A/N: I apologize for the long wait! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, it's nice to know how much some people really enjoy this story :) Anyways it's time to end this past arc and start a new one! Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Chapter 38

It was AJ's favorite time of any of month, Pay-Per view Sunday. She used to get goose bumps as a child waiting for the show to air and that had not changed since she joined the company and started performing in the show herself. But tonight she wouldn't be fighting like she had been look forward to but instead dropping her title. The original story was to have AJ just not show for the match and have the title stripped from her but with Paul's latest antics everything had changed. Tonight would be a ten Diva battle royal to determine the new Diva's champion. AJ would be at ringside to watch the match. She was really excited for this baby and starting this new chapter but part of her was disappointed she had to give up her title so quickly. She frowned looked at the belt one last time.

"AJ?" Vince McMahon questioned, startling the young diva who slightly jumped at the sight of her boss

"Hi Mr. McMahon" AJ smiled hopping off the crate she was sitting on "What are you doing back here?" she asked looking around the loading area where she frequented to collect her thoughts

"I was about to ask you the same thing" The chairman smiled "I heard a rumor this is where you hide out" he said scrunching his nose around the area "Interesting"

"It's quiet" she shrugged slightly and Vince just nodded in approval

"I suppose it is. Anyway I'm here to talk to you about tonight" Vince smiled clasping his hands together

"Has there been a change?" AJ asked nervously

"A slight one yes" Vince smiled "It seems Mr. Heyman forced our hands with this storyline and we had to change some things around and bump some stories up. There's an idea I'd like to run by you"

"I'm all ears" AJ smiled

In his locker room Punk was tapping up his hands. He was about to make his in-ring return at Payback in his hometown of Chicago. The feud between himself and Dolph wasn't as hyped as he thought it would be. Just their brief interaction on Raw last Monday and on Smackdown Dolph officially challenged Punk to the match. It was of course a none-title match. The creative team wrote in an injury for Alberto who was supposed to get his rematch against Dolph at Payback but they felt Punk was the bigger draw for the show and he would be filling in for the 'injured' Alberto Del-Rio. Part of Punk felt bad, he knew what that felt like all too well but if there was one thing in this company he had learned was you could only look out for yourself.

"Hey" Big E Langston said walking into Punk's locker room

"Is he here?" Punk questioned the larger man who had become a friend of his

"I haven't seen him and I've asked around" Big E shrugged "I'm sure he's here the show is starting soon"
Punk had tasked Big E Langston to find Paul Heyman for him, but since Monday night he hasn't seen him. Clearly Paul was avoiding Punk's wrath

"Great" Punk muttered

"Why don't you just let it go? It's over and done now. Nothing you say or do is going to change what Paul did Monday night" Big offered

"Because if I let Paul Heyman walk all over me then soon everyone will be" Punk told the rookie wrestler "Take this as a lesson, you never- ever let anyone get away with putting you down. You'll look weak and that will leave you vulnerable"

"So what are you going to do when you see Paul?" Big questioned

"Not sure yet" Punk said concentrating on his taped hands. AJ walked into the locker room and smiled at the sight of her friend Big E

"Hey Big" AJ smiled

"AJ" Big said eyeing the petite diva as Punk looked up and also looked at her

"I'm here too" Punk offered with a frown

"Hi baby" AJ smirked walking towards him and giving him a kiss "Be careful with him tonight" AJ warned her friend. She knew during the fight Big was supposed to attack Punk "If you hurt him I'll kick your ass"

"Trust me I don't want to mess with you" Big assured her with a laugh "I'll see you out there Punk" Big said then walked out of the locker room

"Are you ready?" AJ questioned

"Yea, hope I'm not too rusty though" Punk said looking up at her "I didn't train that much in my free time"

"You're the best in the world" AJ reminded him "You'll do great"

"I wish I shared your confidence" Punk muttered "Where have you been by the way?"

