Holding A Grudge


"Can you explain to me what this text I got at 3am from Cassie means?" Thea asked, "Make sure Jude and Sean aren't at Chase's soccer game tomorrow. It starts at 10am. See you there." She read out, looking over at Jude who was sat in her kitchen, coming over for breakfast with the girls.

"She's ridiculous." Jude shook her head.

"What's happened?" Thea questioned, "When we left their house you guys were fine."

"Sean got the job as chief at the station." Jude told her.

"Here? In Chicago?" Thea shook her head with confusion.

"Yeah. He interviewed for it a couple days ago and they… they offered him it." Jude nodded with a small smile, treading carefully as Thea looked across at her, "I didn't know he was even going for it."

"You're moving back here?" Thea asked, "What happened to you hating this place so much?"

"I don't hate it so much." Jude said, "It would be nice to be closer to you guys again. And my job sucks in New York right now." She added.

"I thought that was Theo's job." Thea said quietly, taking a sip of her coffee and pausing before it reached her lips, "Oh, that's why she's mad." She began to piece it together as Jude nodded.

"She came round last night all mad. Said Sean had no right to take the job from Theo but… Theo hasn't even been working the past few months, right?" She confirmed.

"Yeah cause he has like PTSD, Jude." Thea rolled her eyes, "And Jake died. They were close."

"The job was open to anyone." Jude shook her head, trying to convince herself, to make herself feel better.

"C'mon. We all knew Theo was going for it, and was probably gonna get it." Thea scoffed, "Sean knew that too. This doesn't look good on either of you. Taking a job from another family member." She said.

"I knew you'd side with her." Jude rolled her eyes, "I think Sean had every right to go interview for it. The job was open to anyone. It wasn't guaranteed to be Theo's. Other people deserved a shot to go for it and clearly Sean did well in the interview. Plus he has more experience than Theo." She said as Thea stared at her.

"Yeah but to just go in and take it like that. Not even discuss it beforehand?" Thea questioned, "That's wrong." She concluded.

"Well it's done now. He's got the job." Jude said, "They'll probably want him to start right away so we best get looking at houses." She realised.

"Well I hope Theo is ok." Thea thought about it, "He's hardly having a great time right now." She said.

"If he has PTSD then he clearly wasn't ready for the job. Please don't act like that's an unreasonable thing to say-"

"It's insensitive." Thea nodded, "Especially when you know what it's like to have PTSD." She reminded her, "He's been doing better. Probably so he could get himself in shape to be chief." She said as Jude looked across at her.

"I just don't think it's fair that everyone just assumed it was his job because of his friendship with Jake-"

"He was second in command, Jude." Thea screwed her eyes up, "That means when Jake isn't there, Theo steps up. I don't know the ins and outs of the police world. I don't want to." She said, "But they're a big family there, I don't think Sean should expect a warm welcome when he starts." She shook her head.


"Hey, you're already ready." Theo smiled as he watched Chase running into the kitchen in his soccer strip, Cassie following behind.

"He said he didn't want to change when we get there so…" Cassie shrugged.

"It takes too long." Chase told them, sitting up at the table.

"Ok, well here." Theo said, "Breakfast of champions." He sat down a bowl of oatmeal for Chase with some banana.

"Not waffles?" Chase asked, a little disappointed as Cassie chuckled to herself.

"Well we're out of those and I'm just going by mama's orders." Theo admitted.

"That is the breakfast I had before every single one of my games." Cassie nodded, "Anytime I had oatmeal, I always scored." She said.

"I prefer daddy's waffles." Chase told her honestly, lifting his spoon and eating the oatmeal nevertheless.

"You won't be saying that when you're running about that pitch like lightening." Cassie smiled.

"Ok." Theo said quietly, "It's oatmeal, not crack." He said as Cassie chuckled, shoving him a little, "Are you ready to bully his six year old opponents?" He asked her.

"Yes." Cassie nodded seriously as he smiled, "And their parents." She smiled.

"Is papa and A coming?" Chase asked them, "To watch me play?"

"No, not this time, baby." Cassie shook her head, "Papa and A are on vacation."

"Why?" Chase asked unhappily. The thought of his grandparents not being around was a very strange one.

"Well they wanted to go away for a little bit and have some fun. Just the two of them." Cassie nodded, "They'll be home soon." She promised.

"Oh, but I like when they come watch me play." Chase frowned, beginning to play with his oatmeal, stirring it around.

"I know, but Aunt Thea and Uncle Dom are coming to watch you. And they're bringing James. He can't wait to see your game." She nodded.

"And Aunt Jude?" Chase asked.

"No, not aunt Jude." Cassie shook her head as Theo turned to her.

"They're not coming?" Theo asked.

Initially, Cassie had invited both her sisters to her son's soccer game since she realised Jude would be in town.

"No, I text Thea and told her to make sure Jude isn't there." Cassie said.

"We can't make this into a big thing, Cass." Theo shook his head, packing a bag for Chase with his water and half-time snacks.

"I'm not. That's why they're not invited." Cassie shrugged, "That way nobody argues and we can have a good day. And I'm not distracted."

"We'll need to get over it, sooner than later." Theo nodded to her, "Cause when you walk into work on Monday, you got a new boss, and it's not me." He reminded her as Cassie folded her arms.

"Yeah, I know that." Cassie said, shaking her head, "I'm not finished being mad about this. Let me be mad." She nodded.

"You can be mad." Theo said, leaning in and kissing her, "Just know we'll be alright, though."

