Where It Began

"God, I'm actually in pain." Jude moaned, sitting on her parent's sofa, head rolled back with her hand on her stomach, "I forgot how good it was." She admitted as Cassie smiled, sitting beside her.

"What changed your mind?" Cassie asked her curiously.

"I don't know, just one of those things that I kinda altered because of what happened… I'm just trying to regain all that stuff slowly." Jude nodded, "Feels a little different this year knowing what really happened."

"Yeah, I bet." Cassie nodded, "You shouldn't let it take anything away from you. Don't let it win."

"I try not to." Jude nodded to her, "You heard about the job yet?" She nudged her.

"No, nothing." Cassie shook her head, "I'm not getting my hopes up or anything. I'm still really young and they've probably gave it to someone with more experience."

"Don't doubt yourself." Jude told her, "You're more than capable of filling that role. I know I'm your sister but for what you did to make sure Vincent was found guilty… not any cop can do that. So Sean tells me." Jude said.

"Was I getting praise from Sean?" Cassie smiled, "He's not easy to impress."

"Believe me, I know." Jude scoffed, "He thinks you'll go places." She nodded as Cassie smiled.

"I'm just trying not to think about it too much. I don't wanna be overly disappointed if I don't get it. There's always the future." Cassie nodded to herself.

"Of course." Jude said, "You know we're all proud of you regardless. It was a super bold thing to do, sign up to be a cop when we don't have the most functioning family in that department." She said, "That takes a lot of guts."

"I did it for me." Cassie said, "I think being around so much of that stuff made me want to be on that side that helps. I've kind of been blessed with both perspectives."

"Makes for a damn good cop." Jude nodded to her.

"Ok, stop kissing my ass." Cassie nudged her as Jude chuckled.

"Oh, don't nudge me. I'm so stuffed." Jude groaned, looking up as Thea walked into the living room with some desert in a bowl.

"How are you still eating?" Cassie shook her head as Thea sat down in the middle of them on the sofa.

"What? You gotta have dessert after dinner." Thea shrugged.

"I don't even have the energy to lift a spoon to my mouth I don't think." Jude shook her head, It's so loud in there. Is Uncle Dean doing charades?"

"No, not yet." Thea shook her head. The three of them were glad to get out of the loud kitchen for a little while, just to enjoy a little quiet minute to themselves. It was a crazy day, especially with the kids.

"What do you think she's gonna be like?" Cassie asked, placing her hand on Thea's bump, "You or Dominic?"

"Well James is Dominic's mini me and Sofia is mine so it's all her decision." Thea nodded, "The thought of two Sofia's is… something." She thought to herself.

"No, they're gonna be best friends." Jude smiled, "Like us."

"Maybe." Thea nodded.

"You're definitely sure about the name?" Cassie asked her, "Sam?"

"Yeah." Thea nodded, looking at Cassie, "Look, I know you guys weren't particularly as close to her as I was. And from the outside, yeah she was crazy and obnoxious and selfish." Thea said, "But she was really there for me when I needed someone. And not because mom wasn't there… it was just different." Thea shrugged.

"We know. You don't have to explain." Jude shook her head.

"Oh, she's kicking actually." Thea felt as her sisters put their hands on her bump.

"She probably hears us talking about her." Cassie smiled.

"Or I'm not shoving this cake down quick enough for her." Thea chuckled to herself just as Cassie felt her phone vibrating in her pocket.

She took it out, noticing it was Jake calling and turning to her sisters, "It's Jake." Cassie said with surprise. She didn't think she'd hear anything about the job for another week at least.

"Answer it." Jude encouraged quickly.

"Shit." Cassie stood up, wandering over to the window and answering the call.

"She's got it." Thea nodded to herself quietly.

"How do you know?" Jude looked at her.

"I know my sisters." Thea smiled to her, "Proud of you for eating Christmas dinner." She nodded to her seriously.

"I'm proud of me too." Jude smiled, "And I'm also kicking myself for avoiding it for so many years when it tastes so good." She shook her head.

"Hey, you take things as slow as you like. You know when you're ready." Thea nodded as Jude smiled, turning around when they heard Cassie coming back over, looking very pale and dazed.

"Cass?" Jude said.

"I got it." Cassie whispered, "I… I got the job." She shook her head with confusion.

"Of course you did!" Thea yelled excitedly.

