Romantic Date

Two weeks and April was off bed rest and free to resume regular activities. She was in the car with Punk since he promised to teach her how to defend herself. She dressed in sweats assuming they were going to a self defense class.

"I'm so excited to be out doing something." April grinned as she played a game on her phone while Punk drove.

"You're going to have a great time today." He assured her. "Consider this our first date."

"Really?" She asked eyeing him and he nodded. "I don't get it. Where are we going? I thought we were going to the gym?"

"Why would you think that?" He asked keeping his eyes on the road.

"Because you said I'd learn how to defend myself." She reminded him.

"And you thought I'd take you who is like 90 pounds to a gym to get thrown around just as you recovered from a gunshot?" Punk asked laughing.

"I am 110." She informed him proudly.

"That extra 20 is your head." He teased.

"So where are we going?" She asked anxiously. "Is it romantic?"

"I think it is." Punk said to her.

"Have you ever taken a girl here before?" She asked.

"Nope." He responded honestly.

"I feel special already." She said happily. "So, when I can move back into my own apartment?"

"Trial will be starting in a week, right after you testify. But you still have to be diligent which is the point of today." Punk told her.

"I'm excited." She said to him. "Are we getting me a dog for protection?"

"Both our buildings aren't pet friendly." He reminded her again and she groaned. "Move." he told her. "Go to a building that allows pets."

"I don't even have a job." She reminded him. "I can't find a better place or afford a dog."

"Yet." he added. "Give yourself some time to get adjusted at work. You can work at the office until you find something else."

"Yea it's just I'm excited and nervous and it's just all so uncertain right now." She admitted. "I thought I'd be dead by this point in my life so I haven't seriously thought of what I would do if I survived trial. It's like starting over. It feels like when I first moved to Chicago."

"Well, difference is you have at least one friend." he smirked looking over to her.

"That's true." She agreed happily.

"Unless you do want to go back to Jersey and no one would blame if you did." Punk said to her and she glared at him.

"You wouldn't care if I packed up and moved to Jersey?" She asked him.

"Of course I would. I'd hate to do a long distance relationship but I would." He told her.

"Would you transfer to Jersey?" She asked curiously.

"I really wouldn't want to." he admitted. "I mean, I have my house right outside the City." He reminded her but she just looked at him. "But I would consider it if it meant being with you."

"Good to know. But I have zero interest in going back to Jersey." She smirked and he felt relieved.

"You just like messing with me." He said annoyed.

"I do." She smiled brightly.

After another fifteen minutes of driving Punk pulled into an area and April's face dropped.

"Oh, no." April said shaking her head.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"A gun range?" April asked. "No thank you."

"It's for safety. You should learn how to use a gun safely." Punk said to her.

"I don't want to use a gun." She said as he pulled into a parking spot. "What a terrible first date."

"You haven't even gone in yet." He laughed turning off the car.

"When I was in college a boy asked me out and took me to this chicken fight. I thought that was the worst date I had ever been to. Who wants to see any kind of animal be forced to fight?" She asked more herself. "And I thought it couldn't get worse."

"Trust me you'll have fun." Punk said taking his seat belt off and looked at her who wasn't moving. "Ape, I promise."

"I don't like guns." She said to him. "I don't believe in them and I don't want to shoot them. I think they cause more death than anything."

"I agree." Punk said to her. "I think guns are a major problem but if you're smart and responsible and have a proper permit you should have one." he told her as he climbed out of his SUV and noticed she didn't move an inch. "Babe, please?" he asked and she rolled her eyes and got out of the car.

Inside April had on goggles and headphones to protect her eardrums and watched as Punk perfectly shot the target ahead of him.

"Your turn." Punk said to her but she frowned. "Ape." he warned her and she walked in front of him and placed the gun in her hand. From behind her he helped her hold her arms out right and point at the target of the faceless man ahead of her. "Don't be nervous." He encouraged.

"I have a weapon capable of taking a life in my hands, I am nervous." April reminded him.

"The trigger will have a little kick so you have to pull back hard." He told her and then watched as she shot the gun.

"Woah." She said in shock of the feeling.

"You missed the target but not bad for your first time." Punk said to her. "Try again and really look at where you want to shoot. If I guy is coming at you, you have to shoot him in a place that will stop him."

"Like the chest?" She asked and he nodded.

April pulled the trigger again and Punk cringed when she missed the chest completely but shot the target in his groin.

"That's a very good spot to hit a guy chasing after you." Punk told her proudly.

"I wasn't even aiming there." She frowned then tried to pass him back the gun, but it was pointing a t him and he quickly lowered the gun.

"Don't ever point the gun at anyone you don't want to shoot." He warned her.

"Sorry." She said. "I'm not good at this." She argued.

