AN: Okay, here it is. I've finally updated and I know it's taken me forever but I've been thinking on how I should end this. The next chapter will be the last chapter to this fic. If I put it all together, I'm amazed at how many chapters and words I've written...I could make this into a freakin' book! lol. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy and please read and review. Love ya for it!

I Disclaim

Trish closed her eyes as she raised her hand to her head and massaged her temples. They were heading to court in two days and what she thought would be an easy task proved to be much harder. Adam knew what he was talking about when he had brought up her lack of evidence against him. She had no legal documents or police records to prove that he had in fact raped her and she didn't even have evidence that she had pursued the issue under the law act. These were all vital pieces of information that would've helped make this process a lot quicker and easier but since when is Trish Stratus' life easy? She sat in her chair and listened as Diane went on about warning her about how the lack of documentation could indeed hurt her chances in this case. Not to mention the fact that anyone who was informed about the rape are all coincidently all ex-friends of Adam or have some past with him which would make their testimonies doubtful.

She felt a large hand grabbed her hand from under the table and capture her much smaller hand. She felt the gentle squeeze before she looked his way. She allowed a small awkward smile to pass her lips but she knew that he didn't need to see her pretend to be strong. He knew how much this was tearing her up inside but she wouldn't never let anyone see her crack and fall to pieces. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her head as he brought her closer and held her tightly. Diane watched the couple with interest as she spoke. She could only imagine how hard it must be for the two to have to go through with this. She had a lot of work ahead of her and she only had two days to do it.

"Listen guys…I think I've debriefed you on everything that you need to know for now so I'll see you guys the morning of your court day. We're going to go over procedures and strategy and uh…the only thing I can offer you guys right now is to get plenty of rest. I know that's going to be very hard but at this point, you've given all the information that I need and now I really need to find some last minute miracle that's going to guarantee that the both of you will keep your son."

"So you're not all that confident with what we have?" Randy asked hesitantly.

"Well…we have the truth and the truth is on your side. But it's a matter of convincing the judge. Right now, the plan is that we're scheduled for a custody hearing…not a rape case. We're going to have to try and win this case solely on the custody issue and why Adam doesn't deserve to be anywhere near this child. We have to make sure that we don't implement the rape too much into the subject of the case. We need to find a balance between both issues and the best way to do that is to find a witness that could testify to Adam's inappropriate behaviour and it has to be someone who has some sort of leverage in being able to really say if Adam would be a suitable parent to Joshua. If the judge should deny us, then our only option left is to make an appeal and raise the issue of your rape and that will lead into an even more complicated series of events so I'm really hoping to avoid a trail case because there's the possibility that if things should escalate that far, Joshua will be sent to social services or responsible guardians that he is familiar throughout the duration of the trial." Diane didn't miss the look of panic on Trish's face but she couldn't let her client hold false hopes. They deserved to know the truth and Diane wasn't about giving anything but the truth.

She watched Trish rise from her seat along with her husband. She grabbed on to his hand and held on tightly before mustering up an appreciative smile towards Diane.

"Thank you so much for all the work you've put into helping us. It really is appreciated. Um…we're gonna get going but um…hope you find that miracle, I really do." Trish quickly wiped away a tear that was threatening to spill. She quickly gave Diane a hug and hurried out the door with Randy. Diane's eyes watched them leave her office but as soon as the two figures disappeared, her eyes immediately darted to the stacks of files that covered her desktop. She noticed a blue manila folder that was kind of sticking out to the side.

"Hey Cindy…" she called out to her secretary. Moments later, the secretary appeared at her office door.

"Yes?"

"Where did that folder come from?" Diane questioned.

"Oh, someone came by earlier and said that they were aware of your case with Stratus-Copeland case and they said that they some information that they thought would be of interest to you. They left a contact number inside and mentioned that if you should need anything else, to contact them."

"Did they leave they're name?" Diane asked curiously as she picked up the folder and eyed it curiously. She was a bit hesitant to open it up and read the findings inside.

"No…but I think they did mention that they recorded their name, number and address on of the papers inside the folder."

"Thank you, Cindy. That's all for now."

The moment her secretary left, Diane immediately shut her office door and took a seat behind her desk.

"Well….what do we have here?"

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"Hey guys…how was the meeting?" Matt asked as he allowed his two friends inside. Randy gave him a look that said it all.

"I know it's hard not to worry, but I have faith that you guys will be able to pull this off and get Adam out of your life once and for all" Matt reassured them. Trish just sighed and threw her shoes in the corner before plopping down on Amy's couch.

"Where's Amy?" Trish asked as Matt handed her and Randy a beer.

"Oh, she was putting all the kids down to sleep. We figured you guys would've had a hectic day so we set up beds in the master bedroom for all the kids and Amy and I are gonna sleep in Justin's bedrooms and you guys can have the guest bedroom all to yourselves. You guys need to unwind…."

"Awww, thanks Matt, we really appreciate that" Trish replied genuinely. She did need some alone time with her husband. They had a lot to think about and right now, he was the best thing to keeping her calm.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Amy walked into the den.

