A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy the next chapter :)

Loveless

Punk's palms were actually sweating as he sat in the local Starbucks and waited for Maria to arrive. She was a sweet girl and if AJ was never in the picture he could see himself with Maria forever but unfortunately for her, AJ was in the picture. Breaking things off with her was a no brainer but he was still going to feel bad. Maria smiled as she walked in the doors and he threw on the best smile he could muster and waved at her so she would see him.

"I got you coffee." He said gesturing to the cup and she sat across from him.

"Thanks baby." She smiled and his stomach twisted.

He had hoped Maria would have a good idea why he wanted to meet with her but how could she? No one could have seen his reunion with AJ coming. Even Punk was taken by surprise by how this all happened and still was pinching himself. He shifted in his seat trying to figure out how to start this.

"I heard about the art show last night." Maria began. "That must have been terrible."

"Yea." Punk agreed quietly.

"I mean AJ really needs to be more careful about how she sees. That man was in your home and creeping around your sons nursery, I've never made it passed the couch in your place yet she brings him upstairs to do god knows what?" Maria scoffed. "It is still your house."
"It's our house." Punk quietly pointed out.

"You pay for it." Maria pointed out. "I know we discussed it briefly but I think it's time we really get into it. When is AJ leaving?"

"Leaving?" Punk questioned.

"I thought we discussed this?" Maria asked back. "Living with your wife just isn't working for me anymore."

"That's actually why-" he began.

"And since she broke the rules and invited that bi-polar madman into your home I think it should be her who goes." Maria said to him. "Don't get me wrong I love AJ but it's not fair you've provided for her for years the least she could do is move out and I think she would understand. I mean I'm sure she doesn't expect you to live like this forever. I mean it's ok for her because she can't stay in a serious relationship or one that isn't completely based around sex-"

"Maria." He said loudly cutting her off. "I called you here today about AJ."

"Oh." she smiled surprised. "She's moving?"

"No, AJ isn't moving." Punk told her.

"Well you can stay with me even though I still think you leaving is unfair." Maria noted sipping her coffee.

"I'm not moving either." Punk told her. "After the art gallery last night we had this great moment where we discussed PJ and said things to each other that we should have said five years ago." he told her. "We're getting back together."

"Excuse me?" Maria asked with a laugh.

"We're going to give our marriage our try." Punk said to her and eyed her face as it dropped slightly.

"I don't understand." Maria said shaking her head in disbelief. "You told me you had no feelings for her."

"No I never said that I told you that I loved her." Punk reminded her. He never hid how he felt for AJ.

"Ok but you said you two just wouldn't work out." Maria pointed out. "You said you got married too young you were barely married as it was."

"We're trying." was all Punk could say.

"Are you so blinded by AJ that you don't see it?" Maria asked him.

"See what?" He asked.

"See how emotionally damaged she is." Maria said to him. "She's been sleeping around and having one night stands for five years she doesn't want a relationship. Her feelings switch off like a light switch! You're setting yourself up for heartbreak."

"I don't really care but I'm willing to try." Punk said to her.

"She's not the same girl you fell in love with when she was in high school." Maria reminded him.

"I've lived with AJ for five years I know her better than you do." Punk informed her.

"Than you know you're setting yourself up for huge disappointment." Maria said to him rather coldly.

"I want to stay friends." He blurted out and she rolled her eyes and stood up.

"You've wasted a year of my life." Maria reminded him and then poured her coffee onto his lap causing him to shoot up. "So no Punk we can't still be friends."

Punk watched as she stormed out of the shop and saw he caught the eyes of some of the patrons.

Punk had decided to take AJ to a restaurant that his family would frequent he knew they both liked the food and since they were 'dating' it was upscale enough to impress her.

"Swanky." AJ smirked as she placed her napkin over her lap.

"I'm trying to impress you on our first date." He smirked.

"Fancy dinner and I got that beautiful flower arrangement you sent to me." AJ smiled. "Somebody is going to get lucky on the first date."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Punk grinned.

"Your dad and I used to have lunch here you know." AJ told him as she picked up a menu.

"You used to have lunch with my dad?" Punk questioned. "You never told me that."

"Well it was me and Izzy and him." AJ told him. "He would call it his super secret daughters day and he would take us to the track then here for dinner."

"Did you ever win?" Punk asked.

"Sometimes." she shrugged. "I really miss him, he was an amazing man."

