Fosters 1. Home Alone

This is my first fanfiction so please be kind.

These will be a series of one shots based on the story prior to it. I have 5 stories already in mind, and will take suggestions.

Thanks ever so much and have a great day!

**Home Alone**

It had been a long time since Stef and Lena had had the house to themselves for a full night. Mike was having a guys night which included a sleepover with Brandon, Jesus and Jude. Callie and Mariana were at an overnight dance-a-thon at school.

It had been so long that Lena was not sure what to do. "This house is too quiet , I don't like it" she said. Out of the blue she hears her wedding song playing so she heads down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs she sees Stef who hands her a glass of wine.

"Listen, do you hear that?" Stef said as she grinned. Lena nodded knowing that Stefs increasing grin indicated her happiness with their alone time. Stef asked Lena to dance and they are instantly brought back to the wonder and excitement that was their wedding day.

After dancing they pulled out and old photo album and started to reminisce over the wine they had just poured. The laughter and the tears at seeing the photos reminded them that they need a new family portrait sometime soon. Stef looked at pictures of her fishing with her dad, and Lena looked at a picture taken just after she wandered off at a store and thought she got lost in a jungle. They were so glad they had pulled out the album, they both needed the memories back again, if only for a brief moment.

A bottle of wine later, Stef and Lena tipsily climbed the stairs and headed to bed. When laying in bed, Stef and Lena realized that they couldn't sleep not having any kids in the house. They knew they couldn't call the kids, it was far too late, so they did the next best thing, they went around and gathered a pillow from the beds of each of their children and put them all around them on the big bed.

Stef and Lena fell asleep knowing that they would get to see their babies again in less than 12 hours.


	2. Family Portrait

"How often do they do this and why do they insist on me wearing a dress?" a frustrated Callie asked Mariana. Her search through the closet for an appropriate dress is not going well at all.

Mariana told Callie that it had been years since they had a formal portrait and that Moms always thought it was cute to wear the same color in the picture.

"Why don't you just borrow one of my dresses? It's not like you have a whole lot of purple clothes at your disposal" Mariana told Callie as she shows her older sister the options. Callie studies the dresses and settles on the one she believes to be the best despite the fact that it's shorter then Callie is used to and frankly far too purple for her personal tastes.

The family gathers in the backyard as Stef is getting the camera set up. It dawns on Stef that maybe Callie should be the one to take the picture given her flare for photography.

"Here Callie, you take over." Stef says to Callie as she walks towards the rest of her family. Callie spends the next several minutes making sure everyone is lined up perfectly and smiling. Just as the picture is perfect she jumps in and the camera flashes.

A few days later when Stef and Lena pick up the picture from the printer they can't help but beam from ear to ear. This year's portrait is the best ever and Callie has a big part in that.


	3. Mama and Callie day

Mama and Callie Day

"Ready Cal?" Lena asked as the put on her jacket. "As ready as I'm going to be. Listen Mama, we don't have to do this, I'm pretty happy with the clothes I have" a sullen Callie answered.

"Look you are doing this with Mama today and I don't want to hear any, but I don't want to or any other not so good news" Stef said firmly. "Shopping with Mama is a privilege. Besides you should feel extra special, it's not often that you and Mama get to spend the day as just the two of you". Stef moved from the kitchen table where she was finishing her breakfast to the front door to give both her wife and daughter a kiss before going.

Lena and Callie got into the car and Callie turned on the radio. She knows that Lena will want to talk while they shop but if she puts the music on fast enough, maybe she can hold it off until they get to the mall.

Once they arrive at the mall Lena lays down the ground rules which Callie begrudgingly abides by. They enter the mall and find that it is crazy busy. Callie has never been a fan of large crowds and can feel herself start to panic. She grabs Lenas hand hoping that will help settle her a little. Feeling her daughters hand in hers, Lena has Callie take a few deep breaths and together, slowly, they start towards the first store.

Callie really didn't want to look in the store, she was too worked up. It was more than that though; it was the kind of store that Mariana would love. Not really Callies style at all. As Callie was getting ready to leave the store Lena pulled a light blue dress from a rack and showed Callie. Callie tried it on (one of the ground rules was to try on everything that she was asked to) and to her shock not only did it look good on her, she loved the color. She looked in the mirror and started to realize that maybe Lena had good taste in clothes and it could be fun.

And so it went on for about 10 more stores until both mother and daughter were exhausted. After a snack in the food court the two went home, bags in hand, laughing and content as could be.


	4. Oops

They are two people. Two people with five kids. Two people with five kids that they didn't want to let down. Sadly on this occasion that's exactly what happened.

The kids knew the process to make sure that they had parents at one of their events. Each of them did exactly what they were supposed to. They each even reminded one or both of their moms.

As Vice Principal at Anchor Beach Lena often knew about school events well in advance and could plan schedules accordingly.

The kids went to school this one particular morning all in good moods. Callie was in an especially good mood having spent some alone time with Lena the day before. The kids ate lunch together that day knowing they might not see each other that evening at dinner.

Stef had gotten off work early so she could be there to watch as Mariana and the dance team performed at a dance day at City Hall. Lena went to an after school art show that had pieces by both Jude (a lovely sculpture) and Callie (photos). After beaming with pride at the work her son and daughter had done, she kissed them goodbye (they had to stay a few more hours until the end of the show), got in her car and raced across town. She got there just in time to see Jesus win his wrestling match against the wrestling team from Mission Bay High School.

In her haste to get to Jesus, Lena hadn't had the time to stop and check her phone. She had decided that while Jesus was getting changed, she would check her messages. Much to her dismay she had three missed calls and messages from Brandon and three from Stef asking where she was. She immediately called Brandon and got no answer. When she called Stef she realized that they had missed Brandons first major performance since injuring his hand. Marianas dance day event was running late and she hadn't even performed yet, so Stef couldn't leave. It didn't really matter anyway, Stef thought Lena was going and Lena thought Stef was going. Lena and Jesus raced to the concert hall hoping she could at least pick him up. Just as they arrived at the concert hall Brandon called to say that he had just arrived at home.

After all of the kids events were done and the kids were home, Lena and Stef headed home knowing the dropped the ball, had a lot of apologizing and explaining to do with Brandon and vowed it would never happen again.


	5. Friday Dinner

Every Friday Stef and Lena let a different family member pick the dinner food for that day. This week was Lenas turn but given the fact that they had let Brandon down Lena let Brandon have her pick for this week.

Brandon knew the rules, it had to be something mom could pick up on her way home or something that could be delivered. It also had to be something they hadn't had the week before and it couldn't be too expensive.

Brandon spent his whole day thinking about dinner. By three o'clock he knew what he wanted. He got out his phone and messaged Mariana to ask her to bring some blankets to the backyard and lay them out picnic style. He then messaged his mom to ask if she could pick up some Moroccan food on her way home. Brandon told Stef that he would email her a list of the foods to pick up since the family had never had Moroccan food before. He was sure the family would be surprised at his choice, but knew that most of the family (except for the currently vegetarian Mariana) were pretty adventurous when it came to food.

When Brandon got home, he started memorizing the names and ingredients of the foods so that he could tell the family.

When the family sat out back on the blankets with the food in front of them, there was an initial pause. Brandon was the first to make himself a plate and encouraged his brothers and sisters to do the same. The whole family loved the food and couldn't stop raving about it for the next few hours.

After dinner Brandon sat on a blanket in the backyard thinking about how his Moroccan gamble had paid off.


	6. Mariana Saves The Day

Mariana often felt like she was seen as being helpless within her family. She knew she didn't like that feeling and was looking for a chance to change it.

She got the opportunity to change that feeling the morning after Brandons Moroccan food "experiment". The family had eaten later than usual and the food that Mariana ate did taste really good.

Mariana, ever the light sleeper, was woken up when Callie accidentally slammed the door as she sprinted to the bathroom. Callie, who was still half asleep, didn't know that she would have to wait in line to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. Mariana got up to scold her sister for waking her up, when she saw that her whole family was sick. They all looked a sickly shade of green. Mariana had come to the realization that if her whole family was sick it must be food poisoning. Why else would six people be awake, looking sick and complaining of stomach pains at that time of night. Mariana didn't know which of the foods had caused the issue, but knew it had to be one of the meats. This was one time she was glad that she was a vegetarian.

Without thinking Mariana sprang into action. She took each of her family members back to their beds and put garbage bins on the floor beside them in the hopes that there wouldn't be a six body pile up in front of the bathroom. She got her school bag, took out her school items and filled it with bottles of water, crackers, some Advil and a thermometer (just in case).

She went around to visit each of her siblings and moms delivering water and crackers to them, rubbing their backs as they got sick and making about a million trips to the backyard to hose out the garbage bins.

As the day wore on and the family slowly started to feel better, they all thanked Mariana for being there when they needed her the most. She made a light dinner for the family and did the dishes as the rest of the family drifted off to sleep knowing that tomorrow would be better and had it not been for Mariana, today could have been a lot worse.


	7. All For One

Mariana had walked home from school after dance team practice and dropped her backpack by the door and headed right upstairs.

She got into her room and slammed the door shut behind her. She walked over to her bed and flopped down on top of it and let out a scream into her pillow. She was having a HORRIBLE day and hadn't realized that Callie was in the room with her.

Callie knew it was odd for Mariana to be in such a bad mood, so she walked over to her sisters bed, sat on the edge and put he hand on Marianas leg. She wanted to let her sister know that she was here, but also knew that sometimes people just need space. Once Mariana felt Callie's hand on her leg, she sat up and started slowly telling Callie what had happened.

Before Mariana could get in any words she started crying. Not just a few tears but sobbing. She collapsed into Callie's lap and Callie just sat there stroking her hair until she fell asleep.

Lena called the girls for dinner and when they didn't answer she sent Stef up to rush them down. Stef got up to the room and was puzzled by what she saw. Stef asked Callie "What happened here?" Callie just shrugged and said she didn't know. She just knew that Mariana was sleeping. Stef and Callie decided to let Mariana sleep and headed down for dinner.

