Risk


Cassie made her way out of the office, closing the door behind her, the presence of her gun by her hip pushing her forward. She couldn't stand by and watch her husband die. She couldn't do nothing. She knew where the first aid kits were and she knew the route she needed to take to get to them, it was just about how far she could get without having to put her hands up.

She looked around the station, a place she normally felt so safe and secure, now turned into a prison. Some bodies were on the ground, some office doors were locked no doubt with people wounded and hiding inside.

She could see one of the gunmen by the front door of the police station and the other at the reception desk with the phone to his ear. She'd read about different hostage situations. The negotiations between perpetrators and the victims, how they pretty much had all the control in the world when they had so many people's lives in their hands.

She moved slowly through the station, passing by all the desks. Part of her wanted to run desperately to get what she needed, but she feared it would attract more attention.

She hadn't processed the risk she was taking, she just knew her husband needed help. Even with bodies scattered around her, the fear of losing her husband was much more powerful than the fear of joining the fatalities.

She kept low to the ground, moving between the desks across the station, eventually seeing the stock room in eyesight…

"Stand up!"

Cassie closed her eyes over. It was so close and suddenly so far. She slowly rose to her height, holding her hands up as she finally got a look at the man who had torn their police station apart. The man who matched the one from Theo's arrest ten years ago.

"I just want to get the first aid kit. That's all." Cassie nodded, watching the man look at her closely, a smile forming on his face.

"You're the wife." Brock realised as Cassie looked back at him, "Well where is he?" He questioned as Cassie kept her hands up, "Where is he hiding?"

Cassie swallowed the lump in her throat. Her first and only instinct was to protect her husband and sister right now, "He's not here." She said. Just by luck, it appeared this man hadn't even realised he'd shot his target in the chaos of the open fire.

"Well he's clocked into the machine." Brock said, keeping a few feet away from her with his gun raised.

"He left earlier." Cassie nodded, "He's not here."

"Who's the first aid for?" He questioned.

"Just another officer. Leg wound." Cassie nodded.

"Well that's no big deal." He shrugged.

"Please let all these people go." She said. She couldn't help herself.

"I told your boss out there, I'm not going anywhere until I see your husband show his face." Brock shrugged, "Then everyone can go." He nodded, moving towards Cassie, "But he insists Theo isn't out there." He said, walking behind Cassie.

"You're gonna kill all of these people because of one person?" Cassie asked.

"If I have to." He nodded, "Give me your gun." He stood closely behind her.

"I'd rather keep it." Cassie said.

"Give me your gun or I will bend you over this desk and take it myself." He whispered in her ear as Cassie gulped.

She slowly took her gun from her holster, handing it to him as he walked back around to face her.

"Let me get the first aid kit." She said, "And then I'll disappear."

"You got anything else on you?" He questioned, looking her up and down, "I know how you women are. Hiding things in your bras and your socks. Maybe you'd stop getting attacked if you stopped expecting it." He shook his head as Cassie felt her skin get hot, the blood underneath simmering.

"I have nothing else." Cassie made clear.

"Well let's just be sure." He smiled, putting the gun he'd taken from Cassie into the back of his pants, crouching down and patting her legs down, patting her entire body down as Cassie looked around, noticing one of the bodies on the ground, Officer Colton, one of the young rookies who she'd spoken with last night. She was only eighteen.

"You've murdered kids." Cassie said.

"No, they just got in the way." He said, backing up once satisfied she wasn't carrying any other weapons, "I'll take this." He reached into her suit jacket, taking her cell phone.

"There's no connection in here anyway." Cassie shook her head.

"Sweet." Brock turned the phone to her. Her screensaver was of course a picture of Theo and Chase.

"You put that note in my son's bag." Cassie nodded, "To what? Warn Theo you were coming?"

"Exactly. I don't think he really got the memo, though. Did he?" Brock laughed a little, looking around at the broken police station.

"I don't think he anticipated you would shoot up an entire police station." Cassie said, "Because you got upset a person of colour put you in prison for ten years?" She questioned as he turned to her, "You are the epitome of privileged. Standing there… giving your orders. Destroying this place. Killing people's children and friends and partners." She shook her head, "And we're expected to just play along?"

"You do what you want, honey." He nodded, "I told your boss. I want Theo-"

"Well he's not here. So let people get the help they need." She said.

"Not until he shows up." Brock nodded, "Maybe if he knows I got you, he'll show up." He shrugged, reaching out and grabbing Cassie by the neck.

"Get off me!" Cassie yelled, trying to hold her weight off against him, but his hand dug into her neck and he pushed her forward with more strength than she had.

Meanwhile back in the office, Thea was doing her best to keep Theo's wound secure. He was in and out of consciousness, more so out than in, and all she could do was sit there and hope he could hang on, and hope her sister didn't get harmed.

