Pledge

"You ok?" Punk asked, sitting on the edge of the bed with AJ after letting her cry for a while, promising her he'd never let anything happen to her, hoping she believed him. She could feel her pain as she told him everything. She could hear the trauma, the despair in her voice as she relived all of it. It tore him to shreds and it wasn't quite sinking in.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, sniffling and using a tissue to wipe her face as she sat beside him, "Yeah, I'm ok." She sighed, her eyes nipping from all the tears, "Is it weird that… part of me feels relieved?" She asked him.

"You've kept that to yourself for ten years. You should have had someone to tell back then. Someone to lean on." He shook his head. It broke his heart when he heard her say when she was released from her kidnappers, that no one seemed to care about her nor her mother's case. It upset him, and it made him red hot angry, especially as a cop.

"I felt so alone." She shook her head, "But I just couldn't tell anyone about it. He has an empire and I had absolutely nothing. If I spoke I thought I'd be dead and then… then I wanted to die. I just wanted it to stop." She said, "And then somehow I ended up in here." She said as Punk nodded.

"None of this was your fault and I won't have you thinking it is." He said as she looked up at him.

"Be honest with me. Did you come here to get information from me?" AJ asked him.

"No." Punk said, "I… I was put here for a break." He said with a small smile as she laughed a little, drying her eyes as he smiled. Hearing that laugh again was wonderful. It cushioned him at this insane moment in time.

"A break, huh?" AJ shook her head, "Not quite."

"I came here to do security. I uh… I think I might have had PTSD." He nodded to her as she looked up at him, "After finding Joe Hennig and putting him away, when I returned to the force I… it was like I couldn't think straight. I wound up pulling a gun out on a guy who had his hands on his head and… apparently was doing everything we said." Punk said, "It was like I would have these blackouts where I thought I was back there chasing him." He said as AJ nodded, "So my boss said I needed time away from the precinct and apparently this hospital was looking for a cop at the same time." He shrugged.

"You came to a mental hospital to help your PTSD?" AJ asked him, "You're kinda weird, aren't you?" She nodded as he laughed a little.

"A little, yeah." Punk nodded, watching as she looked down, holding the tissue in her hand.

"So do you think Steve is in on it?" She asked him. Somehow knowing that their paths had crossed by fate was more reassuring. Knowing he hadn't come here with the intention of getting this information from her, and had just somehow stumbled across it was a much better scenario in her head.

"I think so." Punk nodded, "I wouldn't have if I hadn't saw him with Billy the other day." He said, "But… I mean it makes sense, right? He's complacent. He doesn't give anyone the right medication which obviously means no one is getting any better." Punk said, "I bet any funding this place is entitled to is just getting handed directly to Steve." He said as AJ nodded.

"So he knows I'm in here." AJ realised, trying to come to terms with it, "And so he's gonna try and keep me in here for the rest of my life?" She questioned.

"So we might have a… slight issue." He said as AJ turned to him.

"What?" AJ looked at him nervously.

"Yesterday I… I went and spoke to him in his house. I was asking him about your mom and if he could tell me anything about her from when she worked for him." Punk said as AJ looked at him nervously.

"Tell me you're kidding." AJ said as he shook his head.

"I wish I was." He said, "When I was at his house a couple weeks ago for dinner, I saw your mom when she worked here on one of the photographs. I thought maybe it was worth noting. I didn't think it would turn out to be like this but… I figured going and asking him a few questions wouldn't hurt." Punk said.

"Phil, what if… what if he thinks I've told you and that we're trying to take him down?" She got up from the bed nervously, "He could try and hurt you." She said worriedly. She couldn't bear the thought of it.

"No, I'll be fine." Punk assured her, "I think… if he knows you're in here, I don't think he's gonna be worried about anything." He said, "I think probably once he figured you ended up in here, he took it as an opportunity to trap you." He said as AJ nodded.

"But why is Steve complacent with all of us? None of us are getting better. Katrina has been here for thirteen years. Is he trying to keep her here too?" AJ questioned.

"God, don't say that." Punk groaned, standing up, "I don't know, I guess it makes it less suspicious. If he gave everyone else three therapy sessions a day and only gave you one every week, that's cause for questioning." Punk nodded.

"You're right." AJ nodded, not even thinking straight.

