Civil


"Matteo, can you smile for mommy?" AJ asked, kneeling down on the living room floor in front of Matteo who was in his swing chair, awake but not causing a fuss, watching his mother with his brown eyes as she tried to get a smile out of him.

"It's fine, let's not terrorise him." Punk laughed a little, standing in the living room, having just got home from work where his wife had practically pounded on him to tell him Matteo had smiled for the first time today.

"But it was so adorable." AJ sighed, sinking back on her knees, placing her hands on her lap as she watched Matteo look at her, "Come on, just smile for mommy. Show us how happy you are." AJ said in a funny voice, leaning back over him as he grabbed her hair, "Ok, can I have my hair back, please?" She asked, unwrapping her hair from his very tight grip.

"I'm sure he'll do it again and I'll see it." Punk assured her, "Don't be bummed out about it."

"I tried to get a picture but he stopped the second I got my phone." AJ scoffed.

"He's playing you." Punk nodded as she smiled.

"Yeah, I don't mind." She shrugged, stroking Matteo's cheek, waving his little toy sheep in front of him as Matteo looked at it.

He was six weeks old and thriving. The happiest and content baby. Although he was still such a tiny little thing, they really saw him growing already, and developing his own little attitude.

Punk had gone back to work a few weeks ago, which was difficult after what had happened the last time he was there, but he got through it with his wife and the rest of the guys at the fire department. His biggest issue was how much he was missing his wife and son, but bills had to be paid.

"How was work?" AJ asked, getting back to her feet, "Sorry, I know I just bombarded you with Matteo smiling. I was just excited." She said as he smiled, wrapping his arm around her and kissing her head.

"Work was fine." He said, "What did you get up to?" He asked.

"He let me sleep until 7am." AJ nodded to him with gratitude. 7am was a lie in at this point, "And then we just hung out. Like we do every day." She smiled, looking over at Matteo.

She was feeling good and less overwhelmed by everything. The first few weeks were challenging, especially with her mother showing up, as well as knowing her husband was struggling from the loss of two friends, but things were looking up and brighter every day, especially with Matteo who just lit up the room for them.

"Dean said Renee was going to stop by this afternoon. Did she?" Punk asked her, crouching down and taking Matteo's hand as he grabbed onto his finger, "Hi, buddy." Punk smiled.

"Yeah she did. It was nice to see her. Matteo had just gone down and we had coffee. She brought donuts." AJ said, "Kinda feels like you lose all social interactions when you have a baby, so it was nice." She nodded.

"Good, I'm glad she stopped by." Punk nodded, "Filling you in with everything going on at the hospital?"

"Yeah. They're making job cuts." AJ sighed a little stressfully as Punk stood back up straight.

"You can't think you're in danger of that. Do you?" He asked her as AJ shrugged.

"I don't know." AJ folded her arms, "I just feel like if they were making cuts, I'd be one of the first people they'd look at. I'm not there every day like the rest of them." She shrugged.

"Ape, you worked all the way up until you gave birth, I think they'll know how dedicated you are." He nodded, "Isn't it different for residents anyway? Don't you get a free pass cause you're learning?" He shrugged.

"No, it doesn't work like that." AJ shook her head, "I don't know, I'm just… I'm just a little worried. It could be more justifiable to let me go rather than someone who is showing up every day."

"It's not like you're just bailing on your shifts. You've just had a baby. It's a little unethical if that's why they'd consider letting you go." He shook his head, "You're a great doctor. You'll be fine." He assured her as she nodded.

"Yeah, I hope so." AJ nodded, "She was also filling me in on the gossip, which I do miss." She said.

"Yeah? Like what?" He asked.

"Like Shauna going for chief position and losing it to her ex-husband." AJ said.

"Juicy." He nodded as she shoved him, "Shauna is divorced?" He asked.

"Yeah for a few years. But he's a doctor too so she still has to see him every day. What a nightmare." AJ shook her head as Punk nodded, lifting Matteo in his swing chair, taking him out to the kitchen with them where he liked to sit and watch them cook, or more so fall asleep.

"I really need to shower but I gotta eat first." Punk nodded.

"Hard work, babe." AJ smiled, rubbing his back, "Why didn't you shower at the station?"

"Cause I like showering here." He turned to her with a smile as she shook her head.

"Still not there yet." She shook her head.

"It's been six weeks." Punk frowned.

"Yeah and my body still feels like it's on the second week." She nodded, "You poor little deprived man." She pouted, leaning her hand up and stroking the back of his hair, "I gave you a child. We'll do this on my time." She nodded as he chuckled a little.

"Fair enough." He nodded, watching her wander off to entertain Matteo, "Ok I can do burgers." He said, looking in their fridge.

"Renee also mentioned Jason was back. She'd seen him at Kat's." AJ said casually, turning around and looking at him as he paused for a second, "She also said Dean told you weeks ago." She folded her arms as he looked at her.

She'd spent the whole day convincing herself she wasn't panicking about her ex being back in town. But deep down she was panicking.

