"I'm gonna take him up to the room. Get him washed and in bed." Paige whispered to Seth arriving at the hostel they had been taken to later on in the night, "Will you grab us something to eat?" She asked, Jordan in her arms, tired out from the long day they'd had.
"Yeah. I'll grab some clothes and something to eat." Seth nodded, "I won't be long." He said as Paige nodded, leaving the lounge and going to their given room whilst Seth wandered around.
It was so good to finally be somewhere safe and secure. Especially for his son's sake. Although he missed the friends he had made this past week, he was still so glad to be sleeping in a bed tonight instead of a wooden log. He'd be thinking of his friends all night though. He wished they could have came.
"Hey, is there any kids clothes here? For a little boy aged five." Seth asked as he stood at the table in which adult clothes lay on, whilst the warm and cold food sat across on different tables.
"Over there." The lady pointed to him as Seth followed her directions and began grabbing some clothes for Jordan to wear, as well as looking for stuff for he and Paige. He couldn't wait to get in a shower and get properly washed, and lie in a bed.
He headed back to he and Paige's room they were allocated to with some clothing in a black bag and some food on a tray which included warm, homemade soup, some bread, some juice pouches for Jordan and bottles of water. It was plenty for their first night. They all didn't have a big appetite at this point anyway.
As he was walking down the corridor to his room, he seen a small girl, maybe Jordan's age, running down the corridor, not looking where she was going and bumping straight into his legs, looking up with fright suddenly as he laughed.
"You oughta look where you're going, sweetheart." Seth smiled, suddenly spotting who he assumed was the girl's mother run round the corner.
"Sarah!" AJ yelled, taking Sarah's hand, "I told you we'd go take a walk soon." She said as Seth just smiled.
"Getting restless, huh?" Seth looked at the woman who just laughed and nodded.
"You have no idea." She said.
"I got a son, he's only five. Having trouble realising what's actually going on here." Seth admitted.
"Sounds familiar." AJ nodded, "But you can't take it out on them, or expect them to know, can you?" She sighed as he shook his head.
"Just gotta keep them going." Seth nodded in agreement.
"Have you just got here?" AJ asked, lifting Sarah up into her arms as she hugged into her.
"Yeah. Literally about an hour ago. My wife and son are in the room, I said I'd go get some food and clothes." He said, "This place is really good." He nodded.
"Yeah." AJ agreed, "We got here a few days ago. I think just being clean every day and sleeping comfortably makes such a big difference." She admitted.
"How long were you out on foot?" Seth asked.
"A week." AJ said, "I'm assuming you've been out in the open for the past week and a bit too?" She asked as he nodded.
"Yeah. We were at a sort of camp, if you'd call it that, a few other guys were there too but they stayed behind." Seth said, "We all stick together."
"Everyone has been." AJ nodded, "At least you have your family with you." She smiled as Seth nodded.
"Yeah." Seth smiled gratefully, "Are you here yourself? Or?" Seth asked, obviously meaning besides Sarah.
"Just me and Sarah, here." AJ nodded to a sleepy Sarah, "My boyfriend is still out there. I tried to look for him, but it wasn't getting me anywhere. I always thought Chicago was small but… I was proven wrong." She chuckled lightly.
"Everyone is looking for the ones they love, aren't they?" Seth sighed, "A guy back at the camp. Actually, he saved my wife, son and my life. He's going out of his mind thinking about his girlfriend. He doesn't think he'll find her again." Seth said as AJ frowned.
"That's a shame." AJ said, thinking absolutely nothing of it.
"I'm really hoping he finds her, you know." Seth sighed, not being able to stop thinking about Punk, "I can't help but think, why me? Why was I afforded my family safe and with me whilst others like him, good people like him aren't." He shook his head.
"You just can't think like that." AJ shook her head, "Everyone is losing people they love here." She said as Seth just nodded.
"I know." Seth sighed, "Look, I better get going. It was nice speaking to you." He said as AJ smiled.
"It was." She agreed, "I should get her to bed anyway." AJ admitted as Seth smiled.
"Well goodnight, I might see you around here." Seth said, and with that, he left down the hall to get to his room with his wife and son.
"C'mon, let's get you to bed." AJ said, "We'll go a walk tomorrow." She told Sarah, noticing she looked extremely tired all of a sudden.
