John woke up the next morning with his arms wrapped around Arianna and smiled as he caught sight of the gold band on her hand that matched the one on his own. He had his girls and they were a family. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before getting out of bed and sliding on some shorts before he headed to the kitchen to make her breakfast in bed.
The thought momentarily crossed his mind that he needed to let Randy know what happened the night before and check on Alyssa. So he picked up his cell phone and called Randy's number. He knew he would be up.
"Hello?" Randy said breathlessly.
"Dude, did you answer the phone while having sex again?" John asked with a little chuckle.
"No, I'm at the gym working out with Ted and Cody. What's up?"
"Not much. I called to check on Alyssa, tell you that Ari and I got married last night and see how your day was going so far." John said while getting the eggs out of the fridge.
"You and Ari did what?" Randy asked. The mention of his sister's name caused Ted to stop what he was doing and pay full attention to Randy's end of the conversation. "Well shit man. Congrats." Ted dropped the weight he was holding, sprinted over to his gym bag and ran out of the gym like he was late for something. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Cena had somehow convinced his sister to marry him and they two of them had run off together. But he was going to be damned if he was just going to sit around and let him break her heart all over again. He got on his cell phone as he sped out of the parking lot toward his sister's house.
"Hello?" he heard his brother Brett reply through the receiver of the phone.
"Get to Ari's house. Bring Mike. I will meet you guys there. They ran off and fucking got married last night."
"Uh, John. Don't be surprised if you have three very pissed off DiBiase brothers at your house very soon. Ted overheard our conversation. Yeah. Cody and I are leaving the gym now. We're on the way." He grabbed his bag and he and Cody ran out to his car speeding out of the parking lot as well. They had to get to the house and try and talk some sense into Ted and his brothers before they completely beat the shit out of John.
John looked at his cell phone for a minute after Randy had hung up. He had known that he was going to have to face his wife's brothers but he was hoping to have more than one day of wedded bliss before that happened. He decided not to worry about it and continued cooking breakfast for Ari determined to let her sleep as long as possible before she was woken up by the sounds of her brothers kicking his ass. He knew it was coming and he knew he deserved it. And that was one beating he would gladly take as long as it meant that they could put the past behind them and he and Ari could completely start over. He felt arms wrap around him and he turned to face her giving her a kiss as he took in her appearance. She was wearing his t shirt and she looked way better in it than he ever could.
"You ruined the surprise. I was going to bring you breakfast in bed." He said giving her another kiss before placing the plate of eggs in front of her.
"I got a little worried when I woke up and you weren't there. I thought last night was all a dream." She said sitting across from him at the table.
"If last night was a dream then I don't ever want to wake up." He leaned forward to kiss her but the tires screeching to a stop in front of the house caused them to separate and look out the window as Ted, Brett and Mike got out of two different cars and came walking toward the front door. John looked over at Ari and sighed. "I forgot to tell you. Your family knows that we're married." He said as her brothers led by Ted came busting through the front door.
"Arianna, what the fuck is going on here!" Ted said as he stopped half way between the kitchen door and the table. His fists were clenched at his sides and Ari could tell that he was pissed off. More pissed off than she had ever remembered seeing him before.
"John and I are back together. We got married last night." She said getting up from the table and walking over to her brother. Ted looked at her for a moment before he shook his head furiously.
"Like hell you are."
"We are. And now you have to let go of whatever it is you have against him and we can all start over."
"That's bullshit. I will NEVER get over what he did to you. Or to my niece. He left you at the altar. You were fighting to hold on to his kid. A kid it seemed like he sure as hell didn't want when he up and hopped a plane to wherever the fuck it was he ran off to the fucking day of your wedding. He's a coward. A no good deadbeat father coward and if you stay with him, you're dumber than I thought." Ted said. Ari didn't even think as she brought her left hand up and slapped him hard across the face causing him to stumble backward a few steps. She had never hit him before and he was a little shocked that she had actually hit him.
"You may be my big brother but I am a grown woman and you will not disrespect me or my husband in my house. John and I are married. We love each other. Why can't you understand that and forgive him? I did."
"Because he'll just up and leave you again. Like he did before." Brett said looking at John. "Come on Ari, you don't have to whore yourself out to him." As soon as the words left Brett's mouth, John was out of his chair and standing near the island.
"Don't talk to her like that." John said, his voice low and thick with anger.
"You shut the fuck up! You don't get a say in anything. Not to do with Ari and not to do with Alyssa. You lost that right when you abandoned them." Mike said. Ted looked at Ari, his hand still resting on his face. She had tears in her eyes.
"I think you should go now." Ari said her voice beginning to crack a little. John walked over and put his arms around her and she melted into him. Her brothers stood there for a moment, not making any effort to leave the house. John looked up from where he was hugging his wife and looked at his brother in laws.
