A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the delay. I've had chapter seven in my head for the past few days but I couldn't get it down on paper till now. When we last left John and Morgan they had just gotten back from the wedding from hell and they were set to part ways again for a while. I said I would only skip six months but I think I might go for about eight months instead. For everyone who's been waiting for John and Liz to break up/divorce, sit tight because here it comes!

Chapter Seven- Eight Months Later

Boston Massachusetts

Eight months had passed since John and Morgan last saw each other. They had kept in touch frequently by phone most of the time and by email when phone wasn't possible. Morgan watched every edition of Raw and every pay-per view and checked all the information she had trying to find out when John would be back to Boston again. He had been close a few times, doing house shows near the area and a couple of live Raw shows as well but Morgan always had work to do or John would have to leave right away to go to another show or home to Florida to visit Liz. Morgan couldn't help but feel a little neglected but she knew that he loved his job and his wife and it was unfair of her to ask him to give up any time for either of them just to visit her.

Today however, was different. April 23rd… for the past 10 months she had gotten to know quite possibly one of the greatest men she had ever met in her life and today was his birthday. Morgan was determined to do something nice for him even if he was halfway around the country…

Tulsa, Oklahoma

2 Days away from Backlash

John sat in his hotel room alone again on his birthday. He had gotten used to spending them alone most of the time but it still wasn't any fun. He would have normally expected Liz to call him but the fight they'd had just two days before was still ringing in his ears and he figured she didn't want to talk to him yet but the fact that no one had called, not even Morgan really seemed to bother him.

He and Liz had of course been fighting about Morgan… again. It was ridiculous really, or at least John thought it was. He and Morgan were only friends and Liz was just jealous for some stupid reason. Had John had feelings for Morgan, other than platonic feelings, then maybe Liz would have something to be worried about but that was highly unlikely… or is it… John thought to himself.

Wait, no that's ridiculous. I can't possibly have feelings for Morgan, I'm married for god's sakes… he thought to himself…

"Then why can't you stop thinking about her" he said to himself. "This is ridiculous… I do not have feelings for Morgan, she's like my best friend, and Liz is my wife granted a jealous one at that but she's still my wife… I can't have feelings for anyone else I just can't" he said out loud. But you do… that nagging little voice in his head told him.

John paced about the room for close to twenty minutes when all of a sudden there was a heavy knock on the door. He got up and slowly walked over to the door, unlocked it and swiftly pulled it open. He was prepared to tell whoever it was to just go away and leave him alone, that he didn't need housekeeping, hadn't ordered room service or god forbid if it was a fan-girl that he wasn't interested in a one night stand, but when he opened the door he stared straight ahead in shock.

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"Liz this is completely ridiculous can we please not fight on my birthday… for once" John pleaded with his wife over the telephone.

"No John, I'm tired of this… she's all you talk about lately and I feel like you don't give a damn about me anymore" a very irate Liz said on the other line.

"Liz, honey you know that's not true. Morgan is not all I talk about but she is my friend and I do care about her and I'm sorry that you don't like her although I don't really understand it all that much. It's not like she's done anything bad to you, she's been nothing but supportive of me and despite all the nasty things you might say about her, she's never said a bad word about you at all. In fact, for a while she couldn't wait to meet you, she thought the two of you would make great friends. Why can't you just accept that I have friends who are girls who aren't you? Why does everything have to be a big argument with us lately? Why, for the love of God, do we have to do this now… on my birthday of all days?!" he yelled into the phone.

2 hours earlier…

John stood at the door dumbfounded. He couldn't think of a word to say. Just two seconds ago he was depressed that all his friends had seem to have forgotten his birthday and now, standing in front of him, was Morgan, with a bag of movies and snacks and a duffle bag packed with enough clothes and supplies to last until after Backlash in two days.

"Happy Birthday John!" Morgan grinned wildly at John.

