Cracks

"So I got a call from Cassie last night when I was leaving the office." AJ said, walking through the apple field with her husband, James and Sofia ahead of them. They'd found a spot where they could go apple picking and thought it was a good way to spend a day off with their grandkids.

"Saying what?" Punk asked her as she folded her arms, walking at steady pace.

"That they were having a nightmare weekend basically." AJ said, "Not that I know their business in that respect, but from what I gather, Theo doesn't get along with his dad." She nodded.

"So they decided to go spend the weekend with him?" Punk questioned.

"Again, from what I gather, I think Theo doesn't really confront it, maybe-"

"From what you gather?" Punk turned to her, "Or from what Cassie tells you?"

"She doesn't tell me a lot. You know what she's like. Leaves you guessing everything." AJ rolled her eyes, "I do know she doesn't like his father, though."

"We've never even met him." Punk scoffed.

"Not missing much, from what I-"

"Gather." Punk finished, nodding to her with a smile as she shoved him.

"Idiot." AJ shook her head with a smile, "They were spending the whole day with him today at a beach house they'd rented. I just hope Cassie stays calm. That girl either says nothing or everything." She said nervously.

"I think this is more Theo's lane, don't you?" Punk asked.

"Well yeah but I'm sure she's there to support him." AJ nodded, "I know she will. I just hope their mature about it."

"Well, they're not teenagers, April." Punk scoffed.

"I know that." AJ batted, "Pick me some apples."

"The munchkins are doing all the work." Punk nodded, looking on at Sofia and James who both had a basket each and were putting apples in.

"I took the girls here, maybe about a year after you'd gone to prison. Cassie was just a baby in her stroller." AJ remembered.

"I remember you telling me, actually." Punk thought to himself, "When you came to visit."

"I'm just a sucker for fall themed activities." AJ nodded.

"Yeah, me too." Punk agreed, "We could go home and make an apple pie with all of these." He nodded.

"Or we could send them to Renee and she could bake us a pie and send it to us." AJ smirked as Punk chuckled.

"If she bakes a pie you can bet she'll be the one eating it." Punk nodded.

"How's the divorce going? Do you know?" AJ asked him.

"I ask Dean at work but he's just been telling me it's going ok. He's still not seen Brandon-"

"I think we should all make a collective effort to make sure he never ends up in a room with that man. For everyone's sake." AJ nodded seriously.

"Yeah, he knows it's not gonna happen." Punk nodded, "Renee will have straightened him out. Chrissy has still been staying with Sarah-"

"When is the baby due?" AJ asked.

"Three weeks I think Dean said." Punk said as AJ smiled.

"Oh, everyone loves a Christmas baby." AJ smiled.

"Papa!" Sofia called.

"What's wrong?" Punk asked, walking towards Sofia who had stopped in her tracks, pointing up at one of the apples.

"I want that one but I can't reach." Sofia frowned.

"Ok, no problem." Punk nodded, lifting her up over his head and sitting her on his shoulders as she giggled, "How about now?" He asked her.

"I can reach!" Sofia exclaimed, picking the apple she desired as Punk smiled, "Look it's so red." She smiled happily.

"Good job, baby." AJ smiled, "How many do you have, James?" She asked her grandson.

"Uh… I don't know. A lot." James smiled, showing her as AJ smiled.

"You guys think we have enough to bake a pie? I think your mom would love that." AJ nodded.

"Yeah, let's bake a pie for mommy!" Sofia said excitedly.

"There you are." Raul walked into the kitchen area in the beach house where Cassie was pouring herself a stiff drink, "You a whiskey girl?"

"Sometimes." Cassie nodded.

"Here I was thinking you and Kelise would take advantage of the cocktails." Raul chuckled.

"This is a cocktail." Cassie said, circling the drink around in the glass before taking a sip, "This is a nice thing to have in your life. If things get too much you can just come to the old beach house."

"Better than Chicago, huh?" Raul nodded to her, opening up a bottle of beer.

"Well…" Cassie smiled to herself, "I don't know about that."

"Hey, we're all proud of where we're from. Nothing wrong with that." Raul smiled as Cassie nodded, "I can tell he's really fond of you."

"Who? My husband?" Cassie asked, amused slightly, "Glad you think so."

"How many years have you been married now?" Raul questioned.

"Two." Cassie nodded as Raul smiled.

"Well he's done well for himself. Beautiful wife, the career, house, all of it." Raul nodded.

"Have you… told him that?" Cassie asked. She got the impression he wasn't an affectionate man. She knew he wasn't.

"Oh, he knows." Raul waved his hand as Cassie looked out the door, smiling as she watched Theo playing with Chase on the beach, "So, tell me about yourself. It's a damn pity you and I haven't got to chat before."

"Pity? I say it's a little embarrassing." Cassie shrugged, sipping on her drink as Raul looked across at her, smiling her comment off and nodding.

"Obviously I know you're a cop." Raul said, "Is that how you met Theo?"

"Yeah, he was my supervisor actually." Cassie nodded.

"What about your family?" Raul asked.

"Uh… two sisters. Older. I'm the baby." Cassie nodded, "A great mom and dad. Just… your average family, I guess." She nodded, chuckling to herself as she said it. They were anything but average.

