Chapter 2.

"I'll show you to your room," said Robert, guiding Callie into the house. "That way you can get settled and everything."

"I just want to go home," she sighed under her breath, swiping another tear away.

"I know," Robert replied with a deep sigh. He reached for her shoulder and she backed away, as if she expected him to strike her. He pulled his hand away. "I'm not going to hurt you, honey. I'd never hurt you."

"You're already hurting me," she told him, looking down. Sophia ripping up the abandonment papers, Robert telling her he couldn't sign them again, and then threatening Stef and Lena with the police all seemed like some kind of elaborate cosmic joke until then. But now that she was standing in the Quinn home, it was starting to seem all to real.

"I just did what I had to do," he told her, in his soft voice. "You're my daughter, Callie. I love you, and I deserve the chance to have a relationship with you. I hope, eventually, you'll be able to see that."

"Why do you even want anything to do with me?" she asked. "It's all my fault Sophia slit her wrists. Shouldn't you hate me?"

Robert looked up at the ceiling; his younger daughter was resting in her room, directly above them. "What Sophia did was by no means your fault, Callie. She has some other issues we weren't aware of."

"Where is she anyway?" Callie wondered, looking around. The house was silent.

"She's in her room, taking a nap. She's still on the mend, and her medications make her a little tired." He turned back toward the living room. "Speaking of which, let me take you to your room."

Callie followed him up the grand staircase and down the hall, to a closed door. He opened it and let her in. "I hope you like it," he said, waving his hand. "It was sn extra guest room, but we had it redecorated to better suit a girl your age."

Callie took in the room slowly. It was spacious, more like a suite, really. The walls were a breezy shade of light green and the woodwork was painted crisp white. The rest of the room was decorated with whitewashed furniture. A small chandelier hung in the center of the ceiling. It was all a little overdone, but it was pretty. She would have been thrilled to have such a large room to herself if it wasn't in the Quinn house. Right then, Mariana's crowded, messy, cluttered bedroom was her dream room.

"Stef and Lena told me green is your favorite color," Robert told her. "And that you take beautiful photos. If there are any special ones you want to hang up in here, we'll get them framed."

"You can't my love, you know," she said, just loud enough for him to hear.

"I know, Callie," he sighed. "I just wanted you to have a place to call your own." He crossed the room and opened another door. "This is the bathroom you'll share with Sophia. It connects both your bedrooms."

Nodding, but silent, Callie carried her duffel bag to the bed, and set it on the green and rose quilt. She turned, and paused when a picture frame on the bedside table caught her eye. She picked it up, her hands shaking. The photo inside was of her mother; one of the ones Robert had shown her on the yacht when they went sailing.

"Is that okay?" Robert asked, noticing her staring at the picture. "I thought you might like, you know, having something near to remember her by." He smiled, looking down over her shoulder. "She was so beautiful, Callie. Inside and out. But of course, you already know that." He gently patted her shoulder. "Colleen was the love of my life."

"And now Jill is," Callie glumly surmised.

"Well," Robert hesitated. "I guess you could say that." He sat down beside his daughter. "Every time I look at you, I see your mother. I have a few other things of hers. Just some pictures and letters. I believe they're in the attic, but when I find them, I'd like you to have them."

"You'd just give them to me?" she asked, surprised.

"She'd want you to have them," he assured her. "I have my memories of her, and that's enough."

"If you loved her so much then why did you leave her?" Callie suddenly blurted out. She shrunk back when Robert gave her a hurt look.

"You have to understand that I've regretted it every day," he began, but he was interrupted by Jill's voice traveling up the stairs. "We'll talk about it another time," he promised. "But please don't mention it around Jill, honey. It might upset her." He brushed her hair back from her forehead lovingly.

"I won't," Callie sighed.

Jill looked into the room just then. "Oh. Hello, Callie. I didn't realize you were here yet, or I would have gotten home sooner to greet you." There was an iciness to her voice that indicated she wasn't quite as enthusiastic about inviting her step-daughter into their home as her husband was.

"It's okay," she shrugged.

"Yes, well, lunch is at twelve-thirty," Jill told her, before walking away on clicking high heels.