After dinner, Callie went back up to her room, quietly, so as to not wake a sleeping Mariana. What she found when she got in was not what she had expected. She found her younger sister ripping up all of the pictures that she had from dance team. Mariana still didn't want to talk, so Callie didn't press it but told her sister that she was there no matter what, even in the middle of the night.

The next morning Mariana knew that she had to go to school. She had spent half the night trying to figure out how she could fake sick for the day. Then she remembered that she had a major exam in Timothy's class and she just couldn't miss it. She got to school and made it all the way to lunch without issue. At lunch she spent some time trying to find a sibling to sit with since she couldn't sit with "them". Jesus noticed her wandering and offered to let him sit with her. He asked her "why aren't you sitting with the dance team? You always sit with them". Mariana had decided that she didn't want to be so angry any more, and told Jesus that she had been kicked off the dance team once they found out that Lena was no longer the vice principal. The girls on the team had always assumed that having Mariana on the team would look good to Lena and they would get special treatment and the fact that Lena was gone meant the team didn't need or want Mariana anymore. They had used her.

This information had angered Jesus to no end. As he was about to get up and go confront the team when the lunch bell rang. Mariana telling Jesus her problem made her feel a little better but it had made Jesus feel worse. He had spent the rest of the afternoon trying to figure out how to get back at the team. Jesus, Brandon and Jude had decided to walk home together that day and he told them what had happened. The boys had decided that any team that didn't want Mariana didn't need the rest of the family. Brandon decided that he would just stop tutoring Kaitlyn, he was only doing it as a favor to Mariana anyway. Jesus was in a bit of a harder problem, he had been wanting to break up with Hayley for a while and this was one more reason but he knew that he had to do it gently. He was working on that. Jude decided that no one messed with his big sister and got away with it. So on their next practice, he borrowed the stereo from the AV room before practice so they couldn't use it. While he knew it was only a small act of rebellion and it likely wouldn't affect the team in the long run, even for a brief moment it would tick them off and that would make his day.

Callie who had a locker next to one of the dance team members, decided that she would ask that member why they got rid of Mariana until they took her back onto the team and apologized.

At the end of that week, her siblings plans had worked and Mariana had been asked back on the team. She decided not to go back to the team but was glad knowing that this time it was on her terms and not theirs. She was also so incredibly proud to be a Foster knowing that her siblings had her back no matter what.


	8. That Guy

Chapter 8: That Guy

Jesus woke up this morning determined to break up with Hayley. He was dreading it but he knew the longer he put it off the harder it was going to be.

He called Hayley and asked her to come over to the house. He wanted to be somewhere safe that he could escape to if he needed it.

In typical Hayley style, she showed up twenty minutes late, but she did show up. Jesus stepped out onto the front porch and started to talk to Hayley. He had a speech rehearsed but in this moment he was nervous and had all but forgotten the speech.

He took a deep breath and told Hayley that what she and the other girls did to Mariana by kicking her off the dance team wasn't cool. Hayley tried to redeem herself by blaming the act on Kaitlyn but Jesus didn't really care. If Hayley really wanted Mariana on the team she would have done something about it. He continued more by reciting parts of his speech that he did remember.

"Hayley, I want you to know that I have enjoyed most of our time together. We had some good times, however I think that your acts recently, your jealousy towards me and your inability to let me have some independent times have shown me the real you. The real you that is very mean and vindictive. I can't be with a girl like that anymore. I think we should break up. It has nothing to do with anyone elses decision I have come to this idea on my own.I would like it if you would leave my house now and leave my sister and family alone."

Hayley tried to talk back but Jesus just turned his back and walked into the house, closing the door on Hayley.

Now Jesus had an even harder issue to tackle. In the heat of love he got tattooed. He called his moms into the living room and slowly lifted his shirt to show off his tattoo. He hadn't said a word, just let his actions speak the words he couldn't.

Stef was rightly ticked off and Lena was disappointed and a little saddened. Stef immediately and loudly questioned him. "What would possess you to get any kind of tattoo let alone one with a girls name? A girl who you just broke up with" Jesus hung his head, he really didn't know what he was thinking when he got the tattoo. He always laughed at those guys that did the same thing he just did. He was so ashamed of himself. Stef told him he would be punished but that she and Lena need to talk and he would know his punishment in the morning.

-The next morning-

Jesus woke up the next morning, took a shower and went down for breakfast. After breakfast he stayed behind and asked his moms for his punishment.

Lena sat him down and said "We understand that sometimes people do crazy things when they are in love, but a tattoo is just stupid. You are not stupid, but this action was. Mom and I discussed it and have decided that it's your body and you will have to deal with the reminder every day. If you want to get it removed we will support it but we will not pay for it." She went on to say "now as for your punishment, Mom and I want you to know that you aren't in trouble that you made a bad choice, you are in trouble for lying about your age, last we checked you have to be 18, not asking permission and for hiding it from us for this long. So you are grounded. You go to school, wrestling and home for 1 month. You help when we ask and if you have a bad attitude we will add to your time."

They left Jesus in the kitchen to think about what had just happened when Stef turned around. She smiled at her middle son and hugged him and just giggled about how he had become that guy. Jesus joined her in the giggle. He couldn't believe he had become that guy too.


	9. Not Exactly As Planned

It was Sunday morning and Stef woke up early, excited to do nothing all day. She had hoped that she could convince Lena to allow the already 2 weeks grounded Jesus a stay in his sentence. She really just wanted to be with Lena all day. She was willing to give the kids money so that they would spend the day out of the house.

Stef grabbed a book and went back into bed and started reading. She had gotten through about 4 chapters in the book before she heard the kids get up. Once she smelled bacon she headed to the kitchen to greet her babies. Stef grabbed some bacon and checked in with her kids to see what plans they all had. In the back of Stef's mind she was hoping that Lena would be down so that they could talk about Jesus's grounding. Once she heard all of her kids plans and Lena still wasn't up, she went back upstairs to check on her wife. Stef expected to hear either the sound of the shower or the blow dryer. What she heard was the sound of her wife sneezing and coughing.

Stef walked over to the bed and gently put the back of her hand onto her wife forehead. She knew what she was going to find but needed to be sure. Stef kissed her sleeping wife's cheek and headed back downstairs. She told the kids that Mama is sick and she gave Brandon some money and her car keys and told the kids not to be home until dinner. She had decided that just for today Jesus was not grounded, well he was, but he was grounded to Brandon. So where Brandon went his brother went as well.

Stef made Lena a tea and added some honey, she grabbed some tissues, a plastic bag and some vaporub and headed upstairs back to her sick wife. She was shocked to see Lena awake. She thought her wife would sleep most of the day. She put all the items she had brought upstairs and went to sit beside her wife on the bed. Lena looked awful, she was pale, her nose was red and she was sweating a lot. Stef asked Lena "hi love, how are you feeling?" Stef was not surprised with Lenas answer "I feel tick and I'b all congested" (I feel sick and I'm all congested). Stef smiled at her wife who was having trouble speaking properly because of her cold.

Lena asked Stef about the kids, and Stef said that she sent them away for the day. Lena was very happy about that, she would have some quiet. Stef then went on to tell Lena about how much she had wanted to spend the day with Lena and how she had bought all the fixings for a backyard picnic.

Lena smiled at her wife and apologized for not being up to having a picnic. Stef just smiled at her wife and said "Love, from what I can see we are spending time together just maybe not how I planned."

Stef and Lena stayed in their room all day, Stef being a dutiful nurse maid took care of her wife for the day. The bliss that Stef had gotten from cuddling with her wife all day was worth it. Even if Lena was cycling between sweating and shivering.

They were only brought out of their cuddling when the kids got home. The kids brought pizza home with them but tried to be as quiet as possible. Stef checked in with her kids and told them she wanted to hear all about their day out, but she wants to hear about it tomorrow. She grabbed a few slices of pizza and headed back up to her sleeping wife. Once Stef got herself settled she fell asleep glad that she was there to take care of her wife.


	10. 16 hours

Stef was exhausted. Between taking care of sick Lena, working double shifts that seemed to have her doing more arrests then usual and being a mom and dealing with a major argument that Jesus and Brandon seemed to be having recently, she was just fried.

She walked in the door and mumbled something to her family that no one could make out. Lena looked at her wife and could just tell that Stef was done. Lena followed her wife upstairs and suggested her wife get changed and take a hot shower, have dinner and then head to bed. Stef was so tired she couldn't comprehend anything that Lena was saying to her. She just nodded. Lena gave her wife a quick shoulder massage and then left Stef alone to get ready for dinner.

Lena had asked Jude to set the table and had gotten a beer out for Stef as a treat. Lena and the kids sat down and waited for Stef to come down. After a few minutes, she told the kids to eat and went up to check on her lovely wife. She opened their bedroom door slowly and couldn't help but smile when she saw her wife asleep in her uniform.

Lena walked over to her wife took off her shoes, removed her gun and put it into the safe and put a blanket over her. She was determined to let her wife sleep as long as she needed to recharge her batteries.

The rest of the night went off as normal and Lena finally joined her wife in bed.

-The next morning-

Lena woke up and noticed that Stef was still sleeping in her uniform just as she had left her the night before. Lena decided to take the day off. Her wife wasn't sick but she needed to take care of her. Lena made Stef's favorite coffee and made some lunch, (Stef slept through breakfast) put it on a tray and took it upstairs. The coffee worked to rouse her wife from her slumber. Stef woke up embarrassed. She couldn't believe that she hadn't changed and hadn't even put herself to bed. Lena just smiled at her wife and went to draw her a bath.

Lena was taking care of some paperwork when Stef came down to join her. The couple were reading the newspaper when Stef got a call from Captain Roberts looking to see if she could work that night. Before Stef could say anything Lena spoke up. "With all due respect Captain, Stef slept for 16 hours between last night and this morning and she is still yawning as she sits here with me. I really don't think that she should be coming in tonight as she may just fall asleep on you." Captain Roberts hadn't realized how tired Stef really was and told her to have a good night.

Stef just smiled at her wife, and gave her kiss as a way of thanking her for having Stef's back.


	11. I'm Not Him

At Anchor Beach the last name Foster means something. Almost everywhere Jesus went in school he was someone else. He was Lenas son when he was in trouble in school, he was Brandons younger brother in most of his classes and Mariana's and Jude's older brother among the younger students.

