Findings

"Do you know there's press all over your doorstep?" Dean asked, walking into his brother's house, through to the kitchen where he found Punk and AJ.

"They've been here all weekend." AJ nodded.

"Well can't you get rid of them? Or get the cops to get rid of them?" Dean asked.

"We've tried. The cops said they'd get tired eventually and leave. It's just because it's fresh." Punk nodded, looking over at AJ who was sitting at the kitchen table, tracing the letters on her coffee mug.

"You being kept in the loop?" Dean asked, looking specifically to AJ who just nodded briefly.

"She's still not speaking about anything." AJ shook her head, "I don't know how it's gonna play out."

"With her going to prison. That's how." Dean nodded, watching as AJ just looked down.

Punk looked over to Dean, shaking his head a little. It was a lot for his wife at the minute. She was coming to terms with something that deep down she'd always known, but kept buried in the back of her head out of fear, out of the abuse she feared would return. She'd been through hell.

"How's the station holding up?" Punk asked, "I'm surprised you're allowed back with your weak ass leg."

"It's getting stronger." Dean defended, "The station is fine. Chief said you can take as much time as you need-"

"I bet they're talking about me." AJ interrupted them as they looked at her, "That poor girl." AJ imagined.

"Nobody is talking about you." Dean assured her, "In fact, everyone just sends their love." He nodded.

"Yeah, apparently so does everyone at the hospital." AJ shook her head, unconvinced. Over the past few days, she'd felt like a circus animal with a spotlight on her and people laughing and pointing.

"I was thinking maybe me and Renee could come by some time for dinner-"

"Not right now." AJ shook her head to him, "I really don't need the pity-"

"It's not pity." Dean said, "We're family and we wanna be there for you. Quit being mad about that."

"Dean." Punk shook his head with a warning to his tone.

"I haven't seen Matteo in over a week now." Dean said in an almost childish voice.

"Matteo is sleeping." AJ said, looking in her coffee mug.

Dean turned to Punk who just shook his head. He couldn't compromise anything with his wife right now. He couldn't convince her to do anything or feel different. He knew she was going through a lot and all he felt he could do was be there. Sit with her and listen. Lie in bed with her and hold her. Just be a safe presence in her life that she should have had as a child.

"I'll be off then." Dean nodded, having hoped he could have made a little more progress, but he understood things were still very delicate.

"I'll walk you out." Punk told him, leaving the kitchen with Dean.

"Maybe she should talk to someone." Dean turned to Punk as they walked to the front door.

"Like who?" Punk asked.

"I don't know, a specialist. I'm sure the cops have numbers for people who go through traumatic stress." Dean said, "She's like a robot."

"Cops have just found… baby remains in the back yard of the house she used to live in as a kid in Jersey." Punk reminded him, "Of course she's like a robot. I would be too. Sometimes I am." He shook his head.

"You think her mom really… did it?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Punk said quietly, "And she abused AJ because of it. To achieve what? I don't know exactly. To keep her quiet. Scare her enough so she didn't ask where the baby went." Punk shrugged.

"It's sick." Dean shook his head as Punk nodded.

"We just gotta let her deal with this in her own ways." Punk said as Dean nodded, "Everything else can follow suit."

"Yeah cause whilst we're on the subject of mom's and prisons." Dean looked at Punk who nodded.

"Don't worry, I've been thinking about it." Punk nodded.

"What do we do?" Dean asked as Punk shook his head with no answer.

"I haven't figured that out yet. Ape is my main priority right now. And making sure that satanic devil woman is put behind bars for life." Punk said.

"Do you think she's like that?" Dean asked, "Our mom?"

"Don't call her that." Punk sighed a little, "I don't know. I don't know anything about her besides she's a murderer with a mental illness." He nodded.

"It's a good start." Dean said light-heartedly as Punk gave a stressful sigh.

"I can't think about it right now." Punk said truthfully as Dean nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Dean said, "Do you think her mom will talk?" He asked.

"No idea. Probably not." Punk said.

"Why the hell would she kill a baby?" Dean shook his head.

"I don't think there's any point in trying to understand why that woman has done anything she has." Punk said, "The reason she probably hated me so much was because… well AJ is her own person when she's with me. When she was with Jason, not so much." He nodded.

"Just keep an eye on her." Dean said as Punk nodded, "And call me if you need anything?"

"I will. Thanks, man." Punk nodded, watching as Dean slipped out of the house, avoiding the press parked in the street and getting to his car quickly.

Punk made his way back into the kitchen, looking over at AJ sat in the same position she had been for most of the day. For the past few days.

