Okay so the consensus of Chapter 39, it was emotional and I made some of you cry...my bad haha Though that was not my intention, it's a huge form of flattery...it was an emotional chapter to write and I had a little bit of help from the season 4 finale of Glee where Finn dumps Rachel so that she'll go to New York, so if it seemed at all familiar, that's why :)

This chapter we find our two characters trying to cope...Adam comes back into the picture and a few of you are questioning if he'll applaud Punk's effort, or beat his ass...perhaps both...also is Gabby staying in Atlanta, or is she heading back to Chicago to plead with Punk to change his mind...Your questions shall be answered below :) This chapter and the next Punk and Gabby are coping, but chapter 42 will bring along some interesting developments...

As always, thanks for the reviews/adds/favorites, love it all and very much appreciate it...Enjoy!

Monday afternoon Adam sat in his hotel in Milwaukee Wisconsin trying to get a hold of Gabby for the fiftieth time that week. He'd gotten her text message, which simply said I'm sorry I didn't listen, you were right, but had no idea what it meant. He assumed it pertained to Punk, but Adam's phone calls to him weren't being returned either, which left Adam in limbo. Clearly something was wrong, and he was becoming increasingly irritated that he didn't know what it was. Luckily for him, but perhaps unluckily for Punk, he was scheduled to be at Raw that night as part of his legends contract and he was determined to get to the bottom of the matter.

Punk arrived at the arena and went straight to his locker room. He hadn't interacted with anyone and didn't plan to because the last thing he wanted was a lecture on how much he'd screwed up; he was already aware and was being reminded constantly. Since taking Gabby to the airport, he'd tried desperately to call her and apologize, hell he was willing to beg if it came to that, but she never answered and with no surprise to him she didn't return his calls or texts. He couldn't say he blamed her, he'd betrayed her and pretty much forced her into doing something she didn't want to do all because of his own ridiculous insecurities that he wasn't what she needed, that he'd never be enough.

Punk sat alone on a bench taping up his wrists thankful that he wasn't booked to wrestle tonight. His head wasn't where it needed to be and he'd undoubtedly end up injuring himself or worse someone else. Instead he was scheduled to cut a promo with John Cena and end the night kicking Jerry Lawler in the head as he continued his heel turn, demanding respect from everyone. Same song, different dance…at least I get to kick somebody…

Punk tossed the roll of tape back in his bag just as he heard a knock on the door. He figured it was Cena, seeing they were scheduled to run through some last minute promo changes, and yelled for him to come in as he slipped his shirt over his head.

"Let's get this over with shall we…"

"Well the sooner you tell me what the hell you did to Gabby the sooner I can beat your ass and then I'll be on my way…" Punk closed his eyes recognizing the voice and knowing exactly why he was there. Turning to face him, he noticed his balled up fists and knew if he didn't calm him down and explain everything, one of those fists, if not both, would meet his face. Even if he did deserve a broken nose or a black eye, he wasn't up for pulling a Rhodes, wearing a protective face mask, or being forced to wear more make-up.

"Nice to see you too Adam…I wasn't aware you were part of the show tonight…"

"Last minute addition, but never mind work, what the hell did you do to my baby sister?"

"I didn't do anything…"

"Punk she sent me a text apologizing and saying I was right…this might shock you, but I didn't want to be right about you. I thought your bullshit days of treating women like toys were over…"

"What the fuck are you talking about? I've never treated a woman like a toy and don't feed me the bullshit that you were rooting for me…I saw the state Gabby was in when I went to North Carolina after Thanksgiving, then again on her birthday and Christmas…you're coming at me for upsetting your sister, what about what you've done?" Adam relaxed his hands resting them on his hips.

"You're right I haven't been a brother to her as of late, but finding out about you two the way I did killed me. I'm not as dense as you two think I am, I could tell when I was there last that something was off, but I denied it. When Amy confirmed my suspicions, I didn't know how to react, but looking back I wish I wouldn't have acted like such an ass. It didn't get me anywhere; Gabby chose you, my mom was pissed at me and even Beth left, so I ended up with nothing…" Adam plopped down on the bench beside Punk's bag. At first Punk remained standing, but seeing they were both in the same boat, he moved his bag and sat beside him.

"I fucked up…Gabby got an offer to write an editorial for an Atlanta newspaper and I told her I'd back up her decision regardless, but when she said she wasn't taking it, I felt like I was the reason. I convinced myself that she'd come to hate me and resent me because of it, so I bought her a ticket to Atlanta and made her go…"

"How did you make her go? No one has ever been able to make Gabby do anything…"

"I took her to the airport, gave her a million reasons why she should go and left before she could say no. I did the one thing I swore to her I'd never do, I left her. Once I got home I realized what I'd done and how bad I'd fucked up and tried to call and apologize, but she won't return my calls."

"Wow…"

"Yeah…I already felt bad about her having to choose between us, feeling like I was the reason that you weren't there for her birthday or Christmas, and I couldn't let myself be the reason that she didn't follow her dream…I couldn't deal with her settling for a life with me in Chicago at 24, she deserves more then that; she can find better then me."

