Author's Note: Hi Everyone! I'm back with a new chapter once again!

To my loyal readers, I'm sorry for not updating. I've been busy with school and work, as I'm currently pursuing my masters degree and I have a lot to balance on my plate. But I still have my passion for writing so I always try to write as much as I can when I'm free. So thanks for all the support so far.

Enjoy the chapter!


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 9 - The Sin Of A Brother

Lacey didn't see or hear from Bret for days, following their encounter at his comic con dressing room. Her spirit was crushed initially from the outright rejection and ridicule she faced at his hands that day. She would've never believed that Bret would treat her in that manner and heck, she still had a hard time believing it.

She knew for a fact that Bret wasn't just with her for sex due to the fact that it didn't seem like his intention when he started helping her. At least she thought so.

She felt something odd afoot and she really wanted to get to the root of the situation, but she also didn't want to lose something she help up to a higher level; her pride.

And while she definitely had her questions and thoughts, she was willing to brush them aside. If Bret wanted to kick her to the curb, she was sure to do the same exact thing to him. And she was going to hit him harder than he felt he did to her. He had no idea who he was messing with. But he would find out, in time.

"You've been unusually quiet sis" Shawn spoke up, noticing his sister shining up her title belt in the corner. She had been silent since he arrived at the arena and his big brother instincts were tingled slightly. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" She asked, after being called out of her thoughts. She proceeded to shake her head, as she came back to reality and offered a warm smile to her brother. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just thinking about our scripts for the night"

"Are you sure about that?" Shawn asked. "You've been withdrawn. It's so unlike you" He commented.

"Trust me bro. If there was anything to really worry about, I'll let you know. Okay?" Lacey assured. Shawn eyed her skeptically but nodded, trusting her word. He placed a tender kiss on her forehead, before going back to his conversation with Rick Rude, leaving Lacey on her own once again.

"You're sure you're alright champ?" Triple H asked Lacey, who nodded, placing her title on her shoulder.

"Peachy Hunter" She replied, as she stood up. "I'm gonna get a bite to eat from catering. Does anyone want anything?"

"I'm coming along with you champ" Triple H declared, standing up as well. Lacey raised an eyebrow but nodded, as he stood up and made his way to the door with her. Soon enough, they exited the locker room and made their ways to catering.

"There's something seriously up with her though." Rick stated. Shawn sighed. "I'm worried about her"

"Same here Richard. Same here" Shawn stated as well. "I just hope it has nothing to do with what I think it does. Because, if it does, I'm gonna raise hell" Shawn vowed.

Lacey and Hunter hadn't walked for up to a minute before he began to call her out on her very obvious change in attitude.

"Okay champ, it's just us now. Are you gonna tell me what happened between you and Bret, or...?" Hunter asked. Lacey's head snapped over to his direction and she stared at him wide-eyed, shocked at how he was able to figure her out. "And no, I didn't get any info from Chyna. I just figured it out"

"I know. I didn't tell her" Lacey said softly. "Hunter, I really don't wanna..."

"And you don't have to. Just nod and I'll beat him up black and blue. Trouble averted" Hunter proposed, but Lacey shook her head no. "Oh come on."

"I don't wanna get involved with anything Hunter. I'm sorry. I just wanna do this storyline, and let all our interactions end on screen. Okay?" Lacey pleaded. Hunter looked into her eyes and could see the outright pain and sadness they bore. Lacey was someone who typically wore her emotions on her sleeve so any slight break in character became very apparent. Especially to people like him who knew her quite well.

"He hurt you bad, didn't he?" Hunter asked. Lacey sighed, but nodded.

"Yeah. But thankfully, it's only been a week. I'll move on" She said, forcing a smile. Hunter stared at her for a few seconds but decided to let it go. He didn't want to make the situation any more uncomfortable or painful for her. "And thanks for looking out for me."

"Of course. You're like my little sister" He grinned, ruffling her hair. "But Bret will get what's coming to him very soon. And speak of the devil" Hunter said, as they stepped into catering. Lacey felt her breath hitch in her throat a bit as she gazed at the same direction Hunter was looking at and saw Bret, Owen and Jim Neidhart sitting on a table, eating. Bret was wrapped up in a conversation with Sunny who seemed to be giggling flirtatiously.

Lacey rolled her eyes at the blonde who was supposed to be dating her brother. It was public knowledge that she was cheating on her boyfriend with Shawn before they broke up and Lacey had no iota of respect for her. She didn't even pretend to want to be her friend.

