Letter

"Phil." AJ whispered with her eyes closed, sitting up in their bed with Rudy in her arms, feeding her. She had no idea what time it was, she just knew it was dark outside.

Ever since having the twins four weeks ago, days seemed to merge together. They spent most of the time asking each other what time it was.

"Phil." AJ said slightly louder, this time opening her eyes as she looked at him lying on his back, fast asleep. She knew having two babies was going to be extra difficult, but they did their best to work as a team. It had been extra difficult considering what was going on with Daryl.

"Phil." AJ said loudly, shoving his arm as he jumped awake.

"What? What? Is it a bottle?" Punk asked in a sleepy, croaky voice, opening his eyes and looking at AJ sitting up feeding Rudy.

"It's Thomas. He's crying. How can you sleep through it?" AJ shook her head with frustration as he listened carefully.

"Oh." Punk realised, getting up and making his way to the bottom of their bed where the twin's cribs were, finding Thomas crying and wriggling unhappily, "Ok, buddy. It's alright." Punk said, wiping the sleep from his eyes before picking Thomas up into his arms.

"I brought his bottle up when I went down to get Rudy one. Figured he'd wake soon." AJ nodded to her bedside table which had a made-up bottle.

"Good thinking." Punk said, getting the bottle and walking back round to his side, "Sorry. I must have been completely passed out. I didn't hear him." He admitted, sitting down on the bed beside her.

"Yeah, you looked unconscious." AJ agreed, "Do you think we'll ever sleep again? For more than an hour?"

"Hopefully." Punk nodded, placing the bottle tip to Thomas' tiny, mouth as the baby boy latched on and began suckling.

"I don't think I've showered in… four, maybe five days." AJ thought about it.

"Yeah, we stink." Punk nodded, leaning his head back against the headboard.

"My boobs won't stop leaking. Don't they know I don't want to breast feed?" She shook her head with frustration, "And my hair stinks of puke." She added, "You must be so attracted to me right now." She nodded as he turned to her.

"I'm attracted to you at all times." Punk assured her, "In fact, you have never been sexier to me than you are right now."

"Stop." AJ scoffed.

"I'm not lying." Punk said, "Look at these perfect little angels you gave us."

"Loud little angels." AJ corrected, looking down at Rudy who was guzzling her bottle, "They are pretty perfect." She whispered, "I just wish we didn't smell." She said, letting out a dramatic, fake sob as Punk chuckled.

"I'm pretty sure this is all part of the process." Punk nodded.

"Did you call Finn earlier?" AJ asked him.

"Yeah. He's going to open the shop but just to serve coffees. And I told him to just do 9am until 2pm. Until I can figure out getting more staff." Punk said.

"If you need to go in and help him, I'll be ok. We'll have to get used to being on our own with them eventually." AJ said.

"No. I'm not going anywhere. It's only been four weeks and you still need to take it easy." Punk said, "Finn will be ok. I told him if there's an emergency to call. And if it's too much for him then we can close for another few days until I figure something out." He nodded.

"How is Sophie getting on?" She asked him.

"There's not much she can get on with, by the sounds of it." Punk said, "He's telling her he shot Craig. The only route she can go down is self-defence."

"Which they have good evidence for, right? I mean… he needed surgery on his leg. He had marks all over his neck. That works in his favour." AJ said, "Right?"

She was constantly looking to him for answers. He was a trained lawyer after all, whether he practised or not. He knew how these things would go down.

"Yeah, but he'll still do time." Punk shook his head, "I just wish I could talk to him. Let him know we got his back and… that I'll look out for his mom and sister the best I can." Punk sighed.

He'd been feeling really low, despite the high of becoming a father. Knowing he couldn't speak to Daryl and assure him that they were here for him, was incredibly hard. All he wanted to do was hug the kid. Give him comfort. It wasn't until now he'd realised the true extent of his relationship with Daryl. In a way, he felt like a stand-in father to him, or an older brother. And knowing he couldn't do anything to help him was killing him.

"Will you get to see him before he's sentenced?" AJ asked, "Why can't they let you visit him in jail?"

"It could hurt the case, since the crime happened at our house, and given what we know about Craig." Punk said.

"Do you think I'll have to testify?" AJ wondered, "About Craig? His connection to Todd?"

"Sophie hasn't brought it up to me." Punk said, "Would you? If she asked?"

"For Daryl?" AJ asked, "Of course. In a heartbeat."

"I wouldn't hold it against you if you didn't. I know it would be difficult." Punk assured her.

"But I would do it if it helps Daryl." AJ said. She knew in her heart she would.

"Still no word from Shiv?" Punk asked.

"No. Nothing." AJ said, "I'm getting super worried about her. Lyla thinks she's maybe gone back to college but… I don't buy it. She wouldn't just take off with all of this going on."

"I'd go visit her parents but… I don't want smacked in the face again." Punk rolled his eyes.

"Maybe I should go." AJ said, "I can't stand not knowing if she's ok or not. She must be so shaken up from everything. And she's gonna lose Daryl… her head must be all over the place." She sighed.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "Sophie did tell me that the police were questioning Todd and his parents. Looking into their connection." He turned to her, "It'll help emphasis how dangerous Craig really was."

"Good." AJ nodded, "This is all… Todd's fault. I hope he never gets to see the outside world ever again." She shook her head. She was past the point of being upset. She was just furious now. Enraged that somehow this man who had traumatised her so much, was continuing to hurt her and dismantle the things she loved. Her family. Her friends. The safe place she'd come to call home.

"I highly doubt he'll ever get out of prison." Punk assured her, taking the bottle from Thomas and sitting it over on his bedside table, tilting the baby boy up a little to wind him, "Time to let it rip, buddy." He encouraged, rubbing Thomas' tiny back as AJ smiled.