"Oh I was clearing my head a bit" AJ said placing her title belt down on the couch

"In the loading area?" Punk questioned and she nodded "I hate that you hang out there. Can't you hang out in the Diva's locker room or catering like a normal person"

"But I'm not normal" AJ reminded him then gave him a wicked smile "And that's why you love me"

"Yea that's the reason" Punk remarked sarcastically

"I also ran into Vince" AJ informed her husband perking his interest "We went over the plans for tonight"

"You're not getting involved" Punk warned his wife. He knew she knew better then to try to get physically involved with the battle royal or the fight he was having against Dolph later "I mean it AJ"

"Relax" AJ assured him "Future storyline discussion, a new chapter for me. He's trying to work out a way to keep me on TV. Turns out I'm a favorite" she smirked smugly. Punk couldn't hide his grin. He was defiantly rubbing off on AJ.

"So I've noticed. One of the top selling superstars surpassing all the Diva's and most of the male roster" Punk couldn't hide the fact that he was proud
of her "So what's the plan?"

"Not sure yet" she said averting her eyes back over to her belt

"You're a terrible liar" Punk pointed out "You can't lie so I don't know why you bother trying. Just tell me"

"I can't I promised I'd keep it to myself until everything is finalized" AJ told him

"Ok" Punk said with a nod "Can you at least tell me I'm not going to hate it? It's not going to involve you being at ringside or anything will it?"

"No" was all AJ said then there was a knock at the door

"AJ you're up in five minutes" A producer shouted from the outside

"Coming!" AJ shouted back picking up her belt she gave Punk a quick kiss and headed to the door. Before she could leave he gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her back

"I just want you to know how proud I am of you" Punk told her. He knew giving up her belt was killing her. "You made a hell of a champion and not far down the line you'll be back and holding that ugly butterfly belt again"

"Thank you" AJ said with a soft smile then left the room and headed out to the ring

AJ stepped out on stage and wasn't at all surprised when the crowd cheered her. The Chicago fans that were so loyal to Punk were in turn loyal to AJ. She headed down to the ring and grabbed a microphone. There were chants of 'thank you AJ'. Most of the fans assumed she'd be announcing her retirement. She soaked in the cheers for a few moments before beginning her completely unplanned speech.

"Before I hand off this title I want to just say how much holding it has meant to me. Those of you who know my story know how hard I fought to get here and winning this championship is something I never took lightly and I can only hope that even though my reign was short it was sweet and left an impression on this wonderful universe that I love dearly" she genuinely told the crowd "Obviously you all have questions and hopefully I'll be able to answer some. Yes I am pregnant and even though I love wrestling it's for the best well being of my child that I step away from the ring for a while. But that doesn't mean I'm going away. I'm not leaving the WWE nor do I have any intentions to do so in the future. The world has come a long way and it is possible to work and be a mom and I'm going to prove just that" she smiled "This isn't the end for me it's just the beginning" she finished and that's when the music of Stephanie McMahon blared threw the speakers and the vice president made her way down to the ring wearing a smile as she entered the ring and took a microphone.

"Let's hear it for AJ Lee!" Stephanie shouted as the crowd cheered "And AJ is right this isn't the end of her because there are changes coming and I'm excited to announce them now" she said to the crowd "Starting Monday night new and former General Manager of Raw AJ Lee will be taking her position back as the leader of WWE Raw" she informed the crowd "With the assistance of Brad Maddox I am sure they will take Raw to new heights" she smiled "Interm General Manager Vickie Guerrero will be moving to Smackdown" the crowd of course booed at the sound of Vickie's name "I speak for my father, husband and myself when we say welcome back AJ and thank you" Stephanie said as AJ nodded a thank you "With that being said let's get this battle royal started"

The battle royal featuring Nikki, Brie, Layla, Alicia, Cameron, Naomi, Natalya, Aksana, Beth and Kaitlyn went on for about ten minutes and at the end Kaitlyn's arm was raised and she was rewarded her Diva's championship that she had lost a few months back. AJ couldn't show it on camera but she was thrilled, if anyone had to have her title Kaitlyn was the right choice. AJ headed backstage and managed to catch up to Punk before his match.

