Steps Ahead

"Ok, what you got?" Punk asked, walking into his house with Dean.

"Ok, so I called all the names I got, only some of them picked up and only fewer had actually worked with Teresa. I'm meeting with this girl Lisa Monroe tomorrow morning. When I said on the phone it was about Teresa she… she got really quiet. I think either she knew Teresa was raped or… she's got a similar story to tell." Dean sighed as Punk nodded.

"Ok. Well I got into Lynch's office today." Punk said, "Made a copy of all the documents he has on the girls, which actually aren't a lot. No surprise there." He said, "But say this does go to court, we have the blood samples, shows what meds their on, and we have his written diagnosis of them all. Only takes us to get a proper psychiatrist to point out that they're all on the wrong medication." Punk nodded.

"Did you give the documents to Renee?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I've gave her everything and she's storing it away in a file until we arrest him. I didn't find anything that linked him to Billy, though." Punk said, putting a piece of gum in his mouth as he paced the kitchen a little.

"We gotta figure out when we're letting Clark in on this." Dean said.

"Ok but here's my issue. Teresa's case got closed extremely quickly. No one gave a shit. April was missing and no one did anything." Punk said, "If Billy is paying Steve to corrupt the hospital, who else is he paying to corrupt elsewhere?" Punk asked.

"You think he's paying Clark?" Dean questioned.

"Maybe. Maybe not Clark but whoever it was in charge at the time of Teresa's death." Punk said, "It wouldn't surprise me at this point."

"So you think if we go in there and tell Clark all of this, he could warn Billy?" Dean asked, "No way. That's not Clark."

"Dude, I don't know who to trust right now." Punk said, "It could be." He said as Dean looked across at him.

"Well we got everything to arrest Steve, right?" Dean asked.

"Renee's still trying to get a hold of the head psychiatrist at her university. Once I talk to him and I show him all of this shit, make sure he's ok to get involved and possibly testify, we'll make the arrest." Punk nodded.

"And Billy? When do we make a move on him? Let's face it, if we take down Steve, Billy gets word of it, he's gonna know he's next. Either he'll split or he'll kill us. I'm not ok with either." Dean said.

"We're gonna wait. Arrest them both at the same time." Punk said, "I need to get a paternity test done between him and April. I got what I need from her but… I need to go back to his house and get a hair from a brush or something." He nodded.

"So we prove that that's his daughter, and we can try and prove he killed Teresa but… we ain't ever gonna prove that he raped her. He could play the affair game. Teresa's not here to defend it." Dean sighed, "Phil, he could worm his way out of this."

"Well this girl, Lisa, you're speaking with tomorrow, she sounds like she has something to say." Punk nodded, "And I'm gonna do some digging and try and find the guys who kidnapped April. Long shot but more we can back up everything April has said, the less chance he has of getting out of this." He said as Dean nodded.

"Honestly, I did not think this would be the way it turned out." Dean admitted, "I mean it's the fucking mayor. He's no dictator but… he's out there. People are smiling with him, shaking hands with him, respecting him. Makes my skin crawl." He shook his head.

"He thinks April is some mental patient who no one is gonna talk to or believe. He thinks he's hit the jackpot." Punk nodded.

"You realise when this all comes out, this is gonna be big." Dean said, "People are gonna wanna talk to April. That hospital will be crowded outside. We're gonna be swarmed by the press every day." He said, "It'll be like Joe Hennig but a thousand times worse." Dean said.

"I'd rather that than him living a cushioned life, not paying for what he did. I want him in prison for life. That's rape, that's murder, that's kidnap and the list goes on. I ain't stopping until he's inside."

"And the hospital is like the Ritz?" Dean smiled a little.

"Yeah. Yeah, cause the girls deserve a real chance at getting better." Punk said, "They've been denied it for so long. Once Steve is out, we'll get better doctors in. Better psychiatrists who know what they're doing." He nodded.

"Easier said than done." Dean said.

"Look, I know it's a long shot. I know all of this is." Punk said, "Like you said, it's no taboo blue collar criminal we're trying to find and take down. It's the mayor. He's got people protecting him. People looking out for him and we don't know who. For all we know, it could be Clark." Punk shrugged.

"I don't think Clark know shit." Dean said.

"Then that's fine but I think until we have enough evidence to know that we can get him, and he can stay inside, we do this on our own." Punk said as Dean nodded.

"How do you know any of this will work?" Tracy asked, lying on the couch with her head on AJ's lap, smoking a cigarette whilst AJ read her book.

AJ had told the girls who wished to know what was going on, that they were trying to get Steve kicked out. That was it. She didn't tell them anything about her mother or the mayor. She was still fiercely protective of it all, and she really only trusted Punk with it.

