The Struggle


"What's that on your face?" Dean slurred, sitting on the bar stool as he looked over at the bar attender, who he and Punk knew from around the block. Punk had fixed his car up a few times and Dean was a regular in the bar. He'd never stayed until closing time however.

"Dean, you gotta go home now."

"Sal, what's that on your face?" Dean chuckled, falling off his stool a little and leaning over the bar, "Look, right there." He pointed as Sal, the barman shoved his hand away.

"It's a fucking mole." Sal said, "Look at the state of you, you won't be able to walk home."

"Oh… please." Dean sniggered to himself, tripping up a little, holding onto the bar to steady himself as he looked around at the empty space, "Where is… where'd everyone go?" He asked with confusion as Sal shook his head and groaned.

"Don't make me call your big brother." Sal shook his head, "It's embarrassing for both of us."

"Oh no… he doesn't drink." Dean pointed, "And… he doesn't drink." He repeated drunkenly.

"I mean to come pick you up, idiot." Sal said, "I can't have you walking home in this state." He shook his head as Dean just scoffed, "Give me your phone."

"What if I don't want to?" Dean laughed, hazy eyes upon him as he fell all over the bar, trying desperately to stay on the stool.

"Just give me it." Sal demanded as Dean grunted to himself and took his phone from his pocket, unlocking it and passing it along to Sal who reached Punk's name on the contact list and gave him a call, even if it was 2am, he couldn't let Dean walk home the way he was.


Punk was fast asleep in bed, AJ curled into him as he felt her bump against his side. She was getting bigger every day, and they were growing more and more closer to their baby they were longing to meet. They were keeping him going. The thought of coming home to them made every bad moment and feeling disappear, and he was aware that Dean didn't have that.

He jumped a little when he heard his phone start to vibrate on the night stand, screwing his eyes up as he looked at the caller ID, getting worried when he saw it was Dean, quickly answering and sitting up as AJ stirred a little, but was tired enough to turn around and carry on sleeping.

"Yeah?" Punk answered, listening to the unfamiliar yet familiar voice, "Sal?" Punk shook his head, "What-" He listened as Sal explained what was going on and that he needed him to come collect a drunk Dean so he could close the bar up.

Punk rubbed his forehead and sighed to himself, "Yeah, man. I'll be right there. Give me five minutes." He said, hanging up on the call and sitting his phone on the night stand, rubbing his hands over his tired face. There was only a handful of times that he'd had to take his drunk brother home.

He got some clothes on and left the house, locking up behind him, not wanting to disturb AJ from her sleep. She needed as much as rest as possible.

He drove to the bar which he knew was Dean's local, parking outside and walking on into the bar where Sal was standing behind the counter whilst Dean was sitting on the stool, the box of straws tipped out on the table as he was making a trail along the bar top.

"Hey, sorry Sal." Punk shook his head, taking out his wallet, "Any damage?" He asked.

"No, you're alright." Sal assured him.

"Well here, here's for the… inconvenience." Punk said, sitting down some money as he turned to Dean who barely even noticed him.

"He's been here since this afternoon." Sal said, "I couldn't let him go home like that." He shook his head.

"Yeah, thanks for calling me." Punk said, "I'll get out of your hair." Punk said, tidying up the straws from Dean.

"Hey." Dean whined, stumbling off his stool again, "What are you doing?" He asked sadly.

"C'mon, we're going home." Punk nodded, "This way." He encouraged, taking Dean by the shoulder and guiding him to the door.

"Do you know he has a mole on his face?" Dean whispered to Punk, pointing to Sal who rolled his eyes.

"Oh, keep moving." Punk shook his head, "Sorry, Sal." He called whilst leaving the bar with Dean, helping him into the car as he got in himself and drove back to the apartment.

Dean was in and out of consciousness on the way home, falling asleep and then wakening up to ask what was going on and where he was. Punk hated seeing him this way. It was a type of drunk that wasn't healthy. A type of drunk that happened from stress, or sadness. He never had a problem with his brother drinking, but this just wasn't healthy at all, but completely understandable.

"Alright, let's go, kid." Punk sighed after reaching the apartment, helping Dean out as he walked like a deer who had just been born, tripping up over his feet as Punk kept him steady.

