Fade Away

The next day AJ went down to the police station to give a formal statement and as promised Punk was right by her side. With AJ's statement along with Maria, Mike and the few others who witnessed it there was no doubt Daren would pay for what he did but of course to Punk, Daren deserved to be locked in a cell with him for ten minutes.

"Do you need anything else?" AJ asked sitting behind the desk in the office as she slid over her written statement.

"This is good." The Detective nodded reading it over. "We're just going to need pictures of your injuries." he said putting the statement down and he waved in a female officer with a camera.

"Where do the pictures go?" AJ asked nervously.

"They're not going to post them online." Punk smirked. "They need them for court, right?" he asked the Detective.

"Yes that's all." The Detective assured her.

AJ stood up and Punk watched from the side as as the officer took a few photos of AJ's face then watched as she lifted her shirt slight so they could photograph the nasty bruises on her ribs. Punk had to look away from it. It wasn't just that she was hurt and he wasn't there it was the fact that she was hurting at all. That physically pained her to move around too much that killed him. He couldn't stand to see her pained face.

"I think I'm done." AJ said to Punk.

"Is he still in lock up?" Punk asked the officer.

"Yea the judge didn't set bail. Apparently this wasn't his first complaint of sexual assault." The Detective told her.

"He's done this before?" Punk asked folding his arms.

"A few female students filled complaints with the school but always dropped their complaints so they couldn't justify firing him." The Detective told him. "A few years back a girlfriend filled a report of assault but she too dropped the charges."

"Unbelievable." Punk said disgusted.

"Do I have to see him in court or something?" AJ asked him.

"I don't think it will go that far. He knows he'll get time, if he takes a deal it will be less." The Detective said to her. "I assume six months."

"That's a fair sentence for sexual assault nowadays?" Punk mocked.

"It was attempted assault." The Detective corrected. "It's a decent sentence, sadly most rapists don't even get that much time."

"I'm lucky." AJ told the Detective and Punk looked at her as if she was crazy. "I wasn't assaulted, it was close but I walked away with a few cuts and bruises, I'm lucky." she told Punk.

"Sure." Punk forced out. "Are we done?"

"Yea you two can go." The Detective told them. "If you have any questions don't hesitate to call and we will be in touch as the case progresses."

"Thank you." AJ smiled politely and Punk lead her out of the office. "That wasn't so bad." She said looking up at Punk who took her hand.

"No I suppose not." Punk reluctantly agreed as he looked around the station.

"What are you looking for?" She asked. "I hope it's not Daren."

"It is." Punk said to her honestly and she pulled him out of the station.

"It's over." AJ told him. "He's going to jail, he lost his job and I'm ok."

"Are you?" Punk asked her seriously and she gave him a smile as best she could with her cut up lip.

"Yes I'm ok." She assured him.

When AJ walked into her apartment she wasn't greeted by Larry but her mother and step-father who were sitting on her couch.

"Oh my god." AJ muttered.

"April." Hugh stood up and walked right over to her and hugged her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." AJ said hugging him back and Punk walked in behind her and closed the door.

"Did you go to the hospital." Hugh asked examining her face. "You should see a plastic surgeon about that lip."

"I'm ok the EMT's said it won't even scar." AJ told him.

"I'll pay for it April." Hugh argued.

"April." Pricella greeted slowly standing up and holding back tears.

"It looks worse than it is." AJ said to her mom who walked over and hugged her.

"You've made your point April, it's time to come home." Pricella urged holding her daughter tightly.

"I am home." AJ said pulling away from her mother.

"April it's to dangerous here for you." Hugh sighed. "I was your number supporter here but what happened to you last night has been a wake up call."

"I'm not going back to Jersey." AJ told them. "I'm fine."

"Your face tells a different story April." Pricella argued. "Pack up a bag and we'll send for the rest." She told her. "You've lived on your own for almost a year now and it proved unsuccessful it's time to leave."

"I'm not leaving." AJ argued. "What happened last night was horrible but I survived it. I had friends that looked out for me."

"Attending a community college of course one of their educators attacked you and look where you were working? We saw that bar April and those women wear next to nothing it's like you were asking for it." Pricella ranted and AJ's face dropped.

"Get out." Punk said to Pricella and Hugh calmly.

"Excuse me?" Pricella asked him.

"Get out of this apartment, get out of this building and don't come back." Punk said remaining calm. "What happened last night wasn't her fault and I will not let you or anyone else make AJ feel responsible for it."

"But you will let other men assault her?" Hugh asked seriously. "You told me that you'd take care of her, that she'd be in good hands."

"Phil warned me about Daren." AJ told them. "So did Jason but I was too stubborn. If I would have done as they asked this would have been all avoided but I've been so hellbent on proving you two wrong that I put myself in a bad situation."

"You're blaming us?" Pricella asked stunned.

"You two have controlled my life and I've been so reckless since I've been free." AJ told them. "I hate what happened to me last night but I love it here. I'm never leaving and I'm never going back with the two of you."

"April-" Pricella began.

"What happened last night is common and it could have happened to me in New Jersey difference is I had friends- actually no they aren't even my friends, they don't even like me yet they ran down to help me and keep me safe. Phil took care of me last night and cleaned me up and told me it wasn't my fault when I blamed myself. He builds me up while you two break me down and you do that so I can depend on you." AJ told them bravely.

"This life isn't for you." Pricella told her with a sad smile and lowering her voice. "You deserve better than this place. You can do so much better."

"This place is my own." AJ announced. "Look around, I painted it-"

"You painted it?" Punk asked her in a whisper.

"Phil and Jason painted it but I picked the colors." AJ told them remaining strong. "See this couch?" She asked walking over to it. "I paid for this couch with my own money, and that A paper hanging on my refrigerator from my History class was earned by me."

