Different


"Have you packed?" AJ asked, walking into the living room where her husband was sat on the couch along with Dean, watching the hockey game on TV.

"Uh… no, not yet." Punk shook his head, keeping his eyes on the TV.

"Where you going?" Dean asked, also keeping his eyes on the TV.

"Atlantic City." Punk nodded.

"Oh, nice." Dean nodded.

"Phil, we leave first thing in the morning." AJ said, "I thought you would have packed whilst I was at work."

"That was the plan but I ended up having Chase in the morning." Punk explained, "Cassie was working and Theo had some meeting." He nodded, "Chase asked me if we'd get him a boat, by the way."

"Kids are stupid." Dean shook his head, reaching for the chips in the bowl on the coffee table.

"So I guess I'm packing everything then?" AJ figured.

"Don't you like to organise things?" Punk said, "You like things done a specific way. The April way." He nodded.

"Oh, I'm gonna use that for when Renee is nagging at me." Dean nudged Punk gratefully.

"Uh?! I am not nagging." AJ said loudly, taking offence, "I just think this stupid hockey messes with both your priorities and I hate it." She made clear.

"Shh." Dean shook his head, waving his hand at her as she slapped it hard, causing him to chuckle.

"What about Jude? Did you call her?" AJ asked as Punk kept his eyes on the hockey game, trying to figure out what he had to call Jude for.

"No, I didn't." Punk said nervously.

"So you've heard nothing about that lunatic who broke into their house? Pointed a gun at her?" She asked as Dean turned to Punk.

"Ok, I'd at least look at her now." Dean whispered to Punk who turned to AJ.

"Oh, his neck moves." AJ folded her arms.

"I didn't call Jude but Cassie told me she'd spoken to her and so far the guy is still in custody and claiming he had nothing to do with the murder. But he has been arrested for breaking into the house and for the gun incident." Punk nodded.

"Alright." AJ nodded, "Well I'd at least like to speak to her before we go off on vacation. It's a bit insensitive."

"She barely answers her phone." Punk said, "At least the guy is in custody, right?"

"At least." AJ nodded, "Ok well I better go pack then." She scoffed, leaving the living room and heading upstairs.

"Why the vacation?" Dean asked Punk.

"Why not?" Punk shrugged, "Haven't been on one in a while."

"How long you going for?" Dean asked.

"The week." Punk said, "Ape was a bit iffy about it with all the stuff going on with Jude and that guy."

"I can understand why." Dean nodded, "You need me to do anything whilst I'm gone?" He asked.

"Yeah, put out the trash for pick up on Thursday night." Punk nodded, "And check on dad, make sure he isn't dead." He added.

"Ok… trash and dad." Dean nodded.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Punk asked.

"Depends." Dean said suspiciously.

"Well we're all getting older, that's a fact." Punk nodded, "Women clearly go through… changes. More than men." He said.

"Ok?" Dean said slowly.

"Every night she's after sex." Punk said, "And then during the day she wants to murder me. Sometimes I don't even speak and she says I'm being loud? I'm breathing too loud?" Punk shook his head, turning to Dean, "I am… very confused." He whispered.

"Maybe you are being too loud." Dean shrugged as Punk rolled his eyes.

"I'll tell you what I am… I'm exhausted." Punk scoffed, "From all the sex."

"Who has ever said that?" Dean shook his head, "The hell is wrong with you?"

"No, I'm fine with it, believe me." Punk nodded, "But I was sleeping here this morning and I was supposed to be keeping an eye on Chase. The woman is gonna end me." He shook his head as Dean chuckled.

"At least your dick still works." Dean nodded.

"I didn't use it for eight years, remember." Punk said.

"That is true." Dean agreed.

"She's crying a lot too." Punk shrugged, "Is that all normal?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Dean shook his head, "I think it's normal. Change of life, right? Whatever that means."

"We have it so easy, man." Punk shook his head, "All we got to be mad about is THIS SHIT HOCKEY TEAM!" He yelled towards the end, standing up off the couch angrily as their team missed a goal.


