Thanksgiving


"Do you think your brother is gonna be here?" Punk turned to AJ who just shrugged. They were currently on a flight to New Jersey. Harry had taken first dibs of the window seat, looking out with fascination whilst his DVD played on the TV on the back of the next seat. AJ was in the middle holding Louisa who had thankfully stopped crying, and Punk took the aisle seat.

"I don't know. The letter never said." AJ said, "I hope not." She groaned.

"Can't be as douchey as mine." Punk said.

"You'd be surprised." AJ said, "I guess it's too late to turn back now." She admitted with fear as he just stared at her.

"I got your back. They disrespect you, they disrespect me, and I won't hesitate to say something. I don't care if they're your parents." He shrugged, "Look at it like this, if they didn't want us here, they wouldn't have sent a letter."

"I'm just scared they're gonna be mad when they see we have two children, and we're married." She said, "I know it as our choice to not tell them, but they can be really spiteful people, and I had my reasons." She said, "Did we do the right thing? Not telling them?" She asked as Punk nodded.

"It was what you wanted. And I didn't know them to make a judgement. You didn't have a relationship, so why the hell bother?" He said.

"I don't know. I'm just afraid they're gonna throw it in my face." She said.

"Well I'll throw it back." Punk said firmly as AJ smiled, giving him Louisa who settled better in her father's arms, letting AJ lean in against him, "Don't worry. Let's just try and enjoy ourselves." He said, kissing the top of her head whilst looking down at Louisa who lay curling her fingers, looking up at him with those shimmery, dark eyes her mother had.

"Is that another plane?!" Harry exclaimed as both Punk and AJ turned around.

"Looks like it." Punk nodded as Harry smiled with fascination.

"Pretty cool, huh?" AJ smiled, playing with her son's hair as he looked out the window.

"Are we racing?" Harry turned around to his parents who both laughed a little.

"Yeah, and we're gonna win. I bet." Punk said.

"Woah." Harry said, "Really?" He questioned.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "Keep your eye on it. We'll overtake it in no time." Punk said as Harry looked out the window with fascination and concentration.


When Punk and AJ had gotten off the plane, all the window watching had completely exhausted Harry out and he had fallen asleep, being carried out of the airport in his father's arms whilst AJ took care of Louisa in her stroller.

They got to their hotel in a cab and dumped their bags, letting Harry get a nap before they headed to AJ's parents.

"Do you think he needs another hair cut?" AJ asked Punk curiously, sitting on the edge of the bed where Harry was napping, "It's getting messy like yours." She turned to her husband who was setting up the travel crib in the corner for Louisa.

"No. Don't cut his hair again." Punk said firmly.

"Phil." AJ tutted, "He has to get hair cuts." She said, turning to her son and smiling. He was the cutest little thing ever. A mini Punk. Dark messy hair that covered his forehead, dark eyes the colour of his father's, a smirk that had been adapted from a very young age, "Sweet boy." She whispered, placing a kiss on Harry's head, standing up and walking over to her case to get an outfit for tonight.

"What should I wear?" AJ asked curiously whilst Punk lifted Louisa into her travel crib, smiling as she never let go of the small teddy bear she enjoyed looking at and playing with.

"I don't know." Punk said, staring down at Louisa. He could never take his eyes off her. He always thought the only girl in his life would be his wife, but that all changed three months ago.

"Phil. Help me." AJ said as Punk rolled his eyes and walked away from the crib.

"A dress." Punk shrugged.

"Which one?" AJ asked him curiously as he stood beside her with his hands on his hips, "This one shows off more cleavage, this one shows off more ass, this one shows nothing." She pointed to the three dresses.

"Ok, well… bearing in mind you're gonna be at a dinner table with not only your parents who seem very reserved and holy, but our three year old son is also gonna be there." He reminded her as she grinned.

"Hmm." AJ said, "What about the ass one? My ass looks really, really good in it." AJ told him as he groaned.

"You want me to introduce myself to your parents with a boner?" Punk questioned as AJ laughed.

"Oh, alright. Boring one it is." She said, throwing the other two dresses back in the case and sitting it down on the floor.

