Sorry

"Where is Shiv? She's late." Finn said, making his way through to the front of the coffee shop where Punk was getting ready to open up.

"She's not coming in today. She's sick." Punk said as Finn looked at him with an unconvinced stare, "Well… that's what she told me. She called at like 6.30." He said.

"She was a mess last night when she left." Finn said, "I hope she's alright."

"She sounded ok on the phone." Punk said, "Might be best to give her some space. A day off might do her some good. She's had a rough few days."

"Yeah." Finn nodded in agreement.

"Nice nose, by the way." Punk said, looking at Finn's shiny bruise nose.

"This is it looking better, actually." Finn told him, "It was swollen as fuck last night."

"Did you guys talk?" Punk asked curiously.

"Yeah, we talked." Finn nodded, "He's going through it, and he's not himself. I wouldn't hold it against him. I did punch him first." He said, "But he seemed better when he came home. Like he'd got a load off his chest. He was speaking more positively, talking about wanting to be there for Brianna and wanting to look forward instead of back." Finn said, "And then we hugged it out."

"Sweet." Punk teased, "Unfortunately, sometimes people need to hit rock bottom before they start getting better. He came to me last night and got a lot off his chest. I think he realises that we are actually there for him if he needs to talk, that we're not just saying it because it sounds like the right thing to do." Punk said.

"He was up and ready for work this morning anyway, and he seemed to be in a decent mood." Finn said, "He's not going to magically get better overnight but… as long as we keep our eye on him and give him the support he needs, I'm sure things will get better." Finn said to himself as Punk nodded, patting him on the shoulder.

"Of course they will, kid." Punk said firmly, "Not a chance in hell we'll let him slip through our fingers. The little fucker has us for life." He said as Finn smiled.

"I just hope Shiv is ok. It's a lot for her too." Finn said.

"I'll give her a call later to check in with her. She's been talking to the girls more lately, too. Which is good." Punk told him as Finn nodded.

"Maybe we should do something here, at Brewks." Finn thought about it.

"Like what?" Punk asked, using tongs to place fresh Danish pastries into the display cabinet which Finn had just made, "These look fucking ace, by the way." He told him.

"Thanks." Finn nodded, "Like open-mic night or a quiz. Bingo?" Finn suggested as Punk scoffed.

"Bingo? So all the old ladies can hit on me all night? No thanks." Punk said.

"You think an awful lot of yourself, don't you?" Finn scoffed.

"I can't help it if they find me irresistible." Punk shrugged.

"I was thinking more for us to all hang out. And it'd be good for business here. Might be good for Daryl and Shiv to be in each other's company without having to talk too much to each other." He said as Punk thought about it.

"Open-mic night?" Punk asked Finn who nodded.

"I'll do finger food. There are these sliders I've been wanting to make. Would be a good opportunity." Finn said.

"Ok, sure. What the hell." Punk nodded, "Next Saturday night?" He suggested.

"I'll make flyers." Finn nodded with a smile.

"What do you think?" Becca asked, standing in front of Lyla who had her phone and was swiping between pictures.

"They're both hot but… I don't know, first one is doing it more for me." Lyla nodded.

"I was thinking the same." Becca said happily, "I mean… it only stays in for like two minutes, it feels like a waste of money."

"What are you guys talking about?" Daryl asked, walking through to the front from the kitchen with a tray of clean mugs.

"Nothing." Becca scoffed.

"Hey, I thought I was a Brewberry girl now." Daryl said, loading the mugs onto the cabinet above the coffee machine, "That means you gotta include me in all discussions."

"Oh, fine." Becca said, "Which one do you think Patrick will enjoy the most?" She asked as Lyla turned the phone around to him, swiping left to right as Daryl looked at the very revealing lingerie set on an online website. He instantly regretted saying anything, feeling his cheeks going red.

"Oh, look we've embarrassed him." Lyla frowned.

"I mean… I'd… I'd go for the first one." Daryl shrugged, trying to act cool, turning his attention back to the mugs as the girls chuckled.

"That's what we were thinking." Lyla nodded, "It's Patrick's birthday." She added.

"Great." Daryl nodded awkwardly.

"Bet you'll think twice now before asking us what we're talking about." Becca chuckled.

"Yep." Daryl nodded.

"What is he writing on the board out there?" AJ asked, coming through from the kitchen and noticing Punk writing on his display board across the road.

"Let's go investigate." Becca said curiously, both her and AJ heading outside to investigate.

"What are you writing?" AJ called over to Punk across the road.

"You guys are so nosey." Punk shook his head, kneeling down and writing on the board with his best handwriting.

"Tell us!" Becca whined, "Is it your specials?" She asked.

Anytime they noticed Punk writing on his board, they heckled him from across the street. Even with marriage and two children, he and AJ's shops were still fiercely competitive with each other.

"Nope." Punk said.

"What are you up to?" AJ scoffed, folding her arms and smiling. Of course it was all fun and games… mostly.

