Christmas Night


"If it's what you want-"

"Do you think it's what I want?" Jude asked in her parents' house, turning to her father who was sat beside her on the sofa, just the two of them in the living room filled with presents and discarded wrapping paper whilst everyone else was in the kitchen enjoying the rest of Christmas night.

"Of course I know it's not what you really want." Punk nodded, "But… if it's what you feel you have to do. If it's not working anymore… I'll support you. We all will. I'll be upset for you but I'll support you." He said.

"I know that." She said quietly, "I'm surprised he actually came out here with me. If it wasn't for the girls he probably wouldn't have." She said, "He's barely said a thing to me since I brought it up."

"I'm not cold hearted enough to ignore the fact he's probably hurting." Punk said as Jude nodded.

"I just don't see myself ever getting to a place where I don't think about it. Where I can truly forgive him. And I won't be responsible for keeping us in that miserable place." She shook her head, "You'd tell me if I was being irrational, right?"

"Of course I would." Punk nodded, "A woman who was cheated on, divorcing her husband… that's not irrational." He assured her as she nodded.

"I just never thought that would be us." She shook her head, looking down at her fidgeting hands, "I never thought my kids would end up growing up with us… split up." She said.

"Of course you didn't think that would happen." Punk sighed. He almost wasn't sure what to say anymore. His heart broke for Jude because he knew what a great deal Sean meant to her, but she was too smart to trap them both in a relationship that somehow wasn't the same anymore. She cared too much to do that to them both.

"I'm back on anti-depressants." She told him as he looked at her, "I don't know if it's because of all of this or if it's just the time of year or… it's just me being me." She rolled her eyes as he looked at her, "It's like waking up exhausted every single morning and I don't know what of." She shook her head.

"You've been speaking to someone about it?" Punk nodded.

"Yeah." She said, "Normally I'd have Sean to talk to but now I don't really have that… I'm pretty alone out there." She nodded, her voice breaking a little.

"Jude." Punk sighed, placing his arm around her as she leaned into him, "You know you can come out here and stay… for as long as you need." He told her.

"But I have a job and the girls need to see Sean." She sighed, drying her tears as Punk nodded.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry about all of this." He said sincerely. He hated seeing her in such a hard spot. It physically hurt him, to see any of his children unhappy.


"Haven't you quit?" Cassie shook her head, stepping outside into the yard where Thea was smoking and pacing a little in circles.

"Every Monday morning, sure." Thea nodded, "Christmas is stressful with three kids. I'm officially poor." She said as Cassie chuckled.

"Yeah, I can imagine." Cassie nodded, zipping her sweater up, "Chase was hyper as all hell this morning. He loved everything. I sat there like a big dumb idiot with a smile on my face the entire time. Couldn't have been surgically removed if you tried." She shook her head.

"What it's all about. Although, I personally prefer the food to the presents." She admitted as Cassie nodded.

"Mom and dad do put on a good Christmas dinner." Cassie nodded, "Little awkward with Sean here again, huh?" She asked as Thea nodded.

"How it's gonna be now I think." Thea said, "It's sad, actually. Must have been rough for her this morning." She nodded, thinking about her sister. Although, Jude had only told her father so far about deciding to get a divorce.

"Yeah." Cassie agreed, "I'm just glad Theo's father is gone." She rolled her eyes.

"Would it be so bad if you gave him a chance?" Thea asked, "I know it's not my place but-"

"He walks all over Theo." Cassie shook her head, "He shows up when it's convenient for him and that's not someone I want in Chase's life either."

"Fair enough." Thea nodded, "What's Theo been saying about it?"

"He doesn't say much when it comes to his dad, actually." Cassie said, "I know it hurts him and… well frankly he deserves better. Bottom line."

"How is his physiotherapy doing? And the other therapy with the shrink?" Thea asked, putting her cigarette out.

"Dad will kill you for leaving them on the ground." Cassie noticed.

"He's a part-timer. He can get them in the morning." Thea scoffed.

"He's doing good with the physio. It's difficult but… Theo can handle pain." Cassie nodded, "And as far as he tells me… it's going well with the psychiatrist." She said, "He definitely seems to be in a better place." She nodded.

"And you?" Thea asked.

"What about me?" Cassie shook her head, genuinely confused.

"You were there too." Thea reminded her, "All three of us were. It's been rough, let's not beat around the bush." She said.

"I'm fine." Cassie shrugged as Thea raised a brow, "I am. I'm back at work with plenty to keep my mind busy." She assured her sister who nodded slowly, "You?" She wondered.

"Apart from the occasional nightmare. I'm doing alright." Thea nodded, "I think I'm more traumatised by the fact I now have a teenager."

"Yeah how'd that happen?" Cassie smiled as Thea shook her head with amazement, "He's great." She nodded, "From what I hear, nothing like you as a teenager." She nodded positively.

"He's just a mini Dominic." Thea agreed, "Grateful he isn't a little shit." She summed up as Cassie smiled, "Hey how are things going with the fertility stuff? Have you guys talked about anything?" She asked as Cassie looked across at her. She still hadn't told anyone about the miscarriage besides Jude. She planned on keeping it that way.

"No, not really." She said briefly, "I guess there's been a lot going on." She said as Thea nodded, sensing her sisters reluctance into speaking about the matter any further.