"GM again huh?" Punk questioned raising an eyebrow

"They want to keep me featured regularly" AJ shrugged

"That was a nice speech you had out there" Punk said to her "You did good"

"Thank you" she smiled "Now go out there and kick Nick's ass"

"They don't call me Best In The World because of my dashing good looks" Punk teased

"Not arguing there" she teased back as Punk raised an eyebrow

"Punk you're up!" a producer yelled

"I love you AJ" AJ said giving him a kiss on the cheek "Be safe" she finished and watched him walk towards the stage. As soon as he was out of sight the crowd erupted. She had never heard a reaction like that in person from a live audience.

AJ headed down the hall and bumped into Vickie on her way back to the locker room to watch Punk's match.

"AJ" Vickie smiled giving her a hug "You did wonderful"

"Thank you" AJ smiled "Are you ok with all of this? They told me you were-"

"I asked to move to Smackdown" Vickie said cutting her off "It's a lighter travel schedule and I need that. I'm getting a little old for all this" she said with a laugh

"As long as you're ok with it" AJ insisted. Vickie was kind of the surrogate mom to all the Diva's and Superstars for that matter backstage. The last thing AJ would want to do is hurt her.

"I suggested it" Vickie confided "You're going to do great and you're going to prove that you can still work and have a family. Good luck and if you need anything call me" she said giving AJ another hug

"I will and thank you" AJ smiled pulling away.

Heading into her locker room she was surprised to find someone sitting on the couch she was planning on curling up on to watch the fight. But then again maybe she wasn't too surprised….

"Paul" AJ said threw gritted teeth "If you don't get out of here right now I am going to scream so loud that every superstar, security guard and worker in this arena are going to rush in here and believe me they will attack first and ask questions later"

"No need for the dramatics Mrs. Brooks" Paul smirked, relaxing further into the couch "I just came to congratulate you. Your success is at an all time high, one of the company's most popular Diva's in nearly a decade"

"I'm going to count to three" AJ warned shooting off one of her signature crazy glares

"I also want to apologize for Monday night, I didn't realize you and Phil were keeping your child a secret" Paul started

"One" AJ started the count

"It obviously wasn't my place to say anything" Paul offered

"Two" AJ said slowly clenching her fists at her side

"And bringing up Scott Page's name was really low even for me" Paul added

"Three" AJ finished and with the mention of Scott Page's name AJ ran towards her husband's former friend screaming and slapping at him.

"Would you-" Paul said standing up covering his head with his hands but AJ's assault didn't stop

"I hate you!" AJ screamed as she scratched and slapped at Paul over and over again "You tried to ruin my life! You hurt Phil!" she yelled still going to work

"AJ, AJ!" the voice of Daniel Bryan didn't stop her from the task at hand

"Get her off of me before I do!" Paul shouted still in a defensive position

"AJ you have to calm down" Daniel insisted pulling AJ from Paul as gently as possibly

"What the hell is going on?" Kaitlyn questioned entering the locker room with Brie not far behind

"I hate you!" AJ screamed again

"AJ stop it" Kaitlyn instructed leading her out of the locker room with the help of Brie

"What the hell was that?" Daniel asked Paul "Are you really still this bitter you have to go after her still? They're married now Paul and have a baby on the way. I don't think it matters what you say or do anymore they're not ending anytime soon"

"I just came to-" Paul started

"-if you finish that sentence with apologize I'll knock you out" Daniel warned "You've done enough and I highly suggest you get out of here before Phil comes back here"

"Well I suggest you stay out of my business 'Dragon'" Paul mocked "This doesn't concern you"

"It certainly does. You used to be a respected name in this business and now you get your kicks out of going after your friend and his pregnant wife?" Daniel questioned

"There's a method to my madness I assure you" Paul smiled

"AJ please calm down" Kaitlyn said as she and Brie watched AJ shake her hands and move erratically around the locker room

"You shouldn't be getting this upset" Brie noted with concern on her face

"I hate him" AJ seethed looking down at the floor

"Then don't let him win" Kaitlyn shot at her friend "This is what he wants! He wants to be in the spotlight with Punk and using you to do it"

"I can't let that happen" AJ said shaking her head "I can't let him win"

"Yea so calm down" Kaitlyn said watching her friend as Brie stepped over with a bottle of water

"Don't you want to watch the fight?" Brie asked AJ pointing to the screen where Punk and Dolph were currently fighting