That night, Callie lay in bed, tears streaming down her cheeks as she reflected on the day. She was an expert at crying silently; she'd cried herself to sleep many nights, and no one ever knew. At first, it was in the old foster homes, so she wouldn't frighten Jude when she was scared or hungry at night. Then, it was because she was too embarrassed to cry out loud. The only person she'd ever truly broke down in front of was Stef. She wished Stef were there right now, to hug her, and tell her that she was safe and loved.

On her nightstand, the lamp glowed. She'd left it on so the big, unfamiliar room wouldn't seem so dark. The soft yellow light shone above her mother's photo, as if Colleen were watching over her. She wondered what her mother would think about what Robert had done. Would she want her to be with him, or the Fosters? She was certain her mother wouldn't want her and Jude separated. Most likely, if Jude hadn't been adopted by Stef and Lena already, Robert would have adopted him too. In the back of her mind, she wished her little brother's adoption had been denied also, even though she knew it was selfish. But at least they'd be together.

Next to the photo, her phone sat. She picked it up, and typed a quick text: Goodnight. I miss you.

Stef texted her back a few moments later: I miss you too, baby girl. Are you OK?

She pondered the question before replying: I guess so. Kiss Jude goodnight for me?

She smiled when she got an answer: Already done. I love you, sweets.

I love you too. Bye. She sent that one last text to Stef. Then, drying her tears, she glanced over at her guitar standing in the corner, and Brandon came into her thoughts. With all that had happened that day, she'd almost forgotten about him. Almost. He kissed her. It was just a tiny kiss. A peck, really. But when their lips connected, the spark was there. She wasn't the type to sit around and obsess about a kiss from a boy all day, like Mariana, but she couldn't help but wonder what it meant. Was it just a harmless goodbye kiss, or more? It felt more like a hello than a goodbye.

On impulse, she pulled up his number and punched out a message to him: Goodnight.

It took a few minutes before he answered: Hey... sorry about earlier.

Sorry about what?

Kissing you, he replied.

She frowned, feeling even more confused. You don't have to apologize. I liked it. It was nice.

She held her breath, waiting for him to respond: Then I take I back my sorry ;). P.S., I liked it too.

I really miss you.

I miss you too. Gotta finish my homework. Talk tomorrow?

Definitely, she replied.

After she was done texting Brandon, she set her phone aside, still trying to sort out her feelings about the kiss. It was a nice distraction from everything else that was wrong in her world. Her thoughts were interrupted, though, by the sound of arguing from down the hall. It was muffled, but she could tell it was Jill and Robert. She strained her ears, trying to make out what they were saying. She thought she heard her name, and Sophia's too, but she couldn't be sure. She jumped when, several minutes later, she heard a door slam. Then there were heavy footsteps descending down the hall. She knew it was Robert, and that he was going to sleep in the guest room that night.

Suddenly thirsty, and lonelier than ever, Callie rolled out of bed and went into the bathroom. When she'd snooped through the drawers and cabinets earlier, she noticed there were no razors, scissors, or medications stored in them, most likely because of Sophia. Sophia was different than she used to be; pale, withdrawn, quiet. She no longer asked question after nosy question, or said stupid things to try to impress Callie. Where she was once taken aback by her younger half-sister's chattiness, it was her silence that made her uncomfortable now.

She filled a paper cup with water, and sipped it slowly. Standing there, she heard a soft sound, like a whimper. It was coming from Sophia's room. The bathroom door on her side was ajar, so Callie looked inside. In the dim light, she saw Sophia in her bed. The young girl was laying on her side, facing away from the bathroom door, but by the way her small body shook, it was easy to tell she was sobbing.

For a moment, Callie felt a pang of sadness. She'd liked Sophia once. And the girl was barely older than Jude, just a kid. If it were him crying like that, she would go to him, comfort him, but she couldn't get herself to move, as if she were frozen in place. Sophia glanced back just then to look at her. Her tears glistened on her cheeks. She gave Callie a longing look, then turned away. Not sure what to do, Callie went back to bed.

To Be Continued- I know the Brallie action is going slowly, but there will be more in the next chapter!