Weeks on end had passed since the previous weeks had past. It had been a few months since AJ had told Phil that they had to stop messing around and go their own ways. Christmas had past. Punk had gone home to be with his brother and friends, the only family he had left. His brother sensed he was upset about something, and questioned him, but Punk just made up some bullshit story that he had just been super busy at work. It was believable, he had been busy at work. He was getting to the bottom of the cases he was in charge of. He missed lying in his bed at night with April, running it through her to get her opinion. It was just a much harder world without her, and he didn't expect it to be.

AJ had gone to Jamie's parents for Christmas like planned. His family was big, so she didn't have much time to really sit down and think about Punk, and the damage he was causing to her heart. She wanted nothing more than to spend Christmas with him. She couldn't believe she was attempting to live without him. She'd found this amazing, sweet, generous, caring man who loved her, and yet she stayed in her clearly unhappy relationship with her husband. For what? Because it was too complicated to leave Jamie and start a new relationship next door.

"I think you made the… she made the right decision." Seth said as he sat with Dean and Punk in a local bar they had been going. Christmas and the new year was now in the past, not that any of the events made a difference to him. He spent his new years eve in his office filing work for his cases, thinking about April. He always thinking of her.

"Yeah, man." Dean nodded, "It's probably for the best." Dean joined in.

"But she isn't happy." Punk sighed, "It's frustrating for me to see her with him, forcing a smile and trying to prove to me that she is fine without me. I know she isn't." He sighed.

"Maybe it's you that isn't fine without her. Maybe she is fine." Seth said, "You just have to forget about her." He said.

"She lives next door, it's impossible." Punk said, "She isn't happy in the relationship with him, but she refuses to leave him. All the while I just have to watch it all." He said as the boys just shook their heads.

"Your wasting your time with this chick." Dean said, "What did I tell you before? She'll realise she's in a mess, and she'll dump your ass before she will her husband. You're better sticking with the single chicks. The ones with no baggage." He told him as Seth nodded.

"It wasn't just an affair though. I love her. I want to be with her, and she told me she wanted to be with me. And I know she meant it." Punk said.

"Well she doesn't anymore." Seth said abruptly, "Just forget about her. She clearly doesn't know what she wants. And if one day she comes crawling back to you, don't give in. I'm hoping you'll have learned from this." He said.

"Oh, ok dad." Punk rolled his eyes, "You jerks aren't a help to anyone." He sat back against his seat with a sigh.

"Hey." Dean exclaimed.

"All you've told me in the past hour is to forget about her. That isn't going to solve anything." He said.

"Well there isn't anything else you can do." Dean said, "She isn't worth it."

"She is." Punk defended her, "You… you don't even know her."

"Yeah, we don't." Seth said, "But we know she's clearly fucked with your brain, and we don't like that. You have a job to focus on, alright. Just put all your attention to that. We're real close with these cases. Let's just keep our heads down and on that right now." Seth said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "Well, I'm gonna head home now. I'm shattered." He stood up, grabbing his jacket and leaving the bar to go home.

He drove home on the quiet, icy roads. He couldn't believe it had been months since he was with AJ. He could still feel the way she settled into his arms. The way she'd straddle his hips, her perfect body above to admire whilst her hands stuck to his chest. The way some sort of spark came from their kiss. He missed her so much. All of her. He had no idea how to move on. But he guessed he was stupid for thinking she would easily divorce her husband and run into his arms. He had to respect the fact that she was clearly tied between what was right and easy. He just wished she picked the right option. He was always going to be the right option for her.

He parked into his drive way, turning the car engine off and stepping into, turning round suddenly at the noise of small whimpering on the stairs next door. He tried his best to ignore her and just walk into her house, but he just couldn't.

"Why you crying?" He looked over the fence at her as she looked up through drying her tears, smiling at the sight of him.

"It doesn't matter." She quickly dried her tears, looking up at him, missing him so much. Her full Christmas, she just wanted to be with him, and now it was into a new year, where she had to live another year knowing the man she truly loved was next door.

"Well it matters to me." He hated to see, "What's wrong?" He asked casually.