"I don't know if it will." AJ said truthfully, "But it's worth a try."

"Say we do get the bastard out, who's to say that we're gonna get doctors jumping to work in here?" Tracy asked.

"Trust me, when the state finds out what we've all been here getting the wrong meds, deliberately, they're gonna put in place the best doctors in here." She said, "Plus, Phil said we might even get compensation."

"Like money?" Tracy sat up, turning around and looking at AJ.

"He said we might." AJ emphasised, "Not for definite. They might just compensate the hospital instead which is fine by me if it makes this place better." She nodded.

"Ok, now you have to tell me if you're screwing him." Tracy nodded as AJ rolled her eyes.

"Why do you even care?" AJ shook her head as Tracy shrugged.

"Cause everytime you're both in a room together you look like your mentally undressing each other." Tracy nodded as AJ shook her head.

"We did it once." AJ nodded as Tracy smirked.

"I knew it." Tracy nodded, taking a puff of her cigarette, "And? How was it?"

"It was good." AJ smiled, "Really good."

"Is he big?" Tracy smirked as AJ nodded, "I knew it." Tracy nodded again.

"Don't make a big deal out of it." AJ scoffed.

"Of you screwing him or him having a big dick?" Tracy asked.

"God, both." AJ rolled her eyes as Tracy chuckled, causing her to smile.

"So what are you guys doing?" Tracy asked her, cuddling into her, "Are you like dating?" She asked. Unfortunately for them, they didn't have many moments like this. Talking about boys. It just wasn't a thing in their life. Especially talking about boys they liked.

"I don't really know. It kinda got a little complicated after." AJ said briefly, "But I think we're on the same terms again." She nodded.

"Fuck." AJ moaned quietly, on top of Punk as she moved up and down on his length, sitting in his chair in his office through the night, door closed of course.

His pants and boxers were down a little to release his length whilst her shorts and panties were pushed to the side, her tank top pulled down a little to reveal her breasts which he had been using his mouth on whilst she moved up and down on him. It was everything they'd been hoping for again. Their dispute was put to rest as AJ realised he was the only one who was trying to help her mother. The only person who noticed something wasn't right. That meant something to her, and he meant something to her regardless.

"Fuck, April." Punk moaned, pulling her lips to hers by her neck, thrusting up into her to meet her moving hips as she rolled her eyes back.

"I'm gonna cum." AJ moaned, "Fuck, just like that." She moaned quietly, only wishing she could moan louder like she wanted to, feeling him send her over the edge as she moaned into his ear.

He followed straight after her, spilling himself inside of her as he kept his hands on her hips, panting breathlessly as he felt her kissing his neck.

"Fuck." Punk gasped, running his hand through his hair as she smiled.

"Wish we didn't have to do it in here." She said, resting her head on his shoulder and hugging around him, his length still buried inside of her as he kissed her cheek.

"Yeah, I know." Punk nodded, "Better than nothing, though. Right?" He smiled as she laughed a little.

"Well obviously." She said as he smiled, "I'm scared this doesn't work out." She whispered.

"I know but… if we have enough evidence to take him down, we'll get him-"

"I'm not talking about the case." AJ looked at him as he looking into her eyes, "Us." She said as he nodded slowly.

"I love you." He said, "I meant every word of it when I said it. And I'm gonna do whatever it takes for you to get justice. For your mom to get justice. For the girls here to get justice." He nodded as she smiled, "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you." He caressed her cheek softly as she smiled.

"I've never felt safe like this before." AJ admitted, resting her head back on his shoulder. Just sitting in his arms, being close to him and held by him was the most amazing feeling, "I love you." She whispered as he smiled. He knew she wasn't someone who said that to anyone and everyone. He knew it was special.

They eventually parted ways after Punk finished his shift. AJ went back to her room whilst Punk fixed up his office before leaving the hospital.

He headed to his car, unlocking it and yawning tiredly as he got in and checked his phone. He noticed he had several missed calls from Dean as well as many text messages which read along the lines of CALL ME NOW and SPOKE TO LISA CALL ME.

He rubbed his tired eyes, scrolling through his contacts to call Dean eagerly when he heard his car door open, turning around and being met by a hard punch to the face which sent him reeling to the side.

Blacking out and seeing spots, he felt hands grabbing him, pulling him out of the car and onto the road as he looked up at the few men standing around him, wincing out as they began kicking at him.

"Get him up." One of them said as Punk was held up, feeling a black bag shoved over his face, making it impossible for him to see much more, feeling them drag him off into another car.