What Happened

"April… honey…" Punk said, standing beside AJ as he looked around the room, "I think I may have opened the door to the past." He shook his head, "And I'd really like to close it." He whispered harshly.

"It's ok." AJ assured him, "Everyone here wants to help."

"Help with what? Would someone like to tell me what's going on here? There's plenty of you to nominate someone." He said.

"Vincent." AJ nodded to Vincent, "Tell him what you told me." She said as Punk looked over at Vincent.

"Ok so I got a letter from Rio a couple months back, must have been not long after he was imprisoned." Vincent explained, "Asking me to come see him. So I did. I was curious." He said, "He asked me if I could put his son up for a few weeks. Jackson was getting out of prison and Rio wanted him to have a place to stay. He said I owed him one from back in the day, which I know I did, I borrowed a lot of money from him one time." He said, "As I'm sure we all did." He looked around the room.

"Ok, keep talking." Punk said.

"So I agreed." Vincent said, "But then whilst he was talking about why he was in prison, and what got him caught, he said he… he wasn't finished with you and your family. And that he was gonna come for April." He nodded, "Said that all of this started with her, and it would end with her." He said as Punk turned to AJ who gulped.

"And you… you did nothing about it?!" Punk yelled.

"Hey, I didn't know he was gonna act on anything. I just thought he was being his usual cunning self." Vincent said, "I didn't think anything of it. I let Jackson stay with me for about a month and then he left. And so did I. Went to my mom's for Christmas. Then I got pulled back in by the cops to tell me all of this was going on, and that your daughter had been attacked in my house." Vincent said Punk sighed to himself, "So I figured Rio wasn't messing about."

"How can he come for April if he's in prison?" Punk asked.

"He's still running his business." Vincent said.

"He runs it in the southside." Marina's brother, Paolo spoke up as Punk looked over, "He's got about a dozen guys working for him." He nodded.

"Which means he probably planned this with Jackson whilst they were both inside together." Vincent said, "Jackson goes for your daughters and… his monkeys come for April in the chaos of it all."

"Or you're just reaching?" Punk shrugged.

"Phil." AJ shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry I just… I find it a little hard to believe that all of you want to help me and my family. Some of you who I haven't seen since I was nineteen." He said.

"Rio didn't just ruin your life." One of the guys, Jimmy, piped up, "He had all of us."

"He killed my sister." Paolo said, "We're not resting until he dies out to nothing." He said as Punk turned to Dean who just shrugged.

"If the cops can find Jackson quick, we can let them know what's going on with this. We can plan a set-up. We all know how those work." Vincent looked around the room, "Find a way to get the last of Rio's workers arrested, which means he's got nothing and no one anymore." He said.

"Ok well Jackson isn't exactly a problem anymore." Punk said.

"What?" AJ shook her head, "Of course he's a problem he-"

"He's dead." Punk turned to her, "Dominic killed him." He whispered to her.

"What?!" AJ shrieked, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Good. One down. One to go." Paolo nodded, sitting down on the sofa and twiddling his thumbs as Punk turned to AJ and Dean.

"Ok, I can't be the only one who is a little suspicious about this." Punk whispered to Dean and AJ.

"We can hear you." Vincent nodded as Punk rolled his eyes.

"Phil, what do you mean Dominic killed Jackson?" AJ shook her head.

"I mean… Jackson came to Thea's house, had her cornered, Dominic came in and killed him." Punk said, "He's at the police station right now. Thea is with Sam. She's a mess." Punk said.

"Oh my God." AJ shook her head, "Is Dominic gonna be ok? Are they gonna charge him?" She asked, so many more questions, so many more what ifs.

"He… He should be fine." Punk nodded confidently, turning around and looking at everyone in the room. He remembered all of them. Good people who got caught up with bad, just like him. He saw the sincerity in their faces. The want to help. The need to make things right.

"You gonna let us help you?" Vincent asked as Punk looked at them all.

"Help me with what exactly? What-What's the plan?" Punk questioned as Vincent smiled.

"That's more like the Brooks I remember." Vincent smiled, walking over and extending his hand out as Punk took it, shaking it and embracing him.

