It Wasn't Me

"Phil…" AJ looked across at him as Punk nodded.

"Yeah? What?" Punk nodded calmly, watching as AJ put James down in his crib carefully, looking back up at Punk.

"Where… Where were you?" She whispered, eyes wide, heart thumping as she saw the blood on his hands.

"I was just… I was out. At the store." Punk nodded as AJ looked at him, shaking her head and walking out of the nursery, into their bedroom.

Punk left the nursery and followed her of course, knowing he had explaining to do. His wife let him get away with nothing, certainly not something like this.

"Phil… who… whose blood is this?" AJ shook her head, taking his hands, "What the hell were you doing? I mean… I knew you weren't going to the store like you told me but I didn't… I didn't think you were…" She paused for a second.

"It's fine. It's ok. I'm ok." Punk assured her as she backed up a little.

"Oh, please tell me you didn't do what I think you did." AJ placed her hands over her mouth and nose, "Please." She looked at him as he just stared back.

"It was him. I know it was." Punk nodded, sitting down on the edge of their bed as AJ watched him. He looked like he was high. Of course she knew he wasn't, but that's how he was acting. She'd never seen him like this. Sure, she'd seen him every other emotion under the sun, but never like this.

"Phil." AJ crouched down in front of him, "What did you do?" She asked calmly as Punk looked down at her.

"I couldn't stop it." Punk shook his head, "I… I did try. I promise." He nodded, "But he hurt her-"

"Who?" AJ asked, making sure she was on the same page as him. Making sue she knew that was she believed had happened was true.

"That kid Jeremy that Thea threatened." Punk said, "Had to be him." He whispered to himself.

"Oh my God." AJ stood up, placing her hands over her face, "Phil, he is a child-"

"He's twenty-one." Punk objected.

"And what age are you?" AJ batted back, "Is this… is this what you think Jude wants right now?" She questioned, "You think she wants this? Her dad thugging out on some kid who… who might not even have anything to do with this!" She yelled, "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking this sick fuck hurt my daughter. Drugged her unconscious. Raped her and left her. And he deserved to feel endless pain and misery for the rest of his life."

"You don't know it's him and it's not your job to figure it out." AJ said, "Let the police do the job-"

"The police?" Punk chuckled, "Oh, because they treat us so well, don't they? You know what they think of us. What they think of you and the girls." He said as AJ folded her arms, "Don't give me the police bullshit." He shook his head.

"Jude was questioned and examined thoroughly for almost an entire day. The detective who is building the case is a woman who Jude said was extremely nice to her. Sean is working around the clock to make sure everyone is doing their part." AJ said, "The police are not our enemy, Phil. Not this time."

"Yeah well they want to catch this guy. I want to kill him." Punk shrugged as AJ looked across at him.

"Oh my God… you're really serious." AJ realised. She thought before when he said it, he was just saying things out of pain, out of hurt and sadness. But now she realised he actually wanted this.

"Of course I'm serious." Punk nodded calmly.

"Oh, yeah. You go kill someone. See you in another eight years." AJ nodded to him, "You can't be serious with me right now."

"Do I look like I'm joking with you?" Punk asked her.

"This isn't you. You are not a violent person." AJ shook her head, "I know you. I know you more than you know you." She said, "You don't want to hurt anyone. You're just hurting for your daughter and you feel helpless. I get that. I feel the same." She nodded, "We all do." She threw her hands up, "It's not like when they were little and they… they fell off their bikes and got a cut leg. We could put a plaster on it and it'd be fine the next day. Or when they had a nightmare and we could let them come into our bed, to make sure they weren't scared anymore." AJ said, "This happened and we have no control over it." She said, "But guess what? It's not about us."

"I know that." Punk said.

"Then stop thinking about plotting YOUR revenge and think about Jude. What she needs right now-"

"You think I'm not thinking about her?" Punk stood up.

"You're thinking about what you need to help her and you haven't figured out yet that there isn't anything you can do-"

"I can find the person-"

"I thought you did tonight?" AJ caught him out.

"Yeah well… well he said he wasn't anywhere near her that night and then Dominic came and told Thea that… that Kirsty was with Jeremy-"

"Wait… Thea was there?" AJ shook her head.

"And Dean." Punk nodded.

