"So has Phil been ok? You said he wasn't hurt but… was he dealing with everything ok?" AJ asked, sitting with Paige in the lounge whilst Jordan and Sarah played with one another at the area set up for kids. They were getting along really well thankfully, which gave AJ and Paige a break to themselves.
Paige had told AJ the truth, suggesting to the guys that it wasn't fair to tip toe around her. She told her that Punk no doubt went off on foot, but only because he suspected she was still out there.
"As far as I could see, he was ok." Paige nodded, sipping on a warm cup of coffee, "But there's only so much guys show, right?" She shrugged as AJ just nodded.
"I can read him like a book." AJ looked down, "How he's feeling, what he's thinking, what he wants, what he doesn't want." She said, "I've never been without him for this long." She sighed.
"Hopefully Seth can find him. Maybe he hasn't gone off far." She said as AJ just groaned to herself.
"Why wouldn't he just come here?" AJ shook her head frustratedly, "Why does he think I'm still out there? Does he think I'm weak or something?" She asked, knowing now wasn't the time to be offended by his actions, but she couldn't help wonder.
"I don't know what he's thinking, honestly." Paige said, "But you'll see him soon. At least you're both safe." She said as AJ nodded.
"Yeah." AJ shook her head, "I know. I'm being ridiculous. I should just be grateful." She said.
"No, I can understand what you're saying." Paige nodded with a small smile, turning her head to keep her eye on Jordan, smiling as she seen him playing with Sarah with the toys, "They're getting on well."
"Yeah." AJ smiled as she turned to the children, "It must be hard for them. They don't really know what's going on, do they?" She sighed.
"I think that's best." Paige admitted, "I don't this to be something he remembers being so tragic." She said, "People dying, thousands injured, terrified to ever look at water again." She shook her head, "What happens if you can't find Sarah's parents?"
"I'm not sure yet." AJ shook her head, "I promised her that no matter what, I'd keep her safe, and I'd be there for her." She said, "And me and Punk spoke about having kids of our own one day but… I don't know how he'll be over me fending for a five year old little girl the past two weeks." She said.
"I think he'll be just fine." Paige laughed, "He didn't seem to me like the type to angry with cute little girls." She said as AJ laughed a little.
"I guess not." AJ smiled a little, "But I wouldn't want him to be forced into something." She shook her head, "But if it comes down to it, and she has no where else to go, I won't leave her behind." AJ shook her head, smiling over at Sarah.
"Punk! Jesus, I can't believe I actually found you!" Seth exclaimed as he ran towards Punk in the street, not really believing it.
"What are you doing here, Seth?" Punk asked with confusion, continuing to walk fast paced whilst Seth tried to keep up behind him. He was in no position to stop in his tracks.
"It's your girl." Seth said as Punk paused suddenly, "She's at the hostel with us." Seth said as Punk turned to him, "We got her hyped up, told her you were getting on the next bus, and then you never showed up. I knew you would have went off-"
"She's really there?" Punk shook his head.
"Really." Seth nodded, "She's there with a kid. Been there for around a week now." Seth said, "You gotta get on the bus that leaves tonight with me." Seth said as Punk just nodded without thought.
"And she's-she's ok? She's ok?"
"She's got a big ass bandage on her leg. Said it was pretty bad the first few days, but it's healing good and there's no infection remarkably. She's a bit on the tired side, but she looks fine, man." Seth smiled as Punk placed his hands in his hair for a moment in shock.
"I can't believe she's there." Punk shook his head, "I should have just listened to you guys, I thought she'd have still been out here-"
"None of that matters. C'mon, we have to get back to the bus." Seth said as Punk just nodded, not truly coming to his senses yet that he had actually real, live confirmation that AJ was ok, and was actually with the friends he had made on this torturous journey.
"I doubt they'll have made this bus." Dean shook his head, standing outside shivering beside AJ who stood alert, waiting on the bus to drop off the next load of people, "I don't think Seth would have found him so quickly." He said, not wanting to get AJ hopes up again.
"I know, but… I just want to be here, just incase." She said. She knew there was a good chance Punk wasn't going to be on the bus, but she still wanted to chance her luck. She really was fingertips away at this point.
Dean watched as AJ leaned forward from against the wall, looking on at the bus turning round the corner and into the car park, halting and opening it's doors as one by one men, women and children hopped off.
"Don't look so disappointed." Dean told her as the last few people got off the bus and there was still no sign of Punk or Seth, "They'll get here soon." He wrapped a reassuring arm around her as she just sighed and nodded, about to turn into him and walk away back into the hostel for another restless sleep, when she heard what sounded like a loud bark.
