Skeletons
April walked into work skipping two days later. She had a dream job, her dream guy and now she was getting married. Sure Nico put a damper on her birthday evening and Punk getting arrested the night before but Punk tried so hard to turn it around for her that it was impossible to be too upset. Also her father giving her legal rights to his name for her book was just a cherry on top. She was excited to sit down with Paul and discuss her book and start really making headway on it.
"Hey." April greeted to Paul who spotted her at her desk and stepped out of his office. "I have some great ideas!"
"That's great, but I really need to talk to you now." Paul said to her quickly.
"Wait I have a lot of stuff written down." She said reaching for her notepad.
"This isn't about the book-" Paul said but April skipped over to him with the notebook but first flashed her hand.
"Check it out Paul." She said showing off the large diamond.
"Holy crap." Paul gasped looking at the huge diamond. "You're getting married?"
"I am." April confirmed smiling from ear to ear.
"That's wonderful." Paul said genuinely. "I'm very-" he stopped realizing he had to speak to her about Daren Prince before they got too off track. "Come inside." he said pulling her into his office.
"What is going on?" April asked.
"Sit." Paul ordered and she sat across from his desk.
"Is something wrong? Is it about the book?" April asked nervously.
"No the book is looking great." Paul assured her. "But McMahon sold the company."
"This company?" April asked stunned and Paul nodded. "We're out of a job?"
"No. The new new owner has a lot of knowledge in publishing." Paul told her.
"Well that's good isn't it?" April asked him.
"It is but-" he stopped when his door swung open.
"I thought I was sitting in on this meeting?" Daren asked as he walked in and closed the door behind him.
"Paul?" April asked stunned.
"I was just getting to that." Paul said to her quietly.
"Hello Ms. Mendez." Daren greeted sitting in the chair next to her. "It's wonderful to have you working for me again."
"Paul." She said looking at Paul again.
"I didn't want to call you over the weekend and ruin your birthday." Paul said with a sigh.
"Oh speaking of that, happy birthday." Daren said to her and she was still shocked. "Did you enjoy your time off?"
"Paul?" April asked now a sad desperate voice.
"We're going to have to work together. Your book is under contract with this company, thanks to your boyfriend who made sure that Paul and McMahon were able to legally lock it in here." Daren pointed out.
"Fiance." Paul corrected.
"No kidding." Daren noted looking over to her. "Getting married? Aren't you a little young?"
"No." April remarked coldly.
"To Phil?" Daren asked.
"Who else?" April asked back.
"I was just asking." Daren chuckled. "Well, I hope Phil is ok with you writing this book for me."
"He's the most understanding man on this planet." April said to him.
"I just mean you're going to have to spend a lot of your time writing. You're no longer Paul's assistant-" Daren began.
"Hey!" Paul shouted not wanting to lose April as his assistant.
"I need April's full attention on this book." Daren said to him. "I want this book out by this time next year."
"That's way too soon." April said to him. "I'm not even halfway through it."
"That's why you're going to be in this office writing." Daren said to her.
"You can't just force people to sit down and write they'll never get it done." Paul warned him.
"Sure she will. She's not creating a fictitious story she's writing about her own life. I'm surprised she's only four chapters in at this point." Daren said to him.
"She has other responsibilities." Paul reminded him.
"Not anymore." Daren shot back.
"What about my pay?" April asked him.
"We'll discuss that at a later time." Daren said to her.
"I just got an apartment and I'm getting married, I can't have my pay cut." April argued.
"I never said it would be cut." Daren pointed out to her.
"What happens when I'm done with the book? I get fired?" April asked.
"Don't be so dramatic April." Daren sighed. "We'll find you a job in the office as a matter of fact I'm giving you your own office."
"You're what?" Paul and April asked at the same time.
"I want April to be comfortable while she's writing." Daren told him. "She needs her own space and if this book takes off like I think it will she'll need it for all the other books she'll be writing."
"I'm really getting my own office?" April asked him.
"Yes and it's not just for writing even though that's your main focus. You've always had fine judgment in literature as well I'm going to have you read proposals coming in and you'll decide whether to pass them on or throw them out." Daren said to her.
