Cracks


"Hi, sweetie. What are you doing here?" AJ smiled, standing at her desk in her office, about to take a trip to the copy room when she saw her youngest daughter come through the door.

"I was just in the area and figured I'd take an early lunch." Cassie nodded, walking over to the desk, collapsing down on the chair in front.

"You look exhausted." AJ noticed.

"I was up all night with Chase. He's sick." She said, noticing the concern on her mother's face, "Just viral. Headache. Earache. Sore throat. Fever." She said.

"I take it he's at home with Theo?" AJ asked as Cassie nodded.

"I didn't want to leave him." Cassie frowned, "Just wanted to stay in bed with him all day. Chase. Not Theo." She made clear as AJ smiled a little.

"How is Theo?" AJ asked.

"Not himself." Cassie summed up.

"It's just gotta be hard on him. What happened was traumatic. For all three of you. And I'm betting that when he gets stressed he likes to channel everything into his job. But he can't do that because he's off rehabbing." AJ nodded, assessing the situation like the leader of the family she was.

"Yeah, only I'm getting the brunt of all his anger and frustration." Cassie shook her head.

"Well that's not fair either." AJ agreed, "How's his physiotherapy going?" AJ asked, sitting down behind her desk.

"It's going well." Cassie nodded, "He is getting stronger." She said.

"Of course he is." AJ nodded positively, "Has he had any counselling?"

"Like… with a shrink?" Cassie asked as AJ rolled her eyes.

"Just call it a counsellor or… a therapist." AJ nodded.

"The precinct has a psychologist who works with us. Andrew." Cassie said, "Theo spoke with him a few weeks ago but it was just the one session. I had to have a session too. Standard procedure." She shrugged.

"Well, I'd say it's necessary given what happened. Wouldn't you?" AJ raised a brow as Cassie just shrugged, "You spoke with your sisters recently?"

"I spoke with Thea this morning. I just called her for advice about Chase. I spoke with Jude last week." Cassie nodded, "I think Sean is coming for thanksgiving." She let her mother know.

"Jude told you he was?" AJ asked.

"No, but it's obvious. He's at the house every night." Cassie rolled her eyes, "And they're not just talking, if you know what I mean-"

"It's no one's business." AJ said.

"It's our business when he shows up at thanksgiving and dad puts him through a wall." Cassie nodded.

"I can deal with your dad." AJ shook her head, "He'll behave if I tell him to."

"I doubt it." Cassie said.

"I'm going to get myself coffee, do you want one?" AJ asked her.

"Well if you're going." Cassie nodded, watching her mother leave her office, looking around and smiling at the frame on her mother's desk, a picture of her and her sister when they were younger.


"I can stay behind." Sean said, clearing up after dinner with Jude whilst the girls made their way into the living room, "For thanksgiving." He said as Jude just shook her head.

"No, you shouldn't be on your own." Jude shook her head, not bearing the thought.

They'd fell into the not so productive habit of being around one another for the kids, spending the night with one another and then not talking about much else.

"It might be easier to be on my own than be sat at a table with your family, who all hate me." Sean admitted.

"They don't." Jude shook her head, "I want you there with the girls. They won't understand why you're not with us." She said, looking through to the living room where Mirren and Leela were playing together. They were good sisters which surprised her given the battles she remembered being in with her siblings.

"Am I even invited?" He laughed a little, washing up whilst Jude cleaned the table.

"Yes, of course you are." Jude said, "I told Cassie you were coming and she didn't even say anything. It's not a big deal."

"Well to be fair, that's Cassie. She probably doesn't care if I'm there or not." Sean nodded.

"No, she just respects that it's my decision and so will the rest of them." Jude said as Sean just nodded along. He was very much following her lead and letting her set the pace, even though he wasn't sure what it was they were actually doing. He wasn't sure she knew either. He still wasn't living at home as such, but most nights he spent in their bed which was a far cry from where they were a few months ago.

"I can get them ready for their bath." Sean nodded as Jude walked over to him.

"No, let them play for a little while. It's still early." She said, drying her hands before putting the dishes away, "I have work to do tonight so… maybe-"

"Sure." Sean nodded, knowing that was her way of saying she didn't want him to stay the night. He wasn't sure how long they were going to operate this way but he knew it wasn't his place to question her. He was taking her as much as she was willing to give.

"I was thinking…" She said, "Maybe we should try therapy." She nodded as he looked at her, "Couples therapy." She clarified.

"To discuss what?" Sean asked as she looked at him with a funny face, "Well, I know what but… I mean, we're pretty open. Aren't we?" He thought.

"Well yeah but… it could help." She nodded, "Maybe figure out what stopped working in our relationship-"

"Jude-"

"No, I know you said that it was nothing I did or nothing we did but let's be honest." She said as he dried his hands on one of the towels, "It might help us make sense of what we're doing right now. Figure out how to get back to how we were." She nodded.

"I figured we could do that on our own." He said, "I can say whatever you need me to say to you without a therapist."

"Maybe I can't." She looked up at him as he stayed quiet, "It's just a suggestion. I know it doesn't work for everyone and I wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable-"

"I'll do it." He nodded as she raised a brow. She knew he wasn't insecure but he was a police officer covered in tattoos who she knew would terrify her daughter's future prom dates one day. Seeing him in a therapists office did seem like a far stretch.

"Not just for me, though?" She asked him.

"No. If it could help us in… whatever stage of getting over all of this that we're in, then of course I'll do it." He nodded.