"I'm going to stop you right there…first off stop the pansy bullshit. Despite anything I've ever said to anyone about you, I know that you're a good guy and you were only doing what you thought was right. I'm sorry I made you feel shitty over the whole choice thing; it was the stupidest thing I've ever done to Gabby. As for her birthday and Christmas, I felt ashamed for doing what I had done and didn't think she'd forgive me, so I stayed away. Also you might find this hard to believe, but she wasn't settling for you; she's in love with you Phil. I saw it myself, so did Beth, Jay, Amy…literally anyone that's seen the two of you together can see you're a perfect fit. Christ I knew it over a year ago when I introduced the two of you at the Hall of Fame. She had a sparkle in her eye that I'd never seen, so when she calls me out of the blue and says she's moving in with you I fucking lost it because I knew it was only a matter of time before I lost her. As for you, you are the biggest prick I've ever met in my life and from the day I moved Gabby to Chicago, I could see you changing and becoming better, a happier person. Despite what I wanted for her, what anyone wanted for her, you are all Gabby needs."

Punk let out a sigh placing his hand on his neck; it would have been nice to hear these things a week ago… "Even with everything you just said, I still think she needs to live a little on her own. You and I spent our late teens and early twenties traveling everywhere and she hasn't done anything like that…"

"We were also fucking nuts and wanted to be professional wrestlers. In our line of work you don't have much of a choice but to put in the hard time if you want to make it to the big leagues. Gabby's smart, she went to college, got her masters…she's had a while to think about what she wants out of life. She might let on that she's not sure about something, but deep down she knows exactly what she wants. If she wanted to travel and see the world, she would have gone, but instead she headed for Chicago and ended up with you."

"And I fucked everything up, so she'll probably never speak to me again…" Adam slapped Punk on the back before getting up.

"Never say never…seeing my dear sister is being stubborn, I think I'll fly down to Atlanta and pay her a visit, see what's going on in that head of hers." Punk stood up debating if he should say what he was thinking and decided to go for it.

"Can you text me or something…I don't want to make this all about me, but I need to know that she's okay…"

"Yeah, hell it's the least I can do seeing you've helped her through so much the last few months; filling in when I was absent…" Punk nodded feeling more at ease. As Adam left the room, Punk sat back down on the bench and dialed Gabby's number again only to have it go straight to voicemail. He let out a sigh wondering if she'd ever speak to him again, or if her last words were all he'd hear when he thought of her.

Two weeks had gone by since Gabby had arrived in Atlanta. At first she was at a complete loss, her entire world flipped upside down, but she had somehow managed to pull herself together and impress Joe Caruso landing a job writing a new weekly column. Gabby debated accepting it, but quickly realized she didn't have a back-up plan. Even if she did go back to Chicago, things would never be the same there, so she pulled up her big girl pants and accepted.

The first thing on her to do list was finding a place to live, which came easier then she expected. After finding a nice, cozy condo just outside the city, Gabby set out on her next matter of business which was getting all of her things from Chicago to Atlanta. She hadn't talked to Punk for various reasons, the main one being the last time she'd seen him, he had bailed on her, but she still had a bunch of clothes, shoes and other junk at his place. She debated flying to Chicago and taking care of everything herself, but she wasn't sure if she'd be able to deal with being in that house again and what would she do if Punk came home. Gabby didn't want to see him ever again; she was angry with him and his actions. Even if Atlanta did boost her career, he had gone about everything the wrong way and hurt her more then Adam, her mom or even her own father ever had. After some contemplating, she called in the reinforcements of Kat and Carla, who were happy to oblige. Gabby didn't really want to involve them, especially seeing they were Punk's friends first, but she didn't have too many choices.

Gabby was sitting on her new couch working on her column, when she was interrupted by a knock at the door. She thought nothing of it, figuring it was one of her neighbors who had been extremely kind and welcoming, but upon opening the door, she was taken back by the sight of her brother. In a moment of weakness she'd texted him the day Punk left her at the airport, but she hadn't returned any of the calls or texts that had come from him in return. She wasn't sure why, figuring maybe she wasn't up for a lecture from him, or worse him telling her that he was right all along, but before she could say or do anything, Adam pulled her in for a hug.

"Ahh…Adam…you're kind of hurting me…" Adam let out a light chuckle as he loosened his grip. Taking a deep breath he pulled back and looked her over noticing she looked worn out, though she was trying to hide it.

"Gabby I want to say first and foremost that I owe you a huge apology. I should've never acted the way I did when you told me about…well that thing…" He reminded himself that now probably wasn't the best time to mention Punk, "but I was really upset that you weren't the person to tell me. It's still a horrible excuse and I hope you can find it somewhere in your heart to forgive me. I've missed you terribly Gabby…" Gabby gave him a soft smile before hugging him again. At this point she wasn't with Punk, so there was no reason to continue to hold a grudge against her brother, besides she needed at least one man in her life that wouldn't let her down…again.

