Black and Blue

"She took my handcuffs off me me." Punk told Dean, sitting across from him in the cafeteria.

"And..." Dean leaned forward.

"And what?" Punk said, "You don't find that strange?" He asked.

"I don't know. I don't know why you're so… interested in this girl. She's a nurse. She looks down on people like us. So she took your handcuffs off you. Maybe she was feeling generous." Dean just shrugged, "Check mate." He smirked.

"I told you I don't know how to play chess." Punk looked at the chess board where Dean had been playing by himself for the past half hour.

"Well learn. Do you have any idea how long I've waited to find someone to play chest with?" Dean questioned, "Stop thinking about the stupid nurse." He said as Punk just ran his hands through his hair.

He couldn't help it. All he could do was think of April. Her kind nature. Her beauty that she wasn't even aware of. Something told him her boyfriend did not appreciate her as much as he should have. But Dean was right. She was just the nurse and he was just a prisoner.

But no matter all the convincing in the world, he still thought she was beautiful.

"Alright, how the fuck do you play this then?" Punk asked Dean who smiled and cleaned the board fresh to show him how to play.

Later on that night, AJ got home from work, walking into her apartment tiredly, dumping her bag and walking into the kitchen, ready to start dinner when she was shocked to see Chad had already made dinner for both of them, awaiting her at the table.

"You're home early." AJ shook her head, walking over to the table as he kissed her cheek and pulled her chair out. This was a different change of scene.

"Yeah, well I figured I wanted to get home and make my beautiful girlfriend dinner." Chad smiled, "I wanted to apologise for last night." Chad said as AJ just smiled.

"It's alright."

"You just know I don't like when you speak to me like that." Chad said as AJ's smile faded. Of course he had to turn it around on her again, "You know better." He said as AJ just stayed silent.

As a matter of fact, she continued to stay silent through the rest of the dinner whilst Chad spoke away to her. She wasn't in the mood to reply back. In fact, what she was really thinking of was Punk, how close she was to kissing him today. She couldn't believe she almost kissed one of the prisoners that she worked with. It was crazy and so not like her. But maybe it was only not like her because she'd been so focused on this perfect life with Chad that she hadn't realised it was anything but perfect.

"I'll do the dishes. You go on into the living room." AJ said politely after they finished. She figured to avoid any arguments she'd just go through with her 'job' as Chad would put it. She couldn't even be bothered to be in the same room as him anymore.

"I'll help." Chad smiled as AJ just looked across at him.

"Ok." AJ nodded, walking over to the sink with the dishes, loading them into the basin as Chad stood behind her.

"Maybe the dishes can wait." Chad smiled, wrapping his arms around her from behind as she just sighed.

"I'd rather just get them done." AJ insisted.

"C'mon… it's been a long, long day." He whispered in her ear, travelling his hands down her stomach and to the opening of her trousers as she pushed them away and wriggled out of his grip.

"No! Ok. No means no." AJ spat, "I am tired and I just want to do these dishes, shower and then go to bed." She said, looking across at him.

"You're tired? From doing what, April? You don't do anything."

"I work!" AJ said loudly, "Just like you. Just as hard as you." She said, "I don't wanna argue, baby." She shook her head sadly, "I hate arguing."

"Are you implying that I like arguing with you?" Chad asked, "Is that what I get for coming home and trying to do something nice for you?" He said.

"Making me dinner shouldn't be doing something nice for me." AJ shook her head, "I do the same job as you, I get the same pay as you, this is my apartment that you moved into… stop treating me like I'm some hooker at the side of a street corner who earns twenty bucks per month." She said.

"You act like it sometimes, April. You really do." Chad spat, "God, you're fucking hard work. I try and I try and I try."

"You pushed me last night."

"Because you made me."

"Oh, so it's my fault?" AJ laughed, "You're a coward. You can't keep pushing me around like this. Thinking you're tough. You aren't. You call yourself a man?" She questioned, suddenly feeling a hard first connect with her face as she fell over hard on the floor.

