Good morning, Sunshine
Two weeks later AJ was laying in bed on her side and felt long arms wrap around her and a gentle kiss to her shoulder.
"Good morning." AJ greeted in a tired but happy voice.
"Morning." Punk greeted back kissing over her shoulder still. "Brooke is up, I fed and changed her."
"You didn't have to do that." AJ said rolling onto her back.
"You seemed tired. You were snoring louder than usual." He teased.
"You keep me up most nights." She pointed out.
"Thus why I helped with Brooke this morning." he shrugged and rolled out of bed.
"There's my girl." AJ smiled sitting up seeing Brooke in her crib. "She's pleasant this morning."
"She loves when I'm around." Punk shrugged innocently.
"She isn't the only one." AJ smiled and the doorbell rang. "It's way too early for anybody." she groaned getting out of bed and picking up Brooke and kissing her. "Good morning, sunshine."
"I got it." Punk said walking out of the room and jogging down the stairs.
Punk swung open the door and saw Cal standing there with a big smile.
"No." Punk simply stated and began to close the door but Cal put his foot in the door.
"Relax." Cal said to him. "This is about the divorce papers Apey had sent to me."
"Apey?" Punk asked and Cal glared at him.
"She wants them right?" Cal asked holding up the paperwork. "She has to come and get it from me."
"You are fucking crazy." Punk laughed a bit. "You think I'm going to let you get within ten feet of her?"
"I'm not going to hurt her." Cal shrugged.
"Right." Punk forced out coldly. "You can give that paperwork to AJ's attorney."
"I'll stall." Cal threatened.
"Stall." Punk shrugged and began to close the door again.
"Wait." AJ said racing over.
"AJ, no." Punk told her.
"It's fine." AJ assured him.
"Can I come in?" Cal asked.
"No." Punk and AJ said at the same time.
"Here." Cal said passing AJ the paperwork. "I really wish we could have done this a better way."
"What is this?" AJ asked looking at the paperwork. "This isn't the divorce papers."
"Oh, no they're not. Those are legal papers about custody of our child." Cal said and AJ glared at him. "I'm that kids parent whether you like it or not. I'm going to spend a lot of time with her-"
"Over my dead body." AJ hissed stepped towards him but Punk jumped in front of her.
"I'm the legal parent, not him." Cal reminded her. "I want time with her. If you'd like to join us on our visitations I would be thrilled." he grinned and AJ's stomach fell.
"Of course you would." AJ remarked shaking her head. "You don't want her!"
"I want you." Cal reminded her. "You are my wife in the eyes of the courts and God." he added. "You belong home with me, not him, not Puerto Rico. We can go to court and do this in front of a judge who is obviously going to grant me some custody since unlike you I have a job and I didn't abandon my home." he warned her and she narrowed her eyes at him. "But then that's unsupervised time with that kid which I don't think you want. We can do this out of court and we can spend time together like the family we are."
"We are not a family!" She yelled.
"You're my family." Cal reminded her. "Bring the kid, don't bring the kid, doesn't matter to me. But you will spend some time with your husband. It's been a long year." He said reaching to stroke her face but Punk grabbed his hand.
"Touch her and I'll break your hand." Punk threatened.
"You're not her father." AJ said shaking her head and ripping up his legal paperwork. "You're not on her birth certificate."
"DNA will prove it." Cal informed her. "And a judge will order a DNA test just in case you two were curious. That's also considered fraud if you lie to the courts about paternity."
"Fine." AJ said and Punk eyed her. "We'll go out and discuss the divorce or something but not with Brooke."
"No." Punk said. "We're calling the lawyer."
"No, Phil." AJ said to him. "He doesn't want anything to do with her! Just let me deal with him!"
"Maybe I want the kid around." Cal shrugged. "She's not messy though right? You know how I feel about messes."
"Fuck off." Punk said and slammed the door in his face.
"Phil I can't let him have time with her." AJ told him desperately. "She'll spit up on him and he'll slap or her something. I can't let him near her!"
"We won't." Punk assured her calmly. "We'll have the lawyer take care of this."
"She warned us about this." AJ reminded him. "He doesn't want to spend time with her he wants to see me and that's fine as long as she's at home with you
safe."
"That guy will kill you." Punk warned her and she rolled her eyes. "Why is that so far-fetched? He's hit you!"
"A few times!" She argued and he shook his head.
"He can't stand that you're gone and he will fucking kill you and I'm not going to let that happen." Punk informed her as he locked the door. "We'll do this the right way."
