Gone

6 months ago…

"You're moving?" Punk questioned with confusion, standing in the kitchen, a few days after the wedding day with AJ, Jude and Sean. Mirren wasn't taking much part in the conversation as she slept in her stroller.

"Yeah." Jude nodded.

"Where to?" AJ asked, "I didn't know you guys wanted to move house. You've got a great place." She said. She could only assume they were moving locally, and that the reason they were moving was to do with the house.

"New York." Jude said as AJ's face dropped whilst Punk looked over with confusion.

"New York?" Punk questioned, "As in… the state?" He shook his head.

"Yes, as in the state." Jude shook her head, not knowing what he meant by that exactly.

"New York?" AJ shook her head, "Baby, that's really far away." She said, speaking as if Jude was five years old, which was just a motherly habit.

"Yeah, mom. I know that." Jude assured her, "Sean got a successful transfer to the NYPD and… I've got an opportunity to teach at the Academy of Art, which is… amazing." She shook her head, "We've already got a place in the burbs that we're pretty much closing on." She nodded as AJ ad Punk looked at them.

"You're really moving?" AJ realised. She wasn't sure at first if it was just a consideration, but hearing her daughter pretty much confirm they were leaving, with jobs set in place and a new home, it physically broke her heart.

Things had calm down after the wedding pretty quickly. Janet hadn't been found yet, but they were confident the cops could find her. She was one woman on a path of self-destruction. It seemed likely she'd be found sooner rather than later. Cassie was still in hospital and Thea and Dominic weren't leaving the kids side.

"Yeah, we're moving." Jude nodded.

"Why?" Punk questioned suspiciously. He knew Jude had a good home, a stable job, as did Sean, and he'd never heard them talk about leaving before.

"It's just a good job opportunity for both of us." Jude said. She didn't want to hurt them. They meant so much to her. She never wanted them to feel like they were leaving because of them. She just wanted to take control of her own family now, and do what she could to protect them.

"It's a little… out of the blue, isn't it?" Punk said, continuing to stare at Jude.

"Really? Seems like perfect timing to me." Jude nodded to him truthfully.

"What does that mean?" Punk asked her.

"It means, I don't wanna live here anymore, dad." Jude nodded as Sean internally groaned a little.

"Jude, let's not." Sean advised. He figured it was best not to get into it all.

"No, I'm not tiptoeing around it." Jude said, "I don't wanna be bait anymore. I don't wanna get hurt. And I really don't wanna see my daughter get hurt either, and I feel like if I stay here, that's inevitable." She said, "I'm gonna look back on my wedding day, and all I'm gonna think about is how Cassie got stabbed, and James and Sofia got taken." She said, "And I know how selfish that sounds but… I just, I can't do it anymore." She shook her head, "You guys always so that… I can do whatever as long as I'm happy and I'm safe." She nodded, "This is me trying to be happy and safe." She nodded to them both as AJ and Punk looked at her.

No one said anything for a minute or so. AJ and Punk didn't really know how to take the news. Especially after hearing the reasoning behind it all.

"What about your sisters?" Punk asked. Putting his own feelings aside, he knew how close his daughters were to each other. For them to all separate was so unbelievable to him.

"I mean, I'm gonna call." Jude assured them, "And you guys can come visit. We'll be here at Christmas and Thanksgiving." She nodded, "Thea and Cassie are fine. They've got their own lives." She shook her head as Punk and AJ looked at her.

"Have you really thought this through?" AJ wanted to make sure, "I mean this isn't moving house, this… this is moving away. Far away." She emphasised, "If you need to talk to someone at 3am… where are you gonna go?" She asked with concern.

"Well I have Sean." Jude shrugged, "And I can call you guys. I'll show you how to work Facetime." She said light-heartedly as Punk scoffed.

"I'd rather just see you in person." Punk mumbled.

"Well this is our decision." Jude made clear.

"Do you think we're putting you in danger?" AJ asked her as Jude looked across at her.

"No." Jude shook her head, "I'm not blaming anyone. I just know that sometimes things happen and… you guys are dealing with stuff that's way above me and my sisters. And somehow we always get dragged into it." She said, "It's… it's not fair." She said truthfully.

"So you do blame us?" Punk looked at her.

"No. I don't." Jude made clear, "I know it's not your fault. It never has been. You guys are the best parents and I'm not running away from you guys." She assured them, "There's just a lot that comes with living here. I got my own family to think about now." She nodded.

"So… what you're saying is, we'll see you at Thanksgiving and Christmas and that's it?" Punk said, "So we don't get to see Mirren grow up?"

"Not just Thanksgiving and Christmas." Jude said, "We will visit, and you guys can come see us too-"

"So when you're off working, both of you, who is babysitting Mirren?" Punk asked.

"Well we've looked into a daycare near the house we've closed on. It's super good and it takes kids all the way up until they're ready to start pre-k." Jude nodded.

"How long have you been thinking about this? About moving?" AJ asked.

"Since the wedding." Jude nodded, "But, it's not like it's never crossed my mind before that." She said truthfully.

"Have you told Thea and Cassie?" AJ asked.

"We've told Thea." Jude nodded, "We're gonna tell Cassie when we visit her later." She said as AJ nodded.

"If this makes you happy." AJ said, "And you've thought it through. And you're both safe… then maybe this is the right thing to do." She nodded. She could be heartbroken and still know this was possibly the right thing for Jude and Sean. She understood their frustration, their decision to take themselves out of any danger. She couldn't treat her daughter like a little girl anymore. She couldn't protect her the same as she did before. She was her own woman and she trusted her choices.

