"Well I'm waiting..." Punk put his hand out with confusion, turning to AJ who sat beside him hugging her knees, leaning her head back against the cupboard.
"What do you want me to say?" AJ turned to him with a shrug.
"Uh... maybe tell me why you haven't told your parents about me or the twins. You gave me such a hard time for not telling my family." Punk shook his head, "And you told me you'd told them, and they were happy for you." He shook his head. He couldn't understand why she'd lie to him and her parents.
"It's just easier they don't know. I never see them anyway." She shook her head.
"AJ... hello... is anyone in there?" He knocked his knuckles lightly against her head, "They're your parents, they have every right to know the guy your marrying, and they have every right to know their grandchildren..."
"They cut me off." AJ blurted, looking to him as he shook his head. He couldn't wrap his head around it. She always spoke so highly of her family, he knew how much she loved them.
"Why?" Punk asked.
"Because I moved here and done something with my life. My dad wanted us all to stay together. Especially me. But I didn't want to settle for the typical Puerto Rican lifestyle, I wanted to come over here and study, work hard. Somehow that offended them." She shrugged, "They told me if I left then I wouldn't be welcomed back."
"But you left anyway?" He asked.
"Yeah." AJ nodded.
"Why do you always speak so highly of them then? You always talk about them with such love and respect." Punk shook his head. Never ever woud he suspect AJ to not be on good terms with her parents.
"Because I still love them. And I miss them." She sighed, "I want to call them. Tell them about you and the twins but they wouldn't be interested." She shook her head.
"I think you should try. They probably miss you too." He said, "We should just go over, without even telling them, surprise them. You don't know how they'll react." Punk suggested.
"After all these years?" AJ looked at him,"I don't know." She sighed.
"They aren't going to turn you away if you show up. And I'll be there. It's clear they love you, I'm sure everything can be worked out." He said, playing his role of supportive fiance.
"Really?" She asked him, unconvinced. She did miss her parents, and she hated the way they parted, she wanted to see them so much, and introduce them to the twins and Punk, but she was scared there was still bitterness in the air.
"Really." Punk nodded, "You could have just told me this, you didn't have to lie to me."
"I'm sorry. I was just scared. I still think I'm not over it. You know... we were always a close family, so going from being around them all the time to just being ignored and cut off. Sucked." She sighed.
"Well we can make it right. We can fly out straight after the fight. Get the twins and go." He told her.
"Straight after your fight?" AJ asked him.
"Yeah." Punk nodded, "I'll sleep on the plane." He said, "You've been so busy running about after me these past months, ok... now I'm going to return the favour." He nodded to her, "You're going to make it right with them, so Heidi and Dylan can have their grandparents, and their uncle and aunt." Punk said, "Ok?" He smiled her way.
"Ok." AJ whispered, leaning her head against his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her, holding her close, promising that come Saturday night, AJ and her parents would be on good terms again. It almost didn't make sense to him. It was clear AJ loved her family, all the stories she had and memories, and he was sure her family loved. To him this was just stupid, and it needed to be fixed.
Saturday night...
"Give daddy big kisses before he goes out." AJ told the twins who were both sitting on the couch in the private dressing/locker room Punk had. She had agreed to stay backstage and watch on the TV in the locker room, so she could be with the twins. Punk would have preffered for her to be out in the crowd, but he always felt comforted that she was back here with the twins, waiting for him to come back with his defended title.
"Hey..." Punk crouched down to them, their little tired eyes looking at him and then to their toys around them, "Daddy's going to go fight now." Punk took a hold of Heidi's little hand, their little minds on a different planet as he watched Dylan lift a toy, making some sort of attempt to speak, a load of random noises escaping his mouth as he showed his father the toy.
"I love you both." He whispered, leaning forward and planting loud kisses on their cheeks, standing up straight, reaching for his zipper, his shorts hanging loose around his waist. AJ watched as he put his zipper on over his naked chest, leaving it opened and putting the hood up, counting on his coaches to have his gloves and other needed items.
"This is it." Punk turned to her as she nodded, making her way towards him, wrapping her arms around him as he rubbed her back in slow circles.
"Be careful." She whispered, "Beat his ass." She pulled his sweater whilst pressing a kiss on his lips, hoping to give him that little bit more strength. They had a flight booked to Puerto Rico a few hours after his fight. He'd managed to talk Jameson round and told him he could make the post conference, but would have to ditch the media the next day. She hoped and prayed he'd win, she didn't want to sit next to him on a flight if he was mad.
"I love you." Punk cupped her cheeks, pulling back from the kiss, watching as she smiled and nodded, hearing something she knew already.
"I love you too." She smiled, pecking his lips one final time before she washed him part ways from her, waving bye to the twins who banged their toys off the couch, having a jolly old time together in this new surrounding.
