A/N: Sorry for the delay in this chapter and thank you so much to the readers who have taken the time to reach out to me here or on Twitter to check up on me and/or tell me they miss my writing. Trust me, I appreciate you all so much. I have missed writing, too but wanted to enjoy my summer and let the block clear itself. I begin school in a week and hope the creative juices flowing for my lesson plans continue inspiring me to write, as well.

John sighed in annoyance as the doctor poked and prodded his arm. The man finally pulled away, a deep frown etched onto his forehead.

"You know exactly what I'm going to tell you, John."

John rolled his eyes but slowly nodded. "Yeah,"

Dr. Andrews crossed his arms over his chest and leaned on the bed John sat upon. "I've been telling you for over 2 month now. You need surgery."

John groaned and shook his head. "But all the acupuncture and ice therapy…"

"It's not working, John. Surgery is the only thing that will work now. You gotta face it," interrupted Dr. Andrews sternly.

John remained silent, the frustration inside him building to a boiling point. The last thing he wanted was to have a surgery that would sideline him for almost 6 months.

"Hey, sorry I'm late! Traffic was a nightmare!" Randy burst into the exam room, an apologetic smile on his face as he alternated between looking at John and Dr. Andrews. "So, what'd I miss? What's the damage, Doc?"

Dr. Andrews looked over at John and shrugged. "Same thing I've been telling him for months. Surgery!"

Randy frowned and looked over at John. "Surgery? I thought you said he said you were getting better…"

"What?" asked Dr. Andrews.

John kept his eyes trained on the floor and avoided the gazes that were boring into him. "What?"

"John, what the hell is going on? Start talking…and this time, tell me the truth." Randy walked over to the exam table and stood in front of the older man. He grabbed his chin and lifted his face up, the look in John's eyes immediately showing him how horrible he felt.

"Look, I've been telling John for months now that he needs surgery. All the alternative treatments in the world won't work when you have a torn tricep. It needs to be surgically fixed. Maybe you can finally be the one to convince him, Randy." Dr. Andrews sighed and turned away. "I'll give you two sometime alone. Hopefully I'll be scheduling your surgery today when you leave this room."

Randy turned and watched Dr. Andrews exit the room before turning back to John. "What the hell's going on, Johnny? Why have you been lying to me about your arm? You know how much I worry about our health."

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you, Ran! We have too much on our plate right now; too much we're already worrying about! I didn't want to add to it," replied John quickly. "Besides, I was handling it. I talked to Punk and he gave me all these other things to try and I wanted to actually do them because they could've worked for me like they worked for him and his knee. I didn't want to tell you anything until there really was no option left for me."

Randy sighed. "John, just because alternative stuff worked for Punk doesn't mean it's going to work for everyone. His injury was different."

"But I had to try!" John reached for Randy's hand, his eyes pleading. "Understand that, baby and don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you. I just hate that you've been going through this alone." Randy lifted his body up onto the exam table with John. "I get what you did but don't do it again, OK. Let's just figure this out together like we've been figuring everything else out together since we got back to being us. It's always been just Randy and John and I want it to continue being that way."

"Me, too," responded John, a small smile on his face. "But with one change; it's John and Randy."

Randy rolled his eyes. "Fine, Super Cena."

John laughed and smoothed his fingers over Randy's hand that he still grasped. "You know what surgery will mean, don't you? I'll be gone for months. You'll be alone."

"I know," Randy replied softly. "That doesn't matter, though. Your health matters and your arm is a part of that,"

"I never realized how much my arm meant to you, dear," teased John.

Randy smiled and ran his free hand up to John's elbow. "Of course it does. I love these arms. I couldn't live without feeling them wrapped around me. Could you?"

"Never," whispered John, moving his face closer to Randy's and kissing him gently. He pulled back slowly and rested his forehead against Randy's, letting his eyes remained closed. "Fine, I'll schedule the surgery for after the match with Dwayne. At least that way when I leave, I know he'll be gone too and won't stick around to mess with you."