"I didn't think it was worth telling you." Punk shrugged, "Just to panic you." He said.

"You still could have told me." AJ said, "At first when she told me I got scared. I have no idea why but I did. Then I realised that it's stupid. It happened a long time ago and he's probably moved on, I've definitely moved on. I shouldn't feel uneasy about it." AJ shrugged, "So you should have just told me."

"Well I wanted to but I wasn't sure how you'd react. And I know your mom showing up had stressed you out so I just… I thought it'd be best not to say anything." He nodded.

"Well, I appreciate the concern but really… you could have told me. It's not a huge deal." She shrugged, "I know that the last time I saw him was on our almost wedding day, and that's a little horrifying to think back to the person I was back then, how little of a voice I had… but it was a long time ago." AJ shrugged as he nodded.

"I know, I just… I don't want you worrying about leaving the house and bumping into him one day." Punk said.

"If it happens it happens." AJ shrugged, "We're both adults. I'm sure we can be civil and move forward." She nodded as he smiled. He wasn't hiding it from her because of any other reason than he was trying to protect her from worrying. He just didn't know how she would feel knowing he was back in town.


"Come on, smile for me." Punk whispered, leaning over Matteo's crib as the baby boy lay staring up at him, ready to fall asleep any second, "I know mommy is great and she feeds you, and plays with you all day, but you gotta give me a little smile. You can't be showing favourites this early on." He spoke to him as Matteo looked up at him, "Not tonight, huh?" He thought to himself, knowing he was about to fall asleep.

He watched his son as he fell asleep, smiling to himself as he left the nursery and headed into his own bedroom where his wife was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"No smile for me today then." Punk nodded.

"He'll do it again." AJ assured him as Punk nodded, sitting down beside her and placing his hand on her leg, "Ok, I do want to have sex." She admitted as he raised his eyebrows, "I'm just… well I'm a little scared." She shrugged.

"Why?" He chuckled.

"It could hurt." AJ said, "I mean I've only just stopped bleeding."

"April, we don't have to. It's fine." He assured.

"No, that's the problem, I want to." She nodded, "I miss you. I miss us." She looked at him.

"So we can take it slow." He said as she nodded, "And if it hurts we can just stop." He assured her. He knew she was feeling a little insecure these past few weeks, especially since they hadn't been having any sort of intimacy. Not the usual kind.

"Ok." AJ nodded, looking up at him with a smile, leaning up and kissing him softly as he kissed back, cupping her cheek and collapsing onto the bed with her, shuffling up to the centre as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Clothes got tossed onto the floor, one item at a time as AJ turned them around so he was on his back. She made her way down his body, pulling his boxer shorts down and wrapping her hand around his length, stroking him up and down as Punk ran his hands through his slicked hair.

It felt so good to be back here in their own little bubble, taking care of each other and loving each other.

She used her mouth on him for a while, very much enjoying getting to satisfy him. She just wanted more than anything in the world, to disappear into their own world like they always did, move around the sheets and hold each other close through the pleasure. She wanted that now more than ever.

"Ok, come here." Punk mumbled as she released him from her mouth, feeling him toss her onto her back in the centre of the bed as she smiled.

"Yeah, get down there." AJ shoved his head as he moved down her body, causing him to chuckle as she smiled, watching him kiss the insides of her thighs before diving right between her legs, his tongue parting her folds as she moaned, running her hands through her hair and biting her lip, so glad to be in the clouds. So glad to feel like herself again. Becoming a new mom was difficult, and tiring, and wonderful, but she just wanted something for herself for a few hours.

Punk pulled her closer to his mouth, wrapping his arms around her thighs as she moaned louder, quickly quietening down as she realised it was no longer just the two of them in the house anymore.

"Yeah, keep it down." Punk looked up at her with a smile.

"Shut up and make me cum." She pushed his head back down with a smile as his mouth went back to devouring her, sending her towards the edge with each passing second, hearing her climax from above as he looked up at her.

"I've really missed being held hostage between your legs." He nodded, moving back up her body as she chuckled, breathing heavy as she placed her hand on her forehead.

"Fuck that's good." She whispered to herself as he smiled, leaning down and kissing her neck as she cupped the back of his head, "I love you so much." She whispered as he smiled.

"Of course you do now." He smirked, kissing her lips, stroking his length up and down before lining himself up to her, noticing she had her face scrunched up with fear, "April, I'm not a truck." Punk scoffed.

"I know you're not." AJ sighed, "But the last time something happened down there, it was pretty sore." She panicked.

"Shh… ok." He said softly, teasing her entrance as she smiled, "So we go in slow." He nodded, pushing himself inside of her slowly as she grabbed his arm, rolling her head back a little as he watched her to make sure she was ok.

"Good?" He looked down at her as she nodded, feeling relieved that nothing felt as different as she suspected it would.

"Yeah, good." She smiled. Her body felt ready and she was so glad to be intimate with him like this again after the birth of their son.

"Good." He whispered, kissing her softly as he began to move inside her slowly, kissing her neck as she wrapped her arms around him, taking in every second of being reunited with him like this.