As spring arrived and the days grew warmer, A.J. would take long walks after school, sometimes ending up at the same park where so much had gone wrong. It was strange, standing in the place where his anger had reached its peak, but instead of feeling that familiar fire in his chest, he felt...quiet. The gym sessions, the therapy, even the dull routine of classes, it all gave him a chance to step back from the edge.
He didn't know if he'd ever fully forgive himself for what he did to Dominic and Egan, but he was starting to learn how to live with it.
There were still moments when his old habits flared up, sarcastic comments at home, frustrated outbursts during therapy but they were actually becoming fewer and farther between. And when they did happen, he didn't feel like they defined him as much as they used to. He was starting to see that he had a choice in how he responded to things, even if it wasn't always easy to make the right one.
One evening, A.J. found himself sitting on the back porch with Tony, the sky streaked with the colors of a setting sun. It was one of those rare quiet moments between father and son, where neither of them felt the need to fill the silence with forced conversation. After a while, Tony glanced over at A.J., a half-smile playing at his lips.
"You know, A.J, you're doin' all right," he said gruffly, taking a sip of his beer. "I mean, you've still got a long way to go, but you're doin' better than I thought you would."
A.J. looked down at his hands, unsure of what to say. He wasn't used to compliments from his dad, especially not ones that felt like they meant something. He shrugged, trying to play it off.
"Yeah, well...I'm tryin'."
Tony nodded, his expression softening just a bit.
"That's all you can do, kid. One day at a time, right?"
A.J. gave a small smile, letting the words settle. For the first time, he felt like maybe he could believe them. It wasn't perfect, but it was something.
There were still rough patches, still days where the weight of everything felt too heavy. A.J. had found a way to start moving forward, one small step at a time. And for the first time in a long time, he didn't feel like he was doing it alone.
On one particular night, A.J was sitting in the living room by himself, mindlessly flipping through the channels on the TV. It had been a relatively quiet evening, the kind he didn't mind after everything that had gone down over the past few months. Life felt like it was starting to settle into some kind of normal rhythm again, but the cracks were still there, even if they were just beneath the surface.
It was right then did he begin the hear the sound of an argument taking place upstairs.
His mom and dad were talking to Meadow. As the volume rose, A.J picked up on the tension in Meadow's voice. He muted the TV and listened, curiosity getting the better of him.
"I made my plans, and I'm going to Europe! I'm getting the fuck out of here!" Meadow's voice rang through the house, filled with anger and something else...
Pain.
Hearing the sound of her footsteps rapidly going down the steps as his father called after her and then the front door slamming a few moments later caused A.J to wince. He sat still, processing what he had just heard. Meadow wanted to go to Europe?
She was leaving?
He knew Meadow had been going through something lately, ever since Jackie Aprile Jr.'s death. He just hadn't realized how deep it went. Meadow was usually the one who had it all together. She was smart, focused, and in control. It hit him just how much losing Jackie had affected her. She had been trying to put on a brave face, but it was clear now that inside, she was hurting. A.J. felt a strange twist of concern in his chest. He hated how distant she had become, how different she seemed now.
The fun, sarcastic Meadow he used to joke with felt like a memory, and A.J. realized just how he missed her.
XXXXXXX
When A.J headed down the stairs the following morning, he was relieved to see that his sister hadn't left for Europe yet. She was sitting at the kitchen table, quietly eating breakfast, her face still tense from the argument with their parents. Tony and Carmella were giving her space, but the tension in the house was obvious. A.J wasn't exactly known for his emotional sensitivity, but if there was one thing he knew how to do, it was make people laugh. A.J figured Meadow could use a good laugh right about now.
An idea formed in his mind, and with a mischievous grin, he grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, flipping to the news. As serious stories about political scandals and tragedies scrolled across the screen, A.J. leaned back in his chair and started laughing. Loudly, and ridiculously.
"What the hell are you laughing at?" Meadow asked, looking at him like he had lost his mind.
On the news, they were reporting a story about the police finding a suspected bicycle thief naked, in possession of chainsaw.
"He was in an attached garage...apparently high on drugs and the people were at home. It doesn't get more dangerous than that," Sheriff James Satoro stated, causing A.J to throw his head back with a shriek of laughter. He knew it was absurd, but that was the point.
The ridiculousness of his over-the-top reaction to such grim news stories was so out of place that even Meadow, as grim as she had been, couldn't help but crack a smile. A.J. kept going, laughing harder with every serious story, his laughter becoming more infectious by the second. Meadow finally let out a genuine laugh, shaking her head at her brother's antics. A.J grinned triumphantly. He had cracked her shell, even if just a little.
