A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! You guys rock!
Breaking Down
Punk never came that following weekend and AJ knew it was for the best. The guilt ate her terribly knowing how sweet Maria was. She really just needed to push Punk out of her head once and for all and was spending more time with the girls she worked with and branched out with other co-workers as well. But she couldn't shake Punk, she couldn't get him out of her mind no matter how hard she tried.
But right now AJ had something bigger to deal with, Dean and his self-destructive ways. She was finally pulling in enough money to move far away from this Brooklyn apartment building but wouldn't go without Dean who refused to go with her.
"It's your money just go!" Dean yelled. Dean never usually yelled at her but Dean was drunk and not his usual happy drunk self but he was angry drunk.
"I'm not leaving you behind." AJ argued folding her arms. "If you stay I'm staying."
"I'm throwing your ass out." Dean hissed. "Now you have to go! Go get yourself a big apartment, decorate it in pink and enjoy the fact that you'll have a shower with hot water!"
"We're a team." She said standing her ground.
"No AJ we're not a fucking team! You're young, pretty and have your whole life ahead of you and I can barely leave my shit hole apartment without jumping at the sounds of a car backfiring or fireworks!" he shouted.
"I'm here to help you." She practically pleaded. "Let me help you! Please Dean-"
"Dean!" he screamed in her face causing her to jump back. "That's my fucking name! Not Robbie! I don't need you to take care of me because you don't have your brother! I'm not some sort of filler!"
"I know you're not but we both loved him and-" she began almost nervously now.
"He's fucking dead!" Dean screamed throwing his beer bottle against the dirty wall causing it to shatter. "Get through your thick head! He's dead and gone! Time to move on AJ! We all have but you!"
"Dean I think you should just sleep this off." She said to him holding back tears.
"I don't need to sleep anything off AJ I need you to get the fuck out of my place because you're a constant reminder to me that Robbie is gone and I'm still fucking stuck here." He said almost too calmly.
"Ok." She said grabbing her bag. "I'll be back in the morning, hopefully you've come down by then." She said as she stepped outside her door.
AJ let the tears fall from her eyes as she hit the pavement and took a moment to wipe her eyes and calm herself down. It was only ten but it was dark and the street was crowded, a street she didn't really want to hang out on for a long period of time. She looked up to her window and saw Dean looking down at her. He had on a scowl but she could already tell he was regretting his words.
"April Jeanette Colon." She heard a male voice greet from down the street. No one ever used her married her named, her eyes dropped from Dean and straight ahead to the men approaching her. They were the same two men from her hotel room a few weeks back.
"I think you have the wrong person sorry." AJ lied and turned to go back into the building but Randy grabbed her arm.
AJ looked up and saw Dean was no longer in the window and knew he was on his way down. Randy had about one minute to leave before a very drunk Dean came down and beat him to death.
"We were just wondering if you gave your buddy Punk our message." Randy grinned while the big goofy remained again just licked his lips at her.
"I really think you have me confused with somebody else." AJ laughed lightly. "I think you should go-"
"You were in his home in Chicago were you not?" Randy asked her. "You work for Marvel, he works for Marvel- all makes sense now."
"Who the fuck are you?" Dean asked stepping outside with a baseball bat in hand.
Randy let go of AJ's arm and took a step back with his buddy Ryan. He eyed Dean from head to toe.
"Nobody just saying hello." Randy assured him holding his hands up defensively. "Who are you?"
"Fuck you." Dean spat. "He bothering you?" he asked AJ.
"No just go back inside." AJ insisted.
"Is he your husband? He doesn't look Spanish trash to me." Randy laughed.
Dean took a step towards Randy but AJ jumped in front of Dean.
"Leave it, ok?" AJ said to Dean.
"We're going." Randy said to him. "Come on Ryan." He said nudging his friend along.
"Bye AJ." Ryan smiled as they walked away.
"Ryan." Dean said to himself. "Are those the guys from the hotel?" he asked her but before she could respond he was chasing after them as they got into their car.
Dean caught up to the car as it pulled away and tossed his baseball bat at it leaving it in the street as he cursed and screamed for them to come back and face him like real men would. Dean walked back towards the building and didn't care people were looking at him like he was nuts.
"What the fuck are you looking at?" Dean asked one man who just shook his head and looked away. "I don't know what's going on with you but this guy you're dating should have a little more respect for you and not leave you sitting bait for pissed off steroid addicts."
