Playing Trucks (reserved for Jeri)

Jeff Jarrett made a face when he felt hard wheels going over his face, down his neck, and across his chest. Slowly he opened his eyes, feeling the terrible pain in his lower back for the first time. He was in his hallway, on the ground, staring up at Kody- his step son. Not for much longer, as he and Karen were getting a divorce. He couldn't be there like she wanted him to be, and his time at work destroyed their relationship. Soon he'd be all alone again and it silently broke his heart. "Kody... what are ya doin', kid?"

"Playing trucks with you, daddy Jeff! You said you'd play trucks with me."

"Oh. Oh right, I did didn't I. Kody..." He grunted and tried to move. "Why is daddy Jeff on the floor?"

"'Cause you slipped on daddy!" Kody put his action figure of his father Kurt Angle on Jeff's chest.

"Kody--" Jeff winced. "What did I tell ya'll 'bout puttin' away your toys?"

Kody fidgeted, playing idly with his truck. "To.. put them away before someone slips on im'. ...Sorry daddy Jeff."

Jeff sighed. He couldn't get upset with the kid even if he tried. "It's okay, Kody. Can ya go get my phone? I think I hurt my back pretty bad."

Kody nodded. "Okay! I'll be right back." He left the truck on Jeff's chest and ran into the kitchen. Jeff picked the figure up of Kurt, staring at it.

"Ya jus' live to louse me up, Kurt Angle. Even in toy form." He made a face, watching as Kody came back with his phone. He reached up for it.

"It's okay, daddy Jeff. I called for help!" He beamed proudly. "Then we can go play trucks."

Jeff blinked at him. "Kody-- who did ya call for daddy Jeff...?" He said slowly remembering the epic amount of telephone numbers he had stored in his phone.

"You wait right here, daddy Jeff. I'm gonna go wait for im' to come!" He patted Jeff's arm and ran off to go wait by the door.

(Open to all I was kind of hoping for Kurt coming to the door, but that's just the OTP talking XD)

Bret Hart sat in the back of a limo, wiggling his hand. The line of fans had been long, and lots of hands were shook and many, many autographs were signed. He loved doing it, it never ceased to amaze him how many fans he had, even back in his prime--the fact that they still flocked to him though he had become gray haired retired long ago, always made him smile. Wrestling fans were the best fans. Bret shifted in his seat to dig his phone out of his back pocket, as it buzzed alerting him to a call. He saw a name across the screen that he hadn't seen for quite some time. He'd kept some contact with Jeff after the passing of his brother, but they had gradually drifted apart. Jeff had became another face from his past that he had become disconnected from after leaving the WWF. It was a bad part in his life, where he had severed ties with many old friends and acquaintances, simply because he was a very angry and bitter person. It had taken a lot to get him over that, and now later in life, after other lessons had been learned and his attitude had been changed, he regretted allowing himself to become so angry, and he regretted shutting many people out of his life. But regret gets you nowhere.

Since his stroke and recovery, Bret had learned to have a greater appreciation for the people left in his life, and most importantly, not to become so hung up on things and up tight. He enjoyed his life more, found that there was so much more to smile about, and had gone to work at making amends with various persons, and putting past things in the past for good. He had began to dig out old phone numbers, and call people he hadn't spoke to in years, just to see how they were doing and catch up. It felt really good not to have to be that lone wolf anymore, not to have to be so locked up within himself and his hurt. Jeff Jarrett had been one of those he had meant to contact again, and reconnect with. He'd always liked Jeff, even though when Jeff and Owen were together it usually had meant double trouble.

Now here he was in the back of a limo, being taken back to his hotel after an appearance, being caught of guard by Jeff's name lighting up his cell. He answered, even more confused when he heard the voice of a child. Before Bret could answer the child or ask questions, the kid had hung up. He had said something about Jeff falling. Maybe Jeff was unconscious and one of his children had called whatever number they could get to on Jeff's phone--it just happened to be Bret's, one that Jeff had probably forgotten was even on his phone.

