I don't own The Fosters.

"What's the schedule look like for tomorrow?" Stef asked, haphazardly tossing one of the decorative pillows littering the bed to the ground before flopping onto the mattress.

"Well, let's see," Lena wracked her brain, climbing into bed next to her wife, albeit a bit more gracefully than her counterpart. "Jude has a dentist appointment at 4:30…"

"And you're taking him after your meeting, yes?" Stef clarified.

"Yes, he said he's going to get started on his homework while he waits for me and once that's over we'll book it out of there and over to Doctor Brown's office. Mariana has dance practice until 5:30, Jesus has a wrestling meet at six, Brandon's band is rehearsing at 5:45…"

"I can probably get off in time to pick up Ms. Thing and when I drop her off at home I can pick up Jesus and take him back to the school. I take it Brandon's rehearsing in the garage so he won't need transportation."

"No," Lena disagreed.

"No?"

"No, he's going over to Mat's place, remember?"

"Ugh," Stef replied, covering her face with her hands in frustration. "I forgot. Well I'll see if Mike can pick him up tomorrow, if not he's going to have to see if he can catch a ride with one of his bandmates. That is, unless Jude's appointment goes quickly in which case you could take him…"

"We need more cars," Lena sighed.

"I need more wives," Stef jokingly proposed an alternative solution.

"I need a divorce," Lena replied, playfully slapping Stef with a pillow.

Stef laughed, attempting to dodge the barrage of fluffy attacks. "All right, we'll figure it out, just the two of us," she said, emphasizing the last part.

"We always do," Lena said wistfully, leaning back against her pillow, the two enveloped in a comfortable silence.

Their quiet moment was interrupted by a timid knock on the door.

"Come in," Stef called, sitting up more attentively.

"Hey," Callie said, hesitantly inching the door open. "Is this a bad time?"

"Of course not, honey, come on in," Lena welcomed her with a smile, exchanging a curious but excited look with Stef; Callie was coming to them for something.

"You want to sit? There's room," Stef invited her, patting the space between her and Lena on the bed.

"Oh no," Callie shook her head, quickly waving her off. "I just wanted to ask you something really quick, it'll only take a second."

"Okay," Stef said with a smile, trying not to sound too disappointed. She couldn't push things too hard too soon. Callie was talking to them, that was a big step in and of itself.

"So," Callie started, anxiously fiddling with the sleeve of her shirt. "I think I want to get my driver's license. Do you think that would be okay?" she asked, biting her lip, her eyes downcast.

"Driver's license, huh?" Stef questioned.

"Yeah," Callie nodded. "I just…I think it would be nice to have." It would be something that was hers and hers alone. Something that she could be in control of. Something tangible and permanent that would identify her. With the realization of Robert Quinn and everything that came with that on top of the failed adoption, something about having a little plastic rectangle that summarized her felt comforting.

"And I know I don't have a car or anything yet but I've been saving up from the diner so maybe eventually," she continued with a shrug, losing some of her confidence when Stef and Lena didn't jump in. "Maybe it's stupid…"

"No, honey, it's not stupid," Lena shook her head. "I just didn't know this was something you wanted, that's all."

"You just hadn't mentioned it before," Stef added. "The other kids were much more vocal about it. Jesus has been begging for driving lessons since he was nine, Mariana had an unhealthy obsession with the Barbie Dream Car, and Brandon stole a toy one when he was five, so it was pretty obvious he was interested," Stef joked.

Callie smirked, the nerves of the proposal easing. "So I can do it?"

"Absolutely," Lena nodded. "We trust you, you're responsible."

"And you'll be a big help to us. This way we can make you into our little carpooling slave," Stef added with a mischievous grin.

"We won't really do that," Lena reassured her, rolling her eyes at Stef's antics.

"I wouldn't mind helping out a little," Callie said with a nonchalant shrug, smiling at the support.

"Thank you, that's very sweet," Stef said sincerely. "There's just one little problem," she stated, noticing a flaw in the plan.

"What?" Callie asked, her heart dropping a little.

"You don't know how to drive," Stef pointed out.

"Right," Callie nodded, her face drooping into a frown at the realization. "That…is a problem."

"But a very fixable one," Stef said optimistically.

"It is?" Callie squinted hopefully.

