Already Knew

"Morning." Dominic smiled softly as he watched Jude come into the kitchen the next morning where he was feeding James.

"Hey." Jude nodded.

"Thea still sleeping?" Dominic asked.

"Yeah but to be fair I think she was just lying awake watching me sleep the entire night." Jude nodded. Anytime she stirred in bed, or woke up suddenly, she saw her sister lying awake watching her, clearly unable to fall asleep herself.

"She doesn't sleep at the best of times." Dominic nodded.

"He sure got a lot of presents yesterday." Jude smiled, looking over at James, "He's lucky."

"He is." Dominic smiled, "I have no idea where we're gonna put it all." He chuckled a little. He wasn't going to act any different with Jude. He didn't want her to feel like they were walking on eggshells around her.

"All that cardboard and plastic packaging can't be good for the environment." Jude shook her head, pouring herself some coffee.

"Definitely not." Dominic agreed.

"I'm really sorry I forgot your presents. I'll get them to you-"

"Jude, please don't worry about that." Dominic shook his head right away, "It's ok."

He'd known Jude since she was fifteen. She and Cassie had become like little sisters to him. His heart broke for her with everything she was going through. With what had been done to her.

"You won't tell anyone about this, will you?" Jude asked.

"Of course I won't. It's not my place." Dominic said, "I just want you to know that you're not alone and… if there's any part of you that's convincing yourself this was your fault or… people might blame you… it's not gonna happen."

"Yeah, right." Jude scoffed, "Come on, you read the news." She shook her head, "One of their first questions they'll ask is what I was wearing or how much I had to drink." She said, "It's how the world works right now."

"Yeah and I've never known you to accept what other people make of you." Dominic said, "This is serious-"

"I know, Dominic. I'm living it." Jude nodded, sitting down at the table.

"Then you know that… maybe there's others, maybe there will be others." Dominic said, "But there's a lesser chance of that if you report it."

"Do you think they'll take me seriously? Do you really think they'll wanna help me?" Jude asked.

"Of course they will. Why wouldn't they?" Dominic shook his head.

"Well I have a Hispanic heritage, my last name is Brooks as in… Phil Brooks, and my family has ties to one of the most notorious drug dealers in Chicago." Jude said as Dominic looked at her, "Whose to say they're gonna take me seriously."

"None of that defines you or has anything to do with this." Dominic shook his head.

"Oh, it does." Jude nodded, "My mom used to tell me all the horrible things that people and cops would say to her when she was younger. Even if she was just walking down the street with Thea when she was little." She said, "Do I really wanna go to people like that and tell them about something like this?"

"Thea, we're gonna miss our bus." Twenty-one year old AJ said, watching three year old Thea trying to tie her laces, sitting on the bottom of the stairs in their apartment building.

"Mommy just wait." Thea huffed.

"Baby, you know if we miss this bus, we have to get the busy one instead." AJ said, walking over to Thea and helping her tie her laces.

"No, I wanna do it myself." Thea folded her arms.

"You're taking too long." AJ said, quickly tying the laces, cupping Thea's cheeks and kissing her nose, "You can untie them when we get home."

"Daddy always waits on me tying my laces." Thea huffed, getting up from the step, taking he rmother's hand.

"Well I'm not daddy." AJ said, leaving their shabby apartment building and heading out into the street.

"Hi Misses Smith." Thea waved to the older lady who was walking past them.

"Hi, sweetie." The older lady smiled fondly.

"I don't even know who that is." AJ whispered to Thea, walking past the lady.

"She's the nice lady who always gives me a dollar." Thea explained, "And I think she wants to kiss daddy."

"Huh?" AJ looked down at Thea, skipping beside her holding her hand.

"But it's ok mommy I don't think he wants to kiss her." Thea assured her mother.

"That's ok then." AJ nodded, "Baby, I need to stop at the ATM for a second, ok?" She nodded.

"Ok." Thea nodded, walking over to the ATM with her mother, standing close beside her as she was always taught. She was used to the busy streets. They didn't have a car so all Thea really knew was walking everywhere.

AJ stood at the ATM machine, noticing two cops standing over by one of the stores. Although she couldn't see what they were doing, she could feel them staring at her, and so she shuffled Thea in closer to her legs.

"Mommy, are you hiding me?" Thea chuckled.

"Maybe." AJ smiled, flicking her chin playfully as she looked back up at the ATM.

"Mendez." One of the cops called over as AJ ignored and continued to look at the ATM, "You know you can't lift pennies from there." The cop chuckled with his partner as AJ ignored them.

She knew them as local cops who covered the particular area. Of course they didn't like her, nor her boyfriend.

"Where's your boy?" One of them asked, walking closer towards AJ, who was continuing to ignore them, "You know, for a Latina you sure don't have a lot to say." He said as AJ turned around immediately, "Oh… that got your attention?"

"Stay away from me." AJ warned, lifting the cash from the ATM, putting it in her pocket and taking a hold of Thea's hand and walking around the cops.

"Sooner people like you leave this country the better." One of them said quietly to the other cop as AJ heard, turning around to them, gripping Thea's hand tightly.

"People like me?" AJ questioned, "What have people like me ever done to you?" AJ shook her head as they both looked at her, nothing to say of course, "Come on, baby." AJ sighed to Thea, walking on down the street with Thea who looked up at AJ.

"Mommy." Thea said quietly, looking up at AJ.

