Where We Are Now

"Have you packed your bookbag?" AJ asked, walking into her daughter's room at bed time, watching as Jessica was already making her way into bed, moving some of her stuffed animals out of the way to give herself the space to actually lie down.

"I think so." Jessica shrugged as AJ walked over to her bookbag at the bottom of the bed, lifting it up and unzipping it.

"I don't think this looks very packed." AJ admitted, looking inside the bag as Jessica lay down under the covers, hugging into her favourite bear.

"Must have forgot to." Jessica nodded, "I'll do it in the morning." She said.

"That's when we end up late." AJ said.

"That's ok." Jessica nodded tiredly as AJ smiled.

"Are you tired, baby?" AJ asked, sitting the bag down and walking over to her bed, crouching down and cupping her cheek softly.

"Yeah, I am." Jessica said, "I was running a lot today." She sighed dramatically.

"I know, but you were so good." AJ nodded, "You got third place." She said, "That's amazing."

"I wanted first." Jessica said.

"We all want first, baby." AJ said, "But you were so good." She nodded, referring to the track competition Jessica had competed in through school. AJ thought it was important that she was involved with things, the way her parents never encouraged her to do so, and it turned out Jessica enjoyed track.

"Are you picking me up at school tomorrow?" Jessica asked her mother.

"No, baby. Jamie is. Mommy has gotta work." AJ nodded.

"Oh." Jessica said, "Will he take me to his work like he always does? Everyone looks at me." Jessica said, "I only like the nice desk lady, her name is Joan and she's nice to me." She nodded.

"Yeah, Joan is sweet." AJ nodded, "No, I don't think Jamie will take you there tomorrow." AJ said as Jessica nodded. AJ could see how exhausted her baby girl was, and so said her goodnights, gave her a kiss and left the room, closing the door over half way and heading downstairs.

It hadn't been easy raising Jessica but at the same time, it was the one thing that had kept her going all of this time. For the first two years it was just her on her own with her. Birthdays and Christmas' she just woke up to her. She didn't have anyone beside her when she saw Jessica take her first steps or say her first words, and that wasn't how it was supposed to be.

Meeting Jamie had certainly taken the pressure off of the single mom ideology but in a way, she still felt very single in parenting as Jamie was also a very dedicated worker, and not to mention Jessica didn't call him dad. AJ believed that she knew fine well he wasn't her dad.

Some days were incredibly tough. She saw so much of Phil in Jessica, especially with her attitude, and it hurt her, despite her feelings about everything, that Jessica hadn't been afforded to know her father, and how great he was.

"Have you still been taking her into the station when I told you not to?" AJ asked, walking into the living room where Jamie, her boyfriend for three years was sat looking through some paper work. He was on the force too and very dedicated to his job. To some people it looked like a reflection of Punk that she was trying to fill, but the truth was, she knew deep down, no one would replace Punk.

"What?" Jamie looked up from the papers as AJ sat down on the couch, tucking her legs underneath her.

"Jess. Are you taking her into the station still? Even when I told you not to?" AJ asked, "You know they all stare at her in there like she's a zoo animal." AJ shook her head.

"Sometimes I've had to stop by for a couple of things. She loves Joan, she just sits out the front with her." Jamie shrugged, "No one stares."

"They do. I've seen it with my own eyes." AJ said as Jamie just shook his head, "She doesn't like when they stare at her. You know how she gets." AJ said.

"Yeah." Jamie nodded, "I'm sorry. I… I won't take her. Sometimes I need to go though, I can't help it." Jamie said.

"I know." AJ nodded, "Just try not make it a habit. I think it scares her to be honest." AJ admitted as Jamie nodded, "She's exhausted. She had her little track competition tonight." She said as Jamie nodded, looking back at his papers. Although he was great with Jessica, it was very clear that he didn't bond with her all that well. He did the school runs, the homework, put her to sleep, bathed her and cooked dinner, but there was never a real bond there that AJ could ever see.

"How'd she do?" Jamie asked her.

"She got third place." AJ said, "Out of ten other girls."

"Oh, good for her." Jamie raised his eyebrows, "Did she get a medal or something?" He asked her.

"Yeah, she did, hung it up on her bed." AJ said as Jamie nodded, "So you know… Phil is getting out in a few days." AJ nodded, wondering if he knew, which she assumed he would as the news had probably spread around the station for sure.

"Yeah, I do." Jamie nodded, "You going to see him?" He asked, writing down notes, not really focusing completely on the conversation as he usually didn't. But it was things like that, that AJ didn't bother or care to notice about. Although the relationship was good, and they were very compatible, it seemed very easy and casual, and had done for the three years they'd been together. She didn't really have much to give, but Jamie brought out a very small part of her happiness that was still there, and she thanked him for that.

"No, Dean is picking him up and he's probably gonna stay with him." AJ said, "I uh… I'm not sure what I'm doing." AJ admitted, "I didn't think he'd be out this soon."

"Yeah, well that's half his time, right?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah, it is." AJ nodded.

"So unless he was playing up, he was always gonna get out now." Jamie nodded, "I assume he'll wanna see Jess." Jamie said.