She'd never been punched before. Not by anyone, never mind someone she shared a bed with and her life with. It was painful and it was humiliating and she suddenly realised this relationship was nothing like she thought it would be. He'd found himself comfortable with her. Comfortable to push her around and abuse her, verbally and now physically. She wouldn't be some domestic violence case. Now way.

Yet, all she could do was sit on the ground with tears welling in her eyes, placing her hand over her painful cheek and eye. She might have felt strong inside, but she couldn't find any strength to even stand up.

"You can do these yourself." Chad spat, dumping the plate in the sink in a clatter as he looked down on her, turning around and walking off as AJ let out a painful sob of pain of course and pure embarrassment.

"I think I'm actually getting the hang of this." Punk admitted the next morning, sitting at their normal table, playing a game of chess.

"Is that why I've won the past five games this morning?" Dean asked as Punk just made a face.

"Whatever. I will beat you." Punk made a promsie.

"Oi Oi." Dean got Punk's attention, nodding over to the far side of the room as Punk turned around to see AJ walking into the kitchen.

"Does she have a black eye?" Punk asked, turning back to Dean with confusion.

"Maybe Jonah finally had his way with her." Dean said as Punk just screwed his eyes up, "I'm kidding." Dean said, "Why do you take this girl so lightly?"

"I don't know. There's something about her." Punk shrugged, turning back around and looking at AJ who he could see through the kitchen glass doors.

"That's a black eye isn't it?" Punk said.

"Looks like it." Dean said, "Can we get back to the game now?" He asked as Punk just continued to look over at AJ, "Hello! Earth to Punk?" Dean said as Punk turned around to him.

"Punch me." Punk nodded as Dean just raised his eyebrows.

"Come again?" Dean shook his head.

"Punch me in the face. Hard. Maybe… bang my head against the table too?" He shrugged casually.

"Are you serious?" Dean shook his head.

"Just do it. I wanna talk to her." Punk said.

"I'm not gonna punch you." Dean laughed, "God, why are you so interested in this girl? She's the damn nurse. I bet you she stays at home on Saturday night categorising shampoo bottles and soap in her bathroom." He shook his head.

"Nobody does that." Punk screwed his eyes up, "Would you just punch me? Please?" He said, noticing AJ disappear back out the room.

"No." Dean shook his head as Punk just grunted.

"Fine." Punk said, "I'm sure there's plenty of other people in the room who wanna punch me." He said, standing up.

"Punk, c'mon. Don't be an idiot." Dean said, watching closely as Punk walked over to Jonah and his clan. He watched with one eye opened, it not taking long until Punk was on the ground, his head getting stomped on, his ribs getting kicked. He was one crazy bastard. All to see this damn nurse.

"Uh… what the hell is your problem?" AJ shook her head as she watched Punk walk into the medical room where she was tidying up from her last 'patient' if you'd even call these prisoners that.

"I tripped." Punk smiled, hobbling over to the bed. He didn't actually intend to get as fucked up as he appeared to be. Maybe it was a crazy idea but it was worth it now. So worth it, "What happened to your eye?" He asked her almost immediately before she even got the chance to take her first aid kit out for him.

"What do you mean?" AJ laughed nervously. She was convinced she'd put on enough powdered make-up to cover the rather large bruise.

"C'mon. Don't be like that." Punk said, "I can see the bruise just like everyone else can." Punk said, "And I can always tell that you… never tripped." He said, "Did someone hit you? Someone in here? Because I'll-"

"You'll what?" AJ turned around, "Look at the state of you." She pointed to him as he just shrugged, "I bet you can barely walk in a straight line." She said as he began to stand up to show her, "Just sit back down." She shook her head.

"Someone hit you, didn't they? C'mon, just tell me who it was." Punk said, so eager and willing to find out so he could knock whoever it was teeth down their throat. He didn't know why but he felt very protective of her. The thought of someone overpowering her, hurting her, conflicting pain upon her… it hurt him inside which was strange because he'd never really cared or felt like that about someone before.

"No… just drop it. It's really none of your business." She insisted, "Tilt your head back." She said, attempting to dab the blood off with a wipe around his nose.

