A/N: You can tell I'm on annual leave... I have time to write... hope you enjoy the chapter...
"We the jury, find the defendant, John F A Cena, guilty."
Though he knew the sentence was coming, Randy hung his head. He wanted to rush down the aisle to John and hold him close, but he could already hear the strangled cries of Del-Rio with his fake tears.
Trish's hand slipped into his and he squeezed it as tight as he could without breaking it. On the other side he felt the weight of Heath's hand on his shoulder. He risked a look up, the tears prickling his eyes, only to see Farrelly's eyes on him, watching. Randy took a steadying breath. There would be a time and a place to confront him.
Randy shifted his eyes to John, connecting with them one last time as Del-Rio held him in his arms. John's barely making the effort to rise. Randy couldn't stand it anymore. Letting go of Trish's hand, he stood and made his way to the door. He couldn't sit and watch as his lover was sentenced to twenty five years in prison.
"Randy, where are you going?" Trish asked stopping him with a gentle hold on his forearm.
"I can't sit and watch," Randy said, the tears flowing down his face. "If I were strong enough to get him away when we were in St Louis, this wouldn't have happened."
"Randy, you can't blame-"
"Heath, I don't need a pep talk," he said reaching into his jacket. "He knows I love him. But what can I do sat at the back of the court room, watching Del-Rio fake it."
"He needs you to be strong," Heath barked quietly at him.
"We said our goodbyes yesterday," Randy said. "But you can do me a favour. Make sure the Chief gets this."
"What is it?" Heath asked before realisation dawned on him. "Randy. No. We need you. You need us right now. There's no point quitting just because of this. You're better off in the job."
Randy chuckled as the court was brought back to order. He walked out before Heath and Trish could stop him, thankful they didn't try to stop him.
Everything you have read to this point is a true story. Randy had provided me with everything I could possibly need to write this story. The box given to me before we left for the courthouse contained everything he had gathered from his investigation. From paperwork to copies of his medical records. It also included the photos of Agent Farrelly and Alberto Del-Rio which Ted uncovered.
As Heath had realised, the letter Randy handed him was his resignation. Heath and I, though we know we shouldn't have done so, opened the letter and resealed it after reading. Neither of us wanted Randy to do anything stupid. Randy stated his reasons as being for personal reasons he didn't wish to divulge.
Heath and I have remained friends and he and Justin have become godfathers to my child. I was going to ask Randy however from the moment he left the court room, I never saw him again. By the time I returned home, his house had been emptied. I'm not sure who had moved so quickly on his behalf but it was done.
What comes next in the story is everything I can gather from the papers. Heath has also been an amazing source of clarification, making sure what I have written is accurate. At least as accurate as the pair of us can make it without Randy. On occasion, Heath has the same tendencies as Randy to clam up, and I wonder if it's just a police thing, or if he knows something more than he's letting on.
As John was handcuffed and escorted from the courtroom, even though he saw the man leave, he couldn't help but be on the lookout for his partner. He needed one more look at him. He knew Del-Rio could sense who he was looking for, but he didn't care.
Randy had stopped by the jail where John was being held to say his goodbyes the night before. They both knew there was nothing which could be done. Randy had shared the details of his trip to St Louis as soon as he returned, including details which John wished he never knew.
John never wanted to meet Dolph; though he was sure he probably already had on his trip to the station when Randy and he first met. He was the competition. As he was led to the police van which would escort him to the state prison, John's mind played tricks on him. Picturing Randy and Dolph living happily together back in St Louis, Randy having long forgotten everything about John and the trials they'd been through.
He was so engrossed in his thoughts; he even bumped into a maintenance worker. He glanced over his shoulder, muttering an apology, not even looking at the man's face, already giving up on the niceties. Randy told him the previous evening, he'd have to get hard. If the inmates saw any sign of weakness, they'd be on him.
John remembered everything Randy told him. Not to turn his back on anyone; keep out of everybody's business; don't tell the guards anything; get hard; don't let on you're gay. John hated the idea of getting cold and hard. He was going to be living a lie for the next twenty five years. The judge ruled that there was a possibility of parole in ten years, which means at least ten years of being someone he's not. Randy assured him he'd be there when he got out, to remind him of who he was. Kiss him the moment he stepped out from the prison. And he would visit. Every chance he got.
John looked up, seeing the door which would lead him to his new, restricted life, reminded him of everything which had happened, the weight of it bearing down on his shoulders. Then it happened, a gloved hand, smothering his face, stopping him from calling out, while a strong arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him backward.
With the hand clamped around his mouth, he couldn't turn his head to see who it was, but he could guess. There were too many stories he'd heard in the cells at night, of prison guards, welcoming the inmates to their new home. At times, he'd even heard the moans. That was when he realised he'd been lucky so far.
The guard pulled him into a side room, letting the door bang against the wall; John hoped the maintenance worker heard it and would come to investigate.
