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"What's going on in here?" Dominic smiled, walking into the living room after getting home from work, noticing his wife and two children lounging on the kitchen watching a movie. It was the best sight to come home to. His favourite people on the planet.

"We're watching Dumbo, daddy!" Sofia exclaimed, lying against her mother with her favourite blanket bundled in her arms whilst James sat on the other side of Thea, both in fresh pyjamas after bath time.

"Dumbo, huh?" Dominic smiled, looking at the TV, "This isn't the Dumbo I remember."

"It's a real ephelant." James mispronounced as Dominic laughed a little.

"Is that the same as an elephant?" Dominic smiled, looking over at Thea who smiled too, playing with her son's messy hair.

"That's what I said." James insisted as Dominic nodded.

"I think I prefer the cartoons." Dominic nodded, leaning against the door as he looked over at the TV.

"Yeah, that's what I said." Thea smiled, "You really can't beat a Disney cartoon." She shook her head, "I don't know about all this… CGI nonsense." She shook her head as Dominic chuckled.

"Maybe we're just getting old." Dominic suggested.

"Oh, I don't get old." Thea shook her head confidently as Dominic smiled.

"Shh, I can't hear!" James said with frustration as Thea raised her eyebrows, turning to Dominic who smiled.

"Sorry, baby." Thea smiled, nodding to Dominic towards the kitchen as she stood up, leaving them watching the movie as she headed into the kitchen with her husband, "How was work?"

"It was fine." Dominic nodded, "Did you get any further with the unpacking?"

"Yeah, I got a lot done today, actually. I got the kids rooms pretty much fully unpacked. Our room is all good. Basically all of upstairs is good to go." She nodded.

"I feel like I've not helped you with anything." Dominic said, angry with himself.

"You've been working." Thea shook her head, "And you know I like things to be done right." She shrugged.

"Oh, so you're saying I can't unpack boxes right?" Dominic asked her.

"Not really." Thea shook her head with a smile, "Have you recovered from this morning? With my mom?"

"I'm just glad it was her and not your dad." Dominic shook his head with relief as Thea chuckled, "Still embarrassing." He nodded as she smiled.

"My mom text me not long ago and said Jude is a lot brighter. She's still not one hundred percent, obviously but… she's doing better. I'm… I'm so glad to hear it." Thea shook her head.

"Yeah, me too." Dominic nodded, "She's always put so much pressure on herself. I remember when she was like fifteen, when we first started dating, she was applying for art school… didn't she drop like ten pounds?"

"Yeah, she used to get really sick when she was a kid with worrying." Thea nodded, "Like if she had a field trip the next day, she'd be up sick all night. Mom actually thought she had an illness or something." She shook her head, "She's always worried and… obviously with everything that's happened to her, it's sort of amplified." She said, "Just wish there was more you could do when she's feeling like that."

"Yeah, I know." Dominic nodded, "But if your mom said she's a lot brighter then… that's a good step forward. These things take time. And we're all there for her."

"Yeah." Thea nodded, "I was actually gonna suggest going out for lunch with her and Cassie. Maybe go and try some wedding dresses on, joke around a little." She shrugged, "I figured it could maybe get her out the house for a little while."

"That's a good idea." Dominic nodded, "Just ask her if she'd feel up to it." He said as Thea nodded.

"Weirdest thing too, my mom started asking me about if my dad ever talked to me about prison." She shook her head with confusion.

"Why is she asking that?" Dominic asked.

"She said he still has nightmares every now and then… he doesn't really talk about it much." Thea shrugged.

"And has he spoken to you about it?" Dominic asked, "About being in prison?"

"No. I mean, not more than what everyone else knows." Thea said, "If he was to tell anyone anything, especially back when he first got out, it would have been Jude." She nodded. She was positive of it.

"Why Jude?" Dominic asked.

"They were super close. She… She was the only one who kept visiting him when me and my mom stopped. She'd go after school or she'd get Sam to take her." Thea said, "And I was the brat who vowed not to speak to him ever again when he got out." She shrugged.

"Well that brat had been through a lot." Dominic said as Thea smiled, "Give her a break." He suggested as she nodded, "So… maybe your mom should ask Jude about it? Or… just ask your dad. I mean, it's not like your mom is afraid of him."

"Of course she's not but… I don't know, I get the feeling she doesn't really wanna hear about it. I mean, it was eight years in prison. That's… I can't even imagine the stuff he saw." She shook her head.

"Maybe he's just waiting on someone asking then." Dominic shrugged.

"No he's praying no one asks him, trust me." Thea nodded.

"Look, it's a terrible day when we have to start worrying about your mom and dad not communicating with each other." He scoffed, "They'll be fine and they'll talk." He assured as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Thea assured herself, "You wanna go watch Dumbo?" She asked him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Honestly? I'm kinda hoping they fall asleep soon so we can shift them off to bed… pick up where we left off in here." He nodded as she smiled.

"Oh, really? And what if I wanna watch Dumbo?" Thea asked him as Dominic chuckled.

"I mean… I can wait." Dominic nodded.

"You sure about that?" She smirked as he nodded, not convincing her at all as she chuckled, pressing a kiss against his lips as he kissed back, "They'll fall asleep soon." She assured him between pecking his lips as he smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist.


"I walked in on Thea and Dominic doing it this morning." AJ announced as Punk sat at the kitchen table, eating some Chinese food.

"Well, I'm gonna ignore that and let you know I brought food home." Punk nodded.

"Like… I mean, they were going at it." AJ said as Punk looked at her.

"I'm eating." Punk said, "Oh and… even if I wasn't, I don't wanna know that." He said as AJ just laughed a little.

