Ghost


"Jude." Sean knocked on the bathroom door of the honeymoon suite, "Jude, it's just me, you can open up." He sighed, leaning his forehead against the door tiredly. All the running around and panicking had really taken the wind out of his sails.

"She's not opening up." Kirsty shook her head as Sean looked over at her, "I've been trying all night." She said.

"Is Mirren ok?" Sean asked, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly, looking over at Kirsty.

"She's fine. She's fast asleep." Kirsty said as Sean nodded.

"I got a text from Phil. They're all safe. They got the kids." Sean nodded, "The details around it, I'm not sure of but… good enough for me." He sighed as Kirsty nodded.

"And Cassie?" Kirsty asked.

"She's in hospital, stable for now." Sean said as Kirsty nodded, "How long has she been in there?"

"Basically all night. I heard the shower on earlier so… I think the dress is off." Kirsty said.

"Never to be seen again." Sean sighed to himself, "I hate myself for saying it but… tonight of all nights?" He questioned.

"Yeah, I know." Kirsty said, "The important thing is everyone is safe, and we'll hear how Cassie is doing. But… it was still your wedding night. It still is." She said, "She was… She was so happy." She shook her head as Sean nodded.

"I know in the grand scheme of things it's… it's just a relief everyone is ok, and everyone is safe, but… I didn't think I'd be spending my wedding night like this." He shook his head.

"No, I don't think anyone did." Kirsty said as Sean sighed to himself.

"Look, you can go now. You don't gotta stay around. You should get some sleep." He suggested.

"I don't mind staying." Kirsty said.

"No, really… it's ok." Sean said, "I'll wait on her coming out, when she decides to." He nodded.

Ok." Kirsty said, "I'm just a few rooms down, if you need anything let me know." She said as Sean nodded, watching her pick up her purse and leave the room as he walked back over to the bathroom, knocking at the door again.

"Jude, it's just me in the room now, ok? Just let me in, I wanna talk to you." He sighed.

Meanwhile Jude was sat in the shower floor, hugging her knees to her chest, resting her chin on her kneecaps as she looked over at her dress lying on the floor. She wondered how something that made her feel so good and special, suddenly became something she could barely look at.

"Just leave me alone." Jude said to Sean.

"Please just let me in." Sean said, "This is still our wedding night, Jude."

"Like that even means anything." Jude shook her head, running her hand through her wet hair. Her make-up fully off, her shoes thrown into the corner of the bathroom, the clips from her hair thrown into the trash can beside the toilet.

She was so grateful to know her family was safe, and she felt awful for thinking about herself in this situation, but she couldn't help it. She was tired. Tired of it all.

"Jude, please just let me in." Sean said as Jude sighed to herself, standing up in the shower, grabbing the towel from the rack as she wrapped it around her, walking over to the bathroom door and unlocking it as she heard Sean immediately walk in.

"Sorry if I'm not… in the mood to celebrate." She shrugged, sitting down on the toilet seat as Sean watched her.

"It's ok." He shook his head, looking over at her, noticing her wedding dress carelessly bunched up on the floor, her veil sitting in the wet sink, shoes thrown into the corner. It definitely wasn't the wedding night they were hoping for or expecting.

"How's Cassie?" Jude asked sincerely.

"Uh…. Stable." Sean nodded, "I think your parents are off to visit her right now. And the kids are safe." He said as Jude nodded.

"That's good." Jude nodded as Sean walked over, crouching down in front of her as she looked at him.

"I'm sorry, I know this… this isn't what we expected." He said.

"Shame on us." Jude looked at him, "It's just my family… being my family." She shrugged as Sean looked at her.

"No, this is… this is no one's fault." Sean shook his head, knowing she didn't mean that.

"It's never gonna change." Jude stood up, "If we're smart, we'd get the hell out of here." She shook her head, walking out of the bathroom as Sean sighed to himself, running his hand through his hair.


"You gonna tell me how the hell you're alive? There's a sentence that rarely comes out my mouth." Punk shook his head, standing outside Cassie's hospital room with Theo whilst AJ was inside with Thea, Dominic and the sleeping kids.

"I'd really like to explain it all to Cassie first, if that's ok with you." Theo nodded to him as Punk looked across at him, nodding slowly.

"Fair enough." Punk said, "I mean… I'm assuming it's some undercover cop bullshit, right?" he said as Theo smiled a little.

"Undercover cop bullshit? Yeah, something like that." Theo nodded.

"She's gonna have a heart attack when she sees you." Punk nodded as Theo sighed nervously, "Broke her heart, losing you." He cared to tell him, "Wasn't enjoyable to see." He said, unhappily. He hated feeling like his daughter's heart had been broken for nothing. He was of course overjoyed that Theo's life hadn't been taken like they all thought. Equally confused by it all.

"Wasn't easy for me either. I didn't want to do that to her." Theo shook his head, "But… I didn't have a choice, really." He said.

"How did you find her? Tonight?" Punk asked him.

