Hiding
"I can't believe you just ate all of that." Punk scoffed.
"What? I was hungry." Thea shrugged, piling up her plates neatly after finishing. She'd had a bit of everything from the menu. A burger and various sides, "I don't remember eating this much when I was pregnant with James or Sofia." She shook her head.
"Well you know what they say… eating for two." Punk nodded.
"I might get an ice-cream." She smiled happily, looking back at the menu.
"You want me to ask for the kids menu?" He teased.
"Oh, shut up." Thea scoffed as he smiled, "How have things been going with you and your dad? I saw you talking at the Halloween party." She said.
"Yeah, it's going ok. Slow and steady." Punk nodded, "I'm definitely getting to know him a lot more. And he's getting to know me. He's just… so quiet." Punk shook his head.
"Yeah, it doesn't make sense. How the hell did he put up with Sam?" Thea chuckled.
"Maybe he was a different person back then. He's sure been through a lot." Punk nodded.
"I can't believe it's almost been a year since she died." Thea shook her head as Punk nodded, "I really do miss her a lot." She nodded.
"I know you do." Punk understood, "I miss her too." He said as she looked at him, unconvinced, "I do." He said truthfully.
"I just miss laughing with her, hearing her extremely loud voice." Thea smiled as Punk nodded.
"Well I know you meant a lot to her." Punk nodded.
"Hey, guys can I get you anything else?" The waiter came over to collect the plates.
Punk turned to Thea who was twiddling her thumbs and looking at the waiter, excited to order her ice cream.
"Can I have the three scoop ice-cream?" Thea asked as he nodded, "Can I have… chocolate, mint and… banana." She smiled as Punk made a grossed out face at her.
"Anything for you?" The waiter asked Punk.
"I'm good, thanks." Punk nodded, watching him collect the plates and leave, "Banana ice-cream?"
"It sounds really good." Thea nodded excitedly.
"No, it doesn't." Punk shook his head, "You finding out what it is?" He asked her.
"Yeah, I don't have the patience to wait." Thea said, "Think it's gonna be a boy." She nodded, "Would be nice to have another girl, though. Give Sofia a sister. Watch them fight with one another." Thea grinned, "It'd be entertaining."
"You're the worst." Punk chuckled.
"What? Like you didn't enjoy watching me and my sisters fight with each other." Thea said.
"It's all fun and games until hair appliances start getting thrown at each other." Punk scoffed.
"That was Jude." Thea shook her head as Punk just smiled, "Did you fight with Dean growing up?" She wondered.
"Oh, yeah. All the time." Punk nodded, "He'd kick my ass." He nodded truthfully.
"That really doesn't surprise me." Thea nodded.
"Ouch." Punk laughed, "You don't think I could take him?"
"No, he's a lunatic." Thea chuckled as Punk nodded.
"Here's your ice-cream." The waiter dropped off the ice-cream for Thea.
"Thank you." Thea smiled as he walked off, "You want some?" She asked her father.
"No, the combination of it all is a little strange." Punk nodded.
"So how mad was Dean tonight?" Thea asked him.
"Actually… maybe the maddest I've ever seen him." Punk realised, "Yeah he wanted blood."
"I don't really blame him. Do you?" Thea asked as he shook his head, "It's just such a horrible thing. One thing to hurt someone you're supposed to love but then to manipulate them into thinking that it's acceptable." She shook her head.
"Yeah, I know. It's rough." Punk nodded, "Did you see Chrissy tonight?"
"Yeah, she was upset but… braver than most. It's a relief that it's finally out there now and she's not trying to hide it." Thea said as Punk nodded.
"Me and your mom will probably wait a day or two before going to see how she's doing." Punk nodded.
"How is mom?" Thea asked.
"Yeah, she's ok. When I text her just there saying I was going for dinner with you she just sent back the middle finger emoji." Punk nodded as Thea chuckled.
"How has she been at work? I know she had a lot of anxiety about it all." Thea said.
"She's doing much better. I still go have lunch with her most days. She's definitely doing much better, though." Punk nodded positively.
"That's good." Thea smiled, tucking into her ice-cream as Punk watched with a smile.
"Hey, I brought you home some food." Punk announced, getting home later on, walking into the kitchen where AJ was sitting doing some work on her computer.
"Oh, how generous." AJ scoffed sarcastically
"Now now, don't be mad you didn't get invited. It was a spontaneous decision." He told her, "Also, I've never saw someone ate so much in my entire life." He shook his head, sitting down the take-out bag for her, leaning down and kissing her head as she just smiled.
"That does smell good." She smiled, looking into the bag and taking out the fries, "So did you see Chrissy? How is she?"
"I didn't. I just dropped Dean off and he went in. I met Thea outside, she'd already gone over." Punk said, "I think she's doing ok, upset obviously." Punk nodded.
"It's horrible." AJ shook her head, "I mean… what kind of low life do you have to be to do something like that?" She said, "Breaks my heart for her." She sighed as Punk nodded.
"I know." Punk nodded, "I managed to talk Dean round, calm him down a little."
"Good." AJ nodded, "The bat is at the bottom of the stairs." She told him as he shook his head, "So how is Thea?" She asked.
"Yeah, she's doing ok. The kids were staying with Dominic's brother and Dominic was working late so that's why she suggested grabbing some dinner. It was nice." Punk nodded as she smiled.
"That's good. You know I'm only teasing." She said as he nodded.
