"Phil take Sami and Dean to the spare room upstairs. They're gonna be staying with us until I can find them a permanent place."
A sixteen year old Punk looked the other two, sixteen year olds up and down, examining their scarred faces and tattered clothes, looking back to his younger father and nodding.
It was a Summer's day, and it looked like they had recruited two new young members to the dark side. There was no doubt going to be a party later on in the house, which meant a night of drunks, drugs and deals being made. But it wasn't like Punk wasn't used to it.
He'd seen these two kids down at the race tracks he tended to wander to. They were trouble. Both of them. Both lost souls to the world with no families. The boss of themselves. The worst kind of people. But who was he to judge? He'd just come home last night from a dirty deed, convinced he still had blood underneath his finger nails.
"One of you can have the bed. One of you can sleep on the floor." Punk said, "Don't you have bags?" He asked them, watching the red haired boy sit down on the bed as the blonde one kicked and scuffed around whilst examining the room.
"Do we look like the type of boys to have a choice in the clothes we wear?" The blonde one turned as Punk just stared at him, "I'm Dean Ambrose. This is Sami Zayn. We've seen you down at the race tracks a few times." Dean said, "Always got a handful of girls on you, few other troublemakers."
"You're the talk of the town." Sami added as Punk folded his arms.
"Your point being?" Punk raised his eyebrows.
"Well your old man has helped us out here. Got us off the streets. It would be a real shame if we all didn't get along." Dean said as Punk nodded in a slow agreement.
"I guess it would." Punk nodded, "But you step on my toes. You know where the door is." Punk warned them, suddenly feeling a small shift next to him as his eight year old little sister shoved him to the side as she looked at the boys she had heard from her room.
"Who are you?" Sami asked, staring intently at the little girl as Punk stood in front of her, pushing her away behind him.
"She's my little sister." Punk rolled his eyes, turning around to Elise, "Get out of here." He pushed her as she frowned, running away down the hall and back into her room.
"Your old man didn't mention anything about a daughter-"
"Why would he have to?" Punk looked at Dean who he cut off abruptly, "She's a nuisance. Just ignore her." Punk shook his head, "I don't wanna stand here all day, can we go out or something? I suppose my dad will want me to keep you both under my eye." Punk shrugged.
"We don't need babysitting." Sami stood up, "But yeah, let's get out of here. We'll come back for the party." He admitted as they walked out of the room one by one, Dean leaving last as he looked down the hall, looking at the little girl standing at her doorway, staring at him.
"Brooks, she's a creeper."
"Don't call me Brooks." Punk shook his head, walking down the stairs as they followed him.
Later on, all three of them indeed came back for the party. Dean had spaced himself among the young women that were attending the party in the large house, and Sami and Punk stood in the kitchen topping up drinks and standing by the fridge.
"So when did your dad get this huge house?" Sami asked Punk, grabbing a fistful of nuts and pouring them in his mouth.
"About a year ago now." Punk said, "Doesn't take a genius to figure out how he got the money." Punk said, "It's just an excuse for him to hold these irrelevant parties." Punk rolled his eyes.
"You know..." Sami began, "I was told that Jack Brooks' son was the complete double of him." He said, "I'm not convinced."
"Well the people that say that are-"
"Phil..." Elise wandered into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes, in small pyjamas, a small girl for her age.
"What is it?" Punk looked down at the little girl with no emotion.
"I can't sleep." She said as Punk rolled his eyes, "I had a bad dream."
"Well count sheep or something." Punk shook his head, "Just..." He looked down at her innocence, looking up at him for guidance, "Elise." He grunted with anger, picking her up and walking out of the kitchen, heading for the stairs as he bumped into his dad on the way.
"Baby girl, what's the matter?" His father… no, his drunk father asked.
"Had a bad dream." Elise said.
"About what?" Jack asked.
"Bad men." She said as Punk looked at his father.
"No bad men are gonna get to you, princess. Me and your brother will make sure of that. Won't we?" He looked to Punk who nodded with a forced smile to his sister, "Give daddy a kiss, and you get back to sleep ok." Jack said, giving his daughter a goodnight kiss as Punk marched on by upstairs with her.
Jack walked on by into the kitchen where Sami had cleared away to find Dean, but none other than his brother stood, removing a beer from the fridge.
"How long are you going to keep this up?" Dennis shook his head.