"You're kidding me, right?" AJ shook her head, "What… What the hell were you all doing? Torturing this boy? God I am going to kill Thea." AJ spat angrily, "And Dean… when will he ever learn to stop following whatever you say and do-"

"Hey… they made their own decisions. They wanted to be there." Punk said.

"If Kirsty was with Jeremy that night… it obviously wasn't him." AJ said, "You understand that, right?"

"It had to have been." Punk said.

"Why? Because you want to have someone to blame? To take your anger out on?" AJ questioned.

"No, because he was stalking her before and… and he invited her to the party. That's why."

"That's not proof." AJ spat, "That's you jumping to conclusions and making up your own narrative." She said.

"Why are you mad at me right now? As if you don't know who I am? You've known me for thirty years. What did you think I would do? Sit and do nothing-"

"I thought you'd realise that Jude doesn't need this right now. She needs her family to support her and be there for her." AJ said, "And yeah, I have known you for thirty years and guess what? You never learn." She shook her head.

"I never learn? I… I don't believe we've ever been in this situation before!" Punk yelled angrily.

"Oh, you know what I mean!" AJ yelled back.

"Don't be mad at me for protecting my daughter." Punk said.

"This isn't protecting your daughter, Phil. This is just stupid." AJ shook her head, "Rio was right, you love so much, one day it's gonna destroy you-"

"What did you just say to me?" Punk walked closer to her as AJ looked up at him.

"You heard me." AJ gritted her teeth.

"Don't you dare say his name in this house again." Punk made clear as AJ looked at him.

"How badly did you hurt Jeremy?" AJ asked him as Punk walked back, sitting down on the bed and running his hands over his face.

"I don't know, April. He's still breathing." Punk shook his head.

"Oh. Oh, that's good then." AJ nodded sarcastically, "How bad is it?"

"He'll be fine." Punk shook his head, "I… I left but Dean and Thea were still there. Suddenly they don't think it was him."

"Because it wasn't. He was with Kirsty." AJ said, "That means he isn't even a suspect."

"I know he has something to do with it. I can tell." Punk nodded.

"Phil… you just want to believe that." AJ nodded, "Look at me." She crouched down in front of him, "He didn't rape her. He's just a kid who… who maybe had a crush on her. Who meant no harm." She said as Punk looked down at her, "And you've just beaten him to a pulp." She made clear. She wanted him to know. She wanted it to sink in. She wanted him to know where his anger had gotten him tonight.

"I thought… I just thought…" Punk paused, looking at his bloody hands, realising what this meant. The fact this boy was possibly innocent.

"You wanted someone to blame and I understand that." AJ said, "But you are… you are acting like a crazy person right now. I'm not scared. I'm worried about you." She nodded as Punk looked at her.

"So whoever did this is still out there?" Punk realised.

"Yes." AJ nodded as Punk put his hands over his face.

"I just want her to be safe." Punk muffled against his hands.

"She's safe now." AJ nodded, taking his hands from his face, "She's safe." She promised.

"As long as that person is still out there… I don't think she's safe. I don't feel like she's safe." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"I know." AJ nodded, "But for now, she's safe with her family, and the police are doing their job." She said as Punk looked at her. At times he was still in shock that this was happening, "You have to fix what you did tonight. Somehow." She said, "Because who taught you that consequences have actions? Not just for you but for all of us." She nodded, "Who made that very clear to you when you got out of prison?"

"Jude." Punk nodded, "Shit." Punk realised what he'd done, his shaking hands running over his hair, "Fuck, I… I thought it was him." He said, shaking as AJ nodded.

"You're ok." AJ nodded, standing up, wrapping her arms around him as he hugged around her waist, resting his head against her stomach, "But you have to fix this, and realise this is not your fight to fight. It's Jude's." She made clear as Punk sighed to himself.

"Can you get me more cloth?" Thea asked Dominic who ripped up more cloth, kneeling down at the side of the couch where Jeremy was lying up. Being a doctor, Thea was able to clean him up and stitch his deeper gashes up.

"I want an ambulance." Jeremy tried to sit up.

"Just stay where you are." Thea said firmly, "You're not getting an ambulance." She made clear as Dean sighed to himself.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" Jeremy shook his head.