"That was weird." Bret muttered, staring down at his phone. He called the number back, but it just rang until it cut to Jeff's voice mail. He texted, and waited for a reply, but nothing. This could be serious, and Bret might be the only one who knew something was wrong. "Hey...driver? Um...how far are we from Hendersonville? Y'know, never mind. Just go there." He located Jeff's address in his phone, and gave it to the driver. Roughly twenty minutes later, Bret was on Jeff Jarret's doorstep. This wasn't how he had meant to be reacquainted with him, but Bret had learned long ago that things often don't turn out how you expect them to. Life has it's own plans, and sometimes it even knows what the hell its doing. Bret knocked on the door, and waited.

Kody opened up the door, looking up in confusion. "You don't look like Bert." He said looking very disappointed. "And where's Ernie?" He almost demanded peeking around Bret to see. He sighed, this man would have to do. If he was in daddy Jeff's phone, he must be in there for a good reason. "Daddy Jeff slipped on daddy and now he's hurt. It's my fault so come on." He tugged on Bret's pant leg and ran into the hallway where Jeff was. "Daddy Jeff! Are ya still alive? You gotta play trucks with me yet!" He asked and shook Jeff's arm.

"Kody- I ain't dead. Who did you call, boy?"

"Bert." He pouted. "But he's not really Bert. Your phone lied!"

"Bert?" Jeff blinked at the little boy and slowly looked up at the ceiling as he rolled the name around in his head. Bert.... He was certain he didn't know anyone named Bert. "...Kody, do ya mean Bret?" He asked looking at the little boy by his side. God, he hadn't spoken to Bret in years. He was one of the men Jeff looked up to- his best friend's older brother. "...Oh my lord, Bret can't see me like this. Oh no no no." He said and tried to get up. Pain shot through him and he winced hard.

"Daddy Jeff no! You're breaking yourself more!" He gasped and pushed Jeff back down- which was an easy thing to do in the older man's weakened state. "Beeeert! Where are you!"

"I'm coming." Bret said, smiling at the child's voice he heard from the other room, calling him 'Bert'. He made it to where the little boy was, standing over Jeff, who was lying on the floor with an action figure on his chest. Bret knelt down beside Jeff, and raised his shades, sitting them atop his backwards turned cap. A few grayish strands of hair fell around his face. He noticed the action figure lying on Jeff's chest, which he saw to be Kurt Angle. "Was I called in all the way from Canada to be special guest referee? Looks like Kurt pinned you, Jeff."

Bret handed the figure to the little boy, then turned back to Jeff.

"I got a weird call from--well I guess this little guy. I thought I should come and check it out, good thing I was visiting Nashville for the weekend. Do you want me to help you up, or should I get some real help? I'm not a doctor, I don't wanna move you and aggravate somethin' you might have busted up."

"Oh he could only wish it was this easy to pin Jeff Jarrett." Jeff muttered.

"Daddy says he can beat daddy Jeff like that, Bert!" Kody piped up and tried to snap his fingers. He failed, and kept trying, holding on to the figure of his father.

"Boy-- do ya wanna play trucks or what?" Jeff asked flatly, looking at Kody.

"Yeah daddy Jeff! Can I go get my trucks so we can play?" He asked excitedly.

"Go 'head. Meet us in the livin' room, okay?" Jeff said and watched the boy rush off toward his bedroom. He looked up at Bret. "Good thing for me that ya were, Bret. An' that ya remembered where I live." He grunted a little and shifted around. "I don't think I broke somethin'. I think I jus' threw my back out." Jeff sighed and lowered his voice. "Me and Kody's mom are getting a divorce. I'm gonna loose the lil' guy and his sister soon enough. I don't want to miss out on any time I got left with him. An' I promised him I'd play trucks. Can ya help me to the livin' room? Pleeease?" He begged biting his lip and batting his blue eyes at him.

"Sure." Bret moved around to the other side of Jeff, so that when he got him up, if Jeff needed help he could lean on Bret's stronger side. Bret slowly helped Jeff to his feet, slipping an arm around his back. "Don't fall on me. We'll have to figure out someone else to call if you do that." Bret half-joked. He kicked a couple more stray toys out of their way, to clear the path.

"I'm sorry to hear about your divorce, Jeff."

