"What… what are you talking about?" AJ shook her head whilst placing Liesel back in her stroller once cleaning her little mouth up and putting the empty bottle back in the bag.
"He's a Brooks. Isn't he?" Kim said as AJ nodded.
"He had nothing to do with-"
"So you know?" Kim asked, "Your ok that the blood that runs through him, is the same blood that killed our parents, the same blood your daughter now has to live with?" Kim said.
"Phil was only ten at the time. He wouldn't have known anything about it." AJ said, "How do you know anyway?"
"The scum got let off, April." Kim said, "There wasn't enough evidence to sentence him." Kim said.
"What was the evidence?" AJ asked curiously.
"Well he was around the scene of the crime. Everyone knew it was him, but he talked himself out of it, said he stopped to help them." Kim said, "I found out his name, I found out about him and what he done for a living. I knew he was lying." Kim shook her head, "So I took you away with me. I didn't want to be in the same state as a guilty man that killed my parents." Kim said as AJ sighed.
"Phil isn't like him, Kim. He isn't." AJ said, "He doesn't even work for his father anymore-"
"Anymore?" Kim questioned.
"Well he worked for him until we had Liesel." AJ said.
"And you were ok with that?" Kim shook her head. She wasn't going to get angry. Clearly her sister was in love, and Phil did seem like an ok guy. It was just where he came from that was Kim's concern.
"Yes." AJ said, "Because I knew the real him. I fell in love with him for who he was, not who his father trained him to be." AJ said, "But they don't talk anymore, and Phil goes to college now. He really wants to do something else and have a new start." AJ said, "And don't worry, I told Punk that Liesel was completely off limits to Jack at all times." She said, "I hate the man just as much as you do, Kim." She nodded.
"I was just shocked." Kim said, "Out of all the men in the world." She chuckled lightly.
"I know." AJ smiled, "But I love him. I didn't… I didn't believe there was a right person for everyone. But I do now. I really do." She said.
"I'm happy for you both." Kim nodded, "I really am. I just want you to be careful." Kim said.
"I will be." AJ said, "You don't have to worry about me. I promise." AJ smiled, "Let's just enjoy this week we have together before you have to go. Mom and dad wouldn't want us constantly looking back on what happened. We have to move on. Another reason why I managed to let it slid with Phil's father. What's done was done. We just have to try and get around it." AJ said as Kim nodded with a smile.
"Mom would have loved her." Kim admitted of course talking about Liesel. She was closer to their mother and father than April was, only because she was an older teen when they died, and April was only a small child who barely knew what was going on.
"Her name has part of mom's in it." AJ smiled, "We named her after mom, Phil's mom and Phil's sister. Phil managed to merge them all together." AJ said.
"That was a lovely idea." Kim smiled, "The name is beautiful."
"It is." AJ smiled.
"Are you gonna force her into ballet?" Kim laughed.
"Well, I mean… I'll give her the option, but yeah, it's safe to say she'll have a tutu on probably by the age of two." AJ said as Kim laughed.
"She'd look adorable." Kim laughed with a smile as AJ nodded. She was glad her sister was managing to stay calm about the situation with Punk's father. In her opinion, Jack wasn't worth even thinking about. They were all moving on with their lives, and Jack was still staying in that same tier filled with angst and poison.
"Hey." AJ announced through the house whilst walking in later on, lifting Liesel from her stroller and tucking her into her chest as she walked through the house, into the living room to find Punk sitting in sweats, a bag of chips tucked under his arm beside him, watching the TV.
"Phil, you better not have-"
"I was at the gym with Sami all day, woman." Punk said, looking up at her, "I've just got home." He told her as she raised her eyebrows unconvinced.
"So you're solution to going and working out, was to come street back home, crack open a soda and stuff your face?" AJ asked whilst sitting down next to him.
"Precisely." Punk smiled, "At least I done something. I really wanted to stay in bed all day." Punk moaned, scooping Liesel out of her arms and cradling her into his own, smiling whilst looking down at her, "Did mommy spoil you today? Or did she spend all the money on herself?" Punk stroked Liesel's cheek as AJ tutted.
"I did not." She slapped his arm softly, "But if you want me to take back the red lingerie I bought, then fine." She shrugged as he looked up, grinning to her.
"Red?" He smiled.
"I know it's your favourite." She said in a playful tone, "So… I mean, I can take it back if-"
"No, no… you just hold on to it." He nodded, "I don't think I'd even mind if you blew all my money on sexy lingerie." He said as she chuckled.
