Tension Rising


Punk wound up stopping into his father's house when he was walking home from Dean's. He was pissed and angry, and he had to walk away or else he knew he'd lost it. Maybe Dean was right. Maybe he had developed a temper, but everything else he had said was completely out of order, and quite frankly none of his business. When he brought Nova into it, and all the things she was going through, it was the final straw.

"What are you doing here so late?" Dan questioned, opening the door up to Punk who walked on in, "Is something wrong?" He immediately asked.

"No, nothing is wrong." Punk shook his head, walking further into the house, standing in the centre of the living room as Dan walked in after him, "I was just passing by." Punk said.

"Yourself? Where are April and the girls?" Dan wondered.

"They're at home. I was at Dean's. I just walked." Punk said, "He's a prick." Punk scoffed, kicking the leg of the coffee table lightly as Dan shook his head.

"Ok, don't wreck my house." Dan laughed a little, "Did you two have a fight?" He questioned, "Sit down." He ordered as Punk collapsed over onto the couch as Dan sat across on the chair.

"Well I accidentally punched him last week. I sort of lost myself in work and he just got in the way, and I really didn't mean it." Punk explained, "I've been trying to apologise all week but he's just avoided me, so I went to his house tonight and he just went off." Punk said, "Said me and Ape put our job before everyone and everything, and that's why we always end up getting hurt or getting in these situations we get in." Punk said, "And then he said that Nova practically lived with you when I was gone." He looked over at his father.

"She stayed with me a lot. She never lived with me." Dan said, "I did ask April to which she then didn't speak to me for a month, if she would want me to take her for a little while. She was really struggling with her health and going back to work, and taking care of Nova and herself, so I told her I'd be ok with having her stay with me but… April never agreed." Dan shook his head, "But Nova was at my house a lot. I think it hurt AJ to look after her. I think she just thought of you when she saw Nova and that was hard for her, for a very long time" Dan nodded.

"Dean made it out as if Nova just lived with you." Punk shook his head.

"Well she did spend a lot of time here, I get why'd he say that but I don't understand why he'd be mean about it. He knows better than anyone the struggle we all had when you were gone. April just needed a little bit of help and I gave her it." Dan shrugged.

"Thank you." Punk nodded, "I guess we're all still trying to heal from that never mind everything else that's gone on recently." He sighed, "He was just so fucking rude about it. He basically said the reason Nova has PTSD is because of me and April." Punk said. He felt like a teenager whining to his father about his best friend being a dick. He'd never really got to do that as a child. His father wasn't really involved. He didn't forget to acknowledge how much his father had turned his life around.

"He's just emotional, Phil." Dan nodded, "He doesn't mean what he's saying." He assured him, "Coming from an ex-alcoholic…" He placed his hand on his chest, "There's some tough days where you just wanna take your anger out on everyone and you just wanna… take a drink." Dan nodded, "Believe me."

"I never knew his drinking was so bad." Punk admitted, "I just feel like everyone around us is getting tainted." He sighed.

"No one is getting tainted." Dan said, "You shouldn't have to be worrying about everyone else around you. Dean is probably just upset at everything that has gone on, and you punching him probably pushed him over the edge a little." He said, "You have plenty to be worrying about with your own family, and not everyone else around you." He said as Punk just sighed, "You put your job before a lot of things, I agree with Dean, you and April. But you do not put it above those little girls. He knows that and I know that." Dan said, "That was just a comment he made in the heat of the moment."

"I'd put anything before the girls. All three of them. They're the only thing keeping me going right now." Punk said, "And I thought I'd have my best friend by my side to talk to." He shook his head.

"Just give him some space. He's still not over you being gone for so long. We all never really got the chance to let that sink in before everything that happened with April and Maggie." Dan said, "It's probably just caught up to Dean and he's lashed out."

"He was saying it like it was mine and April's fault that she got kidnapped and Maggie got taken." Punk groaned. He was angered by the full thing.

