Between Us
"Are you ok?" Hilary asked, walking into the waiting room in court where Thea was sitting.
"Yeah." Thea sighed to herself.
"You know I… I sort of thought you'd be more happy." Hilary chuckled a little, sitting down next to Thea, putting her folders down next to her.
"No, I am." Thea nodded to her, "My sister's pain doesn't stop, though. She's the one I'm thinking about." She shrugged as Hilary nodded.
"She's a brave girl." Hilary nodded, "You both are." She said, "It's a pity you and I didn't get to spend more time with each other but… I assume you're a little happy about that."
"Yeah, sorry." Thea smiled a little.
"I forgive you." Hilary smiled, "Where's your husband?"
"He's out calling my parents right now to let them know how it went." Thea nodded, "I guess it's one less thing for them to worry about. Now they can really focus on Jude instead of worrying about… stupid me." She shook her head as Hilary frowned.
"I don't think you're stupid." Hilary said, "I think you're tough. You have morals and you love your sister. If that's what we start punishing people for then… I don't know what's going on with the world." She shrugged.
"I keep having nightmares about it. Me killing him." Thea said, "Just because I don't regret doesn't mean I don't remember how… wrong it felt to stab someone." She rolled her eyes, "I'm not that cold."
"That'll probably stay with you for a while. You're in shock." Hilary said, "But the counselling you have will help." She nodded.
"Yeah." Thea said, "Thank you for this. You're badass."
"I told you not to worry." Hilary smiled, "I know a good one when I see them." She nudged her as Thea smiled, "And tell your sister thank you for the written statement she sent me."
"What?" Thea turned to her.
"Yeah, she sent me a written letter for me to give to the judge." Hilary said, "You two must be very close." She nodded.
"Yeah, well… sisters." Thea nodded as Hilary smiled, "I didn't know she gave you anything."
"She dropped it off to me last night." Hilary said as Thea nodded, "You both look very alike." She said.
"You think?" Thea asked.
"Oh, yeah." Hilary nodded, "So… celebration tonight?" She smiled.
"More like going home and crashing in my bed." Thea said as Hilary nodded, "We gotta pick up James from my parents' house first. I'm sure they will be celebrating." She said, "First one in the family to go to court and not get sentenced to anything. It's a big deal." She said as Hilary smiled.
"I like you, Thea." Hilary nodded, patting her on the shoulder, "You go be with your family." She stood up as Thea smiled.
"Thank you." Thea nodded, watching as the woman walked off down the court house.
She sat for a little while on her own just letting it sink in. It all happened so fast. To be free to go, with no follow up trial and no more worrying was a blessing. She just wished her sister could have gotten this type of solution, but that was just it, she couldn't. Her problems, her troubles were with her from now on. There was no judge to free her mind of what Jackson had done to her.
"Hey." Dominic appeared back into the waiting room as Thea looked up, "You ready to go?" He smiled. Relief was an understatement. He couldn't put into words how grateful he was that his wife didn't have to be tried, and that they could go home with their son with their future still intact.
"Yeah." Thea smiled, standing up, "Did you call my parents?"
"Yeah, I got a hold of your dad. I think they're pretty relieved." Dominic nodded, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as she smiled, leaving the court house after a long morning and afternoon.
Thea and Dominic eventually arrived at AJ and Punk's house where Thea was immediately squeezed by her parents with relief. Relief that this didn't have to get any worse than it already was.
"So uh… what happened?" AJ asked, drying her tears, not being able to help it. She was so overwhelmed with relief for Thea knowing she didn't have to go through anymore unnecessary worrying.
"It was pretty quick. Quicker than I thought." Thea nodded, sitting in the living room, "I had to identify myself and they read out my rights, my charges, everything like that and then Hilary sort of took over. I think given that this was a serial rapist, and my own history with Jackson." She said, "There was a lot in my favour and Hilary did amazing." She nodded.
"You seem really calm." Punk noticed as Thea nodded.
"Yeah I think it might hit me later." Thea said.
"You'll still be in shock." AJ nodded, rubbing Thea's arm softly.
"So what's your deal?" Punk asked.
"I have to start a twelve week counselling program starting on Monday." Thea said, "That's it." She nodded, "And Hilary made sure that my job doesn't get affected by… all of this."
"Good. Oh, thank God." AJ sighed to herself, "I never slept last night. I couldn't stop thinking about it." She said as Thea nodded, watching as Jude walked into the living room.
"Hey." Thea smiled, standing up and wrapping her arms around her sister.
"I heard you're not in too much trouble." Jude said, hugging her back as Thea smiled.
"I think I'm gonna be ok." Thea said, hugging her tightly, "I told you so." She whispered as Jude smiled to herself, hugging her sister tightly.
"Why don't you stay for dinner?" AJ turned to Dominic who nodded, "There's plenty there." She said.
"Sure." Dominic smiled, "T? Dinner here?" He asked as Thea turned around.
"Yeah, sure." Thea smiled, keeping her arm around her sister, "If there's enough room." She nodded.
"There's always enough room for you here." AJ smiled.
Dominic and Thea stayed for dinner. Sean had even come around to join them which gave Jude a little more energy than her usual standard. It meant there was a full house, the first since Christmas before everything went wrong. Things still felt uneasy and in some ways, wrong, but there was definitely positives to focus on. AJ and Punk were just so grateful to be sat at the table with their daughters, safe under their roof.
