Found
"Look at you." Liz smiled, walking into AJ's office, having been off for a few weeks, noticing how much AJ's bump had grown since the last time she saw her, "How far along are you now?" She asked as AJ sat down some of her papers.
"Six months." AJ nodded and smiled. She had a very sizeable bump shown over her dress which had been growing over the past few weeks.
"It's gonna fly in." Liz said, "Did you find out what it is?" She asked curiously as AJ nodded.
"It's a girl." AJ smiled and nodded. After finding out it was a girl, both AJ and Punk were elated with the news and were already starting to have such a close bond with their baby girl. AJ felt so much love growing already, and really couldn't wait to meet their daughter. The past few months had been great. She was still carrying on with her work and everyday life, whilst trying their best to prepare for their new arrival.
"Oh, a girl." Liz smiled happily, "That's wonderful." She nodded, "How have you been feeling?" She asked.
"You know what, I've been fine." AJ laughed a little to her own surprise, "I've had no morning sickness, no back ache, I've not been overly tired… I think the biggest problem I've had is how horny I am." She rolled her eyes as Liz laughed, "I'm serious. It's like ridiculous." She shook her head.
"Well, I'm sure you have ways to help that situation." Liz smiled.
"Well of course." AJ nodded as Liz laughed.
"So how long are you gonna stay at work for? You're getting big." She nodded, "Can I touch?" She pointed to her stomach.
"Yeah." AJ nodded, letting Liz place her hand on her tummy, "You know, me and Phil were at the mall the other day, we're trying to get the nursery sorted… and this woman just walked up to me and put her hand on my stomach." She shook her head, "I thought Phil was going to spear her through the wall." She said as Liz laughed.
"Yeah, it's a little strange." Liz nodded.
"I guess I'm just staying at work until I can. Nothing past eight months." She nodded, "But I've been given lighter work to do anyway." She shrugged.
"You're looking amazing." Liz said as AJ smiled.
"Thank you." AJ nodded, "I've not hit the… feeling sorry for myself, can't tie my shoe laces stage yet." She said, "I assume that's when I'll stop coming to work." She smiled as Liz nodded.
"As long as you're taking care of yourself." Liz nodded.
"I am." AJ smiled, "I'm going to a parenting thing tonight… well actually it's not necessarily parenting it's just for mom's. My OB recommended I go. It's with other new, first-time mom's." AJ shook her head.
"That sounds good. Sharing fears is a good thing." Liz nodded.
"Yeah, and I also don't have any friends besides you and Phil's brothers girlfriend, who I don't see that much." She shrugged, "But my OB scares me so I feel like I have to go." She said as Liz laughed.
"It won't be so bad. It might ease your nerves a little." Liz said as AJ nodded, "At least now I know it's a girl I can start buying things."
"You don't have to buy anything." AJ warned.
"Oh, be quiet. I'll be kitting her out with a full wardrobe. It's been a while since I got to buy baby clothes." She said as AJ smiled.
"Yeah, we've already started." AJ nodded, "Phil just wants to keep buying headbands for her." She shook her head as Liz smiled.
"That's sweet." Liz said, "I'm glad everything is going well." She nodded, rubbing AJ's shoulder as AJ nodded.
"Yeah, things are good." AJ nodded, looking down at her bump and smiling.
"Ok, I better get back to work, tell me when you're going for lunch and I'll come along." She said as AJ nodded, watching her leave the office as she smiled to herself.
After work, AJ had gone to the mom class she'd signed up to go to. She didn't really want to go, but once she was there she felt better about it, and she enjoyed talking to the different new moms about their crazy cravings and awful morning sickness.
She then took a lot of excitement in standing at the stand where some cookies were set up and different slices of cake.
"That one is nice." A woman smiled, pointing to one of the cakes as AJ turned around, "I told myself I'd stop coming over here." She laughed a little as AJ smiled.
"I've been standing here for fifteen minutes." AJ said, "I think I'm more interested in this stand than anything else right now." She admitted as the woman laughed.
"I'm Colette." She said.
"April." AJ nodded, "I assume this is your first?" She asked as Colette nodded.
"Yeah." Colette smiled, "Probably last too. The morning sickness has been ridiculous." She shook her head.
"Yeah, I feel out of place here. I've not been sick once." AJ shook her head.
"Then you're incredibly lucky." She said, completely jealous.
"I feel it, listening to everyone's stories." AJ nodded, "How far along are you?"
"Just gone on 7 months." Colette nodded, "What about you?"
"Six." AJ smiled, "She's been kicking a lot recently." AJ nodded. It was nice to speak to women who were in the same situation as her, so they could exchange stories and worries with each other. She didn't think it would help, but it really had.
