Time Heals


"He was in their house?" Theo questioned, walking along the dockyard early in the morning with Cassie and Chase who was riding his bike ahead of them, keeping within distance so they could see him of course.

"Yeah, right in their house. Pointing a gun at them." Cassie shook her head, "He's in custody. And obviously Sean is cracking up about it."

"Well I don't blame him." Theo shook his head.

"Jude told me she doesn't think it was him who killed the girl." Cassie said.

"Why would she think that?" Theo asked.

"She just said she didn't think he would be capable of it. Said he was a mess, something about wanting the girls art work." Cassie shook her head, trying to piece it together with what scattered information her sister had given her over the phone this morning.

"Well at least he's in custody. Maybe they can start moving the case forward somehow." Theo said as Cassie nodded.

"I hope so." Cassie agreed, linking her arm through his and leaning into him, "You aren't missing it?" She wondered softly.

They barely chatted about work through the couple of months Theo had been off since Jake's death. At first it was deliberate, but then it just became normal to invest more of their time into speaking about other things.

"Of course I am." Theo told her, "You think I'm not?" He asked.

"You just seem to be enjoying the time off. I've never saw you enjoy time off work." She said, "Maybe enjoy is the wrong word. Cause I know you've been rehabbing and missing Jake."

"I needed the time off." He nodded, "I think once I accepted that it just became easier. Plus I've got to take Chase to school every morning and see him before bed every night. I got the soccer dad gig going on at the weekends-"

"Which I've only given you temporarily." Cassie inserted as he chuckled, kissing her head and nodding.

"I know." He assured her, "Everyone loved the brownies I brought last weekend. Chocolate orange brownies. Found the recipe on Pinterest." He nodded.

"You're a dream, Theodore." She nodded as he chuckled.

"It's been good for me." He nodded seriously, "I wasn't healthy. Physically or mentally. I jumped back in because… I thought that's what Jake would have expected from me but… he'd want me to be healthy and happy." He said.

"Of course he would." Cassie nodded, rubbing his arm.

"How have things been going in detective land?" He asked her as she let out a frustrated sigh, "Yeah, I don't miss being a detective." He agreed with her sigh.

"Hey I love my job. I love it." Cassie nodded, "But man can it be a pain in the ass." She shook her head as he chuckled, "And I do miss seeing you around the station. Since you've been off I've realised I actually don't have any work friends." She said, "I am Thea." She realised.

"You have work friends." Theo scoffed.

"I don't. Theo, I'm serious." She said as he turned to her, "I sit in my office at lunch by myself. When I ride with a patrol officer or anyone, doesn't matter who… no one says anything to me." She shook her head as Theo nodded, smiling a little which she noticed, "Is that funny to you?" She raised her eyebrows.

"No." Theo scoffed, smiling again as she laughed.

"Theo." She laughed at his insensitivity, "What?" She shook her head, wondering what he found so amusing.

"Well it's just…" He looked at her, not knowing how to put it, "Well you can…" He scratched the back of his neck, looking on at Chase riding his bike a few feet ahead.

"I can what?" She questioned.

"You can come off a little… intimidating?" He questioned if that was the right use of word choice, "Maybe a little hard faced?" He wondered as she scoffed.

"No I don't." Cassie shook her head.

"People think you're the next Karen Williams." Theo nodded.

"Oh, stop." Cassie scoffed, folding her arms unhappily, "I'm really that unapproachable? When did that happen?"

"You're a tough old bird, what can I say?" Theo teased as she smiled, shoving him a little as he chuckled.

"But it's not intentional." Cassie shook her head, genuinely concerned about her presence at work now that she'd heard her husband's perspective.

"Well I know that." Theo assured her. He knew his wife and all her attitudes and quirks. She had a heart of gold. It just took a lot of digging to see it.

"I've just always been that way." Cassie shrugged.

"Do you care that you eat lunch on your own?" Theo asked her as she shook her head.

"Not really." She thought about it.

"So what's the problem? You're good at your job. Keep doing you." Theo shrugged, "It's worked out pretty well for you so far I'd say." He wrapped an arm around her as she smiled.

"You don't think I'm like that, though?" She wondered.

"No." Theo said, "I like that you save your best sides just for me." He nodded as she looked up at him and smiled.

"You know I was thinking we could maybe take a trip to New York with Chase." Cassie said, "To see Jude obviously." She added.

"You're doing it again." Theo let her know.

"Doing what?" Cassie questioned.

"Well before you would have said Jude and Sean. Now you only say Jude." Theo said, "They are back together."

"I know that." Cassie said, "Of course I mean him too." She nodded, "It's just been rocky between them both for a while. It's hard getting used to the fact they're back together. Properly." She said as Theo nodded.

"Well that sounds like fun." Theo said, "We could be those annoying tourists."

"We could." Cassie agreed, "You'd be alright spending time with Sean, right?" She wondered.

"Why wouldn't I?" Theo asked.

"Well… I don't know, it's weird… you guys never hang out. Dominic too." She said, "Have you guys ever hung out just the three of you?" She wondered curiously as Theo thought about it.

"I don't think so." Theo shook his head, "I've hung out with Dominic. He's a lot easier to get along with than Sean."

