It Will Be

"Thank God." AJ groaned, crouching down immediately once she saw Teddy and Punk walk in through the apartment door, squeezing Teddy as tight as she could, thanking a God she didn't believe in that she was safe and unharmed, "You scared us, baby." AJ sighed, pulling back from the hug and cupping her daughter's cheeks, "You can't run off like that." She shook her head.

"She was with a homeless guy." Punk nodded as AJ looked up at him, "Playing gin." He said as AJ turned back to Teddy who smiled innocently, "She's ok." Punk nodded.

"Mommy and daddy were so worried about you." AJ sighed.

"But I'm right here." Teddy presented herself.

"You are now." AJ said, "We're just glad you're ok." She nodded.

"Ted, why don't you go into the kitchen, your paintings are still out." He told her as Teddy nodded excitedly and ran off into the kitchen as AJ stood up straight.

"Thank God she's ok." AJ sighed, collapsing into Punk as he hugged her tightly and nodded, both of them needing the embrace just as much as the other.

"Yeah, she's alright." Punk nodded to himself, "How did it go at the station?" He asked her, pulling back from the hug.

"Uh… well they think they know what's going on." AJ nodded, "Come on." She sighed, taking his hand and walking into the living room with him, finally getting some breathing space of their own so she could explain to him what appeared to be what was really going on, and who that man really was. She was still in shock in all honesty. She felt like the room was continuously spinning, and like she really wouldn't trust anyone again.

AJ spent an hour or so telling Punk about the possibility that Trina, her ex prison enemy, was behind the torment and mind games. Punk thought it was a pretty severe way to try and mess with someone, and also felt a little victimised by the full thing too, putting into perspective how much worse it must have been for AJ during those four years in prison.

Just as they were talking with one another in the living room, whilst keeping heir eye on Teddy in the kitchen, there was a knock at their front door.

"I'll get it." Punk told her, standing up and heading out into the hallway to open up the door, seeing James standing.

"Hey, it's just me." James smiled.

"Come in." Punk nodded, opening the door wide and letting him in as he shut it over behind him.

"I won't take up much of your time." James assured him as Punk lead him through into the living room, "I just thought I'd come by to let you know what's going on." He said as AJ stood up once spotting James walking in.

"So… have you found anything else?" AJ asked.

"Uh… yeah, that woman in prison you spoke about… she's had a lot of visits from that man posing as your dad." He nodded to Punk, "It's her brother." He said, "So Paul who you spoke to… he's going into the prison just now to speak with her, she's looking at extra time in prison and… well, Ross is pretty much on his way to maximum security." He nodded.

"So it was… it was all just some… some big joke to mess with me? Mess with my family?" AJ asked, "She knew she couldn't get to me out here anymore so she sent someone else to do it for her. Made up an intense, believable story, managed to find out everything about me and my life…I can't believe she spent so much time trying to tear me down, even after I've left prison." AJ shook her head.

"Well she's in prison, she's got nothing to lose and probably nothing to gain either." James shrugged, "And from what Paul told me, you had a… well, quite the rival with her. A lot of fights, physically and mentally." He said as AJ just nodded and looked down at the ground, "Main thing is you're ok and so is the little one." He smiled, "No one thinks you're stupid for believing any of it. Hell, I think we all would have believed it despite the fact that I found out that Phil and Bonnie's dad died a few years ago." He said, "He had the details sharp and precise. Could have fooled all of us."

"it's messed with my head." AJ shook her head, "But I guess that's what she wanted." AJ nodded.

"Yeah, well… it's over now. She'll not get visitation ever again due to this and… that man, Ross, he'll be imprisoned definitely." He said as AJ just nodded.

"Uh… do you mind if I… I go lie down?" AJ asked, looking to Punk.

"I'm leaving anyway." James assured them.

"No, on you go." Punk nodded, placing his hand on her shoulder softly as AJ nodded, walking off out of the living room and into her and Punk's bedroom, closing the door over behind her.

