Together
"This was Theo's favourite dinner as a little boy." Kelise smiled, remembering fondly as she made chicken and bean enchiladas with Cassie in the kitchen, "He'd always ask for extra cheese. On pretty much everything." She nodded.
"He still does." Cassie smiled, "This is a new recipe for me to try. I think Chase will like this." She said, helping to spoon the filling into the enchiladas.
"Things seem to be pretty calm out there." Kelise observed, looking out the window into the yard where Theo was sat with his father at the table.
"I guess you were privy to their relationship when Theo was younger." Cassie said, "Was it really that bad?" She asked.
"Well it wasn't good, put it that way." Kelise said, "They just could never get along. And I love my husband dearly, but he didn't… he didn't put effort into being a father once the boys moved to Chicago. It was like he gave up. When they came to stay with us, he barely knew them, and so that made him feel awkward around them, which ultimately kept him busy doing other things instead of spending time with them." She said.
"Does he blame Jillian?" Cassie wondered.
"He did at first. But I think now he realises that it was… it was on him to make the relationship work. And he never did." Kelise said, "It upsets me." She admitted, placing her hands on the kitchen counter as Cassie turned to her, noticing she was crying.
"Oh, please. Don't." Cassie sighed with concern, drying her hands and placing a hand on Kelise's shoulder.
"No, I'm fine." Kelise put her hand up, shaking her head, "I know he's proud of his sons. For some reason, he just can't articulate it properly. And now… with everything that's happening, everything that is going to happen… I don't want him to pass away with regrets. There's still time to try." She nodded to Cassie.
"There is." Cassie agreed, "And Theo wants to try. He doesn't want to part ways with him, for good, without at least trying to make it right. Even if it's not perfect. Even if they've lost so much time. There's still time now to try and make it right. Somehow." She said as Kelise nodded.
"You're a very kind woman." Kelise nodded as Cassie smiled, "You're both very in love." She smiled.
"Yeah." Cassie smiled.
"I only wish we could have gotten to know one another under better circumstances." She said.
"Yeah, me too." Cassie agreed.
"Mama." Chase walked into the kitchen as Cassie turned around, "Mama, daddy says can you come outside because Lena spit up."
"Tell daddy everything he needs to clean her up is in the diaper bag on the stroller." Cassie said as Chase nodded, leaving the kitchen as Kelise chuckled.
"If it's not right in front of Theo, then he simply can't find it." Cassie shook her head as Kelise chuckled.
"That's men." Kelise nodded, watching outside as Chase pointed to the diaper bag on the stroller, showing his father where the magic wipes were to clean Lena up.
"I think I need an assistant." Jude sighed unhappily, sitting at her laptop at the kitchen table stressfully scrolling through emails, "I can't respond to all of these and I'm getting them all mixed up. I'm really not good at technology." She said, speaking to herself more than her husband who was in the kitchen.
"I'll be your assistant." Sean walked over to her.
"Daddy, Mirren is hogging Mister Potato Head." Leela stormed into the kitchen.
"Well play with Misses Potato Head." Sean shrugged.
"I've lost her arms." Leela sighed, "And I wanna play with the Mister Potato Head. Mirren always has him. Santa brought them for me." She whined, holding onto Sean's leg and jumping up and down, "Please I want Mister Potato Head." Leela jumped up and down as Jude watched.
"Ok, here." Sean said, walking over to the kitchen, digging underneath to their vegetable basket, grabbing a potato out as Jude chuckled to herself, shaking her head.
"Daddy, that's a real potato. I'm not stupid." Leela put her hands on her hips.
"Draw some eyes and a nose on it and you got yourself another Mister Potato Head." Sean nodded as Leela looked at the potato curiously, "Go on, I know you want to." He held out the potato to her as Leela looked at it.
"Ok." Leela grinned, snatching the potato from him and running back into the living room to show her sister.
"Kids are weird, man." Sean looked over to Jude who laughed and nodded.
"Especially our kids." Jude agreed as he smiled.
"I hope you're not spreading yourself to thin now that you're a famous artist." He smiled, taking a seat next to her at the table.
"I'm trying not to but… I'm getting so much inquiries and I hate saying no to things. I'm such a people pleaser." She shook her head.
"You should do the stuff that excites you the most." Sean nodded, "You've got time to tick off all the boxes. Have you got like a bucket list for different projects you want to take on?" He asked her.
"Kinda." Jude nodded, "I'd just love to have something of mine shown at the institute. And I'd love to do more murals." She said.
"So focus all your energy onto that." Sean said.
"It is sort of overwhelming, actually." Jude said, "Seeing how people have responded. Someone made a blog about how I am everything that is wrong with the world today." She told him, "That I am forcing my opinions on people." She rolled her eyes, "Yet they have no problem forcing women like me to have unwanted pregnancies?" She shook her head.
"Well those jerks are in their minority." Sean shook his head.
"Are they?" Jude laughed a little, "You'd be surprised."
"Stop looking at the negatives. Stay away from the internet. You know it's a fucked up place." He said.
"It is. I'm terrified for when the girls grow up and have internet access." She shook her head.
