Know This, We've Noticed
"Gracie, what happened? Are you hurt?" Punk asked kneeling down and inspecting her quickly.
"My heart hurts." Gracie cried out.
"What?" Punk frowned. "How did you get here? Where is your mom?"
"I ran away from home." Gracie informed him with a sniffle. "I never want to see mommy again."
"Gracie." Punk sighed as Gracie walked into his apartment and he closed the door.
"Who are you?" Gracie asked the woman standing with her arms folded.
"I was Punk's date." Candice informed her. "Punk?" She asked.
"I have to take care of this and get her home, I'll call you tomorrow." Punk said opening the door and Candice's face dropped.
"Excuse me?" Candice asked with a laugh and Punk nodded to the door for her to leave.
"He wants you to go, I get to stay." Gracie sniffled then smirked at the woman.
"Don't call me tomorrow." Candice hissed passing by Punk as she stormed out.
"How did you get here?" Punk asked Gracie as he sent AJ a text on his phone.
"The fire escape." Gracie told him sitting on the couch and Larry jumped up next to her and she petted him.
"And then you walked here by yourself?" Punk asked in disbelief and she nodded. "It's late Gracie, that was incredibly dangerous!"
"Mommy is a liar!" Gracie yelled back.
"What are you talking about?" Punk asked.
"Daddy came to see me today and mommy sent him away." Gracie explained.
"Wait, what?" Punk asked shaking his head.
"A man came to the door, he said he was my daddy." Gracie told him. "And mommy told him to go away. I have a new daddy now and she won't let me see him. I need a daddy."
"It doesn't work like that." Punk said shaking his head sitting on the coffee table across from her. "And your mom has her reasons, really good reasons I'm sure she wanted to explain to you."
"Everyone in my class has a dad." Gracie said to him. "My dad has gone so far away I can't even call! But now I have this new daddy and mommy was so mean to him. He'll never want to hang out with me."
"This is a very confusing grown up situation." Punk sighed.
"I need to have a dad." Gracie explained. "And now I can. I miss my daddy so much."
"Being a dad is more than just saying you're a dad." Punk told her. "It's about being an actual father. Being there for you and your father was there for you since you were born. He held you in his arms in the hospital, he probably counted your finger and toes and cried."
"Why would he cry?" Gracie questioned.
"Because that's what daddy's do." Punk shrugged with a smile. "They hold you in your arms and you take their breath away. You realize that from that moment on you are the most important person to them and there is nothing they wouldn't do to protect you and when they let you down, they live with that for the rest of their lives." he said feeling a little glassy eyed.
"Don't cry, Punk." Gracie frowned. "You can share my daddy too."
"That's ok." Punk said with a smirk. "But if things don't work out and it's just you and your mom that's ok. Families come in all different shapes and sizes and I know for a fact that your mother loves you with all of her heart. And your mother has a big heart so that's saying a lot. She's probably so upset you left."
"She made me upset first." Gracie argued.
"You're going to argue with your mom but you can't just run down a fire escape which is also extremely dangerous and wander the Chicago streets at night." Punk explained. "You're a little girl and that's no place for you to be alone."
"I needed to see you and Larry." Gracie sighed.
"You can call me." Punk smirked.
"I can't call Larry." Gracie countered.
There was frantic knocking at the door and Punk got up and let AJ in.
"Thank you for calling me." She said passing Punk and marched over to Gracie. "What were you thinking?"
"I don't know." Gracie just shrugged. "I have to go to the bathroom." She announced climbing off the couch.
"I'm sorry." She said to Punk. "I don't know what she was thinking."
"She said her father was at the door." Punk whispered. "Randy was around again?"
"Yea." AJ sighed. "About his parents seeing her again and she overheard us. She doesn't even know what it was about fully all she heard was father and now thinks she has a new father."
"She's confused." Punk shrugged. "Don't be too hard on her."