"Stay quiet," the voice said in his ear, releasing his grip on John's mouth. That voice, so haunting, sounding so much like Randy. That's when it hit him.
John broke from the strong hold and spun on the spot, his knees almost buckling at the sight of his lover. He wanted to say something but his voice failed him. Though the reservoir of tears flowed.
"Shh, shh, shh," Randy said, pulling him in close. "It's okay. It's okay. I'm here."
"B-But the gu-guards," John hiccupped his way through his words.
"Taken care of and the security cameras as well," Randy told him, calming his nerves. "But we won't have a lot of time."
"For what?"
Randy turned away and strode over to a set of shelves in the makeshift storage space. He pulled out a bag and thrust it at John. "Get changed."
"What?" John asked confused.
"John, did you really think I was going to let you go to jail?" Randy accused. "Who do you think I am?"
"But, what am I supposed to do?"
"Run! Now get changed," Randy ordered.
John did as he was told and stripped out of his suit and tie as Randy watched, a pained smirk on his face. John threw him a look and Randy innocently shrugged, mouthing 'what?' at him, his smirk growing even bigger. Only Randy, when they were in the middle of making an escape, would get that look in his eye.
He wished they had time to do something about it, but they were going to be limited on the amount of time they had to pull this off. John was scared Randy would get in trouble for this. If either of them were caught, they'd both be in jail. Then the chances of seeing each other were even slimmer.
John pulled on the overalls Randy had given him, holding his breath as he did so.
"There aren't any overalls your size," Randy explained at John discomfort. "You'll be out of them soon enough."
"Where are we going?" John asked.
"The same way you were heading. We'll have a cart so it appears we're picking litter up. Make sure you're wearing the cap," Randy explained.
"There's guards out there?"
"Only one in the van," Randy clarified. "We need to act the part. There's a trash can out there. Make sure you empty it. When we're around the corner we can make a break for it. I've got a car stashed two blocks down. There's a change of clothes for you."
John didn't like to tell Randy he couldn't see it working. There were security cameras all over the place. How were they supposed to get away?
"Trust me Johnny," Randy said stepping in and brushing his lips to John's
"I do," John said, suddenly more confident in the plans.
They stepped out from the storage cupboard, cart in tow and headed for the exit. Just as Randy had told him, there was only one guard with the van. Though he'd stepped out of the van to have a smoke while he waited. He nodded his head toward them, acknowledging their presence, but didn't take a second look.
As they walked along the building, John let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"You think I didn't plan this? I've monitored how they all work, where the cameras are, everything you need to know about this place, I can tell you," Randy whispered to him as they moved along. "Get the trash can while I sweep up a little."
John and Randy went to work, making it look like they were just on their usual rounds. John saw Randy checking his watch and he looked at him, silently asking why he was checking.
"We've got two minutes, before they realise, come on," Randy said rushing John along as quick as they could go without stirring the suspicions of the guard still stood smoking.
As soon as they were around the corner, Randy pushed John against the wall.
"No cameras, I can kiss you properly now," Randy said smirking.
"Two minutes," John reminded him though he still let his hands wrap around Randy's neck as he moved in.
John readily opened for the man, looking forward to the feel of his tongue pressing against his own. Randy's hands were all over him as they tried to find something to grab hold of. In the end, Randy settled for grabbing his ass and pulling John into him.
Almost too quickly, Randy's lips drew away from John's, Randy's head leaning against his own as he caught his breath.
"Next time we make an escape, remind me to give you clothes which have some skin on show. Come on," Randy said tugging him away from the building. "We need to stick to the back roads until we get to the car."
As they walked down the deserted alley, Randy tugged John close to him, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. John instinctively brought his arm up and around Randy's waist, leaning into his side.
"I can't wait until we can do this every day," John said smiling. "Although, I guess now we can. Wherever we wake up tomorrow, we can go for an early morning stroll hand in hand, or arm in arm. A proper couple."
"I'm going to marry your ass the first chance I get," Randy said, squeezing John tight to him.
"Just my ass?" John joked.
"Well, if I have to marry the rest of you as well," Randy said laughing with John.
Randy made John pick up the pace a little and they were soon hitting the street where Randy stashed a car. He found a set of keys he'd hidden nearby and then unlocked letting John in. John was too worried to make conversation. As soon as they were in the car, John realised it was all real, he was on the run. His life had changed as much as it would have if he'd gone to prison. Only in this scenario, Randy's had as well.
"I'm sorry I've done this to you," John muttered once they were heading out of the city.
"You didn't do anything," Randy said sounding confident in his words. "I chose this. I would rather be with you on the run, than working a job which meant nothing to me anymore, seeing you once a month, if I was lucky. And it's not like we could've had any conjugal visits."
"Still," John said. "If I'd have let you take me away like you wanted to we wouldn't be in this situation. You'd still be able to see your family; maybe we could have found a way for me to see mine. Now there's no chance."