"You're not the only one, Bret. I didn't want to fail at this, but... I couldn't be the man she wanted. I wasn't here enough for her, an' it's true. Ya know how it is- wrestlin' is your wife, your wife is your mistress." Jeff said wincing hard when Bret helped him to his feet. He was already feeling mindful of Bret's bad side- keeping more weight on himself than he probably should have in order to not depend on Bret too much.

The pain was evident on Jeff's face as they walked into the living room. "God, don't even joke 'bout that. I don't know who the heck Kody would call. He's a good kid, jus' doesn't like puttin' his toys away. Like most kids his age. I'm sure that if I had enough to leave 'round the house I woulda done the same thing when I was four." He groaned, wincing hard. His back was twitching violently but he tried his damndest to ignore it.

"Can ya help me get down to the floor? An'... thank ya for your help. An' answerin' the phone when Kody called."

"Sure. Let's see...suplex, hip toss, drop toe hold, pile driver...seduction." Bret laughed. "Yeah I could get you on the floor, think I'll try a less harmless tactic though. Let's see if it works." Carefully, Bret eased them both down, praying in his head that they didn't fall. Neither of them needed to take a bump just now. They both made it to the floor, with some grunts for sound effects.

"Damn, it sucks gettin' old." Bret reached over and grabbed his shades that had fallen off of their perch on his hat in his efforts to get Jeff into a position to play with the kid. "Uh, not that you're old or anything. Actually Jeff, other than the grimaces, ya look great." He hooked the shades onto the collar of his t-shirt. "And how's that for Excellence of Execution? We made it. Now...we're gonna kick ass with some trucks." Bret picked up a plastic dump truck that was laying on its side, and handed it to Jeff.

Jeff whined a little as his whole lower body rippled in pain. He hissed out low, tears springing up in the corners of his eyes. He brushed them quickly away, looking to Bret in surprise. "Seduction?" His cheeks turned pink. "And compliments? Why Bret Hart- are ya comin' on to lil' ole me?" He batted his eyes playfully at him as he took the offered truck.

"I owe ya buddy, for comin' along to help me like this. Not sure how much I'll be able to move 'round- but... would ya like to stay an' play trucks with us, excellence of execution? Ya'll came out to help me, the least me an' Kody can do is entertain ya for a bit." He plays with the truck in his hands.

"No problem, Jeff. I've been meaning to call you anyway, it's been way too long since we've talked." He picked up a police car that was upside down on the carpet. "Sure, I'll play with you guys. It's been a long time since I've done this, my kids are all grown up on me." He pushed one of the buttons on the side of the black and white plastic. The blue and red lights lit up on the top, and a siren warbled a couple times. "Ooh...hey this is pretty cool." He pushed another button, which made a different type of siren wail sound. "Kody, you have some pretty cool toys."

"I know!" Kody said poking his head into the living room. "Daddy bought me that one!" He heads in with an armful of trucks and cars, dumpling them by Bret and Jeff. "Bert! Are ya gonna play with us too?"

"Kody- his name is Bret." Jeff said looking amused as he looked over at Bret- the other man was always one of his favorite people to see- and to have met over all. He was one of Jeff's personal heroes for his strength and perseverance. "And yeah, he is. He doesn't have anyone else to play trucks with either."

"I know." Kody nodded, as if to say he didn't care he was going to call him Bert anyway. He picks up a fire truck and starts pushing it around. "The fire truck's my favorite. See? It makes all the noises and stuff! Daddy Jeff bought it for me after daddy got me the police car!"

"Fire trucks are awesome, Kody." Bret smiled at the little boy, maybe a part of him had missed such simple things as this. His kids really needed to spawn him some grandHarts to entertain and spoil. He played trucks with Kody and Jeff, forgetting that his limo was still waiting outside. It didn't matter, he hadn't planned to do too much when he'd gotten back to the hotel anyway--catch a workout, doodle, watch The Office, mess around on Twitter, eventually go to bed. In the morning he'd be at the airport, flying back to Calgary and leaving Tennessee behind. This was better than running on a treadmill or sifting through Tweets. Bret had always enjoyed children, it had been a good thing too, given the large family he came from. One his favorite wrestling memories was simply the bright little faces he could still picture perfectly in his mind, as he took off his pink foil sunglasses, and slipped them onto a childs head. He never knew any of their names, but he remembered many of them, because out of all wrestling fans, the children were the ones who believed in and loved their heroes the most. That look of awe and admiration in their eyes had often spurred him on when he had felt at his lowest on the road. He reached over, and ruffled the small boys hair.

