A/N: Well, it's been a long time since I've posted anything. This'll be my first story for The Fosters, and believe me, I am so nervous. Sorry if it's rusty and awful. I just couldn't get this idea out of my head. This is my take on Brandon being the new addition to the Foster family, like Callie was. Her, and Jude will still be from the system, as well, though. It'll just be like the twins, where Stef and Lena adopted them eventually. This will be a Brallie story because I ship them to the moon and back, but I'll be sure to include main plots with the rest of the family as well. I might put in some things from the show, but overall, I'm trying to put this story on its own path. Alright, here goes.. Enjoy!

I do not own The Fosters or its characters.

[Brandon]

The rays from the sun and fresh breezes of wind hit my face as I walked down the pavement. It was as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders when I walked through the open gates of the Chula Vista Juvenile Detention Center. Standing on the sidewalk beside a dark green car was Bill, my social worker. He looks up from the file in his hands when he notices my presence and grins when I stop in front of him.

"Brandon, man. Great seeing you. You look.. good."

I give him a small smile back, although I'm mentally scoffing. I could tell he hesitated due to the current condition of my face. My cellmate, who I was usually on good terms with, was furious that I was being released before him. The result to his anger was me receiving a black left eye, a small cut on the right side of my lips, and several bruises covering the upper half of my body. My black v-neck covered most of the injuries, but a few on my arms were noticeable and one on my chest could partially be seen.

Shoving my hands into the back pockets of my dark jeans, I question, "So, how does this work? Are you just going to stick me in another group home?"

Tucking the file into his jacket, Bill replies, "Actually, Brandon.. Once I heard the news about you being released, I remembered some kids that I helped out in the past. They've all been fostered, and eventually adopted, by this one couple. I spoke with them, and, well, they had a soft spot for you. They agreed to letting you stay with them for a while, just until we find you a permanent home."

My eyebrows raise just a bit in shock from this announcement. Soft spot? Permanent? Yeah, right. This home isn't going to last long.

After half an hour of napping in the passenger seat of Bill's car, I'm awoken by someone nudging my shoulder. My eyes flutter open, and I realize that the car has been parked on the curb of a house. A nice house. A house that has no business being associated with a criminal.

Bill turns to me and says, "Brandon, be good. I know you think all foster homes are hell, but this family is different. I've worked with them for years, and they're great. It's really a blessing for them to be taking you in, so I don't want you fooling around or being a bad influence on the other kids. They know what it's like, okay? They've all been in the system, so don't go around, thinking they don't know what your life has been like. Got it?"

I nod, knowing he's just trying to look out for me, like he's done for the past eight years. Before Bill turns away, I blurt out, "What made them feel bad for me?"

I can tell he's taken aback by the question, but I'm clueless as to why. Teenage boy who just got out of jail isn't exactly similar to a stray puppy on the street that you take in because you pity it.

Bill sighs and answers, "They have a daughter that was in juvie before they fostered her."

So they adopted a girl fresh out of a cell. Interesting.

Bill opens the car door and steps out. Once the door shuts, I sigh and release myself from the seatbelt. Usually when Bill takes me to a new foster home, I feel nothing inside. Today's different. I feel like I have to prove something, but I'm not sure what it is.

Now or never, Jacob.

Bill opens the door for me, forcing me to exit. He walks toward the front door, me trailing behind him. With just a few knocks to the door, it's answered by a curly-haired woman. She smiles at Bill, but once she notices me, I swear that the corners of her mouth raise just a bit higher. A flash of sadness crosses through her eyes, probably due to the injuries.

She pulls the door open wider while saying, "You must be Brandon. Come on in."

Warming up to her cheerful aura, I step out from behind Bill and enter the house. I look around as Lena and Bill softly mutter to each other behind me. This place definitely has a home-feel to it. Down the hall, I hear the voices of others, a boy and a girl. Arguing, maybe. Once I hear the beeping of Bill's pager, I turn around.

He sighs and states, "Well, I've got to go. Lena, I'll come by tomorrow afternoon, if that works for you."

The woman, Lena, nods and responds, "Sounds good. Have a safe drive, Bill."

Bill looks towards my direction and gives me a wave, saying, "Be good, B. I'll see you tomorrow."

He spins on his heels and walks down to his car. Lena shuts the door and turns to me, the warm smile back on her face. She sticks out her hand, which I reply to by shaking it with my right one.

When we drop our hands, she says, "I'm Lena, it's nice to meet you. I'll warn you about my kids, though. We've informed them that someone will be staying with us for a while, but we haven't gotten into much detail. As far as they know, you're a 7 year-old girl from Oklahoma."

I can tell that she's trying to lighten the tense mood surrounding us, so I let out a light chuckle in appreciation. Lena begins to walk down the hall, her hand on my back, gently pushing me with her. She leads me into what I assume is the kitchen.

