Everyone enjoy the last chapter, an unexpected twist ahead that you will all hate me for! Enjoy.

The next morning…

"How did I get into my pyjamas?" AJ croaked, lifting her head from the pillow as she screwed her eyes up at the sun shining through the window. She looked beside her, the covers thrown back, an empty space in the bed beside her.

She stood up and made the bed the best she could, not paying to much attention to it, grabbing her sweater from the bottom of the bed and zipping it up, taking her glasses from the nightstand and opening them up, sitting them on her nose and leaving the room. She tiptoed past the kids rooms, walking downstairs and into the living room, trailing through into the kitchen and taking a seat down at the kitchen table.

It was a hard smack of reality. Every morning after the agonizing flashbacks…

Flashback…

"Take her." Punk coughed, the large basement holding a drugged out April, a damaged Dean and Seth and an even more damaged Punk.

"You're coming with us." Dean said, looking on at Punk as he held AJ in his agonizing arms, holding her out to them.

"Please." Punk begged, "Take her, get out of here." Punk said, looking over at Joe stirring on the ground of the basement.

"Just leave him!" Seth shouted at Punk, "He's dying, just leave him here." Seth said, not leaving without his best friend.

"Please just take her." Punk begged forcefully, not giving Dean and Seth a choice as he lay AJ down into Dean's arms, "I'll get you outside. Both of you. Just keep her safe." Punk said, kissing AJ's head and turning back away from his friends.

Dean and Seth just looked at each other but shamefully turned their backs and done what they were told, walking up the steps of the basement and leaving their friend to his request.

Punk wanted to make Joe pay, he wanted every little bad bone in his body to snap and crack slowly and painfully, it was exactly what he deserved.

He walked towards Joe, disgust on his face as he reached down to pull him up to his feet, a loud bang echoing the room when he did, his gut automatically feeling low and lifeless, his hands falling from Joe as he stumbled back from him, looking at the gun in his hand and the smirk on his face.

"If I'm going down… I'm taking you with me." Joe croaked, holding his shot shoulder.

Up above the basement Dean and Seth paused in their tracks as they looked at each other, the shotgun banging loudly in their ears, their instincts immediately telling them to quickly check on Punk.

"Take her." Dean said, practically throwing AJ's frail body to Seth and running back to the basement, launching himself down the stairs and stumbling forward, looking across at Punk who was standing up, barely, holding the front of his stomach as blood coldly spilled from his mouth, Joe lay on the ground, resting easy as he bled out to dry.

"Punk…" Dean ran over to Punk, catching his body as it fell to the ground, easing it down to the ground.

"Where is April?" Punk spoke through his hoarse and dry throat, the taste of blood in his mouth that was throwing up from his wound which was bleeding heavily, covering his full hand in red crimson liquid.

"She's safe, she's with Seth. We need to… We need to get you to a hospital, here…" Dean took his t-shirt off and scrunched it up, putting pressure on Punks wound as he winced in pain, "Hold this on your wound. I'm going to get you out of here." Dean said, lifting Punk up, needing much more muscles than what he needed to carry AJ, but he done it, because he would lift anything for his friend, no matter how heavy or hard.

A part of Dean was in shock, shock that his best friend was dying with a very serious shot wound in the core of his stomach. He walked up the steps of the basement, quickly taking his steps as he walked out of the house, keeping his eye on Punk as he seen his friend start to close his eyes on and off, his hand not putting enough pressure on the wound from lack of strength.

"C'mon Phil…" Dean whispered, a lump in his throat as he struggled to keep his cool, reaching Seth who had already put April in the car.

Dean couldn't hold up any longer, he lay Punk down on the ground, kneeling down beside him as Seth looked down at his friend.

"W-What…" He paused as he spotted the wound in Punks centre, the blood spilling out of his mouth, "Punk… c'mon we need to get you to a hospital." Seth said, reaching down and pulling Punks body recklessly up.

Punk used the rest of his strength to push Seth away, "No… just… leave me, make sure AJ is alright." Punk said, resting his head back down on the solid ground, his gut hurting like he'd never hurt before, one by one he could feel different parts of his body closing down, he couldn't feel his legs, his arms had collapsed at either side of him, his blood was spilling and spilling from his wound.

"Phil…" Seth shook his head as tears rolled down his eyes, his hands going behind his head as he looked down at Punk painfully.

"Punk…" A small voice came from behind them. She was far from on planet earth, she was confused and still terrified, not understanding how she was even out of the house, away from Joe, but she couldn't think of that, she could only see her husband lying on the cold ground, blood pouring from him as he rolled his eyes up at her, a small smile fading on his mouth.

"You're safe now." Punk whispered over to her.

"What… what happened to you?" AJ sank down to her knees, not being able to take any of this in, she couldn't understand or remember Punk coming to rescue her, but he looked like he had got hurt in the process.

