Dinner for Six

April was at the house a week later helping Karen set up for the dinner. Dressed in a slimming and tight black dress that stopped at her knees and thick arm straps, hair clipped to one side and dark red lipstick to match.

"I said to stop." Karen scolded April. "This is your party, you're a guest."

"It's just the house looks so beautiful." She noted.

The dinning room was decorated for the wedding rehearsal dinner and outside it was being decorated for the wedding. There was a floral archway, a small aisle, a few chairs, candles and a tent put up for the reception. April had no idea how big the yard was until she planned this wedding.

"Phil is going to be late." April said looking at her phone.

"How late?" Karen asked glaring at her.

"He said not too late." She shrugged putting the phone down.

"You cut him too much slack." Karen said to her. "Isn't he bringing your parents?"

"No, they're staying at a hotel not far from here they're taking a cab here." She told her.

"Didn't he flake on picking them up?" Karen asked her.

"He forgot and when he remembered he raced over and got them." April defended. "He's just obsessing over James Sawyer."

"Which I understand but now he needs to obsess a little bit about this wedding." Karen said to her. "He did nothing to plan it."

"He knew I wanted to do it." April shrugged.

"He's just like Dan sometimes." Karen said disgusted.

"You two aren't getting along anymore, huh?" April asked carefully.

"Of course we're not. Because we can't get along for long periods of time." Karen said annoyed. "Stubborn Brooks man. I bet he's already banging that young tart again."

"Are you two going to be ok during this dinner?" April asked nervously.

"Of course. Unlike Dan I can put on a brave face." Karen said as she set the table. "That goes in the kitchen but that's for the wedding tomorrow." she told a worker who was setting up for both events.

"You got it, Mrs. B." The young man smiled walking into the kitchen.

"I won't let me or Dan ruin your party or wedding." Karen promised her.

"If Phil doesn't show up we won't have either." April muttered.

"Phil loves his job." Karen had to admit with a sigh. "He was married to it long before you."

"So you're saying I'm never going to come first? Even when we have children, they'll always be behind his job?" April asked curiously.

"No." Karen said with a laugh. "I mean- right now his job is still very important. Once you have a family that will be different."

"Will it?" April asked. "He's anxious to start a family, so am I."

"That's wonderful." Karen grinned from ear to ear.

"I don't need to be the center of his attention every second of every day but I would like to trump his job once in a while. I'm hoping our wedding trumps his job." She muttered.

"Just get used to the disappoint." Karen told April. "I didn't and that's why Dan and I didn't work."

April's face dropped at that statement. Were she and Phil rushing into this? Was he always going to put work before their relationship and family? Was she destined to be like Karen?

"He's going to show." April said shaking the negative thoughts of her head. "He knows how important this dinner is to me. The first time our parents are meeting and he has to rehearse for the wedding. He won't stand me up tonight."

"I'm sure he won't." Karen smiled then the doorbell rang.

"That's my parents." April said standing up.

"Let me." Karen insisted with a smile then ran as quickly as she could to the door in her heels.

At close to one in the morning, Punk walked into the house he was prepared to share with April. He knew she was spending the night at the house and he was supposed to stay at the loft but he knew he missed the rehearsal and dinner and knew his soon to be wife was pissed. He tried calling her and his mother but neither answered their phones. He was able to speak to Robert who warned him he was in big trouble and would have to grovel if he expected April to meet him at the end of the aisle tomorrow.

"Ape?" He asked turning on the light as he walked up the large staircase.

He peered around and noticed the home was fully furnished, something he thought April was saving to do for after the wedding. He didn't have time to look into everything since he had to stay on task. He made it to the top of the stairs and headed down the hall to the master bedroom and the door was closed. He went to open the door but it was locked, which meant she was inside.

"Ape! It's me!" he yelled and waited for the door to open but clearly that wouldn't work. "Ape, I am so sorry! Let me in!" she wouldn't even respond to him and Punk groaned. "You have every right to be angry-"

"Thank you." April said coldly as she opened the door on a crack. "I'm glad you agree I should be angry."

"I was working and I couldn't call because I was on a stakeout." Punk reasoned but April wasn't impressed. "Ape, please." he pleaded. "I'm so sorry."

"Was it worth it?" She asked him.