Some of the people in the room he used to be best friends with, some he crashed in their houses when he, AJ and Dean had nowhere else to go. His street family. His only family at one point. He never knew that all this time they all wished for the same peace he did.

"Ok, Dominic." Karen walked into the interrogation room where Dominic was sitting, "What happened? Tell me everything." She said, sitting down at the table and looking across at him as Dominic stared her…

"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… 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…"

"Shut up." Thea spat, "You will never touch either of my sisters." She made clear.

"I'll do what I want." Jackson said, "Maybe me and you can even rekindle things, who knows? The possibilities are endless." He smiled as Thea stared at him.

She couldn't take it. The fact he felt no remorse for what he'd done. For the pain he'd left her sister with. The way he thought he could just carry on living his life. She just couldn't take it.

"You will get what you deserve for what you did to my sister." Thea spat, "And your dad will get what he deserves one day."

"No… no, because like my dad says, when all you have is yourself, nothing can hurt you." Jackson nodded, "That's why you're all so screwed. You got too many people you gotta look out for and protect and… that must be exhausting-"

"It's called family." Thea said, "And I'm so glad I have one. I'm so glad that I am… I am loved too much like you think, because yeah when I hurt… I really hurt… but when I'm loved, I'm really loved… and that's something you will never, ever experience in your life." She said, "And it's something you don't deserve."

"Yeah well I don't want it." Jackson nodded, "You know, it's funny… I've known you since you were thirteen. Little rebel Thea." He said, "Could have predicted your downfall from the second I laid eyes on you." He said, "And trust me, babe, you haven't reached your peak downfall yet."

"Oh, yeah? When is that happening?" Thea smiled, "When are they gonna find me in a bathroom floor with a needle in my arm? When is that happening?" She spat as Jackson smiled.

"When everybody least expects it, trust me." Jackson smiled, "That is if… any of your family are still around to give a shit."

"What the hell is that meant to mean?" Thea spat.

"Well come on, my dad isn't done with your mom. He's not gonna stop until he gets her." Jackson said, "You'd be amazed with the strings you can still pull when your locked up."

"No one is touching my mom." Thea hissed, "You're done. Finished. And so is your dad." She spat.

"No, trust me, we're not." Jackson chuckled, "Oh, that's cute." Jackson pointed to Thea's tattoo on her hand, the one that wasn't hidden behind her back clutching a knife.

"W-What?" Thea shook her head.

"Matching tattoos with your sister? Sweet." Jackson smiled, "Yeah, I was starting at your sister's whilst I took her from behind-" He was cut off as Thea plunged the knife into his chest, yelling out as she did so with force, stabbing him fiercely as he looked at her for a few seconds.

Thea kept her hands on the knife which she'd driven into his chest, blood now covering her hands as she ripped the knife back out of him, watching as he grabbed onto the table, blood spilling from his mouth and seeping out of his chest quickly, the life slowly draining out of him as Thea stood, her hands shaking as she dropped the knife.

"Uh… I… I had gone out for pizza for me and Thea" Dominic explained, "When I came back in I heard Jackson's voice and Thea asking him to stop." He said, "I was around when this guy attacked her years ago. He also attacked me and put me in hospital back then too so… I know what he's capable of."

"So you're telling me you didn't know he had raped Jude at this point?" Karen wondered.

"Had no clue. Just knew my wife needed help." Dominic nodded, "So I ran into the kitchen and saw he had his hands around her neck, pressed up against the kitchen counter." He said as Karen nodded, "I saw the knife on the kitchen counter by the sink and I just… acted." He said, "I was scared that he could have knocked me out or took me out and then… hurt Thea." Dominic said, "And our son was asleep upstairs so… I just acted out of defence." He nodded.

"Ok." Karen said.

"Once I had… stabbed him, Thea told me that he'd confessed to raping Jude." Dominic said, "He must have been there to tell her and then… I don't know, I don't wanna think about what he was gonna do next." Dominic said, "I was just protecting my wife. My family." He said as Karen looked across at him, nodding.

"Ok, Dominic." Karen sighed to herself, "Just a few more questions and then… then you can go." She nodded.

"Ok." Dominic nodded hopefully.