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"Cassie's pregnant." Jude walked into the kitchen where Sean was standing getting ready to go to work.

"You mean Thea?" Sean wondered. He knew sometimes Jude called her sisters by the other name, just a habit of having more than one sibling.

"No, I mean Cassie." Jude assured him as Sean looked at her.

"Cassie's pregnant?" Sean questioned as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, I just got off the phone with Thea. Apparently she found out in Puerto Rico." Jude said.

"How's the dad?" Sean asked quietly, as if it was a secret.

"Theo, obviously." Jude said.

"But I thought they weren't together?" Sean asked, puzzled.

"They're not." Jude looked up at him.

"Oh." Sean nodded slowly, "Shit, is she ok?" He asked.

"Yeah, well according to Thea she's too ok about it." Jude said, "And apparently she told Theo and they had a big argument." She said.

"That doesn't sound good." Sean said, "Do you think they'll get together?" Sean asked, putting on his jacket.

"No idea. Cassie's been pretty standoffish with him for a while. I don't think she knows what she wants but… a baby changes everything I guess." Jude said, "I can't believe she's actually pregnant."

"You think she'll still stay with your mom and dad?" Sean asked.

"No idea. Thea said that's what she's planning to do but who knows." Jude said, "I hope she tries to patch things up with Theo. She really liked him and she's just holding back cause she's scared now. You know how she is. Deeper than the frickin ocean." She shook her head.

"Maybe you should give her a call later, just let her talk to you about what's on her mind." Sean said as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, I will. I might even get a flight tomorrow night and spend a day with her. If you're ok here with Mirren." Jude said.

"Yeah, of course." Sean nodded, "Speaking of, where is she?" He laughed a little.

"She's taking her nap." Jude nodded, "Which means I can try and get this project finished." She said, looking over at the kitchen table where all her art tools were sprawled everywhere.

"Is this your nice way of telling me to get to work?" He smiled as she nodded.

"Yes." She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing a kiss on his lips and smiling up at him.

"Don't work too hard." He teased as she chuckled.

"You too." She smiled, watching as he left the kitchen and headed out to work.

She sat down at the kitchen table, sighing to herself, unable to concentrate on her project as she couldn't stop thinking about her sister.

She remembered when she found out she was pregnant. She was terrified from the get go. And yet, she had a steady relationship, a house, a good job to work around. She couldn't help think her baby sister had drew the short straw with the timing of this.


Cassie had to face going to work, despite the fear and dread of seeing Theo. Luckily, she didn't see him all day until she was finishing her shift, sitting at her desk and noticing him at the corner of her eye talking with Jake outside his office.

She wasn't sure if she was supposed to approach him or if she was to wait until he was ready. Clearly there was more to discuss. She just didn't want to have another shouting match with him.

She continued to finish off her work for the day, shutting down her computer as she saw him coming towards her desk, looking up at him as he stopped at her desk.

"Hey." Theo said as Cassie nodded.

"Hi." Cassie stood up, tucking her chair under her desk.

"You got a minute to talk?" He asked her.

"Yeah, why don't we go outside." Cassie said as Theo nodded, following her out of the police station.

He'd had a restless night, barely able to sleep any as he thought about what this all meant, what was happening. It was very difficult to process, even more so because their relationship was so rocky.

"First I want to apologise." Theo said, walking outside the station with her, "I shouldn't have got hot about it and yelled at you-"

"No, I want to apologise. I don't think I came across very well." Cassie nodded to him, pausing in the quiet street outside the station, "I think I may have gave off the impression that I wanted to do this on my own." She said as Theo nodded.

"A little, yeah." Theo nodded, running his hand through his hair.

"Well I don't." Cassie assured him, "That was me just nervous about what you'd think and… trying to make it seem like it was ok if you didn't want to be involved." She said, "I'd be devastated if that was the case."

"I do want to be involved." Theo made clear as she nodded, "But I can't keep putting in one hundred percent effort with you if I only get twenty-five back." He said, "You have every right to protect yourself after what happened. I don't blame you. But if it's really this difficult for you to forgive me, and try and move on, maybe it's… maybe it's not gonna happen." He shrugged as Cassie looked across at him.

"I'm still just trying to figure it out." Cassie said.

"Figure what out?" Theo questioned, "Either you wanna be with me or you don't. Which is it?" He questioned as she looked at him. She did want to be with him. There was no doubt about it.

"I don't know." She said as Theo looked across at her, "I don't know, I'm just freaked out with all of this and I'm not very confident that I know what I'm doing." She admitted, "I thought I could just sail through it but… I was up all morning being sick. I feel like shit." She admitted truthfully, "I'm living with my parents. I'm not prepared to take time off work." She said as Theo listened to her, "It kinda sucks." She admitted tiredly.

"You gotta quit thinking you're on your own with this." Theo said, "This isn't your situation. It's ours." He made clear, "I think the reasonable thing to do here is just be civil and be there for each other. I'll help you with whatever you need." He assured her, "I uh… I'm not sure what you'll need but I mean I can… I can google it." He shrugged as Cassie smiled and laughed a little.

"I don't want you to think I don't need you." She said, "Cause… I do." She nodded.

"I'll be there. Not because I have to but… I want to." He said, "And if in the mean time you finally figure out how you feel, and what you want, please do tell me." He nodded as she smiled a little and nodded.