"We're not dating." AJ reminded him.
"Come on." Dean said to her so she would follow him inside.
"Maybe you should cool off tonight." AJ suggested.
"Where are you going at this time?" Dean asked her.
"What do you care? We don't have a friendship and you certainly are not my brother." She reminded him of his words from earlier.
"Come on AJ-" he began annoyed.
"I'll see you tomorrow." She then walked off ignoring his protests.
AJ made it to a diner not far from her place and pulled her phone out. She knew it was late but she had promised Paul if she ever saw the two of them again she'd inform him. She called him but he didn't answer. Instead of leaving him message she went against her judgment and called Punk. She hadn't used the number he had given her back in Chicago for 'business' only.
"Hello?" he answered after two rings. She didn't say anything first and started to consider hanging up. "I know it's you AJ." He said and she rolled her eyes, how annoying she thought to herself.
"I'm sorry to bother you." She said to him.
"What's wrong?" He asked sensing her voice was off. He could tell she had been crying.
"Those guys from the hotel, I saw them again." She said to him.
"Where?" he asked growing angry.
"At my apartment." She admitted.
"They came to your apartment?" Punk questioned.
"Well they were outside of the building. He knew my full name, he knows where I work." She said to him.
"Did they say or do anything?" he asked her.
"He asked if I gave you his message but Dean scared them off. They didn't have much time." AJ told him.
"That's good." Punk said slightly relieved. "Are you home now?"
"No." she said to him. "I'm at a diner-"
"AJ what if they're still there? Go home!" he shouted.
"I had a fight with Dean and those guys are gone I'm fine." She said to him. "That's all I wanted to say sorry to bother you-"
"You didn't brother me." He cut her off. "What was the fight about?"
"What?" she asked him.
"You and Dean, you said you had a fight. From everything you told me about him you two seem close." Punk noted.
"It was about moving and then it turned into a Robbie thing, I don't want to think about it." She said to him. "Have a good night." She then hung up before he could say anything else and turned her phone off all together.
AJ spent the night in the hotel next to Marvel, the same one she slept with Punk in. She just ended up in the City and staying there seemed right. The minute she walked into the office Paul approached her.
"I tried calling you back last night." Paul frowned.
"I turned my phone off." AJ admitted.
"He was very worried about you." Paul said quietly and she just nodded.
"That's nice." She said starting up her computer.
"Where did you stay last night? He said you didn't go home." Paul questioned.
"A hotel. I'm going home after work though." She told Paul. "And you can tell him to stop worrying."
"He feels like he bought something into your life." Paul admitted. "He just wants to help."
"He has a girlfriend he should be worrying about." AJ said stiffly.
"Oh don't be like Andy." Paul laughed.
"How are you ok with this?" AJ asked him bluntly. "You seem to like Maria and you know I've slept with Punk more than once."
"She's very pretty and sweet." Paul nodded. "But she's not his type also if you think Maria is a saint you don't know her that well."
"She cheats on Punk?" AJ asked him. "Does he know this?"
"Punk is smarter than you think." Paul smirked. "If you don't go home tonight you call me and I'll put you up in a nice place, ok?"
"Ok." She said to him.
AJ was back home by 6pm but Dean wasn't there. The apartment was one room so the only other place he could be was at the bar a few blocks down. AJ looked at the messy room and grabbed a garbage bag and began to clean up the broken bottles, empty food containers and condoms that Dean would just leave around. AJ was stunned when she heard a knock at the front door but realized Dean had a bad habit of leaving his keys at home. She opened the door then closed it quickly upon seeing Punk standing on the other side.
"AJ." Punk said knocking again.
"Go away!" she yelled from behind the door.
"Why? I'm already here." Punk snorted. "Let me in or I'll have this conversation from the hallway and I don't think you want the drunk man who sleeps next to your front door to know your business!"
AJ opened the door on a crack and looked up at his eyes.
"It's not pretty in here." She said to him.
"How could that be possibly? You're in there." He said seriously and she rolled her eyes at the lame but still sweet line.
"Please just leave, don't make me let you in." She pleaded.
"I'm not here to judge." Punk said pushing the door open, which she didn't fight and stepped inside. He looked around the small one room apartment but didn't say a thing.
