her eyes quickly fizzled away as she set her eyes on the ninth wonder of the world, Chyna.

"Oh, hey Chyna" Lacey said, leaving the door open for Chyna as she made her way into the room. Chyna took a notice of Lacey's downcast expression and instantly knew that something was up.

"What happened Lace?" Chyna asked, "Did you get hurt?"

"I think so." Lacey said, running a hand through her hair. "I slept with Bret." She admitted.

"WOW" Chyna exclaimed, unable to keep the smirk off her face. "Hunter owes me fifty bucks" Chyna grinned.

"Why do you guys keep betting on my life?" Lacey asked in astonishment while the raven haired woman shrugged. "But either way, that's not the point."

"Oh no. Was the sex bad? Was he your first? Did he...?"

"What?!" Lacey gasped. "No. No to both" She whispered. "The sex was... great. And he's not my first. God no" She rambled on.

"Okay, okay. Then what happened? Why do you look so sad?" Chyna asked.

"He left this morning and didn't leave either a note or a text." Lacey informed. "I don't know why, but I don't have a good feeling about that. I mean, who just does that?" She questioned.

A frown appeared on Chyna's face as she took in the information. She knew Bret wasn't like that and she could see very well that he was very much into Lacey. She contemplated on the fact that it could all just be a big misunderstanding, but she knew there was something deeper. Bret was mature, he knew what to do in these situations. For him not to do the needful, seemed very off to her.

"Get it together, okay Lace?" Chyna advised. "I'll try talking to Bret later in the..."

"No!" Lacey screamed, interrupting Chyna. "Please, don't. I'll talk to him myself" She declared. She knew she would felt embarrassed if Chyna fought her battles for her. Especially something of this nature.

Plus, she wanted to keep it between herself and Bret alone. For all she knew, she could've just been overreacting.

"Please don't breathe a word of this to Hunter, Shawn or anyone else. Please" Lacey begged. "I'll try to talk to Bret myself."

"Well... if you insist." Chyna said, ending the topic at that. "Now, get off your ass and get ready for the day. We've gotta put some muscles on these skinny arms" Chyna teased, hoping to boost up Lacey's spirit a bit. It seemed to work as the blonde giggled.

"Yes ma'am, Miss. Amazon" Lacey teased back as the two shared a laugh. She proceeded to get ready for the day, and she accompanied Chyna down to the gym in order to get a workout in.

While Chyna worked on the weights, as usual, Lacey decided to work on her cardio, as usual, by running on the treadmill. Though the night she had before wore her out a bit, she was still able to get a good workout in.

As she continued her workout however, with her headphones on her head, focused and energized, she felt a sudden tap on her back, which momentarily made her pause her workout as she turned around to see who it was. Lo and behold, it was...

"Owen!" Lacey cheered. "What's up? This is the first time I'm running into you at the gym ever" She said, smiling at him. Owen chuckled, at he kept his eyes on her, enchanted at the sight of her, as usual.

"I guess you don't workout then" He teased.

"You may have a point" She said. "How are you? How's Bret?" She asked, biting her lip nervously at she mentioned Bret's name. Owen took notice of this gesture and sighed internally. He didn't want to admit to himself that maybe, just maybe, Lacey could like his brother a bit more than she liked him.

"Haven't heard from him all morning" Owen said.

"Oh" Lacey said in a disappointed tone, as a frown crossed her delicate features.

"Hey, don't be so down. Bret may not be here, but Owen is, and Owen is the better Hart" Owen joked. Lacey smiled at his statement and let out a small giggle. "Oh come on, I'm younger, smarter, faster, better looking, a better wrestler..."

"And quite modest" Lacey added as the two broke out into laughter.

"I like that" Owen laughed. "And hey, do you mind if I workout with you? Davey's supposed to be my workout buddy but he had a long night and is currently hung over" Owen proposed. Lacey nodded in agreement. She liked Owen and didn't see him as the worst person in the world to hang out with.

Though she would've preferred someone else. A certain Canadian WWF Champion.

Owen and Lacey had a fun workout, and she seemed content with it. Owen was really funny and charming. He reminded her a bit of her brother. They had similar personalities only that Shawn was sometimes more of a degenerate at times. Lacey did notice Owen staring at her weirdly at odd times but she decided to brush it off, rationalizing that Owen couldn't have eyes for her because Bret obviously did.

"You know what? That was such a fun workout. We should be workout buddies more often" Lacey said, which made Owen blush slightly as some not so clean thoughts crossed his mind at that statement.

"I would love that." He grinned. "And hey, are you hungry? We could go grab some..." As Owen made that offer, the sound of Lacey's ringtone cut him off and she was forced to pick it up, apologizing as she did so.

"I'm sorry Owen, it's Vince" She excused as she picked up the phone.

"Lacey Michaels, how are you?" Vince inquired.

"I'm good boss, and you?"

"Terrific, as always. Now, I know you thought you had the day off, but we want you to make an appearance as a speaker at a comic con. Publicity, eh?"

"Okay..." Lacey trailed off.

"That's the spirit! We want you there with Bret Hart" Vince informed. Lacey's heart began to race as a smile made it's way onto her face. "You're the new women's champion, and Bret of course is the WWF champion, I call it, a match made in heaven... or hell. Your pick"

Lacey giggled at her boss. "Whatever you say boss, I'll do that. And I'll remain in character"

"Atta girl. Take care, and please, make us money" Vince said before hanging up the phone.

Lacey squealed a bit in excitement once she hung up her call with Vince. She loved comic con and she loved the added advantage of being there with Bret and Bret alone. She immediately started packing up her stuff, and was only stopped by a soft tap on her back from Owen.