"This almost sounds like a promotion." April said to him.
"It is." Daren said to her. "You're getting your own parking space too."
"I'm sorry but what the hell just happened here?" Paul asked Daren seriously.
"April is an asset to this company and I used to have her read literature at Prince publishing all of the time for me. I've always trusted her taste." he said shooting her a smile. "Now let's discuss the book..."
Punk walked into Nico's restaurant when he saw it was open for business on Monday afternoon thinking Nico was already back.
"Hey glad you're here." Cliff said from behind the bar. "You know how to serve drinks right?"
"No I don't." Punk said to him. "What are you doing?"
"Just because Nico had a breakdown doesn't mean he can just shut down the restaurant for god knows how long. He needs money and so do all of us." Cliff said shuffling around the bar. "Lunch is always quiet but dinner is going to be a different story."
"What do you know about running a restaurant?" Punk asked him seriously.
"I am the manager." Cliff scoffed.
"Nico still does everything including the cooking." Punk pointed out.
"That's what sous chefs are for." Cliff remarked. "I can't miss work, I can't afford it." he said simply.
"Are you sure pissing off Nico is the way to go?" Punk asked him.
"Well since I'm the only one who hasn't pissed him off I'd say it's about time." Cliff said seriously.
"Have you heard from him?" Punk asked.
"Not since April's birthday." Cliff said to him. "But I left him a message telling him I was opening up if he wasn't back by Monday and he didn't call to tell me not to." he shrugged. "You worried about him?"
"No." Punk said to him. "April is."
"You're mad too?" Cliff asked.
"I'm not pleased with his behavior towards my fiancee on her birthday." Punk remarked sarcastically.
"April is his sister." Cliff reminded him.
"And she's going to be my wife." Punk countered. "A brother/sister fight is one thing but I can't forget him snapping like that on her. That was beyond a sibling argument."
"He's just not in the right place." Cliff sighed. "He won't say it out loud but I know he misses having April at home too. Now Amy is there and he feels like he's living with a stranger."
"Who told him to knock her up?" Punk asked. "April is an adult what did he think? She'd live there forever?"
"The Colt and Celeste thing didn't help either." Cliff reasoned.
"I don't care what fucking happened." Punk snapped. "He went to fucking far the other night."
"I agree but he's suffering too. The shit with his father really gets to him." Cliff said to him.
"It gets to April too so why did he blurt out all of those horrible stories?" Punk asked him. "It was wrong."
"It was a bad night." Cliff agreed. "But he has to come home soon or at least contact one of us or I'm going to report him missing."
"He's fine." Punk snorted.
"Seriously though you're going to help me out here tonight aren't you?" Cliff asked.
"Seriously no." Punk laughed and Cliff glared at him. "I'm having dinner with April."
"Don't you have dinner with her every night?" Cliff asked mockingly.
"She just called me and told me she had big news." Punk said to her. "We're apparently celebrating something." he said looking at his phone.
"The baby?" Cliff asked and Punk glared at him. "You can tell me-"
"There's no fucking baby!" Punk yelled.
"Well what else could you possibly be celebrating?" Cliff asked him. "I mean it can't be the book or the job that's already been celebrated."
"I'm sure it's something work related." Punk said to him.
"Or she's going to tell you she's pregnant." Cliff said to him. "I mean her breasts are bigger."
"If you tell me her breasts are bigger one more fucking time I'm going to hit you." Punk warned him. "Why are you even looking at her breasts constantly?"
"Not constantly but when she wears a dress and it's cut low where else am I supposed to look?" Cliff asked him.
"Try her face." Punk said to him.
"We used to talk about her ass all of the time." Cliff reminded him. "Nico used to get so mad." he laughed.
"She does have a great ass." Punk agreed with a goofy smile.
"I wonder if it will change after the baby?" Cliff asked aloud and Punk narrowed his eyes at him.
"There is no baby." Punk said to him. "I don't want a baby right now, she has a lot going on and we're not married yet. One thing at a time."
"Are you two safe?" Cliff asked him.