"Hey, mom." James said, his voice laced with sadness as he wheeled himself on the wheelchair into the department his mother worked at the hospital, Dominic following behind as Thea rushed out from behind the front desk, noticing his leg was in a cast.

"Oh, what did you do?" Thea asked worriedly, turning to Dominic anxiously, "What happened?" She asked frantically.

"I did at my game." James said, deflation sinking in once the shock of breaking his leg had worn off.

"Oh God." Thea sighed, leaning down and kissing his head, cupping his cheeks as he allowed her to fuss for only a second before swatting her hands away.

"Him and another boy went in for a tackle and the other boys boot went into his ankle and twisted his whole leg when he landed." Dominic told Thea, "Wasn't pretty." He confirmed, "Sam was very concerned." He nodded.

"She wouldn't shut up more like." James added.

"How are you feeling?" Thea asked, looking at his cast, "You're not dizzy or feeling nauseous or anything?" She asked him, taking his temperature.

"No, I'm fine." James shook his head.

"He threw up after it happened." Dominic told Thea quietly who nodded, "I think he's still in a little bit of shock."

"Yeah he will be." Thea agreed, "Why didn't you call? I would have come straight down to a&e." She said.

"Well I knew it was anything to worry about and I figured we'd just pop by and see you before leaving." Dominic said as Thea looked down at James who was in a trance, looking over at the vending machine in the corner.

"Where are the girls?" Thea asked.

"I managed to quickly drop them off with Lucia. She was first house on route to the hospital." He said, "I said I'd pick them up on the way back."

"I can see if I can finish early." Thea said.

"I'm fine." James added again, listening into their conversation, "It's just a broken leg."

"Are you in pain?" Thea asked him.

"Not so much anymore." James shook his head, "And they've gave me pills if it starts to get sore. They offered physio for when it gets better but I said uncle Theo could hook me up with his." He nodded.

"No, you can just come here for the physio. Uncle Theo gets his through the police." Thea shook her head.

"To be fair I didn't hear him negotiating about physio with the doctor." Dominic laughed a little as Thea smiled, "I had to fill in a lot of paper work."

"Yeah, I bet." Thea nodded, "Well that sucks, baby." She sighed, brushing her hand through James' hair, "Is the other boy ok?"

"He was complaining about a spraint ankle." James rolled his eyes, "A spraint ankle?" He looked up at Thea, "My leg was sitting all out of place and he was crying about a spraint ankle." James scoffed as Thea smiled a little. Only certain times she saw herself in James. Right now she could.

"You'll heal in no time." Thea nodded, "And hey, you can get everyone to sign your cast. I always wanted to break a limb so I could get people to sign my cast." He said as James looked at her with confusion.

"That's weird." James nodded as Thea turned to Dominic.

"That's a little weird." Dominic also agreed.

"C'mon, everyone takes notice of the cool kid at school with their cast all signed." Thea shrugged, nudging James playfully, "You can get all the girls to write you messages on it, huh?" She nudged him again as James shook his head with a smile.

"I should get him home. Doc says to keep his leg elevated as much as possible." Dominic nodded, "I know you'll keep him right."

"Yeah, well I'll try get finished as soon as I can. Did he get crutches?" Thea nodded.

"We've to pick them up on the way out." Dominic said.

"Ok." Thea said, "Ok, well you get home and rest. Traumatic day, huh?" She looked down at James who sat in the wheelchair tiredly.

"Dad said he'd get us pizza on the way home." James remembered as Dominic nodded.

"I did." Dominic said.

"Ok well save me some then, yeah?" Thea said, leaning down and kissing James' head, "I'll see you when I get home."

"Ok, see you later." Dominic nodded, kissing Thea goodbye before wheeling James back to the elevator. All she wanted to do now was finish her shift and get home to take care of her son.


"Hey, you packed." Punk noticed, walking into their bedroom later that night after Dean had gone home and their game was finished.

"Not thanks to you." She scoffed.

