A/N: There will probably one more chapter after this. Maybe, MAYBE, two more chapters. I can't be too sure, but this story is about to come to an end. It's sad because I really enjoyed writing this story, but all good things must come to an end. Thank you all for your support and encouragement; it's all so greatly appreciated. R&R. Enjoy!

In Loving Memory

X

For John, the ten days that led up to the hearing for the permanent PFA were both long and short. The closer the date of the hearing approached, the more his nerves started getting to him. At times, he'd be so nerve wracked that he wouldn't be to hold any food down, so throwing up had been a regular occurrence. Dwayne was worried about him, but there wasn't much that could be down to quell John's nerves. Instead, they got everything that they'd need for the hearing ready and organized. John's parents would be sitting with Phoebe in the pews behind them while the hearing was taking place. He wasn't sure if the judge would talk to his daughter or not, but he wanted her there just in case.

Surprisingly enough, Randy hadn't contacted him at all. It was kind of a shock, one that made John a little apprehensive. After all, Randy was the type who would plot and scheme and come up with some way out of a situation that was against him. John wouldn't be surprised if Randy somehow managed to worm his way out of this, but, as the coordinator had told both himself and Dwayne, if Randy didn't show up for the hearing, then the judge would give John the permanent order. He was kind of hoping that Randy wouldn't show up, but that was wishful thinking on his part.

He had told Hunter about the letter and the date of his hearing. His boss understood and gave him the day off, which John was more than thankful for. Hunter had always been understanding and he knew how much it meant to John and his family for this hearing to go well. Mike, of course, gave him constant support as the days ticked away and he wished John the best of the luck the day before the hearing was scheduled. Dave gave Dwayne some tips on what to bring and what to say, so his fiancé felt as though they were more than ready for this hearing. John, however, wasn't so confident. Actually, he just wanted to get this hearing over and done with. Not knowing what was going to happen made him sick to his stomach and his nerves weren't helping him at all.

When the day of the hearing finally arrived, John had woken up beyond tired and more than sick. He didn't get much sleep the night before and his nerves were raging so bad within him that he threw up twice before he could even get dressed for the hearing. After he was okay and clean, he picked out a suit and quickly dressed. Going downstairs, he made some coffee and gathered up the papers and documents they needed for the hearing. Dwayne came down about twenty minutes later and entered the kitchen just as John was nursing his cup of coffee, trying to sip at it so as not to upset his stomach even more.

"Ready for the hearing?" Dwayne rubbed his back and kissed his temple before he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"All things considered, I'm ready to get it over with. God, I'm so damn worried about what'll happen…" His fiancé studied him for a moment before responding.

"You're worried that Randy will get off scott free, aren't you?" John nodded and Dwayne pulled him into a one arm hug.

"He won't. I know he won't. The judge has already granted you the temporary order, so that means you're a shoe in for the permanent one."

"I hope so." Dwayne kissed him before he put down his cup.

"Try to calm yourself and relax. You're making a bigger deal than you need to be. I'll go and get Phoebe up and ready. Just try to calm yourself down." John laughed softly and sat down at the kitchen table as Dwayne left and went upstairs.

The older man was right: he needed to calm down. This was a hearing for a permanent protect from abuse order. Surely, if the judge was going to rule against them, this hearing wouldn't even be taking place. He was worried because he would be seeing Randy for the first time since the incident and he wasn't sure how his ex was going to react. Knowing Randy, he'd appear calm but would actually be more than pissed off and would probably try to make John out to be some sort of insane whore. Hopefully, if that were to happen, the judge would see through the bullshit and take into account the fact that Randy was unstable and violent at the best of times. Sipping his coffee, John took deep breaths, trying to calm himself and his nerves. His method seemed to be working because when Dwayne returned to the kitchen with Phoebe in tow, he wasn't as tightly wound as he had been.

