Good Dad


"Why does he have to cry so fucking much?" JC asked, lying in bed, looking at his girlfriend, wondering with each other who was going to get up first to get the few week old baby.

"He's a baby." Vanessa said, placing her hand on her forehead.

"Yeah and I'm pretty sure they're not meant to cry as much as this." JC said, "I have a hangover which does not help." He shook his head.

"Shouldn't have been out drinking last night then." Vanessa remarked as JC just nodded in agreement. They still continued to lie in bed and wait on the other to get up and get Phil. Vanessa was tired since most often than not, it was her who ended up having to deal with it. She felt pretty alone and it was hurting her a bit, "Get him." She told him, "Go change him. Feed him. Spend some time with him." She said, turning around in bed as JC looked at her, "I'm not asking anymore." She said tiredly, "Do it." She told him as JC just watched her. She looked serious and terrifying.

"Ok." JC said, sitting up from the bed. They're house still had pretty much nothing in it. Anytime JC got money from different jobs he worked, they'd put it to getting things for Phil, meaning that the only room that looked nice was the nursery. Vanessa was itching to find work but she was still post-partum and clearly very tired.

"I'm visiting Jean today before she leaves for college. She wants to talk and I'd really like it if I could go without Phil. I know you're not working." She said.

"Ok, sure." JC nodded, "At least the bitch is finally leaving. It'll give us some peace." He shook his head as Vanessa just watched him leave the room and head off to go tend to Phil.


"Watch this." JC said, crouching down on the living room floor in AJ and Punk's house where Frankie was sitting playing with his toys, watching his grandfather as he pretended to push him as Frankie pushed him back, causing Punk to laugh and AJ to fold her arms and look at him sternly, "This is good. This is good." JC nodded, "Little man got a defence strategy already."

"May I remind you both." AJ said, "He is one. He can't say a word yet. Don't teach him how to hit people." She said.

"It's funny." Punk shrugged.

"Will it be funny when he turns into an angry little guy and starts beating us?" AJ asked.

"Stop." Punk scoffed.

"It's just playing." JC said, not wanting AJ to be mad with him, "I did it with Phil and Dean."

"And look how they turned out." AJ teased as Punk gasped dramatically.

"You woke up wrong today." Punk told her as AJ just made a face.

"Time of the month?" JC sniggered as AJ just shook her head.

"You know assuming that just because I'm mad means that I'm on my period is a class dick mood which we don't tolerate in this house." She said as Punk nodded along with her, he knew the rules, "I just don't want my son being taught how to hit people. Teach him how to cuddle and be nice." She smiled.

"No one gets through life cuddling." JC scoffed, standing up straight as Frankie turned back around and began to play with his blocks some more.

"So when are we meeting your new girlfriend then?" AJ asked.

"Oh, I don't know." JC laughed a little, going red as Punk and AJ both looked on with slight smiled, "I don't know if she's my girlfriend or anything."

"Well you've been seeing her for a few months." Punk said, "Unless it's just a friends with benefits type deal." He smirked.

"No, not at all." JC said, "Well maybe she is my girlfriend. I don't know." JC said as AJ and Punk just smiled and nodded.

"Why don't you bring her over for dinner?" AJ asked him as JC just scratched the back of his neck and looked at them both, "If you want, that is."

"Ok, but don't… don't frighten her." JC said.

"Frighten her?" Punk laughed, "What do you think I'm gonna do?" He laughed a little.

"I don't know, tell her how shitty a father I was." JC shrugged as Punk just shook his head.

"I'm not gonna say shit. I just wanna meet her. So does Dean. Properly." Punk said as JC nodded.

"Alright, ok." JC nodded, "When and where?" He asked.

"I guess we could actually go out." AJ nodded, turning to Punk, "Means we don't have to cook." She said as Punk nodded, more interested in that idea than anything else.

"If we go to anywhere but Gino's then Keala probably won't come." Punk nodded.

"Yeah, that's true." AJ agreed.

"Alright, well just set a time and a day and we'll be there." JC nodded.

"How about tomorrow? 7pm?" AJ asked, "I'm sure Dean and Anna will be free too." She said.

"Sounds fine." JC nodded, "As long as you are all on your best behaviour." He said as Frankie yelled from over on the carpet playing with his toys, "Yes, that means you especially." JC nodded to him as the one year old laughed, crawling over to more of his toys to sit and play with them as AJ and Punk smiled.


Vanessa walked into the coffee shop that wasn't far from their house, walking on over to the little booth where she spotted Jean sitting. She tried her best to look better than what she felt, but she knew it was probably shown. She'd been assessed by the home visitor and they told her that post-partum depression was normal, especially when she was so young and so new to being a mom.