"Yes." He told her bluntly. "Ape, I-"

"Your mom was right." She said to him still not opening the door further. "You're married to your job-"

"Woah." He said cutting her off. "My mother told you that?"

"She said you were just like your father and you were always going to put work before me. I don't want to end up bitter and divorced!" She yelled. "You broke my heart tonight, Phil." She cried a bit. "You knew how important this night was for me."

"You are number one, you are always number one." He told her in a low and boarder line angry voice. "Everything I've been doing at work has been for you. So we can have piece of mind at our wedding."

"When our kid is born is he or she going to come after work too? Or is the excuse 'this is for him' going to be what I hear?" She questioned. "Am I going to raise our kid alone? Stay in this big empty house that I worked my ass off to furnish and have ready for you as a wedding present?"

"I got him." Punk told her and April's face fell. "It's bogus charges and in 48 hours he'll be out but we won't have to worry for our wedding and by the time he's released we'll be half way to Hawaii."

"You got him?" April asked stunned.

"Like I said it's bogus charges but I wanted to make sure we could have our wedding." Punk told her. "I ran late because I was questioning him I couldn't pull my phone out and call you."

"You really got him?" She asked quietly opening the door a bit more.

"I did." Punk smiled. "My wedding present to you."

April threw her arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"I would never have missed tonight if it wasn't important." He assured her. "Please, babe-" he began and April grabbed his face and kissed him deeply.

"You owe everyone an apology." She said pulling him into the bedroom, still dressed in her black dress, hair and makeup still in tact. "Me most of all."

"I plan on apologizing." He said picking her up and placing her onto the bed. "All night if you'll have me."

"Don't let me down like this again." She pleaded as she watched him remove his shirt.

"Never." He promised.

"Your parents got into a big fight." She told him and he laughed. "He bought a girl to the dinner, your mom threw a drink on him."

"I'll talk to them." He said as he began to remove his jeans next.

"My dad defended your dad, my mom and him then got into a fight." April said to him. "Everyone was fighting!"

"I'll talk to all four of them." He promised as he spread her legs apart then pushed her dress up. "But right now I want to apologize to you."

"It's going to take a lot more than-" She began but was silenced when he buried his face between her thighs. "Oh!" she gasped as he wasted no time. There was no warm up, he was just pleasing her with his tongue in her favorite way.

"I don't want to just apologize. I want to celebrate." he told her as he flipped her onto her belly and raised her lower half so she was on her knees but her face and chest was still against the bed. "Celebrate getting that fucking freak locked up long enough so we could get married." he said as she began to kiss her backside. "Celebrate that once he's out I'm going to have him watched like a fucking hawk. Celebrate the fact that in a few short hours I'm going to marrying my best friend." he said and although he couldn't see it, she was smiling. "My best friend who I know is pissed at me and has every right to be, but I know she loves me and is going to forgive me." he said as he slid his thumb into her inside and she cried out in pleasure. "Forgive me yet?" he asked as he thumb pushed in and out of her but she didn't respond.

"That's alright." Punk said to her. "I knew it wouldn't be easy. You are stubborn and thick headed. It's two of the many reasons I love you so fucking much." he said and lowered his mouth and began to lick at her entrance and her eyes widened.

"I forgive you!" She screamed after five minutes of his thumb and mouth tag teaming her. She couldn't look back since he still had her pinned to the bed but she was in heaven. "Phil! I forgive you!" she screamed again and almost cried from the pleasure.

April was gripping the bed sheets as hard as she could and biting on her lip to keep her voice down. Once she came- and she did hard- Phil let her go and the rest of her body fell hard against the mattress. April rolled onto her back and looked up at the man who had been working like a dog to keep her safe, to make sure she'd be able to have peaceful wedding, the man who was about to vow to love, honor and protect her for the rest of her life.

"Hi." April smiled holding her arms out and he took the invitation and lowered his body against hers.

She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as he entered her and slowly but deeply made love to her...

An hour later April was laying with her head over his stomach as he ran his hand through her long hair.

"You were supposed to stay at the loft tonight. We're breaking even more traditions." April warned him tiredly.

"You know I don't believe in tradition." He said, also tired and not just from work, but from April tiring him out. "So dinner was a bust?"

"It's probably best you didn't make it. But you missed rehearsal so how are you going to know what to do?" she asked.

