Easter


Three Months Later…

"You look like the poster child for Spring." Theo nodded, watching as Cassie came through to the kitchen in a yellow jumpsuit.

"Right?" Cassie smiled happily as he chuckled, "We are going on an Easter egg hunt I thought I'd dress appropriately." She nodded.

"We're not going on an Easter egg hunt. Chase is." Theo corrected her with a small smile.

"There are no rules." Cassie scoffed, "He might need our help." She shrugged as Theo chuckled, "Where is the little man anyway?" She asked him.

"Lining up his Easter eggs in the living room." Theo nodded.

"Of course." Cassie smiled.

"You look beautiful." He said as she smiled over at him, "I'm glad you managed to get it off work."

"Oh, me too." Cassie nodded, "I'm pretty sure I missed last Easter at your mom's." She said.

"We probably both did." Theo nodded, "You don't mind it, do you?"

"What?" She asked.

"Celebrating Easter like it's the most important day of the year." Theo rolled his eyes, "My mom can be a bit much with all her… catholic stuff." He said.

"It's not a bit much. It's her belief. I think it's nice." Cassie shrugged, "And Chase always has so much fun. And it's also another excuse to day drink. It doesn't really get any better than that." She said as he smiled.

"My mom used to dress me and Matthew up in the same outfits on Easter when we went to mass." He said as Cassie smiled.

"You'd be the sweetest boys." Cassie smiled, "Have you uh… have you happened to check your emails?" She asked him, folding her arms as he nodded.

"Yeah, about an hour ago. Nothing." Theo said, "Plus, Sandra said she would call us. It wouldn't be through an email."

"I know. I know." Cassie sighed a little, "But it's been two months since our application was accepted. Are all these pregnant women just skipping right past our file?" She frowned a little.

"We just have to be patient. It could take a little while." Theo shrugged as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Cassie said.

They're application had been accepted two months ago after they had been assessed and given the green light to be eligible to adopt. All they were waiting on was a phone call to let them know they had been picked. It had been an incredibly nerve wracking process.

Theo had been out of work for three months. After being arrested for driving under the influence, he paid his fine and took extended leave. Things had certainly got on top of him. His body wasn't healing properly from the shooting. He was incredibly upset about losing Jake. And Mark testing him had been the final straw to a complete breakdown.

After discussions with Cassie, he decided the best thing for him and for his family, was to take time off from work. He knew he wasn't ready to return as quickly as he did. He had been worried that it would affect their application for the adoption, especially with his recent charge, but they were helped by a wonderful adviser and were eventually given the green light after the agency gave them a formal home assessment to see if they were suitable for adopting.

"You ready to go then?" Theo asked her as she nodded.

"Yeah, do you want to get Chase sorted? I just need to get my purse." She said as he nodded.

He sometimes found himself still apologising for the mind numbing stupidity he found himself in when he questioned her about Chase and if he was his. It wasn't until after, when his head started clearing better, that he realised just how upset it must have made her, and he hated himself for that. He was still apologising, even though Cassie had forgiven him months ago.

Cassie got her purse and met her family at the car, getting in the passenger's seat whilst Theo got behind the wheel after helping Chase in.

"Your parents don't do anything for Easter, do they?" Theo asked.

"No, well they celebrate it but not like your family. For us growing up it was more just about the chocolate." She shrugged as Theo laughed.

"Will there be more chocolate?" Chase asked from in the back.

"Maybe. If you can find some on the Easter egg hunt." Cassie turned to look at him.

"Then I have to find some." Chase said seriously as she smiled.

"Mommy will help you." Cassie promised as Chase grinned.


"I never got to see the Easter bunny. Where is he?" Sam questioned, sitting on the grass in her grandparents back yard beside Thea and AJ.

"He's like Santa Clause. You don't see him." Thea explained briefly.

"James said he seen him." Sam folded her arms, "Are you lying, mommy?" She questioned seriously as AJ chuckled to herself.

"No, I am not lying." Thea said.

"So is James lying?" Sam asked.

"Probably." Thea nodded, "Where did your sister go?" She wondered.

"To make lemonade with papa." Sam explained, picking the grass beside her.

"You don't want to help?" Thea asked.

"Not really." Sam admitted, "I'm tired." She nodded, "I'm very tired." She added as Thea nodded.

"Well you have been running around all day." Thea said, "Why don't you have a little nap on the sun lounger." She pointed over to the decking at the back of the yard where the sun loungers were.

"Well I'm not that tired." Sam said sassily, "I want some lemonade." She said, getting up from the grass, about to walk away when Thea pulled her back.

"Wait." Thea said, tucking Sam's skirt down which had gotten tucked up into her underwear somehow.

"Mommy don't show my panties to everyone!" Sam shouted worriedly as Thea rolled her eyes.

"Your skirt was tucked up and it's only me and A that's here." Thea shook her head, laughing a little as Sam felt around her skirt to be sure, "But keep that attitude in future." She mumbled as AJ chuckled, watching as Sam ran away into the house.

"She's crazy." AJ shook her head.

"Oh, she is. She's insane." Thea nodded.

"Nice to have a day off?" AJ asked her eldest daughter.

"You have no idea." Thea said, "I'm just mad Dominic had to work. We could have taken them out some place since it's Easter."

"And instead you had to settle for your boring old parents?" AJ raised her eyebrows.

"No, I don't mean it like that." Thea scoffed, "It's been nice coming here for the day, actually. The kids have had a blast." She said as AJ smiled.

Since it was nice out, Thea had brought the kids to her parents to spend some time out in the back yard, cooking some BBQ food, playing with the kids and soaking up the sun.