"Yeah, I assume." AJ nodded, "But I don't know. I don't know what he's thinking, what he wants." AJ shrugged, "The last thing I want is to confuse Jess or… scare her."

"Yeah, she's not great with strangers." Jamie pointed out as AJ nodded.

"She's really not." AJ agreed.

Although she had a lot of anger and bitterness towards her ex and the way things were handled when he was imprisoned, she still very much cared about him, not that she let onto it, especially not to Jamie.

She had shut herself off from feeling things again, just like she did when Sofia died. It was easier to shut everyone out because it meant she didn't have to feel upset or get hurt again. She didn't open up. She kept her feelings and emotions close to the vest and refused to let anyone know the real her again.

"Look, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable. I get it. You have a kid with this guy. So I know that you're gonna have to see him at some point, and that's fine. As long as he knows where he stands then… whatever." Jamie nodded, "Jess deserves to know her dad." He nodded as AJ looked at him.

He was a smart and reasonable man who was very kind and patient, it was what she liked about him. They had their arguments of course, but he was very good to her. She wasn't looking for anyone. He was a one night stand which carried onto into a two night stand, which carried onto her convincing herself to go on a date, and here they were, three years down the line.

"Maybe he's lost the right to see her." AJ shook her head and shrugged, "He's the one who… who told me to go away."

"I know, and that was shitty of him but… maybe he… did it to help you. I'm sure he didn't want you hanging around a prison for five years." Jamie said, "I don't know him, from what I hear in the station he was… really respected, a good guy who… drew a bad straw… but I'm sure that something can be worked out where he can see Jess and we can still live our life." Jamie shrugged as AJ nodded.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, even though she wasn't sure that would work. She still couldn't believe he was actually getting out after all of this time.

"You ready for more court tomorrow?" Jamie asked her.

"As ready as I'll ever be." AJ nodded, "You'll pick Jess up and do dinner, right? I could be later tomorrow." She said.

"Yeah, no problem." Jamie nodded.

"Thank you." AJ smiled, shuffling over to him and kissing his cheek as he smiled and turned around, pressing a kiss on her lips, kissing her softly as she kissed back, circling her arms around his neck and climbing on top of him.

She tried so hard not to remind herself constantly that what she had with Jamie was nothing compared to the love she had with Phil.

"Ok, Brooks. Yard time, let's go." A prison warden opened up a cell door as Punk sat up from his bottom bunk, walking on out of the cell and heading down the corridor, "You're on PI later tonight, kitchen probably." The warden yelled down to Punk.

"Right on." Punk called back, walking down the stairs and heading for the door out to the yard.

He walked on out into the yard, which was the small amount of time where he felt like he was still a human being. When he felt the sun, or in the winter, the colder air.

He walked over to his usual spot, collapsing down on the bench as Matthew sat across from him resting his head on his hand.

"I've been watching that new guy get beat up for the past ten minutes." Matthew said as Punk turned around and looked over to the crowd gathered, grabbing the playing cards and shuffling them.

"Everyone is a new guy at some point." Punk shook his head, "You on PI tonight?" He asked.

"No, I was last night." Matthew said. They were both in different cell blocks and carrying out different sentences, but at times like these, or times in the food hall, they had managed to become very close, closer than they ever expected to be, and they had each other's backs, that was for sure.

"I am tonight." Punk said, dealing the cards out, "Probably my last one too before I get out." He nodded thankfully.

"Don't rub it in." Matthew shook his head, snatching his cards and looking at them, "You gonna go to AJ?"

"Don't think that would be smart." Punk said.

"Oh, yeah. You divorced her after two months of marriage and told her to go away." Matthew nodded.

"You know why." Punk spat, "I wasn't ruining her life just because mines was." He shook his head, "That wouldn't have been fair."

He was a lot thinner and paler. His body feeling like it had gone through multiple car crashes over the years due to the strains of an everyday prisoner. He kept himself together the best he could, but at times, it was devastating to think about everything he had lost, everything he pushed away.

"Did Dom send you another picture?" Matthew asked as Punk nodded, tilting to the side and pulling out the collection of pictures in the pocket of his grey sweats. They were all of Jessica.

"Here." Punk slid across the latest picture, turning it around as Matthew looked at it and smiled.

"She gets cuter every time." Matthew nodded, "AJ still not know he sends you them?"

"No. she'd probably kill him." Punk said. He didn't ask for anything from anyone in his life anymore, but he couldn't face the fact that he didn't even know what his daughter looked like, and so he had contacted AJ's brother to send him a picture of her every now and then, he started to just send him a picture of every birthday that Jessica had.

"At least you don't have to wait for the sixth birthday one. You can see her in person for that." Matthew said as Punk nodded. He still couldn't believe he was getting out after all of this time. It didn't feel real. He wasn't quite sure what to do really do and where he would be able to go. Sadly, prison had become his way of life and going back into freedom almost seemed foreign. He had reasons for his actions. He only ever wanted his family to be happy. What he done, did not mean he didn't love them just the same.

A/N: Lots to happen and clear up! Hope you guys will enjoy! Let me know what you think.