She took a seat, noticing her coffee had already been ordered as Jean looked across at her.

"Afternoon." Jean said, having been waiting a while for her.

"Sorry I'm late." Vanessa said, "Phil… was being difficult." She shook her head.

"Where is he? I thought you would have brought him." Jean said, stirring her coffee around with her spoon.

"He's with JC." Vanessa said, "And don't give me that look. He knows how to take care of him."

"I didn't say anything." Jean put her hands up in defence, "How is he?"

"Who?" Vanessa asked.

"Phil. I'd never ask you how JC was." Jean scoffed as Vanessa just nodded.

"Phil is fine. He… likes to cry but… he's fine." She nodded, "I thought we could just meet here before you go away to college. Clearly we have different paths now. Was it my intention to be a mom this early? No. But I love my son and I won't have people like you look down on me for having him." She said, "I wish you the best in what you want to do with your life. And it's unfortunate what happened with us. Especially that night." She said as Jean just rolled her eyes and turned away from her, "But I never picked him over you. You were the one who couldn't be around me anymore."

"Because he is a drug addict, Vanessa. He's messed up." Jean said.

"You don't know him." Vanessa said, "You've never once had a normal conversation with him. You've never gave him a chance. He's good. He's kind, sweet, funny." Vanessa nodded.

"And he's also a drug addict." Jean nodded, "And probably an alcoholic. And probably will cheat on you. And probably will abandon Phil before he can even walk." She said as Vanessa just shook her head, "Vanessa I'm not saying any of this to hurt you. You're… you've been like a sister to me since were kids. I'm just trying to be there for you."

"By hurting my feelings?" Vanessa asked, "He's just misunderstood. Brought up wrong, yeah, but he's a good person."

"That night, he was not a good person. He terrified me." Jean whispered.

"He helped us. He helped me." Vanessa said.

"We should have called the police." Jean shook her head, "And now we can't, and that stays with us forever. The three of us." She nodded.

"We move on, Jean." Vanessa said angrily, "I know that… that night was probably the scariest night of your life. It was scary for me too, I was… 5 months pregnant. I got scared, ok? So I called… the only person that I trust, and that is him. He helped us and now we move on. Ok? I don't want to be worrying my whole life about you and wondering if you're gonna slip up-"

"I'm not that stupid." Jean hissed.

"Good. I know you're not." Vanessa said, "If this is how it has to be, us… going our separate ways, then so be it, but it is not my fault that you can't be happy for me-"

"Vanessa, I don't think you're happy for you." Jean said, "You wanted to be a nurse. You didn't even look at boys. What is he manipulating you with?"

"Nothing." Vanessa scoffed, "I love him. Is that so hard to believe? Yes, I love a drug addict. Big deal. People do drugs." She said, "I can still be a nurse. I can… go to nursing school. Just because I have a baby doesn't mean I can't do anything." She shook her head as Jean just nodded.

"I hope you do. And you know, I hope it does work out, because I still care about your happiness. But I don't care enough to do this anymore." She said, "So you're right, we go our separate ways, I live my life, you live yours. And that's it." Jean said as Vanessa just nodded, looking across at her, "And I hope for your sake that he turns out to be the man you think he is. Because right now, he's not that man. He's a boy, who found you hot, who got you pregnant and who probably feels trapped now."

"You don't know anything about him." Vanessa gritted her teeth.

"No. But I know everything about you. And you deserve so much better." Jean said, "You didn't ruin this. I didn't. He did." She said, standing up and putting her bag over her shoulder, "I have to go." She said as Vanessa just nodded briefly and watched as she walked by her, leaving the coffee shop as she clasped her hands over her mouth and sighed.


"These are the coolest pyjamas. I wish I had these pyjamas." Punk said, standing by the changing table in Frankie's room where he was putting him in a clean diaper and in his pyjamas before he put him down to sleep.

"I can buy you pyjamas like that if you want." AJ smiled, folding up some of Frankie's little clothes into the appropriate drawers. The pyjamas were of course Star Wars themed with different characters like Chewbacca and R2-D2 on it. Punk was incredibly jealous of them.

"Would you judge me if I wore them?" Punk asked her, pulling up Frankie's pyjama bottoms as the one year old lay tiredly making soft noises and kicking his legs a little.

"I already judge you for your weird Star Wars fetish." AJ scoffed, "Pyjamas won't make a difference." She said as Punk just smiled.

"My wife." Punk smiled to her as she just winked, "Do you think my dad is nervous about dinner tomorrow?" He asked, lifting up Frankie from the table and walking over to the crib where he lay him down in, stroking his little cheek as he looked at his tired eyes.