"Yeah?" AJ smiled to her.

"I don't know those men but I don't think I like them." Thea admitted truthfully as AJ smiled and nodded, caressing the back of Thea's head, crouching down in front of her.

"I don't like them either." AJ said, "But we're always kind to people, whoever they are and wherever they come from, aren't we?" She nodded. She taught her daughter kindness, even when the world wasn't so kind to them.

"Yeah." Thea nodded as AJ smiled.

"Ok." AJ nodded, "You wanna go see daddy for lunch?"

"Yeah!" Thea cheered as AJ smiled.

"Ok, let's go catch this bus." She nodded.

"Times are changing though, right?" Dominic nodded to Jude.

"Are they?" Jude questioned, "I won't know until I go."

"We'll come with you. Thea will sit beside you the entire time." Dominic said as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, I know. I don't think I could be on my own." Jude said, "But… I think I have to tell Sean first before I go to the police. He deserves to know." She said as Dominic nodded.

"He'll be there for you." Dominic nodded, "We're all here for you." He said as Jude nodded.

"I just don't know if it's ever gonna feel real. If I'm ever gonna understand what has really happened here. Cause let's face it… I don't know what this person did to me. The only person who knows is them and… they might never get caught, which means I gotta live with the fact I don't know what he did." Jude said.

"They're gonna find him." Dominic nodded, "Even if you think it won't make a difference because you don't remember anything and you don't know who it was… believe me, it'll make a difference." He said as Jude nodded.

"Morning." Thea smiled softly, walking into the kitchen.

"Hey, babe." Dominic smiled.

"Hey." Jude nodded, sipping on her coffee.

"How is my little guy?" Thea smiled pouring herself some coffee.

"I'm fine." Dominic teased as Thea scoffed, "No, he's doing fine. Enjoying his breakfast." He said as Jude looked over at James perched in Dominic's arms, having his morning bottle.

"How'd you sleep?" Thea asked Jude.

"Off and on." Jude said as Thea nodded, "I uh… I think I'm gonna tell Sean tonight. If I can." She said. She knew she had to set herself small goals to get by with this. Otherwise she would just hide away in her bed forever and lose all contact.

"I can…I can come with you if you want." Thea nodded.

"I think I gotta do this one alone." Jude said as Thea nodded, understanding.

"Sure." Thea said, "Well we're here, you know that. If you want to stay here for longer you can." She nodded.

"Yeah, I know. Thank you." Jude nodded.

"I'm gonna take him up and change him." Dominic announced, standing up with James, "This diaper does not smell good."

"Yeah, that's all you, babe." Thea said as Dominic nodded, leaving the kitchen and heading upstairs with James whilst Thea took a seat at the table.

"Every time I close my eyes I just… I feel someone on me." Jude shook her head as Thea nodded, "It's like I can see myself, like I'm looking down on myself… and I can't do anything about it." She shook her head.

"It's still so fresh… you're gonna get through this." Thea said as Jude nodded, listening as there was a knock at the door, "I'll get it." Thea nodded.

She got up from the table, walking out of the kitchen and heading down to the front door, opening it up where she saw her mother standing.

"Hey." AJ gulped as Thea looked across at her.

"Hi." Thea shook her head with confusion, "What are you doing here?"

"Is Jude here?" AJ wondered.

"Y-Yeah, yeah she's here." Thea nodded, looking across at her mother who stepped into the house.

"Where is she?" AJ asked, fidgeting with her hands nervously as Thea watched her.

"Kitchen." Thea said curiously as she watched her mother, "Is everything ok with you?" She asked as AJ ignored her, walking down the hallway and into the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" Jude looked up, noticing her mother at the kitchen door.

"Uh… I just… I just came by to see you." AJ nodded, sitting her purse down as Thea watched. It was then Thea remembered something. Something her mother had told her in the past. Something she had escaped that Jude hadn't been able to.

Jude looked over at her mother who wasn't really saying much of anything, who was just looking across at her.

"Mom, you want coffee?" Thea asked as AJ nodded, sitting down at the table, looking at Jude.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Jude shook her head.

"Just tell me that… that what I think has happened is just me being a paranoid mom." AJ nodded as Thea turned around, "That I'm just being silly and making stuff up in my head. Because I do that a lot." AJ nodded frantically as Jude watched her, "Tell me you're ok." AJ looked at Jude who stared at her lifelessly.

Jude wasn't really shocked that her mother seemed to be in the know already, without even having been told. She guessed it might have just been a mom thing.

"I don't think I'm ok." Jude shook her head as AJ looked at her, gulping and looking over to Thea who just shook her head, tears in her eyes.

"Oh my God." AJ shook her head, "What happened to you?" She questioned, shuffling closer to Jude on the chair, "Baby, what happened?" She shook her head, taking Jude's hand in hers as Jude looked at her.

Jude just shook her head, refusing to say it aloud, especially when she could tell her mother clearly knew. It was then she realised how difficult it was going to be when she had to tell Sean, and then eventually cops in a small room.

AJ wrapped her arms around Jude tightly, kissing her head as Jude leaned into her for comfort. Her mother was in a league of her own when it came to comfort. It wasn't going to get anymore comforting than her mother, and so a part of her was glad that on some level her mother just knew something bad had happened to her.

"It's ok." AJ whispered, hugging Jude tightly, looking over to Thea with tears in her eyes. The truth was, it wasn't ok. None of this was ok.