"What else do ya like to do besides playin' trucks, Kody?"

"I like goin' swimmin'! Daddy Jeff has a great pool! And... And watching tv... playing outside..." He sat back with his dump truck, trying to think. "Oh! And being at TNA with daddy, mommy, and daddy Jeff! Sometimes I get to be on TV!" He beamed excitedly. "Just like Cookie Monster!" He frowned slightly. "But sometimes daddy Jeff makes me go to Kyra's princess parties." He made a face. "I hate going to princess parties!"

"Buuuut... She's your sister. And if she wants us to go to the princess parties-"

"We go to the princess parties." Kody made another face. He really didn't mind. He liked wearing the crown, and watching Jeff put on the massive feather boas and crowns was kind of funny.

Jeff looked down at his watch. "Hey Kody- go get ready for bed, okay? It's gettin' late, an' daddy Jeff would love to catch up with his old friend." He cast a sideways glance to Bret.

Kody pouted, not wanting to go to bed just yet, but he figured he shouldn't push his luck. Daddy Jeff did get hurt on his toy of daddy so... "Okay." He nodded and ran off to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Bret watched Kody run off to the bathroom, then turned to Jeff.

"He seems like a good kid." Bret put the police car down next to the firetruck, and smiled at Jeff. "Princess parties, huh. The Jeff Jarrett I used to know seems like he'd fit in. You used to wear some pretty questionable outfits in the ring. 'Course...that's coming from a guy who always wore pink, so I guess I don't have much room to talk." He couldn't help but laugh, picturing Jeff in a princess ball gown, and lavish crown.

"How's the back, is it feeling any better?"

"The Jeff Jarrett that you used to know threw his own type of 'princess parties' back in the day." He laughed and shook his head at the memories. "Jus' so ya know, Jeff Jarrett can still rock a crown an' a feather boa." He teased and let out a slow breath. While playing with the trucks, he barely noticed the pain. But now?

He winced. "It's pretty bad, Bret. I really musta messed up somethin'. I'm gonna have to crash in the guest bedroom tonight, I'm not gonna make it up the stairs any time soon." He whined out. "Okay... okay. I hate beggin' but I'll do it when I have to. Do ya mind stayin' for a bit longer? I might need your help gettin' to the bedroom. I'm so sorry to put ya on the spot like this, it's so good a ya to come an' help me."

"I don't mind staying, Jeff." He smirked. "Besides, I'm great at helping in the bedroom." He gave Jeff a wink, kidding with him. "Just one thing...you promise me if your back's still givin' you trouble tomorrow morning, you'll go get it checked out. Injuries are nothing to let go. It could just be an old ring injury you aggravated, but it could be something that needs more attention."

"Heyyyy, no worries Bret. I'm still a step dad, at least for a lil' bit longer. I don't wanna miss out on somethin' because I'm too busy bein' injured."

Kody came back into the living room, all ready for bed. "G'night daddy Jeff! I won't ask ya to tuck me in, because your back hurts." He hugged Jeff around the neck. "Thanks for playin' trucks with me an' daddy Jeff, Bert!"

"G'night kiddo. I promise I'll tuck ya'll in tomorrow to make up for it." Jeff hugged him back, watching the four year old scamper up the stairs for bed.

Jeff waited until he heard the footsteps thunder over head, which slowed to a stop. "...He's in bed." Jeff said slowly and looked at Bret. He flushed remembering Bret's words. Was he hitting on him or just goofing off? What WAS he talking about? He leaned in and brushed his lips against Bret's- barely- just enough to let the other man know it wasn't an accident.

The quick kiss took Bret off guard. He knew he'd been flirting, it was a natural part of his personality to do so, and Jeff Jarret was an attractive man. Bret hadn't really meant much by it though, he hadn't seen the blonde man for many years, and he'd never really been interested in Jeff before. Of course, that was probably because Bret had been too consumed by a different Southerner to even see anyone else. If Jeff had ever had any feelings for him back then, he had been oblivious too them. If anything, he might have suspected Jeff loved his brother.