"It is. After all, you have the best driving instructor in the state of California in this very room and I bet she would be willing to teach you," Stef said vaguely, raising her eyebrows.

"That's so nice," Callie smiled, playing along. "When are you free, Lena?"

"Uh!" Stef exclaimed in faux-offense. "Not Lena, me! I'm the best driving instructor in the state of California!"

"Ohh," Callie said dramatically. "Oops."

Lena laughed as Stef continued to shake her head.

"Wow. Unbelievable. You know, I have the mind to take back my generous offer," she teased.

"No, please," Callie folded her hands, growing slightly more serious.

Stef squinted her eyes, pretending to consider it. "Well, I guess I could forgive you just this once."

"I would really appreciate it," Callie replied.

"Don't do it again," she warned.

"I won't. I promise."

"I'm free Saturday morning," Stef said, dropping the facade. "I'll teach you then," she smiled softly.

"Thank you," Callie said genuinely.

"You're welcome. Now I think I've earned a hug, yes?" she asked, sitting up and holding out her arms, beckoning Callie over.

"Yes," Callie agreed shyly, walking over to Stef's embrace. "Thank you," she said again.

"It's no problem, sweets," she assured her, kissing her on the forehead before sending her over to Lena's side with a pat on the back.

"Goodnight," Callie said.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," Lena replied, wrapping her arms around her. "Get some rest."

Callie nodded, still not being able to contain her grin as she left the room.

"We get a first with her," Stef whispered to Lena after a few moments.

"I know," Lena whispered back excitedly.

"We didn't get her first steps or her first words, but we get to teach our baby how to drive," she said softly, her throat tightening.

"Yeah, we do," Lena said back. "We do."

"All right, here you go," Stef said, tossing Callie the keys to the car. "You ready?" she asked.

"Yup," Callie nodded, anxiously digging the toe of her shoe into the porch.

"You sure?" Stef asked with an excited smile.

"Yup," Callie nodded again before swallowing thickly, looking out at the car parked in the driveway, knowing in seconds she'd be behind the wheel of it.

"You nervous?"

"Nah," Callie shook her head, scrunching up her face.

"You sure?" Stef asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Okay, maybe a little," Callie conceded.

Stef chuckled before slinging an arm around her shoulder and leading the younger girl to the car. "That's normal," she reassured her. "You're gonna be fine. It's impossible for you to fail, what with my incredible teaching skills."

"Did you teach Brandon?" Callie questioned.

"Indeed I did," Stef confirmed proudly.

"Uh-huh. Say, didn't he run into a mailbox like two months ago?" Callie teased.

"Um," Stef stuttered clearing her throat. "No, I think you're thinking of somebody else."

"No, I don't think so," she shook her head. "I specifically remember him-"

"You know what, those silly little details are irrelevant," Stef waved her off. "This day isn't about what may or may not have happened to my past students, this day is about you and your wild success!" Stef pumped her up. "Now let's get in there and burn some rubber," she said with a clap of finality, ushering Callie over to the driver's seat before sliding into the passenger's side.

"Okay," Stef started. "What do you think we should do first?" she questioned.

"Seat belts?" Callie said slowly.

"Seat belts. Excellent. Buckling up is very important. Click it or ticket," she said, both of them snapping them into place. "All right, next?"

"Umm," Callie stalled, at a loss. "I start the car?"

"Mm," Stef hummed in disagreement. "Not quite yet, you're getting ahead of yourself. First how about you check your mirrors."

"Okay," Callie nodded a little too eagerly, still visibly anxious. "Uh, what exactly do I check them for?" she asked.

Stef stifled a laugh at the usually calm and relaxed girl's tension. "You need to make sure you can see the cars behind you out your rearview mirror, so you might have to adjust the angle since you're a different height than the person who last drove the car," Stef explained.

"Right," the younger girl nodded. "That makes sense," she said, painstakingly moving the mirror until it was in the optimal position.

"Perfect," Stef praised. "Now…?"

"Now I start the car?"

"Is that your final answer?" Stef teased.

"Yes?" Callie replied hesitantly, looking at Stef with a hopeful smile.

"Nope," Stef smirked. "Almost. First you have to adjust the seat a little, make sure you're comfortable. You need to be able to reach both pedals easily."

