"Oh, so now you're the one that's gonna up and leave me bright and early?" Punk opened his eyes the next morning, watching AJ put her clothes on and fix her bag.

"I should get home. I have a class to teach today." He told him, "And thanks to you, I haven't had much sleep." She looked across at him as he sat up smiling to himself, getting to his feet and cracking his back. Sleeping on a hard floor all night wasn't all that fun, but it didn't matter when he had AJ in his arms.

"I slept like a baby." Punk told her. He could sense a different atmosphere. It was calm. Not like he felt the first time they had sex. He wanted to stick around more with her. He didn't want to say goodbye just yet. He heard her last night. He remembered her words 'Whatever you are. I want you'

She didn't care who he was, she was allowing this, she was allowing him to touch her again. He still didn't know where he stood with her though. Was he allowed to see her again? Unlike last time. Was he allowed to prepare himself to let this girl know about him. Because it was true. He was crazy about her.

"When will I see you again?" He asked her as she looked up.

She remembered last night telling him that she wanted him despite him being from a cruel world. She couldn't help it. She did. She wasn't going to lie to him. She wanted to know him. She was just scared as any normal woman would be when falling for a man like him.

"When do you want to see me again?" She asked him, watching him pick his t-shirt from the floor. She still hadn't forgot about the tattoo. It still amazed her. How they could both have the exact same design in tattoo, just with different shading and on a different place. She knew her reason for her tattoo, and she'd spent all night wondering what his was.

"I gotta go back up the road to Invictus. See if everything is ok." Punk said, remembering his father had left him charge again for a few days, "My dad is out of town. I'm sort of… running place." He told her.

"Well you aren't doing a very good job." She laughed lightly. If he was meant to be running his father's work, then why had he spent all night with her, as far away as possible from his night club and friends? Because maybe he wanted to be with her more than he wanted to be at Invictus.

"I got friends keeping an eye on the place last night." Punk said, "But I should go up and see what's going on." He told her as she nodded, "Will I see you tonight?" He asked with hope as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"If you want to." She smiled to him, leaving the dressing room as he stood in the centre of the room, grabbing his sweater from over one of the chairs, putting it on and zipping it up with a smile. It was bizarre how she was managing to look past all his evil inside him, and somehow spot the goodness. He didn't know what it was yet, but it was probably the most hopeful and promising thing he'd ever had the pleasure of grasping. She brought out the best in him. The real him. When he was with her, all he wanted was to hold her and feel loved. It was weird how she had made him feel, but he liked it.

"Where'd you go last night?" Dean asked as Punk arrived in Invictus in the afternoon.

"I eh… stayed at Elise's." Punk said as Sami and Dean raised their eyebrows, "What? I did." He put his hands up, "It was late and she offered me her spare room. She appreciated me coming out to see Toni." He said as they both just shook their heads, unconvinced, "You know… why do you and my father insist on knowing where I am every single minute of the day? I'm thirty fucking three." He spat.

"Well… what I was gonna say was..." Dean began as Punk sat down around the table with him, "Your dad called. He's coming home early. You… You missed it last night, man." Dean said as Punk looked at both of them with confusion.

"What happened?" Punk asked.

"These guys… similar to us, claiming we're taking business from them. They call themselves The Union." Dean said, "Took Joe out. He's in hospital." Dean said.

"What did they want?" Punk asked.

"Well they wanted your dad." Sami said, "And then once they found out he wasn't here, they started tearing shit up. It was crazy." He said.

"You know your dad is gonna kill you when he finds out you weren't here when it all happened." Dean said as Punk leaned back in his chair, running his hands through his hair as he nodded. He knew he was in deep shit.

"They're gone now anyway." Sami said, "We're still trying to figure out where they're based. None of us have heard of them. I say they're new loan sharks trying to steal our business, but instead they're saying it's the other way around." Sami said.

"Or we've just never noticed them." Dean pointed out.

"When's my dad getting back?" Punk asked.

"Tomorrow morning." Dean said, "You got some time to think of a reasonable excuse as to why you weren't here." Dean chuckled.

"I'll just tell him I was out on a job." Punk shook his head, "He'll never know the difference." He said as Dean and Sami nodded.

He'd never seen someone so fascinated with his tattoo's before. He lay in AJ's bed with her later that night, naked with the sheets covered them. She lay curled into his chest as her index finger trailed around the colourful ink. He asked her earlier if he would see her tonight, to which she replied with 'if you want', and he wanted to. In fact, he didn't want to be anywhere else. This felt like home. No where else felt as good as this.

"Why do you have so many of them?" AJ whispered as she trailed her finger along the snake on his chest, looking on at it's fangs and turning away. Her full day just consisted of waiting to see him again. She couldn't pretend anymore. Now that he'd expressed himself, and she knew he wasn't just playing her, she was falling even harder for him.

"I like the art." He shrugged, looking up at the ceiling, "Some have greater meaning. Some don't." He said, "Sometimes I just go get one to feel some pain." He said as she looked up at him, watching him laugh at her gullible ways, "I'm kidding." He whispered as she smiled, relaxing her head back on his chest.

"You have the same dove tattoo on your arm that I have on my back." She said as he nodded.