"Cassie and Theo could have came but they always go to Theo's mom for Easter." AJ nodded, "And we did say to Renee and Dean but they were doing something with Chrissy and Sarah."

"So you settled for boring old Thea?" Thea repeated with a smile.

"Never." AJ nudged her, "You heard from Jude?"

"A day last week she called." Thea nodded, "Still no word yet on that Wilson guy. They haven't found him yet."

"Sleepless nights until they do." AJ admitted as Thea nodded.

"Doesn't sound like he's all that dangerous." Thea said.

"He stabbed a woman multiple times to death." AJ turned to Thea.

"He might not have done it. Just cause he was screwing her doesn't automatically mean he's guilty." Thea said.

"Then why did he run?" AJ shook her head, "I'd just feel a whole lot better if they found him."

"I would too." Thea nodded, "From what I could tell, things are going ok with her and Sean. He's living back at the house now." She said.

"Really? She barely tells me and your father anything." AJ scoffed.

"Yeah he moved back in like last month." Thea said, "So far so good I think. Still taking it day by day but… I mean, I think it's the most progress they've made since it happened, don't you?"

"Well I think she's figured out what she wants now." AJ nodded, watching as Punk came outside, holding Sam's hand as she lead him over to the hose lying on the ground. They couldn't figure out what she was saying to him, but they could see her pointing at them both and then Punk laughing loudly.

"What is she saying to you?" Thea asked suspiciously as Punk approached them whilst Sam ran away to fetch the ball she had been playing with.

"She asked me if I could turn on the hose so she could soak you both." Punk nodded as AJ chuckled.

"She's a demon." Thea shook her head, watching Sam run around holding the ball, screaming to herself, "Where are the other two?" Thea asked Punk, "Never mind." She said, watching Sofia and James coming into the yard, smiling as she saw them laughing with one another, "This is new." She told her parents.

"What?" AJ asked.

"They weren't getting along for a while." Thea told them, "Now they're being oddly nice to one another." She said suspiciously, "I'm very suspicious of all three of them today." She realised.

"Oh, come on. Siblings go through phases with each other all the time. From enemies to best friends, back to enemies." Punk said, "You should know this." He said.

"Yeah I know." Thea said, "It's a different dynamic with a brother and sister though, right?" She shrugged, turning to her mother as Punk also looked at AJ.

"Uh? Why are you both looking at me? My brother hated me and wanted you all dead." AJ shook her head as Thea nodded.

"That is true." Thea said, "Well I hope that's not what happens with them." She scoffed, looking over at James and Sofia.

"I think I'm gonna go get some lemonade." AJ announced, getting up from the grass and walking off as Punk watched her, frowning a little.


"You look beautiful. I love this outfit." Jillian, Theo's mother said, sitting down beside Cassie outside in her yard by one of the tables. Theo was playing around with Chase and some of his cousins kids.

"Oh, thanks." Cassie smiled, "I got it in a sale, actually." She nodded.

"Love it." Jillian said, "I'll give you a pass for helping Chase find majority of the Easter eggs in the hunt."

"I'm sorry I have this weird, disgusting habit of having to win everything. And I'm very much pushing that on my son." She teased as Jillian chuckled.

"How is he?" Jillian asked, looking over at Theo who was rolling around on the grass with Chase who was having the time of his life.

"He's doing better." Cassie nodded, "Being away from work has helped. He wasn't ready to go back. Mentally or physically." She said as Jillian nodded.

"I worry about him." Jillian nodded, "He tries to carry a lot on his shoulders."

"I know." Cassie said, "I think that was the problem." She nodded, "He'll be ready to go back eventually. He'll know when the time is right." She said.

"Of course." Jillian smiled, "Have you heard anything from the adoption agency yet?" Jillian asked.

"No, nothing." Cassie said, "But I think that's normal to be waiting a few months before hearing anything." She nodded.

"How are you feeling about it all?" Jillian asked, "As a woman it must feel a little strange, no?"

"Like how?" Cassie asked.

"Well… I guess not being pregnant. Not giving birth." Jillian said, "Please don't take any offence. I just want to know you're feeling good about it all still." She made clear.

"I am." Cassie nodded, "Yeah, I mean… it just means I'll have more energy for the baby when he or she comes, right? I won't be as physically exhausted or shedding pints of blood every day for the first week." She shrugged, "I call that a win win." She nodded as Jillian smiled.

"Well this baby is going to be special. Just like Chase." Jillian said as Cassie nodded in agreement, "Does he know yet? Chase?"

"We've not said a thing to him about any of it." Cassie said, "Our plan is to tell him once we know for definite that someone has picked us. And we're just gonna explain it to him as simply as we can." She nodded.

"Well I can't wait for the day when you both tell me that someone has picked you." Jillian said.

"Oh, me too." Cassie smiled.

"How is all that business with your old boss' job at work? Has the position been filled yet?" Jillian asked.

"No, there's a guy from Kentucky standing in right now on a temporary basis." Cassie nodded, "I think they're still deciding."

"Is that… other man still being considered?" Jillian asked, referring to Mark.

"Yeah, as far as I know." Cassie nodded, "I've not really been speaking about it with Theo. We've not actually been talking about work at all. Just focusing on him recovering and getting stronger." She said.

"Well that's the only important thing." Jillian nodded, "Another one?" She pointed to Cassie's empty beer bottle.

"Yeah, why not?" Cassie said as Jillian walked off to get them another drink whilst she looked over at Theo and Chase, smiling as she watched them having fun and messing around.