"That sounded like-"
She turned around, watching as four scattering paws hopped off the bus, watching him woof again whilst waggling his tail.
"Alright, alright… give me a minute." Punk stepped down off the bus, feeling Mutsy nudge him, not appreciating the cramped, long bus journey here, trotting off to the corner to do his business that he had been dancing to do on the bus for the remaining fifteen minutes of the journey.
AJ couldn't believe it. It was really him. He was really standing across from her. She didn't think she'd be so lucky to be able to say they both survived this disaster, and find one another again.
"Phil..." She muttered under her own breath, still in disbelief, her voice cracking with emotion as he spotted her standing beside Dean.
Punk didn't think it'd be possible. After all this time. Despite two weeks being so little in a bigger picture, it was extremely long, especially within the unknown circumstances of this disaster. The not knowing if the other was ok, or even alive. But now standing here, seeing her in front of him, he felt like he was about to burst into tears, but instead, he just caught her in his arms as she ran towards him, crashing her body against his as he squeezed her body tightly.
"I thought I wasn't going to see you again." AJ cried quietly, pulling his t-shirt and sobbing into his shoulder, not believing this completely real comfort he was giving her. He was really here. They'd really found one another.
"I missed you so much." Punk said in a low toned voice, burying his face into her neck and shutting his eyes. He didn't think this was real. They may have lost their home. But they now could say they had one another, "You're ok?" He asked, pulling away, but she pulled him back in, not finished hugging him, not feeling like she could ever let him go at this point.
"I can't believe you're really here." She cried, pulling her head back and cupping his cheeks, his more hairy cheeks than usual. She was used to just rough stubble, but a full grown beard had grown in, in the time he'd not had access to a razor of some sort. But did she care? No. She wasn't paying attention to anything but him, and him being so close to her, so in reach.
He returned the actions and cupped her cheeks also, latching onto her lips like he had done before. The sweet lips he had longed to kiss and feel again were finally back against his own lips. He pulled her in around the waist, deepening the kiss, feeling her wet tears drip down against his cheek.
As much as AJ could have stayed intact to Punk like this for hours upon hours, not truly believing she had him in her arms again, she felt a hard nudge to her injured leg, causing her to wince against Punk's mouth and pull back, "What the-"
She looked down, watching Mutsy sit beside her feet, looking up at her, waggling his tail with excitement as Punk smiled.
"Oh, I missed you too. I did. I didn't forget you." She crouched down, rubbing the dog under his ears, kissing his nose and head, rubbing him and petting him lovingly. She couldn't believe it at all. Her boys were ok. They were both safe. They both miraculously survived this. It was now just one big nightmare.
Once Punk and AJ managed to gain some composure, they got inside the hostel and to the lounge where Punk managed to get some warm food as well as some clean clothes to change into when he went for a shower.
"I can't believe you're here." AJ whispered across to him as he smiled.
The guys had gave them some space and had gone elsewhere in the hostel to occupy themselves.
"I didn't think I'd see you again." Punk admitted, "I thought… I really thought I'd lost you." He told her truthfully. To be sat here in front of her after weeks of not knowing where she was or if she was ok, it as incredible. To have her in front of him, safe and well, really within his reach, he was still in disbelief and shock.
Mutsy lay down beside their table, a bowl of water and kibble by his side that had been given by the caterers and helpers. He was now drifting off to sleep amongst the warm chatter in the room.
"You haven't lost me." She reached her hand across to latch onto his, "I'm here." She smiled as he gripped her hand tightly.
"I had hope, and then I'd give up, and then I'd have hope again… and when I went off, I met this lady, she said she took care of you the first few days, but then she told me you headed off in the direction that I had just came from, so I headed back, and then I ran into Seth and he told me you were here-" He rambled as AJ couldn't help smile, "I still don't believe you're in front of me right now. Maybe- Maybe we're both dead. Or-"
"Shut up." AJ shook her head, "We're ok." She said, "I don't know who was keeping us safe out there, and I don't know what luck we managed to find with finding one another again, but you're here, and I'm here." She reminded him, "We're both ok."
"All I kept thinking about… every night before I fell asleep, was how I never told you, before I left that night, how much I loved you. My last words to you were, 'I'll be as quick as I can', and I couldn't stop thinking about how I never got the chance to tell you how much you meant to me, how much I loved you."
"Well, lucky for you, I can hear those words every day again. There doesn't have to be a last I love you." She shook her head.
