Editors Note: I need to give some praise here. Jorrieprincess is writing an awesome story called "Stay Another Day." It is so good I swear it is! It's so sad it made me cry! But it's an amazing story and she's an amazing writer. So please check out that story. I guarantee you'll like it if you like TorriexJohn pairings.
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Sarah was driving her cherry red convertible to court. She had the top up so she wouldn't ruin her hair. Today was the first day of her court hearing. School today was amazing. Everyone was behind her and gave her support. Even Sam came up to her and told her good luck. Derek was in the passenger seat with Minnie in his lap. He was texting on his phone to his buddies. Sarah sighed and looked at the road. It was 3:30. Sarah had 30 minutes to make it to the courthouse. She was so nervous she was currently chewing 3 pieces of Stride gum at the same time. Derek looked over at her and put his arm around her.
"It'll be fine Sarah. Just calm down."
"I'm going to court Derek. Would you be calm?"
"Probably not. But you're in good hands. You have the best lawyer ever and John will be there to help you. So try to be a little calmer."
Sarah looked back at Derek. She opened her window and spit out her gum. Derek nodded in approval and gave her a kiss on the cheek. They finally reached the courthouse around 3:45. Sarah's lawyer was waiting outside for her answering questions for the press. When he spotted the car he broke away and walked down the steps to greet her. The press followed behind him. Sarah opened her door and stepped out. Cameras were flashing and news reporters were flinging questions at her. Derek got out and put Minnie on her leash. Sarah's lawyer came around to her side and led her away from the reporters.
"Don't answer any questions yet. Wait till after today is done."
"I wasn't planning on it anyways."
"My name is Barry Witman by the way. John is inside waiting for you. So are some other guests."
Sarah stepped inside and took a deep breath. She looked in one of the windows of the courtroom. She looked over the outfit she chose for today. Black pants from Target, a lacy green beater with a white and green striped short sleeved button up from Gadzooks, and some black Prada heels. Her white coach purse hung off her shoulder as her out her Gucci sunglasses into it. Derek gave her a kiss and went to find a seat. Minnie gave her a kiss on the nose and trailed behind Derek. Sarah laughed and turned to her lawyer.
"So what will go on today?"
"Well the bailiff will address why were here. I do an opening statement and call up witnesses. Your mom's lawyer and I will take turns questioning the witnesses. There will be a recess after. Then we'll come back and address the issue of emancipation. That will be the end of today. Depending on how far we get will carry on to tomorrow. Tomorrow possibly we'll have some closing statements then close the case on the runaway. In 2 days we'll close the case on emancipation."
"So this is going to be a long day?"
"Basically. Come on, let's go inside."
Sarah sighed and followed her lawyer into the court room. She gasped when she saw who was there. All the stars filled the seats on her side. They were squished into the little benches. The McMahon's sat in the front row with John and Amy. Sarah wiped a tear from her face. She was so happy everyone was there with her. She walked up the aisle to her seat. She waved to everyone before taking a seat. Her lawyer sat right next to her. Sarah looked over to the other side. There sat her mom and dad with her sister in the front row. Their lawyer was going through some papers.
"All rise! Judge McClenan will reside over this case."
A man in a black gown walked up and sat down. Everyone sat down after him. The bailiff handed him some papers and put it in front of him.
"The case is Leynch vs. Leynch for the account on runaway and emancipation."
Sarah was gonna correct the bailiff and say it was Cena. But technically she was a Leynch. The judge looked over at Sarah's side.
"Opening statement from the plaintiff?"
Barry stood up and fixed his coat. He stepped out of his seat and walked over to the jury.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. This case shouldn't even exist. My client Sarah has a right to emancipation. But the system said no. She had to go somewhere she didn't want to. Yes she is Mr. and Mrs. Leynch's daughter. But she was doing what was right in her heart. She fell in love with John as her Dad. Her lifestyle was great. Her grades were great and her performance in the ring never lacked talent. So who's the bad guy here? The teenager who stood up for what was right? Or the parents who have made her life a living hell? You be the judge of that."
Barry turned around and went to his seat. He sat down and winked at Sarah. She was feeling good about this so far.
"Mr. Whitman, would you like to call up a witness?"
"I would like to call Mr. Michaels to the stand."
Sarah looked at him a little confused. What did he want with Shawn? Shawn stood up and went to the witness stand. She smiled at Sarah on his way up. He sat down as Barry approached him.
"Now Mr. Michaels how long have you known my client?"
"Since 2005. When John adopted her."
"Was she a well behaved kid?"
"Definitely. She held herself and never had a bad temper."
"Do you have a close relationship with my client?"
"Yes sir I do. We talk every house show. She's just like my daughter."
