Ease The Stress

"Are you sure you're ok to go to work?" Punk asked after getting AJ a glass of water and talking to her in his office. She'd calmed down eventually after she realised that she had overreacted and panicked due to the clear trauma she was still experiencing from Cass's behaviour.

"I'll be fine." AJ assured him, sitting down the empty glass of water on his desk and brushing her hand through her hair, "I was just being stupid." She shook her head, embarrassed.

"You weren't being stupid." Punk corrected her, "It's ok for you to feel that way. You're only human. If we're reminded of something bad that has happened to us, we tend to run in the opposite direction." He nodded with a small smile as she smiled back up at him.

"I shouldn't have come to your work, though." AJ shook her head.

"I don't work in a dungeon." He chuckled a little, "I'll let Janice at reception know what was wrong, I'll call her when you leave so she doesn't harass you." He said, "You know if you're ever feeling like that you can come to me, even if I'm here. I will make all the time in the world for you." He said as she smiled.

"Thank you." AJ nodded softly, "I just… I saw the hair and it all came back and I just… I panicked. I figured here would be the safest place because… I'd be with you." She said as he smiled.

"Well you're right." Punk nodded, "But you don't have to worry about her. She's not gonna come back and if she did she'd be very stupid. She'll be making sure the cops can't find her and that means she'll stay away." He said as she nodded.

"I know." AJ nodded, "It's just still so fresh in my mind, you know?" She said as he nodded, "But I should get ready to go to work."

"I'll walk you out." He said, walking over and opening his office door for her as he walked with her down the corridor, "I can drop you off at work if you like." He said.

"Oh, no. It's alright. I enjoy the walk and… I think I'll need some fresh air just now." She nodded to him, "I'll see you tonight. I finish at 7." She said as Punk nodded.

"I'll be home around that time." He smiled to her, "Remember if you need anything don't hesitate to call me, ok?" He said as she nodded, stopping just outside the elevator.

"I'll let you get back to work." She smiled to him, adjusting his tie neatly and pressing her hand on his chest as he smiled, watching her lean up and kiss his cheek softly, "See you later." She smiled, walking into the elevator as Punk smiled, placing his hands in his pockets as he walked off once the doors closed. He loved that she came to him at what she thought was a time of need. He promised himself and her he'd always protect. He loved her too much to let anything happen to her, and already in just a few months, the understanding and support system they had for each other was unbreakable.

He walked back down the corridor and watched as Lance stood waiting outside at his office door.

"What?" Punk said, walking into his office as Lance followed.

"Who is she?" Lance smirked.

"None of your damn business." Punk told him calmly, walking back behind his desk and sitting down, "Can I help you with anything?"

"Yeah. Tell me why a sexy little Latina is in your office and kissing your cheek."

"Watch your mouth." Punk warned angrily. The last thing he wanted was people like Lance preying on AJ, who was all his, "She's my girlfriend. So whatever you have to say, whatever jokes you have spinning in that stupid mind of yours, keep them to yourself." He said as Lance chuckled softly and folded his arms.

"You have a girlfriend?" Lance asked as Punk tried hard to concentrate on his work and ignore him, "You? You actually have a girlfriend?"

"Yes. Why is that so hard to believe?" Punk spat angrily.

"Well… you know." Lance shrugged, "You were the one who always told me I was dumb for getting married and that… why settle to the one thing for the rest of your life." He said.

"That was before." Punk said, "And I said that to you because you cheat on your wife." Punk spat, "What I do in my personal life is none of your business." He said as Lance just groaned.

They had a love/hate relationship. They both started at the firm at the same time which consisted of them doing some work together when they first started to break in, which got them close. Ever since, he'd been in the office next door to Punk and had been somewhat of a companion. They never saw one another outside work though.

"So you're really serious? That really was your girlfriend?" Lance asked as Punk nodded, "Well hey, I guess we all gotta experiment from time to time."

"She's not an experiment." Punk shook his head, "I love her, she's-" He bit his tongue, not wasting his breath on pleading his case, "It's none of your business so quit spying on me and go back to your office. I have work to do."

"Alright, ok." Lance put his hands up in defence, "You do pick them right, that's one thing for sure." He smirked on his way out.

"Oh, get out!" Punk yelled with frustration as Lance chuckled his way out of the room.

Later that night once AJ had gotten home from a hard shift, she decided to go for a bath after taking Milo out for his night time walk. Punk still wasn't home, otherwise she would have waited for him, but she was desperate to just disappear into bubbles and close her eyes after the long day she'd had.

Once she'd soaked in the bath for long enough, she got out and put on some shorts and a t-shirt and headed downstairs to make herself something to eat. Punk had told her he'd be home around the same time as her, and it was almost two hours since she'd been home.

She understood his job was very time consuming, but she at least wanted to see him for a little while at night. She started making herself pasta when she heard the front door open and close, smiling to herself.