"What are you doing here?" She asked folding her arms.
"You hung up on me." He reminded her coolly.
"So you flew to New York?" she asked him.
"Yes. I don't like being hung up on." Punk noted as he again looked around, he saw broken glass, beer stains against the wall, clothes thrown around, condoms and condom wrappers. "I assume your roommate likes to party."
"He's going through some stuff." AJ defended. "I thought you weren't going to judge?"
"Your place not your friend." He pointed out. "He have anger issues?" he asked looking back at AJ finally.
"No. He's great like I said he's dealing with stuff." AJ again defended.
"You can't stay here." He said to her seriously.
"I'm fine here. I'm not leaving without him." AJ told him picking some clothes off a chair and dropping it to the floor. "Want to sit?"
"No I might catch something." He snorted.
"Bye Punk." She said annoyed.
"I'm kidding." He said quickly.
"He has PTSD and he hasn't coped well with being home." AJ said as she moved around the small place trying to clean.
"Clearly." He remarked.
"You have no idea what it's like to be in the military and see the things he saw and lose what he lost." AJ informed him strongly. "Don't you dare walk into my home and shit talk my brother to me."
"I wasn't talking about your brother." Punk reminded her softly.
"I mean my friend." She said softly looking away. "I really think you should just go. I told those guys I wasn't who they I thought was but if they see you here they'll know I was full shit."
"They already think you are I'm sure." Punk said to her. "They did their homework on you."
"Yea they even knew my married name." AJ noted.
"Good thing Dean was here because those guys don't have morals or codes. I'm here to try to fix this for you since I dragged you into this." Punk said to her.
"Just leave it alone." AJ said to him. "They clearly don't like you and are looking to hurt you. Just leave me alone and everything will be ok."
"What's wrong with you?" Punk asked. "You're not yourself."
"Nothing Punk I just want to clean up this place so I can sleep." She said annoyed.
"You look like you're about to cry." He frowned. "If you're afraid-"
"This has nothing to do with those two idiots Phil." AJ said to him. "It's Robbie's birthday today. That's why Dean has been so out of it."
"Oh." Punk said feeling bad. "You shouldn't be here."
"I need to be here." She said to him. "Dean needs me."
"Well where is he?" he asked her.
"He's probably at the bar. I'll go by in an hour and drag him out. You can go." She said to him.
"You support Dean but who supports you?" Punk asked her seriously.
"What do you mean?" she asked him.
"You help him with your brother passing but who do you have?" Punk asked.
"I spoke to my parents earlier." She said to him.
"You need more than that." Punk insisted.
"I don't need you." She said looking up at him as she kneeled down to pick up more garbage.
"Let me help you." He said to her.
"I don't-" she started but felt herself getting worked up.
"Let me help you." He repeated gently grabbing her by the shoulders to bring her to her feet and pulled her into a reluctant hug.
"Stop." She cried against his chest.
"It's alright." He said hugging her tightly and running his hand through her hair.
"I miss him!" She sobbed. "I miss him so much I don't think I can't breathe, it hurts to breathe!" she continued to cry.
"It's alright." He said feeling her knees go out and falling to the floor with her carefully, never letting go. "I'm right here."
"Oh god!" she cried in her arms as she let it all out.
AJ was on the floor with Punk for almost an hour as she just cried and cried until she couldn't cry anymore. He didn't try to get her to stop he just held her. His shirt was soaked with her tears and his heart broke with every sob.
"I'm sorry." She said finally pulling away from him. "I've never cried like that."
"It's ok." He said with a frown.
"I really have to go find Dean." She said standing up.
"Just relax." He said standing to his feet now and walking to the door with her.
"I can't." she said to him. "He needs me."
"No you need something, you need someone." He corrected. "Stop thinking about him and worry about yourself."
"I'm not built that way." She admitted.
"Please just take a minute." He insisted before she could walk out the door.
He watched as her eyes moved to his lips and he knew what she wanted, what she wanted. She was pressed against the door as Punk entered her personal space and looked up at him. He leaned down and crashed his lips against hers.
He literally dreamt of kissing her again every night since he last saw her, he still tasted her in his mouth and even with Maria would picture her perfect face. She was literally consuming his life. Was he taking advantage of her fragile state? He chalked it up to comforting her. She on the other hand knew she was taking advantage of his kindness but she needed to be selfish and just feel.
