Out

The day finally came which Punk never thought would happen. He was finally released from prison after Michael out ruled all possibilities that he was connected or involved with the murder. The feeling of getting his handcuffs off, getting out of his prison wear and back into normal clothing, as well as the promise of a hot shower later on with a decent meal… he never thought he'd see the day and he really wouldn't take his life for granted anymore.

Dean picked him up straight away from the prison. There were a ton of press waiting outside to ask him questions but he didn't give them the time of day. They were the same press who were so easily labelling him a murderer and rapist. Tonight he was going to be with those who knew his innocence.

"So did Michael give you the go ahead to go back to Chicago?" Dean asked him as they walked down the side-walk towards the hotel which Dean had booked Punk a room in. Actually having his brother out walking free with him was something he never thought twice about before, but now, knowing that he could have lost him, he cherished it way more.

"He said he wants me to stay around here for the time being." Punk said, "Just in case he needs me, for what I don't know." He shrugged, "But as long as I'm out of that hell hole, I really don't care where I am." He nodded truthfully.

"It's so good to see you out." Dean patted him on the back as Punk nodded.

"It's good to be out." Punk said, "I keep thinking… you know, I could be dead right now." Punk said as Dean turned to him, "I know I can't think like that all the time but… it's true." He said.

"Looking at life a little differently now?" Dean smiled, stepping into the hotel with him.

"A little." Punk nodded, "Definitely not gonna waste a minute of it, that's for sure." Punk nodded, "Don't think I'll ever get over it. I wake up in the middle of the night and I'm sweating. Like… not even just forehead sweat… like my back is dripping." He said.

"Nightmares?" Dean asked him sadly.

"It's not even nightmares it's just like flashing images." Punk said, "And it's just a reminder of that fear… sitting there waiting just to be… injected and killed, not knowing what it'd be like to feel… nothing." Punk said, "I hope when I do die I know nothing about it." He shook his head.

Dean knew that his brother was still suffering on some level, even though he was released and given the all clear. What he'd gone through like Michael said, not a lot of people had experienced that, having to be sitting on death row, have a final visitation, prepare for their own death just for it to be stopped at the last second. It was something that he was sure would always stay with his brother. He just hoped it wouldn't cause problems.

"So is AJ still here?" Punk asked as they headed for the elevator in the hotel lobby.

"Yeah, she's in her room." Dean nodded, "I'm uh… I'm not gonna ask… well, actually I am." Dean waved his hand, "What's going on with you two?" He asked.

"What?" Punk shook his head, "Uh… nothing." Punk laughed a little.

"You kissed." Dean said, "I'm not blind."

"Yeah well my lights were about to get turned off. She was upset. I was upset." He said, "Just happened."

"You know, I don't think she's as happy as she's letting onto." Dean said as the elevator stopped and let them out on their floor.

"What makes you say that?" Punk asked.

"Well, she's here and her husband is in Chicago." Dean said.

"She just wanted to see me get out." Punk shrugged.

"For a second can you just… stop avoiding everything." Dean said, stopping in the middle of the corridor, "I've never been more frustrated these past few weeks, one being because I knew you were innocent and I thought you were gonna be killed for something you didn't do. Two, because you still love her and she still loves you and you're both doing everything you can to avoid that." Dean said, "Your break-up was stupid anyway-"

"I always appreciated you being our number one fan, Dean." Punk nodded, "But she's married and she seems happy… you can't judge her on these past few weeks. We've all been a mess." He said, "She loves this guy. Just let that be. Who am I to question her marriage? She's been with him for a good few years. She wouldn't be with him if he wasn't good to her or they didn't have something good together." Punk said, "Me nearly dying… doesn't change anything." He said as Dean just shook his head.

"There's something not right about him." Dean said. He just had a bad feeling. He'd gotten to know Ben, way more than Punk did, and he just got strange vibes from him.

"You're just saying that." Punk shook his head.

"No, I'm serious." Dean said, standing in the hotel corridor, "He's just… he's too nice, you know?" Dean said, "Not to mention he has no sense of humour."

"Dean." Punk tutted.

"Ok, but seriously… there's something not right about him. He's edgy. You know my feelings are mostly right." He said as Punk nodded, rubbing his stubble and sighing.

"It's not for us to interfere." Punk said, "Ok?"

"Ok." Dean put his hands up, "I'm just saying he's strange and just because AJ isn't your girlfriend anymore… she's still my best friend." He said.

"She's my friend too." Punk reminded him, Hell, she saved my life." He raised his eyebrows as Dean coughed and folded his arms, "And you. You saved my life too." Punk nodded as Dean nodded.

"Mhm that's right." Dean said as Punk smiled.