"Hey." Punk said as he walked into the kitchen, "Sorry, I'm late. I got… caught up." He shook his head, walking over to her and kissing her cheek softly, "Mmm, you smell nice." He said.

"I'm just out of the bath." AJ told him, "I would have waited for you but… I was impatient." She told him truthfully, "Long day for you, huh?" She frowned, rubbing his arm softly as he nodded and walked over to the table to put his things down, unbuttoning his two top buttons, his tie being long gone as soon as he stepped outside the firm.

"Yeah, a long, long day." Punk sighed to himself, "What about you? Were you ok at work?" He asked. He was worrying about her all day after she came to him this morning in a state. He just couldn't get her out of his mind.

"I was fine." AJ assured him, draining the pasta she was making for them, "I just overreacted. Once I got some fresh air and I got to work I was fine." She nodded, "This case seems to be taking it out of you." AJ admitted, folding her arms and walking over to him as he sat at the table.

"I'm working with a guy claiming he's been set up. There's nothing worse." Punk said, "I'm not a cop, which means all my digging has to be done secretly." He sighed, "And there's so many ins and outs to it all." He groaned as she took a seat across from him.

"Is there… anything I can do to help?" She asked him.

"Not really. I don't want you involved." He said truthfully, "Drug thugs are never a good sign. I know first-hand." He shook his head as AJ nodded.

"Your mom?" AJ asked as he nodded.

"Someone came and shot up our house one time." He said, "Sometimes I wonder if that's why they left. To get away from my mom's drug debt." He shook his head.

"Maybe that was… the only thing that would have protected you." AJ said as Punk just shrugged, "So the case is about a drug dealer?" AJ asked, confused.

"No." Punk shook his head, "My client is Jo. He's got a group of friends in a drug business. There's Monty, Gabe and Calvin. Monty is the one who was killed and Jo is telling me it was Gabe who killed him and set him up." He said as AJ tried to keep up, "They had disagreements about the drug business, and he said Gabe always wanted to get to him because he had a thing with his girl or something, I don't know." He waved his hand, "They had a meeting at the restaurant you work at the day that Monty was found dead." He nodded.

"Oh my God." AJ raised her eyebrows, "Sounds… complicated." She frowned.

"It is." Punk nodded, "Jo has no alibis, he's got the murder weapon, he's a friend which… we all know most killers know their victims." He said, "And I have no fucking idea how to get him out of this, and it's my fucking job." He shook his head.

"Hey, you'll figure it out." AJ said with concern. It was the first time she'd saw him really stressed and she wasn't enjoying it at all, "You always figure it out, right?" She said, standing up and sitting on his lap as he smiled to her.

"I got nothing." He said.

"What about if you could prove the murder weapon was bought by this other guy?" AJ asked as Punk looked up at her, "Maybe you could get someone to testify like maybe the shop owner who sold him the gun? Something like that?"

"You've got a good mind." Punk admired, "I'm gonna go down to the police station tomorrow and speak to the head of the case, pitch some things even though they never listen."

"Why not?" AJ frowned.

"Because I'm a lawyer." Punk laughed a little.

"Yeah, a great one." AJ said.

"Well… some of them would think otherwise." He said.

"Well that is their problem." AJ told him, grabbing his chin with her thumb and forefinger and leaning down to press her lips against his as it suddenly became heated and chaotic. He needed her kiss and touch. If he ever came home and was stressed, he normally came home to an empty house, but coming home to her made him forget about his work life. With her, it really was just the two of them and there was greater feeling, "What about dinner?" AJ mouthed against his lips, pulling apart as he trailed his kiss down to her neck.

"Fuck dinner." Punk spat, standing up and picking her up with him, placing her on the table whilst she ripped his shirt open and pulled him into her by his pants. He lifted her t-shirt from her and she lay back on the table, feeling him pull her shorts and panties down quickly as she smirked, hearing his zip go down as she cupped her breasts and looked down.

Punk licked his fingers and massaged her clit for a few minutes as she moaned, rolling her head back on the table, "Fuck, baby. Give it to me." AJ moaned as Punk smirked, pulling his pants and boxers down enough to free his hard length, getting harder by the minute at the sight of her naked on the kitchen table.

He slid the tip of his length up and down her slit a few times before entering inside her, taking her by the hips as she moaned out in ecstasy, "Fuck, April." Punk grunted, thrusting inside of her as she moaned out loudly, already dripping wet as she approached an orgasm, gripping onto the side of the table.

"Oh my God, baby." AJ cried out as she felt him deep and hard inside her, "Fuck, just like that."

"Yeah, you like that?" Punk said, running his hand up her body and to her mouth as she took one of his fingers into his mouth and sucked on it as he smirked, continuing to thrust into her. It was the best way to ease out the stress, and it helped that he loved her and saw a bright future with her.

A/N: Let me know what you think! Kind of a filler chapter as I've been busy but I wanted to upload something. The story will be picking up, I promise, just letting AJ settle into Chicago life as I don't want it to seem rushed. Thanks for the reviews.