The Adams Fosters are getting a new neighbor but the person isn't so new after all, at least not to Stef and Lena isn't too happy about it.
(A fluffy one-shot based on the sneak-peek (2) for Exterminate Her (502)
"Looks like the new neighbors are moving in." Lena observed as they drove passed a moving van parked right next to their home. The drive home from the lawyers office had been quiet but tense and she needed something to cut the tension, especially between Stef and Callie who was sitting in the back seat.
"Here's hoping they're an improvement over the last ones." Stef responded as Lena tried to get a glimpse of the family coming to live next door. She could honestly say that she was never happier to see their previous neighbors leave for not only were they rude but they were also loud and annoying and their yard was always a mess unlike the other homes that kept up with the Homeowners Association rules.
By then they had already driven up their driveway and Stef had turned off the engine, sighing in relief for they were all more than glad to finally be back home. It seemed that for a short while at least all three of them would be calm and relaxed for they could now go off and do their own thing and put the whole court case out of their minds for just a while.
But it was not to be for before either of the mothers could open their doors to get out, Callie spoke up with a question that had been plaguing her through most of the ride home.
"Um, I forgot to ask the detectives, um, am I gonna have to testify in Russel's trial?" Callie asked nervously. She didn't want to bring any of this up again but she'd foolishly forgotten to ask the question when they were discussing her case and she knew she would never be able to just wait to see, she needed an answer now.
"Well your phone in the bag ties him to the meth." Stef began to explain as best she could for there were no clearcut rules in cases like this - it all depended upon the prosecutors and judges. "The kidnapping charge is gonna be an issue." She finished, hating to have even the slightest argument against her daughter.
"Why?" Lena asked confused. How could it possibly be an issue when a grown man took her underage daughter with the intent of having sex with her and renting her out to other men for money.
"Because she got into the van willingly, knowing that he was a pimp." Stef explained, focusing on her hands for she couldn't bear to look her wife in the eye. The fact that she couldn't just magically make this all disappear for her wife and daughter was something that frustrater her to no end.
"Okay well at least he's off the street, I mean that might not have happened if I hadn't have gone with Diamond." Callie tried to defend herself, trying to make everyone see that some good had come out of her actions that night.
But that only resulted in Stef's anger once again growing for no matter how many times she tried to explain to her daughter just how dangerous and foolish her actions were, the girl just didn't seem to get it and continued to believe that what she'd done was right and heroic and that was something that Stef just couldn't accept.
"You know what could have happened Callie, you could have been raped or you could have been beaten or… or killed." She said brutally, tripping over the last word at just the thought of what might have been had she not gotten to her daughter in time. "Okay, this is nothing to celebrate." She continued angrily. "And in spite of the fact that Troy Johnson confessed, the DA has not dropped the Breaking and Entering or the Hit and Run charges, so you're not out of the woods yet young lady." She finished and didn't wait a second longer to get out of the car and away from the girl that was currently making her blood boil.
Lena and Callie both sat silently in the car, thinking about what had just been said - Lena, feeling sorry for Callie at Stef's anger and harsh words but also just as scared for their daughter as their wife was and Callie, feeling all alone and unsupported yet again for no one seemed to understand what she had been thinking.
But Lena was dragged out of her thoughts when she heard someone speak from not too far from their car and her wife's surprised and frozen expression prompted her to get out to join them.
"Well, well, well, as I live and breath." A beautiful, slim, brown woman in a dark purple silk blouse and fitted jeans said as she walked up towards Stef with a local bakery cake box in her hands.
"Tess?" Stef said in complete surprise, her mind completely clear of all the stress she'd been under just moments before.
"Hey Stef." Tess said with a wide smile as she continued to walk closer while Stef continued to remain rooted in her spot, still surprised by the presence of the woman before her.
"Who's this?" Lena asked, now walking over towards the two women, a little surprised by Stef's reaction to the woman.
"Tess." Tess said as she held out her hand to Lena, balancing the box on one arm. "I just bought the house next door and I wanted to introduce myself to my new neighbors." She offered the cake box she had brought for them. "I'm not much of a baker but I'm unbelievably fantastic and buying them from the store." She joked with a laugh and a friendly twinkle in her eyes.