"I came for you." Punk said, "But you have to go with Seth and Dean now." Punk said, reaching his lifeless hand up to stroke her cheek, wincing at the pain of moving his numb arms.

"You're bleeding… you're hurt." AJ cried as she removed the t-shirt he was pressuring on his wound, looking at the deep shot wound right on his straight edge tattoo.

"I know." Punk nodded, "You have to trust me. You'll be fine. Go with Dean and Seth." He said, insisting she got out of here.

"I'm not leaving you…" AJ shivered, taking his hand violently and refusing to let it go, "We need to get him to a hospital." AJ looked up at Dean and Seth who stood lifeless and upset, both of them hiding their cries.

"He won't make it." Seth whispered.

"Yes, he will." AJ said, "C'mon Phil…" AJ said, trying to lift him up on her own but knowing that she wouldn't succeed, dropping his body as she cried.

"I'll be fine here." Punk smiled to her, "Go home to the twins, tell them daddy loves them." Punk fainted his smile, losing consciousness as time crept up on them.

AJ could barely come to terms that Punk had actually came and saved her, but kneeling down beside him as he bled to his death, watching the pain in his face, feeling the pain in his heart, she wouldn't believe it.

"I need you. Please, Phil." AJ cried, "Don't do this. Don't leave me." She moaned.

"I'm afraid it's a bit late for that." Punk smiled to her, "You'll be alright." His eyes began to close for long periods of time now.

"No, I won't. Please, let us take you to hospital." She cried, knowing that even if they did go to hospital, it would have been too late.

Punk was scared, he was terrified, the pain, the realisation of his life about to end for good, realising he would never see his wife or children again, his best friends, but in a way… he could rest easy, he'd done what he came to do, save AJ and protect her.

"That car crash was the best thing that ever happened to me." Punk smiled to her.

Dean looked across to Seth as tears rolled down his face, dropping on the ground as AJ's shoulders moved up and down, her silent tears dropping on the ground along with Seth and Dean's.

"Phil…" AJ shook her head, looking on at Punk, watching his eyes close over, not opening up again like they had been doing, his chest standing at a halt as his hand fell from hers onto the ground.

"No!" AJ screamed, pulling him into her arms, his head resting on her lap as she rocked back and forth, tears pouring out as she took deep breaths.

Dean sat down on the ground and put his hands in his heads, his tears rolling down his face as he looked over at AJ crying into Punks dead body, Seth stood above leaning against the car which was meant to take all four of them to safety, his crying loud and soft, his shoulders shaking recklessly as his face became a wet mess

AJ screamed continuously over and over again, holding Punk in her arms, refusing to believe that this was happening, all she knew was pain for the past week, pain caused by Joe and now this, this of all things. The tables were turned, she was the one that was now holding her dead husband in her arms, only this time, he wasn't faking it like she was, his heart really had stopped beating, his breaths were no more, his pulse was paused, he was gone, cold and gone. She refused to let this be reality.

End of Flashback…

It took her so many months to realise she was a widow, a lonely, cold widow that had lost her husband to evil. She'd have a dream about him every night, regardless of how small and meaningless it was, she seen him around the many houses she had moved into, she'd been to see psychiatrists, to know if there was any cure, but there never was a cure for heartbreak. Everything happened so fast, one minute she was safe, next she was watching her whole life disappear.

She sat at the kitchen table just staring into space like she had done for the past year. She seen him everywhere, she seen him right now, sitting across from him, so life like, so reachable, but he never was there, not really. The doctors told her it was normal, to visualize him around, especially with how close they were, she asked if it would ever go away, if he would ever leave her memory, but she was told it was highly unlikely.

When she got back from Chicago, she wasn't ready to face anything but facing another pregnancy was the last thing she needed, especially throughout the wait to find out if James was Punks.

Flashback…

It had been a painful nine months, a heart aching nine months but here she was, laying in a hospital bed in Chicago after delivering her third child, she'd had so many dreams about miscarrying her son, so many dreams of Punk being here, telling her to get rid of him, that it may not be his son, but she kept him, it was a part of her and the only good thing that had came out of the unfortunate events that had taken place.

"Mrs Brooks, you are awake." A doctor came in with some tests, of course the paternity test. She'd been awake all morning thinking about it, having anxiety about it, praying she would hear Punks name.

"What do the tests say?" AJ asked, holding her son, James, in her arms.

"Well with 99.9% accuracy, the baby's father is Phillip Jack Brooks." The doctor said as AJ smiled with so much relief, looking down at James and treasuring the fact that he was of Punk's son, the son he never would know about, the son that would never get the luxury of his father's hugs and kisses, but the son that was made out of nothing but love. She seen this as a part of Phil being left behind in everything that had happened, this was the only good to ever come out of losing her husband, gaining another son with him.

