Different People


"Hey, mom." Jude smiled, bumping the stroller into her parent's house where she saw her mother coming downstairs.

"Hey." AJ smiled happily, glad to see her daughter after getting back from their weekend away, "How are you?" She smiled, walking over and hugging Jude.

"I'm good." Jude nodded, "How was your weekend?" She smiled.

"It was great." AJ smiled, "We had a good time." She nodded.

"Was dad ok?" Jude asked as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, he was ok." AJ assured her, rubbing her arm softly, "How is this little beauty?" She asked, leaning into the stroller and smiling at Mirren fast asleep.

"She's sleeping." Jude smiled, "I walked here. She always falls asleep right away when we're on a walk or she's in the car. She loves it." Jude nodded as AJ smiled.

"You look good, baby." AJ smiled, cupping her daughter's cheek, noticing how fresh and healthy she was looking.

"I am getting more sleep." Jude nodded, walking through to the kitchen with the stroller, "She's got a routine, I guess now." She said.

"That's good." AJ nodded, "You look better for it."

"Thanks." Jude said, "I feel better." She acknowledged. Every day was another step, but every day felt brighter, and another step in the right direction. The therapy she was seeking was definitely helping her, and finding a routine with Mirren was making it easier for her.

"You want some lunch?" AJ asked her.

"Oh, yeah. That would be good." Jude nodded, sitting down at the table, "How are you feeling? How's your head?" She asked.

"It's ok. Aches here and there but that's not abnormal. I have another check-up on Friday so I'm kinda hoping that I get the go ahead to go back to work again, to start driving again." She said, making them both some lunch.

"Mom, that's still really soon." Jude said with concern, "Thea told you it could be months."

"What does she know?" AJ waved her hand as Jude laughed a little.

"Normally I'd agree but… she is a nurse." Jude laughed a little, "You can't do too much when you're not ready. You'll only make it worse." She said.

"Yeah yeah, I hear it all from your father." AJ nodded along.

"Then listen." Jude suggested as AJ just made a face, "Where is he anyway?"

"He's at work." AJ said, "He actually stopped by yesterday when we got back to see his old cell mate, Tom." She turned to Jude who nodded.

"Oh, really?" Jude said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, he really wanted to. And I think it was a big step for him, to kinda confront that part of his life again. He said they had a good chat and that they were gonna try see each other more." AJ said.

"Well that's good." Jude nodded, "Did he… talk more about prison whilst you were away?"

"He did." AJ nodded, "He's definitely opening up a lot more and… I think he's just talking about it when it comes to him and I'm there to listen." She said as Jude nodded.

"Well I'm glad." Jude nodded with relief, "It looked like he had really reached breaking point."

"Yeah, well given all the stuff he was holding in to himself all this time, I don't blame him." AJ shook her head.

"At least he's talking about it now." Jude nodded.

"Yeah, that's the important thing." AJ nodded, sitting down at the table to have lunch with her, "Were your sisters behaving whilst we were gone?" She asked curiously.

"I haven't really spoken to them actually. I know they've both been busy at work." Jude nodded, "I finally finished off painting Mirren's nursery." She said.

"Oh, yeah? So now it's all finished?" AJ asked.

"Yeah, I just had a last bit to paint. It's finally finished." Jude smiled, "And she knows nothing about all my hard work." She scoffed as AJ smiled.

"Oh, she will in a few years." AJ smiled.

"Oh, before I forget… I need to ask you for a slight favour." Jude said.

"Slight?" AJ raised a brow.

"Well, I'm having lunch with Sean's mom next weekend and I sort of… invited you to come with me." Jude smiled sweetly as AJ looked at her, "I know you've only met her once and… we established that his parents are very different than you and dad but… I figured with the wedding planning that's gonna be happening in the coming months, maybe you'd get acquainted a little better." Jude shrugged.

"I don't even remember what she looks like." AJ admitted truthfully, "Wait, I thought you said you weren't gonna get married until like a year?"

"Yeah, that's still the plan." Jude nodded, "But I was talking to Sean about it last night and he's getting stressed because he thinks his mom is gonna… to put it out he said, stick her in nose into things." She said, "She already thinks she's going dress shopping with us."

"What? Why would she think that? I thought it was me you and your sisters?" AJ shook her head.

"Well yeah, it is but… I don't think it's so bad that she wants to come. She has two sons and she doesn't get to help a daughter get ready for a wedding… maybe she just wants to be part of it." Jude shrugged.

"I get all that but… I don't wanna be uncomfortable and… behaved well." AJ rolled her eyes as Jude smiled a little, "Thea's already started dropping ideas for your bachelorette and the less judgemental people there, the better."

"God, I don't even wanna know." Jude placed her hand on her forehead.

"So why have I to come with you to lunch again?" AJ questioned, slightly puzzled.

