Breaking Up The Band
Punk and April arrived at the hotel and had a few hours before dinner. The deluxe suite that Punk sprung for was absolutely gorgeous. Although Punk getting arrested the night before and her father showing up this morning could have truly ruined her birthday, her future husband had gone out of his way to see to it that she had the best day ever. The room was covered in flowers and had a platter of fruits and drinks laid out before dinner. They spent their time getting dressed for the dinner even though Punk had left a few times to make sure everything was set up exactly the way he wanted.
"How do I look?" April asked as he stepped into the bedroom and watched her twirl in black and gold dress.
"Do you really need to hear me say it?" he teased. "You're obviously the most beautiful woman in Chicago."
"The dress matches my ring." She said holding her hand out to show him. "See?"
"Perfect match." He smirked grabbing her hand and pulling her towards him. "We're ready downstairs when you are."
"I feel so special." She smirked walking to her shoes and slipping them on.
"You should. You're the birthday girl." He said to her.
"Do you think everyone will be excited?" April asked looking up at him.
"I think so." He said to her.
"So who is going to be your best man?" April asked.
"What? I have no idea." He shrugged.
"They're going to ask, all three of them I'm sure." She noted.
"I can't pick between them." Punk said to her.
"You're going to have to." She said to him. "I only have the one friend so my part of the wedding party is going to be small." she noted. "You really haven't given it any thought." and Punk just shrugged. "Who have you known the longest? It's Cliff right?"
"Actually Colt." Punk corrected. "But Cliff and I worked together, but I lived with Nico..." he said thinking about it.
"Tough choice." She smirked standing up. "I'm ready." She announced excitedly.
"Why did you have to put this in my head?" Punk asked her.
"I'm sorry I was just curious." April said to him. "Don't worry about it we have some time before we have to worry about a wedding. I also think I'm going to pull Nico aside and give him a heads up about our dad just in case he swings by his restaurant."
"That's up to you but I don't want him causing a scene tonight." He said to her. "I want you to have one decent birthday celebration."
"The second you put this ring on my finger made it the best birthday of my entire life." She said to him.
"Originally I was going to bring you back here and have candles and flowers-" he started.
"I didn't need all of that. Even this room is a bit much. You don't have to spoil me." She told him. "Don't spend unnecessary money save it towards our future."
"My future wife deserves the best and will have the best." he said to her.
"I already have the best." She smirked kissing his lips quickly. "Alright, take me to dinner I'm starving and I'm dying to show everyone my ring."
"No kidding." He chuckled. "You announced our engagement to the the bellboy, the people next door and the woman working the front desk."
"I'm just so excited!" she squealed. "And I told the woman at the front desk because she was flirting with you."
"She didn't say one word to me." he laughed.
"She spoke with her eyes." April said to him. "I know women." she warned him.
"Oh, excuse me." he mocked walking her to the door. "Ready for the best birthday dinner?"
The large table reserved for the evening had black and champagne colored balloons and candles as Nico, Colt, Cliff and Celeste were already sitting there waiting. Punk sat next to April as everyone seemed almost too quiet. April was actually taken back by the tension at the table and Punk was just annoyed about it.
"So thank you for coming." April annoucened.
"We wouldn't miss it." Celeste smiled as Nico rolled his shoulders.
"So, we have something we wanted to tell you all." April said hoping everyone would get excited but still everyone seemed a million miles away.
"Did you guys hear her?" Punk asked trying not to get too angry.
"I did." Cliff grinned giving April his full attention. "What's the news? Even though we know."
"You know?" April asked.
"Come on." Cliff laughed while everyone else remained silent. "You're clearly pregnant."
"What?" Punk and April asked at the same time.
"It's pretty obvious." Cliff remarked smugly and Celeste rolled her eyes and Nico eyed him. "You both moved in really quick, April didn't eat any of the good food last night and her breasts are bigger."
"They are?" April asked looking down at her own chest.
"Yea I-" Cliff stopped talking when Punk's glare made him nervous.
"She's not pregnant." Punk said angrily.
"Do they look bigger?" April asked looking towards Punk now.
