Late
AJ quickly got out of the car, slamming the door shut as she walked down the pathway, her walk turning into a run as she realised just how late she really was. The school seemed deserted yet she had only just pulled up to pick her daughter up. The trial she was on defending a client had ran on way longer than it should have and she knew that perhaps she'd broken just about every speed limit and ran every red light there was in sight trying to get here.
She walked in the door, hurrying off to where Keala's class was and opening up the door where she saw her daughter sitting waiting at a table quietly. She had a pair of jeans on, a grey Blackhawks hoodie and a cubs cap on her head over her dark hair. She was only five.
"Hey, I'm sorry I'm so late." AJ shook her head as Keala turned around once hearing her mother.
"Mommy!" Keala smiled, tossing her bag aside and running off to her mother as AJ crouched down and gave her a hug.
"Hi, baby." AJ smiled happily, squeezing her daughter and kissing her cheek softly, "Mommy got caught up at work, I'm so sorry." She cupped her daughter's cheeks. Of course she thought her daughter was beautiful, but she really was beautiful. She had those gorgeous brown eyes, even more innocent than her own, the sweetest smile, even darker skin than her own and the brightest personality with a hint of attitude which always kept AJ smiling.
"You always say that." Keala said as AJ nodded.
"I know, and I'm sorry." AJ shook her head, standing up straight, "Go get your bag we'll get out of here." He said as the teacher approached AJ, "I'm so sorry. I got held up at work and I tried to phone the school to let them know, and her father wasn't picking up… I got caught up." She nodded.
"That's alright." The teacher smiled, "But you know, there are little clubs and after-care for kids who have parents who work longer hours. Maybe that's something Keala would benefit from." She said as AJ just nodded politely even though she didn't appreciate the tone of which the advice was coming from.
"Yeah, we'll look into it." AJ lied and nodded, "You ready, baby?" AJ asked as Keala nodded and walked over to her, taking her hand tightly as they left the class and the school, walking outside towards the parked car, "So how was school then?" AJ asked her.
"It was ok." Keala said.
"Just ok?" AJ looked down at her as Keala nodded.
"Mrs Garcia told me to take off my hat." Keala looked up at her sadly as AJ nodded.
"Yeah, well… maybe she's just worried you can't see properly." AJ shrugged.
"I can see." Keala laughed, "I don't think she likes me very much." Keala said. She had just started school, and whilst the transition made it easier on Punk and AJ's work schedules, they were both also nervous about their baby girl going off to school.
"Hey, why do you say that?" AJ asked, pausing at the car, crouching down to Keala, tapping her cap up a little so she could see her face, but Keala adjusted it down right away.
"I don't know." Keala shrugged dramatically, "She always asks me to spell hard words that I don't know, all the other kids get easy stuff." She said as AJ frowned.
"Why does she do that?" AJ shook her head.
"I don't know, mommy." Keala said dramatically as AJ smiled and nodded.
"Maybe she just likes testing you." AJ shrugged, "She must think you're super smart." She nudged her waist as Keala smiled.
"Really?" Keala asked.
"Hell yeah." AJ nodded as Keala smiled. She had the best smile. AJ fell in love with it over and over again, "You wanna go to that bakery on the way home and pick one of the cupcakes you like?" She asked as Keala smiled and nodded, "Ok, let's go." She said, opening up the car door and helping Keala into the back.
She always felt bad for being late to pick her up. It happened more often than she liked to admit but she didn't like to beat herself down about it, she knew she'd just end up feeling like a terrible mother and that was the worst feeling in the world.
"Keala, homework first, baby. C'mon." AJ looked over where Keala was sat at the kitchen table, paying more attention to the tablet which she played games on rather than her homework.
"I finished." Keala told her calmly, resting her head on her hand, swinging her legs back and forth on the chair as she played her game.
"That was quick." AJ said, walking over to the table and picking her school notebook up where she saw that she had indeed finished her spelling, and had actually spelt everything all right, "Well done, Kee." AJ nodded, running her hand through her daughter's dark hair, "Dinner won't be long." She said, wandering back over to the kitchen area.
"What we having?" Keala asked her, playing her trolls game on the tablet which she had also taught her father how to play.
"Lasagne." AJ said as Keala groaned. She did little things exactly like her father which scared AJ sometimes, because although she really was the image of her, she had the attitude of her father most definitely, "What?" AJ laughed.
"I don't like that." Keala told her simply.
"You liked it last week." AJ placed a hand on her hip as Keala just waved her hand.
"I don't like it this week." She said.
"Well it's almost ready, so you don't have a choice." AJ folded her arms, "There's garlic bread too if that makes a difference to you." She said.
"I guess I'll try it." She said a little exhaustedly as AJ smiled.
"What did you have for lunch today?" AJ asked her.
"The sandwiches you made me." Keala said, not making eye contact, continuing to play her game happily, still in her clothes from school, only having removed her cap.
"You mean the sandwiches that are still in your bag?" AJ folded her arms as Keala gasped dramatically.
"I don't know how they got there." Keala said as AJ made a face, "Someone must have put them there." She joked.
"C'mon, what'd you have for lunch? Just your apple and your chips?" She asked worriedly.
"Yeah, I wasn't hungry." Keala said.
"You can't do that, baby. You need to eat more at lunch. What if I made you something different?" AJ asked.
"I just wasn't hungry." Keala told her, "Don't you get not hungry?" She asked.
"Sometimes." AJ nodded, "I just don't want you to be losing any energy. You get energy from your food, and you need it to think hard at school." She said.
