Second Thought

"Morning." Theo woke up sleepily, watching as Cassie sat on the edge of the bed putting her underwear on.

"Hey." Cassie said briefly, not bothering to turn around.

"I figured you'd actually be gone by the time I woke up." Theo admitted.

"Well I'm going as quick as I can." She said, standing up from the bed and walking around the room for the rest of her clothes as he watched her.

"You don't have to go. I mean… you can stay for breakfast." He said.

"I don't do breakfast." Cassie assured him.

"It's not a marriage proposal. It's just… a bagel or some shit." He chuckled, yawning and stretching in bed as Cassie shook her head.

"I don't like bagels." Cassie said as he nodded to himself.

"Well I had fun last night." He nodded, putting his hands behind his head, "I'm paying the price this morning with this headache, though." He groaned a light, feeling the effects of all those beers hitting him.

"Yeah I had fun too." Cassie said, putting her t-shirt on, "But… I'm not looking for-"

"Yeah yeah, I get it." Theo nodded, "I'm not either. Sometimes two people just gotta bone." He said.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone at work." Cassie said.

"Is that the type of guy you think I am?" He asked, "I don't fuck and tell, don't worry."

"Great." Cassie nodded awkwardly, putting her pants on as Theo watched her.

"I'm open for business." Theo said.

"What?" She turned to him.

"Well I hear you, you don't like the commitment thing, I'm not a huge fan of it either… especially with our jobs." He said, "So how about we just… have sex?" He shrugged as Cassie laughed.

"In your dreams, buddy." Cassie chuckled, amused by his offer, "I'll see you tomorrow." She shook her head, walking out of the bedroom and leaving the apartment as Theo chuckled to himself, rolling back over in bed and falling asleep.

"Cassie?" AJ called as she heard the front door opening.

"Yeah?" Cassie called back.

"Where the hell have you been?" AJ worried, coming out of the kitchen, "Oh my God." She sighed with relief, rushing over to Cassie and giving her a tight hug.

"I was just at a friend's." Cassie said, "What's with the worry?" She shook her head.

"What's with the worry?" AJ questioned, shoving Cassie a little, "You know what's going on right now. Text or call at least. Your dad was about to go out looking for you through the night-"

"God, I'm twenty one." Cassie rolled her eyes, walking through to the kitchen.

"Yeah and there's a group of guys out there who could use you as bait." AJ reminded her.

"Yeah, I'm always the bait, aren't I?" Cassie shook her head, "Where is dad?"

"He's gone to talk to Dean and Vincent about these guys." AJ said, "Which friend did you stay with?" She asked curiously.

"None of your business." Cassie said, "Do we have bagels?" She wondered, searching around the kitchen as AJ watched her.

"Well can you please just text or call and let me know you're good if you're staying with someone else or you're staying late at work. Just for now until we figure this out." AJ said.

"Nothing will get figured out if dad insists on handling it himself. Someone will end up dead." Cassie shook her head, putting two bagels in the toaster.

"He's not going to handle it himself. He just wants to know where these guys are, where abouts they run." AJ said, "Then… it's up to the police." AJ nodded as Cassie shook her head.

"He's just saying that to make you happy. He'll let the cops know and then whilst we're all distracted he'll go handle it himself. You've been with the guy since you were sixteen. You know what he's like." Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I do. I know all he wants to do is protect you girls." AJ nodded.

"Jude should know what's going on. She should be aware." Cassie said.

"I know, we were talking last night and we said the same thing. Once your dad gets back we're gonna go see Jude anyway. We'll fill her in." She nodded.

"And Thea? What's going on with her?" Cassie asked.

"She called last night. Told your father that she had told Dominic about it and he wasn't talking to her." AJ shook her head, "Saw that one coming."

"And what is she expecting to happen? She's all moved out, far away from the mess she's left us with." Cassie said.

"Cassie, it's not like that." AJ said.

"It is. It's exactly like that. Dad's walking around with broken ribs trying to sort this mess out and she's in frickin Milwaukee, ignoring it all-"

"No she isn't. She's a mess, Cassie. She's worried out of her mind. With two kids. I know how it feels." AJ said, "She thought she was doing the right thing by getting away-"

"Yeah well maybe it's her own fault for being such an idiot when she was young." Cassie shook her head.

"Cassie, what the hell is wrong with you?" AJ asked angrily.

"I'm tired of being dragged into other people's mess in this family." Cassie shook her head, grabbing her bagels and leaving the kitchen as AJ sighed to herself, folding her arms as she looked on at the pictures on their fridge, staring at the one of her and Punk when they were sixteen, sitting down at the kitchen table with a helpless sigh.

"Are you… gonna talk to me at some point?" Thea asked, walking into the kitchen where Dominic was sitting.

"Not right now." Dominic shook his head bluntly as Thea nodded.

