A/N: Hello everyone! Please see my more full length author's note at the end of this chapter.

For now, here is the obligatory message that I don't own "The Fosters" or the characters. I only own the original storyline and writing of this fic. No copyright infringement is intended at any point in this fic.

This fic is currently rated T. It may be changed to M in the future, depending on how the story develops.

Saving Connor

Jude and Connor sat in Jude's room, door open as required. Connor was absorbed in a video game and it felt to Jude that he was being ignored. Connor had gotten much better about gaming and usually either included Jude or they chose a different activity when they were together – kissing being a choice they both enjoyed. But today, Connor was barely speaking and Jude was concerned. "Connor? You okay?" Jude finally spoke, breaking the awkward silence.

"Yeah," Connor replied, still focused on the screen.

Jude knew him better than that. "Connor. Come on. Talk to me. Please?"

Connor threw the game unceremoniously onto the floor before getting to his feet and crossing to the shelf across the room, examining some nondescript knick-knack. "I'm fine, Jude," Connor insisted, keeping his back to his boyfriend. He couldn't bring himself to face him.

"No, you're not," Jude insisted as he made his way over to gently touch Connor's shoulder. Connor shrugged it off, making Jude's stomach drop.

"What did I do?" Jude asked, half under his breath, the hurt in his voice palpable.

Connor let out a small sigh and gave in, finally turning to Jude. "You didn't do anything, Jude," he cooed, brushing his thumb across Jude's cheek, Jude leaning against his hand to savor the touch.

"Then what's going on? You aren't acting like yourself."

Connor took a deep breath and grabbed Jude's hand, leading him over to Jude's bed, both of them sitting on the edge beside each other. Connor stared at the floor, desperately searching for the right words. "My… my dad is sending me away."

"What?" Jude was so confused.

"To… some… camp. In another state," Connor explained, each word paining him to say aloud.

"It's the middle of the school year. You can't just go away to camp, you'll be missing school."

"It's not like summer camp, Jude." Connor desperately hoped that Jude would catch on so he didn't have to explain.

"Then what kind of camp is it?"

Connor fought back the anger that was bubbling inside of him, the anger that had burst from his mouth when his father had told him he was sending Connor away. He wasn't angry with Jude but rather at his dad and what he was doing. He couldn't afford to snap at Jude. "It's a camp for kids like us… me. For gay kids."

Jude's eyebrows furrowed. This made no sense. "Adam wants you to go meet more gay kids? That doesn't seem like something he would want you to do…." Adam, Connor's dad, had had a huge problem with Connor coming out as gay. He had had a huge problem even thinking that Jude was gay and Connor being around him. Why would he be sending Connor somewhere he could meet more gay boys?

"No, Jude, it's…. they're supposed to… This camp is supposed to 'fix' kids like us," Connor forced out. A said the word 'fix' as if it tasted nasty on his tongue.

"What? There's… there's nothing to fix. There's nothing wrong with you."

"Well, my dad thinks there is, obviously."

Silence fell over the room, pressing down on the two boys. Jude wanted to scream, protest, tell Connor to just stay with him. But part of him knew that would just make it harder on Connor. "When?" was what Jude settled on, speaking at barely a whisper.

"I leave Sunday…."

Jude fought the tears that were forcing their way to the surface. "How long?"

"Until…" Connor took a deep breath. This wasn't going to be easy to say to Jude. "Until I'm cured…."

Jude felt like his heart had stopped. The oppressive silence settled in again and the boys both stared at the floor, unable to look at each other. Jude could feel his face turning red as his eyes welled with tears he could no longer control. Connor dared to drift his eyes toward to Jude and felt the pang of guilt hit him square in the gut.

Before he could force his eyes back to the ground, he caught sight of the bright red time glaring from the alarm clock on Jude's bedside table. "Shit!" Connor mumbled, jumping to his feet. "I have to go, Jude; I'm sorry. If I don't, my dad will come looking for me."

Jude's tear streak face shot toward Connor with sudden realization. Adam didn't know Connor was there with him. Connor shoved all of his stuff back into his backpack and started for the door before Jude jumped up and calling for him. "Connor!" Connor froze momentarily, turning back to Jude. Jude ran over to Connor and took his face in his hands, pulling Connor down into a soft kiss. Jude's tears stuck to Connor's cheeks as their lips moved against each other. Jude dared run his tongue over Connor's bottom lip, sending a way of intoxication through both boys.

