The After Party

"What the hell just happened?" AJ asked as she eventually got back inside the house with Seth, finding Punk in the living room. The party was starting to fade out as it was ticking into early hours of the morning, "Who-Who were they people, and why did they have guns?" AJ asked him, "Phil!" She yelled as she seen he wasn't paying any attention to her.

"It's Beretti, he's… he was a friend of my mom and dad's. They started this company together and when Beretti wanted more shares, more control, my mom and dad dropped him on his ass." Punk said, "He-He would always come to the house when we were kids, harass my mom, throw punches at my dad." Punk said, "He's a real nasty piece of work."

"Why did he have guns?" AJ shook her head, "And why were they all pointed at the house?"

"Once my mom and dad dropped him, he started up his company, Woodmore. It's a record label company. He's probably mad about our new recording studio, and of course he's still bitter about everything that has happened." Punk said.

"And why did you have to go talk to him? Why did you go put yourself in danger like that? Are you stupid?" She shoved him slightly.

"I had to. Someone had to go out, or else he would have shot at every single window in the house." Punk spat, "My dad would have gone but… he wasn't in any fit state to even walk down the stairs." Punk said, "After my dad, I'm next in charge. When it comes to Beretti anyway."

"And why is Dean walking around with a swollen eye?" AJ shook her head. She had so many questions. Tonight had just taken a complete turn for the worst in her opinion, and all she wanted was to get home with the girls and forget about the chaos.

"You don't wanna know." Punk just shook his head, "I'm going to see if my mom is alright." He told her, walking off as AJ sighed, running her hand through her hair as Melissa approached her.

"Hey, you ok?" Melissa asked, "Don't uh… don't worry about Beretti. He would never hurt Phil."

"How can you be so sure? This man doesn't sound too fond of this family." AJ shook her head, folding her arms.

"He was my dad's best friend when they were growing up." Melissa explained in further detail, "Him and my dad, and then my mom obviously, they built the money up. Half of the companies original investment was from Beretti, and he still holds that against them."

"Yeah, an investment in drug money." AJ shook her head.

"Anyway, as the numbers started going up, it went to Beretti's head. He was unreliable, he didn't work, yet he still wanted half of the shares my dad and mom were making." Melissa said, "So my mom and dad dropped him, got him signed off and took full control of the company. I was only a baby when they cut him off. Phil and Monica were a little older, they probably remember more of the… fights and violence, I just know the stories." She explained, "He spent a little bit of time in jail, on and off, I guess. But he's built up his own company now."

"So then why does he want to keep harassing you guys?"

"Well one can only assume that he's feeling a little threatened that we now have a recording studio." Melissa said, "And he's still a bitter guy about my parents dropping him all those years ago." Melissa said.

"How are you so sure he won't harm Punk?" AJ wondered.

"Apparently he loved Punk like a son." Melissa shrugged, "I don't know, Monica will be able to tell you more, I was just a baby." She said, "I think when my dad was always busy with work, when Punk was little, Beretti would take him out, take him to the cubs and hawks games, play with him when dad couldn't." Melissa said, "He loves Phil, I still believe he does."

"I think… I think I'd be less freaked out if there wasn't guns." AJ admitted.

"They're just for show." Melissa shrugged, "He is a pretty violent guy, I guess, but… so is my dad. You'd just never expect it."

"Your dad isn't a bad man though. This man sounds like a bad guy."

"I guess." Melissa nodded, "But don't lose sleep on it. Beretti comes and goes when he pleases. It's ok." Melissa smiled. She sensed AJ didn't feel all that comfortable anymore.

"I think I'm gonna get the girls and head home." She admitted.

"I'll come help you." Melissa smiled.

"Thank you." AJ nodded as they walked off and headed upstairs.

Meanwhile in the kitchen Punk was with his mom, Monica and Dean.

"Dad is going to be mad in the morning." Monica admitted, rubbing her forehead, "Why would Beretti be so interested in a recording studio?"

"Because he owns a record label company, idiot." Punk scoffed, "He's gonna feel threatened, and you know what he's like, he's a holding grudge type of guy. He's probably still pissed at you and dad for dropping his ass." Punk looked at his mother who had now sobered up and was panicking.

"He's a bad man." Lorna shook her head.

"You were his friend." Monica shook her head towards her mother, "It was half of his drug money, and half of yours and dads, don't act like a saint." Monica said.

"I'm not." Lorna batted back, "I'm just saying… we matured as the company grew, as we grew, Beretti didn't." She said as she suddenly noticed Dean's eye, "What happened to your eye, Dean?" She shook her head as Punk turned to him, only to scowl and then look back to his mom.

"Just… tripped." Dean nodded as Lorna just nodded, believing anything right now.

"I'm gonna go wake your father. He needs to know about this." Lorna said.

"Don't." Punk shook his head, "Let him sleep. Tell him in the morning." Punk said.

"Ok." Lorna sighed, "I'm going to go see those grandbabies of mine, might make me feel better." She admitted.

"Don't wake them." Punk told her as she walked off out the kitchen, leaving Punk turning to Dean and Monica.

"Phil, can you let us explain." Monica begged her brother.

"Explain what? The fact my best friends think it's alright to just… hop onto my sisters whenever they're feeling lonely?" Punk said, "I mean… you hate him." Punk looked at Monica, "You used to always spend Christmas dinner scowling at him across the table. I don't understand what's going on."