"Okay," she said slowly, wiggling the small levers on the side of the seat, sliding back and forth until she found the perfect distance from the wheel.

"Next?" Stef asked.

"Well I want to say start the car but I'm not even going to bother," Callie blew a piece of hair from her face.

"Aw, Callie! You should've held on just a little longer! You would've gotten it right this time!"

"No!" Callie threw her head back with a laugh. "So close."

"Close but no cigar," Stef clicked her tongue in disappointment. "But the good news is you're ready to fire it up now. Go ahead and turn the key in the ignition, but put your foot on the break while you do it just in case."

"Break is on the left," Callie said.

"Correct," Stef confirmed.

"All right," Callie nodded, slowly pressing the pedal and starting the engine. "Whoa," she said, jumping a little as the car came to life beneath her, the vibration of her seat surprising her a little.

"There we go," Stef smiled. "Now we're getting somewhere. So now what you're going to want to do is slowly shift the gear into reverse, but don't take your foot off the brake yet."

"Shift gear, got it," she said, carefully moving the stick so that it was in the 'R' position.

"Hands at ten and two. When you're ready you can slowly start easing off the break and gently pressing the gas, but make sure you're attentive to what's behind you. Check behind you, check in all your mirrors and be sure that nothing is there."

Callie nodded, her jaw tightening, her back growing stiff.

"Relax," Stef said with a small laugh. "You're doing great so far, you got this."

"Okay," Callie took a deep breath, slowly taking her foot off the brake, the car beginning to slowly roll backwards. "It's moving."

"It is indeed moving. You want to try putting a little bit of gas on it?" Stef suggested.

"Maybe."

"No pressure, no rush," Stef assured her. "Just whenever you feel comfortable, give it a little tap."

The car jerked a bit, quickly accelerating in speed before it stopped abruptly.

"Sorry," Callie winced.

"It's fine," Stef waved her off. "It takes some getting used to, you'll figure it out. Try it again, just a little more softly this time. There you go, nice job," she complimented when this time the car moved much more smoothly. "You're reaching the end of the driveway, so now you're going to have to turn the wheel. Since you want to go right and you're in reverse, turn the steering wheel left," Stef explained.

"I'm on the road," Callie announced, putting on the brake and awaiting further instruction once they had successfully reached the street.

"Yes you are," Stef nodded, humored. "Now put the car in drive and slowly push on the gas again. We're in the neighborhood so you need to go slow and watch out for people crossing the street."

"I'm driving!" Callie said excitedly, the car cruising at a solid 16 miles per hour. It was nine below the speed limit, but since there was nobody around, Stef didn't mind.

"Yes, you are," Stef said proudly. "Get your kids off the streets, people, because Callie is officially operating a motor vehicle," she joked.

Callie giggled, still looking at the street with immense concentration.

"Want to drive down to the school? It's not too far and the streets shouldn't be too crowded at this time," Stef suggested.

"Yeah," Callie said, her nerves disappearing. This driving thing was easier than she thought, and Stef's knowledgable and trusting demeanor calmed her.

"All right, then you're going to want to take a right out of the neighborhood. Note the stop sign at the end and double check that no cars are coming either way," Stef ordered.

"No cars," Callie announced.

"Good, now put on your turn signal. Flip the little stick on the right side of the steering wheel down."

A consistent ticking noise filled the car.

"Excellent. Slowly turn the wheel and head onto the road. You'll need to go a little faster but the speed limit is only 35 so it's not too fast."

"I am actually driving on an actual street," Callie said almost deliriously. She couldn't believe how liberating it felt.

"You actually are," Stef confirmed, her heart melting at how happy the younger girl seemed. She rarely let herself show off this side of her - such a pure, innocent happiness. It was clear she was enjoying herself and not holding back.

"You're a natural," Stef laid on the compliments, hamming them up a little. "Seriously, you have a future in chauffeuring or taxi driving. I think it may be your calling."

"Can I turn on the radio?" she questioned hopefully.

"Whoa there, slow down," Stef laughed. "The radio is a distraction."

"But I'm doing so well," Callie argued. "I think I can handle it," she said confidently.

Stef sighed. "All right," she gave in.

"Yes," Callie said victoriously.