After eating breakfast, they left the house and drove to the courthouse. John's parents were to meet them there and, sure enough, they were standing outside of the courthouse when they arrived. Knowing that they were going to be there calmed him down a little bit more and he found that he wasn't shaking and stuttering all that much. His mom and dad hugged him before they took hold of Phoebe. Once they were ready, the five of them entered the courthouse and made their way to the designated courtroom. Having his family with him made him feel a lot better and John felt his confidence rise a little bit. That is, until he saw Randy standing outside of the courtroom.

"Hello, John. It's been a while, hasn't it? I must admit that I didn't think I'd be seeing you again under such strenuous circumstances. But then again, you are the one who started this bullshit, aren't you?" One look at Randy, who appeared calm and collected even though his eyes told a completely different story, made John's confidence disappear. Looking down, he didn't reply; instead, he ignored his ex and waited patiently to be called into the courtroom. Dwayne pulled him into a hug and kissed his temple.

"Don't worry about him, John. He can't do anything. We're here to get you a permanent order and that's exactly what we're going to do." A few minutes passed before they were called into the courtroom. The judge who had made the determination would also be residing over the hearing and that made John feel a little bit better. The bailiff read the document number and gave the judge a file.

"Alright, let's get down to business, shall we? We're here to instate a permanent protection from abuse order for one John Felix Anthony Cena against one Randal Keith Orton. Mr. Cena, you are to state your case and I am to decided whether or not abuse has occurred as is stated in the state statute. Do you understand what you are to do, Mr. Cena?" John nodded.

"Yes, Your Honor, I do."

"Outstanding. You may proceed."

John started to explain to the judge everything that had happened ever since he had met Randy. He explained that they were best friends when they were sophomores in high school but had become much more. Being sure to keep respectful eye contact with the judge, John told him that Randy had started becoming verbally abusive and then violent. After telling the judge that he had statements from his friends and family members and pictures of the physical abuse that had occurred, the judge asked to see them and John handed them over to the bailiff. The judged looked them over in silence before he nodded and told John to continue.

Nodding, John told the judge about becoming pregnant with Phoebe and that when he told Randy, he had almost been killed. Randy, he told the judge, didn't want to have a child at the time and he that he didn't want to be with a 'freak' like John. John explained to the judge that he had broken up with Randy and was in school at the time and starting a new life, although Randy remained in the community to torment John. He told the judge that Randy apologized for everything he had done and they remained close.

"But he returned to the way he had been after Phoebe was born."

"What was he doing, Mr. Cena?"

"He started to…become verbally abusive and violent, like he had been before. It was like nothing had changed."

John continued to tell the judge everything that had happened between him and Randy, providing pictures and statements, text messages and recorded voice mail that showed just how violent Randy was. He ended by telling the judge about what Randy had done on that Friday when John went to drop Phoebe off. While had explained what Randy had done to him and that he had caused John to miscarry his and Dwayne's unborn child, Randy remained poised and never took his eyes off of John. Although he could feel that cold, icy glare bore into his very being, John refused to waver. When he had finished explaining his case, the judge remained silent and looked over the files and documents he had been given. A good five minutes passed before he looked up and stared down at Randy, who only turned his attention to the judge when he started speaking.

"What do you have to say to explain yourself, Mr. Orton? I must say that the evidence against you is outstanding." Randy shrugged and John couldn't help but notice how tense the tattooed man's body really was.

"I have nothing much to say, Your Honor. It seems to me that you've already made your decision. After all, you did determine that John should have a temporary order, so there's not much I can say that will get me out of this mess, is there?" The judge stared at him for a moment before looking back down. His eyes skimmed over whatever document he was reading before he took off his glasses and addressed John and Randy.

"Considering the evidence you have presented to me today and the lack of a rebuttal on Orton's side, I am going to grant you a permanent protection from abuse order." Behind him, John's mom cried out in relief. Looking over his shoulder at them, a wide smile on his face, John saw the relief, joy, and happiness that were clearly written on his loved one's face. He turned back to face the judge when he started to speaking again.

