Confirmation

Punk was sitting in the visitor's room of the prison his brother was in. There was a long line of people talking to their loved ones through the thick glass on the phone and most were crying about how much they loved the person spending only god knows how long behind bars but Punk wouldn't have that problem. His brother being behind bars was the biggest relief of his life and he had hoped he'd never get out. The last thing he thought he'd ever do is see his brother. He hadn't seen him since finding out he was the mastermind behind AJ's abduction but he knew he had to do this for her.

"Baby brother." Mike greeted as both picked up the phone to speak through the glass. "You look good. Not as good as me but still good. You get my note?"

"I did." Punk said blandly.

"Did you not understand it? Big fancy job 'writing' you think you'd know how to read by now." Mike laughed.

"Why did you do that to her?" Punk asked bluntly. "You took the plea, you admitted it you did it but you never said why."

"Why?" Mike asked with a smirk. "Why did I do it? I don't know why do you think I did it?"

"Because you hate me." Punk said to him.

"Revenge is a dish best served cold." Mike said to him. "It wasn't about hurting you and look at that you got her back!" he laughed. "Congrats on the marriage again what's next? Kids?"

"That's not an answer." Punk said coldly. "How long where you planning on keeping her there?"

"I wonder if you'll have a boy or a girl first." Mike pondered ignoring his other question. "If I were you I wouldn't want a boy. He might turn out like me or worse you." He smirked. "He'd be a little monster. But if you have a girl she'll probably end up like…"

"Stop." Punk warned him.

"Your boy would be a criminal and your daughter would be a victim." Mike said casually as Punk's blood began to boil. "A criminal like his father and victim like her mother."

"AJ isn't a victim." Punk said to him proudly. "She survived."

"Did she tell you about the times I'd go visit her?" Mike asked him. "I'd go maybe twice a month to check in on her."

"You're a liar." Punk said with a laugh.

"I would go into her bedroom or whatever the hell you'd call that attic she lived in was and I'd fuck her." Mike said to him and Punk's face fell. "She didn't put up much of a fight and to be honest I think she liked it because she came for me every single time."

"You're a fucking liar." Punk hissed.

"She really didn't tell you?" Mike asked him with a laugh. "Don't be mad at her she was probably just lonely that's why she didn't fight me. Now that I thin about it, it was pretty consensual."

"Shut the fuck up you lying piece of shit." Punk growled feeling his chest tighten.

"Whatever man, so what brings you here?" Mike asked as if he hadn't just dropped a bomb on Punk. He leaned back in his seat and look at Punk.

Punk was here to speak to him about Ryan but now Punk's mind was completely fogged with visions of jumping through the glass and killing his brother. His fist tightened around the phone while he shot daggers at his brother.

"Hello?" Mike mocked waving his hand over the glass to get Punk's attention. "Come one man!" he laughed. "Did you expect anything less from me? By the way your wife was so tight that I had to actually stick-"

"Fucking liar!" Punk yelled slamming his phone into the glass that would not break.

Mike let out a loud laugh as Punk's entire face went red as he tried to break the glass. Three guards came over and tried to calm Punk down but he was still fuming. Mike had no idea what he was saying since Punk dropped his phone but he knew it wasn't very nice. He continued to laugh as his brother got dragged away by the guards and waved goodbye sarcastically.

"This is a role reversal." Dean laughed walking into the police station. "Last night you were bailing me out." He said looking at Punk who didn't seem happy.

"Just get me the fuck out of here." Punk said as if he had no energy.

"What's the fucking problem?" Dean asked walking over to the desk and speaking to the officer as he pulled out the cash. "Seriously? What did you do? And I assume you don't want AJ to know because if you did you would have called her instead of me."

"I went to see Mike." Punk said to him. "And I haven't been arrested I just have to pay for the damages but didn't bring money with me."

"Don't worry you'll pay me back I'm sure." Dean laughed. "So what happened? Did you beat big brother to death with a chair and break the chair?"

"I can't talk about it." Punk said standing up as Dean finished up.

"Why not? You can at least tell me." Dean scuffed. "Tonight was my big first date night with Bayley and you fucked it up."

"I went to ask him about Ryan." Punk said as they walked out of the station. "I didn't even get a chance to fucking ask him about it." He hissed annoyed with himself.

"Why?" Dean asked him.

"He said some things about AJ." Punk mumbled under his breath.

"That's what he does." Dean chuckled. "The easiest way to get under your skin is by using AJ. Why do you take everything he says so seriously?"

"He said he was with her." Punk said to Dean.

"Yea for eight months I remember." Dean said to him. "This is new information to you?"

"He said he was raping her." Punk told him bluntly and Dean stopped walking.

"No." Dean said shaking his head. "She would have told us."

