Where it all started

A couple of days later AJ was at work. Her new good mood wasn't lost on Eve or any of her other co-workers and although a lot of them had reservations about her and Punk they didn't share their doubts to AJ to not sully her mood.

"So is it true?" Seth asked as AJ was about to get into her car and leave for the day.

"Is what true?" AJ asked innocently.

"You and Punk." Seth clarified. "You guys are back together?"

"We are." AJ confirmed happily. "Why do you care?"

"I don't I just heard things." Seth said to her. "That's good than. You seem happy."

"I am." AJ said to him.

"Look I know you had a thing with Billy." Seth began and AJ rolled her eyes. "The guy is off his meds. Denise can't get through to him so just be careful."

"Why would you warn me about him? I'm back with Phil." She pointed out.

"He talks about you to Denise." Seth said to her. "She wanted me to tell you."

"That's fine. Phil spoke to him too." AJ said to him.

"Did you tell him about us?" Seth asked her and AJ laughed.

"So it's not really concern for me it's really that you're worried about your own marriage." AJ snickered. "Don't worry I didn't discuss anything personal with Billy."

"Just your son who you never spoke to me about." Seth said to her. "I was at the art show I saw the pictures."

"I didn't discuss him and I didn't even know about those pictures." AJ told him. "Are you jealous?" she teased.

"No I was just surprised. I mean I had known you a hell of a lot longer than you knew Billy and our conversations were never deep." Seth said to him.

"Neither were mine with Billy." AJ said simply. "He's just weird."

"No he's sick." Seth corrected.

"I'm well aware and I'll be fine." AJ assured him. "The concern is nice though."

"I care." Seth said to her. "Maybe you thought I didn't but I did and still do. Just watch your back and good luck with Punk."

"Thanks." She said getting into her car.

AJ didn't go straight home from work which is why she showered and changed there, she had her first therapy session. It wasn't as bad as AJ thought it would be and she felt after so many years she was ready to start talking about PJ and her marriage.

"What did you think when you first met April?" the older female therapist asked Punk.

"My first thought?" Punk asked and she nodded. "I thought she was young." he snickered.

"I wasn't honest about my age." AJ told the therapist who nodded.

AJ was waiting outside the local comic book shop wearing a black dress and chucks. She had borrowed the dress from a friend and had her do her makeup to appear older. She had told the man she had only spoken to over the internet that she was a little bit older than she was and hoped she looked more mature. She saw him walking her way, long blonde hair, lip piercing, short sleeve short that showed off his few tattoos and smiled.

"AJ?" the man asked and she nodded.

"Hi." She greeted holding her hand out and he backed away.

"You're not 20."Punk said eyeing her. "Are you even 18?"

"Let me explain-" She began but he turned around and walked away. "Wait!" she yelled chasing after him.

"Are you trying to get me arrested?" Punk hissed briefly looking over his shoulder.

"No! Of course not!" She shouted right behind him. "Please just let me explain." She begged grabbing his arm so he could turn and look at her.

"You've been lying to me for months." Punk snapped.

"Just about my age." She argued. "I'm going to be 18 in three months!"

"You're a kid." Punk said looking down at her.

"I am not a child." AJ argued.

"I should have known." Punk laughed in disbelief of his own stupid mistake.

"Can you please let me explain?" AJ asked him.

"You're a liar." Punk said bluntly looking at her disgusted. "Do your parents not give you enough attention at home? Is that it?"

"Just go." AJ said defeated.

"Don't message me anymore." he warned her then walked off.

"That's not really an ideal meeting." The therapist noted. "Not exactly love at first sight."

"I thought she was pretty but I also thought her father would lock me away." Punk smirked and looked towards AJ who smiled at the comment. "I knew her dad was a cop she had told me that when we talked."

"You two talked about a lot?" The therapist questioned.

"Everything." AJ answered. "Our families, friends, dreams, hopes..."

"So how did you two end up together?" The therapist asked. "You were afraid of her father and you walked away from her..."

"We bumped into each other two weeks later." Punk remembered.

Punk was at the arcade with Colt. They spent a good amount of time at the same pinball machine always trying to get their names on the scoreboard.

"Don't you have dinner with your folks?" Colt asked him.

"Fuck it." Punk snorted. "They don't want me there anyway."

"You don't fit the bill of a young millionaire." Colt smirked.

"Does the long dyed hair give me away or is it the piercings?" Punk asked him with a laugh.