"I… uh… wow. Morgan, I wasn't expecting this. Though I guess it explains why you didn't call huh" he quickly recovered from his shock and let her into the room.

"What are you doing here if you don't mind my asking" he asked her. She looked at him and smiled.

God I hate when she does that… her smile kills me… he thought. Somehow he managed to register what it was she had said to him.

"Well, I figured I didn't have much for work this weekend since I quit my job last week and I said… 'What the hell' and hopped on a plane. Then I called Randy and he told me where you guys were staying so I grabbed a cab and hauled my ass over here" she told him.

"Wait, go back… you quit your job!" he asked surprised. This certainly wasn't like the Morgan he knew. She would never do something so drastic without consulting those closest to her. "What happened" he asked.

Morgan looked at him strangely. "What do you mean" she asked him.

"I mean, why did you quit, and why didn't you tell me sooner… you don't make big decisions without talking to people first… I'm just confused" he said. He was genuinely curious as to why she would have just quit out of nowhere.

Morgan had started smiling again. "Well" she started… "I have a surprise for you, another birthday present if you will" she said. "You see, I got a call about a month ago for a job opportunity that I just couldn't pass up so I put in my 'two weeks' as they say, packed some stuff and headed to Connecticut for a week or so. I took the Connecticut Bar Exam, passed with flying colors and now…" she reached into her duffle bag and pulled out a letter which she handed to John, "I work for WWE's litigation department" she finished.

John read the letter three times before it finally sank in what she was telling him. She worked for WWE corporate but worked mostly on the personal legal needs of the Superstar's and other employees and thus, would be traveling with the company for about 90 percent of the time she worked for them. Apart from appearing for hearings and monthly board meetings, she would be on the road, all the time. John felt dizzy with excitement. His best friend would be back on the road with him almost all the time.

This can't possibly get any better… he thought. He looked up at Morgan and realized she had been waiting for his reaction this whole time.

Oh no… he's not happy. Maybe this was a mistake, I shouldn't have told the firm I was leaving for good… maybe I should have waited to see how John would react to me being here all the time…Morgan's thoughts ran wild as she waited for a reaction from John. Finally he looked up at her and smiled brightly.

John grinned like a fool and enveloped Morgan in a hug that made her heart jump into her throat. She hated how his hugs could do that to her.

"I'm so happy… this is the best birthday present ever" he told her. "My best friend is gonna be here every day… how could this possibly get any better right now" he said still hugging her.

"John… I can't breathe" she said laughing a little. "Oh sorry…" he said.

"I should call Liz and tell her. This is awesome" he finished. Morgan died just a little inside just then.

"Yeah, probably… I'm gonna go get something to eat downstairs I think… and maybe go say hi to some of the girls later I guess" she told him. John nodded happily and handed her a room key so she wouldn't have to knock when she came back.

"See ya later" he said. "Yeah, later Cena" she replied and walked out the door.

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"God damn-it John, why does she have to be on such a pedestal with you" Liz screamed. "You make it seem like she can't do anything wrong, for god sakes she probably begged Vince to give her a job so she could be on the road with you" she said. "She's only doing it because she wants to break us up… she's only interested in you for your money and the faster she gets me out of the way, the faster she can use you to get what she wants" Liz yelled.

"Liz, that's enough!" John yelled. He rarely ever really yelled at Liz, or anyone for that matter but what she was saying about Morgan made his blood boil and he wasn't sure why. He knew she could take care of herself but he felt the need to defend his friend to his wife.

"She is not like that" he said, "She's kind and smart and funny and she deserves this job more than half the people on WWE's payroll because she's damn good at what she does. Besides she's not interested in me for anything other than a friend so I don't know where you get off saying she wants me for my money. She's never asked me for a dime and even when I offer to pay for things for her she keeps refusing until she's blue in the face" he went on. "You have no right to say those things about her and I'm done talking to you until you admit that you're being ridiculous and jealous and forget this whole stupid vendetta you have against someone who's done nothing to you" he finished telling her.

