More Skeletons


"I don't get why your mom is so interested in Matteo anyway." Punk shook his head, sitting in the living room the next morning as AJ came in with coffee for them. Meanwhile Matteo was on his little rocker sleep chair they kept in the living room, swaying back and forth slowly. He was a big fan of it.

"I don't either." AJ sighed, sitting down beside him, "Or maybe I do. Maybe she just wants to be the show off grandmother. She says she's proud of me but I don't know." She shook her head, unconvinced.

"Well it's your decision. She's your mom. I wouldn't let my feelings towards her hold you back from whatever you're feeling." He said, "But I think you're right. I think it's just for show."

"Oh, it is." AJ agreed, taking a sip of her coffee, "If I let her into our lives, she'd be controlling it in no time. And I've worked really hard to get over all of that."

"I know you have." He nodded, placing his hand on her thigh, "You know what's best for you, and what's best for Matteo." He said as AJ nodded.

"She just wouldn't leave." AJ shook her head, "And she was acting like nothing was even wrong. Acting like we were such a close mother and daughter." She said.

"Do you think she'll come back?" He asked, watching Matteo sleeping in front of them in his swing chair, so peaceful. It was definitely a stress reliever to just sit and watch him.

"I don't know. I hope not." AJ shook her head, "I don't know if I have anything left in me to say to her. I think I've made myself pretty clear." She said, "And I hate it because part of me starts thinking… what if she just wants to be in her grandson's life? Would that be so bad of her?" She wondered, "Am I being petty by not letting her see him?"

"No, I think you have very good reasons." Punk assured her as AJ nodded.

"But still, she's my mom. Not a very good one. But she's my mom. Part of me still does feel like I have to let her in." AJ shook her head. That was the conflicting part.

"Well you don't. Just because she's your mom doesn't mean she gets a free pass. She's never been a mom to you. More like a…dictator." He said, "And she's always been like that. I mean, what she did with you when you told her what happened to you in high school?" He said.

"Yeah I know." AJ said quickly to avoid thinking about it.

"I mean is that something you've spoken to her about since it happened?" He asked her.

"No." AJ shook her head, "No, because back then she told me never to tell anyone and to never talk to her about it." She nodded.

"She's a piece of shit, April. I'm sorry, but she is." He nodded, not being able to say it as AJ sighed into her coffee.

"Hey, you didn't have a nightmare last night." She nudged him as he nodded, "Or I was just so tired I didn't hear you?" She wondered.

"No, I… I got a good sleep." He nodded to her as she smiled, "And I think I owe you an apology. The last time something like this happened, I kinda just dealt with it on my own. I didn't really have anyone checking up on me like you are. Kinda just disappeared into my own head for a while and I shouldn't have, especially not when Matteo just got here." He said.

"It's ok." AJ nodded, "We all deal with grief differently."

"Yeah, we do. But I didn't need to shut you out." He said as she looked at him, "I never told you about Mark because… it's still a sore spot. I mean I was ready to give up my job and find something else." He nodded.

"Really?" AJ asked. She found that hard to believe because she knew he loved his job.

"Yeah." He nodded, "It's different when it's one of your own. I'm with those guys night and day, from the smallest call outs to the biggest. We're a family. And Mark was my closest friend. And I watched him die." He nodded as AJ sighed.

"I guess this all brings it back then." AJ nodded.

"Yeah." He said.

"Dean said you met Mark in the fire academy?" AJ asked, taking a sip of her coffee. She'd missed talking to him. For days he had just been so shut off, so quiet. She was so relieved to curl into him and talk to him.

"Yeah, we broke into together." Punk nodded, "He was a good guy. Just wanted to be good at his job." He said as AJ nodded, "And that was his downfall. He didn't know when to stop. We all don't to some extent but he really didn't." He said.

"It's bravery for sure." AJ said.

"I just feel like I see a lot of people die around me." He thought to himself, "And I get it, I work at a job that sometimes means I see people dying. But… friends, family… my bubble is starting to get small." He thought to himself.

"Yeah life can suck sometimes." AJ nodded, "But you have me and Matteo. We'll always be here. Every time you walk through that door, we'll be here." She said as he smiled, kissing her head, "He's just an angel." She nodded, watching Matteo with a smile.

"I'm kinda surprised how… not fussy he is." He thought about it, "I mean, as long as this guy gets fed and changed, he's just chilling." Punk said as AJ chuckled.

"He is." AJ smiled, "His hair is just the best." She shook her head, looking over at Matteo whose hair was sticking up as it usually did. She just looked at her son and her heart was full. As full as it would ever be.

"He's gonna have a sweet mullet when he's like two." Punk nodded as AJ chuckled.

