Take The Fall

"Thea!" Punk burst through the door to Thea's house, having ran all the way there, "Thea!" He called, running through the house, looking in the living room, moving onto the kitchen, pausing at the door when he saw Jackson on the floor, looking up and over at Thea who was standing, blood on her cheeks and hands whilst Dominic stood beside her.

"W-What happened?" Punk shook his head, looking on at Jackson who had a stab wound, sitting in a pile of his own blood, "Are you two ok?" He made sure as Dominic nodded, meanwhile Thea just stood in silence, "Thea." Punk said.

"She's fine." Dominic said.

Punk looked down at Jackson, crouching down and placing his fingers by his neck, realising there was no pulse at all. And yet… he felt nothing. Nothing at all.

This wasn't the sight he thought he was going to walk into. He'd prepared himself for the dangers he was coming up against, but this was not what he expected.

"W-What happened?" Punk looked up at Thea and Dominic who weren't saying anything, "Somebody start talking!" Punk said worriedly.

"I…" Thea gulped, "He was…"

"I did it." Dominic nodded as Thea turned to him, "I came back home and he was… he was trying to hurt her. I did it." Dominic said as Thea looked at him, shaking her head.

"No." Thea shook her head, "No…"

"She's got blood all over her hands." Punk shook his head with confusion.

"I did it." Dominic nodded as Punk looked across at them both.

"He… he did it." Thea whispered, "He attacked Jude." She nodded, "He told me."

"I know. The cops know. They're trying to find him to arrest him." Punk said, "Jude knows it was him. I figured if he was still out there he might end up coming here… obviously." He looked down at Jackson on the ground.

"It was him." Thea repeated with shaking hands, "He did it."

"Ok, Thea I need you to pull yourself together." Punk nodded, "He is dead. There is a dead person in your kitchen floor." He made clear to both of them.

"B-But he hurt Jude…" Thea said as Punk nodded, walking over to her.

"I know he did. I know." Punk nodded, "But he is dead in your kitchen right now." He made clear as she looked up at him.

"What do we do?" Dominic asked as Thea looked over at Jackson, her hands still shaking. It wasn't in her nature to hurt anyone, let alone kill someone. But this was just different. Knowing what he had done to her sister, it was like another person jumped out of her.

"You gotta… you gotta call the cops." Punk said.

"What?" Dominic shook his head, "Are you insane?"

"What else are you gonna do? This is fucking serious right now. He is dead." Punk pointed.

"They'll arrest me." Dominic said as Punk looked at him, turning to Thea who was shaking. He was no idiot. He knew his daughter. He knew this wasn't Dominic who had done this, but he chose not to say anything.

"It was self-defence." Punk said, trying to stay calm, "He's a wanted man and he was… he was trespassing, he was hurting Thea, it was… self-defence."

"With a knife?" Dominic spat.

"Yes, trust me… it'll be fine." Punk said, "It's the only option we have right now."

"They'll put me in jail." Dominic said.

"This is different." Punk said.

"He's dead!" Dominic yelled as Punk looked over at Thea, looking back to Dominic who just shook his head desperately, "She's not going anywhere." Dominic whispered as Punk nodded.

"We have no other option." Punk made clear, "Thea… wash your hands." He said, walking over to her, turning the sink on, guiding her hands over to the water as he helped her wash them, "Wipe the knife." Punk told Dominic quietly as he nodded.

Thea watched as the blood ran off her hands, feeling her dad wipe her face too where some blood was, "I… I did that." Thea told him.

"It's gonna be ok." Punk assured her, "You're gonna be fine." He nodded, drying her hands for her, "Dominic, call the police." He said as Dominic looked at him.

"W-What? I… I don't wanna get into trouble." Thea shook her head.

"You're not." Punk said, "Look at me." He said sternly as she looked at him, "Dominic did this. If anyone asks, he did this, ok?"

"W-What?" Thea shook her head.

"You were here on your own, Jackson came in and tried to hurt you, Dominic got home in time and helped you." Punk said as Thea looked over to Dominic who nodded.

In such a chaotic rush, Punk and Dominic had agreed without even having to say much, that protecting Thea was the main priority in all of this.

"It's gonna be fine." Dominic nodded to Thea, "I… I'll get arrested and I'll get back out. Ok? It's self-defence." He assured her as Thea shook her head.

"Just go phone." Punk told Dominic who nodded, walking out of the kitchen to call the police.

"He attacked Jude. It was him." Thea told him again as Punk nodded.

"I know he did." Punk nodded, "Here, have a seat." He said, pulling out one of the kitchen chairs, walking her over and helping her sit down, "It's gonna be fine. They're gonna take Dominic away and just ask him some things about what happened." He said as Thea just looked at him blankly.

Punk walked over to Jackson who was on the kitchen floor, crouching down beside him and staring at his face. He couldn't help think death was too kind for him, but less evil people like him in the world was always a positive.

"You get what you deserve." Punk whispered.