Though she did feel a little sting in her heart once she saw Bret and Sunny. But she knew that two could play the game.

"Earth to Lacey" Hunter called out to her, as he tapped her shoulders repeatedly.

"Secure a table Hunter, I'm about to be a bitch" Lacey said sweetly, as she strolled over to the buffet table and grabbed two slices of cake, before walking over to the Hart Foundation table. Taking in a deep breath, she decided to put her acting skills into practice. "Oh hi you guys!" She greeted sweetly. "Bret, Jim, Sunny." She nodded at them. "Hi Owen!"

"Lacey! You look pretty good today. Not to say you don't look good other days but... ow!" Owen rambled on but was silenced by a kick to his knee by Jim. Lacey raised an eyebrow at the humorous situation and just shook her head. "You look nice"

"Uh... thanks?" She laughed. "That's really sweet. And speaking of sweet, I got you an extra slice of cake cause you've mentioned once or twice that you have a sweet tooth." She said, offering the slice of cake to him.

Owen blinked a few times as he took the plate from her. He knew Lacey was a nice person but he wasn't used to receiving sole attention from her. He felt honored. He almost felt like a school boy again. He figured that eating a slice of cake and putting in a few more hours at the gym was definitely worth it.

"He has a match later, he can't be eating..." Bret blurted out, but was caught off by Lacey.

"Oh come on Bret, you can't be that uptight" She said, smiling at Bret, her smile catching him off guard. "A little slice of cake wouldn't do any harm? Would it? I mean, what do you think bodydonna?" She asked, directing her question to Sunny who shrugged.

"I say, eat away" Sunny said. Lacey smiled at her answer and focused her attention back on Owen, still feeling Bret's intense gaze on her.

"Thanks a lot Lace" Owen appreciated. "Wanna have a seat?" He asked. Lacey thought about jumping at the opportunity but a better thought sprang up in her head. "I actually came with Hunter. He'd be pissed if I left him there all alone" Lacey explained. "But you can come with me if you'd like?" She offered. Owen immediately jumped up at the offer and followed her over to the table Hunter was at like a lost puppy.

Bret watched her as she made her way over to her table and gave out a low sigh. She barely acted like there was any underlying issue between them which made him feel very disturbed. He knew he treated her like shit, and he was happy that she seemed to be taking it well, or at least hiding it well, but he couldn't just help but feel... angry. He was angry at the fact that despite everything that happened between them, she didn't seem affected. It showed he didn't mean as much to her as he thought.

That reality stung him deeply, and he couldn't fight the scowl which crossed his face, as he kept his eyes fixed on Lacey who laughed heartily while chatting with Hunter and Owen.

"You're staring" Sunny commented, noticing Bret's angered gaze fixed on Lacey. "You don't really hate her that much, do you? You're shooting daggers"

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't" Bret said, standing up. "I'm gonna go get ready for Raw" He announced, not even giving Sunny a second to get another word in before storming out of catering. Lacey smiled, once she saw him leave. She had seen and felt his hateful glares throughout the period she was in catering, and she tried her best to pass it off as paying no mind when in reality, her heart thumped loudly.

If Bret was this disturbed by her, it meant there was something else at play with him.

Lacey just wished she knew what it was.

"Your brother sure looks angry. He's been staring daggers at Lacey since we got here" Hunter commented. Owen looked puzzled. "Not that I don't enjoy seeing Bret angry, but that's unsettling" He said. Lacey shrugged.

"It's Bret. Who knows? Maybe he suddenly remembered that I tried to kiss him last week" She brushed off. Owen's jaw clenched for a moment at her words, but it went unnoticed by Lacey who kept on munching on her food.

It was however noticed by Hunter, who had about a dozen comments to make, but decided not to, for Lacey's sake. All he could deduce was that there was something off going on with the Harts. But he wasn't the guy who was going to dig in deeper to find out exactly what. At least not at that moment.

But in time.

Eventually, Hunter left catering, after being called by Chyna, leaving Owen and Lacey alone. Lacey kept on eating while Owen stared at her like she was the most precious thing in the world to him. People walking around could feel the outright happiness radiating from Owen at that moment as he was truly happy to be hanging out with Lacey.

"So, any plans for the night?" Owen asked. Lacey looked up at him with an eyebrow raised. "Oh I mean... like Raw... do you know what your storyline is?"

"I think I'm gonna have something to do with you guys. Most likely with Bret" Lacey said with a sigh. "That outta be fun" She mumbled sarcastically as Owen chuckled.