But time moved on, and things changed, and Bret knew from the perspective he had now, that he had often misjudged things and seen people and situations wrongly in the past. A kiss wasn't very subtle, it was pretty bold.

"Come on, let's get up." Bret said, getting himself up first. He rubbed at his knee for a moment. It was an old injury that still stiffened up on him from time to time, especially in the event of rain or cold weather, and when playing trucks, of course. "Okay, I'm good now."

He helped Jeff up, looping an arm around his waist. He paused, really looking at Jeff now. His short blond hair looked soft, his lips beneath the pale mustache of his goatee even softer, and his blue eyes were beautiful, bold, and glimmering like lively silver-flecked ocean waves in the bright, brilliant summer. A small smile curved Bret's lips. He helped Jeff into the guest room, and together they sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Jeff, I'm gonna have to catch my flight back to Calgary tomorrow evening, and now I wish I wasn't leavin' so soon. I could cancel, but I have some prior plans I hafta tend to when I get home. Next month, I'm goin' to Hawaii for a couple weeks, gonna catch some sun and fun, and be a lazy beach bum. I know you're goin' through this divorce with your wife right now, but if ya need a break, and your back's feelin' better, why don't ya give me a call and I'll hook you up. It might do you good to get away for a little while. Hawaii's beautiful, and...well...I'm gonna be there. Added bonus." Bret reached over, and fluffed the pillow.

Jeff in the past, had a bit of hero worship toward Bret. He hung on his every word backstage, being taken in by the excellence of execution. With that hero worship came a crush a mile long, but he never acted on it, Bret was obsessed with another blonde southerner- he didn't have a chance but that was okay. He was hurt, but he knew a lost cause when he saw it. When they were in WCW together, Bret was noticeably bitter, but who the hell wouldn't be? So he bottled it up, dismissing it as a stupid crush that would never go anywhere.

He gave him a concerned look when his knee acted up, touching his shoulder. "Hey- I got some heating pads if ya need one." He didn't notice Bret looking at him as he was concentrating on not falling or stepping too hard. Once they were sitting on the edge of the bed, he smiled at Bret. "Thanks... I can't believe ya came to my rescue." His smile faltered briefly when Bret mentioned leaving. He kind of wanted Bret to stay, to get caught up on things again. But that's alright. "Hawaii...?" Jeff said the word hollowly. It echoed inside of his mind.

He slowly nodded. He was going to need the distraction, that was for sure. "Okay Bret. I'll go to Hawaii with you. Jus' lemme know when an' where, alright?" He asked and leaned in again after Bret fluffed his pillow. He brushed his lips against Bret's in less of a kiss than what it was before, but he wanted to make his point known. He was interested in Bret.

This time, Bret kissed Jeff back--why not? Jeff's lips felt good against his. He was an attractive man, and a man whom Bret was finding he wanted to spend more time with, and get to know better. The chemistry they had together over the span of many neglected years, a hurt back, and a few childs toys, was pretty damn good and warranted more exploration. Even if it only amounted to a new found friendship, then that would be fine, but Bret felt that there was potential for something more, and he was willing to go exploring. Bret broke the kiss, not wanting to linger to long, but to properly reciprocate it. The corners of his mouth curved into a soft smile at Jeff as their lips parted from one another, his dark eyes danced happily.

"We're gonna have some fun in Hawaii." Bret assured the blond, and stretched his leg out a little, to keep the stiffness from settling back into his knee. "You should put somethin' on your back." Bret added, as an afterthought. He noticed the door to a bathroom that came off of the guest room. He got up from the bed and walked to the bathroom, and ducked in. "Ya have some Icy-Hot or somethin'?" Bret asked, opening a cabinet that was built into the wall.

In the bottom fuzzy towels were neatly stacked, above the towels were three shelves. The first two shelves were completely full of female things--a million bottles of various hair goops, make ups, lotions, dainty scented soaps, jars of magical mojo to keep the tattle-tell marks of age at bay--it was the top shelf where he spied the squat little jar of Extra Strength Icy-Hot. He was sure Jeff would have it, or a similar product, seeing as how such things were always handy for wrestlers with taxed bodies.