"Well the kids are in bed." She said, "Sofia actually went down first this time-"

"Really not talking to you." Dominic looked up at her as she looked across at him.

"Ok, well that's just dumb. You're gonna have to talk to me at some point." Thea said, "This isn't helping the situation." She shook her head.

She'd sat him down the previous night and told him what was really going on. He was upset and angry that she hadn't told him, and she had pretty much gotten the silent treatment all day.

"What do you want me to say, T?" Dominic shook his head, "It's gonna be alright?" He asked.

"No, I just want to know you don't hate me for this." Thea said, "I know it's my fault." She nodded, "But I thought… I thought us moving away was the best thing for us. For the kids." She said, "I didn't want any of us in danger."

"Yeah and what about your dad? It looks like we've just ran away and dumped everything on your family-"

"No it doesn't. My family don't think that." Thea said, "I made a mistake when I was younger and it's… it's coming back to haunt me." She said, "And I don't know what else I'm supposed to do?"

"You're supposed to tell your husband." Dominic said with frustration, "You're supposed to tell me so we can figure something out together-"

"I didn't want to worry you." Thea said.

"Well consider me worried, Thea." Dominic said, "I mean some low-life, scum drug ring are after you because what? You owe them some money?" He questioned.

"I gave them all the money I owed." Thea made clear, "Now they're just harassing me." She said, sitting down at the table across from him, "I was an idiot when I was young. I was mad at everyone and everything and I took it out on myself. I didn't…" She sighed to herself, "I didn't respect myself."

"The hell does that even mean?" Dominic shook his head.

"I treated these people like they were my friends." Thea said, "I would show up at parties and… and just take whatever they gave me. Some things I remember, some things I don't." She said, "I just thought it was me being a dumb kid. I didn't think it would come back to haunt me."

"And what do we do now that it has?" Dominic asked her, "Depend on your dad to help us? Put that stress back into his life?"

"No, I didn't… I didn't ask for my dad to come here and help." Thea made clear, "This isn't my fault. I didn't… I've not done anything wrong." She said frantically, "Have I?" She questioned as he looked across at her, sighing to himself.

"No." Dominic sighed, "No, you haven't." He said, "You're right, you made a mistake and now it's… it's spiralling out of control." He said, "But we'll fix it. We'll get rid of these people. I'm not… I'm not gonna let anything happen to you." He shook his head, "Or the kids." He said as Thea nodded, "And I know your dad will be holding the fort on his end in Chicago."

"Yeah my mom said we should just stay here. I figured maybe we should go to Chicago but… they said it's best we stay put." Thea nodded, "They'll call me with any news."

"Ok." Dominic nodded, looking across at her, noticing how pale she was with worry, how sick she looked, "Come here." He sighed as Thea looked across at him, standing up and walking over to him, sitting down on his lap and leaning into his neck, "It's not your fault."

"I feel like it is." Thea's voice broke, "I never thought they'd chase me up for money from all the way back then." She said.

"They've just made you a target." Dominic said angrily, "But they're not gonna hurt you." He said, kissing her head.

"It just reminds me of that time in my life." She said sadly, "And all the things that happened." She shook her head, her hair getting stuck to her tears as Dominic brushed them away, "I didn't think I was gonna be one of those people who gets caught with their past."

"You've not got caught. You didn't do anything wrong." He sighed, "These guys never get their way." He reminded her, "We'll sort it out." He nodded, kissing her head as she hugged him tightly, in desperate need of comfort.

"Hi, can I help you?" Theo asked the next morning, walking out into the main entrance of the police station where he saw an old man standing.

"Uh… yeah, I'm looking for Cassie Brooks." Daniel nodded, "I think she… she might work here."

"Cassie?" Theo asked as Daniel nodded, "Cassie is…" He paused as he saw Cassie struggling in the door of the station, trying to hold folders, her bag and a cup of coffee, squeezing through the door whilst dropping some papers. He couldn't help laugh, "She's struggling to get in the door." He pointed as Daniel turned around.

He watched as the twenty-one year old struggled to balance all the things in her hand, inching herself in the door carefully.

"It's ok! Everyone just stand and stare at me!" Cassie yelled to everyone, "I'm all good." She exaggerated.

Theo chuckled to himself, shaking his head and walking away whilst Cassie eventually made it in the door, walking towards the front desk.

"Uh… Cassie?" Daniel walked towards her as Cassie turned and noticed him.

"Oh." Cassie said with surprise, "Oh, hi." She smiled a little, dumping her folders and coffee on the reception desk, "W-What… what are you doing here?" She questioned.

"Brooks, punch in or you'll be marked down late!" Theo called from in the back as Cassie rolled her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Cassie asked Daniel. She was surprised to see him after he made his feelings very clear when she showed up on his doorstep.

"Well I was… I was wondering if you were interested in that coffee?" Daniel asked as Cassie looked across at him with a small smile.