"Do you know what could have happened to her?" AJ asked him seriously.
"I know, I know but she made it here in one piece and I was home." Punk reminded her.
"What if you weren't here? Someone could have just taken her away from me! Randy could have spotted her and took her!" AJ said holding back tears.
"He didn't and no one else did." Punk said to her pulling her into a hug.
"Right before I got your message I broke into her room and saw she was gone with the window open. I was thinking the worst." She said as she let Punk comfort her.
"Ok. You can ground me now." Gracie announced with a sigh.
"I don't want to ground you, I want to talk to you." AJ said to her. "And ground you." She added quickly. "Why did you run away?"
"I was mad at you." Gracie admitted. "I thought you lied to me and I knew Uncle Punk wouldn't lie. He explained it all to me." she told AJ who looked over towards Punk.
"I explained the difference between being father and a dad." Punk said. "It made more sense when I was telling her."
"It's fine, thank you anyway." AJ said to Punk. "Say bye to Uncle Punk and Larry."
"Goodbye. Probably for a long time because I'll be grounded." Gracie sighed taking AJ's hand.
"I'm sure I'll see you around." Punk smirked ruffling her hair.
"And I can really call you?" Gracie asked him.
"Of course, you just have to ask your mom first." Punk warned her and she nodded.
"Thank you, Phil." AJ said and reached up and kissed his cheek.
"Want me to walk you two home?" Punk offered. "I was going to take Larry out and it is late."
"We'll be fine, thank you." She smiled walking to the door with Gracie.
Punk waited for the door to close and let out a breath then turned his head to look at Larry.
"My night is over." he said to Larry. "Walk?" he offered and Larry ran right to him. "A walk and a cold shower." he groaned grabbing Larry's leash. "No Candice tonight...or any night." he mumbled.
The next day Punk spotted AJ behind reception as he walked into the gym.
"Hey." Punk greeted and AJ looked up relieved.
"I want to thank you again for last night." AJ said to him and he waved it off.
"It's fine." Punk said to her. "How did it go?"
"Well, I never thought I'd have to explain DNA to my five year old but I think I did ok. There's really no manually on how to tell your daughter that her father wasn't her biological father." she had to laugh a bit. "But she seemed to absorb a lot of it."
"That's good." Punk said to her.
"She's here somewhere. School was off today." AJ told him. "And I really do appreciate you talking to her."
"No big deal." Punk said to her.
Punk walked into the gym and saw Gracie standing next to Bailey with a little clipboard while he coached. She liked to pretend she was his assistant and Bailey and the guys got a kick out of it. He was starting to forget what the gym was like before Gracie and AJ brightened it up.
"Coaching?" Punk asked Gracie teasingly.
"Daddy searching." Gracie told Punk and he frowned.
"What?" Punk asked with a laugh.
"Mommy explained everything to me. A daddy is big and strong and will protect us, just like you said too." she pointed out and Punk nodded. "And mommy says we don't need one but I think we do. So I'm going to find one."
"Here?" Punk asked and she nodded. "Gracie, you can't just pick a dad."
"Yes I can." Gracie smiled. "Watch me." She challenged.
"It takes a lot more than just looking at someone who can fight." He told her and she frowned. "It's about someone who can communicate with you and your mom. Someone who is funny and someone your mom really likes."
"Well, she really liked Peter and he stunk." Gracie informed him smugly. "She needs my help."
"That's an excellent point." Punk laughed. "But still, you can't just search for a dad, it will happen when it happens and that will be naturally."
"I guess." Gracie sighed. "Is Larry here?"
"No. Larry was tired today." Punk said and she sighed. "I'll bring him by at lunch." He offered and she smiled.
"Thanks, you're the best." She said hugging him.
"Gracie!" AJ yelled and waved her over and she ran off.
"So, how did it go with Candice?" Bailey asked him.
"It didn't go." Punk remarked bitterly. "I was so fucking close."