"I imagine this might take a toll on her. All the lies she's been fed. It's almost like they've been beating her up just… mentally." James shook his head, "Bad people out there."

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "Listen, thanks for your help today." Punk nodded, "With AJ and Teddy. It uh… it meant a lot." Punk said, walking him out and to the door.

"Hey, it's what I'm here for." James said, "Tell April not to worry. It's over." He said as Punk nodded and smiled, opening up the door as James left.

Later on that night, Punk had picked Kace up from school whislt AJ had still isolated herself from everything. He knew she was bound to be feeling it tough. To be messed with a lie for such a long time, to have her mental state preyed on so viciously, it angered him. She had already been through enough.

"Why are we making this?" Kace asked, mixing a bowl of cake batter whilst Teddy ate the strawberries which were supposed to be accompanying the cake they were making, sneaking one into her mouth when her father wasn't looking.

"Because mommy is feeling a little down so we're gonna make her a cake." Punk told them, "Alright?" He said.

"Why? Is she not well?" Teddy asked him.

"Kinda." Punk said, "This will make her feel a little better." He said, "And just because my back is turned to you doesn't mean I don't know you're eating the strawberries." Punk said as Teddy threw the strawberry she was holding over to Kace.

"It's Kace. He's eating them." Teddy told him.

"He's not stupid." Kace rolled his eyes.

"Sometimes." Teddy muttered under her breath as Punk turned around to her, "Kidding." She grinned, "There's still lots and lots." She told him.

"Mhm." Punk hummed.

"Ok, this is done." Kace said, walking over to his father and putting the cake mix into a tray and then into the oven.

Whilst the cake baked, Punk checked in on AJ and saw her lying on the bed with her back to the door. He didn't know if she was sleeping or not, but left her be regardless. He didn't want this to set her back from all of the progress they had made as a family, and her herself on her own. It was sad that someone wanted to bring her down so much, and he didn't want her to waste her time getting down about it.

"I think it's ready." Teddy said, sitting down on the floor in front of the oven, having watched it bake the entire time whilst Kace sat doing his homework.

"Ok, you guys do the strawberries." Punk told them, taking the cake out, letting it cool whilst supervising the kids, eventually cutting a piece of cake and placing it on a plate.

"Can I give her it?" Teddy asked as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, ok." Punk nodded, "Careful with it." He said, handing her the plate as Teddy took it from him, making her way across to the bedroom, kicking it open with her foot as Punk rolled his eyes at his discrete she was. Not very.

"Mommy! We made you a cake." Teddy exclaimed excitedly, running around the bed as AJ looked over, sitting up as she turned around and saw Punk and Kace standing at the door, "It's strawberries, your favourite." Teddy told her as AJ smiled, sitting up and folding her legs in a basket as she took the plate from Teddy with a smile.

"What's this for?" AJ smiled, flicking her chin playfully as Teddy climbed onto the bed in front of her, "It's not even my birthday." She smiled, looking over to Punk and Kace.

"Daddy said you were feeling down." Teddy frowned as AJ looked at her, gulping a little as she turned back to Punk, watching as Kace made his way further into the bedroom, sitting up on the bed beside her as AJ smiled to him.

"I'm ok." AJ smiled, turning back to Teddy who was eager for her mother to try the cake, "You want me to try it, don't you?" AJ asked as Teddy nodded.

"I do. Try it." Teddy said.

"I made most of it." Kace told her as AJ smiled to him.

"But I made the strawberries." Teddy insisted.

"You ate most of them." Kace shook his head as Teddy nudged his foot as Punk just shook his head with a smile.

"Alright alright." AJ smiled, breaking a piece of the cake off, which was pretty tasty given the fact two fighting kids had made it apparently, "Hey, this is really good." AJ smiled as Teddy grinned happily, "You guys didn't have to make me a cake."

"We did we don't want you to be sad." Teddy said, "And cake makes people happy." She told her as AJ smiled and nodded.

