Chapter 17: Green Looks Bad On You
One week later AJ was sleeping in her new home for the first night but she liked to think of it as her and Punk's place. He was flying out the next morning for his return to Payback in Chicago and leaving AJ back home. She wasn't scared but she had truly gotten used to having him not only taking care of her but just being with her. He had been so great and patient with her for the last few weeks and she kicked herself for ever doubting him in the beginning of their relationship.
AJ was in a deep sleep when she had that same recurring dream of that night. Each night the dream was longer and more detailed but the face was still hard for her to make out. Each dream that occurred she would feel more of the pain and now started to hear herself scream in the dreams and tonight was the first night she heard the attacker speak to her.
"I knew Punk liked them feisty but damn" he hissed at her as she squirmed underneath his body
She shot right up and thankfully Punk was still asleep, she was really working on not waking him up anymore from her nightmares. And tonight she really wanted him to have a good night sleep before he jumped on a plane and worked for the first time in months.
"Another nightmare?" his sleepy voice asked and she looked over to him stunned. His eyes were still closed and she could swear he was sleeping "Sure you don't want to talk about it?"
"No not a nightmare" she said lying back down "Just a weird dream" he now fully opened his eyes and gazed into hers
"I know you're having nightmares and I'm trying to respect your privacy here but it's making me a little crazy" Punk admitted "Just talk to me"
"Now isn't the time" AJ said to him "Just go back to sleep"
"I won't be able to sleep unless you talk to me and then I'm going to go out and wrestle and probably mess us and get hurt because I'm so sleep deprived-"
"Ok fine" she said cutting him off "I think my mind is trying to make things up"
"What?" Punk asked confused
"It's just I keep having the same dream over and over but James thinks it's just my mind trying to fill the void of that night" AJ said to him
"James? You spoke to James about your dreams?" Punk asked offended
"I didn't want to worry you and I didn't go into any kind of detail with him" AJ told him "It just came up"
"What happens in the dream?" Punk asked
"It's the same every night- I walk into my apartment and close and lock the door. As I walk to my bedroom some guy is hiding in the bathroom and jumps on me" she admitted "He just pounces like an animal and he just hits me"
"What does he look like?" Punk asked
"I don't ever see his face clearly but from what I can make out I don't recognize him" AJ said to him and he watched her carefully "Every night there's more to it and tonight he spoke to me. Do you think it's a dream? Or could it be a memory?"
"I don't know" Punk admitted "If it's the same every night it's probably a memory. What did you hear him say?"
"That's not important" AJ said to him
"Every detail counts AJ" Punk scolded lightly "Tell me what he said so this way if it is a memory we can narrow down the list of suspects"
"He said to me 'I knew Punk liked them feisty'" She admitted and she watched as his face narrowed
"He mentioned me by name?" Punk asked surprised and she nodded and now he looked concerned
"What's wrong? It's not really a secret we're together" AJ said to him
"But actually it is" Punk said to her "No one really suspected anything until I flew down here after your assault that's when dirtsheets started to pick it up. Very few people knew we were together before that even now people still aren't sure"
"It might not even be real it could be a dream" she defended
"If the guy said my name maybe it has to do with me" Punk said quietly thinking about it "I never even considered all the people that hate me. I'm not an easy guy to get to but going after my girlfriend is a way"
"Don't be ridiculous" AJ said cutting him firmly "It's probably just a dream and even if it wasn't some fans suspected we were together and some even believe we were together for real when we were working together last year so just forget about it" she said to him
"Are you sure I can't convince you to join me tomorrow?" Punk asked
"Nope" AJ said to him "I'm going to rest up just like Vince told me to but when you see him tomorrow could you please tell him I'm better and want to go back to work?" AJ asked
"Yea I'll tell him" Punk said then tugged her close to him so she was curled against his chest "I'm going to miss the hell out of you"
"I'll miss you too" she said with a yawn
When Punk arrived at the arena for Payback he was constantly checking his phone to make sure AJ was ok. He was worried leaving her as it was but after their talk last night he was even more concerned.
