"So… your brother decided to gatecrash my higher class today." AJ told Elise whilst collapsing down on her couch in Elise's house. Elise had just put Toni to bed whilst AJ stood in the kitchen making herself something to eat. She'd came straight from the studio.
Sometimes she would just crash at Elise's, to save the bother of walking home so late. It went to show that wandering around after dark wasn't good when she was befriended with a girl whose family killed for a living.
Their friendship was now very casual, and they were comfortable enough to help each other to each others kitchens, and stay the night. It always seemed like AJ was crashing at Elise's since it was easier with Toni.
"Seriously?" Elise said.
"Don't worry. He didn't start anything." She said quickly, "In fact, he came to apologise." AJ said as Elise chuckled.
"Again? Once would have hurt him enough. C'mon… what was he really there for?" Elise asked.
"No, seriously… he just said he was there to apologise. He also said he was looking for you, but I told him you were mad, so I think he just left." AJ shrugged.
"Oh, AJ please don't buy his crap. He makes money by fooling people like that." Elise warned her.
"He looked genuine to me." AJ shrugged. She couldn't believe she was defending a killer here. A viscous killer. A monster, "If you're saying it's your father that controls everything, then… well, has your brother really had a choice?" AJ asked.
Elise had explained everything to her on the drive back after going to see Punk. She explained everything about the business. When it started, who was involved, what they really done etcetera. AJ was definitely shocked at some things, but completely amazed at how these men made a living out of such a thing. Not a good amazed. A scared amazed.
"Not really." Elise admitted, "I never knew our mom. Obviously." Elise said, "But Punk did. Not for a long time. But he remembers her. She was always his light in everything. She always had his back. Our dad used to try and take him out with him. Train em young, that's what he'd say to my mom, but my mom wouldn't allow it. She protected him from a lot of stuff." Elise nodded, "And then… she died, which by the way, Punk does blame me for sometimes." She let AJ know.
"Seriously?" AJ said.
"Yeah." Elise said, "He always apologises after. I know he doesn't mean it. But he says it to me a lot." Elise said, "Once she died, my dad just started putting everything on him. He was sucked in pretty quickly to everything. So I guess… after my mom died, he didn't really have a choice."
"That's sad." AJ admitted. It was a shame that men like Punk hadn't been given a proper chance at life. She felt sorry for him. Like she said and always would. She seen a kind man, a sweet and passionate man underneath all that darkness. The problem was, there was just too much darkness.
"It is." Elise nodded, "I'm so glad I'm a girl. Punk always tells me that if I was born a boy, I'd be doing the exact same thing as me."
"They treat you different?" AJ asked curiously.
"Oh, yeah." Elise nodded, "If you're a girl, born into that way of life, you're shielded twenty four seven. Believe it or not. I learned a lot about protecting myself. I was allowed to go to school. Punk wasn't. I practically wasn't allowed to breathe." She admitted, "My first ever boyfriend… I was fifteen. I was crazy about him. My dad of course found out I'd been seeing him, so he and my brother were going to meet him. My dad… surprisingly was ok with him, but when the poor boy went to shake Punks hand, Punk stuck his head in him, knocked him out cold." She said, laughing a little, although at the time she was furious.
"I take it that's exactly why you're not telling him who Toni's father is." AJ laughed.
"Oh, no. I wouldn't even be able to tell him that I slept with Dean, never mind had his kid." Elise said, "It's just better if no one knows. Dean is so stupid he wouldn't be able to even question if she's his. He's too busy getting high half the time." She sighed.
"Was it just one time?" AJ asked.
"Yeah." Elise nodded, "But I liked him. I really liked him." She sighed, "A part of me still does. I always told him he was better than everything he done. He really could achieve something. And he appreciated that. But I knew he wasn't interested in me that much." She said, "As soon as I found out I was pregnant I left." She said, "And then my dad and Punk found out, I think they wanted every single man in the counties DNA." She laughed.
"You know what..." AJ said as Elise nodded, "They are bad men. Clearly. But… it sounds like they really love you." AJ admitted.
"I know they do." Elise smiled to herself, "And I love them." She said truthfully, "But I don't want that lifestyle for my daughter. I don't want myself or her near it. It's cruel what they do. Getting paid to take away someone's life." She said, "It isn't right." She sighed.
"It's horrible." AJ agreed, "Can't they all just… come to some agreement, to stop doing it." She shrugged.
"I don't think it's that simple." Elise said, "My uncle is involved with it too. It's much bigger than you think. And for some of the guys, it's how they fend for their families." She shrugged.