"Is everything in order?" Amy asked as she plopped down next to Trish and opened up a container of Haagen-Daz ice cream. She plopped one spoon into the ice cream and she handed the other one to Trish.

"Dig in…I'm sure you need it and frankly so do I" Amy chuckled.

"Thanks Ames. I can imagine how tired you are from taking care of the kids all day. Thank you so much for watching our kids for us. I know they can be a handful at times….were they much trouble for you?" Trish asked.

"Naw, they weren't bad. It's just seems like when you put five kids together, the excitement between them builds up their adrenaline much like how sugar does" Amy laughed.

"Speaking of sugar…." Randy interrupted. "Where are our ice creams?" he asked with a pout. Matt agreed and they both began pouting together. The women just laughed before taking big spoonfuls and stuffing it in their husband's mouths. Of course, most of it didn't actually make its way inside their mouths.

"Hey…." Randy said as he grabbed a napkin and began wiping his mouth off.

"At least I managed to get some into your mouth so don't complain" Trish said with a giggle. For the moment, her and Randy were going to let themselves have some unwinding time. As much as the next two days weighed on their minds, they were going to go crazy if they didn't try and enjoy something even if it was something as little as ice cream.

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The Next Day…..

Diane stood outside the motel room door and waited patiently for its temporary owner to answer.

"Come on…answer the door please" Diane begged softly to herself. Her prayers were answered shortly after when she was met with a pair of dark brown eyes.

"Hi, I'm Diane…."

"I know who you are" the person interrupted her.

"I guess you do need my help after all."

Diane stared at the figure standing before her…possibly the only person that could give her all the information that she needed to win this case.

"Come in….I'll answer any questions you have" and with that Diane entered the motel room and prayed that fate had lead her to the right place.

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Trish Stratus hated the feeling of being useless. She hated being in a predicament and knowing there was nothing more that she could do to help the situation. Trish sighed deeply as she ran a hand through her blonde mane and looked out the window from her seat on the cushioned bay window that was situated in the corner of Matt and Amy's guest bedroom. She had felt just a tiny bit relaxed earlier being able to sit down and talk about something else other than the their custody problems. The more she was around the people she loved, the more she felt confident that things would be alright. However, that reassurance would quickly leave when she was left alone to contemplate her thoughts.

What if she and Randy lost custody of Josh to Adam? What if it was just naïve thoughts that made her believe that they actually stood a chance against Adam in this case?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the adjoined bathroom door opening up to reveal and shirtless Randy donned only in a pair of white sweat pants. She didn't turn her attention away from the view of outside but she knew that he was approaching so she instinctively moved forward so that he could sit behind her. He did exactly that and then pulled her closer so that she was laying against him, arms wrapped around her as he rested his cheek on the top of her head.

"You're worrying more than you let on…" he said quietly. She wanted to respond but she knew that there was no need. He wasn't asking, he was telling her and she knew that he was very right in his observation. She sat silently in his arms for a few minutes before he spoke again.

"I think we should tell him…" Randy whispered to her. Confusion set in and Trish got up and turned around in his arms to look at her husband.

"Tell who what? What are you talking about?" she asked.

She could tell that Randy was serious and she could tell that whatever it was, was hard for him to deal with.

"We need to tell Josh that I'm not his real father" Randy said straight to the point. Trish was about to object but Randy put a finger to her lips.

"I know you say that we should wait till he understands but baby…right now, we have to think logically. There's a chance that Adam just might win this custody case and if he does and we wait till then to tell Josh the truth, we both know that he'll hate us for keeping it from him. He's old enough to understand…he's ready Trish."

Her heart broke as she watched the man she loved struggle to keep his composure. His eyes began to moisten up and she instinctively wiped the tears before they began to fall down his cheek. When she was done, she rested her hand against his cheek.

"But are you ready?" she asked hoarsely. He didn't answer but slightly shrugged his shoulders. She looked at him for a while as he just stared out the window, really thinking about what could happen when Josh found out the truth.

"My feelings don't matter at this point. It's Josh I'm worried about" he said finally as he returned his gaze to his wife.

"I think we should tell him now" he said. Trish looked at him in surprise.

"Are you serious? Don't you at least want to go over what we should say?" she asked incredulously.

Randy shook his head.

"It's not something that needs to be rehearsed. However we say it isn't gonna make it sound better. Please…." he begged. She simply nodded her head. She informed him that she would go get Josh and she quickly left the room. She could tell that the kids were still awake because she could her all the noise coming from Matt and Amy's bedroom.

She opened the door to see Amy coming out of the bathroom followed by Emma. Amy looked up and smiled.

"I just had to refill the toilet paper" she laughed. Trish let out a small giggle and then her expression turned to one of uncertainty. Being best friends for five years wasn't lost on Amy. She knew something was wrong…something other than the upcoming court battle. Trish gave her a tiny smile before turning her attention to Josh.

"Josh sweetie, you dad and I want to talk to you about something" Trish said gently. It instantly dawned on Amy and she quickly mouthed a 'good luck' to her friend.