"Can you believe Dominic has been in my life since I was eight?" She smiled, "I had a crush on him. Don't tell Thea." She told him as he chuckled.

"I'm gonna tell Dominic." Theo teased.

"Don't you dare." Cassie scoffed.

"I thought Jude and Sean had all that shit going on with the murder investigation?" Theo asked.

"They do but hopefully they get it cleared up and maybe we can go over for the weekend." Cassie shrugged, "I don't know, it was just a thought. Whilst you're taking the time off."

"It's a good idea." Theo nodded, "I will be back sooner rather than later at this point." He said, feeling confident enough now to know he truly was recovering well, "Mentally I'm there… I'm just waiting on my body catching up."

"I'd say you're in pretty good shape." Cassie smiled.

"Well you've definitely been helping with my cardio." He said as she smiled to herself.

"Glad to have been of service." She nodded.

"I'm not putting a date on it yet." He told her, "I guess I'll know when the time is right."

"They still haven't proposed anyone for chief yet. That I know of anyway." She let him know.

"I don't know if I need that pressure." Theo admitted.

"You do what you think is right." Cassie nodded, "I'll support you one hundred percent."

"Has he been back? Mark?" Theo asked.

"Haven't seen him since he was messing with you." Cassie shook her head.

"Hopefully he stays gone. And out of our way." Theo shook his head.

"Yeah hopefully." Cassie nodded, "Are you nervous?" She asked him, "About the baby?"

"About which part?" Theo asked, "Everytime my phone goes I get nervous." He admitted as she smiled.

"I just mean… having a baby again. The diapers and the getting up through the night. Just having this tiny little thing to look after again." She said, "What if I've forgot what to do? How to make a bottle?" She wondered.

"I'm pretty sure you don't forget those things. It's like engrained." Theo shook his head, "We'll be fine. As long as she takes it easy on us."

"It might not be a she." Cassie smiled up at him as he just nodded in agreement, "I'm also nervous for the first time I hold it." She admitted as he nodded in agreement, "Obviously it's so different from when we had Chase. I just wonder how I'm gonna feel." She shrugged.

"Well how did you feel when you first held Chase?" He asked her.

"Like he was this part of me that I'd love forever, no matter what." Cassie nodded.

"Then you'll feel like that." He said as she looked up at him.

"What if I don't?" She asked, "What if… if I struggle to bond with it or… it doesn't feel right-"

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

"Always." Cassie nodded.

"It's not under the same circumstances but I think when we meet this baby and we get to hold him or her for the first time… it's gonna feel exactly like when we had Chase." He nodded.

"I think you're right." Cassie smiled, "I hope you're right." She added.

"Isn't it crazy how you still lived with your parents when we had Chase?" He said as she nodded.

"For a whole year." Cassie nodded, "You must have hated that."

"No, it was no trouble." Theo shook his head, "I pretty much ended up living with you guys."

"I didn't want you to miss out on anything but I wasn't ready to leave home yet." She shook her head.

"You were young. Nobody was expecting you to." Theo said, "I kinda miss getting fed by your mom every night actually now that I think about it. We had a good set up there." He said as Cassie chuckled.

"Yeah they were good to us." Cassie smiled, "Have you even told your dad about the adoption?" She asked.

"No I haven't spoken to him since he was here before Christmas." Theo said.

"Do you plan on telling him?" Cassie asked.

"No." Theo shook his head, "Decided I'm just not gonna give a shit."

"That doesn't sound like you." She frowned a little.

"No but what good has trying to be the bigger person got me?" He asked her, "Matthew stopped giving a shit a long time ago and he's doing alright with it." He shrugged, "My problem all this time with my dad is that I gave a shit."

"That's not a bad trait to have, Theo." Cassie shook her head, "But I don't blame you for getting to this point."

"If he calls, I'll answer. If he visits, I'll humour him." Theo nodded, "Other than that, I got nothing to give him anymore." He shook his head as she nodded, taking his hand and squeezing it tightly.

"Hey, why have you stopped?" Cassie asked, catching up with Chase who had stopped on his bike, looking through the spindles on the railing at the boats in the water in front of them.

"Can't see the boats." Chase said with frustration. He was too small to get a better view, until Theo picked him up in a quick motion, holding him by his side as Chase smiled.

"You see now?" Theo asked.

"Yeah." Chase nodded, looking at the boats, "How do we get one?" He asked them sincerely as Cassie chuckled to herself quietly.

"How do we get a boat?" Theo asked, smiling at his son's seriousness.

"Yeah. Who do we ask?" Chase questioned, "Papa?"

"I don't think Papa can get us a boat, baby." Cassie smiled, brushing her hand through Chase's hair.

"Then how?" Chase asked.

"You gotta have lots and lots of pennies to get a boat." Theo nodded, proceeding to say some words in Spanish to Chase as Cassie watched the five year old follow along. It was amazing getting to watch him learn some Spanish from Theo simply talking it to him often enough.

"You guys better not be talking about me." Cassie mumbled as Theo smiled, kissing her head as Chase watched, following suit and kissing Cassie on the head straight after Theo had, which caused both of them to smile and laugh a little, "Thanks, baby." Cassie smiled.