"This order will last for eighteen months and you will receive the official documentation in the mail within the next three to five business days. However, Mr. Orton, just because Mr. Cena doesn't have the actual documentation as of yet, that doesn't mean that you can do anything to him and remain untouched. If you threaten or harm him, you will be arrested, put in jail, and will be seeing me or a colleague of mine not too long after. Understand?"

"I do, Your Honor."

"Good. As I have previously stated, I have ruled in favor of the plaintiff, John Cena, and the official documentation for the permanent protection from abuse order will arrive via mail within the next three to five business days. The court is adjourned until further notice. Have yourselves a nice day."

John cried out in joy and rushed to hug Dwayne. The older man held onto him tight and kissed his temple, laughing and grinning. Letting go of his fiancé, he hugged his mom and dad before he bent down and picked Phoebe up, holding her close to him. She giggled and hugged him as tight as her little arms could. He made his way back to the podium to gather up his papers and documents. With Phoebe in his arms, it was a little hard to do, but he finally managed to collect everything just as Randy spoke.

"Congratulations, John. You must be…relieved. Our custody arrangement is still okay though, I trust?" John looked up at him and his smile faded. He nodded tightly and shift Phoebe in his arms.

"Yeah, it's fine. I'm sorry it had to come to this, Randy."

"No, you're not." Randy walked away and John had a feeling that he left behind him an unspoken but you will be and that worried him. John walked back over to his family and they left the courtroom, talking about where to go to celebrate their victory.

A few weeks pass. A month and John was feeling lighter, happier, than he had been in a long time. Although he still had to drop Phoebe off every other weekend or so, Ted was always the one to come and get her. Ted wasn't a bad guy; he was just overly loyal to a bad guy. But even so, nothing could dampen John's good mood. A few days after the court hearing, he had gone to the doctors because he was still throwing up, and he received a pleasant surprise. Once again, John was pregnant and he was so shocked and yet so happy when he found out. It was easier to tell Dwayne this time around than it had been the first time and he, too, was excited and happy.

That being said, Dwayne refused to let John enter Ted and Randy's apartment and he almost always accompanied him whenever he went to drop Phoebe off. He hadn't told Randy about his pregnancy and he wasn't going to. Not this time around. And since Ted usually came and got Phoebe whenever John and Dwayne arrived at the apartment building, John rarely ever saw his ex. While it was strange, it was also incredibly nice. John didn't have to worry about Randy and his violent mood swings or anything like that. Everything seemed to be going well and the future looked so bright and chipper.

Currently, John was parked in a space at Randy's apartment building, just sitting there, debating on whether he should go home or not. Time had passed and he was five months pregnant and showing, but he wasn't worried about the baby growing inside of him. He was worried about his little girl who was with Randy right now. It was Sunday and he had arrived to pick his daughter up. But Ted wasn't there and Dwayne was visiting his parents, so John had to come by himself. Being at the building alone made him hesitate, but he had to get Phoebe. She needed to come home and John knew that she wanted to come home.

Just as he turned to unbuckle his seat belt, someone knocked on the window of his car. John jumped, hitting his head, and swore before he turned to see who it was. It was Randy. Well, at least he had come down to meet him, although John didn't see Phoebe anywhere. She was probably still inside of the apartment, which meant that John would have to go and get her. He observed Randy's facial expression, search for any traces of anger or malice, and he found none. Cursing himself for being so damn jumpy, John opened his door.

"Hey, Randy. Sorry for taking so long. I hope you don't mind that I'm a little early." Randy shrugged.

"It's okay." John looked down to grab his keys and was taking them out of the ignition when he felt something press against his stomach. Looking down, he saw that it was a rifle, Randy's favorite to be precise. Blinking, he slowly looked up at his ex, not knowing what the hell was going to happen.

"Randy?"

Before anything else was said, a shot was fired and the conversation ceased.