Holding Grudges

"Phil, is your dad coming for Christmas dinner?" AJ asked, walking into their bedroom one night where Punk was laid up on the bed looking at his phone, "Phillip!" AJ said louder as Punk turned to her, "Your father. Is he coming for Christmas?"

"Oh, I don't know. I haven't asked him." Punk realised.

"Well I assumed you'd be inviting him, right?" AJ nodded.

"Well I don't know cause him and Dean aren't exactly close and I don't want Dean to be uncomfortable." Punk shrugged.

"They still haven't talked?" AJ asked as Punk shook his head.

"No, and I've gave up asking him about it. He just seems at peace with not getting to know him." Punk shrugged, "And I'm not gonna force someone into anything they don't want to do. Especially not my brother."

"Yeah but… sometimes he needs to be pushed into things. He lives a very cautious life." AJ nodded.

"What do you mean?" Punk asked her.

"He doesn't like doing anything out of his comfort zone." AJ said.

"Does anyone?" Punk questioned.

"You know what I mean. You felt the same way. You didn't want to know your dad and then time went by and you wanted some answers and you're finally getting them, and you're also learning that he's not such a bad guy. Dean just needs that extra shove sometimes."

"I ain't shoving no one." Punk scoffed, "He's a big boy. He can make his own decisions. I'm not his babysitter anymore."

"Do you think he just can't forgive him for leaving?" AJ asked, sitting down on the bed as Punk looked at her, "He did go through a lot as a kid. I mean, you both did but… a lot of the things that happened to him-"

"Yeah, I know." Punk nodded, "Maybe, yeah. And I don't blame him for that. Our dad should have been there. Cause it was a crappy childhood."

"How did you guys… raise yourselves like that? At such a young age?" AJ asked as Punk looked at her, "I mean, I came from a hell family but… I was fed every night and I got help when I needed it as a kid."

"We had each other." Punk shrugged, "And we stole everything." Punk nodded to her as she smiled.

"I'm aware." AJ nodded.

"He's his own person and he'll deal with things in his own way." Punk shrugged.

"Well why don't you at least ask him if he wouldn't mind Dan coming?" AJ asked.

"Why are we stressing about this right now?" Punk groaned, "Christmas is like… years away-"

"It's three weeks away." AJ raised a brow.

"Same thing." Punk mumbled.

"Just ask him." AJ scoffed, "I think it'd be nice to invite Dan."

"Well I won't be if it's gonna ruin Dean's night." Punk said, "He's been my brother longer than Dan has been my father."

"I know." AJ nodded, "What are you doing up here anyway?" AJ wondered.

"Ordering Christmas presents on my phone." Punk said, "Papa Punk knows what he's doing." He smirked.

"Christmas presents for who?" AJ grinned curiously as he looked at her.

"None of your business." He said professionally as she just smiled.

"Alright." AJ hummed, leaving him to it and leaving the bedroom.

"Dear Santa." Sofia smiled, writing on the piece of paper in front of her, sitting at the kitchen table with Thea beside her whilst Dominic walked in.

"Homework time?" Dominic asked.

"No, I'm writing my letter to Santa." Sofia told him.

"Oh, yeah?" Dominic smiled, turning to Thea who looked tired.

"This is her sixth go at it." Thea looked over at him.

"Mommy don't talk about me." Sofia turned to Thea angrily as Thea just looked back at her.

"Where's James?" Dominic asked.

"He's outside playing with his little friend." Thea said.

"A pink bike." Sofia nodded to herself as Thea smiled, brushing her hand down Sofia's hair, "Will Santa know which one I like?" She wondered.

"Of course he will." Thea nodded, "How was work, babe?" Thea asked Dominic.

"It was fine. Fitted three and a half bathrooms this week." He nodded.

"A half?" Thea smiled a little.

"Yeah, I gotta go back to one to fix the sealant on it and touch some things up." He told her, "How was the hospital?" He asked her.

"Super busy." Thea sighed, "My feet haven't stopped pulsing since I got home." She shook her head.

"I'm going to write this in the living room." Sofia announced, taking her paper and pencil, leaving the kitchen as Thea smiled.

"She means business." Dominic chuckled.

"Hell yeah." Thea nodded, "One of my patients died today." She frowned sadly as he raised his eyebrows.

"Shit." Dominic sighed, sitting down across from her.

"It's not like I'm not used to it or anything. It happens like… all the time." Thea sighed, "But he was really sweet. He used to call me sweet T." She smiled to herself, "It's such a shit job sometimes." She shook her head, running her hand through her hair.

"It's also one of the best jobs I could probably think of." Dominic nodded to her, "I mean really? You're taking care of people. That's gotta be the most important job there is." He said as Thea shrugged modestly.

"Part of me wants to move departments. Maybe I should go to maternity and deliver babies. That seems like a happy place." Thea nodded, "I'd need to branch off and get more qualifications but whatever."

"I bet there's downsides to that too." Dominic nodded, "You've just had a rough day and you're thinking out loud. It'll get better." He assured her as she nodded.

