Heavy Weight

"Theo, can you answer the door!" Cassie called downstairs, standing with a towel wrapped around her at the top of the stairs, fresh out the shower.

"Got it!" Theo called, walking out of the kitchen and towards the door, opening it up, surprised to see Sean standing, "Hey, I thought you'd gone back to New York." Theo said.

"I'm here to speak to your wife." Sean said, walking into the house as Theo raised his eyebrows with surprise. It wasn't like Sean to take such a tone like that.

"Excuse me?" Theo turned to him, closing the door over.

"Cassie. I'd like to speak with her." Sean nodded as Theo looked at him with confusion.

"About what?" Theo asked, "She's just out the shower."

"I can wait." Sean nodded.

"About what?" Theo repeated.

"Jude." Sean said briefly, "I'll wait in here." He said, walking into the living room as Theo folded his arms.

He walked upstairs and into their bedroom where Cassie was getting ready for work.

"Who was at the door?" Cassie asked him.

"It's Sean. He's downstairs. Wants to talk to you." Theo told her as Cassie looked over at him, "He looks angry." Theo nodded.

"I thought they'd gone back to New York?" Cassie shook her head.

"So did I." Theo said, "He's just here on his own, though."

"Ok." Cassie nodded, "I'll go see what's up." She said. Deep down she knew, but it was easier to act none the wiser.

She headed downstairs, walking into the living room where Sean was standing, looking over at him as he stared back at her. She got along great with both her brother-in-laws, but if she had to pick who intimidated her more between them, it would definitely be Sean.

"Morning." Sean looked over at her.

"Hey, what… what are you doing here? I thought you'd gone back to New York?" Cassie asked.

"We did. Jude is there with the girls. I took a flight out this morning." Sean told her as Cassie nodded, "What the hell are you trying to do?"

"Excuse me?" Cassie looked at him.

"Why tell her?" Sean shook his head, "Why give her that to think about? And worry about? As if she doesn't go through enough anyway." He said.

"So she told you." Cassie nodded, "Look, I debated with myself over it, whether I should have told her or not and telling her was the right thing to do. I couldn't know about it and not say anything." She said.

"If it meant not hurting her for a little bit longer? Delaying the truth or what could be the truth for a little while longer? You could have done that." Sean nodded.

"Well I don't wanna keep anything from my sisters. Certainly not about that. You'd do the same." Cassie said.

"I'd check the situation out first before telling her-"

"And you think I haven't?" Cassie questioned, "Well I have. It checks out. It was his house for crying out loud, the fact that wasn't taken more seriously at the time is ridiculous."

"Well that's something you gotta take up with Karen." Sean said.

"I have." Cassie glared at him as he looked back, "I have took it up with her. In fact I'm meeting with her this morning to discuss it further." She said, "If you don't think I'm taking this seriously then you underestimate me, which wouldn't be a first."

"Yeah well the source doesn't sit right with me." Sean said, "Mark? I mean this… this guy sent her those photographs. What if he's just messing with you? Messing with Jude?" Sean asked.

"What the hell would he get from that? He got what he wanted. He's out of prison." Cassie said, "It makes sense. It checks out. My parents thought he was fooling Rio, making him think they were friends but really helping my mom and dad when it was the other way around. He was fooling us. Not to mention he was dealing Thea drugs a few months ago." She said.

"You have no idea what this is going to do to her. What it's already doing to her." Sean shook his head.

"I know-"

"No… no you don't." Sean shook his head, "I see it every day. I'm the one who sees how hard this is on her. How hard it has always been on her."

"I told her what I found out because she deserved to know before anyone else did. You would have told her if you were in my position. I know you would." Cassie said, "I get you wanna be at someone. I'm mad. I want this to stop for her. I want to make it better for her and somehow it seems that it only gets worse." Cassie said, "But if I can get more justice for what she went through, I'm gonna go get it." She vowed, "And he's not gonna get the easy escape that Jackson got." She shook her head.

"If he was involved, Karen should have picked up on it back then." Sean shook his head stressfully, "Why wouldn't she have? She doesn't miss shit." He shook his head with confusion.

"Maybe because he had an alibi, albeit a fake one but still an alibi, or that he played the clueless guy so well." Cassie said, "How is she doing?" She asked him as he looked across at him.

"You don't wanna know." Sean shook his head.