"Look at his hair." She frowned, her heart melting upon seeing her son's fuzzy hair sticking up. Just as she was growing major heart eyes for him, he threw up all over Punk's hand and their bed.

"Oh, wonderful." Punk nodded calmly, turning to AJ as they both just started laughing.

"What do you guys think?" AJ asked, folding her arms, and looking at the twins who were sat at their kitchen table, testing out the banoffee pie she had made.

"I like it." Rudy nodded.

"I like it." Thomas nodded, "But not the bananas." He said, taking the sliced banana off and throwing it over onto Rudy's plate.

"You can't have a banoffee pie without bananas." AJ explained.

"Well, I don't like them." Thomas said, pushing the plate away.

"Let me try." Punk said, walking into the kitchen after taking a shower.

"Thomas doesn't want the bananas in the banoffee pie." AJ told him.

"Ahh. So it's just a… toffee pie?" He said as AJ chuckled.

"Here." She dug a piece out of the pie onto a fork, "Open." She said as he opened his mouth, letting her put the pie in.

"It's good." Punk concluded, "Not the best pie I've had but… still good." He nodded to her with a suggestive smile as she shook her head.

"You're the worst." She nodded as he smiled, swiping his finger over the cream on the pie and putting it on her nose.

"I know." He nodded.

"Look what your father just did to me." AJ pointed to her nose as the twins looked up and giggled.

"Mommy, it's on your nose." Thomas laughed.

"I know." AJ chuckled, taking their plates over to the sink as Punk followed.

"You know I love putting cream on your face." Punk shrugged as AJ laughed.

"Phil." She shook her head at his childish behaviour, even though it never failed to make her laugh.

"What? Just being honest." He shrugged, taking another bite of the pie, "It is real good, though." He told her seriously.

"I was thinking I might make one for Saturday." AJ said.

"Saturday?" Punk asked.

"Yeah. Becca's party." She reminded him.

"Oh, shit." Punk remembered.

"Bad word." Rudy said, getting off the chair and running over to the piggy bank on the coffee table, taking it over to Punk and holding it out to him.

"I didn't say nothing." Punk defended.

"I heard you." Rudy said, narrowing her brows at him, "Put a dollar in the piggy." She demanded as Punk rolled his eyes.

"These kids are robbing me blind." Punk shook his head to AJ, grabbing his wallet and taking a dollar out, stuffing it into the slot in the piggy bank, which they called the swear piggy.

"Then stop swearing in front of them." AJ hummed.

The deal was, they could open the bank at the end of the year and spend whatever money was inside it. So far Punk figured they could put their name down for a mortgage with how much times he'd been caught swearing by them.

"Thank you." Rudy smiled triumphantly, taking the piggy bank back to her spot on the coffee table.

"What time does the party start?" Punk asked AJ.

"Becca said 7." AJ said, "Shiv called her last night and told her she definitely wasn't coming."

"Not surprised." Punk said.

"We can't exactly force her, can we?" AJ said, "Like you said, she'll talk when she's ready. I try telling this to Lyla and Becca but you know how they can be." She said.

"Yeah, I know." Punk nodded, "Ok, you guys stink. It's time for a bath." He turned to the twins.

"I don't stink." Thomas said.

"I don't either." Rudy turned to her father unhappily.

"You do. I can smell you from here." He teased as AJ just smiled. She was glad the father of her children was so playful. There was never a dull moment in their house. Sometimes she felt like she was living with three children.

"No you can't." Rudy said, "Mommy, tell him we don't stink." She said.

"Of course you don't." AJ said, "But it is time for a bath." She added.

"Go on. Go pick out your pyjamas and I'll be up in a minute." Punk told them.

"Maybe you stink." Thomas nodded to him, "And you can smell yourself." He added before leaving the kitchen as AJ turned to Punk with an impressed smile.

"I think we're raising a future comedian." AJ nodded as Punk chuckled, watching Thomas and Rudy run off to go upstairs.

"They know how to put us in our place that's for sure." Punk smiled just as there was a knock on the door, "You expecting someone?" He asked AJ.

"Not that I know of." AJ said as Punk walked off to answer the door.

He opened up and saw Daryl's mom standing in front of him, holding what appeared to be an envelope.

"Carol." Punk said, "Hey. Is everything ok?" He asked.

"Sorry to bother you so late. I know you'll be busy with the twins." Carol said.

"It's no trouble. Come in." Punk said as Carol stepped into the house, "Do you want a coffee? April has some pie, too. She's just made it."

"Oh, I'm ok. I won't stay for long. I just… wanted your opinion on something." Carol said as AJ walked into the hallway.

"Oh, hi Carol." AJ smiled pleasantly.

"Hi April." Carol nodded, "I just said to Phil… I'm sorry to bother you."

"Don't be silly." AJ shook her head, "What's wrong?"

"I got this today." Carol said, handing the envelope over to Punk, "I'm trying not to get ahead of myself but… is that what I think it is?" She asked as Punk took the letter out of the envelope, opening it up and reading it as AJ leaned in to read too.

"He's getting out?" AJ gasped, placing her hand over her mouth, and looking at Carol.

"It's signed off from his lawyer. Sophie. That's her signature, isn't it?" Carol nodded.

"Yeah. It is." Punk nodded, "They normally send out a letter to the next of kin to inform them of release." He said, "And… he has served half of his sentence."

"What does this mean? Is… is he really getting out?" Carol asked tearfully. She couldn't let herself believe it until someone else confirmed it.

"Yeah." Punk looked at her, "He'll be on strict parole orders but… yeah, he's getting out."