"Are you serious right now?" Punk asked trying not to laugh.
"I'm sure there are times you're in the moment and you forget a condom but you at least pull out don't you?" Cliff asked.
"We don't use condoms." Punk said to him simply and Cliff nearly fainted. "What? She's on birth control."
"You trust that?" Cliff asked him. "What if she forgets to take one? Even if she's late taking one she can get pregnant." he said to him. "And after this Nico/Amy mess I double up."
"You really think she's pregnant?" Punk asked him.
"The breasts man." Cliff said to him holding his hands out in front of himself to gesture to big breasts.
"They look the same to me." Punk argued.
"What else could she be so excited about?" Cliff asked. "Did she give you any hints?"
"No." Punk said to him.
"Maybe she's calling off the engagement." Cliff suggested.
"Why the fuck would we celebrate that?" Punk hissed.
"I don't think that's it but I just wanted to see how red your face would get." Cliff laughed. "At least have dinner hear tonight so I can celebrate with you two."
"I hate you." Punk muttered.
Nico was sitting in a rental car parked outside his fathers house for the last hour, the day before he spent six hours waiting in his car trying to build up the nerve to confront the man he was afraid he was turning into. The house looked the exact same from the outside, he never painted our fixed up the windows and the front yard was still bare.
"Hello." A woman greeted knocking on his window pulling him from his thoughts. She was an older woman with dark hair that was clearly turning gray.
"Hello." Nico greeted back rolling down his window. "I'm not some psycho parked on your street-"
"You're Nico Jr." the woman smiled. "I'm Ellen."
"Do I know you?" Nico asked her.
"I'm married to your father. He sent me out to see if you were hungry." Ellen said with a weak smile. "He'd come out himself but he doesn't want to upset you."
"You married him?" Nico asked almost disgusted.
"It doesn't mean anything to you but he is a different man than you remember." Ellen said to him. "If you want to come inside and talk to him or he'll come out here you'll understand that."
"I can't go back into that house." Nico said almost horrified.
"I'm sure he'd be more than happy to sit out here with you or you can stay in the car and decide what you want to do but at least let me make you a sandwich of some kind."
"I'm not hungry." Nico said looking straight ahead.
"You've been here for two days." Ellen noted. "Your father is worried."
"I'd laugh at that remark if it wasn't so depressing." Nico said looking at her.
"It's alright Ellen." Nico Sr. said and Nico slowly looked up at the man he hadn't seen or heard from in ten years.
"I'll be right inside. It was really nice meeting you." Ellen smiled then walked away.
"You look the exact same." Nico Sr. smirked looking down into the car.
"You look old." Nico remarked barely looking at him. "Half dead as a matter of fact." causing his father to chuckle. "Normally you'd beat the shit out of me for a remark like that."
"I'm a lot older now son." Nico Sr. reminded him. "I don't think that way anymore."
"So I've heard." Nico forced out.
"April told you I came by?" Nico Sr. asked and Nico cringed lightly remembering how awful he was to her. "Is she alright?" his father asked catching on. "Did something happen to her?" he asked fearfully.
"Don't act like you give a shit about her." Nico said coldly. "You never did but you see money with this book she's writing."
"I signed everything over to her. Her boss offered money but I didn't take it." Nico Sr. confided. "Is she ok?" he asked again.
"Yea." Nico said quietly. "We got into a fight."
"That's not uncommon." Nico Sr. chuckled. "You were always teasing her and making her cry."
"I turned into you." Nico said to his father frowned. "I went after her the other night." he admitted shamefully. "And I'm going to be a father soon- what if I'm just like you?" he asked looking up at his father with sad eyes.
"You're not like me." Nico Sr. assured him. "Not at all. You always took care of your sister."
"I left her here when I turned 18." Nico reminded him.
"You came back for her when she turned 18." Nico Sr. pointed out. "You took her into your home in Chicago, helped her get through college, gave her a roof to live under and had food on the table for her. You were more of a father to her than I was and that just goes to show you'll be a great father to your own child. Is that why you came all of this way? You needed to hear me tell you that?"