"Mr. Michaels. Did my client ever complain about her other family to you?"
"On several occasions. She told me she never wanted to go back because of all the grief they caused her. Did you know that her mother and sister disrupted her in a spa and started to swear at her?"
Sarah's mom sulked in her chair. Barry looked over at their table. He smiled, knowing he was winning this battle.
"Mr. Michaels. On a scale of 1-10, how good of a parent was John to my client?"
"One million."
"And how good of a daughter was my client to John?"
"About the same. They got along pretty well."
"So when she was torn from the clutches of John, she was heart broken?"
"We all were. Everyone loves her to pieces. I don't understand why she should go back to such horrible parents."
"No further questions your honor."
Barry walked back and took a seat. The judge looked over at Sarah's mom's table. Their lawyer got up and walked over to Shawn.
"Mr. Michaels. Is it true Ms. Leynch volunteered to go up for adoption?"
"Yes sir."
The lawyer turned to the jury, ignoring Shawn for the moment. When he turned around Shawn flicked him off and made a funny face. Sarah couldn't help but snicker at this.
"In the code of adoption if the parent wants the child back and is under living conditions, the current parents must give the child back."
"Not unless the child has a job and can support themselves."
The judge turned back to Shawn. He looked at him for a while.
"Excuse me?"
"The child, or teenager in Sarah's case, can file for emancipation, which she has done."
"But there's a difference. She volunteered to go up for adoption. So emancipation does not fall under that category. It's in the code."
"Well fuck the code."
Sarah gasped and covered her mouth. She had never heard Shawn swear like that before! The judge called for the bailiff to take Shawn off the stand. Shawn got down and sat back in his seat. Sarah laughed and high fived him. It was Sarah's mom's lawyer to call up the next witness.
"We call up Mr. Cena to the stand."
John sighed and got up. He made his way to the stand. Sarah smiled at John. But all he did was sit and stare at the lawyer.
"Mr. Cena. What made you decide to adopt Ms. Leynch?"
"I don't know. I wanted to try it out, so I did."
"So it wasn't a sure thing? Just…something to try out."
"No sir, it was. She made me want a child…but just skip all the late nights and potty training. You don't try out parenthood. You're either ready or your not."
"So you think you handled parenthood well?"
"I think so. We barely fought."
"When did you?"
"When Sarah didn't tell me she had a boyfriend."
"Why didn't she tell you?"
"She was…scared."
"Why was she scared?"
"She was scared because…she thought I would go after the boy."
"Intimidation. Not healthy for a child. Tell me Mr. Cena. Did you go after the boy?"
"When he dumped her on live TV I did."
"And you wonder why she was scared. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Mr. Cena almost abused an innocent young boy. What does that say about his parenting skills? If Sarah had made one slip up, what would come out of it?"
The jury nodded in agreement. Sarah could see that John was getting mad. The lawyer turned back to John and smiled.
"No further questions."
Barry got up and walked over to John. He cleared his throat before speaking.
"You think my client is responsible right Mr. Cena?"
"Absolutely. If she can hold the Women's title, she is."
"That's a lot of pressure to put on a 16 year old. Do you think she can handle it?"
"100 percent."
"So she can handle the responsibility of making her own decisions then."
"Of course. She's proved it."
"Tell me Mr. Cena. Did my client ever complain about traveling back and forth to Minnesota and the venues for the night?"
"Never. In fact, she loved it."
"So she never cried about stress or anything?"
"Never. It's like she didn't have any."
"When did she cry Mr. Cena?"
"When Eddie died. But that's a give in. At the HOF ceremony. When Sam broke her heart. And when she had to leave me after Wrestlemania."
"Why do you think she cried that night?"
"She didn't appreciate her family anymore. Her dad showed up at her school to tell her she couldn't get away. He was basically threatening her. Her mom was even worse when she put her hands on her friends and her at the spa."
"So her mom abused her?"
"Yes sir."
Barry turned to the jury. He smiled before he spoke.
"DO you want this young lady to live under an abusive house? I wouldn't. No further questions."
Barry smiled and took a seat. Sarah was grinning from ear to ear. They were winning! The other lawyer got to call up the next witness.
"Your next witness Mr. Smith?"
"I would like to call Sarah to the stand."
Sarah's smile dropped. She had to answer questions? She looked over at her lawyer. He gave her a sorry look. She knew she had to go up there. She stood up and started to walk to the stand. The divas started to clap and cheer for her. She laughed and sat in the chair. She was so nervous. She was on trial for something she shouldn't be on trial for. It was judgment day for her. Sadly, it had come to quick.
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That's the chapter! I had a hard time writing that one! Please review! Next chapter: Sarah is on the stand. What kind of questions will she have to answer? What could go wrong? Tune in next time!