"I think I can stand next to the minister and put a ring on your finger and promise to love you forever. I don't need directions." He teased. "Getting cold feet?"

"I was earlier." She admitted and he was stunned.

"What?" he asked but she didn't even pick his head up.

"I was jealous of your job. I don't want to be second in your life." She told him.

"You were first long before we ever slept together." He reminded her.

"Your mom scared me." She confessed. "I don't want to end up like her and your dad. Constantly fighting but have this sexual tension-"

"Please don't." He said quickly. "I don't want to hear about sexual tension between my parents ever again. My dad was never around when she needed him.
After my brother died he threw himself into work. He couldn't stand to see my mom." Punk told her honestly. "He took on a lot of guilt over what happened to him and it wasn't right, but he did. He thought he let my mother down. He never forgave himself."

"That's not right." April said as she traced his tattoo over his stomach.

"She never told him it wasn't his fault because to this day she holds him a bit responsible. He asked my brother to go to the store, my mom thought he was still too young but my dad didn't and told him to go anyway." Punk told her.

"He couldn't have known." April said quietly.

"That's where there are problems are based from." Punk informed her. "It doesn't have anything to do with work. It's about my brother. They love each other, and believe me I know my dad is a dick but he would lay his life down for her tomorrow if he had to. They just couldn't get past that."

"Losing a child like that tares families apart." April agreed. "After my brother died I remember reading into anything I could about grief and parents separating or divorcing was very common."

"I can't imagine what my mom felt. Carrying a child for nine months, raising him for years then losing him due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time." Punk said to her. "I can't imagine being my father and feeling that kind of guilt because although I know it wasn't his fault, I understand his guilt."

"Phil-" She began.

"I know." He said cutting her off and she lifted her head to look at him. "You gave it away earlier. How far along are you?"

"Seven weeks." She whispered and he smiled.

"Come here." He said and she inched up his body.

"I'm scared." She admitted freely with terrified eyes. "It was one thing to get married but to have a baby-"

"We wanted a baby." He reminded her. "Did you change your mind?"

"No!" She assured him. "It's just it happened sooner than I thought. Last week I was single and my biggest problem was work and now tomorrow I'm going to be married and expecting a child-"

"You need to take a breath and relax." He smirked cupping her face.

"I can't raise a baby alone, Phil." She said crying now. "Please don't make me."

"I won't." He promised her.

"I can barely take care of myself let alone a baby." She told him desperately.

"You're not raising our kid alone." He promised her. "Why didn't you tell me when you found out?"

"You haven't exactly been around." She sighed. "I went to the doctors appointment-"

"You what?" he asked. "Ape, you should have told me I would have been there for you."

"I haven't seen you in literally three days. And when I do see you I'm half asleep and you're just coming in from work and you're gone before I get up." she reasoned. "I was going to tell you tonight."

"What did the doctor say?" he asked and she slid out of the bed and grabbed her robe and tied it around her body as she walked over to the dresser. He watched as she took something out of it and crawled back onto the bed and handed it to him.

"That's your son or daughter." She told him proudly.

"It's tiny like you." He teased looking at it. "This is for real?" he asked with a big smile holding up the picture and she nodded.

"Yea." She told him. "Right around the time I stopped my pill. I'm due March 19th."

"Your birthday?" he asked with a laugh and she nodded.

"This is a lot. New home, new marriage and now a baby." She warned him. "I'm going to need you now more than ever."

"You're going to have me." He promised. "Wow." he smiled again looking at the sonogram. "I also thought this was going to take a little time." he was now beginning to feel a tad overwhelmed.

"I know you're just doing your job. I know you wouldn't have missed dinner if it wasn't important but I'm scared and I can't do this alone and I can't have another night like this." She warned him.

"I get it." He agreed softly.

"And I know this is going to motivate you even more to get James Sawyer." she told him and he thought about it. This child would already be a target of Sawyer's and he or she was barely a fetus. "So work your late nights. Work through the night. But not on a night when I need you. Doctors appointments-"

"I'll be at every single one." He promised her.

"Some night I'll just be sad and hormonal." She warned.

"Just call me." He told her. "I'll do better." he promised. "I need to work on balancing work and home and I will. I swear on my life that I will not let you or this baby down ever again."