"This isn't a home." Pricella said shaking her head.

"Not yet it's not but soon it will be because Phil is moving in with me." AJ told her proudly and Pricella nearly fainted.

"April." Pricella said disappointed.

"We're going to live together and he's going to bring his ugly chair and stupid music posters and we're going to make this little crappy apartment a real home. Then we're going to save and get a better place and get married and have three sons." She told them and her parents eyed her as if she was crazy but Punk was incredibly proud of her. "And if you want to be part of my life at all then you need to accept that. I'm going to move on and make my own family soon and if you don't want to be part of that then that makes me sad but I'll get over it. I lost one parent and it would suck to lose two more but I have Phil and I have my brother and I have a new sister and she's giving me a nephew and I know I'll be ok."

"That was quiet a speech." Hugh smirked. "We're worried about you sweetheart that's all."

"Last night was the worse thing that had happened to me here but I've been through worse in my life and you two know that. The difference of it happening here is that I had family that wasn't afraid to hold me and tell me I'd be ok."

"We're not cold April." Pricella argued.

"You're very cold mother." AJ informed her. "I know you love me but you've kept me at arms length for my entire life and here I feel so much love that sometimes I can't even breathe."

"I see." Pricella said holding back her own tears. "She wants to stay so we should go." She said to Hugh.

"Pricella-" Hugh began but she rushed out the door presumably to cry and she of course wouldn't do it in front of anybody.

"Let me talk to her." AJ said to him walking out of the apartment.

"I'm sorry about what happened to AJ." Punk told Hugh once AJ was gone.

"She's stubborn." Hugh forced out. "I'm sure you did your best."

"I'd give anything to take away that pain and those memories from her." Punk told him honestly.

"I don't doubt that you care for her but can you provide for her?" Hugh asked him.

"Yea I can." Punk said to him. "It may not be the same lifestyle you're used to or the same one she had growing up but if push came to shove I could keep a roof over heads and food on the table but AJ is very independent she doesn't want me to 'provide' she wants me to contribute with her."

"Sometimes I wonder if someone else raised her." Hugh admitted with a small laugh.

"Mom!" AJ yelled chasing down the shop steps. Thankfully the shop was empty.

"I am not cold." Pricella said turning around, tears running down her face.

"This is the first time I've ever seen you cry." AJ told her.

"I had to be strong April. It wasn't easy." Pricella told her. "When I got pregnant with you my parents told me to have an abortion and I refused. I lived in a shelter."

"You did?" AJ asked surprised. "I just assumed you never wanted me."

"How could you think that? If you think that then I've done a terrible job as a mother." Pricella cried. "I wanted better for you. I didn't want you to end up here." She said gesturing around the shop.

"Phil loves me." AJ told her honestly. "I still get butterfly's when looks at me." She smiled thinking about it. "I get goosebumps before every date he takes me on. He makes me laugh so hard that my stomach gets sore. He reads every paper I write for school before I hand it in, he helps me study, he opens doors and pulls out chairs and he works so hard. I know he doesn't make a lot of money but he spends more than twelve hours in this shop and it isn't just to provide but he does it honor of David who loved this shop just as much. I'm not suffering here I'm the happiest I've ever been. I want to have kids who will come to this very shop after school and hang out with their dad and uncle and learn about hard work. I want them to play in the streets with the other kids and not grow up in their bedrooms in front of a TV. I don't need a mansion I want a small place so no matter how mad we are at each other we still have to look at each other and get over it. Sometimes in Jersey it was so easy for us all to be disconnected because he had so much space. I don't need space mom, I've had space my whole life I need to be close to my family and my family is Phil."

"I felt that way about Hugh you know." Pricella said cleaning her cheeks with her hands.

"You may think this is bad but this is everything I've ever wanted and I really want you to be part of my life. I hate that we only talk once a month." AJ said to her.

"I just want you to be safe and happy." Pricella said to her.

"I am happy and I am safe." AJ insisted. "I wish you'd get to know Phil because he's impossible not to love."

"He's truly good to you?" Pricella asked her skeptically.

"Yes." AJ said happily. "If I didn't have him last night to talk to me and hold me I wouldn't have slept. And when he could have said 'I told you so' about my professor he didn't."

"Why didn't you listen to him or your brother?" Pricella asked her. "Was it really because of me?"

"It was because of me." AJ said honestly. "Since I've gotten here I've been trying to prove so hard that I didn't need anything or anyone but I know it's ok to reach out once in a while and take advice."

"So three boys?" Pricella asked putting on a smile the best she could.

"I think Phil thinks if we ever had a girl she'd be like me and his head would probably explode." AJ teased and Pricella actually laughed.

"You'd be lucky to have a daughter like you." Pricella said to her quietly.

"Children and marriage is years off." AJ said to her. "We're just going to live together."

"Living with a man won't be easy. They're pigs." Pricella warned her. "Don't wear socks in the bathroom."

"Mom." AJ laughed surprised.

"Look at you." Pricella said cupping her face.

"It'll go away, it won't even scar." AJ assured her. "And I don't just mean physically."

"Hugh and I are going to be in town until Thursday. We'd like to take you and Phil out tomorrow." Pricella told her.

"Are you sure?" AJ asked her and she nodded. "How about you and Hugh come over for dinner. I'm throwing a going away dinner for Jason and Kate and you can come."

"Going away?" Pricella asked.

"They're having a baby and moving across town." AJ told her.

"And you're cooking?" Pricella asked.

"I'm a pretty good cook." AJ informed her.

"Alright well that I will have to see to believe." She smiled.

"It's tomorrow at six." AJ told her.

"We'll be there." Pricella promised her.

A/N: Thanks for your awesome reviews! This chapter was a bit short, but super sweet.