Falling

"So… what do you think?" Punk asked, walking into Dean's house later that night after dinner at the mayor's house.

"Holy shit, that's what I think." Dean nodded, walking through to the kitchen with him as Punk discarded his suit jacket and tie onto the kitchen counter.

"Crazy, right?" Punk asked, getting his phone out and looking at the picture again, "She looks kinda young in the picture. And that's definitely a maid's uniform, right?"

"Looks like a dress to me." Dean said, looking at the picture on his own phone, sitting down at the table, "How does this even make sense? She's a quiet woman who keeps to herself, lived a lonely life with her daughter and then she shows up in a picture in the frickin Mayor's house?" He questioned, "What's that about?"

"I think she was more than just a quiet woman." Punk shook his head, "Do you think this is before April was born?"

"No, it's not that old, is it?" Dean questioned, looking at the picture, "Couldn't you have asked him?" He asked Punk.

"I saw it on my way to the bathroom. It wasn't like he was giving a tour of his house." Punk shook his head.

"How'd the dinner go anyway?" Dean asked.

"Boring." Punk said, "Not my kind of night." Punk made clear, "I spent the entire night just stressed about which set of cutlery I was supposed to be using." He shook his head as Dean chuckled a little, "And then Clark got pissed with me about saying that the precinct doesn't need any more funding. And that it should go to the hospitals and the mental hospitals in the state-"

"Jeez, you said that at a dinner with the mayor and members of the council?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. So what? It's the truth." Punk said, "They gotta fill those mental hospitals up with psychiatrists and doctors who actually know what they're talking about. Who give a damn." Punk said.

"Hey, I agree." Dean nodded, "Just pretty ballsy to tell the mayor what he should be doing with the state." He chuckled a little.

"Well, you know I got a big mouth." Punk shook his head, "I couldn't sit still after I saw this picture. I just wanted to get out of there and figure out how the hell she's even in this picture." He said, "Did you go to the pizza place and the kindergarten?"

"I went to the pizza place but it's been taken over by new owner so… they didn't have a clue what I was talking about. And I didn't make it in time to go to the kindergarten but I'll go tomorrow." Dean nodded.

"So do we reckon she was working there? As like a maid or something?" Punk asked, looking at the picture.

"Yeah, that's what it looks like." Dean said, "Maybe you could ask the mayor about her, since you two are friends now." He teased as Punk shook his head.

"This is just getting weird." Punk shook his head with confusion, sitting back on the chair and running his hands over his face tiredly.

"Did you find anything in April's room the other day?" Dean asked.

"No… no, it's pretty bare. Plus she caught me whilst I was searching. Had to bullshit and say I was just doing a random room check for Lily." Punk shook his head, "And then she… asked if I was looking for her panties." Punk scoffed as Dean chuckled.

"She sounds kinda funny. April." Dean said.

"She is." Punk nodded, "In a weird way." He smiled a little.

"Hey, man. Look, I didn't wanna say this to you cause it… it sounds cruel in my head but you're my buddy and I know I can tell you anything." He said as Punk looked at him, "You're falling for this girl, right?" He said as Punk looked at him.

"Uh… well, I don't know it's kinda complicated." Punk said nervously.

"I'm gonna take that as a yes." Dean said, "She's in a mental hospital. And I don't doubt that she could probably get out if she was treated better but… for now she's in there and I… I don't want you to get hurt when you fall for her big time and… you can't do anything about it." He said as Punk nodded.

"It's alright. I'm aware it's not like I can ask her out on a date." Punk nodded, "And yeah, it sucks cause maybe… maybe I would like to take her on a date." He said, "But I get it. I know she's in there. But I know she can get out. If she's treated better."

"So you're gonna wait around?" Dean asked.

"I don't know, Dean. I'm not really thinking about it. I'm trying not to." Punk said.

"I just don't want it to upset you, that's all." Dean said.

"I'm a big boy. I can handle it." Punk assured him, "I just wanna who the hell killed her mom and why." He shook his head.

"Do you think if April knew, she'd feel like she could recover better and move on? That is if she doesn't already know." Dean said.

"Yeah, maybe. Maybe she has no idea and it scares her that her mom's killer is still out there." Punk nodded as Dean sighed to himself.

"What do we do next?" Dean asked as Punk sighed to himself, all out of answers.

"Hey." AJ smiled, later the next night as she stood outside Punk's office after everyone had gone to bed.

"Hey." Punk turned around on his chair, "You ok?" He asked her as she nodded.

"Yeah." She smiled, "I'm uh… I'm going to the rooftop." She said as he looked across at her, "Just in case you see me on the cameras." She said, walking off as he smiled to himself, leaning back on his chair.

She was a tease. In a good and playful way. She clearly knew he would follow her. And he did.

He left the office, heading out one of the side exit doors and climbing up the stairs to the rooftop where he saw her sitting on one of the solar panels.

"You know I didn't invite you up here." AJ teased as he laughed a little.

