Grasping At Straws

"How'd it go today?" AJ asked, getting home from work and chatting with her husband in the kitchen.

"Well it was going somewhere and then… Cassie cut it off." Punk shook his head.

"What do you mean?" AJ asked.

"Well he was starting to speak up but he was… he was messing with Cassie's head and she just shut it down and got him taken back to his cell." Punk said, "He was saying that Joey was always still hung up on you. Even when he was married." He shook his head as AJ rolled her eyes.

"How are they friends?" AJ asked.

"He said Joey is a family friend. They'd go for a drink every now and then." Punk shrugged, "And that he asked him how you were doing a couple years after Jude was attacked, so that's why he told him." Punk shook his head, "I don't know, I think they're friends for another reason."

"Well what's the other reason?" AJ asked him.

"Well maybe Joey was involved with the bust up at the dealership. I mean… they arrested the boss man but… who's to say he wasn't involved." Punk said.

"I don't think he's into that kind of thing." AJ shook her head.

"What? Making a ton of cash?" Punk asked.

"He makes a ton of cash at his job. It wouldn't make sense." AJ shrugged.

"Does drug dealing ever make sense?" Punk asked her.

"You know what I mean." AJ said, "Plus if the busted that dealership then he would have got caught out."

"Come on, Ape. You know things are different. Drugs aren't run on the street like it was when we were young. It's wealthy rich people with mansions, who go to work in suits." He emphasised, "They're behind the big stuff these days."

"I know that, but I just don't see him being involved with that life." AJ shrugged.

"And why not?" Punk asked.

"Well he's… quiet. He's sensitive, I guess." She said as Punk raised a brow, "He wasn't raised like us." She said.

"Anyone can be involved with drugs. You know that." Punk shook his head, "Sensitive or not. I'm sensitive."

"Sometimes." AJ grumbled as he nudged her with a smile, "I just don't know." She shrugged truthfully, "I mean I think we gotta drop it if there's no signs that he's shady."

"My concern is you, and how you feel about it." Punk said, "I know you. I can see it's getting you down."

"It's not getting me down." AJ assured him, "It just brings back memories, that's all. And him bringing up what happened to Jude sort of made me think." She nodded.

"He spends his free time in strip clubs." Punk shook his head.

"So do a lot of guys, Phil." AJ nodded, "It's not a crime."

"No, but Cass said he was meeting tons of people there." Punk said, "Still seems fishy to me."

"Well we can't harp on it." AJ said, "I got to my office and I get my work done. Some days he doesn't even come see me. It's fine." She nodded. She did have a habit of downplaying things. She knew that. It was almost like her way of convincing herself that everything was completely fine.

"I trust you." Punk nodded, "I just want you to be safe. And I want you to feel good about going to work and not be dreading it because of him."

"I'm not." AJ smiled, flicking his chin as he wrapped his arms around her waist, "When I'm at work all I think about is getting to come home and see your handsome face." She nodded.

"That's good. I like that." Punk smiled.

"Yeah, you like that?" She nodded, as he picked her up, causing her to giggle as he sat her on the kitchen counter, pressing his lips against hers as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, pulling him close.

"Are you seriously fighting with me about this?" Theo asked, standing outside Chase's room where Cassie had just came from, closing the door over.

"Shh." She batted, having just got Chase to sleep, walking into their bedroom as Theo followed.

"No I won't shh. Why are you punishing me for something that happened years ago when we were just two friends who were… sleeping together." Theo said, choosing his words carefully.

"Because I didn't know you were talking to everyone in the station about it, Theo. I had only been with the station for a year. I didn't want people thinking of me like that. If you cared about me you wouldn't have been talking to your friends about it-"

"It was like a couple people and I didn't say anything bad. At the worst, maybe I said you have a good ass. And you do. I wasn't lying." Theo said as Cassie rolled her eyes, "We were just friends then."

"You still didn't need to tell people. It's like you're bragging. Like I was just… a goal you were scoring." She shook her head, "It's humiliating and degrading."

"Ok then I'm sorry. I'm sorry I spoke about you before we even got into a relationship. I'm sorry I teased you when you started at the precinct. I'm sorry for enjoying the time we spent together and telling people about it." Theo said, "There."

"You're not funny." Cassie shook her head.

"I'm not trying to be. But if you want to pick at things we did before we got together, and criticise each other, I got some stuff for you too, you know."

"Oh like what?" Cassie chuckled.

"Like it taking you six hundred years to finally let me date you. You and your damn boundaries-"

"Oh, that's not even the same thing. You're ridiculous." Cassie shook her head.

"No, you are. You're ridiculous for starting a fight with me over something that happened years ago. We're married now. We have a son. We're happy. Sometimes I think you just like starting an argument. Your sisters are the same." Theo shook his head.

"I do not like starting an argument. I was sat there in that room today with Mark and hearing him say that to me… it made me feel really small and cheap. Like you'd exposed me to him." Cassie shook her head.

"Well I didn't." Theo said, "He's just trying to get in your head and look, it worked."

"He said I was a useless cop. That you thought that too when you first met me." Cassie folded her arms, "So explain that one."

"I've never once said you were a useless cop." Theo said, "You know what I really said to them, when you were my rookie?"

"That I got a good ass?" Cassie batted as Theo looked at her with a blunt expression, "What?" She folded her arms.

"Watch out for her." Theo nodded, "She's good. And she's secretly good which is the best kind of cop. She'll be detective one day, or captain." He said, "Maybe I was a typical guy and was stoked about screwing you but I didn't put you down to anyone. And I never would." Theo said, "He's trying to get in your head. And it's obviously worked." He shook his head as Cassie looked across at him.

"You really think I could be detective?" Cassie looked across at him.

"Yes." Theo said as she looked across at him, "Come on, don't do this with me." He shook his head.

"I'm sorry." She whispered as he looked across at her, "I just heard it and I felt kinda hurt."

"And I'm sorry. I know I could be a jerk back then sometimes but… then I fell in love with you. Cliché as it sounds, it all changed." He nodded, walking towards her, "But I promise you, I never spoke badly about you. There was… there was nothing bad to speak about." He laughed a little as she couldn't help smile.

"You're just saying that." Cassie shook her head.

"I'm not." Theo promised, "Don't let that bastard get to you." He said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, "Maybe we can both go speak to him next time."

"I cut the conversation short. I think my dad was mad at me." Cassie said.

"What else did he say?" Theo asked her.

"Just that Joey was a family friend. They went for a drink every now and then. He thinks Joey is just still hung up on my mom since he always spoke about her. That was it really." Cassie shrugged, "Kinda feels like we're grasping for straws." She said, wrapping her arms around him and leaning her head on his chest.

"You just want your mom to be safe. I get it." Theo said, wrapping his arms around her.

"I just… I feel like Mark was holding back more. Maybe if I didn't cut the conversation he would have said more." Cassie sighed.

"Or he would have just tried to get inside your head some more." Theo nodded.

"I'm sorry for making this a bigger deal than it was." Cassie frowned, looking up at him. She still panicked within herself, shut down and put her walls up whenever she felt like her back was against the wall. She'd done it many times over the years in their relationship. But he always assured her and helped her see the light.

"No, you're fine." Theo shook his head.

"We did have good sex in the beginning, though." She grinned as he nodded.

"In the beginning? I don't think much has changed." Theo said as she smiled.

"It hasn't, you're right." Cassie smiled, leaning up and kissing him as he picked her up and tossed her onto the bed as she laughed, watching as he climbed over her whilst she wrapped her limbs around him and melted into his lips again.

A/N: Killing y'all with this slow burn, lol. The big something is happening soon, stay tuned!