She'd moved back to Chicago where Punk was buried to have James and was living in a house not far from Punks mom's, but she just couldn't live in it anymore, she had to move, everywhere she went, she seen Punk, when she slept he was there, when she woke up he was there, she just couldn't get him out her mind.

End of Flashback…

And she did move, she moved to their new house. James was five months old, the twins were three and she felt like she was 80, she felt like it had been at least 20 years without Punk, but it had only been one.

Dean and Seth had offered multiple times to come out to Chicago and live, to help with AJ and the kids, but what happened to Punk wasn't their fault, for them to grow as the men they needed to be, they had to continue being the father and husbands they were, as hard as it may have been without Punk.

She had dreams, so many dreams of him, like last night, she dreamt he was reading her and the kids a story, she could feel him undress her and put her into bed, she dreamt she lay her head on his chest, the dreams felt so real and when she woke up, she lost a piece of herself with the dream.

The only thing that kept her going was her children who depending on her and only her now, if it wasn't for them, she would have ended herself a long time ago, just to be with Punk. She had dreams of what might have happened if he did survive, what they would have went through, but no matter how much of her life she dreamed away, the reality was, Punk was gone and very much never coming back.

She received every drop of penny and every belonging Punk owned which to her surprise, Punk had saved a lot, but no money in the world could pay the price of her husband.

She'd lost herself throughout everything, the only thing she was here for now was her children, they lost out on having a father, they needed her to stay strong, to keep them safe now and she would, for Punk, she knew all Punk would want was for his children to be safe and happy and that's what her aim was.

She visited him once a day while Punk's mom who was just destroyed by the news of her sons death, watched Sam, Charlie and James.

She walked down the cemetery, her hands in her coat pockets, walking to the headstone which she seen everywhere she went, standing at the bottom of the grave and looking at it.

"James smiled today, he looks so much like you." She smiled, looking down at her feet, smiling at the little angels that Sam and Charlie had drew recently, managing to pin them to the headstone.

"I dreamt you put me to bed last night. I could really feel you this time, and you read Sam and Charlie a story before bed, they fell straight to sleep. Maybe I'm going crazy." She chuckled to herself quietly, "I just wish I could see you one last time… you were… you were taken from me too quickly." She sighed. He was just ripped so viciously from her, in his attempts to make Joe pay for hurting her, he lost his life, for her, she felt mostly responsible.

"I'll keep your babies safe, you know that." She smiled, kicking the grit with her trainers, "I love you." She nodded.

She was over crying, she'd cried all the tears out, she'd gotten used to it, if that was even possible, she could never adjust to losing him but these dreams of what their life could have been, should have been, the images so fresh in her mind of him, it was helping her, as well as her darling children who were just so like him, looks and nature.

She turned on heel, leaving the cemetery. She never spent too much time talking to him, she could have just stayed standing all day speaking to the fresh air around her and expecting him to reply, but she had a life to live, whether he was watching on her or not.

Later that night…

"And Charlie pushed me down the chute…" Sam smiled, sitting up at the kitchen table with her brother as they waited for their dinner, telling their mom all about their day with their gran while she visited their father.

"Did you guys have fun then?" AJ asked them, James sleeping in her arm while she stirred a pot on the hob with the other hand, listening to her twins babble away about their day.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. The twins had got over the absence of their father pretty quickly, they cried out for him every now and then but they were losing their memory of him which killed her, she promised herself she would never let them forget their father.

After their dinner and AJ got to sit down on the couch, James sleeping upstairs while the twins sat beside her, she visioned him again, sitting beside her right now, his arm heavily around her shoulder. She didn't know if she was hallucinating or if he really was here, with her, forever, but it got her through.

She'd eventually put the kids to bed, another day being done and dusted, another day made with him not here. She walked into the bedroom that she slept alone in, pausing as she hugged her arms, feeling a soft hand on her shoulder. She quickly looked side on at the mirror, nothing in sight behind her yet his heavy hand lay on her shoulder.

She knew it was all in her mind, there was no such thing as ghosts but if her mind wanted to act like this, she would allow it.

She turned around, looking at his face like she had been doing for the past year, pretending he was with her every minute of every day, smiling up at him as he stared blankly down at her.

"Why did you have to go?" She whispered, reaching her hand up and feeling his soft cheek against the palm of her hand, blinking and finding herself cupping the air in the room, nothing but space in front of her.

He was with her for sure. Guiding her through each day with a helping hand, watching over her and the kids, he just wasn't here the way she wanted him to be.

She turned back around and walked to her side of the bed, sitting down and lying down on her back, closing her eyes and wondering where Punk would take her tonight, somewhere magical hopefully.

The end.

Thank you guys so so much for the support during this story, not the ending I suppose you guys were hoping for, but he's still there, I believe anyway. Thanks for all the REVIEWS on this story, so overwhelmed and grateful. Thanks.