Welcome Home

"Cassie." AJ knocked on Cassie's room door the next morning, walking in slowly where she saw her daughter lying in bed, not doing anything, just lying there wide awake.

"Hey." Cassie said quietly.

"Hey." AJ smiled, walking into the room, "How you feeling?" She asked. She knew it was a dumb question but it was habit of asking.

"I don't really know." Cassie said as AJ walked over to her bed, sitting down on the edge of it, "Don't really know what I feel."

"You know you can talk to me about anything." AJ said, brushing her hand through Cassie's hair.

"Yeah, I know." Cassie said, "Doesn't mean I want to." She reminded her.

"I know but… I just want you to know." AJ nodded, cupping her cheek softly.

"They're making me take a leave of absence." Cassie said as AJ nodded.

"Your dad told me. It's… it's probably for the best right now. You weren't supposed to be in a position like that last night-"

"Is anyone?" Cassie questioned.

"You know what I mean." AJ said, "It was… a lot. And you need to rehab your mind for a little bit." She nodded.

"Yeah, I suppose." Cassie agreed.

"I'm so sorry about Theo." AJ shook her head as she looked up at her mother, "Momma knows everything." She reminded Cassie, "You liked him?" She nodded, already knowing she did.

"Yeah. I think I did." Cassie said, "I guess I was… still trying to figure it out but… doesn't matter anymore." She shook her head, still in disbelief, "He was a good friend."

"You should never have had to see that." AJ sighed to herself.

"Yeah cause you know me, never saw violence in my life before." Cassie said sarcastically.

"You know what I mean." AJ said as Cassie nodded.

"I just can't believe he's gone." Cassie shook her head. She'd barely slept. She couldn't stop thinking about Theo. He was the first guy she'd ever met that made her rethink things. Rethink how she saw people and relationships.

"Did he… did he know how you felt?" AJ asked her.

"No." Cassie shook her head, "I wish I could have told him that I was… I was trying to figure out. And I wish I could have figured it out faster for him." She said, "But then maybe it would have hurt more." She shrugged, "But this kinda hurts right now." She nodded painfully.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" AJ sighed, her heart aching to see her daughter like this.

"No, I think I just want to be on my own right now." Cassie said as AJ nodded.

"Ok, baby." AJ sighed, rubbing her arm softly, "What about some breakfast?" She asked, just trying to do the motherly thing.

"No, I'm ok." Cassie nodded.

"Ok." AJ sighed, getting up and leaving the room, turning back and watching as Cassie pulled the duvet over herself.

She closed the door over and headed downstairs, walking into the kitchen where Punk, Jude and Sean were.

"How is she?" Jude asked, sitting at the table.

"She's… ok." AJ shrugged, "She just wants to be on her own right now." She nodded.

"I heard they're making her take a leave of absence." Sean said as they nodded, "Honestly, it'll be the best thing for her. She'll need a break after that." He nodded, "She probably won't see it like that but… it's necessary."

"Yeah, I think so." AJ nodded, "How are you guys? Sleep much?"

"Not really." Jude shook her head, "I uh… I was actually at the hospital."

"What?" Punk turned around, "Why?"

"What's wrong?" AJ asked.

"Nothing is wrong." Jude said right away, "I just… well I had a… bit of a panic attack." She nodded, "We got home and I think it all hit me. Felt like I couldn't breathe. I felt like I did when…" She paused, "You know…" She shook her head as they nodded, "Sean got worried and just took me to the hospital."

"Is the baby ok?" AJ asked.

"Yeah, she's fine." Jude nodded, "I didn't know if panic attacks can affect babies or whatever but… she's all good." She smiled.

"And you? Are you ok?" Punk sighed.

"I guess." Jude nodded, "It was just a lot to take in." She shook her head, "Thought I was having a heart attack." She rolled her eyes as Punk nodded.

"It's not a good feeling, right?" He understood.

"No, not really." Jude shook her head, "But I'm ok." She assured them, "Sean is gonna take some time off work for a couple weeks. And I've found some substitutes to come in and teach my classes for the time being." She nodded, "I think we both need a break."

"I think so too." AJ agreed.

"How long will Cassie be out for?" Jude wondered, turning to Sean for his knowledge.

"Could be up to a month. Depends how long the review will take." Sean said, "She'll be psych evaluated too and interviewed about it all. Plus since she's a rookie it might be taken more seriously." He nodded.

"She was brave." Jude said.

"Yeah well Theo was a good cop and he… he taught her a lot." Sean smiled, "The head snap was his thing." Sean remembered fondly, "I don't want you guys to say anything in case it upsets her but… he really liked her." Sean nodded.

"What?" Jude shook her head, "Theo?"

"Yeah." Sean said.

"Yeah, we figured." AJ nodded, "I think she liked him too." She sighed.

"What?" Jude frowned, tears rising to her eyes as AJ sighed to herself, "Were they together?"

"I don't know. I just know he really liked her. A lot." Sean nodded as Jude ran her hands over her face.