"It's your first time. You have to practice." He said using the string to pull the bulls eye closer then took it down and hung a fresh one.

"I don't like it." She said to him.

"You'll like it when someone is attacking you." he remarked.

"Can't I just get a tazer or something?" She asked.

"Tazer's are illegal." Punk told her as he rolled the target back against the wall.

"But guns aren't?! This is madness." She said in disbelief.

"It is. Which is why I want you to know how to use one." He said to her.

"Ok." She said then pointed the gun and shot, this time hitting the arm.

"You're getting closer" Punk encouraged.

"Where would I keep a gun?" She asked.

"In your apartment locked up." Punk told her.

"But if someone breaks in what if I don't have time to unlock it?" She asked and he groaned. "It just seems pointless!"

"Baby, please." he pleaded. "Just do this for me."

"Fine." She said then shot the gun again. "I can hit their leg, right? That's ok?"

"Yea that's ok." He said to her. "Anywhere you incapacitate them from moving. Usually if you shoot someone anywhere the shock will stop them even if the injury isn't that bad."

"It's just such a powerful tool." She told him. "It's so small but you can take away someone's life with one flinch of your finger." She said looking at the item.

"And that is why you would be a responsible gun owner." He said to her. "You understand the consequences."

"I just don't like guns." She said then shot it again and flinched when she did.

"And I'm not a big fan of my girlfriend living alone without a gun." Punk said to her. "If you're really dead set on moving out immediately then I'd feel better knowing you had a gun in your place."

"You say that as if you don't want me out." She snorted.

"Who said I wanted you out?" He asked. "I've gotten very used to you messing up my loft."

"Well, you never asked me to stay." She pointed out.

"If I did, would you?" he asked.

"Do you want me to stay because you're afraid for me or because you genuinely want me there?" She asked him.

"Both." He said honestly. "I mean, we've been living together for months if you want to get technical it would be weird to have you gone suddenly."

"Ok." She smiled happily. "I'll stay."

"Great." Punk said.

"But you have to help me pack up my old apartment." She told him.

"Fine." he said to her.

"And I know things are still up in the air with this trial but I want to go to the Tribune tomorrow and plead for my internship back." she told him.

"You can do whatever you want, Ape." Punk told her. "Daddy Sawyer has been laying low but you still have to be careful, you'll have a Marshal with you but it just won't be me because I have to get back to work myself."

"Ok." April said. "Alright, show me how to aim again." she said looking straight at the target.

"Just really focus on what you're trying to hit." He encouraged again coming up behind her and placing his arms and hands over hers. "Where do you want to hit?"

"Hmm." She said thinking about it.

"You know in a real situation you won't have this time to think." He reminded her.

"The ear." She told him and her rolled his eyes and she could hear him groan. "I don't want to kill anybody!"

"Ok, lets motivate you." Punk said to her. "Imagine that is Adam."

"I still don't want to kill him." She sighed.

"What? The man shot you right in the chest then tried to blow your brains out." Punk reminded her coldly.

"I don't see cold blooded Adam. I see Adam who was really nice to me." She shrugged.

"Imagine Adam is standing over me with a gun-" Punk began and April shot the gun and got the target perfectly between the eyes.

"Wow." Punk murmured. "That was impressive."

"Yea?" She asked eagerly.

"Yea." he confirmed.

"Ok, lets do it again." She said to him.

Later that night April collapsed on top of Punk's bare chest and both were gasping for air. It had been almost two months of waiting and anticipation to be together again and tonight Punk and AJ were finally able to consummate their relationship for a second time.

"I love you." April moaned kissing over his heart.

"I know. I can tell by how you shot fake Adam when I said he'd kill me." He teased kissing the top of her head and then she stuck it up to look at him.

"I'd only kill for you." She told him.

"You have a very special heart." Punk told her. "I hope you know that."

"Now I do." She grinned. "It's going to be weird not seeing you tomorrow."

"Well, you can always come by the office and visit." Punk offered.

"No thank you." She said kissing biting on his bottom lip and tugging at it.

"You still work there." He reminded her with a laugh. "I hope you show back up at some point."

"I will. To see Adam." She told him.

"He got transferred finally." Punk told her and she frowned.

"You promised me you would take me to see him!" She yelled.

"I still will." He assured her. "We'll just have to take a road trip."

"No more road trips." She groaned dropping her head back onto his chest.

"Fine by me." Punk grinned happily. He didn't want her to see Adam anyway.

"Phil." She moaned feeling him stiffen again against her. "Again?"

"I can take a cold shower." He offered. "But you are lying naked ontop of me, it's bound to happen."

"I think you're the only man in the world I have this effect on." She laughed.

"Blasphemy." He mocked.

