Flash Forward

2 years later…

"Hey, Eve… I'm just going to take the garbage out whilst I have a minute." AJ nodded, walking down the hospital corridor, passing Eve on the way by. They were both on the night shift and when there was so much to do, it was hard to find time to do the basic things.

"Oh, I can get it." Eve stopped in the hallway.

"It's ok. I'll be fine." AJ smiled to her.

"It doesn't bother me." Eve said.

"No, you go do what you're doing." AJ nodded, "I will be fine." She assured Eve, and herself as Eve just smiled and nodded.

AJ walked down the corridor with the garbage from the day's work, taking the elevator down to the bottom floor and heading out the back of the hospital where the dump trucks were. It took a lot for her to gain the courage to come outside at this specific spot, because she knew it was the spot where everything went wrong, where everything changed.

She took her garbage and walked over to the trucks, tossing them in and dusting her hands off, walking on back to the door when she saw a car parked on the side. She stared at it for a few minutes and noticed the trunk of the car was up.

It was then her heart began to beat rapidly. She never forgot the feeling of seeing that body, seeing Norman as he began chasing her. It never left her, and still to the day, even two years later, it still affected her every day life.

"Hello!" AJ yelled, keeping her distance, standing close to the hospital door, "Who is there?!" AJ exclaimed frantically, watching as an older man walked out from behind the trunk, an old man she noticed was Eve's father, Paul.

"April?" Paul noticed as AJ sighed to herself, her heart rate returning to normal as she leaned back against the wall, "Hey, what you doing out here?" He asked her.

"Just taking the garbage out." AJ said, "What about you? Car problems?" AJ figured.

"Yeah, burst tyre." Paul nodded, "I'm here to pick Eve up. Funny enough her car is off the road too."

"Not doing too good in the car department, huh?" AJ smiled.

"No, not really." Paul chuckled, "How you been doing?" He asked her.

"I'm doing good. Tired… can't wait to go home to bed." AJ nodded.

"Yeah, I don't know how you girls do it." Paul shook his head, rolling the tyre over to the one he was replacing, "Well I'll let you get back."

"Nice to see you." AJ called before walking back into the hospital, closing the back exit door over and sighing. That level of fear would never leave her, and she hated that.

AJ got home just as the sun was coming up, walking into her house and closing it over, stretching and yawning as she walked through to the kitchen. She of course said good morning to Bruno who was tucked in his bed, still sleeping.

"Is he really not up yet?" AJ whispered to herself, looking at the time. She didn't hear much movement upstairs, and she could see the bedroom curtains were still closed when she pulled up to the house.

She left the kitchen and walked up the stairs tiredly, opening up the bedroom door and shaking her head as she saw her boyfriend of two years, sleeping in the centre of the bed, snoring.

"Phil." AJ walked over to the bed, collapsing down on it as he moved around a little, "Time to wake up, baby." She kissed his face annoyingly, "You're gonna be late." She said, kissing him on the lips as he pulled her on top of him, causing her to laugh.

"Morning to you too." Punk smiled, kissing her as she smiled.

"Hey, as soon as your out that door, I'm going to bed." AJ said tiredly as Punk nodded, "You're gonna be late." She whispered, kissing his nose and getting off of him as she walked over to the room window where she opened up the curtains.

"Oh, God." Punk moaned sadly, burying his face in the pillow.

"Up!" AJ clapped, ripping the covers from him as he lay naked in bed.

"Can't I tempt you with some breakfast?" Punk smiled as AJ folded her arms, looking over at him as he put his hands behind his head, biting her lip as she immediately ripped her clothes off, crawling over him and kissing him passionately. Even when passing ships in the night, they always found the time to love each other.

They eventually took their activities in bed to the shower before heading downstairs for breakfast, or in AJ's case, some dinner.

"How was work?" Punk asked her, making them both coffee whilst AJ sat eating some cereal at the table.

"It was ok." AJ nodded, "So I take the garbage out." She explained, "And I see this car sitting." She shook her head as Punk turned to her, "I genuinely thought I was about to have a panic attack. I think I was." AJ admitted.

"Are you ok now?" Punk asked her, sitting her coffee down and kissing her head.

"Oh, I'm fine now. It was Eve's dad." She shook her head, "He was picking Eve up and he was changing a tyre. I just freaked out." She sighed.

"I mean, that's normal, especially given the exact spot and the exact thing you were doing before… you know." He shrugged, "As long as you're ok."