"If we go to court the judge is going to give him partial custody! He's right! He has a job- I don't, he has a place to live- I don't, he's never even so much as gotten a parking ticket in his life!" she argued. "Then he gets Brooke alone and he's not going to know what to do and he's not going to care! He didn't want her from the start so imagine what he'd do to her alone. It's BROOKE you should be afraid for!"
"I'm afraid for both of you." Punk told her. "I won't let him spend time with either of you."
"If it goes to a judge we lose." She reminded him.
"We'll get witnesses." Punk suggested and she rolled her eyes. "That's all we have to go on! We'll get Celeste and Aimee and Moe to testify how fucking crazy he is. How you left out of fear. How you were going to leave even before you got pregnant."
"Or I can get him alone and let him hurt me a little bit and report him." She suggested and Punk eyed her like she was crazy.
"Over MY dead body." He warned her coldly.
"Brooke is the innocent one. She didn't pick him as a father like I picked him as a husband." She told him trying to calm down. "She doesn't deserve to be inflicted by his madness. She's also MY daughter and I will do anything in my power to protect her."
"You're upset and caught off guard but getting yourself hurt isn't going to help Brooke." He warned her.
"It's either her or me." AJ said simply.
"Let's talk to the lawyer. I pay her A LOT of money so the least you could do is just sit down with her." Punk encouraged.
"He can't have Brooke." AJ cried now and Punk frowned. AJ wasn't a crier by any means. She was usually sarcastic and hard but this was truly fearful to her.
"He won't." Punk promised her hugging her.
"He'll hurt her." AJ warned.
"I won't let him hurt her." Punk swore. And he meant. He's spent everyday with Brooke since she was born and he loved her as if she was his own. He wouldn't let anyone hurt her. "I'm going to help you."
"She's just a little baby. She shouldn't have to know him." AJ told him and Punk nodded in agreement. "Or am I monster for keeping her away from her father?"
"Cal is a monster." Punk reminded her. "He doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as her. A father is someone who takes care of her and loves her. That's not him."
"No it's not. It's you." She said as she buried her head against his chest.
Later that night AJ met with the attorney at Punk's house in the office while Punk watched Brooke. They were up there for hours. He was growing antsy but Brooke distracted him.
"Want to watch Elmo again, huh?" Punk asked the fussy baby and just hit play on the DVD. Brooke loved Elmo so much. It drove Punk crazy but keeping her happy was his goal.
"I just walked her out." AJ told him walking into the bedroom.
"Yea? How did it go?" Punk asked eagerly as he held onto Brooke.
"She thinks we have a fighting chance so we fight." She shrugged. "I'm still sick to my stomach."
"It will be fine." Punk assured her.
"If he gets any form of custody you know I have to be there every time he's with her, right?" AJ asked.
"Of course." He agreed quietly. "And you know I'll be there too."
"I don't think you'd be allowed." She smirked.
"I'll be parked outside then." He said to her.
"I was talking to the lawyer and we agreed just in case anything gets super messy or he does try to hurt me and does- that I need to have proper legal work in place." She told him.
"Ok." Punk nodded. "That's smart I guess but you won't have to worry."
"I want you to be Brooke's guardian." AJ told him and he was stunned. "I know you never imagined having a child and you'd probably much rather raise your own, but I need to know she'd be in a home with someone who loves her and is a good person and that's you."
"AJ." He sighed and she gave him a hopeful smile.
"I trust no one else with her." AJ told him seriously. "I know if god forbid something happens to me you won't let Cal near her."
"I love Brooke." He told her bluntly. "I'll always take care of her no matter what. I've been there since you found out about her and I've been here everyday of her life so I don't plan on leaving her life."
"Good." She said relieved.
"But I don't want you to think that something is going to happen to you." He said to her.
"I just want to make sure Brooke is cared for." AJ said simply.
"She'll always have a home with me." He said honestly and AJ kissed him as he held Brooke.
"You're the best man in the world." She told him and he smirked.
"I wouldn't go that far. I just happen to like Brooke, normally kids and I don't get along." Punk teased.
"I don't know where we're going to be a year from now or ten years from now but I want you to know you always have a place in her life." She told him. "I wouldn't keep her from you."
"You don't have to make promises like that." He said to her.
"I mean it though. You are the male role model in her life." AJ said simply. "I couldn't keep her from you. She loves you so much."
"I think a year or ten years from now we'll all still be here." He told her and she smiled. "I'm kind of partial to the both of you. It's not just the baby I love."
"Yea? I haven't driven you insane with my drama?" She asked resting her chin against his shoulder and looking up at him.
"Not yet." He said and she cracked a smile.
"I love you too." AJ told him honestly. "I want to be here with you and Brooke and I wish that Cal wasn't a factor. I wish he wasn't my husband or Brooke's father."