Bret grabbed the Icy-Hot, his hand brushing a bottle of KY Jelly as he did so. He chuckled at that, and gave his head a shake to rid it of the 'naughty' thoughts that crept into his head. He saw a heating pad wedged into a corner of the cabinet, and grabbed that too before he closed the door, and moved back into the bedroom, crawling up onto the bed.
"Where does it hurt?" He asked, dropping the heating pad onto the covers, and unscrewing the lid to the Icy-Hot.

Jeff smiled lazily after Bret pulled away. When Bret kissed him back, it sealed it for him that the other man was interested in him, and maybe into something more. He licked at his lips, still tasting Bret on them even after he had gone into the bathroom.

"Yeah, it's in the bathroom medicine cabinet." Jeff called back, as he winced while removing his shirt. His skin was really tender where his back was, and while he couldn't see there was a nice deep bruise forming across the landscape of his lower back. He slid on his stomach on his bed sheets, sighing softly as his back throbbed painfully. It was going to be sore for a few days, but... he was welcoming it. At least it was something else he could keep his mind on other than the loss of his family in a few days.

"Right above my waist. That's where I hit the ground. I dunno, but I'm thinkin' it must be bruised. I tend to bruise pretty good." He reached back motioning to the spot. "Hey... Bret, thanks for all your help today. An'... for Hawaii too. I appreciate all a it, I really do. I wouldn't know what to do with out ya."

Bret dipped his fingers into the cool gel and gently smeared the Icy-Hot onto Jeff's lower back, just above the hem of his jeans. Jeff was right, there was a dark purplish bruise across the warm skin. He wanted some excuse to keep touching, to move his hands over the rest of Jeff's back even though that part wasn't injured, his shoulders, his neck...every bared inch of Jeff's torso, Bret had to admit, looked inviting and even enticing, but not now. Jeff was still a married man, his mind fresh with the hurt of divorce. Bret knew the feeling too well, but he tried not to dwell on it. Doors open, and doors close, that's just life.

He screwed the cap back onto the Icy-Hot, thinking Maybe in Hawaii, with sand between our toes and the sun sinking into the ocean. The romance of that thought made him smile, and almost laugh out loud. He really hadn't thought of something like that for awhile. After his last divorce he hadn't really been looking too hard for anything else. He'd focused mainly on his recovery, and after that...well if something was meant to happen, it would.

"No problem, Jeff." Bret said. He sat the Icy-Hot on the little table next to Jeff's bed.

The hands on his skin brought back many memories of times when they were in the ring, embracing, wrestling, pushing, shoving-- but never has it been like this. Warm, gentle, almost exploratory as he carefully applied the icy hot. He let out a slow sigh, feeling so much better with that on him as he slowly felt his back unlock and the soreness diminish. "Oooooohhhhh god. Oh yes, thank you Bret, ya'll have no idea how much better that feels." His body relaxed and he let out another relaxed sounding sigh. "It's like.. ten times better."

He looked at the little container on the bedside table, turning a little on his side to look up at Bret. "Won't ya'll stay the night? I know ya gotta go in the morning, but it's already late. Jus' stay here." He offered, giving Bret a small smile. He could use the company and he did feel better after Bret helped him.

Bret smiled softly at Jeff, curled up next to him on the bed.

"Hm...well if you really can't be denied of my presence, I guess I can stay. Ya twisted my arm." He kicked his shoes off, and then laid down next to JJ. "I'm not a big fan of hotels anymore anyway. After so many years they get to feeling lonely, like shells that people just wander in and out of. Thanks JJ, for lettin' me stay tonight."

"I jus'... I dunno, I loved your warmth. I like sleepin' with someone. I got used to it with Karen, an' now she doesn't stay here anymore. Homes can feel jus' as lonely as hotels." He said and turned around to face Bret in bed, reaching over to touch his arm. "But hell... this is nice. I couldn't let ya'll go back to the hotel after ya helped me. I'll make breakfast for us in the mornin'- somethin' to send ya off on your way properly. Wouldn't be very southern a me if I didn't make sure ya left full."

He rubbed Bret's arm, looking tiredly at him, but the corners of his mouth were upturned into a smile. "Can I get a kiss g'night..? Or am I askin' too much."