Most days he was used to it but this day in particular he was ticked off by it. He had math class first thing in the morning. He had gotten the results of a test from a few days ago and hadn't done very well. The test had his grade circled with a note from the teacher that read "maybe you should see Mariana for some tutoring". He was not Mariana if he needed help he would go to his Mama.

In history he walked in, sat down with this group and started working on his group project. The teacher was wandering around the room when she stopped to see how Jesus group was doing. His teacher expressed enthusiasm in the project hoping that it would live up to the standard set by Brandons group the year before.

The rest of his classes had some reference to Brandon in some way. Well all his classes except for P.E. In P.E. being Jesus was more then enough. P.E. was the only place that he felt comfortable all day.

Lunch had also sucked. He somehow managed to grab Brandon's lunch on the way out of the house. Jesus was mad. Brandon had ham and Jesus had been looking forward to a nice turkey sandwich.

By the time he got home, he was ready to head out to the garage and just work out and get away from everyone. He had just started to work out when he realized that Brandon had changed all the weights. He was so mad.

He went upstairs to see if he could talk to his Mama to try and calm down a bit. She did her best to calm him but accidentally said "when Brandon gets angry he works through it with his music." Once Lena said that she tried to back track but it was too late.

When Stef walked in Jesus and Brandon were arguing about how Jesus kept getting compared to Brandon all day. Lena stepped in and got both boys out of each others space. She talked to Brandon first to give Jesus a chance to calm down.

After getting Stef settled, she went and talked to Jesus. The first words out of his mouth were"I'm not him. Why do people always compare me with him. I'm so tired of hearing Brandon this and Brandon that." Why can't people be like Jesus this and Jesus that?" Lena just looked at her son and smiled. She said "Jesus is smart and funny and strong and has a soft heart and I can't imagine this family without him" "I'm sorry I suggested that you calm yourself the same way Brandon does. You are not Brandon. You know how to calm yourself. You do you." and she leaned over and kissed her son on the cheek and told him that he ever felt that he was being compared to Brandon again to get her and she would tell him otherwise.


	12. Can I Have a Hug?

Mariana felt off. She didn't feel sick, she wasn't sad or angry, hurt or hungry, bored or tired but yet all day long something just didn't feel right.

She spent the day trying to shake the feeling. At breakfast she poured herself a bowl of her favorite cereal and was able to enjoy it while the rest of the family buzzed with their usual morning chaos. She went to school and got a test back in first period and was presently surprised at the grade she got. In her second class she aced the pop quiz and in her next two morning classes she was doing well. At lunch she found a nice shady tree to sit under and enjoy her lunch. She was enjoying the warmth of the day and the perfect breeze. Mostly she was enjoying the solitude, a luxury she didn't often get in a house full of people. Her lunch was great and she was happy to see the note from her Mama. It said Mari, I love you. Have a fantastic day. Her afternoon classes went as well as her morning classes. Any other day Mariana would have considered this day a win but not today.

Despite all that was good at school she still felt off. So at home she got through her homework quickly and then laid on her bed listening to music. Music sometimes perked her up if she was feeling down. She figured it was worth a shot today. She was lost in the music when Stef came to get her for dinner. Stef was a bit concerned about her daughter. She and Lena had noticed that something didn't seem right with their youngest daughter, So Stef decided that maybe they needed to talk. After sending Callie down to dinner Stef sat on Marianas bed and waited for the girl to speak.

Mariana told her mother how she was feeling and what had happened during the day. Stef was as perplexed as to why Mariana felt the way she did as Mariana herself was. Stef thought that maybe dinner would make Mariana feel less off. Lena had made homemade macaroni and cheese, which is Marianas favorite. After dinner Mariana and Jude were loading the dishwasher when Stef walked over and put her hand on Marianas shoulder to see if she was feeling better. Stef left her hand on Marianas shoulder for a few seconds and it made the girl melt. That single gesture helped Mariana realize what was off. She just had to figure out how to ask for it.

She was ready for bed and Lena had already been by to say goodnight. Mariana waited a few minutes and then got out of bed and headed to her moms knocked quietly and when they invited her in, she looked them in the eyes, and told them that she had figured out why she had been feeling off. She was desperately craving physical contact from her moms. So with a look of genuine longing she stood in front of her moms and asked if she could have a hug from each of them. Of course Stef and Lena obliged her. They even went one step further and wrapped their daughter in a momma sandwich. Mariana stood in the center of the hug and realized it was what she had been needing all day. She could feel herself coming back.


	13. Hiccup

It was a warm, almost perfect night. The breeze was light, almost still. Callie had been sitting in the backyard with Stef gently strumming on her guitar. She wasn't strumming anything in particular, just strumming. Breaking up the moment was the sound of Callie's phone. She had a text from Wyatt.

Wyatts text: _Hey Cal, me and some friends are at the beach, we have a bonfire. Ask the folks if you can join. I will have you back by curfew._

Callie asked "Um Stef, Wyatt and a few of his friends are at the beach. He asked if I want to come. He said he would have me back by curfew." Stef thought for a few minutes and went inside to talk to Lena.

After a few minutes of deliberation the moms decided that Callie could go. Lena drove Callie to the area of the beach that Wyatt and his friends like to hang out on and told Callie to be home by curfew. She gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek and said her goodbyes expecting to see the girl in a few hours.

Callie showed up at the bonfire and sat on the sand beside Wyatt. She was there for a moment when a bottle of beer was offered to her. She politely declined, she had tried beer before and didn't really like it and within moments was offered a swig of wine. Callie had never had wine before and decided that she would try a swig. What harm could one little swig do.

When the bottle made its way back to her, she took another swig, she liked it. And another swig and another. Before she realized, she had downed about half the bottle. She was happy and very talkative. She had accidentally let go of many of her secrets and so the tipsy but not nearly as drunk Wyatt, took Callie away from the rest of the group. He tried to get her to relax knowing that she might say more but Callie was excited and wanted to go swimming in the ocean more then anything else at that moment. Just as Wyatt had thought he got her settled, she bolted up and ran for the water. She was having so much fun splashing and falling in the water that she didn't see Wyatt on his cell phone.

Wyatt called Stef and Lena. He knew that he and Callie were drunk and that he wasn't going to be driving anywhere that night. Fifteen minutes later Callie was making a sand castle when Lena put her hand on her drunk daughter. Callie locked eyes with Lena and started giggling. Lena sat down beside her and tried to get Callie to calm down a little. Stef was fuming at Callie and Lena decided to get out to get to Callie while Stef was parking the car. Lena really wanted to do damage control. Once Lena was able to get Callie settled in one spot by having her write words in the sand she looked to Wyatt to thank him for calling and to offer him a ride home. Stef had arrived beside her wife and echoed her wifes thanks.

Stef helped her daughter up and walked her to the car with Lena and Wyatt following closely behind. Once she had Callie in the car with her seat belt on she gave Callie a plastic bag and a bottle of water and shut the door. She was too mad to drive home. She looked at Lena and asked her to join her on a quick walk on the beach. Lena and Stef walked hand in hand while Stef took several deep breaths. She finally spoke to Lena after what seemed like several hours but was only a few minutes. "I can't believe she got drunk. Not just tipsy, but unable to control her actions drunk." Lena just looked at her wife and said "We can lecture her in the morning, but tonight we will have to let her sleep it off.

The moms got Wyatt home safely and were just about to take Callie upstairs when she threw her hand over her mouth and bolted to the kids upstairs bathroom. Lena followed behind while Stef locked up. Lena sat there holding Callies hair and rubbing her back. Lena put Callie to bed and left a bottle of water, some ibuprofen and a trashcan by the head of Callies bed.

The next morning Callie woke up with a killer headache and a bad case of hiccups. She felt so guilty about the events of the night before, well what she could remember of the night before. She went into the kitchen and was prepared for the lecture that was about to come.

The talk took about an hour and ended with Callie being grounded for three weeks and being on a forced break from unsupervised activities with Wyatt.

Callie had decided that she was so done drinking. Her moms were just happy that Wyatt had decided to call them that night to get them all home safe and sound.


	14. Callie and Jude

Callie had finished being grounded. She had been itching to get out of the house. She was feeling disconnected from her baby brother. He had been spending more and more time being independent. Judes independence made Callies heart both sing and cry. She was so happy that Jude had been adopted. It was the adoption that allowed him to be so free to feel okay to fail to know that there were more people that he could count on. She was sad though, as Judes wings got bigger his dependence on her dwindled.

She had gone to talk to her moms to see if she could take Jude out for the day. Her moms were okay with that. So Callie walked over to Judes room to see if he wanted to spend the day out with her. He was excited. He had missed his sister recently too.

Callie and Jude decided to map out a route of fun things they wanted to do and mapped out all the bus routes. They had decided to start at the mini golf course. Callie was shocked when Jude beat her legitimately. Gone were the days of Callie letting Jude win. After mini golf they went go karting. Jude was a little hesitant at first to drive his own car, so Callie drove with him the first time and then he went on his own the second time. After go karting Callie got a call from Lena. She just wanted to check in and see how the day was going. Jude let her know how excited he was.

After go karting was a bus trip to the movie theater. Jude got to pick the movie and the snacks and the seats. Callie was totally content to let him be the leader for the day. After the movie, Callie got a call from Stef. She was just finishing her shift and was wondering if her kids wanted a ride home from the movies. Callie and Jude looked at each other and decided that while the ride would be nice, they would get to spend more time with each other on the bus.

The bus ride home was great. Callie and Jude were sitting beside each other and listening to music from Callies ipod and telling stories and both feeling so safe and loved knowing that they never would have been able to do any of this with any other foster family. For that they were both truly grateful.

When the siblings arrived home they saw Lena and Stef cuddling on the couch watching a movie. Callie and Jude walked up to each of their moms and wrapped their arms in a hug. Then they switched so that they were able to hug both of their parents. They let go thanking their moms for all of their protection, guidance and love.

Both Callie and Jude went upstairs smiling and joking with each other about the events of the day.


