Just Daddy

Punk managed to help AJ fall asleep after she got into some pyjamas and out of the bathroom. He lay beside her, talking to her, soothing her, doing anything he could to help her fall asleep. AJ took all advantage of him being here for her. She'd gone four years without him, where in situations like this, she was all alone, and had to depend on herself to keep herself going, but now he was here, she felt like she had something, someone… to lean against now. She believed that's why she snapped at the station. Because she knew she had him to fall back onto.

Once Punk saw she was fast asleep, he left her side, tucking the covers around her and leaving the bedroom, closing the door over quietly and making his way over to the kitchen table.

He wanted to make a few phone calls to figure out what was going on. He called the main agent, Agent Matson who was directing the full thing and who was a very high ranked agent in the department of homeland security. He got a run down on things with him, trying to speak in a quiet voice as Agent Matson explained everything that had gone down. Things seemed to be positive, even though they had lost Walter.

He then called Dean who had an update on what was going on in France. Things did seem a little rough around the edges with who they had caught, but so far was so good, and people's lives were being saved.

He continued to make other phone calls to other people, taking some notes on a small notepad at the table until he heard a door squeak open, looking up as he watched Nova standing at her bedroom door rubbing her eyes.

He hung up with whoever he was talking to, putting his phone down as he looked across at her standing in purple pyjamas with monkeys on them, of course.

"Hey, sweetheart." Punk smiled to her as she began to wander over to him, "You ok?" He asked her softly. Her little face made everything seem ok.

"Why aren't you sleeping? You sleep here now?" Nova asked him tiredly, sitting up on the chair across from him as he watched her.

"Yeah, I sleep here now." Punk nodded to her truthfully, not seeing the point in tiptoeing around her, "I was just… finding it hard to sleep." He told her as she nodded, "Why aren't you sleeping?" He reversed the question.

"You woke me up." She told him bluntly as Punk smiled a little, "But it's ok because I woke up thirsty anyway." She admitted.

"You want a drink?" He asked her as she nodded, "What you want?" He asked, standing up and walking over to the cupboard to grab a glass.

"Just water please." Nova said as Punk nodded, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and pouring some into a glass, not too much as he knew she wouldn't drink a ton.

"Ok, here you go, sweetheart." Punk sat the glass down on the table in front of her as she reached for it and drank the water almost like a shot to Punk's horror, "You were thirsty, huh?" Punk laughed a little, "You want some more?" He asked.

"No, that's fine." Nova nodded to him, "Why do you stay with us now?" Nova asked him curiously as Punk sat back down across from her at the table whilst she watched him with tired eyes. She believed this was her apartment where her and her mother stayed, and she didn't quite understand why Punk was now staying with them, even though she knew he was her father, "Do mommy's and daddy's stay together? Is that why you're here?"

"Not all mommy's and daddy's stay together." Punk nodded, "But me and your mommy do. In fact, this was my home before it was yours." He said as she giggled.

"No it wasn't." Nova laughed like he was insane.

"You wanna bet?" Punk chuckled, standing up and walking over to the sitting area where the scrap book was still sitting on the coffee table, lifting it up and walking back over with it.

"What's that? Is that a story?" Nova wondered.

"No, it's pictures." Punk said, "Look." He opened it up at the first page of when Nova was first born, in the hospital, "There's you, and me, and mommy." He pointed out as Nova knelt up on the chair and leaned over the table to look.

"Woah, I'm small." Nova shook her head, "Is that really me?" She asked him.

"It's really you." Punk nodded, "There's more." He flicked the pages forward, showing her more pictures, proving to her that he was here with her before, she just couldn't remember.

"Is that me and you?" Nova pointed to a picture of when she was around six months old, sitting on his lap in this very kitchen at the table.

"Yeah, that's us." Punk smiled.

"How come I look different and you don't." Nova asked with confusion.

"Well because you're growing up. I've already grown up." Punk explained, "You see, I was here with you and your mother before."

"Then why did you leave?" Nova asked him.

"I didn't want to." Punk said, "I had to go away." He said as Nova stared through him. She really was a miniature version of AJ, she was going to break hearts and possibly some faces when she got older, given the stare she was giving him.

"Are you always going to work like mommy does?" Nova asked him.

"Mommy works so you can have nice things." Punk said, "But I promise you, I'll be here whenever you need me, and I'm not going anywhere ever again." He promised as she sat back on the chair with tired eyes, still watching him closely. She was like a little detective, trying to scan him and get inside his brain, she could see it in her eyes already.

"Do you stay here forever now?" Nova wondered.

"If that's ok with you. Your mom tells me that you're the boss around here." Punk said as she smiled to herself.

"I am the boss." Nova giggled, "I guess you're cool. You like monkeys and pancakes." She shrugged as Punk smiled. She was still trying to figure this out just as much as Punk was. They were both learning about one another, and although it was slow, there was something beautiful about it that Punk was loving.