"I know we will." She rubbed his arm softly.

"Do we really have no waffles?" Chase sighed, struggling to chow down his oatmeal.

"I'm gonna go get him some waffles." Theo nodded to Cassie.

"Yeah, go." Cassie laughed a little.


"Hey there he is! The top goal scorer." Theo smiled, lifting Chase up after he came running over to them after his soccer match had ended, "Man of the match, I think. What about you?" He turned to Cassie.

"Oh, absolutely." Cassie smiled, "You did such a good job, baby." She nodded.

"Because of the waffles." He nodded as they chuckled.

"Because of the waffles." Cassie nodded in agreement, taking him from Theo and giving him a tight squeeze, "Mommy's so proud of you." She kissed his cheek as he wriggled down from her, back on the ground.

"I'm going to see my friends." Chase told them both before running away back to the pitch. He was at an age now where he was making little friendships and becoming a social butterfly.

"Didn't we just make the best kid?" Cassie smiled as Theo nodded in agreement.

"Without a doubt." Theo said, smiling as he watched Chase high fiving some of his friends. He then turned around to where Jude was standing with Thea and Dominic and the kids.

"You can't ignore her the entire game and leave without saying anything." Theo turned to Cassie.

"I can. And I will." Cassie nodded.

Despite her request, Jude had shown up with Thea and company to watch the game, so she had deliberately moved to a different area on the pitch with Theo.

"C'mon, be the bigger person. This isn't you. You don't get petty." Theo said, "She didn't even know until last night-"

"She still defended him and thinks it's ok." Cassie said, turning around and looking over at Jude who was talking to Thea, "She's probably ok because he told her the pay rise." She shook her head, turning back around and looking over at Chase, "I just wanna have a good day with Chase. I'm not dealing with any of that crap." She said as he just nodded.

"Hey." Thea walked over to them both, "Are we really this mad?" She asked, a little surprised at how Cassie was acting. How seriously pissed she seemed.

"We are." Cassie nodded to her, "I'm sorry I've not came over to chat to you. But I'm not going near her."

"Cassie." Thea tutted, "Don't speak like that." She said motherly.

"Well I'm not." Cassie said, "It's wrong and she knows it. You don't do that to your family." She shook her head.

"I agree that it's wrong, for the record." Thea let them both know, "But she's been thrown into this just like you two. She had no clue this was going to happen-"

"And I can understand that." Cassie turned to Thea, "But she thinks Sean hasn't done anything wrong. I mean… that guy is seriously controlling. We ought to watch. And she just does anything he says."

"Cassie, come on." Thea said exhaustedly, "I'm not used to seeing you all serious and mad. You normally let things fly over your head." She shook her head, "It doesn't have to be this deep-"

"This was everything Theo has worked for his entire career." Cassie turned to her sister, anger on her face which resembled their mother, maybe more than any of them, "I'm not letting this fly over my head." She made clear.

"Then what's the solution?" Thea asked, "Because he's obviously taking the job. They're moving back here. You're gonna be mad forever?" She asked.

"Yeah, maybe." Cassie folded her arms whilst Theo stood beside, choosing not to say anything. He knew better than to interrupt his wife and her sister's heated discussions.

"She does feel bad, you know. She knows how it looks." Thea nodded, looking over at Jude who was playing with Mirren and Leela on the grass, "They've been having a tough time with that investigation going on… that lunatic in their house-"

"So taking Theo's job was a solution to that?" Cassie asked, "If you're here thinking you're gonna get me to come around, you're wasting your time." She made clear, "I'm not speaking to either of them."

"Alright." Thea nodded, "I can't make you do anything." She understood, "I am sorry that… you never got it." She looked over at Theo who just nodded.

"Yeah me too." Theo nodded bluntly.

"Chase was really great." She smiled to them both, "He's a little superstar out there. Reminds me of coming and watching your games." She smiled, nudging Cassie who smiled a little.

"Thanks for coming." Cassie nodded to her sincerely, "I'll catch up with you at some point." She said as Thea nodded, placing her hand on Cassie's arm before walking back over to Dominic.

"When are your parents home?" Theo asked curiously.

"Tomorrow." Cassie said, "Jude is their angel child so… I'm not expecting any back up." She shook her head as Theo sighed a little.

Whilst he understood her anger, because he felt it too, he didn't want to see her so mad with her sister. Nothing felt right about it.

"I think we all just need to cool off." He said.

"I'm cool." Cassie shrugged, "Cool as a cucumber." She nodded as Theo looked at her, raising a brow as she smiled a little.

"Really?" He asked.

"Mhm." Cassie nodded.

"I just don't want to see you and your sister fall out over this-"

"She should have thought about that before she sided with Sean-"

"It's her husband." Theo scoffed.

"Yeah who cheated on her." Cassie added bitterly, "How many red flags does she need to see that he's clearly slacking in the husband department." She shook her head, turning around and looking at Jude who was sitting on the grass with her daughter's, "She's really gonna move the girls to a different place? Take them out of school? Away from their friends? All because he went for a job he didn't need?" Cassie shook her head, "You know she used to stand on her own two feet when she was younger."

"Don't get nasty. That's not you." Theo said as Cassie looked at him, "We're just gonna have to deal with it, Cass."

"And I will." Cassie said, "Doesn't mean I do it with a smile on my face, though."

"Well that's a shame." Theo nodded, "You have a good one."

"Let's go get Chase. We promised him ice-cream." Cassie nodded to him.