Remember
"Hey, remember when we all went on vacation together?" Jude asked as Thea looked across at her, unhappily, "I was thinking maybe we could-"
"No." Thea said immediately, moving around her kitchen as she prepped lunch for the kids who were outside soaking up the sun. Jude had come over to visit during her painting break and was getting in on some lunch action too.
"You didn't even let me finish." Jude laughed a little.
"Because you don't have to. That was a nightmare." Thea nodded.
"It was fun." Jude denied, "You enjoyed it."
"I really didn't. I can only handle so much of you all." Thea said, "The plane going there was literally terrible."
"Well that's on Chase." Jude put her hands up.
"Oh yeah, blame the eight-month-old." Thea laughed a little, "No, honestly… we don't have to do everything together. We all like different things. You and Sean like to go on hikes and see different excursions. I like to sunbathe and do nothing by a pool."
"You can still do all that." Jude rolled her eyes, "It'd just be nice to do something together again. The kids would love it. They're all that little bit older now and they can play with each other some more. I think Cassie will be up for it."
"Look, we don't need a vacation right now. Clearly there's a lot going on." Thea said.
"Yeah, I know that. I was meaning in the Summer. Sofia would love it." Jude nodded.
"Well let me sleep on it." Thea said, "But we can take separate flights."
"Well that's stupid." Jude nodded as Thea chuckled.
"Or, we can put all the kids on a flight with mom and dad. And all of us can take a separate flight." Thea nodded seriously as Jude chuckled.
"I don't know why he's being like this." Cassie sighed stressfully, standing in the aisle of the plane with ten-month-old Chase in her arms who was screaming and crying and had been ever since take off.
"Well he's never been on a plane before. And it's hot on here." Theo said, sitting on the aisle seat watching.
"It's hot because we're stressed and people are staring at us wishing our kid would shut up." Cassie said stressfully as Theo looked up at her, "You know, I didn't even want to come on this vacation. This isn't even a vacation. This is just stress." She said stressfully as Theo watched her.
He knew she was getting more stressed about the fact their son was making so much noise on a flight with other people.
"Cass he's gonna know you're stressed-'
"Well I am stressed!" Cassie snapped at him unintentionally as Theo looked up at her.
Meanwhile Punk and AJ sat behind with James at the window seat, watching as Theo and Cassie argued in front with Chase screaming over them. It was hard to watch them get so stressed, and even harder to watch other people around them look so annoyed.
"You wanna go to the bathroom and take a minute?" Theo stood up, taking Chase from Cassie who didn't respond, walking away down the plane to the bathroom whilst Theo bounced Chase up and down, trying to soothe him the best he could.
"He is being a little dramatic, isn't he?" Thea said, sitting across from Theo and Cassie's seats with Dominic and Sofia, whilst a pregnant Jude with Sean and Mirren sat behind them.
"Yeah, thanks for the input." Theo nodded to her.
"Ok, give me him." Punk stood up. He tried his best not to interfere, but it was too difficult, "Ok, buddy. Let's go take a walk." Punk took Chase from Theo who gladly let him, "Let's go for a little stroll, huh?" Punk nodded, bouncing Chase up and down, walking off down the aisle of the plane to the back.
"We've all been there." AJ nodded to Theo who sat back down in front, exhaustedly.
"What's up with him?" Sean asked Jude, "He sick or something?"
"No, I don't think so." Jude said, "I think it's his first time on a plane. And it is hot on here." She admitted, trying to open her tube of pringles whilst two-year-old Mirren sat beside her at the window, watching a movie on her iPad.
"You need a hand opening them?" Sean smiled a little.
"Yeah. My hands are all swollen." Jude frowned, handing him the pringles.
Meanwhile Cassie had come back from the toilet, walking back to their seat and spotting her father with Chase at the back of the plane, walking up and down. She sat back on her seat beside Theo who had his eyes closed.
"Sorry." Cassie made sure to say to him as he just nodded, "He's just not like this. I've never even heard him cry like that before." She said as Theo nodded.
"I think he's just trying to embarrass us." Theo nodded.