"I thought I was your prince too." Punk said.

"But you don't have a horsey." Nova folded her arms as Punk nodded.

"Uh… I have Ace." Punk pointed over to Ace who was snoring as he slept by the couch, watching Nova giggle contagiously. Her laugh was heavenly, and he wanted to hear it forever. She looked so adorable when she laughed.

"Ace isn't a horse." Nova laughed as if he was crazy to think that, "Ace is a doggy. You can't ride him." She shook her head, as if genuinely trying to advise him on not to ride Ace like a horse.

"Ok, I'll keep that in mind." Punk nodded, "But you know, we really gotta move on with the times, we don't use horses anymore. We got cars." Punk said.

"Then you're more like a superhero then." Nova nodded, "Like Batman. He has a car." She told him.

"You like Batman?" Punk asked.

"I like Wonderwoman actually." Nova said, "I dressed up as her this Halloween." She explained, "But mommy made me watch the Batman movies." She rolled her eyes as Punk chuckled to himself.

"So, what am I? Superhero? Prince? You gotta make up your mind." Punk said.

"You're just daddy." Nova smiled, "That's better than a superhero or a prince." She nodded as Punk smiled, feeling his heart swell. She really was a precious little flower, and she deserved protected at all costs, and he knew he would do anything for her. He knew this was confusing for her, and a lot to take in, but she was adapting to him in her life as good as he could have hoped for, and their love was already growing between one another, "Can you come tuck me back into bed, please?" Nova asked him tiredly.

"Yeah… Yeah, I'll be in, in a minute." Punk nodded to her, watching her jump off the seat and rush back into her bedroom across the room as he smiled. Things might have been distant still, but they were going in the right direction for sure. He already felt like he had a special place in her heart now.

The next morning, AJ woke up later, walking out of the bedroom where she saw Punk sitting on the sofa with Nova who was eating her bowl of cereal. Her favourite movie Enchanted was playing and she was sitting next to Punk explaining to him more information about the movie, as well as singing to all the different songs where Punk could identify that she definitely was tone deaf like him.

"Uh… good morning." AJ laughed a little, folding her arms as Punk and Nova turned around.

"Mommy! Hi." Nova waved, "Daddy's never watched Enchanted before so we're watching it right now."

"Oh, Nova. You've only saw the movie like one hundred times." AJ smiled a little.

"That's because it's my favourite." Nova smiled as AJ walked over to them. Yesterday was a rough day, and today she felt her shoulders heavy, like she didn't want to leave her bed, but this was the exact sight she wanted to see when she opened her bedroom door.

"It's not actually that bad." Punk turned to AJ truthfully, having almost finished the movie.

"I only watch it for Dr Dreamy." AJ smiled truthfully.

"Yeah, alright." Punk rolled his eyes as AJ laughed lightly.

"Have you had breakfast?" AJ asked.

"Shh, this is the good part." Nova told her mother, sitting her empty bowl of cereal on the coffee table and kneeling up on the sofa beside Punk, placing her hand on his shoulder to sturdy herself as Punk smiled, turning to AJ who nodded to him with a smile. He looked a lot less stiff today, and he looked extremely happy.

"Alright then." AJ laughed a little, taking Nova's empty bowl away and walking off into the kitchen to make herself some coffee.

She wasn't used to waking up and not having to quickly make Nova her breakfast or be up at the same time she was. It really was tough being a single mother, she loved her daughter and every second was worth it, but having Punk here now not only lifted her spirits, not only gave her daughter the father she always deserved to know and meet, but selfishly, it gave her a break.

"Look! Look this is where she eats the apple." Nova told Punk as AJ smiled from the kitchen, not even having to turn around and look to imagine how excited Nova was to be showing her father her favourite movie. It was things like this that Punk deserved to be a part of, and she could see he smile on his face.

"Would you eat an apple off a little lady that looked like that?" Punk asked Nova as AJ laughed loudly from the kitchen, causing Punk to turn around and smile at her. Her laugh was just as angelic as Nova's.

"No. Mommy says I should never take anything from strangers." Nova said, "Right, mommy?" She turned around to her mother at the kitchen.

"Right baby." AJ smiled to her.

"That's right." Punk nodded, "In fact, don't even look at strangers." Punk said as AJ rolled her eyes but with a smile.

"We're missing this!" Nova tapped Punk, "Look, she's gone to sleep forever." She pointed to the TV as AJ turned around from the kitchen with a smile. She'd never woke up to such a beautiful sight. For the past four years, she'd woke up alone, just trying to make it through the day with nothing but her daughter to keep her going, now her family was back in one piece again, and although there was a war going on, and they had lost someone they both cared about, having each other right now, really meant the world.

A/N: The calm before more storm. REVIEW and let me know what you think!