A/N: As promised, two in one night. You all just got lucky! Hmm, that sounds dirty...
"Why did we get so lucky? How did we avoid everything?"
Ted looked at Cody over the egg roll he was eating. "What are you talking about, Codes? What exactly did we avoid? Aren't we both in a hospital?"
Cody laughed and moved his food around on the plate. "Well, yeah, but for easy things. The car didn't actually hit you and the dog just gave me a really bad bite. Randy has been tortured and John was almost killed and had his house destroyed, but me and you have come away pretty OK."
Ted put down his food and looked thoughtful. "I guess we haven't gotten it that bad."
Cody nodded and took a bite. He looked down at his hands. "I feel like such a bad friend."
Ted looked at him and quickly shook his head. "What are you talking about, Codes? You're not a bad friend. There's nothing bad about you. You're an angel."
Cody smiled and said, "I feel selfish sometimes. I hate that these things are happening to our friends and I would give anything for it to stop, but at the same time I'm thinking that I don't want anything to happen to you or me." He sighed and reached over to grab Ted's hand. "I was so scared when you wouldn't come back to me after the accident. Despite how worried I was when John got hurt it didn't compare to how scared I was when I thought I lost you."
Ted pulled Cody in closer and kissed his lips gently. He rested his head on Cody's and looked into his deep blue eyes. "That doesn't mean you're selfish or bad, baby. You're only human. We love our friends, obviously, but there are some people just a bit more special to us in our lives. We also love ourselves and are programmed to protect ourselves, as well. It doesn't make you a bad person at all."
Cody nodded and moved to sit besides Ted, wrapping him in his arms. "You wanna know my latest thought?"
Ted nodded.
"If all these really bad things are happening to our friends and they're still alive that means this person has to be really pissed off. I mean, it's obvious that this person wants us erased of the face of this earth, but they're failing. We're surviving. That has to mean the person is gonna step things up a bit and really make things worse. I get the feeling the worst is yet to come."
Ted raised his head from Cody's chest and looked over at his face, creased in a worried frown. He held onto him tighter, willing his fears away.
Randy and Alanna remained at their front door staring at Mr. Jensen.
"Daddy, our phone is ringing."
Randy quickly set her down and shut the door. He ran to the kitchen and answered breathlessly.
"Hello?"
"Randy, are you OK? You sound out of breath. Just wanted to check and see how things are going with the boys and the burial."
Randy had kept Lily involved with everything that was happening and insisted for her and her family's protection that she stay away.
Randy smiled and sat on a stool. "Hey, Lily, I'm fine. The boys are gonna be great and the burial is being arranged. Are things OK over in your front line?"
Lily laughed and responded, "Yeah, all is good, thankfully. I called to ask you a favor, though. I have to go out of town for a few days. Don't worry; my bodyguards will be escorting me. Turns out Rose had property in West Virginia and I have to go sign some deed to get rid of it. Could you care for Angel for me for 3 days?"
Randy sighed and turned towards the living room at the sound of his daughter's laugh at something on the television.
"Lily, I would love to, but I don't think I can. Angel and Alanna had a fight last time they were together and Alanna hasn't forgotten. She can hold a grudge with the best of them. Unfortunately, I think I passed that trait to her."
"They had a fight about what? It's not that thing Angel told me about his dream of you dying? Randy, you know Angel always dreams weird stuff. I'm sorry he told Alanna but it means nothing."
Randy began to pace the kitchen and search something to cook. "I know it doesn't but Alanna is 4 years old and she doesn't know it's nothing. She didn't like that comment and I can't say I blame her. She hears her best friend tell her this and then her mother dies the next day."
He heard Lily sigh on the other end. "I guess I understand. I'll have to take him with me."
Randy frowned and set out some pots. "What about Mark? Why can't he stay with him?"
"Mark has to come with me, of course. What else could be the reason?"
Randy opened his eyes at Lily's attitude change and laughed. "It was just a question, Lily. I didn't know. Is Mark there? Can I speak to him?"
"I'm sorry, Randy, but he's busy right now. So, when are the boys getting home from the hospital?"
"Oh, OK. They should be home soon enough. Cody was discharged but he just refuses to leave Ted's side. John went to take them clothes."
