I love holidays... lots of time to write :) I hope you're all enjoying the frequent updates. You'll be pleased to know I will be writing another chapter of Love My Sister's Boyfriend, but like Contentment, this will come much later down the line. I had an idea of how to end things differently while I was writing it, but decided against it for a oneshot, with the call for a follow up to the story, I'll probably tackle the idea I had. Not sure when it will be.

In the meantime though, enjoy the next instalment to Life is Good...

9:30am. Alanna should be long gone by now. He'd taken her to the cinema the other night as it was a way for them to do something without having to make conversation for a lot of the time.

He loved the girl like a daughter, but now, she was just a constant reminder that he didn't have Randy in his life.

He felt like he should be getting up and going to work, but what was the point. They didn't need him at either gym, and the pool was moving along as planned. There was no need to leave the house.

He dragged himself from the bed and wandered downstairs to the kitchen, he should eat something at the very least. There must be some cereal in the cupboards, or some bread for toasting. Opening the cupboards he stood looking at the boxes, there were at least four to choose from. He wasn't in mood to choose so he closed the door and went to the fridge, maybe there was something simple in there. Some fruit, bacon maybe, pancake mixture; he didn't fancy any of them.

Closing the fridge, he turned around and grabbed the coffee pot, which was still warm. He'd have to have a word with Alanna and make sure she wasn't drinking too much caffeine. It wasn't good for a girl of her age. After pouring himself a cup, he went out onto the veranda and sat on one of the sun loungers; until it brought back memories from his nights spent with Randy out there.

He moved back into the kitchen and sat in front of the television but couldn't get comfortable and he couldn't be bothered to get up and get the switch. Maybe the den would be a better choice, so he moved through but didn't even sit down when he automatically went to go to the love seat he and Randy always curled up. Turning around as soon as he entered the room he padded across the hallway and went upstairs. The bedroom had become his haven. There were memories of course but there were too many to pinpoint just one. He put his drink on the bedside cabinet and fell back into bed, pulling the sheet up over his head.

He could hear Randy trying to coax him out of bed in his usual way, but unless he was there, John didn't want to know. He could feel the tears prickling his eyes and he tried his hardest to keep them in, a grown man shouldn't cry, right. Well, John was making a stand, he was upset, and missing his lover, he was allowed to let his emotions out. He reached his hand out from underneath the duvet and grabbed his phone from the bedside table.

Maybe if he gave him a call, Randy would come around and spend some time with him, help them get back to what they had before this all happened. He searched through the contacts, though why he did he didn't know, Randy was always speed dial #1 on his phone. In fact, Randy's number was the first thing he always made sure was on a phone whenever he got a new one. He was about to hit 'Call' when he stopped and started second-guessing.

Why would Randy come around just because he was feeling down? He was feeling down the other night and he walked away; left the house in fact. And stopped living there a few weeks ago, they may have agreed to it but it didn't make it any better for John, if anything it was worse.

Out of nowhere, the sheets were thrown back, and John looked up shielding his eyes from the sun pouring in through the window. Randy? Was it him? Did he sense that John was unhappy?

"John, what are doing still in bed? It's nearly twelve o'clock."

It wasn't Randy. In fact, that southern drawl could only belong to one man, but John was not in the mood to play host to Ted, especially if Cody were with him.

"I'm sleeping, what does it look like?"

"Yeah well, get up, I need to talk, and by the looks of the red eyes, so do you," Ted said leaving the bedroom. "And don't think I won't be back if you're not downstairs in five minutes."

"Yes dad," John whined trying to be playful but it came out a little too sharp.

Having no choice, he dragged himself out of bed for a second time and went to the bathroom, trying to recall where the morning went; he'd only been under the sheets for a few moments.

He avoided looking in the mirror, scared to see what he looked like, hoped he looked presentable, and then went downstairs. He found Ted in the kitchen, frying up some eggs and bacon.

"I get the impression you aren't eating well," Ted said pointing to a seat at the counter. "So help me God, you better tell me what I can do to help my friend."