	15. Jude's Night

In his life Jude hadn't had a lot to fear. Callie had spent her life seeing to that. The few times he did have something to fear he would share his fears with Callie. She knew how to soothe him and make it better.

Callie was spending the night at Roberts and Jude had been having a good day. He had a recurring bad dream every so often. He hadn't had it in a while. It usually came back when he was having a bad day or saw something that reminded him of that dream.

He woke up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. He knew why. He knew he had that dream again. He got out of bed and quietly walked to the girls room. He opened the door quietly and looked for his sister. He forgot that she was away for the night. Mariana turned over and saw him at the door and asked him if he was okay and if he wanted to sleep in her room that night. Jude just stared at her he was lost in his thoughts. When she couldn't get through to him she got up and hugged him. When that didn't work she went and got her mom. She had tried to wake Lena up but she wouldn't get up so she woke Stef. "Mom, Jude is standing at my bedroom door and he won't respond as to why. I can't get through to him. Can you try?"

Stef got out of bed and followed her daughter to the bedroom. What she found was Jude sitting beside the door on the floor of his sisters bedroom. Stef sat down beside Jude wrapped her arm around him and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. She started to wipe away his tears. She knew something was up but didn't know what. She just sat holding him, when he was ready to talk she would be here ready to listen. After about 30 minutes Jude looked at Stef and apologized for his current state. Stef was just about to tell him not to be sorry when Jude continued. "Every so often I have this dream. I'm watching what happened to Callie by Liam and I try and stop it. Only I get pushed to the ground. I keep trying to fight him but I cant. I don't know why I had the dream it usually only happens when I see something that reminds me of it or if I'm having a bad day." Stef dried away her sons tears and asked if he usually went to Callie when he had the dream. He nodded slowly.

Stef slowly picked up her son and ushered him into her room. She wanted Jude to be able to come to them when he had that dream. She tucked him into bed between her and her wife and wrapped her arm around him as he fell asleep. She knew that at least for this bad dream she had helped him through.


	16. Family Day Out

Stef and Lena had been thinking about taking the kids out for a while. This one Saturday all of the kids were free and that was a rarity.

They had asked the kids for suggestions. Brandon suggested the beach, Callie suggested a movie, Jesus suggested a family soccer game at the park, Jude suggested the museum. Mariana was the only one who hadn't immediately shouted out a suggestion. She was thinking when Stef asked her. She blurted out amusement park. She couldn't believe she had said that, she didn't really like amusement parks. Roller coasters made her feel sick and she got bored with most of the games.

Considering the options, the moms decided on the amusement park. Jude was so excited. He had never been to an amusement park before.

The family piled into the cars and headed out. Once they got into the park and started seeing all of the rides available Jude started to get a little scared. The kids and Stef ran off to the new roller coaster excited to get to try it as Jude, Mariana and Lena hung back. Lena offered to take the two kids to a magic show playing near by but Callie came running back. She wanted to experience the ride with Jude. He took a deep breath and then grabbed Callie's hand and they started towards the line where their brothers and mother had been waiting.

As the line got closer Jude's fear grew. When they got to the front of the line he decided that he didn't want to ride the coaster but wanted Callie to. He got in the ride but didn't sit down. He immediately got off the other side and told Callie to stay. He would go stand with Lena.

Lena, Mariana and Jude stood by the exit to wait for their riders, the kids and Stef came towards them smiling and laughing. They said that they had missed Jude on the ride but understood that he wasn't ready.

Towards the end of the day the kids only had a few more rides left. Almost the whole day Jude had been eyeing a wooden coaster. Jesus saw Jude looking at the coaster and overheard some kids talking about that coaster as a baby coaster because it had no upside downs or super fast turns. Jesus grabbed Jude's hand and walked him over to the coaster line. While in line Jesus told his brother that it is okay if Jude decided he isn't ready for this coaster either. He also told Jude that this was the very same coaster that he rode the first time he went to an amusement park with their moms. He passed on the same information that Stef had said to him all those years earlier. You've been living a life that is a roller coaster, at least this one you can see the start and finish. If you are scared now, take a deep breath, close your eyes and just listen to the coaster. You will find that you might get lost in the coaster and that might make it better.

At the front of the line Jude got into the car first only this time he sat down. Jesus sat down beside him and held his hand. The rest of the family waited for them to exit, and smiled as Jude came towards them beaming. He couldn't wait to come back to the park next time so he could try the other coasters.


	17. Happy birthday Callie

Callie had never really loved her birthday. No one had really acknowledged it since her mom died. She remembered the last time that she had a birthday party. She had just turned 10 and her mom and dad had turned the house into a music studio. They had a bunch kids playing with a bunch of rented instruments and there was lots of singing and laughter and dancing around. She had a great time.

She hadn't expected anything for her 17th birthday. No foster family had ever cared about her birthday. She woke up the morning of her birthday and Mariana wasn't in her bed. Callie thought that it was odd for Mariana to not be asleep at that time on a Saturday morning. Callie took a shower, got dressed and went down to the kitchen for breakfast. She walked into the kitchen and was greeted with balloons, streamers, lots of confetti and smiles on the faces of each member of the Adams Foster family. The table was filled all of Callies favorite breakfast things, french toast, crispy bacon, eggs and a very special treat in that house, chocolate flavored whipped cream. Callie sat down feeling overwhelmed. She was so grateful to have this for her birthday. It was more then she had had in many years.

She finished breakfast and went into the living room to relax on the couch. Stef and Lena had told her that she could do anything she wanted for the day, so long as it was legal and not a tattoo. Callie sat relaxing when Jude came in with a present behind his back. He wrapped the gift very carefully and Callie made sure to point out that Jude had done a great job. "Open it please" Jude said. He was so incredibly excited to have this for her. In past years, neither he nor his sister had never really had any money, so birthday gifts were really just Jude making a card for Callie and him giving her lots of hugs. Callie carefully unwrapped Judes gift and saw a beautiful picture frame and an envelope. The frame was blue and kind of funky like Callie but yet grownup. Callie could tell that Jude had spent a lot of time finding just the right frame. In the envelope was a picture of Callie and Jude with her moms. As Callie went to put the photo into the frame she saw a hand written note on the back. It was in Judes handwriting and it read: _Callie, on your birthday, I wanted to get you something that I knew would make you very happy. I found this picture and I remembered that were both truly happy in that picture. Thank you for ALWAYS keeping me so safe, for always taking my punishments so that I wouldn't have to and thank you for being a damn good mom. _

Callie was wiping the tears from her eyes when Stef and Lena walked in. They knew that they had told Callie that she could do whatever for her day but they didnt want her to cry. She assured them it was for good and with Judes permission showed them the picture but not the note. That was for just her and Jude. They loved his gift and loved the thoughfulness behind it. It was at that time that Stef and Lena had decided to give Callie her gift. They got Callie a new camera, two new lenses and a one on one meeting with Callies faveorite photographer. She was amazed. As all of her other family members strolled into the living room they all gave her their gifts.

Brandon gave her an autographed poster from her favorite band. She was very excited and also very thankful. Jesus was next. He got her a bunch of accessories for her guitar including a few sets of new strings. Mariana got her sister a gift certificate for a manicure and pedicure. Mariana was a little unsure of how Callie would react to the gift, she didnt really think that she even saw Callie with nail polish on, but she knew it was something that they could do together and really have a chance to relax. Mariana had even made sure to set aside some extra money just in case Jude wanted to join them.

Callie thanked everyone for her gifts and went to sit in the back yard and strum on her guitar. She was out there for about 20 minutes when Stef came out. Her mom was on the phone and wanted to say happy birthday to Callie. Stef went inside while the two talked. While inside she and Lena ordered pizzas and called Daphne to see if she wanted to join them for a bit. Callie came in from the back yard with a smile. She had a wonderful conversation with her grandmother and felt so loved.

A few minutes later Daphne and the pizza delivery driver showed up pretty much at the same time. Daphne couldn't stay long, she had taken Callies shift so that Callie could enjoy the day. The rest of the night was spent as a family, just telling goofy jokes, laughing, eating pizza, sharing stories and making Callie smile more then she had in a very long time.

As the night wore down and she was getting ready for bed, she decided to thank her moms again. She walked to their room and knocked. They invited her in. Callie looked at her moms, smiled and said "it has been so long since Ive had a birthday. The gifts were really nice but being together was the best part". Her moms walked over and gave her one more gift, the best gift Callie had ever had, a momma sandwich. Callie went to bed that night smiling and feeling more loved then she had been in a long time.


	18. I Feel Pretty

It was a rainy Saturday afternoon. Callie didn't really want to go out. She was content on rainy days to stay in. Mariana on the other hand was itching to get out of the house.

She had been thinking about what to do when she came up with her idea. She asked her moms if one of them would drive the girls to go get their nails done if Callie wanted to go with her. Lena said she would be delighted and Mariana left to go find Callie.

Mariana walked into their bedroom and found Callie on her bed reading. Mariana cleared her throat kind of loudly in an effort to get her sisters attention. She told her sister that Lena would drive them to go get their nails done if Callie wanted to redeem her birthday gift. Callie thought about it and while she really didn't want to, she agreed to go anyway. Callie went downstairs and Mariana went to find Jude to see if he wanted to come as well. Jude decided that he didn't want to join his sisters but wished them a great day.

When Callie and Mariana got to the nail salon, Callie was overwhelmed. She had never really been to a nail salon before. Mariana who had been several times, walked Callie over to the area where you pick your nail polish. Mariana went right to a nice pinky purple color. It was her go to color. Callie took a lot longer to pick a color. She would grab a bottle of polish, examine it and then put it back. Every so often she would put a bottle down in front of her but that was rare. After Callie had inspected almost all of the available colors, she had narrowed it down to three. Mariana was sad to see that they were dark colors, she hoped that Callie would have chosen something a little lighter, but she was just happy that Callie was here. After examining the three bottles of polish in front of her she made her choice. She chose a very dark blue color with a shimmer to it. It was dark enough for Callies liking but with the shimmer she thought that it might be nice to Mariana.

