Reason To Believe

"Your husband tells me you want to speak with me." Karen said.

"Uh… yeah, well he kinda sprung it upon me tonight but… I did want to go over something with you." Cassie nodded.

"Take a seat." Karen encouraged as Cassie nodded.

She was a very high ranked detective. She worked on the high profile cases, which of course was intimidating for Cassie. She knew what great things she had done, and she knew how much she was respected in the police station. Sitting down to question her about missing something on a case was a pretty nervous experience.

"You're not busy right now or anything?" Cassie asked, sitting down.

"No, I'm fine. I assume you've just come from a party?" Karen smiled a little.

"Yeah, my parents." Cassie nodded.

"How are they? How is Jude?" Karen asked. There were certain cases she'd never forget in her career. Jude's was one of them.

"She's good. She's been in Chicago for the week. She fly's back out on Monday." Cassie said as Karen nodded, "I actually wanted to talk to you about her." Cassie nodded.

"Ok, shoot." Karen nodded.

"Obviously when she was… raped, there was never a confession or an interview with Jackson. We all knew he did it but… there wasn't that piece of evidence to know what happened. Only he could really tell us, right?" Cassie asked.

"Right." Karen nodded, "That's why it was so damn frustrating. But… having a little sister myself, I don't blame Thea for what she did. Neither did a judge." Karen said as Cassie nodded.

"So you only went by what Jude could remember?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah." Karen said, "Once we told her it was him, because he confessed to Thea, that was like a trigger for her to remember little bits. It'll probably never come back in full, which is a blessing in disguise really, but I sealed off on the things she could remember, which wasn't much but it was something." She nodded.

"The photographs." Cassie said as Karen looked at her.

"Don't get me started on what happened with those." Karen shook her head, "I gave my precinct hell the day I found out about Mark sending them to her. I mean… really?"

"I know." Cassie nodded, "I haven't seen them and I don't… I don't ever want to but you obviously did. Was the pictures just of her or…"

"Most of them, yes." Karen nodded, "There was a few where Jackson's leg was in frame at the bottom." She said.

"Ok." Cassie said, "Was the house fully searched-"

"Cassie." Karen looked across at her, "You may as well ask me if I did my job right." She said, a little unimpressed.

"No… no, I don't mean it like that. Not at all." Cassie made clear as Karen nodded, "Trust me, me and my family are extremely grateful to you for what you done for Jude, for me, for… my whole family." She said as Karen nodded.

"But?" Karen looked at her, waiting on the but.

"But… I have reason to believe that it wasn't just Jackson." Cassie looked at her.

"Well now would be the part where I ask you what the reason is?" Karen nodded.

"I hate this part." AJ groaned unhappily, coming into the kitchen with a trash bag, dumping it down by the door to take out with the rest of the garbage. Clearing up after the party was always the hardest part.

"You know it's always better to do it now than in the morning." Punk said, clearing up the kitchen, washing punch bowls and clearing leftover food.

"Yeah I know." AJ said, "Did you have fun?" She smiled, creeping up behind him, wrapping her arms around him as he chuckled a little.

"You ask me that like I'm seven." Punk chuckled, lifting his arm and turning into her arms, "Yes, I had fun." He smiled.

"That's good." AJ smiled, "And we're gonna be grandparents again." She reminded him, like she had been reminding everyone all night, "I told you she was pregnant."

"You did." Punk nodded, "I'm super happy for them. Some good news is always welcomed."

"Hell yeah it is." AJ nodded, "So I had some odd conversations tonight." She told him, pushing herself up and sitting on the kitchen counter beside the sink whilst he continued to wash dishes.

"With who?" Punk asked.

"Renee and Dean." AJ said, "You know they're super worried about Chrissy." She told him.

"Why?" Punk shook his head. It was new information to him.

"Apparently she's going off the radar all the time. Not answering calls or texts. Not dropping by to see them." AJ said.

"Maybe she's just busy." Punk shrugged.

"No, I think it's more than that." AJ said, "Plus, Thea saw her at the hospital last week. Apparently she'd fell, cut her head open. She asked Thea not to say anything to Renee or Dean." AJ shook her head, "She didn't come see you on your birthday. She didn't come tonight."

"Maybe she just doesn't like us." Punk shrugged as AJ rolled her eyes.

"Phil." She shoved him as he looked at her.

"What?" Punk said.

"Dean seemed really worried when I spoke to him. And we know Chrissy, she's not like that. Not usually. Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I actually saw her." She shook her head, "I told Dean he needs to go be blunt with her and ask her what's wrong."