"Right now, I'd just like to have my life back; my boyfriend, my business," John said without any emotion.

"From what I hear, you could have had your boyfriend back the day of the party but you pushed him away."

"No I didn't, he was trying to mess with my head. He kissed me then left, then that night he came at looking for sex, like that would help," John bit back at him.

"Sex always helps," Ted said wiggling his eyebrows.

"Yeah, well maybe if you and Cody started fucking, you might realise you two like each other a little more than friends."

"You know what, just because you and Randy turned out to be gay and in love, doesn't mean every set of male friends are," Ted barked at him shoving the plate of breakfast across the countertop to him. "And don't you dare talk about Cody like that."

"Your statement would have been more believable if you didn't defend him at the end," John said with a knowing smirk. "Listen, I'm a shitty friend right now, I'm not going to try and hide it, but frankly I have more issues going on in my life, I don't need to be dealing with yours as well."

"Gee, thanks," Ted said sarcastically.

"Maybe try talking to Randy, he might feel like talking a little more than me," John said.

"John, listen to me, I know you've got a lot of troubles, but as a friend, you should put that aside to help your fellow man," Ted said trying to reason with John.

"Don't preach to me Ted," John said complaining. "I'm sorry for the attitude, I am. As you say, I have shit happening in my life and that's affecting me, especially since I don't know how to get passed them."

"One piece of advice; sort things out with Randy," Ted sounded. "You and Randy are one of the strongest couples I've ever known. Together you can overcome anything. Once you have Randy here with you, you can both make things stronger with Alanna. I get the impression from the other night that she's putting on a brave face."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's see, you were sulking upstairs, obviously had another argument with Randy, and then he left, with you continuing to stay upstairs," Ted said pulling a face. "Cody and Alanna were doing a lot of work to keep everyone from knowing you've separated. Thankfully everyone presumed you two were going at it."

John rolled his eyes and moved out to the veranda to get some fresh air. He sat on the steps leading to the lower deck and sure enough, Ted joined him with a drink for them both.

"What does that have to do with Alanna?"

"She feels like she's causing trouble all the time, she chose to stay with you so Randy would have to come around to see her and therefore spend time with you, but it's not happening. Then she's trying to hide the truth from your friends. John, she's sixteen, not twenty-six. She shouldn't be covering for you two."

"Okay, fine, I'll check she's okay when she gets home," John said. "Invite her boyfriend around or something. So, do you have the magic cure for my business as well?"

"See my first point, sort things out with Randy," Ted said putting a hand on John's shoulder in support. "Everything will seem better with him here."

"I don't want it to appear better, I want it to be better," John said shaking his head.

"If you only have one thing to worry about and your partner is at your side, you will find a way to save the gym," Ted said.

"I hope you're right," John said. "I just need to find a way to get Randy back."

"You will."

John finished his drink as they sat looking over the yard thinking about what Ted had ttold him. Ted was a good friend and he felt better for talking to him. It helped that he was right; with Randy by his side, he could accomplish anything.

"So what did you need to talk about? John asked. "I can't say it will be the best advice in the world with the way I'm feeling, but I can give it try. Plus, it's only right to return the favour."

"You know how you didn't believe me earlier when I snapped over your comment," Ted said as John nodded his acknowledgement. "Well, maybe that was because there was an element of truth to it."

"You want to fuck Cody?"

"JOHN!" Ted cried his face flushing in embarrassment. "You've spent too much time with Randy over the years."

"I'm trying to work out where you're at with the acceptance process," John said chuckling. "Nothing works better than blunt comments."

"We're nowhere near that!"

"I'd say you aren't far off," John shrugged. "If I ask you some questions, I don't want you to get defensive; I want you to tell me the truth. And I warn you, they won't necessarily be comfortable questions."

"Okay," Ted said cautiously.

"When you're having a conversation with a group of people, do you find you lost track of the conversation because you're focused on Cody so much?"

"...Sometimes."

"Okay, when he's speaking, do you look at him in generally or do you find yourself looking at his lips?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"The kind I know to ask because I've been there."

"Fine, yes... a lot of the time," Ted said feeling angry at being caught out.

"Last couple of questions," John said hiding a smile. "Do you think about kissing him, or him kissing you?"

"Yes," Ted whispered as though he didn't want to acknowledge it.

"Do you look at his butt?"

"Yes," he answered in another whisper.

John was trying his hardest not to laugh; not because Ted was thinking this way, or because he was struggling to admit it, but because he had been there himself. Only by the time they'd reached this point, he and Randy had already kissed, and had a silent acknowledgement of their feelings.

"One more, then I'll leave you to your thoughts," John told him, already standing where he'd been sat. "When you look at Cody's ass, do you have a... reaction?"

John didn't even wait for an answer, mostly because he didn't want to know, he wanted Ted to think on it for a moment or two. It wasn't helping that as he asked the questions, he thought back on his own exploration, how he used to think about Randy, about kissing him again, about how that kiss would feel against his lips and on his skin. He imagined how it would feel to have Randy hold him. He may be the stronger of the two, but John would always feel safe in Randy's arms.

It was a tough time for both of them, but knowing the other was going through the same thing helped them both. Ted and Cody appeared to be at that stage, but they hadn't acknowledged it to one another. John wondered if Randy gave Cody a nudge, it might make them talk to one another. It would also give John an excuse to call Randy.

"I should be going," Ted, said walking back in from the yard and heading across the kitchen.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," he said in a daze. "Thanks."

"Ted, one piece of advice. Talk to him, it doesn't help to keep this bottled up," John said in seriousness.

"Yeah, sure."

One thing Ted's visit did was make John want to see Randy. He wanted to feel those lips as much as he had all those years ago. Maybe that was a way to get Randy back, take him out on a first date. They could rekindle the fire they had when they first started.

He ran up the stairs two at a time and grabbed his cell phone from the bed, grateful he hadn't missed any phone calls. He dialled Randy's number as he walked along the hallway back to the stairs. Within a couple of rings, Randy had picked up.

"Hi," John said tentatively.

"How are you feeling?" Randy asked with concern evident in his voice. John wanted to tell him he was feeling a little aroused at the thoughts he'd been having, but that wasn't any way to start things up again.

"Loved," John said after a moment.

"What do you mean?"

"I realise how I pushed you away the other night... I'm sorry," he said reaching the bottom of the stairs.

"It's fine. I was worried about you," Randy explained.

"I know, and I was too involved in myself to realise that. Anyway, I was wondering," John said as the doorbell went. "Hang on two seconds."

John went to the door and answered it, shocked to see Paul Levesque stood there. Paul smiled and stepped in before John even said anything, "I was hoping you were in."

"I've got to go. I'll give you a call back. I love you," John said without thinking.

"Love you too."

Randy had hung up before John had a chance to reply, but hearing those words from Randy brought a smile to his face. At least he knew they had a chance, if there was love then there could be a future.

"How is Randy?" Paul asked interrupting John's thoughts.

"He's fine, we both are," John commented working his way through to the kitchen. He swore they spent the majority of the time in the kitchen. There was something about Paul which made him wary these days. He could never tell what his agenda was. In general, John and Randy had a rule that when they dealt with the WWE, they dealt with Stephanie.

"I heard about the gym," Paul said taking a seat at the kitchen table. "Everyone on the tour is talking about it."

"Glad to know the gossip factory works as well as ever," John commented offhandedly.

"John, I'm going to cut to the chase; you can't fight it. Trust me," Paul said traigght faced. "They're a bigger company and even with your status as a former WWE superstar, you won't be able to win a campaign, or a court case. Eventually somewhere along the line you'll realise that."

"I've got news for you; I already think that," John said. "What's your point?"

"I'm willing to buy you out the business," Paul said handing John a document folder.

John skimmed through the document picking up all the salient points. Paul was going to pay him a hefty amount of money to sign over the ownership of the business to him.

"If you agree to it, you'll have a better payout if you were to take their offer, and then it would give you the capital needed to open shop in another location."

John couldn't believe what he was hearing. Paul wanted him to sell out. It may be indirect, but it was the same thing, he was just selling to another person. Paul didn't understand, it wasn't anything to do with the money. John had enough money invested so he could do exactly as Paul suggested and open up elsewhere. It wasn't about that, it was the principle of sticking through. His 'Never Give Up' mantra that everyone latched onto when he was a wrestler wasn't a gimmick, it was his way of life.

"I'm going to remain polite and professional when I say this," John said feeling his anger well up inside. "I am not selling out to them, or to you. If you think I would, you don't know me very well. I would also like you to leave my house."

"John, this isn't personal; it's business," Paul said. "I'm trying to find a way to take the pressure off of you."

"You realise The Authority was just an act, right? What's best for me and my customers is that the gym stays open and I will find a way for that to happen."

Paul stood up and loomed over John for a moment before speaking, "I'll leave the paperwork here for you to read. Let me know if you change your mind."

Randy was worried about the reaction he would get when he walked into the house that afternoon. Alanna was telling him that John wasn't out of bed by the time she'd gone to school the last few days and before that, it was becoming more frequent that John would lie in.

He seemed a little perkier on the phone earlier in the day but when he ended the call unexpectedly, he never rang back. All afternoon, Randy had pondered whether John had come up with an excuse to get off the phone, deciding it wasn't worth the aggravation of trying to work things out.

When they did enter, Alanna shouted her greeting then went straight upstairs to dump her bag, apparently, she had plans with her friends and wanted to get ready.

"John?" Randy called as he walked across the entryway. "John... darling, are you here?"

He cursed himself for letting it slip, but then he'd let it slip earlier by telling John he loved him, which wasn't untrue, he just wasn't sure how John was reacting to things recently. He entered the kitchen and found the television on and John asleep on the sofa.

He crouched down on the man and as he was about to nudge him awake, he took in his lover's appearance. He seemed a little thinner in the face and he had almost as much stubble as he himself had, only on John, it didn't do him justice. His man was the clean-shaven variety, and it didn't sit well with Randy to see that much growth on his face.

Standing up, he mentally made plans to take care of his lover. He was concerned about his health, and wondered whether he could persuade John to see a doctor.

"Find him?" Alanna asked as she came bounding into the kitchen. Randy still wasn't sure on the new look Alanna was sporting, but he had bigger things to worry about. As long as she was happy, then that was what mattered.

"Yeah," Randy said, moving to his shelf of cookery books. "Has he eaten a full meal recently?"

"He's eating, never noticed how much," Alanna said with a shrug. "He takes a long time to eat. He's been pushing it around on his plate. I don't think he likes my cooking."

Randy chuckled at the face she pulled, knowing that John loved her cooking as much as Randy's. He placed a light kiss on her forehead and reassured her of John's appreciation of her food.

"Does he eat when he's grilling?"

"Not much different, pushes it around. But then, he hasn't done that since before the party," Alanna said. "I'll tell you this though, I didn't make that."

Alanna said nodding toward the uneaten plate of breakfast food.

"John sure as hell didn't. I guess he had someone over who could cook," Randy said feeling nervous as to who it was. What if John had met someone that Alanna didn't know about? Was that why he was sounding happier when they spoke on the phone, he met someone he wasn't arguing with? Did he have someone over to stay? Is that why he was lying in everyday? Had he found someone else?

Randy gulped at the thoughts going through his head, trying to find reasons why they were stupid ideas, but only succeeding in convincing himself even more.

"You're giving me a headache with your thoughts," Alanna said rolling her eyes at her dad. "Dad, he hasn't met anyone."

"I know," Randy said quietly.

"Then stop with the scared puppy dog eyes, it doesn't look right on you," Alanna chastised. "Are you planning on cooking?"