"Nah, they won't care about that stuff. They'll wanna go hiking with their cool mom and go make pottery." He nodded as Jude turned to him.
"Ok, way to make me sound like the most boring mom ever." Jude scoffed.
"I'm not." He laughed a little, "You're the best mom. You're like a hippy mom." He nodded.
"Sure. Maybe I'll go on a hike with my girls and then we'll smoke some pot." Jude smiled.
"Hey, that sounds fun." Sean nodded as she shoved him and shook her head.
"Enough." She shook her head with a smile, "Thea sent me the blog, actually."
"The queen of negativity herself." Sean nodded.
"Hey." Jude looked at him unhappily.
"What? Hey, little sis look at all the mean stuff people are saying about you online?" Sean mimicked, "Why would she do that?"
"She just sent me it so we could laugh about it." Jude shrugged, "You know I haven't heard from Cassie in a while. I hope their trip is going well."
"It better be. I can't believe they asked for a month off." Sean shook his head.
"Boss man upset because his best workers aren't around?" She smiled.
"Yeah, he is." Sean agreed, "Your sister is a really great cop, you know." He told her.
"I know." Jude smiled cockily, "It's Cassie. She never half asses anything in her life."
"Ok. I am going to leave you to your emails and go grab us some food." He said, kissing her cheek.
"Take the girls with you." Jude suggested, "And their… potatoes." She shook her head as Sean chuckled.
"You guys got everything?" Dominic asked, walking into the living room where Thea was sat on the floor amongst the cushions and blankets with Sofia and Sam sitting with her.
They had an array of movie snacks in front of them. Popcorn, chips and dip, brownies and donuts. Enough to send them into a diabetic coma, as Thea had told Dominic earlier on.
"I think we need more food." Thea teased as Dominic smiled.
"You said we'd get pizza." Sam remembered.
"Really? You need pizza? When we have all this food?" Thea asked her as Sam nodded adamantly, "Alright, I'll order in." She laughed a little.
"So you guys are set?" Dominic asked.
"Yeah, no boys allowed." Sofia said, sitting next to Thea whilst Chance lay beside her.
"Ok ok." Dominic chuckled, "We're going."
"Hey, can I take a brownie?" James walked into the living room.
"No!" Sam yelled, standing up and guarding the food.
"Sam, let him take one." Thea chuckled.
"One." Sam said, stepping aside and watching James to make sure he took one and only one brownie.
"So what are you guys doing anyway?" James scoffed.
"We're having a girls night." Thea shrugged.
"What's included in a girls night?" James questioned.
"We can do each other's hair. I've got face masks for us. We can paint our nails." Thea smiled.
"Sounds like literal hell." James nodded.
"Don't worry, baby. I can paint your nails when you get back." Thea assured him as he rolled his eyes, leaving the living room as Thea cackled to herself.
"Alright, call if you need anything." Dominic said, leaning down and giving Thea an upside down kiss, "Have fun with all the… girl stuff." He nodded.
"Enjoy the game!" Thea called to them as they left to go to the hockey game.
"They're gone." Sam cheered.
"Ok, what should we do first?" Thea asked, "I'm thinking face masks."
"Yeah." Sofia needed.
"Alright." Thea smiled, sitting in front of them both with her legs in a basket, opening up the face masks and applying them onto their sweet little faces, "You know you guys… me and aunt Jude, and aunt Cassie used to do this all the time." She told them.
"Because your sisters?" Sam asked, keeping her eyes closed as Thea pressed the mask onto her face.
"Yeah, and we're best friends." Thea added.
"What do these masks actually do?" Sofia questioned.
"Well they make your skin feel better, I suppose." Thea nodded.
When Dominic had told her that he and James were going out for the night to the hockey game, she took it upon herself to arrange some fun with her girls. There had been a lot of change in their lives and a lot for them as a family to have gone through in the past months. She just wanted to make sure everyone was doing ok.
"Mommy, I'll put yours on." Sam insisted.
"Ok, here." Thea gave her the mask as Sam stood up, pressing it onto Thea's face.
"There." Sam smiled, sitting back down with Sofia, "Oh, no." Sam said suddenly.
"What?" Thea shook her head.
"Chance doesn't have one." Sam sighed seriously as Sofia giggled loudly at her sister's silliness, which only caused Thea to beam. Getting this time with her girls and getting to see them both smiling and laughing was just everything.
"He can't have one." Sofia nudged Sam who giggled.
"But why?" Sam asked.
"He's a dog, Sam." Sofia said.
"He has nails. So we can paint them?" Sam nodded to Thea.
"No, baby. Chance is having some rest just now." Thea nodded, looking at the dog lying beside Sofia, fast asleep.
"Oh, well ok." Sam shrugged, "Sofia, I will do your hair." She insisted, standing up behind her sister, grabbing a brush and gliding it through Sofia's dark hair.
Thea smiled as she watched them, feeling warm and fuzzy inside as she knew the great privileges of having sisters and how special that bond was. She only hoped they would be as close as her, Jude and Cassie. She had a gut feeling they would be.
"I will order that pizza." Thea said, standing up, slipping out from the living room, turning back and watching them giggling together, feeding each other chips whilst Sam did Sofia's hair.