"I don't know why I came here." Nico admitted. "Part of me wants to hit you."
"I wouldn't blame you." Nico Sr. said stepping back and opening his arms. "Do it. I deserve it."
Nico opened his car door and stepped out of his car and looked at the elderly man before him and frowned.
"I'm not going to hit back for a change." Nico Sr. assured him.
"I think I'm the one who deserves to be hit. Maybe I'm here for punishment." Nico admitted standing tall.
"You came to the wrong place than." Nico Sr. shrugged. "Did you hurt her?"
"No." Nico said to him. "Not physically at least. Someone stopped me just in time."
"Why would you go after her like that?" Nico Sr. asked him.
"She told me about you." Nico shrugged. "You bring out this side of me that I hate."
"I'm sorry I did that to you." Nico Sr. said to him. "Your sister loves you and she'll forgive you."
"I'm just as bad as you." Nico argued. "I am you." He said disgusted.
"If you were me you wouldn't be feeling this bad." Nico Sr. told him. "I never cared after I hurt you kids. I drank so much I barely remembered it. It's these last few years that it eats at me."
"Does it really?" Nico asked him almost mockingly. "Do you ever look back on the day you broke my arm the week before I had big softball game and feel bad?"
"Everyday." Nico Sr. said softly and Nico rolled his eyes. "You don't have to believe it but it weighs on me. I'd love to sit down with both you and April-"
"That's never going to happen." Nico warned him. "I don't want you around her." he told his father. "Don't screw up her life. She's the only one out of this family who has a chance."
"You have a chance." Nico Sr. pointed out. "You have a child on the way what's greater than that?"
"I'm not getting into this with you." Nico said to him. "Just let April be happy."
"That's all I want for you and her." Nico Sr. said to him.
"When did you become Dad of the year?" Nico laughed.
"You met Ellen." Nico Sr. smirked. "A great woman brings out the good in you."
Nico immediately thought of Celeste. She was the only woman he had ever loved and she always brought out the good in him. That's what he needed to be doing, groveling for Celeste not crying at his dad's doorstep.
"I have to go." Nico said abruptly.
"You can stop by or call anytime." Nico Sr. said to him as he got into his car.
"I wouldn't hold my breath." Nico mocked starting his car up.
"Don't stay angry." Nico Sr. suggested walking to his window. "Staying angry is what did me in. It will screw you up for life. If I can teach you anything in life let this be it. Let that anger go son."
Nico just eyed him knowing he was right but his face remained hard. Nico just nodded then drove off leaving his father with a faint smile at getting to see his son for the first time in many years but he was mostly smiling because he felt he was able to be an actual father to him for the first time ever.
Punk was home after deciding to order in dinner for him and April. He was now very nervous as to what April had to tell him and growing concerned that Cliff was right and she was pregnant.
"Don't tell Ape." Punk said to Serena as he fed her some food from the table.
"Hi!" April greeted happily walking through the door.
"I ordered in." Punk announced.
"Oh, ok." She said removing her jacket. "I really wanted to take you out though."
"We can do that later in the week." he said as she greeted him with a kiss.
"Hey Serena." April smiled petting her puppy.
"Ok enough with the dog, just tell me." he said almost nervously.
"Why are you nervous?" April laughed.
"I just don't know what it could possibly be." Punk admitted.
"What do you think it is?" April asked him.
"Pregnant?" he asked fearfully and she rolled her eyes.
"I had my period last week, how could I be pregnant?" she snapped annoyed.
"Cliff said-" he started.
"Cliff better stop saying it or I'm going to assume he thinks I put on weight." April said sitting across from him. "This is about work- I got a promotion!"
"Get out!" He cheered, happy for her, relieved for himself that she wasn't pregnant. "That's amazing!"
"I know!" She cheered as well. "I'm getting my own office! You should see it Phil, it overlooks the park and is so big!"
"What' the promotion?" Punk asked.
"I'm going to be analyzing book proposals and working on my own book." April said to him still smiling. "It's also a huge pay raise."