"The normal average person being blunt and Dean being blunt is two completely different things." Punk shook his head.

"Well someone has to speak to her." AJ said as Punk nodded.

"She could just be busy with work. Sometimes we don't see Cassie or Thea for a little while." Punk shrugged.

"I don't think she's went AWOL for just a little while." AJ said, "Plus, why was she being weird with Thea at the hospital?"

"I don't know." Punk said, "I'm sure Dean and Renee will talk to her. It could be many things. Most likely not our business." He nodded to her.

"She's our niece." AJ scoffed, "I just… I think it's out of character for her. Thea told me she was suspicious about it too."

"Well let's not use the word suspicious. Sounds like we're thinking she's murdering people on the down low." Punk shook his head, "Dean and Renee can handle it, and we can be on stand by for any help they need, with whatever is going on." Punk assured her.

"Yeah, well they know that. All the times they've been there for us, I just want to make sure they know we're there for them." AJ said.

"Of course they know." Punk said, "Ok, are you going to dry these dishes?" He asked her.

"I'm thinking… no." AJ nodded as he laughed a little.

"I'm thinking… yes." Punk said, handing her the kitchen towel as she took it from him, using it to wrap it around his neck, pulling him to her lips, kissing him passionately before pulling back and smiling.

"I'm thinking… no." AJ whispered with a smile as he nodded.

"Ok." He smiled, pressing his lips back against hers, placing his hands on her waist, kissing down her neck as she rolled her head back, hitting the cupboard door, panting breathlessly as he ripped her shirt open, undoing her pants eagerly as she smirked.

In return she undone his pants, pushing them down with his boxers, stroking his length with her hand as he kissed her neck again, pulling at her underwear as she lifted her hips slightly to let him pull her panties down.

He scooted her towards him as she sat on the kitchen counter, feeling him stroke her before guiding his length inside her.

"Fuck." AJ moaned, leaning her head back on the top cupboard behind her, feeling him begin to thrust up into her, his hands round at the small of her back to keep her steady, but every time he thrust into her, she banged back into the cupboard behind her, not that she really cared.

"Fuck, you feel so good." Punk moaned, leaning his forehead on her shoulder, pushing her bra down below her breasts which he took into his mouth, continuing to thrust into her whilst putting his mouth to use.

"Oh my God." AJ moaned at the blissful feeling, "Fuck, baby." She whispered, running her hands through his hair as he lifted his head from her breasts, picking her up, turning around and putting her onto the kitchen table as she lay on her back whilst he continued to thrust into her.

"Fuck, you look so hot." Punk moaned. Her shirt was still on but ripped open, bra now under her breasts whilst her panties were down past her knees.

"Don't stop." AJ moaned out as he continued thrusting inside her, leaning over her body and kissing her passionately as she kissed back with hands on his face.

"It's always good to take make-up off at the end of the day." Jude said happily, standing in the hotel bathroom taking her make-up off whilst Sean came in.

"You definitely had costume of the night." Sean nodded.

"You think?" Jude smiled.

"Yeah, definitely." Sean chuckled, "But you do realise she'll get you back for it at some point." He said as Jude nodded.

"Oh, I know." Jude nodded, putting some make-up wipes in the trash, "She was acting kinda weird."

"Cassie?" Sean asked.

"Yeah. Seemed like something was on her mind. And she was asking me all about my attack." Jude said, looking at him, "It was weird."

"Like what?" Sean questioned curiously.

"Just… if I remembered anything, how it felt to not have anyone imprisoned for it, I guess." Jude shrugged, "I mean I know she was young at the time but she knows the details. She's just been weird with me this whole week." She shook her head.

"So talk to her. No use telling me about it." Sean shrugged, "Ask her if something is wrong."

"Oh, when you ask Cassie if something is wrong, you find out about a month or two later." Jude said, "She takes her time."

"Well you have a way of getting things out of people, don't you?" Sean smiled.

"I was gonna try and see her again before we leave at least." Jude nodded, "See if I can pick her brain a little more." She said as Sean nodded.

"Maybe it's nothing. Maybe she was just… asking you some things she wanted to know." Sean thought.

"Maybe, and I have no issue with that. But I know my sister. I know when something is up." Jude shook her head as Sean nodded. He believed that.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys. Good and bad lol! I think there's some issues with the fanfiction site at the minute when trying to access new chapters. It might take a couple days to resolve itself. Hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween.