This chapter turned into a feelsy/fluffy one for the most part. I'm not sure if I should say I'm sorry or you're welcome. It had to happen though, just so these guys go progress their relationship. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy.

Saturday, April 26, 2014
WWE Live Event
BMO Harris Bank Center – Rockford, Illinois

Jet was sure Stephanie was deliberately being way too nice to her. She certainly liked being in the uppers' good books – and not having to see Hunter at all over the past couple of weeks – but it was setting her on edge. She'd got so used to having to watch her back that this new, easy going attitude was worrying her. She was somewhat settled by the fact that she now had Paul Heyman firmly on her side. Even after her disastrous end to poker night, Jet had been making more of an effort to have fun. She and AJ tried to catch some time for themselves in each city they visited, and she'd even started making time to watch the football with Stu and Stephen. That always got interesting, thanks to her team and the Irishman's team being heated rivals. Jet had invited AJ along for one of their early Sunday morning football sessions but the Jersey girl had absolutely no interest in listening to Stephen and Jet shoot barbs back and forth, evacuating the room before they even made it twenty minutes into the first half. Jet continued working with Paul and Claudio and it became clear quickly that, as good as she had been before, her technical mat work was improving immensely under their tutelage. Paul was waiting for Jet to admit that he had been right all along, but she was definitely holding off on that. He'd be even more insufferable than he usually was if she did that.

The Brit was in a better mood than usual that weekend, thanks to the house shows being in Illinois. She still had to make a three hour round trip to Rockford but she would never get tired of being able to go home to Punk when the show was over. She arrived at the BMO Harris Bank Center with a big grin on her face, eager to get back in the ring with Claudio again. She was keen to learn some more submission moves; they'd always been the area lacking in her repertoire. She was scheduled on the house show that night and the next night in Peoria, wrestling Paige. She hadn't been on any of the televised shows since the night after Wrestlemania, and no explanation had been given to the audience. Jet knew Stephanie was working on something for her and she was happy to wait patiently to see what it was. Tamina had won a Battle Royal to become the number one contender going into Extreme Rules but, from what Jet understood from the little bits of information Stephanie had given her over the past couple of weeks, that was just to tide over the Diva's scene until the Jet-Paige feud began after the pay-per-view.

Before Jet could get into the door at the arena, she was side-tracked by the little gaggle of fans who had arrived hours early in the hopes of running into some of their favourites. She smiled as she made her way through autographs and photographs.

"You're my favourite, are you going to be back on Raw soon?" a young girl asked.

Jet really didn't know the answer. She assumed her Raw return would be the night after Extreme Rules. "We'll see," she replied, winking at the kid.

Jet continued, finally reaching the end of the group where a couple who looked to be in their early twenties waited with their little baby bundled up in a stroller. Jet didn't even realise she was doing it at first, but then she was crouched down in front of the baby, making all kinds of stupid noises to get a smile out of the little boy. The parents were watching with grins, so Jet glanced up at them quickly.

"Can I hold him?"

She had absolutely no idea where that came from. She liked kids as much as the next person, but she hadn't been so soft over one since the births of her nephew and niece, and even that wore off pretty quickly. To her surprise, the parents nodded and lifted the little boy out of his stroller so Jet could hug him.

"He's so cute!" she exclaimed, snuggling the baby into her chest.

"You should have some, you'd look good as a mom," the baby's mother told her.

Jet's excitement over the baby died as quickly as it had started. She kept up a forced smile as she handed the little boy back, surprising even herself at her sudden change in mood. "He's adorable," she said, sounding less enthusiastic than she had moments ago. "I've gotta get going, I've got plenty of work to do."

Jet scurried into the safety of the arena, not looking back once. She was sure the little group of fans were shooting her confused glances but she had to get out of there. She hated having responses like this and not being able to do anything about it. Over the past couple of months she had improved massively at calming herself down and trying to see the optimistic side of things, but years of learned behaviour were hard to get away from. She didn't know why that baby had elicited such a strong reaction in her. She had started gushing over him without even realising it and then that simple comment about being a mother had frozen her.

