Sad

Within the next few days things started coming together for AJ and Punk. Keala had gone back to school, telling her very few friends about her stay at the hospital. Punk had also returned to work. He felt like routine was the best thing for them. It was hard considering the boss he worked with was no longer there. He felt partly responsible for his death but it was crazy to think that way. Everything that had happened, everything that had been ruined, was down to one man. Ben.

AJ hadn't gone back to work yet. She wasn't taking any cases on as she felt it was too much stress, but had been doing some work at home, aka the hotel room they'd been living in. The good news was that they had found a house they really loved, and given what had happened to their old house, the realtor was very keen to take their offer, they were just waiting to hear back.

There was nothing more said about Punk and Dean's father. Both the boys were digesting the fact that their father even wanted to be in their lives now, and they were dealing with it all in their own ways.

"Hey, can I talk to you real quick." Dean said, standing in Paige's living room as he had come to pick CJ up to stay with him for a few nights.

"What's wrong?" Paige asked whilst CJ packed his bag with some toys. He was already stacking up a collection of things in his mother's house and his father's, but sometimes he liked to take things with him too. He was comfortable with his father and Dean was doing all he could to be the best father he could be for CJ.

"When you came to Florida with the evidence… the evidence that got Phil off." Dean said, "Did you go willingly or did my dad tell you to go?" He asked as Paige gulped.

"He might have came and spoke to me but… he didn't threaten me or anything." Paige said.

"What did he say to you?" Dean asked.

"Just that it was wrong. I couldn't see it at the time because I was so programmed into doing what my husband told me to." She said, "But he opened my eyes. He looked… heartbroken, and when I discovered that you didn't even speak to your dad I was so confused as to why he was so determined to save his son… a son he hasn't really been there for." Paige said, "He told me it would live with me forever and I didn't want that." She said, "So… off I went." She said.

"If he hadn't come to you, would you have still gone?" Dean asked.

"I… I don't know." Paige said, "A lot of what he said did persuade me. Made me not scared to come forward. But… I always knew it was wrong and that what I knew, what I could say was potentially enough to free an innocent man… it was eating at me already." Paige nodded, "Why?"

"Oh, just… he's just magically appeared in our lives now and he said he went to see you… I just wanted to make sure it was true." Dean said as Paige nodded.

"Yeah, he did." Paige said, "He was nice actually." She shrugged, "He doesn't look like a nice person but… he was. He wasn't yelling at me like most people did back then. He took the time to understand what I was going through. How I was feeling. That helped too." Paige nodded, "He wants back in your life now?" Paige wondered.

"Yeah, that's what he's saying." Dean nodded, "Phil isn't really thinking about it." He said, "He's got a lot on his mind. They're closing in on a house. Just gone back to work. Trying to carry on. You know?" He said as Paige nodded, "But… he's our dad. And I wanna believe that he truly does want to be in our lives. I just don't want to be a fool and get disappointed when he… messes up." He said.

"I think him showing interest speaks for itself." Paige said, "If he didn't care or wasn't fussed over being in your lives, he wouldn't have said anything or done anything… I'd say he's probably pretty serious." She nodded.

"Yeah." Dean said, "Well, we'll see." He said as Paige nodded.

"Daddy, I'm ready to go." CJ announced, putting his arms through his backpack straps as Dean smiled.

"Great." Dean smiled, "Is that a new backpack?" He asked, impressed.

"Yeah, it's fireman Sam." CJ said, turning around to let his father see as Dean nodded.

"Who is that?" Dean asked.

"He's the fireman." CJ turned around.

"Ok, now I know." Dean teased as Paige smiled, "Say bye to your mom and we'll hit the road." Dean said, watching as CJ turned around and gave his mother a hug. Paige crouched down to embrace his little self, giving him a kiss on his cheek before he headed off eagerly with his father.

"Why is she always the last to come out?" Punk asked, standing in the yard with AJ as they waited for Keala to come out of school.

"She takes her time." AJ defended, watching as they eventually saw Keala walk out of the door. She wasn't skipping or running to them like normal. She looked sad and tired and AJ and Punk noticed right away, "What's wrong with her?" AJ panicked.

"Calm down." Punk placed his hand on her arm, "Don't attack her." He said, watching as Keala walked over to them, "Hey, babe. How was school?" Punk smiled, taking her backpack from her as Keala took her mother's hand.

"Fine." Keala said quietly, walking out of the yard and towards their car as AJ looked down at her.