She gave the polish to her nail technician and took the seat beside Mariana. Callie was starting to enjoy the whole process and before she knew it she and her sister were being sent to the dryers. They sat at the dryers and decided to chat. It was nice for them to have the time together with just them and no phones it was something the Callie had really missed. When their nails were dry they called Lena to pick them up. As they waited Callie looked down at her nails and smiled. It had been so long since she felt pampered and it was a really nice feeling.

When the girls and Lena got home, Callie went to look for Stef. She found her outside relaxing on the back porch. Stef asked the girl how the day was and she smiled and showed Stef her nails. She told Stef about how much she enjoyed having the time to spend with Mariana just as sisters. Callie sat beside her mom and just rested her head on Stefs shoulder. For the first time in a long time Callie was content. She wasn't out there waiting for the other shoe to drop.


	19. Stef and Jude

**I feel like we really don't see much interaction between Stef and Jude so this was just a thought...**

The whole house was quiet that morning. Lena was at a board meeting, Brandon was at his dads, Jesus was at wrestling practice, Mariana was at a dance practice and Callie was at work. Stef found Jude in the living room working on an art project. When she came down, she looked at Jude and told him to get dressed. She was going to take Jude out to breakfast.

Jude and Stef got to Stefs favorite diner. She told Jude to order whatever he wanted and scanned the menu herself. When the waitress came over Jude ordered his breakfast (chocolate chip pancakes, something Lena would almost never allow) and Stef ordered hers (french toast with two sides of bacon. Stef loves bacon). Once the waitress brought over the drinks, Stef decided that this would be a great time to just chat with Jude. Chat about life, love, school just anything to connect with him. She asked him how he was and he said he was fine. She asked him how school was going and he said fine. She realized that it was going to be harder for Jude to open up then she thought. The breakfast foods came and the waitress came back to check on them a few times, but other then that breakfast was quiet. Stef paid the bill and they walked out to the car. Stef immediately decided to take her son to the pier, hoping that some time outside might make him open up a bit.

Once they got to the pier, Jude really wanted to fish off the end of the pier, so he asked Stef if they could. Stef was more then happy to oblige. She liked fishing herself and was glad that at least one of her kids enjoyed it too. She wasn't surprised he liked it. You really need to be patient and of all her kids, Jude was by far the most patient. They rented some rods and got some bait, casted their lines and waited. While they were waiting and enjoying the sunshine, Jude looked over at Stef and asked her a question. "You and mama told me that it's okay to be gay or not. Is it okay if I don't know yet? I like hanging out with girls, and I like hanging out with Connor but I still get a little uncomfortable when he kisses me which he has a few times" Stef looked at her son and smiled. " Of course it's okay if you don't know. You are 13 years old, you don't have to know right away. Mama and I just want you to be happy and if you like girls, then great and if you like boys then great. You do what works for you. Take your time, you will know."

Just as Stef said this Jude got a bite on his fishing line. He reeled it in and was shocked. He caught quite a big fish. Stef helped him take it off the hook and they took pictures and then walked to the end of the pier, and put the fish back in the water and watched it swim away.

As the fish swam off Stef looked at her watch and realized that they had been gone for a few hours and hadn't told anyone. So they raced back to the car, Jude won (though Stef claimed that she let him win). His prize was being able to pick the music on the way home. Jude spent a few minutes looking through all Stefs cds and found one that he loved. He put it in, picked the track and started singing along. Stef was surprised. Most kids Judes age didn't know anything about Barry Manilow. They both sang along to the songs on the disc all the way home. When they pulled into the driveway, Stef asked how he knew those songs, and Jude said " My mom was a huge fan and she would put on his songs any chance she got. She couldn't vacuum the house without Barry Manilow on full blast." Then he hung his head immediately guilty that he had let thoughts of his deceased mom break into his moment with his living mom. It wasn't that Jude had forgotten her, he just liked to keep those memories for him and Callie to share privately. Stef, seeing this, took his chin in her hand and turned his head to look at her. " You never, ever have to feel guilty, sad or ashamed for thinking of your birth mother. She was a great woman who raised two really great kids. If you are thinking of her, that's good. Mama and I never want you to forget her." With that Jude smiled and went inside.

When they got inside Lena was relieved to see them. She had left her meeting early, wanting to spend the day with her wife and youngest son. When they got inside Lena suggested that they go fisihing at the pier. Jude and Stef looked at each other and giggled. When Lena looked at them clueless Stef pulled out her phone and showed Lena the picture of the fish they had caught only a few hours ago. Lena laughed too.

As the day wore on Jude did some homework and played some video games. He was starting to get bored. He found Stef and asked her if she wanted to play a board game. When Stef said yes, he went to the games closest and got a few. Then he walked downstairs to the dining room. He found Stef in her games chair (She believes that in that chair she can win all the time. She will not let anyone else sit there) and Lena in another chair. Lena had decided to call out for pizza for a special treat. Brandon walked in from his dads just as they were about to start the game so they set a place for him. Within 10 minutes of the pizza getting there the rest of the family had arrived at the house. So before he knew it, it was an all family games night. The laughter and fun filled the house, and before anyone realized it was midnight. They ended the game even though it wasn't over and Stef declared herself the winner. They would argue with her but she would just sulk. Jude fell asleep that night fulfilled emotionally and spiritually. He slept great.


	20. Valentines day

It was Valentines Day and Stef and Lena were looking forward to their night out. They had managed to persuade the kids to be out of the house for the night and Stef had taken the night off.

Stef and Lena were getting dressed and just putting on their necklaces when Brandon knocked on the door. He was all dressed and had 2 single roses in his hand. The kids had set up Brandons car so that he could drive them to the restaurant. He offered his services to his mothers who took him up on that offer.

As the women walked down to the car all of the kids commented at how loverly their moms looked. Stef and Lena kissed each one of them and wished them a good night. Brandon started the car and the moms sat in the back holding hands and whispering sweet nothings to one another.

Once they got to the restaurant Brandon told them to call when they wanted to be picked up. They arrived at their favorite restaurant and Lena was worried. She hadn't made reservations and she knew that the wait for a table would probably be a few hours. While she really wanted to stay at the restaurant she was hungry now and really didn't want to wait that long. Once they got to the maitre d stand they were seated right away. Stef turned and looked at Lena, she said that she had booked this dinner months ago. The woman sat down and ordered a bottle of wine and then ordered their food.

The restaurant had a really nice jazz band and space for a dance floor. While the ladies were waiting for their food Stef suggested that she and Lena dance. Lena loved to dance but no one else was on the dance floor, so she was little self conscious. It took another glass of wine and Stef prodding Lena for her to finally agree. As if on cue the band started to play a slow song and Lena and Stef just slowly started dancing. Before they knew it other couples were on the dance floor. In that moment of dancing Stef and Lena both wanted it to last forever. They were so content.

When the song was over they went and sat back down to eat dinner. The food was AMAZING. The band played a mix of slow and fast songs and Stef and Lena and on their last song they both had their eyes closed. With their eyes closed an admirer from another part of the restaurant and tapped Stefs shoulder. "May I cut in?" a familiar voice asked. Lena opened her eyes and shook her head. She in no way wanted to dance with Gretchen. Lena most certainly didn't want to stop dancing with Stef and she certainly did not want to dance with Gretchen either. Gretchen backed off a bit and the pair finished dancing.

When they headed back to the table they weren't surprised to see Gretchen sitting there. Only it wasn't just Gretchen it was her girlfriend or so they assumed. Stef and Lena took a deep breath and sat down. Their romantic dinner for two had been turned into an uncomfortable dinner for 4. Gretchen introduced the other woman at the table as her girlfriend Ronnie. Ronnie looked a lot like Lena. To Lena it seemed like Gretchen was trying to replace her. That made her happy. Within a few minutes the conversation had turned into how amazing Gretchen was and how much she and Ronnie had done in their relationship. Just as Stef was getting bored in the conversation the desserts that she and Lena had ordered arrived. They ate them quickly and then looked for any excuse to leave.

Once they paid the bill they left. They weren't ready to be taken home yet by their chauffeur so they walked to the beach. The both took off their shoes and just had a stroll while holding hands. They weren't talking just strolling, listening to the waves come in and just enjoying holding each others hands. They had gone pretty far and decided to turn around and head back. Once they got back they called Brandon and within 10 minutes he was there. The moms got into the back seat and Brandon dropped them off at home. He kissed them goodbye, he was headed to Mikes.

The moms walked into the house and went upstairs. They grabbed a bottle of wine on the way. Lena decided to take a shower and before she knew it she felt Stef get in behind her. After their shower the ladies decided to get into bed. As they laid there in bed under the covers cuddling they both smiled. Except for the whole Gretchen issue they had a great night and were finally enjoying the fact that they were alone and could have some intimate time. After their intimate time they both fell asleep and woke up the next morning to the smell of pancakes and bacon.

When they got downstairs the kids had set the table and put some decorations at each place. They had all come home early to show their moms some love on this special day.


	21. Brandons Solo Mission

Brandon was, like his Mama, an introvert. He much preferred being alone or in small groups.

He woke up this particular morning and went down to breakfast, it was Sunday and he had no immediate plans. As the whole family ate breakfast together they all went about letting their parents know about their plans for the day. When time got around to come to him, he said he didn't any plans. He hoped that none of the kids would have asked him to join, he was happy to have the house to himself. At one point all of siblings were talking over one another and it was noticeably louder then usual.

As everyone started to leave Brandon thought about what he would do first. He couldn't remember the last time he had the house to himself for more then a few minutes. He thought about watching a movie. He loved watching old Godzilla movies and after a while the family had grown tired of them. So Brandon got out his favorite Godzilla movie and started watching. When that movie was over, he pondered what to do next. He put on some music really loud and just started to sing along. He was bobbing his head back and forth and getting lost in the music.

He was starting to get hungry and decided to make lunch. He didn't know what he wanted to eat so he looked around. He decided to make a homemade pizza. He went online and found a recipe that looked easy enough, and then went about making it. He got the pizza in the oven and then checked the time, he knew that Lena would likely be home from her meeting in about 2 hours, so he ate his pizza, had a can of pop that he had to smuggle into the house as Lena would NEVER allow it, and turned off the music. He took his pizza out of the oven and put it on the table in the kitchen. He set the table for himself, and sliced up the pizza. He went to reach for a slice of pizza when he heard something, he heard the sound of silence. Silence was something that he didn't often hear in a house full of people. He spent about 15 minutes just enjoying the silence while eating his pizza.

