Out of Place

"I hate this stupid place!" Thea yelled, walking into the living room as she threw her purse across the room whilst Sofia and James sat on the couch watching her.

"Mommy, do that again!" Sofia giggled hysterically and clapped. She was very entertained and extremely giggly.

"What's going on?" Dominic walked into the living room.

"Dominic, I hate this stupid place and everything about it." Thea ripped her coat off.

"Mommy, you're blocking the TV." James sighed, sitting with his sister watching their before bed programs on TV.

"Oh, sorry angels." Thea sighed, watching Sofia jump off the couch, running over and getting her purse.

"I hate this place!" Sofia yelled, throwing her mother's purse across the room, mirroring Thea's actions as Dominic chuckled to himself, watching Sofia laugh to herself.

"Baby, are you copying me?" Thea asked as Sofia nodded, jumping back onto the couch with her brother to finish watching her TV program.

"You had a bad day at work?" Dominic assumed.

"Everything is different here." Thea sighed, "Everyone at work just wants to talk about their kids all day, and PTA fundraisers and community clubs." She rolled her eyes.

"And you're not interested in that?" Dominic nodded.

"Oh, forgive me for having some personality." Thea rolled her eyes, storming through to the kitchen as Dominic nodded to himself. He figured this would happen.

He followed her into the kitchen, dodging his way around the different boxes which they still hadn't unpacked in their new home.

"Ok, talk to me." Dominic nodded.

"I hate it here." Thea shook her head.

"It's been a couple days, babe." Dominic said, "You gotta give it a chance."

"Everything is just so different. The people are different." Thea said, "It's too quiet. I was driving home tonight and I didn't get stuck in one bit of traffic."

"Why are you mad at that?" Dominic laughed.

"Because it's just reminding me that we're not in Chicago." Thea said, "I love the city. I love the sound of it, I love how it smells… I mean, don't you think the air smells weird here?"

"No." Dominic laughed.

"I miss the docks." Thea said, "Everything around here is just grass." She shook her head.

"I know you miss Chicago. I do too." Dominic nodded, "But we gotta get used to this. If not for us then for the kids. This is their new home now."

"There's nowhere to even take the kids." Thea scoffed, sitting down at the kitchen table, running her hands through her hair.

"You just miss Chicago. It's normal." Dominic nodded, "We'll get used to this place. We'll find places to go and we'll meet new people." He said as she sighed, "It's just gonna take a little bit of time to settle in."

"I don't feel like I'll ever be settled here." Thea shook her head, "I didn't realise how much I loved Chicago until now." She said.

"It's a good place." Dominic nodded, watching as James came toddling into the kitchen.

"Mommy, are you mad?" James wondered curiously as Thea turned and looked at him.

"No, baby. I'm not mad." Thea frowned, taking his hand as he walked over to her, "I just miss our old home, that's all." She said, picking him up and sitting him on her knee, "Can mommy get a hug?" She asked. She needed a hug.

"Yeah." James nodded, hugging into her as Thea squeezed him tightly whilst Dominic smiled.

"I already feel so much better." Thea smiled as she received her hug from her son as Dominic smiled.

"Do you mind if I just stay behind tonight to finish these reports?" Cassie asked Theo, sitting at his desk, "I prefer doing the here. When I go home I just wanna go to sleep." She laughed a little.

"Yeah, sure." Theo nodded, "Just remember and close the computer down when you're done."

"Ok." Cassie nodded, watching as Theo left the station whilst she carried on with her reports.

She was having a difficult time finding out information about her possible grandfather. She didn't really get time on her own to look into things, and whenever she did she didn't find much as she was still trying to figure out how to use the system. She wanted to get all the information she could before bringing it to her father and uncles attention.

"Cassie, is it?"

Cassie turned around, noticing the old man walking towards her with a walking stick as she nodded.

"Yeah." Cassie nodded, "And you're… the guy my dad warned me about who likes to hang around here? Retired cop?" She realised as Hamilton nodded.

"So your dad warned you about me, did he?" Hamilton chuckled to himself.

"Yeah, he did." Cassie said, "Aren't you retired?" She questioned.

"Yeah but I… I swing by every now and then to see how things are going." Hamilton explained, "When I found out you were here in training I almost had a heart attack. It's a bad day when the baby Brooks is old enough to work. Makes me feel extremely old." He nodded.

"You are extremely old." Cassie nodded as Hamilton chuckled to himself, pulling out a chair to sit at the desk beside her, "Not to be rude, but I have these reports to do. I don't have time to chat."

"How is your dad?" Hamilton nodded, "Haven't seen him in a while."

"My dad is fine." Cassie nodded.

"And your mother?" Hamilton asked.

"She's fine too." Cassie nodded briefly, "Judging by what I've heard about you, you're not their biggest fan so… why are you being nice?"

"I wasn't their biggest fan because they were trouble." Hamilton scoffed, "Bad kids."

"Bad kids?" Cassie chuckled.