"I missed this." Punk smiled to him as he looked across at him, "I was worried about you… if I were to go. Told AJ to keep an eye on you." He nodded.

"Can't promise how I would have been without you." Dean said as Punk nodded.

"Doesn't matter now." Punk reinforced, "It's over." He sighed, messing Dean's hair as he laughed lightly. He had to remind himself that it was over. For him anyway. His innocence was proven and he was no longer in the picture. He was nothing but the falsely accused, and he could return to his life again, and try and pick it back up where he left off.

"C'mon, I promised you pizza, didn't I?" Dean said as Punk nodded, walking along the corridor, opening up one of the doors into the room as Punk followed, noticing AJ was there, not realising she would have been joining them, not having a problem of course. It was nice to see her in casual clothes like he remembered her in.

"Hey." Punk smiled, placing his hands in his hoodies pockets as she stood up, nodding to him.

"Nice to… see you out." AJ smiled, a feeling of relief sweeping over her seeing him free and in touching distance.

"Nice to be out." Punk smiled back as Dean rolled his eyes.

"Alright, who wants pizza?" He budged between them both as they both just smiled to one another softly and decided on a pizza.

A few hours later they were eating pizza and watching rubbish TV, and AJ felt like herself again for the first time in a long time. They brought out that childish, bubbly, happy side of her that she hadn't been met with in such a long time. It all felt so overwhelming given what they had been through, thinking they were going to lose Punk and thankfully turning the tables and proving his innocence.

Sitting with them, she realised how much she missed them. How much she missed her life with them, and every now and then she'd glance at Punk who was already staring at her, and she realised how much she missed her life with him.

It was worrying her a lot, because she felt that little thing called a wedding ring nip her every time she stared at him lustfully.

Punk couldn't stop himself if he tried. Being back in touching distance with her, with nothing barricading him away from her, watching her smile and laugh, it was almost too much for him, because he kept being reminded that she wasn't his. She had a husband, and it wasn't him. But that didn't stop him from gazing over at her.

"Alright." Dean groaned, stuffed from all the pizza, "I'm gonna go to my room." He told them, deliberately trying to leave a little early to trap them, which of course Punk knew that's what he was doing.

"It's still early." AJ laughed a little, standing up from the bed, placing the empty pizza boxes over onto the desk as Dean yawned and stretched.

"I know but I ate too much and now I need to sleep." He explained as Punk laughed to himself. Sometimes he just thought to himself, I'm glad I'm not dead.

"Fair enough." AJ laughed a little, wondering if Punk was going to stay, she didn't see any signs of him moving.

"Can I use your laptop?" Dean pointed over to the mac sitting on the desk which AJ normally used for work along with Ben.

"What for?" AJ laughed, walking over and sitting back down on the bed whilst Punk lay down on the opposite side, trying to keep his distance from AJ.

"Uh… googling." Dean said as AJ raised a brow.

"If you're using it for porn just tell me." AJ shrugged.

"Porn." Dean said.

"Fine, just erase the history and be careful what stuff you go into." She warned as Dean nodded, snatching the laptop up and leaving the room as Punk shook his head.

"He hasn't changed, has he?" Punk looked up at her.

"No." AJ smiled, "Not one bit. You haven't either, to be fair." She said as he looked up at her.

"Have I not got better looking?" He asked her as she laughed a little.

"You went downhill after your blonde hair. C'mon." She said as he smiled and nodded.

"You're right. I was a stud with that hair." He said, placing his hands behind his head as AJ smiled watching him. He looked relaxed and happy, and it was what he deserved. Just having him here with her, being able to talk to him when she thought she'd never be able to do that again, it meant so much to her.

"So you're staying here for a little while until Michael says otherwise?" AJ asked him.

"Yeah." Punk said, "Just to make sure that everything is really cleared up. I mean I think they got everything they need, otherwise they wouldn't have released me." He said, "I also wanna see that girl… Alberto's wife. Thank her in person." He said as AJ nodded, "Things will just resume back to the way they were before this all happened… it'll be like it… never even happened." He nodded to himself.

"Is that what you're hoping?" AJ asked him as he tilted his head and looked at her. He then sat up against the headboard beside her as she watched him.

"Are you happy?" Punk asked her, letting Dean get inside his head.

"What?" AJ laughed a little.

"Are you happy?" Punk asked as she looked at him, taking a little too long to reply but eventually getting there.

"Yeah, of course I am." AJ nodded, "Why?" She asked.

"I just… I wanna make sure you're happy." He said, "If… If I could go back… back to when we were still together, I would have…" He looked down, "I would have fought a little harder for us." He said, "To be honest, you being married… it's sour." He nodded, looking up at her, "Even more sour because I know you don't have with him what you had with me." He said, not being able to hold himself back.