"Is it really a good idea to move… in the middle of all of this?" Punk questioned. The idea of Jude moving away and not being in close driving distance to her was making him extremely nervous, especially after the chaos at the wedding, which was still pretty up in the air right now, "I mean, let's wait for this to blow over, let's wait for them to find Janet and then you guys can… reconsider it." He shrugged.

"We're leaving next week, dad." Jude nodded as Punk looked over at her, "We have jobs. We've closed in on the house. All our things are getting moved over the weekend." She said, "We are leaving." She said as Punk looked at her. It made him extremely nervous.

"It's good to know where your priorities are, Jude." Punk nodded coldly as Jude smiled a little and nodded.

"Yeah, my priorities are my family. My husband and daughter. That's my priorities." She nodded.

"And what the hell are we?" Punk asked, "Huh?"

"Phil, don't do this." AJ advised.

"No… no, everyone was the first to jump down Thea's throat when she left in the middle of shit hitting the fan." Punk said.

"With all due respect to Thea, we're not leaving to run away from drug dealers." Jude said as Punk shook his head, "Look, I don't expect you guys not to be upset but… wouldn't you guys feel better that we're out the way?"

"No." Punk shook his head, "No, I feel better knowing that if something happens to you, we're five minutes away-"

"Yeah, dad… if something happens to me?" Jude stood up, "I don't want anything to happen to me. This is what I mean." She said, "I'm not waiting around on a bomb dropping. I'm not having my daughter grow up like that." She made clear as Punk looked across at her in silence, "It's a hard pill to swallow, I know, but you'll get used to us being gone."

"No, we won't." Punk shook his head, "I'm gonna be here, worrying about you."

"We're safer this way." Jude said.

"And what? We're all not safe here?" Punk questioned, "What are you anticipating happening right now?"

"What always happens." Jude shrugged, "Someone gets hurt. Cassie is in hospital right now. Don't stand there and pretend like things are ok."

"The cops are looking for Janet." Punk said.

"Yeah and when they get her, what's next?" Jude asked, "Who is next?" She questioned, "This was a lot easier when I was a kid, and I didn't need to worry." She said.

"You shouldn't have to worry now. Everything's gonna be ok-"

"I don't believe you." Jude told him truthfully. She could always be honest with her dad, "I don't." She shrugged, "I've seen things fall apart too many times."

"Is this how you feel too?" Punk asked Sean who was pretty quiet.

"Yeah." Sean nodded, "I want what's best for Jude and Mirren." Sean said simply.

Punk looked across at Jude, turning to AJ who he knew had the strength and composure to see sense in it. He struggled with that part a little. In fact, he was extremely upset. His pride was hurting him, and part of him felt like this was his daughter telling him he'd let her down.

He put his hands on his hips, looking across at Jude and Sean, shaking his head as his heart refused to accept it.

"Yeah, well… see you at Thanksgiving." Punk nodded coldly, walking out of the kitchen as Jude sighed, looking across at her mother who just shook her head.

"He's just upset." AJ assured her, "I think you… need to do what's best for you." She understood, taking Jude's hands in hers as Jude nodded.

"It's not like we want to leave you guys." Jude assured her mother.

"Hey, you don't need to explain it to me." AJ nodded, "You being happy and safe is the most important thing to me. And to your father." She said, "He just has a lot of pride." She said as Jude nodded.

"Hey, how was work?" AJ asked Cassie as she got home late, walking into the living room and immediately sitting down on the couch beside her.

"I don't know." Cassie huffed, lying down and resting her head on her mother's lap as AJ frowned.

"Talk to me." AJ said, playing with her youngest daughter's hair.

"I had so many reports to do today." Cassie sighed, "And Theo came back." She tutted, "And my side hurts." She sighed again as AJ frowned.

"Did you talk to Theo?" AJ asked her, playing with her hair motherly.

"No. Well yeah but… only for a few minutes. I think he really thinks that we're just gonna… pick up where we left off." She shook her head, "I'm still trying to come to terms with it all." She admitted, "Should I have gotten over it by now?" She asked her mother.

"No, no everyone takes things differently." AJ assured her, "You take as much time as you need. It's hard for me to wrap my around so I can't imagine how it is for you." She said as Cassie sighed.

"I just don't really know what I'm supposed to do about it." She admitted. She was scared. She was cared of letting those feelings get the better of her again, because she'd experienced the feeling of loss, and it was awful. She didn't want to feel that again.

"You'll figure it out, baby." AJ nodded confidently as Cassie grumbled, putting her hands over her face, "Have you talked to your sister this week?"

"Which one?" Cassie muffled against her hands.

"Jude." AJ said.

"No, she hasn't called." Cassie said, "Where's dad?" She wondered.

"He's at work." AJ said, "And then I think he was going to visit Sam with Dean after." She nodded, "Did you… speak to Jake today?" She wondered.

"Yes, and if I knew anything about Janet, I'd tell you." Cassie said, "Maybe she's just found a hole to go crawl into." She shrugged.

"Come on, do you really believe that?" AJ sighed. The weight was still on their shoulders. They had to carry on with life, but cautiously. Nothing felt like it was over yet.

"I don't know. I know nothing about the woman." Cassie said, sitting up from the couch and standing up, "You ok?" She asked her mom who just nodded. She could see a change in her parents. Especially since Jude had left. Oddly, they were quiet. She wasn't really sure where their heads were at, but she could only imagine how tiring it had to be to yet again be faced with so much dark, past memories unfolding.

"Yeah, I'm ok." AJ put a smile on her face, standing up, "You wanna help me make dinner?" She asked as Cassie smiled with a nod, wrapping her arm around her mother's shoulder as they headed out to the kitchen.