"Don't let Dwayne have anything to do with your decisions, John. If he wants to stick around, I can handle him. I handled him last Monday, right?" Randy said with a smirk and an eyebrow rose.

"Yeah, you did. You did great, baby." John smiled at his husband, his mind going back to last Monday's events.

Last Monday Night Raw…

"How much would you love to be Dorothy right now?"

John looked over at Randy and smiled. "What? Be who?"

"Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. How much would you love to be her right now?" asked Randy once more, a pensive look on his face. "She could just click her heels and go home. I would love to be able to do that right now."

John's smile widened and he shook his head. "I would like that but not if it meant I had to live life as a teenage girl from Kansas. I've never been into the drag thing."

Randy looked over at him and rolled his eyes but a smile broke through. "You know that's not what I mean, dumbass."

John laughed and squeezed Randy's thigh, happy to see him cheer up. "Are you feeling better now? Have I made you realize you did nothing to betray Hunter and that Brock is the asshole in this situation? Or should I keep going?"

"It'll take time for it to really get in my head and for me to fully believe that but you reminding me helps." Randy turned over to face John's body. "Thank you for continuing to put up with my drama."

"Hey, you put up with mine." John laughed. "It's not much of an issue when you love someone like we love each other, right?"

"Well…it gets kinda Lifetime movie after awhile. We should really try for a more drama free life in our older years," replied Randy with a smirk. He looked towards the door and sighed, his smirk disappearing. "What the fuck is he really doing here? Him and Brock on the same night? That's no coincidence, John. You have to see that, too."

"It is weird. I mean, Dwayne never just drops by…ever. He's only here when he's contractually obligated to be here." John frowned in thought. "If he's here for Brock, though, then when did that friendship happen because to my knowledge, they've never been close. Did Brock ever talk about Dwayne to you?"

Randy shook his head. "No, never. That doesn't mean they didn't have a friendship, though."

"Only one way to find out." John reluctantly pulled away from Randy and stood. "Let's get out there and see what's happening. We can't hide in here all night whether we like it or not."

Randy groaned loudly but accepted John's outstretched hand. "Fine,"

The men walked out of the locker room and into the crowded hallway of the arena. The space was bustling with activity as everyone prepared for the night's show but Randy and John ignored the activity and headed for the place they knew would have the most action. The superstars and divas congregated around the catering hall of any and all arenas they visited. It was where they all met to gossip and complain about everything and anything on their minds. Without a doubt, catering was where it all went down and if there was anything to find out, it would be found there.

Randy and John entered the room but quickly separated after a quick squeeze of their hands. Randy headed over for Ted and collapsed into the empty seat beside him.

"What's up, Teddy?"

"Same old, another day. What's up with you?" Ted leaned back and smiled at Randy. "You look like something is on your mind. Could it have something to do with our friend over there?"

"That asshole ain't no friend of mine," Randy's eyes shifted over to Dwayne and the superstars who surrounded him. He rolled his eyes as bits and pieces of the conversation floated over to him and Ted, the hero worship making him want to vomit.

"Just ignore him, Ran. The reality is, you can't do anything about him being here so don't let it ruin your night," said Ted calmly. He lifted his bottle of water to his lips. "John seems to be taking it in stride. Emulate him,"

Randy rolled his eyes. "Fuck taking it in stride. I wanna know what he's doing here…and on the same day Brock is supposed to be here."

"Who cares, Ran? Stop looking for reasons to go crazy! Just let it be. Let him be here, let Brock be here; hell, let the whole lot of retired wrestlers come visit tonight if they want!" Ted smacked Randy on the knee and shook his head. "They actually have a right to be here, you know."

Randy glared at Ted in annoyance. He didn't want his friend to be his usual sensible, calm self. It was annoying to him. He wanted to indulge in his crazy speculations for just a bit longer.