"It's different." Monica said, "He's been here for me these couple of months, when I felt really lonely." She said, "Everyone had someone. You have April and the twins, Melissa… well she had Seth." She sighed, "I felt alone, and-"

"And what? Dean was the first guy you seen?" Punk shook his head, "Were you that desperate?"

"Hey, fuck you, man." Dean piped up, "Yeah, at first it seemed like a one time thing, and then we spent more time with each other. Who-Who the fuck even are you to tell her what she can and can't do? She's your big sister. She's old enough to know what's right and wrong."

"Don't even get me started on you." Punk laughed, "You… I expect something like this from you, but I didn't expect it from her. She's smarter than this."

"What are you saying? What-What that Dean isn't good enough for me? Is that it?"

"Yeah, exactly." Punk nodded as Dean just chuckled.

"I'm out of here." Dean said, walking out of the kitchen as Monica looked coldly at Punk.

"Believe it or not, Phil. We don't all beat to the sound of your drum all the time. Me and Dean is none of your business." Monica said, "I am your big sister. I look out for you. You don't have to look out for me."

"You're still my sister, big, little, twin… whatever… still my sister and still clearly stupid as Melissa was to get with Seth." Punk said, "C'mon Monica, there's… there's millions, billions of guys in the world… wait, wait a minute." He paused and got his phone out as Monica folded her arms, watching him type on his phone and then show her the screen as she looked at it.

"What's that?" Monica shook her head at the large digit number.

"That is the amount of males in the world right now, and you get with my best friend." Punk said as Monica just rolled her eyes, "What if I was to get with your-" Punk paused as he realised…

"Yeah, exactly." Monica nodded, "You've fucked every single one of my best friends, and Melissa's, and have I ever, ever said anything to you, have I ever told you what to do or what not to do? No, because it's your life and you control it. No one else… so… do me a favour and stop trying to control my life, let me do what I want. If I'm making mistakes, if I end up getting hurt then boo hoo, that's on me. I'll learn from it and I'll move the fuck on." Monica said, "How about you focus on your fiance now, and your two daughters. I think they need your attention now more than me and Melissa. We aren't babies." She spat, walking by him and out of the kitchen as Punk groaned, leaning over the kitchen counter, knowing that perhaps his protectiveness got the best of him a lot. A whole lot.

He and AJ got home with the girls later on that night. Not much was said about the tragic, chaotic ending to the night, and Punk headed straight for the girls nursery with both Quinn and James, to settle them into their cribs.

AJ gave Punk a few minutes in the nursery before heading on in to see him, watching him as he gently placed James down in her crib, and then put Quinn down in hers too.

"They slept right through the party tonight." AJ smiled quietly as she walked further into the nursery.

"They're angels." Punk smiled. Nothing brought a smile to his face more than looking at his daughters. He couldn't even imagine his life before them, "Where did you go… when Beretti showed up? I asked Monica to look for you but she said she couldn't find you… and then, you appeared." Punk said.

"Well I was sitting outside, to get some air. I was talking to Seth and… that's when all the cars came. He pulled me round the back of the house, made sure I was ok." She explained, "Without him there I probably would have ran right into a bullet." She admitted fearfully.

"Beretti wouldn't have shot at you." Punk said, yet unconvinced by that.

"You don't seem sure about that." AJ folded her arms, "Look, baby. I know that...with this company, comes it's enemies and competition. I get that, of course I get it. But the minute I see guns, and I hear threats, and I see your mother shaking in her boots… I start to get worried." She said, "I don't want the girls growing up around that. Maybe that's how you grew up, but I won't have them around that sort of stuff."

"And you think I will?" Punk asked, "Beretti has been around for years. He won't do anything." Punk said.

"Just like you promised me Nick and Aaron wouldn't do anything?" AJ asked.

"Aaron is in prison and Nick hasn't been around since a year ago. I think I kept my promise." Punk shook his head with confusion, "I get it, you're confused and scared-"

"No… I get confused and scared when I watch the news and hear about killings and robbings not far from here, I get confused and scared when you don't come home at the time you say you were coming home at… sitting on a front step whilst four or five black cars sped up, pointing guns out of the windows at me… that's not scared, that's just fucking bullshit." AJ spat.

"What do you want me to do about it, Ape? Huh?" Punk said.

"Make sure this man… whatever the hell his name is… stays away from us. Stays away from the girls, and your family, and the company." AJ said, "I will not risk putting our girls in danger, or putting myself in danger." AJ said.

"I won't let anything happen to you, or the girls. You know that." Punk said, "Beretti is an old family friend, alright… he won't-"

"He sounds like he hates you all." AJ said, "Didn't you figure that he'd get mad about the recording studio when it's now going to be in competition with his?" AJ asked.

"It's different. Ours is just a studio. He has a record label." Punk shrugged, "Why are you getting at me like it's my fault?" He asked. He felt like everywhere he had turned tonight, someone was getting mad at him.

"I'm not getting at you, baby. I'm just… can't you see I'm a little scared here?" She asked, "This man sounds dangerous, he looked dangerous." She said, "I don't want you around that."

"I'll be ok. I'm a big boy. I can look after myself." Punk said, "You have nothing to worry about. I promise." He said, pulling her into him as she wrapped her arms around him, feeling him wrap his arms around her.

A/N: Let me know what you think!