Go On

Time for Court

Disclaimer: I only own Rhiannon! I own no one else.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You okay?" Lance asked, staring at the courthouse. John squeezed his hand. He needed all the strength he could get. This wasn't going to be easy.

John tried to be optimistic. He tried to tell himself there was no way the judge would give custody to the homophobic Bob Orton. He tried to tell himself Rhiannon would come home where she belonged. Yet, he knew there was a very real chance that he would lose Rhiannon.

"Have a seat," Jill Edwards, their lawyer said. John sat beside Lance. He gripped his hand, not letting go. "We have your character witnesses. We have the letters Bob Orton wrote to his deceased son. We may have a chance to win this case." John nodded.

Lance hated seeing John in so much pain. Just a month prior, he had been ready to invest his heart in a new relationship. Just a month prior, he had been laughing like Lance hadn't heard in years. Now, John was back to his quiet, emotional state.

"Come on," Jill said, moving towards the courtroom. Lance stood up, pulling John with him. John followed him. Then, they sat down.

Lance couldn't believe Bob Orton would be so petty. His son had died. It was sad. Why was that grounds to harm the one who had made his son so happy in life?

"Ms Edwards, your opening statement," the judge said, glancing towards them. Jill stood up and approached the bench.

"Your honor, I intend to show that the child is best left where she is. She has lived with this man, John Cena since the day she was born. She is the biological child of John's deceased husband, Randy. John and Randy were Rhiannon's parents by all definitions of the word. Then, Randy tragically passed from cancer. Not once during Rhiannon's ten years of life has Bob Orton tried to contact her. Not once as he seen Rhiannon. Thank you,"

"Mr. Stanley, your opening statement," the judge said, glancing towards Bob's lawyer, James Stanley. The lawyer stood up.

"Your Honor, I intend to show that Rhiannon will do best with her biological grandparents. She is a young girl, impressionable. She needs a female role model. She's reaching those crucial years where she will need a woman's guidance. Not to mention the fact biological family is the best family you can have. Thank you,"

John's mind was a blur of thoughts. He had no clue what was going on. Rhiannon was back at the hotel with Chris and his children. Could he really get used to a world without her in it?

Lance knew John was thinking too clearly. He knew John's mind was far from the courtroom. He just wished there was something he could do. John was such a vibrant man. The man sitting next to him wasn't John. He looked much older than his thirty-eight years. He was literally a shell of the John Cena he had been getting to know.

"Ms Edwards, your first witness," the judge said. Jill stood up.

"For my first witness, I call Patricia Irvine," she said. Trish silently walked towards the stand. "Have a seat," The bailiff swore her in, and the questioning began. "Mrs. Irvine, what is your relationship to my client?"

"I'm his neighbor, I was his husband's best friend, I was the surrogate mother for his daughter, I'm Rhiannon's Godmother, John's my daughter Lian's Godfather," Trish replied.

"So, you were there when Randy passed?" Jill asked. Trish sighed.

"I was there throughout his battle with cancer, but I wasn't actually in the room when he died. I was down the hall with Rhiannon," Trish replied.

"Do you trust John with your children?" Jill asked.

"Of course! John's one of the few people I trust with my girls. I had some fertility problems, and I adopted my daughter, Lian from China and just had twin girls about a month ago, Ryleigh and Randi. I'm overprotective, but without a doubt, John is one of the few people I trust with my girls,"

"Could you describe John's parenting style?" Jill asked.

"Alone, with Randy or with Lance?" Trish responded.

"Let's start with alone," Jill said.

"Alone, John is slightly overprotective, but he's not strict. He has rules but Rhiannon's allowed to explore her world as long as she's hurting someone or herself. She has more freedom than a typical ten-year-old,"

"With Randy?"

"When Randy, my best friend, was alive, John was forced to be a little stricter than he is now."

"Why?"

"Rhiannon was Randy's little Princess. She could get away with murder, with Randy. John didn't want her getting spoiled, or thinking the world revolved around her. Although, in Randy's eyes, it did,"

"What about with Lance?"

"Lance is very much like John. He allows Rhiannon to explore the world around her. They make an effective pair. She knows if Lance says no to something, don't run to Daddy and ask. She knows if Daddy says no to something, don't run to Lance and ask,"

"So, in your opinion, is John a good parent?" Jill asked.

"Yes. If you could see the evolution he's undergone over the past ten years, you'd see why Rhiannon's such a wonderful young lady,"

"No further questions, Your Honor," Jill sat down.

"Mr. Stanley, your witness," The other lawyer stood up.

"Mrs. Irvine, did Rhiannon recently break her arm?"

"Yes, she did,"

"How?"

"She fell out of a tree,"

"Why was she in a tree?"

"She was climbing it,"

"Was there adult supervision?"

"Yes. Mr. Stanley, children get hurt. My daughter broke her wrist, falling off the couch. Does that make me a bad parent?"

"Alright. Do you think growing up in a house of men has had an adverse effect on her?"

"If anything, it has made her stronger. That little girl has been through more in her ten years of life than most people experiance in thirty years. She almost didn't survive birth, she lost one of her fathers at age four, she's been teased and tormented because she has two dads, she's scared to death that she will be forced to leave Daddy. If anything, John Cena's love for Rhiannon is the only thing that's kept her going,"

"No further questions, Your Honor," The other lawyer sat down.

"Mrs. Irvine, you may stand down," the judge said. Trish stood and walked to the back of her courtroom.

Lance felt John shaking violently. Squeezing his hand, he tried to convey a simple message.

Everything would be alright.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I apologize if this is a stereotypical courtroom scene. It's hard to make something realistic if you can't find adequate info. Hope you enjoyed it!

JenLea

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