"What'd you get? Chinese?" AJ asked curiously and hungrily, taking her coat off.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "How was Jude?"

"God, I see such a difference in her already." AJ nodded, sitting down at the table across from him, "She really loves her therapist. Told me it was different than before. Focusing a lot more on her as a person instead of… her attack and her feelings. She said she thinks it is really lifting her mood." She said.

"Well that's good." Punk nodded with relief.

"She looks like she's definitely sleeping better." AJ said, "I think she's still struggling with Mirren, though." She nodded.

"She'll get used to it. She's had a rough time. She needs to give herself a chance." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, I know. That's what I said." AJ nodded, listening to Cassie coming in the door from work.

"Hey." Cassie announced unenthusiastically as she walked into the kitchen tiredly.

"Hi, baby." AJ smiled, "You look exhausted." She cupped Cassie's cheek.

"I am exhausted." Cassie agreed, "Thank God I have a day off tomorrow." She shook her head, reaching over and taking some food from her father's plate as Punk paused and watched her.

"Were you raised to do that?" Punk asked.

"Oh, what's mine is yours." Cassie shook her head tiredly.

"I actually got you your own dinner. You don't have to take mine. It's over there." Punk pointed.

"Aren't you an angel." Cassie nodded, patting his head as Punk nodded to himself, "How was Jude?"

"She's doing better." AJ nodded positively whilst Cassie took out some Chinese take away boxes, plating up some food, having worked up an extremely big appetite after a tiring day.

"Thea text me about asking her if she wanted to go out for lunch soon and go try on some wedding dresses-"

"Uh… you guys can't go wedding dress shopping without me." AJ said immediately.

"Not serious wedding dress shopping." Cassie scoffed, "Just to do something fun and get her out the house for a couple hours."

"That's a good idea." Punk nodded to her.

"Well… just make sure she doesn't actually find a wedding dress she likes." AJ said jealously, "Because I wanna be there." She said as Punk just chuckled to himself.

"I just don't understand women." Punk hummed to himself.

"Eat your egg roll." AJ advised sternly as he nodded.

"Oh, also… your mom keeps calling the station." Cassie nodded to AJ.

"My mom?" AJ shook her head, "Saying what?"

"That if we don't arrest you for Robert's murder then she's going to sue the whole precinct." Cassie nodded to Punk.

"She's so dumb." AJ shook her head.

"I mean… I can sympathise. She's lost her husband-"

"Who tried to kill me… no no, who tried to kill all of us." Punk reminded her.

"I know but clearly he'd lost his marbles." Cassie said as AJ looked over.

"Or he just didn't have marbles to lose." Punk suggested as Cassie nodded.

"Well, possibly that." Cassie agreed as AJ looked over at them talking about it.

"Well what else did my mom say?" AJ butted in.

"She just keeps saying that it's injustice and… her husband was murdered in cold blood." Cassie rolled her eyes, "She's in denial."

"She always has been." AJ nodded, "Is she in Puerto Rico?" She asked as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah that's where the calls are coming in from." Cassie nodded, "I'm assuming they'll die out. She's not got a leg to stand on. If she wants to talk about cold blooded murder, that's what her husband was trying to achieve." She shook her head.

"I hope this isn't getting in the way of your job." AJ worried.

"It's not." Cassie assured her, "I've actually moved onto another case." She said.

"Check you." Punk smiled.

"Well go on, tell us what it is?" AJ smiled as Cassie looked at them.

"Some kids vandalised Abe Lincoln on Clark." Cassie said as Punk looked at her.

"Oh." AJ nodded slowly.

"Yeah, real juicy, Cass." Punk nodded sarcastically.

"Shut up." Cassie shoved his head from the back as he chuckled.


"How is she doing?" Sean asked Jude, walking into their bedroom where she was sitting up against the headboard feeding Mirren. He had been trying to slowly let Jude begin to do more with Mirren. He didn't want to overwhelm her or make it obvious that he was encouraging her to spend more time with her, but without her noticing, she was doing it on her own anyway.

"She's perfect." Jude nodded, looking down at Mirren enjoying her bottle. She was still in awe of all of her. Even after a few weeks with her here, she really couldn't believe just how perfect she really was. After being covered in depression for a while, she was finally getting to see her daughter and all her beauty.

"I like the onesie." Sean chuckled, noticing Mirren's onesie which had "I'd rather be with my aunt" written on it.

"Yeah, who do you think that's from?" Jude rolled her eyes as Sean chuckled.

"Thea's getting you back from all the times you made James wear ridiculous shirts and outfits." Sean said as Jude smiled.

"She text earlier. Asked if I wanted to go for lunch with her and Cassie." Jude said.

"That's a nice idea." Sean nodded, "What'd you say?"

"That I'd think about it." Jude said, "I don't know if I'm that up to it."

"Well it's up to you." Sean nodded, "I just know how much your sisters can cheer you up. It could be fun." He suggested as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Jude sighed. She was still absolutely struggling with things. It wasn't going to disappear and she knew that, but knowing things were improving did give her hope, and feeling like she was contributing more for Mirren was massively helping her health. She didn't feel so helpless.

"She's always so quiet when she's with you." Sean smiled, stroking Mirren's head softly as Jude smiled.

"I really hope she forgives me for basically missing these past few weeks with her." Jude shook her head.

"I think you're forgiven." Sean nodded as she smiled, "I'm proud of you." He said, leaning over and kissing her cheek as she smiled to herself, "You're our favourite person." He nodded as Jude turned to him with a smile.

"I love you." Jude smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her whilst Mirren finished her bottle. She was never short of support, that was for sure.