"Well, you did inadvertently work yourself into a storyline with him with that antic last Sunday" He joked. "You made your bed and you've gotta lie on it"

Lacey chuckled. "You have no idea how right you are Owen" She said. They continued chatting for a while before they decided to head back to their respective locker rooms as the show was about to start. Lacey had no match that night but she did have an on screen segment which she was dreading. She had a segment with Bret and Owen and she wished that the ground would just swallow her up so that she won't have to deal with the man who broke her heart.

But nonetheless, she was a professional. She was going to do her job to the best of her abilities. Plus, there was a lot fan interest in their storyline which she found really cool.

Raw, 'On Screen'

Lacey donned a pair of jeans and a cropped DX shirt, as she walked confidently through the backstage area. The live crowd cheered loudly for her as she continued walking for a while longer before stopping at her destination. She gave a wicked smirk as she arrived at the door with "Hart Foundation" written on it in bold letters. She took in a deep breath and knocked gently on the door.

A few seconds later, Davey Boy Smith opened the door and looked rather surprised to see Lacey standing there. They had a mini staredown for some moments before Lacey broke the silence.

"Owen. I wanna see Owen" She said. Davey opened his mouth to say something, but decided not to as he motioned for her to wait before heading back into the locker room, presumably to fetch Owen.

The door swung open moments later, and instead of Owen, there stood Bret, with a scowl on his face. Lacey gave him a friendly grin.

"Hitman! How are you? It's been a while!" She said cheerfully. "But, I asked for your brother, not you. Are you hard of hearing now? Old age?" She teased.

"What do you want Lacey Michaels? What are you doing here?" Bret asked, through gritted teeth. Lacey rolled her eyes.

"Like I asked before, are you sure it's not old age? I literally came here saying I wanted to see your brother and not you. That answers both your questions." She clarified as the crowd laughed. "Or is Bret Hart jealous?" She teased. "Do you want my attention?"

"You think you're really funny huh? Just like your degenerate brother?" Bret started, before taking a step towards her, staring into her eyes. "Now listen, and listen good. I don't know what game you're playing, or why you suddenly have an interest in myself and my family, but I suggest you watch it. Watch it before you end up biting more than you can chew"

Lacey chuckled. unfazed by his threat. She confidently took another step towards him, making them closer than before as the crowd 'oooed', waiting to see what would happen next between the two. "Tough request. But I've got two words for you. Make me" She declared, staring right back at him with a glimmer of curiosity and interest. Bret kept his eyes fixed on hers as well, and once again, similar to the previous week, the crowd chanted "Kiss!" over and over again.

"What's going on?" Owen's voice came from nowhere, forcing the pair to jump apart in slight shock as the younger Hart entered the scene. He looked amused at first, but once he set his eyes on Lacey, his amused expression quickly turned into a glare. "What is she doing here?"

"Owen, hi!" Lacey greeted excitedly. "I was... just leaving" She said, before turning back to Bret with a smirk. "See you around Hitman." She said, sauntering off out of the scene leaving behind a confused looking Owen and an angry looking Bret.

"Uh... what the hell is going on?" Owen asked. Bret huffed as he walked away from the scene not saying anything. Owen sighed, shaking his head as he went back into the locker room.

'Off Screen'

Lacey let out a huge sigh of relief once she had walked a safe distance away from Bret. Seeing him, talking to him, and having that close range encounter with him made her tense up inside. She felt her heart breaking over and over as she stared into his eyes. The wicked words he spoke to her during their previous encounter rang over and over in her mind, and she couldn't help but sigh and wipe away the little tears that were forming in her eyes.

"You alright Michaels?" A familiar voice asked, breaking her out of her own thoughts. She turned around and was face to face with Dwayne Johnson. "You guys move forward, I'll meet you later" He said to his fellow faction members as they shrugged and left him alone with Lacey.

"Hi Rocky" She greeted, sniffling a bit. "I'm fine. What's up?"

"You're clearly not" He stated, taking off his sunglasses. "What's wrong?"

"Rock... Dwayne, I'm fine" She affirmed. "Thanks for caring though" She said with a tone of finality as she tried to make her way out of the premises but what stopped once Dwayne grabbed her arm, gently pulling her back. "Hey!"

"Not so fast mama." He started. "I know when something is up with you. You're not really that hard to read."

"Oh yeah, and what made you come to that conclusion?" Lacey asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Dwayne laughed. "Good to know I'm so amusing"

"Hey, don't take it to heart. And it's quite easy to know when you're down. You literally always have a smile on your face. Not to mention, I literally saw you wiping tears away a few moments ago" Dwayne stated, giving her a look of pity. Lacey said. "C'mon, you know you can talk to me."