"Hey there" Paul Heyman smiled walking towards him
"Hey Paul" Punk said placing his phone into his pocket
"Ready for tonight?" Paul asked but Punk just shrugged
"I don't really have a choice now do I?" Punk asked him
"I know you're worried about AJ" Paul frowned "Any news on her attacker?"
"No" Punk admitted "I feel like I'm leaving her as a sitting duck at home"
"From what I heard she fought back" Paul said to him "She's tough she'll be fine" Punk just nodded "I know Vince wanted to see you as soon as you got here he has an idea for tonight"
"Great" Punk groaned "I'm sure it's a brilliant one" he mocked
"I think it has to do with Orton" Paul admitted and Punk looked at him oddly "They want you two working together starting Money In The Bank"
"Really?" Punk asked surprised
"I know they also want AJ to play a part on it. I mean now it's kind of out there you two are together and they really want her back to work soon" Paul confided
"Cool" Punk said to him
"And just one more thing" Paul said nervously before Punk could walk away "Amy's here"
"My Amy?" Punk asked surprised and Paul nodded "Why?"
"Don't know" Paul said to him "But she was here when I got here and when I saw her she was looking for you actually"
"Really" Punk said slowly
"You two left off on good terms right?" Paul asked
"Yea at least I think so" Punk said confused "She called me a few weeks ago to ask about AJ"
"Interesting" Paul said slowly "Alright well I'll meet you in the locker room later" Punk just nodded and headed to Vince's office
Punk knocked on Vince's office and waited to hear him call him in.
"Phil" Vince said looking up "Take a seat" he said gesturing to the empty chair across form his desk "And welcome home"
"Yea thanks" Punk forced out
"You look tired" Vince noted eyeing the bags under his eyes
"Yea my vacation wasn't so much a vacation" Punk admitted
"So I've heard" Vince said removing his glasses "How is AJ?"
"She's good, she wants to come back" Punk said to her
"You think she's ready?" Vince asked him
"Yea I do and honestly it's probably better she's on the road" Punk told him and Vince nodded
"The plan was for you two to be working together but if she's not ok with that-" Vince started
"Keep it that way" Punk said cutting him off "Let her work with me"
"Are you sure?" Vince questioned
"I need her with me on the road" Punk said seriously
"I know what happened to her was a shock to your system and it's a horrible thing but you can't hold her hand constantly" Vince lectured "She's a big girl and it's just not possible that you two can work every show together"
"You're the boss make it possible" Punk said firmly
"Phil-" Vince started
"Whoever hurt her I think has to do with me" Punk admitted and Vince looked at him oddly
"Why would you say that?" Vince asked surprised "From what I read it was a random attack. I heard she wasn't living in the best area"
"It's true but she's remembering things" Punk said to him "The guy who did this to her mentioned my name to her"
"How so?" Vince asked curiously
"It doesn't matter how it was mentioned" Punk said annoyed "Point is no one knew we were together except for a few people so whoever did this to her knows one of us"
"You might be grasping at straws Phil" Vince said to him sadly
"It's all I've got" Punk said to him "I need her with me on the road so I know she's ok"
"Alright" Vince said to him "Randy wants to move forward with the story as well. We're thinking of having him come out tonight after your match or confront you on Raw tomorrow"
"Great" Punk said to him
"So I'm assuming by your reaction to all of this the police don't have any suspects?" Vince asked
"Not a clue" Punk said to him "They couldn't match his DNA up in any system so they're back at square one"
"With today's technology that's the best they could come up with?" Vince spat annoyed
"Tell me about it" Punk agreed annoyed
"Alright well you're working Raw tomorrow after that head home and try to catch up on some sleep. Call AJ and tell her she's to report back next Monday" Vince informed him
"Great" Punk said standing up "Thank you"
"No problem" Vince said putting his glasses back on and looking back at his paperwork
It was almost eight and AJ had just ordered Payback was relaxing on the couch curled under a blanket. She was so at peace until she realized she wasn't so much. Every noise outside caused her to jump slightly and though being at the beach was nice she could hear young teens screaming and hanging around on it. She was finding it hard to concentrate on the pay-per-view. She made it past the first match and that's when she heard a loud boom outside and she let out a scream. She tiptoed over to her window and saw a few crappy fireworks and let out a sigh. That's when her cell phone started to blare and she jumped again. She quickly reached for it and answered it.