"Well he's probably a little nervous. But I think that's a good thing because it means he actually does care. He cares about your opinions and clearly he cares about what she'll think." AJ said, closing the drawers over, "Just promise me that you and your brother will be on your best behaviour." She said, walking over to him and tugging on his hand before looking down at Frankie with a smile.

"I'm always on my best behaviour." Punk gasped dramatically.

"Are you?" AJ hummed.

"I am." Punk said, "I'm not gonna say anything bad to her." He laughed a little, "I can't speak for Dean, but I can see my dad likes her. I wouldn't want to hurt his feelings… or hers." He shrugged.

"Good." AJ smiled, leaning up and kissing his cheek, giving him a warm cuddle as he squeezed her back, both of them watching as Frankie fell asleep right away. Punk tucked the cover over him a little and smiled.

"He's getting so big. Did you see him at the couch today? He was walking along it? He's gonna be off on his own soon, I'm telling you." Punk smiled.

"I know I can't believe it. I want him to stay my baby forever." She frowned.

"I know." Punk nodded, kissing her head.

"Excuse me." Keala said, walking into her brother's room as her parents turned around where she was standing in her own pyjamas with her arms folded, her glasses on and her hair all over her face.

"What?" Punk laughed a little.

"Do I get tucked in now?" She asked them impatiently as AJ and Punk smiled.

"Ok, ma'am. Let's go." Punk smiled, walking over to her and lifting her up over his shoulder as Keala giggled, causing AJ to smile. He really was the best father. She would have fought anyone who said otherwise.


"JC?" Vanessa said quietly, walking into the house after her short coffee date with Jean, kicking her shoes off at the door tiredly, "Jack?" Vanessa announced quietly, walking down the hall and into the living room, pausing as she saw her boyfriend passed out on the couch with a few empty bottles of spirits around him.

She immediately abandoned the living room and ran for the stairs, quickly sprinting around the bend, bursting into the nursery and over to the crib, her heart about to leap out of her mouth, finally taking a deep breath when she saw her baby son sleeping peacefully in his crib.

She placed her hand on her chest and took multiple deep breaths, "Hi, baby." Vanessa whispered desperately, reaching her hand down and stroking his face softly.

And then the rage began to take over.

She left the nursery quietly after seeing her son was safe and in good health, and then she ran back downstairs and into the living room, looking at JC fast asleep on the couch, the ash tray beside him full and the empty bottles sitting around him on the floor.

"Wake up!" Vanessa yelled, slapping his head as JC blinked awake immediately, looking around to find his bearings, screwing his eyes up as Vanessa stood above him with folded arms.

"Y-You're back." JC smiled.

"And you're high." Vanessa spat, "You stupid idiot." She hissed, desperately wanting to attack, but she wasn't a person who tolerated violence.

"What?" JC shook his head, sitting up a little straighter.

"Phil is upstairs and you… you've just passed out, drunk, high… anything could have happened to him." Vanessa said, "I can't even trust you with him for a few hours?" Vanessa shook her head.

"No… no he was fine. I done his diaper and fed him and he went to sleep so I just had a… just a few drinks."

"No, you had a lot of drinks." Vanessa spat, "Look at me." She pointed to her face as JC looked at her, "You get your shit together. There is no way that Phil is gonna grow up with you being nothing but a useless drunk-"

"Excuse me." JC shook his head.

"No, you're gonna hear this." Vanessa said, "We're making this work. We're gonna make it work for us and for him. If I didn't love you I wouldn't care this much. I would have stayed with my mom. I would have told you to stay away from me. But I love you, and I see what other people can't see with you." She said as JC gulped, "So you better get your shit together. For me and for Phil." She said, "The past is the past. Jean is gone. We can start concentrating on us and our family. We can have something good. Something we didn't have as kids." She said as JC looked at her.

"Ness, I'm sorry… I just had a few-"

"Well quit it." Vanessa spat, "I walk if you keep this shit up. And I take Phil with me." She said, "Stop being that guy that you think society is making you out to be. You're more than that. I don't think anyone's ever told you that, but you are. You're not destined for drink and drugs. We can have a family here. I want a family here." She said.

"I do too." JC nodded.

"Then this has to stop." Vanessa said, "I'm not letting that little boy down. And I'm not letting you let him down either. We move on and we focus on us now, ok? I don't care how young we are. We can do it." She nodded positively as he smiled. He always loved her ability to tackle any sort of challenge head first.

"Jean must have annoyed you today." JC cringed a little.

"No. She just proved to me that she's like everyone else." Vanessa said, "Clean this shit up." She told him, still pissed with his lack of concentration towards looking after their son, "Don't make me ban you from drinking in the house." She shook her head, "It smells like a fucking brewery." She said, kicking his foot on the way by as JC smiled a little. Her feistiness was the first thing he noticed about her.


A/N: Let me know what you think!