"She?" Colette smiled, "You found out?"
"Yeah. My boyfriend is like a kid. He's extremely impatient." AJ nodded as Colette smiled, "You haven't?"
"No. I like the idea of being surprised." Colette nodded, "I think we might just be the only two women in here who aren't married." She laughed as AJ smiled and looked around at all the other mom's, "I can't believe how many times I heard the word husband tonight." She rolled her eyes.
"At least they've got it figured out." AJ said as Colette nodded, "So you're… just in a casual relationship?" AJ asked.
"No, no relationship." Colette nodded as AJ looked at her, "My boyfriend died on tour. He was in the army." She said.
"Oh… I'm so sorry." AJ shook her head, "I-I can't imagine how that feels." AJ sighed.
"I didn't know I was pregnant until after. He'd gone back and just a few weeks later I got the phone call." Colette said as AJ frowned, "I try to come to as many of these little group things as possible, in case I meet another mom who is single and… doing this on her own." She said, "But everyone seems to have these picture perfect lives." She sighed as AJ shook her head.
"I think they just want us to believe that. No one has it figured out." AJ shook her head.
"Your boyfriend is the guy that was on death row, right?" Colette asked as AJ nodded, "Must be a nice turn of events now." She smiled as AJ nodded.
"Yeah, something good to look forward to. Finally." AJ nodded, "I may not be single or… doing this on my own but… we're all scared, we're all not sure what we're doing, but we'll learn as we go. That's what I tell myself anyway." She laughed a little as Colette smiled.
"Yeah." Colette smiled, "Will you take another slice of cake if I do? I don't want to look greedy by myself." She said as AJ smiled and nodded.
"That's an offer I won't refuse." AJ nodded, taking another slice and continuing to chat with the friendly woman.
"So it went well?" Punk asked, lying in bed later that night, having gotten home from work later than usual, looking on as AJ walked out of the bathroom.
"Yeah, you know… it wasn't as bad as I thought." AJ nodded, "I got free cake." She said as he raised his eyebrows.
"Wow. You must have had a great night." He said as she nodded, getting into bed as he watched with a smile. She had been glowing through her pregnancy, and he thought she looked even more beautiful with her bump. He was just as excited to meet their daughter as she was, and he was trying his best to figure out he was going to be the best father he could be to her.
"I did." AJ smiled, sitting against the headboard as he looked up at her, "I met this woman… she was super nice." She nodded.
"You made a friend too?" Punk asked, gasping dramatically, "I can't believe it." He said as she shoved him and laughed.
"Her boyfriend died overseas and she found out she was pregnant a few weeks after." AJ shook her head as Punk frowned, "I really wanted to run home and hug you." She admitted, looking at him as he smiled up at her, "I can't imagine how that would feel." She shook her head and sighed. She couldn't stop thinking about Colette. She was such a nice woman who seemed incredibly strong. Her story really made her thankful that she wasn't doing this alone.
"You don't have to." Punk nodded, "I'm here." He reminded her as she smiled and nodded, "Did you take her number?"
"I did." AJ nodded, "We bonded over eating too much cake and being horny." She said.
"April, you're draining me." Punk laughed to himself tiredly as AJ gasped.
"I'm sorry, do you have little feet kicking you in the stomach all day?" She asked him, "It's like she's trying to kick her way out." She groaned a little, "So if the one thing you can do for me is put your dick in me, then you'll do it." She said, "It's how we got here in the first place." She said as he laughed and nodded.
"Hey, I'm not complaining about the sex, I just can't keep up." He said as she smiled.
"Don't act like you could keep up before I was pregnant." She laughed as he rolled his eyes.
"So you're gonna meet this woman again?" Punk asked her as she nodded.
"Yeah, she has my number." AJ nodded, "I couldn't believe how strong she was." She shook her head, "I couldn't imagine having our baby and her… not knowing you." She shook her head, tensing at the thought of it as he sat up against the headboard, "She needs to know how great you are." She said as Punk smiled.
"She will." Punk said as she nodded and smiled, "Is she kicking?" He asked her, placing his hand on her tummy.
"No. She's probably sleeping. The minute I'll try fall asleep she'll wake up and start kicking me. She hates me already." She shook her head as Punk laughed.
"She doesn't." Punk said, "She loves you." He kissed the side of her head, "Do you think she'll believe us when we tell her we met in high school?" He asked as AJ laughed a little.
"Why wouldn't she?" AJ asked.
"Well it's not common these days, is it? Relationships from high school lasting." He said.