"Apology accepted; I've missed you so much Adam and I'm really sorry too. I shouldn't have kept my relationship from you, but no worries because that relationship doesn't exist anymore."

"So I've heard…" Gabby looked up at him confused, but figured when he couldn't get a hold of her, he'd gone to the other person.

"I see…what did he tell you?"

"That doesn't really matter…I'm not here for he said/she said, I'm here for you Gab; you look like you could use a support system. How is Atlanta treating you?" Gabby shrugged her shoulders heading into the kitchen and grabbing two bottles of water.

"It's not horrible, hot as hell, but besides the weather it's good. I like having creative control over my column more then I thought I would and my boss is great. I've made a few friends from the office and around the neighborhood, but for the most part I'm focusing on work and where to go from here."

"Where to go from here; what do you mean? You just got here!"

"I know, but I've got a two year plan. My next venture is the New York Times, which will hopefully lead to some national exposure. Also I'm thinking of going back to school for communications, maybe do some news broadcasting. What the hell! I have nothing to lose at this point; no boyfriend, no kids, just me…I'm all I have to worry about…" Gabby felt depressed saying the last part, but pushed it aside. "Anyway, allow me to show you around the place." Gabby gave her brother a smile as she showed off her new condo.

"Very nice, but it's very empty…"

"Yeah…most of my stuff is still in Chicago."

"Oh, well when are we going to get it?"

"We aren't going to get anything…two friends have volunteered to pack up my junk and road trip down here to visit. They're crazy, but I appreciate it a lot."

"That's nice of them, but why couldn't you just go get it?"

"Because I just can't…"

"Is it because of Punk?" Gabby felt a stabbing pain just hearing his name, but played it off glaring at her brother.

"No it has nothing to do with him. He's on the road for the next few weeks, so I could have gone, but I have a lot to do around here with work and such. Anyway, I noticed the suitcase, where are you staying?"

"Your guest room…hope you don't mind me hanging out for a few weeks…"

"What? You have your own house, and what about Beth?"

"Yeah that didn't work out…"

"Oh Adam I'm sorry, I hadn't heard."

"It's okay…we can mope together."

"There's no need for me to mope! He's in the past; he decided he didn't want me around, so here I am. I'm looking forward to being alone and rebuilding on my own."

"Sounds great, but can you answer me one question?"

"What's that?"

"If you're so over Punk then why can't you even say his name?" Gabby chewed the inside of her cheek trying to control her emotions and keep herself in check, but it didn't work. A single tear ran down her cheek making her feel frustrated; she'd cried for the last two weeks over Punk, her tears should be all cried out, but the minute she thought about him, saw him on TV or heard his name, she fell apart.

"Alright fine, you want the truth, I'm miserable without him. I should hate him so much for doing what he did, but I can't. Watching him drive away and leave me behind literally killed me, the pain I felt in my chest seriously made me think I was dying. I wanted nothing more then to not get on the plane to Atlanta, but at the same time I knew it was over for us, he made that pretty clear." Gabby wiped at a stray tear as her brother pulled her close again.

"Gabby I'm sorry that you're going through this, but you should know he's not much better off."

"I find that hard to believe. Punk never gets emotional, he's a tough guy, I'm sure I was just another notch on his belt."

"I know you're upset, but you and I both know that was never the case with Punk. He loves you Gabby, regardless what he said or did, he loves you and only wants what's best for you."

"Punk is what is best for me, but he doesn't see it that way…"

"Gabby I don't think Punk has ever had someone care about him the way you do and it scares him, plays on his insecurities. I saw the guy in person and he's not looking too well, but the number one thing he was worried about was how you were doing. I knew from the minute I introduced the two of you that if given the chance, you guys would complete each other, which is why I flipped shit from the start. I was right too…"

"You were right…" Gabby pulled back from Adam wiping away the rest of her tears, "but none of that is the case anymore. If you're going to stay here, then I need you to help me get over him. I have a big opportunity in front of me and I'm not going to let Punk or anyone else mess that up for me…"

Adam watched his sister walk down the hall shutting the door to her bedroom. Rather then follow after her; he plopped down on the couch looking through his phone messages, one in particular catching his eye. Punk had texted simply asking how she was and Adam debated how to answer. If he told him the truth then neither of them would come any closer to moving past this; seeing Gabby wasn't planning a trip to Chicago and Punk wasn't planning a trip to Atlanta, he figured he'd help them both out and not so much lie, but exaggerate things. Texting Punk back he said Gabby was doing great, loved Atlanta…technically it wasn't a lie, seeing that was the vibe she was giving off to everyone and if there was hope for either one of them to move on, they had to focus on themselves rather then the other person.

Chapt. 41 Preview: Just when it appears that Gabby is moving on, someone else resurfaces and she has her doubts...also Punk continues to struggle with his decision and wonders if she's truly happy and trying to move on only to get his answer in the mail...