Chapter 22: Stand

"Court is in session" the bailiff yelled "all rise"

Everyone stood as the man dressed in the black and white robes entered the court room from his chambers. Ashley could feel her heart in her throat. Her heart was beating so fast that she thought she was literally going to have a heart attack. Her palms were sweating and her breathing was becoming more and more irate.

"Are you ok?" John asked his ex girlfriend who happened to be sitting next to him.

"I'm almost certain that I am having a panic attack" she replied.

"Are you going to be ok … do you need some air?" he leaned closer to her.

"No … I'll be fine I just need to get this over with" she assured him.

She closed her eyes and pictured herself on a beach with beautiful aqua water. She was standing on the shore line with the water lapping at her bare feet. The sun was just about setting and she could feel the peace all around her. She opened her eyes again and she found herself being able to breathe easier.

"Wow I can't believe that really works" she said to herself about the relaxation exercise she had just preformed.

"You look like you feel better" John observed.

"I was just in Aruba" she replied giving him a smile.

"Next time take me with you"

She was about to reply when she heard her name being called. She gave John a nervous smile.

"Looks like I'm up"

After she was sworn in she had a seat on the witness stand. Her eyes shifted uncomfortably over everyone in the courtroom.

"Ms. Benoit will you please tell the court how you came to have the child in your care" her and John's attorney Charlotte Anderson said.

"Well we were traveling on our way Seattle when we made a stop at a Walmart because one of the people we were traveling with was thirsty. John and Randy and I were too lazy to go into Walmart so we remained in the car. I had climbed into the front seat from the back and was content with playing with the radio when John thought he heard something. He told us that he thought he heard a baby which I of course came up with a wise remark about it being Walmart and having babies all around but John was persistent and eventually we found that baby wrapped up in a towel in some shrubbery"

"What was his condition when you found him?" Charlotte asked.

"He was blue and shivering I think the doctors said he was near hypothermia but I don't really remember"

"So what made you decide to adopt the baby?"

"I felt like he needed me and that part of me needed him too" Ashley replied with a small shrug.

"Do you own your own home?"

"Yes, my boyfriend Shane and I own our own home"

"You named the baby Phinnigan William Joshua correct, care to explain to us where that name came from"

"Phinnigan was my grandfather's name … it means fair and I believed the name fit him because he was getting a fair chance at life as for the name William his father John said he looked like a William and Randy added Joshua" Ashley explained.

"Explain the relationship you have with Phinnigan's adoptive father John"

"We dated for a while and eventually broke up we still remained really great friends and at that time he was the only one I would want to share a child with"

"You said at the time has that changed since then?" Charlotte asked.

"Well yes I am dating someone so it would assume I would want to share a child with him"

"Well that's reasonable"

"How does John act with Phinnigan?" Charlotte asked.

"He's great with him, very caring … you can tell that he loves Phinnigan very much"

"What about your boyfriend Shane?"

"Shane is also very good with him and he treats Phinnigan just like his own two sons and all the boys act like brothers, they are all very close"

"That will be all for now"

Ashley braced herself from the next round of questions. She new the other attorney was going to be brutal. He was going to try to point out all her faults in order to make her seems than a less than competent mother. She had seen enough court room dramas and heard enough to know all about the intimidation techniques the man might use.

"Ms Benoit would it be ok if I called you Ashley?" the man asked.

"If you would like you may" she replied.

"What do you do for employment?" he asked.

"I am employed as apart of the World Wrestling Entertainment Franchise, I am assistant to the head script writer"

"Sounds like a very important job" the man almost sounded impressed.

"I suppose one would think so" Ashley said coolly.

"Are you nervous?" he asked.

"A little but I try not to let it get to me"

"So you say you found the baby in a parking lot is that correct?"

"Yes it is correct"

"What do you suppose he was doing there?"

"Well I think it would be obvious that someone left him there wouldn't you say that would be a fair assumption"

John smirked and reclined a little in his chair. This guy had no idea who he was messing with the more irritated someone made her the more sarcastic Ashley would become. John knew just by her tone that she was starting to get aggravated with this guy already.

"Why did you adopt the boy?"