"Look, it seems to me that whatever was going on with Cassie and Theo, it was private." Punk said, "It was private to Cassie, private for both of them. So unless she tells us and talks about it with us, let it be hers on her own." Punk said as Jude nodded, letting out a loud sigh of sadness.

"Cops should have been more on top of things." Sean shook his head with disappointment, "I should have sped it up. This is my family." He insisted.

"This isn't therapy hour where we all discuss the things we should have done." Punk reminded them all, "It's no one's fault." He emphasised, "It's another rotten scumbag who wormed into a half ass plan that didn't go his way. Not fully." He said, "And now he's gone."

"Hey!" Thea walked into the house as they all lifted their heads and looked at each other, "I got here as quick as I could." She ran down towards the kitchen, relieved to finally be able to see her family.

"Oh, hi baby." AJ smiled with relief, wrapping her arms around Thea tightly as Thea hugged her.

"Hi mom." Thea said gratefully, squeezing her tightly, "Dad." She sighed, hugging into her father.

"You ok?" Punk asked her, kissing her head.

"Yeah… I drove ahead and Dominic is gonna come with the kids later." She explained frantically, "Jude." She sighed as Jude stood up to give her sister a hug.

"Hey." Jude said.

"Are you ok?" Thea asked tearfully, "I'm so sorry." She shook her head, cupping the back of Jude's head, "Are you ok? Is the baby ok?"

"Yeah, we're ok." Jude nodded to her.

"You've gotten so big." Thea smiled, feeling her bump as Jude nodded with a smile. She'd missed her big sister so much, but she was still in a daze from the chaotic previous night. A lot was still running through her mind. All of their minds.

They all turned their heads when they noticed Cassie walking into the kitchen, pausing as she looked over at Thea.

"Hey." Thea said, walking over to Cassie to give her a hug, only to a receive a stinging slap on the face.

"Cassie!" AJ gasped.

"That's enough." Punk warned as Thea held her cheek, slowly turn around to Cassie who glared up at her.

"This is your fault." Cassie nodded, "Where the hell were you last night? Huh?"

"Cassie, let's not do this." Punk nodded.

"No, let's." Cassie nodded, "You fucked off and left us all here to deal with your crap. Jude had a gun against her head!" She exclaimed as Thea looked at her littlest sister, who somehow didn't seem so little at all anymore.

"Cassie…" Thea sighed.

"I lost a friend." Cassie said, "Who had nothing to do with any of this." She said, "You left us with this mess. Dad got beaten up. His ribs are still broken. Jude could have died!" Cassie emphasised, "All because your crackhead days caught up with you-"

"Cassie." AJ warned.

"No… no, she needs to hear this. Everyone tiptoes around her like she's a timebomb." Cassie said as Thea watched her, "This was your mess to fix. This was your mistakes that somehow we all got dragged down into." She said, "All because you wanted to snort some cocaine and feel sorry for yourself-"

"Why are you doing this?" Thea asked quietly, trying not to take what her sister was saying to heart.

"Because you need to hear it." Cassie spat angrily, "Because no one else will say it. These two won't tell you how much of a fuck up you were." She pointed to AJ and Punk, "And I'm pretty sure Jude is still scared of you from the way you would treat her when you were drunk or high." She said as Thea turned to Jude who just shook her head to her.

"Cassie you need to calm down." Jude advised.

"Oh, please. I'm just saying what we're all thinking. We wouldn't have been in this mess if it wasn't for you and your disgusting past." She nodded to Thea.

"I couldn't come back. I would have if I could." Thea said, "I didn't want any of this to happen. Don't you think I feel guilty about it?"

"Good. You should." Cassie spat.

"Cassie, I think you need to calm down." Punk advised.

"No… no, I don't. You two don't even know what she was really like." Cassie said.

"Yes, I was there, Cassie. This is not your sister's fault." AJ made clear, looking over at Thea who for once… was speechless.

"No, you don't know what she was really like." Cassie said, "Do you know she used to steal Jude's lunch money for cocaine?" She asked them as AJ looked over at Jude who sat quietly.

"Why are you doing this?!" Thea gritted her teeth.

"And did you know she was arrested for shoplifting alcohol?" Cassie asked as AJ looked over at Thea.

"Cassie, stop it." Jude shook her head.

"You're horrible." Thea shook her head, looking at Cassie who seemed to have snapped.

"Oh and Sam took her for an abortion when she was seventeen." Cassie nodded as Thea looked across at her, eyebrows raising as her heart sank a little.

"What?" AJ shook her head as Punk looked over at Thea.

"How do you know that?" Thea looked at her with teary eyes.

"Sam is a drunk. She talks." Cassie said, "Congratulations, you can move back home now. We cleaned up your shit." She nodded, "Just do me a favour and don't come near me." She said, walking out of the kitchen.

Thea gulped, turning around and looking at her family who were all staring at her. She wasn't really sure if she deserved that or not, she was slightly taken back by everything that had just been said.