He had just finished cleaning up when Lena walked in. The scent of Brandons pizza still hung in the air, when Lena asked "what did you make for lunch?" Brandon pulled out the few left over pieces of pizza and showed Lena the pizza. He offered to warm up the pieces for her and she nodded. She went to change while he warmed the lunch and she came down into to the kitchen to see Brandon in the sitting area reading a book. Lena took that as her cue to eat quietly. Brandon had set the table for Lena and he grabbed his book and joined her at the table. The two of them sat there in blissful silence only occasionally broken up by the sound of a page turning.

When Lena finished her lunch she put her dishes in the sink and went to join Brandon in reading a book. The two sat there reading for the next hour until both Jesus and Jude bounded into the house and with them brought the noise level in the house up about 10 notches.

After a loud dinner and the normal loud night time routine, Lena stopped in to see Brandon before he went to sleep. She asked what he did while they were out and Brandon told her. She smiled at him and told him that she would love to spend some alone time with just them doing exactly what he did today. Seemed like something they would do to have together.


	22. Planting with Frankie

It was a beautiful Saturday morning, the sun was out, the sky was blue, there was a light breeze. Lena had been hoping to garden a bit over the last few weeks but she kept getting rained out. As she looked outside she was determined that today would be her planting day.

Lena went upstairs and changed into her gardening clothes and let Stef know what she was going to be doing for the day. Lena went out to the backyard and found herself staring at Frankies tree. She started there and pulled some weeds and made it look better. Once she was happy, she found herself talking to Frankie as though the girl was standing right there.

She gathered her plants and tools and decided to start with planting the pansy's. They are Lenas favorite flower and she wound up telling Frankie the story of how she came to love Pansy's. The story was one of Lena's all time favorites because it highlighted one of the few times that she and her mom managed to be on the smae side and have some common ground. Turns out Pansy's are also her mothers favorites as well. She could hear Frankie laughing at all the right parts and she could feel herself hugging her little girl. She slowly continued planting moving on from one type of flower to another, stopping to remind Frankie of why she chose each and to occasionally wipe away a few stray tears.

When Lena was done planting she stood up and looked around. She was so happy at her progress. It had been hours and she was sweaty, dirty and physically and emotionally drained. She knew she need a shower. She went inside and told Stef to order Chinese food for everyone and went upstairs. She got changed and started the shower. She got into the shower, and started to cry. She didnt realize how much she missed Frankie and how much she wasn't done grieving for her sweet baby.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt Stef get into the shower with her. Stef had overheard some of the conversations between her wife and baby girl and her heart just broke for her. The more Stef herself thought about it the more she realized that she too hadn't grieved enough. The moms just stood there together holding each other while they cried. They stayed that way only being brought out of their thoughts when Callie called out to them that dinner had arrived at the house.

The moms went down and joined their kids for dinner and the night routine. They told the kids that in the morning after breakfast they were all going to spend some time at Frankies tree as they all really needed it.


	23. Chance Encounter

16 year old Stefanie Foster was on the track team. She liked to run and she was good at it. She and her relay team were on a bench at a track meet beside a team from the Mission Bay Academy. She noticed a tall younger girl on the Mission Bay bench. She was taken back by the girl and wanted to talk to her but didn't have a chance before her first race.

She got on the starting line and noticed that the younger girl was only two spots down from her. Stef then shook herself out of the fog and focused on the race just as the starter pistol went off. Stef ran her best and come in second. The younger girl came in 5th. When Stef finished her race she went over to try and talk to the girl but the girl was getting ready to leave to head back to her school.

***Flash forward to now***

Stef was laying in bed with her laptop on looking at some old photos that Sharon had sent her. One of the photos was Stef at a track meet when she was sixteen. In the back of the picture she noticed the younger girl that she was enamored with back then. When Lena got into bed, she showed the pictures to her wife. When she got to the track picture she told Lena about the girl. Lena looked at the picture and just smiled. She went into the top drawer of her dresser where she kept a stack of photos. She pulled out a picture of a track meet that she went to around the same time. In the top corner of her picture was an older blonde girl that Lena had noticed. She showed the picture to Stef. They realized that they had pictures with each other in them. Seems Stef and Lena had indirectly crossed paths earlier in their lives and just never knew.

They decided that both pictures deserved to be framed and put up as it was the time that they had noticed each other. The next morning Stef went to buy matching frames and as she searched for just the right ones, she thought that maybe this chance encounter was why she felt so comfortable around Lena so early in the relationship.

She took the frames home, they framed the pictures and put them up. When Mariana walked by the pictures she asked about them and the moms told her. Mariana thought that it was cool and she smiled and continued on about her day.


	24. 10 Years On

**In this story Jesus passed away in the car accident. I don't really like that he went away i think it would have proved a richer story line to have him pass away. **

It had been 10 years since the family lost Frankie. It had been a hectic, funny, sad, poignant, joyful decade.

The family had been through Lena and Stefs wedding, Jude and Callie's adoptions, Jude's coming out, the kids graduations from high school and most sadly the deaths of Frankie and Jesus. Jesus death was incredibly hard for the family. They pulled apart. It took almost a year but the family eventually got back together and made it through.

The kids had all gone their separate ways over these last 10 years but they always kept in touch.

When Brandon graduated the whole family was there. They threw him a party. He had gotten into Julliard to study music and the move across the country, while hard on everyone, was what he needed for a fresh start. Brandon flourished at the school. He even met his wife there. Cassandra was a tall red head who was an only child. Cass loved that Brandon had such a big family and Brandon loved that Cass fit into the family so well. The couple had a really small wedding and Cass made sure that both Mariana and Callie were bridesmaids and that Jude was a groomsman. They also took time out to remember Jesus for a few minutes. It always made Brandon smile when he thought of his long gone brother, he knew he would have loved Cass. Brandon and Cass moved to Queens where Brandon teaches music at Julliard. Cassandra launched her own fashion line after getting out of school. Her passion had always been fashion. The line was called Shesotallclothes. A line of clothes for all the tall girls in life. They hadn't yet had kids but had talked about it.

Callie had grown the most over the years. She graduated at the top of her class and decided to study photojournalism at the University of California. Callie didn't bother applying to schools out of her area, she reasoned with that she had finally found her forever family and she wasn't ready to leave it yet. She graduated with honors from the University and got an immediate job offer. She has been working with a major travel company taking pictures of destinations all over the world. When she connects with her siblings, it always seems to be at some crazy hour. She doesn't care, she would move mountains for her family. Within 6 months of starting at her job she fell in love with her boss. He fell in love with her too. The relationship started out slow at Callie's request and Alex was happy to wait, but as she grew to trust him more and more the relationship flourished. Callie knew that Alex was the one. She had dated a few times off and on during college but not since Wyatt had she felt this way about anyone. Alex got promoted just before he proposed so he was no longer her boss. The couple got married on the beach in Costa Rica with just the family and a few very close friends in attendance.

Mariana had had the hardest time over the last several years. She was completely broken by losing her twin. She became rather sullen and moody, she even spent some time battling depression. She is doing much better now, 10 years later. She still thinks about Jesus constantly, but now it doesn't hurt anymore. Mariana took a year off after high school, she didn't know what she wanted to do and didn't really have the drive to do anything. Towards the end of her year off she decided that she wanted to become a grief counselor. She knew that the counselor she went to really helped. She was alive because of him. He had helped her through the darkest of days, when she didn't think she could move on. Mariana had graduated from the University of Chicago and was working towards becoming a psychiatrist. She wasn't married but was in a long term relationship with a person named Joey. Joey was everything that Mariana needed. He was working towards being a surgeon. They both went to medical school together and lived together.

Jude had just finished university. He so desperately wanted to become a teacher. He and Connor were no longer dating but just very good friends. They realized they made better friends then boyfriends anyways. He was living at home and with Lena's help had gotten a position at Anchor Beach teaching 7th grade social studies. He loved it there. He really felt like he was making a difference in the kids lives. He doesn't currently have a boyfriend and was okay with that. He is happy where he is in life. As a hobby he joined a heavy metal band and found out that he is really good at the drums. The band plays gigs most Saturday nights and as much as Stef and Lena don't like heavy metal music, they are there almost every week to support their son.

Lena was turning 50. That is what brought the family back to Mission Bay on this particular Saturday. The first people to arrive at Lenas surprise party was Jude, but he still lived there so it didn't really count. Callie and Alex were next. They had brought many gifts with them and offered to help in whatever way they could. Brandon and Cassandra and Mariana and Joey all showed up at the same time. Brandon and Cass landed at the airport about 30 minutes before Mariana and Joey did so they decided to wait and all travel together. The other guests, mostly friends, had started to trickle in. Stef pulled into the driveway. She honked her horn which, according to Jude, was the signal for everyone to hide. They all hid wherever they could, but there wasn't a lot of space for that in the backyard, so most of them just stood there and yelled SURPRISE when Lena walked in. Lena was so excited to see all the kids. She hadn't seen them in almost a year.

The family mingled with guests, got caught up on all the gossip in the area and were just enjoying each others company. Most guests had left before Lena decided to open her gifts. The family brought the gifts inside as it was starting to get cold out, and they sat the huge pile of gifts in front of her. Slowly she opened the ones from her friends. When it came time to open the ones from the family, she started to cry. She was so happy they were all together she really didn't need gifts. Har families presence was present enough. The first gift she opened was a beautiful necklace from Stef. It had the birthstones of Stef and all the kids (including Frankie) in the shape of a heart. From Jude she got a mother/son spa day. From Mariana and Joey she got a beautiful picture of all the kids and their spouses. From Callie and Alex and Brandon and Cassandra she got the same thing. It seems that great minds really do think alike. In Brandon and Cassandras gift was a framed ultrasound picture. It was there way of saying that they were pregnant. Once the hoopla died down Lena opened Callie and Alexs gift and found the exact same thing. The family was so excited for their siblings and the moms were excited to be grandmas.

