Loose Cannon

"Where is she?" Punk asked as he stood outside an apartment door where his ex stood across from him, "I wan to see her."

"She's with my mom." His ex, Rachel said.

"Bullshit." Punk said, walking into the apartment.

"Punk!" Rachel shrieked as Punk stormed through the apartment, looking in every room as he realised that his daughter really wasn't here.

"Did you drop her at your moms because you knew I was coming?" Punk asked angrily.

"No, She always goes to my mom on a Monday now. I didn't even know you were getting out right now, I thought it was another few weeks." Rachel said.

"Nah, good behaviour." Punk nodded.

He'd met Rachel when he was just a kid. It wasn't a good relationship. They treated each other like shit but always wound up back together. Having their daughter, Malia, just split them completely to the point where they were never getting back together, ever. He didn't think he was a bad dad, but he also wasn't a very good one.

"Tommy drop you off? I heard he was back from overseas." Rachel said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, he came and got me." Punk nodded, "Listen, I have birthday presents and Christmas presents for Malia. I never got to see her so… you know, please let me come see her." Punk asked her, "I'm her dad."

"I know that." Rachel nodded, "But I told you I'm not gonna let her get attached to you if you always disappear to prison."

"I won't." Punk said, "I promise. This time was different. I was caught up in a bad situation and I just had to serve the sentence and get it over with." Punk said, "No more prison I promise."

"You said that the last time." Rachel folded her arms as they stood in the hallway.

"Look, you aren't mother of the century either, alright." Punk scoffed angrily. Did he mention he had a bad temper?

"I never said I was." Rachel laughed, "But at least I'm there for my daughter." She said.

"Yeah and you're fucking high all the time or… standing at a street corner to pay off debts." Punk shook his head as Rachel looked up at him coldly.

She was a beautiful girl, but she struggled with a lot of her own demons. She was brunette, average height, thin boned and once, to him, the most beautiful girl in the world. But both knew that boat had well and truly sank. It was better this way. All they did was argue.

"Don't bring up my past, I don't bring up yours." Rachel shook her head.

"Your past?" Punk said, "I didn't know that was your past, I thought you were still at it, in fact… I know you're still at it because Dean's been keeping an eye out."

"Why?" Rachel spat.

"Because I wanted to make sure Malia was ok. Since you don't let any of my friends near her I asked Dean to keep an eye on you and where you were going every now and then." Punk said.

"Don't pretend you care about anything I do." Rachel shook her head.

"I don't, but I care about Malia and I want to make sure she's hidden from all the shit you do."

"I do it so she can eat at night."

"Go get a fucking job." Punk spat, "I don't see you doing much right now? I didn't just shit out dollars when I used to see her to pay for things, did I? I had a job."

"I can't find one. I'm looking." Rachel said.

"Yeah, yeah. Of course you are." Punk nodded, "I want to see Malia before the week ends. You can't stop me from seeing her."

"I'm her mom I can do anything." Rachel said.

"Then we'll go to court." Punk nodded "Is that what you want?"

"Is that what you want? Like they're trust an ex convict with a three year old little girl rather than me?" Rachel laughed.

"Rather than you? You who works streets at night to pay off drug money? You who ships Malia off to your moms so you can sit in this place, doing fuck all and get high?" Punk said, "Really?" He narrowed his brows at her as she looked up at him, "Don't do this with me, Rachel. Don't make it hard. I tried to help you before and you threw it back in my face. All I care about now is my daughter, and I want to see her."

It was only when Rachel had Malia that she began to lose herself. She always was a party girl, she loved to drink, and she did smoke for a certain period of time, but Punk wasn't bothered by it. He still loved her. She was always a shy and timid girl, especially in their younger days. She'd destroyed her own self. He had no influence.

"Come by on Wednesday. You can take her out for a few hours." Malia nodded, "But I want you to leave now."

"Ok." Punk nodded, "I'll come by in the afternoon." He said as he walked over to the door as Rachel stood and watched him closely. She once loved him, but now she had to much destruction in front of her to see that love again.