As a child and teenager, Jet knew she wanted to be a mother. Being so much older than Olivia and Teddy gave her the opportunity to really help out with the youngest Madden children and she couldn't wait to have some of her own. Her relationship with Kurt had thrown the idea of kids out of the window. She could never have brought a child into that situation. When she was finally free of him and at a steady point in her life in Florida, Jet had been so focused on wrestling that she hadn't ever revisited the idea of having children someday. Besides, Kurt had told her so convincingly that no one else would want her, so she was sure she'd never have the possibility of children anyway. The closest she ever got was when she and Corey had drunkenly discussed having them together if they were both single and childless when she hit 35. So much of her time in her relationship with Punk had been spent just trying to figure out how to be in a healthy relationship that everything else had been left by the wayside. Now that she was with a man she loved and was happy, she came to the sudden and quite terrifying realisation that she wanted to have kids with him. Not right away, probably not for at least five years, but she definitely wanted them just as badly as she had in her teenage years. She knew being scared of that was irrational but it didn't make the thought any less frightening. They had never discussed anything concrete about their futures, so for all Jet knew Punk could hate the idea of ever having children. What if that was the deal breaker?

Honestly, the realisation that she wanted to have children with this man terrified Jet. To have her heart set on a future that she had no control over wasn't a feeling she found all that pleasant.

"Juliette, good morning!" Paul exclaimed, waving his hands elaborately as Jet made her way down the ramp to the ring.

She had no idea how Heyman always managed to get her ring time before the shows considering how many other people wanted to run through their matches, but she had long since learned not to question how Heyman did anything. She was pretty relieved to see him in all honesty; Jet knew he wouldn't give her more than a five minute break here and there so she couldn't think too much about her new found relationship fears. Those could wait until after the show.

"Morning Paulie," Jet winked. The teasing nickname had started as an accidental slip one day but, upon realising that Paul hated it, Jet had to keep it up. Even Claudio had started calling him Paulie. The Scarsdale native had his moments of wondering if doing Punk a favour was really worth it.

"Down and give me twenty," Paul ordered. Jet was familiar with the nickname punishment. She rolled her eyes good naturedly and dropped to the mat, performing the twenty push ups with ease. "Got that sass out of your system now?"

"Never," Jet replied with a broad grin.

"Hm, no wonder the two of you are such a good match," he muttered to himself, barely loud enough for Jet to hear. She caught his words and smiled even more to herself.

Jet had put off her worries the whole time she was doing work with Paul and Claudio, especially focused on the three of them trying to figure out which submission finisher would be best suited to her. She was pulling for something classic like the camel clutch but Claudio was doing everything he could to convince her into something fancier. Paul was on her side, pointing out that the Jetstream was fancy enough. After finishing their work – and being completely oblivious to Stephanie McMahon's presence at the top of the ramp, watching them for a solid twenty minutes – Jet made her way to the back with Claudio so the crew could finish setting up the last touches for the house show.

Jet briefly ran through some match plans with Paige before hopping in the shower. The two of them had been doing the same matches for two weeks' worth of house shows, they knew what was going down by now. Jet was a little disappointed that, despite their three pay-per-view long feud, she and AJ never really had the chance to go against each other, one-on-one, many times during house shows. So much of it had been other matches thrown together, or tag team bouts. Jet loved working with Paige but there was still something that didn't quite flow as perfectly as it did with AJ. It was rare to find someone that she could work with as brilliantly as she did with AJ but Jet had gotten used to barely having to discuss anything before they headed into the match. In all honesty, she was getting a little frustrated with the losses too. She knew she shouldn't be, especially considering the amount of time she spent as an unbeaten champion, but this sudden slide down the scale was not a pleasant experience. Still, she just had to hold out and wait for Stephanie to come up with something and pray she wasn't putting her faith in the wrong person.

