Nothing Changes

"Is this really necessary right before Christmas?" AJ asked, walking into the kitchen where Punk and Dean were sitting playing card games with their wallets out, "Can't we keep money to ourselves for now?"

"No one is listening to you." Dean told her as AJ shoved his head from behind as he chuckled.

"Can't you guys play for fun? Do you really like taking each other's money?" AJ folded her arms.

"Yes." They both answered in sync as AJ rolled her eyes.

"You used to play with us, I don't know why you're acting like you're too good for card games." Dean turned to her as she folded her arms, "Or did you only enjoy strip poker?" He smiled as she shook her head.

"I did, cause I'd always win." AJ smiled smugly.

"She did always win." Punk nodded to Dean.

"Only cause she wanted to see me naked." Dean made eyes at her as AJ laughed loudly.

"That's exactly it." AJ chuckled, "Idiot." She shook her head as Punk chuckled.

"What are you laughing at? You were always down to your socks after three rounds." Dean scoffed as Punk stopped laughing, "Letting the side down."

"Oh, look at that." AJ smiled, "I think it's time you hand over your shorts." She nodded, sitting in the kitchen table in their first apartment, turning to her boyfriend who was sitting shirtless with just some shorts on.

"You're not very good at this, are you?" Renee looked over at Punk, sitting beside Dean, spending a Friday night after work together playing stupid card games which had escalated into strip poker.

"Dude, come on." Dean shook his head with frustration as Punk rolled his eyes, turning to AJ who was grinning, sipping on her soda and reaching over for some chips from the bowl in the centre of the table.

"I have a little problem." Punk whispered to AJ who looked at him.

"Oh, are you cold?" AJ raised her eyebrows as Punk glared at her.

"Not that." He gritted his teeth, "I have no underwear on." He said quietly as AJ chuckled.

"Hurry up, Phil." Renee rolled her eyes.

"He has no underwear on." AJ told them as Punk groaned.

"Why not?" Renee chuckled.

"I don't wear underwear." Punk shrugged as Dean rested his forehead on the table.

"Ok well go put some on cause that's all you got left." AJ suggested as Punk got up from the table and left the kitchen.

"When I suggested this I didn't realise you both knew how to play." Dean looked at AJ and Renee unhappily, lighting up a cigarette and pulling over an ash tray.

"Oh, Dean. Come on. I don't want Thea breathing that stuff in." AJ shook her head.

"She's asleep in another room." Dean scoffed, continuing to smoke, passing the cigarette to Renee to share as Punk came back into the kitchen, just in his boxer shorts as AJ whistled immediately.

"Alright." Punk nodded, "Just to be clear, nothing else is coming off. I'm just playing for my pride now." Punk sat back down.

"I think you lost that a while back." Dean nodded, "Let's go again." He said, dealing the cards back out as they went round the table, this time failure landing on Renee.

"Alright." Renee smiled, taking off her earrings as Dean's face dropped.

"Uh… no, I don't think so." Dean raised a brow.

"Why not?" Renee shrugged, handing him the earrings.

"They don't count." Dean chuckled.

"The rules don't specify a piece of clothing." AJ reminded them, "Any items count."

"And you made the rules for strip poker?" Dean questioned.

"You're just mad the only one naked at this table is me." Punk turned to Dean.

"Yeah, you're right. I am." Dean nodded to him.

A few more rounds later and Dean sat as equally stripped as Punk whilst the girls kept their clothes intact, very much enjoying the dominance of leading the game which their boyfriends did not expect them to lead.

AJ was dealing the cards out again when she heard one year old Thea stirring from across the hall in their bedroom.

"I can get her." Punk told AJ.

"No, it's fine." AJ assured him, getting up from the table. It was a hard balance, still trying to have fun in their early twenties whilst also raising a baby together, holding down jobs and in AJ's case also going to college.

She walked into the bedroom, looking over at the crib in the corner of the room where Thea was restless and crying.

"Hey, what's the matter?" AJ cooed softly, lifting Thea up from the crib and into her arms, "Did you have a bad dream?" She asked softly, kissing the side of her head. There was nothing better than the way her little arms held onto her, the way she soothed right away just by being held by her.

"She ok?" Punk walked into the room to make sure everything was fine.

"Yeah." AJ smiled, looking over to him and laughing quietly at him standing in just his boxers, "At least you're not a sore loser." She smiled.

"It is what it is." Punk shrugged with a smile, "I know you're enjoying it." He nodded.

"I am." AJ assured him, "She must have had a bad dream or something." She said, patting Thea's back softly as Punk walked over.

