Old Skeletons
"Hey." AJ said quietly as she opened up their bedroom door, seeing him lying on top of the bed on top of the covers, just lying listening to his own thoughts.
"Hey." He replied softly.
"You ok?" She asked him, too tired to walk anymore, climbing over him to get to her side of the bed, collapsing down on her side and looking up at him.
"Ok as I can be." Punk shrugged.
"We shouldn't let it ruin our week." She said, "I know it's a big deal to you, but we'll have time to figure it out when we get home." She said, tracing her finger over the tattoo's on his arm, "Say something." She said.
"I just don't know why he'd sell me out like that. He always… he always goes on about us being brothers." He shook his head, "Should have listened to Dean."
"You don't know the story yet. I'm just telling you what I heard… there could be more to it." She said.
"I don't care. He still sold me out and put me in prison." Punk said, "I feel like a fucking idiot." He admitted, running his hands over his face.
"You aren't an idiot." She said, "C'mon." She sat up, "I won't spend my honeymoon getting you to cheer up. This is our week. Forget about everything else."
"I can't, AJ." Punk said, "This is a guy I grew up with. I always thought I got put in prison by accident, I always thought he never meant for any of it to happen, and that's the reason I forgave him." He said, "And now this… now I find out he schemed and he planned for me to go down all along." He shook his head, "There will be no talking or working things out when we get home. He'll just be finding my fist in his face." He said as AJ sighed.
"Violence isn't the answer." She said, "What if it was his only choice?" AJ asked, "Maybe he was being threatened by these guys who are wanting money from him now. Maybe it was a life or death situation, and he put you in prison to help you. We don't know anything."
"Then how did he wound up working with these guys in the first place then if it all wasn't deliberate?" He turned to her as she just shrugged.
"I don't know." She said quietly.
"Exactly." He said sternly, turning back around and looking up at the ceiling.
"Don't be mad with me." She said timidly as he looked over at her.
"I'm not mad with you." He sighed, pulling her over and down into his chest, "I'm not mad with you at all." He kissed her head as she curled into his chest, "I'm just a little shocked right now." He admitted, "Thought he was my friend."
"You still have plenty of friends. And you still have me." She looked up at him, "You'll always have me." She said, pressing a kiss on his cheek as he smiled.
"I'll try not let this ruin our week." He said. As much as so many thoughts were going through his head, he didn't want to disappoint his wife. This was meant to be a week of relaxation and enjoying their first week of being married. Thinking of no one else.
"Everything will be ok." She promised with a supporting nod, "When we get back, everyhting will seem more clearer. Let's just try enjoy this week." She said as he nodded, pressing a kiss on her head as she rested into his chest.
The next day in Chicago, Dean had just came back from picking Joni up from school. The full gang were at the house and he trusted Joni would be fine in the living room whilst they hung out in the kitchen. She was quite happy sitting at the coffee table with her colouring in books, so he let her be whilst her dinner was put on and he stood talking with the rest of the guys in the kitchen.
Joni was happily kneeling at the coffee table colouring in, choosing what different pencil to use next when she heard the front door go. She was always told never to answer the door on her own, but since she assumed none of her uncles heard it, she rushed up and ran out to answer it, opening the door up and looking on at two men standing.
"My dad and AJ aren't in. They got married and are on their honeymoon, can I help you?" She asked sophisticatedly as the two men laughed.
"Sure you can, princess." One of them crouched down, "Joni, right?" He said.
"Hey, how do you know my name?" She asked.
"I know a lot about you." He said, "And your dad."
"Are you one of my dad's friends?" She assumed.
"Something like that." The man smiled, "You shouldn't be answering the door by yourself. Anyone could be knocking." He smirked as Joni looked on at him and the man standing behind. They were big men and a little creepy. She wasn't sure if she liked them so began to back away a little, running away and into the kitchen to collect her uncles who all one by one piled through the hall after Joni claimed there were 'two scary men at the door'
"Who the fuck are you?" Seth charged, "Frightening little girls." He spat, "Do we know you?" He asked whilst Joey rolled his eyes.
"I know them." Joey said, "They're just some old friends." He shook his head, "It's fine, I got this." He told the rest of the guys, walking by them and out of the door, closing it over as Dean, Seth and Enzo exchanged weird glances.
"I don't like them." Joni looked up at the three of them.
"Something weird about them, huh?" Enzo said as Joni nodded.
"I miss my dad." She sighed. In a moment of being scared she realised she missed her father and AJ being around.
"No you don't." Dean laughed, picking her up and lifting her over her shoulder, "C'mon your dinner is nearly ready." He lifted her through to the kitchen with Seth and Enzo following whilst Joey stood outside with his two friends he had been speaking too at the wedding, Jackson and Sam.
"What the fuck are you doing here? You can't come to this house." Joey said, "And you can't approach Joni. Just because I sold Punk out doesn't mean I don't care about him."
"We'll see if you really care about him." Jackson laughed, "Two fifty by the end of the week." He said.
"I said I'd get it to you." Joey spat.
"You know things like these… cycles like these never end until a trigger is pulled. It's you who decides who takes the bullet, Joey." Jackson shrugged.
"I'm not gonna be threatened by you two. My friends have always meant the world to me. Punk went to prison for all the right reasons. I was protecting him. And if he finds out about this, he'll never understand."
"You really think the most of your problems is gonna be Punk finding out you stitched him up?" Sam laughed.