Before he could open his mouth and shoot back an angry retort, the scraping of a chair beside him make him look over. His eyes widened, though, when they landed on Dwayne and not John, as he expected, sitting across from him now.

"Thanks for having my back, Dibiase."

Ted looked over at Dwayne, a concerned frown on his face. "Uh, yeah. I'm just trying to keep things peaceful, really. Not trying to pick sides or get too much involved…"

Dwayne shrugged, the smile still on his face. "Well, whatever you wanna call it. I'm sure it helps Randy to hear your calm perspective on things."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not sitting right in front of you," snapped Randy. "Why the hell are you sitting in front of me?"

"I actually came over to talk to Ted not you," Dwayne laughed. "However, I should be used to you making everything about you."

Randy's eyes widened and he clenched his teeth tightly.

Ted gulped nervously and quickly said, "What do you want to talk to me about?"

Dwayne rested his arms on the back of the seat. "I just wanted to congratulate you on your beautiful little boy. I met him a couple weeks ago when John had him here. He looks like a great kid."

Ted sighed in relief at the change in topic. "Thank you. Yeah, he's a great kid. I won the lotto when I got him."

"That's how I feel about my daughter," replied Dwayne. He looked over at Randy. "I'm sure Randy feels the same."

Randy's eyes remained narrowed but he slowly nodded. "Of course,"

"It's amazing how becoming a father can change you for the better," Dwayne shook his head, a fond expression on his face. "Isn't that right, Randy?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Randy sharply.

"It's not supposed to mean anything. It was a question not a remark," Dwayne frowned over at him before turning back to Ted. "Is he like this with everyone or am I just special?"

"Special isn't the word for you, ass…"

"Guys, enough. Just stop this," interrupted Ted, shooting a disapproving look in Randy's direction. "It's obvious; there's bad blood between you. Do you want everyone to know, though? If you keep it up, they will."

"He's the one who keeps baiting me," mumbled Randy.

Ted sighed and stood up. "Look, I can't deal with this right now. I have to go call my wife and son. Try not to kill each other while I'm gone." He walked away shaking his head and Randy watched him go. He took a deep breath and looked around the room, trying to spot John. He noticed the older man surrounded by his own crowd, similar to the one Dwayne had around him earlier. Pulling his eyes away from what seemed to be an at ease John, he looked at Dwayne from the corner of his eye.

"Ted's gone. You spoke to him. Shouldn't you go now, too?"

"And leave you here all alone?" asked Dwayne with a smirk.

"I'll manage," replied Randy with his own smirk.

Dwayne sighed and let the smirk drop from his face. "Listen, Randy, I'm sorry, all right? You're right; I keep baiting you and I shouldn't. I just don't know how to react around you so I make stupid comments. It's like a defense mechanism or something." He looked over his shoulder at John then turned back to Randy. "I'm trying to fix my friendship with John and I know I can't do it if I keep treating you the way I am."

"What friendship with John? You guys work together! That doesn't mean you're friends!" Randy's voice rose in frustration and he tried to quickly level it. "John wants you out of his life after your match in a couple of weeks and I have never wanted you in our lives to begin with so…"

"Randy, I'm trying to be serious here. I'm an asshole; I get it. I did something despicable. I slept with John knowing he was in a committed relationship. You know why I did it, though." Dwayne lowered his eyes. "I think it's clear."

"The fact that you have a boner for my husband?" Randy raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, it's pretty clear."

"It's had, Randy!" Dwayne held up a hand. "I no longer have feelings for John besides feelings that come with friendship! I'm really just trying to make amends here."

"You can't. I don't want anything to do with you and I never will. I'll also never encourage John to let you in his life so if that's why you're trying to be all nice…" Randy scoffed and shook his head.

Dwayne stared at Randy intently. The younger man met his stare with his own intense one. This was not proving to be easy. Randy wasn't falling for anything he was throwing at him.

