Slow Burn Agenda


"Let the girls get out of here." Punk nodded, "If you want to talk to me, fine. But let them go." He said.

"No, they can stay." Robert shrugged. He didn't appear angry, his anger seemed passive, like he could snap at any moment and none of them would know when.

Despite everything going on, Punk didn't really know them very well. He'd only had a handful of conversations with them, not very good ones, so he really felt like he was staring on at the unknown.

"What do you want?" Punk shook his head, "What the hell do you want from me?"

"I wanted you gone." Robert nodded truthfully, "I wanted you out of my daughter's life."

"Your daughter?" Punk questioned, "Who you care so much about?" He asked.

"I care about my daughter." Robert said as Punk laughed a little.

"No you don't." Punk said, "If you did you wouldn't be standing across from me, holding a gun. I've spent more years with your daughter than you have. You don't even know her." Punk shook his head, inching towards Robert as Thea grabbed the back of his t-shirt to keep him back discreetly.

"You got her into trouble." Robert said, "Just because I wasn't around doesn't mean I didn't have eyes on what you two got up to." He said, "There were posters of her at the L stops, warning people of her-"

"Are you really telling me that your mad about April making a few mistakes? Young, childish mistakes?" Punk asked, "When you… you raised her in that world."

"She was always kept out of it." Robert shook his head.

"That's not what she tells me. She remembers money lying around, guns, drugs… she remembers it all." Punk said.

"And she wasn't supposed to be get involved with that life. I didn't want her to. And then she met you." Robert said.

"Yeah and I took care of her, which is more than I can say for you and your wife. She was safe with me." Punk said, "You can't possibly come here and tell me that everything you did, you did for April."

"I did." Robert said as Punk shook his head.

"You're insane." Punk said, "All you've done is cause her more pain. I went to prison for eight years because of you-"

"It should have been more." Robert spat, "You should have stayed away the first time you went to prison."

"Well, I guess that was your idea, right?" Punk said, "You heard April was pregnant and got upset about it, wanted to take me out of the equation, expecting her to come running to you for help." He said, "Must have sucked when she chose to stay in an apartment on her own rather than go to you and her mom for help." He nodded.

"You shut up." Robert raised his gun at Punk.

"What's your deal, man? Is it a territory thing? Is someone making you do this?" Punk asked him, "You still mad about things my… my mom and dad did? You mad that April chose me over you? What is it?" Punk asked, "I want you to tell me."

"It's all of it." Robert assured him as Punk looked across at him, "You were supposed to stay in prison." He spat, "You affected the business, my daughter, my family, my friends… it's always been you." He said, "Rio warned me about you."

"Rio?" Punk laughed.

"Yes. A good business man, a good friend of mine who you ruined-"

"And I hope he's burning in hell along with his son." Punk nodded aggressively, "What? You mad I broke all the drug circles up in the city? You mad I made it harder for people to deal? For people like you to take money from people who are lost and confused?" He asked.

"Phil!" Dean yelled, running down the docks with AJ following.

"Oh my God." AJ whispered to herself, looking on at her husband and daughters standing in front of her father, who had a gun, "Dad! Don't." She warned, running past Dean down the boardwalk.

"April, stay away." Robert warned her.

"No, you don't get to point a gun at my family." AJ spat angrily, running down the boardwalk, "Put it down!" She yelled.

"He needs to go." Robert shook his head.

"Why? Haven't you done enough to him over the years?" AJ spat, "Why do you insist on hurting him so much? On hurting me?" She shook her head, "That's my family. Those are my children you're pointing a gun at!" She yelled as Robert looked at the three girls standing behind Punk.

"He screwed everything up. Just like his mother." Robert insisted as Punk looked across.

"He didn't do anything. If anything you should be thanking him for being there for me when you and mom weren't." AJ spat, watching as her father walked towards Punk, "Dad!" AJ tried grabbing him back, not being able to stop him.

Punk watched Robert coming towards him, grabbing the gun out of his hand and wrestling around, knocking into Thea who lost her balance at the edge of the boardwalk, falling off and into the water as Punk and Robert followed next in amongst punching and kicking at one another.

"Oh my God, Thea!" Cassie yelled.

"Dean!" AJ called on Dean for help, running down the rest of the boardwalk as Dean followed.

She watched as her father and Punk came up and out of the water in waves, still fighting for the gun, "Phil! Thea's in there!" AJ warned, "Where is she?!" She asked Cassie and Jude.

"I-I don't know… why hasn't she came back up?" Jude panicked.

"Move out the way." Dean told them, jumping into the water in hopes to get Thea.

Just as he swam under, he heard a loud gunshot through the water.