"Yeah. Because he's like a brother to me."
"Brothers?" Jackson laughed, "Brother's don't stitch each other up." He said.
"You made me. You threatened to kill Joni and Kirin. What the fuck was I supposed to do?" He shrieked.
"Be a man and stand up to us." Sam said, "Instead you took the easy way out and sold out your friend."
"Speaking of Kirin." Jackson smiled, "How is she these days?" He smirked.
"I don't know. She's not in-" He paused, looking at both of them smiling.
"You better leave her out of it." Joey said, "I will pay you. Every week. If that's what it takes to keep you from hurting anyone, then I'll do it." He said.
"You're gonna keep paying us every week?" Jackson laughed, "You'll have to crack eventually, Joey."
"Then what are you suggesting I do? Let you hurt my friends?"
"No… we're just gonna wait to see what you choose to do." Sam turned to Jackson with a smile, "It's strange how much power can be misused in the hands of a silly little boy." He said, "You kids never grew up. Acted like you ran these streets."
"We did run these streets." Joey spat, "And it was guys like you who chickened out from fights with us. We grew up. We have jobs and homes and families. You still kick around shop corners looking for trouble." He spat.
"If that's the way you feel." Jackson smiled, "You know where we live. End of the week we want that two fifty."
"I'll get you it." Joey promised.
"Then we'll be off." Sam said, heading down the steps and down the pavement as Joey watched them until they disappeared. He had no idea what he'd gotten himself into. If he thought the first time was bad, four years ago… he wasn't prepared for this time round.
"Can I leave yet?" Kirin moaned, sitting on a burst sofa in the middle of an abandoned apartment later that night, "I can't believe you brought me back here."
"Just shut up." Jackson said.
"If you think I'm gonna sell my brother or Punk out to you then you're wasting time. I'm already a second liver down. Might aswell just shoot me." She smiled. She was street wise. She knew never to show fear. As much as Punk or Joey thought otherwise, she very much could take care of herself.
"What do you know about Punk going to prison?" Jackson asked as Kirin shrugged.
"I don't know." Kirin said, "Happened four years ago. I'd been gone for two years. I was completely disconnected from them all. I didn't know about it until Joey found me and told me about it. He killed someone when they broke into his apartment? Joey gave him a ton of drugs to hide too… I don't know, nor did I really care." She said.
"Yeah. That guy he killed was one of our friends."
"Shame." Kirin said, "He was protecting himself, and my daughter. I can't be mad at that."
"That daughter you never see. Ever." Sam scoffed as Kirin glared at him.
"Why are you so up in our business? I don't even remember you guys from all those years ago."
"That's because you were always out your face." Jackson said.
"Well when I wasn't I don't remember you." She said, "What have you got against Punk and Joey anyway?" She said tiredly. She really could have thought of other places she'd rather be.
"Punk's the little leader of your pack. Isn't he?" Sam said as Kirin laughed.
"We haven't been a pack since a very long time." Kirin said, "We all grew up. You..." She looked around at the crack den she appeared to be in, turning her nose up at it, which was surprising from her. She was still a user of course, but she didn't hang around in abandoned apartments, "You all haven't."
"Sound just like your brother." Jackson shook his head, "It was always Punk we had the problem with. And Joey was the easiest to manipulate out the rest of you, so we got him to help us."
"So your big mission was to send Punk to prison?" She raised her eyebrows, "C'mon, I could think of worst things to do to him than put him in prison." She laughed a little.
"Well now he's got a daughter and a wife, I guess you're right." Jackson smiled as Kirin frowned.
"Don't you dare put your hands on Joni." She stood up, "And not that poor girl either. She has nothing to do with this. Leave them out of it."
"Sticking up for the girl who just snatched your guy?" Sam questioned.
"Punk hasn't been my guy for years. I'm happy he has moved on." Kirin said, "I want you to leave her and leave my daughter out of it."
"No can do." Jackson shook his head, "Well, here's hoping your brother can keep up with the payments. They might start to increase as the weeks go on though." Sam laughed.
"Why are you doing this?" Kirin said, "Punk might be a cocky, arrogant prick but he hasn't done anything to any of you personally."
"He killed Bill." Sam said.
"He was attacking him. And Joni was going to be next. He done what any normal man would do." Kirin said, "Is this really what all this is about? Him killing one of your guys? If it is then what has it got to do with me? Why was I brought here?" She asked.
"You're just another target for us." Jackson said, "If it's not little Joni, or that wife of Punk's, or any of your friends who are taking a bullet, you can bet your ass it'll be you."
"If that's all you want then go ahead. Go. Shoot me. I have nothing to lose. Absolutely nothing." She said, "Go ahead." She said, holding her arms out as Sam passed Jackson a gun.
Kirin watched him load the gun and point it at her.
"Do it." Kirin said, "Do it!" She shouted, looking at Jackson who held his finger on the trigger, yet couldn't do it, "You're pathetic." Kirin spat, grabbing the gun from his weak hand, "That is the exact reason your ass couldn't make it on the streets." She said, putting the gun in her purse, "Do not come near me again." She warned, walking by then and out of the apartment, zipping her purse up and rushing down the stairs in the apartment block.
A/N: What in God's name is going on? Still don't know if Joey is good or bad? Kirin is back. These thugs want revenge on their dead friend. The reason Punk went to prison still isn't clear. So much going on. More coming soon. REVIEW and let me know what you think.