"I was tracking Janet and Rob. Found out about the wedding. Jude's wedding. Figured that was their playing field. Got there too late, found Cassie outside the hotel bleeding out. I chose to take her to the hospital instead of staying and trying to find Janet and Rob. I don't feel bad about it." He said truthfully, looking through the room window as he saw Cassie, still in the same place she was when he last saw her.

"Well… everyone is safe." Punk nodded to him, "I mean… I wouldn't have been able to get both of the kids in time." He said truthfully, "Thank you." He said as Theo looked at him.

Truthfully, he didn't know Theo. In fact, the very few encounters he had with him before he supposedly died, weren't very good ones. All he knew was that he meant a great deal to his daughter.

"Just doing my job." Theo nodded, "Not very well, I guess. Janet and Rob got away." He shook his head angrily.

"They'll catch them." Punk nodded, "They can't go very far, especially not with Rob wounded."

"Yeah, that's true." Theo agreed, "I've been looking into them for a while now. Almost a year. Since I died." He rolled his eyes at the saying, "They're extremely bad people. I don't know how much you know, how much your wife knows… it's a lot of scary stuff."

"Yeah, so I'm starting to realise." Punk nodded.

He'd heard a lot tonight which in simple terms made sense. Things about his mother, a different perspective he could see on her. And what seemed to be at the very root of all of his problems, all of the bad business he'd ever got involved with, all the time he'd done in prison, it all linked back to the Mendez family. That was pretty evident now more than ever.

"I left some stuff in my drawer at work deliberately, hoping Cass would look into it further but… I don't think she ever did." Theo shook his head.

"She did. She… told me all about the car accident, the hidden files that covered up the fact it was actually my mom. Turns out they were trying to get away from Janet and Robert that night. My mom and dad knew they were onto them after they tried selling them to the cops… and it all backfired." Punk concluded as Theo nodded, watching as AJ came out of the hospital room.

"How's she doing?" Punk asked his wife.

"Still the same." AJ nodded tiredly. It had been an emotional night for sure.

"She'll wake soon." Theo nodded confidently as AJ smiled softly.

"I'm gonna go get a coffee." AJ said tiredly as Punk nodded.

"I'll come with." Punk rubbed her back softly.

"Hey, I think we're gonna get home." Thea walked out of the room holding Sofia in her arms. She was white as a ghost, physically and emotionally drained after what she could only describe as a horrific night for both her and Dominic. Neither would let go of their children.

"Yeah, you need to sleep." AJ nodded, rubbing her daughter's arm, "Get them home safe and sound." She cupped the back of Sofia's head as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, we're gonna go." Thea nodded tiredly, turning to Theo and smiling, "I… I don't know what to say." She shook her head, "Thank you." She said sincerely as Theo nodded.

"We owe you… everything." Dominic nodded to Theo who shook his head.

"No,…" He shook his head, "Just get them home safe. Take it easy." Theo said as they nodded.

"Super glad you're not dead." Thea nodded to him, in typical Thea fashion, casing Theo to chuckle.

"We'll walk you out." Punk nodded to Thea and Dominic, who he could see were physically exhausted, his heart aching for them after what they had gone through tonight on an emotional level.

Theo watched as they left the corridor, walking on into Cassie's room and making his way over to the bed, sitting down on the chair by the side of the bed, happy and content to see her again.

"Been a crazy night, Cass." Theo shook his head, taking her hand in his, "The only thing getting me through all this craziness is knowing I'd get to sit in a bar with you soon, enjoy a cold one and listen to you tell me how much you hate love." He smiled to himself, "And I know if you were awake right now you'd tell me not to be so cocky." He chuckled to himself, "But I am ridiculously in love with you." He shook his head.

He sat with her for a few minutes, holding her hand in his until he began to feel it move, looking up at her as he saw her grumble a little, her eyes twitching and beginning to open as he gulped nervously. He couldn't predict what she was going to say or do. He didn't know if she'd pull him close or push him away. Either way he understood.

"Cassie?" Theo said softly, watching her eyes opening and adjusting to the room, latching onto his as she just stared at him, her brain trying to take in who she was seeing.

"Am I dead?" Cassie whispered. It was really the only explanation. Otherwise she was hallucinating, very badly.

"Not dead." Theo smiled a little as she looked at him with confusion.

"You… You aren't here." Cassie grumbled, taking her hand from his slowly, staring at him with so much confusion, "Am I… Am I between life and death? Are you… Are you gonna make me choose?" She croaked as he chuckled a little, shaking his head and smiling. Yeah, he was definitely in love with her.

"You're not dead. You're not… almost dead." Theo clarified as she looked at him, shaking her head.

"W-What? What is going on?" She shook her head, not believing her eyes.

"I uh… I have a lot of explaining to do." Theo nodded as Cassie just stared through him. She couldn't believe it. She dared anyone could believe a loved one, whom they buried and had to come to terms with leaving behind, had come back from the dead. And her weak and weary brain couldn't' handle such confusion right now.

"You're not here." Cassie whispered in disbelief.

"I am." Theo nodded, taking her hand, "I'm here." He assured her as she looked at him, running her hand up his arm, tears in her eyes as she tried grasp how this was even possible.

"H-How is this happening?" She whispered, a lump in her throat.

"I'll tell you everything." Theo promised.