"Why not I mean it is a free country right people can do what they please as long as it is within the statute of the law"

"But what I meant is why not have a baby of your own"

"Your honor I don't feel my client has to answer that very personal question!" Charlotte exclaimed jumping out of her seat.

"I'm agreeing with Ms. Anderson on this one Mr. Turner please keep the line of questioning relevant to the case at hand"

"If it is alright with you your honor I have no problem answering the question I have nothing to hide" Ashley said.

"Then go right ahead"

She took a moment to look at John, he nodded his head at her and she turned her cool gaze back to the man the judge had addressed as Turner.

"I can't have children of my own I was beaten as a teen and cannot conceive a child so I decided to adopt the little boy"

"So you were beaten … by whom?"

Ashley had already decided that she didn't like this guy but after that question she knew that he was a total asshole.

"Foster parents" she answered "I was put into a foster home at the age of 14 and they beat me repeatedly for a period of over 3 weeks"

Ashley looked up when she heard someone gasp. She looked over to see Phinnigan's birth mother, the young woman had placed her hand over her mouth in pure shock.

"So when I found out they were putting the baby into an orphanage I was afraid that something similar would happen to him so I decided to adopt him"

"Is it true that you told the head of the orphanage that you and Mr. Cena were engaged so it would give you a better chance to adopt the boy?"

Ashley knew he was going in for the kill now "Yes that is true but during the first of many check up visits that Sister Agnes did as part of the whole adoption process I did tell her the truth and she told me that it really didn't matter because Phinnigan seemed to be adjusting so well to us that she wasn't about to take him out of the healthy environment he was in"

"But you still lied to a nun how can you sleep at night"

"I sleep very fine knowing that my son is safe and sound in the room down the hall" she replied indignantly. She now wore a small smile at the attorney's flustered look.

"No further questions your honor" he barked before having a seat.

"You may step down Ms. Benoit" the judge told her.

"Thank you your honor" she responded before leaving the stand and returning to her seat.

"You did well up there" Charlotte patted her on the back "you didn't let them see any weakness"

"That guy is a shark" Ashley said "but I'm better" she added with a smirk.

"Here we go" John rolled his eyes.

Ashley leaned back in her chair "Paul" she whispered kinda loudly.

Paul wasn't paying attention "Hunter" Ashley said a little louder.

Still nothing. Shane was sitting directly behind Ashley. She gave him a pleading look and he leaned over and whispered something to his sister. She in turn elbowed her husband who happened to be staring off into space.

"What" he hissed looking rather annoyed.

"Nice of you to join as back on earth" she whispered taking a look back at the judge who was paying attention to the piece of paper before him.

"If we win this I'm pulling a Shawn and just dropping to my knees and thanking the lord" she said.

"You do it and I'll buy your son his first car" he bet her not thinking that she would really do something that stupid in a court of law.

"You are so on"

She turned back around just in time. Turner was up again and he was going for his next victim John.

John stood up and smoothed down the front of the uncomfortable suit he just happened to be wearing. He squared his broad shoulders and had the seat Ashley had just vacated.

"Mr. Cena tell us in your own words what happened the night the baby was found"

"Ashley basically told the whole story we were in the parking lot and I heard a baby crying and I really can't explain it I just got a really bad feeling that something was wrong so we went and looked and we found Phin"

"Did you ever once think that maybe you were over your heads in this whole adoption thing?"

"When Ashley first came to me with the idea I thought it was kinda crazy but she seemed really excited about becoming a mother and after I found out what happened to her I wanted to help her in anyway I could. Ash is an amazing mom and Phinnigan is very lucky to have her"

"So it's safe to say you have known Ms. Benoit for a very long time?" he asked.

"Yeah you could say that I'd say it's about 6 years"

"And out of that 6 years how many were you in an intimate relationship with her?"

"2 years" he replied.

"So in those two years you knew nothing of her inability to have children?"

"Yeah, we were both really young so there wasn't much talk about having children so there was never a reason to tell me and besides that is her business"

"It just happens to be opportune that she just happens to disclose this abnormality just as she decided to adopt the boy … did you ever think maybe she made it up"

"OBJECTION YOUR HONOR! That is slander" Charlotte yelled.

