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"Hey, we got pizza in the kitchen." Punk said, coming out to greet Cassie who had just got home from work.

"I'm not hungry." Cassie said.

"Ok, but-" Punk stopped talking as he watched Cassie head on upstairs, putting his hands on his hips and sighing a little as he walked back into the kitchen.

"She coming?" AJ asked, opening up the pizza box.

"She's not hungry apparently." Punk shook his head, "Do I gotta go talk to this boy?"

"His name is Theo and you know his name is Theo." AJ looked at him with disapproval, "And no, just you stay out of it." She warned him.

"She's miserable, April." Punk shook his head.

"Yeah, cause she doesn't know where her head is at." AJ said, "You gotta let her figure it out for herself." She nodded as Punk sighed.

"I just don't want to see her get hurt, that's all." Punk said defensively.

"I don't either." AJ agreed, "But he really cares about her and she's just finding it hard to trust him again, I guess. I know the feeling." She nodded as Punk scoffed.

"When have you ever not trusted me?" Punk asked.

"When you first got out of prison." AJ told him honestly, "I didn't know if… if you were gonna back to dealing again. I didn't trust you because you cheated on me." She shrugged as Punk nodded slowly.

"Where'd you get the pizza from?" He pointed as AJ laughed a little.

"Nice segue." She chuckled, nudging him on the side as he smiled, "Pizano's." She told him as he nodded.

"I thought they were closed for refurbishment?" Punk asked her.

"They opened back up last night." AJ said as he nodded, "So how'd it go with Sam? How'd she take the news?" She asked, sitting down at the table with him.

"She was crying actually." Punk said as AJ looked across at him, "She got real upset. Not because she was sad, I think she was… relieved, I guess." He nodded.

"Well I would be too if I found out the woman who basically sold me to different men had finally been put in the ground." AJ said, "Maybe it's a good thing for her recovery. To keep pushing on."

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "You know I really think she'd appreciate a visit from you." He said.

"I've been thinking about it." AJ nodded.

"I could tell she was real happy to see Thea. It's a change from mine and Dean's ugly faces." Punk said.

"Oh, you're not ugly." AJ assured as he smiled, "I'm back at work tomorrow, maybe I'll swing by after and see her." She said as Punk nodded.

"Did Jude come for breakfast today?" He asked her. To be able to have his sweet dinner time chats with his wife again, without feeling that horrible sense of dread and despair looming over them was everything.

"Yeah, her and Mirren." AJ smiled, "She's not sure what to do about living in New York or moving back to Chicago." She said.

"She's considering moving back?" Punk asked as AJ nodded.

"Yeah. She said she misses being ten minutes away from us." AJ said, "But that she does love New York and she loves her job there." She nodded, "I said as long as she's happy, it really doesn't matter to us."

"Yeah, of course." Punk agreed.

"And I said we'd go out and visit her and Sean soon. She said there's tons of nice places that she'll take us too." AJ smiled.

"Sounds good to me." Punk nodded, "When do they leave to go back?"

"They're here for another week so I hope we can have them over for dinner a few times and she said about going out to lunch with her, Thea and Cassie."

"Why don't I get invited to lunch?" Punk frowned.

"You can come if you want." AJ laughed a little.

"No, it's fine, you go have fun." Punk said.

"Oh and I looked back into those classes. There's one that starts in two weeks time." She nodded, "There's already a reading list on the website of things you gotta read for it."

"Really?" Punk groaned as AJ looked over at him.

"Phil, if you don't wanna do it, it's ok." She assured him, "I don't mind. I can go on my own."

"No way." Punk shook his head, "Nuh uh, I wanna take the STDs."

"Stop calling it that." AJ laughed, "Didn't you take the SATs."

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "Did you?"

"Yeah, but I didn't do too well." AJ said, "It's not about grades, though. I mean for Christ sake we're fifty." She laughed a little, "I just wanna do it for us, it'll be fun."

"Do you want me to pretend we don't know each other when we go?" He asked her, "And then I could start flirting with you and it'd be like our actual high school experience."

"This isn't some sexual fantasy I'm living out here." She laughed, "I'm not gonna show up in a school girl outfit or anything-"

"But the important thing to remember is you can wear a school girl outfit and me? I won't mind." He shrugged innocently as she chuckled.

"Yeah, I bet you won't." AJ scoffed, "I wouldn't change high school, the first time round, it was fun and crazy, I got to meet you. This isn't about me hating all of that." She said, "I just wanna know what it was like to do the other stuff. To do the essays and sit the exams. Even when I went to college, I had a kid and a house to run and another job… there was always something else and I just wanna do this for me." She shrugged, "It sounds really selfish-"

"It really doesn't." Punk assured her, "I say you, April, start being selfish. I'm into it." He nodded.