The house show went off without a hitch and Jet found herself in the car on the way back to Chicago, suddenly having to face the fears that she'd buried throughout the day. She didn't even know if she should mention it when she got home. She wanted him to be the one to bring up the mystical future plans and hope against all hope that he wanted the same things she did. Somehow, she didn't think that was how this would go. She sighed as she cruised down the highway, trying to force herself not to think too hard. Last time she thought too hard it only ended up creating problems that weren't there. She'd keep this quiet and everything would be fine.

Regardless of whether or not Jet wanted to leave him in the dark, that wouldn't fly with Punk. He had noticed her change in demeanour over the last couple of weeks. Ever since she'd started working with Heyman, Jet had been infinitely more laid back. He loved seeing her come home without the exhaustion written all over her face. He couldn't deny that he enjoyed the many amusing phone calls from the road after she'd had a few beers with Stu while watching the soccer. Most of them just descended into her ranting about how terrible her team was doing. Punk enjoyed listening to them, knowing that she was happy again while she was away. He wanted her back as soon as he could get her, but he had never wanted her to be miserable on the road. A happy road Jet meant a happy home Jet. As such, when she walked into his house looking like she had too many things on her mind, he noticed immediately.

He greeted her just like usual, dragging her into a kiss before she could even put her bags down, and chasing her up the stairs so they could remember every inch of each other, as if they'd forgotten in just a few days. Jet seemed slightly more hesitant than usual but as soon as their shirts were off, she was perfectly into it. Then, as soon as she declined his invitation to shower with him, sending him off alone, Punk noticed her seeming to withdraw again. Something had bothered her and she was letting it play around in her head, like she did with too many things. This was where he had to step in and remind her that he was there for her. He remembered all too well what had happened the last time she thought too much on a subject without letting him in on it.

When he ventured back downstairs he found her sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the hockey repeat on the television and sucking her lip into her mouth, one of the nervous ticks she had.

"You're thinking too hard."

Jet looked up, blushing when she found Punk's face right in front of hers. "What?"

"Whatever's on your mind, talk to me about it. Don't bottle things up again."

He was concerned, that much Jet could see on his face. She rubbed her eyes, feeling suddenly tired. "It's nothing."

Punk curled his legs up on the couch, leaning forward to almost press their faces together. "I'm here for you to have someone to speak to. I know that's hard for you sometimes, but I'd really like to know, if you can figure out how to tell me."

Jet sighed. This was the part she had to work on. She had to work on not letting things rattle around her brain for too long and become bigger issues than they really were. She had to remember that he was just as invested in this relationship as she was. He'd already proved that to her. "This is scary."

"What is?"

"This. Us."

Punk tried not to let himself get hurt by that comment. She didn't mean it in the way it sounded. "What's scary about it?"

Jet leaned forward to rest her head on his shoulder and he was thankful that at least she wasn't pulling away from him. "I'm so into you, into this. I haven't ever felt like this and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do."

"What makes you think you're supposed to do anything?" Punk asked, stroking her hair lightly.

"I don't know. I told you, I'm not good at this."

"What's brought all this anyway?"

Jet was quiet for a long moment, considering carefully how to broach this subject. She had to do it delicately. "What would you do if I told you I'm pregnant?"

Punk's hands stopped moving immediately and Jet pulled back, seeing him staring at her with an almost unreadable expression. He looked some kind of mixture between confused, angry and panicked. "Are you?"

"No. I guess your face told me the whole story though." Jet couldn't believe how disappointed she was. It was just a chance encounter with that family and their baby, and yet it had seemed to change her whole outlook. She knew now that she couldn't be without children later in life, but it seemed like the only man she wanted them with wasn't on the same page.

"You just caught me off guard, that's all," he assured her, burying his face in the crook of her neck so she couldn't take anything else from his expression. His heart was slowly returning to its regular pace now that he knew there wasn't a baby on the way. "If you were pregnant, I guess we'd just deal with it."

Jet blinked slowly. "Deal with it?"

Punk pulled back, looking immediately guilt ridden. "Not like that! I mean, I'd support you if that's what you wanted to do, but I just meant we'd get on with it. If you showed up next week pregnant with my kid, I'd just have to get used to the idea of being a dad."