"Well… do you mind if I join?" He asked politely as she nodded.

"Of course not." She said as he nodded, sitting down beside her, "Are you ever mean to people?" She wondered, looking at hm.

"If they deserve it." Punk nodded, "Yeah, of course I am." He said.

"When would someone deserve it?" AJ asked him.

"Well if you commit any sort of crime, and you knew it was wrong at the time. Or if you don't have simple manners. If you disrespect me, I'll sure as hell disrespect you back. My mom used to always say no, don't lower yourself but… fuck it." Punk shrugged as AJ nodded.

"What's the worst thing you've ever seen on the job?" AJ asked. Every day she saw him, she felt closer to him. She felt like she could trust him more and more. All she did was look forward to talking with him.

"Oh, definitely the Hennig case." Punk said, "I got the call out so I… I saw the bodies when they were first found." He nodded, "It's uh… it's not something you get used to. Finding a dead body." He said as she nodded slowly.

"It's not natural, I guess. Especially if it's a murder scene, right?" She said as he nodded. He wish he could have told her that he knew she'd experienced that feeling too, but he just couldn't.

"It's awful." Punk nodded, "Only thing that's worse is speaking to a rape victim." He said.

"Yeah, I bet." AJ shook her head, "I was uh… I was wondering if you would take me out again. Out of this place." She nodded, "It's actually my birthday tomorrow and normally I don't celebrate turning another year older cause… I don't have much to show for it but… I really loved that ice-cream." She admitted as he laughed a little and nodded.

"I can bring some of it into the hospital." Punk said as she looked at him with disappointment, "I'm sorry, I just… I don't think it's right for me to do that again. I don't want us to risk getting into trouble. I mean, I'd like to keep my job here." He said, "I'd like to… keep seeing you every day." He assured her as she smiled a little.

"Disappointing and sweet at the same time? You really are annoying." She nodded as he laughed a little.

"I tell you what… when you get out of here, and if you still wanna talk to me, we'll go for ice-cream." He nodded as she smiled.

"You're so optimistic." She said, "If I ever get out of here it'll only be to come back eventually." She nodded, looking out at the view from the roof.

"Not if you had the right support." Punk said.

"That's the problem. I don't have support." She said, "It's like we're getting punished for having no family." She shook her head.

"Don't you have dreams? And goals?" He asked her, "I mean… what's your dream life?"

"I don't have one. I stay humble and live in my reality." AJ nodded as he shook his head.

"You're annoying." He nodded as she laughed a little, nudging him.

"Well what's yours?" She asked him.

"I'd own the Chicago Blackhawks." Punk nodded to himself as AJ laughed hysterically, "What?" He turned to her.

"Well in that case. I'd love to live in a candy land with unicorns and fairies." AJ nodded to him as he shook his head.

"Why do you always gotta be a smartass, huh?" He smiled.

"It's in my DNA." AJ smiled to him, "My mom used to always say, never fight your demons, baby. Just join them on their side." She nodded with a small smile.

"Mom sounds badass." Punk nodded, "Shame you can't speak to her anymore." He said.

"She's dead." AJ nodded to him as Punk turned to her.

"Oh… I'm sorry." He said. He loathed having to pretend he didn't know.

"It's alright." AJ shook her head, "I don't really like talking about it. In fact, I've never actually told anyone she's dead." She realised. It just came out. It managed to just slip out her mouth without thought. Because she trusted him. Because he made her feel comfortable and safe. Something she hadn't felt since her mother had passed.

"I don't blame you." Punk understood.

"When I got into Lynch's office, I give him a different story every time." She nodded, "Last session my mom was an air hostess who I never see and my dad was Clint Eastwood." She said as Punk shook his head with a smile, "It's fun to just make him think I'm literally insane."

"You don't tend to help yourself, do you?" He smiled a little.

"What's the point? No one else is." She shrugged, "The sad thing is he… doesn't really give a shit." She said.

"Well he should. He should give a shit." Punk shook his head.

"You really care about this place, don't you?" AJ nodded. She could sense it. He legit wanted them to get better help. She'd never saw someone want to fight for them so bad.

"You guys deserve better. Proper doctors who know what they're doing and can actually help you guys get out of here. This shouldn't be a home forever for you. It should be a pit stop. A place to discover what you have and that… yeah it might make life a little hard sometimes but it isn't the end of the world, and there's ways to help. There's life to live for all of you." He shook his head, looking out ahead of him at the view as AJ looked up at him.

She took his cheek, turning his face to look at hers as he looked down at her, watching as she leaned up and pressed her lips against his. He wasn't expecting it, but he wasn't complaining.

She climbed over him, sitting on his lap as she wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss as he ran his hands down her back. It was full of want on both ends. Both had been dreaming about it and it lived up to every expectation. AJ had never felt so connected to another human being in her life. And so naturally she wanted to glove onto him yet push him away at the same time. Punk could see her for her. Not who she was inside this hospital. But her on her own. And he was falling hard. They both were.