"Phil." AJ shook her head, wishing that he wouldn't go there. Mostly because she knew he was right.

"What? I'm just saying." Punk shrugged, "I… I still care about you. And I'm sorry that I couldn't be the man you wanted." He said, "Biggest regret of my life." He said, "When you're sitting on death row, you start thinking about all the things that you fucked up."

"it wasn't just you." AJ said, "It was an agreement. We were becoming different people. It wasn't healthy." She said, "And we moved on." She nodded, "I found Ben and he knows that you will always have a place in my heart… but I do love him." She nodded as he looked at her, watching her gulp as soon as she said it, knowing that it was suddenly a huge question mark for her.

"I don't think you can be together like we were, be in love like we were… and be able to really move on." He said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah." AJ agreed, looking into his eyes as he looked back. She hated this. Not because of him, but because of her situation. Being back around him again, she realised why she'd fallen so madly in love with him in the first place. All those tucked away feelings she'd tried to disguise were springing back out.

"I missed you." He whispered, placing his hand on top of hers as she tensed a little, looking up at him as she nodded.

"I missed you." She said quietly, looking into his eyes, watching as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. At first she moaned a little with relief, cupping his face and deepening the kiss. She desperately wanted him. She was reminded right now that she would always want him. The only reason she hadn't had those feelings, was because she'd completely isolated herself from him after their break-up, but being back around him, she couldn't control herself.

Punk didn't really care that he was kissing a married woman. He knew that was pretty bad of him, but after spending so long waiting for his death, he just wanted to live for a second, and she brought out the best in him.

It was almost frustrating that they had to feel guilty about doing something that had always felt so right.

AJ got carried away and allowed him to pull her over him, straddling his hips as he leaned against the headboard, deepening the kiss, a way more passionate and hot kiss than the one they shared at his final visitation. She could really feel his body again, threading her fingers through his air as his hands roamed the small of her back. It was the greatest feeling in the world… but the burden of being that woman who cheats on her husband was too much for her.

"N-No…" AJ pulled back as he kissed the side of her mouth and sighed.

"Why?" Punk groaned, almost child-like.

"Because." AJ shook her head, taking his hands from her and getting off of him, trying to get herself together, "Because I'm married." She sighed, getting off the bed and running her hand through her hair as he looked over at her and sighed.

"And does your marriage feel as right as those few seconds we just kissed?" He asked her as she turned away from him, her back facing him as she sighed to herself, "I'm no homewrecker… but I think we both know what's going on here." He stood up from the bed.

"No… no, what's going on is that I thought you were going to die." AJ turned around to him, "And I'm still caught up in all of that." She said, "We broke up because it didn't work out… and I found someone I love." She said, "And I'm not going to cheat on him with you."

"You're only lying to yourself." He said quietly, "What we have… whether you thought I was dying or not… it's not gonna go away. It's way too deep." He shook his head as she looked across at him, "And maybe that's easier for me to say because I'm not married… but I still fucking want you, April." He said as she looked across at him, tears welling in her eyes.

"I think you should go." She whispered as he nodded, "And I think… I need to go back home." She folded her arms, quickly drying her tears as she watched. He knew she wouldn't have been so upset if all the things he was saying weren't true. They still loved one another. Very clearly.

He just nodded, "I won't stand in your way." He said, "Just know I still love you." He said as his head shot up, "And I just want you to be happy." He nodded as her lip quivered.

She wanted so badly to tell him how much she still wanted him and loved him and wished that she never gave up on them either… but she was stuck on trying to be a good person and be good to her husband.

"Please go." AJ nodded.

"Ok." Punk said, "Goodnight." He said, leaving the room. He promised he wouldn't interfere or cause trouble, but being back with her again for the night like old times, it just brought those feelings back, and he missed her and loved her just the same as he did when they were eighteen and had a crush on each other that eventually turned into something so much more.

Meanwhile, Dean was in his hotel room, sitting at the desk with AJ's laptop opened up. He may have looked like he didn't really know what was going on at most times, but he was smarter than most people thought… very smart.

Over the course of the weeks, he had managed to see Ben signing into his emails whilst he was helping them. When he told Punk that he got strange vibes from Ben it was mostly to do with how hidden he kept his emails. How he had to log out of it every time he sat up from the laptop. It was strange and Dean didn't miss anything, especially regarding AJ and her safety.

He typed in the email address and password, smiling to himself as it logged in. He'd grew up in foster care at a time where sneaking around on people was a main talent that needed to be learned. Obviously it carried over into adult life.

He scrolled through the emails, not seeing anything that was particularly alarming until he saw a familiar email address, tilting his head as he clicked on it and watched it appear, reading it to himself as his mouth slowly gaped open wider and wider.

"Oh my God."

A/N: Let me know what you think!