A few hours later…
AJ was lying on the bed, curled up in the fetal position with her arms still tied behind her back. Her arms were aching terribly and she was so exhausted yet so frightened to sleep. Her tears were stained into the sheets and her cries were now silent sobs. She had never been so terrified until…
"April… April are you in here?" Punk stumbled in a heap through the door.
AJ lifted her head immediately, "Phil…" She whispered at first, assuming she was hearing things, but then her ears picked up on footsteps approaching, her eyes meeting her husband as she gathered herself to sit up completely straight, watching him sigh with relief and rush over to her.
"I thought he was lying." Punk said to himself, cupping his wifes cheeks and pressing his lips against her own, so thankful to see her.
"How did you… so quick… I…" AJ shook her head at this sudden approach from Punk, seeming to good to be true.
"Shh." Punk began to untie her arms behind her back, throwing the rope across the room to which he was then landed with a huge hug by his wife. Her arms wrapped around his neck like her own tight rope, resting her head against his beating chest, taking a minute to soak this in, to feel his body, so real and here, having saved her from this horrible nightmare.
"How did you find me?" AJ asked, shaking her head as she pulled back from the tight and comforting hug.
"He… he told me where you were." Punk said, not believing it himself. He never expected Tim to tell him where AJ was, so easily, but he wasn't stalling, he had to get his wife to safety before everything turned on them.
"She… she's crazy. She says she's going to take our baby." AJ said with shivering fear, feeling Punk help her down off the bed.
"Who?" Punk asked.
"Jenny… she's helping him." AJ told her husband.
"She's just getting in your head." Punk told his wife, "They're both just playing us. We need to get out of here." Punk said, not phased by AJ telling him about Jenny. Anyone who knew him knew that no one touched any of his kids. He took grasp of his wife's hand, about to lead her to the door when it opened, revealing Tim himself with Jenny behind.
"Leaving so soon?" Tim smiled, walking into the room as Jenny shut the door behind them. She was quiet, almost not herself, but yet her eyes wouldn't leave from AJ's small stomach.
Punk kept AJ firmly behind him as he stared across at Tim, "We're leaving now. Let us leave without a fight and… we won't call the police." Punk promised, "Leave my family alone and I won't call the police." He reworded his sentence.
"Phil… this was just a little life lesson. To show you how important your life really is to you and… how much your children and wife mean to you. I never intended to hurt or kill anyone. I would never kill anyone… I wish you could say the same, but that's in the past right?" Tim smiled.
"You promise you will leave my family, leave my sons, leave my wife alone. All of this can be forgotten about." Punk said, AJ hugged behind him holding on to the back of his t-shirt with fear.
"I promise." Tim nodded, "Go… I'm not stopping you." Tim revealed to the door with his hand.
Punk began to back away slowly, AJ by his side as his back felt the door, turning the handle whilst still keeping an eye on Tim, getting AJ out of the room first.
"I promise. I'll leave you, your sons and your wife alone. I was just messing with you, I was never going to hurt anyone, not even you." Tim smiled sincerely as Punk looked his way with disgust, not having time for this rotten, poisoned man. He had more important things to think about, like making sure his wife was safe and healthy, making sure his sons were ok and safe. If he had Tim's promise, then he had Tim's promise. But it would forever be on the back of his mind…
Meanwhile Tim had turned to Jenny who seemed to be rather upset for finding the one true thing she desired in life.
"What's wrong?" Tim asked, "The plan worked, they think we've just let them off easy." Tim said.
"You never break your promises. You promised him you would stay away." Jenny frowned, folding her arms as Tim just chuckled.
"I promised I would stay away from him, his wife and his sons. Not his newborn baby." Tim said, watching Jenny look up with hope again, "A few more months, sweetheart. That baby is ours." Tim said, wrapping his arm around Jenny as she lay her head on his shoulder, content for now, she could wait a few months, it would all be worth it in the end.
Later on…
Punk drove AJ straight to the hospital, even when she insisted she wanted to see Tate and Thomas first. Even though she wasn't hurting, Punk wanted her to be checked out, especially when she was pregnant and had taken a nasty tumble downstairs before she was taken.
"Alright…" The nurse walked into the room in which AJ and Punk were sitting in. AJ refused to let go of her husband, wether it was his full body or just his hand, she was traumatised, scarred… she felt like any minute now she would get taken again. She felt so unsafe.
"Everything is ok… right? Everything is fine." Punk panicked like normal.
"Prisicielly. Mother is good, baby is good, uterus is good." The nurse smiled, "That little discharge of blood you had is completely normal. You have fifty percent more blood in your body whilst pregnant, a little speckle of blood loss is fine." The nurse smiled, "Just be careful around the house, ok?" The nurse said.
"Ok. Thank you." AJ smiled the best she could, standing up when Punk did, following him out of the room and out into the parking lott, watching him take his anger out on a few trash cans, kicking them over repeatedly.
"Calm down." AJ said, walking over to him, pressing her hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating fast as ever.
"How do I know we're safe… he can't just, he can't just take you, take our kids, and then turn around and tell me that it was all just a massive joke, that he was just trying to get to me. What the fuck is that all about?" Punk said as he tried to calm himself, looking at AJ who was oddly calm.