"Just fine?" AJ asked her.

"Yeah." Keala nodded as AJ looked at Punk worriedly.

"What'd you get up to then?" Punk asked her, opening up the car door and helping her into her car seat.

"Nothing really." Keala said as Punk frowned.

"You all tired out?" Punk asked her as she nodded, letting him strap her in which she normally liked to do on her own. She just didn't seem her normal self and of course he was worried, above many other things, "Maybe you can take a nap when we go back to the room."

"Yeah." Keala agreed.

"Ok, baby." Punk smiled, kissing her cheek an closing the car door over, getting into the driver's seat and looking at AJ beside him who looked worried and concerned.

Later that night after Keala had napped and ate some dinner, Punk took her for a bath in the hotel bathroom. AJ sat on one of the double beds doing some work whilst he did so. They figured maybe Keala's first day back had tired her out. She'd been through a lot in the past few weeks, and they supposed she maybe just felt tired and sore. They didn't want to make a big deal of it.

"Is the water ok?" Punk asked her, sitting back on the closed toilet seat as he watched her in the shallow water just sitting.

"Yeah, it's ok." Keala nodded.

"Baby, are you ok?" Punk asked, "You look upset." He said. Her little face made him want to cry and he couldn't stand thinking there was something or someone upsetting her. It was the last thing they needed right now and he wouldn't stand for it.

"I don't want to go to school anymore." Keala told her father truthfully.

"Why not?" Punk asked.

"Because… because when I was getting changed for gym time, everyone stared at my tummy at my bandages." Keala said as Punk sighed, "And they laughed." She said as Punk shook his head.

"Baby you just ignore everyone." Punk said, "Your tummy is healing real good, soon you won't have to wear the bandages, but you just ignore everyone." He said.

"I want it to go away." Keala cried, getting upset as Punk sighed and stood up. She still refused to look at the burn on her stomach. It scared her to know what it looked like, and she was so young that she instantly thought it would never go away, "I want it to go away and I want to go home." She cried, getting more upset as Punk sighed.

"Ok, baby." Punk nodded, lifting her out of the bath and wrapping her up in a towel and sitting back down on the toilet seat, lifting her onto his lap and she cried into his shoulder, "There is nothing wrong with your tummy. You had a bad accident, ok? That happens." He said as she continued to cry, "But it's gonna heal, sweetheart. Sooner rather than later." He said, "And guess what?" He said, "We're gonna have a new home soon." He told her.

"No, I want to go to my house." Keala cried louder as Punk sighed and cuddled her into him.

"Ok." He soothed, his heart breaking as he listened to her. Although she was young, she still had feelings and awareness, and she just desperately wanted to go home now.

AJ burst into the toilet as soon as she picked up on Keala's cries, looking on as her daughter sat, wrapped in a towel on her father's lap crying.

"Hey, what's the matter?" AJ asked sadly.

"She wants to go home." Punk eyed AJ who sighed, "And… kids at school were laughing at her bandages." He said as AJ shook her head angrily. They'd both forgotten how mean kids could be, and all they could do was be there for their baby girl.

"Hey, baby. You listen to me." AJ crouched down in front of them as Keala looked at her, still whimpering, "You are so beautiful, and your burn on your tummy is gonna heal just fine, really soon." She nodded, "But you shouldn't listen to what those kids say. Remember before the accident and you told me that you just ignored them and you only paid attention to your own friends?" She asked as Keala nodded, "You just keep doing that, baby." She nodded, "Look, me and you are matching." AJ said, standing up and showing Keala her hip where she had a bandage around still for one of her more serious burns, "And if people wanna laugh at it then they can go ahead." She said as Keala looked up at her as Punk smiled, "It's gonna heal and disappear. Accidents happen and sometimes we get hurt. But that only makes you tougher and stronger." AJ nodded, crouching back down as Keala had stopped crying.

"There's nothing wrong with you." Punk told her, "And we're gonna go to a new home soon. It's gonna be even better than our old one." He said, "Right?" He turned to AJ.

"Right." AJ smiled, "It's gonna be so much better." AJ nodded as Keala nodded too.

"Ok." Keala nodded.

"Ok, my brave girl." AJ smiled, "C'mon." She said, standing up and lifting her up from Punk's lap, "Let's go get your pj's on and get you into bed." She said, kissing her daughter's cheek softly as Keala clung around her mother's neck as Punk smiled to himself. There was no better role model his daughter had than her mother.

A/N: Let me know what you think!