Fitting In

"How the hell am I supposed to settle a divorce with her when she's out here slashing my tyres?" Punk asked, standing outside the station with Dean as he crouched down by one of his tyres.

"She'll calm down eventually." Dean figured, "She's probably still shocked." He said as Punk sighed to himself.

"I just wanna have a civil conversation with her." Punk shook his head, standing up straight, "I know maybe I don't deserve civil but she's not innocent. She was lying to me too. We both had our flaws."

"Yeah, I think she's totally forgot about lying about the baby." Dean said as Punk shook his head.

"And why is everyone in there looking at me like I just spat on their face?" Punk asked, pointing back to the station, "They don't know the full story."

"Exactly. All they know is that you cheated on your wife." Dean said, "Who cares what they think."

"If they all wanna play that game I'll let go of a few home truths of theirs." Punk shook his head, "Is this how it's gonna be? She's just gonna pop and start thinking of ways to ruin my life?" Punk questioned.

"It's gonna pass. She'll get fed up. You just gotta give her some time to be mad at you." Dean said as Punk sighed to himself.

"She looks like she wants to murder me." Punk groaned, leaning against his car, "Do you think I'm an awful person?" He asked his brother as Dean shook his head.

"No. No you're not an awful person, Phil." Dean shook his head, "Sure, maybe there was some others ways you could have went about this but… you can't help how you feel." Dean said, "I just want you to be happy and I can see that you're happy when you're with April." He nodded.

"I am." Punk nodded, "Being with her makes me just realise that I was never as crazy about Janine as I am about her." He said, "And I never wanted to hurt Janine, this wasn't what I wanted but… it just felt like it got out of my control. I know that's probably what every unfaithful husband says when they cheat but… it's true." Punk said, "And now me and April have both been thrown out our homes." He nodded to himself with worry.

"Don't worry about that. You're welcome to stay at mine until you figure it out." Dean said.

"I just wish it was easier for us." Punk shook his head, "I feel like I've turned April's life upside down."

"Maybe it's a blessing in disguise for her." Dean said, "Her family were awful to her. Even I know that. Maybe now she'll actually be appreciated." He said as Punk nodded.

"I just don't want the divorce and everything that's going on with me and Janine to affect her." Punk said, "And I got a feeling that Janine isn't gonna make this easy for me. I mean… I rest my case." He looked down at his flat car tyres.

"It's still fresh for her. She's gonna be mad, obviously." Dean said, "Once she calms down, she'll want it to be over just as much as you." He said as Punk nodded.

"Or she'll wanna drag it out and make my life hell." Punk figured as Dean nodded to himself.

"It's a fifty fifty chance." Dean nodded as Punk sighed to himself, "Come on, let's get back in before Paul beats our ass." He said as Punk nodded.

"I gotta call people out to replace my tyres." Punk shook his head as Dean patted Punk's back, guiding him back into the station.

"She slashed your tyres?" AJ questioned, sitting at the kitchen table whilst Dean sat beside her making himself a sandwich up.

"All four." Punk nodded, standing over by the fridge and grabbing a drink. He and Dean had both gotten home later on that night. It was a nice feeling to get back and find AJ there, it made his shitty day so much better.

"She can't do that." AJ said, "You're cops, can't you… do something about that?" AJ asked them both.

"That'd probably just make it worse." Punk shook his head.

"I'm telling you. You gotta let her be mad." Dean said, taking his knife and dipping it into the jar of mustard to scoop onto his sandwich as AJ watched with fascination, "You gotta let her be mad so that she can then calm down. It's best she gets it all out her system now."

"That looks like a good sandwich." AJ nodded as Dean turned to her.

"Yeah I call it the Dean." Dean nodded to her, "Turkey, pastrami, provolone, tomato, lettuce, onion, little bit of mustard, little bit of mayo." Dean told her as she nodded, "You wanna try it?"

"Hell yeah." AJ nodded as he slid the sandwich over to her, watching her lift it and take a bite.