"It's what he does. He's sick. He was trying to play with you, get inside your head and look… he's done exactly that." AJ said.
"Well what do you want me to do? Just go on with normal life again?" Punk shrugged.
"I don't want you to do that. I expect you… to go on with normal life. I won't have my kids lives affected by that lunatic." AJ said, "We go home, and we tell them it was all just a misunderstanding." AJ said, her motherly instincts kicking in as she looked up at Punk who still looked angry and unsettled, "Now, you need to get it together or so help me I will slap you right now in front of these people in their cars." AJ warned her husband, watching him take his telling and nod. She didn't mean to seem so harsh to someone she loved, but she knew her children would begin to sense there was something wrong if Punk was carrying on this way, and she would not let her children be affected by this.
"I just don't want to risk him taking you or the kids again. That's all." Punk shrugged.
"I want you to ask Seth for a few weeks off. I'll take a few weeks off from working. We can spend time with the kids, make sure they are ok. I need you around right now because I am just as scared as you." She said with fear in her eyes.
"And what if it's always like this? Being terrified? Always looking over our shoulders?" Punk said, "Huh?"
"I don't like this just as much as you. But I just want to go home, see my sons to tell them everything is ok and fall asleep on the couch. I am so tired, and I'm scared." AJ said, letting her uptight shoulders go loose, putting her hands over her face to hide her tears, feeling Punk pull her into his arms tightly.
"Don't get upset." Punk begged, having seen his wife in enough tears. She was right, their main priority was to go home and make sure their children were ok. He wouldn't have his family living in fear from now on.
Later on…
After coming home to a very warm welcome from Tate and Thomas, AJ explained to them in the minorest detail she possibly could, telling them that it was all just a big misunderstanding and that it wouldn't happen again. Their confused little brains settled for anything their mother told them, and her explanation was good enough for them. They were already back to playing out in the back garden, not even phased by these past days commotion.
"What have you two got yourself into?" Fiona asked her daughter and son in law, who both seemed very edgy.
"Don't smoke in my house." Punk warned Fiona, snatching the cigarette out her hand and throwing it out of the kitchen window.
"You two aren't crazy children anymore. You have responsibilities, two might I add. I don't know what these few days have been about, frankly I don't care if it doesn't involve me but… those two little boys have been worried sick without you both. I had to give Thomas medicine to put him to sleep. Tate kept climbing in the cupboard in his room telling me that you told him to stay there." Fiona pointed to AJ, watching her daughter lean into Punk, "Whatever it is you two have got going on. Pull it together." Fiona encouraged.
"You always were good with words." Punk glared at Fiona, looking her in the eye and then pointing down to AJ without her seeing, hoping that it would signal Fiona to keep quiet. She was only making AJ feel worse.
"I'm not getting at you." Fiona looked at AJ who lifted her head from Punks shoulder.
"Oh, really?" AJ stared at her mother, "Because from here it looks like you're telling me I'm a terrible mother." AJ spat.
"No one is saying that." Punk jumped in, "Baby, why don't you go check on the kids?" He looked down at AJ who just nodded contently, walking by her mother and out of the back door to see if her children were ok, not feeling like she could let them out of her sight.
Punk waited until AJ was gone and out of sight to speak up to Fiona, "Tone it down a bit… yeah? She's already feeling bad enough as it is." Punk said.
"Where the hell were you?" Fiona asked, "I get a phone call from some stranger, telling me to come pick your sons up and look after them. That you two were busy." Fiona said.
"It's nothing you need to concern yourself about. It's just… my past, coming back to bite me. Everything is ok now." Punk said, not even sure if it was.
"Well, I hope." Fiona said, "You'd tell me if… if April was getting sick again, wouldn't you?" Fiona asked.
"She isn't getting sick, Fiona. She's just tired and stressed. I mean, she's pregnant for christ sake." Punk said, looking out of the window at AJ pushing Tate on the swing, Thomas tugging on her cardigan at the side.
"Pregnant?" Fiona repeated.
"She never told you?" Punk turned his head to Fiona.
"No." She shook her head, "Is a baby really what you two need? You can barely look after the two you have." Fiona said, knowing that wasn't true.
"We're good parents. April is an amazing mother." Punk made himself clear, "I would do anything for my children. I would kill for my children… and die." He told Fiona, "There is nothing wrong with April being pregnant." Punk said.
"I just hope you can handle it." Fiona put her hands up, taking her purse from the counter and getting her car keys out.
"What do you mean?" Punk shook his head.
"Well, think about it… you started off with only April to protect and look after, that was hard enough, then Tate came along, you both struggled but you made it work, you both didn't wait long until Thomas was born, that gave you three responsibilities, three people to look out for and protect. And I know you're struggling to do that." Fiona said as Punk scowled.
"I'm not struggling." Punk fought back.
"What happens when you have four people you need to protect and look after?" Fiona raised her eyebrows as Punk swallowed the pressurised lump in his throat.
"I'll manage." Punk said with the small amount of confidence he had. His mother in law could always put him down, but he knew she never meant for it to scare him.
Fiona walked by Punk and said, "What happens when it's a girl?" Smiling as she walked out of the kitchen and headed for the door, leaving Punk doubling over the kitchen counter, running his hands through his hair with frustration, fear and a shit load of pressure and new found responsibility.
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