"Would it help if I told you I'm in a relationship? Would that help you feel more comfortable with me and John working together and possibly one day becoming friends?"

"No. I don't care if you're in a relationship, Dwayne." Randy rolled his eyes.

"Even if it's with Cody?" Dwayne asked, a small smile on his face.

Randy's eyes widened. "What?"

Across the room, John looked up at the sound of Randy's startled yell. He quickly began to move over towards the younger man but a sudden grab of his arm held him back.

"Don't, John. They're not killing each other so just let them be. Maybe this is a conversation Randy needs to have," whispered Ted sharply from beside him.

"But…" started John.

"No buts," Ted shook his head while keeping a close eye on Randy. "Let them talk. There's no reason for you to interfere unless you have to. Randy's a grown man and he knows how to handle Dwayne. Just let him."

John sighed. "I just hate that he has to deal with Dwayne going after him. He gets a kick out of messing with Randy."

"But Randy knows that. He has to learn to deal with it." Ted looked behind him as a new commotion began in the hall. The crowds parted like water and Brock was suddenly visible to his and John's view. He could feel the older man tense up and quickly added, "Just like you have to learn to deal with Brock being here and deal with it. Can you?"

John kept his eyes trained on the giant mass of man that was Brock Lesnar. He could see the man's lips curl into a smile when they locked eyes and his hands subconsciously tightened into fists.

"I want to kill him."

"But you're not going to," answered Ted, snapping his fingers in front of John's face.

John remained silent and watched as Brock headed for the table where Dwayne and Randy sat. Randy's face betrayed no emotion but John knew inside he must be a jumble of emotions.

"You're dating Cody?" Randy asked once more, the shock in the question clear.

"Well, it's very new. We're talking and getting to know each other right now but its going well. I like what I know so far," Dwayne shrugged, the lie falling from his lips easily. He could only hope he wasnt ruining the group's plan with his lie. From the look on Randy's face, though, he figured it was a good angle to explore. "Cody's a good man."

Randy rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say." He pushed his chair back and went to stand when a pair of hands on his shoulders pushed him back down.

"No, don't get up yet. I want in on this conversation,"

Randy looked up and locked eyes with a smirking Brock. He quickly moved away from the man's touch and shook his head. "Well, I want out. I've had my fill of assholes for the day."

"Aww, come on, Ran." Brock laughed as he took a seat beside Dwayne. "Don't let what happened last time ruin our friendship. I forgive you and hell, I'll even forgive John for putting his hands on me."

"That's very gracious of you but neither John nor I need your forgiveness or friendship." Randy glared down at Brock as he laughed once more. "Why don't you just enjoy Dwayne's company, Brock? That's a friendship more suited for you."

Dwayne smiled as he watched Randy walk away, choosing to ignore the younger man's final dig at him. He looked over at Brock and shook his head. "Late as usual and not even good for anything when you show up. Arent you supposed to be gaining Randy's trust? Isn''t that your fucking point in this game? You're one of the reasons why we're not getting any fucking where and I just had to come up with a lie about me and Cody!"

"You and Cody?" asked Brock with a frown.

"I told Randy that me and Cody are getting to know each other..." Dwayne replied. "As in dating,"

Brock's eyes widened. "And you call me good for nothing! You're a fucking moron! How are you supposed to get John and Cody's supposed to get Randy if they think you two assholes are dating?"

"It just came out! I needed something to get Randy to back off since you're not doing your part! He's too fucking smart. He won't let John out of his sight so I can't get close to him. You're supposed to be helping us and making it easier for me and Cody to get what we want but you're not doing shit!" Dwayne sighed loudly but shook his head. "Look, it doesn't matter. I may have gone off plan with that lie but it may just work in our favor. There was something in Randy's eyes when I told him I was dating Cody...it was weird. I can't place it but it may just have been a good idea to lie."

