The War

Punk woke up the next morning, having slept in Cassie's bedroom, looking up at the posters on her room wall, tilting his head a little as he looked at them.

"I don't even know who these people are." He shook his head, getting out of the bed and standing up, making his way out of the bedroom as he rubbed his eyes. It was the first he'd really slept in days. It was the first they'd all really slept.

He opened up the door to the spare bedroom, looking on at Jude and Thea asleep in the double bed. James was asleep in the nursery whilst AJ and Cassie were asleep in he and AJ's bed. A little reshuffling going on to make sure everyone was as comfortable as they could be.

He made his way into he and AJ's bedroom, looking on at his wife fast asleep whilst Cassie slept peacefully beside her. He watched as AJ opened his eyes, smiling to him.

"Hey." Punk whispered.

"Hi." AJ smiled as he leaned over and gave her a kiss, "Did you get some sleep?" She cupped his cheek as he nodded.

"Yeah, more than I expected." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"Me too." AJ smiled.

"I'm gonna shower and head out." He said as AJ sat up a little against the headboard.

"Out where?" She whispered as he looked across at her.

"Just… something I need to go do." Punk nodded as AJ nodded.

"Ok." AJ smiled, "Is everyone else still sleeping?"

"Yeah, I think so. Well Thea and Jude are. I assume Dominic is crashed on the couch downstairs." Punk said as AJ nodded, "Did she fall asleep ok?" He pointed to Cassie who was peacefully sleeping beside AJ.

"Yeah, she was ok." AJ nodded, "She's fearless." She smiled, stroking Cassie's arm softly as Punk nodded.

"Yeah I wonder who she gets that from." Punk smiled sweetly as AJ smiled, "Do you know she has a ton of posters of boys up in her room?" He questioned as AJ chuckled a little.

"I did know, yeah." AJ nodded.

"I had to stare at them all whilst I was falling asleep." Punk scoffed.

"Sounds like a dream to me." AJ smiled.

"Behave." Punk tutted as AJ smiled, watching him grab some clean clothes from the dresser.

"Are you waiting for me to ask where you're going?" AJ asked.

"Don't you play dumb with me, Mendez." Punk said teasingly, "You know where I'm going."

"You know you don't have to." AJ assured him.

"I think I need to." Punk nodded as AJ looked across at him, "Do you want to come?" He asked her as she shook her head.

"No, I don't need to. I've made my peace with it." AJ said, at peace with the closure she had.

"Ok." Punk nodded to himself, "Maybe when I get back we can… make breakfast for everyone." He said as AJ smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, that'd be good." AJ nodded.

Punk eventually left his house, leaving his family sleeping as it was still fairly early in the morning. AJ had even felt back asleep by the time he got out of the shower, but he wanted that, he wanted to see them all at peace. Even if there were broken pieces in each of them, even if there had been pain left behind for them, in each of them, the peace was still there.

He walked into the prison office, a place he hadn't been since he was an inmate himself. He signed in at the visitation desk and was walked through to the visitation room. The room he would sit in with Jude and help her with homework, watching her grow from afar. The room his struggling eldest daughter hugged him goodbye for four years. The room he was told he was a father to a third baby girl he never got to hold or see for eight years. It was difficult being back in that room.

He was sat down at one of the tables and waited for the inmates to come out. He knew which door, it was the door he would come out every week for eight years. He'd never forget it. To be on the other side of that door was a relief.

He spotted Rio making his way out, pausing for a second as he noticed it was Punk who was visiting him, an indication that for once, his plan hadn't gone in his favour at all.

Punk had to remember to breathe for a second, promising himself he would keep calm, that this man didn't deserve his anger.

"Well well well." Rio nodded, walking over to the table and sitting down, staring across at Punk.

"Expecting someone else?" Punk asked.

"Maybe." Rio nodded, looking across at him. Neither of them said anything for the longest time, they just simply stared at one another for a few minutes.

"I'm gonna be the last person to visit you in here." Punk nodded.

"Oh, you think so?" Rio chuckled.

"Yeah. Not just because no one wants to visit you but… I heard you're going into solitary confinement to finish the rest of your sentence which… is going to last the rest of your life." Punk reminded him as Rio stared him. Something Karen had told him last night.

"Is that right?" Rio smiled a little.

"So believe me, knowing I'm the last person you're gonna see from the outside world gives me a lot of satisfaction." Punk nodded, "But… it's not like anyone would be coming to visit you anyone, is it?" He said, "Your son is dead-"

"You killed him." Rio spat.

"No, you killed him." Punk nodded, "You turned him into what he became. No one else. At one point in his life, he was just a kid, a helpless kid who you broke." He said, "And now he's exactly where he needs to be." He said.

"Yeah well I'm sure he's gonna live on in your daughter's nightmares." Rio smirked as Punk stared at him intently.

"She'll get through it. She's tough." Punk assured him with confidence.

"Yeah well they get it from April. Not you." Rio spat.