"Ms. Anderson I expect you not to raise your voice like that in my courtroom again as for you Mr. Turner she is right I hardly think a reputable young woman such as Ms. Benoit would lie about being abused as a teenager to get a guy to help her adopt a baby" the judge intervened.

"Ok the subject will be dropped"

"What do you do for a living Mr. Cena?"

"I am a professional wrestler contracted by the World Wrestling Entertainment" he replied still reeling from the fact that anyone could honestly believe that Ashley could make up such a horrible lie … she wasn't like Kelly.

"So you beat people up for a living" Turner began to pace by now.

"Some may say that but it takes a lot more work than that. People actually go to schools and train for years so people such as yourself can say we beat people up but there is a lot more to it than that we have to choreograph everything down to the finest detail to make sure ourselves and our opponents walk out of that ring alive. Take a simple body slam if done poorly someone can loose consciousness, hit their head and suffer brain damage, so everything has to be perfect"

"Very enlightening" Turner said dryly.

John clenched and unclenched his fists to keep himself from lunging at the man in front of him.

"Would you consider yourself a good influence to the boy?"

"Yes I would consider my self a good influence to Phinnigan" John emphasized Phin's name "just the other day my friend Randy and I sat and watched the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie 3 times in a row because Phinnigan and Randy's son Dean wanted to watch it again and again and I don't drink or smoke around him and when he is within hearing range I try not to curse. Both Ashley and I make sure he eats healthy foods instead of junk and we also take the time to help him learn about the world around him"

"How well would you say you know Phinnigan?"

"Well how well does anyone really know a 1 year old?" John countered "I know the simple things like his favorite food and how to get him to sleep at night and I think that is all any parents really knows when their children are that small"

"How much time would you say you spend with Phinnigan?"

"Well I travel a lot but I would say maybe 3 days a week if I'm lucky but I call him every night and we talk for about 30 minutes before bedtime" John explained.

"No further questions" Turner sat down.

"Ms. Anderson do you have anything to add?" the judge asked.

"No your honor I think everything that needs to be said has" Charlotte said shuffling around the papers she had in front of her.

"Mr. Cena you may step down"

John didn't have to be told twice he returned to his seat and without really noticing it he reached over and took Ashley hand in his own. Shane didn't miss it though, he waited for Ashley to remove her hand from John's but she didn't. So Shane sat back and crossed his arms vowing to himself to talk to Ashley about it later.

Charlotte was up again and this time she called Phinnigan's birth mother to the stand. She was nervous anyone could tell that. Although she tried to compose herself the best she could Ashley could see her nervously shivering from where she was sitting. She felt a pang of sympathy, she seemed so young to have to be going through this.

"Would you please state your name for the court?" Charlotte asked softly also sensing the nervousness.

"Alexandria Whitley ma'am" her voice was soft with a heavy accent.

"May I call you Alexandria?"

"Yes"

"How old are you Alexandria?"

"I'll be 18 in September"

Ashley swore under her breath, she knew Phinnigan's birth mother had been young but she hadn't thought that she was that young. She was still a child herself, it all seemed to make sense in Ashley's mind now.

"So it's safe to say you were about 16 when you gave birth to the baby correct?"

"Yes ma'am I was really young when I had him"

"Why did you leave him in a parking lot?"

"We … I mean Sean and me … we didn't know what else to do we were still in high school and there was no way either of us were ready to take care of a baby at our age and we got scared"

"Did your parents know about the pregnancy?"

"No we kept it a secret the whole time … we weren't thinking clearly we were just really scared and didn't know what else to do but having had some time to think about it we now know that it was reckless to leave him outside where anything could happen to him"

"You said you were too young to take care of him … what about now you are still very young"

"After we left the baby it took my boyfriend Sean and I a long time to finally tell our parents the truth but when we finally did they were very supportive and wanted to help us get our son back"

"But you do realize that if Ms. Benoit and Mr. Cena hadn't found the baby he probably wouldn't have survived"

"Yes and I am very grateful that they did find him and that they gave him a good home until now but we are his rightful parents and he should be with his family"

"But what about the family he already has … what about the two step-brothers who Phinnigan lives with what would you like Ms. Benoit and her boyfriend Shane tell them"

"Well what about my family don't they have the right to acknowledge their own flesh and blood" Alexandria's voice rose a few octaves.