"Would she?" Punk asked him. "Or would she do what she always does and try to protect our feelings because she knew if she told us-"

"We'd kill him." Dean finished for him. "No way." Dean said refusing to believe it. "She's not that good of a liar."

"Her therapist said she wasn't dealing properly. It's like she's blocked all that fucking time out of her head!" Punk argued. "When we went back there she didn't cry, she didn't frown it didn't phase her in the slightest!"

"So what are you saying?" Dean asked him. "You don't believe it, do you? She wouldn't lie to you or me for that matter! You're letting you're crazy fucked up brother get into your head!"

"Why lie?" Punk asked him.

"I don't fucking know! He's your fucked up brother!" Dean yelled in the street. "And so what if he did?"

"What?" Punk asked taking a threatening step towards Dean.

"I mean she seems fine! Why grudge it all up again? Just let sleeping dogs lie!" Dean shouted.

"Fuck that! If he touched her-" he started.

"You'll what?" Dean asked. "The guy is already in prison what can you possibly do?"

"I should just know that's all." Punk said unsure of what he would actually do.

"Why?" Dean asked him. "So you can look at her differently? So you can imagine that sick fuck on top of her? Just leave it alone! For all of your sanities just leave it alone."

"I can't." Punk said shaking his head. "I have to know."

"If she wanted you to know she would have told you." Dean reminded him.

"I asked her point blank if anyone touched her and she told me no. She looked me right in the eye and said no and she was lying." Punk said to him and Dean rolled his eyes.

"Don't make this an honesty/lie thing." Dean warned him. "That's not what this is about. If it happened it happened to AJ and its up to her to decide on how she wants to handle it."

"No if it happened to her it affects me too." Punk argued.

"Stop being so fucking selfish!" Dean yelled. "No one wants to know!"

"I do!" Punk yelled back.

"So fuck you than!" Dean said walking away from him.

Punk thought Dean would be his ally in getting AJ to open up but clearly Dean couldn't deal with the harsh reality of what happened to AJ.

When Punk walked in the door the entire penthouse was covered in candles and AJ clearly had her mind set on a romantic evening. He frowned knowing he was going to ruin it for her.

"Hi." AJ said from the doorway in the bedroom. She was posing against the doorframe in a sexy one-piece lingerie that looked to be red silk. "We got interrupted last night so I figured tonight we'd make up for it."

He watched as she was slowly made her way over to him and almost cried out envisioning what Mike had told him. What did he do? How far did he go? Did he hurt her badly? Did she call out for him? Was she putting on a brave face just to protect him?

"Babe?" she asked confused tugging on his shirt and looking up at him. "What's wrong?" she frowned seeing he clearly wasn't in the mood.

Punk reached her shoulder where one of the thin straps on her nightie fell and gently tugged it back up over her shoulder and avoided her eyes the entire time.

"Seriously what's going on?" she asked him. "Did something happen?"

"You tell me." He said finally looking at her.

"I don't understand." She said confused. "Tell you what?"

"The night you got away and you were in the hospital do you remember it?" he asked her.

"Some of it." She said growing worried. "I was really out of it Phil. Why are you bringing this up right now?"

"Because I asked you a question in the hospital and I think you lied to me." He said to her.

"I really don't know what you're talking about." She said looking up at him still. "Stop talking in riddles and just spit it out. I've never lied to you Phil and I'm sure I didn't lie to you in the hospital. What question did you ask me?"

"About seeing my brother if he came around if he touched you." Punk clarified.

"What?" she asked with a laugh. "What has gotten into you? You need me to repeat this to you again? I barely saw your brother."

"Just a few times a month?" Punk asked.

"Yea if that." She said casually.

"What did he do?" Punk asked her swallowing a lump in his threat and AJ realized what he was hinting at and frowned.

"No." She whispered shaking her head. "Never Phil. He never raped me. No one did." She assured him gently.

"I saw him today." Punk said pulling away from her. "He told me."

"Told you what?" AJ asked scrunching up her face.

"What he would do to you!" he yelled. "He said-"

"He's lying to you Phil!" AJ yelled back at him. "Why wouldn't I tell you?"

"Why would he lie?" Punk countered. "It won't change anything I'll love you just the same but I have to know, please tell me." He begged frantically.

"I am telling you Phil." She said walking towards him with a sympathetic smile. "He never laid a hand on me. He's just trying to get into your head and torture you don't let him." She said cupping his face but Punk jerked away.

"I know what he's capable of." Punk reminded her. "I've seen it with my own two eyes."

"It didn't happen he just wanted to upset you and it looks like he has." She said stunned by his reaction.