"I agree." Punk nodded, "You told me a while ago that caring about people is what gets you hurt." He said, "And you know… there was a time where I started actually believing that." He said, "And then I hugged my three daughters after finishing you for good… and it was one of the best feelings in the world." Punk said, "Because yeah… when it hurts it really fucking hurts." He said, "But when it's good, and I've got my family in my arms, and they're safe… nothing comes close to ever beating that." He said, "And then I realised that the only reason you don't have the problem of hurting or feeling anything is because no one can love you." He said, "It's impossible." He said.

"I don't need love." Rio shook his head.

"Good because you're never getting it." Punk assured him.

"You think I'm the centre of all your problems?" Rio chuckled, "You think I'm the only dark cloud that hangs over your head?" He questioned.

"I know it's not smooth sailing from here, don't worry. My family are pretty broken right now." Punk admitted, "But it's not gonna be like that forever." He shook his head, "But you know what's forever? Your life in here." He nodded as Rio looked across at him, "And yeah maybe it'll keep you warm at night knowing what demons you've left my family with but you'll still be alone, looking at the same four walls all day, every day." Punk nodded.

"You think you're so tough." Rio chuckled.

"I don't." Punk shook his head honestly, "I just know I have people around me who care about me." He said.

"So I keep hearing." Rio nodded.

"I used to think you were my friend when I was young." Punk nodded as Rio looked across at him, "Someone who would look out for me and my family." He said, "But all you do is use people for power. For gain." He said, "And this is where that's got you." He nodded.

"Phillip Brooks you will wake up one day and you will realise that your problems… they're so much deeper within yourself, so much further beyond than me." Rio nodded.

"You think so?" Punk questioned.

"Oh, I know so." Rio smiled, "Don't you forget where you came from, boy."

"I don't." Punk shook his head, "Because it makes me realise how far I've come and how much I've learned." He nodded, "What do you have to show for all your years? Huh?" He asked, "A dead rapist son and a life sentence in solitary confinement." He nodded as Rio glared at him.

That was the look. The look Punk was begging for from him. The look of anger and rage, "Look at that…" Punk smiled, "Maybe you do care." He said.

"I'll get you." Rio spat angrily.

"Yeah, of course you will." Punk smiled, "I'll see you again." He promised as Rio stared at him with confusion, "When they're lowering you six feet under." Punk spat, standing up from the table.

"Brooks!" Rio yelled as Punk turned around, walking down the visitation room looking in the glass at the reflection as prison guards had a hold of Rio to restrain him, "Brooks get back here!" Rio screamed as Punk smiled to himself. He didn't need to look back. He was no longer looking back.

"Hey, I brought breakfast." Punk walked into the crowded kitchen with some breakfast.

"We were too hungry to wait" AJ said, having made her own breakfast for everyone.

"I can see that." Punk chuckled, walking over to her and kissing her cheek as she scratched under his stubbly chin sweetly the way she always did.

"You good?" AJ asked quietly.

"Mhm." Punk smiled, rubbing her shoulder as she smiled, "Well here is some extra pancakes and waffles." He said, sitting the bags on the table.

"Dad, Cassie has made a big life decision." Thea announced, sitting at the table with Cassie whilst Dominic stood holding James.

"Oh, yeah?" Punk said, turning to Cassie who nodded, "Shoot."

"I think I want to be a cop." Cassie said as Punk's face dropped, turning to AJ who chuckled to herself.

"Ok let's all just settle down." Punk nodded, messing Cassie's hair up as she shoved him playfully whilst Thea chuckled to herself.

"I think that would be amazing, baby." AJ smiled happily as Punk nodded to himself.

"Me too." Punk nodded quietly to himself as he watched Cassie, happy and healthy, her whole life ahead of her, "Hey, where is Jude?" Punk asked.

"She's in the living room." Thea nodded as Punk wandered away, making his way into the living room where Jude was sitting on the couch.

"Hey, Jude." Punk hummed like the song as Jude looked up.

"Hey." Jude nodded, watching as he sat down beside her on the couch.

"Where is Sean?" He asked.

"He had to go to the station for a little bit." Jude said as Punk nodded.

"How you doing?" Punk asked her as she shrugged.

"I feel like maybe I should be feeling better, I don't know." Jude shrugged.

"No, you feel how you wanna feel." Punk nodded to her.

"I thought I would be more relieved." Jude admitted, "But it's… it's not going away." She shook her head as he nodded.

"I know." Punk sighed, wrapping his arms around her as she leaned into him.

"What if it never does?" She sobbed as Punk kissed her head and held her tightly.

"It might not." He said truthfully, "But the feeling of it will." He promised, "One day this will be all in the past, and I can't predict how you're gonna feel about it but I know we're all gonna be there, through every step of the way." He said.

"I wish I could be as relieved as everyone else." She said, "But I still feel like it's happening to me, over and over again." She cried as Punk sighed and nodded.

"I know." Punk sighed, holding her tightly as she cried. The reality was, the external war may have been fought and won, but the internal one, the one they all felt within them, Jude more so than most, it was only beginning.

"You're gonna get through this. I promise." Punk nodded.