Reunion
"W-What… what are you doing here?" Thea gasped, looking like she had seen a ghost. Feeling like she had seen a ghost, "Stay back." She warned, staying close to the kitchen door as Jackson stood in the middle of the kitchen.
"I'm not long out of prison." Jackson nodded, "Good behaviour."
"Oh, really?" Thea shook her head. The last time she saw him was when Rio had taken her mother and Cassie. She'd gone to him, to question him about it a few months ago. Apart from that, she'd had no connection with him in years.
"Nice house." Jackson smiled, "I gotta say, I never thought you'd do it."
"Do what?" Thea spat.
"The stay at home mom thing." Jackson said.
"I'm not. I have a job. I've just been off because your father put a bullet in me." Thea spat.
"Yeah, I heard all about that. We were in prison together for a little while you see." Jackson explained.
"Oh, how fun. At least he didn't have the chance to abandon you there." Thea said.
"Yeah actually it was fun." Jackson nodded, "He got to tell me all about your parents and I got to tell him all about you and your sisters." He said, "We share the same views on a lot of stuff, actually."
"You knew he was alive all this time." Thea said, "Here I was thinking you just lost your mind a little but… you knew all along." She shook her head, "I trusted you and you were just playing in me."
"Well it wasn't hard. You're pretty gullible." Jackson nodded.
"Oh, really?" Thea nodded to herself.
"Yeah. Really." Jackson said, "So… you got married?"
"Yeah, I did." Thea nodded, "To someone who actually cares about me and loves me."
"What happens when it all goes south and your back on cocaine and he's drinking himself to death?" Jackson asked, "Because let's face it, it will happen at one point." Jackson chuckled to himself, picking an apple up from the fruit basket and eating it as Thea glared at him.
"Why have you came here?" Thea spat, "Just leave me alone. Leave my family alone. You have a chance to go somewhere and have a fresh start, as much as you don't deserve it, you do. So why can't you just go?" Thea shook her head.
She was surprised that no one had notified them about Jackson being released from prison. She also wondered if she was in danger right now.
"I don't want a fresh start." Jackson shrugged, "What do I need a fresh start from?" He asked, eating the apple, walking around to the fridge and looking at some of the pictures stuck on it, "So this is your son?" He asked, taking a picture of James from the fridge as Thea walked over to him and snatched the picture from him.
"You need to get out of my house." Thea spat.
"He's cute. Looks like you." Jackson smiled, "Is he in the house right now? I'd love to meet him-"
"Get out of my house." Thea glared up at him as he smiled.
"I gotta give it to you, Thea. You're no coward." Jackson nodded, wandering back over to the kitchen table as Thea moved around the kitchen, keeping her distance.
"What do you want? Are you here to hurt me? Is that it? Your dad couldn't finish the job off so he's sent you to do it? Is that it?" Thea nodded.
"Yeah, something like that." Jackson nodded.
"So you two were just… in prison talking about my family and how to destroy it? Is that how sad and pathetic you both are?" Thea spat.
"Your mom and dad crossed my dad. He never got to punish them for it." Jackson said.
"Punish them for what? Wanting a better life? Knowing how dangerous your dad was? I think they deserve a reward for that." Thea hissed, "What do you want? Why are you here?" She shook her head.
"Maybe I will disappear. I think you're right. A fresh start sounds kinda good." He nodded to himself as Thea watched him, "I like the idea of leaving this place knowing that you and your family are falling apart, watching Jude suffer."
"What?" Thea looked across at him.
"Oh, she didn't tell you about the fun night we had?" Jackson smiled as Thea raised her eyebrows.
"W-What?" Thea stared at him.
"She was much better than you ever were, believe me." Jackson nodded.
"What the hell did you do?!" Thea yelled as Jackson smiled.
"Tied her hands up… not because she was moving, just because I could." Jackson nodded as Thea shook her head. She couldn't believe this, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Never did she think this would be who attacked Jude. She had no idea he was even out of prison. And yet, knowing he had spent some time locked up with his father, something evil as this had to have followed.
"You shut your mouth." Thea shook her head, "W-What are you talking about?" She shook her head in disbelief.
"I think she secretly enjoyed it." Jackson scoffed as Thea stared at him, no longer in the right frame of mind as she realised what was going on here, what had happened, "Got some good shots of her too. I bet she'd make a ton of money from them." He said as Thea slowly reached behind her, opening up the cutlery drawer unnoticed to Jackson.
"They're gonna find you." Thea said calmly.