"You didn't let me down tonight." She sighed. "I knew if you weren't here that was important. I called the office because I was afraid something happened to you and they told me you were in the field. But that scares me too. You're careful, right?"

"Of course." Punk said to her.

"You have a family that needs you to come every single night. Do not let your hatred for James Sawyer get you killed and take you away from us because-" she began as she began to choke up.

"I'm going to be careful." he promised cutting her off and kissing her lips tenderly. "So careful." he added and kissed her again. "I'm going to come home every night to you and this baby."

"But then I keep thinking if James Sawyer comes after me it's not just me." She told him. "So then I start to get scared and what if you're all the way in the City and I'm all the way here at the house-"

"It will never get that far." he promised her. "I don't want you to worry about James Sawyer because like I've told you, that's my job. You worry about this baby and worry about your job I know you've been working like crazy."

"I was going to tell you in a different way." She sighed reaching over to the table and passing him a box. "My wedding present to you."

"I thought furnishing the house was my present, which by the way, you're crazy you didn't have to do that." he told her.

"It was a gift to me too." She shrugged as he opened the box and pulled a card out.

"All I wanted was a back massage." He read out loud and let out a loud laugh.

He was FAMOUS for turning her back massages into a sex. He reached into the box and pulled out her positive pregnancy test.

"You took this at home?" he asked her.

"Yea, why?" she asked curiously as he eyed the positive test.

"I didn't even know." He said feeling disappointed himself. "I would should have picked up on this. I should have gotten the test for you."

"I didn't want to get your hopes up." She told him. "I know this is something you really wanted."

"What about you?" he asked her. "Is this what you wanted?"

"Yes." She smiled. "Marriage and a baby." she said warmly. "It's almost in the exact order I wanted too, we're a few weeks off."

"Does anyone else know?" he asked.

"Just my doctor. I didn't tell a soul. I wanted you to know first." she told him. "I also don't want to distract our parents from the wedding. We can tell them after the honeymoon. It's our little secret."

"I'm going to be a dad." he grinned proudly.

"The best dad." She added kissing his cheek.

"This is the best wedding present ever." He told her with a ridiculous smile. "And I promise I'll take leave when you have the baby."

"Promise?" she asked.

"Pink promise." he assured her. "I wonder what it is?" he said looking at her baby.

"You won't be able to tell that way." She laughed. "You don't have x-ray vision and it's still too early to tell. What do you want?"

"I want healthy." He clarified. "I always saw myself with a little girl, you know? Daddy's girl who would go to hockey games with me and I can beat up all of her future boyfriends. But then I think I could have a boy and be like his little league coach or something." he shrugged as he looked backa t the sonogram.

"You'd be a little league coach?" she asked surprised.

"Yea of course. My dad was my little league coach but he sucked at it. I'd do it right." He said proudly. "What about you?"

"I'm a woman and I think a lot of women little girls." She shrugged. "Someone who could be my twin."

"Oh god." he groaned and she laughed and pinched his arm.

"What's wrong with two of me?" she asked amused.

"Thick headed." he said to her. "Danger magnet. Beautiful beyond words. That spells trouble for me."

"I'd have a little sidekick." She teased.

"Oh, fuck." He groaned fearfully now.

"I'd like a boy too though. I'd love him so much that no woman would ever be good enough for him." She said proudly and he had to smile. "A real mama's boy. Not as much as mama's boy as you though."

"I am not a mama's boy." He scoffed. "I am her only living child." He defended.

"Uh-huh." She hummed under her breath and got out of the bed. "I have to take a shower."

"Me too." He grinned jumping out of the bed completely naked.

"No, Phil." She warned and he frowned. "I need to actually get clean."

"We both will." he insisted. "It's our wedding night."

"It's the early morning of our wedding." She corrected. "You need to eat something. Your stomach was growling. And I have to blow out my hair before the hair dresser gets hair in the morning."

"Fine. But I'm sleeping in here with you tonight." He told her sternly and she laughed. "I'm not kidding." He warned her.

"Fine." She laughed walking over to him and giving him more kiss. "I think there's some pizza left over."

"Pizza? What about the big fancy catered meal?" Punk frowned.

"Oh, honey." She smiled cutely. "Did you think I was going to leave you food after you blew me off?"