Randy checked the heat on the pot of spaghetti and slowly stirred the meat. He opened his mouth to tell Lily about his and John's break-up but she spoke up first.
"Well, I'm gonna go now, sweetie. I'll talk to you when I get back."
Randy snapped his mouth shut and set the phone down. "That was weird."
Alanna walked into the room and crossed her arms over her chest. "Daddy, you're not watching TV with me. Can I help you cook?"
Randy lifted her onto the counter and gave her a bag of shredded cheese. "Yes, baby. You work on that cheese there."
John tapped his finger impatiently on the steering wheel waiting for a green light. He was on his way to the woods Cody and Ted called home. The radio sung out Queen's "One Year of Love" and John laughed sarcastically.
"One year of love, yeah right. I couldn't even get that."
The light finally changed colors and he drove on to the house looming among the trees. He parked in the driveway and used his key to open the door. The property was dark due to the sun setting and the coverage of trees surrounding it. John smiled as he walked through the house. Cody was meticulous about how his house was to be organized. John walked up to their bedroom and into the huge walk-in closet. Everything faced the same way and was organized by color. John quickly picked two outfits for each man and walked over to the dresser to get socks and underwear. He dumped it in the luggage along with their toothpastes, toothbrushes, deodorants and colognes.
He walked down the stairs and stopped in the kitchen. He took a can of Pepsi out of the fridge and sat in a reclining chair, took a long sip and leaned back in the chair. His cell phone rang, startling him.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Johnny, where are you? I wanna get out of these hospital pajamas. Hurry up and get here."
"I'll be there in a few minutes, Ted."
John hung up and stood up feeling the stress of the past days and his argument with Randy still weighing heavily on him.
On his way back to the car he looked over at the creek Cody had gotten hurt in. He opened the back door of his Explorer and put the luggage in. He closed it and walked cautiously over to the creek. The grounds beside the little stream had footprints and paw prints all over it and told of the struggle that took place earlier. John walked around it, careful not to touch anything and saw a silver object gleaming in the mud. He frowned and moved it around with his sneaker.
"What is that?"
He bent and picked it out of the mud and realized it was a belt buckle engraved with the letters MJ.
"Hmm, maybe I should take this."
He stood up and quickly went back to his car. He wrapped the buckle in a tissue and drove towards the hospital.
The next day after a night of restless sleep Randy dragged himself out of bed at 7:00am. A shower helped wake him up and he quickly dressed in dark jeans, a white t-shirt and black sneakers. He walked back down to his living room and paced around anxiously. It was too early to call the hospital so he decided to look for some information on the Internet. He walked back upstairs to check on Alanna and grabbed her monitor and walked back down to his office. On the Internet he searched for any new information on the Rose case, as it was dubbed by the media and for any information any other source might have. It seemed some fans and the media sometimes knew more than the police. He also wrote an open letter for his main fan website to reassure the fans that everyone was well despite the recent accidents. He sent a Twitter message to his fans, as well, and on a whim, decided to do a search on Martin Jensen. Google returned many matches but only one caught his eye; "Real Estate giant, Martin Jensen, loses stock after recent investments in small establishments."
Randy read the short article with a frown.
"Real estate magnate, Martin Jensen, who has been compared to mogul Donald Trump, has lost millions in his recent actions. The mysterious MJ has made millions with his investments in buildings, restaurants, stores and software but has recently changed his ways. Instead of sticking to his usual safe investments, MJ has begun to pour money into small family-owned establishments in rural parts of the country. He has been quoted as saying his goal was always to help smaller companies and businesses get off the ground. His background, of a lower middle class upbringing, explains to some his sudden desire to give his money away. While some are quick to praise, others can only hope his sudden goodwill will not be his downfall."
Randy stared at the page and bit his lower lip. Something was picking at his brain frantically trying to connect. The phone rang loudly and he quickly picked it up.
"Yes?"
"Mr. Orton, this is Ms. Davis from the funeral parlor."
Randy groaned inwardly and said, "Yes, Ms. Davis."
"Just a reminder that Samantha's burial will be tomorrow afternoon at noon. She is to be buried beside her husband and the priest she requested will be able to perform the service. Is this all to your convenience?"
Randy sighed and responded, "Yes, it's fine. Thank you for everything."
