Similarities
"Hey, I can get those if you wanna go put your feet up." AJ said, wandering over to the sink where Jude was washing the dishes from dinner earlier on.
"You put the girls to bed. I think I can do these." Jude nodded to her mother with a smile. She was grateful that her mother was here the longer she stayed. Nothing felt so quiet and empty as it had been these past six months, and having the extra help with the girls was welcomed.
"I can dry them." AJ insisted, grabbing a kitchen towel to dry the dishes Jude was washing, "I think the girls are happy I'm here." She smiled happily.
"Well they love their A and Papa." Jude smiled, "Is dad really working or did you tell him not to come?" She wondered.
"He is working." AJ nodded, "But I did tell him that I wanted to come on my own."
"Why?" Jude shook her head.
"I guess I thought maybe you'd feel a little better with your mom around." AJ shrugged, "Is that me being egotistical?"
"No… I do feel a lot better actually." Jude nodded, "I think it's the loneliness that's killing me." She admitted, "The girls go to bed and then it's just so quiet. Sometimes they aren't even here so it's even more quiet." She said, "Six months and I can't get used to it."
"I saw him briefly earlier when he dropped the girls off." AJ nodded, "For what it's worth he looks pretty sick with himself." She said as Jude nodded.
"You'd think that would make me feel better but it doesn't really." Jude shook her head, pausing from washing the dishes, opening up the fridge and grabbing the bottle of wine out, "Can you hand me a glass down?"
"Yeah." AJ nodded, opening up the cupboard and pulling a wine glass out.
"Don't worry, I'm not turning into a raging alcoholic." Jude felt the need to say, noticing her mother was already about to say something, "I have one glass and get sick of it." She nodded, pouring the wine into the glass as it glugged.
"Maybe it's best to avoid it all together then." AJ shrugged.
"It's good for a hot minute." Jude nodded.
"When do you think you're gonna talk to him?" AJ asked, "Because this could go on forever."
"I know." Jude nodded, going back to washing the rest of the dishes, "Any time he's come by and we've got into it I just…" She let her hands float in the water, "I just picture him with her and… I mean, what it would have taken him to get to that moment." She shook her head, "Why didn't he stop after the kiss? Why didn't he think of me?" She asked as AJ looked at her, "Then I just get upset and he leaves." She shrugged.
"What happened before he… before it happened?" AJ asked, "Did you guys have a fight?"
"We had a disagreement. It was barely an argument. I know he was stressed with work." Jude said, "He was working a night shift that night so… must have happened then." She shook her head with disgust, "And then he told me the next morning."
"Do you know the woman?" AJ questioned.
"No. I don't think he knows her either." Jude rolled her eyes, "I wish he just told me that he didn't love me anymore instead of… doing this." She shook her head, taking her hands from the sink and drying them.
"You think he doesn't love you anymore?" AJ asked. She wasn't there so much as to give her daughter advice, but to encourage her to talk about what was going on in her head.
"If he loved me this wouldn't have happened." Jude shook her head, "It's the question of… when did he fall out of love with me? Was it recent? Was it years ago? Before we even had the girls?" She wondered.
"You can't doubt your entire relationship with him, Jude-"
"Why can't I?" Jude asked with frustration, "You don't do this to someone you love. I was here with our children, in our house, and he was out screwing some other woman." Jude said, "Why isn't that enough for me to doubt that he ever even loved me?" She asked angrily as AJ sighed, choosing not to say anything.
"So what are you thinking? Is there no coming back from this?" AJ asked her as Jude sighed, placing her hand on her forehead.
"What do you think?" Jude shook her head.
"Doesn't matter what I think." AJ said, "This is your marriage. Your life." She nodded as Jude sighed, leaning her hands on the kitchen counter, biting the inside of her mouth to try and stop the tears rising in her eyes.
"I miss him and I hate that." She cried, "I'm trying so hard to hate him and I… I can't." She wiped her tears, "Nothing will be the same again. Whatever I decide." She shook her head, "I never thought he would hurt me like this." She sobbed.
"I know, baby." AJ sighed, sitting the kitchen towel down, wrapping her arms around her daughter as she sobbed into her shoulder.
"Why have you brought me a pie?" Cassie asked, letting her father into the house.
"Renee baked it and told me to give it to you." Punk shrugged, "She knows you've got a sweet tooth."
"Oh, is this a sorry you're infertile pie?" Cassie smiled as Punk scoffed. Her dark humour never went unnoticed.
"No, it's a blueberry pie." Punk smiled.
"Well do you want a slice?" Cassie laughed a little, walking through to the kitchen as Punk followed.
"No, I'm good." He nodded, "Is the little guy in bed?"
"Yeah, I've not long put him down." Cassie nodded, sitting the pie over on the kitchen table, "I was just tidying this place up. Looks like a bomb has gone off." She shook her head.