Could she really?

Lacey and Dwayne had a very casual friendship, similar to the one that she had with Owen. Despite her friendly nature, she didn't really have many friends in the WWF. Most of them were acquaintances that she'd have small talk with once in a while, or outright strangers she'd exchange smiles or 'hi's' with whenever she walked through the backstage area.

The only close friends she had really were Shawn's friends in DX. She counted Bret as a friend for a short while, but even that went down in the mud.

"Dwayne, to be honest, I'm not okay" Lacey confessed, running a hand through her hair. "I'm not okay. I've been trying to hold a lot in since last week but... I'm..." Lacey's lips quivered as she uttered those words but she was cut off abruptly by Dwayne pulling her into a friendly hug. Feeling the warmth emanating from the charismatic man, Lacey hugged back, gently sobbing as she did so. "I shouldn't be crying on you Dwayne. I'm sorry"

"Hey, it's alright. I was the one who pried." He smiled, giving her a pat on the back for good measure. He didn't feel comfortable seeing Lacey down. Granted, they weren't exactly the closest of friends, he hated seeing her look so down. It was a stark contrast from the Lacey he knew. "Do you feel better now?" He asked, after he had let her go. She nodded.

"I needed that hug Dwayne. I really did. Thank you" She appreciated. "And thanks for looking out for me. It means a lot"

"Hey, don't mention it." He smiled. "And if you want more cheering up, I'm always here. You have my number right?" He asked. Lacey nodded. "Good. Feel free to hit me up. And don't forget to turn that frown upside down. You're damn beautiful, so act like it" He encouraged, as he put his sunglasses back on. "Now if you'd excuse the Rock, he has to go out there and trash talk the fans" He joked, slipping into his rock persona which made her giggle. "And there's that smile. Keep it up on your face, okay mama?"

"Alright. I will. Thanks a lot Dwayne. You know, we should hang out more" She suggested.

"It's your call mama. You have my number" He said, adjusting his intercontinental title on his shoulder. "Take care, alright?" Lacey nodded as they bid each other goodbye. Their interaction, though short, put a smile on her face. She realized that Bret kicking her to the curb wasn't the end of the world. And while it hurt, she knew she'd bounce right back... in time.

Though she wasn't so sure how soon that would be as just as Dwayne walked away from her, she noticed someone standing across the corridor from her, his eyes fixed on her with an intense gaze, which quickly transformed into a glare once she locked eyes with him. Her breath hitched in her throat and her heart thumped faster in her chest.

She quickly shook her head, took in two deep breaths and broke eye contact with Bret, ultimately deciding to leave the premises. She did wonder why Bret stared at her so intently if he wanted nothing to do with her anymore. He was the one who wanted no contact between them anymore, and while it hurt her, she was gonna do just that.

Lacey broke off her eye contact with Bret and walked away from the premises, making her way back to the DX locker room still feeling Bret's gaze lingering on her as she trod further away from him.

"You're not handling this well man" The sudden voice of Jim Neidhart came from behind Bret who jumped in slight surprise.

"Hey Jim, what gives?" Bret questioned. Jim chuckled.

"I watched you stare at her and Rock for minutes." He stated, crossing his arms over his chest in disappointment. "You've gotta let it go Bret. You just have to. You can't be losing your shit over any guy who shows her interest. You barely even know the girl"

"Jim..."

"I know it's hard, I can see how much you're into her" Jim said. "And you've already slept with her once, you need to..."

"Twice" Bret corrected.

"What?!" Jim asked, wide eyed. "You did what? Bret! After everything I said?" Jim yelled, clearly enraged and disappointed at his brother in law. Bret in turn, pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration as Jim continued to reprimand him. "If you continue on this path Bret, you're gonna did yourself into a deeper hole than you can..."

"Enough!" Bret yelled, silencing Jim. "I'm tired. I'm tired of this crap. I don't have time for this right now." Bret declared, placing his title over his shoulder. "You want me to get over her, I'll get over her. You just wait and see" Bret declared ominously, as he stormed off.

"Bret wait!" Jim called out, but made no attempt to chase after his enraged brother in law. For the sake of Bret, he prayed that Bret was going to be wise in dealing with this case. He knew Bret wasn't someone that was so good with expressing feelings or controlling them, especially when it came to matters of the heart. He remembered how Bret was with his ex-wife...

So for the sake of everything, he prayed that Bret wouldn't do anything stupid.