"Yea." Punk agreed quietly. "I spoke to Maria."

"How did that go?" AJ asked. "Did she handle it like a child or an adult?"

"Child." Punk admitted. "She threw her coffee on my lap."

"I'm not surprised." AJ laughed.

"Did you talk to your psycho artist?" Punk asked her.

"Why would I?" AJ scoffed. "I think he got the hint last night that we're over."

"Maria mentioned you had a lot of one night stands." Punk blurted and AJ lowered her menu.

"How would she even know that?" AJ asked him.

"I don't know I guess she hears things." Punk shrugged skimming the menu.

"I didn't have one night stands." AJ said to him. "Even though I feel like what ever we did the past five years should be kept in the past." she said to him.
"But if you have questions I'll answer them."

"No." Punk said dropping his own menu. "I don't want to know and I don't think you want to know either."

"I agree." AJ smiled. "I know this seems weird and it's fast but I really want this work."

"So do I." Punk agreed and grabbed her hand from across the table. "I've wanted this for a long time."

"I think we've always been meant to be with each other but you told me last night you couldn't stand to see me in pain and I felt the same way." AJ told him. "I felt like I let you down."

"You never did." He said to her.

"I also thought we only married because of PJ." She admitted.

"He certainly sped up things." Punk smirked.

"I think we were both unsure of how to be together without him, that we were only together because of him but that wasn't true. We didn't date long but we had love for each other, right?"

"Of course." Punk agreed.

"And now five years have passed you're still my number one person. You're my only family and you're my best friend. I was never in a long term relationship with any man because I compared them all to you." AJ admitted. "That's what I've been missing. It wasn't that I was cold and empty it was just that they weren't you."

"I don't think you're cold and empty." Punk assured her and she gave him a warm smile in return. "I know it seemed like we only married for PJ and we did but I love you. You are my first and only love and I like this idea of dating." he admitted. "I mean I think we got married very quickly five years ago because we had to but we got to know each other over the years."

"You know me better than anyone." AJ admitted.

"Same with you." Punk also admitted. "We're going to be ok."

"Promise?" She asked hopefully. "I don't want to go back to being that girl."

"You won't." He assured her and grabbed her hand and kissed it from across the table.

"I thought that was you two." Catherine Brooks greeted and Punk slowly looked up without releasing AJ's hand. "What is this?" she asked gesturing to their hands.

"We're on a date mother." Punk sighed releasing AJ's hand.

"Why?" she asked.

"We're married and married people go on dates." Punk shrugged.

"Is this a joke?" Catherine asked with a laugh.

"We're not laughing." Punk pointed out.

"Is this a bet of some kind?" Catherine asked the two. "Or did you finally decide to start acting like an adult and a married woman?" she asked AJ who had to laugh.

"Don't." Punk warned his mother.

"It's fine." AJ said to Punk then looked at Catherine. "You're right Catherine I have not been a very good wife and I'm fixing that. Just last night as a matter of fact I had sex with your son until he passed out." Punk covered his laugh with a cough while Catherine eyed AJ as if she was crazy. "You should be proud of the way you raised your son because he's a wonderful lover."

"You are an embarrassment to this family name." Catherine hissed. "You're better suited to be cleaning my sons home rather than living it."

"Ok." Punk announced standing up. "Leave." he said to his mother. "And don't come around until you can treat my wife with the respect she deserves."
"Respect? Respect a woman who couldn't handle the loss of her child and then used it as an excuse to whore around?" Catherine scoffed.

"You're one to talk." AJ muttered sipping her water.

"Excuse me?" Catherine asked glaring at her.

"Stop this." Punk hissed at his mother.

"You're no better." Catherine scolded. "You did the same thing she did you're no better. You run that night club and do only god knows what with those tarts in your office."

"You want be rude to me that's fine." AJ said looking up at her then stood up. "But do not talk to him that way he has done nothing but take care of me the last five years and has constantly put his life on hold for you whenever you called." AJ reminded her. "You don't have to like me but you will respect him."

"You're finally acting like a wife." Catherine noted eyeballing AJ. "Too bad it's five years too late." She then kissed Punk's cheek and walked away.

"She's never going to like me is she?" AJ asked sitting back down.

"No." Punk told her honestly. "But that's ok your folks don't like me either."

"I don't speak to my parents." She reminded him.

"So you're not going to tell them we're back together?" he asked and she almost spit the water out of her mouth.

