Passing Ships

"You look beautiful." Punk smiled over his menu, watching AJ as she looked up only with her eyes, smiling over to him over the candles and menu on their table.

"So you've told me." AJ said quietly, "You don't look so terrible yourself." She smiled.

"I just threw this on." He waved his hand as she smiled.

"Have you been here before?" She asked him, "It's a nice place." She smiled.

At first she was hesitant to go on a date with him. She wasn't really one to go on dates, especially not with men she'd just met not so long ago, but something about him just drew her right in. He was mysterious, hidden, quiet but so bold. She was fascinated by him.

"I've not actually." Punk shook his head, "My buddy told me it was pretty good so… I figured why not?" He smiled. He didn't have any issues with confidence, but a part of him was extremely nervous around her. She really was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, and he really wanted to know her.

After being in and out of the bar she ran, having had many conversations, he finally asked her out on a date which brought them to where they were now. She was interested to know him as a person, and he wasn't all too bad to look at either. The restaurant was warm and cosy. They had a seat in the corner by the window, but all she could do was keep her eyes on him.

"When do you uh… when do you finish at the academy?" AJ questioned. She'd already gotten to know him through passing conversation, but nothing too revealing of course.

"Another year." Punk nodded, "It's a bit of a nightmare but it's gonna pay off." Punk nodded as she smiled.

"I bet it will." AJ nodded, "Do you have any goals when you get there? Or is it just a regular officer you're interested in?" She asked, "Well… I don't mean it like that, like you're just regular and basic… but you know-"

"I know." Punk smiled, finding her nervous rambling amusing as she took a sip of her water and rolled her eyes, "I'm keeping my options opened. I guess I'll see what I'm good at when I get there." He nodded.

"It's good to have goals and aspirations." She nodded, "Keeps you grounded I guess. But… I'm sure a man who only drinks water at bars is already pretty well grounded." She smiled as he nodded.

"That's true." Punk laughed a little, "So what are your goals and aspirations then?" He asked her.

"I uh… I don't think I have any." AJ shrugged honestly.

"Well I mean… you already got your own business. That's a pretty good accomplishment." Punk nodded.

"It's my mom's bar." AJ shrugged, "I didn't do anything to create it." She said, "Now she's moved back to Puerto Rico I'm in charge. Don't get me wrong, it's a lot of hard work, a lot of stuff that people probably wouldn't think of but… I don't know if it's exactly my end goal." She shrugged.

"Well I think it's pretty cool." Punk nodded, "So you're from Puerto Rico?"

"Well I was born here but I lived there for a little while when I was younger." AJ nodded, "A bit of moving back and forth." She said, "Not ideal for trying to fit in at school."

"Ah, so you were a misfit? Makes sense." He said.

"Hey." AJ tapped his foot under the table with a smile, "I was… a little bit outspoken, yes. But there's nothing wrong with that? I grew up in a pretty violent household. I grew up… fighting, I guess." She nodded, looking across at him, "And that is way too much for the first date." She shook her head with regret. For some reason she just felt comfortable talking to him, like he wouldn't judge her for anything.

"No, not at all. If it doesn't come out in the first, it'll come out in the second… third… fourth-"

"You're confident." AJ smirked, "Nice to know you have faith in yourself." She said as Punk smiled, "What about you? Did you grow up here?"

"Yeah, I did." Punk nodded, "I lived with my mom and little sister." He told her as she smiled, "No dad."

"Cheers to that." AJ smiled as he nodded, "Can you be one of those dates who… if I have food on my face, sauce, anything… please just tell me." She nodded, "Yeah?" She asked as Punk laughed to himself and nodded.

"I will tell you." Punk promised as she smiled, looking back down at her menu as he watched her closely. He loved her sense of humour, her awkwardness and nervousness that made them both laugh, and oh how he just couldn't take his eyes off her.

"You taking another late shift tonight?" Liz asked, walking into the kitchen where AJ was sat with Breea, nursing her in her arms.

"Yeah, lates are easier for me with Breea." AJ nodded, "It means she's down for the night and I'm home in time for her night feed." She said as Liz nodded.

"Where did the rose come from? On the table at the door?" She questioned.

"None of your business." AJ shrugged.

"So it was from him? He stopping by the bar again?" Liz asked as AJ nodded, "Surely he can tell you how much longer this is going to last. He's already been in it for a month."

"He can't talk to me about anything. Not until it's over. I knew all of this when he told me. He sat me down and explained everything to me, mom. It's not like I got into something I didn't sign up for." AJ said, "I support my husband, I always will."

"Angel, I get that." Liz sighed, "I love Phil. He's the son I never had. And of course I know how in love he is with you, and much he loves Breea." She said, "But I worry about you. I worry about him too. What this could do to him."

"Phil is strong. He's good at his job and that's why he gets put on operations like this." AJ nodded, "He's gonna be home soon and he'll go back to a normal officer and… it'll be fine." She said.

"Would you let him do it again?" Liz asked.

"I'm not his mom." AJ said, "I don't have to let him do anything. Just like he doesn't let me do anything." She said, "Mom, he is my best friend above anything else. I trust him."