"Well it's working. You're right." AJ nodded, turning to Kace and smiling to him as he smiled back, "Thank you." She smiled, kissing his head as he nodded, "Thank you." She turned to Teddy, leaning forward and kissing her head, "Thank you." AJ turned to Punk with a smile as he walked further into the room, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"He didn't do anything." Teddy said, "He's useless." She rolled her eyes as AJ chuckled along with Punk and nodded.

"Pretty useless." Punk agreed and nodded.

"Are you still sad?" Kace asked her as AJ turned to him.

"No… hey, I wasn't sad… I just…" She looked at him, "Sometimes you just don't feel like yourself, right?" She said as he nodded, "I'm ok." She nodded to him, "In fact, I'm just fine." She smiled.

For a minute, back when all the chaos was happening, she almost felt like she was back in prison. Like she was trapped and all that pain was building back up. But right now, she was reminded of where she was and who she was with: her family. She felt like prison life would really never leave her alone. Like she could never move on from it, but she could, she would. With her families help. It was still one step at a time, but she felt incredibly lucky to have a boyfriend and two children who cared as much as Punk and their children did.

"I'm glad you're not sad anymore." Kace nodded, looking down as Punk smiled to himself. He knew what it meant to AJ to have her children around her, how much it lit her world up.

"Me too." Teddy agreed as AJ smiled.

"Why don't you two go back into the kitchen for a second." Punk told them as they nodded, pushing and shoving one another as they left the bedroom as AJ put a strawberry in her mouth and smiled as Punk smiled watching her, "So it's good?" He smiled, shuffling over to her and sitting on the bed beside her against the headboard.

"I don't deserve you." She shook her head as he took a strawberry from her plate and ate it.

"We deserve one another. We're both assholes." Punk nudged her as she smiled, "I just want you to know that this isn't going to change anything. We're gonna keep growing as a family and… I'm… we're gonna do everything to make sure you get through… what it was you went through in prison." Punk said, "Maybe I underestimated the severity of it because it hurt too much to think about it… but I know now, and I'm here." He nodded, "And so are the kids. They need you here, don't forget that." He told her as she smiled and nodded.

"I just felt like an idiot." She admitted, taking a bite of the cake as they shared the piece on the plate, "I thought when I got out… everything to do with prison, including Trina, would just disappear… and she found a way to still get to me and hurt me." She sighed.

"Yeah, well she's getting taken care of. That's her life, April. Kinda sad. That's all she has. Prison. Preying on people's vulnerabilities. Hurting people." Punk said, "She'll never know love or family." He shook his head as AJ nodded.

"I'm sorry that it brought you into it… with your dad… I was just… well, maybe I'm just gullible."

"No… that dick was probably convincing enough. I mean… I believed it." Punk said, "I don't need a dad. I guess the idea of it was becoming nice but… I've lasted this long without one, I can keep going." He smiled to her as she nodded, "And you're not gullible. That guy came to you in prison. Your head was probably all over the place." He sighed, "He took advantage of that." He nodded as AJ sighed, resting her head against his shoulder.

"I just want my life back." AJ whispered as Punk nodded, kissing her head.

"It's gonna come." Punk nodded, "We'll get through this. Whatever way works for us best. If you need therapy for what happened in prison, we'll do that, if there's days you need a breather just let me know." He said, "I'm here. That's the big difference now." He reminded her as she nodded, "You're not alone anymore." He said as AJ nodded.

"Thank you." AJ whispered, looking up at him as he looked down, leaning down and pressing his lips against hers as she kissed back. She was accepting the help she knew she needed, and she knew that with time, she'd get through this long-lasting nightmare, and she'd get her life back. She already had her children and her boyfriend back. She wasn't going to give up now. Not after everything she'd been through.

6 months later…

"Gin." Paige smiled, placing her cards down on the beach towel as Teddy sat across from her in her little bikini, scowling a little as she realised she'd been bet again.

"No fair." Teddy frowned, putting her cards down as Paige just laughed a little.

