"Are you happy now?" Dean said, standing in Seth's kitchen as he watched his friend clean his face and make up a bag of ice to hold on his swollen eye from Punks continuous punches.

"Well obviously not." Seth grumbled with his hoarse voice, never seeing Punk look so angry at him, and he'd made Punk angry before. He didn't think there was any chance of being Punk's friend anymore, never mind best friend. He didn't deserve to be his friend after what he had done.

"You have no idea how mad I am." Dean said, even though not involved in the centre of everything, he was still emotionally hurt by AJ and Seth's actions towards Punk, he couldn't believe they would do such a thing.

"I'm mad too Dean. I'm mad with myself. Just…" Seth raised his hand in pause and closed his eyes, "Just leave me alone." He said quietly, leaning over the kitchen sink as he looked out the window, not knowing if things would ever be the same.

Dean just nodded, still topless and in sweats, walking through the cold and empty living room, leaving the house and shutting the door behind him, trailing through the front garden with his hands in his pockets, knocking at Punk's door, waiting a few minutes for any movement before walking in the house and shutting the door behind him.

"Punk." Dean shouted in a quiet way up the dark staircase, watching a gloomy figure appear and start to slowly walk downstairs.

"What is it, Dean?" Punk sighed, reaching the bottom of the stairs and looking across to his friend.

"I just came to see if you were ok." Dean said, looking at Punk walk by him and into the living room, watching him as he walked through to the kitchen, lifeless with no energy to even respond.

He didn't see any signs of AJ, he figured she had drove off since the car wasn't in the drive, he assumed it was probably all too much for her, either that or Punk had thrown her out. Maybe both.

"Well, I'm not ok." Punk said, recklessly pulling out a chair from the kitchen table and sitting down, slouching over the table, his chin resting on his folded arms as he watched Dean pull a seat out across from him.

"Where is AJ?" Dean asked curiously.

"I told her she should leave for a few days. I don't want the kids to hear us fighting… plus, I need time to calm down." Punk said. His heartbeat was still going rapidly fast and he was still a little shocked by everything.

"Did you guys talk?" Dean asked, just trying to be there for Punk, be someone he could talk to about all of this, someone that wasn't AJ or Seth.

"Yeah." Punk said, running his hands over his face, "She gave me the same old same old." He shook his head, "She wasn't thinking, everything that had happened was just too much for her…" Punk tutted at the explanation AJ gave him.

"Don't you think you guys should work this out? Instead of avoiding each other." Dean suggested.

"I don't want to look at her. I just… I see her, with him… laughing and smiling, doing things that we were only meant to do in life." Punk said, really struggling to come to terms with all of this, so hurt, physically and emotionally. "I don't think we can ever be the same after this." Punk shook his head, frightening himself by saying it, but it was the truth, he didn't think he could be with AJ after what she had done, the reasons she gave him weren't good enough to just brush aside, he was beginning to think she slept with Seth because she wanted to, because something inside her told her to.

"Don't say that, man." Dean said, "You guys might be able to sort things out." He said, he hoped.

"I don't think I can, Dean." Punk shook his head, "When she told me, I thought I was dreaming. I never thought she would do this. Full blown out cheating." Punk shook his head.

"She has been through a lot these past few months." Dean said, trying to shine a light somewhere, anywhere, just to make Punk feel any better, if that was possible.

"Are you here to defend her or are you here to keep me company?" Punk looked at him.

"All I'm saying is, separating from each other for the short term isn't going to help anyone."

"And what about for the long term?" Punk looked up to Dean.

He didn't think he could continue with their relationship, not after this, he liked to think that they could conquer anything, he and AJ, it was always them against the world, but never against each other. He couldn't find any way to overlook this, he was hurting so bad, inside and out. He couldn't continue being with her, not after this.

The next day…

Punk had text AJ later on in the day to come back home, that he wanted talk to her and that it was urgent. He'd spent all day getting the kids tired out so they would take their naps when AJ came round, to give them some alone time to speak. He knew what he had to say would not be easy for AJ, but it was for the best, for his best anyway.

He had to admit, it was nice to see her, but then again, it just brought it all back that his wife had cheated on him through the night with his best friend. He still couldn't believe it and had a hard time sleeping last night, constantly replaying how things would have looked with AJ and Seth, how Seth had got to see AJ the way he was only meant to see her, it kept him awake all night.

"Where are the kids?" AJ asked as soon as she followed Punk into the kitchen, having not slept all night either, lying awake and thinking about how stupid and idiotic she had been to risk losing a love like her and Punks, which she betted she already had.

"They're taking their naps upstairs in our room… my room." Punk shook his head, watching AJ just tilt her head in confusion, "We need to talk." Punk said, sitting down at the kitchen table where he sat with Dean until early hours of the morning, watching AJ sit down across from him.

He was over the worst of things, but it still hurt to think about everything, Seth coming on to AJ, AJ creeping out of their house for more, it put his stomach in knots.

"I thought you wanted to have some time with me gone." AJ said, holding herself tightly, not sure what she was going to expect, preparing herself for the worst.

"I did… but I slept on it, thought about it…" Punk tilted his neck, left to right, looking across at AJ, knowing that this was for the best. If their relationship was the best it could possibly be, AJ wouldn't have slept with another man. Fact.

"Thought about?" AJ waited on him.

"I think… I think it's time to part." Punk said, looking across at her as her eyes got teary, watching her look down to hide herself from him.

AJ expected it, but yet it sounded so unrealistic to her. She never thought her or Punk would ever be apart, no matter what happened. She'd just ruined the best thing that she ever had.

"I understand." She nodded to him, she knew where he was coming from, he had every right to make this decision.

"I never wanted to do this. But I don't think we can be the same after this, I know I can't." He said. He wasn't going to abandon her, forget she ever existed, rip the kids from her and pretend he never met her. All they needed was time to part as husband and wife, for the time being anyway.

"You have every right." AJ said, "But… you'll let me see the kids though?" She asked innocently and timidly, not feeling herself around him anymore, not feeling good enough to be his wife anymore.

"Of course I will." Punk said, never daring to take the kids away from her. He watched her take a sigh of relief, standing up with shaking arms, using the table to help her to her feet.

"I best be off then." AJ said, refusing to accept that this was the way it was going to be now. Did he want a divorce? Would they live separately? Would the kids be told that mommy and daddy don't want to be with each other anymore?

"I know you don't want to hear it, but I just can't do this, not after what you've done." Punk said, standing up with her.

"I get it." AJ nodded, she deserved this, she should have thought twice about stripping her clothes off with Seth. This was her own fault.

"It's just the way it has to be. Regardless…" Punk paused as he stared in her eyes, "I still love you." He said, still loving all of her, it just wasn't the same.

"I love you." AJ nodded, blinking as a quick tear rolled down her cheek.

She figured she would have to buy her own house now, the kids would stay with her some nights while they stayed with Punk on the others. It bummed them both that they were turning into the parents they always were frightened to be.

Punk would always financially help her out, as well as the kids, he would sort her out with a new house for her and the kids, help her move her things in, but after that, it was going to be Phil Brooks and April Mendez who just apparently had twin children and were deeply in love once. Punk couldn't go on in their relationship after what she had done. He just couldn't, and he was glad AJ understood that. They could always still be friends, right?

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