"You've been too normal since you've been back which means something is off and I should have known." Punk said pacing back and forth. "I rushed you into a marriage and a big fancy wedding and you're already back to work! It's too fucking fast and it's distracting you!"

"I'm happy!" she said with a laugh. "That's why I've been so normal because I am normal Phil! I stepped out of that room and into your rooms and I've never felt safer or more loved in my entire life." She said genuinely. "Please baby calm down." She pleaded trying to grab a hold of his wrists.

"I can't calm down." He insisted. "What he did-"

"-was nothing!" she yelled.

"You'd tell me?" Punk asked her with tears in her eyes and she felt herself getting choked up herself seeing his devastated face.

"Of course you're my partner. My best friend." She reminded him. "I'd tell you anything."

"Even if you thought you were protecting me? I can handle it AJ." He said sniffling slightly but trying to sound strong.

"Yes." She assured him with a soft smile and cupped his cheek and used her thumb to wipe away a tear that escaped his eye. "I've never lied to you and never will. Whose word are you really going to take? Mine or your brothers?"

"Yours." He choked out. "I just-"

"I know." She whispered pulling his face down to hers and rested her forehead against his. "Nothing happened. Nothing happened." She kept repeating.

"I'd kill him." He whispered as he cried silent tears.

"I know." She said with a frown.

"What he did to Maria and that other poor woman- if he did it to you I have to know." He insisted.

"And you'd have a right to know." She agreed. "And I would have told you in the hospital if anything did happen but nothing did." She said in a soft whisper then smiled. "Look at me." She said and he made eye contact with her again. "I'm happy, I'm healthy and I was never hurt in the way you think I was. He's just playing games with you trying to break you. I swear on our marriage I would have told you."

"He got to me." Punk admitted feeling ashamed.

"It's ok." She said to him and he shook his head against hers.

AJ pressed her lips against his and he was reluctant to respond since he was in such an emotional state but he eventually did. His hands were right under her jaw as he forced the kiss harder and they gently dropped to the floor without parting lips. AJ sat in his lap as their kiss grew more intense and she felt him push the straps of her nightgown down in a hurry.

"I-" Punk started but AJ silenced him with her finger over her lips.

"I know." She smiled even though his eyes were still glassy and he cupped the back of her neck and kissed her again.

AJ's hands moved to his t-shirt while they continued to their kiss but parted only briefly so she could pull it off of his body completely. Punk's hand trailed down her side and rested at her hips for a few moments so they could enjoy the kiss but his hand did have a mind of his own as it pushed up her nightgown and began to tease her already slick folds.

"Make love to me." She requested only briefly stopping the kiss.

Punk slipped two fingers into her and while doing so gently laid her across the floor even though the couch was close and the bedroom was feet away. Punk's mouth left hers as he moved to her neck and down to her breasts and began to suck on the right one while he fondled the left one.

Eventually after giving her body enough attention he kissed his way back up as his he slid his fingers out of her and began to remove his shorts. He was impatient and only tugged them halfway down and even kept her nightie on as he pushed into her body gently. AJ let out a sweet sigh as Punk slowly rocked into her body on the floor.

AJ rested her feet flat onto the floor and bent her knees as she let him do all of the work. The floor was hardwood, cold and rough but Punk was so careful with her as he always was but this time was different it was sweet and gentle and he was truly showing he could and would take care of her no matter what.

They didn't last long because Punk was so emotionally high and AJ, well AJ never lasted when he was inside of her. Just as AJ was going to come Punk captured her lips but never slowed his movements. Even though AJ was moaning when she finally climaxed Punk kept kissing her mouth until he finally came himself.

"God damn I'm so in love with you." He confessed in a husky voice.

"I love you too." She smiled feeling completely satisfied. "We just made a baby." She said with a hopeful smile. "I can feel it." He gave her a weak smile and pushed some of her hair that was over her face behind her ear and leaned back down to kiss her.

Dean completely ditched Bayley last night. He said Punk had called and promised he'd be right back. He was going to cook for her at home so there was no pressure and they could sit down talk about everything. Instead Dean came home at around 3a.m completely hammered. Bayley heard him outside the door first and she helped him.

"You're a great girl." Dean said with a laugh as Bayley helped him get situated in bed. "But I'm no good for you."

Dean actually said the last sentence the most and that really bothered Bayley. She wasn't sure what happened but obviously something upset him and sent him straight to the bar. She didn't want to push him but she did want to help him. At eight she woke up for work and he was still passed out cold and bed. She left him to advil and a glass of water on his night table and kissed his cheek before exiting the apartment.

"Hey AJ." Bayley smiled knocking on her office door and peeking inside.

"Bayley!" AJ greeted waving her in. "How did it go last night?"

"It didn't." She admitted. "Dean was really upset and didn't come home."