"I didn't even tell them when we got married." She said still laughing. "They don't care what I do."

"Your dad seem interested in you at the police station." He noted.

"That's only because he thought I was in trouble and I'd go begging him for help." AJ said to him. "Your mother is a bitch but at least she picks up the phone and checks in on you and genuinely loves you."

"What did you mean by what you said earlier?" Punk asked her. "That my mother was one to talk?"

"It's nothing." AJ said to him.

"It's clearly something." Punk said to her.

"Izzy saw your mom with another man a year ago." AJ told him.

"Izzy did?" Punk asked. "Why didn't she tell me?"

"She didn't want to upset you." AJ said to him.

"She was with another man?" Punk asked.

"Your dad was with other women too." AJ pointed out. "You know that."

"Yea but my mom?" Punk asked disgusted. "I don't want that."

"What?" AJ asked him.

"The kind of marriage they had." He said to her. "I know our marriage hasn't been ideal but I don't want other people around us. My parents stayed married because of money and even though they loved each other they were miserable."

"If it doesn't work out between us we'll end it." AJ said to him. "I don't want you to be miserable Phil and I don't want to end up like your parents either. If we give this a try and it doesn't work we'll get the divorce whether your mom approves or not. I won't touch your money and I'll move out."

"I don't want that." Punk said to her.

"It won't happen if we work." AJ reminded him.

"I can't imagine you not in my life." He said to her honestly.

"I'm not going anywhere but if either me or you aren't content promise me we'll be adults about this?" she asked him. "We'll do the right thing so we can both be happy."

"Ok." Punk forced out.

"I don't think it will get to that point but we have to start being happy." She told him.

"I am happy. Right here and right now I'm the happiest I've been in a long time." he assured her.

Dinner went well and before going to work Punk joined AJ inside and pulled her right into his bedroom. He had been watching her for five years wanting to touch her and now that he finally could he couldn't keep his hands off of her.

"Fuck." Punk groaned out loudly as he poured his seed inside of her and pulled out and laid on his back.

"I forgot how good you were." AJ smiled looking up at his ceiling fan that was slowly rotating.

"Yea?" Punk grinned. "I remembered you."

"Clearly." She smirked.

"I know we agreed to not discuss what we did the last five years." he began.

"What do you want to know?" she asked him. "And before you ask make sure you really and truly want to know."

"Fine." He said. "Just a number."

"A number?" she laughed.

"How many men have you been with?" Punk asked.

"Why are you torturing yourself?" she asked sitting up and grabbing one of his shirts and throwing it over herself.

"I like torture." He shrugged.

"Seven." she told him and he seemed surprised. "Did you really thing it would be higher?"

"No." He defended.

"You did." She laughed. "How many did you think?"

"I didn't think anything." he said sitting up and get dressed. "You're wearing my shirt."

"I like it." She said holding it to her nose and breathing in his scent. "You have more."

"You look better in it anyway." Punk smirked opening his dresser and pulling out a different shirt.

"What about you?" she asked plopping on the bed and watching him as he got ready for work.

"What about what?" He asked.

"How many?" She questioned.

"I thought we agreed to not discuss this." Punk smirked.

"Phil." She scolded. "I won't be mad. I know your reputation I won't be surprised."

"I don't know how many." he admitted. "After we first agreed to this I really went off the deep end." he confided.

"How many?" She repeated laughing. "More than 7?"

"Uh yea." Punk said trying not to laugh.

"So while everyone thinks I was the whore it was you." AJ smiled. "I knew it."

"I wasn't a whore." Punk defended.

"Did you cheat on Maria?" AJ asked him bluntly.

"Yea with you last night." He snorted.

"Besides me." She clarified.

"Yea a couple of times." He shrugged.

"Are you going to be faithful to me now?" she asked him.

"Of course." He said to her.

"This isn't just getting back together and being happily married I know it's going to be difficult." She said to him.

"Anything good in life is worth fighting for." Punk said leaning over and giving her a kiss. "One day at a time."

"Don't bring any hot girls into your office." She warned him teasingly.

"I won't." He said to her. "Unless you decide to drop by."

"I was going to start packing up PJ's room." She told him and his face dropped.

"So soon?" He asked her. "You don't have to do that without me."

"Just a few things I thought we could give to charity." She said to him. "A lot of that stuff was never even used." She said getting out of the bed.

"Yea." He said quietly and grabbed his jacket. "Do what you have to, I'll see you later."