"I deserve that." Punk admitted.

"Pizza is from lunch and you can't have any of the food Kofi left in the kitchen because it's for tomorrow." she warned him. "I mean it." she snapped and he just nodded.

"I promise." he said to her.

A few minutes later Punk was in the kitchen eating a cold slice of pizza but eyeing the food Kofi left. How would April know if he took a small piece? Kofi wouldn't even notice...

"Don't you dare." A voice warned as the light on went on and Punk saw his mother.

"I didn't know you were here." Punk said as Karen kissed his cheek.

"I wasn't going to travel all the way back into the City." Karen said simply. "Where were you tonight?"

"Working." He said to her. "And I have a bone to pick with you. Why the hell would you put in April's head that my job would come before her? Butt out of my relationship."

"I was testy today." Karen sighed putting on coffee. "I took out my anger on your father on her."

"Yea and did you two get into a huge fight? Did you think that was fair to April?" Punk asked annoyed. "I expected you to look out for her."

"She was more upset with you than me and your father." Karen scoffed.

"Fair." Punk mumbled. "Don't pull that shit tomorrow." He warned her. "This is an important day to not only her but me."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Karen assured him. "Are you nervous?"

"Excited." He told her. "I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life."

"And what about work?" Karen asked.

"That's my own shit and I plan to balance it." Punk told her. "Let me worry about that."

"I don't want to see you ruin this over work." Karen insisted.

"I won't let anything ruin this. I wasn't here because I was arresting James Sawyer." Punk told her and her face looked relieved. "Don't get too excited- it's only for forty-eight hours. But that's all I needed for right now."

"Do you think pissing of this man is smart?" Karen asked him.

"He's infatuated with her." Punk confided to his mother. "I spoke to him today. She's a challenge to him and he doesn't care that he's in lock up and he knows he's in lock up on fake charges because she's getting married and all he said was 'I'll see her after the honeymoon'."

"Well, what are you going to do?" Karen asked him and Punk frowned.

"I don't know." Punk admitted. "I don't want to scare April, I can't send her away, I can't sit at home and protect her all of the time. I don't know. I could just kill him."

"Phillip." Karen scolded.

"I've thought about it." Punk admitted looking up his mother. "She's going to be my wife, she's my family. If killing that murderous prick keeps it that way then so be it."

"You're not a killer and don't talk like that. You'll go to jail." Karen warned him.

"She'd be alive." Punk said to her. "I'm running out of options."

"You just keep doing your job and you will get him." Karen told him. "No more foolish talk from you." She warned him. "You'll be out of town and away from this all for a week."

"Yea." Punk forced out. "I don't want to dwell on it but I'm afraid for her."

"She's a survivor." Karen reminded him. "You picked a good one. A smart one. You both will be ok."

"I fucking hope so." Punk said realizing it wasn't just April now but his kid. Everything was double the pressure now.

"Put this out of your mind. The man isn't showing up to your wedding." Karen reminded him. "You get to enjoy these next couple of days worry free."

"I can't turn it." Punk admitted. "I know she's in the shower but I want to run in there and check on her, I've checked every window and door in this house twice already. I almost shot a raccoon outside."

"Try." Karen told him. "You are no longer Phillip Jack Brooks, US Marshal. You are Phillip Jack Brooks husband, first now." she reminded him.

"I don't need you or anyone else to remind me where April lands on my chain of importance." Punk said annoyed standing up. "And I mean it, no shit with Dad tomorrow. Suck it up and don't upset Ape."

"I won't." Karen said to him. "Get some sleep. Don't have big bags under your eyes." she said to Punk.

Punk walked into his bedroom and April was already back in bed sleeping. He quickly slid into the bed and decided to shower in the morning instead. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her back into his chest and buried his face in her damp hair. There was that smell he had falling in love with last year. He moved his hand and rested it over her belly and silently told his unborn child that he or she was going to live a long and happy life. He wasn't going to lose his child to his violence like his parents lost their son, and he wasn't going to lose April to that life either.

He felt April place her hand over his and he smiled realizing she was awake but neither said a thing. They both drifted off into sleep happily knowing that tomorrow they would be married...

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Wedding come right up! Also, I know baby- baby adds drama, I love drama. Thanks again!