"So you want to eat here?" Colt asked him and Punk nodded. "Pizza?"

"Yea order it up." Punk said concentrating on the game.

"Hey." Colt said waving over the waitress who held up her finger pleading for a moment. She was clearly overwhelmed. "Sure." he said kindly.

Across the way AJ who was only on her second day at her new job was not having a good day.

"Sweetheart I ordered a plain slice and he ordered a sausage slice." The about twenty something year old informed her. "We also ordered a pitcher of beer which we were supposed to get before our food but I suppose we still will since it's all wrong." he said annoyed.

"I'm really sorry." She sighed grabbing the plates from them.

"Yea you've said that ten times if you can't do your fucking job find someone who can." the man snapped. "Even though I had no idea writing down what you hear onto a little piece of paper was so difficult, is that you're stupid?"

"That's uncalled for." AJ said starting to get annoyed. "The ruder you are the less I'll want to please you so if you want your food sometime tonight I suggest you apologize."

"Excuse me?" The man laughed. "I'm the customer."

"I'm 17 and this is a part-time gig for me, do you think I care if you're satisfied or ever come back? I'd rather you not actually." AJ shrugged and the man stood up.

"You have a smart ass mouth." The man said towering over her.

"You just called me stupid." AJ pointed out and his eyes widened.

"What kind of fucking service is this?" the man shouted and both Colt and Punk turned to look as everyone else did. "Do your parents slap that smart mouth of yours? If not-"

"Back off." Punk said tugging on his arm.

"This isn't your business." The man said to him. "I just wanted some pizza."

"That's how you ask?" Punk mocked. "Stay out of her face."

"Relax ok." the man laughed seeing Colt standing behind Punk as well.

"Your food will be right out." AJ said to the man as he sat down.

"Great." He forced out.

AJ turned and walked towards the kitchen but before she could go inside Punk grabbed her arm.

"You can't talk to people like that." Punk warned her.

"He spoke worse to me." AJ shrugged.

"You're going to say the wrong thing to somebody one day they're not going to back down like he did." Punk told her.

"What do you even care?" AJ asked him with a laugh. "And are you sure you should be seen talking to me? You might get arrested for just being in the same room as me."

"I'm sorry I ran out like I did but you lied." Punk reminded her.

"You didn't even give me a chance to explain." AJ defended.

"I'm sorry." he said to her. "I was thrown off. I didn't even realize you worked here."

"I just started." She said to him. "Saving for the prom." he just nodded.

"Have a date?" he asked.

"Yea the boys are lined up outside, you didn't see them?" she teased.

"They'd be crazy not to be." Punk smirked.

"Not everyone gets me." AJ shrugged. "Nerdy gamer girls aren't really that popular with the boys or people in general in school."

"Right." He said to her with a sympathetic smile.

"I have to get back to work." She said to him. "The quicker I feed everyone the quicker everyone leaves and I can go home."

"You're working late?" he asked her.

"11." She told him. "Did you want food?"

"No we were just leaving." He lied. "See you around."

At close to midnight AJ walked out of work and zipped up her jacket to keep her from the cold wind.

"Hey." Punk greeted. He was leaning against the brick wall with his hands in his pockets.

"Hi." She said unsurely. "What are you doing here?"

"I was walking by and remembered that you got at this time so I wanted to bring you this." He said handing her a comic. "I told you a few weeks ago when I finally met you I'd give it to you."

"Thanks." she said. "Also I remember telling you I got out at 11."

"Yea I waited around." He shrugged. "I also remember you telling me your dad worked nights so you'd probably need a ride."

"I was just going to walk it." she said to him.

"At this time?" he scoffed. "My car is right there." he said pointing.

"You're not like still really angry I lied about my age and are planning on killing me right?" she asked seriously and he laughed.

"That was my plan but since you figured it out I guess that's done." He said to her and she shot him the most amazing smile. "You shouldn't be out at this time alone, at least let me walk you if you're uncomfortable driving with me."

"I didn't say that." She said walking to his car and waiting. "Are we going?"

"Have you always had a need to protect April?" The therapist questioned.

"I guess." he said thinking about it. "But she doesn't really need it. She's always taken care of herself."

"Sometimes my mouth gets me into trouble." AJ told the therapist and she smirked.

"So when did the relationship move on from protective friendship to more?" The therapist asked and both Punk and AJ looked at each other.