"Don't listen to him, he's an idiot." Punk said loudly.
"They're engaged you perv." Nico said to him.
"Oh, hey congrats!" Cliff cheered. "That was totally my next guess."
"That's great guys." Colt said to them and Nico shot him a look.
"I'm really happy for you." Celeste said hugging April.
"Me too." Nico said smiling briefly.
Everyone got up and exchanged hugs while Celeste gawked at the ring.
"I know I saw it this morning but it's so pretty." Celeste grinned.
"You knew?" Colt asked her.
"I saw the ring at the police station." Celeste said not taking her eyes off of the large diamond.
"Dude, you proposed at the station?" Cliff asked him.
"No he didn't." April answered for him. "How he did it was amazing, sweet and private."
"I'm going to use the bathroom." Celeste said standing up.
"I'll come with you." April said standing up and following her wanting to know what the hell was going on at the table.
"I asked you all for one fucking thing." Punk said looking at his three friends. "Show up here and behave since her party sucked last night-"
"That's your fault." Cliff argued. "Don't blame the party." he defended.
"Why are you all acting like this?" Punk asked them. "What the fuck is going on?"
"Nothing." Nico said to him. "We'll act better."
"Colt and Celeste hooked up." Cliff laughed to Punk.
"No we didn't." Colt argued.
"What the fuck would you call it than?" Nico spat. "I don't understand why you thought it was ok to be with her?"
"We kissed." Colt argued. "One fucking kiss. Punk fucks yours baby sister and it's all rainbows and butterfly's but I kiss a woman you barely acknowledge anymore and you're giving me shit?"
"Don't bring me into this." Punk said to him.
"Why is it ok that Punk went behind your back for months with your sister but I have one sloppy kiss with a girl you barely dated and you're ready to kill me?" Colt demanded.
"First of all its different because April wasn't my girlfriend she's my sister, second of all Punk didn't puss out when I confronted him." Nico argued. "He came to me like a fucking man and explained himself!"
"No one owes you an explanation." Colt said to him. "I'm so sick of your shit."
"Let's just calm down." Punk suggested. "Tonight is about April so-"
"Everyone has to bow down and live in fear of you and ever since you fucked up with Amy we've all been walking around on eggshells around you. Speaking of fucking around with a friends ex, you do remember you knocked up Punk's ex right?" Colt asked bitterly. "You're such a hypocrite." he announced standing up.
"Where are you going?" Punk asked him. "Just sit down and have dinner."
"No because clearly there's too much tension and I don't want to ruin April's birthday. I actually consider other people's feelings." Colt said to Punk.
"Weren't considering mine this morning when I walked in on you kissing Celeste." Nico remarked coldly.
"Because the world doesn't revolve around you." Colt argued. "And she kissed me! I didn't even react to it."
"Sure." Nico smiled mockingly.
"Tell April I said happy birthday and I really am happy for you both." Colt said to Punk as he put on his jacket.
"Don't go." Punk sighed. "Just sit down and celebrate with us."
"I'll take you both out this week." Colt assured him then left.
"I really can't stay long either." Nico said looking at his watch.
"Oh come on this is a big night for April." Punk said to him.
"I don't want to sit across from her." he spat referring to Celeste.
"Want to switch seats?" Cliff offered.
"Well Celeste left." April said sitting back down. "Where's Colt?"
"He left too. What a coincidence." Nico chuckled.
"I'm sure it means nothing." April said to him.
"Sure." Nico smirked coldly at her.
"If you don't want to stay you can go." April said to him but Punk shot him a warning look.
"No I want to be here with you." Nico said to her.
"How's the book coming along?" Cliff asked April wanting to get the topic off of Colt and Celeste.
"It's good." She said quietly.
"Is something wrong?" Nico asked sensing she seemed off.
"No I got some pretty good news about it today." April admitted.
"Share, I can really use some good news right about now." Nico insisted.
"I really don't think now is the time." April argued lightly.
"April." Nico practically scolded.
"Dad signed off on the book." April blurted out and Punk watched Nico's reaction knowing this could get ugly real fast.