"Then she grossed me out eating weird ice-cream flavours." Punk shook his head as AJ smiled, "She's not heard from Jude or Cassie either."
"Oh, you know what they two are like. They're so bad with their phones." AJ shook her head, not concerned about it. It wasn't out of the ordinary to not hear from Cassie or Jude for a few days.
"I'm just wondering if Jude and Sean are ok after their fight." Punk nodded.
"I'm sure they'll be fine." AJ nodded.
"What are you doing?" He asked her.
'I'm just doing some extra work I never got finished at the office." She told him.
"Well Thea told me to give you her love." Punk said, leaning down and kissing her head again as AJ smiled.
"Sweet." AJ smiled.
Cassie got home from work later on, so late that not even her husband was around downstairs. She didn't intend to stay so long at the station, but time ran away from her whilst she tried to put herself in Vincent's place ten years ago.
She headed straight upstairs, reaching the top and walking into Chase's room. She smiled as she saw him tucked up in bed, fast asleep, cosy and snug under his duvet which had dinosaurs on them.
She leaned over, kissing him on the head and brushing his hair from his face gently. Her sweet boy could always make her feel like things were going to be ok.
She left his room, closing the door over and heading into her own bedroom, looking over at Theo fast asleep on his back. She smiled to herself at his peaceful frame, heading through to their bathroom.
She gave her face a wash, stripping out of her uniform and tossing it into the wash basket. It had been a long day. A day where she'd had to hear in such disturbing detail, what happened to her sister. Listening to Mark talk about the things Vincent had said which implied he had been there that night, perhaps in the very room her sister was attacked in.
She knew she had the option to let Karen handle it, to step aside, but it was her sister and she had to make sure everything was being done to get the justice she deserved. The justice she was entitled to ten years ago when it happened.
She left the bathroom, noticing Theo was awake.
"Hey." She looked over at him as he smiled.
"Hi." Theo smiled, looking over at her as she looked back at him. She didn't need to say anything, he knew this was hurting her. He knew it was stressful and upsetting. He felt it too. He didn't need to ask her how she was feeling like most instances, because he just knew, and he knew by her eyes that she just needed to escape.
She took her bra and panties off, walking over to the bed and climbing on, straddling her hips over him as he placed his hands on her hips.
"Just… don't say anything." She shook her head, leaning down and kissing his chest as he nodded.
"Hey, how was work?" Jude asked, lying in bed, marking more art pieces for her students whilst Sean got home from work.
"Yeah, it was alright." Sean nodded, "How are you?" He asked, leaning over and kissing her as she pecked his lips a couple times.
"I'm ok." She looked at him as he nodded.
"Still marking these?" Sean scoffed, "I'd be an awful teacher. I'd just give everyone an A plus."
"I like to give them feedback that's constructive." Jude nodded, "There's so many talented people in the class, though. I'd really like to send some of these pieces away for exhibition." She nodded. She was doing everything and anything to distract herself.
"There's no way any of them are better than you." Sean scoffed as she smiled.
"Well, you have to say that." Jude smiled.
"How are my girls?" Sean asked her.
"They're fine. I took them out for ice-cream after dinner. I needed the fresh air." She said as he nodded.
The past couple of days had been challenging. All she'd wanted was to stay in bed. Hide under the sheets from everyone and close her eyes, but she made sure she was moving forward as best she could.
"What kind of ice-cream did you get?" Sean smiled, lying down on his stomach on the bed beside her.
"Raspberry, of course." Jude nodded as he smiled, "Leela decided she wanted frozen yogurt and then when she got it, she decided she didn't like it." Jude said, "So I had to share mine with her."
"Kids." Sean shook his head as Jude smiled, "How you doing?" He patted her leg softly.
"I'm ok." She shrugged, "Trying really hard to distract myself it isn't so obvious." She said, "But I've been thinking a lot, of course. It's all I do." She shook her head, "I think I want to go to Chicago for a couple weeks."
"Why?" Sean asked.
"I don't know, it feels like I'm avoiding it all when I'm the one who's… centre of it all." Jude said, "And I don't want Cassie to have all that weight on her shoulders. Cause you know what she's like, she'll try carry it all on by herself and I don't want that for her." She shook her head.
"Your parents would question why we're there." Sean pointed out.
"Well I think it's time they know what's going on. Thea too." Jude nodded, "Cause this is happening. It's real and it's… it's not going away any time soon." She said.
"How the hell do you do it?" Sean shook his head.
"Do what?" She asked.
"Charge straight into the things that scare you the most." Sean said.
"I don't know, I just feel separate from all of it right now and I don't wanna bury my head in the sand and pretend it's not happening." Jude said, "And this means I know that someone is finally going to be punished for what happened to me. Maybe it's the most closure I'm gonna feel." She nodded, "So I wanna be there. I don't mean I'm gonna team up with Cassie and piece it all together. I don't think I could face doing that. But just… being there and doing what I can."
"It's your decision. As long as you're comfortable-"
"I'm never comfortable with any of this." She nodded to him.
"I know." He sighed, "But… I just mean, I don't want you to force yourself into a situation you don't wanna be in. It's completely fine for us to stay out of it." He assured her.
"I know that." Jude nodded, "But I don't wanna hide. It's probably doing more damage to me. Cause I'm just sitting here, letting my mind wander away." She shook her head.
"If you wanna go to Chicago, we can go." He nodded to her.
"I want to." Jude said, "I want to make sure they get him."