"Fuckin' hell I'm wrecked." Dean muttered to himself, climbing the stairs of the apartment block which Punk practically carried him up.

"Yeah, you are." Punk agreed, getting to the apartment door, taking the keys from Dean's pocket and opening it up, "Alright, can you make it into bed yourself?" He asked.

"Pfft… yeah." Dean laughed to himself, stumbling off to find his bedroom whilst Punk headed over to the kitchen, pouring a glass of water for him and making his way to the bedroom, not finding him there, but in the bathroom, standing and wondering where he was.

"You're in the bathroom." Punk let him know as Dean looked around with drunk, almost closed eyes, "This way." Punk said, guiding him back out and into his bedroom where Dean collapsed onto the bed on his stomach, "Here's some water." He said, sitting the glass down on the night stand.

"I'm a fucking idiot." Dean groaned against the pillow as Punk sighed and shook his head.

"Trust me, you're not." Punk said, "You're gonna have the worst headache tomorrow." He said.

"I thought she was… thought she was the one." Dean slurred as Punk sighed.

"You two can talk." Punk said, "Hopefully when you're a little more sober and easy to understand." He said.

"It's all… all fucked." He spoke to himself, "And you got… you got your… your own life now." Dean said, "Do you think… do you think your kid will like you?" Dean said, his face squashed against the pillow as Punk laughed to himself.

"I'm really hoping she does." Punk admitted.

"Yeah… yeah she'll… she'll like you… you always… always take good care of me. Since we were just… just little guys." He slurred, "So she'll be fine." He nodded as Punk smiled to himself, "We're all… we're all fucked up." Dean grumbled as Punk's smile faded, "Ever since… since mom left. It all…" He grumbled and moved around, "It all went to shit."

"We're all a little fucked up anyway." Punk nodded, "No one is perfect. And I'd say we done ok after mom died." Punk said, "I know everything with Anna must be tough, but we've still got good lives." He said, "You and her, you'll talk it out, figure out what's best for you guys." He said, "But you gotta sober up." He said.

"I wish she was here." Dean said, "Mom." He grumbled as Punk sighed.

"Yeah, I do too." Punk said, "I'm gonna go into the living room and stay, if you're sick I don't want you to choke." He shook his head as Dean just grumbled to himself whilst Punk headed out of the room, rubbing his forehead and sighing.


"Where is Dean?" Vanessa asked, walking into the kitchen where Punk was doing the dishes from dinner. She'd raised her sons to be gentleman. Small things like doing their own dishes and washings not only helped her, but it matured them and humbled them a lot more. She knew they'd both be someone's husband one day and she wasn't for raising sloppy boys.

"Out with his new football friends." Punk said, practically throwing the plates in the cupboard.

"Easy on the plates, kid." Vanessa smiled, "Feeling a little… jealous?" Vanessa asked him, leaning against the door. The new school year had just started back. Dean had tried out for football and made cut, and him having new friends to hang out with, she could see that was bothering Punk a little.

"Not jealous." Punk assured her, "Just… don't see why he hangs out with them. They're all idiots." He mumbled.

"He's probably just trying to fit in." Vanessa said, "He's still your little brother. Nothing. No football team or new friends will change that." She reminded him as he nodded, "Why don't you go hang out with April?" She asked. It was only last week that the boys had introduced her to their new friend. And it was then that she realised her eldest son perhaps didn't see her just as a friend. She was his mother. She knew everything.

"Myself?" Punk turned to her with confusion, "No." He scoffed.

"Why not?" Vanessa smiled, "It's not a crime to go hang out with a girl." She said as Punk just shook his head, "Do you like her?" She had to ask.

"Mom." Punk rolled his eyes.

"I'm only asking." Vanessa put her hand up, "I think she's great." She admitted, "You're both really similar actually."

"I'm not interested in her like that." Punk assured her, even though he wasn't sure himself.

"Alright." Vanessa put her hands up, "I won't say anymore." She said, "Even just as a friend, I think she's pretty great." Vanessa nodded, "And she's super pretty."

"Mom." Punk groaned.

"Ok ok." Vanessa smiled, "I promise I'll stop." She said as he shook his head, "Don't worry so much about your brother. You'll always be his best friend. I'm sure of that." She smiled as he just nodded, "When was the last time we watched a movie together?" she wondered.