"She is a fucking nightmare." Punk admitted as he raided his brothers fridge the next morning. He was staying with Tommy until he could find a place of his own, "You know she's still standing at street corners? Gives Malia to her mom for her to watch her most of the time." Punk shook his head.

"What happened to her, man? Rachel used to be all kinds of nice." Tommy said as he sat at the kitchen table, "I remember you both got on like a house on fire when you were kids."

"She was great. She used to be great." Punk nodded, sitting down at the table with him, "Sex was amazing. The dates were good. I don't understand what happened to her. It was like when she had Malia she just zoned off from everything."

"You know she had a rough time with her dad when she was younger. She was always a little mentally unstable."

"She wasn't always." Punk argued, "She was smart, and kind, and sweet and beautiful. Now I just don't know who she is anymore." Punk admitted truthfully, "I just wanna see Malia."

"You really need to get yourself set up with a place of your own soon." Tommy added.

"Yeah, I will. I just gotta find a place to go suss out. If I'm an inconvenience here I'll go stay with Dean." Punk shrugged.

"That wasn't what I was saying. I was thinking for Malia. If you want her to start staying with you. It'd be better you had your own place. Give her her own room." Tommy said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I know. I'll get a place." Punk nodded, "You going out tonight?" Punk asked.

"Yeah, with AJ." Tommy said as Punk nodded. He didn't really pay much attention to AJ on the flight home. She seemed nice enough, a good girl for his brother, but he had almost forgotten about her.

"So I can have the boys over for a while?" Punk asked, standing up and putting his cereal bowl in the sink.

"Yeah but don't mess the place up. Tell Dean that especially." Tommy said, "And do your own dishes." Tommy nodded to the sink.

"Yes, dad." Punk shook his head, standing at the sink and washing his bowl in the sink as Tommy chuckled.

Later on that night, AJ was going on her first proper date with Tommy. She was a little nervous. She hadn't had a relationship in quite some time and she did really like Tommy.

He took her to a quiet, small restaurant on a street corner across from Wicker. They had good food and chatted more in privacy. Before at her parents house all the time it was hard to really get to know each other when they were posing as if they already knew one another.

"So what made you want to be a marine?" AJ asked curiously whilst she studied the desert menu. There was always room for desert.

"Uh… I'm not sure, I guess I had nothing else to do. Never was really hooked on the idea of an actual job." He shrugged, "And the rush, adrenalin, everything that comes with it excited me, I guess." Tommy shrugged.

"You're crazy." AJ laughed, "You could die out there."

"I know that." Tommy nodded, "That's what keeps me alive. The fear of dying." Tommy nodded as AJ smiled.

"Are you going back over soon?" She hated to ask. She wouldn't want to grow attached to him and then watch him leave for another four or five months.

"I'm not sure. Honestly, I think my brother needs me here. It might be the case I go back in a few months but right now I'm not going anywhere." He nodded, "What about you? Have you always been a vet?" He asked her.

"Pretty much." AJ nodded, "Before I was a vet I was a vets assistant whilst studying in college." She nodded, "I've always been around animals. I love them." She grinned, "Although this morning I had to… put a kitten down. The little girl was so devastated." AJ shook her head, "I guess it isn't no… fighting in war but… that's what keeps me going." She laughed to herself.

"I like animals too." Tommy nodded, "Me and my brother had a dog, Spike his name was. He was a Pitbull."

"I love pitbulls!" AJ exclaimed almost too excitedly, "I've had like five in the past." She said as Tommy smiled, "Was it when you guys were kids?"

"Yeah, I was 10, Phil was 6 when he died." Tommy nodded.

"Just old age?" AJ asked sadly.

"Uh no… no, our parents and Spike died in a fire when we were little. Me and Punk were out playing at the park with our friends. I always took Punk with me- well, my mom always told me to take Punk with me or else he'd get up to no good." Tommy said, "We went home for dinner and… our house was black, burned down, and they were taking body bags out." Tommy nodded.

"Oh my God." AJ gasped, "That's awful. I'm so sorry." She sighed, "That's so young to lose your parents."