"I'm gonna be a detective!" Cassie yelled excitedly.

"Of course you are." Jude smiled, standing up and hugging her tightly, "I'm so proud of you."

"Theo!" Cassie yelled, a little loudly in Jude's ear as Jude laughed, "Theo!" Cassie yelled, running off into the kitchen, barely taking a breath, desperate to tell her husband.

"I think she's shocked." Jude nodded, sitting back down on the couch beside Thea.

"Well she's always underestimated herself." Thea nodded.

"You're one to talk." Jude shook her head as Thea just smiled.

"Oh, she's really kicking me." Thea chuckled, "Ok, girl. Calm down." She patted her stomach as Jude chuckled.

"So was she like… a menopause baby or something?" Jude asked as Thea turned to her.

"I'm not going through menopause, bitch." Thea tutted as Jude chuckled to herself, "How old do you think I am?"

"Old." Jude nodded.

"Yeah and I can still kick your ass." Thea told her as Jude chuckled.

"Yeah, right." Jude shook her head, turning to Thea as she watched her scrape the bowl for the last bits of cake. Ten years ago to the date, she was the only person she could face telling about what had happened to her. They never did and never would lose the sisterly bond they all shared. They were always there for each other, no matter the time, place or circumstance.

Cassie was letting the rest of her family know about the job in the kitchen, barely taking a breath as she tried to let it sink in. Punk and AJ were too busy congratulating their daughter that they didn't hear a knock at the door.

Dean picked up on it and headed out of the kitchen, walking down to the door and opening it up. He was puzzled when he didn't see anyone standing, and he was close to just shutting the door over when he noticed something on the door step.

He crouched down, taking the bottle of Jack from the top stair and bringing it into the house.

"Where'd you get that from?" Renee questioned, walking out from the kitchen down towards him.

"It was just sitting on the front step." Dean shook his head as Renee folded her arms.

"At least he knows what you like." Renee nodded, knowing exactly who it was from, and knowing that Dean also knew who it was from.

"Well it won't go to waste." Dean mumbled as Renee smiled, rubbing his arm softly.

"You feel however you wanna feel about him." Renee assured him as he nodded, leaning down and kissing her softly, "I gotta go pee." She smiled, pulling back from the kiss as he nodded, slapping her butt as she chuckled on her way upstairs.

He walked back into the kitchen, sitting the bottle of Jack over on the counter as Punk looked over.

"Where'd that come from?" Punk walked over to him.

"Oh… we brought it over." Dean nodded to him, "Got something good to toast to now." He looked over at Cassie who was ecstatic by her job news.

"Yeah, we do." Punk smiled, watching Cassie, her gigantic smile never leaving her face, "I think you still got some left in the other bottle, though." Punk looked over to the kitchen counter.

"I… I think I'll open up this one." Dean nodded, taking a glass and opening up the bottle.

"Not too stiff." Punk said brotherly, patting Dean on the back and walking off as Dean just rolled his eyes with a smile.

He looked at the bottle of whiskey, unscrewing the cap fully and pouring it into the glass.

Everyone left the house late on. Some kids were carried out sleeping due to how late it was. Everyone was fed, happy, grateful and carrying lots of presents out the door. It was a wonderful day from start to finish, even including some good news for Cassie to top the night off.

AJ and Punk had cleared up, tidied the kitchen and living room like they did every year. After, AJ found him sitting at the bottom of the staircase, looking at one of his gifts.

"What are you doing?" She smiled.

"I'm trying to set up this new ipod." Punk told her, reading the instructions as AJ smiled watching him.

"You're probably best to ask Cassie about it. She'll help you." AJ nodded.

"No, I can do it myself." Punk said stubbornly.

"Well it's 3am. I was kinda hoping we could go to bed." She said, sitting down beside him on the stair.

"I am tired." Punk admitted, sitting the ipod box down and turning to her, "Did you have a good day?" He smiled, wrapping his arm around her.

"I did." AJ smiled, leaning into him, "You?"

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "Yeah, it was good."

"And did you like all your gifts?" She asked him like a child as he chuckled.

"I did." Punk smiled, "You know you're my favourite gift every day, all year round." He nodded.

"You know you've been saying that since we were kids." She smiled up at him.

"Well cause it's true." Punk said.

"Can you believe we've almost been together for forty years." AJ shook her head, "That's… a damn long time to spend with someone." She nodded as he chuckled, "And the fact we still like each other is incredible." She said as he nodded.