AJ walked back to her own room with Sarah and got her tucked into bed with a stuffed teddy bear she had gotten her hands on from down in the lounge. It was amongst the games and colouring in books for children, and AJ asked if it was ok for her to take it to the room, which it was. She cuddled into it every night now.
"What do you say tomorrow we go have a look around here?" AJ smiled to her, lying in bed next to her on her side, propped up on her elbow whilst tracing her finger over the small girl's head.
"I miss mommy and daddy." Sarah sighed, tears threatening her eyes as she cuddled her bear. There was only so much she could take. She just wanted her own parents.
"I know you do." AJ nodded, but realised there was no point in lying to Sarah, "Listen, we're gonna keep looking for your mommy and daddy. We'll ask around and we'll see if they're still back in Chicago but..." AJ sighed, "You might have to… you might have to live with new people, your mommy and daddy might not be able to look after you anymore." She said as Sarah frowned.
"I don't want to live with new people." Sarah cried.
"Shh… I know." She nodded, not being able to help see herself in this little girl. It was the exact words she cried to her own brother when he told her they were getting re-homed after their parents death, "We'll keep looking." AJ promised her, "But it might be the case that you have to get a- get a new mommy and daddy." AJ sighed.
"If I have to go somewhere else can you come with me?" Sarah cried, "I don't like no one else." She said as AJ smiled and kissed her head. She promised herself she would help this little girl. Whether it be finding her parents, or eventually giving her a new home. She'd always visit.
"I'll always be around. Ok?" AJ smiled.
"Can I stay with you? If mommy and daddy can't look after me?" Sarah looked up at her as AJ just paused. It might have been the case that, Sarah was actually all she had left. She kept thinking Punk was gonna waltz on through the door, but the fact was, just like Sarah couldn't find her mother and father, she still didn't know where Punk was and if he was even still alive. Maybe sticking with this wonderful little girl was the best thing for both of them.
"Ok. If we can't find your mommy or daddy, or they can't look after you anymore, then you can stay with me." AJ said as Sarah smiled.
"I like that idea better." Sarah smiled as AJ dried her tears.
"Me too." AJ smiled, "Now you close your eyes, ok? Get some sleep." She said in a hushed voice, watching Sarah shut her eyes over whilst she lay down on her side of the bed herself, staring up at the ceiling, just wondering if Punk really was out there, or if she was just holding on to false hope. Maybe he was dead the minute the disaster struck. But she refused to give up on him.
"Punk, stop giving the dog our damn food!" Dean yelled whilst Punk sat on the log feeding Mutsy. He still couldn't believe it. It was definitely him. His collar was still around him with his name on a little silver circle charm. He was all dirty, but besides that, he looked extremely well, and so happy to see him.
"Shut up." Punk hissed whilst giving the dog the dried noodles they had amongst their supplies, "He's gonna be starving. This dog is like my kid." He said as Dean just rolled his eyes.
"How old is he?" Roman asked curiously.
"He just turned one a few weeks ago..."
"Uh, it's so beautiful out today." AJ admitted, laying down on her beach towel, evidently at the beach with Punk and Mutsy. Punk, a man who hated sizzling away in the sun unlike his girlfriend, had gone down to the shore to let Mutsy run around in the water with a stick.
Mutsy turned one today, and they wanted to take him out to the beach for the day. They knew he loved it.
AJ sat up to get more sun tan lotion, when she looked over and seen Punk throwing a stick into the water, smiling as Mutsy paddled in to get it, bringing it back to Punk quickly and dropping it for him to throw it again. Days like these were what she lived for, especially when the sun was shining and they were both off work.
Around half an hour later, she heard commotion around her as she opened her eyes and see Punk drop down beside her, Mutsy lying down on a towel under the umbrella to get some shade. He was just like his dad, didn't like the sun that much unless he was in the water and running along the beach. AJ and Punk knew he'd take a nap after all the running around.
"Did you two have fun out there?" AJ smiled as Punk laughed.
"We did." Punk chuckled, laying down beside her on a separate beach towel as she turned her head to face him, her face a little screwed up from the brightness of the sun.
"Can I tell you that I've been thinking?" She asked as he sighed.
"You know I hate it when you do that." He joked as she shoved him playfully, "About what?" He asked.