"Yeah." Tommy nodded, "We didn't really have much to go on after it. We got shipped off to our crazy uncle. He was the only family we had left." Tommy said, "He used to hit us. Mostly Phil because he was younger." Tommy said, "He wasn't a nice guy."

"You poor things." AJ sighed, "That must have been terrible to go through." She sighed.

"It was." Tommy nodded, "I think it messed with my brother a lot more than it did with me. From then on he just got himself into trouble after trouble. Kicked out of three schools. A long listed criminal record. An ex who becomes a prostitute at night to pay off drug money debt, and a daughter who barely even recognises him at times." Tommy shrugged.

"He's not had a mom or dad to guide him. And it isn't your fault either if that's what you're thinking." AJ read his facial expressions.

"I should have been there instead of out there on command." Tommy said, "He needed me here."

"He doesn't need you to look after him, I'm sure." AJ said.

"You'd be surprised." Tommy said, "It's always just been me and him, you know. We know no different really. Sometimes I even forget what my mom and dad looked like. I know Phil can't remember much." Tommy said, "And they were good people. They loved us. They had a good home for us." Tommy said, "It's almost frustrating."

"God only takes the best… leaves the evil to walk the streets at night." AJ said.

"You're a holy girl?" Tommy asked.

"I like to pretend I am. My family are. I don't go to church or anything but… I try to believe, I try to have faith like the rest of my family but… I just don't understand it sometimes." She admitted.

"Yeah, me neither." Tommy agreed, "I see you didn't really speak to your dad during the entire week?"

"I don't really get on with him." AJ nodded, "He's drunk most of the time, and when he's drunk he's nasty. I'm always the disappointment to him. Because I'm not married like my brother and sister. I don't have kids like them either. I'm lonely and cold. Apparently, according to my own dad." AJ said.

"He says that?" Tommy asked.

"Yup. Every Christmas." AJ smiled.

"Well, I don't think you're lonely and cold." Tommy shrugged as AJ smiled, "You having anything for desert?" Tommy asked, "I know you don't drink but, you're welcomed to come back to my place for a coffee or something."

"Uh… yeah, ok. Let's do that." AJ smiled.

The next morning, AJ woke up in between sheets. She'd indeed gone home with Tommy and of course the inevitable happened. She'd had a great date and learned a lot about him, and in return she opened back up to him which was unusual for her to do.

She got up out the bed, placing Tommy's t-shirt over her head and walking out of the room to go to the bathroom, walking across the hall and into the bathroom. She really did like Tommy and was excited to see where this was going to take her in the future. He was sweet, and kind and handsome and everything she wanted in a guy.

She done what she had to do and then stood looking in the mirror for a while, wiping the sleep from her eyes and making sure she looked ok and not like a zombie, which was what she assumed she normally looked like in the morning.

She completely jumped out of her skin when the bathroom door barged open, turning around and noticing it was his brother standing in his boxers.

"Shit, sorry." Punk shook his head, "I didn't know you were… in here." Punk said sleepily whilst AJ pulled the t-shirt further down as she had nothing else under her to cover her, and to her own dismay she seen his eyes wandering down her body.

"Well I am so… can you get out?" AJ asked, wondering why he was still standing staring at her.

"Uh, yeah… sorry." Punk apologised again, stumbling back and walking off back into the guest bedroom where he had been staying, jealousy kicking in over his brother for getting with such a beautiful young girl.

AJ just shook her head, turning back to the mirror to fix herself again and then walked back out, passing the guest bedroom Punk was in, rolling her eyes as she walked by it and seen him lying flat out on his stomach on the bed.

She then proceeded on and headed back into the bedroom where Tommy was, getting back into bed and curling into him.

A/N: First off, thanks for all the positive REVIEWS on the first chapter, glad to see you're all tuned in for this one, I have high hopes for it and I hope you guys will enjoy it. Second off, of course we all know she is with the wrong brother. Punk seems like a bit of a lost case right now but he just needs a certain woman to wake him up, don't you think? Wondering how it's all gonna play out? REVIEW and let me know what you think.