"Thank you." Lena laughed back, liking this woman already. She was confidant and bold but wasn't ashamed of her downfalls either. "I'm Lena." She introduced herself, before turning towards Stef. "And you two apparently already know each other…" She trailed off, waiting for an explanation.
"We were friends back in high school." Tess explained before turning to Stef and speaking directly to her. "I always knew you'd end up with a woman." She stated, sure that Stef and this woman were either already married or at least in a relationship.
Lena seemed slightly taken aback by the statement but that's what snapped Stef out of her trance. "Um, Lena this is Tess Brown, I've um, told you about her; Tess, this is my wife Lena."
"Nice to meet you, welcome to the neighborhood." Lena smiled politely as she finally realized who the woman was. Stef had mentioned her a few times but very briefly for it was always a sore spot for her - it was the beginning of her discovering her sexuality but at the same time it was the end of it for her father had managed to shut down any exploration she might have felt the need for before it had even begun.
"Thank you." Tess said gratefully before glancing behind both women towards their house. "Is that your daughter?" She asked, watching a teenage girl walk from the car to the house.
"One of five." Lena answered with a smirk already knowing Tess' reaction before she even registered what she'd said. It was the same reaction everyone had when they told them that they had five children.
"Wow." Tess said predictably, stumped for more words for she didn't want to sound rude. "Five?" She clarified.
And that broke the ice for all three of them were laughing as both Stef and Lena sighed from the exhaustion of having so many children and having to deal with all their mistakes, problems and issues. Stef and Lena gave Tess a brief description of the children and then invited her over for dinner and drinks so that they could welcome her properly and introduce her to all the kids. With a plan made they all went their separate ways - Tess to a disorganized, cardboard box-filled house and Stef and Lena to a brood of wild and impulsive teenagers.
The entire family was sitting around the living room laughing as Tess finished telling a story about how she, Stef and a few other girls from their class skipped home economics in order to watch the boys play baseball.
"We were all silly giggly girls, sick and tired of being taught how to make a casserole and we just wanted to watch the boys all day." Tess explained with a smile. "But I think your mother was more interested in the game than the boys." She added with a laugh.
"Definitely." Stef agreed whole-heartedly as she took a sip of the wine in her hands.
"She would often join in and whoop all their asses." Tess reminisced. "How many times those boys were teased for losing to a girl."
Stef remained silent, slightly embarrassed by the attention but also smiling broadly at the memory of those simple, carefree days. What she would give to have her children grow up in those times instead of the technological, rat-racy world of today.
"It was fun." Stef said, her mind far back in her past. "Life was a whole lot simpler back then." She stated, looking fondly at her children who were all struggling in one way or another.
"But even then, your mother was always the first one to stand up to a bully." Tess continued, eying the curious faces of the children, eager to learn more about their mother's childhood. "She could never tolerate anyone being picked on, especially someone who couldn't fight for themselves."
"Oh she's still like that." Mariana stated, thinking of all the times that Stef had stood up for her when she was younger and wouldn't speak or struggled with past demons and even more recently when she wished that Stef wouldn't interfere anymore.
"She's a badass cop." Jesus agreed proudly. "She like, saved some girl from a pimp yesterday." She stated, having just caught on to snippets of their conversations once he had calmed down from his own issues with Brandon and Emma.
"I'm not surprised she's a cop." Tess responded. "She's a tough one, your mom. Always handled all the teasing and taunting without batting an eye. Everyone called her a tomboy and teased her for silly things like not carrying a makeup kit to school and rushing to the bathroom every chance she got to make sure she still looked presentable.
"I am who I am and I'm proud of it." Stef said, widening her eyes at Mariana as they both recalled the blonde phase that the Latina went though not even a year ago.
"Anyone who thinks you should change who you are isn't worth having around." Lena added, knowing that each of them in their own way had suffered this same struggle growing up - whether it was race, color, sexual orientation or interests.
"I got it, I learned my lesson and I'm over it." Mariana stated, her arms up defensively, desperate to avoid another lecture. "I'm a brunette again remember." She twirled her hair around her finger making her point and then turning back to Tess. "So what about you?" She asked, changing the topic entirely. "What's your family like?"