"Well, I didn't." AJ said, "I did spend the rest on Liesel. I got her the cutest little outfits." She smiled as Punk laughed.
"I got a text from Elise when I was in the gym. She wants to know if we want to go round for some dinner tonight." Punk said.
"Yeah. I suppose we could. I can't really be bothered cooking anything anyway." AJ admitted, resting her head on Punks shoulder.
"Did you have a good time with your sister?" Punk asked, keeping his eyes on his beautiful daughter who was wide and awake and looking up at him, so content and happy in his arms.
"Yeah." AJ nodded, "Although, she does know that your father killed my parents." AJ said as Punk stiffened, "Don't worry. She isn't weird about it. She's just worried about me. Wants to make sure we stay clear of your dad."
"Well don't worry. We aren't going near him." Punk said, "I ran into him today when I was picking Sami up. I think he's just completely lost it now. He doesn't even want me back, he said he just wants to get revenge."
"He's a pathetic old man." AJ sighed, "I mean… does he really want to die alone?" AJ shook her head, not being able to understand it.
"Well from where I'm standing. Obviously." Punk said, "But he isn't my problem anymore. He can do what he likes." Punk shrugged, "I have more important things going on in my life now." He smiled, kissing her head as she smiled, shifting her head and looking at Liesel with a smile as Punk stroked her cheek lovingly.
Later that night, the small family got ready and headed over to Elise's house around fifteen minutes away. Liesel was fed and changed before coming out, and was napping in her car seat in the back of the car already whilst Punk drove with AJ beside him in the passengers seat.
"So where are we going for this weekend away in a few weeks?" AJ asked him as he kept his eyes on the road, a smile appearing on his face.
"Well… where do you want to go?" He asked with a smile.
"I don't know." She shrugged, "Somewhere warm." She admitted whilst looking on at the snow falling on the windscreen, examining her coat and scarf that she hugged around her body. She'd made such a point of wrapping up Liesel in many blankets and layers of clothing, whilst somehow Punk was sat with just a t-shirt and tattered zip up sweater.
"Oh, so you're wanting me to splash out more cash." Punk nodded as she laughed.
"Why not." She shrugged, "Just think about all the sex." She said as he laughed.
"I think this is severe black mail." Punk admitted.
"You won't care when we're having all the sex." She grinned playfully as he rolled his eyes.
"I'll look into it. Leave it with me." He asked her as they pulled up at a railroad crossing, stopping behind the red light to wait for the approaching train to go by before heading on through.
"Is she still sleeping?" AJ questioned, almost to herself whilst turning back and smiling at her baby girl fast asleep, tucked in nice and snug for the night.
She turned back, looking beside at Punk who was already looking at her with a smile, "What?" She said.
"You're beautiful." He smiled as she blushed, tucking her hair behind her ear as he leaned forward, meeting her half way as he captured her lips with his, kissing her sweetly as she leaned in to taste more, enjoying the passionate kiss whilst they waited.
Neither of them thought anything of it when another car pulled up behind them, the headlights shining through, until it banged up against the back of their car, causing them to break away from their kiss and burst into sheer panic as their car was being pushed out onto the tracks.
"Phil!" AJ shrieked loudly as Punk looked back through the back windscreen, trying to look at who was in the black car behind pushing them, but he couldn't see. All that he could see was huge lights in the distance, and a loud train engine that was on it's way round.
He tried and tried to start the car up, but it kept stalling and wouldn't turn on, his panic'd state wasn't helping much either.
"Phil! Do something!" AJ screamed as Punk began viciously stomping his foot down on the accelerator.
AJ watched in horror at the train in the distance, so close and in perfect line of their car which sat smack in the middle of the tracks thanks to the completely in-denial car behind them.
She began crying recklessly, looking back at Liesel and back to Punk who was cursing loudly whilst the engine refused to spark up.
"C'mon! Fucking c'mon!" Punk growled in a panic, turning back again to look at who was in the car behind that was pushing them, still not being able to see.
"Phil! Phil it's so close! We're going to die!" AJ screamed as Punk shook his head, their faces now completely bright as the trains headlights shone through the car.
Thankfully, the engine turned on and Punk immediately drove forward off the tracks, spinning the car round and watching as the car that was pushing them on, got caught up on the tracks, being connected in a storm that was the train.
"Don't look." Punk told AJ who turned away as the car pushing them received it's own karma, being pushed down the tracks in a ball of fire as Punk watched while putting his arm around a shaking AJ, holding her close into him as she cried with fear.
It didn't take a genius to figure out whose doing this was.