Forgiveness

"Alright, Jude. You can do this." Jude nodded to herself, walking towards the door of a house. She raised her fist to knock, pulling it back for a second and putting her hands on her hips, taking a deep breath, "Oh, just do it." Jude shook her head, knocking on the door quickly and taking a step back, ringing out her hands nervously as she balanced on one foot to the other.

She watched the door open, looking over at Mark standing, very much surprised to see her.

"Jude." Mark shook his head with confusion.

"Hi." Jude nodded to him, placing her hands by her side, "Do you… have a minute?"

"Yeah." Mark nodded, "Yeah, sure." He said, stepping to the side and letting her in as she walked into the house hesitantly.

"I don't mean to… show up like this." Jude nodded, making her way into the living room as he followed.

"You here seeing your family or something?" Mark asked her.

"Yeah, something like that." Jude said, looking across at him, "I got your flowers." She said as he looked down at the ground, putting his hands in his pockets.

"It's not enough but… I never really got to tell you that I was sorry so…" He nodded to her.

"Thank you." Jude nodded as he looked across at her, not saying anything as silence filled the air for a moment, "After what happened to me, I… I kinda had to accept the fact I wouldn't ever get the truth. And that was always the hardest part for me." She said, "I'm not saying it was easy to be told that I wasn't just attacked by one person, but it meant that I got the truth, and I got some form of justice." She said, "And I'm very aware that if you never came forward, if you never told Cassie about what you overheard, I may never have gotten that truth." She said.

"It was eating away at me. I couldn't not say anything." Mark shook his head, "And I think I owed you after what I did. Those photographs-"

"Yeah." Jude nodded to him, "I didn't come here to forgive you, cause I don't think I'm quite there yet, but I just want you to know that you did the right thing, and it meant a whole lot to me. A whole lot." She said as Mark nodded, "So thank you for that."

"You… don't have to thank me." Mark shook his head, "I did what anyone would do-"

"Well… I still want you to know how much it meant to me." Jude nodded, "It makes a huge difference knowing someone got sentenced for what they did to me."

"It's what he deserves." Mark agreed, "I've… I've made a lot of mistakes these past few years. I've got caught up in my own head. I've got caught up in money. But I never wanted to hurt anyone. I don't ever expect forgiveness for sending you those photographs, I just want you to know that… if I could go back, I would never have done it. I was so screwed up." He shook his head as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, you'd have to be to do something like that." Jude agreed, "A lot of people will disagree with me coming here and thanking you. Because you probably don't deserve anything from me, but I think it's important for someone to acknowledge what you did." She nodded, "And how much it helps me moving forward." He nodded.

"I appreciate you coming here." Mark nodded, "And I'm sorry for everything." He said as Jude nodded, looking across at him with nothing else to say.

"I'll see myself out." Jude said as he nodded, watching as she took off.

"Caught." Dominic smiled, walking into the kitchen where he found his wife sitting at the table eating some sort of fast food, "You woke me up at 3am last night to tell me you were being healthy from now on."

"This kid is trying to give me a heart attack." Thea rolled her eyes, "I've never had cravings like this before. I'm just hungry all the time." She shook her head.

"Well, you're working hard at the hospital. I say, eat what you want." Dominic waved his hand.

"No, I really gotta stop it." Thea scoffed, "How was work?" She asked him, "I didn't think you'd be home this early."

"Got to the house to fit the bathroom and half the delivery was missing." Dominic shook his head, taking a bottle of water from the fridge, "Waste of a day."

"Where'd she get the bathroom from?" Thea rolled her eyes, "This happened a couple weeks ago too-"

"Oh, it always happens." Dominic shook his head, "So I can go pick up the kids from school if you wanna go chill out. I know you were awake early this morning."

"Surprisingly I don't feel too tired." Thea nodded to herself.

"Just hungry?" Dominic smiled.

"Yeah." Thea shook her head, "Jude's in town. I was with her for most the afternoon at my parents' house." She told him.

"What is she doing here?" Dominic asked her.

"She had a fight with Sean." Thea said, leaning back on the chair.

"And she came all the way here? Must have been a bad fight." Dominic raised his eyebrows.

"They'll talk it through. I just think everything leading up to court is catching up to them. Mark sent her flowers and she said she wanted to forgive him. That sparked the argument." Thea told him.

"Forgive him?" Dominic shook his head.

"Yeah. Everyone seems to be surprised about her saying that but I'm not." Thea shrugged, "It's just… it's who she is."