Brock shrugged. "Whatever. Make sure you clue in Cody to your new idea, though. Kid isn't the sharpest, you know. He may just fuck up your plan before it even gets started."

"He couldn't fuck up any more than you are!" shot back Dwayne.

Brock raised an eyebrow. "Whoa, easy there, big guy. No need to get all protective of little Cody. Could your lie be based on a little truth there?"

"Shut up," Dwayne stood up from his chair, glaring intently at Brock. "Focus on doing your fucking part in this or get the fuck out of my life." He stalked away angrily, Brock's laughter ringing after him.

Across the room, Randy frowned as he watched Dwayne stomp away from Brock, the younger man only laughing in response to what appeared to be Dwayne's anger.

"What the hell is going on there?"

"Where?" asked John, looking up from his phone.

"There," replied Randy, his gaze still on the table Dwayne had vacated. "It's just so weird. Dwayne and Brock as friends and now Dwayne dating Cody...it's just fucking weird all around. I don't get it."

"Hey, anything that keeps them busy and keeps us off their radar, I'm a fan off," replied John.

"I agree, Ran. Stop looking for a mystery to solve." added Ted.

Randy sighed. "Fine...but Dwayne and Cody? Come on, guys,"

"What's so hard to believe about that, Ran? Isn't it just like Cody to hook up with a guy with connections? You know Cody has always been about what's gonna get him furthest in his career. If you see it that way, Dwayne makes sense." Ted shrugged. "It's sad but it's who Cody's become."

"I guess you're right. I still want to remember Cody as that kid I grew up with but I gotta admit that ship sailed a long time ago." Randy shook his head. "You know what? Forget it. Forget all of them. Let them have each other. All that matters is that I have what's most important to me; John."

"Thanks, babe," replied John, wrapping an arm around Randy's waist and pulling him close. Randy smiled and turned into the embrace, pushing all other thoughts of anything but his life with John away.

"I guess I should call Vince and let him know what's going on. He's gonna have a lot of figuring out to do without me in the picture for 6 months." John sighed, snapping out of his thoughts and returning to the present...despite how much he wanted to pretend the present wasn't happening.

"He'll figure it out. He has no choice but to." Randy stood up from the exam table and tugged John forward. "Let's get out of here, Johnny."

John sighed and stood up. He followed Randy out into the main reception area of the doctor's office so he could reluctantly schedule his surgery.

Much later that night after surgery had been set and the call to Vince had been made, John sat on a chair on the balcony. He stared up at the sky and let reality set in. He was going to have surgery and was going to miss almost 6 months of action because of it. More importantly, he was going to have to stay home for those 6 months. He wouldn't be able to travel with Randy even if he wanted to because of his strict physical rehab schedule. He would have to remain in St. Louis. While there were advantages to that like spending more time with Alanna and being spoiled by his in-law's, he couldn't get over the fact that he would be leaving Randy alone on the road. It wasn't the first time and he knew Randy would be fine on the road by himself but the timing couldn't be worst. He wasn't blind. His marriage was finally on stable ground but Randy and him were still taking things slow. Insecurities and old scars were still there and Dwayne, Cody and Brock's constant presence made it harder for them to finally heal completely. The last thing he wanted was to leave Randy alone and to deal with them on his own.

"Johnny? What are you doing out here? We have an early flight tomorrow, baby. Let's get some sleep," Randy stared at John from the balcony door, his forehead creased in a concerned frown.

John turned over to look at him and forced a smile on his face. "I'm not sleepy yet, baby. You go get some rest. I'll come in later when I get tired."

Randy shook his head and walked over to him. "Wipe that fake smile off your face, Cena." He stood in front of John's seat and sighed softly. "Johnny, I've been where you are so many times. It sucks getting injured. It sucks not being able to do what you love especially when you know there's like 50 guys looking to take your spot in this business. It also sucks being separated from your friends and the guy you love."

