Not To Plan


"You got him?" Punk asked, getting out of the car outside their house as AJ took Frankie from the back seat who was in his car seat. They were both discharged from the hospital after a few days. AJ had to take it easy of course, but they were all good to go and she couldn't wait to get back home with the baby.

"Yeah, I got him." AJ smiled, looking down at Frankie who was sound asleep in his car seat.

"I'll get the door." Keala exclaimed, running head up the steps to the house, waiting on her father to come unlock the door as she opened it up for her mother and baby brother. She'd been a very helpful sister for sure.

"Thanks, baby." AJ smiled to her, walking on into the house and into the living room, sitting Frankie in his car seat on the couch as she looked on at him. He was a little angel and AJ just couldn't believe how in love she was with him.

"Frankie this is the house." Keala told her brother, looking on at him in the car seat as Punk and AJ smiled. She was so good with him already and it was so nice to see her interact with him, "All he does is sleep." Keala huffed a little.

"That's what babies do, kid." Punk smiled, watching as AJ unstrapped Frankie from the car seat and lifted him up into her chest. She took so much pride in caring for her children, and he knew they were part of what got her through tough days.

"Have you been doing your homework whilst I was at the hospital, lady?" AJ asked, taking a seat on the couch slowly, still a little sore, cradling Frankie into her arms.

"Yeah, I have." Keala said, sitting down beside her and looking at Frankie, "I always do my homework, mommy." She said.

"I know you're so good, baby." AJ smiled. Keala really did remind her of herself. There was already such an independence about her, even at such a young age. She knew how to depend on herself and that made her smile. She knew they were raising a clever little girl who already knew her right from wrong.

"If Frankie cries tonight and I don't get my sleep that means I just can't go to school tomorrow." Keala shrugged as AJ smiled up at Punk who just shook his head. Raising kids meant getting to smile at one another every time they hit out with cute and adorable things, which Keala done quite a lot.

"Well then we'll just have to talk with Frankie before he goes to bed." AJ nodded, "Right?" She turned to Punk.

"Mhm." Punk smiled and nodded as AJ looked down at Frankie who was awake and starting to get a little restless.

"Oh, what's wrong with him?" Keala shuffled away a little as Punk laughed to himself.

"I think he's just hungry." AJ nodded.

"Ok, Keal, let's go put the bags upstairs and let mommy feed Frankie." Punk nodded.

"Ok." Keala said, standing up from the couch and heading on out of the living room.

"Will I take this?" Punk asked, pointing to the baby carrier as AJ got herself ready to feed Frankie. She'd been successful at breast feeding and although it was a little strange, she was actually enjoying the bonding of it all, and it really was better for him.

"Oh, just sit it at the bottom of the stairs." AJ said as Punk nodded, watching her as she relaxed back against the couch whilst feeding their son, "Just keep checking on me, make sure I don't fall asleep here." She said, resting her head back on the couch as he smiled. She looked tired but her spirits were still high.


Later that night, Punk took over to give AJ a rest and put Keala to bed after bathing her. He then gave his son a bottle before changing him and putting him down in his crib for the night. He was hopeful that Frankie wouldn't wake every hour of the night. In the hospital he had been great so his fingers were crossed.

He then headed downstairs, his pocket full of the box with the ring in it as he walked on through to the kitchen. He knew AJ and he knew that she wouldn't have been a fan of a huge, extravagant proposal. She'd probably laugh and talk about how cliché it all was. He knew her well enough, so he'd planned for it all to be as basic as it came.

"That smells like it's nearly ready." AJ told him, sitting at the kitchen table, the smell of good food teasing her as he came back in.

"I think it is." Punk nodded. He'd cooked dinner for them.

"You're being awfully nice to me." AJ laughed a little as he turned to her, "You cooked Keala's dinner, you bathed her, put her to bed, took care of Frankie." She said, "And now you're cooking me dinner." She said suspiciously as he nodded.

"What? I can't appreciate my girlfriend for pushing out another cute baby?" Punk asked her.

"You can." AJ smiled, "It's nice." She nodded to him, "I don't even feel like we've had a baby. He's so good and quiet." She laughed a little.

"Don't jinx it." Punk shook his head as she nodded, "I'm kinda mad my dad still hasn't come around to see you or the baby." He admitted truthfully, stirring the pots.

"Maybe he'd feel better if I wasn't here." AJ admitted.

"He needs to grow the hell up if he's avoiding you because of all of this." He said.