"Why did the cops not take the case seriously?" Punk asked, "I mean why did it get closed so quickly? And why did they not try and find you after you disappeared literally right after your mom was killed?" He shook his head, "That doesn't sit well with me at all." He said.

"I always wondered and then I… I guess at some point down the line I stopped caring." AJ said, "Everything was always beyond my reach. I couldn't question anything. I couldn't get my mom any kind of justice." She sighed.

"Hey, we're gonna get her justice." Punk nodded, "And we're gonna get you out of here." He said.

"I'm not leaving the girls." AJ shook her head, "If Steve is illegitimate, I'm not leaving this place until he's out." AJ made clear as Punk nodded.

"You bet your ass I'm not either." He assured her.

"Phil, this… this just seems so much bigger than you and I. It's the mayor. I mean, I know he's not the president but he's still pretty high up. How do we even do this?" She shook her head.

"We get evidence." Punk nodded, "I'm gonna need your help, though." He said as she looked across at him.

"You make it sound so simple." AJ shook her head, "He's got people working for him, clearly."

"And I'm a cop. I scare people like him." Punk reminded her, "You don't have to be scared." He assured her, "I promise you. I'm not gonna stop until he's in prison and this place is turned into a palace with world class psychiatrists who give a damn." He said as AJ smiled. She loved him dearly in this moment. She knew she'd have to love and trust someone before they found out about her past. She just never predicted she would love and trust anyone again.

"And then we go on that boat?" She nodded to him.

"Yeah, we go on that boat." He said as she smiled, feeling him cup her cheeks as she looked up at him, pressing her lips against his desperately like she'd longed for the past few days. She didn't feel so alone anymore. For the first time in ten years, she no longer felt alone.

"Say something." Punk said, looking on at Dean sat at his kitchen table in silence.

"I…" Dean began, not getting very far as he paused, looking at Punk with confusion and disbelief.

"Look, I know… I'm still trying to wrap my head around it." Punk shook his head.

He'd just filled him in on everything AJ had told him. The truth they had been wishing to find out for weeks. Just neither of them were expecting it to be so horrifying.

"H-How do you know she's telling you the truth?" Dean shook his head.

"You're kidding, right?" Punk said, "Don't start-"

"This is the fucking mayor, dude." Dean said in a high pitched voice.

"I know." Punk said, "I know. And he's a fucking scumbag." He shook his head as Dean ran his hands through his hair in disbelief.

"I thought maybe it'd be like a drug dealer or an ex-boyfriend." Dean shook his head, "Jesus Christ." He gulped as Punk nodded, "And the hospital is in on it?"

"Steve, the head psychiatrist is. I'm sure of it." Punk nodded, "Remember I told you I saw Billy with him at the hospital, shaking hands and being all friendly." He shook his head.

"Dude, this is crazy." Dean shook his head, clasping his hands over his mouth, "How the hell did the cops close the case so quickly?" He questioned.

"Well that's my last unanswered question." Punk said, "I'm almost scared to know the answer."

"You think they're in on it?" Dean asked as Punk sighed to himself.

"I don't know. I fucking hope not." Punk sighed.

"Well we'll soon find out, cause we're gonna need to take this to Clark." Dean said.

"Not yet." Punk shook his head.

"What do you mean not yet? What are we waiting on?" Dean shook his head.

"Now isn't the time. If we start trying to make arrests now, he'll get away with it. He'll say April is a mentally ill girl, Steve will back him up in court if it even gets to that, and we'll lose and probably end up dead, let's face it." Punk said.

"This is some fucked up shit." Dean groaned, "What do you suggest we do then?"

"We're gonna get evidence before we make moves-"

"We have evidence." Dean shook his head.

"More than just AJ's word." Punk said, "I want a list of names who worked for him during the time Teresa did. Who's to say she was the only one, right?" He said, "I want to find the cops who dealt with the case. I'm gonna take care of Steve in the hospital-"

"How are you gonna do that?" Dean questioned.

"Just leave that part to me." Punk nodded, "I'm not stopping until Billy is rotting in prison and that hospital is turned into the fucking Ritz with a team of doctors who know what they're doing." He said.

"I'm excited and scared." Dean admitted with confusion.

"Be excited. Some scumbags are gonna get what they deserve." Punk nodded.