"Another game?" Paige asked her, collecting the cards back in, "You're a sore loser like your mom."

"Fine. But I'll win this one." Teddy warned her as Paige just nodded and laughed, dealing the cards back out, sitting amongst the crowded beach with the rest of the people she now considered family.

"Hey, mom… do you have some money?" Kace asked, running over to his mother with his friend.

"I do." AJ smiled to him, digging into her purse as she sat with Punk on the sand, "What you after? Ice-cream?" She asked them as they both nodded, "Ok. Here. Get something for your sister and cousin too." She passed him the money as Kace nodded.

"Thanks, mom." Kace smiled, running off with his friend to the ice-cream van as AJ smiled watching him. Being called mom every day was something she never thought she'd quite get used to again.

"What if I wanted an ice-cream?" Punk asked her as AJ just rolled her eyes.

"You've already had two." She poked his stomach as he sat with his shirt off with just some shorts on. It was an incredibly warm day and it was a spontaneous decision to go to the beach and relax.

"You're right. I should wait an hour before I have another one." He smirked as she smiled and nodded.

"I'm not going in there again." Dean chittered, coming back from the water with Violet, "Suns hot, water isn't." He told them as AJ and Punk laughed, "Is she sleeping?" Dean pointed to Bonnie who was laying on a beach towel beside AJ with her eyes shut.

"No, I'm just enjoying the silence whilst you were gone." Bonnie opened an eye as Dean kicked her foot playfully and smiled, "Was the water fun?" She sat up as Violet sat on her towel with her as Dean collapsed down beside.

"Yeah, we saw a crab." Violet smiled.

"Oh, I hope it didn't pinch you." Bonnie smiled as she shook her head.

"It pinched dad but he told me not to tell anyone." Violet said as everyone turned around to look at Dean.

"And clearly you didn't get the message clear enough." Dean looked at Violet who smiled as they chuckled a little.

"Look, look…" Punk nudged AJ who looked over to where Punk was looking.

"What?" AJ shook her head.

"I think Kace just gave his ice-cream to a girl." Punk nodded over to the ice-cream van as AJ looked over.

"He looks so awkward." AJ placed her hand on her chest as they watched him closely.

"My boy." Punk nodded to himself as AJ smiled, turning around and watching as Teddy concentrated on her cards with Paige, laughing to herself at her little demon face peeking over her cards, trying her best to win at least one game.

"It's hot." AJ said, looking around the beach as Punk nodded.

"It's nice." Punk corrected her, "It's rare we all get a day off together." He admitted, laying back down on his towel as AJ smiled watching him.

"I know." AJ nodded, laying back down with him, resting her head on his arm, the sound of warm chatter around them, the sun warm and comforting, not blocked any prison walls.

Family life had made a big return. She made the school runs, she tucked the kids into bed, she'd gotten her job back, she had date nights with her boyfriend whilst Paige or Bonnie took care of the kids… but things still weren't perfect.

She'd been seeking counselling from the trauma of prison and the aftermath of prison, and she and Punk made it clear that they talked to one another instead of holding back from anything. Things with the kids weren't officially back to normal. Sometimes she felt like they still swayed more to Punk for things, but she expected that since they'd been used to him for so long, but they'd really came such a long way already.

Things weren't absolutely perfect but what mattered was… soon it would be.

A/N: That's the end for this one! I thought this was a better ending to allow you to imagine how they got themselves back to normal instead of ending on a completely perfect note as I do that quite often and I don't want anyone to get bored. I know this got a little confusing towards the end but I just wanted it to show AJ dealing with what happened in prison and how it was still trying to bring her down. I didn't go into too much detail about Trina and what happened to her, I'm sure we can all imagine. A song which helped me write this chapter was Praying by Kesha.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this one. I've done so many stories where it's Punk who goes away for a few years and returns so it was interesting to change it up with this one. Thanks for the support and the reviews. I'm sure I'll be back with something new soon!