"She asked you to go." He said. Ted didn't say another word. He pulled Ari to the side and punched John in the face causing him to stumble backward a little and hit the kitchen table with some force. Dishes tumbled to the ground breaking on impact. Ari began to scream and tried pulling Ted away from John as he advanced toward him and tackled him. They fell backward crashing through the table and backing John into the window cracking it. He pushed Ted back a little and landed a punch to his jaw making him stumble. Mike rushed forward to catch him and Brett walked over landing his own punch to the side of John's head. John stumbled a little and regained his footing before he landed a punch to the side of Brett's face. Brett took a few steps backward and again advanced forward meeting John's fist as it landed in his torso. Ted grabbed him from behind and pulled his arms behind him and Mike walked over punching John in the chest, stomach and face. Ari was screaming for them to stop. She grabbed her cell phone and walked outside as Randy and Cody pulled up in the driveway.
"You have to get in there and stop them. They're ganging up on him." she said tears streaming down her face. Randy gave her a quick hug and walked into the house with Cody close behind him as Ari frantically dialed Kristen's number. She knew she had to get her sister in laws there and fast or they were all going to go to jail.
"Hello?"
"Kris, you have to get Claire and get in the car and get over here. They're trying to kill John." Arianna sobbed into the phone.
"Ari calm down. Who is trying to kill John?"
"Your husband."
"Okay, calm down sweetie. Claire, Mama and Papa DiBiase will be there soon." Just as Ari hung up the phone, Randy came busting through the door with Brett following close behind him. Randy landed on the ground and Brett immediately tackled him again throwing punches. Ted and John emerged a few minutes later and it was much the same thing. Cody and Mike came out the door a few seconds later and somehow Cody went air born and went through the windshield of Ted's car. Randy had gained the upper hand on Brett and was punching him in the face. John punched Ted in the face and had drawn back to punch him again when another car pulled up and Ted Sr., Melanie, Kristen and Claire got out of the car. Arianna ran over and hugged her mother crying into her shoulder. Melanie confronted her daughter and Ted Sr. walked over pulling his boys away from Randy, John and Cody as if they were still children.
"Michael Willis, Theodore Marvin and Brett Alan, what the hell are you doing?" their father yelled at them.
"Why don't you ask your daughter what she did last night?" Ted said wiping the blood off hip lip. His eye began to bruise and his body ached all over. Ted Sr. looked at his daughter. "She ran off and got married to that piece of shit last night." Ted yelled. Ted Sr. looked over at John and smirked so that the boys couldn't see him.
"That doesn't explain why you're over here fighting with him and your friends."
"This is bullshit Dad. He runs off and leaves her at the altar and pregnant and then shows back up and she falls all over herself to be with him again?" Brett said holding his eye.
"Watch your mouth Brett." His father said looking at his youngest son.
"But Dad…" Mike started.
"But nothing. Arianna is a grown woman. She can make her own decisions. And if she loves John and wants to be married him, who are you to stop it. Don't you want your sister to be happy?"
"Yes but….."
"No buts. Now you owe your sister an apology and you will help fix everything that is broken in there do you understand me?"
"Yes Sir." He then turned to John and extended his hand for him to shake. John took his hand and shook it.
"Welcome to the family son. All I ask is that you take care of my daughter and my granddaughter and not disappear on her again."
"Yes Sir. I promise."
Ted huffed. "His promises don't mean shit."
"What was that Theodore?" Kristen said walking over to her husband.
"Nothing."
"That's what I thought." She said as he moved his head from side to side looking his injuries over.
"He said that John's promises don't mean shit. And that's the truth." Brett said. His wife Claire who had walked across the yard with Kristen smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow."
"Quit whining you big baby." She said and she stood there crossing her arms over her chest. Melanie looked at her sons and their wives and smiled to herself. Then she looked over at her son in law and back at her daughter.
"Now that this is all settled, I think you boys owe your sister and her…..husband an apology." Melanie said. The boys groaned. "You three are not too old for me to turn you over my knee. I said apologize NOW!"
"Sorry." Ted said.
"Me too." Mike said. Everyone looked at Brett who didn't say anything until his wife punched his arm playfully.
"Ow! Damn it woman. Randy already kicked my ass and I don't need it from you too."
"Then you open your mouth and apologize to your sister and John and Randy and Cody." Claire said glaring at her husband.
"Fine. I'm sorry guys."
Arianna walked over to her brothers and hugged them all. She was appreciative that they were so overprotective of her but she hoped that this helped them to realize that she was a grown woman who was capable of making her own decisions. She then walked back over to her husband and looked at his face. Her brothers had done a number on him. And she couldn't say that he hadn't deserved it. She was just glad that it was behind them and they could move on with their lives and be one big happy family.