"I wish you both didn't have to live so far away." Raul nodded, "We could have weekends like this all the time."

"Yeah, it's a shame telephone's don't work anymore." Cassie nodded as Raul looked at her, "And, I guess if you were really desperate to see your actual son and his family, you could come see us." Cassie shrugged calmly.

"Well, you know what it's like with flights and with work-"

"Yeah, I get it." Cassie nodded bluntly, "It's a real damn shame cause you have an amazing son. Two amazing sons. And you don't give a damn about either of them."

"Excuse me?" Raul looked at her unhappily.

"It's true. Or, you do care about them and you're just a very selfish individual." Cassie nodded, "It's all the same."

"Any issues I ever have with my sons is between myself and them." Raul looked at her sternly as Cassie looked back with just the same, if not even more wicked look.

"Hey, is there any more juice boxes for Chase?" Theo walked into the kitchen area into the awkward silence.

"I'll take it to him." Cassie nodded, opening up the fridge and taking out the juice box, leaving the kitchen as Theo stood watching, turning to his father who looked angry.

"If you have a problem with me you damn well better come to me about it. Like a man. Instead of sending your wife." Raul looked over at Theo sternly, walking by him and out of the kitchen as Theo sighed to himself.

"Did you sleep on the couch last night?" Jude asked, walking into the kitchen after coming back from her run, looking over where Sean was sitting at the kitchen table doing some work.

"Yeah." Sean said briefly.

"Why?" Jude rolled her eyes, "You know that bothers me." She mumbled, switching the coffee pot on.

"A lot of things bother you." Sean nodded as Jude turned to him, "I figured you'd wanna cool off."

"We've had worse fights. You didn't have to sleep on the couch." Jude made clear as Sean just nodded.

"How was your run?" He asked.

"It was fine." Jude nodded, sensing he was just asking to make conversation. She knew things were still tense from their fight, "There's no need for us to be fighting over flowers." She folded her arms, looking over at him.

"He shouldn't have sent them." Sean said.

"Well he did. So you need to get over it. He's acknowledging that what he did was wrong. Isn't that what part of being a police officer is about? Helping people recognise their right from wrong?"

"No, I deal with people who make a wrong decision and I make sure they go to prison. Like your sister should have done-"

"She didn't have a choice. Don't you dare." Jude warned, "It was either him getting out or my mom dying." She reminded him, "I know you just want to protect me and keep me safe, and that's all fine, I love that about you, but I want to believe that people can be better, don't you?"

"People like that can't get better-"

"Like what? Drug dealers?" Jude raised a brow.

"You think what's bothering me is that he was a drug dealer?" Sean questioned, "What bothers me is he used the worst experience in your life, and exposed you to it in… the worst way possible. My problem is you being used as bait whenever your family have a problem."

"I'm not used as bait." Jude sighed, "I'm just… an easy target-"

"It's basically the same thing." Sean said, "Some people just don't deserve forgiveness."

"Ok, so you don't have to forgive him." Jude shrugged, "I didn't even say that I forgave him, but I would like to at some point in my life. I don't wanna be bitter, Sean."

"It's not being bitter." Sean said.

"It feels like it to me." Jude nodded, "I see those photographs sometimes when I close my eyes. I wish I never saw them. And I hate him for sending me them. But he also came forward and made a difference. I'd like to acknowledge that so I can move forward with this. Otherwise I'm gonna be stuck going round in circles." She said as he looked over at her.

"I guess we can just… agree to disagree then." Sean shrugged.

"It's nothing you have to concern yourself with." Jude shook her head.

"You're my wife." Sean looked at her, "Anyone that hurts you, is hurting me. So yeah, it does concern me."

"Well I'm thinking about writing back to him." Jude nodded as Sean shook his head, "Not to thank him or forgive him, but to let him know that what he did by coming forward, how much of a difference that made to me."

"Well you're gonna do whatever you want anyway." Sean shrugged.

"Yeah, I am. It'd be nice if you supported it." Jude nodded.

"Supported it?" Sean stood up, "Support?"

"Yes, just support me." Jude nodded.

"I do!" Sean yelled, "It's all I ever do. I support you when you go to therapy three times a week to talk about things you feel you can't talk to me about. I support all the overtime you do with your charity work. I support the fact you made a painting out of the dress you were wearing when you were attacked, which now hangs in our guest bedroom, staring at me every time I walk in." He said.

"Calm down." Jude warned. She wasn't used to seeing him angry like this. It scared her.

"Don't tell me I don't support you." Sean shook his head.

"I never said that." Jude assured him quietly, "Don't yell at me like that. And don't act like all those things are chores to you, because if that's what they are then… you shouldn't even bother." She shook her head, "If that's all I am-"

"Oh, don't even…" Sean scoffed.

"It does make me wonder, you know. Why you stayed." Jude nodded.

"What?" Sean screwed his face up.

"Did you feel trapped? What would people think if you broke up with the girl who was just raped?" Jude shook her head, "You only knew me for a few months."

"You're insane for even thinking that." Sean shook his head.

"Well… let's face it, would have been easier for you to walk away." Jude shrugged as Sean shook his head.

"Always the self-pity." He shook his head as Jude glared at him.

"You're such an ass." Jude shook her head angrily, "Such an ass." She spat, pushing by him and leaving the kitchen in a storm.