But little did he know.

Meanwhile, Bret walked briskly down the corridors, ignoring everyone on his path as he searched for Lacey. He had an idea of where she would be and he was determined to get her out of his system once and for all.

No longer than a while later, he arrived at the gorilla position where he saw her, sitting in front of the monitor and munching on popcorn as she watched the match between the Undertaker and Sycho Sid. She still hadn't noticed his presence as she was engrossed in the match so he decided to clear his throat. Once he did, her head snapped over to his direction and for a split second, her noticed the outright terror and sadness in her eyes as she gazed at him.

"We need to talk" He declared. Lacey kept staring at him, not saying anything. "Earth to Lacey!"

"What are we talking about?" She asked softly, her voice cracking a bit as she did so. "I'm watching Taker wrestle"

"It'll only be a minute Lace, c'mon" Bret urged. But Lacey shook her head no. "Lacey"

"Bret leave me alone, I'm trying to watch Taker's match" Lacey hushed, trying to brush him off as she continued watching the match. She felt uneasy in Bret's presence after all their encounters and especially after he uttered those mean words to her the previous week. While she knew in her heart she definitely wanted him around her, she also wanted him to leave her alone.

She didn't want to give him the chance to mess her head up once more.

"Lacey..."

"Bret please leave me be!" She pleaded. "You've already gotten what you want from me, so leave me alone!" She yelled, already getting riled up and frustrated from his pestering.

Bret looked around, noticing that Lacey drew some attention to them by yelling and sighed. He didn't have time for this. None of this was going according to his plan at all.

But then again, what had he really expected? After kicking her to the curb the prior week. How was she ever going to give him an audience again?

"I just wanna talk about our storyline. Five minutes, and I'll be outta here" Bret declared. But Lacey shook her head no.

"I'm watching Taker's match. Let's talk about it some other time" She reiterated, feeling very annoyed by Bret's presence at that time which Bret could tell. He wondered if his plan could go on as he intended it to. All he wanted was just one more taste of her. One more taste of Lacey. He truly believed that with that he could completely purge her out of his mind.

But easier said than done. She obviously wasn't going to budge. At least not that easily.

He had to kick it up a notch. And he did.

"Alright listen, I wanna talk about last week. It's been eating me up inside. I really didn't like the way I treated you. I've been going through a lot and... just give me an audience. Just for five minutes. That's all I ask" Bret pleaded once more. He didn't know Lacey that well, but he knew her well enough to know that despite having a strong spirit, she was also extremely volatile.

And he hated himself for using that to his advantage.

"Okay Bret" She said softly. "I'm pissed that you didn't let me watch my favorite wrestler wrestle but such is life" Bret smirked at her comment. "So what's up?"

"Follow me" He commanded. Surprisingly, Lacey nodded as she grabbed her title as well as her bucket of popcorn and walked alongside Bret. She bit her lip nervously as she looked on, feeling Bret's intense stare on her. She wanted answers. Why had he been so rude to her? Why had he spent the day glaring at her with those strange looks? She knew there was more beneath the surface, and it piqued her curiosity. She certainly hoped for an explanation.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere private." He replied. Lacey's brows furrowed, as thousands of thoughts swarmed through her mind. What was Bret's game plan here? She really hoped and prayed that it wasn't what she thought.

But her biggest fears were confirmed when Bret suddenly shoved her into an empty room and followed her inside. Out of shock, she didn't immediately register where they were, but soon realized that they stood in a dimply lit janitor's closet. From the limited light source, she caught sight of Bret's lustful eyes and before she knew it, he pressed his lips on hers.

She was wide eyed as he continued to kiss her, her mind freezing completely as she had no idea how to react to what he was doing.

But as Bret tried sliding her clothes off, reality hit her hard and she quickly came to her senses and pushed him away. Then without a second thought, she raised her hand and slapped him across the face. The world seemed to stand still for a moment as neither she nor Bret moved an inch after she did that.

Bret eventually brought his hand up to his face in disbelief as he kept his eyes on her. He was in utter shock as he hadn't expected that from her, and he certainly hadn't expected it to sting as bad as it did.

Without giving him a moment to speak or express himself, Lacey grabbed her title from the floor and walked out of the janitor's closet, leaving behind an utterly shaken and confused Bret who at that moment, wanted her more than he ever did.


Woof. And that's a wrap for Chapter 9. Things are getting heated between Bret and Lacey as he continues to navigate his feelings. And Owen lingers in the background.

Stay tuned for more next time! Love and kisses to you all!