A/N:Inspiration struck me yesterday on my last day of classes for my semester. And this isn't as long as it should be for me to take so much time, but it is longer than I expected it to be. There is a bit of a skip from the last chapter and things are going to start to heat up.


AJ returned to travelling with Kaitlyn and Sheamus earlier than she had planned. She was afraid of her own actions around Punk. She did not know how to act anymore. She feared she would confess her love for him again, but she was not even sure if that was sure herself. She knew she loved him, but she was not sure if those words meant the same thing as they had years before. She sighed to herself and watched the car window fog over.

Instead of being curled in Punk's bed with Pancake she was stilling in the backseat of the rental suv. She leaned against the car door feeling the cold surface that contrasted with the heat running through the car. She glanced next to her at Skylar who was fast asleep in her car seat. She was covered with a blanket and her head turned to face AJ. AJ noticed the small stream of drool beginning to make its way down her chin. AJ smiled at the child and gently moved the blanket to cover one of her legs that had moved away from the covers.

On the other side of Skylar was Wade Barret. Sheamus and Wade had become friends over the years and recently Wade had joined with them in travelling. AJ stifled her laughter as she looked at the sleeping British bare-knuckle brawler. Just like Skylar he was fast asleep. His arms were firmly crossed over his chest to keep to his own space, but his head leaned into the car door as a make-shift pillow. And AJ could see the small amount of drool running from his mouth and into his dark bread.

Last she looked to the front and at the last two of their travelling companions, the two parents. Sheamus and Kaitlyn had a tense air around them that AJ could swear was visible in the air around them. She had never seen them be so silent around one another. She could only guess that it was stress from dealing with daughter, possibly they needed to sleep, or maybe they just did not want to wake anyone else by having a conversation. Still AJ was not certain it was any of those factors.

She had not told either of them about her recent issue with Punk because of the tension. She knew well enough they had heard all her issues with Punk from big and small and anymore would just be another variation of what they had to listen to in the past. She did not need to bother them with things they had heard before and she did not want to listen to the lectures they had given her before.

She glanced over to Wade again. Maybe he could help her get past the past she was running from.


They stop at a rest stop to eat and stretch for a short time before they have to start driving again. AJ and Wade are going to take over driving and navigating the rest of the way to the hotels. Kaitlyn and AJ are sitting in a booth with Skylar still sleeping, just now in her mother's arms. AJ picks at the cinnamon bun she had gotten a craving for. She doesn't take much care for the mess the sticky sugar makes of her fingers as she dips her fingers in to break pieces off to eat. She sticks a piece in her mouth and licks her fingers clean before putting them right back in the sugar.

"So what happened with Punk?" Kaitlyn questioned. She was not looking at AJ, her eyes focused outside where both Sheamus and Wade where talking while they stretched their sore muscles.

AJ looked up at her friend with wonder of how she knew. She knew she must have been pretty obvious with the fact she had returned to the road so soon even though she still had time before she had to be at the next show and could have just flown rather than meet up with them to drive there. "Nothing." She lied still not wanting to bother her friend with the issue.

"Liar." Kaitlyn accused still not tearing her eyes away from the two men outside.

"I'll deal with it. Plus I was think maybe I'll trying dating again." AJ told her friend looking out the window at Wade.

"It won't matter." Kaitlyn stated finally looking away from the men and down at her sleeping daughter.


Punk massaged his scalp. He was almost glad AJ left this time. He knew she was not ready to deal with whatever they were going to become and on some part neither was he. He knew he wanted to be with her, but how would they even manage it with him no longer travelling around with them. He knew he couldn't ask AJ to end her career when she had a lot further to go. But there were also things that he wanted to do that by the time AJ was ready to have kids he would be too old for, like having kids mostly.

He never really thought about wanting to be a dad much until Skylar came. She was small and tiny, just from looking at her he could see her parents. She was the perfect mix of both of them. He saw Sheamus holding her and everything about the image looked right. And he had taken his time to hold her and protect her. He was probably a terrible influence in the beginning since he has no filter on his mouth, but he knew he did one thing right when the tiny ginger headed girl said she was going to be Straight-Edge.

His head pulsed with pain. Thoughts of Sheamus and Skylar were reminding him of the nightmares he was trying to avoid. The headache he had all coming from his lack of sleep and refusal to take pain medication. He groaned as he laid across his bed inhaling the scent of AJ that still lingered on his pillows he drifted off to what he hoped to be a peaceful sleep.


AJ wiggled in the passenger seat trying to find a comfortable position. So far her plans for getting closer to Wade were failing before they could even begin. She glanced at the man briefly before turning her eyes back onto the road. He was far more intimidating awake then he had been sleeping earlier. He also was not making any sort of conversation besides asking when the next exit was or mentioning he was going to change lanes. Still she had to do something.

"So, you and Sheamus are close." AJ commented hoping to break through the solid ice between them.

"Yeah." It was a simple reply that added nothing to the conversation, but it did not sound like he was entirely annoyed either so she would continue.

"Did they ask you to come since I wasn't around? Usually they need at least one extra set of hands when travelling cause of Skylar.

"Something like that." Wade added giving a glance into the rearview mirror before looking ahead again.

"Skylar's grown up so much. I'm sure you saw her around backstage a lot." AJ continued to innocent conversation.

"Sometimes, she usually would come up and start asking me a thousand different questions." Wade told.

"She does that a lot. She's really curious and friendly." AJ smiled easily seeing Skylar ramble twenty questions off before a person could even answer the first.

"It wasn't that exactly." Wade commented.

"What was it?" AJ questioned raising a brow.

"He talks funny." The answer came from the backseat.

AJ turned her body and looked at the small girl sitting between her parents sleeping forms. She made quick notice of how Kaitlyn's body was turned towards the door and almost pressed against it like a lifeline…or just to get further away. Sheamus was turned towards he daughter and wife with one of his large arms covering over Skylar's legs.

"I do not talk 'funny' little girl. This is the true manner of the English language." Wade barely scolded.

"Still sounds funny." Skylar pointed back.

Aj stifled a giggle at the very Punk like expression she wore. She looked over to Wade who looked exhausted like he had this argument with Skylar before. AJ was pretty sure from the expression that he lost every time.

"Aunt AJ."

AJ looked back to the young girl seeing how she was trying to pry the dead weight of her father's arm off her body, but was not having any luck.

"Daddy's heavy." She whined trying to get leverage to free herself, without much luck. Finally sick of failed attempts she used her small nails to pitch a small bit of skin of her father's hand. The arm moved some taking the fully weight off the small girl, but still keeping close.

AJ smiled as Skylar turned into her father putting her hand on his cheek and falling back to sleep. She tried not to think about how left out Kaitlyn seemed in that image as she turned back to sit properly in the seat. Making a glance over to Wade she decided that she was not going to push for anymore conversation since his mood seemed to have soured.


A/N: OK, I know Wade does not seem like the type to be with AJ. But I wanted someone less obvious than the usual suspects of one of AJ's on-screen romances of Daniel, John, Kane, or Ziggles. Obviously for people who read the original to this that Daniel is not an option. Also I have big plans for Wade to come and were going to be seeing just what Punk's dream means real soon.