"That is not for me to decide" Charlotte replied calmly "but are you sure you want to take on this responsibility don't you want to go to collage and do things everyone your age does before having to take care of a child"

"Of course I do … it's just … I can't do this anymore" Alexandria began to cry "I don't want to take Phinnigan away from his family they obviously have more love than I can give him right now in my life … I never wanted to take him out of the home he was in now my parents wanted him back neither me nor Sean know how to take care of a baby so why not let him stay where he is"

"With that being said I guess I have no choice but to grant the wishes of the birth mother" the judge said "Phinnigan will remain with his adoptive family"

Much like she had promised Ashley dropped to her knees and thanked the lord. She sat like that for a few moments just letting everything sink in. She stood up and was greeted with John's huge arms wrapping themselves around her in a fierce hug. After much hugging and kissing and celebrating with everyone Ashley and John were able to go get their son again.

Phinnigan was waiting for the outside in courtroom he got excited when he saw his mother and ran to hug her. Ashley scooped him up into her arms and vowed to never let go.

"We won baby boy we won" she kissed him cheek.

"Hey buddy" John came over and kissed the top of his son's head "you get to stay with us for good"

Out of the corner of her eye Ashley could see Alexandria and her family leaving. She handed the baby to John.

"Alexandria" Ashley called out. The young girl turned around.

Ashley reached into her messenger bag and pulled out a cream colored album.

"I wanted to thank you for what you did in there … I know it wasn't easy but we will be forever grateful to you and your family" Ashley said with a smile.

"It's us who should be grateful to you if it wasn't for you he wouldn't be alive today and I think living with that would be even worse than knowing he's with another family"

"I wanted you to have this … it's an album from his first bath till his first birthday it's not much but it's still something to remember him by" she held the album out to the young woman.

She smiled and accepted the album before holding it close to her heart.

"Thank you"

With that they parted ways, Ashley returned back to her family and they all gave her pats on the back for what they deemed as a selfless gesture.

"Celebration party at our house" Ashley announced.

The party was hopping at the McMahon-Benoit home. Liquor was being passed around like there was no tomorrow. Ashley found herself reaching into the fridge to get her first beer of the night.

"How many of them have you had tonight?" Shane asked wrapping his arms around her waist from behind.

"First one" she flashed him her pearly whites.

"Promise me you will take it easy tonight"

"I'll only have one beer … you have my word"

"Thank you" he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Ashley did keep her promise she only had one beer so technically she did not lie to Shane but along with the one beer she also did 5 shots of tequila. So to say she was feeling good would be an understatement.

Ashley climbed up onto a nearby table and cleared her throat. The music that had been playing was turned down.

"I just wanna thank everyone for celebrating with us today" she drunkenly slurred "I love you all so much"

"Take it off" someone from the back of the house yelled.

"Well if you insist" she began unbuttoning her top.

Shane already knew this couldn't be good he roughly snatched Ashley down from the table and began re-buttoning all the buttons his drunken girlfriend had undone.

"Stop being a killjoy Shane"

"Ashley you are embarrassing the both of us in front of everyone" Shane yelled "just sit here and try to sober up"

"Fine" Ashley huffed taking a seat.

With one more disgusted look Shane walked away leaving Ashley to her thoughts.

"You ok kid?" John asked having a seat next to Ashley.

"Shane is being stupid"

"I kinda have to agree with him I mean you almost gave everyone in the house a free show" John grinned "not that I would have minded"

"I'm sure you wouldn't have" she rolled her eyes "you know John you are the only person who really gets me"

"You aren't exactly hard to get" he said.

Before he could utter another word Ashley almost lunged at him claiming his lips with her own. He could taste the tequila and if he hadn't already known she was drunk her would know now. His first instinct was get fight her off because she was his friend's girlfriend and she was drunk but he loved her too much to fight her off so even though it was wrong he didn't really seem to care.

Shane went to go get Ashley some water and when he walked back over his heart broke to see his girlfriend making out with her ex-boyfriend. He dropped the cup of water he had been carrying. He walked away because if he stayed he would have made a scene. He could only forgive so much and he wasn't sure he could forgive this.