"I'm sorry. I… I actually forgot. I was with Chase all morning and then Dean-"

"You don't have to explain yourself to me." AJ shook her head, "And I have no right to come in and demand things from you. It didn't even take me long. And you're right, I do like things done the April way." She said as he smiled, "How was your game?"

"Shit." Punk nodded, walking over to the bed and taking a seat on the edge.

"You wanna hear some not so great news to cheer you up?" She frowned a little as he groaned.

"Oh, what? Who is it?" He asked.

"James broke his leg at his soccer game tonight." AJ nodded.

"Shit." Punk raised his eyebrows, "Is he alright? Besides the broken leg?"

"It'll heal." AJ nodded, "And he's ok. Thea told me he was enjoying making everyone run after him so far." She said as Punk smiled a little.

"Well that's a bummer." Punk said as AJ nodded in agreement, "Makes me not want to go away. What if Thea needs help with the kids?" AJ asked, "And all that stuff going on with Jude-"

"We're going." Punk nodded, "The girls will manage. You need this break."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She wondered curiously.

"You've just seemed a little stressed these past few weeks." He said as she looked at him.

"It's just my job." She nodded, "I'm not sure how much I cut down my hours before I end up staring retirement right in the eye." She admitted, sitting down beside him as he placed his hand on her thigh, "And I am generally just all over the place right now. It's weird." She shook her head.

"Is it something you should go get checked out? At the hospital?" Punk asked, "There's nothing you're hiding from me, is there?"

"No." AJ shook her head, "No, I'd tell you if there was something wrong." She assured him, "I think I'm just doing too much." She nodded.

"You know what helps with that?" He asked her.

"What?" She smiled, turning to him.

"A vacation with your husband." He nodded.

"Oh well lucky I've got that in my schedule." She smiled, leaning in and kissing him sweetly, leaning back and cupping his cheek, "Handsome." She said as he smiled.

"Do you know what I was thinking earlier?" He asked her.

"What were you thinking?" She asked.

"We never really gelled, did we?" He said as AJ shook her head with confusion.

"Me and you?" She questioned.

"No." Punk scoffed, "I mean, we never really fit the parents mould. At what point did we stop trying? Cause we did try for a while." He nodded.

"You mean… we never became those parents who go to PTA meetings or get their kids together with other parents and go on fun adventures?" She asked enthusiastically.

"Yeah." He laughed a little, "We did try." He nodded.

"It just… wasn't who we were." AJ shrugged.

"I was just hearing Cassie talk about taking orange slices to Chase's soccer training tonight, when she dropped him off earlier." Punk said.

"She just loves being a soccer mom." AJ laughed a little.

"Do you think it bummed them out? That we weren't… the typical, respectful, presentable parents?" Punk asked.

"No." AJ shook her head, "No, I really don't. We were different. And growing up that helped them to realise it was ok to be different. And that made them good women." She nodded.

"Yeah, you're right." Punk nodded, hearing it make sense as she said it, "At what point did we stop trying? Cause we did conform a little." He said.

"Oh gosh, probably after Jude's fourth birthday party fiasco." She remembered as Punk nodded in agreement as he thought back.

"I didn't do anything wrong." Punk shook his head.

"You smacked someone with a bottle." AJ corrected, "All the parents thought you were drunk." She shook her head.

"And then it terrified them even more when they realised I wasn't." Punk nodded, "Nah, me and you never really fit that mould, did we?" He said as she shook her head.

"That's what a life of teenage homelessness and drug dealing will do to you." She said, "I just always thought those kind of people were looking down on us. Looking back now, we were just ridiculously paranoid. And in our own heads." She nodded.

"That's because we grew up with people looking down on us. Ignoring us. Not giving us the time of day." He said, "It's hard to shake it. I still feel it sometimes."

"Me too." AJ nodded, hugging into his arm, "Also just hate the victim mentality too."

"I mean… we got our reasons." He nodded, "But we're all good." He said, kissing her head.

"I can't wait for this vacation. I'm going to rock your world." She nudged him as he chuckled.

"Already rocked." He said as she smiled, leaning up and kissing him softly.