"Really?" Nico asked with a smile. "I think that's great!"
"You do?" She asked.
"Yea! I mean there's nothing like humbling yourself to a pig like our father to beg him to do something for you to look like a desperate little girl." Nico said in the same calm voice and Cliff's face dropped from shock. "How did you pull that off? Did you talk to him?"
"I did over the phone." April confirmed and Nico nodded. "And then this morning he showed up at my door with the contract that Paul sent him."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Nico asked her.
"Can we skip the dinner and just get the cake?" Cliff asked the waiter who walked over.
"You let him into your home?" Nico asked disgusted.
"What was I supposed to do?" April asked him. "He wasn't bad."
"Oh for gods sake." Nico remarked shaking his head. "Where is your brain? Huh! Is he still here?"
"No he was leaving." April said to him. "He got remarried." she told him.
"Of course he did. Without us to kick around he needed a new victim." Nico snorted.
"He thinks you're going to make a great father-" April reasoned and Nico's face turned beat red.
"You told him about Amy?" Nico asked slowly. "You told him I was having a kid?"
"I didn't think it was a secret." April reasoned.
"Do you think at all?" Nico asked seriously.
"Relax." Punk warned him.
"This has nothing to do with you." Nico shot at Punk.
"You're in bad mood and I get that but you're not going to take it out on April." Punk told him.
"I was in a bad mood but my reaction would have been the same." Nico said to him. "How dare you talk to him about me." He hissed at her.
"It wasn't that long of a conversation." April argued back. "He sat there I made him a sandwich and he left."
"You fed him!" Nico shouted. "What the fuck goes through that thick head of yours? You used the stove around him and he didn't try to put your hand there?" he mocked.
"Stop it." April warned him. "I don't want to think about that today."
"How could your mind not automatically go to that place when you saw him?" Nico questioned. "What about the time you were outside riding your bike too long, do you remember that?"
"Nico please." She whispered.
"Stop." Punk warned him growing red himself.
"When he grabbed you by your hair and yanked off of it then dragged you by it into the house. Remember what he did to your bike? He gave it to the girl next door and never let you ride again." Nico reminded her. "Or one of my favorites! Remember when you left your dolls on the floor and he tripped over one of them? He picked up your barbie slapped you so hard across the face that your tooth cut your lip and you needed stitches then he threw out."
"I said stop!" April screamed standing up and towering over her brother.
"You may want to forget all of that but I won't forget him calling you fat whenever you asked for lunch or-" Nico didn't finish since April slapped him hard across the face and he now shot up out of his seat while Cliff and Punk watched the scene stunned as other guests did as well. "Do you remember what dad used to do when we'd hit?" he hissed and grabbed her wrist tightly and pulled it towards the lit candle.
Nico hadn't even realized that Punk was out of his seat until he grabbed Nico by the back of his shirt and tugged him back.
"Dude, what the fuck?" Cliff asked standing up as well.
"I need to get the fuck out of here." Nico said surprised by his own actions and stormed out as other guests and management watched.
"Phil-" April started but Punk was already following Nico out.
"Just sit." Cliff said moving over to sit next to her.
"This was supposed to be such a good night." April said to him. "What the hell happened?"
Nico was walking to his car when he felt a hard shove and he fell to his knees.
"Are you fucking crazy?" Punk asked pulling him back up and shoving him into his car. "Why would you do that!"
"It's a brother/sister thing, something that doesn't concern you!" Nico yelled pushing him back. "None of this shit would even be happening if you didn't fuck around with her to begin with! I'd still be with Celeste and Colt wouldn't be trying to get into her pants-"
"Don't blame me for your shitty drunken behavior." Punk hissed. "Did you think I wouldn't smell the scotch on your breath the minute I sat down next to you?"
"I have to get to work." Nico said annoyed but Punk caught his arm and again shoved him into the car.
"I get that you love your sister and you think what happened in there was just an innocent argument but that shit doesn't fly with me." Punk warned him.
"You ever push her like that again or put your hands on her I will fucking end you." he threatened him. "Don't come around her again until you get your shit together and apologize to her before she's not part of your life."