"I like that dress." He said, "You don't need ass or tits out to get my attention." He told her as she raised her eyebrows, "Well… sometimes." He shrugged as she smiled, "Hey, have you thought anymore about your job yet?" He asked her curiously. It had been a week since she had spoke to him about having a rethink about her career.

"Yeah, actually." AJ nodded, "And I spoke to Rob a few nights ago. He totally seen where I was coming from. And to be honest, Phil… I'm one of the oldest girls there. I know I'm not particularly old, but all the girls besides me and Kady are in their early twenties, some are even eighteen, nineteen." She said, "The more and more I'm thinking about it, the more and more I think it's realistic." She told him truthfully.

"You still had an incredible career doing your shows. You're great at it all. But maybe you'll surprise yourself doing something else too." Punk suggested.

"I think I'm gonna do the writing thing." AJ nodded to him.

"What would you write about?" He asked.

"I have a pretty good mind. I'm sure I could think of something." She said, "It's good actually that we're here because I used to have a journal, and a folder, and I had wrote a lot when I was a kid, I wonder if my mom still has it." She said, "It'd be fun to see it again."

"Well you have my support definitely." Punk smiled, "You're gonna do great, whatever it is you decide to do." Punk told her.

"Thank you." AJ smiled, "Maybe it will be good for me. It'll be nice to introduce myself as a writer and not a show girl for once." She admitted.

"You know that's not the reason I'm pushing for this, right?" He said as she smiled, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around him.

"I know." AJ nodded, "You just want what's best for me. You always have." She said, looking up at him dreamily, "And I love you every day for it." She smiled.

"I love you too." He said, pressing a sweet kiss on her lips as she smiled against it, pulling back and grinning.

"What?" Punk laughed a little.

"I can't believe we've been together for five years." She admitted, shaking her head.

"Me neither sometimes." Punk admitted, "Nothing feels wrong though." He said.

"Well what do I always say?" She questioned him, picking up her dress.

"Everything happens for a reason?" He guessed as she smiled.

"Everything happens for a reason." She smiled, walking away into the bathroom to get ready.


Once getting ready and getting the kids ready, they headed out and got to AJ's parents house. The house was bigger than Punk expected, and seemed very secluded and out of the way from the rest of the neighbourhood.

The only reason AJ was nervous was because she knew her parents would be completely speechless to see two children with them. A part of her felt guilty for not telling them but another part of her felt it was the right thing to do.

"I feel sick." AJ admitted whilst Punk frowned, knocking the front door and lifting Harry up who was still a little tired, having just woken from his nap about an hour ago.

"It'll be fine." Punk promised her as a figure came to the door, unlocking it and opening it up, watching as who he could only assume was her father, stand, his excited smile faded as he seen more than expected to his daughter's life.

"Hi dad." AJ smiled nervously as Punk stood, for once, behind her. This was her family. He was just going to keep lowkey and polite.

"April." AJ's father, Dan, said, looking in the stroller and seeing baby Louisa fast asleep, "You best come in." He said as AJ nodded. It was the reaction she knew they'd get. He was obviously shocked but soon the anger would kick in and she wasn't really in the mood to fight. She actually just wanted to get on.

They headed into the house, making their way into the living room where AJ seen her brother sitting with a young girl.

"Holy shit." AJ's brother, Josh, said, standing up when he seen his sister, not only with a man, but two small children.

"Hi to you too." AJ looked over at him, and just when things couldn't get any more intense, AJ's mother came rushing in the living room, cooking apron on and hair up messily, her glasses on her head as she almost fainted.

"April." Nancy said, placing her hand on her heart with shock.

"What?" AJ laughed nervously, "None of you ever seen kids before?" She asked them, really wishing they would stop making her feel like a stranger. She understood it was a big deal, but they didn't have to all stare at her and Punk like they were aliens.

"Why have you never…. You never told us you had two children, April." Dan shook his head, "I feel hurt." He admitted.

"We'd stopped talking. I didn't think you'd be interested." AJ said timidly.

"You silly little girl." Nancy spat, "Why would we not be interested? Our grandchildren?" She said as Punk put Harry down.

"We came here for thanksgiving." Punk said, being able to tell AJ had no words to say, "So is that what we're gonna do? Or are we gonna stand here and be serious all night?" He asked them, looking from her father, to her brother, to her mother.