"Probably." Cassie nodded, "I really thought he was just going to sleep the entire flight."
"Me too." Theo said.
"He's the only baby making a fuss on here." She sighed, "People really look at you like you're evil when your kid is crying on a plane, huh?"
"Fuck them." Theo shook his head whilst Cassie turned around, looking down the aisle where her father was coming back down with Chase who was now sleeping.
"Oh, hallelujah." Cassie said gratefully.
"It's cooler back there." Punk said quietly, handing Chase to Cassie who held him into her.
"Thanks, dad." Cassie nodded to him gratefully as he smiled, sitting back down beside AJ.
"Papa Punk to the rescue." AJ smiled, patting Punk's knee.
"You found the mute button?" Thea smiled to Cassie.
"Shut up." Cassie nodded.
"I thought we could all do this hike tomorrow morning." Jude said, waiting in line at their hotel which they were checking into in Hawaii, "I saw it on a brochure on the flight-"
"You're six months pregnant. Why do you want to go on a hike?" Thea shook her head.
"Because it's fun. And beautiful. And it's good for you." Jude shrugged, "I really want to see the sunrise so we could set off at like… six maybe?"
"Oh, go away." Thea shook her head as AJ turned around, "She wants me to get up at six in the morning to go for a walk." She told her mother who looked at them both.
"You'll love it when you're there." Jude insisted.
"I'm on vacation. That means I'll be sleeping for as long as I can and then spending the entire day by the pool." Thea made clear.
"Maybe we should all just do our own thing during the day." AJ suggested.
"Yeah, agreed." Thea said.
"So what was the point in us all coming here together?" Jude questioned.
"It certainly wasn't to go on hikes at six in the morning." Thea made clear.
"Oh, stop it both of you." AJ shook her head.
"Cassie." Jude turned to Cassie behind her who was standing with Theo beside her who had Chase in his arms, who was much calmer and happier after getting off the flight.
"What?" Cassie said tiredly.
"Do you want to go on a hike in the morning? Look, you can see-"
"No." Cassie said, "I'll wake up when Chase wakes up and then I'm drinking bloody Mary's in the pool until it shuts." She nodded, "Enjoy the hike, though." She said as Jude turned back to Thea who was grinning triumphantly.
The next morning, Jude and Sean set off on their hike with Mirren, only after AJ had warned Jude about applying sun cream every hour. AJ and Punk then headed to the beach for a walk whilst Thea, Dominic and the kids went to the pool with Cassie, Theo and Chase.
"Why are mom and dad away to the beach? I hate the beach." Cassie said, "Sand just gets everywhere."
"They like it." Thea shrugged, laying on a sun bed in a bikini whilst Dominic kept the kids entertained in the pool, "Nice bikini. How is your stomach so flat after having a baby?" She shook her head, "And you don't have a single stretch mark."
"I do." Cassie scoffed, "I did work out a lot when I was pregnant."
"Freak." Thea concluded.
"I got the bikini in a sale." She nodded, adjusting her white and black polka dot bikini, "I got a few that were in a sale, actually."
"Well he's out of it, again." Theo said, walking over to them with Chase in his stroller, parking it in the shade under the umbrella whilst the baby boy lay sleeping in his little swimsuit.
"He did you guys dirty on that flight." Thea nodded.
"I know but we forgive him." Cassie said, smiling on at the baby boy peacefully sleeping under the shade, "Well I'm gonna try and keep my hair dry today." She stood up, tying her extremely long dark hair up in a bun as Theo watched, "Because I can't handle washing it every night-"
She jumped as Theo picked her up, putting her over his shoulder, "Theo, don't!" She yelled, trying to get out of his hold whilst Thea sat up and watched.
"Put me down!" Cassie yelled just as Theo threw her in the pool where she went right under getting her hair completely wet, "Oh, why did you do that?" She ran her hands over her face and hair as Theo crouched down at the edge of the pool.
"Funny." Theo shrugged with a smile.
"Well help me out." She said, swimming over to him, reaching her hand out to him as he took a hold, suddenly feeling her yank him into the pool with her.
