A "what if" one shot about what if after AJ's backstage interview where she talked about finally winning the Divas' title, a certain Best in the World superstar came and finally opened up his heart to our resident crazy chick.

She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't believe this finally actually happened to her. AJ was sure that any minute now her alarm clock would go off, and she would wake up in her hotel room, sans the prestigious Divas Championship belt she dreamed of winning since she was twelve. She was so caught up in the euphoria of her win, she hadn't noticed the male figure slowly making his way towards her.

"Congratulations."

She held her breath. The last time that voice had spoken to her, it had condescendingly told her that The Board of Directors would place none of the blame on him for "beating up an old man" but rather on her.

She lifted her head, and standing there was Punk, back from his self-imposed exile and apparently having become a member of The X-Men, what with his new Wolverine look and all. She stood up from the steps, clutching the Divas belt to her chest, as though it would help shield and protect her from Punk.

"Thank you." She stuttered out nervously. It had been so long since they had been in each other's presence, and yet he still managed to reduce her to a blubbering mess whenever she was around him

"There's no one else more deserving of that belt than you." he said, no hint of sarcasm, of insincerity laced in his voice. Just pure honest-to-god genuine happiness for her. This was definitely not the same Punk who (if this was months earlier) would have mocked her for even thinking she was worthy of becoming a champion.

"That... that means a lot to me coming from you." she responded back. After that, an uncomfortable silence settled between them. It devastated her to know that things between them had gotten to this point. Even before the whole ugly mess with Bryan, her and Punk had been civil friendly coworkers, occasionally sharing a conversation about the latest Batman comic.

"I have to go now. I would wish you luck in your match against Jericho, but luck's still for losers, right?"

"Yeah. It still is." he said with that boyish smile on his face, the one he always hid from everyone else but never from her. She nodded her head in goodbye, and turned towards the direction of where the locker rooms were.

"AJ wait." His voice called out to her, a hint of desperation in it. AJ stopped in her tracks, and took a deep breath, bracing herself for whatever was coming next. When it came to emotional matters involving Punk, it was always better for her heart to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. He came to stand in front of her, invading her personal space like he always did around her. She wasn't going to think too much on the way her body was reacting to their close proximity.

"While I was gone, I ended up doing much soul-searching. Trying to figure out where the fuck I went wrong in my life this past year. Trying to understand how I started off with everything I wanted and ended up with nothing." He never once wavered his gaze from hers, his hazel eyes piercing her more dark brown ones with an intensity AJ hadn't felt from him towards her in a long time. It took a great amount of willpower to stop herself from doing something she would greatly regret.

"I ended up coming to a lot of conclusions involving the most important things in my life: career, family, friends. More importantly though, the biggest conclusion I came to, " he paused, taking in a deep breath, "was about you."

He stepped even closer to her, and AJ could see his body slightly shaking, as though he was apprehensive about saying anymore. "And I just wanted to say sorry. Sorry for the cowardly way I ended things between us. Sorry for the shit I put you through during your time as GM. I'm especially sorry for being such an asshole and airing out our dirty laundry in front of the world."

'No, no, no. I so don't need this right now.' AJ voiced in her head. What she needed to do at this moment was walk away from him, be where Dolph was, and help him get ready for his match against Alberto. She didn't need Punk to stir emotions in her she long thought were gone from her heart.

"You don't have to worry about that anymore, Punk. I've forgiven you a long time ago." AJ told him, hoping it would put a stop to this conversation. She side-stepped him, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards him. The feeling of his hand in hers sent a tremor throughout her body, igniting her nerves on fire.

"Please let me finish." he quietly pleaded, she in return whispering an okay for him to continue.

"Most of all though, I'm sorry I couldn't be the man you wanted, needed me to be after that whole shit with Daniel. You have no idea how much I wanted to be; how much it killed me inside to be that man for you and never succeeding." Anyone who didn't know of their past relationship would have no problem hearing Punk speak, and hear words of a man in pain at the losing the one he loved.

"Punk... I... Dolph." She was at a lost for words. Wasn't this the speech she long dreamed of hearing from his lips? The one where he finally realized he made the biggest mistake ever in letting her go. Why did Punk have to do this now when everything with Dolph was as perfect as ever?

"I know, I know. You're with Dolph now, and I only have myself to blame for that. I should have done or said something a lot sooner. And I want you to know that I'm not saying all of this just so you can dump Dolph and coming running back into my arms. That's not why I'm telling you this."

"Then why are you?" She couldn't help the broken tone that escaped from her. Why wasn't Punk seeing how much this was affecting her?

"It's because, while I can't erase the past nor change the present, there's no one I'll rather spend my future with than you. And, no matter how long it takes for that future to come, I'll be there ready to be a man worthy of being by your side." With that, he left go off her hand, (she didn't realize he been holding it this entire time), leaned forward, and placed a kiss on the corner of her mouth.

AJ couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face the minute Punk was out of sight. She felt the last piece of her broken heart mend itself back together. And though her and Punk's heart had taken them both towards new loves (she heard through the grapevine him, and Lita had finally gotten together), she knew in her soul they would find their way back to one another again.

She made her way to the locker rooms where Dolph would be waiting for her, a more noticeable skip to her step.