"What happened?" Bailey asked.
"Gracie ran away from home and showed up at my doorstep and Candice got pissed and stormed off." Punk shrugged.
"AJ mentioned Randy showing up again." Bailey said shaking his head. "He didn't even know her name but Gracie seems intrigued by him."
"Because she's a kid and she's curious." Punk argued. "AJ knows that guy is no good for Gracie. He doesn't deserve to know her."
"I agree." Bailey nodded. "But it's up to AJ I suppose."
"Did she say she was going to let Randy meet her?" Punk asked concerned. "The whole reason she moved here was to escape from him."
"I don't know. Like I said it's Gracie who seems interested." Bailey shrugged. "It could get ugly if his parents involve the court."
"He's a fucking criminal." Punk spat.
"Relax." Bailey said to him. "You know AJ will do what's right for Gracie. She doesn't want Randy around her. It just gets nerve wracking when Gracie is older because now she knows Randy is out there-"
"And she'll get curious." Punk finished for him. "Yea, I get that too."
"It's just a tough situation." Bailey shrugged and Punk nodded.
Punk was cleaning up after a long day, he bought Larry to the gym to play with Gracie and they were both having a great time but he couldn't keep his eyes off AJ. He wasn't sure what his attachment was to her. Deep down he felt he saw a replacement of what he lost and that in his mind was the ultimate betrayal and that's when it hit him. He looked at the date and his face dropped.
"I have to run." Punk said AJ. "Can you take Larry back to your place for the night?"
"Yea, sure." AJ said concerned. "Are you alright?"
"Thanks." Punk said and rushed out of the gym.
"What was that all about?" Bailey asked eyeing the door Punk ran out of.
"No idea." She frowned.
Punk made it to the cemetery by dark. It was Cynthia's birthday and he can't believe he forgot it. He grabbed roses from someone else's grave and apologized as he made his way over to his wife and daughter's final resting place. He wasn't religious but Cynthia was and so were her parents so they were buried together in a catholic cemetery.
"I was wondering when you would show." A voice said as Punk placed the flowers in the holder.
"Hey." Punk greeted nervously to Cynthia's mother who gave him a sad smile. "Been here long?"
"An hour. I stay longer on one of their birthdays." She frowned.
"Mrs. McCain-" He began.
"I asked you fifteen years ago to at least call me Dana." She smiled.
"Right." Punk said feeling embarrassed.
"I'll give you some alone time." Dana told him and gave him a hug. "But I did wait around to see you. It's been a while."
"How have you been?" Punk asked genuinely.
"I'm alright. I miss them everyday." Dana told him.
"Me too." Punk choked out.
"But everyday I get signs from them that they're alright." Dana smiled.
"How come I don't get signs?" Punk questioned.
"Because you don't believe in that sort of thing." Dana smirked. "I comfort myself with it. I think it's silly sometimes but it gives me hope."
"Then you should do it." Punk encouraged. "She wouldn't want you to suffer."
"You too." Dana said and they sat on the bench by the grave. "What's bothering you? You seem worse than usual."
"I don't know." Punk said shaking his head. "It's weird to talk about."
"What do you mean?" Dana frowned. "Talk to me."
"Do you remember Bailey?" Punk asked her.
"Of course I do." Dana smiled. "He sends my flowers on my birthday every year. Is he hurt?"
"No he's fine but his sister moved to town with her daughter. They were in a really bad place." He told her and Dana frowned.
"Are they alright?" Dana asked concerned.
"Yea. And they're great I enjoy spending time with them." Punk told her.
"Ok." Dana said still worried. "So what's wrong?"
"What's wrong?" Punk asked. "I'm betraying my girls, that's what's wrong."
"Don't be ridiculous." Dana scoffed. "Cynthia wouldn't want you suffering nor would Elena."
"It doesn't feel right." Punk insisted. "I feel like I have this void and I'm filling it."