"I wonder what she dreams about." Punk said, taking Thea from AJ after she'd spotted him and reached out for him, "Huh? What do you dream about?" He asked her, tapping her nose gently as she smiled, "Do you dream about… milk?" He asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed, collapsing onto his back with her as she crawled up his chest.

"Phil, don't get her all awake and crazy." AJ shook her head.

"Awake and crazy?" Punk chuckled, holding Thea up above his head as she giggled.

"Yes, like that." AJ laughed.

"But I love hearing her laugh." Punk smiled, letting Thea rest on his chest as she pressed her little hands on his face, enjoying smothering him like she always did. He wasn't sure if it was because he was her father, but somehow he could just sense that she felt safe with him, and that meant the world to him.

"So do I." AJ smiled, lying down on her back beside Punk, taking a hold of Thea's hand and leaning into Punk, "She's just the best." AJ smiled as Punk nodded, spiking Thea's hair up as AJ chuckled. Everything felt so right when it was the three of them. She could have laid there for hours with them.

"Mom!" Thea called, walking into her parent's house the next day, "Mom!"

"Ok ok… I'm here." AJ massaged her ear as she walked down the stairs, "What's wrong?" She worried.

"I have thee worst heartburn ever." Thea groaned, holding her chest, "Either that or I'm having a heart attack." Thea shrugged calmly.

"I've got something you can take." AJ assured her, walking through to the kitchen as Thea followed.

"Ever since we decided to name this kid Sam it's been giving me trouble." Thea shook her head as AJ laughed.

"Well that makes sense." AJ smiled, handing her over some tablets to take, "I was just upstairs wrapping presents. Taking advantage of your dad being out of the house."

"You wrapping his things?" Thea nodded.

"Oh, not cause of that, he just hangs around me like a child." AJ rolled her eyes, "And he has to be the worst wrapper ever." She shook her head.

"You don't let him do a lot at Christmas time, do you?" Thea chuckled, "This must be why Jude is so high maintenance. It's from you." Thea realised.

"Excuse me." AJ tutted, "I have the patience of a saint but when it's Christmas and there is one million things to do and your father just stands around watching, nuh uh." AJ shook her head.

"Cause you don't let him do anything." Thea laughed.

"I don't trust him." AJ shrugged, "Not after the year he forgot to get a turkey." AJ rolled her eyes.

"You got everything you need for this year?" Thea asked.

"I think so." AJ nodded, "Jude's flight gets in tomorrow night, I think she's staying for the week."

"How the hell does she get the girls Christmas presents to the hotel?" Thea asked curiously, "I've never even thought about it."

"I think she hires a van to take them." AJ said as Thea laughed.

"Of course she does. Organised little bitch." Thea shook her head with a smile, "Did you hear about Cassie's potential promotion?"

"Yeah, but she told me she wasn't telling anyone about it." AJ looked over at Thea.

"Dad told me." Thea shrugged.

"And that man wonders why no one tells him things." AJ rolled her eyes, "Well don't tell her that you know cause then it'll come back to me and I'll get the blame. She doesn't want to get her hopes up."

"Oh, please. She'll get the job. She's annoyingly dedicated." Thea nodded, "But I'm happy for her."

"Me too." AJ smiled.

"So I assume Dan isn't coming?" Thea asked.

"No, but he's gonna come for dinner a few days after if you guys wanna come over. Your dad doesn't want Dean to be uncomfortable."

"Well that's understandable. Can't force him to have a relationship with him." Thea shrugged as AJ nodded.

"I know, maybe it's just one of those thing that takes time. Or it might just never happen." AJ nodded.

"To be honest I'm kinda shocked dad is getting along so well with him." Thea said, "I didn't think there was gonna be any kind of relationship between any of them."

"Well I think it comes from him wanting some answers." AJ nodded, "And he's a sweet man, actually. When I imagined your dad's father I always pictured some crazy and scary dude but… far from it." AJ nodded.

"I mean… there has to be some kind of switch he has, especially to get with Sam. No one sane would get involved with her." Thea chuckled to herself.

"Maybe thirty plus years in prison changes you." AJ shrugged.

"Who would have thought that?" Thea said sarcastically, "Oh, wow. Those tablets actually helped." She rubbed her chest, "This baby is kicking my ass." She nodded.

"Well I can't wait to meet her." AJ smiled.

"I better go pick my kids up from school, huh?" Thea thought to herself.

"That'd be a good idea." AJ nodded.

"Ok, I'll see you guys later." Thea nodded, hugging her mother before leaving the house, never in doubt that her mother had a fix for her every worry and pain in her pregnancy, even if she had experience or not, she always needed her mom.

A/N: Hey guys! Wrapping this story up in the festive period and I hope to start off the new year with a new story, hope you'll come along and I hope you're all doing well and staying safe right now. Thanks!