Out Of The Shadows

AJ was waiting in the pizza place for their usual order. It was cold out, but the fresh air had helped her like she thought it would. She'd never had a scare so big today, rushing around the school, thinking her daughter had gone off with someone else. It was every parents worse nightmare and she was so glad her daughter was ok, safe and sound.

"April?" Gino, the pizza man nodded over to her, holding up the pizza. Punk and Dean had been going to the pizza place since they were little boys. Gino owned it and still worked his days there, "Extra pepperoni for the little lady." He said as AJ smiled.

"Thanks, Gino." AJ smiled, taking the pizza box and paying him the money. He always called Keala the little lady, and always knew how to make the pizza just right for them.

"Have a nice night." He waved her off as AJ smiled, stepping out of the pizza place and zipping her coat off as she began to walk down the street, not getting very far before she heard someone call her name. She didn't really catch onto the voice, the wind was loud and the traffic nearby could be heard, but she could hear her name being faintly called on, and so she turned around and looked over, almost dropping the pizza when she looked over at what felt like a ghost coming back to haunt her.

"I thought that was you." Ben smirked as AJ gulped, watching him walk closer towards her as she tried to back away.

"Stay away from me." AJ warned as he put his hands up.

"Hey, I'm not here to cause trouble." He smiled innocently as AJ gulped.

"Then what do you want?" AJ spat.

"I just wanted to say hi." Ben shrugged, "Is that such a crime?"

"You wanna talk about crime?" AJ laughed a little, "Why are you even out this late? Shouldn't you be at home? Probation rules?" She asked.

"I got another hour or two before I check in with my probation officer." Ben said, "Not that it's any of your business." He said truthfully as AJ looked up at him. She couldn't believe he had the nerve to come this close to her. Her heart was pounding.

"You should just stay away from me, and my family." AJ warned as Ben nodded.

"Your family… your daughter is beautiful-"

"Don't even go there." AJ warned, "There is no reason for you to talk about her or think about her… you have no reason to even be talking to me. So stay away. There is nothing we have to talk about."

"You gave up on us, April." Ben said, moving closer towards her, "When I needed you the most, you left me, all these years-"

"You were happy to watch an innocent man die, as well as two young girls. You worked with a paedophile and a rapist." AJ hissed, "I would have locked you up for longer." AJ hissed, "You broke us."

"No, you broke us when you married me and you didn't even love me." Ben said, "Do you know what it's like? Sitting in a cell for six years, just… thinking." Ben said, "I think it's damaged me."

"You were already damaged." AJ spat, "Our full relationship was a lie and then to top it off, you hit me when you realised I'd caught you out." She said, "So don't you dare think that you're the poor victim here. You got everything you deserve." She said, "And you need to stay the hell away from me and my family, or I will get a restraining order and any sort of harassment I report could lead to you going back to prison." She said, "Do you really wanna risk that?"

"I did my time." Ben said, "Now I have my life back and I will get everything I want. You know that." He said as AJ shook her head, "Did you like the flowers?" He asked her as she gulped and glared at him.

"Miss April?" Gino stepped out of his pizza shop, looking on curiously and worriedly at AJ standing, looking timid and scared, "Miss April, is there a problem?" He asked.

"No, Gino." AJ shook her head and smiled, "Everything is fine." She assured him as Gino nodded, stepping back into his pizza shop as AJ turned back to Ben who leered at her.

"Do not come in contact with me ever again." AJ said, "And don't send me things either." She warned, "Stay out of my life." She warned, feeling her insides shaking, not trusting him enough to turn her back on him and walk away, watching as he just sniggered and nodded.

"Bye, April." He whispered, brushing by her and walking off as AJ watched him, her hands shaking gripping the pizza box as she tried to stay calm. The fact that he hadn't come near her made her think that he really was just going to leave her alone and let her live her life, but now all that fear had come rushing back, fear of what he was after, fear of where his mind was at after spending six years in prison.

Once seeing him disappear out of sight, she quickly headed back to their house, no longer feeling safe outside.

AJ got home through the door after quickly walking home. She felt like the full time she couldn't breathe and she didn't know how well she could put on a brave face for her boyfriend and daughter.

"Is that pizza time? Did you see Gino?" Keala came running out, already in her pyjamas.

"Hi, baby." AJ smiled. Seeing her daughter's face almost relaxed her a little, "Yeah, I saw Gino. He made sure to add extra pepperoni for you." She said as Keala smiled, "On you go to the kitchen and I'll give you some." She said.

"Well I'm actually watching a movie right now so is it ok if I have my pizza on the couch?" She asked nicely, taking her mother's hand and walking her through to the kitchen as though she didn't know where it was.

"Well I suppose it's ok every now and then." AJ nodded, "I'll bring it into you, on you go." She nodded as Keala smiled and skipped away just as Punk walked into the kitchen, smiling to his girlfriend, his smile fading once he saw her start to cry as soon as Keala had gone out of sight.

"April." Punk rushed over to her worriedly, "What's wrong?" He asked her, taking the pizza box from her and sitting it down, placing his hands on her arms as she sobbed worriedly, "What is it?"

"Ben." AJ wiped her tears, having only been able to keep it together for Keala, knowing that she could crumble in front of her boyfriend and use his shoulder to cry on.