"Not on my watch." AJ scoffed as Punk smiled, "Hey, can you just do one thing for me?" She asked him.

"What?" He asked.

"If you get another nightmare or… you feel like you need to disappear… let me be there for you. Cause I feel like a part of me is missing when you're not around or you're not talking to me. I kinda hate it." She admitted truthfully as he nodded.

"I'm sorry." He said, "I promise, if I wake up screaming with a nightmare I'll… do my best to tell you all about." He nodded.

"Ok." AJ smiled up at him as he leaned down and kissed her softly.

He'd found it difficult reliving a tragedy he'd already seen before with his job. Losing friends through tragedy. But he wasn't used to having the support system from his wife. It took him a while to realise he really didn't have to feel the way he felt on his own. He had a family now. To seek comfort in and confide in. He didn't have to hide away.


"Ok, smelly. It's time for your bath." AJ nodded, standing over Matteo who lay on she and Punk's bed, "We gotta wash that beautiful hair, and I know you're gonna hate it but we gotta do it." She said, leaning over him and kissing his nose as Matteo blinked upon all his mother's hair dangling around.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that." Punk came out from the bathroom where he'd been filling the baby bath with little water, noticing Matteo's little arms trying to reach towards AJ's hair, "He'll be swinging from your hair." He laughed a little.

"Oh, yeah." AJ laughed, pulling her hair back, grabbing a scrunchie from the bedside table and tying it back.

"Are you ready for your bath, buddy?" Punk smiled, looking over at Matteo, picking up on a knock at their door downstairs as AJ turned to him.

"If that's my mom I'm giving you permission to close the door on her." AJ nodded seriously as Punk laughed a little, "I can bathe him, you go answer it." She told him, picking Matteo up into her chest as she took him into the bathroom whilst Punk headed downstairs.

He opened up the door, his face already screwed up as he expected his devil mother-in-law to be on the other end, but instead so glad to see his brother.

"What's wrong with your face?" Dean shook his head, crutching his way into the house as Punk closed the door behind him.

"I thought you might be April's mom. She was here last night." Punk shook his head.

"Why?" Dean shook his head.

"Pretending to April she wants to make amends. Pretending she wants to be number one grandmother." Punk said, "It's stressing April out." He said angrily.

"Where is mother and baby?" Dean asked, "Is the little guy asleep?" He asked, crutching his way into the living room as Punk followed.

"No, April is bathing him upstairs. He did a lot of spitting up today." Punk nodded.

"Ok, don't talk to me in baby language. I don't know anything." Dean said, sitting down on the couch, putting his foot up.

"Can I help you?" Punk laughed a little.

"Renee is doing a night shift at the hospital tonight so I thought I'd come see you guys." Dean smiled, "See how you're doing. April mentioned you were a little down." He nodded.

"I am but… I'm ok." Punk assured him.

"Sucks, huh?" Dean nodded.

"Yeah." Punk said, "Helps when I can just watch Matteo in that little swing chair sleeping all day." He pointed over.

"What a life." Dean nodded as Punk smiled.

"I'm sure April won't mind if you wanna stick around for dinner." Punk nodded to him.

"Whilst she's not here…" Dean said quietly, sitting up a little as Punk looked at him with confusion, "I'm not sure it's really something I need to tell you guys, it doesn't feel like it is-"

"What is it?" Punk asked with folded arms.

"I was Kat's last night." Dean nodded, "I saw Jason." He said as Punk looked at him, "I'm only telling you cause I haven't see him in years. Maybe he's moved back here. He was with a girl." He nodded.

"I don't reckon April needs to know." Punk said, "She's already stressed with her mom coming and going." He shook his head as Dean nodded.

"I just wanted to tell you, to give you the heads up." Dean shrugged, "I'm sure he's moved on and clearly April has but… it's still weird." He said as Punk nodded.

"You think he's back here for good?" Punk wondered.

"No idea." Dean shook his head, "It was Renee who pointed him out to me. We were there having a drink. She doesn't think it's a big deal, especially if he was with another woman-"

"Well it's not. It's been two years. It's in the past." Punk nodded to himself, "The only reason I'm not telling Ape is because her mother is already stressing her out."

"That's kinda convenient. Both of them showing up around the same time." Dean looked over at him.

"No, she came by a couple months ago too when April was pregnant." Punk nodded to himself as Dean nodded.

"I'm gonna go help her with Matteo and then we'll be down." Punk told him as Dean reached for the TV remote, "Just make yourself comfortable." He scoffed as Dean nodded, laying back on the couch and flicking through the TV channels whilst Punk returned upstairs to help AJ with Matteo. He didn't need to tell her about Jason, not right now.