John nodded. "Yeah, it does."

Randy knelt down and grasped John's hands. "But what would suck more is you letting this injury get worse. Think about that, baby. Do you really want to risk your arm getting so bad that you couldn't pick up Al one day? Or hold any other child we may have? Or just hug me? I dont think you would want that."

"Of course not! I know my health and my body are more important than my career." John smiled. "I just hate having to leave you. That's what's really worrying me. I dont want anything to ruin all the progress we've made."

"It won't! Nothing is going to get ruined, Johnny." Randy's eyes suddenly widened and he quickly stood and backed away. "Wait, do you not trust me to be alone around Cody? Is that what you mean? You think I'm going to do something..."

"No, Ran! God, no!" John quickly stood and grabbed at Randy's hips despite the shot of pain that ran through his arm. "That's not what I meant! I mean I dont want to leave you alone when we're still dealing with Dwayne and Brock and Cody fucking with us! I dont want you to have to deal with it on your own."

Randy let out a gust of air, unaware that he had been holding his breath. "Oh,"

"Baby, I trust you, I swear to God. I know in my heart that what happened with Cody will never happen again because I know in my heart you never wanted it to happen the first time!" John held Randy tightly and stared into his eyes intently. "We've moved past that, Ran and we're not ever going back there. I trust you more than anyone. I also know how strong you are but I hate that you have to be the strong one now. I hate that I can't be there to help you deal with whatever those assholes throw at us. I mean, Dwayne should be gone when I go but Brock is gonna be around now because of his storyline with Punk and Cody's just never going anywhere..."

"John, all that matters is that I have your trust and your love. I don't care about anything else," said Randy softly. He shrugged and smiled slowly. "Nothing else really matters. I can handle anything anyone throws at me. Trust that,"

John smiled and pulled Randy into a hug, burying his face in his neck. "God, I love you. I love you so fucking much, Randy."

"I love you so much, too." Randy whispered before his hands framed John's face as he bent his head down slightly and kissed him. Randy touched John's lips with the tip of his tongue. John thrust his tongue into his mouth, his tongue spearing between Randy's lips, kissing with a starving greed. Randy moaned helplessly when John's mouth took his in the hot and hungry kiss.

John ended the kiss with a bite to Randy's bottom lip. He pressed his forehead to Randy's and sighed. "Let's go to bed."

Randy nodded and pulled away from John's embrace but kept their hands entwined. He led them into the hotel room through the balcony door just as a loud beep rang out through the room.

"Is that yours or mine?"

Randy walked over to the bedside table and grabbed his iPhone. "Not mine,"

John walked over to the chair he'd tossed his jeans onto earlier and dug for his BlackBerry. The screen displayed the text message alert and he quickly checked his inbox. A low groan escaped his throat when he saw the message and who it was from.

"Vince tells me you'll need surgery on your arm after our match. So sorry to hear that but don't worry. You'll have lots of friends to help you get through those 6 months away from WWE. I'll make sure to visit you and help you feel better when you're down. No matter what, John, I'm always gonna be there when you need me. I hope you know that."

Randy watched John frown as he read the message on his screen. "Should I even ask?"

John shook his head and threw the phone back onto the chair. "You already know. I guess good news really does travel fast."

"Forget it, baby. Just forget all of it and come to bed." Randy lowered his body to the large bed in the center of the room and extended a hand to John. The older man walked over to him and slid in beside him, quickly being enveloped in his arms.

Miles away from the Alabama hotel room John and Randy rested in, Dwayne smiled from his Hollywood movie set. He tapped his fingers along the keys on his cellphone, shooting off a message to Cody and Brock.

"News coming down about John means its time to move. We're gonna get no better chance than this one. With John gone, Randy is open for a head on attack. You two focus on him and I'll focus on John. As he would say, our time is NOW."

A/N: Review, please! Talk to me on Twitter at FF_AuntJackie!