Believe What You Hear


"What did sour face have to say?" JC asked, walking in the door to their house. He'd worked a lot of jobs in order to get them put down for a house, and they moved in just in time. They barely had anything in the house, however.

"Jean?" Vanessa asked, carrying Phil in his carrier, just getting home from the hospital, "Just the usual." She said, walking into the living room and sitting the carrier down on the couch as JC looked across at her.

"The usual as in… stay away from me?" JC nodded.

"Yeah." Vanessa nodded, "She knows you're taking stuff. I don't know how." She said.

"She's probably spying on me." JC shook his head.

"Makes it really hard to defend you, you know." Vanessa said, "How do I favour my drug taking boyfriend over my best friend who… who has only ever wanted the best for me?"

"That's all I am? Your drug taking boyfriend?" JC said, taking his cap off and putting it on the couch.

"That's not what I mean. I just… sometimes I understand where she is coming from. The drugs, the booze, everything… it's gotta stop. How can I trust you with Phil if you're high all the time?"

"I'd never take anything with him around."

"No, you just go out and do it instead?" Vanessa asked.

"How do you have the energy to fight with me right now?" JC wondered.

"Jack I don't wanna fight with you. Look at things right now… we have a house which I didn't think would be possible, we have a baby, you have a job, I will… have one soon." She nodded to herself, "We're actually doing ok, so… why would you wanna ruin it with drugs and alcohol?"

"I'm not ruining it." JC said, "I get carried away with my buddies when I'm out with them. That's it. I'll never be an addict like you think I will." He said as she just made a face, "She's doing it again. Jean. Getting in your head." JC nodded, "You know I would never hurt you, and I'd never hurt Phil either. Physically or emotionally." He nodded, "Now unless you aren't happy with me, then you just have to ignore Jean."

"I am happy with you." Vanessa nodded, "You just… make me nervous sometimes." She said.

"Well don't be." JC shook his head, "We're proving all those people wrong. Your family. Your friends. They can suck it." He said as she smiled a little.

"She brought up that night." Vanessa said, watching as JC unstrapped Phil from the carrier and picked him up into his arms.

"She better quit it or I'll have to talk with her." JC shook his head.

"She's not built for that sort of thing." Vanessa said, taking a seat on the couch whilst JC held Phil in his arms, "She's had everything handed to her. Her parents are the nicest people ever. She's got a boyfriend who is perfect at everything. She's rich." Vanessa sighed, "She doesn't see that sort of thing. Not that I'm saying we do but… I don't know, we're used to terrible things happening."

"I had no choice." JC said, "So she can bring it up all she wants." He shook his head, "Honestly, ignore her. She's gonna go away to college, become a journalist, settle with her cute boyfriend and live happily ever after. She's never had your best interest at heart."

"She's been my best friend since I was like… 5. She's like a sister." Vanessa said, "It was always just me and her. We had other friends obviously but… I literally told her everything." Vanessa said, "I don't want to be the girl who chose her boyfriend over her best friend."

"You're not. She's the one making you make that choice. You could have both if she wasn't so weird and possessive. If she stops hanging around you because of me, if she thinks she can quote on quote, knock some sense into you to get away from me, then she can go ahead, she just doesn't like where I come from and how doomed it seems we are." JC said.

"I just think you scare her." Vanessa admitted truthfully.

"Do I scare you?" JC asked.

"No." Vanessa scoffed

"Well than that's all that matters to me. I couldn't give to shits about her." He shrugged, "Now either you two sort it out or you really just part ways. We've got a family now. She can go off and get her degree and live up in a fancy house and buy expensive champagne. I'd take this little guy and a take-out over that any day." JC nodded, looking down at Phil who was sleeping as Vanessa smiled.

"He's a sleepy little guy." Vanessa smiled as JC nodded, "I guess I'll talk to her before she leaves for college." She nodded.

"Should I be worried?" JC asked as Vanessa shook her head with confusion.

"About what?" Vanessa asked.

"About that idiot saying something about that night?" JC asked.

"No. Don't worry." Vanessa said, "She's not that stupid."

"Good." JC nodded, "Because it's the last thing we need." He said as Vanessa nodded in agreement, "We should put him in his crib, right?" He asked her.

"Yeah. You go on. I'll be up in a minute." She told him.


Punk had just gotten in the door from work when he heard commotion coming from the kitchen. He'd finished early, which normally meant that Keala was ecstatic to see her father. It meant that he could actually have dinner with his family, play with Frankie and see them for a lot longer than he normally would, but he appeared to have entered into a sad atmosphere.

"What's going on?" Punk shook his head, sitting his car keys down and looking over at Keala who was crying whilst AJ sat beside her trying to make her feel better. His first thought was that she wasn't feeling well, but normally she didn't cry, "Why are you crying?" Punk asked her softly, walking over to the table and sitting down. Frankie was no doubt napping upstairs as it was his usual pre-dinner nap time.

Keala just shook her head, not wanting to talk as she cried against her mother's arm as AJ looked at Punk worriedly.

"Alright, what is wrong with her?" Punk asked, starting to panic and worry of course. He'd never saw her so upset before. She wasn't really an emotional kid. Even if she fell and cut her leg open she never really got upset. She'd probably be more angry about ripping her jeans.