"Yeah, what time are you going out?" he asked.

"Half hour," she said with a shrug. "Brad and I are meeting the girls, he's picking me up."

"What are you planning on eating?"

"We're probably going to KFC. If not I'll get something when I get home."

"I want you home early, it's a school night, and I know you have homework," Randy said as she was leaving the kitchen.

"Gee, look whose home," she said over her shoulder.

Randy ignored the comment and set about cooking the dinner. He wanted to let John get as much sleep as possible since he looked like he needed it. If he didn't wake up in time, then Randy could keep their dinner warm.

He had an idea about setting out the table with candles and making it a romantic night for them, but the niggling thoughts about John's reaction came back. He didn't even know if John wanted him to stay to eat.

Within thirty minutes, Randy had prepared the dinner, and had it in the oven cooking. He just needed to grate some cheese over the top about five minutes before it was time to serve. While John slept, he cleared up the plate of food John had left on the side and then went upstairs to the bedroom.

He was a little shocked at the state of the bed, it wasn't like John to leave the duvet all over the floor, and when he went into the bathroom, there were a couple of towels on the floor. John was falling behind in his cleaning pattern. With all the other signs, Randy really was concerned about him.

He stripped the bed sheets and gathered the towels before heading down to the laundry room to put them in for a wash, checking with Alanna if her sheets needed doing. She rushed out of the front door yelling her answer and he was concerned she'd wake John as she slammed the door closed.

Needing something to do, Randy went to clear the table, finding what looked to be a contract on the table. He skimmed through it and although he wasn't acquainted with some of the terms, he could see it was an offer to buy John's business. He guessed that was the reason for the end of their conversation earlier. He just wished John had called him back afterward, that way he could have come over, and talked it through with him.

He moved the document over to the kitchen counter and continued to set the table, deciding to light some candles. John needed something to pick him up, and with any luck, he would see the gesture Randy was making and not get the wrong impression about it. There was one other thing Randy wanted to do before they sat down to eat, and that was to give John a shave.

He checked his watch and timed things out, if he woke John up now, they would have time to give him a shave and still have a little time to talk before dinner was ready. Going to the couch, he gently shook John. He didn't really want to wake him but it was necessary.

As John's eyes fluttered open, Randy watched as emotions played across John's face. Confusion first, then a faint sign of happiness before resting at hope. Randy smiled lovingly; he missed seeing John wake up. He was beautiful as he took in his surroundings, whether at this time of day or first thing in the morning, "Hey, sleepyhead."

"What are you doing here?" John asked confused at seeing Randy.

"I dropped Alanna off and you were sleeping. I thought I'd make you dinner," Randy explained in a nutshell.

"I'm not very hungry," John said sitting up.

"Will it help if I told you it was mac and cheese?" Randy joked.

"No," John lied with a small smirk.

"Come on, before we eat, there's something we need to do," Randy said taking his hand and pulling him up from the sofa. When he started leading him up the stairs, he felt John slow down.

"Randy... I know I told you I loved you earlier, and I do, but..."

"I don't want to have sex with you," Randy blurted out quickly, knowing what John was thinking, or at least he hoped he did. "Well, I mean, I do, but not now, not tonight even... unless you decide you want to... I mean, I don't want to rush, and that's not what I'm planning... but if you want to, then of course, I... it's sex right, who wouldn't want it with their lover... oh hell, would you shut me up already before-"

"I'm intrigued to see how deep you're digging that hole," John said smiling.

Randy took a deep breath before stepping down so he was level with John, "Do you trust me?"

"Implicitly," John whispered. Randy swore John was looking at his lips more than his eyes, but then John always had a thing about his lips.

He led John upstairs and went through the bedroom to their en suite. He sat John down on the side of the bathtub while he ran some water in the sink. Taking John's shaving gel; he lathered his lover's face and neck.

"I like you clean shaven, darling."

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed, please review :) The more reviews you leave the closer we get to the next one shot ;)