It was Saturday, so A.J didn't have to worry about school. Later on that day, he decided to push his luck again. A.J found himself back on the couch with Meadow sitting with it as they Beverly Hills Cop. It was one of those lazy afternoons where they had nothing much to do but hang out and watch a classic film.
About twenty minutes into the movie, during one of Axel Foley's more heated moments, A.J. suddenly sat up, smirking as a memory came to him.
"You know," he began, glancing over at Meadow, "the very first time I saw this movie, I didn't catch it from the beginning. I came in like, halfway through."
Meadow raised an eyebrow, curious.
"Yeah? So?"
"So, because I missed the introductions, I thought the main character's name was 'Asshole', not Axel." A.J revealed, grinning wider as he was amused by his own story.
Meadow stared at him for a second, trying to process what he was saying before bursting out laughing, shaking her head in disbelief.
"I'm serious!" A.J. continued, his grin turning sheepish but proud. "I thought everyone was calling him 'Asshole'. I mean, listen to it. 'Axel', 'Asshole', they sound alike! 'Asshole Foley' kinda has a nice ring to it, right?"
"You really thought everyone was just casually calling the main character 'Asshole' throughout the rest of the movie?
"Yeah!" A.J. said, laughing now too. "I was like, 'Damn, this guy must really piss everyone off if they're all calling him asshole!"
"Only you would come up with something like that." Meadow responded as she gave her brother a playful shove, still giggling.
As the movie continued, Meadow tried to control herself, but couldn't stop giggling uncontrollably every time a character now addressed Axel Foley by name. After A.J.'s ridiculous confession about thinking Axel was called "Asshole," she couldn't unhear it. Every "Axel!" sounded like "Asshole!" in her head, and the more she tried to keep a straight face, the worse it got.
The next scene rolled around, and actor Judge Reinhold's character Detective Billy Rosewood shouted, "Axel!" with urgency. Meadow immediately broke into a snicker, trying to stifle her laughter by covering her mouth, but it was no use. A.J. glanced over at her, his grin growing wider as he realized she was still caught up in his joke.
"You hear it now, don't you? Every time, it's like, 'Hey, Asshole!'"
Meadow nodded, laughing harder now, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I can't not hear it!" she gasped. "You've totally ruined the movie for me!"
A.J. shrugged, his smirk impossible to hide.
"Hey, it's not my fault they made his name sound so close to 'Asshole.'"
On the television, Rosewood then stated; "Don't mess with me now, Axel."
That caused both of them to bust out laughing.
"Oh my God, A.J., this is so stupid," she wheezed, unable to stop the giggles from overtaking her every time Axel's name came up. She just couldn't stop laughing.
A.J. leaned back, clearly pleased with himself.
"Yeah, well, now you'll never be able to watch this movie the same way again. You're welcome."
Meadow shook her head at her brother's antics but still smiling.
"You're the worst."
There was warmth in her voice that hadn't been there for a long time.
The two of them settled back into the movie, but every time Axel Foley's name was mentioned, both A.J and Meadow would start laughing all over again, her mind forever tainted by A.J.'s "Asshole" interpretation. And honestly, it made the movie way more entertaining than either of them expected. It was a small thing, but it felt good. For the first time in a little while now, A.J felt like he had his sister back.
But A.J wasn't done just yet.
He had one more idea in mind, something to really get Meadow to break out of her funk. The next morning, he carefully placed a large cardboard box just outside Meadow's bedroom door. He crawled inside, armed with a banana cream pie he had snuck from the fridge.
It didn't take long for Meadow to find the box.
"What the hell is this?" she muttered to herself as she walked toward it.
A.J. heard her footsteps approach and prepared himself, barely able to contain his excitement. The moment Meadow opened the top of the box, A.J. jumped out, a wicked grin on his face, and splat! The pie hit her square in the face, the cream and crust sticking to her shocked expression.
For a second, there was complete silence as Meadow stood there, stunned, her face dripping with banana cream.
A.J. tried to make a break for it, laughing uncontrollably, but before he could get far, Meadow let out a playful growl and shoved the box, tipping it over and sending A.J. sprawling to the floor.
"You little shit!" Meadow shouted, but there was laughter in her voice.
She pounced on him, pinning him down before he could escape, and began rubbing her pie-covered face all over his. A.J. groaned, trying to squirm free, but the laughter between them was too much. Meadow even planted a few playful kisses on him, smearing more cream across his face as A.J. struggled beneath her.