"My mom called this morning and asked if we were still coming to theirs on Christmas." Thea shook her head.

"Why does she ask every year when she knows we'll always come?" Dominic laughed a little.

"I have no idea." Thea smiled a little, "I have zero idea what to get them for Christmas. I've pretty much got everyone else's presents." She nodded, "I'm not normally this organised. Maybe going to therapy isn't so bad." She shrugged as he smiled.

"We'll think of something for your parents." He nodded, "Why don't you go put your feet up and I'll start dinner." He said as she smiled.

"What a man." Thea smiled.

"Oh, look." Dean smiled happily, sitting on some stacks of wood with Punk on their lunch break the next day, showing his brother the sandwiches he had for lunch, "She cut them into stars for me." Dean smiled as Punk raised a brow.

"Are you five?" Punk asked him as Dean glared at him unhappily.

"It's nice." Dean defended with a smile, appreciating the star shaped sandwiches his wife had made for his lunch, "She was stressing about Christmas last night." He rolled his eyes.

"Ape is the same." Punk shook his head, "She did her annual, calling around everyone this morning to see if they're coming for Christmas. And what a surprise, everyone said yes like they do every year." He scoffed.

"Yeah, Renee told me she called this morning." Dean laughed.

"So then she bans me from going to the grocery store to get things we need, but then when she gets home she complains about having to do it on her own." Punk said, "Pick a side." He shook his head as Dean laughed.

"It's reassuring that this is all we have to fight about. Better that than someone lurking in the shadows." Dean said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, you got that right." Punk nodded, "So I was actually wanting to ask you something, speaking of Christmas-"

"Just get me a bottle of Jack and some granola bars." Dean shook his head, "And tobacco."

"Not about your gift." Punk said as Dean turned to him, "It's about dad."

"What about him?" Dean shrugged.

"Well… I would kinda like it if he came for Christmas dinner." Punk nodded, "But I told Ape I'd have to ask you because I don't want you to be uncomfortable with it. You come before him. It's always gonna be like that for me but I… I have gotten to know him over the past couple months. We talk every week. I know you're not there yet with him but-"

"Invite him if you want. It's your house." Dean shrugged bluntly.

"It's not about that. If him being there makes you feel awkward or uncomfortable, then me and Ape can go have dinner with him the next day or the next week. That's ok." Punk nodded to him.

"So then why are you asking me?" Dean turned to him.

"Well I just thought-"

"You know how I feel." Dean said, "I don't want a relationship with the guy, so of course I don't wanna see him at the table on Christmas. Christmas is for your family and he… he's not my family." Dean shook his head, "He's not your family." He said defensively.

"He's our dad." Punk said.

"Who's never been there for us. We're old men now. I don't need a dad. I needed a dad when… mom's boyfriends or… clients whatever they were, would fuck with us and beat us up. I really needed a dad then." He nodded as Punk sighed, "And you didn't have to deal with it on your own for a year."

"What?" Punk shook his head.

"Well what do you think went on when you went to school and I had to stay in the house myself?" Dean asked.

"I know." Punk nodded, "I'm just trying not to hold a grudge against him. He's made similar mistakes that we have-"

"I never left my kids." Dean said, "Maybe I wouldn't have been so mad if mom was actually a decent mom. Maybe I could forgive him easier. But we really needed him. We needed someone. And no one ever came." He shook his head, "So if you want him there at Christmas then me and Renee will just do something at ours-"

"Dean, that's not what I'm saying. It's fine if you don't want him there. That's why I asked-"

"Well you shouldn't even have to ask. You know how I feel." Dean said.

"I don't, actually. It's not something you talk to me about often." Punk said.

"You know me. You know who I am as a person." Dean scoffed.

"Alright, that's fine. Me and Ape will see him after Christmas." Punk nodded, "You didn't need to get so hot about it."

"Well I get it from everyone. You, April, even Renee sometimes hits me with… why don't you just talk to your dad?" Dean shook his head, "Does nobody else find it wrong what he did?"

"Of course we do. But he's apologised and he knows that he fucked up. It's not like he's pretending he's a saint. And getting to know him, it's been easier for me to look at things from his point of view-"

"Well I don't wanna do that." Dean snapped back as Punk rolled his eyes, "So stop telling your wife to tell my wife that I should talk to him-"

"I don't tell Ape to do anything." Punk scoffed.

"Well then tell her to stop interfering." Dean said.

"She just wants the best for you, Dean." Punk shook his head.

"I'm a grown ass man. Don't tell me what I need." Dean shook his head.

"You need to calm down. That's what you need." Punk scoffed, watching Dean dig into his pocket and take his cigarettes out, "I thought you quit-"

"No, I haven't. I've been trying-"

"So you keep a packet in your pocket?" Punk raised a brow as Dean turned to him.

"Don't you piss me off anymore than you already have." Dean pointed his finger at him as Punk swatted it away.

"Don't point your finger at me." Punk said childishly as Dean jumped off the planks of wood, walking on down the boardwalk as Punk shook his head.