Partner
"You ready for this?" Punk turned around, his two hands still resting on the steering wheel as he had just switched off the car engine. He looked on at his partner of eight years. And when he said partner, that meant work partner. He absolutely had no time for a real-life partner.
"It's our job." The brunette shrugged.
"AJ, I know you find this part hard." Punk nodded to her as she folded down the car mirror from above her, checking herself in it to make sure she looked ok.
Punk was a name sported from high school. Philip Jack Brooks was the man beyond all of his tattoos, rock music, piercings and piss poor attitude. He was a police officer. It was all he'd ever known. He was accepted straight into the academy when he dropped out of high school. His disciplinary problems were something that needed to be 'resolved' so his mother put it, and both his parents felt that the academy would help him.
AJ, who sat beside him in the car, no doubt rehearsing her lines over and over again in her head, was actually a lot more important than him in the field of work. She was a detective, and a pretty damn good one. They'd been working together for eight years and there was never a dull moment… apart from these moments, where they'd sit in the car together for just a few minutes, preparing themselves for what they had to do next.
"I'm ok." AJ turned to him with a smile as she folded up the mirror, "Let's go." She nodded to him as they both got out of the car. AJ was abbreviated for April Jeanette, which she normally refused to acknowledge from the minute her mother gave her own name as her middle name. She hadn't spoken to her family, or… what was left of her family, since she moved to Chicago to peruse her career in law enforcement. She'd worked her way up to the top, and unlike Punk, who was happy staying in the same tier, she wanted to keep going, and it wasn't just for the money, it was like a high she was trying to chase.
"You got this." Punk tapped the small of her back whilst walking up the steps to the house they had been parked outside for several minutes. Sometimes she didn't know where she'd be without Punk. Their job wasn't easy, and normally they depended on one another's dry humour to get the other through the day. When she first moved to Chicago, she was out on the field with him every day until she became a detective. He was her best friend. Her only friend. A friend she desperately could have done with many years ago, back when she was in New Jersey.
AJ took a deep breath and rang the doorbell of the house, clasping her hands in front of her as they waited for someone to answer. She wore a tight grey dress with a black coat over it. Normally her uniform consisted of dresses and pants, which she didn't know if she preferred to the uniform or not.
She watched as the door finally opened, a woman standing in a dress robe, just opening the door enough to peek her head out.
"We're sorry it's so late, ma'am." Punk said, as he could tell the woman had been sleeping.
"What's the matter?" The woman asked worriedly, opening the door further.
"I'm detective Mendez." AJ introduced, "This is officer Brooks." She pointed to Punk, "The body of a eighteen year old girl was found a few hours ago. We think it might be your daughter."
"Hey, you ok?" Punk asked later on as he stopped outside AJ's apartment block, looking on at his partner who sat clutching her take-out bag, staring off into another planet, "AJ." Punk said as AJ shook her head.
"S-Sorry." AJ shook her head, noticing they were finally at her place.
"Are you ok?" Punk asked her as she nodded.
"Yeah, I'm ok." AJ smiled to him, "Just… you know how I get when we have to talk to families." She said as he nodded, "I'm ok, though. I have my cheeseburger and fries." She lifted the brown paper bag as he nodded.
"Yeah, which has stunk out my car." Punk said as she rolled her eyes.
"I'll buy you an air freshener." AJ told him, "Drive safe, ok?" She smiled, tapping his shoulder friendlily as she got out of the car, opening up the back door to grab her bag and different folders.
"Will I be seeing you at work tomorrow?" He asked, rolling down the window as she leaned into it.
"I hope so." AJ smiled, "Unless this burger gives me food poisoning."
"Here's hoping." Punk crossed his fingers as she smirked.
"Jerk." She shook her head as he smiled, "I'll give you a call." She said, leaning back and tapping the car before heading into her apartment block with all her things.
Punk laughed to himself as he watched her struggle to get in the door with all the things she was carrying, but smiled and turned away once she'd got in, driving off to go home himself after a long day.
AJ got to her apartment, which just so happened to be on the top floor of course, and finally got inside after practically dropping all her folders on the ground. Never once did she drop the cheeseburger and fries, though.
She got into the well-kept together, spacious one bedroom apartment, placing all her folders on the table, shimmying her coat off and folding it over one of the chairs as she headed over to the fridge to grab a bottle of water, noticing a note on the fridge.
I was called out to a meeting in New York. Be gone for three days. Call soon. Love you. J x
AJ crumpled up the note and threw it in the trash, proceeding to go into the fridge and grab a bottle of water, walking back over to the table, about to sit down and eat her dinner, glancing at the clock that read 10.30pm.
"Screw it." AJ shook her head, grabbing the take-out bag and water and heading across into the bedroom. Tonight, she was eating in her pyjamas under the covers, whilst watching Cake Boss episodes.
The next morning, Punk was at the station, sitting on one of the computer desks in the open space, talking to one of his long-term friends Dean Ambrose. They'd met all the way back in the academy and since then had been the best of friends.
"Tough day yesterday then?" Dean asked, sitting on the office chair by the desk that Punk was sitting on.
"Yeah, it was hard going." Punk nodded, "Eighteen-year-old, man." Punk shook his head, "No one should be losing their life that young."
