The Wife and The Ex

"We practically have a new kitchen here." AJ said after they had unwrapped all their presents, looking at them all in the living room and smiling. Everyone had been so kind and generous, and there were some really beautiful gifts they had been given.

"You ok?" Punk asked her. He knew she was focusing on opening the presents to forget about their scare earlier on. It seemed like a fitting time to have it. The day after their wedding.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" AJ shrugged as Punk just watched her.

"You know it would have been alright, if it was the other way around." Punk told her, "We would have got through it."

"Yeah, that's only because you've had a kid." AJ said a little hastily, "What do I know?"

"You'd adapt." Punk told her briefly, "You don't have to be scared of something like that."

"Uh, yes I do." AJ nodded, "I'm always careful with my pills. I take them on the dot when I'm supposed to." She shook her head.

"You've been busy with the wedding, everything that went on with Hank. It could have slipped your mind." He said.

"Probably." AJ shrugged, "We just have to be careful now." She told him as she started to clear the wrapping paper.

"You do want kids, right?" Punk asked her curiously.

"I guess." AJ nodded.

"You guess? What the fuck does that mean? You do or you don't?"

"I don't think about it." AJ said.

"Well think about it now, do you want kids?" Punk asked.

"Do you?" AJ countered.

"Some point down the line, yeah." Punk nodded, "What are you so afraid of?" Punk shook his head.

"I've never even held a baby." AJ said, "What good will I be? I don't know any baby things like… how to stop them crying, how to check temperatures of baths, when they teethe, when they eat solids, when they-"

"AJ, AJ… you learn that as you go along, babe." Punk said, "Look at me. Do I look like I would have been ready to handle a baby?"

"Weren't you in prison when Malia was a baby?" AJ asked.

"Fair enough." Punk nodded, "I was there for the first two months, though." Punk said, "I was terrified. I didn't know anything about babies, but I managed. I figured it all out as I went along. You will too." He nodded, "Come here." He waved her over as she walked over to him, collapsing on top of his lap as he pulled her on, "You're gonna be a great mom, when it's the right time." Punk said.

"You don't know that." AJ frowned, "I could drop the baby." She turned to him as he laughed.

"I don't think so." Punk said.

"I could." AJ said, "And then there's the whole nine months before, the birth, then the… countless years after." AJ said, "All you have to do is sit and watch." She said bitterly as Punk smiled.

"Ok, maybe for the nine months before and the birth, but I'll be there for everything after. I'll always be there for you." He told her truthfully.

"And what about when my body changes?" AJ questioned, "Are you gonna love me when I'm all… tired and different." She shivered as Punk laughed.

"You know I'll love you in whatever state you are in." Punk said, "You'll bounce back." He assured her.

"What was it like?" AJ asked, "When you first held Malia?" She said, still sitting on his lap, arms wrapped around his neck.

"I can't describe it." Punk shook his head, "I couldn't believe she was mine. She was a small baby, so light. When I held her it didn't feel real that she was a little person." He laughed as AJ smiled, "She changed my life. She changed my… perspective on everyone." He said, "I don't know… it's not like you become a superhero, or a different person or anything. It's something inside you that just clicks. You realise everything in your life was leading up to that moment when you get to hold your baby in your arms." He said as AJ smiled, "It's crazy that… Malia is almost five now." He shook his head, "She's gonna be starting school soon." He said with a frown.

"If you can't let her go off to school how on earth are you gonna let her get married one day." AJ laughed.

"Simple. I don't let her get married." He said, "Marriage is overrated anyway." He joked as AJ shoved him playfully and stood up off him, "Malia is smart. She'll do something with her life."

"Maybe, but you can't push anything on her." AJ said as she went back to tidying the wrapping paper.

"I won't." Punk nodded, "But I wanna make sure I'm there to encourage her. You know, no one was there for me to tell me to stick in at school or get a degree, just… do something." Punk said, "She can't just settle for the first guy she sees."

"What's wrong with that? Millions of people fall in love and get married to the first person they date." AJ said.

"You're always gonna be on her side, aren't you?" Punk asked her as she nodded with a smirk.

"Lucky for you, she's only four. I don't think she's running off to get married any time soon. Don't wish her life away." She said.

"Trust me, I'm not." Punk sighed.

"Do you think it's gonna work with you and Rachel both seeing her?" AJ asked.

"It'll have to work." Punk said, "I wouldn't be so cold to… take her from Rachel. If she fought me in court I'd probably lose anyway so I can't." Punk said.

"Why?" AJ shook her head.

"A little thing called ex-convict." Punk said, "She'd use that against me for sure." Punk nodded, "And I don't wanna have to make it a disruptive thing. We'll just have to get along." He said, "And that means all of us." Punk looked up at her.

"Uh… I don't have to get along with anyone." AJ said, "She's just a little too close for comfort, that's all."

"I reckon you two would both get along, actually." Punk said.

"Oh, Phil. Don't even try it." AJ shook her head, "I'm not befriending your ex baby mama just to keep everything cool. Whatever goes on, goes on between you and her. You both have Malia. You both work it out. I don't want involved."

"Ok." Punk nodded, "I just thought it would maybe… break the tension." He said, "If you got to know each other, maybe she wouldn't be so jealous, and you wouldn't be so paranoid, and it would make my life… a lot easier." He nodded.

"You're serious?" AJ questioned, "You want me to get to know the cow that helped your uncle and Tommy, kill Daryl? The bitch that attacked me in my own home? Don't get me started on her coming to our wedding to purposely get a reaction out of both of us." AJ said, "Is this the correct ex you're speaking of or are there others?" She asked him as he laughed.