"I love you." He smiled, "This… This whole thing scared me. And not because a damn tsunami swept me off my feet and pulled me through buildings and streets. But because I had a taste of what it was like to not be with you. Because I realised how much I need you." He shook his head.
"I need you." She cried, tears running down her cheeks, "I don't want to lose you like that again." She shook her head, "I don't want to ever think you've died on me again." She cried.
"I'm gonna make sure that doesn't happen again." He told her.
"I love you so much." She cried, "Promise me, you won't ever leave me. Not even if I ask you. Don't leave me." She cried as he stood up, taking a seat beside her as she leaned into him.
"I'm never going to leave you. I promise." He kissed the side of her head as she cried. He knew she'd still be in shock, and probably was letting reality sink in for the first time now, that their city had actually been destroyed along with their home, and they were really all they had left now.
"So, do I finally get to sleep on an actual bed again tonight?" He smiled, walking down the corridor with AJ, Mutsy strolling in front, sniffing his way along the corridor as AJ whistled him back to the room he had went by. Their room for tonight.
"And you get to have a roasting hot shower." She smiled up at him as she unlocked the room door, "With soap, shampoo, warm towels-"
"Oh, stop." Punk groaned, just thinking about being clean again was making his stomach turn. He felt so dirty and was so ready to shower the life out of his body.
Punk watched as Paige rose from the double bed in the room, smiling to Punk cheerfully as he nodded to her, giving her a friendly wink whilst his eyes zoomed by her and latched on to the small girl sleeping in the bed.
"Did we go to the wrong room?" Punk turned to AJ who stood speechless, trying to find the right words.
"I'm gonna go." Paige announced, "She's down for the night." She announced as Punk stared in confusion at the little girl hugging into a teddy bear, "I'll see you guys at breakfast in the morning." She said as both AJ and Punk nodded, letting Paige leave the room.
"So who's the little girl?" Punk turned to AJ.
"When I left Margaret's care-the woman who took care of me the first few days- I was on my way to find you, well, at least attempt to find you… I came across Sarah on the streets." She said, "She was alone, frightened, no parents or family around." She said, "I couldn't just walk by."
"You've been taking care of her all this time?" He asked as she nodded.
"I promised her that I'd look for her parents once things blew over here, and I had a better chance to ask around." AJ said, "And I also promised her that if… that if I couldn't find her parents, I wouldn't let anything happen to her." She said.
AJ watched Punk smile as he looked on at the little girl, sighing with relief that he wasn't mad about this. She didn't know why she thought he would be. Of course he wouldn't be.
"I bet her parents, wherever they are, will be praying that an amazing, kind woman like you is keeping their daughter safe." He nodded to her as she smiled, watching him walk over towards the sleeping girl.
"She's adorable." He smiled as he looked upon her.
"She's even cuter when she's awake." AJ smiled to herself, "Gets me to plete her hair, play games with her, cuddle her when I was missing you." She smiled.
"Seems like a mini you." Punk smiled, walking back over to AJ.
"It's- It's only temporary." She said quickly as Punk shook his head.
"No." Punk said, "If we can't find her parents, and she has nowhere to go…" He turned back to the little girl as she turned positions in bed sweetly, "We'll take her in." He said.
"But… are you sure?" She shook her head, not expecting the heads on attitude from him.
"She's just a kid. And… she obviously trusts you. I mean, It took me ages for me to let you touch my hair." He joked as she pushed him playfully.
"I see you haven't lost your sense of humour." She made a face, but then smiled, this was what she missed. She just missed her Punk. Life was incomplete without him.
"If we can't find her parents, we'll keep her safe." He nodded, "You know what it feels like to lose parents and be re-homed." He said as AJ looked up at him, not thinking about sweet little Sarah in her shoes before until now. If she and Punk did take her in, she promised she would be the alternative parent she wished she and her brother had, for Sarah.
"You're right." AJ nodded, "I promised her I wouldn't let anything happen to her."
"She'll be ok with us." Punk smiled.
As much as he was shocked to see an infant little girl in the picture with them, he wasn't so cold hearted as to be angry or selfish that she was taking his spot in bed beside his girlfriend. In fact, it melted him to know AJ had found comfort in a small child all this time, and it also filled him with pride that she had taken Sarah in and took care of her in a loving way. If they couldn't find her parents, he had no problem in taking care of the little girl. He might not have known much about parenting and taking care of children, but right now, he didn't care. He had AJ by his side again, in his arms, and if a little girl came with that also, he didn't mind.
A/N: Together at last! Let's see what happens from now. Will they find Sarah's parents or will they take care of her? How will they adapt to life after the disaster? All coming soon! REVIEW and let me know what you think.