"I think she'll think its romantic." AJ smiled to him.
"We're her parents. Anything to do with how much we love each other she'll avoid." He laughed.
"Not when she's like 4 or 5." AJ said, "She'll love it." She smiled. It was sometimes surreal to remember that in a few short months, it wouldn't just be the two of them anymore like it had been since they were kids.
"Do you still remember the day we met?" He asked her as she nodded.
"Of course I do." She smiled to him.
"Did you get me an extra brownie?" Punk asked, sitting down in the school cafeteria, the first day back after Summer, already exhausted from doing pretty much nothing.
"No, I didn't. I'm not stealing them for you anymore. I always get caught." Dean shook his head.
"Pussy." Punk teased, sitting across from him as Dean kicked him under the table.
"Shut up." Dean spat, "Maybe you should lay off the brownies."
"Yeah, alright, mister I just got onto the football team." Punk made a face.
"I'm gonna get all the girls now." Dean smirked.
"I'm sure you will." Punk laughed to himself, fixing his bandana holding back his blonde hair, "Is mom working night shift tonight?" He asked him.
"Yeah, I think so. She said she'd leave us dinner to heat up. If you listened to her this morning." Dean said.
"I don't listen to anyone in the morning." Punk informed him as Dean nodded.
"Hey, what's the deal over there?" Dean pointed as Punk turned around, looking over at the few kids around a girl sitting on her own, a girl they didn't recognise at all. Punk watched as one of the kids took some of the food from her tray, another pushing her a little whilst another went through her bag.
"What the fuck." Punk shook his head, standing up from the table as Dean joined him and walked over to the table. He couldn't tolerate any type of bullying.
"Hey!" Punk shouted, watching the kids standing around the girl turn to him, "Put the food back, stop touching her and sit her bag down." He warned as Dean stood beside him.
"Who the hell are you?" One of the boys laughed as Punk grabbed him by the throat.
"Someone who hates bullies." Punk spat, choking him as the others backed away, "Get the fuck away." He pushed him away, watching the kid fall back onto his back, watching as they cleared off immediately as he and Dean looked on at the girl sitting with her head down, "You alright?" Punk nudged her as she looked up at both of them and nodded.
"Did they take your brownie?" Dean cringed as Punk rolled his eyes.
"Do you wanna sit with us?" Punk asked her bluntly as she looked up at both of them, "We don't bite." He laughed a little as she just nodded.
"Ok." She said, standing up and taking her things over to where they were sitting.
"What's your name?" Dean asked her.
"April. Just call me AJ." She said.
"AJ." Punk nodded, "I'm Phil. This is my little brother Dean." He said as Dean nodded to her.
"Oh, you're brothers?" AJ shook her head. They didn't really look like brothers.
"Unfortunately." Dean smiled, "There's just a year between us." He said, "You're in my biology class, right?"
"Yeah." AJ nodded, "I just moved here. I came from New Jersey."
"Welcome to Chicago." Punk smiled to her as she just nodded, "No one will bother you if you sit here." He said as she just nodded. They seemed friendly enough, and she liked that they were brothers, and she was glad that at least someone had noticed those kids harassing her.
"Do you want another brownie?" Dean asked her.
"Oh, I don't have anymore money." AJ shook her head.
"That's ok. I'll just steal it." Dean said, standing up and wandering away as AJ gulped.
"He-He doesn't need to." AJ shook her head worriedly. She didn't want anyone stealing for her.
"Oh, it's fine. He does it all the time." Punk waved his hand as AJ watched closely as Dean made his way to the front of the line, slipping two brownies in his pocket and casually walking back over to the table.
"Here you go." Dean smiled, passing her the brownie as she took it and smiled to herself.
"No one has ever stole a brownie for me." She teased with a smile, "Thanks." She nodded to them both as Punk just smiled to himself.
Later that night, AJ lay in bed, watching Punk enviously as he slept so peacefully and calmly, meanwhile she lay on her back, feeling their baby girl kick and jab at her repeatedly. She was very energetic at night, and AJ couldn't remember the last time she'd had a decent sleep.
She sighed to herself and got up out of bed, leaving the bedroom and walking off downstairs to get herself a glass of water and maybe a snack if she felt hungry enough to make one. She hoped that the walking around would stop the baby from kicking.
She got herself a glass of water and then looked in the fridge, humming to herself trying to figure out what she could make when she spotted something over in the corner of the kitchen counter, raising a brow as she leaned over and picked up the black little ball, almost like a button or chip, keeping it in the palm of her hand, wondering where it came from and what it actually was.
A/N: Let me know what you think!