"I'm fine." AJ assured him as he sat down at the table with his own coffee and breakfast, "How'd you sleep? Did you go to your mom's for dinner?"

"Yeah, I went straight from work." Punk nodded, "Me and Seth both went. Slept ok, I guess. I don't like the night shift period." Punk shook his head.

"I don't like it either." AJ laughed a little, "It's just for this week." She nodded, "Then I'm back to normal for a little while." She nodded, "I'm so excited to go on vacation." She shook her head.

"Yeah, me too." Punk shook his head.

"A week of… of sun, sleep, sex, food… I wish it was next week." AJ shook her head as Punk smiled.

"So do I." Punk agreed, "I mean, you have already packed." He laughed to himself.

"Nothing wrong with being organised." AJ shrugged, "I spoke to Seth and he's gonna watch Bruno whilst we're gone." She nodded as Punk turned to Bruno in his bed staring at them eating.

They had booked to go on vacation to Hawaii for a week, just to get away from their jobs, their everyday life, and go relax on the beach. They were both extremely excited and ready for it.

"It's not like he's a handful to watch." Punk shrugged as AJ nodded, "I'm in court this morning."

"Oh, yeah. Do you think you'll have to stay long?" AJ asked him.

"Just for my testimony, I guess." Punk nodded, "The downside of being a cop is being a witness in everything." He rolled his eyes.

"Well it's an important part of cases." AJ nodded, "Look how easy my case would have been if something witnessed what happened." AJ shrugged.

"Yeah, I know." Punk nodded.

"Can you believe it's been two years?" AJ raised her eyebrows, "I mean… that's a long ass time." She shook her head.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Punk nodded, "You know, I was thinking maybe we could look at venues in Hawaii."

"For the wedding?" AJ asked.

"No, for my 60th birthday party." Punk looked across at her.

"Don't joke with me when I'm running on no sleep." AJ advised with a smile.

"For the wedding." Punk nodded, "You said you didn't want to get married here." He said.

"I don't but… it would also be easier if we got married here." She nodded, fiddling with her engagement ring against her mug of coffee.

After a year of serious dating, Punk moved in with AJ, and just a few months ago he proposed. He knew AJ was the one, he knew this was the woman he was spending the rest of his life with. There was absolutely no one like her and he couldn't wait to marry her.

AJ was shocked, emotional, happy and overwhelmed when Punk proposed. It was so many emotions rushed into one, but she knew her immediate answer was yes. One thousand times yes. No one made her happy like him. He was her soul mate, her best friend, her therapist at times, her favourite person in the world.

"Well it's not about what's easy, it's about what we want." Punk shrugged, "I will marry you in an alley way and have our dinner at Pizza Hut, but… you know-"

"Don't tempt me." AJ nodded, "That's cute actually, like lady and the tramp." She smiled.

"So I'm a tramp?" Punk tilted his head.

"I'm obviously the lady." AJ shrugged, "You do spill a lot of food down your clothes." AJ nodded as Punk nodded in agreement, "When will you be home?" She asked him.

"Around 6." Punk estimated, getting up and putting his plate in the sink along with his mug, "I'll take a key in case you're still sleeping." Punk nodded.

"Oh, I'll be up before then." AJ assured him, "You doing anything fun today besides court?" AJ asked him.

"Whole lot of paper work at the office." Punk nodded, "And Tony's got me and Dean on a new case."

"What kind of case?" AJ asked him, enjoying finishing the rest of her coffee.

"Uh… fifteen year old girl was raped last week." Punk nodded as AJ shook her head and sighed, "Not far from here. So… he's put me and Dean on the case because we know the area and I guess we're pretty ok at finding people."

"Find him and lock him up." AJ spat as Punk nodded, "Well have a good day, if that's even possible." AJ sighed, standing up and putting her mug over in the sink, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'll try. You have a good sleep." Punk smiled, cupping her cheeks and kissing her sweetly as she melted into the kiss, "I'll see you when I come home." He nodded.

"Mmm, can't wait." She smiled, grabbing his ass as he smiled, pecking her lips one more time before he grabbed his things to get ready to go, "Wait, do you have lunch?" AJ asked him.

"I'll just grab something." He smiled. It was the best feeling to come home to her, to take care of, but to also be taken care of by her. Their life together was something he couldn't live without and he was so grateful every day she was in his life, "I love you." Punk called as he headed for the door.

"I love you too." AJ called back with a smile, clearing up the kitchen before heading to bed to catch up on some sleep.