AJ wasted no time as she undid his fly and pulled down his zipper and took him into her hands. She stroked him as hard as she could without hurting him until it became too much for him and he bit down on her bottom lip causing her to whimper.
"Sorry baby." He muttered against her ear as he pulled her own bottoms down and lifted her up and dropped her onto himself.
"Oh!" she moaned as he banged her against her front door. He was mostly afraid of having sex with her anywhere else in the apartment because it was filthy; the door was the cleanest option.
"You like that?" he asked as he adjusted his angle and moved her right leg over his hip. "Tell me how much you like it." He demanded licking over her slightly parted lips.
"I love it." She moaned as he nails dug into his t-shirt covered chest. "Harder." She requested and he grabbed her other leg so both were wrapped around him and began to penetrate as quickly and hard as possible.
"You are so fucking tight and hot." He said as he used everything he had to push into her.
"Don't stop." She begged as her eyes watered up.
Punk didn't stop until she finally came five minutes later. When Punk thrust into her a few more times until he felt himself close to coming. He didn't have a condom on and didn't want to any little accidents. He wasn't sure where her bathroom was to finish himself off and just as he was about to ask he looked towards her and saw the door, she was already on her knees and took him into her mouth.
"Fuck AJ!" He grunted placing the palms of his hands against the door. She didn't have to suck on him for long before he came in her mouth. That was an easy solution to his problem he thought to himself as he watched her mouth slid off of him and then stood up.
"I'm going to clean off." She said feeling embarrassed and past right by him and walked through a small door that he assumed was a closet but he guessed was the bathroom.
Punk zipped up his pants and walked over to her sink to run cold water over his face but when the water began to run it was brown and made a disgusted face as he quickly turned the faucet off.
"Who the fuck are you?" A blonde haired man asked as he walked inside. Punk assumed this was the infamous Dean.
"Punk." He said and he saw Dean relax a bit as he closed the door behind him. "And you must be Dean."
"That's me." Dean said as wobbled inside. "Where's AJ?"
"She's in the bathroom." He said to him then watched as Dean sniffed the air.
"Did you have sex?" he asked him and Punk almost passed out.
"Sorry, what?" Punk asked hoping he misheard.
"It smells like sex in here." Dean said walking to the refrigerator and grabbing a beer.
"It's not really your business." Punk said to him and Dean gave him a smirk.
"Ballsy." Dean laughed. "I like that." He then pulled the cap off of his beer and took a long sip. "Stop fucking with her." He warned him. "You have a girl back home, your shady fucking friends are up her ass- stop toying with her or I'll break your pretty little face." He said calmly.
"Dean you're back." AJ said surprised stepping out of the bathroom. "I was just going to look for you." Punk was relieved that AJ came out so he didn't have to fight with Dean for her sake.
"I'm a big boy." Dean laughed. "About last night-"
"It's ok." She said to him.
"No it's not. I shouldn't have lashed at you like that, you know I love you." He said kissing her cheek.
"I love you too." She smiled, happy that Dean seemed to be back to his old safe. "So you met Punk?"
"Yea he's good people." Dean said raising his beer to the man. "Want one?"
"I don't drink but thanks." Punk said to him.
"I respect that." Dean nodded. "AJ doesn't drink either."
"Your water is brown." Punk said to AJ.
"I know that happens at this time everyday, let it run for a few minutes and it should be fine." She said to him.
"Could you please tell her to get her out of here and get place?" Dean asked Punk.
"I agree." Punk said looking towards her.
"Could you please tell Dean I'll go when he agrees to come with me." AJ said to Punk.
"You know Dean I know some people out here I can help set you up with a job." Punk offered. "This way you could move out of here because she's not going without you."
"I don't need your charity man but thanks." He chuckled as fell onto a beanbag chair on the floor.
"Where do you sleep?" Punk asked AJ as Dean turned on the radio.
"Over there." She said pointing to a tiny dirty mattress.
"Why don't you spend the night with me tonight in my hotel?" he offered. "I wanted to hang out I don't think we can with your friend here." He said to him.
"I can't leave him tonight." AJ insisted.
"I'm not deaf." Dean said looking over to her. "Head out, sleep in a real bed." He encouraged.
"Dean-" She started.
