CHAPTER 34: A new promise

It was a quiet ride back home to their apartment in New York. Once they got back inside, AJ immediately pulled Punk into her bathroom. "Your eye" she said quietly as she turned on the cold water to her faucet. "It's been blacken." "I've had much worse" said Punk. "Really it's nothing." "But its swollen shut and I need to you get you to the hospital" said AJ as she went to place a wet washcloth over his eyes, Punk gently placed his hands on her wrists to stop her.

"No" he said softly. "I'm ok." "Oh Phil…I'm so sorry" AJ started sobbing. "I'm sorry for ruining your birthday weekend with my unreasonable father." "Its ok" said Punk. "You shouldn't be sorry at all as you've given me the best present in the world. Our love and baby." "I told you my father was-"

"A jerk? Yeah I know" Punk said as he pointed to his black right eye. "But I had no business wrestling with a man of his age." "He deserved it" AJ said bitterly. "After all he's done to me and my siblings, especially me and my sister. He made our lives a living HELL!" she angrily tossed the rag into the sink and Punk turned off the water to conserve it. "All those years he's kept us in that all-girls school. He kept us in the closet and in the dark about life in general. For years I knew nothing of sex and once my sister got pregnant…he nearly beat her to death. That night…oh how evil that night was once he found out. They got into it real bad. I thought…I thought that she was going to lose her baby from all of that screaming and yelling…the part she doesn't like to talk about most to everyone, including me-although I saw it-was him slapping her clearly across the face, knocking out 2 teeth in the process." Punk's eyes widened in true horror.

"And from then…that moment on I knew that at the age of 13 that I had better behave and not ever end up in her situation…for I'd end up like her. She took a seat on the toilet and placed her face in her hands briefly before continuing.

"How…how am I supposed to hate him? He's my father!" she said. "I'm supposed to love him…but I'm just finding it increasingly difficult to do so." She stands up and exits the bathroom as Punk follows her into their bedroom. "I mean I do everything I'm supposed to. I don't get pregnant. I don't date. I obey all his rules. Dressed the way he wanted. I even graduated from high school a whole 2 years early and complete a difficult Doctorate's Degree in Forensic Psychology all in 10 years…that was until it was all taken from me." She took a seat at the edge of their bed and Punk joined her.

"I do everything right and then some. I stayed a virgin for 30 years...until I met the right man" she looked up at Punk. "And he may not have had the cleanest path in live afforded to him but I know that it wasn't his fault…I know that behind all of that is a great man and I don't care what anyone has to say about that." She takes his hand and places it over her stomach.

"This…this was something that we made together out of our love and I will never regret that. Not even for a moment and never again will I hold such feelings towards our love again." Tears dropped from her face. "I love the man that gave this to me. He has opened my life, my world to all that life has to offer to me and for that. He'll always have my heart and I'll love him until the end of time and…." She paused. "He's my everything too" she tearfully whispered. She leaned to kiss him and when they parted, they locked eyes onto one another. Punk smiled. "I have something for you" he whispered. He got up and walked out of the room and upon his return a few minutes later, he stepped into the room with the hugest grin on his face.

"What's so funny?" AJ asked. "I'm crying that my father basically disowned me and you have a black eye which would really use some medical attention right about now because of it." "Don't you ever think that you deserve better?" asked Punk. "Well…" AJ trailed off. "Don't worry" he said. "You don't have to answer that." He walks up to her. "Come, let's take a walk" he says softly. "To where? The Emergency room?" asked AJ. "Because I'm really worry about that eye of yours. Maybe it's starting to mess with your head somehow because there's no way on Earth should you even be happy at a time like this."

"Will you quit worrying about my eye" Punk said softly. "I'll be fine now come on let's go." "Where are we going?" asked AJ. "I don't wanna go anywhere." "Oh you'll see…" Punk said.

A few moments later, AJ and Punk had arrived somewhere outside. "Careful now, watch your step" Punk said softly as he continued to cover her eyes with his hands. "You're making me quite a bit nervous here Phil" said AJ. "With your one eye and all." "Hush about my eye silly" said Punk. "I told you its fine, I promise you...oops I just gave away a spoiler."

"A spoiler?" asked AJ. "Yes baby" Punk whispered into her ears. "And once you open your eyes, it'll finally all come true for you." "What will come true?" asked AJ. "Everything you could have ever imagined" Punk continued whispering as he stopped walking. "Open your eyes my love…" he removed his hands from over her eyes to reveal that they were in the middle of the park by the Hudson River. AJ walked slowly towards the rails.

"Now tell me what do you see baby?" Punk said softly. "I see Jersey" AJ scoffed. "Tell me what else you see" Punk said as he began reaching into his pocket. "I see…two swans bathing each other and oh they're beautiful" said AJ. "What else do you see?" asked Punk. "Um… oh a tourist boat and maybe a fisherman or two why?" said AJ. "Focus back on the swans baby" said Punk. "What are they really doing?" "I don't I guess…" she paused as her eyes opened in realization. She turned around to face him. "They're lovers" she said. "Just like us." Punk smiled. "You got it" he said softly as he approached her and got down on one knee.

AJ gasped in surprise. "Phil…" "April Jeannette Mendez…I know I tried to do this to you before but it didn't work out so great and I know that today may not be the best but you know what? I wanted to take this horrid day and turn into something truly beautiful, truly meaningful as I know that things between you and your father will one day improve. Trust me. I can see in his eyes that he didn't want you walking out of that house and it wasn't because of me…but what I'm really trying to say to you is that you are my world and without you I am nothing. I have nothing. You've changed me. You've made me into the better man that I am today and everything that I said in that letter-I mean it. I really do. I love you so much April and I want to take care of you and our baby for life….will you marry me?" he said.

"Yes Phillip I will!" AJ happily said. He carefully slid the ring over the other one he had given her for her birthday and he stood up and kissed her before they spun around in glee as others around them had stopped to clap and cheer them. "I'll never leave you again" AJ said as the two kissed.

A/N: Again thank you for your reviews. They are really valued :-)