It didn't take long for the police to get there after Dominic called them. Karen emerged first into the house, followed by a few uniformed police officers coming in behind her.

She checked for Jackson's pulse, putting on some gloves and putting her fingers against his neck, coming to the conclusion that he was in fact dead.

"Secure the house and the area." Karen nodded to the cops who had come with her, "You three come into the next room." She said, walking into the living room as Dominic, Punk and Thea headed into the living room.

"What happened?" Karen asked.

"I got home from getting a pizza." Dominic said, speaking first, "I came home and I saw him in the kitchen, he had his hands on Thea and… I don't know what he was trying to do so I… grabbed a knife and stabbed him" He said Karen turned to Thea, noticing how shook up she was.

"Are you ok?" Karen asked Thea, "Did he hurt you?" She asked as Thea shook her head.

"N-No." Thea shook her head, "I… I came downstairs from checking on James and he was in the kitchen. He was telling me about… about getting out of prison and that he spent time in there with his dad." She said, "And then he told me he raped Jude." She said, placing her hand over her mouth. It still wasn't sinking in, "And then he… he put his hands on me and that's when Dominic came in." She added to the story like her father and husband told her.

"Ok." Karen nodded slowly, "He mentioned his dad?"

"Yeah." Thea nodded.

"Ok, I'm gonna run a check to see who has been visiting his dad in prison, to make sure we're not looking over our shoulders for something else." Karen said as Punk nodded, "You need to come down to the station with me." She told Dominic as Thea sighed.

"Can't he just stay here?" Thea begged, "He was just helping me."

"No, he has to come with me." Karen said, taking out her handcuffs.

"N-No… what are they for?" Thea questioned, "He didn't do anything wrong."

"There is a man dead in your kitchen, Thea." Karen said as Dominic turned around, letting her put handcuffs around his wrists.

"It's alright." Dominic nodded to Thea who he could see was upset.

"N-No please." Thea grabbed a hold of Karen as Punk pulled her back, "Please, he raped Jude. Jackson did it." Thea cried.

"I know." Karen nodded, "I know he did." She said, "Dominic still has to come with us." She said, trying not to make it a big deal, "And you both need to leave this house, it's an official crime scene now." She said.

"Please can't he just stay with me for now?" Thea asked, following Karen out of the living room as she lead Dominic out.

"Thea, please stay back." Karen nodded.

"No." Thea cried, "Please… he didn't do anything wrong." She said, watching as Karen took Dominic down the steps and into one of the cop cars, placing her hand over her mouth and sobbing. She'd saw this sight one too many times in her life, and she knew what followed was never good.

"It's gonna be ok." Punk sighed, wrapping his arms around her tightly as she cried into him, "They just wanna ask him some questions." He nodded, caressing the back of her head as she cried into him.

"He didn't do anything wrong." Thea sobbed.

"I know." Punk sighed as Thea looked up at him.

"I… I did it." Thea said, "I killed him." She gulped, "It wasn't Dominic."

"I know." Punk nodded.

"It wasn't self-defence." She whispered as he looked down at her, "He never touched me." She made clear. It was the truth. He never laid a finger on her. She made her move on him when he was mid-sentence, close enough for her to strike.

"If anyone asks you what happened, Dominic did it." Punk said, "And he was defending you." He made clear as Thea looked at him, "We need to get James and get out of this house." He said.

"When she wakes up just call me." AJ nodded, leaving Sean's house after Jude had fallen asleep on the couch.

"Is Phil picking up his phone?" Sean asked.

"No. I'm gonna go to Thea's right now." AJ said, "I'm worried." She admitted as Sean nodded.

"I'll stay here with Jude. I'm not gonna leave her side." Sean assured her AJ nodded.

"When she wakes up please call me." AJ said, "She can't be alone right now."

"I know." Sean nodded, "I will. Call me to let me know Thea's ok. Jude will wanna know when she wakes up."

"Of course." AJ nodded, "I've never been so terrified before." She shook her head.

"We just gotta make sure everyone is safe. The cops will find Jackson. They'll take him down." Sean said as AJ nodded.

"I still… I still can't believe it's him. I should have listened to Phil." AJ shook her head, "He brought it up… he brought Rio up." She said.

"You couldn't have known who it was. That's the horror of it all." Sean said as AJ nodded.

"I better go. The quicker I get there, the quicker I know they're all ok. Cassie is with Dean and Renee. I know she's safe." She said, "I just got a bad feeling in my stomach."

"Go, go make sure they're ok." Sean nodded, "And call me."

"I will." AJ said, leaving the house and walking down the street.

Her heart was thumping, a terrible feeling in her gut with all the chaos immersing around them, feeling like they were under attack again like they had been many times before. It was a feeling of dread, anger and exhaustion.

She continued walking down the street, passing a narrow side street and feeling someone grab on her hand, yanking her down the narrow street and covering her mouth as she kicked her legs in the air, biting the person's hands and trying to get free, but they continued to pull her down the narrow lane into darkness.