"You sure seem giddy, what's the excitement for?" Owen inquired.

"I'm going for comic con with your brother. I love comic con, you're brother on the other hand will be... fun" She trailed off, as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks which made Owen uneasy.

"Oh. Well, I hope you have fun and I hope he doesn't give you trouble at all" Owen said, forcing a smile. Lacey grinned brightly at him as she gave him a friendly side hug.

"Trust me, I can handle a little trouble" She said, before scooting out of the gym, leaving a disappointed, sad and angry Owen Hart behind, with thousands of thoughts racing through his mind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lacey had arrived at comic con a few hours after her workout and she donned a black sports bra, matching black shirt and sparkly heels with her long blonde hair up in a pony tail and her title placed firmly on her shoulder. She came with the intention to have fun, but she knew her bigger intention was to get Bret to eat his own heart out.

Surely enough, as soon as she made her way over to where everyone was gathered, she caught sight of Bret taking pictures with a young fan. She smiled, putting on her sunglasses, and got into character as she strutted over to him.

"Outta my way hitman" She said, giving him a slight shove as she took his position next to the little girl who didn't seem to care and just squealed in excitement once she set her eyes on Lacey.

"Lacey Michaels! I love you" She screamed. Lacey smiled at her as she took pictures with her.

"Of course. Who wouldn't?" She said, casting a glance over at Bret. Bret gazed at her with a stony expression on his face which Lacey smiled at. She assumed that he was still in character so she didn't think much of it. "What's the matter Bret? Jealous?"

However, Bret gave no reaction as he went over to another fan, leaving Lacey puzzled. Her mind began to race as she wondered why she didn't get any reaction from him. Not even a negative one. He just blanked her.

"Oh no he didn't" She mumbled as a frown crossed her face.

"Are you okay?" One of the WWF agents asked, hearing her mumble under her breath. Lacey shook it off as she got back into her snarky WWF character, trying to remove the thoughts of Bret out of her mind. She tried her best not to let it bother her but she felt off throughout the event.

Bret continued to ignore her and spared no glance at her as the event progressed. Lacey tried almost every trick in the book, but Bret didn't budge. She tried talking to him and making snarky remarks directed at him but he didn't even give her the luxury of eye contact and this frustrated Lacey to no end.

She tried her best to take the thought out of her mind but she had a feeling that he was doing this to her because he had already gotten exactly what he wanted from her, which was sex. And maybe he wanted nothing else from her.

That thought made Lacey sad. She decided to investigate further and get her answers.

Once the event was over and done, she noticed Bret go into the dressing room that was assigned to him. She guessed he requested one as he was a big star in the WWF. She trailed behind him silently, and once he was inside, she knocked softly at the door and crossed her fingers, expecting the worst.

"Come in" He said from inside. Lacey took in a deep breath as she opened up the door, finding a shirtless Bret there, folding his clothes. Bret looked shocked at her presence but quickly covered it up with the same stoic expression he had carried on his face throughout that day. "You"

"Listen Bret, I don't understand what's going on. You've been cold to me all day and I wanna know why" Lacey asked with a frown as she adjusted her title on her shoulder. Bret looked her up and down but said nothing and resumed what he was doing. "Really Bret?" She asked, walking closer to him. "You wanna blank me?"

"Lacey, I'm warning you..."

"No I'm warning you. At least tell me you're not interested in me or something. Don't just ignore me. Be a man, Bret. Don't be..." Before Lacey could finish her sentence, Bret grabbed her by her right arm and pinned her to the wall and tossed her title to the floor. "Bret?"

"Wanna get an answer? Here's your answer" He said, as he proceeded to undress her. "You've been a tease to me all day. Dressing in basically nothing. You're gonna get what you deserve" He growled as Lacey smiled at him.

"Bring it on" Lacey whispered into Bret's ear seductively and that set him off.

She felt mind ease up as Bret pounded into her fiercely. He really seemed like he was taking out all his pent up aggression on her and if not that she was just as hot about him as he was about her, Lacey would've been worried that he was too rough with her.

She was definitely going to feel sore for days after this.

"You're so damn good" Bret said, spanking her butt as he did so which made her blush. "Yeah. You're so damn good at being a cheap whore"

Lacey's felt her smile drop as Bret uttered those words. She gazed at him wide eyed and in disbelief once he uttered those words. Gone was his lustful and loving gaze and now was a hateful and disgusted scowl which made her shiver in her boots.

"What?"

"Are you fucking deaf?!" He thundered, making her flinch at his words. "Now, listen and listen good, as of now, you mean nothing! And I mean, nothing to me! You were so good at being a whore I had to have you not once but twice. But trust me, I've over and done with you."

"Bret..." Lacey spoke out, her lips quivering.

"I want you now to take your dirty, filthy, degenerate ass out of my dressing room and get totally out of my life!" He yelled, before reaching out to her and grabbing her chin softly, but firmly. "And if..." He started, tightening his grip on her chin. "...if I hear a word about what happened between us on the lips of anyone on the roster, Scott Hall will be the least of your worries" Bret spat, before letting her go.

Hot tears ran down Lacey's eyes as she watched Bret dress up and pack up his bags. He paid no mind to her cries and sobs and once he was done, with one last distasteful glare, he flipped her off before exiting the dressing room, leaving Lacey Michaels a broken hearted mess.

Bret is such a good brother.

Well that's that for chapter 8! What exactly will happen next between Lacey and Bret? Will a ship ever arise between Owen and Lacey? Tune in to find out in the next chapter.