Happy Birthday? [AJ/Ellie]

Ellie entered her house after coming back from the gym. She usually did some training in the mornings and was pretty much beat until she went to train in the evening again. She walked into the house and picked up Madison who was on the floor, crawling around and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hey baby." she smiled as she put her back down and let her crawl around again.

Ellie shook her head in amusement and headed to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.

"Hey..." he said smiling a little. "The gym again? Baby, why don't you take a small break? Even me and guys like Cena don't go to the gym this often..." he said a bit worriedly.

Ellie sighed.

"Allennnn...I have to go and work extra hard. Did you not see my match? It was ridiculous, I messed up simple moves and I just can not allow that to happen." she told him.

"So? It was your first match back...even after being fully trained again, you probably weren't gonna have the best match...come on...relax..." he reasoned. "Please...take the night off..."

"What else could I possibly do tonight?" she asked. "I have to make sure I'm in top shape again."

"what else could you possibly do tonight?" he asked, a little hurt. "You are in top shape, Ellie, and one night away from the gym isn't gonna kill you especially since you go right back in the morning." he snapped.

"Woah, what's your problem?" she asked.

"I'd like to spend a full night with my wife and wake up with her in bed again...we're not home that often but when we are, I cherish it, baby. And tonight of all nights, I'd wish you give the gym a rest. Could you do that for me?" he asked, almost pleaded.

"You know I would, but I just can't. I have a schedule I have to follow and that's going to the gym in the morning and the evening." she told him. "I don't see what the big deal is anyway. It's not like I'm out all night." she shrugged.

He sighed. "No, you're not but by the time you get back, you're too exhausted for anything other then a hot shower and laying down. You barely have time to spend with Maddie anymore." he said, frustratedly.

"That is not true." she replied. "I spend a ton of time with Maddie."

"You mean when you're not going to the gym, going to practice in ring stuff, showering, and sleeping? Yeah, like 1 hour a day." he snorted. "Fine...go have fun at the gym." he said, moving away and picking up Maddie. "By the way...while you were at the gym...Maddie said her first word." he said over his shoulder.

"Mama!" Maddie smiled.

Ellie gasped and followed AJ.

"Hey! Don't you dare put this all on me." she told him. "I've been with Madison more than you have." she argued. "Even when she was sick, I was with her. She spent all her time with me while you were away working and doing appearances. So don't you dare try and make me the bad person here."

He just shook his head. "I couldn't control any of that, Ellie. You know that as soon as I get home I spend time with you both. Everything I do is for you two." he snapped. "I do all of that because I love you....and you know what? I asked for more time off to spend more time with you and Madison." he told her.

"So you know what? Go...go to the gym. Work out." he shooed her off. Madison began to cry a little from them fighting and he began cooing her and calming her down.

"I really don't know what has gotten into you today, but I know I'm not in the wrong." she stated as she shook her head. "Whatever, you want me gone? Then I'm gone." she replied as she left and slammed the door.

AJ winced when Ellie slammed the door like that. He looked down at Maddie. "Happy birthday to me..." he said softly. As if Maddie felt his hurt, she hugged her daddy tightly.

"Thanks sweetheart..." he said softly, holding his little girl tightly.

A couple of hours had passed since Ellie stormed off. She honestly had no clue where she was going, but she just needed to get out and think. She didn't realize that AJ was right and that she was constantly gone and missing out on everything. She even missed Madison say her first word and it killed her to know that her first word was 'mama'. Ellie also noticed that she had been neglecting AJ recently and that hurt her even more. She never meant to do that. Noticing that it was getting dark, she sighed as she arrived back at home and hesitantly grabbed the present that she bought for AJ. Of course she didn't forget, she could never forget his birthday even if she wanted to.

Hesitantly opening the front door, she walked inside quietly.

AJ was upstairs in the nursery with Madison. He'd just given her a bath and was now feeding her in her rocking chair and just holding her. If anything could make him smile and feel better from his funk, it was seeing his beautiful baby daughter smile up at him like she was. When she finished the bottle, he set it down and just held her to burp her. She burped and began to gently rock her so she could fall asleep.

Heading up the stairs, she passed the nursery and saw AJ and Madison in there. She didn't want to go in there, but she just wanted to give him his gift before she locked herself up in the guest room, seeing as she knew AJ would probably want nothing to do with her for a while. Sighing, she knocked gently and walked in, putting his gift on the dresser.

"Happy Birthday." she said. "You may not want the first one anymore since I ordered it weeks ago and it has to do with me, so I just bought you the second one instead." she shrugged.

She looked at him and Madison before leaving the room and going to their room to grab a change of clothes and sleep in the guest room.

[okay...his gift lol...pretend the first on has E & M...for Ellie & Madison lol...sort of like...when he's away and misses them, he can wear that to feel closer to them or whatever...and the second gift is just plain XD]

[first gift: http://s7ondemand4.scene7.com/is/image/Signet/8197407?$detail475$ ]

[second gift: http://catalog.sears.ca/wcsstore/MasterCatalog/images/catalog/65/61/041865615_1_271.jpg ]

He got up and gently laid Maddie down in her crib where she laid undisturbed. He took the gifts from her and waited until she left and then opened them. She had ordered the engraved cross weeks ago...she didn't forget his birthday...he'd never want to forget either of the gifts. He put them both on and smiled a little as he felt over them.

He went into their bedroom and she was already gone. Then he went to the guest room and walked in, but stayed near the doorway. "Hey..."

Ellie sat up on the bed and bit her lip.

"Uh, hey..." she replied.

"Can we talk?" he asked softly.

She nodded.

"I think we definitely need to."

He moved and sat down on the bed with her. "Thank you...for the crosses...they're beautiful."

"Yeah well...it is your birthday and I wanted to get you something nice." she shrugged.