"Well we've been dating for five years now." She started as he listened to her closely, already having a rough idea as to where this conversation was going, "I don't know, I've been staring at that couple's baby for the past hour, and I don't know why." She shook her head as he turned round and looked over to the young couple who sat with their few month old baby girl. She had a little sun hat on, and her dad bounced her up on down on his lap whilst the mum smiled on watching.
"You want a baby?" He turned back to her. At a time, something like that would have terrified him if she said it, but that was back four years ago, they'd been together for a long time, and he was almost expecting it soon.
"I don't know." AJ sighed, "I want to get married first, you know that. But… I don't know, I just… really want to be a mom soon." She said, "We aren't getting any younger-"
"Why don't we just steal that kid over there and run? I mean, she's cute-"
"Phil." AJ shook her head as he laughed.
"I'm kidding obviously." He said, "So what are you saying? You want a baby more than you want to get married now?" He asked.
"Well we always said we'd have a lowkey wedding, and we wouldn't take forever to plan it." She said.
"So you want to get married?" He asked as she nodded with a smile, "April, you could have just gave me small hints and I would have caught on. Now it's gonna be shit when I drop on one knee and ask you."
"No it won't." She shook her head, "I won't expect it whenever you do it and hey, I'm not saying you even need to ask me. I'm just letting you know that I'm ready." She said, "If you aren't, I can wait."
"I thought you wanted to go travelling first, and see tons of places." He shook his head.
"I do." AJ nodded with a sigh, "I don't know, maybe I'm just confused. I just look at babies now and I just think about us… us having one." She said as he smiled.
"You know what you always tell me?" He said, "Everything happens for a reason?" He looked at her as she nodded, "Let's not plan our life out. Let's just let whatever happen, happen." He told her, "I don't know about you, but I don't fancy having timed and scheduled sex and taking a pregnancy test every week just to be disappointed when it comes back negative." He said, "Just let whatever happens, happen." He said.
"I don't know, maybe it's just my time of the month that's making me all loopy. I do want to travel and see different places first. I know I don't want to do it with a kid. And I do want to get married first." She said, "Sorry, I'm just thinking out loud." She admitted to him.
"It's ok." He smiled, "I want everything that you want too. I just think that it should be things we face when it happens, and not things that we should plan and wait for." He said, "Like the fact I booked us a trip to Rome for tomorrow morning." He said as she sat up quickly.
"What?" She shook her head as he sat up with her.
"You always said you wanted to go. We done France last year. That was number one on your list, and I know you wanted to visit Italy." He said.
"But what about work… and… and Mutsy?" She shook her head.
"I got you it off. It's just five days. And my sister will come by to walk and feed Mutsy." Punk said as she laughed.
"You." She smiled, "You're too good." She smiled, leaning over and pressing a kiss on his lips. Maybe it was just a weird phase she'd gone through of wanting a family and to be married to the man she loved. But maybe she did want to continue to travel places with him. Or maybe… just maybe, all she really wanted was to be with him. No matter what they were doing, where they were going. She just wanted to be with him.
"Did you get some in Italy?" Dean laughed after Punk telling them about that day with AJ that they celebrated Mutsy's birthday on the beach.
"Every night." Punk laughed to himself, "And she still has so much more places she wants to go. Germany, Amsterdam, London, Australia, Africa. She has it all planned out." Punk said.
"I didn't put you down for a traveller." Sami admitted.
"I'm not. It was never something I cared about." Punk said, "But I get to see her happy, and I get laid every night so I don't complain much."
"You miss her?" Roman frowned, noticing Punk looking down at the ground.
"I don't know how much more I can take." He shook his head, "It's the not knowing. Not knowing if she's gone forever, or if she is out there somewhere." He said whilst Mutsy lay at his feet on a blanket.
"I think your best bet is to get yourself to one of these hostels." Dean said, "She might be there. And if not, it seems like we're all eventually gonna end up there." He said.
"I don't know." Punk sighed, "I don't know what to do anymore."
A/N: Hey guys! Keep those reviews coming! The more reviews I read, the quicker I get inspired to post a new chapter. I love hearing what you guys have to say and what you think might happen next. It's fun and inspiring, so keep reviewing! Thanks for the support. More drama and angst around the corner as usual.