"I'm sure you've saw all the files by now." Hamilton nodded, "They were vicious. Every time I got a call out to go arrest them I dreaded it. And you know… sometimes I think your mom was the worst." He said.

"Look, if you think you're giving me brand new information, then you're wasting your time. I… I know everything." Cassie nodded.

"Oh, I know." Hamilton said, "I guess seeing you working here gets me to reminiscing. If you would have told me Phil Brooks and April Mendez's kid would be a cop I… well I probably would have laughed."

"Why is that funny?" Cassie asked, not impressed.

"Well you come from such a bipolar opposite environment to this-"

"I'm sick of people saying that. Like I was raised by wolves." Cassie rolled her eyes, "My mom and dad have raised me to be a good person. Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Well… they weren't particularly raised right, were they?" Hamilton said.

"And that's not their fault." Cassie said.

"I know. It's their parents." Hamilton nodded as Cassie looked across at him, "Phil and Dean were doomed from day one. April the same. Couldn't have picked two worse set of parents."

"You… You knew both sets of parents?" Cassie asked.

"I knew your mom's parents. Because of drugs and… other things. I knew Sam from… street corners and other things. Didn't know your dad's dad."

"Yeah, no one seems to know him." Cassie nodded to herself, "Since you know what kind of life they both came from, why were you never easy on them? Didn't you have some sort of sympathy?"

"I did. I used to." Hamilton nodded, "But… your parents weren't nice people, Cassie. Your mom used to steal from people, right under their nose. Your dad was as angry and aggressive as they come." He said as Cassie looked at him, "And they didn't care."

"I know all of this." Cassie assured him, "They were young. They grew up."

"Never doubted they'd stick together until the end." Hamilton nodded to himself, "How do they feel about you working here?"

"They're really proud of me. And happy for me." Cassie nodded, "They're not evil people." She shook her head. She had a hard time hearing about people's views on her parents. She knew they weren't saints, but she just couldn't see them as being anything but her amazing parents who loved her and did everything they could to help her.

"Oh, I know." Hamilton nodded, "How is your sister?"

"Both sisters are fine." Cassie said briefly as Hamilton nodded.

"Theo's a good kid, isn't he?" Hamilton nodded.

"When he's not bullying me… yeah, he's ok." Cassie nodded.

"Well I better let you finish those reports." Hamilton nodded, "I don't wanna get you in trouble." He said, getting to his feet slowly as Cassie nodded, watching him walk off down the station as she leaned back on the chair at the desk. Sometimes she felt extremely out of place.

"Just got off the phone with Thea." AJ said, walking into the bedroom, "Practically crying tell me she misses how Chicago smells." She shook her head with confusion as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, Chicago does have a distinctive smell." Punk agreed.

"Like what? Crime and traffic?" AJ questioned.

"Exactly." Punk nodded, "She really upset?"

"I managed to cam her down." AJ said, "She just said it's so different. So quiet. She really is a city person."

"Yeah well remember when she was three she used to hang out our apartment window and yell at everyone walking by?" Punk chuckled, getting into bed as AJ smiled.

"Yeah and she would always watch people coming off the bus. She knew all their names. She was kinda nosey, wasn't she?" AJ chuckled.

"Oh, she was the worst." Punk agreed teasingly as AJ smiled.

"It's just gonna take some time for her to settle in." AJ nodded, getting into bed beside him as Punk nodded, sitting up against the headboard.

"We'll see her this weekend and bring the Chicago smell with us." Punk nodded as AJ chuckled, leaning into him as he wrapped his arm around her.

"I'm having lunch with Jude tomorrow." AJ told him.

"How come I never get invited to lunch?" Punk frowned.

"You're working." AJ laughed a little.

"Still… I'd like to be asked." Punk scoffed.

"Bless her heart, she has a million and one questions for me about babies and… being pregnant." AJ shook her head as Punk smiled.

"Well you've got plenty of experience." Punk said as AJ nodded, "You think she's doing ok?"

"Yeah, why?" AJ looked up at him.

"Well I know she always talked to Thea about things. I'm just worried she bottles it up now." Punk said.

"She knows she can talk to us about it. And she's got Sean." AJ said, "Don't worry so much."

"Can't do that I'm afraid." Punk said as AJ nodded, "Cassie is still not home yet. She must be staying late again."

"Yeah she's a little work horse." AJ smiled, "I just hope they stop giving her such a hard time. Kinda feel like it's our fault."

"Yeah, me too." Punk nodded truthfully, "She's destined to be there, though. Kid can't sit still for nothing. It's the perfect job for her." He said as AJ nodded.

"It really is." AJ nodded, shuffling closer to him as he smiled, "Since we have an empty house." She looked up at him with a devious smile as he chuckled.

"You got something in mind?" He smiled.

"Yeah, something." AJ nodded, climbing over him and straddling him as she pressed her lips against his, feeling his arms wrap around her body as they slid further down the bed.