"He didn't come home?" AJ asked alarmed.

"Well he did at like 3 but he was drunk, really, really, really drunk." Bayley confided.

"He was upset about something." AJ nodded.

"Does that happen every time he's upset?" Bayley asked her.

"No!" AJ said quickly. "He hasn't done that in a long time something must have really set him off."

"I was hoping you'd know because I'd like to help." Bayley said to her. "He got a call from Punk and ran out and promised he'd be right back."

"Phil called him?" AJ asked confused then it hit her. "Oh no." she said to herself.

"What is it?" Bayley asked.

"Phil went to his brother last night and he was under the impression that I was hurt more than I let on while I was gone. I bet he called Dean and told him." AJ said shaking her head.

"Are you ok?" Bayley asked concerned.

"Yes I'm fine and what he told Phil wasn't even true." AJ said to her.

"Well if he thought you were hurt I can understand him being so upset." Bayley said to her.

"I swear to you he doesn't do this normally." AJ said to her seriously. "It's just he gets to this place and he drinks a lot but this is the first time in over a year he has."

"I'm not mad at him I have no right to be. I just want to help him." Bayley said to her.

"I'll talk to him." AJ promised her. "I'll talk to him and fix all of this I'm so sorry."

"Why are you sorry? No one did anything bad." Bayley assured her. "He kept saying he wasn't good enough for me."

"He really likes you." AJ admitted. "He thinks he's not worthy."

"That's crazy." Bayley said blushing slightly. "It's really the other way around."

"You two are avoiding each other for the same reasons." AJ said to her. "It's such a waste of time. Just tell him how you feel and then he'll tell you and you both can just get on with it already."

"I'm not experienced AJ." Bayley whispered. "With anything."

"He won't pressure you or anything." AJ said to her.

"I don't think he would he's a great guy. But what if I won't be ready for a while? What if he gets bored? What if I'm just holding him back?" Bayley asked her.

"Dean knows that good things are worth the wait." AJ said to her. "And as far as that stuff goes you can always ask me. I don't mind."

"Thanks AJ." Bayley smiled.

"For right now Phil is still home because he had a rough night himself I'll call him and have him check on Dean." AJ said reaching for her phone.

As soon as AJ called Punk headed down to Dean's apartment knowing he was to blame for all of this. He had a bad feeling Dean was going to punch him in the face and he deserved it. He got him all worked up and didn't bother to call and tell him it was a false alarm.

Punk walked into the apartment with his spare key and caught Dean coming out of the bedroom. He was still in the clothes he was in last night, hair a mess and eyes bloodshot from drinking.

"You look like shit." Punk noted.

"Thanks." Dean muttered. "Where's Bales? Did you see her?"

"She's at work with AJ." Punk told him.

"Did you talk to AJ?" Dean asked hesitantly because part of him didn't want to know.

"I did." Punk confirmed. "And I'm so sorry I should have called you but we got so caught up in the moment." He said remembering the floor fondly. "Mike was lying."

"Are you sure?" Dean asked him.

"Yea she swore on our marriage, she looked me in the eyes she didn't even flinch when I brought it up she snorted it." Punk said to him. "I really should have told you last night sorry man."

"It would have been too late anyway." Dean said with a shrug. "I was wasted ten minutes after I left you anyway."

"Bayley was here last night and took care of you from what I've heard." Punk said to him.

"That was our big date night." Dean laughed. "Worst date ever."

"Let me make it up to you guys." Punk said to him. "I'll get you reservations anywhere you want, if you guys want to take a weekend trip I'll pay- let me make it up to you."

"That's ok. I put the booze down my throat." Dean said to him. "She's probably disgusted. She's such a good woman and I'm-"

"You're a guy who thought something terrible happened to someone you love." Punk finished for him. "She'll get that."

"She shouldn't have to." Dean said to her. "Arrested two nights ago and wasted last night. She probably won't even stay here anymore."

"Don't believe that." Punk laughed. "I purposely tried to get AJ to hate me and she wouldn't. You're not even trying you're just making innocent mistakes."

"No I'm being me." Dean said to him.

"Getting arrested for protecting her didn't upset her. And I'm pretty sure AJ explained last night and put all the blame on me so you're in the clear." Punk said to him. "Just talk to her."

"I don't have a choice now do I?" Dean asked sarcastically. "She lives here."

"She doesn't have to." Punk said with a shrug. "She can stay with us or I'll find her a place so she doesn't have to go back to a shelter."

"No." Dean said glaring at him. "I like her here she makes it a happy place and I need that in my life."

"I agree." Punk mocked. "Go take a shower and clean up because she'll be home eventually. Don't fuck it up this time."

"Sound advice thanks." Dean said glaring at him.