"Hello?" she asked almost out of breath
"Hey you alright?" Punk asked
"Yea, yea I'm good I was just running for the phone" AJ lied quickly "How's it going?"
"Good" he said to her "I spoke to Vince they want you back Monday"
"Thank god" She sighed with relief
"Are you sure you're ok?" Punk asked her
"Yea I'm great" she lied yet again, she was glad they were talking over the phone and not in person or he'd see right through her
"You're going to be working with me and Randy" Punk informed her
"Cool" she forced out. She thought she'd be over the moon excited but something was holding her back
"You don't mind right?" Punk asked
"Of course not that was always the plan anyway" she admitted and that was true
"I'm sure they'll work you into the title mix as well" Punk assured her
"Yea" she said quietly
"So I was thinking after Raw tomorrow I'll head back home for a day or so then fly back down to Tampa" Punk informed her
"You don't have to do that" AJ said to him "You've been away from home for weeks now"
"I just need to go through my mail and make sure Colt didn't burn the place to the ground" Punk said to her
"I'm a big girl Phil" she reminded him "I can take care of myself"
"I know but maybe I want to be with you because I've missed you" Punk said to her
"You saw me like five hours ago" she smiled into the phone
"Yea and it's five hours too long" Punk said seriously
"How about I fly out to Chicago in a couple of days?" she suggested "I still have some unpacking to do and once I'm done I'll just meet you there"
"By yourself?" Punk asked skeptically
"Yes by myself" She laughed "Remember I'm a grown adult"
"Yea I know" Punk said to her "Ok yea that's fine"
"I'm looking forward to watching you tonight" She said to him "You're my favorite wrestler and I'm not just saying that because I'm sleeping with you" she teased and heard him laugh lightly at her
"Good to know" Punk said to her "I've got to run over a few things with Chris but I'll call you as soon as I'm done"
"Ok I love you good luck tonight" AJ said to him sweetly
"I love you too" he said to her then hung up
Punk ended the call and placed his phone in his jacket and when he turned around he came face to face with his past.
"Hey Phil" Amy smiled warmly
"Amy hi" he said almost nervously but what put at ease when she hugged him "I'm surprised to see you here tonight" he admitted pulling away
"I was in town" she shrugged
"Visiting Orton?" Punk questioned
"Don't be like that" Amy smirked "How's AJ doing?"
"Really good" Punk said to her "She'll be back next week"
"Wow that's really soon" Amy noted
"Yea well she's a tough girl" Punk said proudly
"So I've heard" Amy said and Punk eyed her oddly at the comment "I'm sorry" she said quickly "I'm trying to be all grown up about this"
"I know you are and I appreciate it" Punk said to her "I'm sorry if I hurt you"
"Me too" Amy said quietly then smiled "But I'm over it"
"Are you?" Punk asked carefully
"I'm working on it" Amy admitted "Are you happy?"
"Yea I am" Punk said without hesitation
"Well she must be pretty special" Amy said to him
"I'm really not comfortable talking about AJ with you" Punk admitted shyly "It's just weird"
"Yea I get it" Amy agreed "I was thinking after the show maybe we could grab a bite to eat? Just to catch up? I'm sure you have a lot on your mind"
"Maybe another time" Punk said without giving it a second thought "I'm really exhausted and just want to sleep in my own bed tonight"
"Of course" Amy said with a laugh "I don't blame you, another time than?"
