11:00am.

Her hands scurried through the side table, grabbing her car keys. Taking deep breaths. She went into her bedroom and took hold of the case she had always packed every few months but never had the balls to actually take and leave. Never having the strength to more like. But now she could leave.

She took hold of her phone, the damn thing was dead. Along with the things they took. A charger was one of them. So she couldn't call her loved ones to warn them about her quick return.

'Payphone' she thought to herself 'Payphone payphone, there's one downstairs'

She grabbed the change that was left on the side. Counting it fast she had enough money for two phone calls. Grabbing her case, she ran out of the apartment for good. Down the stairs and to the payphone.

Putting the money in the payphone as she dialled the first number. There was a long beeped noise.

"This number is no longer in use. Please try another"

She pressed the phone firmly against her forehead 'Changed their number. Great. Why didn't they tell me they changed their goddamn number' she took deep breaths and thought of another number, the only number she could really think of right now.

"Hello?"

Thank god.

"Grams...it's me"

"Ivy? Well hi love! What's going on, you okay?"

Ivy bowed her head down and said bluntly "She took off"

She heard the sigh from over the phone "I'm sorry, honey. What are you going to do?"

A smile then formed on her face as she looked up to the sky "I'm going home. I'm getting in my car" she turned and looked at it over her shoulder "Gotta drive for eight hours but it will be worth it"

"So this is a blessing?"

"Trust me. I need to get away from here. Those two leaving is just the freedom for me to do it"

"Alright...have you called-"

"No the numbers changed. Look the time on this payphone is gonna run out soon. If you can get a hold of her then tell her, but I gotta go. I love you"

Ivy hung the phone up and remained standing still for a moment, another small smile then appearing on her face. She pulled her car keys out of her pocket and gripped onto them hard as she took a step back and turned to her car, picking up her case and throwing it in the back before pulling the roof back up and over her mustang, then getting in the front. Sitting in her car seat, she took another deep breath. Turning the engine on and slowly pulling out of the parking lot.

Heading back to San Diego. A place where she never should have left.


1:30pm

'We have an armed robbery on Imperial Ave requesting back up'

Stef sighed as she sat back in her car seat, Mike shrugged "Well. We got nothing better to do"

Stef scoffed a laugh and shook her head as she turned on the engine of the car. But he was right, it had been a slow day, they may aswell make themselves useful. They made their way to the small store where the distressed young man was inside with a gun pointing at the woman behind the cash counter.

Stef and Mike got out the car, with their guns gripped tightly in their hands. Stef went round the back and found the back door, walking through it, she looked at Mike through the crack of the slightly opened door to the front, she nodded to him as he did to her. Mike and Stef both walked through the doors in front of them and held their guns up to the man with the gun.

With two guns pointing at him from the front and back. He dropped his gun and got down on his knees with his hands on his head. Stef sighed as she lowered her gun as Mike went over and arrested him. The young man had red eyes from crying. Clearly he had been going through something that caused him to just tip over the edge. But he wasn't the main priority right now. Stef put her gun back in her holster and turned to the frightened woman, at first she had to stare at her for a moment after glancing to her.

After realising that she wasn't who Stef thought she was, Stef shook her head and finally spoke "Are you alright?"

The woman nodded. Stef put her hand on her arm "What's your name?"

"Harriet, Harriet Bell"

"Okay Harriet, understandably this has been a scary moment for you but we're going to have to ask you to come down to the station and give a witness statement okay?"

Harriet nodded with her arms tightly crossed. For support, Stef rubbed her back and guided her out of the store. With the young man in the back of Stef and Mike's car, she sent Harriet into the other police car the stupidly only just arrived. After Stef gave a briefing to the officers in the car, she walked back over to Mike, who was looking over her shoulder to Harriet in the back, with a laugh he said "Y'know for a split second I thought that was your sister"

"Yeah? So did I" Stef muttered as she looked down to the floor for a moment. Mike looked at her and then asked "Ever hear from her?"

"Not one peep...hardly surprising you know we were never close"

Mike shrugged "I know but you always had one reason to call"

"I talked to Ivy by myself. Texts, calls. Recently it stopped...actually getting kind of worried" Stef said, biting her lip and walked over to the car. Mike turned to her and followed her "Can't you call her?"