"What has AJ got on it so far?" Dean asked.
"Autopsy reports come back this afternoon." Punk said, "She'll know more then. Didn't look like there was any harm to the body. We spoke to her parents yesterday, tried our best to ask them questions but… we couldn't really say much." He shrugged.
"Always the worst part." Dean sighed, leaning forward and beginning to put the sachets of sugar into the coffee Punk had brought him in, stirring it around once pouring them in, "Where is AJ anyway?" Dean asked.
Everyone knew AJ and respected her. She had no bad blood with anyone in the station, and all the officers had admiration for all she done. She loved her job, but sometimes it got too much for her and sometimes she had bad days… but only Punk knew that.
"I'm gonna give her a call." Punk said, standing off the table and heading outside the station to call AJ, placing his phone to his ear as she picked up immediately, "Hey, you need me to come pick you up?" Punk asked.
"Uh, I'm not gonna make it in today, Punk." AJ said as Punk nodded, "It's one of those days."
"Ok, I got you." Punk understood, sensing the tone, "Anything you need me to do for you?" He asked.
"When the autopsy results come in, just sit them on my desk in my office. I'll get them in the morning." AJ said, "Anything urgent just… call me." AJ said, lying in bed, feeling like there were weights keeping her down.
"Ok." Punk said, "Give me a call if you need anything." He said as she smiled.
"Thanks, Punk." She said, hanging up as Punk put his phone back in his pocket.
He walked back into the station, heading back over to Dean, "She's just taking a personal day today." Punk said as Dean nodded, not questioning or suspecting a thing.
"Her fiancé is probably doing her real good right now." Dean said, "Personal day." He scoffed.
"Yeah." Punk attempted to joke along, "What do you think of her fiancé anyway?" He wondered.
"Jacob? He's alright." Dean shrugged whilst filling in some paper work at his desk. They all had their own desks at the station, whilst surrounding the officer's desks, were private offices, AJ's being the biggest one at the top of the station.
"He's never there." Punk said.
"Why do you care?" Dean questioned.
"I don't. But you know, AJ doesn't have it easy with her job. She could use him being around more." Punk said.
"Neither does he." Dean said, "The guy is a top lawyer, but I'm sure he's with her enough if she agreed to marrying him." Dean said whilst continuing to file in some paper work.
"Yeah." Punk shrugged. It didn't bother him to the extent that it was keeping him up at night. But AJ was a good friend, and he would never want to see her get hurt, emotionally, "He is a good guy." Punk nodded, as if assuring himself. He didn't have a problem with her fiancé, besides the fact he never seemed to be there.
"He is." Dean said, leaning back on his office chair as another officer walked by smacking his head as Dean turned around, "Hey, fuck off, Rollins." Dean warned as Seth, another officer laughed to himself, causing Punk to snigger too. They were all like a close family. That was for sure.
"Every time." Punk laughed, "C'mon. We better get out on the beat." He tapped Dean's shoulder.
"Let me get my things." Dean said as he collected his gun, cuffs and badge to take along with him. In a way Punk had many different partners. Dean was his local partner for fulfilling every day jobs. Seth too. But whenever there was a high level of crime committed in the neighbourhood, he'd work alongside AJ. She was one of the best. And it was a privilege to work with her.
Meanwhile AJ had finally got out of bed and took a shower. Some days she felt like she was in a battle with herself, and it was impossible to do her job to the best of her ability when she felt this way. But it was who she was. It was always going to be there, and it was something she learned how to control the best she could.
She got dressed and headed into the kitchen where she began making herself breakfast despite having little appetite. She knew she had to eat something to go along with her meds.
She sat down at the table with a bowl of cereal and cup of coffee. Her hair was still wet from her shower and she had just taken her medication when her phone began to ring.
She reached over for it and looked to see it was her fiancé, Jacob calling.
"Hey." AJ smiled as she answered the phone.
"Hi, sweetheart." Jacob spoke through the phone, "How are you? I heard about the body."
"Yeah, I'm ok." AJ nodded, "So far there's no signs of murder or any sort of physical damage. Autopsy is coming back soon so… we'll know more then." AJ said, "How are you? What was your meeting about?"
"I was meeting with a client, that's all." Jacob said, "Listen, I know I said that I'd be gone three days, but now it's looking like it might be more." He admitted, "And I know it's coming up for the anniversary of-"
"Don't worry about it." AJ nodded, "I will work throughout and try my best not to think about it. Like I always do." AJ said, fiddling around with the spoon in her cereal bowl, "I took a personal day today."
"Are you allowed to do that?" Jacob asked. He was always very encouraging about her career, even though he'd had no input to her success what so ever. She'd made it on her own. With her own drive. Despite everything she'd been through.
"Yeah." AJ laughed lightly, "It's just one of those days I guess."
"Well you gotta power through." Jacob said immediately, "Look I gotta go, but I'll talk to you later, ok? Love you." He said.
"Love you-" AJ Listened as the line went dead, "Too." She whispered, placing her phone down on the table whilst running her hand through her wet hair. Powering through sometimes wasn't so easy for someone living with bipolar disorder.
A/N: Let me know what you think so far! The story won't just be about AJ's bipolar, but I felt it necessary to make it apparent in the story. REVIEW and tell me what you think. Thanks.