"What do you think?" Dean asked as AJ nodded, still working on the bite she'd took.

"Best sandwich I've ever tasted." AJ nodded to him as Dean smiled proudly.

"It did take me a while to perfect it." Dean nodded, taking the sandwich back from her whilst Punk smiled watching them. It was nice to see AJ getting along with his brother so easily. It was something he was desperate for when he dated Janine but she never warmed to Dean in the slightest.

"So that date I promised you tonight, we're gonna have to postpone it until my car gets new tyres." Punk said, "I'm sorry." He told AJ who shook her head.

"It's fine, don't worry." AJ nodded to him, "We can just have dinner here."

"I make some enchiladas to die for." Dean nodded to her.

"Well if they're as good as that sandwich I'm in." AJ said as Dean smiled. It was a breath of fresh air having AJ to talk to, someone who was genuinely similar to he and his brother, who had the same humour and personality. Someone who was easy to talk to.

"I'll go out and get the stuff to make it then." Dean smiled happily.

"Oh, you don't have to. We can rustle up something." AJ insisted as Dean stood up.

"No, I'm in the mood for them now." Dean nodded, "You need anything at the store?" He asked them, grabbing his sandwich and his keys as AJ smiled. He definitely was a unique character.

"No, I'm good." Punk nodded.

"I'm good, thanks." AJ smiled as Dean nodded, walking out of the kitchen and leaving the house, "I hope he doesn't think he has to look after us. I can… I can get a part-time job and start paying for things." She nodded, "I will."

"No, he doesn't mind. It's actually nice seeing you and him talking." Punk said, "He never got along with Janine, at all." He said, sitting down at the table across from him, "Clash of different personality, I guess."

"Yeah, I can see that." AJ nodded.

"I'm sorry I can't take you out tonight." Punk said.

"Hey, don't worry about it." AJ assured him, "We got plenty of time." She reminded him as he nodded with a smile.

"What did you get up to today?" Punk asked her.

"I just studied. I know, boring." AJ nodded, "But I have an exam next week and I wanna be prepared." She said, "Plus it's helping me focus on something else." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I got a shit load of work done today." Punk nodded, "Well after I dealt with the slashed tyres incident."

"She can't do that. Yeah, I understand her being mad and upset. Fair enough. But there's also some sort of maturity you gotta have about it. And that's coming from a twenty year old." AJ said, "It's like she's just lost it."

"I think she would have gone off like this with or without me telling her about you. Every time I see her she keeps saying she loves me. She brought up the baby again today." Punk said, slightly more concerned, "It's like she's more mad that I'm gone than she is about the cheating." He said as AJ nodded.

"It's just gonna take some time." AJ said, "Dean is right. You gotta let her get this all out for her to be calm, I guess." She said as Punk nodded.

"Doesn't help that my entire work thing I'm a scumbag now." Punk nodded.

"How do they know?" AJ asked.

"Word gets around." Punk shrugged, "I just wish they knew the full story."

"They don't have to. We know it and that's enough." AJ said as Punk nodded.

"This is nice." Punk said, "Coming back from work and getting to see you." He said as she smiled.

"Yeah, it is." AJ smiled fondly, taking his hand from across the table, "I just hope that this divorce can be settled as quickly as possible for you. Because I know it's stressing you out." She said. She knew him well enough already to know that he was stressed about things. Of course he was.

"As long as I've got you, I'll be fine." Punk assured her as she smiled.

Later on that night, Dean had cooked up his speciality dinner for everyone, including Renee who had come by to join them. AJ had never felt so welcomed by people before, especially Renee who made effort to actually get to know her, without it being fake or forced. It wasn't the reception she was used to or the family environment she recognised, but she loved it.

"So you two were like the bad kids at school then?" Renee chuckled, sitting beside Dean at the table whilst Punk and AJ sat across.

"I wouldn't say we were bad." Dean said, looking at Punk for confirmation who nodded in agreement, "We just… liked to act up from time to time." He said.