"The cops haven't called at all today." AJ nodded.

"They might not have much to tell us." He said, walking over to the table and taking a seat beside her.

She wasn't sure how he had managed to convince her to go to the police, but he had. And she was equally unsure as to why they took it so serious, but they did, and their findings had still left her in shock, even though she knew deep down her mother's abuse was because of something she was burying. She just never thought it was quite literally buried.

"They estimate the baby was only two months old." AJ said, "Matteo's almost two months old." She nodded.

"And he's the best." Punk nodded, trying to take her mind off the horror, "He's a damn good sleeper, you know. You know Frank, who died in the explosion?" He asked as she nodded, "Well… he used to come to work every morning after his wife had their daughter, and he would literally be running on zero sleep because their baby just cried all night." He said as AJ nodded.

"I don't know what I'd do if you died." AJ admitted morbidly as Punk looked at her, "I mean I… I literally wouldn't know what to do. It would be pretty painful to look at Matteo." She realised, "Cause he's getting so like you."

"You don't gotta think about that." He assured her, placing his hand on her thigh under the table.

"Do you think my dad knew?" AJ asked herself. There was a lot she was asking herself.

"Probably." Punk nodded, "I'm sure he'd question where his kid was when it disappeared one day. Unless he played his part in it."

"God." AJ sighed, rubbing her forehead, "I just… I just want to know why? What was the reason? And why was… why was I punished for it?"

"She's clearly got problems." Punk said.

"Yeah well spotted." AJ scoffed, "Was it an accident? Was it deliberate?"

"Well we won't know unless she speaks about it." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"And just like always… she's got the control." She said.

"She's also gonna go to prison for the rest of her life. She has no control." Punk assured her as AJ gave a loud sigh.

"I was thinking this would maybe feel peaceful. Like finally coming to terms with it all and… really acknowledging what she did to me… but it's really not." She shook her head, "And I don't even know why it crept back up on me. I've been fine keeping it buried for so long." She said.

"Stuff like that doesn't stay hidden forever." Punk said, running his hand down the back of her head sweetly, "Maybe now you're just… you're stronger. You can handle it." He nodded.

"I don't know." AJ objected, "I'm scared." She nodded to him.

"I know you are." He said softly, "But I'm here with you. You don't have to face this on your own." He said as she gave a small smile, always grateful for him.

"What about this woman in prison? Your biological mom?" AJ asked him, "Please don't tiptoe around me because of what's going on." She nodded.

"That can wait." He said, "I don't know much. I only know what you've told me and… so does Dean."

"Do you have any idea what you're gonna do? It's pretty unfortunate you can't speak to your mom about it. She'd probably have the answers." AJ nodded.

"She should have given us the answers when we were old enough." Punk shook his head.

"You never wanted them. You know that. The only reason you know now is because of my mom interfering and… digging it all up." AJ shook her head, "She's got a thing for digging." She said bluntly as Punk groaned a little.

"My situation with… this woman in prison, and whatever happened… there's time for that. I'm here for you right now and I'm sure when I decide what I'm gonna do, you'll be there for me." He said.

"Every time." She assured him, "Is Dean mad about it?"

"No, he's not mad." Punk shook his head, "I think he's in shock, actually." He said as AJ nodded, "I was kinda thinking my biological parents were killed in a car crash or… worst case scenario they were junkies." Punk shrugged, "I guess that wasn't the worst case scenario." He realised, running his hand through his hair.

"You've not heard the full story-"

"I've looked at the articles." Punk sighed a little, "It's not like she's been wrongfully accused. She killed him. She killed my dad." He shook his head.

"You still don't know the full story. That's just articles from press junkies and people who thrive on dramatizing things. They're outside our house right now, probably making up false stories about us." She said as Punk nodded.

"I'm just trying not to think about it right now." Punk nodded.

"I know." AJ said, placing her hand over his, swiping her thumb back and forth.

"Look at me." He said as she turned to him, "We'll get through this." He assured her as she nodded along with hope, "And she's gonna pay, finally, for what she did to you, for what she did to… your sibling." He said as AJ nodded tearfully.

"I always wanted a brother or sister." AJ nodded painfully, tears rolling down her cheeks, "Maybe if I was older I could have done something." She said frantically.

"Shh." Punk said softly, gathering her in his arms as she leaned into him, "You went through enough without having to take on the guilt of that. You don't get to blame yourself." He said. He'd make sure she didn't.

A/N: Hey! Sorry for the lack of updates I've just been a busy bee. Hope to pop more chapters out regularly again. Thanks for reading!