"Apparently not. Got no answer" Stef shook her head as she stood by the door, she shrugged "There's not much I can do here, Mike, I have no idea where she is. Can't contact her...and if I'm being honest...I thought she'd have come home by now"

Mike stared at her with sympathy for a moment, Stef shrugged it off and opened the car door "I'm fine, I swear" Stef got in the car, as did Mike. She closed her eyes for a moment as she felt Mike's eyes still on her, she looked down and repeated in a more stern voice "I'm fine"

Mike wasn't convinced, he was married to her for years, he knew when she was lying. And this was Stef lying. But he also knew how stubborn she was and decided it was better to just let this one go, Stef can be very guarded about Ivy.

Ivy was Stef's niece. Her older sister, Kath fell pregnant with her through a one night stand and as soon as she gave birth to Ivy, she practically handed her over to Stef, who was only twenty and in college to be like her dad, her life was mapped out. Having a child dumped on her was never the idea...but she couldn't leave Ivy the way Kath did. She fell in love with her as if she was her own. Frank and Sharon of course helped raise her, with Kath popping in every few months to visit and spend a day or two with her before running off again to live the life she wanted, filled with drugs and random men.

When Stef moved out to live with Mike, Ivy went with her and lived with them. Then Brandon came along, five years after that so did Stef and Mike's divorce. Ivy moved again with Stef into the house the whole family now lives in with Lena. Years went on and the family grew.

Ivy went over fifteen years living with Stef whilst having her 'mother' pop in now and then, with crappy presents at Christmas and birthdays. Then, a few weeks into being sixteen, Kath made a final return. Telling Stef that she was leaving, refusing to tell her where and then said she was taking Ivy with her. Stef had only just convinced her to let Kath consider letting Stef and Lena adopt Ivy, and then she turned up with that bombshell and there was nothing they could do. Before they even knew it, before they even had the chance to blink, Ivy was gone.

Talking through the phone, Ivy told her where she was. San Francisco. But Stef was soon threatened, and Kath had taken out a restraining order against her and the entire family to stop her from coming. No one could go near Kath, which means they couldn't go near Ivy whilst she remained under her mother's control.

Ivy was Stef's first baby when she thought about it, and losing her was the hardest thing she had ever been through. It certainly shook the whole family.


2:45pm

Stef was sat at her desk. Going over some paperwork that was well overdue. Paperwork was never fun, anything to distract her from doing this was good enough. So when her phone rang, she was more the eager to pick it up.

"Hello"

"Stef, it's mom"

"Hey mom" Stef softly smiled as she sat back in her chair and threw her pen down on her desk, she cleared her throat "What's up?"

"I've been trying to call you for a while now, there's something you need to know"

Stef then sat back forward in her chair "Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine it's just-"

"Stef!" Mike called. Stef groaned and pressed her phone at her shoulder and looked to him as he stood down the hall "What?"

"We gotta go"

Stef rolled her eyes "Seriously?"

"Yeah seriously, crime doesn't rest y'know"

Stef took her focus back to the phone and shook her head as she sighed "Mom this will have to wait"

"But-"

"I'm sorry, mom, I'll talk later okay? I'll call you back" Stef didn't really give Sharon a chance to respond, she just said 'bye' and hung up, then getting up and following Mike out to see to whatever it was that she was being called out to.


6:57pm

The family all lowered their knifes and folks, all finishing up their dinner and all stuffed. Jesus felt like he could actually go another round and have the leftovers but Stef slapped his hand away and packed it up in tupperware for lunch tomorrow. He frowned and shrugged "Why do you get to have it tomorrow?"

"Because I'm a cop" Stef blunty said as she sat back down, as Lena put down a cake in the middle of the table that Mariana made with Mat. Brandon looked down to it and pointed "Is this safe?"

Mariana leaned over the table and swatted his arm "Hey! Mat and I are very skilled cake bakers!"

Lena muttered a laugh as she wiped her hands with a hand towel and asked with her eyebrows slightly raised "Who's looking forward to going back to school then? No more summer, back to normal on monday"

Everyone frowned.

