Change of Attitude

Two months later…

"No, I'm not going. Quit asking me." Punk said, sitting at his desk in the police station whilst Dean stood beside him.

"Come on, I don't wanna have to go on my own." Dean huffed, pulling out a chair and sitting beside Punk's desk.

"You're not on your own. You'll have Renee." Punk shrugged.

"Yeah and this is the first time she's meeting mom and dad. I don't want it to go tits up." Dean said.

"It won't. You'll be fine." Punk said, "I'm not going so stop going on about it." Punk said, filing away some paper work as Dean huffed.

"What is AJ saying about it?" Dean asked.

"Not much because I haven't told her." Punk said, "I don't wanna put her in an uncomfortable position. I don't know what mom and dad are gonna say to her or to me. Not good things I'll bet." He said, "So why bother?" He shook his head, "I don't even know why they bothered asking me."

"Because maybe they just wanna know how you're doing… and they might wanna meet AJ." Dean said as Punk scoffed.

"If you believe that you're a big fat idiot." Punk shook his head, "I'm not sitting with our parents and giving them a chance to judge me or April. More so April. She's had enough of that from her own parents. She's not getting it from mine." He said.

"Who's to say they'll judge?" Dean questioned.

"Don't make me laugh." Punk said, "Look, you're the favourite child so it's your responsibility to live up to it." He said.

"Hey don't put that shit on me." Dean pointed as Punk slapped his finger away, "I think they tolerate us both equally the same." He said as Punk shook his head.

"Go away." Punk pushed Dean away as the chair rolled back.

"You suck." Dean huffed childishly.

"Phil." Paul walked down the station approaching Punk's desk.

"Yes sir?" Punk looked up.

"Your wife is standing outside the station. Told me to ask if you could come out and speak to her." Paul nodded as Punk raised his eyebrows, turning to Dean who stayed quiet.

"Janine is outside?" Punk asked.

"Yeah." Paul nodded as Punk gulped and stood up. He hadn't seen Janine for over two months. It got easier to block it out as time went by, and he knew when she did come back it would be difficult. It was nice being in his own little bubble with AJ, where everything felt right.

"Good luck." Dean widened his eyes as Punk sighed to himself, walking on down the station and heading outside, taking a deep breath as he looked around and saw Janine standing over by her car.

He walked over, watching her notice him and straighten up.

"Hey." Punk nodded politely.

"Hi." Janine replied, looking across at him, "How are you?" She asked calmly as he nodded.

"I'm ok." Punk nodded, "You?" He questioned.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Janine said as Punk nodded, a slight awkward silence filling the air as Punk put his hands in his pockets. He didn't expect her to look so… fine. He could see she'd had her hair done and dressed well in new clothes he didn't recognise.

"How was your mom's?" Punk asked her, "Good?"

"Yeah it was nice to get away for a while actually." Janine nodded, "Spend time with my sister and my mom. Had some me time." She said as Punk nodded. He almost felt like he was talking to a different person. Before she left she was this crazed, frantic woman he didn't recognise. It was very clear to see she had calmed down a whole lot.

"That's good." Punk nodded.

"What about you?" Janine asked.

"Yeah, just… working away I guess." Punk said as she nodded.

"And her?" Janine asked as Punk looked at her.

"April." Punk emphasised her name, "Is fine." Punk said as Janine nodded, "We've got an apartment together."

"Great." Janine said quickly, not wishing to hear any more, "Well I'm back so I would like to get the ball rolling with this divorce." She nodded to him, "I have already put in for the petition so I'm just waiting on them getting back to me, should be a couple days. We can take it from there and get it settled." She said as Punk raised his eyebrows. He was very surprised at her new change in attitude.

"Ok." Punk nodded, "Ok, yeah." He agreed.

"I'll be selling our house." Janine nodded, "I'm moving out to the burbs to be closer to my family." She said, "Found a place already."

"Oh, really?" Punk asked as she nodded.

"Yeah." Janine nodded, "I'll stay at our place… well… the house." She rephrased, "For as long as the divorce takes to be settled and then I'll be out of your hair." She nodded to him as he looked across at her.

"I don't… I don't need you to leave town, Janine. I just… I just don't want you slashing my tyres or attacking April on the street." Punk said as Janine nodded.

"I think it's best I go, regardless." Janine nodded, "I'm not really fond of the idea of ever bumping into you two in the street. Believe it or not, Phil… I still love and care about you." She said as Punk looked across at her, not saying anything.

"Well we can just get this thing sorted as quickly as we can then, yeah?" Punk nodded to her.

"Yeah." Janine said, "And here…" She walked around to the trunk of her car, lifting out a car tyre and then another one, "There's another two in the back seats." She explained.

"What's this for?" Punk shook his head, watching her take the other two tyres out of the back seat.

"For slashing up your tyres." Janine said, sitting the tyres over onto the pavement.

"You didn't have to." Punk said as Janine shrugged.

"And tell April I'm sorry for attacking her on the street. I was just hurt and angry and… jealous that she gets to see how amazing you are." Janine nodded to him as he shook his head with confusion. It was starting to puzzle him with how nice and decent she was being.

"What's the catch here?" Punk asked, "Is this the part you say you're gonna take all my money?"

"What?" Janine laughed, "I don't need money." She said cockily.

"You wanted to tear my head off before you left-"

"No I didn't." Janine said, "I was upset and angry that I'd lost you. Nothing else." Janine said, "Taking some time on my own helped me realise that… I care much more about your happiness than I do about my own personal feelings." She said, "So I just want to get this done with and let you… move on. Like you've wanted to for a long time." She nodded as Punk looked across at her.