"Come on, Theo." Thea shook her head, "You already died on her once. Not again. Not for real." She said, keeping her two hands on the wound, "And I swear if she gets hurt out there and you do make it, I'm gonna choke you." She made clear, turning back to the door, begging for her sister to burst through any minute.

"Cass… Cassie…" Theo grumbled, trying to move his hand as Thea gulped.

"She's coming back." Thea nodded, "Just hang on a little longer." She said, "God, I could do with a drink right now." She mumbled to herself with frustration, "I just got my four year sober sticker. That's not a long time when you think about it." She said, "And if I have to watch my brother-in-law die… it's over for me and those stickers." She sighed stressfully, noticing a small smile edged on Theo's face, which oddly calmed her, "It's not funny." She let out a nervous laugh.

She went silent however when they both heard a single gunshot. She watched as Theo turned his head, looking at the door as she turned to it too.


"Anything?" Jude asked as Sean came back into the house from calling more people from Chicago.

"No, it's pretty much just the same." Sean nodded, "They're not telling me everything." He suspected.

"Why not?" Jude asked fiercely, "I'll call them." She stood up as Sean shook his head.

"They'll be dealing with it as best they can, to make sure no one else needs to get hurt-"

"They could be dead!" Jude yelled as AJ sat on the edge of her seat, "Multiple fatalities. That's what they're saying." She looked over at the TV, "I'm supposed to believe they're both alive and well?"

"I can't get a hold of Thea. I even called the hospital but no one can get her." Punk walked back into the living room.

"I can't just sit and watch this." Jude shook her head, tears in her eyes, "We… We need to go to Chicago."

"Jude." Sean approached her as she backed away, leaving the living room and heading into the kitchen as Punk looked over at Sean. The last time they were in the same room, he had been beating on him.

"Just give her a minute." Punk nodded to him, making his way into the kitchen to check on Jude whilst Sean turned to AJ.

"I spoke to Theo a few days ago." AJ said, almost in a daze, not truly believing her daughter and Theo were caught up in something like this.

"About what?" Sean asked.

"He wanted to talk to me about… the note in Chase's bag at school." AJ said.

"Jude mentioned it." Sean recalled, wondering where she was going with this.

"He was worried. About this old case from years ago." AJ nodded, "Someone he arrested who was just released." She looked up at Sean, "Racist." She added, "He hadn't said a thing to Cassie about it."

"He thought it was this guy who was messing with Chase?" Sean asked.

"I think so." AJ nodded, "Is this what all of this is about?" She asked, looking over at the news on the TV, "How can they just keep them locked in there?" She shook her head with horror.

"To avoid any more people getting hurt." Sean said, "There are people alive in there." He assured her, "If there wasn't, those gunmen wouldn't have anything to go on with. It'd be over." He said as AJ sighed.

"That doesn't reassure me." She shook her head.


Eight Years Ago…

"Marla, you will be with Donny." Jake explained, walking around the station, introducing the new young group of cops, the rookies, to their partners. He dropped each rookie off with their not so enthusiastic superior.

"I think I'd be fine without a partner." Cassie followed Jake, a bright and excited twenty year old. She'd waited for this day for three years. Three years of training, exams, physical and emotional pain. She couldn't believe she was finally here.

"Nice try." Jake chuckled a little, "Last but not least, Cassie you'll be with Theo." Jake said, arriving at Theo's desk as Cassie looked over at the man standing by the desk with his arms folded. She recognised him from stopping into the academy sometimes, "She told me she'd be fine without a partner." Jake told Theo who chuckled a little.

"Is that right?" Theo smiled a little, looking on at Cassie.

"Get acquainted. You'll be spending a lot of time with each other." Jake nodded, walking off down the station as Cassie stood still.

"What's your name again?" Theo asked, pulling out his desk chair.

"Cassie." Cassie nodded.

"What's that short for? Cassidy?" Theo asked her, indicating the seat for her to sit down.

"It's not short for anything. Just Cassie." Cassie nodded, sitting down on the chair as Theo quickly pulled it from under her, watching her fall back on her ass as he sniggered along with some others looking on.

"I'm gonna do that a lot." Theo chuckled to himself as Cassie got to her feet, hoping she hadn't gone as red as she felt her face, "Alright, log in to the computer." He laughed, stretching and yawning as he sat down on the chair.

"I don't have a log in yet, I don't think." Cassie said.

"Make one then." Theo nodded to the computer as Cassie looked at the screen, trying to figure out how to make an account, it wasn't like it was her first day in a police station or anything.

Theo watched her discretely over the case he was studying, watching her figure out how to create her own account, "There." Cassie said, "Can I have a seat or something?"

"No, we're going out." Theo decided, standing up and grabbing his things from his desk.

"Where?" Cassie asked curiously.

"To speak to a witness." Theo said.

"Oh, ok." Cassie said excitedly, following him out of the police station like a lost puppy. All she really wanted to do was learn as much as she could. She never thought for a second she'd find her forever in him.