"Fair enough." He laughed as he came up from under.
"Idiot." She said, swimming over to him, "This is nice, actually." She admitted, wrapping her arms and legs around him under the water.
"I like the bikini." He nodded, cupping her ass under the water as she chuckled.
"This is our first vacation together." She pointed out, "This is my first vacation with a boyfriend. Ever." She added, "I bet you've taken tons of girls on vacation."
"Oh, yeah. Tons." He nodded along sarcastically, "None who pulled off a bikini like you, though." He said as she smiled.
"Have you? Been on vacation with a girl before?" She asked him seriously as he nodded, "Who?" She smiled curiously.
"I went on vacation with a girlfriend, last year in high school." He nodded, "That's it."
"What was her name again?" Cassie asked.
"Emily." Theo said.
"Did you have fun?" Cassie asked him as he nodded.
"Yeah, it was alright." Theo nodded.
"Did you have lots of sex?" She asked as he chuckled a little.
"We had some sex, yeah." He said.
"So I've got competition." Cassie nodded.
"Believe me, there's no competing with you." He said as she smiled.
"Look at our baby." Cassie smiled, looking over at Chase in his stroller in the shade, parked beside Thea who was sunbathing, "Emily didn't give you something as sweet as that, did she?" She smirked as he chuckled.
"No." He said, "Well… not that I'm aware of." He added as she scoffed and nudged him under the water.
"Before my family suggested coming on vacation here, all of us, I was actually going to suggest we maybe went to Mexico for a few weeks." She said, "I know you feel at home there and I'd love to see where you're from and where you grew up."
"We'd have to see my dad. And I'm not really interested in that." He said.
"Who said we have to see your dad?" She said as he looked at her, "It was just a thought. Maybe we could go in the future."
"Maybe." He nodded along.
"So… what did you and Emily do on vacation?" She teased as he rolled his eyes.
"Stop." He scoffed as she chuckled, kissing his cheek, continuing to cling onto him under the water.
"Say cheese for mommy." Thea smiled, crouching down and taking a picture of James and Sofia later that night as they stood over by the beach across from the restaurant they were eating at.
"Cheese!" Three-year-old Sofia shouted whilst James smiled beside.
"My perfect babies." Thea smiled to herself as she looked at the picture.
"Do you want a picture of my fat ass?" Jude came up behind Thea whilst the kids ran back across to the restaurant.
"Sure." Thea nodded as Jude stood over, posing dramatically for the picture which Thea took, "Nice." She smiled.
"I think I might have a day by the pool tomorrow." Jude admitted, placing her hand on her stomach as Thea smiled a little.
"Yeah?" Thea asked.
"I'm exhausted and we barely walked much. I came back to the hotel and napped longer than Mirren." Jude laughed a little.
"Well it's really hot here and you're six months pregnant. You should be chilling out and relaxing. Mirren will have so much fun in the pool." Thea said as Jude nodded.
"Yeah, I think so." Jude smiled, "It's nice being here… all of us."
"Yeah, it is. I'll be honest, I was a little unsure about it but it's nice." Thea nodded, "Theo really fits in, don't you think?" She turned around, looking over at their table.
"Yeah, he does." Jude agreed, "It's weird… she's really grown up, huh?" She nodded, watching Cassie who had Chase on her knee, letting him try some ice-cream as her and Theo chuckled at the faces he was making.
"Yeah, I know. It's wild." Thea smiled.
"I'll apologise to everyone in advance tonight for having to witness me in a bikini tomorrow then." Jude nodded, "Cause this a big baby I'm growing in here." She said as Thea chuckled, placing her hand on Jude's bump.
"It's alright. We all look terrible next to Cassie in her bikini. I swear she's literally got abs. Who has abs ten months after having a baby?" She shook her head.
"I'm pretty sure there's pictures of us when we were little at the beach and mom has abs." Jude nodded, "She says she just goes to yoga but I don't believe her. I think she's going to like… circuit, combat training and not telling us." Jude nodded as Thea chuckled.
"Probably." Thea nodded.