"Thank you." Jude smiled as he nodded, "Maybe you can… stick around until I'm finished my work." She said as he smiled to himself and nodded.

"I can do that." He said, smiling as he watched her walk out of the kitchen to check on the girls.


"What is all of this?" Thea questioned, looking in some grocery store bags in her parents kitchen.

"Just some Thanksgiving decorations your mom bought yesterday." Punk said, "Are you here for your kids I take it?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I'm hoping they're around here somewhere." Thea admitted.

"They're outside playing." Punk nodded to the window as Thea looked out, watching Sam running around in circles whilst Sofia was practising cartwheels with James kicking a soccer ball at her.

"How much sugar have they had?" Thea raised a brow.

"None." Punk said, "That's just how they act. You should know that by now." He said as Thea laughed a little and nodded.

"What are you doing?" Thea asked, noticing he was filing up some sort of cylinder tube with nuts and seeds.

"I made this bird feeder but I don't think they can get into it properly." Punk admitted as Thea watched him concentrating hard.

"Since when did you know how to make things?" Thea scoffed.

"Since I spent hours in woodwork classes in prison." He nodded.

"Maybe Jude didn't get her creative side from no one after all." Thea smiled cheekily as he made a face, "Speaking of her… I think she's bringing Sean for thanksgiving." She told him as Punk just nodded, too busy concentrating on his bird feeder.

"If I poked some more holes here…" He mumbled to himself as Thea watched him.

"Dad." Thea said as he turned to her, "Sean. The cheater. At Thanksgiving." Thea nodded.

"Look, I'm not thrilled about it but if I say anything I'll get into trouble." Punk said, "If Jude wants him here then… well we just gotta accept it. They're obviously working through things and if it's what Jude wants…"

"Bla bla bla… yeah, I know all that." Thea waved her hand, "It's just gonna be awkward, don't you think?" She asked, leaning against the kitchen counter, "Not to mention I think Cassie and Theo are going through a rough patch. I mean… can you believe it? I'm the one who doesn't have any shit going on?" She grinned to herself, "It feels kinda nice." She nodded to herself as Punk turned to her, "What? I'm so used to being the fuck up. It's nice to pass the torch to them for a little while."

"How sisterly of you." Punk nodded, "Cassie and Theo are fine. Theo's just struggling being off from work."

"And taking it out on Cassie." Thea nodded as Punk looked at her, "Her words not mine."

"Well I'm sure Cassie holds her own." Punk said, "Why do you always try to get me involved? I just end up in trouble with your mom. You've done it since you were a kid." He shook his head as Thea chuckled to herself.

"Let me see your bird feeder." She nodded as Punk passed it over to her.

"It's no good really." He waved his hand as Thea looked at it, smiling to herself at the thought of him sitting down to make such a wholesome thing.

"No, it's great." She nodded with a smile, "Seriously." She looked at him as he smiled, "Maybe you could make me one." She nodded, "Would be a great place to put my cigarettes out on-"

"Yeah, alright." Punk rolled his eyes, snatching it from her as she chuckled, "Go get your damn kids before they kill one another." He told her as she chuckled.


"Theo?" Cassie called, getting home later on from work, walking through the house and into the kitchen where she saw her husband brewing some coffee. He was able to walk on his own finally but was still taking it easy. Stairs were still winding him and it was slow and steady movements for the time being.

"How was work?" Theo asked.

"Yeah, it was alright. How is my little guy?" She asked, taking her coat off.

"Feeling a little better. He had a bath and watched a movie in our room. Fell asleep." Theo nodded, "I rubbed some of that menthol stuff on his chest. For his nose." He said as Cassie nodded, "Hated that stuff when I was young."

"Me too." Cassie nodded, looking in the fridge, "My mom would cover me in it whenever I was sick."

"Yeah mine too." Theo nodded, "You want some coffee?"

"No, I'm gonna make myself something to eat." She said, "I was about to eat lunch with my mom but then I got called away. Missing persons case was calling my name."

"Sounds like fun." Theo said as Cassie nodded.

"How you been feeling?" She asked, taking some things out of the fridge to make a sandwich.

"Oh, you know. Like a cripple." Theo nodded, sitting down at the table slowly as Cassie watched him.

"You look like you're walking a lot better." Cassie nodded positively, "You're only gonna get stronger. It's just… it's gonna take some time. And you have time, Theo. Your job isn't going anywhere." She reminded him.

"Yeah give it a couple more months." He shook his head.

"You're really difficult to be around right now." She nodded. She didn't hold back, sometimes a curse as well as a blessing.

"Excuse me?" He turned to look at her, "Sorry if I'm not having the best time with all of this, Cass. If only we could all handle things as well as you do."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Cassie shook her head.

"Hasn't it occurred to you that I'm still thinking about those seven dead cops. Most who were just kids." He said, standing up slowly, "That shit is weighing me down more than being out of a job for a while." He said as she sighed, looking across at him, "So I'm sorry if this is hard on you but I'm not gonna just pretend that everything is fine. I'm not you."

"I don't pretend everything is fine." Cassie folded her arms.

"You do. All the time." Theo shook his head, "You had a miscarriage and you weren't even gonna tell me. You weren't gonna tell anyone." He said.

"What's that got to do with anything?" She shook her head.

"Nothing. It has nothing to do with anything." He waved his hand with frustration holding his side.

"Maybe you need to see Andrew-"

"Yeah, maybe." Theo nodded, walking out of the kitchen as Cassie sighed, taking a seat at the table in the empty kitchen.