"And you, we know nothing about you." Nancy pointed.

"Well that's why we came here." AJ said, "I'd like to have thanksgiving with my family." She said whilst Harry stood behind, tugging on Punk's jeans and standing behind him. He didn't know what was going on but he didn't know any of these people.

"It's alright, buddy." Punk promised him quietly.

"Ok." Nancy nodded in a whisper, still in shock, but putting her anger to one side, taking her apron off and approaching her daughter with open arms as AJ accepted the hug. There was a time she got on with her parents, she never really knew what happened between them all, but she was hoping that bond could be brought back to life again.

Nancy's hug signalled for Dan to shake hands with Punk as well as Josh who gulped when Punk gripped his hand tightly. His girlfriend also introduced herself, and before they knew it, they were sat down for thanksgiving dinner. Louisa was fed and put back in her stroller, falling straight back to sleep whilst Harry sat beside Punk playing with his food, bored to be perfectly honest.

"So what is it you do for a living, Phil?" Dan asked Punk whilst AJ noticed her mother not being able to take her eyes from Harry. It made her feel bad, but she had her reasons. Maybe if they had been more open to accepting her back in, they would have gotten to meet their grandchildren soon.

"I'm an engineer." Punk said, "I'm not as talented as April." Punk nodded to AJ.

"I seriously doubt that." Nancy laughed, "Still stripping, April?" Nancy asked her daughter.

"It's not stripping." AJ replied firmly.

"You take your clothes off." Josh scoffed.

"Really?" AJ whined, nodding her head to Harry who was listening in on the conversation.

"Well do you?" Nancy asked.

"Yes." AJ said, "But I'm actually thinking of starting up a new career." She told them, "I'm sure you'll be happy to hear?"

"What's it this time?" Josh laughed, "Prostitution?" He sniggered whilst his girlfriend shot him a look of disgust, along with Punk who was burning him with his own eyes.

"Josh, that's enough." Dan said firmly, "What is it you're doing, sweetheart?" He asked with a smile.

"Writing." AJ said, "I'm gonna go to some publishing agencies, check things out, see what I need to do." She shrugged.

"That's great, April." Nancy said to AJ's surprise, "What would you write about?" She asked.

"I'm not sure yet. I'd like to write from personal experiences but do in a fiction way." She said, "I don't know, I have lots of ideas running through my mind." She admitted.

"Well I think it's a very wise move." Nancy said, "And I bet it's great money." She said.

"Yeah, I think it's really good. Depending on sales obviously." AJ nodded.

"So how did you two meet?" Josh asked curiously.

"Phil is friends with Kady's brother. You remember me talking about Kady… the girl I worked with?" She said as they all nodded casually, "Well her brother and Phil came over for the weekend five years ago and we just got on really well." AJ smiled.

"And I'm assuming you got married then pretty quickly." Dan said, "What with little Harry being three." Dan said as Punk stiffened, noticing AJ go the same.

"Actually dad, we… we had Harry before we got married." She said as Josh faked a painful noise.

"Oh, god damn." Josh said.

"Why would you do that?" Dan shook his head.

"Well in all fairness, we didn't plan it." Punk admitted as Dan put his hand on his forehead.

"April." Dan shook his head, "I am so disappointed in you." He hissed, "I do not agree with children out of wedlock. You know what the Lord thinks of it."

"I don't think he cares about what me and April do, no offence." Punk said as Dan got more and more angrier.

"Have they both been baptised?" Dan asked AJ who shook her head.

"Dan, it is their choice." Nancy said.

"They should be baptised." Dan said angrily.

"Not if we don't want them to be." Punk argued, "I respect you and your religion, respect mine." Punk said.

"You have no religion." Dan spat, "April was brought up with God. You've tainted her."

"She didn't have belief when I met her. No I haven't." Punk said, "Welcome to the real world, God doesn't matter to a lot of kids anymore." Punk said as AJ was shaking her head at him, begging him to stop talking, only seeing her father getting angrier.

"Weren't your raised right?" Dan said.