"The first time I had sex, my boyfriend lasted 3 minutes." She told him and he laughed as he rolled her onto her back.

"What a nerd." he said amused. "Even though I find it difficult to last with you. That says more about how hot you are."

"Yea?" She asked with slight smugness and he nodded as he slinked all the way down and disappeared under the thin red silk bed sheet. "Phil I've never had-
" she began but stopped talking when he began devouring her. "Oh my god." She said in utter shock. She had been missing out on this her whole life? Holy crap...

Punk was really just getting started and April was in ecstasy when someone began knocking on the door.

"Fuck!" Punk yelled sitting up.

"No, no, what are you doing?" April asked sadly as she grabbed his face and kissed him and pulled him back on top of her. "I want more."

"I want to give you more." he said kissing her deeply and she could state herself on his mouth.

But the knocking continued and April almost cried when he pulled away from her and grabbed his jeans and threw them on over his naked self.

"Don't." She cried sitting up naked and crawling across the bed over to him and began to unbutton his jeans again.

"I'll get rid of them." he promised swatting her hands away.

Punk ran down the spiral stairs and to the door and was instantly annoyed he left April in bed wanting him to see John Cena who just walked in.

"Made sure to knock." John said and Punk closed the door and looked up to the bed to make sure April wasn't visible to John.

"What? I'm in the middle of something." Punk grunted slightly out of breath and still visibly sweaty.

"I can tell." John smirked. "How's April?"

"I'd imagine a little pissed off at this very second." Punk replied.

"The trial has been moved up. April is testifying Friday." John told him.

"That soon?" Punk asked.

"That soon." John confirmed. "We want to get her testimony over with."

"Sounds good." Punk said opening the door for him to leave.

"Alright, get back to what you were doing." John said walking to the door. "Bye April!" he yelled loudly.

"Bye!" she yelled back but still couldn't be seen.

Punk made his way back up the stairs and saw April laying in bed waiting for him.

"So, Friday?" She asked and he nodded.

"Once you do it this will be over with." Punk assured her.

"Good." She said as he removed his jeans and crawled back into bed with her.

April went to the Tribune and was in the waiting area waiting to be seen by her old boss.

"So, you're like a journalist?" Corey Graves questioned.

"Trying to be." April said looking at her watch then stood up.

"Where are you going?" Corey asked standing up as well.

"The bathroom, it's right there." She said pointing and make sure you listen in case he calls my name.

"They ten minutes." Corey reminded her.

"That means twenty." April told him then headed into the bathroom

April walked into the bathroom and locked her stall, once she was done she stepped out and came face to face with a man. She was about to scream but he placed his hand over her mouth.

"I'm not here to hurt you Ms. Mendez. Mr. Sawyer doesn't want anymore bloodshed. But he will spill it if he has to." The man warned pressing her against the bathroom wall. "You're testifying Friday?" he asked and she couldn't say anything because his hand was over her mouth. "Nod." he ordered.

April nodded nervously as she looked the man in the eyes.

"Excellent. You have to blow that testimony or Mr. Sawyer is going to blow the heads off of your parents. We know where Robert and Janet live." He told her.

"We also know your boyfriend is a Marshal and where he parks his car in the mornings and where he runs every morning. We know his mom works uptown as well." he told her. "Karen I believe her name is. He won't touch you, that would be too obvious and you clearly have no regard for your own life, guess you and your brother are more similar than originally thought." he said to her with a laugh and her eyes widened. "Take that stand on Friday but I suggest you really think about what you're going to say you saw. This is your opportunity to put this all behind you and all behind us. You can run again but I have a feeling the Marshal's would just you bring back so this is what's we have left." he told her. "Nod if you understand me."
April nervously nodded.

"This isn't an idle threat Ms. Mendez." He warned her. "Look at this." He said using his free hand to pull out his cellphone and it was a picture of Punk and she cried. "We took this in the morning. I don't think he'd be expecting a gunshot to the head that early. And this one." He said showing her the next picture.
"Your parents seem lovely. You can bury them next to your brother. They'd probably want to close. After Mr. Sawyer killed your family and boyfriend you'd probably kill yourself too." He said to her. "The games are over Ms. Mendez."

The man released her mouth and she was frozen in fear still pressed against the bathroom wall.

"If you tell your boyfriend about this or that Marshal in the waiting room we follow through on those threats, do you understand me?" he asked and she nodded. "That old lady's life isn't worth the lives of everyone you love."
April stood there frozen and speechless as she watched him leave. Then let out a breath once he was gone. She quickly ran out of the bathroom and grabbed her jacket and purse that was in the chair next to Corey.

"I want to go home." April told him.

"But-" Corey began.

"Home!" She yelled and was already walking to the elevator.