"Ok, diapers diapers diapers…" Theo mumbled to himself, holding the list out which Cassie had written for him at the store. They had both forgotten how much a newborn needed and were still taking a few days to get used to their new life as a family of four.
"Diapers." Theo nodded, finding the aisle he was looking for, making his way down and tossing the diapers into the shopping cart which also had formula in it so far.
"Theo Sanchez." He heard a voice from behind him, turning around and looking across at the woman standing in front of him holding a shopping basket by her side, smiling with amusement. He had no idea who she was.
"Uh… hi?" Theo shook his head.
"You don't recognise me, do you?" The woman smiled as Theo looked at her, hard.
"N-No… I'm sorry." Theo said.
"Emily." Emily smiled, "D'amore." She added as he raised his eyebrows.
"Oh." Theo realised, "Oh, hey." He nodded to her as she smiled.
"It's been a long time." Emily smiled, "How have you been?"
"I'm good." Theo nodded, "You?"
"Yeah I'm alright." Emily nodded, "I uh… I heard about the shooting you were involved in. I wanted to reach out but I had no contact for you. And I couldn't fetch it from anyone we went to school with." She said.
"I'm doing ok." Theo nodded briefly as she smiled, glancing at his shopping cart.
"New baby?" She smiled as Theo looked at the shopping cart.
"Oh, yeah." Theo nodded, "Yeah. Baby girl."
"Congratulations." Emily smiled, "You've definitely grew up." She nodded as he chuckled a little.
"From high school? I hope so." Theo nodded.
"No, I just mean… well… you broke up with me because you weren't interested in… getting diapers from a store at 1am." Emily nodded as he looked across at her.
"I wasn't back then." Theo nodded, "I just wanted to be a cop." He said awkwardly as she nodded.
"Yeah, I know." Emily said, "Looks like you got it all now." She said as Theo just smiled awkwardly and nodded.
"I should get going." Theo nodded.
"You married that Brooks girl… that got kidnapped when she was a kid." Emily said before Theo got a chance to walk away, turning back to her with confusion.
"Yeah." Theo said, "You know her?" He shook his head.
"No. Not at all." Emily said, "I just remember reading about it at the time. You don't?" She questioned, "I only remember it because we had just broken up. I remember thinking… well at least I'm not that girl." She laughed a little as Theo looked at her.
"I should really get going." Theo nodded to her.
"It was nice to see you." Emily said as he just nodded and walked off, turning into the next aisle before pausing for a moment.
"Have you packed, Theo?" Jillian walked into her nineteen-year-old son's room.
"No." Theo shook his head.
"Why?" Jillian questioned.
"Cause I'm not going. I told you." Theo said.
"Because Matteo isn't going?" Jillian folded her arms.
"Matthew…" Theo emphasised, "Has nothing to do with it."
"Look, I know that you've just broken up with that girlfriend of yours-"
"Nothing to do with that either." Theo made clear.
"So what? You always go see your father." Jillian said, "You love going to see your friends over there-"
"Last time I saw him he said he doesn't want me being a cop. Actually, he said he doesn't want me to be one of them." Theo sat up, "So fuck him, I'm not going."
"Hey." Jillian said, "Language."
"I don't care what he thinks. I'm going to the academy after Summer." Theo said as Jillian nodded.
"Of course you are." Jillian agreed, "Don't listen to him, sweetie. He's never known how to communicate properly with you boys." She said.
"He thinks because I'm not white that it's a lost cause." Theo nodded, "Well he's wrong."
"You can do anything you want, baby. I know you can." Jillian nodded, "And I'm so proud of you already." She smiled.
"I ain't done anything yet." Theo rolled his eyes.
"Well I know you're going to do amazing things." Jillian smiled, "I'm sorry about Emma." She nodded.
"It was Emily." Theo nodded.
"Right." Jillian said, "How come you broke it off? For good reason I hope." She said sternly.
"She was great and I… I did like her." Theo said, "I just wanna focus on being a cop. She was already planning out our whole lives together. Talking about living together." He said fearfully, "When we should have kids." He said with even more fear, "I don't even know if I want that. I know I don't right now."
