Feeling Small

"Why would you lie?" AJ shook her head.

"I didn't lie." Punk looked across at her.

"I can't argue self-defence for you, you do realise that?" She asked him as he looked down at the table between them, fiddling with his hands nervously, "You… you walked up to him and killed him, Phil." AJ shook her head, "A judge is gonna see that and you… what do you expect me to say? You tripped?"

"That's just one piece of footage." Punk looked up, "He'd been at me the entire time I was there. He'd get me in the yard, in the kitchen, on the way to the cells. He'd say shit to me. Get in my head. I snapped. I… I didn't mean to get so angry." He shook his head as AJ looked at him.

"Why didn't you just tell me what really happened?" AJ shook her head.

"It was self-defence. He was threatening. If I didn't kill him the he would have killed me. That's self-defence in my eyes." Punk said.

"It doesn't matter the way you see things. It matters to a judge, and any judge will take a look at that and… they'll probably make up their mind there and then." AJ shook her head.

"So what are you saying? I have no chance?" Punk shook his head.

"No." AJ sighed, "I'm saying this is gonna be difficult." She shook her head.

"Then get me a new lawyer." Punk shrugged as AJ looked at him.

"No lawyer would want this after seeing that footage, trust me." AJ sighed.

"Can't we use the fact this guy was taunting me. Pushing me over the edge. Beating me up with his friends. Isn't that good for the case?" Punk asked.

"We can but… in that moment, it's so clear to see Mark isn't even fighting back. You just attack him-"

"The way he had been doing to me." Punk nodded.

"You killed him." AJ reminded him, "No wonder they charged you with murder." She shook her head, "I don't even know if I'll pass the bail hearing with you at this point."

"Then don't. Don't fucking do it then." Punk threw his hands up, standing up as the chair scraped back, "Go home. Go be with our kids. Find me some other lawyer and forget about this because clearly it's just too much for you." He said, "I'll go back and rot in the cell they've been holding me in for three days."

AJ stood up from her chair slowly, looking across at him angrily, "Sit. Down." AJ spat as Punk looked across at her, waiting for a few seconds before sitting back down abruptly, "Don't you think I know this is killing you? It's killing me too, to see you like this. It's like we're back there all over again. Only this time it… it feels worse somehow." She said, "I'm trying to help you." She said, sitting back down, "And I can't help you if I don't even know what's going on." She said, looking across at him as he ran his hand over his face.

"I'm going back there." Punk nodded, "You know it and I know it." He said as AJ shook her head.

"No, you're not." AJ said, "You're right. I can still argue that there was a threat to your life. The prosecution is just gonna milk the fact that Mark put up no fight, but I'll be ready, just… leave that to me." She nodded, "The bail hearing is just minimal evidence and proof that… you aren't a danger to society. I'll be ready and you'll be able to come home. Ok?" She said. She could already see him slowly fading away. He had to have been terrified. He had to have been thinking back to those awful five years he spent locked away. She didn't blame him for feeling this way. For thinking so negatively.

"And if I don't get granted bail?" Punk asked, "Then what?"

"We'll… cross that bridge when we come to it." AJ shook her head, "The hearing is tomorrow morning. Just one more night. That's all." She said, trying to get him to think positively.

"Jamie hasn't shown up?" Punk asked.

"No." AJ shook her head, "And if he did there… there wouldn't be much for him to do. Dean and Seth have been taking turns of staying the night at the house. Dom takes Jess to school and waits on her coming out. Your mom has been taking care of Jo." AJ nodded, "You don't have to worry about us." She nodded.

"What about Ian?" Punk asked.

"He's coming up today." AJ nodded, "When it comes to the trial, it'd be useful for him to testify." She said, "I just wanna get the bail hearing out of the way and then we can build the case." She said as he nodded.

"I'm sorry for… getting at you. It's not your fault." He sighed, "This place is killing me already." He shook his head as AJ nodded, trying not to get upset.

"I know, and I'm so sorry." AJ shook her head, running her hand over the table and taking his in hers, "I'm gonna do everything I can. But I need you to be honest with me, Phil. Keeping things from me only hurts your case, so much." AJ nodded, "So if there's anything else I should know, then please tell me." She shook her head.

"There's nothing else." Punk shook his head, "I just… I didn't tell you about how it actually happened because of… how it made me look." He said, "I didn't want you to think of me any differently." He said.

"I don't." AJ said, "You were going through a hard time, that man was evil and he was on you every day, you snapped and I'm sure you didn't intend for it to go that far, but your back was against the wall. I understand that." AJ said, "And like you said, maybe if you hadn't done that, you wouldn't be here." She said as Punk looked across at her and nodded, "There's no point in… reflecting about what you should have done. It's done now and… we'll build a defence for it." She nodded.

"How are you so positive?" Punk wondered in awe. She looked like she was keeping everyone together.

"Because if I'm not positive, I'll fall apart." AJ shook her head, "And I can't afford to do that." She said as Punk just nodded, "It's just one more day, one more night." She nodded.

"Yeah." Punk sighed.