Liz was quiet for a few moments and then she spoke.

"John, do you love her?" she asked quietly.

"WHAT! What the hell kind of question is that… Jesus Liz, NO I do not love Morgan, she is a friend, nothing more and nothing less and yes, we're close, but for god sakes you are my wife. Don't you think you could at least trust me a little bit?" John was furious by now.

"You know what, just forget it, I don't want to talk to you anymore right now" he told her. "Call me when you're done being ridiculous" he said and hung up the phone.

John sighed heavily and looked down at the wedding band on his left hand. He ran his hands through his hair and sat down on the bed. He looked at the phone in his hand and threw it against the wall and then collapsed on the bed.

Morgan stood silently in the doorway, her breath caught in her throat. She had heard John defending her to his wife and the horrible things she had said about her were finally revealed. She'd watched John as he eyed his wedding ring and destroyed his phone and collapsed into his bed without saying a word. He hadn't noticed she was there yet. Morgan tried to tiptoe out the door again but the minute she opened it, John heard the click and sat bolt upright in the bed.

"Morgan" he called out to her. "I didn't expect you back so soon" he said quietly, trying to pretend he'd been napping. He watched Morgan carefully and saw her shoulders heave and jumped up from his spot on the bed and was standing in front of her less than two seconds later.

"How much did you hear" he asked her cautiously. "I heard enough to know I don't belong here" she replied. "You keep telling me that I'm not causing a problem but you're lying to me. I am the problem… and the only way to fix it is for me to go away, forever" she told him.

He looked at her and he felt his eyes bug out of his skull. "That is not the only way to fix this. Liz is insecure, she's acting crazy right now, eventually she's gonna realize that you're not here to steal me away and that I love her and I'm not leaving her" he told Morgan. "Please don't leave, you've got a great job lined up and I'd never forgive myself if I let you walk away from something I know you really want to do" he said.

"Yeah, but…" Morgan started. "No yeah, buts" he countered. "Just promise me you won't let her insecurities intimidate you this much. We're friends and I'm not letting anything get in the way of that, you need to realize that and you need to do it sooner rather that later" he told her.

Morgan smiled slowly and hugged John tightly. "Thank you John" she said. "For what" he asked her.

"For sticking up for me, for being my friend… just everything" she said and hugged him again, a hug he gladly returned.

"So is this still the best birthday ever" she asked him, smiling. He laughed and nodded. "Absolutely, wouldn't have had it any other way, except maybe I wouldn't have fought with my wife but well… you can't win 'em all" he said chuckling.

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4 Months Later…

August 2010

Morgan had adjusted to life on the road again mighty quickly and she absolutely loved her new job. Being around everyone again had been refreshing and she even got to see Carla more often now since Florida was not only where John's home was, but also a very frequent stop on WWE tours.

Knock knock knock… Morgan heard loud, persistent knocking and knew instantly who was at the door. There was only one person who knocked that way, and only one reason he would be doing it. Morgan looked at the clock… 7am… I am so going to kill John for this later she thought. She crawled out of bed and threw on her hotel robe and answered the door slowly.

"Good morning John, what has Liz done now" Morgan asked incredulously.

"How did you know it was me… and Liz?" he asked her. Morgan rolled her eyes and let him in the room.

"John, every time you show up at odd hours, knocking incessantly like you just were, it's ALWAYS you and Liz" Morgan said. "So sit down and tell me what happened this time" she told him. It was then that she noticed the somber look on his face and she was instantly concerned.

Morgan patted the spot on the bed next to her. John slowly walked over and sat down and put his head in his hands. Morgan placed her hand on his back and rubbed it slowly and he lifted his eyes to meet hers slowly. Morgan could see tears forming in his eyes.

"Johnny… what's wrong. Please tell me" she said. Morgan only called him Johnny under extreme circumstances. He very rarely let anyone call him that and to that day Liz had never called him Johnny. He broke down at the sound of her calling his name that way and couldn't speak so he simply handed her a small manila envelope addressed to him from the Orange County Court in Orlando Florida.