"But you wouldn't be thrilled."

"Well, I don't know. I just… I don't think kids are in my future."

"They're in mine," Jet murmured, staring down at her own stomach. The encounter outside the arena had reminded her how much of a non-negotiable matter that had become. "Are you saying that if I want them someday, I'll have to find someone else?"

Punk wasn't saying that at all. The thought of Jet ever finding someone else felt like knives digging into his chest. He'd never put a huge amount of thought into having children solely because he'd never been in the position where it had been at the forefront of his mind. But now, with him not wrestling and creeping closer to forty, and Jet having clearly made up her mind on the subject, maybe it was time he started thinking about it properly.

"No, I'm definitely not saying that. I don't know what's going to happen. You've changed a lot of things for me Juliette, so I wouldn't be surprised if I wake up one day wanting to have ten babies with you. You don't want to have them right now, do you?"

"No. I've got my career to think about."

"When you're closer to wanting them, we'll talk about it then," Punk said, kissing her cheek lightly. "I still don't know what brought all of this on."

"I was going to the arena on Monday and there was a couple there with their tiny baby and just… I don't know, it just hit me how badly I want that someday. It was the first time in my life that I could actually imagine that kind of future with someone and it terrified me. I'm terrified of a lot of things where you're concerned," she admitted.

Punk tugged her into his lap, resting his chin lightly on her head. He could smell her coconut shampoo and it smelt like home. "What are you scared of?"

"That you'll stop loving me, that you'll want something or someone else, that something will happen to you… I'm just scared of being without you."

"I promise you, that isn't going to happen. None of it. There is no way I could ever stop loving you, and I'll never want anything else. Nothing's going to happen to me either. It's me and you, kid. For good," he promised. "If that means putting a ring on it and popping out sprogs as often as possible, that's cool with me. There's no one else I'd rather do all that with."

This was probably their most serious relationship conversation since that early morning in Orlando when she'd told him all about Kurt and Jet had learned she wasn't a fan of serious relationship conversations. Despite that, she couldn't help continuing it. This was their chance to get a lot of things out in the open. Punk had turned his attention over to the television but Jet's soft voice drew him back.

"Hey, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For not always telling you what's on my mind. I sometimes forget that you actually want to know."

Punk smiled softly. She understood why he got concerned and that was enough to tell him that she would make progress on it. He tugged her easily into his lap, letting their foreheads rest together. "You don't have to apologise for that. I understand. Just remember that I have nothing to do that's more interesting than anything going through your brain. You don't have to leave me in the dark."

"What if you don't like something I'm thinking?"

"It won't matter, you couldn't possible think anything that will change the way I feel. I've never loved anyone like I love you."

"Why?"

Punk chuckled, thinking she was being coy and wanted him to list all the features he liked for a quick ego boost. When he saw her eyes glance down at her hands in her lap he realised that she wasn't fishing for compliments. She genuinely couldn't understand why he loved her. He forgot all too easily that someone had already broken down her self-esteem until it was bare dregs.

"You want an honest answer? I don't know. All I know is that I love every single thing about you. I love the way I can watch you sometimes without you realising and see that you're just so content with your own company for a little while. I love the way that even when you want peace and quiet, you still look at me when I get back like you've never been happier to see anyone. I love that you won't take any of my bullshit. I love it when you make coffee and you're listening to some god awful music and you suddenly start swaying a little, then you're bopping your head and before you know it you're dancing around, spilling coffee on everything and not caring because you're just so into that moment. I love the way you look like a four year old on Christmas every time you tell me stories from the road just because you love the adventure so much. I love it when you forget you stole my clothes and I can't even get mad because you look so cute in them. I love that some days you're a lioness who could rip the whole world apart and other days you're a tiny stray kitten who just needs some love and warmth. I love that you put everything you have into everything you do. I love how you can make me fall helplessly in love with you all over again every single day just by being you."

Jet knew her eyes were welling up but she made no move to wipe them. Punk did it for her, his thumbs swiping the droplets away. She couldn't take her eyes off him, finally seeing what her mother had told her about so many times. She saw the light in Punk's eyes that she'd never seen before; he was looking at her like she was everything he'd ever been searching for.