"No… they're not." Jackson shook his head, "Cause I'm gonna disappear." He nodded, walking closer to her, "And your sister, poor little Jude, she's gonna have to live her life knowing I'm still out there and… I could come back any time." He smiled, "You all get to live with that fear now." He said as Thea reached for a knife in the drawer behind her, "Hell maybe when I come back, it might be Cassie's turn…"
"It's ok, baby. It's ok." AJ sighed, sitting on the couch with Jude who was crying. She and Punk had come straight over once they'd got a call from Karen. Sean had also woken up and was around to comfort Jude.
Karen had explained to AJ and Punk her findings and the warrant for the arrest of Jackson being out. They were both still in shock, confused and panicked.
"Babe, he can't hurt you. Ok?" Punk crouched down by the couch as Jude was leaning into AJ, "He's not gonna come near you ever again." He made clear as Jude cried.
As soon as she had saw the picture of Jackson and thought about the possibility of it being him, it was like a trigger for her brain, and she remembered the night in flashes. She felt like he was constantly on top of her, and she could feel him grabbing on her skin. She wished she could have went back to not knowing anything, because this, this was the real torture.
"You're safe here." AJ said softly, trying hard to keep it together. Jude needed them to be strong right now, so she could fall apart for a little while.
As soon as Jude realised who her attacker was, she didn't want Sean, she didn't want to be alone or to lock herself in her room. She wanted her parents.
"You heard what Karen said, they'll find him and arrest him." Punk nodded, rubbing her arm softly. But there was no amount of assurance they could give her to make this go away. All they could do was hug her and be there for her as it sunk in for her. As it sunk in for them too.
"Phil, go get some tissues and a glass of water." AJ nodded to Punk.
"Ok." Punk nodded, standing up and leaving the living room, walking into the kitchen where Sean was.
"Do you know him?" Sean questioned as Punk walked into the kitchen.
"Y-Yeah. Yeah, he was Thea's boyfriend years ago. He's Rio's son. You're a cop so you must know who Rio is." Punk said.
"Yeah." Sean nodded to himself.
"This has him written all over it." Punk nodded.
"Rio?" Sean questioned as Punk nodded.
"I should have seen the writing on the wall." Punk shook his head, "Why didn't I see it?"
"It's safe to say our heads have been a little far up our ass right now." Sean nodded, "You just can't think about anything when she's hurting like that." Sean shook his head, hearing Jude crying from in the living room as Punk ran his hands over his face.
"I want him dead." Punk shook his head. His mind was all over the place with this information, knowing it was Jackson who had done this to Jude, but he knew one thing for sure, he wanted him to pay.
"You and me both." Sean said.
"I uh… I came in here for tissues and water." Punk remembered as Sean handed him the box of tissues and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, "Thanks." Punk nodded.
It was all very terrifying that the source of all this pain they were all feeling, all this hopelessness and distress, and all the torture Jude was going through, was down to Rio and Jackson. The way it always seemed to be. It was almost suffocating that they had struck again, and it was frustrating that he had been too late to do anything about it.
Punk walked back into the living room with tissues and water, "Here you go." Punk said, crouching down in front of the couch again, handing the box of tissues over as AJ took some to dry Jude's face.
"He's out there." Jude cried as Punk nodded, looking over at AJ who was also crying, no longer being able to hold it back. She could feel the pain her daughter was in and it was torture.
"They're gonna find him." Punk nodded softly.
"What if he's not done?" Jude questioned as Punk looked at her, turning to AJ.
"Phil." AJ said worriedly, "Thea." She shook her head.
Knowing who was behind this, it was hard to forget about what Rio's initial plans were, what he had intended to do. They knew him well enough to know that Thea surviving his bullet would have just made him angry, and given the history Jackson had with Thea, it was hard not to think she wasn't in danger.
"T!" Dominic called, walking back home with a pizza, "T, Luca's was closed so I had to go all the way to Connie's." He said, taking his jacket off and hanging it at the bottom of the stairs.
"Thea." Dominic said, sticking his head in the living room which was empty, "I bet once you smell this you'll be hungry." He said, walking through to the kitchen, pausing immediately as he saw Thea standing still, her hands shaking with blood over them whilst Jackson lay on the floor, stab wound in his chest, lifeless.
"Thea." Dominic sat the pizza down, "Oh my God." Dominic shook his head in shock as Thea stayed still, having not moved since she stabbed Jackson, her hands shaking.
Dominic stepped over Jackson, looking on at him and gulping as he turned to Thea, "What did you do?" Dominic cupped her face desperately as Thea looked at him, "What the hell did you do?
"He raped Jude." Thea whispered in a daze as Dominic looked at her, feeling her put her bloody hands over his on her cheeks.
"W-What?" Dominic shook his head in shock, too much going on for his brain to process as he looked down at Jackson on the floor, bleeding out.
A/N: More to come! Thanks for the reviews and support.