"Thank you." Cassie nodded sincerely. It was a breath of fresh air to have a good conversation with him. To be civil and be reassured.

"I just… I'm still trying to wrap my head around it." He admitted truthfully. It was hard to process that she was having his baby. Of course it wasn't planned, and the position they were both in wasn't ideal in regards to their relationship but there was going to be a baby in the future, and that was what they had to think about.

"Me too." Cassie nodded, "It's surreal. I don't think I've grasped just how different life's gonna be." She admitted truthfully as he nodded.

"I think the responsible thing for us to do is just… help each other out. Focus on the baby. If you're set on just staying with your parents then I can always visit, you know?" He nodded. As he said it out loud, of course it wasn't what he wanted, and it wasn't really what Cassie wanted either, but it was where they were at with it.

"I do care about you, Theo." Cassie assured him as he looked at her, "I think I'm just overwhelmed with all of this and I… I don't want to jump into anything just for the sake of the baby. I know we can make it work, even if it's as friends." She nodded.

"Yeah, of course we can." Theo nodded. It was the responsible thing to do. He understood why she was holding back so much, especially now that she was pregnant. It was the wrong time to start an argument about their relationship when they clearly had something much bigger going on, something hey had to help one another prepare for.

"Can I give you a hug?" Cassie asked as Theo nodded.

"Of course." Theo said, wrapping his arms around her as she hugged into him tightly. She was glad to hear him agree to focusing on the baby first and foremost. She still took tremendous comfort in knowing he was there for her, even if it wasn't in a romantic way as such. She still needed him, and she wanted him to know that.

"There's no way I can do this on my own." She sighed, still hugging into him as he hugged back.

"You're not on your own." He assured her, kissing her head. He absolutely loved her with his whole heart, and he was sad that she couldn't find it in herself to trust a relationship with him again just yet, but she was having their baby, and he knew that was a special thing. He wasn't prepared, he was terrified, worried and confused already, but he was never going to leave her.

"Do you wanna go for… some ice-cream or something?" She took a deep breath, pulling back from the hug.

"Yeah." He smiled as she nodded.

"I'll go get my purse it's in my car." She pointed over to the car park as he nodded, watching her run off to her car, sighing to himself. Things felt very strange, and he desperately wanted to love her the way he knew she wanted him to, but he respected her wishes and his main priority was to be there for her in any way he could.


Cassie got home later that night, walking into the living room where she saw her parents sitting on the couch, AJ's legs draped over Punk's. Her mother was reading a book whilst her dad was watching hockey on TV. If anything, she was overjoyed to see them back to their normal selves again. She got comfort from seeing them relaxed and peaceful again.

"Hey." Punk nodded to her as AJ looked up from her book.

"Hey." Cassie nodded.

"How was work?" AJ smiled, putting her bookmark in her book, sitting it over on the coffee table.

"It was fine." Cassie nodded on a slightly more positive note than the previous day, sitting over on the other couch, "I spoke to Jude on the phone today. She's gonna come spend a day here on Saturday." She said.

"Oh, that's nice." AJ smiled, "Maybe you girls could do something. Go shopping or go for lunch." AJ suggested as Cassie nodded.

"You speak to Theo?" Punk turned to Cassie.

"Yeah, actually I did." Cassie said, "We talked about the fight, both apologised. He wants to be involved." She nodded, "We actually went for ice-cream." She said as AJ raised her eyebrows.

"Really?" AJ questioned.

"Yeah, and we talked about a lot." Cassie said, "I know it's hard to predict the future with this sort of thing but… as far as it goes we're putting the baby first and we're gonna be civil." She nodded, "I'm gonna stay here if you guys are ok with that." She said hesitantly as Punk and AJ looked over.

"Of course we're fine with that. It's what you want." Punk reminded her.

"I think it's best if I stay here." Cassie nodded.

"And Theo's ok with that?" Punk asked.

"Yeah, he said whatever works for me and I said he could still come and go from here. I know it's not ideal but I just… I think this is better for me if we just do this as friends." She nodded.

"You'll be in a relationship by the time that baby comes." Punk hummed as AJ nudged him.

"Honey, I think you need to do what's best for you, and the baby, and if this is the plan you have, I trust you with it." AJ nodded, "But I also think it's important you and Theo do this together. This is… This is your child. You're always gonna have that. You're always gonna be in each other's lives now." She made clear as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Cassie said, "But I think it's good for both of us." She nodded, "It made me feel a whole lot better talking to him about it, too. I think we're on the same page." She said as AJ nodded with a smile. Being in a relationship or not, they just wanted their daughter to be loved and supported during this time. The ins and outs of her relationship with Theo could always fall into place.

"I think it's a really mature decision." AJ nodded, proud of her daughter.

"Ok, I'm starving." Cassie stood up.

"There's some dinner left out there for you." AJ said.

"Thanks." Cassie smiled, heading out of the living room and pausing for a second, walking back in, "Uh… maybe I should start cooking my own dinner." She shrugged as AJ and Punk looked up at her.

"You could cook us dinner for a change." Punk scoffed as Cassie smiled, watching him wink at her comfortingly as she smiled, walking off into the kitchen.

"Good, I'm glad they had an actual conversation. A good one by the sounds of it." AJ nodded, "That's all we can ask for."

"She'll be with him by the time that baby is here, you watch this step." Punk said as AJ shook her head.

"Watch your hockey." She shoved his head as he smiled, looking over at the TV.