"I was raised in a house just like this. Little smaller. But my parents took me to church every Sunday, yeah. And it done nothing for me." He said, "I respect your beliefs, now respect mine and Aprils." He said as Dan went quiet, silence filling the table as AJ crossed her arms. She'd never seen her father be silenced before.

"Desert anyone?" Nancy piped up to avoid the awkward atmosphere as everyone nodded.


Later that night after more civil conversations spilled out within the table, the family broke apart into small groups. Dan had excused himself from the night and headed upstairs to have some alone time. No one had ever spoken to him the way Punk had. He hated to say it, but he admired it. He did have to respect them on what they wanted to do for their children. He just needed some time to think as everything had gotten a little too much.

AJ was in the kitchen helping her mother with the dishes along with Josh's girlfriend who was actually rather nice and getting along with AJ. Meanwhile Punk sat in the living room with AJ's brother and Harry who was getting sleepy and ready for bed.

"We raced a plane today." Harry told Josh as Punk sat in silence, letting Josh have a conversation with Harry willingly. Her brother wasn't half as bad as his. A little cocky, arrogant and smug, but he wasn't that bad.

"Yeah?" Josh smiled, "Did you win?"

"I fell asleep but daddy said we did." Harry said as Punk smiled.

"You know, I used to fly a plane. And I guess it was like racing other planes, and I had weapons, and an outfit." He said as Punk raised his eyebrows.

"The army?" Punk questioned as Josh nodded.

"That's so cool." Harry smiled.

"April never said." Punk said.

"Probably told you about all the bad stuff I've done and not any good stuff." Josh said, "Yeah, I was there for 6 and a half years." Josh said, "Just got back last year and decided to pack it in." He told him.

"Hats off to you." Punk nodded.

"Listen, don't worry about my dad. He has really strict morals and beliefs. I think he'd rather you talk back to him than sit in silence." He said, "He'll respect you more for it."

"I didn't exactly want to be rude." Punk said, "But c'mon. They're my kids, I'll have them growing up in whatever way I want them to." He said, "And the whole, marriage before kids thing, what's that about?" Punk shook his head.

"I'm not sure. He's just old fashioned." Josh said, "And I think the kids thing has shook my mom and him up. My mom is good at hiding it, but my dad has to go away from everyone and be alone." He said.

"April wanted to tell you guys. But there was no connection or relationship. She didn't see the point. They'd been so unsupportive of her since she moved to Chicago. I think she just felt a little neglected I guess."

"I don't think they expected her to leave at such a young age, and then finding out what she done for a living… they felt a little betrayed I guess." He said, "But I feel much better now knowing she has a big guy like you looking out for her." He admitted.

"You know… I don't think she realises how much you care about her." Punk admitted. Her brother wasn't bad at all. Perhaps said the wrong things at the wrong time, and was a little arrogant, but he could see he did care about AJ.

"Of course I care about her." Josh said, "We all do. April just has really bad problems with letting people in." He said, "She was always a troubled little girl." He shook his head.

"What do you mean?" Punk asked.

"Well she was home schooled as a kid. She got bullied pretty badly." He said, "She never had friends. Barely spoke to us never mind anyone else. It was a complete shock when she decided to up and leave to go to Chicago, even more of a shock when she called us up telling us she'd got a job at a burlesque show." He shook his head, "Never made sense to me."

"She never told me she had a bad childhood."

"Like I said, she doesn't like talking." Josh said, "Sometimes I wonder if something more had gone on back then. Why did she got bullied so much? Why was she always so quiet? But I think it was just her nature." He shrugged as Punk just thought to himself. Didn't seem right to him, "Someone is tired." Josh laughed noticing Harry passed out in between them.

"He's had a long day." Punk smiled.

"He's a cute little guy." Josh smiled, "And she is as precious as ever." He nodded over to Louisa's stroller which she was in, fast asleep.

"Tell me about it." Punk said proudly.

Overall, her family were pretty difficult, but probably just misjudged. He was sure AJ's father was a lovely man when he wasn't so dedicated to God. And her mother seemed a little forward but still pleasant. And her brother was a nice guy from where he sat. Maybe it was for the best they came. They were here for the week, so maybe they would leave New Jersey on a positive note. He hoped.


A/N: Let me know what you guys think will happen next!