"I'm her brother." Nico reminded him. "You're just-"
"The man that's going to be her husband." Punk finished for him. "The man who lives with her and will do anything for her. You're lucky I didn't snap your wrist in there, trying to dangle her hand over an open flame? I'm not sure if you were trying to scare her or me more."
"I didn't even think of you." Nico said realizing Punk's own issues with flame.
"Get your shit together and step up for your sister." Punk spat then turned to walk back inside.
"You have my keys!" Nico shouted realizing Punk swiped his keys when he hit the floor.
"Take a cab!" Punk yelled back not even looking back at him.
When Punk walked back inside he saw April being comforted by Cliff as the waiters placed her lit up birthday cake in front of her. She looked ready to burst into tears as he took his seat on the other side of her.
"Make a wish." Punk said to her and she rolled her eyes laughed.
April closed her eyes and blew out the candles then looked at the waiters who were all looking at her sympathetically.
"Can we just go?" April asked him. "I know you put a lot into this but everyone is looking at me."
"If you want to." Punk said to her.
"At least have a piece of cake." Cliff said with a smile. "It's chocolate ice cream cake! It's your absolute favorite."
"I really don't have much of an appetite." April said looking at him. "But thank you for sticking it out tonight."
"Ah come on you know I love ya." Cliff said kissing her cheek.
"I assume Nico isn't coming back in." April said looking at Punk.
"Nope." Punk said as if it was nothing.
"I really should talk to him." April said to him.
"No you shouldn't." Punk said to her. "He fucked up tonight not you. Also he had a little too much to drink so he's walking it off."
"Just like our father." April whispered to herself.
"Can you have this cake sent up to our room?" he asked the waiter who nodded and picked up the cake.
"So I don't get dinner or cake?" Cliff frowned.
"You can come up to our room." April giggled.
"Really?" Cliff asked in a flirtatious voice. "You don't mind?" he asked looking at Punk.
"Not at all." Punk said annoyed.
"So let's be real." Cliff said in a low voice. "This makes me a shoe-in for best man, right?"
Cliff came upstairs with them for a piece of cake then left so he could get to work. Punk felt terrible that April's second birthday celebration ended just as badly, if not worse than the party the night before. She headed into a hot bath with him to relieve some stress after her fight with Nico.
"I hate fighting with him." April said leaning against Punk's chest. "I should call him."
"You should be pissed at him and wait until he apologizes." Punk suggested. "You ignored him after he found out about us and he came around."
"I only ignored him because he insulted you." April said to him. "Maybe I was wrong, I shouldn't have told my dad anything."
"Whether you were right or wrong you didn't deserve that response and he knows it." Punk said to her. "Fuck him and his bad attitude."
"Don't be like that." She sighed. "No one is talking anymore I need you two to at least get along."
"Things are tense but families fight sometimes." Punk said to her.
"We don't fight." April pointed out. "I don't remember arguing with any of you or you guys arguing with each other like this. Is it our fault? Did we set this all in motion? Did we break up the family?"
"We're not broken up." He assured her. "And it's not our fault. I'm not going to feel bad about marrying you or being happy."
"What if no one ever talks again?" she asked dramatically.
"Will you still talk to me?" he asked.
"Of course. The ring means you have to listen to me even when you can't stand me." She teased.
"I'll be good than." He said honestly. "As long as we don't stop talking I don't really care."
"But our wedding-" she started again.
"We don't even know when it is except its not going to be for a while. Everyone will make up by that point." Punk promised her.
"At this rate the only person who is going to be at our wedding is Cliff and Amy." She snorted.
"Sounds like a cheap day." he said seriously and she sat up and turned to lay on his chest.
"You know I had a dream about this?" she asked kissing his chin. "Laying in a big tub with you and you were telling me how much you loved me." She smiled.
"I do love you." He agreed with a smirk.
"This was before we were together." She said to him. "You were going to get me tattooed on you."
"Where?" he asked with a smirk.
"I don't remember." She said to him. "And you told me you'd love me until your heart would stop beating."
