Lie

"How are things holding up?" Punk asked, sitting in a room at the police station with AJ who had come to visit him. They weren't given much time. AJ knew it was her duty to talk to him about the case, about what was happening, but it was personal for them. It wasn't like she was just his lawyer.

"Ok." AJ nodded, "Everyone is here." AJ said, "Dean and Lia came up. Dom came over. Your mom is somehow sticking around. Seth and Cami are staying. I think Ian is coming up to see what's going." AJ said, "You don't have to worry about us." She assured him.

"Well I'm gonna do that anyway." Punk said, "How are the girls?" He asked her.

"They're ok. Jess seems fine after what happened. I spoke to her this morning about being teased at school, I called Monica and she spoke to Caitlin, so hopefully she can stick with her and it'll blow over." AJ nodded, "Jo is… not happy you aren't there." AJ smiled, "She was going on strike on the couch." She said as Punk smiled a little.

"Yeah, I can imagine her." Punk nodded to himself, "She's not upset, is she?"

"No. Well I told them that you were gone for work. Jo is just mad that you didn't say bye. I didn't know what else to say." She shrugged as Punk nodded.

"Wish I could see them." Punk sighed to himself, "It's killing me in this holding cell." He shook his head as AJ nodded. She knew the conditions of remand wings in stations. How crowded and uncomfortable they could be. She wanted nothing more than to get him out and back home.

"They have to let you go after forty eight hours if they haven't charged you." AJ nodded, "So they'll either… charge you soon or they'll let you go-"

"Well they're gonna charge me. Whether it be… manslaughter or murder." Punk said, "And then I'll have to go through a bail hearing." He shook his head.

"Don't you worry about that. I'll… I'll get you the bail." AJ nodded.

"I'm still not sure about this." Punk admitted.

"About what?" AJ asked.

"You. Me being your client." Punk said, "Prosecution is just gonna argue bias. We're in a relationship. We have kids. Why wouldn't you paint me out to be a good guy?" Punk asked, "And then if things go to shit I know you'll blame yourself and I… I don't want that." He shook his head.

"Things aren't going to go to shit." AJ said, "And they can argue bias all they like. I can't be bias with facts." She said, "And that's what I'll give them." She said, "I don't trust anyone else. This way I know that… I'm doing everything I can, and I don't have to depend on a lawyer who may or may not have your best interest at heart." She said as he just nodded slowly, "Just let me help you." She said as he just looked across at her and nodded.

"Have you heard anything from Jamie?" Punk asked.

"No. Nothing." AJ said, "Not a peep from any of them." She said as Punk just nodded, "I doubt they'll come near when there's so many people around me. At first I was… annoyed, like I couldn't breathe with everyone fussing but… now it just feels like we're strong and we can… we can get through this." She nodded.

"As long as you're safe, and the girls are safe." Punk nodded.

"We are." AJ assured him, "Your mom is watching Jo right now." She told him as he made a face.

"Why?" Punk shook his head.

"She's… doing her bit." AJ shrugged, "She wants to help. She said she… she knows you two don't have a relationship, at all, but… doesn't mean she doesn't care. Everyone has been pulling together." She said as Punk just nodded slowly.

"What about Cami? How is she? I… I don't know what's going on with her." He admitted truthfully.

"What do you mean?" AJ asked.

"Well when me and Seth got Jess, Jamie was… talking shit about her, making things real uncomfortable, saying things that Shane was getting agitated with… I don't know I just… something doesn't feel right." Punk shook his head. The most frustrating part was, whilst everything was going on, he was stuck in a waiting cell and couldn't do anything about it.

"Wasn't he just trying to get under your skin?" AJ asked.

"No he was… he was being specific and… like it was personal." Punk shook his head.

"She did seem a little off the other day." AJ nodded as she began to think about it more, "I think everyone is just on edge." She said, "I'm just trying to keep things normal for the girls." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, as long as they're fine." Punk nodded, "We'll do what we gotta do." He nodded as she smiled softly.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this again." AJ sighed, running her hand over the table and taking his in hers.

"It's not your fault." Punk said, "I just want you guys to be ok." He shook his head, "And I don't wanna… miss another… five years with my kids." Punk ran his hands through his hair. He couldn't believe he was really back in the same place he was before he got shut off from the world for five years. He was trying not to think too hard about it or else he felt like he'd breakdown at some point.

"Hey, listen to me." AJ told him, "I'm gonna get you out of this. I've won cases like yours before. Jamie can have all the connections he wants but when it's down to me and a judge in a court room, he has nothing." AJ said, "I got you. You're not going anywhere." She said, not telling just him that but also herself so she could continue to function. It was a very uncertain time and she just wanted to make sure he wasn't going out of his mind, "I'm gonna call the station tonight, to see what the deal is, if they're charging you yet or releasing you. We'll take it from there." She said as he nodded, "Don't give up on me." She shook her head as he nodded.

"I won't. I would never." He shook his head as she nodded.

AJ got home later on after the visit with Punk. It was hard having to leave him after such a small amount of time talking to him. She already missed him and it was hard not having him around the house.

When she got home, she was hit with the smell of cleanliness mixed with dinner cooking. She noticed at the doorway, where the girls shoes normally sat with some coats and mail, was all cleared up. She could all see the stairs had been vacuumed, and when she poked her head into the living room, it almost looked like a new place. The place was sparkling.

She took her coat off, hanging it up by the stairs, dumping her bag down and walking along the hallway into the equally clean kitchen, turning around where she saw Rianne at the stove whilst Jo was sitting at the table playing on her switch.

"What happened in here?" AJ shook her head with confusion.

"Mommy." Jo smiled as she noticed her mother, jumping down from the table and running over to give her a hug as AJ crouched down and hugged her tightly whilst looking over at Rianne.