"Do you think your brother could ever change?" AJ asked.
"I do." Elise nodded, "I still hope he does one day." She sighed, "I just hate not being normal. You know… I probably won't ever have a sister in law, or I won't have nieces or nephews. We'll never sit round a dinner table and just… be normal." She sighed.
"You never know." AJ said with a reassuring smile.
"Did you see Elise?" Sami asked, sitting in Punks fathers house with Punk and Dean. Since it was bigger and much more luxurious, Punk was residing there until his father got back.
"Yeah." Punk lied, "She just accepted my apology and I left." He said. He knew his friends would make fun of him forever if he said that he went to see the girl he still couldn't stop thinking about. Although at times he thought why he was even wasting his thoughts on the bitch. She'd practically told him to fuck off and never come back. Why was he wasting time on her? He didn't even know what he was feeling towards her. It was unusual. All he knew was that he wanted to see her again, and again, and again. But he was doing his best to convince himself that she was just a whiny little bitch like Elise. There wasn't a space for a pretty little flower like her in his big bad world.
"When is your old man getting back?" Dean asked.
"Tomorrow night." Punk said, "God knows why he was away to see my Uncle Dennis." He shook his head just as the doorbell rang. Punk watched as Sami went to get up, "Where you going?"
"To answer the door." Sami pointed out into the hallway.
"And who told you to do that?" Punk asked as Dean laughed, "You just sit your ass back down." Punk ordered as Sami took a seat, turning to Dean who was sniggering, pushing him as Punk walked away to go answer the door.
He opened up the door and seen a guy standing, big built, middle sized in height and clutching a bulging envelope.
"Jack Brooks? Is he in?" The man asked.
"No." Punk said, "But I'm his son. I'm sure..." Punk looked at the envelope, "I'm sure I can help you out." He nodded, letting the man in who walked straight in.
"Jack told me to come to this address on the phone."
"Yeah. This is his house. I'm just watching it while he's out of town." Punk said, "What's your name?" Punk asked.
"Stuart." The man said as Punk extended his hand.
"I'm Phil." Punk said as Stuart shook his hand, "Go on into the kitchen. We can have a little talk." Punk said as Stuart wandered through the hall and into the kitchen where Dean and Sami looked on at him.
They were used to dealing with customers in such a way. If that's what you'd even call them. They had to convince a customer that they could do the job they wanted, and do it right, with no fuck ups. They had to have an aura about them.
"What can we do for you?" Punk asked, taking a seat at the table beside Sami, "Take a seat." He pointed to the seat beside Dean, watching as Stuart sat down beside him.
"It's my girl." Stuart began as Punk leaned back in his chair, "She's been having an affair. I know she has been for a while. I wanted to wait… to see how long it would take her to open up. But then she comes and tells me she's pregnant." He said as Punk rested his head in his hand whilst leaning his elbow on the table. As soon as it came about that he was being asked to hurt a woman, never mind a pregnant one, he was completely not right for this job.
"You want us to hurt your pregnant chick?" Dean asked.
"Jack told me you'd help me out." The guy said as Punk shook his head.
"I'm not taking anything to do with that." Punk put his hands up.
He'd been asked to do all kinds of stuff, but this was completely out of the question. In fact, it sickened him that this man was actually asking them for this. They'd been asked to do such horrific stuff in their time. But he'd rather be dead than harm a pregnant woman.
"I have good money." Stuart implied, "I'm not asking you to kill her." He said as Punk switched back on.
"Then what are you asking us to do?" Sami shook his head.
"I want you to kill the guy she's been having an affair with." Stuart said, "I need it clean and quick."
In a non business way, Punk would have told the guy no. He would have pointed out that his girlfriend wouldn't need to be having an affair if she was happy with him, but this was business, and his father told him to never turn down an offer.
"Ok, how much you got?" Punk asked as Stuart passed over the envelope as Punk looked inside, nodding with approval, "Alright, stuart." Punk smirked, "You got yourself a very sweet deal." He smiled.
Who was he kidding? He was his fathers son. He was built into this. He was made for this. Whatever part of him that tried to kid on he was good, especially when thinking about that pretty little fairy, was just false. This was who he was. He was beyond the point of changing.
Uh oh. Punk back at it again? Will Sami and Dean help him this time? Will Punk continue to think of AJ? Will AJ be coping with knowing what she knows? What will Jack be up to when he returns? All coming soon! Review and enjoy!