"Where do you get off being the most charming man on the planet?"

"I managed to snag the move beautiful woman on the planet so I had to up my game," he laughed, dropping a kiss on the soft skin behind Jet's ear. "It's your turn. Why do you love me?"

Jet almost snorted. How could she ever put into words why she loved him? "You like asking stupid questions, don't you?"

Instead of answering, Punk put on his pout. "Come on, I wanna know."

Jet bit her lip, thinking intently on the words. "I love you… because you fixed me when I didn't even want anyone to see that I was broken. I love you because you have this image with your tattoos and your piercings and your hardass attitude, but then you smile. When you really smile, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. When you smile like that at me it shows just how much you care and everyone understands just how easy it is to fall in love with you. You're one of most volatile people I've ever met and the two of us are like combustible elements sometimes, but there's not a single thing I'd ever change about you because you're the person who has made me happier than I've ever been. I love you because every time I go away it's like my heart's being ripped out all over again, but I know I'm always coming home to someone that I can trust to never hurt me."

Punk was sure that if he was of a slightly shakier disposition he'd have started crying. He pressed his head into the crook of Jet's neck. "Never," he swore. "Never going to hurt you."

Jet stroked his hair lightly. "I know." She lifted his head up to smile teasingly at him. "You love me so much you're gonna marry me one day, Brooks?"

She had only meant to joke with him to finally lighten the mood, especially after his 'putting a ring on it' comment. Instead, she stared into his blazing and determined eyes as he nodded. "I promise."

Jet's stomach did a somersault. He had no idea why he said that, but he didn't disagree as soon as it was out of his mouth. Maybe he hadn't even realised it himself until then but somehow he had decided he was going to marry this girl a long time ago. Judging by the way she was looking at him, that surprised her. Hell, it surprised him.

"Really?"

Punk took a second to try to pull himself together. "Yeah," he said, nodding again. "Yeah, I really think so. You want to?"

"Well… yeah, I guess." It was more than 'I guess'. "Not right now, obviously."

"I know. I have to have time to come up with a better proposal than that. I'm gonna surprise the hell out of you when the moment's right."

Jet laughed, laying her head down in his lap. "You're too cute."

"Quit calling me cute. You're killing my street cred."

"Sorry. What do you prefer? Hunkasaurus?"

Punk scowled at her playfully for a moment, losing his mock frustration as soon as Jet's soft fingers began to tickle along the skin just underneath his basketball shorts. "Are you going to be a tease?"

"Me, tease? No idea what you're talking about," Jet replied, smiling innocently. Her hand inched higher, until she squinted at him. "Are you wearing underpants?"

"Why the hell would I bother when my girl's here? That's just creating unnecessary laundry, Juliette."

"That's very presumptuous, Mister Hunkasaurus."

Punk lifted her easily, pulling her to straddle his lap. "Please stop calling me that."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll be forced to make you."

Punk's voice taking on a new low tone made Jet tingle. "And what if I like the sound of that?"

"You better run, kid."

Jet almost slipped on the hardwood floor as she dived off Punk's lap and ran around the kitchen island. He took off after her, loving her squeals when he got close enough to lunge for her. She employed her ring skills to evade him but only got as far as the hallway before he clamped a hand down on her upper arm, pushing her against the wall and crowding her in. Punk smirked down at her from his height advantage.

"Oh no, the mean Hunkasaurus has got me."

"You're in trouble now, little girl."

Punk ducked down to kiss her hard, biting her bottom lip between his teeth. Jet could definitely get on board with this kind of punishment. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer until he groaned at the angle of his neck. To save his muscles from stretching, Punk lifted Jet easily to keep her back pressed against the wall as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"You're insatiable," she murmured against his lips in between kisses.

"You've never complained before."

Jet laughed, tugging his head back to slam their lips together again. "Love you."

"Love you more, baby mama."