Punk and AJ were sitting his car around the block from her house. He had picked her up from work every night she worked and they were enjoying the platonic time together, so much so she would leave work early just so she could spend an extra hour with Punk without her parents knowing.

"I got you something." AJ said reaching into her bag.

"What's the occasion?" He asked as he passed him a wrapped box.

"Christmas, duh." She laughed. "Open it." she encouraged him.

Punk opened the small box and smirked at the gift.

"A gift card to the tattoo parlor." He smiled. "How did you ever know?"

"You told me your parents weren't giving you anymore money because they were afraid you'd get tattoos. So I got you that so you can still do it." She smiled.

"That's very thoughtful." He said closing the box and putting it on his dashboard. "It will drive my folks crazy but how could you afford that?"

"I was saving from work." She told him. "I am a working girl now."

"I thought you were saving for your prom." He frowned.

"It's a way off but I'm not going." She said to him. "It's a big waste of money for one stupid night."

"I don't think it's stupid." Punk reasoned.

"You went to your prom?" she asked and he nodded.

"I did." He told her. "Had a great time."

"Well things have changed from when you went to school."

"It was four years ago." Punk smirked.

"You don't know what it's like there." She said to him. "No one gets me, no one wants to get me."

"They're stupid." he said simply.

"You ran right from me." She pointed out.

"I did." Punk remembered. "I was nervous AJ I mean you weren't what I was expecting."

"I wasn't pretty enough?" She teased.

"No of course. You were too pretty." He said to her. "I thought I was being tricked but you'd be like this forty year old woman you were a surprise."

"A good one?" She asked.

"A very good one almost too good to be true." he said to her.

"I turn 18 in March." she said to him. "It's already the end of December."

"If your dad finds out he's going to have me jailed." Punk sighed.

"He won't know." she said to him. "No one has to know until I'm 18. It's not that big of an age gap. If you can sit there and tell me that we don't connect in a way that you've never connected with anyone before then I'll never bring it up. We'll always just be friends."

"We connect." he admitted. "I like being around you."

"As a friend?" She questioned.

"Always as a friend, sometimes- a lot of the times I'm attracted to you." he told her honestly.

"So who cares what people think?" She asked him. "Are you embarrassed by me or something?"

"No." He said to her brushing her hair out of her face. "We can't do anything about it AJ I'm sorry." he said to her.

"Fine." She said taking her seat belt off.

"We'll talk when you're 18." was the best he could offer.

"Who knows if I'll be around for you in that time." She shrugged. "But it's ok we'll still be friends, have a merry Christmas Phil." She then got out of the car and practically ran home.

AJ and Punk stayed in touch and he continued to bring her home after work but he could tell he hurt her feelings. He just couldn't be anything more than a friend to her since she was so young or so he kept telling himself.

"It's not really that big of an age gap." Colt reasoned sitting in the arcade AJ worked in but were only there because she was off for the night.

"It is." Punk said to him. "Her dad is a fucking cop."

"So keep it low key for a few more weeks until she turns 18." Colt shrugged. "When she's 18 none of this will matter."

"I don't-" Punk stopped when he saw AJ walk into the arcade and she wasn't alone. She was with someone who he didn't recognize. "What is she doing?" Punk hissed under his breath.

"You told her you were too old maybe she decided to date someone her own age." Colt shrugged looking over. "He seems..." he trailed off eyeing her date who looked like he walked out of a goth magazine. He was wearing leather boots, a long black leather trench coat, black lipstick, gadges in both of his ears and his hair was spiked up. "...disturbed."

"He's not her type." Punk scoffed. "She's doing this to get to me."

"Is it working?" Colt asked curiously.

"Yes." He admitted eyeing them as they sat a small table.

"You want to get out of here?" Colt asked but Punk stood up and walked over to AJ and her date.

"Oh hey." AJ smiled seeing Punk. "Punk this is Darth."

"Darth?" Punk asked him.

"It's my stage name." Darth told him and he nodded.

"Stage name? Are you in a band or something?" Punk asked him.

"Yea." Darth nodded.

"Are you high?" Punk asked looking at his eyes. "Did you get in the car with him?" he asked AJ.

"No we took a bus." She told him. "Darth doesn't drive."

"You picked a winner." Punk remarked.

"Hey man don't judge me." he said in a completely zen voice.

"Let's leave Darth, my friend here is obviously not going to leave." AJ said standing up.