"Well, you do." Dana pointed out. "There's nothing wrong with that. Maybe you came into their life at the right time, them as well. You're not being unfaithful to her."
"I almost forgot about today." Punk admitted.
"I know. I saw you lift the flowers from another grave, shame." She teased Punk who laughed a bit. "She wouldn't want you to sit around and be sad. And you wondered about her sending you a sign this could be the sign. Does Bailey's sister have a husband?"
"He passed away." Punk forced out and Dana gave him a sad smile.
"And you don't find that to be fate?" Dana asked amused.
"I told you I don't believe in that stuff." Punk said brushing it off.
"You can't live your life alone. You were a wonderful husband and father, it would be a disservice to not try again." Dana told him.
"It feels wrong." Punk told her.
"Really? Or does it feel just right and you're holding yourself back?" Dana asked. "What are they like?"
"What?" Punk asked.
"What are they like? What are their names?" Dana asked with a smile.
"AJ is Bailey's sister and Gracie is her daughter. She's five." Punk told her.
"They make you smile?" Dana asked.
"Yea they really do." Punk smirked.
"That's what Cynthia would want from you." Dana said to him. "You're not replacing what's already gone, you're just moving on."
"They would be mad." Punk said to her and Dana shook her head.
"They're made that you choose to stay miserable, they'd be mad if you could make a difference in someone else's life and didn't in their name." Dana said to him.
"I guess." Punk said to her nodding.
"And stop being a stranger, call me once in a while. I'm here for you. You're my family." Dana told him.
"How about dinner? We'll go to Cynthia's favorite place." Punk suggested.
"I would love that." Dana smiled standing up. "I'll give you a few minutes and meet you at the car."
"Thanks." Punk said and stood up himself and looked over the headstone of his wife and daughter as a tear escaped his cheek.
Later that night Punk knocked on AJ's door softly knowing it was late and Gracie was probably sleeping.
"Hey." AJ whispered but seemed to relieved to see him. "Come in." She nodded and he walked inside.
"Larry give you any trouble?" Punk asked.
"No." AJ said shaking her head. "He's sleeping in bed with Gracie right now."
"He can stay the night I don't want to wake either of them." Punk told her quietly.
"Are you alright?" AJ asked. "I was worried about you."
"I'm fine." Punk said walking into the living room and sitting down. "It was my wife's birthday and I usually to see her and I had forgotten."
"Oh. I'm sorry." AJ said sitting down next to him.
"It's ok." He said shaking his head. "I've just been all screwed up lately and- I had to figure stuff out."
"What do you mean?" She asked then it hit her. "I told you if being around me and Gracie was too much we'd understand and stay away."
"The last thing I want is for you two to go away." Punk said to her. "Believe me. I've felt guilty because I've had such a good time with you and her. I thought I was betraying my girls while using you two to fill some void I had."
"I think you're over thinking this a bit." AJ smiled slightly.
"I think you're right." He said to her. "It's just weird. We both come from similar circumstances."
"It is." She said oddly. "What are you getting at?"
"I like being around you and I haven't been able to enjoy a woman's company like yours since my wife died." He said to her. "I don't want to get you naked-" he began and she eyed him. "I mean I do, you're beautiful-" he tried to correct. "-it's just not all I think about, you know?"
"I think." She laughed a bit.
"I'm nervous so it's coming out all wrong." He said quickly.
"So you're not attracted to me?" She asked.
"No I am but not just physically and believe me it's physical too but it's an emotional attraction too." He told her. "I look forward to going into the gym now because I know you'll be there and I think of any excuse to come over and fix things or hang pictures or bring you a comic because I just want to come over and be in your presence." He explained.
"I hate that picture." She told him and he looked at her.
"What?" he asked.