"Yea sure" he said looking around almost looking for an excuse to get out of the conversation "There's Jericho I need to talk to him- enjoy the show Amy" he said placing a hand on her arm then walked away
"Wow" Randy smirked coming up behind Amy "He completely turned you down"
"Yea I noticed" Amy said turning to look at Randy
"I'm pretty sure I remember you saying 'I hate him so much and never want to see him again' after we talked a few weeks back" Randy smirked "Now you're here trying to win him back?"
"It's not like that" Amy defended "I was asking about AJ"
"Really? The girl you said you hoped got dropped on her during a match?" Randy questioned arching a brow and folding his arms
"You had just told me everything about them" Amy reminded him "I was upset obviously but I don't want to see her hurt"
"She's really not bad" Randy said to her "So if you're here to try to stick it to her in some way-"
"I don't blame AJ for any of this" Amy said to him "I was in a relationship with AJ I was in one with Phil and he's the one that cheated on me not her"
"So why are you here trying to get back into his bed?" Randy asked seriously "You're better than him"
"I know its just old habits die hard" Amy shrugged "So what are you doing after the show?" she asked him and widened his eyes
"Going back to my hotel room? Want to join me?" Randy asked and she smiled
"Yea I do" Amy said to him
"Well as flattering as it is to be your back up choice I'm going to pass" Randy said surprising her
"Oh you have so many options?" Amy snorted
"I'm Randy Orton baby" Randy informed her smugly "I've got lines of women banging at my door every night" he then saw her face fall slightly "Besides we're friends I like that about us"
"We slept together" Amy reminded him "A few ago to be exact and if I recall you enjoyed yourself"
"I did" Randy grinned at the memory "But honestly I don't want any more shit with Punk"
"Are you kidding me?" Amy asked him
"Look with everything going on with AJ I think it's best we just work in peace" Randy told her "I don't know how he'd feel about me banging his ex he already accused me of attacking AJ"
"So you have a thing for her too?" Amy asked him
"No I don't" Randy laughed "I like the girl she's works hard and no one deserves the beating she got. I'm not going to be the bad guy that picks on the poor girl once she gets back"
"Sounds like you have thing" Amy shot back again
"AJ isn't my type and I think you know that" Randy whispered with a smile "But she's pretty cool I don't mind her and besides my daughter loves her"
"Of course just like everyone else" Amy remarked
"Green isn't a good look for you Ames" Randy teased "Relax yourself a little just enjoy the show" he suggested and she nodded and watched as he walked away
AJ watched from her couch as Punk walked out for his match against Jericho with Paul faithfully at his side. She smiled as he stood up and raised his arms in the air and encouraged the already loud crowd. She also noted the small writing in his left hand and saw the 'A' in it and in the right 'J'. It was small enough where most people probably wouldn't pick it up but she did. She loved that there was piece of her with him right now.
You would never know that Punk was gone for weeks by the way he wrestled. Him and Jericho completely stole the show that night. She opted to turn the show off after watching him and was going to head right to bed. Hopefully tonight would be nightmare free for her but as soon as her head hit the pillow sleep was the furthest thing from her mind. She wanted nothing more than to call Punk up and have him talk to her until she fell asleep but she didn't want him to know she was scared. She had to prove to him and everyone else that she was ready to be on her own and back at work.
She grabbed her pillow and a blanket and headed into her bathroom and turned on the light and locked the door behind her. The bathroom had only a small window- too small for someone to get in and she dropped her pillow in the tub and her blanket and got inside. She was also clutching her phone as she tried to get comfortable in the tub. Was it always going to be like this? She asked herself as she curled inside the tub. When she was a child and too afraid to sleep she used to do this all of the time and it always worked for her. Eventually she drifted off into a nightmare infested sleep…..
A/N: Loving all of your guesses as to who you think Amy's accomplice is! We know it isn't Randy for sure now so who else is there...