Christmas Night

"Hey, you feeling better?" AJ smiled, dropping what she was doing in the kitchen once she saw Jude walk in. She was wearing some sweats of Cassie's and a t-shirt, and her hair was slightly damp from her shower.

"Yeah." Jude nodded, "Mom, I'm sorry."

"What?" AJ shook her head, "Why are you sorry?"

"I was really late and… and I wasn't ready and I shouldn't have come looking like that-"

"Hey, baby it's ok." AJ nodded, "You're fine. You're here now and we can have a good day, ok?" She smiled as Jude looked at her worriedly, "Sweetie, what's wrong? You're worrying me." AJ told her truthfully as Jude looked at her.

"Nothing, I'm fine." Jude nodded.

"I'm your mom. You can tell me absolutely anything." AJ reminded her, "Where were you last night?"

"Just a party." Jude assured her. She'd spent the entire morning telling herself that. Just a party. That's where she was. It was just a party and she was fine.

"Ok, but… what happened at the party? Did you have too much to drink? Did you get home really late?" AJ asked, trying to keep it casual, not over dramatizing anything to make Jude feel like she was being questioned.

"I uh… I think I just had too much to drink." Jude nodded to herself, "Yeah." She confirmed, "I think it was just too much to drink."

"Ok." AJ nodded, "Do you need some medicine? Have you got a headache?"

"No, I just feel kinda sick." Jude admitted as AJ nodded.

"Ok, just drink some water just now." AJ said, walking over to the fridge and taking a bottle of water out, "Keep yourself hydrated." She said as Jude nodded.

"Ok." Jude said, taking the water from her, "I'm sorry I forgot the presents."

"It's ok. Stop apologising." AJ smiled, "We'll get the presents tomorrow." She nodded.

"Yeah…yeah, let's do that." Jude nodded.

"Why don't you go into the living room and open yours up?" AJ nodded.

"Ok." Jude said as AJ smiled, watching her walk away out of the kitchen, her smile fading as she stood with worry. As a mother who was extremely close to all three of her daughters, she knew when something was going on with one of them.

"Hey, you ready to open your presents?" Punk smiled, placing his hand on Jude's back as she jumped a little, moving slightly away from him as Punk looked at her with confusion.

"Actually Jude, can I talk to you for a second?" Kirsty asked.

"Oh… you're here." Jude noticed.

"Yeah, come here." Kirsty said, taking Jude's hand and pulling her out of the living room whilst Punk looked over at Thea with the same confused look.

"When did you get here?" Jude asked.

"Jude, where the hell were you? You didn't come back home last night. Did you… did you go to Sean's?" Kirsty hoped worriedly as Jude looked at her.

Going to Sean's was the easy answer for her, the answer that didn't lead to any questions.

"Yeah." Jude nodded, "Yeah, I went to Sean's." She smiled.

"Ok." Kirsty sighed with relief, "Well next time text me about it or answer your calls." Kirsty said with frustration as Jude looked at her worriedly, "When did you leave the party?"

"Uh… I… 1am." Jude made up. Truth was, she had no idea when she left the party, she couldn't remember leaving the party. All she knew was the horror of waking up this morning.

"Are you hungover? You look it." Kirsty said, honestly. As Jude's best friend, she didn't hold back.

"I just feel a little sick." Jude nodded.

"Hey, you coming to open your presents?" Thea asked, walking into the hallway.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Jude said, walking back into the living room whilst Thea stood in the hallway with Kirsty.

"She said she went to Sean's after the party." Kirsty nodded, relieved.

"Ok." Thea sighed with relief, "Why did she come straight here, though? Looking like that?"

"Maybe they had a fight or something." Kirsty said, "She's acting strange." She said as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, she is." Thea agreed.

"Maybe it's just the hangover." Kirsty assumed. None of them could really think otherwise about any other possibilities.

"Yeah, maybe." Thea agreed, "I'm gonna see if my mom needs help with anything." She said, walking on down to the kitchen where AJ was frantically fixing up dinner, "You need a hand?"

"No, I'm ok." AJ nodded.

"She went to Sean's." Thea said as AJ looked over, "She told Kirsty. She must have came straight from his place."

"Looking like that?" AJ shook her head.

"Yeah, I don't know…" Thea sighed.

"She's not acting like herself. I know my daughter." AJ said seriously.

"Look, maybe it's just a hangover. Hell, maybe she's still kinda drunk." Thea said, "Take it from me, you can act weird with a hangover." She said.

"She's not acting hungover. She… she looks scared." AJ said.

"Well… hangovers can be scary." Thea teased as AJ sighed, "Look, she's just had a rough night. She'll be fine." Thea convinced herself, "Get some Christmas dinner in her and she'll be fine." Thea nodded.

"I hope so. Where is she right now?" AJ asked.

"Opening presents." Thea nodded, "You sure you don't need a hand with anything?" She asked.

"No, you go relax. Everything is just about done." AJ assured her as Thea nodded.

She made her way back into the living room where Jude was opening some presents slowly, taking her time with each one. Her sister just wasn't acting right, there was no hiding it. Whether it was just a hangover or not, she was acting strange. Now just seemed like a difficult time to talk to her about it, and taking her word was all they could do.

Everyone eventually moved into the kitchen for dinner, sitting around the table like they did every year and tucking into the feast AJ and Punk had prepared, sitting around the table and enjoying everyone's company.