"A long time ago, because you have terrible taste in movies." Punk answered.

"Well I'm sorry but I don't watch those scary films you like. I mean, what's the point? Movies are supposed to be sweet and funny-"

"That's just your preference." Punk laughed.

"I guess." Vanessa nodded, "Well, if I let you pick a movie will you watch it with me?" She asked, "I finally got a day off tomorrow." She smiled.

"Ok, go on then." Punk nodded as she smiled happily and headed off into the living room as Punk smiled to himself.


Meanwhile, AJ had just woken up by the sound of a knock on their door. She turned to Punk's side in bed, only to find that he wasn't there, which alarmed her as it was through the night.

She got up out of bed and left the bedroom, walking downstairs and over to the front door which she unlocked and opened up, looking on as she saw Anna standing at the door.

"What are you doing here? At this time?" AJ asked tiredly.

"I just… I want to talk to you." Anna said desperately as AJ nodded. She was pissed for what this woman had done to them, betraying their trust, hurting Dean, but she still had the decency to listen to what she had to say.

"Come in." AJ said, her eyes still adjusting to the lightness, shutting the door over behind Anna and walking on into the living room.

"Is this the crib?" Anna asked, noticing the built crib sitting in the living room.

"Oh, yeah. We were too tired to take it upstairs." AJ said, "Actually, Phil isn't here and I don't know where he is." She shook her head.

"He's with Dean. I saw him take him into the apartment. I think he'd had one too many." Anna said.

"Right." AJ nodded, "Well what is it you want to talk about?" AJ asked, sitting down on the couch tiredly.

"I thought you… better than anyone would understand what it's like to have a… an awful relationship with your mom." Anna said as AJ looked over to her, "She's meant to be your role model, someone you can talk to about anything, someone you look up to… and instead, she's the complete opposite… someone you fear."

"You don't know my mother." AJ warned, "And you don't know my relationship with her."

"Dean told me. He didn't give me details but he just said you had it pretty hard with her." Anna nodded, walking over and taking a seat beside her, "I'm hoping that you'll understand the position I was in. I've tried so hard to please my mom since I was a kid. To be who she wanted me to be. And it's resulted in hurting a lot of people." She sighed.

"You're old enough to tell her to back off." AJ said.

"It's not like that with my mom, though. She sinks her teeth into anything that will jeopardise any sort of happiness in my life." She said, "When I first started working for the newspaper, she… broke my wrist when I didn't do something she told me to." Anna said as AJ raised her eyebrows, "I was just doing what she told me to, because I know what she's like." She said, "I don't know the full details of what went down with you and your mom, but… I hope you can understand how difficult this was for me, especially knowing I had hurt people who trusted me." She said, "And my feelings for Dean are real. I swear."

"You can… explain to me all you like, but I'm probably the least affected person here." AJ said, "I do get it. Mom's. If you've not got a good one, it can suck. And I get trying to please them and be who they want you to be, but… you're old enough to tell her that she doesn't control you anymore. Even if it means you lose your job. It might mean you're unemployed but… you'll be happier probably." AJ nodded, "I can't speak for Dean or Phil, but… I can see you've been caught up in something you didn't want to be caught up in. That doesn't change that you still betrayed our trust, and you still hurt Dean, really bad." AJ said, "It's them you should be seeking forgiveness from."

"I know." Anna said, "I just wanted you to know because I feel like you'd understand." Anna nodded.

"I do." AJ said with a sigh. She did understand the sadness in not having a perfect relationship with her mother, and anyone could see how sorry Anna really was, but there was a lot of wounds made through this, and most of them were with Punk and Dean.

"I'm gonna wait until things cool off and then I'm gonna talk to Dean and Phil." Anna nodded, "I don't expect them to forgive me, I just… I want them to know sorry I am." She said as AJ nodded.

"They're understanding people. Just give them a bit of time." AJ nodded as Anna smiled, "I'm gonna make myself a tea, do you want anything?" She asked, getting back to her feet as Anna looked up at her.

"Just whatever you're making." Anna nodded.

"Ok." AJ nodded, walking off to the kitchen.

It wasn't her saying that she sympathised with Anna, but she always had time to listen and hear someone out, and it did make her think about her own relationship with her mother.


A/N: Let me know what you think!