Jet snorted, throwing her head back and colliding with the wall. Punk's first reaction was concern but as soon as he saw that she was still laughing, he joined in.

"We're so fucking dumb."

Sunday, April 27, 2014
WWE Live Event
Peoria Civic Center – Peoria, Illinois

Every single person that passed Jet the next day in Peoria could tell that she was in a blindingly good mood. Heyman took it upon himself to rid her of the smile, forcing her into her most rigorous session with Claudio yet. He barked orders at both of them, to the point that neither Jet nor Claudio could tell who he was actually supposed to be coaching. When he called out for Claudio to hit an uppercut, Jet turned to glare at him.

"Whose side are you on?"

"I'm on both your sides," he replied with a smug smile. "Get to work, Madden. This isn't for my benefit."

"I'm failing to see how getting hit in the face by this guy's forearm is for my benefit either."

Paul smirked, unable to believe Jet hadn't noticed in a whole two weeks. "Just get to work," he repeated.

Jet did as she was told, shooting stupid faces at Paul behind his back. Claudio snorted, unable to believe that this woman was actually twenty-five years old. Five seemed more accurate sometimes. He liked seeing her behave like a child sometimes though; it was a nice change from her usual pressured existence. She was taking everything easier, a fact proven by her big smile when Dave walked down the ramp towards them. Caudio knew all about what had gone down between Jet and Dave – and between Dave and Seb for that matter – so his heckles were raised as soon as the big man stepped into the ring. Heyman shared his suspicious expression but Jet was still smiling at him. Ever since her brother had spoken to Dave in New Orleans, he really had made all the effort to not cross any boundaries and just be a pretty good friend. Now that Jet had gotten used to the change, she quite enjoyed it.

"Hey Jet, how's it going?"

"Good, as always. Working away on my submissions."

"Oh yeah? Wanna show me?"

Jet laughed. Claudio was the most built person she'd ever been in the ring with so she couldn't even imagine what it would be like to try manoeuvring around Dave. "Sure, just don't squish me. I'm working on the camel clutch so down you get, David."

Dave chuckled, dropping himself down on his stomach. Paul and Claudio continued to watch with wary eyes, no shred of trust between them for the D.C native. Jet didn't notice their stares as she settled herself on the small of Dave's back and tried to pull his arms over her thighs, despite the size difference. Dave helped her out a little and tilted his head back for Jet to lock her hands under his chin and pull. She could barely keep a grip on him and was endlessly thankful that whenever she actually employed the move in the ring it would be against people much more similar to herself in body type. She released him barely thirty seconds in, her own arms hurting more than Dave did.

"It was good," he commended. "As soon as you do it on one of the other girls, it'll look like you're killing them."

Well, attempted murder was what she was going for. "Thanks!"

"I can hang out and help you guys work if you want."

Before Claudio or Paul could come up with something to get him out of their way, the perfect excuse came strutting down the ramp towards them. Stephanie was done up in a pant suit, smiling warmly at the four people watching her.

"Terribly sorry to interrupt but I need to steal Juliette for a moment, if you don't mind."

Paul's smirk was back in full force. "By all means."

Jet looked between her new coach and her boss, sensing some kind of conspiracy. The twinkle in Steph's eye wasn't at all reassuring. Without a word she followed Stephanie back through the arena in silence, stepping into her office behind her.

Jet stepped out of Stephanie's office half an hour later with a broad grin on her face, finally feeling like she understood where she was going in the company and how she was getting there. She pulled her phone from her pocket, finally able to check what it had buzzed for in her pocket twenty minutes ago. She hoped it was Punk checking in so that she could share the good news. Her screen told her that she had a text, showing up as coming from a number that Jet didn't have saved in her contact list. She really hoped some weirdo hadn't found her cell phone number floating around online somewhere, although she would hardly be surprised. It was endlessly impressive and terrifying what could be found online. She slid her thumb along the screen to unlock her phone, and almost dropped it a moment later.

Hello cupcake. Missed me?

There's something about this chapter that I'm not quite sure about but I can't place what it is. In any case, let me know what you thought!