"Wait." She said grabbing his hand. "Are you really ok with this?"

"Us? You're asking me again?" he asked with a laugh.

"No I mean with PJ's room." She clarified.

"Oh, yea whatever you need to do." Punk said to her.

"It's not about just what I need. The last five years you've been giving me what I need and haven't thought about yourself once." She said to him. "What do you want?"

"Wait for me before you do anything." He requested and she gave him a sad smile.

"Of course." She said to him.

"I agree with what you want to do but it's going to take me a little longer." He told her.

"I have time." She smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you." He sighed with relief.

"Speaking of PJ I have to get my tattoo touched up." AJ said to him. Punk walked around her and moved her hair out of the way to see her neck and saw the tally marks of PJ's birthday.

"Yea it's fading a bit." He agreed.

"Yours is still in tact." She noted.

"I've gotten it touched up a couple of times." he said to her. "I'll call my place in the morning and get you in."

"Thanks." She said to him and he grabbed her hand and looked at her left and saw the tally marks on her empty ring finger. "I told you I never got rid of it."

"Yea." He smiled. "It needs touching up too."

"Ok." She said looking at it herself.

"I won't be back until probably after you're up so make sure you bolt the door after I leave." He said grabbing his wallet and keys.

"Ok have a good night." She said and he gave her one more kiss.

As soon as Punk left AJ bolted the door and went into her own bedroom to shower but gasped when she saw someone on the bed.

"It's about time." Billy laughed.

"What the hell are you doing here?" AJ asked holding her hand over her heart.

"I came by to see you but you weren't home." Billy said to her.

"How did you get in?" AJ asked.

"I used the key you gave me." Billy said to her slowly as if she was stupid.

"I never gave you a key to my home." AJ argued.

"Sure you did." Billy shrugged. "So, how's Punk? Even though from what I heard he's pretty happy."

"You need to go." AJ said to him opening her bedroom door.

"I just stopped in to see my lover." Billy defended seriously. "I was wondering what you thought of my show last night?"

"I thought it sucked." AJ snapped. "It was a horrible thing that you did."

"Your vibe is different today, your ora is happier." Billy noted.

"Really? I thought my vibe was murderous." AJ remarked sarcastically.

"Last night it was." Billy laughed. "You're still the most perfect piece of art. I want to do a sequel to my show last night."

"Have you been taking your medication?" AJ questioned.

"It holds me back." Billy said brushing it off. "You should know better than anyone that we can't be held back."

"What the hell are you talking about?" AJ asked with an annoyed sighed. "You need to leave and if you don't I'll call the police."

"A few weeks ago you were pulling your panties off and practically shoving my dick inside of you." Billy reminded her.

"Things change." AJ shrugged.

"You owe me your happiness." Billy smiled wild. "Do you know how empowering that is?"

"Why are you always talking like that?" AJ questioned.

"Like what?" He asked. "You know me April you know how I think."

"I don't." AJ said to him almost laughing. "You call me cold and empty but you are a straight up psychopath."

"And you're a sociopath." Billy noted in a cheery calm tone. "Look at you standing there in your husbands t-shirt trying to pretend to be normal because you think that's what you need and want but we both know your mind and you'll never be satisfied and he'll never satisfy you the way that you need. You're a dark soul April. You've gone your entire life never feeling love before."

"That's not true I've felt it." AJ disagreed.

"You didn't even love your son." Billy said to her and her face dropped. "You were incapable of loving him because you had no idea how to."

"Shut up." AJ hissed.

"I mean Punk seems to like you enough but he only married you because of your child and he's with you now because he pities you." Billy reminded her casually.

"Why are you doing this?" AJ asked him holding back tears.

"We don't cry." Billy scolded with a smile getting out of the bed. "People like us don't cry." he repeated.

"I'm not you." AJ said pushing him away from her. "And I'm sorry you've never felt love and you feel alone and are reaching to bring anyone down with you but that's not me."

"You have a dark cloud over you I told you that the first night I met you." Billy noted. "It's still there."

"It may still be there but it's going away." AJ told him. "You did help me last night you showed me the root of my sadness and placed in front of my face you forced me to say things I had been holding back and now I'm getting better."

"You're not better." Billy reasoned.

"And you're bi-polar." AJ informed him and that caused him to frown. "I may be emotionally unstable but you're mentally unstable. You need medication to help you I don't."