"The picture I asked you to come over and hang. I hate it. Benny gave it to me and it's awful but I thought I wanted to ask you over." She admitted. "And I know how to program my DVR. I'm a DVR expert but I knew you'd come over and help me." she shrugged. "I didn't want to say anything to you because I didn't want you to think I was trying to replace your losses. I also didn't say anything because I didn't want to scare you off and Gracie would be crushed if that happened. You have become her best buddy here. She literally runs to you when she's scared or upset and I don't want jeopardize your bond with her."
"I agree." Punk nodded. "What if we tried something and then it ended badly?"
"We'd have to still see each other everyday and Gracie would be upset." AJ pointed out. "Is the risk worth the reward?"
"No." Punk said and AJ's heart sank but she think she cared for him even more now since he was putting Gracie's feelings before his own. That proved he valued her daughter, something Peter didn't. "I won't risk hurting a little girl who has already lost so much."
"You're making it really difficult to not like you." She admitted standing up. "You put my daughter first and that means everything."
"For Gracie it's best we just stay friends." Punk said standing up as well.
"Friends." AJ agreed sticking her hand out.
"Friends." He agreed shaking her hand quickly then slowed down.
"Good friends." AJ nodded looking up into his eyes.
"Really good friends." Punk corrected as he gently tugged her closer.
"The best of friends." She whispered quietly looking up still.
There was no more space between them and Punk dropped her hand and cupped her face and pulled her into a kiss. He knew it was stupid but he had to kiss her. Her lips were meant to be kissed. He didn't scare her off, she was the one who slipped the tongue first and before they knew it they were running their hands all over each other. The height difference was making it uncomfortable so she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist.
Punk felt her legs wrap around his waist tightly and he moaned into the kiss that caused him to fall back into the wall, but he managed to keep them standing. AJ was kissing him so roughly, he didn't expect such a reaction from such a sweet woman but he was loving it. His hand ran up and down her back, under her shirt as they continued to kiss until the need for air became too much.
"We won't tell her." Punk said trying to catch his breath and AJ nodded. "I mean we're both adults."
"And if it doesn't work out we can still coexist." She added. "And we don't tell Gracie so she won't be disappointed."
"I like that plan, that's a good plan." Punk said then kissed her again.
"Mommy!" Gracie yelled from her bedroom and Punk literally dropped her from his arms and thank god the couch was right there or she would have hit the floor.
"Sorry." He whispered to her as she gave him an annoyed look.
"Mommy! Larry wet my bed!" Gracie complained walking into the living room and saw the two. "Hi, Uncle Punk!" She smiled tiredly.
"Larry made a mess in your bed?" Punk asked cleaning off his lips subtly.
"Yes. It smells." Gracie said looking at her mom.
"I'll take care of it." AJ said quickly, jumping off the couch and running into her room.
"Are you taking Larry already? You promised he could stay the night." Gracie frowned.
"He can stay the night." Punk said to her. "I was just checking in to see if he ate."
"He did." Gracie smiled. "Are you sleeping over too?"
"No!" Punk said loudly shaking his head. "I'm actually going home right now."
"Bye." Gracie waved then walked back into her room.
AJ walked out and dumped the sheets into a laundry bag.
"I'll walk you out." AJ said opened the apartment door for Punk who stepped outside.
Punk grabbed her face and kissed her again in the hall because he decided he wanted to kiss her forever.
"I really have to go." Punk said pulling away but AJ tugged on his bottom lip and he groaned. "We'll do this properly."
"Ok." She said with a smile as her cheeks flushed.
"I'll see you at the gym tomorrow." He told her.
"I'll be home tomorrow, it's Saturday." She smirked.
"Ok then I'll be by to pick up Larry." He said and she nodded.
"Gracie has a play date in the afternoon." She told him.
"Lunch date?" He asked.
"You have a class to coach." She reminded him.
"I'll have Peter cover it." Punk shrugged. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye." She smiled as she watched him walk away.
AJ hadn't felt butterfly's in her stomach like this in years. She closed the door behind her and bit on her bottom lip to keep her from squealing with excitement.