For the rest of the pregnancies the whole family stayed in touch a lot more. And Callie who was not travelling as much in her later pregnancy moved back to San Diego. Cassandra went into labor first, and after a long labor she and Brandon had a baby girl. She was gorgeous and they named her Sara Francesca. Only one week after Sara was born Callie went into labor. She had to have an emergency c-section but came out of it with flying colors and also a daughter she named Elirie (She combined Stef and Lenas middle names) Colleen. The family was so overjoyed to meet both of the new babies. It brought every one closer together and gave Lena the best birthday gift anyone could ask for.


	25. Getting Lost

**In this story Jesus is alive. He didn't go away to school. The kids are the ages they are now. **

"The GPS said turn left" Lena said. Stef looked over and noticed that the street was closed so she couldn't make the turn. She was frustrated. The family was on their way to a wedding and traffic was a nightmare. They had already made several detours along the way and the trip had already taken almost an hour longer then it was supposed to. If the traffic stays as it is they would miss the ceremony.

Stef was starting to lose her temper. Between the kids bickering in the back, the gps telling her to turn where she can't and Lena berating her because it was Stefs fault that they left late. Stef had had it. She was starting to get a bad headache so she told the kids to be quiet, she asked Lena to mute the gps. She was about to decide to turn around when she noticed that a street that was closed had just been opened. She made a left turn onto that street while the gps rerouted the car to the banquet hall. 15 minutes later the family was pulling into the parking lot. They all got out of the car quickly and ran as fast as they could into the hall. They got there just in the nick of time. They found open seats and sat down. Moments later the ceremony started. Callie was the first one to notice that the family was late. She was asked by Stefs cousin (the bride) to be the photographer for the day. Callie finally started to relax a little when the family showed up. The ceremony was fairly quick, but beautiful.

Once the ceremony ended Callie left with the bridal party for pictures leaving the rest of the family looking for something to do until the reception started in 3 hours. Mariana suggested a movie. Lena looked at her phone and started to do some calculations in her head. "Okay troops, we can go see a movie and miss the last 15 minutes or see a movie and miss the first 20 minutes." Lena said. The kids didn't really like that idea so Jude suggested going to the amusement park. Mariana and Lena weren't so keen on that idea as they were in very nice long dresses that they really didn't want to get dirty. Stef suggested going to the Pier, but given that it was a nice day Lena thought it would be very busy there. Finally Brandon came up with an idea they could all live with. He suggested an indoor arcade and restaurant. The family all agreed. So they piled back into the car, Stef punched in the address into the GPS and off they went. The arcade wasn't far away from the wedding venue, or at least the building that was the arcade wasn't far. The arcade had closed for renovations a month prior. So they were back to square one. Given the choices that they had, the decided to head for the Pier. Turns out Lena was right. The Pier was very, very busy but the family managed to find a decent parking spot and headed out to, if nothing else, stretch their legs. Jesus and Jude were excited to ride a few of the rides on the Pier, Lena and Mariana, took of their shoes, held up their dresses and started walking along the beach. Stef noticed that Brandon didn't immediately scatter. She asked him why and he said that he was a little sad that day. He loved being with the family and he loved that he got to see his extended family during a happy time, but he was sad because he didn't know how many more times he would have this chance before he went off to college. Stef grabbed a hold of him, hugged him and told him that it would all be okay. They stayed there like that for a few moments when Jude came running back to ask if Brandon wanted to join him and Jesus and to see if Stef would hold their ties. Stef smiled and Brandon to go on. She found a bench where she could see all of her family and her and the boys ties sat for the next hour just enjoying the sun and the alone time.

Stef started calling the kids back so they could head on to the reception. They all piled in the car and Stef again punched the address into the GPS and took off. They were, according to the GPS, only 30 minutes away from the hotel on the freeway when a huge accident had closed down the off ramp that they needed. They kept going and decided to get off at the next off ramp. They managed to get off at that off ramp but it was at that moment with the GPS decided to recalculate but never got to 100%. So she was left blindly trying to find the hotel. Lena suggested that Stef ask the clerk at the gas station that was coming up. Stef pulled in and asked the clerk. Lena hoped the clerk knew the way, she really didn't want to be lost again that day. Stef came out smiling, with really really good directions they made it to the reception with about 30 minutes to spare.

The family had a great night and the next morning spoke of how getting lost was actually kind of fun. Maybe they should get lost more often.


	26. Knocked Down

The family was very busy. It was Franks birthday. Stef hadn't forgotten, she knew when his birthday was, she has just lost track of the days. She was still sleeping when Lena and the kids left for school. Stef was on afternoons and so it was normal for her to sleep in a little. When she woke up she had no idea what the date was. She got to work and was going about her day. She took a break at lunch and checked her phone. She had a few messages. One message was from Lena checking in to see how she was doing. The other message was from her mother. Her mother was also checking in to see how Stef was doing. From what Stef thought she had no reason to be a cause for concern to her wife or mother.

Had there been something in the news that she knew nothing about. She could tell from the office that there was nothing major that would cause concern so Stef went about her day.

Lena was getting dinner ready and told the kids that it was Franks birthday and that Stef might be a bit sad. It was okay if they were as well. The family ate dinner and went to do their own things.

Stef got home and found Jude in the living room with Connor working on a project and Lena sitting with paperwork and her laptop in the kitchen. Once Lena saw her wife she closed her laptop asked Connor to call his dad and went upstairs with Stef. As Stef was getting changed she could feel Lena hovering. She was perplexed as to why so she asked "Love, is there something going on that I don't know about? If you are concerned I wrote mostly tickets all day". Lena looked at Stef confused. Was Stef not aware of what day it was. She sat on the bed and motioned for Stef to join her. When Stef was sitting down, Lena rubbed her back and told her the date. It still perplexed Stef for a moment until she realized that it was her dads birthday. The first birthday since his passing. Stef got up and went downstairs to warm up her dinner. She took her plate and went out to the backyard to eat. Lena went with her but kept her distance. Stef sat there eating and got up. When she got up she fell to her knees. She put the plate down beside her and started to cry. She cried for all the birthdays he would miss, for all the days that she had really, really missed him since his death and she cried because she didn't realize what day it was. Once she started crying Lena went over and knelt down with her, wrapped her up in her arms and just let her cry.

After crying for what felt like an hour, Stef told Lena that she was exhausted and just wanted to go to bed. Lena helped Stef up and put her arm around her and led her to bed. When Stef was in bed, Lena went to say good night to the kids and them came back to get herself ready for bed. When she got into bed, Stef rolled over and revealed that she was still crying. Lena knew that the floodgates had opened and that it was going to make for a long night, but she knew that Stef really needed the chance to get it all out and she would do whatever she needed to make sure that her wife was loved.

Wrapped in Lenas arms, Stef cried herself to sleep. She somehow managed to stay asleep for the night. When she woke up she noticed that her alarm had been turned off, the kids had left for school and the house smelled of bacon. She walked downstairs and found Lena cooking the last of the breakfast. When Lena saw Stef she smiled. She asked how she slept and Stef just smiled and said she slept well. She felt so safe when she slept. Lena told Stef that she had called in sick and had called Stef in sick and the spent the rest of the day together just enjoying each others company.


	27. High School Reunion

Lena stood in front of the mirror. She had her robe on and in her right hand she had a long red dress on a hanger and in her left hand she had a short black dress on a hanger. She knew that Stef really liked the short black dress but with Stef stuck at work she was likely going to have to meet her there. She took both dresses and walked over to the girls room. It was rare that both of her daughters were home on a Saturday night but she was going to use this to her advantage. She knocked on the door and when invited in the she showed the girls the dresses. "So which one do you like the long red one or this short black one? " Lena asked as she held up each dress as she said the color. Mariana immediately said she liked the black one better because it was shorter and showed off her legs and would make all the girls there jealous. Callie hemmed and hawed for a bit, and decided that she too liked the black one because she knew that Stef would like it best.

With her decision made, Lena went into her room to start getting ready. She hated getting ready for these things alone. She liked knowing that Stef and her opinion were right there in the same room. Surprisingly Lena was able to get dressed without hesitating or second guessing her accessories choices.

She headed downstairs called all the kids down there told them that Brandon is in charge and left them some money for pizza. She walked over and kissed all of her kids on the cheek and headed out towards her highschool and her (hopefully) waiting wife.

Stef was wrapping up her day at work. She had bought a really lovely blue dress that she thought would go great with Lena's dress. She smiled and giggled a little as she was heading down the hall of the office. Officer Rennie asked her what the giggle was all about Stef said " I bet Lena took two dresses and went into our girls room to ask them for their opinion and I bet one of those dresses is black and short". Officer Rennie looked at her and smiled "And how do you know this?" "I know my wife. And besides she does the same thing with me every time we have get dressed up fancy. Have a good night Scott." Stef said. "You too. Let me know which dress Lena chose." Stef got to her locker and took out her dress and went into a restroom stall to change. It was not easy but she managed to get changed. She stepped out of the stall and took her hair down and quickly brushed it, threw on some makeup and then headed for the car. On her way out to the car, she got quite a few looks from her fellow officers. She made sure to stop and lock up her gun in the station safe and then headed out. She made great time to the school gym and pulled in just as Lena arrived.

Lena saw Stef arrive as she got there so she waited so they could walk into the room together. Lena took a look at her wife and her mouth hung open. "Wow love you look hot. Where did that dress come from?" Lena said. "Oh this old thing, I've had it for ages." Stef smiled and said with a wink. The pair linked hands and walked into the school. They headed towards the gym, stopping for a few minutes to look at the trophy case. Lena scanned the case hoping she would find it. She had almost lost hope when she saw it, the Southern California hurdles trophy and there in the bottom corner was her name. She showed Stef, who smiled and kissed Lena on the cheek. They continued their walk to the gym. They got to the registration table and got their name tags and headed over to the bar.