"Yea ok" AJ said finally taking a seat

"You need to be more careful AJ" Kaitlyn reminded her friend "If Paul wanted to he could have pushed you back and what if you fell? He could have hurt the baby"

"I know it was stupid" AJ bit back shaking her head "He just gets me so mad"

"You're going to have to learn to control that a bit" Kaitlyn said to her "This is really important"

"I know, I know" AJ defended

"Next time you want to hit someone just call me" Kaitlyn told her seriously

"Or me and I'll call Daniel" Brie chimed in with a smile

"Thanks" AJ said to them offering a weak smile

As soon as Punk's arm was raised in victory he headed to the backstage area. It was a good match and he didn't show the ring rust he was expecting (at least he was pretty sure he hadn't) but he was in pain. He took some shots to the ribs from both Dolph and Big E. And his knee was starting to sting. He limped through the curtain and was greeted by some of the producers who were complimenting the match.

"Hey!" the loud booming voice of Curtis Axel caught the attention of Punk who turned his head to see the young newcomer head straight towards him. Punk watched cautiously as he approached. He had never had any beef with Curtis but he was still working with Heyman, which didn't make him a friend "I am so sick of this crap with you and Paul!" he shouted "This is getting ridiculous! This is the second event in less then seven days Paul has been forced to leave before a show ends!"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about" Punk said getting defensive and standing up as straight as he could with his bad knee in order to be eye level with Axel

"You attacking him is one thing but now your wife does it to? What is wrong with you people?" Curtis questioned "He's harmless! Which is more then I could say for you and your little sidekick"

"Again I'm not sure what you're talking about and I really don't give a crap because you lost at me at 'Heyman is harmless'" Punk replied coolly

"Oh please you call Paul a coward but it's you who sent your pregnant wife after him. I mean come on man!" Curtis shouted

"What do you mean AJ went after him?" Punk asked starting to get worked up

"In your locker room" Curtis said to him "He went in there to smooth things over and she jumped all over him like a bitch in heat!" the last comment earned Curtis a hard slap across the face from the former champion. Punk decided the conversation was over and headed towards his locker room. He opened the door and found AJ packing up her bag

"You looked great out there" AJ smiled walking towards him but was alarmed when Punk remained still

"What happened with Paul?" was all Punk said

"It's not a big deal" AJ insisted "We'll talk about it later"

"Now AJ" Punk demanded

"After my segment I came back here and found that walrus lounging around here like it was his locker room" AJ started to explain "He had the nerve to try and apologize but he was really just trying to get under my skin and I told him to leave and he wouldn't"

"So you attacked him?" Punk asked stunned

"I didn't really attack him" AJ said trying to ease his mind "I slapped him and possibly scratched his face a few times, Daniel came in and got rid of him"

"And you thought that was a good idea?" Punk questioned still surprised AJ would take such a risk "You can't go around hitting people AJ you don't know who will hit back!"

"I just wanted him to leave!" AJ yelled back

"You should have left!" Punk yelled matching her volume

"No this is our locker room and I will be damned if I ever give Paul Heyman that kind of satisfaction" AJ told him coolly folding her arms in a sign that she wasn't backing down. But either was Punk and she could tell by his eyes

"That was a stupid thing to do AJ" Punk informed in her a lower voice but his tone was still harsh "You could have gotten yourself or the baby hurt, don't you think before you act?"

"Clearly I don't" AJ shot back zipping up her bag and placing it over her shoulder "I'll see you back at the bus" she mumbled storming past him and out of the locker room

The night was a quiet one. Punk and AJ didn't talk for most of the night. Both still angry at one another and both too stubborn to be the first to apologize. Heading into Raw was filled with awkward silence and an all around uncomfortable vibe. You could cut the tension with a knife. They walked into the building together but feet apart.

"Hey AJ!" the cheerful voice of Brad Maddox stopped both Punk and AJ in their tracks and both turned to see the excited man standing behind them. "I was wondering if you wanted to go over a few things for tonight?"

"She's not really in a talking mood Brad" Punk said eyeing AJ who rolled her eyes at her husband then put on a smile for Brad

"I think that's a great idea" AJ said walking towards Punk removing her bag from her shoulder and placing it in Punk's hand "Would you mind bringing that back to the locker room?" she asked in a wickedly sweet tone filled with sarcasm. Oh how he loved her.