"I think just fine." Keala informed her as AJ just nodded.
"Mhm." AJ said, "Just means I have to give you a bigger helping of lasagne." She smirked.
"Oh, no. Don't." Keala placed her hand on her forehead as AJ laughed just as they heard the front door open and close. She looked over at the clock and smiled to herself as she realised it was her favourite time of the day, seeing that gorgeous boyfriend of hers.
"Something smells good in here." Punk smiled, walking into the kitchen as Keala smiled.
"Hi, daddy." She smiled happily.
"Hi, baby." Punk replied in the same tone, walking over to her and kissing her cheek as she giggled.
"Daddy, no. You're dirty." Keala shook her head as Punk laughed.
"I'm not dirty." Punk defended.
"Actually you are." AJ nodded as Punk turned to her.
"Don't act like you don't love it." Punk said quietly, walking over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist as she circled hers around his neck.
"Oh, I do love it." AJ nodded, "It gets me hot." She whispered as he smirked, giving her a quick yet deep kiss hello before pulling back, "How was work?" She asked him.
"Oh, the usual." Punk waved his hand.
"Daddy we got you a cupcake." Keala told him as Punk raised his eyebrows.
"You only buy me cupcakes when you want something." He looked at both of them.
"We just felt extra nice today." AJ smiled.
"I see." Punk nodded, "Well thanks, I'll eat it after my dinner." He told them, "How was school, bug?" He asked Keala, taking a bottle of water from the fridge and walking over to the kitchen table, sitting down across from Keala.
"It was fine." Keala told him, "Mommy picked me up late again." She said as AJ turned to her, "And she told me not to tell by buying me a cupcake." Keala said, looking over at her mother who folded her arms.
"You promised." AJ gasped dramatically as Punk smiled.
"Late again, huh?" Punk smiled over to AJ.
"My trial ran over its time." AJ said, "I'll talk to you about it later." She waved her hand as Punk nodded.
"Mommy's and daddy's can get caught up, bug." Punk turned back to Keala, "Hey, give me a shot of the game." He said as Keala slid the tablet across to him, leaning over the table and watching him as he played it. He always got high scores and she wanted to know how.
"Kee can you clear the table for me? This is ready now." AJ said as Keala nodded, hopping off the chair and packing her school bag away. Although she was still just a little kid, she was bright, well-mannered and had been raised properly. Punk and AJ made sure of that. Every moment they had spent raising her was one they cherished, and this life they lived was such a far cry from where they were six years ago when Punk was released from death row. It felt like a life-time away.
"Yes." Punk nodded to himself, continuing to play the game as Keala ran over to him.
"Did you get it? Did you get the coin?" Keala asked, pressing her hand on his thigh and leaning up to look on at the tablet as AJ smiled over at them. Sometimes it was bizarre to think they were really here after all this time, with a child of their own, in a house, living together, after everything they had been through, after knowing each other for so long. She couldn't think of a better person to share this life with.
"She's down." Punk said, yawning himself as he walked into the living room where AJ was sat on the couch. Punk had just put Keala to bed, which didn't take long, she normally fell asleep right away.
"She looked like she was gonna fall asleep in the bath." AJ laughed a little as he collapsed down beside her.
"Yeah, she was tired." Punk nodded.
"I can't believe I was late for her again." AJ shook her head.
"Hey, it happens." Punk said.
"Her teacher suggested signing her up for after-care or some clubs, which in other words was her scolding me for being late all the time." She shook her head.
"Oh, don't listen to the teacher." Punk said, "You got caught up at work. You can't help that." He said as AJ nodded, "And I don't have my phone on me or else I would have gotten your call and got away to pick her up." He said.
"I know, I just thought I'd chance my luck." She said, "The trial went on way longer than it should have." She said.
"Long day?" Punk asked her as she nodded.
"Yeah, it's just so intense." AJ said as Punk nodded, "Was Dean in with you today?" She asked him.
"No, it was his day off." Punk said, "He's in tomorrow."
"If I knew that I would have called him, asked him to get Keala." She said.
"I think he and Anna were going away for the day anyway." Punk said as she nodded.
"She finished her spelling in like five minutes today." AJ said, playing with his hair as he turned to her, "Got her brains from her mama obviousy." She teased as Punk smiled.
"Hey, she definitely did." Punk nodded.
"Her teacher told her to take her cap off. She wasn't happy about it." AJ said as he laughed a little.
"Probably because she wears it so low." Punk laughed a little, "She can wear what she wants." He said. They were very free spirited parents, happy to let their daughter make her own decisions.
"Yeah, that's what I think." AJ said, "Can you imagine what she's gonna be like in high school? There's gonna be no telling her what to do." She said.
"Sounds like someone I remember." He smirked to her as she smiled.
"Who is that?" AJ asked, shuffling further towards him and cupping his cheek as he smiled.
"Just this hot, smart, sexy girl I had a massive crush on." He said as she laughed a little and smiled.
"She sounds like a treat." AJ whispered, her lips practically touching his as he smiled.
"She was." Punk nodded, "She is." He smiled as she pressed her lips against his softly, feeling her sit up and swing her leg around him, straddling his hips and deepening the kiss as he placed his hands on her waist.
There was something so satisfying about having that life they always seemed destined to have. Being happily together, raising a beautiful daughter, never losing that bond that they'd had since they were just teenagers. So much had gotten in the way before, but now… now they were enjoying their life.
A/N: What's gonna happen? Let me know what you think!