The next morning Punk had left straight from AJ's to go back home to see his dad. He knew there was some work to be done, and he also knew AJ had to go to work too. But he promised her their first official date later on tonight. He'd never taken a girl out on a date, and he wasn't sure who he could ask him with some advice. His friends were just as useless as him when it came to girls, and he was sure his father wouldn't have time to give him tips. He could sense he still wanted the relationship to fail miserably.

AJ had taught her morning class, which was Toni's, and was taking the opportunity at the end to get a hold of Elise before she rushed out.

"Hey." AJ walked over to her friend, who she hoped was still on good terms with her.

"Hi." Elise nodded.

"I know this isn't what you want. I know you're gonna tell me I deserve better, just like everyone else has, but… your brother has been really good to me. He's not the way you make him out to be. He isn't scary or violent." She said, "I'm ok. And I… really, really like him." She said, surprised at her own tone of desire.

"What you two do is none of my business." Elise said, more concentrated in getting out of the studio with Toni as she helped the four year old put her coat on.

"But it is." AJ said, "You're his sister. I want you to be ok with it. I don't want to lose a friend, and I'm sure he doesn't want to lose a sister." She said.

"It's just not what I expected." Elise said, "I thought you'd hate him like me… I thought you'd be completely put off by what he and my father do. Doesn't… doesn't it bother you at all?" Elise asked.

"Of course it bothers me." AJ nodded, "But there's more to him than his job. He's kind, sweet, funny… romantic." She blushed.

"I know what my brother is like. I lived with him until I was twenty one." Elise nodded, "I just don't want him to hurt you, April. It's super likely that he will, and I don't want you to be upset over him." She said.

"He isn't going to hurt me." AJ folded her arms, "Maybe if you took the time to actually get to know your brother. You'd realise that the job he does is only a small quarter of the man he is. He is sensitive, and he does have feelings, Elise." AJ said.

"Sensitive? That man doesn't have a sensitive bone in his body." Elise laughed lightly, "Look… I have no problem with you both. Go be with him, fall in love with him, God… I don't know, marry him. But when he hurts you one day, which trust me, he will, don't expect me not to tell you I told you so." She said, "C'mon, Toni." She took a grip of Toni's hand, walking out of the studio as AJ sighed, folding her arms and watching as the wooden doors closed behind Elise and Toni.

"Figured out who these guys are yet?" Punk asked in Invictus with his father and uncle, sitting around his father's desk in his office whilst looking through the pictures he had gathered of this other group of men who claimed they were taking their business.

"Nothing new." Jack shook his head, "Me and Dennis think it's best to just leave it be for a while. Don't go looking for trouble with them unless they come knocking on our door again." Jack said, "What do you think?" He asked his son. He always needed a second opinion from his son.

"That's a good idea." Punk nodded, "Smart. They might not even want anything. You know what it's like, ruffians like us get bored some nights and go looking for trouble." Punk said, "Maybe they won't mean harm anymore."

"We'll wait and see." Dennis added, "But for now we still need the system to be running as normal. Since I've brought myself and my guys down here now, we're gonna be having more jobs." Dennis said, "And the club will be more busier. You might have to get some more bar attenders in."

"My boys can always go behind the bar and work for a few hours. It's the least of our problems, Dennis." Jack said, "You here tomorrow night?" Jack turned to his son.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Punk asked.

"Well… you have a girlfriend now." Jack said, holding himself back from hissing it, "Surely you're going to have to fulfil duties elsewhere now." He said.

"I'll be here if you need me." Punk said bluntly.

"Well we have a job for you. You can have tonight off." Jack nodded.

"That works out well actually. I'm taking April out tonight, and she can't go out tomorrow anyway." Punk said as Jack clearly wasn't listening anymore, "You guys are old..."

"Oh, well spotted." Dennis laughed.

"I mean… well where do I take April? I don't know where to take her." He said shamefully as Jack looked across at him in silence.

"Take her for dinner." Dennis shrugged, "Or the movies, or cook for her." Dennis suggested as Jack just rolled his eyes.

"You think she'll like that?" Punk raised his eyebrows.

"Well ever-"

"Take her dancing." Jack said, putting on his coat and grabbing his keys as Punk turned to him, "Women love to dance." He said, walking out of his office, shutting the door behind him as Punk turned to Dennis.

"He took your mom dancing." Dennis said, "Actually, it was how they met." Dennis said as Punk smiled, looking down at the ground, "Your mom loved to dance. With your dad obviously. Not on her own." Dennis made himself clear as Punk nodded.

"I never knew that." Punk smiled.

"Yeah." Dennis nodded, "They met just a few blocks down at a club. It's all been refurbished and done up since, but I still remember the exact one. I was with him at the time." Dennis said, "And then a few days later you were conceived-"

"Yeah, ok." Punk stood up, "That's plenty." He said as he walked out of the office, hearing Dennis chuckle as he stayed put.

Punk had taken AJ out like he had planned later on that night. They were currently in a restaurant not that far from AJ's house, and he had a wonderful night planned for them.

"She'll come round." Punk told AJ as they sat in a booth in one of the rows of the restaurant. It was an Italian, and meanwhile they'd both had great food for their dinner, he wasn't much of a dessert guy, but he could see AJ was as she stuck into a warm sticky toffee pudding. For such a small, delicate little ballerina, she could sure eat.

"I don't think she wants to talk to me anymore." AJ sighed, "She's the only real friend I've ever had." AJ admitted, "Well, ever since I moved back here." She said.

"I can talk to her." Punk said, "I'm sure it won't make a difference what I say, but maybe I can get through to her." Punk shrugged.