Jude noticed Lena's unimpressed look and shrugged, saying with a soft expression "Won't be that bad"

Lena let out a light laugh and nodded as she began to cut the cake "Thank you, buba, for that vote of confidence"

Jesus sighed and shook his head "Well I'm not looking forward to it"

"You never are" Mariana rolled her eyes. Jesus scowled at her and grabbed a slice of cake and slapped it down on his plate, not wasting a single second.

"Whoa cool there, Jesus, no one is going to take it away from you" Stef said with a laugh. Lena looked to her, she noticed how off Stef had been, even by that fake laugh that she just plastered on, she knew something was up. Stef looked at the cake and rubbed Mariana's back as she said "I'll have mine later on, love, okay? But it looks delicious" Stef smiled as she kissed her cheek as she got out of her seat and walked over to the sink with her plate.

Lena walked over to her, standing closely beside her she said in a quiet tone "What's wrong?"

Stef looked to her and tried to shake the subject off "Nothing"

Lena tilted her head with a soft smile "Stefanie Marie Adams Foster I've been with you for eleven years I know when you're lying to me"

Stef stood up straight from leaning against the sink, glancing to the kids over her shoulder for a second and then looked back to Lena. She looked down at the floor for a moment with her hand on her hip, Stef looked back up to Lena and said in a mutter "There was this armed robbery that Mike and I had to cover today…"

"Are...are you okay?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, love, I'm fine, I'm fine. It's just that...the woman who was the cashier looked like Katherine and it got me thinking about Ivy"

Lena frowned, rubbing her wife's arm as she saw how down she suddenly gotten, letting down that wall she had kept guarded up throughout the day. Lena let out a sigh, struggling on what to say to make her feel better. This was such a sensitive subject for Stef. Anyone mentions Ivy's name and she either shuts them down or just tries to cut the conversation short, not through arrogance or being cold, but through her heart never healing from the hole she had when Ivy left.

Stef looked out the window and shook her head "I just...ever since she said that she couldn't keep in contact anymore it's been harder" she shrugged "And to be honest, none of those calls or texts were good enough, they weren't. Not when I can remember her in my arms like it was yesterday but they were all I had and I just…" Stef looked back down to the floor and shook her head again, shrugging and folding her arms as she whispered "I'm just having a bad day about it"

"It's only natural honey, she was...your baby" Lena said with a laugh and a shrug "We always said that she'd come back"

"And she always said that she couldn't. Lena whilst she'd with them she can never get away from it all...it's her birthday next month, twenty one...twenty one years old and she's still too scared to leave I mean what does that tell you?"

Again, Lena found it hard to say something to make her feel better. Because she was right. Ivy always told Stef how afraid she was to leave, to reasons she never wanted to explain. It had been hard to keep in touch, Kath would always check through her phone, purposely buying her an old styled phone that doesn't have a lock on it. Plus, she couldn't afford one more expensive. Ivy told Stef recently that she couldn't keep in contact with her, again for a reason she could not explain. It was the last thing of Ivy she had left was through a few crappy messages and she couldn't even have them anymore.

Stef shook her head and rubbed her forehead "You don't have to say anything. I think I'm gonna go get in the bath"

"Stef…"

"Oh I was supposed to ring my mom back" Stef sighed, covering her eyes "Crap. My phone's been dead all day"

All of a sudden, the doorbell went. Callie being the closest got off of her seat "I'll get it" she called as she turned and walked to the front door. Lena looked to Stef, who kept her arms folded and her eyes locked onto a corner of the kitchen ceiling.

After a few small exchanges, Callie was then heard saying more clear "Wait there"

She came back in the kitchen and stuck her thumb out to behind her "There's a girl here. Pretty familiar actually, she asked for you" Callie pointed to Stef. It was bugging Callie on where she knew this girl from. Unaware it was from the family photo albums where she had seen her face before.

Stef dropped her arms and began to walk over to the front, looking down at the floor as she walked up the two steps, she opened the front door back up. Her breath got caught in her throat.

Ivy stood there in front of her, after five years of being away. She looked nervous, clutching to her backpack strap and her case. Looking at Stef with so much hope. Stef didn't know what to do or say, a part of her felt like she was just imagining her standing there after spending the last two minutes talking about her. Like some sort of mind game.

