Time Away


"We didn't have to go away, you know. We could have done it some other time." AJ said, sitting her bag down in the hotel room which they'd just arrived in a week later.

"No, it's your birthday. We celebrate birthdays." Punk nodded to her as she smiled. They'd had a weekend away trip planned for a while for her birthday, and given what had been going on the past week, AJ figured they might just skip on it, but he insisted they went. The girls thought it was a good idea for them to go and get away for the weekend.

"I know, but if you're not in the right place it's ok." AJ assured him.

"I'm ok." Punk assured her.

After speaking with Jude, he took to home and spoke more with his wife about prison. Not everything, there was simply too much to cover, but little things that he remembered the most. It wasn't easy but he knew they were behind him. He knew he had to get the false idea that they were disappointed in him out of his head. He was trying to be a little more understanding of his own self and his own actions. It was difficult but he was trying.

"Are you sure?" AJ asked, walking over to him and cupping his face. She was extremely worried about him. He'd certainly opened up to her a lot more, and she knew Jude speaking to him definitely got through. She knew he respected what Jude had to say, and trusted her word, even more so given what she'd overcome in her life. She was a strong girl and it definitely could rub off on people. She was glad about that.

"Yes, I'm sure." Punk smiled, taking her hands from his cheeks as he wrapped his arms around her waist, "We're here to celebrate your birthday." He reminded her as she smiled.

"I just don't want you to be uncomfortable, that's all." AJ shook her head. She knew he was, mentally, in a difficult place. It wasn't like she'd never seen him in a tough spot in his life. That was the beauty of marriage and their relationship. They had seen each other through the good and bad. But she didn't want to make him feel like he had to forget about it just because it was her birthday.

"Are you kidding? Uncomfortable?" Punk asked, "I got a hotel with you for the entire weekend. I'm at my happiest." He assured her as she smiled.

"You know what I mean." She said quietly, placing her hand on his chest.

"I'm ok, I promise you." Punk nodded.

He was eternally grateful for the support from his wife. He didn't neglect telling her things because of her or because he felt like he couldn't talk to her. He was just under the impression it would change how she looked at him. Once he'd told himself that, it was hard to get out of his head, but he was working on it.

"We can just order room service if you like." AJ shrugged.

"I thought we had reservations for dinner downstairs?" Punk asked her.

"We do but… we can always cancel." She shrugged as he looked at her.

"Ok, listen to me." Punk said, taking her hands in his, "You don't have to tiptoe around me." He assured her as she nodded slowly.

After seeing how he got last week, she was worried about him and desperately didn't want to see him in that kind of state again. She could almost feel his suffering just by looking at him. She always knew his prison life was never enjoyable but she really didn't know it was to this extent, and it was hard for her to wrap her head around it.

"I know, I just… I don't know where you're at with it. Do you want to ignore it and just have a nice night or… do you wanna talk about it because we can. I'm fine with it. You know I'll listen." She emphasised.

"I just want to spend the night with my wife on her birthday. There's no schedule on what we need to talk about it. If it comes up, it comes up, right?" He said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah." AJ said, "Yeah, ok." She smiled, leaning up and kissing him sweetly, "Ok, well I'm gonna go start getting ready then." She smiled.

"Ok." Punk smiled, watching her as she took her bags and walked into the on-suite bathroom.

He was glad to have some time with his wife for the weekend. The initial anxiety and adrenaline from her finding out about what happened in prison was beginning to ware off and like Jude had said, it was getting easier. It was still torture in his mind, but it was easier to express it somehow and that already lifted weight from his shoulders.


"Ok, you can… you can get out now." Cassie nodded, buttoning her shirt up as she sat in the back seat of her car whilst a man sat beside her, doing his pants back up.

"You don't hide the fact you're not interested, huh?" The guy chuckled, whom she barely knew besides a few messages on a dating app.

"Guess not." Cassie looked over her shoulder at him.

"Will I see you again?" He asked her, grabbing his t-shirt from the car floor as Cassie shook her head.

"No. Come on, quickly. Get out." Cassie said.

"Alright alright." The guy chuckled, getting his things and getting out of the back of the car as Cassie rolled her eyes, climbing into the front seat behind the wheel to drive home and take a shower.

Once she had gone home and showered, she was headed to Thea's for dinner. She had been invited over since her parent's were out of town, and she wasn't going to pass the free food offer.

She walked on into her sister's house, feeling comfortable enough to do so, closing the door behind her as she suddenly watched Sofia running downstairs in just her underwear, giggling hysterically as she ran away down the hall.

"Sofia!" Thea yelled from upstairs as Cassie raised a brow, "Get back up here!" She called as Cassie watched Sofia running around the kitchen.

Cassie walked down the hallway and into the kitchen, "Hey, babe." Cassie nodded.

"Hi!" Sofia exclaimed, still giggling. She got a kick out of doing things she shouldn't have. She was like her mother in that department.

"You're aware you got no clothes on, right?" Cassie asked as Sofia nodded with a grin, "And you're aware your mom is calling on you?" She figured as Sofia nodded again with a grin, standing behind one of the kitchen chairs.

