Hunting Happiness


"Feels good to be out of that dress." AJ shook her head, walking into the kitchen where Punk was sitting after she'd taken a long and much needed shower. Not only was the weight of her dress off her, but the weight of doing something she would regret was no shifting from her, letting her breathe properly again.

"I bet." Punk nodded.

"Is Dean at work?" She asked, sitting down at the table with him.

"Yeah and so is Renee. She told me to tell you that if you need anything from the house, she'll go pick it up." Punk said, "I'd go myself but-"

"I don't think that's such a good idea." AJ said as Punk nodded, "How's your nose?" She asked him.

"Oh, it's fine." Punk smiled, not wanting her to worry.

"Feels like I woke up from some sort nightmare this morning. And then I had to remember it actually happened." AJ shook her head, "I guess I just strung myself along until the very last minute. Wasn't until I was standing there, looking across at him that I realised what I was about to do." She nodded.

"You shouldn't feel bad or embarrassed about it. Like I said, it's better this way than going through with it and being miserable." He said as she nodded.

"You must think I'm such a mess." AJ shook her head, "I never thought you would have shown up." She admitted truthfully.

"Well I didn't want to be bitter and sour about it. And I had to believe that it was what you wanted. I just wanted you to be happy." He nodded to her.

"You knew I wasn't happy." AJ whispered.

"Well… I haven't seen you for a long time. I didn't know anything. Renee filled me in sometimes but… for all I knew you were moving on and forgetting all about me. It wasn't until I saw you in the hotel room that I realised that nothing had really changed between us." He said.

"I should never have done what I did to you." She shook her head, "Lying to you and lying to myself. Falling in love with you and then pulling away so quickly." She said, "Part of me feels like I don't deserve anyone at this point." She said.

"Well you're wrong." He nodded, "Your mom got in your head. Fortunately for me I don't know what that feels like but… I can imagine how much it sucks." He said, "And it's not about being able to stand up for yourself. I get it. She's your mom and there's an approval thing, probably."

"I don't know how she does it." AJ shook her head, "The way she makes me believe what she says." She said, "Last night was the first time I'd ever yelled at her." She realised.

"And did it feel good?" Punk nodded.

"Yeah." She smiled as Punk nodded, "I just… I told them everything. How I felt. What I wanted and what I intended to do." She nodded, "I feel like a massive weight has been lifted off my shoulders."

"Well yeah, you're being honest with yourself." He nodded, "You deserve to live your own life, make your own decisions. I mean I think you spent enough of your childhood being told what to do." He said as she nodded.

"When I was standing there, at the wedding, and I looked over and I saw you sitting… I just realised that the only wedding I wanna have is one where I'm looking across at you, saying my vows to you… marrying you." She nodded.

"As long as you don't run out on me." He teased as she chuckled, looking across at him with a smile.

"I haven't stopped loving you. Not for one second. I thought it'd be easy cause we wouldn't see each other but I think that made me just think about you more." She nodded, "I just don't care what anyone thinks anymore." She shook her head. She'd reached a point where the love she had for him had surpassed any need to care about what her mother thought about her. What anyone thought about her. All she really cared about was him.

"That's good." He nodded as she smiled, standing up and walking over to him, sitting down on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I love you, Phil Brooks." She whispered as he smiled, "And I'm not wasting another minute without you in my life." She made clear as Punk smiled.

"You just came back cause you wanted to do it on the fire truck again, didn't you?" He teased as she chuckled.

"Yeah. That's the only reason." She teased, "Please tell me you don't have to work today." She hoped.

"I don't gotta work." He nodded as she smiled, "Why? You got something in mind?"


"Phil." AJ moaned, lying on her back, arms and legs wrapped around him as he thrust himself inside of her. It was the only thing they decided they were doing today. After being without each other, it made it all the more satisfying to reunite, and reunite properly with the promise of forever in front of them.

"Fuck, April." Punk moaned, leaning his forehead on hers as she gasped, holding his neck as he kissed her lips.

"Just like that." She nodded, placing a hand above her against the wall as he continued to thrust into her. She'd almost forgotten just how amazing it was to be with him, how right and perfect it felt.

She felt him pull out of her, looking down as she watched him bury his face between her legs, wrapping his arms around her thighs and pulling her to his mouth. She'd missed being truly taken care of. Mind, body and soul.