"Where's Theo?" Punk asked, leaning against the counter as Cassie collected some dishes around the kitchen to put in the dishwasher.
"He's working late. Meeting with Jake I think." Cassie nodded.
"So when is he taking Jake's job?" Punk smiled as Cassie laughed a little.
"I don't think Theo wants that sort of pressure. Running a whole precinct?" Cassie questioned.
"Well that's what he's pretty much doing right now." Punk shrugged, "You think he wants to be chief?"
"I don't know. Maybe." Cassie thought about it, "He's been around for a long time, I guess. Worked in pretty much every division. He wouldn't be the worst at it." She smiled to herself thinking about her husband being in charge.
"How you been doing?" He asked her. What she was going through seemed like a pretty personal thing, and so he wasn't here to harping on it or go into detail. He just wanted to let her know he was there.
"Yeah, I'm alright." Cassie shrugged, closing the dishwasher up, "I'll be alright." She nodded to him as he smiled.
"I spoke to Thea earlier, she said you guys were planning a trip to New York?" Punk asked.
"Yeah well trying to." Cassie nodded, "I'm trying to figure out my work schedule and see if I can get a couple days."
"That's good. I think Jude would appreciate it." Punk nodded.
"Yeah, hopefully. Or she might hate that we're all visiting her like someone has died. It's all very depressing." Cassie said, "But… I guess being cheated on is kinda depressing."
"Yeah." Punk nodded in agreement, "But it'd be good for the three of you to spend some time together."
"I agree." Cassie nodded, "Part of me isn't really sure what I should say to her, though. I just can't believe he did that to her." She shook her head, folding her arms.
"Me neither." Punk agreed.
"I was like… fifteen when they got together." Cassie said, "He was always really sweet. And he was always… always there for Jude." She sighed as Punk nodded, "Just wondering how forgiving she's gonna be. Or if she's even gonna forgive him at all-"
"That's gonna take time." Punk nodded, "A lot of time."
"Changes everything forever, though. I mean… say she does take him back and they try and work through it, she's always gonna be waiting on it happening again. At least, I know I would." Cassie said as Punk nodded.
"I guess it'll come down to how serious he is about owning up to it and wanting to work through it." Punk said, "I won't be talking to him for a long time that's for damn sure."
"Well you can't be childish." Cassie rolled her eyes.
"I can be however I want." Punk scoffed.
"You should be able to figure him out more than any of us right now." Cassie nodded.
"And why is that?" Punk asked.
"You cheated on mom." Cassie shrugged as Punk folded his arms, "You did." She insisted, "You say she broke up with you but… we all know it wasn't legit, and you waited a whole three hours-"
"Well this isn't about me or your mom." Punk shook his head.
"I'm not saying it is, I'm just saying… maybe you could figure out how he's feeling, and why he did what he did. I mean… why did you cheat?" Cassie questioned as Punk sighed to himself.
"This isn't a referendum on me." He said.
"Just asking." Cassie smiled a little, knowing it bothered him.
"We were in a difficult spot. In our relationship. In our lives." Punk said, "I don't know, I… it's the cliché go to but… I just wasn't thinking." Punk nodded.
"So you can forgive yourself but you would never forgive Sean?" Cassie asked.
"You think I've forgave myself?" Punk looked across at her as Cassie frowned a little, "I can't think like that when it comes to you girls. It's just different." He shook his head as Cassie nodded. She could understand why. He was their father and he never wanted to see them hurt.
"Well like always, I want what's best for Jude." Cassie nodded, "And I'll support her in whatever it is she decides. We all should." She told him.
"Well mom was a little worried about you after you visited her at work the other day." He said, changing the subject.
"Well I'm fine." Cassie nodded, "So tell her not to worry so much."
"I'm sorry for what you're going through." He nodded, "Wish it was easier."
"Yeah me too but… we'll be ok." Cassie nodded positively, "If it never happens for us again then… I've already got my baby. I'll be fine." She said as Punk smiled. Her strength and the way she approached life was always noticeable and inspiring, he just worried about what she kept beneath the surface.
"I should get going." Punk said.
"You sure you don't want some pie?" Cassie asked.
"No, pie's don't really do it for me." He admitted, "A tray of donuts? Sure." He nodded as Cassie smiled.
"Yeah the day I come to your house and there's no donuts anywhere I'll be concerned." She nodded as Punk smiled, holding his arm out as she cuddled into him. She was the baby and somehow he found himself worrying less about her at times. He wasn't sure if that made him a terrible parent or just confident in her.
"Maybe you guys should get a dog." He said light-heartedly, noticing Cassie was hugging him for longer than she usually did.
"Yeah, maybe." Cassie swallowed the lump in her throat which Punk heard, looking down and sighing quietly.
He squeezed her a little tighter, kissing her head as he heard her sniffling quietly.