"I know." Punk said, "It's why I told you I could take a guess as to why you have it." He said as she looked up at him, "Your parents?" He asked as she nodded slowly. Her tattoo was in memory of her parents that she lost at such a young age. She could still remember them in a way. But it was just vague memories.

"But why would you..." She paused. His mother.

"When I went looking for a tattoo, you know… when I was old enough, I knew I wanted to get something for my mom. I went to the tattoo-"

"The tattoo factory?" She asked him as he nodded, "It's where I went." She said.

"I asked for something to represent freedom, peace and harmony. The guy that done it drew me it up and I went for it." He said, "You must have asked for the same."

"I asked for something peaceful." She nodded, "Five hours late it was on my back." She said, "That's crazy." She said as he nodded. They were more similar than they thought. In terms of losing people they loved.

"Do you ever get to… talk about your mother?" She asked him as he continued to look up at the ceiling.

"What do you mean?" He asked her.

"Like… does your father talk about her? I know that your sister doesn't really know her to say much." She said.

"My dad doesn't talk about her." Punk said, "He'll occasionally slip up every now and then. But there's never any in depth conversations about her." He said, "It's too hard for him."

"Did he love her?" She asked.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "Well, I think so. Otherwise it wouldn't have been as hard for him. When she died, he turned to drugs, booze, went out on benders for days. I was eight with a few week old baby. I had no idea what I was doing." Punk said, not sure he wanted to think back at those days. He'd never been able to since no one let him. But he felt comfortable talking to AJ.

This was who AJ wanted to see. That good and sensitive man inside him that had been buried a long time ago. This was who she was falling for. His ugly side just didn't occur to her when they were like this.

"Did your mom… support your dad, with what he done? You know… his job." She said as Punk nodded.

"She did. She didn't want to." Punk admitted, "But she did." He nodded, "My dad always told me, behind every great man, there's his wife." He said, "She was smart. Kept him safe. Kept us all safe." He admitted as she looked up at him.

"Do you miss her?" She asked as he looked down at her.

"Not as much as I used to." He said, "But yeah, I wish she was here." He nodded, "What about your parents? I mean… both of them? That's rough." He said as she nodded, curling herself back into him even tighter, resting her head into the crook of his arm.

"Yeah." She nodded, "My sister was sixteen. I was eight. I… I can't really remember it much. Everyone was whispering and tip toe'ing around me." She said, "It was a car accident. At least, that's what I was told." She shrugged.

"Did your sister look after you?" He asked. He'd never experienced this. Feeling pain for someone else. He'd never experienced talking with someone like this. It was good. He trusted AJ instantly.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "We lived with my aunt for a few months straight after the death, but then my sister took me to France with her. She dances too." She added quickly, "She had a scholarship over there to dance in some of the theatres. And she knew how much I loved ballet, so she didn't leave me behind." She smiled, "I grew up for a few years there. Learned how to dance from some… amazing people. And then when I turned seventeen I came back over to Chicago." She said, "Myself."

"You've been here on your own since you were seventeen?" He asked with a tone of surprise.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "I guess it wasn't a big deal at the time. I had money. My parents had left me and my sister a lot. It was their money I used to start up my own school actually." She admitted, "It's what my mom would have wanted." She smiled to herself.

"Do you still talk to your sister?" He asked.

"Occasionally." AJ shrugged, "She's married now. Doesn't dance anymore. Pretty sure I'll get a phone call any time telling me she's pregnant." She nodded as he smiled.

They lay in silence for a few minutes, both no doubt thinking the same thing. Nothing had ever felt more right than lying here. They could be honest with one another, and this was only the beginning.

"What is this, Phil?" She asked him, looking up at him.

"I don't know." Punk said truthfully, "But I know I like it." He told her, "I just… I don't want you to expect so much off me. I don't want to do this and then one day, have you turn round and… see me in a different light." He admitted. He was still scared that it was just too good to be true. A beautiful, sweet and loving girl like her, getting involved with someone such as himself.

"I won't." She promised him.

"You can deal with everything I do? All the things I've done." He looked down at her.

"I know there's a good man inside you." She nodded, "And you can't… you can't use the excuse of your ways to push me away whenever you feel like you're somehow better off on your own." She said, "If… this is going to work, the only thing I ask from you is honesty and loyalty." She said.

"Are you sure?" He asked her. He was surprised that was going through with this, but he was relieved because if he couldn't have her, he swear he felt like he would die.

"I'm sure." She nodded, "This is who I'm falling for. What you do with your father isn't you. It's someone you're just forced to be." She said, "I'm falling for you. Not for what you do."

"You're falling for me?" He asked her as she looked up, smiling up at him and resting her chin on his chest.

"I'm falling for you." She nodded. She couldn't help it. She'd gave in as soon as he had. This was where she was designated to be. She felt at home in his arms. Nothing had ever felt like a home since her parents died. But in his arms felt like it again. Homely and warm. Like she was put on earth to be in his arms and only his arms. She didn't know how this would go, but she was willing to give it a shot. She knew there was good inside him. She had a lot to learn about him. As did he have about her. And she wasn't sure what they were going to do regarding telling Elise or Punks father more to the point. But as long as those arms kept a tight hold of her every night. She was just fine.

Yay! I wonder how this new relationship will go? What will Jack make of it? Who are these new loan sharks and what do they want? All coming soon. REVIEW and stay tuned!