"My number one fan." She said as he smiled.

"Hey, guys." Cassie said tiredly, walking into the kitchen in her pyjamas.

"Hey." AJ smiled.

"Thought you weren't hungry." Punk said.

"Then I started smelling it from upstairs." Cassie said, grabbing a plate out, reaching over and putting some slices on her plate.

"How was your day?" AJ asked her.

"I don't even wanna talk about it." Cassie said truthfully, grabbing a soda from the fridge, "If I fall asleep on the couch can someone wake me up?" She asked them.

"Yeah, sure." Punk laughed a little.

"Don't spill any grease on the sofa, Cass." AJ shook her head as Cassie grumbled whilst walking out of the kitchen.

"I've never seen her this miserable before." Punk said, "I don't like it."

"I don't either but it's just boy troubles. You're just not used to seeing Cassie dealing with that type of thing." She said.

"Yeah, I guess." Punk said.

Meanwhile Cassie had headed into the living room, collapsing on the couch with her pizza and soda. She had comfy pyjamas on and a blanket which she pulled over from the back of the couch, sinking down and putting the TV on.

It was then she began to realise how unfit her life was for a baby. She still lived with her parents. Her career was physically and emotionally demanding. The thought of doing it alongside caring for a young child was haunting her.

Punk and AJ were still in the kitchen having pizza when there was a knock at the door. Punk got up from the table and headed down the hallway to go answer it, opening it up as he noticed it was Theo standing outside. Not his favourite person particularly.

"Hi." Theo nodded, a little nervous noticing it was Cassie's father who answered the door.

"Hi." Punk mimicked back as Theo looked across at him.

"Could I talk to Cassie?" Theo wondered.

"She's busy." Punk said childishly.

"No, I'm not." Cassie appeared at the door after hearing Theo's voice, "Go eat your pizza." She shoo'd her father away as Punk looked over at Theo, staring at him intensely before walking away.

"Do you hate me as much as your dad does?" He questioned.

"Don't mind him." Cassie rolled her eyes, stepping outside onto the top step, closing the door behind her, "What are you doing here?"

"I uh… I wanted to apologise." He nodded, "Making that comment about Mark… it was a dick move and I had no right-"

"It was a dick move." Cassie agreed as he nodded.

"He told me about it and I just… I was so jealous." He shook his head, "But you're right, I have no right to say anything about what you did whilst I was gone. Not after what I put you through." He said as Cassie nodded.

"Well you didn't have to come all the way here to apologise. A text would have been fine." She shook her head.

"Well I wanted to come." He said, "And I also said to Jake about us working together, and that it… it's probably not the best idea." He nodded to her, "He's moving me onto a different case." He said as she nodded.

"I think it's for the best. For the sake of our jobs." Cassie said as Theo nodded.

"I know you were concussed but… you did say to me in Puerto Rico that we'd talk. Properly." Theo said, "You reckon we can do that soon?" He asked her, "I mean, don't you hate this?" He asked.

"I just don't think you understand." Cassie said as he looked at her.

"Understand what?" He asked.

"What it was like. Theo, I was at your funeral. I buried you. You died to me. You gotta… you gotta cut me some slack here." She nodded.

"I know… I know and I can't imagine what it felt like but I never wanted to hurt you. Those past few weeks before that happened were amazing. You know they were." He said, "And all I wanted when I was gone was to be with you." He nodded.

"How do I know that Jake's not gonna ask you to go undercover again and I have to watch you die again?" Cassie questioned, "I mean, saying it out loud is ridiculous." She shook her head.

"Because it's different. Back then I thought… I thought I had nothing to lose. I didn't know how I really felt about you until I left." He said, "I couldn't think of anything worse than hurting you like that again." He said, "I mean it."

"I just don't want to get hurt again." She shook her head as he looked across at her and sighed.

"Is there anything I can do?" He asked, "To help you not feel that way?" He asked.

"Just give me some space." Cassie nodded, "Please." She said as he looked across at her, nodding.

"Ok." He nodded, "Ok, I'll… I'll give you some space." He said, putting his hands up and stepping back a little, looking across at her with a small smile as she smiled back.

"Very funny." Cassie smiled as he watched her. The more time went by, the more he was sure of his feelings for her.

"I'll give you space." He assured her seriously, "Just promise me that you know I never wanted to hurt you." He said as she looked across at him.

"I know you didn't want to hurt me." She assured him, "But you still did." She made clear as he nodded.

"Well when you're ready to talk, or you're ready to go for a beer." He said as she smiled, "You know where to find me." He said as she nodded.

"I do." She said as he nodded, looking across at her and backing off.

"Goodnight." He nodded to her as she smiled softly.

"Goodnight." Cassie said, watching as he walked off to his car, getting in and driving away as she closed the door over.