"No you're not leaving with him." Punk said to her.

"You have no say as to who I spend my time with." AJ reminded him.

"Come here." he said grabbing her arm and pulling her outside.

"What is wrong with you?" AJ asked rubbing her arm. "You just-" she didn't finish since Punk grabbed her face and kissed her.

"You made it very obvious to your husband over the past five years when you were seeing men, did you think that if you flaunted your relationship with these men in front of him like you did when you were younger you'd get that same reaction?" The therapist asked her. "And when he didn't show any interest that's when you would 'bored' with them and move onto the next. It was a cry for attention from your husband it wasn't about being empty."
"I suppose so." AJ said never thinking of that but it made sense.

"You didn't have to do that." Punk said to AJ. "I was always right there waiting for you."

"Were you jealous when I was other people?" She asked him as they sat in separate chairs.

"Yea I was but I thought it was what you needed." Punk said to her.

"Or was it because you were happy with Maria?" AJ asked him.

"Maria was nothing more than a place holder." Punk said to her. "I got tired of being alone most nights."

"That's not why you agreed to give us another chance is it?" AJ asked him.

"How many fucking times do I have to tell you that's not the case? I don't do anything I don't want to do and I wouldn't have asked you to come to therapy with me if I didn't want this to work." Punk was now growing agitated seemingly out of nowhere. "Isn't our time up?"

"Yes." The therapist said to him. "I'll see you both-" she started but Punk was already up and out the door.

"Thank you." AJ smiled at her then chased after Punk.

Punk was in the parking lot opening his car door and AJ was parked right next to him.

"You're just going to leave like that?" AJ asked him. "What happened in there?"

"I didn't realize we were taking a trip down memory lane." Punk said to her.

"So? What so bad happened to us when we first started dating?" AJ asked him.

"Nothing but by next week we're going to get into the other stuff and I don't want to." Punk said to her.

"You mean PJ." She noted.

"I also don't like that you were hurting yourself by being in these relationships just for my attention." He said to her. "Why couldn't you just talk to me? Why didn't I see it?"

"I don't know I didn't even realize that's what I was doing." She admitted. "I guess that's the point of therapy to talk it all out I already feel better." She told him.

"Good because I feel like shit." he said to her.

"You shouldn't." She reasoned.

"I'm going to work." Punk said to her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Punk wasn't at work long when AJ walked into his office. She saw him sitting behind his desk and closed the door behind her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"I think we've spent the last five years giving each other space and I don't want to do that anymore." She said kicking off her shoes and sitting on his couch. She pulled out a game and turned it on. "So I'm going to sit here until you're ready to talk."

"AJ-" he started.

"It doesn't have to be right now." She said cutting him off. "I have all night."

"Punk, we need you." A male bouncer said to him.

"Can it wait?" he asked. "My wife is here."

"No go ahead." AJ said resting her feet on the couch and laying out as she played her game. "I'll be here when you get back."

"Fine." he said standing up and following the bouncer.

Outside of the club a few workers were looking at the wall and Punk moved over to see what they were looking at. Someone had painted the huge back wall and Punk rolled his eyes.

"Do we still have paint in the basement?" he asked the manager of the club.

"Not enough to cover this." he scoffed. "It's fucking huge."

"What is it?" a waitress questioned tilting her head and Punk looked back at it to study it.

"It's dark." someone else noted.

"It looks like a cloud." the manager said.

"A rain cloud." the waitress added.

"A dark cloud." Punk corrected bitterly and he knew who it was already. "That mother fucker." he said infuriated.

"You know who did this?" The manager asked him.

"Yea I do." he said. "I want this shit covered tonight." he hissed.

"We'll get it done. We might have to use two different colors." he told Punk.

"I don't give a shit I just don't want to see it." Punk then stormed back into the still mostly empty club since it was still early.

"Everything ok?" AJ asked walking to the backdoor but he blocked her way.

"Yea just some idiot painting my wall." He said to her. "Let's go back to my office."

"Did they draw a penis again?" She asked knowing he had that problem before with the back wall.

"No." He said and she tried to side step him to get outside.

"Why can't I see it?" she asked him.

"Because it's stupid and there's a ton of people out there trying to work and paint over it." He said placing his hand on her lower back and leading her away.

"Are you ready to talk?" she asked as they walked back into his office.

"I don't know what you want me to say." He said closing the door behind him and watched as she went back to the couch. "I told you why I was upset."