"Of course not dear it would be my absolute pleasure" Punk responded swinging her bag over his free shoulder matching her mocking tone

"Good boy" AJ mocked tapping him on the head and watched as he bit down on his lower lip to force himself for saying something he would regret. He rolled his neck in anger and watched as she skipped off with Brad Maddox

"She's mad at you" the voice of Triple H said behind Punk

"No I'm mad at her" Punk corrected

"I suggest you let her win this one" Triple H offered "She's highly emotional and it will only get worse the longer you drag this out"

"You don't know what you're talking about" Punk said annoyed

"Your mad she slapped Paul and you probably said something stupid to her- I've been there" Triple H reminded him "Just suck up your pride for once because that women is carrying your kid"

"Is there a reason you're here talking to me?" Punk asked wanting the subject changed.

"Yea it's about tonight I know originally you were supposed to be facing Big E but there's been a change. You'll be fighting Axel" Triple H told him as Punk squinted his eyes at his boss

"I told you I want nothing to do with Paul or any of his clients" Punk reminded him "Change it back"

"Paul Heyman has pissed off Vince and a lot of other high ups here. They want him punished and you'll be the one doing it threw Curtis Axel" Triple H informed him "You'll go out there and dominate the entire match"

"So to hurt Paul you're going to punish this young kid who doesn't know any better? And better yet you expect me to be the one to do it?" Punk asked with a laugh "Not happening"

"It's happening" Triple H told him in a low voice "And you get paid to do what we tell you. This is the business Punk, when I was the new guy and the kliq got into trouble I was left holding the bag" he reminded him "That's just the way it works around here"

"Can I at least hit Paul?" Punk asked knowing he wouldn't get out of this one

"Yea I don't care, knock him around as much as you want" Triple H shrugged then walked away

An hour before the show AJ still hadn't returned to the locker room and Punk had just about had it with the silent treatment. He stood up and decided to look for AJ and make it right. He was going to do the unthinkable and admit defeat (even though he knew he was right) just to appease his wife. He headed down the hall and didn't take long to find her. The voice of Brad Maddox is what drew Punk's attention first

"AJ please I'm sorry!" Brad pleaded helplessly. Punk pushed open the door to the mock office and found AJ in tears in a chair and Brad kneeling at her side trying to sooth her "I don't know what to say"

"What the hell did you do?" Punk asked Maddox in disgust. Punk's voice caused AJ's head to pop up and she jumped out of her seat and ran towards him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Punk quickly wrapped his arms around her small frame and glared at Brad. "What did you do?" he asked again in a tone that caused Brad to freeze in fear

"I…I…we were just…." Brad was stuttering and stumbling over his words in fear of the larger and knowingly overly protective man

"It wasn't him" AJ sniffled into her husband. He could feel the tears wet his shirt "It's me, I'm sorry" she said sadly "You're right, please stop being ignoring me" the guilt washed over Punk in an instant

"It's alright" Punk promised his clearly over emotional pregnant wife "I'm sorry too"

"You are?" She asked pulling away

"Yea I am. I shouldn't have ignored you either" Punk said running his thumb under her eye to wipe her tears

"I'm really emotional" AJ said pulling away "Last night I was really angry and today-"

"-you're crying- a lot" Brad chimed in earning another glare from Punk

"I'm so sorry Brad" AJ said turning to him giving him a hug. Brad was about to wrap his own arms around AJ but watched Punk cautiously and decided that the man didn't like him as it was, it would be best to just tap her back slightly and pull away

"It's alright AJ" Brad said as he pulled fully away "We have some time to talk about this later before the show"

"Ok" she sniffled

"Come on AJ" Punk said taking her hand glaring at Maddox one last time (he really didn't like the man for some reason) and leading her out of the room.