Hopping behind the stove, she states, "You came at the perfect time. We're about to serve dinner."

Walking towards a doorway, she calls, "Kids, come down to eat!"

Not knowing what else to do as she begins to set the table, I lean against one of the counters beside the stove. In under a minute, footsteps begin to rumble into the kitchen. A boy about my age stalks into the kitchen, a much shorter girl following close behind. The two take a seat across from each other in the middle of the island. A smaller boy enters, taking a seat on the farther end beside the other male. Once they are all seated, they look over and notice my presence. As I scan their eyes, I see different expressions. Pity, fear, and worry.

Lena notices and introduces, "Guys, this is Brandon. He's going to be staying with us for a while. Brandon, these are three of my kids. Sweetheart, you can sit down."

I nudge myself off of the counter and awkwardly walk to the end of the island, choosing to sit at the head. Immediately after, I regret my choice, seeing that I am now obviously the center of attention.

The girl smiles at me and happily states, "I'm Mariana."

I smile back and turn to the boys. The younger one smiles and greets, "I'm Jude. It's nice to meet you."

My grin widens at his politeness and the joyful gleam in his eyes. The older boy sticks his fists out and says, "Hey, man, I'm Jesus."

Unaware of what he was expecting, I awkwardly lift my right fist and bump it against his. He laughs as retreats his hand to his side.

"Wow, you don't get out much, huh?"

I laugh and nod. When Lena begins to put the food on the table, I hear the front door open and shut. In seconds, a girl with curly brown hair enters the room. Seeing as though the others are talking to one another, I am the first one to meet her eyes. As soon as she turns the wheels in her head, she smiles and walks toward me.

Taking a seat opposite of Jude and on the other side of me, she says, "You must be our guest. It's great to meet you. I'm Callie."

For the first time since I left the detention center, a genuine smile beams from my face. "I'm Brandon."

Once the whole table is set up and the conversations fade away, a blonde woman in a police uniform enters from a door that leads to the backyard. I stiffen up, which Callie notices, but I choose not to look in her direction. The woman greets the family and kisses Lena on the cheek, then the two sit across from each other at the end of the island. She notices me and smiles. However, when she notices the injuries, a reaction different from Lena appears. Shock.

"Brandon, right? I'm Stef. It's nice to meet you."

I give her a small grin, hoping she doesn't notice my uneasiness. Soon, everyone begins to pig in on the food. No wonder, it looks delicious. Considering I have to make a good first impression, though, I just get a small portion of lasagna. A light tap nudges at my feet underneath the table. I look to my right and see Callie staring at me.

She slightly leans in and whispers, "You can get more, y'know. In this house, it's like an insult if you don't fill your plate."

I softly chuckle as she sets two slices of garlic bread on my plate. The silence begins to escape once Jesus, with salad still in his mouth, utters, "So, what happened to your face?"

Lena and Mariana widen their eyes and shout, "Jesus!"

Swallowing, the teenage boy raises his hands in defense. I laugh and explain, "My cell mate got mad that I was leaving this morning."

At the sound of this, Jude raises his eyebrows. In a tone just above a whisper, he questions, "You were in juvie?"

I nod and take in a fork of lasagna. "You guys don't have to be scared or anything. I got caught up in this whole fake ID business at my old school, and it all backfired when the guy in charge blamed the whole thing on me."

After a few seconds of silence, Stef chirps in, "Let's not dig into Brandon's past, kids. No more being nosy."

As dinner flows by, so does the conversation. The others begin to tell me about Anchor Beach, the school that I have to start tomorrow. Apparently, Lena is the vice principal there. So a cop and a VP are okay with a juvenile delinquent living under the same roof as their precious children? This should be interesting.

After taking a sip of water, Lena turns to Callie and asks, "Honey, can you show Brandon around tomorrow? Principal Sanchez already emailed me his schedule. He has a few classes with you, and the ones he doesn't, they're on the routes you take."

Callie softly smiles and questions, "Yeah, sure. Same lunch period?"

Lena nods, so she turns to me and continues, "You'll love Anchor Beach. It'll be rough at first, being the new kid and stuff. Believe me, I've been through it. We all have. If you ever need anything, though, we're all here for you."

Jude leans in and adds, "Just remember that you have a foster mom that's a cop and another mom that's the vice principal."

Everyone laughs, even myself. This might not be so bad after all.

I apologize if this chapter was awful. I wrote this at 4:30 AM to 6:30 AM, so my brain was wide awake, but the creativity wasn't flowing. Also, this was just to set the story up. Brallie in the next chapter, I promise. I'm about to begin writing it. Then I'll have Brandon start Anchor Beach in Chapter 3.

How was this though? Was it alright? Please let me know in a review! Tell me what you want to see, what you don't, what you liked, what you didn't, etc. Also, it just helps to know that people are actually reading.

Thank you for checking this out! :]