"Hey," Randy said taking his hand. "I have no regrets. It's you and me from here on out."
John let a small smile grace his lips before slipping back into silence. His thoughts still wondered if Randy had regrets but if he did, he wasn't letting John know about them. But then, Randy never lied to him. Even with his slip up in St Louis, he'd been completely honest. If Randy had any regrets, he'd let him know.
John stretched his hand over and rested on Randy's thigh, gaining a genuine smile from Randy, causing one of his own to break out.
They travelled in companionable silence for about an hour before Randy reminded him of the change of clothes he'd brought him. John manoeuvred into the back seat and changed, putting on a show for Randy who threatened to pull the car over and teach him a lesson. John joked in return but when John spotted a police car coming down the road in the opposite direction, he clammed up.
The thought of being caught would always be with him when they saw a cop car but Randy shook him from his thoughts, ensuring him they'd be okay.
It was only another hour after when Randy pulled into a roadside café stating the need for a drink and some food.
"Ran, will this be reported on the news?" John asked as he followed Randy to the entrance.
"Probably," Randy said. "We'll need to keep a low profile for a while. I left all my cards behind so we only have cash to use. My house is being sold discreetly and I have the money being wired into a new account."
"Won't they track it?"
Randy didn't answer him, just led him to the back of the café. It was only at the last second, John realised Randy was leading him to a booth which was already occupied. And as he got closer he recognised one of the men. The sight of him caused John to tense and Randy tried to get him to relax by pulling him closer and kissing the side of his head.
"It's okay," Randy whispered trying to reassure John. "He's not with Del-Rio anymore."
Randy slipped into the opposite side of the booth, facing the two men. As soon as they were sat down, Ted slid an envelope across the table.
"Everything you asked for."
"Any problems?" Randy asked.
"Wouldn't be here if there were. There's a key for the storage unit."
John sat back as Randy dealt with everything. He still didn't know what was in the envelope, but Randy would let him know when it mattered. As though reading his thoughts, Randy opened the envelope and slipped out some documents.
"Do you think Anthony Lupine suits you?" Randy looked over and asked him.
"What?" John asked confused. Randy handed him a set of documents, a driving license and passport.
"Get used to it, Anthony," Randy said adding in a whisper. "It's your name from now on."
"What about you?" John asked, discreetly looking at his documents.
"Keith Bennett," Randy answered, giving John a sideways glance. "Reckon you'll enjoy moaning that when I'm in bed with you?"
"Mmm, as much as you'll enjoy Tony," John said running his hand up Randy's thigh under the table.
"Uh-uh, Anthony sounds so much sexier to me."
"Jesus-Christ get a room," one of them grumbled from across the table.
John shot his head round to look at the man who was once working for Del-Rio. No stupid dead caterpillar of a moustache was going to hide his identity.
"It's time to go anyway," Randy said before anything happened.
"I thought you wanted food?" John asked. Personally he wasn't hungry, still too nervous about being on the run.
"Changed my mind."
Randy slid from the booth, holding his hand out for John to take. John was only too happy to follow, glad to be getting away from the caterpillar man. When he felt someone behind him, he looked back to find the other two men following.
Once outside, Randy turned back to the one who'd been doing all the talking. "Keys?"
"On top the driver side wheel," he replied.
"Thanks Ted for everything you're doing for me," Randy said pulling John along behind him. He retrieved the keys and turned to John. "I need to ditch the car, just in case."
The car they were taking was parked next to Ted and the moustachioed one and John jumped slightly when he heard the car roar into life and move forward slightly behind him. But it was only when the rear door opened and Randy turned to look at him with sad eyes that he realised something was wrong.
"There's still some stuff that needs sorting. Go with Ted and Cody, th-"
"What? No," John cried out. "We said, it's you and me from here on out. We've got new lives; we can go off, get married."
"And always be looking over our shoulders, waiting for him to turn up," Randy snapped back at him. "I won't let you live your life like that."
"So you're leaving me… again."
"No, I'm going back to sort it out. It'll be a few weeks, tops."
"Randy… Keith… please don't do this, for me," John pleaded.
"I love you," Randy said, kissing John's forehead.
John didn't have time to even form a sentence in his mind when he was jerked backward into the SUV which Cody was driving. Ted had a firm grip around his waist and even before the door was closed, Cody was pulling away.
John was screaming for Randy, using both his old and new name, hoping he might change his mind. He watched as their car got further and further away, with Randy standing in the parking lot next to his new car.
"Randy's tough," Ted said once he had climbed into the front of the car with Cody. "He'll-"
"Shut up and take me back."
"We can't and even if we could, we wouldn't," Ted said without looking at him. "He's doing this for you."
"He's going to get himself killed," John pleaded, hoping they'd see sense.
"That's a definite possibility."
A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm still hoping for the 400 reviews, 30 to go, please keep them coming. Thanks