"Sofia!" Thea yelled, storming down the hallway and into the kitchen as Sofia squealed with excitement, running straight by Thea and back upstairs.

Thea turned to Cassie who smiled nervously.

"Hi." Cassie said, "Coming to your house is always a good form of mental birth control." She assured her as Thea blew a strand of hair which was dangling over her face.

"She thinks it's a game." Thea nodded in defeat as Cassie chuckled.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Cassie asked, "Where is Dominic?"

"He's picking up James from a birthday party." Thea said, "Can you give that pot a stir for me. I'll be down as quick as I can." She said.

"Ok." Cassie just laughed, turning around and stirring the pots at the stove whilst Thea headed back upstairs to try put some clothes on Sofia.

She eventually made it back downstairs with the excitable three year old, "Sorry about that." Thea said.

"It's fine." Cassie chuckled, "She's always got energy, huh?"

"The girl is killing me." Thea shook her head dramatically as Cassie smiled, "How was work?" She asked her sister.

"Work was good. Although, mom's mom is still calling the station. I've stopped telling her and dad about it cause… well I think they got more important things to focus on." Cassie shrugged.

"Yeah, I agree." Thea nodded, "They needed this break."

"Yeah, I think so." Cassie agreed, "I'm glad they went." She said, hearing Dominic get home with James who ran into the kitchen to greet his mom.

"Hi, baby." Thea smiled happily, crouching down.

"Hi." James smiled, hugging his mother tightly as Thea kissed his head.

"How was your party?" Thea asked, "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah." James nodded, "Hi, Sofia." He greeted his sister who was sat at the table.

"Hi, James." Sofia acknowledged him as Thea smiled.

"Well, dinner is nearly ready so go dump your jacket at the stairs and take your shoes off." Thea told him as he nodded, running back out of the kitchen, whizzing by Dominic who was entering.

"Hey." Dominic nodded to Thea and Cassie.

"Hey." Thea gave him a quick kiss in the middle of sorting dinner, "We had another refusal to put on pyjamas tonight." She told him as Dominic turned to Sofia.

"Sof." Dominic said as Sofia looked up, "You been misbehaving?" He asked her.

"No, daddy." Sofia shook her head innocently as Cassie chuckled, amused by her niece and her manipulating abilities.

"She's playing the both of you." Cassie nodded.

"It's ridiculous." Thea shook her head, sitting dinner down at the table, noticing Cassie's phone lighting up on the table, "Cass, here your phone is…" She paused, "Tinder?" She looked at her sister upon seeing the notification on the phone.

"Give me that." Cassie scoffed, ripping the phone from her.

"What the hell are you doing on tinder?" Thea laughed a little.

"What's tinder?" Dominic asked curiously.

"It's a hook-up app." Thea said, "This is scandalous." She smiled at her sister.

"It's actually referred to as a dating app." Cassie said.

"So you're dating someone?" Thea wondered.

"Well… no." Cassie shook her head.

"Cassie, Cassie, Cassie…" Thea hummed.

"Can we just… not talk about this." Cassie emphasised, feeling uncomfortable as Thea just chuckled and nodded.

"Sure." Thea shrugged calmly.

"I'm gonna see what James is up to." Dominic said. He was used to his wife and her sisters talking so freely in front of him. It really just went over his head most of the time.

As soon as he left the kitchen Thea turned her attention back to Cassie, "So are you hooking up with guys?" She asked.

"God, Thea… really?" Cassie turned to her.

"What?" Thea shrugged.

"Yes. Yes, I am." Cassie nodded as Thea looked at her.

"Why?" Thea shook her head, "I mean… it's good you're starting to move on from Theo-"

"I've not moved on." Cassie made clear.

"Ok." Thea nodded.

"Look, I work twelve hour shifts all week. I don't want a relationship. Certainly not after what happened with Theo." Cassie said.

"You can't let that scare you. I'm sure he wouldn't want that." Thea said.

"This is easier for me." Cassie said.

"Is it… safe, though?" Thea asked, "I mean, if Jude found out about this she'd absolutely flip out on you." She made clear.

"Well don't tell her then." Cassie said, "God, I'm not doing it every night. Calm down." She shook her head, "It's just easier. It's like ordering take-out to your house." She shrugged as Thea gasped.

"That's probably the best thing that's ever came out of your mouth." Thea nodded as Cassie rolled her eyes, "Look, you do what you want but please just be careful." She said.

"I am." Cassie shrugged.

"What are we having?" James asked as he ran back into the kitchen with Dominic, hopping up onto the chair beside his sister who looked at him disapprovingly. She liked her space.

"Spaghetti." Thea smiled, "Dig in." She told the kids, and Dominic who appeared to be sitting down quickly for dinner, "Do you wanna… reply to that message first?" She teased her sister.

"Shut up." Cassie rolled her eyes, shoving her sister as they sat down at the table.


A/N: Little more softer chapters coming, but the drama isn't far away so stay tuned and thanks for the reviews as always!