Ivy guled heavily and raised her eyebrows and finally said in a whisper "Aunt Stef"

Stef let out a shaky breath at the sound of her voice. Ivy shook her head with tears filling up her eyes, saying in a light laugh "I swear I'm not some kind of hallucination"

"Wha...what are you-"

"They left...I was finally able to come home"

A smile formed on Stef's face as she nodded through tears running down her face. Ivy dropped her backpack from her shoulder and her case from her hand, falling into Stef's embrace. Clutching onto her tightly, burying her face in the crook of Stef's neck. Stef ran her hand down Ivy's hair and cradled her head, letting out a deep breath "Ivy"

Ivy let out a watery smile and nodded as she held onto Stef tighter "Hey"

Not understand what was taking Stef so long, Lena stepped forward and she herself felt as if she was imagining what her eyes were seeing. Then the kids saw the look on Lena's face and soon became curious themselves, they then too got up and stood behind Lena.

Jesus, Mariana and Brandon's heart felt like they dropped. In a good way. Whilst Jude and Callie were still rather clueless. Callie leaned to Mariana and whispered "Okay, who is she?"

Mariana looked at Callie, rather bewildered by her question "You don't recognise her from the family albums?" Callie took another look at the young woman. Ivy pulled her head back, still in Stef's hold as Stef cupped her face and wiped her happy tears.

It then clicked. Calie pointed to her as Lena slowly walked over "Oh! That's Ivy, your cousin, right?"

Mariana nodded with her gleaming smile and shook her shoulder excitedly against Callie's arm "Our cousin now, well she's-"

"A sister" Jesus finished. Mariana nodded and pointed to him.

Lena looked to Ivy with a shocked look on her face, letting out a laugh through her disbelief on what was happening. Ivy let out a breathless smile and stepped out of Stef's hold to then be taking hold by Lena, hugging onto her tightly.

"Honey we've missed you" Lena smiled as she rubbed Ivy's back.

Callie whispered to them "Remind me again"

Jesus quickly filled her in "She's our mom's sister daughter. Basically dumped Ivy on mom ever since she was a baby, mom raised her. Then one day Kath just came and took her"

"Ivy was mom's first baby" Mariana smiled. Hearing Brandon silently scoff. Mariana rolled her eyes and added in a more quiet whisper "Brandon had issues with her in the past"

Brandon shook his head and muttered "No no...well yeah but...glad she's back"

Mariana raised an eyebrow and mouthed to Callie "Jealous"

Ivy pulled back again and looked back to Stef, who was still feeling overwhelmed, bringing her back to her for a tight embrace. Ivy opened her eyes and looked to the kids staring at her, with bright smiles. Ivy rubbed Stef's back "Better say hi...and meet my new cousins"

Stef laughed and nodded "Yes you should and then we'll talk through all of this" Stef cupped Ivy's face briefly once again and got her bags with Lena as Ivy began to walk over to them, she was soon greeted by Mariana as she ran and jumped into her arms. Letting out an overwhelming burst of excited giggles with Ivy lifted her off of her feet. Holding onto her tight with more tears streaming down her cheeks. This is all she has wanted in the last five years, was to be right back here.

"Have you grown at all since I've been away?"

"Shut up!" Mariana laughed, slapping Ivy's back as she was lowered back down on her feet. Ivy smirked and ran her fingers through Mariana's hair as she scanned her face "What do you know, you're just as beautiful as you are on those pictures I received"

Mariana grinned "I missed you so much"

Mariana idolised Ivy ever since Stef and Lena took her and Jesus in. Followed her around like a little puppy, could always count on her to make her feel better. She was a big sister. A big sister that she was soon lost without when Ivy had to leave.

Ivy smiled and nodded as she kissed Mariana's forehead and whispered "I missed you too, babe" She wrapped her arms around Mariana again as she said "More than you can imagine"

Ivy slipped her arms down from Mariana as Jesus stepped down with his arms wide open to hug her. Ivy laughed and squeezed onto his arms before hugging him "Jeez. Biceps" Jesus laughed as he then wrapped his strong arms around her.

Jesus and Ivy were always close, Ivy being the tomboy at heart that she was, Jesus didn't lose the who video game playing and basketball games from Brandon not being into any of that because he had her. Like Mariana, it broke him when she left. He no longer had that best friend.