"Some kids at school.. said that… said that you were going to die." AJ said, looking over at Punk who just made a face at her.

"What?" Punk shook his head.

"They said you were going to die, daddy." Keala cried, holding her mother's arm and looking over at her father. She had never been more stressed in all her seven years of living, as to hear some kids at school say her father was going to die.

"Hey, look at me." Punk pointed to himself as Keala looked over to her, "I am not going to die. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere." He said, "Keala, they're just teasing you, babe. It happens. People make things up to hurt other people."

"But I really believed them and they said they heard it from their mommy's and daddy's." Keala said, "So why would they say that?" She asked as AJ just looked over at Punk with worry.

It was clear that some kids had overheard their parents talking about Keala's dad being on death row. Keala was at an age and in a grade where kids listened into everything and took their own interpretations in of what was being said.

"Ok, first of all. Sometimes some parents can be dumber than kids." Punk told her as Keala looked over at him, leaning her head on her mother's arms.

"So I'm smarter than you?" Keala asked through her tears as Punk just tutted.

"I said some." Punk reminded her as Keala just looked at him, "I am not dying. I am here and I am alive." He waved himself up and down.

"Then why would they said that?" Keala asked sadly.

"Because people can be mean, baby." AJ told her, playing with her hair as Keala looked up at her, "People will say horrible things, even if they're not true, if they want to hurt somebody. And the best thing you can do is ignore it. Daddy's right there and he's not going anywhere." She promised as Keala sighed dramatically, wiping her face of the tears and sitting up a little.

"I really thought they were telling the truth." Keala sighed.

"No, of course it's not true." Punk said, "I am here and I'm not going anywhere." Punk nodded. It broke his heart to see her so upset. He knew she'd obviously find out about him being on death row, but he certainly didn't want it to be any time soon. He didn't even think she understood what death meant, but she was smarter than he thought for the most part.

He watched as she jumped down from the chair and ran around the table, jumping up on top of him and squeezing him, "You can't ever leave." Keala told him, burying her little head into his shoulder as AJ frowned and placed her hand on her heart. She loved her daddy so much and it broke her heart to see her so upset.

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere." Punk said, hugging her back and kissing her cheek, "You go on into the living room. I'll be in soon." He told her as she nodded, jumping down from him and running off out of the kitchen as Punk turned to AJ who took a deep breath, "What the hell." Punk shook his head.

"She literally has been crying since I picked her up from school." AJ said, "Why are kids so fucking horrible?" She shook her head.

"More to the point, why are parents talking about me? I'm not a fucking attraction." He shook his head, "So I was on death row, what's the big deal? It was like eight years ago." He sighed with exhaustion. No matter where, no matter when, there were still reminders of his time on death row almost every day. It was hard. Especially when it was upsetting his daughter like this.

"People just like to talk." AJ shrugged, "And kids pick up on things at that age, and they don't think." She said, "Don't worry about it." She shook her head, "I just can't take that little face when she cries."

"It's literally the worst thing ever." Punk shook his head, "She normally just ignores kids from school. She's good like that."

"I know but… maybe she just believed that. She looked frightened actually, not even sad but frightened." She nodded, "Poor thing." She sighed.

"I need to go hug her some more." Punk sighed, standing up from the table, "Hey, by the way. I didn't get a chance to actually say hello." He said, leaning over and kissing her as she kissed back and smiled, "How was court?"

"Quick." AJ nodded, "Got some stuff done at the office too. Your dad said Frankie was a little grumpy today." She said.

"We all have our grumpy days." Punk said, "How is he? My dad?"

"Fine." AJ nodded, "I told him that he needs to introduce us to this new woman. He got all red it was the greatest." She said as Punk laughed a little, "I think he really likes her, Phil. It's sweet."

"I'm not saying it's not good, I'm happy for him if he's happy. I just… well she's my age. It's kinda weird." He nodded.

"Age is just a number." She smirked.

"Yeah, exactly, and their numbers are pretty far apart." He said as AJ just shook her head, "I'm going to Dean's tomorrow night to help him build the crib and get the nursery together. Anna is out with her work friends and he said he wants to surprise her and finish it, so I said I'd help." He said.

"That's nice." AJ smiled, "Is Dean getting nervous?" She laughed a little.

"Well he's smoking again, so that would be a yes." Punk nodded.

"Oh, what?" AJ shook her head with disappointment as she stood up from the table.

"Yeah, I know." Punk said, "He said he just has one or two a day, it helps him." He shrugged, "I keep forgetting that he's never actually had a baby. I just automatically think he has because of CJ." He said.

"Oh, yeah. Of course." AJ realised too, "Oh, he'll be great. He's worrying for nothing. She'll love him."

"Yeah, she'll love her uncle a ton too." Punk nodded proudly as AJ smiled, "Ok, I gotta go love my daughter though." He said frantically as AJ smiled.

"Keep a listen for the kid upstairs. He'll be waking up soon. He's been down for an hour already. I'll start dinner." She said.

"Ok." Punk nodded, walking out of the kitchen and into the living room, taking his jacket off and collapsing down beside Keala who seemed a little more calm and better.

It annoyed him that such a short amount of time he spent on death row had impacted his life so much. It still did.


A/N: Let me know what you think!