Finally


"Dude, did you see that?" James turned to Thea.

"Shh." Thea tapped him whilst looking over at what was going on.

"Go into the kitchen. Go." Jude nudged Sean a little who was still holding his bloody nose, making his way inside as Jude followed behind.

"I'm gonna go." Theo turned to Cassie.

"Are you ok?" Cassie asked him, noticing he seemed in a daze.

"Alright I'm gonna need some context." Punk put his hands on his hips, looking at Theo and Cassie, "What the hell is this about?"

"Sean went for the job as chief. And he got it. Up until then it was Theo's job. Everybody knew it." Cassie shook her head, "Him and Jude are moving back to Chicago."

"Sean got the job?" Punk asked, turning to Theo who nodded, "Ok." Punk nodded to himself, "I think everyone needs to just calm down, alright?" He said calmly.

"I'm just gonna take off. You stay with Chase." Theo turned to Cassie quietly, glimpsing over at Chase who had gone back to playing with his cousins.

"No, don't go." Cassie shook her head, watching as Theo headed for the gate at the side of the yard, "Theo." She said louder as he chose to ignore her, leaving the yard and house in a flash.

"Just let him cool off." Punk suggested to Cassie who shook her head.

"No." Cassie shook her head, running to the gate to go after him as Punk turned to Thea, putting his hands up in confusion.

"You know about all this?" Punk asked her.

"I don't want involved." Thea made clear.

"Uncle Theo's got a good hook." James added into the conversation.

"Enough." Thea turned to him sternly.

"Kids got a point." Dominic mumbled as James nodded to his father.

"Since when did Jude want to come back to Chicago?" AJ questioned, standing in a bit of a daze after what had just happened. They'd had never had any physical altercations in the family, not like that anyway. She was a little stunned.

"Since Sean just sprung it on her." Thea said, "He did say if she wasn't down to move then he wouldn't take the job." She added.

"I mean… we all knew Theo was getting the job, though." Punk said quietly, "Why would Sean go for it?" He questioned as Thea shrugged.

"Theo has been out of work for a while. Maybe the board were secretly looking elsewhere anyway." Thea suggested, "Honestly, I have no clue. I just think it's a shit situation."

"How'd uncle Theo get a hook like that?" James clenched his fist, motioning it in a punching action.

"What'd I tell you?" Thea turned to him.

"Alright alright." James scoffed.

"I'm gonna go check on them in there." AJ said, walking over to the house and into the kitchen where Jude was attending to Sean's bloody nose.

"This is ridiculous." Jude said to her mother angrily.

"I shouldn't have said what I said." Sean admitted, "And I shouldn't have done it here." He said.

"He wasn't exactly being friendly back, though. Was he?" Jude shook her head.

"Would have been nice if someone filled me and your father in." AJ said, "I never thought moving back here was on the radar for you. Either of you." She looked at them both.

"I left the decision to Jude." Sean nodded, taking the cloth from Jude and dabbing his own nose whilst Jude washed her hand.

"Jude? You want to move back here?" AJ asked, wanting to know this was her daughter's decision.

"Yes." Jude nodded, "We've been dealing with a lot in New York. And I'm not enjoying my job anymore. Not since that girl was killed."

"And your charities?" AJ asked, "You do so much there."

"They're dying out." Jude shook her head, "Barely anyone shows up to the meetings."

"It's such a… sudden decision." AJ pointed out, "Didn't you think it'd maybe be a good idea to let Theo know before you went for the interview?" She looked at Sean, "Surely you can understand why he feels a little disrespected-"

"He just punched him." Jude shook her head angrily as AJ continued to look at Sean.

"Sean?" AJ waited.

"Well I wasn't so sure I was gonna get the job. I went for the interview on a whim." He shrugged, "I should have talked to him about it first, I know that, but… it's done now. I'm trying to cooperate with him. With both him and Cassie. They're making it harder for themselves-"

"Theo's been in that station for a long time." AJ said, "Surely you can understand why he's upset-"

"It wasn't Theo's job. He hadn't even gone for the interview." Jude butted in, "Sean has had a longer career than him and he's not all messed up from some shooting that happened months ago." She added, "Sean got the job because he's better for it. That's why Theo is mad." She said angrily as AJ watched her.

"Well this needs to be sorted. Between the four of you." AJ said, "I don't wanna see anything like that ever again. Not in this house. Not in that yard. Not in front of the kids." She made clear, "I don't know how the hell you come to an agreement with this but you better." She nodded, leaving the kitchen and walking back outside as Jude turned to Sean.

"Why are we the ones in the wrong here?" Jude asked him, "He just punched you."

"I think I provoked him, don't you?" Sean shook his head, "Maybe I should just leave the job. If it's gonna cause this much distress between everyone-"

"No. Like hell you will." Jude shook her head, "You were offered this job. You shouldn't feel bad about taking it. Theo and Cassie will get over it eventually." She said, taking the cloth from him and wiping his nose some more, "You think it's broken?" She asked, looking closely.

"I don't think so." He said, "I'm sorry about all of this. And for what he said… that's not why I went for the interview-"

"I know that, Sean." Jude said, "He's just angry and saying stupid things."


"Theo!" Cassie yelled, a little out of breath as she'd ran after Theo, finding him walking along the harbour, "Hey, wait." She said, catching up to him where he eventually stopped, turning around to her.