"But, we keep the volume at four," she regulated.

"Deal."

"And I get to pick the station."

"What? No way," Callie shook her head. "I'm the one driving, I should get to be in control of all the car's functions," she argued.

"Yes, but I am the owner of said car."

"That's irrelevant," Callie challenged.

"I'm also the owner of you so if you ever want to drive this car or, come to think of it, see the outside of the house ever again, you'll let me pick the station," Stef replied.

Callie sighed, not seeing a way to argue with that logic. She'd played the trump card. "Fine," she conceded. "But pick something good."

"I always pick something good."

"'Something good' is code for 'not old people music,'" Callie clarified mischievously.

"Excuse me?" Stef asked, mock offended. "Do not make me turn this car around, young lady," she teased.

"That's going to be kind of difficult considering I'm the one driving," Callie shot back.

"Oh I'll find a way," Stef promised, flipping through the radio stations. "Is classic rock suitable for you exotic tastes, princess?" she asked dramatically, rolling her eyes.

"Why yes, thank you," Callie assured her with a smile.

"Oh, we turned this on at the perfect time," Stef said, grinning as the beginning of Bohemian Rhapsody started.

"Oh no," Callie grimaced.

"Oh yes," Stef nodded, clearing her throat. "Is this the real life?" she sung to the radio, albeit extremely and intentionally off-pitch.

"Stop it."

"Is this just fantasy?"

"Stef, please."

"Caught in a landslide."

"You're distracting me."

"No escape from reality."

"No escape from your terrible voice."

"Hey, you're the one that wanted the radio on," Stef pointed out accusingly.

"Yeah, I wanted to listen to the radio, not you," Callie replied.

"You know I like to sing along. You brought this upon yourself. You only have yourself to blame," Stef said mercilessly, taking it up a notch, belting out the next section. "Open your eyes…"

Callie rolled her eyes, laughing as Stef acted as entertainment from the shotgun seat as she continued onwards towards the school.

She couldn't remember the last time she had been this happy, this silly, this carefree. All her worries were behind her and all she had to focus on was the road in front of her and Stef right beside her.

The view was different from the driver's seat. It was a whole new perspective. The trees looked different. The houses looked different. The restaurants looked different. She paid special attention to the people on the side of the street. There was a mother pushing a stroller. A young couple holding hands. An old man walking his dog. A large, muscular, strawberry-blond boy. Her heart dropped. She recognized him…

It all happened quickly. Before she could process what she was doing, she had slammed on the brakes - she didn't want to get any closer to him.

She flew forward in her seat, the seat belt stopping her on impact, the material cutting into her skin in one sharp motion.

There were sounds too. Loud sounds. A car horn rudely blared behind her as Stef yelled her name next to her, her arm flying out instinctively in front of Callie.

Her breath was coming out quickly now, she was hyperventilating and on the verge of tears from all the sudden, harsh motion.

"Pull over!" Stef yelled.

"But-" Callie argued, her throat closing up, beginning to get hysterical. Liam was on that side of the road. She couldn't pull over there. He could get to her over there.

"Now!" Stef said again urgently, yanking the turn signal on and guiding the steering wheel so that they were going the direction of the street's shoulder.

Callie attempted to control her breaths, blinking a few times, trying to process all that was happening. As they inched closer to the curb, the man's face came into clearer view. He flashed them a puzzled look. Callie was both relieved and embarrassed to see that the man was, in fact, not Liam at all.

Stef took it upon herself to put the car in park before turning to her daughter. "Mind telling me what the hell that was?" she demanded, her voice edged with anger.

"I'm sorry," Callie apologized, her voice quivering as her body shook uncontrollably, both from the aftermath of thinking she saw Liam and the near-accident.

"What happened back there?" Stef asked, equally harshly.

"I'm sorry," Callie said again, not trusting herself to explain beyond two words without bursting into tears or having a complete breakdown.

Stef looked at her, dumbfounded, completely clueless as to what had just happened and what was happening currently.

She sighed, raking a hand through her hair, looking out the window and trying to figure out the best course of action. They couldn't just keep sitting on the side of the street like this. "Hey, Callie, I need you to calm down for just a second, okay? Can you do that for me?" she asked, her voice adopting a gentler tone.