"Hey, mom made pie. You don't normally miss out on that." Jude said, walking into the living room where Thea was.
"Maybe she'll let me take some home. I'm stuffed from dinner." Thea admitted as Jude nodded, sitting down next to her on the couch.
"Yeah, I am too." Jude nodded, "Sean is having seconds." She shook her head as Thea smiled.
"I'm glad he's been here for you." Thea said as Jude nodded.
"Yeah, he must actually like me." Jude nodded, "I didn't think he'd stick around."
"Why do you say it like that?" Thea asked.
"Like what?" Jude shook her head.
"Like it'd be impossible for a guy to like you?" Thea questioned as Jude shrugged.
"Just… with everything that happened. All the baggage and-"
"It's not baggage, Jude." Thea shook her head, "Being there for each other is all relationships are." She said, "And what happened to you doesn't make you any less worthy of love or… someone caring about you." She said, "Please don't think that."
"Yeah, I know." Jude nodded, "Setting myself little goals every day to make myself feel better."
"Oh, yeah?" Thea smiled.
"Yeah. Dad's idea, actually. You know for someone who has made a ton of mistakes in his life, he's pretty wise." Jude said as Thea smiled.
"Yeah, he's ok." Thea teased as Jude smiled, "So what was the goal for today?"
"Wash my hair." Jude nodded as Thea nodded slowly, "I know, right? I should be reaching for the stars." She scoffed.
"No, you should be working on yourself and… doing what you can. Taking advantage of the times you feel good and… making sure to give yourself the time when you don't feel so good." Thea nodded, "Nice and shiny." She patted Jude's hair as Jude nodded.
"I also told myself I would spend more than two hours out of bed and… I have." Jude smiled as Thea nodded.
"You're doing good." Thea smiled, patting her on the leg.
"Considering joining a support group." Jude said, "I figure it might not make me feel so alone."
"I think that's a good idea." Thea nodded, "Meeting people who have experience with what you're going through is bound to help, even just a little." She said as Jude nodded.
"Yeah, I think so." Jude said, "Sean is gonna come with me." She said as Thea smiled.
"I'm glad you're taking these big steps." Thea nodded.
"Don't get me wrong, I don't want to do it." Jude chuckled a little, "But if I stay in my bed, and I don't talk to anyone, it's bound to just get worse, right?"
"Yeah, I think so." Thea nodded, "You don't wanna isolate yourself from everything."
"I know." Jude said, "I'm just nervous to put it out there. To speak about it so openly." She said, "Cause it still feels like it's happening. Every day I wake up and it feels just as fresh as the morning I woke up after it happened. It's like I'm reliving that day over and over again." She said, "Like what's that film we went to see a couple years ago at the movies? Dad fell asleep. We put popcorn up his nose."
"Oh, Happy Death Day?" Thea remembered.
"Yeah." Jude chuckled a little, "Yeah, Happy Death Day." She scoffed, "Fitting title."
"It's gonna get better. I know you're probably sick to death of people saying that to you, but it will." Thea said, "There will be a moment where you take a deep breath and you realise that… you are not what happened to you. You're so much more. And what happened to you is one day, just gonna be a reminder of how far you came." She said.
"Yeah dad said a similar thing." Jude nodded, "You know… I didn't really see it until now but you two are really alike." She said.
"You think?" Thea wondered.
"Yeah." Jude nodded as Thea smiled.
"You know… eight years ago I would have slapped you for saying that." Thea said.
"Oh, I know." Jude chuckled, "And now?"
"I'll take it as a compliment." Thea smiled sweetly.
"I think you should." Jude nodded.
"I uh… I never knew you were gonna give a written statement to Hilary." Thea said.
"Oh, yeah… well I figured if it helped you out." Jude said, "I think it was important the judge heard what I had to say."
"Yeah, I think so too." Thea said as Jude looked at her, "I read the statement." She nodded.
"You weren't supposed to." Jude said truthfully.
"Hilary gave me it as I was leaving the court house." Thea said, remembering every word of the raw and very upsetting, yet real and important statement her sister had written for the judge.
"Yeah well… it kinda helped me, writing it down on paper." Jude nodded.
"I didn't know you remembered so much from that night." Thea shook her head. She wouldn't forget the things her sister had put on the statement, the things she remembered from that night.
"Yeah, it's all there. It's not one big collective memory but… I can remember it in dribs and drabs." Jude said, "I uh… I don't really want anyone else to read it… I just wanted to make sure that the judge knew what kind of person he was, and why you did what you did." She said as Thea nodded.
"Between us?" Thea asked, holding her pinkie out as Jude nodded.
"Between us." Jude nodded, wrapping her pinkie around hers, hugging into her as Thea smiled.
"Hey, mom said you've both to come get pie." Cassie said, walking into the living room.
"Well if it isn't Officer Brooks." Thea smiled as Jude chuckled.
"I wish I never told you." Cassie huffed, folding her arms.
"Get over here." Thea smiled, tugging on Cassie's hand, pulling her over onto the couch beside her as Cassie joined in on the much needed hug with her sisters.