"I do, actually. That's why I'm asking." Cassie said.

"Sometimes she'll be upset, other times she'll be angry." Sean said, "Mostly just upset. The biggest thing for her is not being able to remember it. That's where she just falls apart." He said, "I just want it to stop for her. I want it to stop controlling her life." He shook his head, "I wish I could do more."

"You're there for her. That's always gonna be enough." Cassie nodded.

"How many people know?" Sean asked.

"Just us. Me and Theo." Cassie said, "I think it's best to leave everyone out of it for the time being, unless Jude says otherwise." She said as Sean nodded.

"Yeah we don't need Thea and your dad teaming up again." Sean shook his head as Cassie smiled a little, "Do you mind if I come with you to talk to Karen?"

"Do you promise not to lose your head with her?" Cassie asked as he looked at her, thinking about it.

"I can try." Sean nodded.

"Do you really think it's him?" Dominic asked, sitting at the kitchen table with Thea, having breakfast after getting the kids to school.

"I don't want to, obviously." Thea said, "But it crossed my mind and then talking to Sarah, it obviously has crossed hers. And if no one says anything to her, it could get worse. And I'd rather we deal with it than Dean." She said.

"He'll find out eventually." Dominic said, "So how do you even approach this? How do you ask someone if their husband is abusing them?" He asked her.

"I have no idea. I've never done it before. It's not something I know an awful lot about… domestic abuse." Thea said, "I've never really seen it."

"You were in a relationship with Jackson." Dominic raised a brow.

"Yeah but that was like… teenage stuff." Thea shrugged.

"No… it was abuse." Dominic nodded to her.

"Something about being married though, makes it worse. Makes it more twisted." Thea sighed, "My point is I've never been in that situation with you or I've never seen my mom and dad do anything like that. I guess it's just one of those taboo things in life that no one wants to talk about." Thea said as Dominic nodded.

"Yeah, that's why so many people don't say anything." Dominic said, "But you're right, you gotta question her about it otherwise it could be getting worse and we don't know." He said as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, me and Sarah are gonna go tonight." Thea said.

"Team pregnant to the rescue." Dominic nodded as Thea smiled a little.

"She'll probably deny it all but to me that's more indication." Thea nodded.

"You just gotta be patient with her. It'll come out eventually." Dominic nodded, "Dean will flip."

"I know." Thea shook her head, "That's why it's better me and Sarah talk to her just now." She nodded, "Hopefully she opens up."

"Mommy, why are you wearing pyjamas?" Mirren giggled, walking into the house after being picked up from school by her mother who was holding Leela's hand.

"Mommy didn't wanna put proper clothes on." Jude smiled to her.

"Can I wear my pyjamas to school tomorrow?" Mirren asked her whilst Jude took their coats off them.

"No, baby." Jude laughed a little.

"Daddy!" Leela yelled, running into the living room to look for her father as Jude watched.

"Daddy's at work just now." Jude told them, walking into the living room where Mirren immediately headed over to greet Rex.

She knew her husband wasn't at work. She knew where he was even if he hadn't told her. It was easier to tell the girls he was at work.

She left them playing in the living room, walking into the kitchen, looking over at the table where art pieces from her students lay piled up. She convinced herself she would get it done today but all she had done was lay on the couch and stare at the TV until it was time to pick Mirren up.

The hardest part about all of this for her was always putting a fake smile on and continuing to be a good mother, when all she really wanted to do was fall apart.

She picked up her phone, calling Sean as she stood in the kitchen, listening to the phone ring out and eventually go to voicemail where she left him a message.

"Hey, it's me." Jude said, "Look I know you're in Chicago, you're not exactly subtle about things. I just wanna make sure you're not going off on anyone or getting yourself into trouble. It's not gonna get you anywhere and you know it." She said, "I really need you here right now so just… get a flight back as soon as you can. Call me back." She said, hanging up and sitting her phone over.

She walked over to the table, sitting down and looking at all the pieces she hadn't marked yet, running her hands through her hair and sitting back. The weight was so heavy on her, it just felt impossible to do any other tasks. Even the thought of cooking dinner for the girls seemed like such a huge thing.

She left the kitchen, walking back into the living room and collapsing on the couch, watching the girls playing together with the dollhouse they shared. She couldn't bring herself to do much of anything right now.