"Are you really fighting Curtis tonight?" AJ asked as they approached their locker room

"Looks that way, it's what the boss wants" Punk shrugged opening the door for AJ and following her in

"I thought they were going to continue with this Dolph story" AJ said to him

"They told me they have big plans" Punk mocked "We'll see what they can pull out"

"I really am sorry about last night" AJ said to him "I shouldn't have risked getting hurting like that because of Paul"

"Look I can't say I wouldn't have reacted the same way" Punk admitted "But you know how important you and this kid are to me, right? If you would have gotten hurt because of Paul of all people I don't know what I would have done"

"You're right" she said sadly as he sighed

"But it's over and done with and you and the baby are ok so let's just move on alright?" he said placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder

"Ok" she smiled back

About twenty minutes to show time AJ was back in her professional suit wear which she wasn't a huge fan but she was excited to get to do this job again. She loved interacting with the entire roster. She finished lacing up her converse and headed to Stephanie's office who had asked to see her before the show started. She knocked on her door and watched as Stephanie opened it a crack then smiled when she saw AJ and let her in

"You're just in time" Stephanie smiled "You have a really important job tonight"
"I'm excited" AJ said with a smile
"Tonight you are going to announce you've re-signed a former talent" Stephanie informed her and AJ would be lying if she said she wasn't intrigued. AJ hadn't heard any rumors on a former talent coming back

"Really? Who?" she asked her boss eagerly

"A big talent from TNA" Stephanie told her and that really got AJ's attention "Jeff Hardy"

"Jeff Hardy?" AJ asked stunned then grinned. She was a huge Hardy Boyz fan growing up "Is he here like right now?" she asked

"Yea he's on his way in" Stephanie said with a grin "He's worked hard to change his life around and giving him this opportunity seems like the right thing to do"

"I'm sure he'll do great" AJ said to her

"When you go out there and announce the participants for this years Money In The Bank, Jeff will be the last name you announce" Stephanie told her

"Each participant will come out as well. No fights are to go on at all in the ring so you'll be fine out there"

"I'm not worried" AJ assured her as the door opened and her childhood crush Jeff Hardy walked in

"Jeff welcome back" Stephanie smiled shaking his hand

"Hi!" AJ squealed like a nervous fan "I'm a huge, huge fan" she said shaking his hand

"So am I" Jeff smiled at the young diva "You've been having an impressive run as of late"

"Oh my god" AJ smiled at Stephanie "Jeff Hardy thinks I'm impressive"

AJ made her way out to the ring with Brad and they began to announce the superstars fighting in the 'All Star' money in the bank match. Keeping in true to her character when she read off CM Punk's name she said it with slight disgust. Punk stayed true to his arrogant character and mocked AJ slightly as he entered the ring. The writers were kind of stumped as to what to do with the story of AJ being pregnant. Obviously everyone knew Punk was the father and the creative staff had made the move to just not address directly (a lot like they did during Stephanie's pregnancy) and have fun with it. Sheamus, Randy Orton, Kane, Christian and CM Punk were all waiting on the last name to be read. They had been told it would be Chris Jericho only a select few knew exactly who was walking out next. Not even Brad knew for sure so AJ took the lead.

"And as for the last superstar to be added to this stellar line up of wrestlers give or take a few" she said shooting looks at Punk and Daniel Bryan "Is a man who I know you all love, a man who I personally re-signed myself" AJ told the crowd proudly "A man who I know is for sure going to make this match the most extreme money in the bank match in history!" she smiled that's when the familiar music of Jeff Hardy began to play and the crowd went wild. There was no denying Jeff was a fan favorite no matter what. Punk watched as Jeff did his stupid dance with his face paint and shook his head in annoyance. AJ watched Punk's reaction and she wasn't sure if it was just for camera but he looked annoyed as a matter of fact everyone in the ring did as Jeff entered and climbed the ropes. Jeff jumped off the ropes and went to go into the next corner but Punk was leaning on in it and he wasn't about to move for Jeff Hardy. They had a stare-down that made AJ and most of the other people in the ring uncomfortable. I'm sure for the camera it looked great but AJ couldn't imagine why Punk wouldn't let Jeff celebrate his return.

"Let's get out of here" Brad whispered to AJ and led her to the ropes and lifted the top one so it was easier for her to get out. They headed down the steps and down the ramps. When AJ turned her head she could see the two men now exchanging words (unpleasant ones she was sure of) even though they were at commercial. What was that all about? AJ asked herself