"I'm probably going to need to unbutton my pants if I'm gonna manage dessert." She admitted as Cassie chuckled.

"Yeah, me too." Cassie nodded, heading back inside with Thea.


"She's really serious about it?" AJ asked, sitting on the edge of the bed applying some moisturiser as Punk stood at the door of their on suite bathroom. They'd finally gotten rid of their mostly drunk family after a great Christmas day and were grateful to be going to bed, not before Punk confided in his wife over their daughter's broken marriage.

"Did she really not tell you throughout the day?" Punk wondered.

"No, she never said a thing." AJ said, "I was actually thinking that her and Sean appeared to be getting on alright." She shook her head.

"Maybe she only told me." Punk said, "Because I could tell Thea definitely doesn't know and Cassie got pretty drunk… what was that about?" He shook his head.

"She was having a good time." AJ assured him, "So when did Jude decide about the divorce?" AJ questioned.

"She just said over the past couple weeks she's been really thinking about it. She just can't get over it. And she's on anti-depressants again. I don't think she's doing all that great to be honest." Punk sighed as AJ frowned, "And you know what, April? She's alone as fuck out there. Especially now she doesn't have Sean to talk to as much… I mean, I know when it comes down to it they're still there for one another but… it's not the same." He shook his head as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, she needs her family." AJ sighed, "But if they get divorced… if one of them moves back here, they both have to… for the girls. Even though they're not together." She said as Punk nodded.

"She said that she's really tried to forgive him and move past it. And that she still loves him. But she doesn't want to trap them in a relationship that just isn't the same anymore." He told her as AJ nodded. She could of course understand where her daughter was coming from, but it didn't stop her from being terribly upset about it all.

"She deserved better than this." AJ shook her head angrily, wiping her tears as Punk nodded, "Did she say how Sean is reacting to it?"

"Yeah, she said they haven't actually spoken much about it since she talked to him about it. I mean… I've been there. Someone tells you they want a divorce… doesn't feel great." Punk nodded as AJ sighed, "If I trust anyone in the world it's Jude, I trust she'll do what she needs to in order to heal and move forward with her life." He said.

"Of course she will." AJ agreed, "It's just a horrible situation. I just… I never could have saw that one coming."

"I don't think any of us could have." Punk said, "Obviously I told her we'd be there to support her throughout it all." He said as AJ nodded.

"Merry Christmas, huh?" AJ sighed as Punk sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her as she leaned into him, "He has no idea what he's losing." She shook her head.

"The sad thing is… I think he does." Punk said.


"He didn't budge a bit." Theo said, walking into the living room after putting Chase to bed, who he carried home fast asleep the entire way from AJ and Punk's house.

"It's been a long day for him." Cassie nodded, standing by the record player in the corner of the living room with a glass of wine, "Do you think he liked all of his presents?" She asked.

"Of course he did. You saw his face." Theo nodded, walking over to her, "What you putting on?"

"Can't decide." Cassie admitted as he wrapped his arms around her from behind, kissing her shoulder, "Were we the drunkest people at dinner?" She wondered as he chuckled.

"Probably." Theo thought about it, reaching into the stand and picking a record.

"You gave me this before you faked your death on me." She remembered.

"I figured it would soften the blow." He said.

"Oh, yeah. A vinyl record made all of that better for me." She nudged him as he chuckled, stumbling back a little as she put the record on.

"Hey, I know you think I'm a pushover with my dad." He nodded, putting it out there as she turned to him, "Letting him walk all over me… accepting his behaviour… I get it… I get why you get mad-"

"You're not a pushover." She said, walking towards him, "You're just a good son with a pretty bad father." She nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck, "He doesn't deserve a son like you." She shook her head.

"I guess there's just still a part of me that wants to be his son. That wants his approval and praise." He shook his head, "It sounds weird but-"

"No, it really doesn't." Cassie assured him, "Of course I know that's how you feel. Maybe I'm not all that subtle about it but I know. And I'm just too loud and… well, my father's daughter, to not say nothing about it." She said as he nodded with a smile, "But you've been through a lot in your life. Half of which your dad probably has no clue. You've dealt with so much shit, especially these past few months with the shooting and… all that has come with that." She said, "And he doesn't give a damn. He never has." She said as Theo nodded.

"I'm doing alright, you know." He told her as she nodded, "It's not been as difficult."

"I'm really glad." She smiled, "You'll be back in that precinct in no time, and stronger than ever." She grinned, holding his chin as he chuckled.

"You're drunk." He nodded.

"So are you." She smiled, leaning her cheek on his chest as they swayed to the record playing.

"Would it be Christmas night if you didn't force me to dance with you?" He smiled, arms around her waist.

"Force? Please." Cassie scoffed, "You love this." She nodded, looking over at the frame on the mantel of Chase as a baby.

"Maybe I can count this as part of my physio." Theo said, "Admit it, you miss me annoying you at work, don't you?" He nodded as she smiled, nodding.

"We're gonna have a busy day tomorrow unboxing all of Chase's toys. Did you see the amount of stuff your parents got him?" He asked as Cassie nodded, going quiet as Theo looked down, "You fell asleep on me?" He teased.

"I want to adopt a baby." She said as Theo paused, looking down at her as she lifted her head from his chest, looking up at him, "I want us to adopt a baby." She said positively.