Morgan opened the envelope silently willing it to not be what she already knew was inside it. Inside was a stack of papers and the top paper said all Morgan needed to know: Petition for Divorce… she read. Liz had filed for divorce from John citing infidelity and abandonment on his part. Morgan stuffed the papers back into the envelope and threw them onto the nearest table. Angry was an understatement, not only had Liz filed for divorce, she had alleged that John was unfaithful and named Morgan as the other woman, no angry definitely hadn't done justice to the outrage she felt at this moment.

After five minutes of watching Morgan seethe silently, John finally spoke up.

"Morgan, I'm so sorry I got you involved in all of this" he said softly. She turned to him and the anger her eyes instantly faded away.

"John, don't be sorry. Liz did this… not you and she's not getting away with it that's for sure. I can't be your lawyer on this one because I'm named in the suit but I'll make sure the WWE gets its best lawyers on it right away. She won't get a dime from you and I will NOT let her drag your name or mine through the mud like this" she finished.

Morgan sat down next to John and held him close for a while and when he finally seemed to be regaining control a little, she let him go and grabbed her cell phone. She placed a quick call to WWE headquarters and spoke to Vince about getting his team of lawyers to look over the claims and find ways to debunk them and then placed a second call to Carla in Florida.

After three rings, Carla finally picked up. "Hey girl! Long time no talk" she said.

"Hey Carla, this isn't a social call I'm afraid. I need a favor" she told her best friend. "Anything you need I'm your girl" Carla told her.

John watched and listened as Morgan relayed the relevant facts to Carla and asked her to get information on Liz's lawyers and the judges who were currently serving the County Court in Orlando so she would have some idea of what they were up against.

"Wow, that's a big favor but I'll get in touch with some of my friends at City Hall and see what I can find out for you" she said. "How's John taking it" she asked. Morgan cringed slightly… "Well, I guess he's taking it about as well as anyone would take something like this I suppose" she told her friend.

"Yeah that's to be expected I guess" she said. "Well, I'll make some calls and then I'll call you back later today when I know some more information" Carla finished. "Tell John I'm sorry and I'll do everything I can to help you guys out" she said.

"Thanks girl. I appreciate it. I'll tell him" Morgan said. She hung up and relayed what Carla had told her to John and twenty minutes later she got a phone call from Vince letting her know that his lawyers had determined that both John and Morgan would have to take the stand and defend themselves against the allegations of infidelity and that they should both go to the press and make a statement before Liz beat them to it. He had also informed that her allegations of abandonment had no ground to stand on because John's job had him traveling almost every day of the year and Liz knew this full well when she agreed to marry him.

Morgan and John agreed to do separate press conferences the following day that would be aired on every major news network in the country and both of them had agreed to take lie detector tests to disprove the allegations as well.

The next day

WWE Headquarters (A/N: Bold is the press conference)

Stamford Connecticut

"Ladies and Gentleman, we've gathered you all here today to address the ridiculous claims being made against one of our WWE Superstars in regards to the recent news of his impending divorce. Here to dispel those rumors and allegations, John Cena and Morgan Barlow."

Vince left the stage while John and Morgan made their way to the microphones. Morgan silently thanked him and shook his hand.

"Mr. Cena" said a reporter from E! Entertainment News, "your wife's petition for divorce contains a claim that you were unfaithful to her, and that Ms. Barlow is in fact the 'other woman' referred to in those claims. Can you comment on the claims and the relationship between you and Ms. Barlow?" the reporter finished.

"All I can say is that I am deeply saddened that Elizabeth would take things this far and implicate an innocent woman in all of this as well. I can tell you the claims of infidelity are 100 percent false and that Ms. Barlow and I are only good friends. I only hope that all of you don't buy into this hype and that my fans will continue to support me during this difficult time in my life" John said.