"Dude, chill." Punk put his hands up.

"Dude?" AJ arched her brow, "Wife." She corrected him, "It's not happening, Phil. I'm not tolerating that bitch just to make your life easier for you." She spat.

Three weeks later, AJ found herself where she swore she wouldn't be… out with Rachel in a bar, trying her best to keep a pleasant face. She just visualised beating her husband up in her head to get her through the night.

"So why do you hate me?" Rachel asked bluntly, turning to her and stirring her drink with her straw as they sat at the bar. When Punk told her that AJ had asked her to go out for a drink, she almost fell over. She wasn't an idiot. She knew this was Punk.

"I don't hate you." AJ laughed.

"Sometimes you need to tell your face that." Rachel said, "Look, if I was still interested in Phil, I would tell you. I'm not a shady girl. I don't go behind people's backs." She said.

"So you're saying that if you did still want to be with Phil, you'd just go for him?" AJ asked.

"You catch on quick." Rachel nodded, "But Phil would push me away, we both know that. He's a good guy. Puts everyone else before himself." She said, "I know you don't believe me, you just think I'm his ex who still wants in his pants but… I am happy for him. Happy for you both." She said, taking a sip of her drink as AJ watched her, "And he loves you. I can tell. Believe it or not, we used to be like you two. Only… you two look more suited."

"What do you mean?" AJ smiled a little.

"I don't know. You just look like you work together better than we ever did." Rachel said, "We were young, always fighting, breaking up, getting back together, had a baby that we never planned to have." Rachel said, "We didn't have a good relationship."

"There must have been some good times." AJ said.

"Oh, yeah. Some. Like I said, he's a sweet guy. I'm glad my daughter has him as a father." Rachel nodded, "But I'm not interested in him like that anymore. I just… want you to know that." She turned to AJ, "I'm pretty sure you're a cool chick. We don't have to always be… death staring at each other. Especially over a guy, of all things." Rachel chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that." AJ admitted, "I just get paranoid." She said.

"Don't worry, I get it." Rachel laughed, "You don't want anyone touching your man. You're only human." She nodded, "But… I'm keeping my hands to myself." Rachel nodded to her, "Hey, maybe I could be like… your councillor, whenever you two have a fight you can just come to me and we can talk about how much Phil annoys us?" Rachel said as AJ couldn't help laugh.

"I might take you up on that." AJ admitted as Rachel smiled.

Both were dreading doing this, but it seemed like there wasn't really any tension between them. Rachel respected AJ's boundaries out of common courtesy, and AJ still had to respect that she and her husband did share custody of Malia.

"Do you want a real drink?" Rachel asked her, "Vodka? Beer? What do you drink?" Rachel asked.

"I don't drink." AJ shook her head.

"Ok, which is it, are you pregnant or has Phil converted you to that straight edge stuff?" Rachel shook her head as she waved for the bar attenders attention.

"Neither." AJ laughed, "I just… I've never drank. Doesn't really bother me." AJ shrugged.

"Eh, maybe we aren't that similar." Rachel nodded as AJ smiled.

AJ got home late on that night, surprised to say it, but having had a good night with Rachel. They spoke casually, as if they were just two friends out for a drink. Phil only really came up once or twice, they really hit it off on their own and she hated to feel wrong but she was wrong about not giving the girl a chance.

She walked upstairs and into her and Punk's bedroom as he sat up immediately in bed, looking her up and down.

"What are you doing?" AJ questioned in a quiet voice.

"Looking for bruises." Punk said as AJ rolled her eyes.

"Honey, please. If we scrapped I wouldn't have had a mark on me." AJ said, flicking her hair back as Punk smiled, "But… lucky for you, we actually had a good time." AJ shrugged as Punk raised his brows, "I mean, it was a little awkward at the start but we got talking and… she's actually a nice girl."

"Go on, tell me I was right." Punk said.

"You were right." AJ nodded, "She isn't that bad." She said, taking her coat off and stripping out of her clothes, "I still think that we aren't gonna be best friends forever, but I think… we can definitely get along for the sake of Malia." AJ nodded.

"Good, I'm glad you both put your differences aside." Punk said. He was a little worried. When he talked AJ and then eventually Rachel into going out for the night, he felt like maybe it was going to be the worst decision he'd ever made, but he was glad it wasn't, "What did you talk about?" Punk questioned, watching AJ strip out of her clothes, his eyes lurking at her rear end the entire time.

"Everything really." AJ said, "And she told me that if we ever have a fight, I can go see her and we can talk about how much you piss us off." AJ smiled as Punk's smile turned to a frown.

"What?" Punk shook his head.

"Sense the tone." AJ laughed as she finally got into bed beside him, "I'm kidding." She whispered, "Although I do think she was being serious." She admitted.

"No doubt." Punk nodded, "I didn't want you to go out with her to… make a new friend and pretend you guys love each other, I just wanted you to get along. I think Malia senses that there was tension, maybe that's why she didn't wanna go with Rachel." Punk said, "I don't want her to remember her childhood as her mom and dad constantly fighting."

"I know." AJ nodded, "I'm glad I went out with her. I think if we just… stick to our own business, we'll be fine." AJ said as Punk nodded.

"I love you." Punk said as she looked up at him.

"I love you too." AJ smiled, leaning up and pressing her lips against his as he spun them around, settling between her legs as he deepened the kiss and she clung onto him. It felt like home.

A/N: So, is Rachel playing nice act or is she being sincere? Lot's more coming soon. AJ's parents, Malia goes to school, Tommy gets out of rehab, new characters. It's all happening. Stay tuned and REVIEW!