"Hey, you not hungry?" Dominic asked Jude, sitting beside her at the table, noticing she wasn't touching any food.

"Not really." Jude gulped. Just the smell of the food was making her feel sick. She couldn't stomach the thought of putting anything in her mouth.

"This is like every hungover persons dream." Dominic chuckled.

"I'm not hungover." Jude said, alert enough to hear people saying she was hungover. She wasn't hungover. She knew she wasn't. She felt sick thinking about how she had woken up this morning.

Dominic just nodded, looking across the table at Thea who just shook her head cautiously.

"Hey, you wanna see a picture of James this morning?" Dominic took his phone out as Jude looked on, "Thea got him a Simba the size of his nursery practically."

"Let's not be dramatic." Thea smiled as Dominic got the picture up.

"That's sweet." Jude nodded calmly as Thea watched her. It was as if something had taken that fun, upbeat energy her sister always had, and dialled it all the way down.

"I don't know where the hell we're gonna put it." Dominic chuckled.

"I like it in the living room." Thea nodded.

"Thea." Dominic scoffed, "That thing isn't staying in the living room."

"Why not?" Thea chuckled.

Jude looked around the table, listening in to everybody chatting, feeling like the whole room was spinning. Everything felt louder than what it was, and the sound of forks hitting plates was making her jump. Her skin constantly felt like something was on it, and she truly had never felt so uncomfortable in all her life. So warm and disturbed.

"I uh… I gotta go." Jude stood up, feeling extremely nauseous the more she sat thinking.

"Where are you going?" Punk asked her as she stood back from the table, turning around and throwing up in the sink behind her as AJ stood up.

"Hey, you ok?" AJ shook her head, walking around the table over to Jude, rubbing her back softly, noticing tears were running down her cheeks, "Jude." AJ shook her head, "Sweetie, are you ok?"

"Yeah." Jude forced out, "I just… I don't feel very well."

"I think she needs to go lie down." Thea suggested as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, ok." AJ agreed, watching Jude rinse her mouth out, "You wanna go lie down?"

"Yes." Jude said desperately. The thought of being on her own, without anyone talking, without hearing laughter around her, sounded so good.

"Ok." AJ nodded, walking out of the kitchen with her.

"I can go on my own." Jude assured her, walking away on her own and heading upstairs as AJ ran her hands through her hair.

"Kirsty, what happened last night?" Punk asked across the table.

"Nothing. We just went to this party." Kirsty said, "I left early and Jude was getting ready to go home too. Then she must have gone to Sean's. She wasn't drunk when I left her." Kirsty said.

"Whose party?" Punk shook his head.

"I'm not sure whose party it was. It was just a ton of people from college." Kirsty nodded "A guy in our class invited us."

"What guy?" Thea looked up as Kirsty looked over at her.

"Uh… Jeremy." Kirsty nodded as Thea raised her eyebrows, turning to Dominic who immediately went tense.

"Excuse me." Thea stood up immediately, rushing out of the kitchen and sprinting upstairs.

"What's going on?" AJ shook her head as Dominic looked over at them.

"Thea's just worried about her." Dominic nodded calmly. He didn't want to alarm anyone about anything.

Thea got to the top of the stairs, rushing towards her parents' bedroom, trying to open when she realised it was locked.

"Jude, can you open the door?" Thea asked quietly.

"I'm sleeping." Jude answered.

"Please." Thea nodded, "I just want to talk to you." She said.

She heard some movement in the room, listening as Jude unlocked the door and opened it.

"I just wanna lie down for an hour or two." Jude nodded to her, "I don't feel good. Maybe it is a hangover or… maybe I ate something last night, I don't know-" Jude paused as she watched Thea walk into the room and close the door behind her, "What are you doing?"

"Please tell me what happened last night." Thea nodded as Jude looked at her.

"What?" Jude shook her head, "I… I went to Sean's after the party-"

"Did you?" Thea questioned as Jude looked at her, backing up a little.

"Yes." Jude said.

"You don't have to lie to me." Thea assured her, "What happened?" She whispered as Jude shook her head.

"Nothing." Jude said, agitated by the questioning, "Nothing happened. Can you just get out of the room, please? I just… I just want to lie down. I just want to be alone for a minute." She said desperately as Thea looked at her.

"So when Sean comes here later on, he'll confirm you were with him the entire night?" Thea asked as Jude looked across at her.

"Well he… he was sleeping so… maybe he didn't hear me come in-"

"Jude." Thea shook her head, "What happened?"

"Nothing." Jude said, "Why are you asking me like that?" She said with frustration, "Stop it."

"Then just tell me where you really were and what happened?" She shook her head, "Please."

"Thea, I just wanna lie down. Please can you just go away." Jude begged, "Please, I just need a minute." She sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Jude." Thea placed her hand over her mouth, taking a deep breath, "Who invited you to the party?" She asked her seriously as Jude looked across at her, shaking her head, "Just tell me what I'm thinking is wrong. Please. And then I'll stop asking." She nodded, crouching down in front of her.

"I don't know what you're thinking." Jude whispered.

"Did someone hurt you last night?" Thea asked her as Jude gulped, looking at her sister, shaking her head, not wanting to believe it herself, but after waking up this morning, she knew what had happened, but it just felt like such a blur.

"I think so." Jude whispered.