"That's true." Punk said to her giving it thought. "And I do want a tattoo of you. I just haven't decided what yet."
"I want one with you." she said to him.
"You're afraid of needles." Punk pointed out.
"You'll hold my hand." She responded quickly.
"It's permanent." He added.
"You don't think our love is?" she questioned.
"I just want you to be sure." he said to her.
"I want one with you." She smiled.
"We'll look into it next weekend." he said to her. "Sorry your birthday blew." he smirked.
"I'm just not going to celebrate it anymore." she said with a laugh. "Avoid it all next year."
"Nah." He said to her. "Give me one more year to make it right."
"I know you tried to so hard and just us being here is exactly what I want." She said now kissing his chest. "I have a great man who has given me a beautiful ring and a promise to be with me forever, an adorable dog and my dream of writing a book is happening. This is so much better than anything I've ever dreamed of."
"You want me to take you to bed?" he asked pushing her hair out of her face and kissing her lips.
"Yes please." She grinned.
Paul Heyman was in his office with Daren Prince sitting across from him.
"You get to keep your job so feel good about that." Daren said to him.
"I can't believe you did this." Paul said disgusted. "You bought out the company? What purpose?"
"You buy your competition." Daren laughed. "The owner made a fantastic offer. Not much is going to change around here but instead of answering to Vince McMahon, you answer to me." he said to him. "I could have liquidated the entire company and left all 67 employees without a job but I didn't do that."
"This is insane." Paul said shaking his head.
"I just doubled my income purchasing this company." Daren said to him. "Unlike Mr. McMahon I plan to be very hands on around here."
"I bet you are." Paul remarked.
"Where is your assistant?" Daren asked casually and Paul smirked.
"April is off this weekend for her birthday but I'm sure she'll be thrilled to hear of the news of you becoming her boss again." Paul said sarcastically.
"I plan on being professional with her." Daren said to her. "I just want to know where she is at with her book."
"We just got legal consent from her father so we're in the clear." Paul told him. "She's barely halfway through it."
"I'll discuss it with you both Monday at ten sharp in my office." Daren said to him. "I'm really looking forward to working with you Mr. Heyman. The man that has stolen books, authors and staff from me over the past four years."
"I wonder how many we're going to lose now." Paul remarked.
"I'm pretty convincing." Daren said standing up.
"Not convincing enough to keep most of your staff and clients." Paul laughed mockingly. "But I'll see you Monday Mr. Prince."
"Please Paul, call me Daren." Daren smirked walking to the door.
"Sure Daren but please, call me Mr. Heyman." Paul responded in the same friendly tone.
Nico wasn't sure where he was going but after his blowup with April and Punk, losing it on Celeste and Colt earlier he knew going home to the woman carrying his child wasn't a bright idea, going to work in the mental state he was in also wasn't an option. He was an angry man and he knew it. Most importantly he knew the root of that anger stemmed from his father. When he finally got a taxi he didn't go home to change or pack he just had the driver take him to the airport where he ordered one ticket to New Jersey...
Punk was wide awake in bed with April's naked body literally pressed onto his chest as she lightly snored. The bed sheet covered her body from the waist down and his finger played with a loose curl from her still damp head of hair. Even though he was fighting with Nico and April had a bad night he couldn't help but feel like the luckiest guy in the world. He had it all. Two pretty cool jobs, money in the bank and April. He didn't care that he put his hands on his best friend practically his brother tonight because if anyone ever upset his April like that or touched her in a way that could hurt her it wouldn't matter who you were.
It wasn't just the bad birthday today but it was every year and the more details he heard from her childhood. He wish he knew her when she was a little girl and helped her to escape that life but he knew he couldn't all Punk could do was make sure she never had to live like that again. She had always filled this void that his family had left when they passed away and with each passing day his affection and love for her grew stronger and stronger. Nothing was going to hurt or touch her, they were going to have the life that they both missed out on with their own family now.
"Was I snoring?" April asked in a sleepy voice nuzzling her face against his bare chest.
"No." he lied.
"Why aren't you sleeping?" she yawned still not moving her body or head. "Are you uncomfortable?"
