Some Truth

"Do you think it's possible?" AJ questioned, standing in Dean's apartment as he cracked open a beer and sat down at the table, looking on at different things AJ had printed off from inside Punk's files.

"I don't know. I don't know much about his sister or what happened. It's not something he really talked about with me." Dean admitted truthfully, "Do you know what happened?" He asked her.

"Well yeah, she went missing a long time ago. She was… thirteen I think." AJ nodded, "Phil's always felt guilty because he was looking after her that day." She said, sitting down next to him at the table.

"And you think because these were in his files that… that this is why he's gone off the rails? What has this got to do with anything?" Dean questioned.

"The last time he was in the station, the very last time he was at his desk, he looked at this case file." AJ nodded, "And I've lived with him for a long time, I know how much the guilt eats at him-"

"Yeah, April… I get all of that but… what has his sister got to do with the fact he divorced you and quit his job?" Dean asked as AJ sighed.

"Well… that's what I was hoping to find out." AJ nodded, "What if he's trying to look for her, what if he secretly has been all this time and…"

"And the terms and conditions were to divorce you and leave his kid?" Dean raised a brow.

"I know it sounds ridiculous but this… to me, this is the only thing that Phil might have put before me and Breea-"

"No, the Phil I knew would have put nothing before you and Breea." Dean reminded her, "Maybe he's just… changed." Dean nodded, "I know you don't want to believe that, clearly." He looked at all the papers, "But I don't see how this makes a difference to the way he's been acting."

"I said to myself that I would forget about it. That I would focus on Breea and I would try and move on." AJ nodded to herself, "But I can't. I spent a lot of years with him. What we had was special. He was… everything to me and I know I was everything to him. He wouldn't hurt me like this just for the sake of it, Dean. I have to believe that at least." She sighed.

"Yeah, clearly he has reasons but as we can see, he's not gonna tell us. Whatever he's doing, he wants us to have no part in it. Maybe it is to do with his sister, maybe it's to do with the sting, or maybe it's neither and we don't even know half the story yet." Dean shrugged.

"He still feels like my husband and I'm still worried about him." AJ shook her head.

"I know you must be. I am too. He's my best friend." Dean nodded, "But I think he's made himself clear with all of this. He doesn't want us involved."

"Well I don't care." AJ stood up as she gathered all of the papers in a neat pile.

"April." Dean sighed.

"I know, Dean." AJ shook her head, "I know, I should just forget about him and accept that this is all really happening but I can't. I can't stop loving him just because he wants me to." She said as Dean sighed, "This… this wasn't how our life was supposed to go." AJ whimpered softly as Dean watched her cry.

"Ok, come on." He stood up, wrapping his arms around her, "It's gonna be ok." He nodded, "It's gonna get better, I promise."

AJ took a detour on her way home from Dean's. She headed to Punk's apartment right away. She wasn't going to shy away and keep all of her thoughts to herself. She knew she deserved answers.

She banged on his door, holding the folder in her other hand whilst she waited for a reply, "Phil! I know you're in there!" She banged at the door.

"No, I'm not." Punk walked up the stairs to his apartment as AJ turned to him, "Do you really have nothing better to do."

"Let me in." AJ nodded as Punk rolled his eyes, opening up his door with the keys as AJ immediately pushed her way into the apartment. He followed after her only to find her snatching his keys from him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Punk shook his head.

He watched her as she locked the door over with the keys and ran over to the apartment window, "April." Punk snapped, "Don't you dare." He warned as she opened up the window and threw the keys out, "What the hell is wrong with you?" Punk shouted.

"Now you have no choice but to talk to me." AJ smirked as she shut the window over tight.

"You're such a child." Punk shook his head, taking his jacket off.

"Where were you? Out with your new friends? New girlfriend?" She asked smugly as Punk walked by her.

"Maybe." Punk said casually as she looked at him, "What do you want? I assume you came here for something?"

"Answers." AJ nodded, throwing the folder down on the coffee table as Punk looked over at it and noticed his sister's name on the top of it.

"What the hell are you doing with this?" Punk snatched the folder up from the table.

"Why don't you tell me." AJ nodded, "Why was this file the very last thing you looked at before you quit your job?" She questioned.

"April, I don't know what it is you think you're doing here, but you're stepping over the line-"

"And what about it?" AJ spat, "Huh? If it gets you to talk. I mean… I can't go anywhere, can I? Unless you want to throw me out the window." She glared at him.

"Why do you have this?" Punk spat.

"Because I know it's the one thing that lives with you every single day." AJ said as he looked at her, "What? You don't think I've noticed things? We've been together for ten years. Jokes on you if you think I don't know you." She said, "All of this, you quitting on your life… why do I feel like it's to do with your sister?" She questioned.

"I don't know, April. Why would you think that?" Punk questioned. He hated how quick and smart she was when it came to him.