Callie sniffled but nodded. She had to hold on.

"Do you see that parking lot up there? It's only about twenty feet up the road. I want you turn in there and park the car and we can talk for a second."

"No," Callie shook her head. "I'm fine."

"Callie-"

"Please, just let me drive home," she practically begged. The ride back would give her more time to compose herself and more time for Stef to calm down and not be so angry with her.

"Callie, go to the parking lot. I'm not asking you, I'm telling you," Stef said, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Callie pursed her lips and nodded submissively, swallowing back the fear and tears as she slowly drove them into the abandoned lot. She put the car in park and braced herself for what was to come, hot tears escaping out the corners of her eyes against her will as she waited for Stef to speak.

"Can you look at me please?" Stef requested, hoping eye contact would help her get some clue as to what had happened. Callie slowly turned to face the older woman, tears still silently flowing down her cheeks. "Oh Callie," Stef said softly, not expecting to be met with that look. "Honey, please don't cry," she said, guilt hitting her hard as she thumbed away the moisture cascading down her face. "Baby, I'm sorry I yelled," she apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you, I was just worried and I needed to keep you safe," she explained.

"No," Callie shook her head, closing her eyes.

"Yes," Stef argued gently. "It was an impulse reaction. I didn't want to-"

"No," Callie shook her head more firmly. "No, you're not why I'm crying," she explained.

"Why are you crying, then? Hm?" Stef murmured, soothingly stroking the younger girl's hair. Her vulnerability scared Stef. The only other time she had seen her cry so openly had been at Frank's funeral, and she knew an outburst like this couldn't be taken lightly. Something big had obviously happened for Callie, the master of keeping walls up, not to be able to stay guarded. "Hey," Stef tried again gently. "What's the matter? You can tell me."

Callie continued shaking her head. Maybe if she did it long enough, it would all go away.

"Tell mama what's wrong," Stef coaxed softly, taking the risky leap of faith by referring to herself as such, hoping it would push Callie to open up.

Callie swallowed hard. She knew she couldn't avoid this for much longer. Stef was persistent and she was weak right now. She wasn't going to win. "I thought I saw him again," Callie said simply, her lip quivering.

"Saw who again, love?" Stef whispered.

"Liam," Callie said, choking on another breath.

Stef pursed her lips, running a hand over her mouth. She tried to control the rage bubbling up inside of her. She had half a mind to hunt him down right now, but she knew it was much more important that she talk to Callie. No matter how painful or difficult it may be.

"Saw him again?" Stef clarified. "Have you seen him since the trial?" she asked calmly, wanting nothing more than to bust him on the restraining order violation and put him away.

Callie shook her head. "No. I just…I think I see him everywhere," Callie admitted.

"What do you mean?" Stef asked, her eyebrow wrinkling in concern.

"I don't know," Callie said, frustrated. "My brain turns everyone that looks like him into him and I…I relive it all over again," she let out a shaky breath.

"Oh baby," Stef whispered, holding back her own tears, gently running her hand up and down Callie's arm. "I am so, so sorry."

"It's like I can never get away from him, you know?" Callie said angrily. "He ruins every good thing in my life and it sucks he still has this hold on me," she said, allowing herself to get mad, because getting mad was better than being pathetic and pitiful. "It's not fair," she whined, her face threatening to crumple.

"You're right," Stef agreed, letting her vent and purge her emotions. "It's not fair at all," she said, continuing to comfortingly rub her shoulder.

"I can't go out without seeing him. I can't even be in my own bed without him creeping into my thoughts and ruining everything," she said bitterly.

"You feel unsafe in the house?" Stef asked worriedly.

"No," Callie amended her statement. "I just-" she cut herself off, letting out a frustrated breath. "Nothing."

"You just what?" Stef pushed.

"Never mind," she stopped herself, growing embarrassed.

"Callie, please," Stef pleaded, taking the younger's girls hand in her own.

Callie took a deep breath, looking down at their interlocked fingers. The physical touch was like a lifeline grounding her into reality. It reminded her that no matter how awkward and uncomfortable it was, it would be okay.

"I was trying to have sex with Wyatt," she said slowly.