"I just need some air, yeah?" He nodded to her.

"Well I wasn't letting you go off all hot like that." She said.

"Is Chase alright?" He asked her.

"Chase is fine." She shook her head with confusion.

"He seen me." He said, "Punching Sean."

"No, he was-"

"No, he did." Theo nodded, "He ain't ever looked at me like that before."

"Like what?" She shook her head.

"Scared. Like he was scared of me." He nodded.

"You just think that… when I left he was playing with Leela." Cassie assured him.

"I shouldn't have done that in front of your parents. In front of everyone." Theo shook his head, leaning his hands on the railings and looking out at the water.

"Yeah well I heard what he said." Cassie said, "I'm not mad at you. I would have done it myself." She shook her head as Theo shook his head.

"I feel like a damn kid again." He admitted as Cassie looked up at him, watching as he looked out at the water.

"Like how?" She shook her head.

"Failing at the last hurdle. Every time. Looking for that approval from someone and never really getting it." He said.

"You haven't failed anything, Theo." Cassie rubbed his back softly, "I mean… you won this hot broad." She pointed to herself.

"You were not a prize to be won, Cassie Brooks." He recited what she always told him, which made her smile.

"Not getting chief does not mean you've failed." Cassie made clear, "Being a cop isn't really about the promotions, is it? It's about the little wins every day. Doing the right thing. Protecting someone. Getting justice for someone." She said, "That's why you wanted to be a cop. Not to be chief. But to make a difference." She said, "I mean… when you started in the academy, what was the end goal?"

"I don't know. I don't think I had one." Theo thought about it.

"Exactly. I didn't." Cassie shrugged, "It's nice to make big moves and climb the ladder. But it's not important. Not really." She said, "I mean… think about how much fun we had on patrol? All the stories we have. Half we can't even remember probably." She said, "That's what makes our job fun. Not sitting in an office with stress and paper work touching the ceiling." She said, "Let Sean deal with that. We'll do the stuff that matters." She nodded as he turned to her.

"I like that you're bullshitting with me right now to make me feel better." He nodded sincerely as she smiled.

"I'm not bullshitting." She said, "You know I'm right. You've put all this pressure on yourself to be chief, that's why this is hurting so much. That's why you feel like you've failed." She said, "But you haven't. You've failed no one."

"Yeah? What about Jake?" He scoffed, turning away from her again.

"Jake would want you to be happy." She nodded as he turned back to her, "I don't know anyone who is as tough on themselves as you are. And I get it… I get holding yourself to a certain standard. I do think that comes with our job. Trying to be perfect all the time." She said, "But it's not realistic. For anyone." She said.

"It wasn't about being perfect." He shook his head, "If I'm not chief then what the hell am I doing? I've done everything." He said, "What am I chasing?"

"Who said you have to chase anything?" She asked, "What if… what if staying still isn't so bad? Not that I'm agreeing with him but… your domain was narcotics for a long time. There's challenges you can find in that division again. Or come work with me? I have no clue what I'm doing." She nudged him playfully as he chuckled, "Or hell… go on patrol. Take on a rookie and teach them the things you taught me." She nodded, "You can make a difference without being chief. Maybe a bigger one."

"That might be a bad idea." He shook his head seriously as she looked at him with confusion, "There's no topping the last rookie I had." He said as she smiled. She was the last rookie he'd had, "Seriously… she went on and became the best detective in the station." He nodded.

"Sounds like a great girl." Cassie smiled.

"Yeah she is." He turned to her as she looked up at him, smiling, "Thank you." He nodded. He'd heard her loud and clear, and he understood everything she was saying because it absolutely made sense. Without the huge pressure to become chief, there wasn't disappointment.

"I love you." She said, leaning up and kissing him sweetly as he kissed back.

The only thing that broke them apart was Theo's phone ringing in his pocket, "Probably one of your parents." He figured, looking at his phone and seeing the unregistered number which he showed Cassie.

"Scammer probably." Cassie shook her head as he answered it.

"Hello." Theo put the phone to his ear, his face lifting as he heard who it was, "Uh… yeah, this is he." He nodded, mouthing 'adoption agency' to Cassie who felt her shoulders tighten.

"Ok." Theo nodded along, beginning to pace a little, "Y-Yeah." He said whilst Cassie followed his pacing. There was a lot of back and forward, nothing which gave anything away for Cassie to understand what was going on, which made her stomach tighten all the more.

"Ok. Ok, you have my number? Or my wife's?" Theo nodded, "Ok. Thank you. Thanks." He hung up, turning to Cassie who was looking at him, ready to burst.

"What? Are we…" She waited, "Are we gonna keep waiting?" She feared, wondering if there was something wrong with their application.

"There's an eighteen year old girl from Ottawa who picked us." Theo nodded. He felt like he had been dreaming of this moment for months. To get that call and finally tell his wife the good news.

"She picked us?" Cassie nodded in disbelief.

"She's due a baby girl in two months." He nodded as Cassie placed her hands over her mouth, tears welling in her eyes.

"We're getting a baby girl?" Cassie asked, needing a little more confirmation, needing him to say the words to her.

"We're getting a baby girl." Theo nodded as she jumped onto him, wrapping her arms and legs around him as he chuckled happily, spinning her around and kissing her cheek.