"How was your dad today?" AJ asked curiously.

Their first date as a whole was shipping up to be pretty perfect. He'd collected her from her house like a gentleman, and they had walked to the restaurant as it wasn't that far. She'd had such great food, and her stomach was sore from laughing so much. It was of course the best date she'd ever had.

"He was ok." Punk shrugged, "I think he's just gonna be up tight about it, until he realises how wrong he was." Punk said, "I think he's under this illusion that I'm gonna leave and become a lawyer or something." He laughed as she smiled.

"No, you're way too clever to be a lawyer." She tapped his foot under the table as he smiled.

She looked stunning tonight. She wasn't even all that dressed up. She supported a black tight dress with black boots. Her make up wasn't thick and heavy like most girls, it was light and complimented her skin and beauty.

"So is dancing all you've really wanted to do?" He asked curiously. He wondered if she ever had any other career options earlier in life. This relationship was still very new, and they had a ton to learn about each other. But somehow, they both felt like they knew each other inside out at this point.

"Yeah, I guess." AJ nodded, "I did think of a back up plan if for some reason I lost interest in dance, or I got injured and couldn't do it. I decided I wanted to work in a vet with animals." She smiled, finishing off her dessert, too full to finish it all, but having made a good attempt, "But I guess everything just fell into place for me with dancing." She smiled.

"You're gonna do this theatre production. Aren't you?" He asked her.

"I think so." AJ shrugged, "I'm meeting the director tomorrow."

"What do you mean you think so? I thought you were excited about it." He said.

"Well I was." AJ nodded, "But with so much going on, and knowing I'm going to be rehearsing so much in the next few months for it. It's kinda putting me off." She admitted.

"Hey, we'll work around it. This is huge for you. You're gonna be centre stage. People will be coming to see you dance." He said as she smiled, "Don't you dare pull out now. I know how much you want this. Don't… don't let me or anyone else come in between you doing it."

"You know..." She smiled, "I never would have guessed you to be this sweet." She admitted, teasingly tapping his leg underneath the table, "Never."

"I'm not sweet to everyone." Punk said, "But I guess you bring it out in me." He admitted as she smiled, "Do you wanna go for a few drinks? I'm not sure I want this to end just yet." He hinted as she smiled.

"Yeah." She smiled, "That sounds nice." She nodded.

"Ok. I'll get the cheque and we'll get outta here."

They did indeed leave the restaurant after paying and wound up in a small night club a few minutes from the restaurant they were at. It was not a typical rowdy, loud, bombarded with teenagers type of club. It was more mellow and soft. And there was a space on the floor to dance…

"Have you been here before?" AJ asked curiously, sitting on a soft stool around a table, facing Punk who nodded.

"A few times." He nodded to her, "Since me and my dad own a club, we check some out in local distance, you know… see who we're in business with." He said as she smiled.

There was already couples dancing. There was a lovely atmosphere in the air. As if everyone who was in the room had let go of all their problems.

"So I guess you're pretty well off. I could only imagine with owning a club." She said as he nodded.

"I got money, yeah." Punk nodded, "We share the club. It was actually my idea to have it. With our actual job, I figured we needed a cover up, and we also needed a meeting point for the other guys. So it seemed pretty ideal." Punk said, "It was my idea, I was wanting half the shares." He said.

"Your dad wasn't going to let you in on it?" AJ asked.

"He tried. But I told him I wanted half, or else I wouldn't back him on it." He said.

"Sounds like your dad really needs you. Seems like you're the one that actually makes the decisions." She said as he nodded.

"I normally am." He admitted, looking around and feeling it being the right time to ask for a dance, "Would you care to join me?" He asked whilst standing up and extending his hand.

"Are we leaving?" AJ asked clueless, not sure why they were leaving when they had just got there.

"No." Punk shook is head, "Dance with me." He said as she raised her eyebrows, slowly taking his hand as he led her to the dance floor where other couples and friends were dancing, "And please don't show me up." He whispered in her ear as she smiled. Sometimes it was unreal to believe such a gentle, sweet man like himself was capable of doing so much.

"Well I gotta say. This took me by surprise." She admitted, placing her arms around his neck as he held her by the waist, not all that sure what he was doing, but just going along with what felt right, just like he had been doing his entire time with her.

"My dad told me all women loved to dance." He said as she grinned.

"Not all women." She scrunched her nose up, "But this woman." She pointed to herself, "She loves it." She smiled.

"I knew you would." He said.

It wasn't a typical slow, head on chest song, it was upbeat, made for dancing. It gave Punk a chance to bring out his inner child that he never was allowed to bring out. He didn't experience prom or this kind of behaviour as a teenager. He couldn't have imagined AJ had either. It was nice to do this. Especially when all he could hear was AJ's laugh echo over through the music.

He spun her around, slow danced in a sped up way, hearing her laugh in his ear as he smiled to himself. Other couples looked just as happy. He had no idea how great it felt to be with someone he cared so much. To watch her smile and laugh and enjoy herself.

"Are you sure you haven't done this before?" AJ asked with a smile, looking up at him, her arm around his waist, other arm extended out to hold his hands as he swung her around like a rag doll.

"Never." He told her truthfully.

"Well..." She began, "Your dad may not be my favourite person, but he got this right tonight." She nodded as he smiled, spinning her around as she laughed, falling against his chest as he smiled like he had never done before, kissing her head and taking this moment as a gift. How'd he manage to win such a sweet thing like her over, when he was such a monster? Maybe he wasn't a monster. Maybe he wasn't.