"Wow." Punk said in awe of her. "I'm so happy for you." He said as she got up and sat in his lap so he could kiss her properly.
"It's so great. This is all I've ever wanted in my life." She said to him. "I literally have the job that I used to dream about having. How many people can say that?"
"Not many." Punk agreed. "So what bought this all on? Was there an open position? Did you interview for it?" April should have known Punk would be more interested in the details of how she got it.
"Our owner sold the company and the new CEO really likes my work." April said to him with a shrug.
"Really?" Punk asked her smiling. "That's awfully lucky."
"You don't believe in luck." She pointed out cutely.
"I know that's why I said it." Punk smirked back sarcastically.
"Daren Prince purchased the company." April told him and he jerked his head back.
"Daren Prince? From Prince Publishing?" Punk asked and she nodded. "He's your new boss?"
"He's really not going to be around much." April said to him. "He's running two companies now so Paul is going to be handling most of the day to day operations."
"You're not messing with me are you?" Punk asked her.
"Why would I be?" She asked.
"Do you remember what it was like working for him before?" Punk asked. "Forget the fact that you were infatuated with the man but he harassed you at work." He reminded her. "He wouldn't give you any work unless you'd sleep with him."
"He knows I'm getting married Phil." She said to him. "He cares about my book and my judgment."
"Oh my god." Punk laughed standing up and easing her off of him. "You're sounding just like you did all those months ago."
"What are you talking about?" April asked him.
"You didn't think to discuss this with me first?" Punk questioned.
"Why would I? It's my job." April shrugged.
"You dated this guy." Punk reminded her angrily. "You really think you working for a man you slept with wouldn't bother me?"
"I don't have a choice." April said to him. "You paid for the rights for my book and Paul filed the paperwork which legally binds my book to that company. I can't just leave besides I have bills to pay I can't just quit my job. I thought you'd be happy for me."
"Why would he just hand you this promotion? He made you quit working for him he actually blackmailed you into it!" Punk yelled.
"He likes my work! He knows I'm good at my job." April said to him and he scoffed. "I am good at my job." She argued.
"I'm sure you are but he also knows you're good in bed." Punk smirked.
"That has nothing to do with this." April argued.
"You really don't see why I'm so upset?" Punk asked her.
"No." She admitted. "We were over before you and I even dated."
"True but we were best friends during that time and I remember how into him you were." Punk pointed out. "I remember how he treated you when he had you-"
"That's the past. He's barely even go to be in that building." April assured him.
"It wouldn't bother you?" Punk asked. "What if I started working with Amy?"
"That's different." She insisted.
"How?" He demanded.
"It just is." She whispered to herself. "Are you really asking me to give up my job because you're insecure?"
"Insecure?" He asked with wide eyes then let out a laugh.
"What else would you call this outburst?" She asked him.
"Being sensible." Punk said to her.
"That's the last word I'd use to describe you right now." She said to him.
"You know what Ape? It's fine." he said with ease. "Hang out with that slimy piece of shit, work for him, have your daily lunches with him again, stay late in his office like you used to- I don't give a shit."
"I'm not going to be doing any of those things!" April argued.
"You say that now but I remember-" He started.
"That was before you!" she argued.
"I didn't even register in your mind before things went south with your Prince." Punk reminded her. "I've always loved you but you didn't want me until he was gone."
"That's not entirely true." She reasoned.
"Oh please Ape." He mocked.
"You're the man I'm with and marrying not him! I don't want to work for him either but I don't have a choice!" she yelled.
"You don't seem all that upset about it." Punk pointed out. "Look at you, you're on cloud nine."
"Because this is great for me professionally!" she yelled. "Do you really want me to quit my job?"
"Forget it." Punk said giving up. "You just don't get it." he grabbed his jacket and his keys and walked to the door.
"Where are you going?" She asked.
"To clear my head." He said simply and walked out the door leaving April and Serena behind.
"What did I do?" April asked her dog since no one else was there to guide her. Nico was gone, Celeste was in hiding, Cliff was working and Colt was off the grid. The only person she'd go to with this big of a problem would be Punk and clearly he wasn't an option at the moment.