They were both a mess, covered in pie and laughing so hard they could barely breathe. It was a disaster...in the best way possible.
As Meadow finally let him up, both of them still giggling, A.J. wiped some of the cream from his face and grinned. For the first time in months, Meadow looked like her old self again. The sadness that had weighed on her since Jackie's death seemed a little lighter now, and A.J. couldn't help but feel proud. He sat back on the floor, still laughing as he wiped the last bit of banana cream from his face.
For a moment, the house didn't feel so heavy. For months, there had been this constant tension, this weight that seemed to press down on all of them, especially Meadow. But now, as they sat there, a ridiculous mess on the floor, A.J. felt like he had helped her find a little piece of the old Meadow again.
Meadow, still sitting beside him, let out a long breath, her laughter fading into a contented sigh. She wiped her face with her sleeve, smearing the remaining bits of pie even more, but she didn't seem to care. For the first time in what felt like forever, she actually felt…lighter.
"God, I needed that," Meadow said, a soft smile lingering on her lips.
A.J. grinned back at her, feeling a sense of accomplishment.
"Yeah, well, you can thank me later when Mom finds out and kills us both."
Meadow rolled her eyes, but there was affection behind it.
"You're such a moron."
"You love it." A.J responded. "You know you love it."
Meadow chuckled, shaking her head. "Maybe I do," she admitted quietly.
The moment of playfulness settled into a comfortable silence, and Meadow glanced over at A.J., her expression softening. "Thanks," she said after a pause, her voice a little more serious now. "I mean, for real. I've been…I don't know, in this weird place for a while now. You...just make it easier sometimes. You always have, in your own weird way."
A.J. shrugged, trying to play it off like it wasn't a big deal, but her words meant more to him than he'd ever admit.
"Yeah, well, someone's gotta keep you from turning into an uptight robot."
Meadow gave him a mock glare, but it was clear she appreciated it. Despite all the crap they'd been through, despite how different their lives were, A.J. had a way of pulling her out of her darkest moments, even if it was just with something silly. And she knew how rare that was, especially in their family.
"I'll get you back for this, though," Meadow warned, though her smile softened the threat. "You'd better sleep with one eye open."
"I'll take my chances." A.J grinned.
With a final shake of her head, Meadow stood up, offering her hand to help A.J. off the floor. He took it, wiping some more pie off his shirt as they both tried to regain some semblance of normalcy.
"Come on," Meadow said, glancing at the kitchen. "Let's clean this up before Mom and Dad come back. A.J. nodded, following her lead. As they began tidying up the remnants of their pie-filled mess, the air between them felt different. It wasn't just the laughter or the ridiculous prank. It was the unspoken understanding that, no matter what, they had each other's backs. Even in the messiest moments.
In that quiet, shared space, A.J. felt a rare sense of peace. He had made his sister laugh, really laugh, and for the first time in months, the cracks in their family didn't feel so deep.
As they cleaned up the pie-streaked hallway, the warmth between A.J. and Meadow lingered, softening the edges of the chaos around them. The weight of the past few months, the arguments, the loss, the tension, all seemed to lighten in that moment. It wasn't that everything was suddenly fixed, it wasn't that simple, but for the first time in a long while, they both felt like they were on the same page, like they could breathe again.
Meadow grabbed a rag and wiped down the counter, glancing over at A.J., who was scraping bits of pie off the floor. She smiled to herself, watching him mutter something under his breath about how the prank had gone better than expected. It was ridiculous, but in the best way. And for the first time in what felt like forever, she didn't feel so stuck in her own grief.
As they finished cleaning, Meadow caught A.J.'s eye. There was something unspoken between them, an understanding that didn't need to be put into words. A.J. had always been there for her, even if she hadn't realized it, and now, after everything that A.J had been dealing with himself, he had put that aside to try and make her feel better about her own issues.
"Hey," she said quietly, folding the rag and tossing it into the sink. "About Europe…I haven't decided yet. I just…needed to say it, you know?"
A.J. nodded, straightening up from his task. He didn't push, didn't prod. He understood in his own way that Meadow needed to figure things out for herself. But hearing her say it aloud was enough for now.
"Whatever you do," he said, his voice softer than usual, "don't just disappear, okay?"
Meadow smiled at him, a little more warmly this time.
"I won't," she promised. "I'm not going anywhere just yet."
With the hallway finally clean, they both headed back to the living room, the easy quiet settling between them again.