"I know you do, sweetie." Liz smiled, "That's why it's so hard to see you miss him."

"I don't think it's easy on him either. He misses Breea." AJ sighed.

"I'm sure he misses all the diapers, the spit ups, the night feeds-" Liz scoffed.

"He misses her." AJ said bluntly, "It won't be long until it's all over." She nodded positively, caressing Breea's cheek softly as Liz smiled.

"She's getting so big." Liz smiled, "She's gonna be crawling before you know it."

"I know it… it feels like just yesterday she was a tiny newborn." AJ smiled, "I never thought I could love someone so much, honestly." She shook her head as Liz smiled.

"You're good at this mom thing." Liz nodded, "Better than I ever was."

"I'm pretty new to be saying things like that." AJ laughed a little.

"Well you are." Liz smiled.

"I do appreciate you staying here since Phil has been gone. You have really been a great help." AJ nodded, "And it's not like her other gran would have helped me." She shook her head as Liz smiled.

"It's my quest to be the favourite gran." Liz nodded.

"Well, it's not really going to be much competition." AJ shook her head, "She hasn't even visited me once. Not since we brought Breea home." She said.

"The woman lives on a different planet, April. You know that and so does Phil. Poor woman went through a lot." Liz said.

"That was a long time ago." AJ shrugged.

"Don't be insensitive. As a mother now, you should sympathise more." Liz nodded.

"You don't know what she's really like." AJ shook her head, "I don't even think I know what she's really like. Phil does." She nodded, "I don't think I've ever heard him say one nice thing about her."

"Not very maternal, huh?" Liz nodded.

"I'll say." AJ scoffed.

"It's not our business." Liz waved her hand.

"She's my mother-in-law. More like… monster-in-law." AJ shook her head.

"April Jeanette, that's enough." Liz said, "Your attitude is still as bad as it was in high school. I can't wait for Breea to grow up and for you to understand the pain of raising a teenager. You're going to love it." Liz smiled sarcastically as AJ just shook her head.

"Ok, time for a drink to celebrate the successful job." Stan rubbed his hands together, "I'm thinking the bar a couple streets down?"

"Uh… which one?" Punk folded his arms, leaning off from a car as he stood in the garage where he was working undercover with a drug gang. He was befriending them, being welcomed into their lives for the past month, essentially in order to take them down.

"I'm thinking Bar One. Beside that pizza joint." Stan nodded, sitting at the wobbly desk in the garage whilst counting his large sum of money.

Of course Punk's ears picked up as Bar One was the bar his wife owned and worked at.

"Why don't we just go somewhere local?" Punk suggested calmly.

"No, change of scenery is good." Stan shook his head as Punk scratched the back of his neck. Stan was the leader of the pack. He called the shots, he ran the business. What looked like a car garage was actually just a location for a corrupt drug business. The sting operation was going well, he was taking his time and getting to know information little by little, but he still needed more time.

"Is this where he takes us out and starts questioning us?" Rodney whispered to Punk who just ignored him.

"And for those of you wondering, yes… I know someone in this room has been tipping off someone. It explains the cops snooping around for… no reason." Stan looked at them all, "So you can bet your ass when I find out who it is, they're as good as dead." He said as Punk looked across at him.

"How do you know it's one of us?" Micky asked as Punk looked over.

"Because I bet it out of the cop and then killed him." Stan shrugged as Punk raised his eyebrows. He'd seen some terrible things in his time rolling with the group. It was difficult for him to pretend to be a part of this life, but the determined part of him was just getting used to it.

"You did?" Rodney asked worriedly.

"Mhm." Stan nodded, "Let's get going then. Lots of celebrating." He smiled.

They arrived at the bar. Punk knew he couldn't pull out as he was worried for his wife's safety and he also knew it would appear suspicious.

They walked on into the bar where Punk immediately locked eyes with AJ as she stared at him walking on over to a table in the corner.

"I will get the drinks in." Punk volunteered immediately before anyone else could, "Usual?" He nodded whilst heading his way over to the bar, sitting on a stool as AJ walked over to him, taking his drink order.

"Nice friends." AJ whispered.

"Any chance you can take tonight off?" Punk asked quietly.

"Any chance you could have went to a different bar?" AJ gritted her teeth.

"I couldn't." Punk said, "Just… stay on the other side of the bar." He nodded to her whilst she poured drinks, making sure she looked like she was just getting him his drinks.

"Why? They don't know anything-"

"They are bad people." Punk looked across at her, "Don't make eye contact with them. Just stay on the opposite side of the bar, ok?" He said as she nodded slowly.

"Ok." AJ whispered, finishing off pouring his drinks whilst Punk grabbed a napkin and a pen, writing on it whilst AJ slid the drinks across the bar.

"Thank you." Punk nodded to her, sitting the money on the napkin and sliding it across as she lifted it, watching him take the drinks away on the tray as she put the money in the till and looked at the napkin.

She smiled, reading 'I love you' wrote on the napkin as she made her way to the opposite side of the busy bar.