AJ finished her visit with Punk before signing out at the station and collecting some files before she was tapped on the shoulder. She turned around and looked on at the woman standing in front of her.

"Can I help you?" AJ asked.

"I'm the prosecutor on the Brooks case." She smiled sarcastically as AJ looked at her, "You know, I don't see how anyone can take what you have to say seriously when you're sleeping with your client." She raised a brow as AJ just nodded, "I'm Katherine Brown." She extended her hand as AJ looked at it.

"I'm leaving." AJ nodded, pushing by her hand and walking down the station.

"He doesn't stand a chance." Katherine told her as AJ kept walking. She knew prosecutors favourite thing to do was get into the defendants head. She was used to this behaviour.

Just as she got out of the station her phone rang, she got it from her purse, standing in at the side as she saw it was Jessica's school calling her.

"Hello." AJ answered with worry, "This is she." AJ nodded, listening in closely, "What kind of incident?"

AJ walked into Jessica's school, walking around the corner to the office where she was directed to the principal's office where she was told to come and collect Jessica from.

She walked on into the room, looking over at Jessica sitting on the chair in front of the desk whilst the principal stood up.

"Thank you for coming." The principal nodded as AJ walked further into the room, noticing another little girl sitting over in the corner of the room, "I'm sorry for… any disruption to your day, Miss Mendez." She said as AJ just shook her head.

"No, it's fine." AJ said, "What's going on?" AJ asked, looking on at Jessica, "What's in your hair?" She noticed patches of white string like texture through Jessica's dark hair, "What's in her hair?" AJ turned the principal.

"I called you here because Jessica was fighting in the yard. She hit another child." The principal said as AJ looked on at Jessica who was avoiding eye contact with her mother, "Violence at this school is not tolerated, Miss Mendez. I'd like that to be enforced in Jessica's life as much as possible. I've already gave her detention, but the lesson has to be learned. Sarah over here had to go see the school nurse. Her nose was bleeding." She said as AJ looked over to the other little girl.

"My daughter has been being bullied in this school for weeks now." AJ shook her head, "So maybe it's you who ought to be enforcing new rules onto your staff to be more aware of what's going on. My daughter was starving herself because of comments from other girls in her class." AJ said, "Comments from you." AJ looked over to the little girl in the corner, standing up as Jessica watched, "You know what you are? You're a bully." AJ said, crouching down in front of the little girl who looked terrified.

"Uh… Miss Mendez." The principal stood up.

"Don't go near my daughter ever again, do you understand me?" AJ asked as the little girl nodded immediately, "Stay away from her." She said, walking back over to Jessica, "C'mon, Jess. Let's go."

"Uh… Miss Mendez, I am not finished." The principal shook her head.

"Well I am." AJ said, "And actually I'd like you to go back on your decision to give my daughter detention. She's the victim in all of this and conniving little girls like that." She pointed over to Sarah, "They always turn it around on the victim." AJ said, "Or I'll move my daughter schools and go to every news agent in this city and tell them how shit this school is. You decide." AJ nodded as the principal gasped a little.

"Mom." Jessica whispered with shock.

"C'mon, baby." AJ nodded, opening up the door for Jessica who walked on out of the office. AJ followed out, slamming the door shut behind her and taking Jessica's hand, walking her out of the school before she exploded into smoke. She wasn't in the right frame of mind to be dealing with a situation like this. Her immediate reaction was to protect her daughter, to shield her like a lioness would with her cub, and that's exactly what she did.

"Ok, in you get." AJ said, helping Jessica into the car, noticing her hair up close as she realised it was gum that was through her hair, "Is this… gum in your hair?" AJ asked, trying to peel it out, only making it worse as it got stuck through the strands.

"That's why I hit Sarah. She was sitting behind me and put it through my hair." Jessica said, "And now it's all sticky." She sighed as AJ nodded.

"It's ok, we'll get it washed when you get home." AJ nodded, kissing her head softly.

"Mom?" Jessica said as AJ strapped her belt in.

"Yeah?" AJ sighed tiredly.

"When is dad coming home?" Jessica asked, "I miss him." She sighed as AJ looked at her sad eyes and nodded. She hated that things had to be so broken right now, it was like they really couldn't get any worse.

"Soon." AJ cupped her cheeks, "I miss him too." AJ nodded, "He'll be home soon." She said, kissing her head, a tear rolling down her cheek as Jessica noticed.

"Why are you crying?" Jessica frowned.

"What?" AJ wiped the tear quickly and shook her head, "I'm not." She smiled.

"Yeah you are." Jessica said as AJ dried her face.

"I just… I don't want you to get hurt by what those girls are doing to you." AJ shook her head, "Because you're so much better than them. A better person." She said.

"I'm fine." Jessica said, "Don't cry." She frowned. Seeing her mother upset was almost foreign, because she was always so strong and kept together, but it felt like she'd saw a broken part of her mother today.

"Ok." AJ nodded, "I'm just being silly." She laughed a little, "C'mon, let's get home and get your hair washed." She said as Jessica nodded.

She closed the door over and got in behind the wheel, taking a deep breath before pulling out of the space. She felt like her children were the only things holding her up right now.