"We got into a fight." AJ explained to him as he nodded. That's what he had initially assumed, he was wanting to know what the fight was about, "He wants to have a baby."

Punk placed his hands in his jean pockets, shuffling his feet awkwardly, "And you don't?" He questioned.

"No." She shook her head, "That means I'm always going to be with him, no matter what, even if we split up. I'm always going to have a connection to him."

"AJ, why you doing this to yourself? If you still aren't happy then you should tell him. If you care about him like you say you do, then he deserves the truth." He said.

"It easier said than done."

"I get that." Punk nodded, "But I don't want to see you sad, or upset like this. It doesn't even matter anymore if you come back to me, it just matters that you leave him, and make yourself happy." He told her. He had no idea why he was giving her the time of day.

"What if he hurts me?" She asked.

"If he loves you, like you say he does. Then he won't." He said, "Just do it. Before I do." He told her, turning away and heading for his door as she stood up.

"What is that meant to mean?" She asked.

"What?"

"Before I do?" She questioned, "This is my mess. This has nothing to do with you." She warned him.

"Oh, I know. Because I was just the guy that fell in love with you. I was just the guy you came to, when he had fell asleep on the couch, looking for something real and meaningful. I was just that guy." He said.

"You know what I mean." AJ sighed, "Please don't interfere." She said as he just shook his head, unlocking his door and walking into his house, closing the door over tightly. How she had missed going through that door and up those stairs with him.

She hated this. She hated these decisions left in her hand. She had no idea what she was just doing anymore.

The next day, Punk woke up to a buzz on his phone. He was needed immediately down at the station. It wasn't normally so urgent, so he assumed something had gone down last night. He went for a quick shower and got in his uniform, heading out and driving to the station.

The station was jumping. As soon as he stepped in, he knew there were possibly every police man and woman from all the stations in Jersey and possibly New York.

"Hey, boss… what's going on?" Punk asked, finding Carl in the swarm at the station, who looked flustered and panicked.

"There was a guy killed last night. We think it was Stuart Cunnings." Carl said as Punk shook his head.

"Who?" Punk asked, without known to the man's name. He was normally good with remembering names and faces, but this one didn't ring any bells.

"He was serial killer that was suspected to have killed himself a few years ago. He was brutal. He'd kill five or six per night, and somehow get away. He can't get away this time." He shook his head as Punk nodded.

"Do you want me to do anything?" Punk asked.

"Do I want you to do anything? I'm putting you in charge." Carl said as Punk began to follow him around the station like a lost puppy.

"What?!" Punk shrieked, "What do I know about this guy?"

"Nothing." Carl nodded, "But you're the best at figuring out things. It's why you were put here. First… go look into these statements that witnesses gave." He handed Punk a folder, "This station is yours now."

"Where are you going?" Punk asked.

"I have to go do my rounds, call other forces to let them know." Carl said, "You're more than capable of doing this, Phil. You have a wise brain. Use it." He told him, patting him on the back and leaving the station as Punk sighed.

This was a scary thing. Not just dealing with a serial killer who was suspected to be dead all these years. But being in charge of the full ongoing case. If the guy had stopped his killings for a number of years, he was clearly back for sudden vengeance. An innocent life was already taken last night. It was now his job to prevent any more lives being killed.

"Alright, team!" Punk yelled at the top of the station, looking on at the officers still talking.

"Shut up!" He shouted a little louder as they all turned to him, "We need to get this guy. Drop whatever you're doing, or supposed to be doing, and put your all into this. Cases from years ago can be put on hold, this is happening now. I'm in charge, so if I tell you to go somewhere or if I tell you to go talk to someone. Then you go. You're all trained cops, I don't have to go through the basics, but now isn't the time for fuck ups. A guy died last night. And this fucker isn't going to stop there. If any of you don't know already, the guy is a machine. He kills anyone that gets in his way, regardless of who they are. We need to find him, and fast. Am I clear?" He asked them as they all just mumbled to themselves.

"Am I clear?!" He yelled as they became more vocal, "Good. Now let's go get this bastard."

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