Go On

Problems at the Front Line

Disclaimer: I own no one!

A/N- I can't find any solid custody law information. So, (a) help me if you can and (b) I apologize in advance

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John saw Lance at the bottom of the stairs holding a thick packet of papers. It wasn't opened, but he was staring at the cover, a mixture of shock and disbelief, plainly on his face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, running down the stairs. Lance showed him the blue paper cover. "John Cena-Orton VS. Robert Orton in the matter of custody for Jane Doe, ten year old minor?" John began to shake violently. No, this wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening.

"Relax," Lance murmured, slipping his arms around him. "This doesn't mean we're losing her," Gently, he rubbed John's back, an effort to calm him down. John refused to calm down. Nobody could take his daughter. She was he had left of the love he had shared with Randy. "Did you see Bob when you were in St. Louis?"

"Very briefly. I ran into him at the cemetery. Why would he sue for custody?" he asked. "Does he hate me that much?"

"He sees you as the reason his son became gay. In his mind, you're the reason he had to disown his son." Lance said. "Now, he wants to prevent the same thing from happening to his grandaughter," The way Lance explained it made a lot of sense.

"How did you find out Darrin was sick?" John asked, noting the pictures lining the fireplace. Lance sighed. Darrin was a touchy subject. Yet, with John, he didn't mind talking about him.

"He came right out and told me. 'I will go out with you. Just know I am HIV positive.' He survived ten years. I was with him for six of those years. Towards the end, he was pretty bad off. I can't tell you how many nights I spent in the hospital watching him fight off pneumonia. All I can say is this. For most AIDS patients, AIDS doesn't kill. It's the complications of AIDS." Lance explained. "I miss Darrin so much,"

"I miss Randy," John remarked. "What am I going to do?" John began to rock back and forth. He couldn't be losing Rhiannon. She was all he had.

"Did Randy leave you her in his will?" Lance asked, trying to figure out how to help him. John nodded. "We need a lawyer," John looked at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked, struggling not to cry. Lance sighed. How could he even begin to tell John how he felt?

He couldn't let John go through this alone. Letting him go through this alone would have been cruel. He hated seeing John in pain over what his idiotic in-law did to him. John had told him about the pain Bob Orton had put Randy through when he was dying. John had told him about how Bob Orton had disowned Rhiannon, simply because his son was gay. He wouldn't let Bob Orton hurt John again.

"I love Rhiannon, like she's my own. I don't agree with what this man's doing to you. Simply put, I will stay with you through it all. I'm sick of watching the ones I love suffer, because of a cruel God, and because people are too ignorant to realize love is love, no matter which way you slice it," he said. With those words, John lost it. He began to cry.

Why did Bob Orton insist on hurting him over and over again? Why was that man so intent on making his life miserable? Randy was gone. Nothing would change that. Bob Orton had been the one who had insisted on not seeing his dying son. He had forbid his wife from seeing him. Everything that had caused Randy pain had been because his father simply couldn't accept the fact his son was gay.

"What am I going to do? I can't lose Rhiannon. She's my world. Look at her. She's Randy all over." John murmured, Lance holding him. Rhiannon didn't need to see him like this.

"Rhiannon!" Lance called. Rhiannon rushed downstairs. "Do me a favor," She nodded. "Could you go next door and tell Auntie Trish we need to see her? Then, can you play with Lian outside in the backyard?" She nodded, running out the backdoor. "Relax, John. You're going to be okay,"

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Sorry, if anyone's crying. It got a little more emotional than I meant it, too. Hope you enjoyed it!

JenLea

Read, Review but most of all...ENJOY!