"But he is." Punk reminded her. "And we'll get through it."
"I don't know." AJ said with a frown. "You don't know how spiteful he can be."
"He just wants you." Punk reminded her. "He doesn't have a real interest in Brooke."
"And that's disgusting because she's absolutely amazing." AJ said coldly but smiled at her daughter in Punk's arms.
"He's a dick." Punk stated plainly. "He can't have you anyway."
"Yea? You want to tattoo your name across my forehead?" She teased.
"I think that's a little over the top but I'll mark you up with some hickeys if you'd like." He offered and she laughed.
"Sounds like a good time." She practically purred. "I'll put her to bed." AJ said taking Brooke.
"Then you're coming back in here, right?" He asked hopefully as he watched them walk out the door. "AJ!"
With Brooke fast asleep Punk and AJ could play and play they did. She collapsed on her side of the bed and was practically gasping for air.
"That's a new record for me." Punk remarked smugly. "Five times?"
"I don't know why you're so smug about it. I hadn't had a good sexual encounter in six years. Anything could turn me on." She said and he laughed.
"Don't be embarrassed." He frowned kissing her cheek causing her to smile. "I like getting you off."
"This is a whole new world for me." She told him seriously.
"You never once enjoyed sex with Cal?" He asked seriously.
"The second time ever we did it. The first time was awful the second time was tolerable and that was it." She told him honestly. "He didn't believe in foreplay."
"That's my favorite." He said to her and she snorted a laugh.
"Yea, I've noticed!" she teased.
"So no foreplay?" He asked.
"Nope and always missionary. Him always on top." She told him and he screwed his eyes.
"That's fucking boring." He said to her and she nodded.
"I mean, he always seemed to enjoy himself." AJ said to him. "He wouldn't last longer than six minutes most of the time. I'd just lay there. I had no idea that sex could be so enjoyable."
"We're just getting started." he warned her. "There's tons of stuff we haven't even done yet."
"Really?" AJ asked in awe.
"That comes in time." He said to her.
"I never knew oral sex was so great." She told him bluntly.
"Yes I've noticed that's your favorite." He remarked sarcastically.
"It really is." She said cupping his face and rubbing her nose against his.
"Yea? Again?" He asked.
"I mean, if you don't mind." She suggested innocently.
"As much as you love receiving it I love giving it because you taste so fucking good." He told her as he headed under the covers and ventured south.
"I don't want to be ah-" She gasped then smiled as he moved around and worked her. "-selfish."
"The bedroom is an acceptable place to be selfish sometimes." He assured her as her eyes rolled to the back of her head.
"Phil." She cried with literal tears leaving her eyes. He was just so good to her.
"Busy." He replied and she moaned out loudly and arched her back.
A loud boom of thunder startled her as well as Brooke in the next room since she began to cry.
"Fuck." She muttered as Punk sat up and licked his lips.
"Sorry." He said unable to finish.
"You'll make it up to me." AJ said grabbing her robe and tying it around her body before venturing to get Brooke.
"It's alright, Mama's here." AJ said walking over to her crib. "Phil!" AJ screamed as she picked up Brooke.
"What?" Punk asked rushing in pulling up his sweats.
"Her window is broken." AJ pointed and Punk eyed the window that had a break in it.
"Check her for glass." Punk said to AJ who seemed confused.
"You think she broke the window?" AJ asked unsure.
"No make sure glass didn't get in her crib." Punk told her as he walked over to the window. "Something hit it."
"Maybe the tree branch?" AJ asked.
"Yea, maybe." Punk said as AJ put on the light.
Punk peered into her crib and saw spots of blood.
"She's bleeding." Punk said as his face dropped.
"What?" AJ asked looking over Brooke. "Her hand!"
"Let me see." Punk said taking Brooke's hand into his own. "I know, baby, it hurts." He soothed. "Tweezers."
"What?" She asked.
"Tweezers, AJ. I have to take the glass out." He told her and she ran off into the bathroom. "I know, it's ok." He said to Brooke blowing on the small cut a bit.
"Her crib isn't even near the window." AJ argued as she passed Punk the tweezers.
"Yea but it shattered." He said and carefully removed the glass as AJ held her arm for him. "Got it." Punk said. "Here." Punk said taking Brooke and heading into the bathroom. "It's ok." He cooed to the small child who was sobbing in his arms.
"It still hurts what if there's more?" AJ asked more afraid than Brooke.
"Nah, we got it." He told her as he ran Brooke's hand under water. "Feel better?" he asked her. "It's ok." he said kissing her cheek and AJ's heart melt. THIS was a father.