The reporter turned to Morgan next. "Ms. Barlow…can you add anything to Mr. Cena's comments" the reporter asked. Morgan smiled warmly and began her tirade. She had prepared for an hour beforehand for this exact question.

"Thank you for asking that sir. Yes I can comment on these allegations. They are as John said completely and utterly false. John and I are simply good friends and the very idea that the soon to be ex Mrs. Cena continues to insist that they have merit simply proves to me what I've suspected all along. Mrs. Cena is selfish, she is jealous and she is only concerned with getting her day in court rather than listening to her loving husband who only wanted to make things work with her. There is and never has been a relationship between John and I and we have both agreed to a lie detector test in order to prove this. I need to say one last thing before we end this press conference. If someone could get a close up shot I'd be very grateful."

One of the cameras zoomed in on Morgan's face and she directed her gaze into that particular camera.

"Elizabeth Huberdeau-Cena, you are despicable. I tried to befriend you, I tried to show you that John and I were only friends but you wouldn't have anything to do with me. You listen to me and you listen well. You will not, I repeat, will NOT get away with this. John has never been unfaithful and you will not get a damn dime from him saying otherwise. I'll see you in court!" Morgan smiled for the cameras and motioned to John that it was time to go.

"Morgan Barlow that was the single coolest most vindictive thing I think I've ever seen" said John when they had gone back inside the building.

Morgan simply smiled and said "wait till the trial, you ain't seen nothing yet" and walked away leaving John smiling for first time in over 48 hours.

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The divorce trial had lasted about two weeks and true to their word Morgan and John had passed the polygraph tests with flying colors and the judge, lacking any evidence to the contrary was forced to dismiss Liz's claims. He eventually awarded Morgan $20,000 in punitive damages for the slander and libel she had endured due to the claims, ordered Liz to pay not only her own but also John and Morgan's court costs and legal fees and granted John and Liz their divorce under irreconcilable differences.

John and Morgan were back on the road less than a week later and went out with a group of friends to celebrate the victory at a local karaoke bar in Biloxi Mississippi where they were that week.

They danced all night until about 2am and finally stumbled back to their hotel around 3 in the morning completely hammered. John walked Morgan to her room before heading to his own to get some sleep. He stopped her before she went into her room and hugged her tightly.

"Thanks Morgan. I don't think I could have made it through this without you" he said softly. Morgan laughed… "Of course you could have, but I'm glad you didn't try" she said, "if that makes any sense" she laughed again.

John looked at her strangely for a second and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Morgan smiled and released her grip on John and reached for the key card in her back pocket. She slipped it in the reader and opened the door but he stopped her from entering the room.

"Morgan, you really are great, you know that right" he asked her. She blushed and said "yeah well you're not so bad yourself."

"I'm serious" he said. "I really don't think I would have been able to go through with divorcing Liz if it hadn't been for you. I wanted to do it for the longest time but I just couldn't and then you came along and I finally had a reason to do it. She just beat me too it I guess" he laughed slightly. Morgan was unsure how to feel at that moment. She was startled out of her thoughts when she realized John had leaned down and lightly kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight Morgan" he said softly. "Thanks for everything. One of these days I'll make it up to you" he told her and walked away in the direction of his room.

Morgan sighed and entered her own hotel room… "And one of these days I'll tell you that I love you" she said softly as she collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.

A/N: So there you have it… John and Liz divorced. I wasn't going to do it this soon but I didn't really think I could drag it on anymore, besides I think it was dramatic enough for everyone. And before I get bombarded with questions, that kiss on the forehead was not some way for John to say he loves her, it was simply a cute way for him to say thank you for everything she's done for him. She however, is very much in love with him and he has yet to really admit his feelings to himself so it's still going to take some time for him to accept how he feels about her. Let me know what you guys think and I'll write the next chapter after I get some reviews for this one. I wanna make sure you guys are happy with the way this one went.