"Would you leave that for a second." He said to her as she stepped back a little, "So if it wasn't someone in here then who was it? Your boyfriend?" He chuckled a little as AJ just looked across at him, his smile fading as he watched her walk away to avoid more embarrassment, "Your boyfriend done that?"

"I don't wanna talk about it. It's none of your business… I don't know you. At all." AJ reminded him, "And I don't trust-" She paused as he just tilted his head. Oh how she did trust him, "I don't trust you."

"I don't need for you to trust me for me to say you're boyfriend is a fucking idiot and you need to leave him… as soon as possible." Punk said. He did not expect for her to be abused at home and in her personal life. How could any man be horrible or violent towards her. He couldn't understand.

"It's none of your business." She just said again.

"Quit saying that!" Punk yelled, standing up with hands cuffed in front of him, "If you aren't happy than get out. If he is hurting you, then get out."

"It's not as easy as that." AJ shook her head, "I don't know why you're so bothered." She said truthfully.

"Me neither, but I am." He told her, "I deliberately got beat up for a good twenty minutes, just so I could get pulled down here to see you." He said as she frowned, "I'm not gonna leave until you promise me that you're ok and you're gonna leave this idiot. Don't you have a friend or a parent or someone you can tell? To help you?" He said. If he was free from these cuffs and this jumpsuit he would be straight on this ignorant son of a bitch that thought it was ok to put his hands on her.

"No… not really." AJ said. She couldn't how interested he seemed, how annoyed he looked over Chad hurting her. He barely even knew her and he was showing her more care, concern and most of all love than her boyfriend ever had in the years they'd been together, "We'll sort things out. We always do." AJ shrugged simply, "Please… can I just clean you up." She said.

Punk just looked across at her, giving in and sitting back up on the bed as she walked back over to him with a cooler head, pressing the wipe back on his face as he just looked up at her. She tried her best not to look into those eyes. Those wonderful eyes. But she couldn't help it.

Why was it that the only person who seemed to care about her right now was a man who'd barely known her for a week and had lost everything to a seventeen year prison sentence?

"He doesn't deserve you." Punk said quietly, "You deserve better."

"You don't know me. You don't know what I deserve." She batted back.

"I know you don't deserve to be abused." Punk said, "No woman does." He said.

"Well at least I know you aren't in here for killing your wife." She whispered as he chuckled a little, smiling up at her as she just smiled back down, "I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me. You shouldn't have to worry about me."

"Well for some reason I am and I don't know why." He admitted as she just looked down at him. This time there was no pausing and waiting, he leaned up and went straight for her lips, pressing them against hers. It was everything he imagined it to be. She tasted so sweet and her lips were like soft cushions.

AJ on the other hand had never kissed someone with so much tension and pleasure. Never did she think she'd put her lips anywhere near a prisoner in here, but here she was. His mouth fit against hers and his tongue just glided along perfectly.

He went to move his hands but was stopped when he realised they were cuffed in front of him. She then suddenly realised that she was kissing him, and even worse she was enjoying it like never before. What if Chad found out about this? What would be the consequences then? She suddenly pulled back in fear.

"No… I can't." She shook her head, "I can't believe you just done that." She shook her head with confusion as he looked up at her, "You… You're a prisoner. You could get… added time to your sentence for doing something like that." AJ said.

"Seventeen years is life to me. No more can get added that will make it any worse." He said, "And sweetheart, you kissed me back." He hopped down from the bed.

"I haven't finished cleaning you up." She said.

"I'll be alright." Punk nodded to her, "If you were smart you'd leave your boyfriend. Before it gets too late." He said, struggling to open the door but eventually doing so, getting pulled out by the officer and down the corridor, smirking to himself as he thought of her lips on his.

AJ on the other hand quickly closed the door, placing her hand over her mouth in shock. She couldn't believe she had actually just kissed him back. Actually, she did believe it. She had never been so interested in someone. Someone who actually seemed to care about her, despite only known her for what seemed like seconds.

But she knew she still shouldn't have kissed him back, as much as it was worth it and so enjoyable that she could have seen herself wanting more. What would Chad think of this? She couldn't believe what was going on in her life right now.

A/N: Let me know what you think ;)