"The return of open-mic night. Next Saturday." Punk said, turning the display board round for them to see, "You guys are welcome to come." He smirked over.

"Can we bring alcohol?" Becca asked with a pleading pout.

"Wait." Punk remembered, adding 'bring your own bottle' to the display board.

"And who will be babysitting our children?" AJ asked with a smile.

"They can come. Rudy would rock the mic." Punk shrugged.

"Oh, God." AJ shook her head at the very image.

"I'm down. I'll tell Patrick." Becca nodded, "I hope you have no customers today!" She called over.

"Thank you, Becca." Punk smiled cheerfully.

"I'll see you later." AJ shook her head with a smile before they all went back into their respective shops.

"What was he writing?" Lyla asked curiously.

"They're doing open-mic night next Saturday." AJ said.

"Do people still go to that?" Daryl asked curiously.

"There's not been once since you left." AJ told him, "It was kinda your brainchild, was it not?" She smiled.

"Yeah, I guess so." Daryl said, "I'm not singing this time." He made clear as they chuckled.

"Oh, but you were so good." Becca said, "It was like what I imagine Maple would sound like if she singed."

"Don't talk about Maple." Daryl scoffed, "You've made her fat."

"She is not fat." Becca scoffed, "She's… chunky, and fluffy. And living her best life thanks to me. I use her as a scarf sometimes."

"Poor thing." Lyla said.

"You know you can always come visit her." Becca told Daryl on a serious note, "I bet she'll recognise you. They're clever like that."

"Yeah, maybe." Daryl nodded to her.

"Ok kids, let's get ready to open." AJ told them.

"Uncle Finn, can I say the alphabet to you?" Rudy asked, sitting at a table in Punk's shop with her brother whilst Finn brushed the floors, cleaning the shop up so they could go home.

"Do you have to?" Finn asked her, "You've already said it three times." He said as Punk chuckled, standing over at the register.

"But I want to say it again." Rudy said, "We're supposed to do practises of it." She explained.

Punk had picked them up from pre-k where they had hung around at the shop until closing. Finn made them before dinner since it was late, which meant one less thing for he and AJ to do when they got home.

"Did you know daddy's building a house?" Thomas interrupted, scribbling some crayons on some paper.

"No, he's not building a house." Finn shook his head.

"Oh, he is." Rudy said defensively, "Daddy tell him."

"Your dad isn't building a house, he's getting other people to build it for him. And… they're not doing a very good job." Finn nodded to them both.

"Shh." Punk scolded, "They'll tell AJ."

"AJ is our mommy." Rudy told Finn as if he didn't know, "It's like the alphabet, A and J." She explained.

"You're so smart." Finn nodded as Rudy smiled happily.

"The new house doesn't have our staircase in it." Thomas said, "We love our stairs."

"Yes, it's like I'm a princess when I walk down them." Rudy agreed, "But daddy said no, it will only be a straight staircase. A boring one."

"I say give them what they want." Finn nodded to Punk.

"No." Punk said firmly, "That staircase has taken years off my life." He mumbled as Finn chuckled, both of them turning around when the door opened.

"Hey." Daryl said to them, "Your nose don't look so bad." He told Finn.

"What are friends for if not for punching each other?" Punk added, "You finished?" He asked.

"Yeah, AJ told me to tell you that she's gone home and that you're on bath time duty." Daryl said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I figured." Punk said, "You have a decent day?" He asked Daryl.

"Yeah, it was ok." Daryl nodded, "I see you're doing open-mic night next week." He said.

"Yeah, we figured it should make a comeback." Finn said.

"We're going to sing." Rudy added, listening into their conversation, having questioned her father all about this open-mic night.

"No, you're not." Punk told her, "It's adults only."

"But I'm good at singing." Rudy said as Thomas made a face at her.

"You're not." Thomas disagreed as Rudy made a face at him.

"Adults only." Punk emphasised as Rudy turned away from him with a dramatic huff.

"Obviously you and the girls are welcome to come." Finn added, although he figured it was fairly obvious.

"Me and the girls." Daryl scoffed, "They never stop talking. It's constant. All day." Daryl said, massaging his temples as Punk and Finn laughed, "And girls talk about everything, like… everything."

"You can talk a lot, too." Punk said, "I'm sure you fit right in."

"Funny." Daryl made a face at him, "Has Shiv already gone home? I wanted to talk to her for a quick second." He said.

"She wasn't in today." Punk said, "Sick. I called her at lunch time to check in with her. She just said she's pretty run down with the flu."

"Oh." Daryl nodded, "I just… I wanted to apologise for being such an ass these past couple days."

"You know where she lives?" Finn asked as Daryl nodded, "Go apologise then."

"You think I should?" Daryl asked them as they both nodded.

"I'm sure she'll appreciate the apology." Punk nodded, "And it might make you feel a little better."

"Ahh, altruism." Finn nodded.

"What?" Daryl shook his head, "Yeah… yeah, ok. I'll swing by." He nodded, "Shouldn't you guys be in bed?" He asked the twins who turned to him in sync, "Woah… that was weird." He said.