"Well I… I hope you can move on too." Punk said as she nodded.

"I will call you when I hear from the lawyers. Keep you up to speed with things." Janine said as he nodded.

"Yeah, sure." Punk nodded.

"Ok." Janine nodded, opening up her car door, "Don't forget those tyres." She said, getting into her car and closing the door over as Punk watched her drive off, raising his eyebrows with confusion.

"April, she was like a completely different person." Punk said, dishing out the spaghetti for dinner whilst AJ took the garlic bread out of the oven.

"I can't even imagine it." AJ shook her head.

"Neither could I until it was standing in front of me." He said as AJ switched the oven on and set the table, "She was being so… reasonable." He shook his head.

"Maybe some time away was exactly what she needed." AJ nodded, "I mean… this is what you wanted, right? Civil divorce."

"Yeah, sure. I wanted it. Never expected it." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"Well she's had the time to be mad I guess." AJ said, "This doesn't need to drag out any longer." She said as Punk nodded, sitting the dinner down as AJ grabbed them drinks from the fridge.

"She said she's gonna sell the house and move out closer to her mom." Punk said, sitting down whilst AJ sat across from him.

"It's probably for the best. I didn't think she'd wanna stay around here." AJ said as Punk nodded.

"She even told me to say sorry for attacking you in the street." Punk said.

"Sounds like a changed woman." AJ nodded.

"Yeah… it freaked me out a little." Punk said.

"Why?" AJ laughed.

"She wasn't even just calmed down. She wasn't even acting like normal Janine." Punk said, "It was weird."

"I reckon she just wants it to be finished with now, which is a good thing. Despite the lies she told, I doubt she's out to get you." AJ shook her head.

"Well that's what her mom said." Punk scoffed.

"Yeah well some mothers are more protective than ours." AJ said, "Speaking of…" She cleared her throat, "Why didn't you tell me that your parents invited us to dinner with Dean and Renee?"

"Dean and his big fat fucking mouth." Punk scoffed.

"No actually, Renee told me." AJ said as Punk nodded to himself.

"Oh." He said, "Well… it's a bad idea for us to go so I just told Dean to go on his own with Renee."

"Why?" AJ shook her head, "Your parents invited you. From what I hear that it's not a regular or normal occurrence." She said, "We should go."

"We absolutely shouldn't." Punk shook his head.

"What could go so wrong?" AJ scoffed.

"They could open their mouths." Punk nodded as AJ rolled her eyes, "Trust me, they're not nice people. My mom especially. And I don't want to hear them say any shit about you. I can take it but… I'm not putting you in that position."

"I can handle myself, big boy. I'll be fine." AJ assured him with a smile, "I think we should go." She nodded as Punk looked across at her, "I wanna meet the people who created the love of my life."

"Love of your life?" He smiled as she nodded, reaching over and flicking his chin sweetly as he smiled.

The past two months had been pure bliss. Living in their own little bubble was wonderful. AJ had started her new part-time job and was enjoying it. The people were wonderful to her and she really appreciated how they worked her shifts around college, which she was still working hard in.

She hadn't saw or spoken to her mother since she had been thrown out, and hadn't seen her father since he had threatened her about keeping his secrets, a secret. She had decided and made peace with the fact they really didn't care about her. And she didn't have to respect them just because they were her parents. She was getting all the love she needed from her boyfriend in their wonderful little lovenest.

"I don't wanna go." Punk said childishly.

"Come on, baby. One night." AJ said, "You said your dad is harmless, he just has his demons. And maybe I can… win your mom over-"

"Oh, you don't even know." Punk shook his head, chuckling lightly, "She's the devil herself and if she thinks something mean, she says it."

"I think if they've invited you then that means that they want to know how you're doing, right?" AJ encouraged. She'd always encourage him, even when he was shying away from things. Just like he encouraged her.

"No, my mom just probably wants gossip." Punk nodded.

"Then let her gossip if that's all she's after." AJ said, "But I say we go and maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised."

"Not gonna happen." Punk hummed.

"Don't make me start listing bad things I'll let you do to me if you go." AJ said.

"Go on." Punk looked up as she chuckled, shaking her head.

"I'll surprise you." She nodded as he scoffed, "I think Dean really wants you to go. So if not your parents, and not for yourself, go for him."

"I don't like you and his friendship." Punk said childishly, "You two stay dragging me into things I don't wanna do."

"Oh, like what?" AJ laughed, "Shaving that nasty beard you had growing out?"

"To name a few." Punk nodded as she chuckled. He looked over at her, sighing to himself as he watched her twirling her spaghetti around her fork. Every moment, dinner, kiss, hug, conversation he had with her was bliss. Just being around her made him happy and if these past two months were an indication of anything, it was that he was madly in love and the happiest he'd ever been. Of course nerves had come back a little as he was faced with the new challenge of divorce, but it appeared his soon to be ex-wife had decided to approach things with a change in attitude, and despite the ugly ending, he was happy they could hopefully part ways in a civil manner.

"Ok." Punk nodded as he looked across at AJ, "Ok, we'll go."

"Ok." AJ smiled sweetly, "And if it goes terribly you can spank me when we get home." She nodded as he choked on a spaghetti noodle.

"April, I'm eating." Punk coughed as AJ chuckled to herself and smiled to him as he shook his head with a smile equally as big.