"And what do you need?" Billy asked her.

"I need for you to leave." AJ told him. "And give me your key." She said holding her hand out.

"Fine." Billy said taking the key off of his ring and placing it in her hand. "Whose to say I didn't make copies though?" he laughed and she frowned.

"I loved my son." AJ told him.

"If you say so." Billy said to her.

"I also love Phil." AJ said to him.

"This isn't a jealousy thing." Billy laughed. "I don't want to be your boyfriend even though the sex was satisfying, I just want you to realize that we connect."

"We don't." She said to him.

"He doesn't love you April." Billy sighed. "Your parents couldn't even love you and they lived with you for 18 years and you're in capable of being in a marriage with him and you know it. You're not even honest with yourself."

"I've always been honest with him." AJ informed him bravely.

"Right." Billy smirked and leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you soon sweetheart."

AJ watched as he walked out of her door and didn't waited until she heard the front door unlock and close before she got dressed and grabbed her keys. AJ ran right out the door once she saw Billy drive away and sped out of her driveway.

Punk was down by the bar saying hello to a few regulars but really wanted to just speak to Colt.

"She really said that to your mom?" Colt laughed as Punk gave him a play by play of his dinner with AJ.

"Yea she gives no shits about my mother." Punk laughed.

"Oh look at that." Colt nodded towards the entrance and in ran AJ frantically still wearing his t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Something is wrong." Punk said to Colt but was watching her as her eyes searched the club.

AJ tried to make it to Punk's office but there was a crowd of people and she ended up spilling someones drink.

"Watch it!" the woman yelled.

"Yea sorry." AJ brushed it off and the woman grabbed her arm.

"You owe me a drink." The woman hissed.

"How about you go up to the bar and tell them that AJ spilled your drink since my husband owns this dive club which means I own half of it." AJ remarked smugly and the woman released her arm.

"AJ?" Punk asked.

"Phil we have to change the locks." She announced and he pulled her into his office and away from the noise.

"What?" Punk asked.

"Billy was in the house." AJ told him and seemed confused.

"When?" he asked her.

"I'm assuming the entire time we were at dinner." AJ said to him.

"You didn't call the cops?" Punk asked in disbelief.

"He had a key." AJ argued. "He must have taken it off of me and made a copy I don't know." She shrugged.

"Did he hurt you?" Punk asked concerned.

"No." She said to him. "He called me sociopath and said I didn't love PJ because I don't know what love is because no one had ever loved and-"

"Stop." Punk said putting his hands on his shoulders. "Take a breath and relax."

"Phil the things he said-" She started.

"That's why you're so upset? You care about what some lunatic said and not the fact that he broke into our home?" Punk asked her.

"He didn't break in." AJ pointed out. "He said I'm just like him."

"You're not." Punk said to her. "And it's bullshit that you've never felt love because I love you, I loved you since the day I met you are you telling me that you never felt that?"

"Of course I did." AJ sighed crying. "I loved PJ."

"He doesn't know you." Punk laughed cupping her face gently. "He doesn't know how you feel or love."

"I love you too." She said to him. "You feel that right?"

"Yea I do." Punk assured her. "And you loved PJ more than anything in this world." he pointed out to her. "The man has known you for what? A month? He probably doesn't even know your last name." he scoffed. "He doesn't know how you sobbed so much at the end of Marley of Me that the people that worked in the movie theater actually shushed you, he doesn't know how when we had that issue with ants you tried to lure them outside the back door with food so I wouldn't kill them, he doesn't know that you go down to the soup kitchen every single holiday and cook and serve food." Punk said with a faint smile. "How could anyone not love you?"

"You killed all those ants." She sniffled but smiled.

"I did." He frowned. "They weren't falling for your trap honey I'm sorry. I also cursed out the theater employees who shushed you at the movies."

"You also sat there with me until way after the credits until I was done crying." She remembered.

"You can't let him get to you like this." Punk said to her. "He's a very unbalanced individual and he's clearly a miserable person who wants company."

"He was in my bedroom." AJ said coldly. "I let him in there to begin with."

"I'll handle it." Punk assured her.

"Thank you." She whispered and wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest.

"You want to stay a little bit? Or you want me to take you home?" Punk offered.

"I have my car." She said looking up at him as he ran his fingertips up and down her back. "But I'd like to stay and hangout with you for a bit if that's alright?"

"It's more than alright." He grinned.