"Well that's just ridiculous." Dan shook his head, "You didn't ask for that, and it's harsh for him to say something like that when he knows how much you guys have struggled with this." Dan said, "I'd give him his space. You just keep concentrating on you and your family. That's all you can do."

"I don't know what to tell April. She'll be mad with him. She holds a grudge longer than I do." He admitted.

"Well then that's her decision." Dan said, "You both know yourself that none of this was your fault, and that Nova's problems in the past few weeks are not your fault either. Dean even knows that. I don't know what he's thinking saying something like that." Dan shook his head.

His son and his family were going through a difficult time. Of course they were. Their new-born baby was almost stolen by a crazy lady, and AJ almost died in the process. For Dean to say something like what he had to Punk's face, like it was his and AJ's fault, it seemed pretty harsh. But Dan could sense Dean hadn't quite gotten over Punk's four-year absence, and the path he had gone down during that time. He didn't think anyone had gotten over it just yet. He himself couldn't believe Punk was here sometimes. They'd been so used to thinking he was gone forever for four years.

"We're probably going to go away for the weekend soon. Take a few days out of town. Load the car and just drive somewhere." Punk said, "I don't want April to end up feeling isolated in the apartment." He said.

"You guys deserve a break away somewhere. Life has to carry on again, even if you're waiting for these trials in a few months. Life still has to carry on." Dan nodded, "Don't take Dean's comments to heart. You guys have a lot of love for each other, maybe that's why he's been so upset." Dan shrugged.

"I don't know." Punk sighed, rubbing his hand over his face.

"Listen to me." Dan warned, "Just focus on you and your family. Maybe now you can start healing from your four-year absence. Take the time you need. You have so many reasons to be grateful, Phil. This could have played out an entirely different way, but you're here, April is here, Maggie is here, Nova is here… and you're all safe. That's a triumph in my opinion giving what happened." Dan said as Punk nodded. He couldn't agree more.

"You were never this good at advice." Punk added in teasingly.

"I was never even good at communicating with you and your brother." Dan admitted truthfully as Punk nodded, knowing that to be true.

"Well I appreciate it. Makes a difference having someone to talk to." Punk nodded to him, "I'm just gonna focus on my family." He stood up as Dan nodded.

"That's what is important. I'm not saying your friends aren't important, because they are just as important, but you need to be there for your family. For the girls and April. You can't start blaming yourself or letting others get into your head." Dan shook his head, "Before you know it, everything will be calm again, and back to normal." Dan nodded.

"I hope so." Punk sighed.


Punk got home later that night, walking into the apartment where he saw AJ laying on the couch fast asleep with Ace by her feet. Some crime documentary was on the TV down low and after checking in both the girls' rooms, seeing them both out cold, fast asleep, he assumed AJ had just crashed.

He was so glad she wasn't as jumpy and jittery as she was when she first got home. It took her a while to even be ok with letting Maggie into her nursery, most nights she wanted to just watch her, but now things were going back to normal, at least a little.

He didn't want to wake her, so grabbed a blanket and shook it over her, but her eyes opened immediately, looking up at him as she woke up.

"Hey, sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I didn't want you to be cold." He admitted as she just smiled softly.

"I heard you come in." AJ assured him, "How did it go? You were away for longer than I thought." She admitted, sitting up slowly as Punk sat across from her.

"Not so good." Punk rubbed the back of his neck, "I went to my dad's, that's why I'm a little later." He explained.

"What happened? You didn't fight again, did you?" AJ asked.

"Not physically." Punk said, "He said some mean shit." He nodded, "Basically said everything that's happened is our own fault." He shrugged as AJ raised her eyebrows, "My dad seems to think he's still not really recovered from me being away those four years, and obviously everything that went on with his drinking problem." Punk said, "But that's no excuse. He knows what we're going through and… we didn't ask for this. He's gotta know that." He said.

"Did he really say that?" AJ asked in disbelief. It wasn't like Dean.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "He also said that we're the reason Nova has PTSD." He said, "And that she practically lived with my dad because you couldn't look after her when I wasn't here." He said as AJ shook her head. She couldn't believe Dean would say that. Especially when he now how much she struggled during Punk's absence.