"We just needed attention." Punk added as Renee and AJ chuckled.

"Yeah our mom didn't hug enough as kids." Dean said.

"So did you get kicked out of school too?" AJ asked Dean.

"No, I made it all the way." Dean said, "I was definitely more behaved than he was." He pointed to Punk who just shrugged.

"You got kicked out of school?" Renee asked Punk with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "But I think I did ok." He shrugged, unbothered as AJ smiled. She loved his care-free attitude, his recognition that he wasn't perfect but he tried his hardest at everything. That was important to her.

"Yeah tell me the thought process behind you both wanting to be cops?" Renee asked curiously whilst AJ went in for more helpings of dinner sitting in the centre of the kitchen table.

"Someone's gotta take this away from me." She laughed to herself as Punk smiled.

"I just copied Phil with everything." Dean shrugged, "He done something, I would surely follow. So it just happened. He applied for the academy and got in so I figured if this dummy who got kicked out of school can get in, so can I." He said, "I got in the following year and the rest is history."

"I bet you guys see some scary stuff." Renee said.

"From time to time." Dean nodded.

"What's the worst case you've ever worked on?" AJ asked curiously, reaching for more chips and dip on the table.

"Well I know what yours is." Dean looked over at Punk, "Do you know mine?"

"No." Punk said.

"You go first." Dean said as the girls looked at them both curiously.

"About two years ago I worked on a missing kid case." Punk nodded, "And we still haven't found her." He said as AJ frowned, "She was four when she went missing so she'll be six now." He nodded, "All fingers pointed to her step-dad but… we never got a break through." He said as AJ sighed, placing her hand on his leg under the table, "I was in charge of the case so it kinda weighs me down." He nodded.

"Hey, you can't possibly blame yourself." AJ shook her head.

"Yeah, that's something out of your control." Renee agreed.

"It's just… it's hard when you can't make it right." Punk said, "And it's left unsolved. It can play on your mind sometimes." He said as AJ sighed, rubbing his leg softly. The truth was, he never really got to talk about things like this with anyone. Janine never really enjoyed him talking about work, so he never did, but when he looked at AJ and he felt her listening closely, her hand on his leg comfortingly, it was the most support he'd felt in his entire life.

"What about you, Dean?" AJ asked, leaning into Punk and kissing his arm sweetly, "What's yours?"

"I had just not long made the step up from rookie. I was on the beat full-time and I worked on a domestic case. These kids were left in their apartment on their own most days, starving. The mom and dad were beating them and… not looking after them properly." He shook his head, "So I went to the apartment and I'll never forget the little boy's face. He had to be about 3 or 4." He said, "And I'm thinking, well… I'm gonna end up in prison cause I'm gonna kill these two parents." He shook his head, "Out of everything I've worked on, that's the one I can never forget." He said, "Good news to mine is, those kids got taken off those parents and put into foster care where they got adopted. The parents are still in prison." Dean nodded positively.

"That's awful." Renee shook her head, "People can be so cruel." She sighed.

"Yeah." Dean agreed, "So what's the worst thing about being a school teacher?" He turned to her as Renee smiled whilst Punk and AJ chuckled lightly.

"Oh, definitely when I have to blow their noses. Or they wipe it on my skirt." Renee shrugged, "That's definitely up there." She smiled.

"What are you studying again, April?" Dean asked AJ.

"Medicine." AJ nodded, "I wanna be a chemist."

"Oh, that's cool." Renee smiled, "Were you good at science at school?" She asked whilst Punk stood up to get another drink from the fridge.

"Yeah, I guess. I just always thought the idea of it was cool." AJ nodded.

"How long until you graduate?" Dean asked.

"Another two years." AJ nodded to them.

Meanwhile Punk looked over standing by the fridge, watching as AJ spoke with Dean and Renee, seeing the smile on her face every time she laughed. He knew she hadn't been appreciated the way she should have all this time, and he was glad his brother and Renee so the kindness and beauty in her too. In all the stress and madness, this was the good, this just felt right.