"You've certainly gotten taller" Ivy muttered as she found it hard to believe that it was his head resting on top of hers rather than the other way around. Jesus let out another laugh and shrugged "Yeah well, they've been feeding me well"

"Ah good" Ivy whispered "I thought you'd shrink without me sneaking you all those chocolate bars"

"Almost did" Jesus teased back. Ivy mumbled a laugh and briefly touched his cheek before looking to Brandon.

Ivy could never exactly pinpoint what Brandon's problem was, he was only young but still he didn't take a shine to her at all. He was the most difficult eleven year old. Always arguing with her and always disobeying her when she was asked to look after him. All she could think of was that it was just jealousy, that even though he was Stef's first child through birth, Ivy was the first one here, feeling like he was second best which was never the case.

But that was five years ago. He is now at the age that Ivy was at when she was taken away, he should be more mature by now. He gave a tight smile to Ivy through the awkward tension they still had "Hey, Ivy"

"Hi, B" Ivy smiled. Hugging him, not as excited and not as loving, but it was a fond friendly hug none the less. Hopefully they can get on better now that they have both grown up a bit. Last but not least, Ivy came face to face with her new cousins for the first time. She had seen Callie and Jude in the pictures Stef sent her a while back, such as the wedding.

Callie took a good look at Ivy before and felt slightly intimidated. This woman was without a doubt one of the most stunning women she had seen. There was something about her that just made her captivating. Her long blonde beach wavy hair, her slim envious body, not to mention she was so pretty, with traits of Stef shining through, her laugh for one was just like Stef's and her eyes. If Callie didn't know any better, she'd think Ivy was Stef's biological daughter.

Ivy's warm smile was somewhat very relaxing, making her feel better about her nerves of speaking to her. Ivy stuck her hand out and said with a kind grin "Hi, Ivy"

Callie looked to Mariana for a moment, who just nodded with her grin having no chance of wiping away as she looked to Ivy, Callie finally put on the same smile and shook her head, giving Ivy a gentle nod and saying in a dry voice "Callie"

"I've heard a lot of about you" Ivy's eyes shifted to Jude and added "Both of you, hey" she took her hand out again, Jude shook it quicker than Callie did and beamed a smile "Hi, I'm Jude"

"Hey Jude" Ivy said as she put her hands on her hips. Mariana shook Ivy and said "Soooo? What are you doing back!"

"Mariana" Stef spoke up as she and Lena put the cases to the side, she shook her head and sighed. Ivy waved her hand at Stef, dismissing her protective nature "It's fine. Look. If I'm going to tell you what happened I may aswell let you all know"

Stef raised her eyebrows to her "You sure, love?"

Ivy shrugged "It's not as if anyone really values her anyway is it?"

She had a point. Stef, Frank and eventually Sharon disowned Kath straight after she did what she did. Frank never even mentioned her or said he has another daughter. As far as he was always concerned, Ivy was Stef's. Sharon found it tougher, call it the motherly nature inside her. Frank and Sharon were included in the restraining order. Kath really wanted to make sure no one got to her.

Lena then remembered the restraining order and asked with concern "Is it okay for you to be here?"

Ivy raised an eyebrow, confused, then quickly catching on and nodded "Yeah, yeah, the restraining order she took out was against her not me, so I'm fine. She didn't exactly think that one through"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Lena took a breath and broke the brief silence "Well, I'll put the kettle on" Lena said as she and the kids made their way back into the kitchen. As Lena past her and hearing the kids walk away from behind her, with her hands still on her hips she slowly looked up to Stef and took a deep breath as she watched her walk towards her.

"Miss me?" Ivy teased in a whisper with a faint smile. She seemed pretty exhausted from this whole ordeal. Stef stepped up and took a good look at her, a smile creeping back onto her face as she fiddled with Ivy's hair that rested on her shoulders, travelling down to her chest. Ivy did this often, ever since she was a kid. She always tried to crack a joke to make light of an emotional situation. Stef let out a weak smile as she tried to stop any more tears from running down her cheeks.

"A little" Stef teased back in a whisper. Then leaning forward and kissing her cheek before wrapping her arms around Ivy's body once again.