"Are you trying to tell me that now you're just discovering that we're the real deal?" Punk teased as she smiled.

"Maybe." She played along, "Please, I knew you were the real deal when I first saw you. When we're super old, and we can barely even walk, I'm still going to remember the first time I saw you." She vowed as he smiled, kissing her head as she hugged into him.

"I love you." He said.

"I love you too." She smiled.

"Come on, I gave you ten dollars!" Sixteen year old AJ yelled in the school cafeteria.

"It was five." The lunch lady stood behind the counter, unimpressed at the girls attempt at scamming her.

"It was ten, lady." AJ said, "I can get you fired, you know." She nodded.

"Of course you can." The lunch lady humoured her, "For now I need you to move along so I can serve the rest of the kids." She told her.

"I'm not moving." AJ smiled, "There. How does that sound?"

"I'm kinda hungry. Can you move?"

AJ turned around, noticing a boy standing behind her, looking up at him and not saying anything for a moment. His eyes. The best she'd ever seen. His presence. The way a small smile formed on his face as he looked at her staring at him, like he knew she was pleasantly surprised by his form.

"She owes me money." AJ turned away from him.

"Well yelling about it isn't gonna help." Punk scoffed as AJ looked at him, "Very angry for such a small little person."

"Excuse me?" AJ narrowed her eyes at him.

"Just move along." Punk chuckled, shoving her tray along so he could pay for his things. It was then he noticed he had some things stuffed in his pockets, no doubt that he was stealing so he didn't have to pay. It was almost like looking in the mirror right away.

"Your pockets are a little fat." AJ looked at him with a cocky smile.

"Be quiet." Punk mumbled, taking his tray and walking off with her, "Let's not pretend it was actually a five dollar bill you gave her."

"Well, a girl can only try." AJ shrugged as Punk smiled a little. He'd stood behind her in the lunch line all the way round the cafeteria, and was chuckling to himself when he heard her trying to con the lunch lady.

"You're new here, right?" Punk nodded.

"Yeah." AJ said unenthusiastically, not really realising she was walking with him, too lost in his eyes, his smile and awareness. Like he was so sure of himself and the person he was. Something she wished she had.

"You like it?" Punk turned to her with a smile.

"I don't… really care much." AJ shrugged as he chuckled and nodded, watching her smile upon making her laugh. He didn't take notice of much in life. He kept low to the ground and stayed in his lane the best he could, but she just had his attention, quicker than anything else ever got his attention.

"I guess it's just a school like any other." Punk agreed, heading over to the table where Dean was sitting, "Here." Punk threw his tray down on the table, taking out the brownies from his pocket and throwing them at Dean.

"Fuck yeah." Dean smiled, having been taking a nap on his school books.

"You can sit down. He's not gonna bite you." Punk shook his head as AJ stood at the table, looking on at Dean who looked back at her.

"Pink Floyd? Really?" Dean looked at her t-shirt.

"Yes, really." AJ said fiercely, dumping her tray down and sitting down beside Dean who chuckled to himself.

"That's Dean, my little brother." Punk nodded, squeezing ketchup on his burger.

"Hi." AJ nodded to Dean, "I'm April."

"She was trying to con the lunch lady." Punk chuckled, telling his brother.

"Oh that won't work." Dean shook his head with experience.

"I just needed a little while longer with her." AJ assured them. Somehow, they were already her people in such a short space of talking to them.

"Wasn't going to happen." Punk smiled, amused.

"Maybe I should just stuff everything in my pockets instead." AJ looked at him as he nodded.

"Do what you gotta do." Punk shrugged.

"I didn't get your name." She looked at him.

"Phil." Punk nodded to her, looking across as she smiled. He'd never looked at someone before and wanted to know them so much.

"Well thanks for the tips, Phil." AJ nodded to him as he just smiled to himself, looking over to her as she chuckled. There was an immediate comfort there, immediate safety, and she just couldn't describe the feelings she had. She just knew she wanted to know him…

A/N: And that's a wrap! I seriously doubt there will be any more stories to this series. I think I squeezed all the blood I could get from it and I think everything seems at peace now to wrap it up. Thanks for reading and supporting this series, it's been so fun and I hope you guys enjoyed it. Going into the new year with something new hopefully, so look out for that!