"So you were honest with her." Jillian nodded, "That's fair."
"I just want to put everything into the academy." He said as Jillian nodded.
"Someone sweeter will come along." Jillian smiled, "So sweet that all you'll wanna focus on is them."
"Yeah, alright." Theo rolled his eyes, standing up, "Don't make me sick." He scoffed as she chuckled, pushing him out the door as they headed downstairs.
"Matty are you in here?" Jillian asked, walking into the living room.
"Yeah." Matthew nodded, watching TV, "Look some fifteen-year-old kid was kidnapped and held at gunpoint in the junkyard." He pointed.
"Oh, turn it over." Theo rolled his eyes, switching the TV channel to hockey before sitting down on the couch.
"Hey." Theo called, getting home from the store, walking through to the kitchen where Cassie was sitting feeding Lena.
"Shh." She said quietly, "She's finally taking her bottle." She nodded thankfully.
"She was fussing the whole time I was gone? She must have missed me." Theo nodded as Cassie smiled.
"Of course she did." Cassie said, "Did you get everything?" She asked quietly whilst sitting at their kitchen table, cradling Lena in her arms as she took her bottle.
"Everything." Theo nodded, looking through the bags, "Everything and more." He pulled out a chocolate filled powdered pastry, showing her as she bit her lip.
"You're a tease." She said as he smiled.
"I know." He nodded, "Hey, I bumped into Emily at the store." He said, unpacking the grocery bags.
"Emily?" Cassie questioned.
"You know… my ex." Theo said awkwardly as Cassie looked up right away and looked at him, "Dated her in high school for a couple years. My only ex-"
"Yeah, I remember you mentioning her." Cassie nodded, "You bumped into her?"
"Well she bumped into me. I didn't recognise her to be honest." He admitted, "Said she wanted to reach out when she heard about the shooting but she couldn't get a contact number for me." He shrugged as Cassie just nodded.
"She goes to the store at 1am?" Cassie shook her head suspiciously.
"Well yeah I was curious about that too but she wanted to be a nurse. When we dated anyway." He added, "Maybe she was on night shift or something. Hey maybe Thea knows her. She could work in the hospital."
"What else was she saying?" Cassie asked.
"Nothing really." He said, "Well actually she… mentioned you." He nodded, leaning against the counter and folding his arms, "She knew I'd married you. You married that Brooks girl who was kidnapped as a kid." He said, "That's what she said." He nodded, "Had no idea what to say to her."
"It's like I'm famous." Cassie joked.
"Well she said she remembered reading about it when we broke up. Then she asked me if I remembered it." He said.
"Do you?" She questioned.
"No, honestly. I don't." He said truthfully, "It was kinda weird seeing her again."
"I bet." Cassie nodded briefly as he smiled across at her.
"You mad?" He noticed.
"Mad?" Cassie smiled, "About what?"
"You seem mad." Theo said.
"About a girlfriend you had in high school for a couple years?" She asked.
"You are. You're mad I bumped into her." He pointed, amused.
"No I'm not." She chuckled, "But I am going to schedule an unexpected conversation with an ex of mine very soon, though. And then tell you about it." She teased.
"You don't have any exes." Theo smiled happily as she rolled her eyes, "She was literally just saying hi. And she congratulated me on the baby. She saw the diapers and stuff in the cart." He said.
"Why did you break up with her anyway?" Cassie asked.
"Cause she was ten years ahead of me before I was. She had plans that I didn't. I just wanted to focus everything on becoming a cop. It wasn't fair to keep her in my life without really having any place for her in it." He shrugged, "I knew that when I fell in love for real, then it would have to mean whoever that person was became so important to me that nothing else could possibly come before them. Being a cop came before Emily." Theo shrugged.
"Where am I?" She asked naively with small pout as he smiled, amused that she even had to ask.
"You are the most important thing that will ever be in my life. I don't care about anything else as long as I got you and our kids." He nodded.
"That Brooks girl that got kidnapped when she was a kid?" Cassie questioned.
"That very one." He nodded as she smiled.
"Come feed that pastry to me." She nodded.
"Yes ma'am." He said.