"Fuck, I missed that tongue." She smiled, arching her back a little, feeling him chuckle against her, the vibrations feeling nice as she ran her hand through his slicked hair which had become messy and all over the place.

His mouth didn't leave her until she reached her climax, and he knew exactly when from her moans and groans, looking up at her as she rolled her head back.

"Turn around." He told her, kneeling back up as she smiled, "On your stomach." He nodded, watching her roll onto her stomach as he knelt over her thighs, thrusting himself back into her entrance, holding her ass just because he could.

"Fuck, baby… yes, like that." She moaned out, her body rocking as she felt his length hitting the right spot every time, going at the right pace to encourage another orgasm.

He pumped inside her until she found her release, followed very quickly by his as he released himself inside her, collapsing over her back tiredly as she smiled.

"Fuck, I love you." Punk moaned, kissing her neck as he rolled over onto his back beside her as she lay on her stomach, looking on at him.

"Of course you say that now." She smiled as he laughed a little, "I don't know if I should go to the house myself and get a few things." She wondered.

"I'd rather you didn't. Cause he's probably still hot." Punk said, running his hand through his hair, "Renee and Dean can go. Just tell them what you need." He nodded to her.

"And you're ok with me staying here?" She asked him.

"Yeah, I'm ok." He assured her with a smile.

"We have so much to catch up on." She sighed, curling into him and draping her leg over him, "What's been going on with your job? I mean… fires of course but… I missed your stories." She admitted as he smiled.

"Last month there was some bush fires along the high way that we needed to put out. Was pretty scary, actually. Most fire I've seen before." He nodded, "At the one time."

"I saw about that on the news, actually. I thought about you." She nodded.

"Apart from that it's just been the usual call outs." He said, "What about you? You discovered any interesting things in people's brains?" He kissed her head as she smiled. She loved how smart he made her feel without having to really say all that much. There was just an appreciation he had for her that she loved.

"No… apart from the usual like cancer and aneurisms." AJ shook her head, "I did get to watch a surgery not too long ago. I saw a brain. An actual brain." She nodded as he smiled.

"How come you didn't want to be a surgeon like your dad?" He asked her.

"I could if I wanted to. It just means I'd be studying and learning forever. It's just not something I'm interested in. It's a pretty scary job." She nodded.

"Yeah I bet." Punk said.

"How's your mom?" She asked desperately, because she really did want to know.

"She's ok." Punk said, "Not really much different from when we last spoke. She's up and down. Mostly down." He nodded.

"Is everything still ok with her house?" AJ nodded.

"Yeah, it's fine." Punk said, "And I told the care workers at the home that I want to be called if anyone else that's not me or Dean comes into visit her. So history doesn't repeat itself." He nodded.

"That's a good idea. They should have called you the first time anyway." AJ shook her head, "My mom freaked me out yesterday." She told him. She'd missed getting everything and anything off her chest with him.

"Why?" He asked, running his hands through her hair gently.

"Well when she was helping me get ready she was actually being nice. And then she said that if my dad was here he would have been proud of me but… my dad never wanted me to be a doctor." AJ shook her head, "And I don't think I'd be proud of anything I've done."

"Did you get on with him at all?" He asked her.

"No. He just… always made me feel like a burden." She nodded, "I always said if I had kids I would make sure they know how much they're loved every single day. Cause that sucked." She shook her head.

"Well, you don't need them to be proud of you. I'm proud of you." He said, "For putting yourself first and standing up for what you want. Choosing your happiness over others." He nodded.

"I guess it's kinda selfish." AJ nodded.

"It's not. Being selfish is… is not caring about other people but… that's all you've done your whole life. It's time you put yourself first." He said as she nodded. With his encouragement, she felt like she really could do it. She really felt like she could go after her own happiness, and not feel guilty about it.

"I'm just so glad I'm here with you… I could have made the biggest mistake of my life marrying Jason." She said. She realised that now, laying in his arms, just how big a mistake it would have been to go through with marrying a man she didn't love.

"Yeah but you didn't." Punk nodded as she smiled, looking up at him.

"You don't get to leave this bedroom today." She shook her head with a grin, resting her chin on his chest as he chuckled.

"Oh, really? Says who?" He smiled.

"Says me." She nodded as he rolled her back over, causing her to giggle, pulling him as close to her as she could get him, never wanting to let him go for anything in the world.