"Look I'm sorry." Thea said, "It's just… it's just a bad time right now." She said, cleaning his face up, "I'm a doctor so I… I know what I'm doing. I won't stitch you up wrong."

"You're still crazy." Jeremy said.

"Maybe." Thea said quietly, "Just stay still." She said, concentrating on stitching him up.

"Where'd he go?" Dominic asked Dean.

"I have no idea. Home hopefully. AJ will sort him out." Dean said, "In the meantime, we have to make sure this kid doesn't go talking to the cops."

"I can hear you." Jeremy said.

"Shut up." Dean said as Dominic sighed to himself.

"I should have gotten here sooner." Dominic shook his head.

"Don't be ridiculous." Dean shook his head.

"So you were with Kirsty all night?" Thea asked, finishing up the last stitch, kneeling back a little.

"Y-Yeah." Jeremy shrugged as Thea looked at him.

"All night?" Thea questioned as Jeremy looked at her.

"Well I… I did see Jude again." Jeremy nodded as Dean looked over.

"Get out of the way." Dean moved Thea out of the way, grabbing Jeremy up from the couch, "Ok, kid… I don't have time for these fucking games. Do you want me to bring my lunatic brother back here? He wasn't kidding about taking your fingers and toes." He said as Jeremy gulped, "Talk. Talk now." He made clear.

"Well I did go home with Kirsty." Jeremy said, finding it hard to difficult to talk with how beaten his face was, "But she'd left her purse so I had to go back to the bar." He said, "When I got out of the cab I saw Jude walking out of the bar… well… she was stumbling. Could barely walk." He said as Thea stood up, standing over behind Dominic.

"Then what?" Dean gritted his teeth.

"Well obviously I wanted to help her. She was trying to put her coat on so I came up behind her and helped her. I… I was gonna take her back here and let her crash on my couch since I was… you know… spending the night with Kirsty at their apartment."

"So you just shipped her off because you wanted to get laid?" Thea spat angrily as Dominic held her back.

"I was trying to help her." Jeremy said, "I saw how messed up she was. I didn't think she'd been drugged, I just thought she was really drunk." He said, "So I was walking her down the street and then this guy came up to us."

"What guy?" Thea asked.

"Uh… he never said his name. He was my height. Dark hair. A little older I think." Jeremy nodded, "He said he knew Jude and that he'd help her to your house." He pointed to Thea.

"My house?" Thea asked.

"That's what he said." Jeremy nodded.

"And you just let her go?" Dean spat, "Are you a fucking idiot?!"

"I wasn't going to but then Jude kept mumbling, saying she knew him." Jeremy said.

"Jude was saying she knew him?" Thea questioned.

"Yeah." Jeremy said, "And I was kinda drunk too so… I don't know, maybe I didn't realise just how bad she was."

"And so you just let her go off with this guy?" Thea asked.

"Yeah, I… look, I didn't think anything bad would happen." Jeremy said, "I feel terrible now. Of course I do." He said, "But I swear it wasn't me who… who did it."

"No, you just delivered her off to her attacker." Thea nodded as Jeremy sighed.

"You'd remember what this guy looked like if they were to bring him in to the station?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Jeremy nodded.

"Which means we need you." Dean nodded, "You're probably the only one who could identify who raped Jude. Because she can't even identify him." He said, "Do you understand me?"

"Y-Yeah." Jeremy nodded.

"She said she knew him?" Thea asked again, puzzled.

"Yeah, but… she was a mess so… I don't know." Jeremy shrugged as Dean stood up straight and sighed.

"Ok." Dean nodded to himself, turning to Thea and Dominic, "Those bruises and cuts need to heal before he goes to the cops." He made clear, turning back to Jeremy, "You say a word about what happened tonight, what my brother done to you, it'll be me who deals with you next time." He made clear, "And make this a lesson learnt that you don't leave intoxicated, drugged young girls with men who just appear from nowhere." He grabbed Jeremy by the chin as he winced.

"Fine… ok, I won't… I won't say anything about tonight." Jeremy nodded as Dean let him go, "I really am sorry. I… I hope she's ok."

"She's not." Thea spat, walking out of the living room and out of the house. She couldn't bear the thought that her sister could possibly know who her attacker was in person. It was a horrid thought.