Lena lay away long after everyone in the house was soundly asleep. For whatever reason she just couldn't stop thinking and picturing a young Stef running wild and free, her golden hair flowing behind her and a wide smile on her face.
But the image wasn't as perfect as she imagined for all these years she'd always seen Stef as her own - she was the only woman that Stef ever knew intimately. Yes, she'd had a crush on her friend when they were teenagers and she'd experimented a little in college but nothing beyond second base and nothing that almost every other girl hadn't tried just to see what it was like. No, Lena was the only woman that Stef knew and Lena was the only woman that knew Stef. Except tonight she realized that it wasn't as black and white as she'd imagined it.
Rolling over she curled up around Stef and gave her a squeeze, burying her nose in her hair and closing her eyes to memorize the feel and scent of the woman.
"What's wrong love?" Stef asked sleepily as she turned around in Lena's arms so she could look at the younger woman. "Still worried about Callie?" She questioned, remembering Lena keeping her up late the night before with question after question about what had actually happened and what they should expect here on out.
"No." Lena answered, somewhat shyly. "Just thinking."
"About what?" Stef questioned with a frown. What else could be bothering her wife enough to keep her up so late.
"I was just thinking about everything Tess said today." Lena admitted, slightly embarrassed. "I realized that just because you were in denial didn't mean you weren't a lesbian. Maybe you didn't want to admit it or maybe you didn't even really know but obviously other people did figure it out. Tess apparently did."
"Babe, it's not like I've never been in a relationship before." Stef said, surprised by Lena's unease. "I was married for god's sake."
"To a man." Lena pointed out. "I just always like the thought of me being the only girl you've ever had." She admitted before shaking her head. "It's silly, I know." She admitted, once again burying her face in Stef's hair in order to hide.
"It's not." Stef smiled in amusement. "You're jealous and it's cute."
"I am not." Lena denied though very unbelievably.
"Yes you are." Stef said, laughing a little more now. "But love, what I felt for Tess or anyone else for that matter was nothing compared to what I feel for you. Even if my dad hadn't caught us doing absolutely nothing, she never meant that much to me. We were both experimenting I guess."
"I know, and I know I have nothing to worry about, I do." Lena stated sincerely, knowing that Stef would never even remotely cheat on her. "I just still feel like I lost a part of you tonight. Like I wasn't the only one."
"You're the only one I ever want." Stef said lovingly. She found this whole conversation amusing but Lena seemed to need the assurance and Stef wasn't about to laugh at her for it. In a way the tables had turned for just two years ago the two were in a similar situation when Stef realized that there were other people, unimportant people, who knew Lena better than she did.
"Do you think you two would have gotten together, if your dad hadn't interfered?" Lena asked curiously, glancing at Stef but then looking away before she got an answer.
"I doubt it." Stef answered honestly after actually thinking about it for a moment. "We were good friends but that's it." She said. "Besides, I'm not sure she's even gay." She added, thinking back to their evening with Tess where the woman gave no indication to actually looking out for a girl.
"But she's single and she talks about your friendship fondly." Lena pointed out. "Maybe she had a thing for you."
"You think?" Stef asked, thinking hard before glancing at Lena. "Maybe I should look into it, see if I can do better." She stated seriously before yelping softly when Lena used her toes to pinch her. Stef began to laugh as she pulled Lena closer and held her tight, wondering what this woman was so worried about - Stef could never let her go even if that's what Lena wanted for the curly-haired woman meant the world to her. "I love you, you goofball." Stef said affectionately as she rolled on top of Lena and kissed her softly. "No one else even comes close."
Lena smiled back as Stef brushed the wild hair away from her face and then leaned down to kiss her again and again until neither of them could think of anyone or anything besides getting rid of their clothes and getting as physically close as possible.
Author's Note:
I'm super excited for Tess to make an appearance and for some reason I imagine (and hope) that Lena gets just a little jealous. I'm not talking about the crazy, territorial jealous but the cute, embarrassed jealous like in this story.
I truly hope they don't go the cheating route and I doubt they will since they already touched on that with Lena and Monty. Besides, and I've said it before, I just don't see Stef ever cheating on Lena.
Anyways, I hope you like this story, it's meant to be just lighthearted fun. Thanks for reading.
Love Junebug