"We both didn't know any better." AJ said to him. "I mean I'm awful at opening up and you had your parents marriage as an example and they didn't communicate with each other but we both recognize it and are trying to not make those mistakes again. Don't you want to try?"

"Of course I do." Punk said to her. "That's why we're in therapy."

"Are you going to storm out every time you hear something you don't like?" She questioned. "Because there's going to be some stuff that you aren't going to like and I'm sure I'll hear things I don't like either."

"So maybe we blow off the therapy?" He suggested.

"You wanted it." She laughed and waved him over. "It's going to hurt sometimes but today wasn't so bad."

"Hearing that you were with those assholes looking for me to ride in on my horse to rescue you and I ignored it." He said to her. "How can you even fucking stand me?"

"Because it was childish on my part." She said to him. "We're not kids anymore we just need to be upfront and blunt with each other."

"Alright." he said sitting on the couch with her. "I don't like thinking about you with other men."

"I don't like thinking about you with other women." she said back.

"It's different." he said shaking his head. "I always thought I'd be your only one."

"I always thought you'd be my only one too." she said to him. "I also thought we'd be planning PJ's fifth birthday at this point and my parents would have come around."

"I also thought my dad would still be around." Punk added.

"Life just isn't what we expect." She said to him. "But I don't want to give up on it."

"Me either." he agreed.

"I'm glad we talked." She said to him standing up.

"You're leaving?" he frowned.

"I thought you'd want to work." she said not grabbing her bag yet. "Want me to stay?"

"Yes." he said to her and she sat back down.

"I'm not having sex with you here, you've had way too many women on this couch." She warned him.

"It doesn't always have to be about sex." he defended.

"You want to kiss?" She asked waggling her eyebrows and he smiled as a memory popped into his head.

"Remember what happened the last time you asked me that?" Punk asked.

"How could I forget." she remembered.

Punk was again parked around the corner from AJ's. They were two weeks away from her 18th birthday and Punk held off on kissing her again until then.

"You want to kiss?" she asked waggling her eyebrows at him.

"You know the rules." He reminded her. "Two more weeks."

"It's just kissing. You can't go to jail for kissing." She laughed.

"Sure I can." He said seriously.

"You kissed me a few weeks ago and it was ok." she pointed out.

"I was making a point." He said to her.

"So make a point again." She smiled cupping his face and gently kissing his cheek. "You know you want to."

"AJ." he warned.

"Just one kiss?" she requested kissing his cheek again.

"If I do it will you be patient until your birthday?" he asked her and she nodded.

Punk leaned in and kissed her on the lips. It only took thirty seconds for it to get heated and at some point AJ was straddling his lap as they tongue kissed in his car. His hands remained respectful at her back the entire time while hers were at his face and neck. A flashing light into the car didn't bother them at all but when they heard knocking at the window AJ pulled away and winced when the light flashed in her face.

"April." The voice said coldly. It was her father.

"Hi daddy." She smiled nervously.

"Oh fuck." Punk groaned.

"Let's go home." he said refusing to even look at Punk.

"I'll call you tomorrow." she said grabbing her bag and kissing his cheek.

"I don't think we have to worry about my dad anymore." She smirked and grabbed his face and began to kiss him.

Ten minutes later AJ was on her back on the black leather couch with Punk nestled between her legs, both fully clothed as they made out shamelessly. Punk couldn't help but get hard and looked for relief as he rubbed against her. But he knew AJ and he knew when she had her mind made up that was it. He didn't blame her for not wanting to be with him here. Almost all of the women he was with during his marriage to AJ ended up here in his office for their sexual encounters.

"Take me home." she said moving her lips away but brushing them against his. "Take me home and take me to bed."

"I don't think I'll be able to drive." Punk admitted feeling the pain in his groin area. "And don't even think about bringing up your car." he warned her.

"I would never." She assured him and then began to kiss him again.

"Babe..." he trailed off. "I'm trying to kill my boner not blow in my jeans." he reminded her.

"April." A voice greeted and it was like both were pulled back to that time five years ago in his car.

"Hi Hector." She greeted looking over Punk's shoulder seeing her father in uniform with another officer with him.

Punk climbed off of AJ and looked over to her his father-in-law and partner.

"Is there something I could do for you?" he asked annoyed.

"Yea you can stand up slowly and put your hands behind your back." Hector said to him. "Phillip Brooks you're under arrest."