"Go." He said softly but seriously at the same time. "I want you out of here today, be around good people. Besides I have a lady friend coming over." He grinned sipping his beer.
"Are you sure?" she asked Punk and he smiled at her. "Call if you need anything." She said to Dean as she grabbed her bag.
"I won't." Dean said to them. "Have fun, but not too much fun and don't forget your stuff there." He said pointing to a yellow envelope across the room. "You were supposed to mail that shit yesterday."
"Right, thanks." She said grabbing it. "I just have to drop this off in the mailbox." She said to Punk who just nodded.
"Dean it was good to meet you." Punk said as AJ walked out the door before him.
"You too." Dean said then looked at him. "Take care of her tonight, ok?"
"Yea I will." He said then closed the door behind him.
Punk watched as AJ dropped the large envelope into the mailbox then headed back over to him.
"What was that?" he asked curiously.
"My divorce papers." She said honestly. "A few more weeks and it's official."
"I'm sorry." He said unsure as to what to say.
"Don't be I'm not." AJ said simply.
"So why the divorce? He cheated?" Punk asked and she laughed.
"No he was really nice and sweet." AJ said to him. "I was the one who messed up."
"I doubt that." Punk scuffed as he shoved his hands into his pockets as they walked towards the subway station to head into the city.
"After Robbie died I realized life was short and wanted more." AJ said to him. "Primo was great to me, but he was the only man I had ever been with and I just wasn't in love with him anymore. I told him one day out of the blue I was leaving and it crushed him but he let me go."
"Do you regret it?" he asked her.
"Nope." She said to him. "I regret hurting him because he didn't deserve it but I don't regret leaving Jersey. I love my job- I've never had a job before." She laughed. "I've met some pretty great people too."
"Does that include me?" he asked her.
"Yea you just make the cut." She teased. "How's Maria by the way?"
"You don't understand us." Punk said to her.
"What's to understand? You're with her and you're sleeping with me." She pointed out.
"Maria and I have been together for a very long time." He said looking straight ahead. "We've both been with other people but we pretend we don't know about it. It's weird but it works for us."
"I'm not judging." AJ said to him as they passed a movie theatre. "Oh they're showing Ghostbusters again!" she smiled seeing the huge poster. "I love when they re-release the classics."
"You like Ghostbusters?" Punk asked amused.
"Of course!" she said wit a big smile.
"Let's go." He said stopping in front of theatre.
"Don't you just want to get back to the City?" she asked him.
"No I want to see this movie with you." He said and she gave in and walked towards him. He surprised her by her grabbing her hand but she didn't fight it. He walked up to the ticket window and got them two tickets to the movie. AJ couldn't remember the last time her husband had taken her to the movies.
The movie was great and both Punk and AJ finished famous lines from the film and pigged out on popcorn and shared a soda. The theatre was pretty empty and Punk's arm remained draped over her chair throughout most of the film. Right before the film ended however they ended up making out like a bunch of teenagers.
Neither realized the film was over until Punk felt someone tap his shoulder. It was an older man with a broom in his hand.
"The movie's been over for a while now." He smiled at the young (not)couple.
"Right, sorry man." Punk said standing up and taking AJ's hand into his own again.
"Thanks for the movie." She said with a happy grin.
"Thank you for making it more enjoyable." He retorted.
"Woah is that you Brooks!" a voice shouted and Punk froze. AJ had no idea that was even his last name.
"What's wrong?" AJ asked as Punk dropped her hand.
"It is! Holy shit!" a man in the theatre uniform laughed. "You look so good man!"
"Yea thanks." Punk said to him.
"Haven't seen you since Mikey's last birthday." He noted. "Shame what happened to him. Family turning on family is always sick."
"What he did was sick." Punk corrected.
"Whose this?" he asked looking to AJ. AJ eyed the almost 40-year-old man with a weird look.
"She's a friend." Punk said to him.
"You hold all of your friends hands?" he asked curiously. "I thought you were told stay out of New York?"
"You're not he mafia." Punk laughed. "I do a lot of business in New York, my brother doesn't this City." He said towering over the man.
"I bet you do a lot of things in the City." He said looking past him over to AJ.
"Don't." Punk warned him. "Let's go." He said holding his hand out again for AJ which she took.
"Bye Brooks!" he shouted with a laugh. "I'll tell Randy I bumped into you!"