"Well… yeah, you can be a forgiving person but for the right things." Dominic said.

"I think she is grateful that Mark came forward and brought up what he heard Vincent saying. If he didn't do that, he'd be walking free and she wouldn't have gotten the full truth about that night." Thea said, "So I can see why she's grateful-"

"Please. He did the bare minimum. Any normal person would do it." Dominic shook his head.

"Still doesn't minimise how grateful she is for it." Thea nodded to him, "Of course I don't think anyone deserves anything from her, especially people who have hurt her like that, but it's how she feels and Sean should know better than to suppress her feelings." She said.

"I'm sure it wasn't intentional." Dominic nodded.

"Yeah I know. I think he got heated about it though. Next time I see him he'll get one of these." Thea raised her fist as Dominic rolled his eyes, "What? Like I wouldn't do it."

"I think your sister can handle it." Dominic scoffed as Thea folded her arms unhappily, "You heard from the little one?"

"No, not since yesterday. I don't envy her." Thea shook her head, "Apparently Theo's dad is a real piece of work."

"Yeah and Cassie has no patience. Not a good combo." Dominic shook his head, sitting down across from her at the table.

"I do… wish I got to meet your parents." Thea nodded to him.

"I wish I got to meet them too." Dominic nodded.

"What?" Thea shook her head.

"Please… I didn't know them." Dominic shook his head, "Do you remember anything from when you were four?" He asked her as he looked across at him.

"Well… no but… they're still your parents." Thea said as Dominic nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Dominic nodded to her, "From what I know of them, what I'm told, I'm sure they would have loved you." He said as she smiled.

"What's not to love?" Thea teased with a smile.

"My thoughts exactly." Dominic nodded to her, "How's therapy been going?"

"Oh, you know…" Thea shrugged, "Fine, I guess."

"Does it feel any different? Being pregnant with the diagnosis rather than before when you didn't know?" He asked curiously.

"Not really. I guess I'm a little kinder to myself and how I'm feeling." Thea nodded, "If I was having a bad day before I'd have this internal conversation with myself like… just get on with it, stop being dramatic, you're just tired…" Thea said, "I just… take a little more time for myself now. Feels selfish but-"

"It's not selfish." Dominic assured her.

I've actually been thinking about going to visit Tyler." Thea said, "A while back he bumped into me at the store and mentioned to me about volunteering at the meetings." She nodded, "At first I thought… absolutely not. Why would I wanna do that? But I've been thinking about it." She nodded.

"Hey, those meetings weren't the worst thing. It's how we met." He reminded her as she nodded.

"If our children have my sense of humour they will really use that against us in the future. I'm praying for it." Thea nodded as Dominic chuckled.

"You wanna volunteer?" He asked her.

"I think so. I see how much it helps Jude to surround herself by people who struggle just like her. And to be there, even if it's just to listen." Thea said, "It's worth a shot."

"I'll do it with you." Dominic nodded.

"No, you don't have to." Thea scoffed.

"No, I want to." Dominic nodded to her, "I think it's a good idea."

"Maybe I'm just trying to seek out the assurance that I'm doing ok. Being there might help me feel like I've actually come a long way." Thea nodded.

"You have come a long way, Thea." Dominic nodded to her as she looked at him, "The longest way."

"Well…" Thea shrugged modestly. She knew deep down, she really had come a long way this year, "I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"I won't. I actually think it's a great idea." He nodded as she smiled.

"Good. I don't like doing things on my own." She whispered as he smiled, nodding along.

"I know that." Dominic smiled, "Those meetings just remind me of watching you standing over at the catering, putting four different slices of cake on your plate." Dominic nodded, "Laughing whilst trying to introduce yourself. The place didn't feel so dull." He said as she smiled.

"Gosh, I felt like a child when I first started going to them." Thea shook her head, "I probably wouldn't have went back if it wasn't for you. You were very nice to look at." She nodded to him as he chuckled, "And… truthfully, one of the first friends I ever made without being terrified." She nodded to him as he smiled.

"Am I still your best friend?" Dominic asked.

"Oh, always." Thea nodded as he smiled.

"Sofia's mine." Dominic teased as Thea chuckled.

"Idiot." She laughed, "Go pick them up from school." She kicked his leg under the table as he chuckled, leaning over and kissing her sweetly.

"I'm going." He assured, leaving the kitchen as Thea smiled to herself, tucking back into her food.