"Our bedtime is eight o'clock." Rudy told him, "It's not eight o'clock yet."

"Ok." Daryl nodded, slightly terrified of Rudy, "I'll catch you guys later." He nodded to Punk and Finn before leaving the shop.

"Get those back ones." Shiv reminded Brianna who was standing on her stool at the sink, brushing her teeth and looking in the mirror.

"I am." Brianna mumbled with her toothbrush in her mouth.

"Good girl." Shiv smiled, "I can see they're already sparkling." She said as Brianna grinned in the mirror to have a closer look herself.

"They are." Brianna agreed just as there was a knock at their door, "Who is that?" Brianna asked.

"I don't know, I'll go check. Keep brushing and then go into the living room. I'll bring you some milk and maybe we can share a cookie?"

"Yeah! Ok." Brianna smiled excitedly.

"Be careful on the stool." Shiv said as she was leaving the bathroom. She knew Brianna had a habit of dancing on the stool, which was an accident waiting to happen.

She headed out of the bathroom and down to the apartment door, opening it up and seeing Daryl standing. She was glad to see him sober for the first time in two days.

"Hey." Daryl sad, "Sorry to bother you." He said.

She'd been consumed with his letters since last night, so much so that she'd took the day off work to read them all day. Most of them made her cry and sob. They hurt her heart, thinking of him sitting in his prison cell, writing to her every day, and hoping she'd reply. She wished so badly she had.

"It's ok." Shiv nodded.

"You don't look too sick." Daryl observed.

"Well, I am." Shiv said childishly, "It's period cramp." She added as Daryl nodded slowly.

"Ok." He said awkwardly, "Well, I just wanted to apologise for how I've been the past few days. I told you I wasn't gonna cause you trouble and it seems like that's all I've done." He said as Shiv looked at him, seeing the defeat in his eyes, like he was finally coming to terms with the fact he wasn't doing very well.

"It's fine." She shook her head, not knowing what else to say.

"No, it's not." Daryl said, "I just want you to know that I'm talking to someone, and I'm… I'm gonna figure this out. I want to be a dad to Brianna. The best dad I can be."

"I'm glad you're talking to someone." Shiv nodded, "I know it's been hard, but you have to look after yourself. I want you to look after yourself." She said seriously.

"I will." Daryl nodded.

"Daddy?" Brianna peeked out from the bathroom, hearing her father's voice, holding her toothbrush in her hand.

"Hey, you." Daryl smiled, watching her come running down the hall in her pjs.

"I was brushing my teeth." She told him as Shiv watched Daryl crouch down in front of her. Sometimes she still couldn't believe he was really here.

"Let me see." Daryl said as Brianna smiled, showing off her teeth, "Sparkling." He nodded.

"That's what mommy said." Brianna giggled, "Are you coming in? I'm going to have milk and a cookie." She said as Daryl looked up at Shiv.

"Uh… no I'm not coming in, but I'll see you real soon when you're at granny's." He nodded to her.

"Ok." Brianna said, wrapping her arms around his neck as Daryl hugged her back tightly. Shiv watched, feeling a lump in her throat.

"You have the best sleep, ok?" Daryl nodded to Brianna.

"Go put your toothbrush back, baby." Shiv said as Brianna nodded, running off as Daryl stood back up.

"She's really amazing." Daryl nodded to Shiv, "And you're… you're an amazing mom." He said as Shiv smiled.

"Thanks." She said with a shaky voice. She wanted to tell him that she'd read the letters, she wanted to apologise for not writing back, for not being there for him when he needed her the most, but the lump in her throat got too big to manage words.

"I'll let you go see to her." Daryl said as Shiv nodded.

"Did you and Finn talk?" Shiv asked, clearing her throat with a cough.

"Yeah. We're ok. Everything I said… I just wasn't myself. I'm still not but… I'll work on it. It's just a lot harder than I thought it'd be. Getting out." He said.

"Are you still seeing Christina?" She asked, not being able to help it.

"No." Daryl shook his head, "When I was with her, I wasn't really… with her." He emphasised as Shiv looked at him, "I was picturing someone else in my head the whole time. Figured it probably wasn't healthy to keep seeing her." He said as Shiv gulped, feeling shivers up her spine as he looked at her.

She wanted to ask who he was thinking about, but by the way he was looking at her, she knew he was referring to her. She wasn't sure how to feel about that information.

"Well, I didn't sleep with Finn. Just for the record." She blurted out as Daryl nodded.

"Yeah, I know." He nodded.

"I haven't slept with anyone in four years." She added, immediately regretting it as he looked at her in an awkward silence, "Not that it's your business, obviously." She quickly added.

"Obviously." Daryl nodded, "Ok, well I'll see Brianna at my mom's." He told her.

"Ok." Shiv said.

"Goodnight." He said.

"Night." Shiv nodded, closing the door over, leaning back against it and rolling her eyes at herself. Since when did she start acting like a teenage girl again?