"Maybe he thinks I'm the type of person to hold a grudge." AJ shrugged, "Which I'm not." She said quickly, "I really don't blame him for telling you. He's your dad and… it probably ate him alive that he knew something like that and you didn't. I get it." She said, "He doesn't have to avoid me. I'd rather he just come talk to me."

"Maybe he's just scared that he's ruined this. Which he hasn't. But… he's not used to all of this." He said as AJ nodded, "I have to go into work tomorrow, not to work or anything." He told her quickly, "I need to sort out how much time I'm actually getting off because of Sam." He said, "But I think Dean said he was gonna come around and see you anyway-"

"I don't need babysitting." AJ smiled.

"No, I don't mean that… he was coming over anyway." He said, plating up their dinner and taking it over as AJ smiled.

"This looks good." She nodded as he smiled, watching her immediately dig into the spaghetti, "Did Frankie go down ok?" She asked him.

"Yeah, he's super good. Keala was too as a baby but he's like… creepily good." He said as AJ smiled, "Remember when Keala used to cry the entire time when you changed her?" Punk asked her as she nodded, "The little guy was just lying there on the table quite happy. No fuss what so ever."

"That'll probably come back and bite us when he's a teenager." AJ nodded.

"Don't say that." Punk shook his head, "Give me nightmares." He said as AJ smiled.

"Thank you.. for being so good." AJ nodded, "Sometimes I honestly think I don't deserve you."

"Be quiet." Punk shook his head, "It's usually the other way about." He nodded as she smiled, "I know that… things haven't been particularly easy, with the fire and… Frankie coming the way he did… but things are good." He nodded, "I feel like we're actually on a straight path again." He said as she nodded, "And… I actually wanna ask you something, April." He said as she looked up at him.

"What?" She smiled, twirling her spaghetti around her fork.

"Well…" He began, not thinking it would make him this nervous, "You know I love you and-" He paused as he heard a knock at the front door, "Who the fuck-" He stood up, annoyed, walking out of the kitchen and down the hallway as he opened up the front door to see his father standing with a balloon and a gift bag. Punk folded his arms and raised a brow.

"Hey." JC smiled nervously as Punk nodded.

"Come in." Punk said, letting him into the house, getting hit by the balloon in the process as he shook his head, closing the door behind him.

"I'll just sit these here." JC said, sitting the gift bag down with the balloon as Punk nodded.

"I just put Frankie down." Punk said, "And I ain't waking him up. You'll have Keala to deal with if he makes any noise." He said.

"Oh, no. Don't wake him." JC shook his head, "I actually wanted to… see AJ. Is she around?" He asked.

"Kitchen." Punk nodded, "Go through." He told him as JC nodded, walking on down the hall and into the kitchen as AJ turned around and looked over at him.

"Hello." JC said as AJ nodded to him.

"Hi." AJ replied, sitting her fork down and looking over at him as Punk walked on into the kitchen.

"I just wanted to apologise to you." JC said, "it wasn't my right to tell Phil something like that, but I didn't want him to think I was lying to him and withholding information that really he should have known before me." He said, "And… if all of this is why you went into labour early then I really am sorry… I feel really bad-"

"It's ok." AJ nodded, "You didn't want to keep that from him, I get it." She shrugged, "I'm not mad. I'm too tired to be mad now." She told him with a smile as he nodded, "Frankie is fine and so am I, so there's no reason for anyone to feel guilty about anything." She told him as JC nodded.

"That makes me feel a little better." JC nodded, "How is he?" He smiled, "Dean showed me a picture. I'm just back from his place."

"He's good." AJ smiled.

"Sleepy." Punk said, "He's pretty chilled out."

"Yeah, it's oddly quiet in here for a newborn to be just brought home." He laughed a little, "I remember bringing you home from the hospital." He nodded to Punk, "You just screamed for like… three weeks straight. You were not a happy baby."

"He still sometimes screams for three weeks straight." AJ teased as Punk smiled.

"Funny." Punk nodded.

"I won't stay long. I'll let you both have your dinner and settle down for the night." He told them, "I just wanted to come apologise, and I'm sorry it's taken so long, I just thought you could do with a couple of days on your own." He said as AJ nodded and smiled.

"Well thanks for coming." AJ nodded, "Why don't you stay for dinner? There's plenty in the pot." She said as Punk tensed a little. This wasn't exactly how he had wanted the night to go.

"Yeah, alright." JC nodded, taking her up on her offer as he wandered over to get a bowl out whilst AJ smiled to Punk who forced a smile and nodded along. He guessed he had to think of a new plan.


A/N: Let me know what you think!