Stef tried to hold in the shock, refraining from snapping her eyes up to Callie, instead focusing on rubbing small circles on the top of the younger girl's hand. "You, uh, you had sex with Wyatt?" she asked in the most casual tone she could manage.

"No," Callie replied, surprising Stef even more. "I couldn't go through with it. I just felt like….Liam…was on me and that I had no control," she said, her voice breaking, sounding more hurt than before.

"Did Wyatt stop right away?" Stef questioned firmly.

"Yes," Callie quickly reassured her. "The second I told him to."

Stef nodded, satisfied with this answer, but didn't say anything else.

"Look," Callie said after a moment of silence. "I know you're mad…"

"No, honey," Stef said quickly. "I'm not mad," she shook her head. "I'm just…concerned."

"That I'm a freak?" Callie muttered under her breath.

"Hey," Stef snapped, grabbing Callie's chin. "Look at me," she demanded, being met with a reluctant gaze a beat later. "Huh-uh," she said sternly, shaking her head. "You are not to blame yourself for this, do you hear me? Not for one second. None of this is your fault, do you understand?" she questioned firmly.

"Yes," Callie said quietly, with the tiniest bit of remorse.

Stef held her gaze for a few more seconds before removing her hand from her face, returning to rubbing her back.

"Why didn't you tell me when it happened?" Stef asked softly.

Callie felt a blush creep into her cheeks as she shrugged. "I don't know. It was awkward, I guess. And you're so busy with the other kids and helping Lena get ready for the baby."

Stef pursed her lips. "It's true. I am busy. But I always, always, always have time for you. I don't care if I'm at work or helping somebody else or dead asleep, you need something, you can always come to me, okay?" she asked.

Callie nodded noncommittally.

"I'm serious, Callie," Stef said, fixing her with a look. "You need me, I am right here, no matter how scary or awkward you think something is."

Callie looked over at the older woman, conjuring up a small smile. "Okay."

"Okay," Stef said, matching her look. "Listen," she said, taking a deep breath. "We might want to discuss some therapy changes and arrangements with Lena when we get back," she said, though her tone told Callie she had already decided this and that there was really no maybe about it.

Callie nodded, looking down at her hands.

"And I'm not sure it's the best idea for you to be driving right now," she said gently.

Callie swallowed thickly. As much as she hated to admit it, Stef was right. She was in no condition to drive.

"So how about we switch places and you let me drive home, yes?" Stef asked, Callie agreeing as she reluctantly switched seats.

"I guess it'll be awhile until I get behind the wheel again?" Callie guessed as she buckled into the shotgun seat.

Stef shot her a confused look. "What are you talking about? I don't know about you, but I'm free next Saturday too, and I was kind of hoping we could try again then."

"Really?" Callie asked hopefully.

"Really," Stef replied, leaning across the middle console to plant a kiss on her forehead. She leaned back in her seat, not yet ready to start the car, leaving the two engulfed in a peaceful silence.

"I love you, you know," Stef said after a moment, looking over at the younger girl.

Callie turned her head to face her, her eyes wide at the blunt honesty and warmth of the statement. "I know," Callie said with a nod. "I love you too," she said a little more quietly, her faintly flushed face dropping down to look at her hands on her lap as her lips curled up into a small grin.

Stef's lips did the same as her heart leapt. She reached over to place her hand on the girl's knee. "You're going to get through this, babe," she promised. "We," she said, giving her a small squeeze, "are going to get through this together."

"Yeah," Callie nodded confidently, looking up at Stef again. "We are."

Stef gave her a reassuring wink, giving her knee one last pat before she turned to start the car, beginning to depart from the parking lot.

Callie wrinkled an eyebrow as Stef turned right.

"This isn't the way home," she announced.

"Oh I know. It's the way to the ice cream place, I figured we could both use some. What do you say?" she asked, glancing over at Callie.

"Yeah," she nodded. "That sounds good."

She smiled over at Stef. If she had to hand over some control to someone, she couldn't think of anyone better to give it to.

She hadn't completely gotten that carefree feeling of liberation back, but she did feel something. Something good.

She felt hope.

She felt peace.

She felt love.

I hope you enjoyed the story! I would love your feedback, especially since this is a little different from what I usually write. I'd really appreciate reviews! =) Thank you so much for reading!

Special thanks to Liz and Grace for all their help.