"Because she's… she's the only thing I can think of that you'd give up everything for. Maybe even me and Breea." AJ nodded as Punk looked across at her, "What I can't seem to figure out is why this would mean you had to leave me and Breea. Who is pulling your strings?" She questioned, "If you don't tell me I'm just gonna go find out. Don't you think I won't." She warned as Punk sat down on the couch, opening up the folder.

"Why can't you just stay away?" Punk groaned tiredly, running his hands over his face.

"Tell me what's going on and I will." AJ spat as he looked up at her.

"Fine." Punk nodded, "My sister is still out there and I'm gonna find her." He said, "When I was on the sting I found out a few of the guys knew about her, they knew what happened to her." He nodded, "So I made a deal with them and helped them got rid of Stan first." He said.

"Please… please don't tell me that they made you divorce me." AJ tilted her head as Punk looked up at her, "Phil." AJ shook her head.

"No. I divorced you because I wanted a divorce." Punk lied, "Ok?" He looked up at her.

"And Breea?" AJ questioned.

"Look, they told me they had information about my sister and where she was… what happened to her so to thank them I… I agreed to work with them-"

"And you're just taking their word?" AJ shook her head. She knew he wasn't that stupid.

She watched as he stood up from the couch, walking off into his bedroom and appearing back out with a picture.

"This is her." Punk nodded, "My sister." He said, sitting the picture down on the coffee table as AJ looked down, "They're helping me find her location-"

"How do you know this is her?" AJ picked the picture up.

"Because it looks like her. She works under a different name. I'm working with the guys from the sting to find her-"

"And how do they know her?" AJ questioned, "Why do I feel like you aren't asking these people enough questions?" AJ looked at him.

"One of the guys mom knows her but he's not spoken to her in years and we're trying to get contact with her to find Jen." Punk nodded.

"Why are they helping you?" AJ shook her head, "W-What do they want from you?"

"Nothing. I got rid of Stan for them, this is them returning the favour." Punk said.

"And you got rid of me too in the process. Why? Why couldn't you find your sister whilst still being married to me? Whilst still being a father to your daughter?" AJ questioned as he looked across at her.

"Because I couldn't." He shrugged quietly as she looked at him.

"Why?" AJ asked tearfully.

"I don't love you anymore." He shrugged.

"I know you're lying." AJ cried, "Why are you doing this to me?" She asked through her tears, watching as he ran his hand over his face, "You divorced me. You ruined every good thing we ever had together. Memories. Special moments." She nodded, "It all feels like a lie."

"Maybe it was." Punk shrugged.

"And Breea? You're ok with hurting her too?" AJ questioned, "You're ok with her growing up hating you? Because… because I grew up with a father who bailed on me and I can't tell you how much I hate him with all of my guts." AJ spat, "I don't want her to feel that for you." She shook her head.

"You got your answers." Punk sighed.

"No, I didn't." AJ shook her head, "You're still not telling me something. You're not telling me the truth." AJ said, "Why divorce me and leave your life? Is that what your new friends wanted you to do?"

"I'm trying to protect you, dammit!" Punk yelled as she looked at him, tilting her head and looking at him with confusion.

"Protect me from what?" AJ spat, drying her tears as Punk looked at her.

"From them. From these guys." Punk spat as AJ shook her head.

"Protecting me and divorcing me don't really… they don't really add up, Phil." AJ spat.

"They needed my word that I wouldn't turn them into the cops. They needed to trust me. They didn't want me talking to you because they knew you were a cop, well… was a cop. So they made me turn my badge in and they didn't want you around any of this-"

"You-You divorced me because they told you to." AJ nodded.

"I'm trying to protect you." Punk spat.

"By breaking my heart?!" AJ yelled angrily as Punk flinched a little, "No… no, this is ridiculous."

"If I didn't they weren't gonna help me find Jen and I knew they… I knew they knew where she was… I had to-"

"You had to?" AJ questioned, "I… I can't believe you." AJ spat as Punk ran his hands over his face, watching her begin to pace up and down, "I knew there was something else going on but I didn't think it was this stupid." AJ spat.

"April, they know where she is. What did you expect me to do?" He asked.

"Not hurt me." AJ looked at him, "Why did I have to get hurt?"

"I…"

"I won't forgive you for this." AJ shook her head, "All those things you said to me. Torturing me like this just to please your new friends. Leaving Breea just to keep your deal." She said with disgust as Punk scratched the back of his head, "I can't believe you." She shook her head, "After… after…"

Punk looked up, looking over at her as he watched her collapse on the ground, taking one of her seizures as he immediately rushed to her side.

"April." Punk said with worry, placing his hand behind her head so she didn't hurt herself, "April." Punk took her hand, shaking his head as she eventually stopped taking her seizure.

He rested her head down, running to the door and trying to open it when he remembered she had locked them in and unfortunately, he had no spare key.