"Phil!" AJ yelled, crouching down at the end of the boardwalk, having heard a gunshot in the water yet no one was coming to the surface, "Phil!" She screamed, her hands shaking as she looked out with tears running.

"Call the police. Call it now." Jude told Cassie who gulped, nodding as she took her phone out.

"Where is he!?" AJ yelled as Jude placed her hand over her mouth, suddenly watching as her father came up for air, the gun in his hand as he gasped for breath.

"Oh my God." Jude took a deep breath as AJ cried to herself.

"Phil, Thea's in there!" AJ cried as Punk swam over closer to the edge, meanwhile Dean came up for air.

"Her foot is stuck on a rope." Dean gasped as Punk handed the gun over to AJ, "I can't get it off the boat." He panicked as Punk swam over, swimming under the water where Thea was, her ankle stuck to a piece of rope attached to one of the boats, not allowing her to get to the surface for air.

Punk swam down to the rope, trying to untie it from the boat, looking over as he saw Thea, no longer with her eyes open. He grabbed her foot, pulling the rope as hard as he could, finally getting it off as he grabbed her and swam to the surface with her.

"Oh my God." AJ panicked, noticing Thea's eyes were closed, "Phil." She panicked.

"Get her up!" Punk yelled worriedly, swimming over to the edge of the boardwalk as Dean pulled Thea up to the surface, laying her down, "She's not breathing." Punk pulled himself out of the water, budging by everyone as he began CPR on Thea.

AJ placed her hands over her mouth, crouched down beside her daughter as tears ran down her already wet face.

Jude stood beside Dean, turning away in tears as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Come on, Thea!" Punk yelled loudly, continuing CPR on her.

"Thea." AJ whispered desperately as she watched, jumping suddenly as Thea choked out some water, turning onto her side as Punk collapsed down with relief.

Jude turned around quickly, watching as Thea gasped for air with relief.

"Are you ok?" AJ cried, caressing her daughter's shoulder as Thea nodded.

"Is everyone ok?" Punk looked around, his heart beating fast, rubbing Thea's arm softly as he made sure everyone was ok, watching as Cassie came running down the boardwalk, police appearing.

"I hate these fucking docks." Thea groaned as AJ laughed through her tears, leaning down and kissing her cheek, helping her sit up carefully.

"Dude." Dean got Punk's attention, "Where's Robert?" He asked AJ looked over at Punk.


"How'd you know he was down here?" Punk asked AJ later on that night, standing at the docks amongst all the police. Thea was getting checked over by the EMT's with the aid of her sisters.

"My mom came to the house, told me my dad was out looking for you and I… I had a hunch you'd be here." AJ said, "She said he's been sick for a really long time. Mentally sick." She said.

"He said I ruined everything when I… I've only spoken to the guy a few times." Punk shook his head with confusion.

"I should have told you all about this. I feel stupid. Maybe if I just-"

"No, we're not doing that." Punk said, wrapping his arms around her tightly as she held onto him, "Your dad had his problems with me in his head. Mix that with living on the wrong side of the tracks and… living in a world where Rio is your friend." He rolled his eyes, "It's obviously bad news."

"I feel like it's my fault." AJ sighed, holding him tightly.

"It's not your fault." Punk kissed her head, "This is well overdue shit that we don't need. This is less to do with us and… more to do with our parents and their issues, their past." He said.

"I really thought the worst with Thea." AJ shook her head, looking over at Thea sitting at the back of the ambulance with Cassie and Jude.

"Yeah, she scared me." Punk nodded, taking a deep breath.

"And when I heard that gunshot and I didn't see you." She looked up at him.

"It's ok." He cupped her cheeks, "I was just getting back at you for the coma." He teased as AJ laughed, shaking her head and leaning it against his chest as he smiled, holding her close as he watched them retrieve Robert's body from the water.

AJ turned around, looking over as they placed a sheet over the body, carrying the board down the boardwalk.

"I don't even feel anything." AJ shook her head truthfully as Punk watched them carrying the body away.

Everything still felt fresh and raw, and he felt like some of it would never really make sense, no matter how much time went by. But it was a whole other world which AJ's parents lived in, a world they once lived in and got out. That whole other world was filled with careless people who didn't care, who were selfish, who had their own agendas and their own grudges, no matter who didn't or did understand. The world which someone like Rio could be referred to as a friend. To be on the other side of that was the biggest relief in the world.

"Let's go check on Thea." Punk nodded to her, walking over to the ambulance where the girls were.

"Hey, you ok?" AJ asked Thea who nodded.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Thea said, "You guys?" She asked.

"Yeah, we're ok." Punk assured them, wrapping his arm around Cassie who leaned her head against him. In any situation, the most important thing to him was that his family were safe. The aftermath would follow with the nerves and the worries, the questions and the confusion. But right now he was just glad his family were ok.