She watched as he disappeared out of the room, closing the door behind him. She made her way over to the couch, sitting in between Heidi and Dylan, looking up at the TV on the wall while Remen made his entrance. The crowd was insane. She could literally feel the arena shaking.
She watched as Punk made his entrance, his coaches behind him as he led the way to the ring, a chip on his shoulder, confidence at it's finest, unlike last time where she had just told him she was pregnant. He looked ready, more than ready. She had all confidence in the world in him.
Her eyes stayed glued to the TV as things got set up, both fighters getting their gloves on, having a team talk with their coaches before the bell shattered AJ's ears...
The first three rounds were pretty even from AJ's point of view. Dylan and Heidi had now fell asleep in the midst of playing with their toys, both curled into either side of her while AJ tried her best not to move, rather hard when she was watching a boxing match.
She could tell Punk was much more comfortable than last time. The real fighter inside him was coming out, sending everyone to the edge of their seats, including her own. He was busted open of course, bleeding all over the place, as was Remen. But there was no doubt Punk was dominating the fight.
She was so turned on watching him, it was hard not to be. He was a machine, he was sweaty and angry and he was completely tanking Remen. This was the way their first fight would have went if it wasn't for her announcement to him.
She couldn't help jump off the couch when she seen Remen fall to the ground after a nasty right clock from her fiance in the fifth round, watching as Punk leaned against the ropes and watched Remen. She counted to herself with the ref, her clasped hands hiding her mouth while she stood on her tip toes, looking up at the TV, the crowd deafening her.
"Ten!" She shouted, jumping up and down in the spot as she watched Punks coached swarm him in the ring, a tired but smug smile on his face, the crowd going insane. She smiled to herself, watching Punk come to the camera, kissing it and whispering his families names while looking around the arena.
Kaitlyn had quickly made her way backstage, letting AJ run out of the room to go find Punk coming through the curtain, watching the sleeping twins for her.
AJ made her way through the halls, spotting Punk coming through the curtain, an overjoyed, satisfied smile on his lips while he spotted her. She jumped on top of him, circling her legs around his waist as he spun her around, dropping his belt, her love and presence more important to him.
"You done it." AJ smiled, cupping his cheeks, not caring about the blood on her hands, pressing her lips against his as he kissed back, letting her down as he nodded.
"Where are the twins?" Punk asked her.
"They're asleep. Kaitlyn is watching them." AJ said, "You got him... five rounds." AJ placed her hands inside her hair, in more awe than Punk himself, watching as he chuckled.
Her eyes then caught on to the loser of the night, walking through the curtain, pausing when he came face on with Punk.
Punk stood, belt in his hand, looking on at Remen with a nod, watching as his hand reached out to offer an extended hand shake. Punk smiled, grasping his hand and shaking it with a smile, accepting the respect he was showing. They had an excellent two fights, and as two boxers who loved the sport, that's all they could hope for.
"Go enjoy your night." Remen smiled, smiling to AJ before leavin to go to his locker room, leaving Punk with AJ and his coaches.
"I am so... so proud of you." AJ smiled up at him with dreamy eyes, so proud of him tonight, knowing he gave it his all.
"Couldn't have done it..." Punk paused, feeling a little light headed, shaking his head to attempt to shake the feeling away, "Couldn't have done it... without..." He held on to AJ's shoulder for balance, his belt falling from his other hand, feeling each body part lose feeling starting from bottum up.
"Phil." AJ looked up at him, his eyes closing and opening, watching as he tried to shake whatever he was feeling away, "Phil... are you ok?"
There was only so much he could shake off, but something wasn't right. He suddenly felt cold after being so warm and sweaty, and he couldn't feel his legs any longer. AJ watched as he collapsed on the cold floor. Officials and doctors made their way over as she stood helpless, looking down at him, his body limp and lifeless.
"Phil." She kneeled down beside him, taking his hand, "What? What's happening?" AJ looked around at his coaches and the doctors.
"He's bleeding from inside his ear." She heard one of the doctors mumble, "We need to get him to the hospital."
"No... no, Phil... don't you dare." AJ said, terrified tears running down her cheek as she watched the doctors panic around him, his coaches worried for his well being. She knew how worrying it was to bleed out of the ear, it was the first sign of internal bleeding, and internal bleeding wasn't anything to joke about.
"C'mon, AJ." Dean came round to pull AJ away, not wanting her to see anymore, pulling her fighting body away as she tried to fight out of his grip, "C'mon, he's in good hands." Dean said, practically dragging AJ away, his arm around her waist as she kicked the air.
"Phil!" AJ shouted, "No... let me go." AJ elbowed Dean in the face, continuing to be pulled away and calmed by Dean and Seth, having seen this type of thing before, not wishing AJ to watch. She watched more people gather around Punk, worrying her even more as he lay unconscious to the world on the floor.
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