"Keep what up?" Jack played fool as Dennis rolled his eyes.
"You know what." Dennis said.
"For as long as I can get away with it." Jack spat, pulling out another beer from the fridge.
"The boy deserves better, Jack. And you know it." Dennis said, "He deserves the truth. So does Elise."
"Sometimes the truth, is better kept a secret." Jack spat, "Brother." He looked his older brother in the eye, "You stay out of my business. Out of my family."
Punk woke up through the night, shifting his legs around and sitting at the edge of his bed he shared with his wife, looking back at her as she slept peacefully, a content smile appearing on his face. It wasn't out of the norm for him to wake during the night. He'd had a lot on his mind recently. With his youngest daughter turning one a few days ago, his oldest daughter about to turn three soon. Working five days a week and working around April's own working hours to make sure they were both able to watch the girls, if it so happened that Dean or Elise couldn't watch them. They did have their own handful.
He walked out of bed, opening the bedroom door quietly and tip toeing down the hall. Their new house, well, not so new anymore, their house of near one year, was a giant upgrade from the house they were living at before. It had three bedrooms, a proper back garden for the girls to play in, a bigger kitchen and living room. It was just better as a whole. Nothing more to say really.
He walked into Harper's room, smiling as he seen her fast asleep in her cot, her blanket kicked off, a restless sleeper like her mother.
She was beautiful. A precious little thing since the moment she arrived. She was quiet but such a handful. Her big brown eyes and fair hair just reminded him of her mother everytime he looked at her. In fact, both his daughters had their looks from their mother. Which wasn't a bad thing. Not at all.
He and AJ had learned over the past year that having two infant children was extremely tiring, but not a day went by where he knew where he'd be without his daughters and wife. They made his life complete. He knew he'd be nothing without them. Nothing but a sad act hiding in the shadow of his father.
He took Harper's blanket, shook it out and placed it back over her body, not wanting his youngest baby to get cold. She was starting to pick up on words and take her first steps, something Liesel was quite accustomed to now. The three year old was walking and talking, causing complete destruction for her parents. She was a lot like Punk in that respect.
She slept in a bed now. His baby girl was all grown up it seemed. She had her own decorated room, of course picked out by AJ. She still looked so small to be in a bed, but she was small for her age, taking that respectfully from her mom and auntie.
He'd tiptoed into her room now, laughing as he noticed her covers were also all over the place. What happened to sleeping peacefully?
Liesel had started ballet a few weeks ago, and oh how she loved it. Especially when she had the best teacher around, her own mother. Since she wasn't old enough for school, and neither Punk or AJ wanted to send her to daycare just yet, they decided that they have her start ballet, well… AJ decided. It kept her occupied and she also just so happened to love it.
He done the same for Liesel as he done for Harper and shook her covers back out evenly, placing them over her and pressing a kiss on her head.
The best part about being a father, in his opinion, was just knowing he could be there for his girls. That they could come to him if they were ever in need, even if they were young. They knew him as their daddy, and they knew him as the most important man in their life. That meant everything to him.
He headed back to his own room after checking on the girls and heading to the toilet since he was up. He realised it was nearly time to get up for work, for both he and AJ, and he was hoping to squeeze in another hour of sleep before a hectic day began.
"Why are you up?" AJ asked in a grumble, turning around to face him after being laid on her stomach, shuffling over beside him with her eyes still shut.
"Couldn't sleep." Punk told her softly, "You have the girls today, right?" He whispered.
Some days, where AJ had to take her higher girls for lessons, which happened quite a lot, he had to take the girls to the tattoo parlour he worked at, and have them behind the counter without customers noticing. His boss wasn't happy about it, but he was one of the best tattoists in the parlour, and gained a lot of customers from people requesting for him specifically. He assumed that's why he was let off with it.
Sometimes Harper would just take a nap in her play pen, whilst Liesel would sit up and draw on some spare paper, and ask him if her drawings were good. She was fascinated by his drawings. Just like her mother was.
"Yeah." AJ nodded, "What time are you working until?" She asked softly, not wishing to open her eyes, or else it would sink in that she had to get up soon and get ready for a day of work and chaos with her daughters.
"I'll be home for dinner." Punk told her, "You're off early today, aren't you?" He asked as she nodded.