Sooner than either would have like, they pulled apart, a tear threatening to brim in the corner of Connor's eye. "Jude, I…I have to go…" Connor said painfully, forcing his body to move away from Jude. Jude gave him a tear-filled nod as he watched until Connor was out of sight down the stairs.

Connor made his way to the entryway, working on slipping on his tennis shoes when Stef came up from the dining room. "Leaving so soon, Connor?" she asked, leaning on her arm against the doorframe.

"My dad wants me home," Connor explained simply, working on his other shoe.

"Where's Jude? He should walk you out. He's knows better than that," Stef questioned, heading toward the stairs to call to her youngest son.

"It's okay, Mrs. Adams-Foster, really. I'm in a hurry. But thank you for having me over," he quavered slightly, fighting with the emotion of seeing Jude in a hot mess of tears. It wouldn't be fair for her to pull Jude out of his room with how upset Connor knew him to be.

"Anytime, Connor," Stef assured him, opening the door for him, watching as he got on his bike and rode off. As she closed the front door, she turned and took off up the stairs, wondering what had gotten into the usually over polite Jude. When she got to the doorway of Jude and Jesus's room, she stopped and observed. Jude was face down in his pillow, his body heaving slightly in what looked to be sobs. Stef rushed to her son's side, sitting on the edge of his bed and rubbing her hand over his back. "What's wrong, love? What's going on?"

"Connor has to go away," Jude muffled into his pillow, not able to turn to look at his mom.

"Oh honey…." Stef worked to try to calm her son's sobs, but let him cry it out until he had little to no energy left. When the sobs calmed to a slight sniffle, Stef ventured to speak to him again. "I'm really sorry, sweetie…. Did he say where he was going?"

"Out of state somewhere…."

"When does he leave?"

"Sunday."

Stef's eyebrows raised. That sure was a quick decision to move…. "He can come over as much as you want between now and then, okay? And we'll… we'll go visit him or something after he's settled." Stef was trying to comfort Jude, but she knew that losing a best friend and a first love was not going to be easy on Jude, particularly with how often he himself had been moved around. As soon as he would make a friend, he would have to leave again. Now that he was in a safe, permanent home, it was the friend that was leaving him….

"It's not like –" but he was cut off as Jesus and Mariana bounded into the room, arguing about something or other that Jude wasn't about to spend energy on figuring out.

"Out!" Stef called, interrupting the twins' argument.

"This is my room, too!" Jesus protested, but he knew he wasn't going to win that fight.

"Out!" Step yelled again. "I will be down to sort this out in a minute." The twins took off back down the stairs, their argument picking back up. "You okay, love?" Stef asked, still concerned for Jude, but worried about the potential brawl that could start at any moment downstairs.

Jude wanted to scream, "HELL NO, I'M NOT OKAY! MY BOYFRIEND IS BEING SENT AWAY TO BE MADE STRAIGHT AND IT FEELS LIKE IT'S MY FAULT FOR BEING HIS BOYFRIEND!" but he couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to force words out. So he gave his mom a shrug for a response.

Stef gave him a peck on the top of the head. "I'll be downstairs if you need me, hopefully keeping your brother and sister from getting blood all over the living room." Jude gave a small chuckle to satisfy Stef before she got up and headed down the stairs, yelling, "You two better figure this out because you won't like the answer if I have to get involved!"

Alone again, Jude pulled out his phone, hoping to have a message from Connor. Nothing. He pulled up his boyfriend's messenger thread and typed out a text – R u okay? – and anxiously waited for the reply.

Finally, the chirp came through to tell Jude he had a message. His heart skipped a beat, but that was before he read the message. As soon as he did, he had to fight the bile threatening to spew from his throat – the words "Leave him alone you little fag" blazed across the screen.

A/N: Ugh, how I hate that word from Adam's text. Sorry. But it makes me cringe and I could barely bring myself to type it. But I hope you are intrigued now! This idea for a fic popped into my head as I was rewatching the first three seasons of "The Fosters." When Adam first found out about Connor's sexuality, he said he was going to pull him from Anchor Beach. This, to me, was what he was thinking at that point.

I will admit that this writing process is going to be very different from my other fics – usually, I outline my fics or at least know how long I want them to be or what I want to happen at the climax. Basically, I usually have more than a beginning. Not with this fic. So, I will be anxiously awaiting your feedback and I welcome any ideas you have for this story going forward. Obviously I won't be able to please everyone, but rest assured that you will get an awesome shout out if I choose to use your suggestion at all and that I respect and appreciate any ideas you submit to me.

Thank you for reading and I hope to have some more written for you soon!