"She didn't live with your dad." AJ immediately said.

"I know. I spoke to him." Punk said.

"I thought I'd lost you." AJ said, "And-"

"Hey, you don't defend anything. You just needed some extra help. If I was in your shoes, I would have too." Punk nodded, "Dean was out of line to say that as if you weren't a good mom. You're the best mom. He knows nothing." He shook his head. He wasn't mad that Dean was pissed with him, he was mad that he had brought April and Nova into it.

"Why would he say that?" AJ asked, "What the hell is wrong with him?"

"Dad seems to think he's just lashing out because of everything that's happened, and that maybe he's still not fully recovered from his drinking problem." Punk said, "I never knew it was so bad."

"He'd show up here drunk almost every night." AJ said, "And I would let him." She spat, "Now I wish I hadn't." She shook her head. She was hurt that Dean was saying all of this, especially when both of them were his closest friends. She understood everyone snapped every now and then, but there was no need for it to go this far.

"I think he's just upset about everything and he's lashing out. He thinks we would put our jobs before Maggie and Nova." Punk said as AJ shook her head.

"That's ridiculous." AJ spat, "How dare he think that."

"He's probably not thinking." Punk shook his head.

"Don't defend him." AJ warned, "He knows how hard it's been for us, through you being gone and with everything happening recently… how can he even say that… how can he say it's our own fault. We didn't ask for this." She spat angrily.

"I know, just… best thing to do is not get mad about it." Punk said, "I spoke to my dad, he thinks that Dean is just upset, and given his former alcohol problems, he thinks that might be playing a role in it." Punk said, "You don't think he blames me for… the path he went down, do you?"

"He better not." AJ spat, "Does he think it was easy for you or any of us when you were gone?" She shook her head.

"I don't know what he's thinking." Punk said, "I'm just gonna give him his space. I'm not chasing after him, especially not after the things he said." Punk shook his head, "We just need to keep doing what we're doing, focusing on us and the girls." Punk nodded, "That's the most important thing right now." He said as she just nodded casually.

"Phil, Nova didn't stay with your dad. I mean… she was there a lot but I was finding it hard to even take care of myself-"

"Babe, you don't have to explain to me. I'm glad my dad was there for you. I'm not gonna get mad because you struggled on you own. I would have too. In fact, I have no idea what I would have done if I thought you were dead." He admitted. It was a scary thought.

"I don't want you to think I abandoned her. Is that the way Dean said it?" AJ asked.

"No, I don't think he meant it like that. I don't know what he's thinking. He's not thinking that's the problem." Punk said, "I know you didn't abandon her." Punk nodded, "Let him ride this out on his own." He said as AJ just nodded and sighed.

"I just can't believe he'd bring the kids into it. And act like we're awful parents." AJ shook her head, "He's your best friend."

"He's just finding it hard like the rest of us. He's always acted out in anger." Punk said, "My dad is right, we just need to focus on us. We need to fix ourselves before everything else around us. That might be selfish but… my main priority is you and our girls. It always will be. Not our job, despite what Dean thinks." He rolled his eyes as AJ just nodded.

She'd gone that quiet way where he was worried about what she was thinking, "Don't let this get to you." He warned her lightly, "I know what you're like. Just forget about it." He said as AJ just nodded silently, "Did the girls go down ok?" He asked her.

"Mhm." AJ nodded, "Maggie fell asleep during her last feed, formula started spilling out of her mouth, it was cute."

"She was tired and cranky today." Punk said, "She was probably just exhausted."

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "And Nova went to sleep fine. She was tired too." AJ said as Punk nodded.

"I'm tired too." Punk admitted, rubbing his hand over his face as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, me too." She smiled to him, "I'll shut everything off in here, you go on ahead." She nodded to him as he didn't have to be told twice, standing up and heading off into their bedroom as AJ eventually joined him.