"Am I in trouble mom? If aunty Amy told you about me breaking the vase in the hallway I already told her I was sorry…" Josh babbled on. Trish's eyes darted to Amy and both women couldn't help but laugh at his incessant rambling. Trish interrupted him.

"You're not in trouble." Josh looked at her for a second then looked at Amy and then back at his mom.

"Oh…okay. Well then, just forget the thing about the vase okay" he said and then started out the room, his mom following him, leaving behind a room full of kids and his aunt Amy laughing.

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Josh entered his parents room and jumped on the bed and slid right next to his father.

"Hey dad" he said as he snuggled up to next to him.

"Hey kiddo…did you brush your teeth yet?" Randy asked.

"Uh huh…aunt Amy made sure that we all had our milk and brushed our teeth." He then turned to his mom who had, by now, taken a seat next to him so that he was sandwiched in between his parents.

"Sweetie…there's something that we need to tell you and it might be hard for you to understand right now" Trish began.

The look of worry on Josh's face broke her heart but it needed to be done.

"Do you remember Adam?…" she questioned gently.

Josh bit his bottom lip and nodded his head slowly.

"You mean Mr. C?" he asked. He looked at both his parents as they nodded their heads.

Trish stumbled over her words after his response…not knowing how to further approach the subject. Randy saw his wife's struggle and he jumped in.

"Josh…before you were born, Adam….he hurt your mom and it's a little hard to explain but he did some things that hurt your mother very deeply. Well…for reasons that you'll learn when you're older, your mother became pregnant with you." Randy stopped to look at Josh's face as he took it all in.

"I think Emma had explained something like this to me when we were watching a TV show" Josh replied quietly.

"She told me that sometimes guys do things to girls that they don't want to do and they end up hurting them…but that's all she said." Josh bit his bottom lip before continuing.

"Is that what you guys mean?" he asked, his voice now quivering. He looked at the solemn expression on his father's face before looking at his mom and recognizing tears in her eyes. He saw her barely nod her head, confirming his thoughts. The tears began to fall quickly and he huddled next to his mother.

"Mom, if I know that Mr. C had hurt you, I would've never made friends with him" he cried into his mother's chest and she tried to calm him down.

"Sweetie, there's more" Randy informed him as stroked the top of his son's head. Trish leaned back so that she could look at her little boy. If there was anything more painful than this very moment, she never wanted to find out because she could barely contain all the pain, anxiety, hurt and sorrow she felt at that very moment. She hurt more for her son than for herself. She was protect him and right now, it didn't seem like she was doing a very good job but she knew it had to be done before it was too late.

"I don't know how to say this…" Trish struggled for words. Randy decided that he would tell Josh and wrapped his arms around the shaken little boy. He brought him closer to him and held him close.

"You know I love you right?" Randy asked. He looked down to see Josh nodded his head quickly without hesitation.

"And you know that I would go to the ends of the earth for you and no matter what, that would never change" he continued on. Josh continued to nod his head but this time, he looked up into his father's eyes.

All the vulnerability and helpless in his son's eyes….he couldn't do it.

"I just want you to remember, that in life, showing someone you love them means more than just saying it. We should always be careful of the things we say, but it's even more important that we be careful of the things we do as well because actions speak louder than words….I would love you more than life itself, even if I didn't have to" Randy chuckled a bit but he meant every word of it.

Randy looked over at Trish who had a look of confusion on her face. They weren't going to lose him, there was simply no way they were going to give him to Adam, even if he had to kill Adam himself and spend the rest of his life rotting in a jail cell, he was his father and no DNA test could tell him differently.

Josh looked at the eyeful exchanges between his parents before placing his head on the pillow and looking up at the both of them. Moments later, Trish placed her head down on the pillow on one side of him while Randy did the same on the other side.

"Can I sleep here with you guys tonight?" he asked his father. Randy chuckled as Trish smiled through her heavy eyes lids as they threatened to close. They hadn't told him, but the conversation had given her the boost she needed to believe that there was no way that she would lose her son…God would make sure of it.

"Of course you can…as long as you can take your mother's snoring." Josh laughed along with his father and his laugher increased when he noticed a pillow fly across him and hit his dad in the face.

"I DO NOT snore!" Trish said, her eyes popping open for the few moments to emphasize the negative. It was a lighthearted moment between the three.

"Hey dad…" Josh said as he lazily threw either hand over his parents.

"Yeah kiddo…"

"Just so you know…I'd still think you were the bestest dad in the whole world…even if I didn't have to" he giggled a bit as he used his father's words.

They both laughed.

"That's good to know….just promise me you'll remember what I said" Randy turned a bit serious.

"I promise dad." "Your mother's pretty quiet over there" Randy said. He lifted his head to look over as his son turned his head, only to see Trish curled up and fast asleep.

"I guess we should go to sleep too then, huh?" Randy suggested.

Josh rubbed his tired eyes and nodded before simply closing his eyes. Randy took a moment to look at his wife and son….they were going to stay together, even if that meant Adam having to pay with his blood. He and Trish weren't going to lose their son and if he had to, he'd make sure of it.

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