"Because I think it'd help in the long haul. You barely know her and I don't want things to be awkward if she does come with us to find my wedding dress-"

"Uh… why would she be coming?" AJ questioned as Jude looked at her, "You're my daughter, therefore it should be me, your sisters and Kirsty."

"What am I supposed to say to her? You can't come?" Jude laughed a little.

"Yes, and I'll say it for you if you can't." AJ nodded.

"That attitude doesn't help." Jude said as AJ made a face, "Sean's really stressed about me not wanting his mom around for the planning and I think that's really unfair. She should be part of it."

"Should she?" AJ questioned.

"Mom." Jude said, "Yes, she should. It's her son getting married. You've got three daughter's you get to do this with. She doesn't have any." She reminded her as AJ folded her arms unhappily.

"She's not exactly our type of people, is she?" AJ said.

"What the hell does that mean?" Jude asked.

"It means they're rich and snooty, meanwhile I…" She grabbed the salad dressing and popped the lid off, "Have a criminal record." She finished as Jude rolled her eyes.

"They're not snooty." Jude scoffed, "They're nice people they're just… a little overbearing. Is that what you think of Sean?" She wondered.

"No, of course not." AJ said immediately, "Sean's like us. There's not a judgemental bone in his body. I love him like a son." She emphasised. She was lucky to have great relationships with both her daughter's partners, "I just remember his mom being a little… overpriced."

"You're not a poor person on the streets, mom. You practically direct a company." Jude reminded her.

"Yeah but baby, I don't forget my roots." AJ reminded her.

"I'm just saying, people see you a lot more than that criminal record." She nodded.

"I know that but… everyone is just different. It's not a bad thing." AJ said as Jude looked at her pleadingly, "Ok, I'll come with you, of course." AJ assured her daughter as Jude smiled, "But only because I love you." She smiled sweetly, tilting Jude's chin up as Jude smiled.

"I just think it'll make the whole thing easier." Jude shrugged.

"How come you're already thinking about wedding planning?" AJ asked, "Is someone getting excited?" She smiled.

"Well Thea got me this wedding planner and I just… I've been writing things down, I guess. It is sort of exciting."

"Sort of? It is exciting." AJ smiled, "It's gonna be a great day." She nodded.

"How big was your wedding?" Jude wondered.

"Not too big, I guess. Eighty people or something." She shrugged, "I was actually pregnant with you at our wedding, I just didn't know." She nodded.

"You just love a good unplanned pregnancy, don't you?" Jude nodded.

"Hell yeah." AJ nodded, "You're one to talk." She looked over at the stroller.

"Shh." Jude said as AJ chuckled, "I feel really close to her now." She nodded as AJ looked across at her, "The beginning was really hard. I didn't feel like I was bonding with her at all. Then that made me feel like I was incapable of doing this… mom thing." She said.

"No, you just… you had your own stuff to deal with. It happens to a lot of mom's. It can be a… stressful thing. Really stressful." AJ assured her.

"Yeah I just wish I didn't lose those first couple of weeks with her." Jude admitted.

"You have a lifetime with her." AJ smiled, "That's all that matters." She nodded as Jude smiled.


Eight months later…

"Jude." Sean burst into the ladies restroom in the venue their wedding was taking place in. They were only married a few hours ago.

"I… I can't get it off." Jude said, hands shaking as she tried rubbing the front of her wedding dress, lashing the water from the faucet towards her, cold tears running down her cheeks, not that she could feel them.

"Are you hurt?" Sean asked, grabbing her wet hands as she looked up at him, "Are you?" He asked, drying her tears as her make-up smudged in the process.

"Where's Mirren?" Jude begged to know.

"She's with Kirsty." Sean nodded, looking at the blood all the way down the front of Jude's dress, "Are you hurt?" He cupped her cheeks seriously as she shook her head.

"No… no, I'm not hurt." Jude's voice broke, placing a hand on the sink, "Where's Mirren? I want to… I want to see her." She said desperately.

"She's with Kirsty." Sean repeated, "Kirsty took her back to the room." He nodded. They were married in a hotel venue, "She's safe with Kirsty." He assured her as Jude looked at him, nodding slowly, "You need to get out of that dress." He said.

Jude looked down at her dress, staring at the blood all the way down the front of it. The dress she'd picked out and adored. The dress she'd put on this morning and felt like a princess in on her special day. Now soaked in blood. Not her own.

"Where are my mom and dad?" Jude questioned seriously as Sean looked over at her.

"I don't know. I can't find them." Sean said as Jude ran her hands through her hair, "You're covered in blood. You need to get changed."


A/N: So, every chapter now is gonna have a flashforward to the wedding, all the way up until we finally reach it in terms of present day. Just because I'm evil and want to keep you all on your toes! Enjoy making what you will of it until finally we reach it! Thanks for the reviews and I hope you're all staying safe.