"W-What? What about Ben?" Punk shook his head.

"I saw him. He… He came up to me in the street when I walked out of the pizza place." AJ shook her head, wiping her tears, trying to get herself together. She was just a little overwhelmed and scared, especially with what Ben had said and the terrifying glint she saw in his eyes.

"Did he hurt you?" Punk gripped her a little tighter, his stomach sinking.

"No… no I'm fine." AJ assured him quickly, "He just spoke to me and he… he was the one who sent me the flowers." She said, "He said that I gave up on him and left him… and that he.. he always gets what he wants." She said, her voice hitching every now and then, losing her breath as Punk sighed.

"Ok, baby. Calm down." He soothed, "It's ok. You're safe in here." He assured her as she nodded.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." She nodded to herself, getting herself together, "I just… I couldn't believe it was him."

"I'll fucking find that son of a bitch and I'll make sure he never comes near you again." Punk warned angrily, "What the fuck is he doing sending you flowers?"

"I don't know." AJ shook her head, "I don't know what he wants. He knows we have Keala which means he… he's either been watching us or he's been kept in the know of what's been going on in my life." She said.

"What did he say about Keala?" Punk asked slowly, his eyes narrowing to her as she saw his facial expressions change.

"Just that she was beautiful." AJ said.

"Fuck him. I'm gonna find out where he lives-"

"No. I need you here." AJ said, pulling him back, "It'll only make things worse. Maybe he's just trying to scare me. The last thing I need is you going around and losing your temper with him." She said as Punk sighed and folded his arms.

"Fuck him for thinking he could even approach you." Punk spat, "You should have called me, right away." He said.

"No, I'm not… I don't hide behind you." She said, "But he's… he scares me." She nodded, "And I felt like I couldn't breathe when I saw him."

"Well he's got another thing coming for him if he keeps this shit up." Punk said, "I mean who the fuck does he think he is?"

"I said we'd get a restraining order if he came near me again." AJ nodded, "So maybe that will scare him off. I don't know, he just looked like he… like he had a plan, like he'd been thinking about for the past six years… and that scares me." She said.

"It's alright. He won't get away with anything. One bad word and he's back off to prison. He wouldn't risk that I'm sure." Punk said.

"Mommy!" Keala yelled from the living room.

"Oh God." AJ sighed, almost forgetting that there was pizza, "Ok, baby. I'm coming!" She called back, opening up the pizza box and grabbing a plate whilst Punk got a juice box from the fridge.

"Here, I'll take it to her." Punk said, noticing AJ's shaky hand holding the plate as she passed it to him.

He walked off, giving Keala the pizza and her juice box, eventually returning back into the kitchen where AJ stood. He hated seeing her like this, so shook up and scared. It wasn't fair and she didn't deserve it. Ben was the one who had hurt her, betrayed her and lied to her.

"Look, he comes near you again we report it and we get a restraining order." Punk nodded, "It's obvious he's jealous and beside himself that he lied to you, that he lost you, but that's what men like him get. Nothing." Punk said as AJ sighed.

"I don't want to be looking over my shoulder all the time." AJ sighed, rubbing her hand over her forehead.

"You won't. You can't let him win. He lost six years of his life and if the first thing he wants to do when he gets out is come and harass you and hurt you, then that shows what type of man he really is." Punk said, "And I will not let him hurt you or Keala. That's a promise." He said, taking it all a little more serious now that he knew Ben actually had the balls to approach AJ. He was seething at the thought of it.

"I just don't want all of this coming back to haunt us." AJ sighed, shaking her head.

"It won't." Punk said, cupping her cheek softly, "We're living our life now, and he's not gonna come ruin that. He has nothing. We have something." Punk said as she nodded, feeling him kiss her head softly. His assurance meant the world, it had done since she was seventeen years old.

She watched as he then walked over to the flowers, grabbing them in a bunch and walking over to the trash as she slammed them in it, closing the lid over, "Fuck him." Punk said calmly, walking back over to her, "If he comes back near you, if he comes near Keala, I'll break his neck." Punk told her as she sighed, "Please don't worry." He sighed, kissing the side of her cheek as she nodded. She needed to feel him close tonight.

"Fuck, baby." AJ gasped, lying on her side with Punk behind her thrusting into her. His hand tangled around her body, cupping her breasts under her bunched up vest as he thrusted in and out of her later that night.

"You feel so good." Punk whispered, perfectly positioned to kiss her neck as he lay behind her with her back against his chest, thrusting into her, grunting into her ear as she smiled, rolling her head back. The perfect combination of having him touching her and thrusting inside her to help her drift away into a land of bliss.

"Baby you're so good." AJ moaned, "Just like that."

"Yeah, you like that?" He whispered, kissing her neck and tugging on her ear lobe.

"Please make me cum." AJ moaned over and over again, placing her hand behind her and cupping his cheek, whispering thanks in Spanish as he kissed her neck and thrust into her, enjoying every intimate second they spent together as always.

Little did they know that every noise they made was being picked up. Their history with sound chips weren't great, and it seemed lightening had struck twice when Ben had brushed by AJ out in the street, placing it in her coat pocket which lay over on the dresser, picking up every single noise in the room and going through to Ben who was sitting in a dark room, swigging back his bottle of spirits and listening in disturbingly.

A/N: Let me know what you think!