As soon as Punk's head hit the pillow, he was fast asleep, and AJ struggled to even shut her eyes. She was really hurt by what Dean had said, especially bringing Nova into it and her own little struggles she'd been having. It was unfair on them as a family, to be told from one of their best friends that it was their own fault. Even if he was just lashing out, she was hurt, and she was also incredibly angry.

She got out of bed and got into some sweats and a pullover hoodie, quietly leaving her sleeping boyfriend in bed and leaving the apartment, getting into the car and driving to Dean's. She had made sure to leave Punk a note on her pillow in case he woke up in fright of her not being there. She just said she'd gone for a drive.

She drove to Dean's house and got out of the car, walking up the steps and knocking loudly, knocking even louder again after he didn't answer the first time. She then heard steps coming down the stairs and the door unlocking.

Dean opened up the door, standing in just his boxer shorts half asleep, "AJ, what the hell-"

"Move." AJ spat, pushing by him and walking into the house as Dean shook his head and shut the door over, following her into the living room.

"It's 2am, what are you doing here?" Dean shook his head.

"How fucking dare you." AJ spat, "You're supposed to be our friend." AJ said, "You're supposed to be there for us right now, more than ever." She said, "How dare you imply that I abandoned Nova when Phil wasn't here." She shook her head.

"April, this was between me and Phil." Dean shrugged, "You need to go home."

"No, you need to listen to me." AJ spat, "The moment you brought my name and Nova's name into this, you made it between me and you too." She said, "You know better than to ever come at me. And I sure as hell thought you knew better than to come for either of my girls." AJ said, "Phil doesn't wanna fight with you but I will happily go through you if you continue in this petty mood that you're in." She said.

"I told Phil my opinion. I'm entitled to one. If he doesn't like it, he sends you here to fight his battles?" Dean asked.

"No, I came here on my own. You'll know when you push Phil to far, trust me." AJ warned, "And you don't want to get to that point." She said, "You can be mad about all of this, you can be mad about the four years Punk wasn't here, the four years that we all suffered, not just you, and you can be mad about those psycho's taking me and kidnapping Maggie, but how dare you stand there and tell Phil that it is our own fault." AJ spat.

"I'm just stating facts. You're both too involved with work. If you just stayed lowkey and accepted things can't always be resolved, then you could have avoided a lot of tough situations that you've both gotten yourselves in over the years." He said.

"Me and Maggie being taken was nothing to do with our job." AJ said.

"Of course it was. You were leading the God damn case with those three murdered girls. You were in their sights, even more so when they realised you were pregnant." Dean said, "This is the fucking problem. You two don't even see it. One of these days, it's not gonna end in your favour and one of you or maybe even both of you, are gonna end up dead. And then what happens to your precious girls then, huh?" Dean asked as AJ slapped him across the face and then roughly shoved him.

"You need to shut your mouth." AJ spat, "I don't know if you're just having a bad day, maybe a bad week, I don't know if you're gasping for a drink and this is how you cope with it by getting mad at everyone, but don't you dare forget that I was there for you when you needed someone." AJ warned him as he rubbed his cheek where she had slapped. It wasn't actually a slap it was more of a clobber around the ear, "I let you into the apartment, I gave you company, I gave you a place to crash if you needed it, I helped you with counselling." She said, "And this is how you treat me?"

"It's not personal." Dean said, "I'm just worried you'll both get yourselves killed and I don't mean the fake kind of killed." He said.

"Well there are nicer ways to tell us that's how you feel." AJ spat, "Just… stay away from us for the time being." She shrugged and folded her arms, "And if you ever use my children in the context that they are abandoned, or mistreated, or neglected… I swear, Dean. Our friendship is over." AJ said as Dean watched her.

She was pretty terrifying when she was angry, and he'd never saw her this angry before.

They had an intense stare-out for a few more seconds before AJ left the house and closed the door over, leaving Dean standing in the middle of the living room with a stinging face and a lot on his mind.


A/N: Let me know what you think!