"Nope." he said still playing with her. "I just like watching you sleep."
"Creep" she giggled softly. "Can we go talk to Nico tomorrow? I won't be able to sleep until you stop hating him." She said to him still in a very drowsy voice. "I need both my guys together."
"I don't hate him." Punk said to her. "You can go see him tomorrow though. I'll hang back a few days."
"He doesn't mean to get that angry." April said to him. "He's never hurt me ever."
"I didn't think he did." Punk said but deep down after his outburst tonight the thought did briefly pop onto his head and was almost ashamed to think of his best friend that way.
"He's been having a hard time. Maybe you and the guys could all get together and do something?" she suggested.
"I don't know how Colt will feel about that." Punk smirked. "But I'll talk to them ok? Stop worry about this now. He's your brother you'll both get over this."
"You didn't hurt him did you?" April finally asked. "Outside, when you followed him?"
"As much as I wanted to, no I didn't." He said to her. "If he ever pulls something like that again it's not just our friendship that will be in jeopardy it'll be his fucking limbs."
"Don't say that." She frowned looking at him.
"Even if you weren't going to marry me that would have been my exact reaction regardless." He said to her.
"It's a brother/sister thing." She said to him.
"I don't give a shit. We're a unit so what happens to you happens to me." Punk reminded her. "He really better clean up his act and not just for you but he has a baby on the way. He needs to stop worrying about what Celeste is doing and more about what he's doing."
"I should have waited to tell him about our dad." She said to him.
"Too late." He said simply.
"Aren't you worried about him?" April asked him. "I am."
"No. You're laying naked on top of me the last thing I'm thinking about is Nico." Punk said to her.
"Can you just call him?" April asked and he rolled his eyes. "Please? I know he won't answer my calls but he'll talk to you. I just want to make sure he's ok and didn't drive off."
"I took his keys so he couldn't. Cliff drove his car back home." Punk assured her he then looked down and saw she was wide awake with worry and exhaled as he gently placed her next to him and sat up and reached for his phone at the end table.
April hid her smile by burying her face into her pillow and watched and listened as he called Nico.
"I was just going to call you." Nico answered. " How is she?"
"She's good." Punk said briefly casting his eyes over to April who's hair was veiled across her face as she watched comfortably. "She's worried about you. That's why I'm calling."
"Tell her- don't tell her anything actually." Nico said to him. "I need to clear my head I'll be back in a few days."
"Where are you going?" Punk asked.
"I don't even know." Nico admitted. "Amy is with her family this week and I just need the time." he said to him.
"What about the restaurant?" Punk asked.
"I'll open it back up when I get back." Nico said simply. Nico had never closed the restaurant unless it was a holiday, never took a sick day.
"Alright." Punk said to him.
"I know you're mad too." Nico said to him. "We're all mad, we just need space."
"I agree." Punk said stiffly.
"Tell April I'll check in when I get back and that I'm not him." Nico said to him. "I am not him, I never would have hurt her like that."
"I'll tell her." Was all Punk said then Nico hung up on him.
"What did he say?" April asked.
"He's going to taking off for a few days to relax." He said to her. "He'll check in when he gets back."
"Where is he going?" April asked.
"Didn't say." Punk said to her. "He said he wouldn't hurt you."
"I know that." April said. "Maybe I should call him myself-"
"Maybe give him the time he needs?" Punk suggested. "He's a big boy Ape, he knows what he has to do."
"Alright." She said as Punk laid back down and she rolled right against him. "Thank you." she said to him.
"I don't think it's a secret that when you say jump I say how high." Punk said annoyed with himself.
"No it's not that. You just love me and wanted me to be able to sleep peacefully." April smiled.
"I do kind of love you." he teased.
"I'll just have to make you love me the way that I love you." She said kissing him tenderly.
"How will you ever be able to do that?" he asked seriously and now she pinned him onto the bed and he looked up happily as she was now wide awake and licking her lips...
A/N: Lots and lots of exciting stuff coming up! Thanks for all the reviews and being all kinds of awesome and sticking with me during this story!