"Yeah. I think I'll take the girls to the park or something. Tire them out so they can have their nap when I get home." She said. They were wise, but most of all loving parents. For two scared young adults who had no clue what to do with a baby at the beginning, they had definitely evolved and overcame many obstacles. Parenthood was just a thing they had great knowledge of now.
"Liesel hates the park." Punk said.
"No." AJ shook her head, finally opening up her eyes and looking up at him, "Liesel hates being on her feet." AJ said. Ever since they had taken Liesel's stroller from her since she was more than capable to walk, she had became fussy with walking long distances, sometimes cogging a piggy back ride from her father.
"I suppose that's true." Punk laughed, suddenly hearing the alarm go off beside AJ's bedside cabinet, watching her turn around and hit snooze, sighing loudly and sitting up as he watched her.
"When can we have another night to ourselves?" Punk asked, watching his wife closely, nothing but a vest and skimpy shorts covering her, propping himself up on his elbow as he watched her walk around the room with a grin.
Sometimes, if they were lucky, Elise and Dean would take the kids for a night, or sometimes even Sami would take the girls for the night, just to give AJ and Punk some alone time. AJ and Punk both done the same for Dean and Elise when they needed a break.
"Soon." AJ smiled, opening their curtains and walking around to Punks side of the bed, "But… I do have a spare twenty minutes in the shower just now." She smirked, taking his hand and pulling him out of the bed as he willingly followed her.
"Say ahh, baby girl." AJ smiled, sitting at the corner of the table where Harper sat at the top in her high chair, enjoying her breakfast with the help from AJ.
"Ahh. Da da da!" Harper banged her fists on her high chair table as she pointed to her father with a smile whilst enjoying her breakfast her mother was helping her with.
"Hi, princess." Punk laughed, stroking his youngest daughter's cheek whilst his eldest sat beside him at the table, eating her cereal loudly.
"Daddy, you… you go work t'day?" Liesel questioned as Punk nodded.
"Yeah." Punk nodded, "I have to go to work. But you and your sister are gonna go with mommy today. I'll see you later on when I come home." He told her as she nodded with a smile.
"We go dance?" Liesel asked.
"Yeah." Punk nodded, "You can tell me what you learned when I get home." He flicked under her chin playfully as she giggled.
Liesel and Harper were very much alike but different in so many ways too. It was hard to compare them when Harper was still just an infant baby, and Liesel was a little older, but Punk could tell they were going to be troublemakers in the near future.
"Maybe if you're lucky, daddy will get a pizza for dinner when he comes home." AJ smiled across to Punk as he nodded.
"Oh, you think so, do you?" He laughed, "Only if I choose what kind."
"Well I'd say that's pretty unfair. You know me and Liesel don't like it with a lot of things on it." AJ said, "It's two against one here." AJ smiled as Punk laughed.
"Liesel, baby. What do you want?" Punk turned to his daughter whilst AJ lifted Harper from her high chair.
"What ev you want, daddy." Liesel grinned up to her father as he turned to AJ with a smug smile. His daughters were very much daddy's girls, and played to the beat of his drum, and he knew it annoyed AJ.
"Hey, Liesel." AJ said, "Us girls need to stick together." She said as Liesel just finished off her breakfast with a smile as Harper stayed perched at the side of her hip, pulling her mother's hair and giggling.
Breakfast time was always a joy.
"Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful."
"He went off to work. She took them with her to her studio… or whatever it is she does."
"Little beauties." Jack croaked, running his finger over the captured photograph of AJ on her way to work with the girls earlier this morning, "My grand babies are growing fast." He admitted, feeling a sense of attachment to the little girls he viewed. At first, he was against the idea of grandchildren, and granddaughters especially. But now It kilt him to be behind bars for his second year. He vowed. Oh how he vowed, that he would get out of this god forsaken place, and get his own back on his own children for putting him in here.
Phil and Elise were as good as dead to him now.
A/N; And Mr Brooks Senior is looking for revenge. There's something we didn't see coming. Right ;) Lol. Don't worry, not just gonna have it about Jack getting out of prison and going after Punk and Elise. There will be a lot more twists and turns that I have up my sleeve, including a lot of past flashbacks, some detours into Punk's mother's life and more! Hope you enjoy and please REVIEW to let me know what you think. It's where I get the inspiration from, knowing you guys are enjoying it. Thanks again. -punklau