Randy lay his head down on the desk and closed his eyes. He heard a loud bang outside and raised his head to see out the window. His eyes met Mr. Jensen's, who had come out of his house to throw out a bag of garbage. Randy smiled and waved, but the old man turned and walked back into his house.
"Jackass old man, I'm gonna find out your mystery."
He printed out the article and folded it before sliding it into his back pocket. The clock read 7:55am so deciding it was late enough he called Ted's room.
"Who is this waking me up?"
Randy smiled and said, "You should already be awake, dude. Its morning and you gotta get out of there."
Ted laughed and said, "Hey, Ran. How's my girl?"
"Al's fine. She's still sleeping. I figured the more sleep she gets the better. Tomorrow is the burial."
"Ouch. Well, we'll be there for anything she needs. Anything you need, too. How are you doing after the battle heard round the world? If you're doing like John, you haven't slept and look like crap."
Randy rolled his eyes at John's name. "I could care less, Teddy. I am doing fine. Are you gonna come home today or not?"
Ted laughed again. "Yeah, apparently I just had a minor breakdown. I still have to come in as an outpatient for therapy, but it's cool. We need to meet tonight."
"Of course we do. I want to see you guys whether John is there or not."
Ted said, "Aw, that's great and all, but that's not why we gotta meet. John found something in our yard and we're gonna decide as a group what to do with it. You know, should we show it to the cops or start doing things our way..."
Randy frowned and thought of how to respond when he heard Cody's voice in the background.
"Is that Randy?"
"Yes, just take the phone."
Randy heard the shuffle of phone switching hands and then Cody's voice. "Randy, I am so ready to get out of here and get my baby out of here. This place reeks already."
Randy nodded and responded, "I'm glad you're coming home. I'll see you later when we meet tonight to discuss John's mysterious discovery…" he said sarcastically.
Cody agreed and quickly hung up.
Randy felt his stomach growl but he didn't know if it was from hunger or from anxiety over seeing John later tonight. He began to pace the office and decided to check on Alanna. She was still asleep and Randy sat on the floor to watch her. His mind replayed the argument with John and he found himself getting angrier. Alanna suddenly turned over in her bed and stared at her father.
"Hi Daddy. Why are you on the floor again?"
Randy smiled and shrugged. "Just waiting for you to get up, princess. Let's get ready for the day and have some fun, OK?"
Alanna jumped up in bed and they began the process of preparing for the day. Randy took Alanna to the park after breakfast and sat in a park bench watching her play. Randy played with the zipper on his jacket and tried to entertain himself and make the day pass, but it only crawled by. He couldn't stop thinking of seeing John later this afternoon. Alanna noticed her father's boredom and came over to talk to him.
"Daddy, do you wanna go?"
Randy shook his head quickly and mentally cursed himself for not being able to focus on spending a pleasant day with his daughter.
"Damn you, John." He thought angrily.
Randy smiled and sat Alanna beside him. "No, I'm just distracted, baby. I'm a little mad at Uncle John, Al. That's all. It has nothing to do with you."
Alanna looked confused at the prospect of her father and uncle fighting. "Why are you mad at him?"
Randy rolled his eyes toward the sky. "He wanted me to send you to your grandparent's or his parent's house."
Alanna smiled but shook her head. "I don't wanna go, Daddy."
Randy hugged her quickly. "Don't worry, baby, you're not. I told him no and he got mad then I got mad. It was bad."
Alanna nodded seriously as she was well aware of her father's temper. "You have to say sorry and make up."
Randy nodded and mumbled, "Let's see what happens." He took a deep breath and said, "Something more important is going on, Alanna. Tomorrow is mommy's burial service."
Alanna's eyes opened wide with fear. "Is that where they put her in the hole with dirt?"
Randy thought of how he could explain this to his daughter and more importantly, how he was going to get her through it. "Yes, baby. They do put her in the hole with dirt. It's called being buried. It's our last chance to put her to rest and let her know she can be at peace now. We can visit her whenever you want."
Alanna looked down at her shoes and pulled her legs up close to her chest. She lowered her face and began to cry softly. Randy felt his eyes tear up, as well, and he pulled his daughter over to him.
"Oh God, baby, I'm so sorry this is happening to you. I would give anything not to see you in pain."
Alanna hugged her father's neck tightly and whispered in his ear, "I wanna go now."
A/N: OK, see you all soon!