At the bar, Lena heard her name being called. She waited for the blonde to get closer. She looked at the name tag. "Adele Marshall" at first she couldn't remember who the girl was but once Adele opened her mouth she remembered, Adele had a distinct accent. "Hi Lena, I can't believe you are here. I didn't think that you would show up" Adele said with a rather mean tone in her voice. "Why wouldn't I show up, I went to school here too. I would like you to meet my wife Stefanie." Stef turned around and extended her hand to the woman who didn't take it. This got Stef angry. "Look, you don't have to agree with gay marriage or like it, but we are all adults here to reconnect and have a good time. My wife was nice to you this evening, I would appreciate it if you would be nice to her." Stef said as they turned their backs to Adele thus ending the conversation.

At that moment the crowd had been told to find a seat as the former principal was about to make a speech. As Principal Osborne stepped up to the microphone and gave his opening remarks. I just looked at Stef and smiled. She is the hottest woman in the room and she is all mine. There must have been some kind of commotion because the next thing I know everyone in the room is staring at me and Stef. Stef stands up and before i know it she is pulling me up off the chair. I snap back to right now and all I hear is yelling. Seems Adele interrupted the Principal and pointed us out and started shouting about how gays shouldnt be allowed to attend school functions. This made me mad so I grabbed my wifes hand, used my firm voice and said "Listen Adele, who I love is none of your business or concern for that matter. My wife is smart, funny, kind, protective, loves with abandon and is the hottest woman in the room. If you have a problem with that, that's something that you need to take care of." I pulled Stef down into our chairs and someone else stood up. I couldn't catch a glimpse of her name but she looked at me and apologized for Adele saying "we aren't all like Adele. She doesn't speak for all of us. By the way Adele, at least Lena and her wife are together. I know that guy you brought isnt your husband and you talk about your kids like they are perfect angels but my daughter and your daughter are in the same classes at school and your daughter is a bully like you were. So I wouldn't stand there tooting your own horn. You are calling for everyone to ask Lena and her wife to leave but i think you should leave." A chorus of I agrees followed after that speech.

Then Adele stood up and grabbed her guest and left in a huff. Once she left the dj started to play some songs and everyone started to reminisce, dance and have a good time and before they knew it, it was time to head home.

When Stef and Lena were laying in bed just before falling asleep, Stef looked at Lena and said "I love you so much, I'm sorry you had to defend us but thank you for doing that." She kissed me good night and we feel asleep cuddling in each others arms.

Home of the Wildcats


	28. Callie's vacation

Summer school had just ended for Callie. She was glad for that, she was kind of burnt out.

She was slowly making progress with her relationship with Robert and was at the apartment that he moved into after leaving Jill. Robert was making tacos for them while Callie was picking the movie.

"Hey Cal, so I have this business trip that I have to go on later this week to New York City and I know it's kind of short notice but if your moms approve I would love it if you want to come with me. We could go and see a Broadway show and maybe catch a baseball game and just tour around for a few days. You might be alone for a day or so but it should be so much fun. " Robert said as Callie was deciding on a dvd. "Um, I'm not sure. I will have to ask my moms." Callie said. She made her final decision and asked Robert if it was okay. He nodded and Callie went to start the movie. Both Callie and Robert ate silently in the living room while watching the movie.

When the movie ended Callie looked for any excuse to head home. It wasn't that she didn't love Robert, just this was the first time that the two of them had ever been alone together for more then a few minutes.

Robert drove Callie home and reminded her to ask her moms about the trip.

Callie went in the house and found Stef sitting at the kitchen table paying the bills. "Hey sweets, did you have a good time at Roberts?" Stef said. "Um, yep, I guess. Robert asked me something and I said I would ask but I don't expect you to say yes. Maybe Mama should be here too." Callie said. "Lena, can you come here for a minute, Callie wants to ask us something." said Stef.

"So um, Robert has a business trip later this week in New York City and he asked if I want to go with him." "Well love, I guess the first question is, do you want to go? It feels like you want us to say no." Lena said. "I don't know. Part of me wants to go, except when I ran away, I've never been outside of California before and another part of me is scared about taking this big leap with him." Callie said. Stef and Lena looked at each other and had a conversation without speaking. "Mom and I will talk to each other and Robert and let you know. If you want us to say no, we will, we don't want to make you uncomfortable." Lena said. Callie kissed her moms goodnight and went to bed.

Stef and Lena waited until they were in the privacy of their room with the door closed before they decided to discuss the trip. "So I want to talk to Robert and hear what he plans to do on the trip with Callie, but if it's okay, I think Callie should go." Stef said. " I was thinking the same thing. It will be good for her to spread her wings and to see the city. Plus it will give her a chance to bond with him in a different setting." Lena said. "Well lets talk to Callie in the morning. I love you. Good night." Stef said as she kissed Lena.

-The next morning-

Callie was sitting at the kitchen table when Stef and Lena walked in. "Hey sweetheart, Mom and I talked last night and we want to talk to Robert, but if we like what we hear, we want to you to go to New York with him. We want you to have a relationship with him and this will put you both in a situation where you will have to learn to depend on him. Plus New York City is magical and I think anyone that gets the chance to see a show on Broadway should always take that chance." Lena said. Stef could see that somehow Callie seemed anxious by this plan. Step got up and stood behind her daughter and wrapped her arms around her in a hug. The kids filed off to various events, Stef dropped Callie off at work and headed back home. When she got there she was surprised to see Robert sitting on her couch. He had decided to drive Callie to work but didn't make it in time. He decided to go inside and let Lena and Stef know of his plans. "Hi honey" Lena said to Stef. "Hi Stef, I was going to pick up Callie but got stuck in traffic. I don't know if she told you this, but I have a business trip to New York City coming up and I am hoping that Callie will want to come with me. I know that she and I don't have the best relationship but I really think that we can bond a bit on this trip. I promise that I will make sure that she eats healthy, gets to bed at a reasonable hour and gets to see a broadway show or two. I will make sure that she knows that she can call you guys any time and if she feels she needs to come home early, I will buy her a new ticket and hopefully you guys can pick her up from the airport." Robert said. "We want Callie to have this experience and it is good to know that you will let her come home early if she needs it. We want to make sure that you will let her call us anytime she needs to, that you will take your time with her and that you both have a great time. Of course, this is all dependent on Callie and her willingness to go." Robert smiled, said that she could call anytime and went about his day.

When Callie got home from work, Stef and Lena sat her down. "So Robert came over after you went to work, he wanted to drive you to work but got stuck in traffic. He asked us about the trip. Mama and I have been talking and we really think you should go. Now, we won't make you go, but I know that I am super jealous, if someone offered me a chance to go to New York City I would take them up on it. Besides, before you know it you will be in university, getting married and having kids of your own." Stef said. "Can I think about it before I have to choose for sure?" Callie asked and her mothers nodded. "Thanks".

Callie spent the rest of the night with this trip on her mind. The next morning, she had made her decision and went to get her cellphone to call Robert. "Good morning Robert" Callie said "So I have been thinking and I think I will go with you to New York City. What do I need to pack and when do we go?" "We leave on Wednesday morning and you should get home by Monday. I spoke to your boss and she is okay with you taking the time off. I will email you a list of things to pack. If you need any of the things on the list, let me know. Do you need a suitcase?" Robert asked. "I don't think so, but I will ask my moms. I have to go to breakfast but I will call later" Callie headed to breakfast and told her parents of her call to Robert. Both moms were really glad that Callie was going.

The remaining couple of days were a blur of rushing around to get last minute items and to make sure that things were washed and packed and before she knew it, Callies alarm was going off signalling it was 4 am on Wednesday. She got up and was expecting to have to go and wake up her moms but found both of them out of bed and in the kitchen each one nursing a coffee. "Good morning bug, grab a bottle of water and lets get ready to head out. We need to be at the airport in about an hour and I dont want to get stuck in traffic". Stef said. Both Lena and Callie looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Callie knew the real reason they were leaving so early was because she might need them to stay for a bit. The 3 left a note for the rest of the kids, but figured that all of them would be sleeping when they got back, and headed to the car.

Once in the car, Callie said "Can I tell you a secret?" both moms nodded as Callie continued. "I've never been on an airplane before." Lena and Stef smiled. They told Callie "you will be just fine. Just hold onto Roberts hand if needed. Here's some gum. It might help to chew it during takeoff."

They got to the airport and met up with Robert. Callie hugged Lena and Stef and her mom whispered in her ear "You can do it baby. Enjoy yourself." Both moms reminded Callie that she could call at any time.

-One week later-

"I feel like we were just here dropping Callie off and now we are back to get her from her adventure. Do you think she had a good time?" Stef asked Lena. "I think so, she probably would have called after the first night if she was missing us or having trouble. I can't wait to hear all about it." Lena said. The moms went to the gate to wait for her daughter and Robert to show up. Even though Robert had offered to drive Callie home, she wanted to see her moms, she missed them. The moms felt like they waited for hours for their daughter but really it was about 15 minutes. Callie lit up when she saw her moms and took off running and hugged them both as though she was never going to see them again. Robert came over and said his goodbyes and Callie and her moms walked to the car.

Callie was so excited to see her siblings and to give everyone the souvenirs that she had purchased especially for each one of them and she was also excited to head into the photo store tomorrow to print some of her pictures. The ladies got home and Callie was rushed at the door by her siblings. She gave them all hugs and went to sit in the living room. "I got you all surprises." Callie said. She grabbed her suitcase and started to open it. The first thing she pulled out was a small clock in the shape of the statue of liberty for her moms, then she pulled out a pack of guitar picks from a music themed restaurant for Brandon, for Mariana she got a new york shirt with lots of sparkle and glitter, for Jesus she got him a new back pack it had pictures of street art on it. Jude was the hardest person for her to find something for. She wanted to get him something that he would really love but that wasn't too young for him. She found it on her last day, well actually Robert found it and pointed it out to her. She found a book on the history of the city. She knew that it fit his love of books, and his newly acquired love of history.

Everyone thanked Callie for the souvenirs and she started yawning. She didn't realize how tired she was. "I'm kind of tired, can I tell you all about the trip tomorrow. My bed is calling my name." Callie said. "Of course, good night love" Stef said and she and Lena gave Callie a kiss.

Callie woke up the next morning, told her family all about the trip and showed them all the corresponding pictures on her laptop. As she went to bed that night she was glad that she went to New York and was glad that her moms gave her a push.


End file.