"Well you're run off your feet." Rianne said, "Me and Jo tidied the house and I thought I'd cook dinner." She shrugged.

"I cleaned my room." Jo smiled, making her way back to the table and sitting up on the chair.

"You did?" AJ shook her head. She felt like she had entered a different zone. Not that they were particularly messy, but with kids and toys and zero time in the day, sometimes things built up, but the house looked almost brand new in just a few short hours, and she didn't even have to worry about dinner.

"Yeah, I even made Jess's bed too." Jo said as AJ smiled.

"You're such a good girl." AJ smiled, "And what's for dinner?" AJ asked, "It… smells great." She admitted.

"Some stew, I'm not actually sure." Rianne said, "You have some recipe books under the collection of dust behind your pots and pans, which I cleared out. Some of them are broken, April." Rianne said as AJ just watched in awe, she felt like she was dreaming, "I got it from there. Good recipes in there, you should use more often." Rianne said.

"Can I… try it?" AJ asked as Rianne nodded, giving her a spoon as AJ lifted the lid off the pot, trying the food which tasted pretty amazing, "That's… really good." AJ said as Rianne nodded in agreement.

"It can just simmer there until the other little one gets home with her uncle." Rianne said.

"Why are you doing all of this?" AJ shook her head with confusion.

"I get it. Phil has painted me as this… useless, junkie, no good, selfish mother. And yes, maybe I am all of that but… you need the help around here. I don't give good advice but I can… keep the house in order for you. Watch the little one." She nodded to Jo, "Vacuum the stairs and cook a bit of dinner. You're gonna be exhausted with everything you have to do. And God knows you need a fresh mind on you." She said as AJ just looked at her and nodded.

"Well… thank you." AJ shook her head, "This… really all means a lot." AJ said. Little things like keeping the house tidy and making dinner and keeping the girls occupied did help a lot in this situation, and she really was thankful for what Rianne had done, it made a huge difference and it really changed her perspective on her.

"You can have some dinner and put your feet up tonight." Rianne nodded, "The blonde man, Dean I think his name is, he came around this morning just after you left, said he would stay the night on the couch." She said as AJ nodded. She understood why the guys were taking turns of spending a night at the house. As scary as it was to think, she knew Jamie or Jason or even Shane could appear at any time, and it was best to be prepared, not just for her but for the girls most importantly.

"Ok." AJ nodded, "Have you heard from Dom?" AJ asked.

"No I haven't." Rianne shook her head.

"They should be in soon." AJ looked at the clock and nodded, "Thank you." She nodded.

"Mhm." Rianne just waved her hand, "How was… How was Phil?" She asked, drying her hands on a towel.

"Agitated I think." AJ nodded, "Well, I can only imagine what he's going through." She sighed to herself, "I think he feels better now that he knows everyone is here, and that the girls are ok. If they don't charge him tonight then he'll get released but… I think they're gonna charge him with murder. From what I've saw. So… I have to be prepared for that." She nodded.

"You're a good girlfriend." Rianne nodded, "Very good." She nodded to herself.

"Well your son means a lot to me." AJ nodded, "And he means a lot to the girls." She said as Rianne nodded.

"I can imagine." Rianne said.

Later that night AJ was upstairs in her and Punk's bed with the girls who were watching a movie. They'd had dinner together with Rianne and AJ managed to start looking at things for the case. Dean had come over and was setting up in the living room for the night whilst Rianne was taking the spare bedroom.

"Mommy, you aren't watching the movie." Jo frowned, stroking her mother's arm softly.

"I know, I'm… I'm doing a bit of work, baby. You guys watch it and tell me all about it when it's finished." AJ nodded. They were all ready for bed after being bathed. Although relaxing just wasn't in the radar for AJ at the moment, she did feel a little weight off her shoulders knowing they were safe in their house and that they actually had a lot of help going for them.

"Oh, ok." Jo frowned.

"I ate lunch with Caitlin today." Jessica said as AJ looked up and turned to her.

"Baby, I… I forgot to even ask you… I'm sorry." AJ sighed and shook her head, "How did it go?" She asked.

"It was fine." Jessica nodded, "Those other girls didn't come near me." She shrugged, "I wish I was never friends with them to begin with."

"Hey well you just continue to ignore them. You have your own friends, you don't need to change that. Caitlin's mom told me that she missed you a lot." AJ nodded.

"Yeah and I missed her." Jessica nodded, "And she doesn't think I'm fat either."

"Hey, baby you are not fat." AJ sighed, "Those girls… what they said wasn't only wrong, it was completely false." She said, "You're beautiful and perfect just the way you are."

"I think you're pretty." Jo nodded in agreement as AJ smiled.

"Thanks." Jessica smiled to her, turning back to the TV in the room whilst AJ looked through some folders that she'd gathered up.

It was then she came across a USB stick in an envelope. She reached for the laptop under the bed, opening it up as Jo watched her.

"There's me." Jo smiled, pointing to the laptop wallpaper which was of course a picture of her and Jessica.

"Pretty girls." AJ nodded as Jo smiled to herself and turned back to the TV, both of them tuned into the movie they were watching.

AJ stuck the USB into the side of the laptop and opened it up, putting her glasses on and tilting the laptop around a little so the girls couldn't see, not that they were looking.

She quickly gathered that it was security footage from the prison Punk was in, when the riots were taking place and Mark was killed. She watched it thoroughly, terrified by the level of violence going on, suddenly spotting Punk and watching closely.

She then watched as he approached Mark, jumping a little as she watched Punk tackle him to the ground and very quickly kill him. She immediately closed the laptop down and took her glasses off.

From what she could see, and from what a judge would see, this was not self-defence.