Stef sighed. Callie is so reserved. She wished she could fix every bad thing that'd happened to her, fix the broken girl. She crawled into bed next to Lena, who sensed her sadness. Lena found Stef's hand, lacing it with hers.
"I love you." She whispered.
"I love you too." Stef said, her voice was caught, the amount of pain in Callie hurt her. To serve and protect. She thought to herself.
Callie found her way to the bathroom, with the pajamas in her hands. She went in, staring at her reflection. Who am I? She didn't recognize herself. For the first time she realized how broken she really is.
She turned the water on, letting it pour slowly. She didn't want to wake Stef and Lena, she was afraid they'd get angry. Carefully, she washed her face, wincing when the water made contact with her eye. She dried her face, and was disappointed.
She thought half the marks on her face would wash away, she hoped they would.
She cried as she stared at her reflection. She looked weak, frail. She shook it off as she undressed, putting her dirty, torn clothes in a neat pile. She put them next to the other pile of clothes, and pulled on the pajamas Stef had supplied her with.
They were soft, and smelt like laundry soap. They made her feel warm and safe. She didn't understand why. She left the bathroom and made her way quietly back to the living room, crawling into a ball on the couch. She couldn't sleep. All she could think about is when she'd be kicked out of this house and shoved into another.
Stef got out of bed quietly, careful not to wake Lena up. She couldn't sleep. She made her way to the hallway, tripping and stubbing her toe, "damn!" she whispered, shaking her foot. She shook the pain off and walked into the hallway. It was slightly lit up from the bathroom light, which is always kept on.
She went downstairs, peeking her head into the living room to check on Callie. She wasn't there. Ice pulsed through Stef's veins. She ran away. She thought to herself, walking into the kitchen to find her keys.
She stopped when she saw Callie sitting at the table. When Callie saw Stef she stood up and backed away from the table, bumping into the counter.
"I'm sorry!" She said, leaning as far against the counter as she could.
Stef stood staring at the girl, confused.
"Sorry for what?" She asked.
Callie started taking sharp breaths, her chest heaving.
Stef took a step closer and Callie froze, holding her breath. She braced her arms in front of her, crossing them to protect her face. She turned her head the other way, squeezing her eyes shut. She was bracing herself for pain.
Stef took in a sharp breath, the sight of Callie cowering in front of her made her feel awful. Awful that Callie could see her capable of doing such a thing.
She walked towards Callie, and draped an arm around her shoulders. Callie flinched, jumping back, but Stef held a strong grip.
"C'mon." She said gently, steering her to the living room. Callie still braced herself for a blow, her body tense.
Stef directed her to the couch, sitting her down. She sat down next to her, they were about a foot apart. Stef didn't want to sit to close to her, she knew it might scare her.
"Alright Love, tell me what's going on in that pretty little head of yours." She said, her voice light and gentle. Callie looked up at her and stared blankly.
"Callie... you need to tell me what's going on." She said, looking the girl square in the eyes. Callie fidgeted, afraid to say the wrong thing.
"I'm-" She started, then stopped. She gave Stef a sideways look to see if she was about to harm her in any way. Stef was watching her, her eyes soft and tired.
"Go on, it's okay." Stef said.
Callie nodded, taking in a sharp breath, "I just...I keep thinking of things." She said quietly.
Stef's brows furrowed together in confusion, "what things?"
Liam. That thing. She thought to herself. I've never told anyone about Liam...what if she thinks I'm some kind of monster and send me away? She looked at Stef again, not sure if she should continue or not.
"You can tell me Callie." She told her. It was like Stef knew what she was thinking.
"Okay..." Callie started, fiddling with her fingers.
"So... a while back... I was in a different foster home. My parents...my foster parents said they were going to adopt me, that they loved me. Well, I was fourteen, and they're older son was twenty. He still lived at home, and we were close. And when he started getting comfortable with me, and his parents were used to me, they started letting us stay home together while they went out. Well, Liam, he um, he would corner me. He got weird fast. He'd tell me to do certain things, and say certain things. And I did them, because he said that he was my brother, that we're family, and if I didn't do them he wouldn't love me, no one would. Until one night. I didn't want to do what he wanted me to do, and I tried to get away. He was stronger than me, and he hit me, stunned me so bad that I couldn't move, and then he raped me. I laid there, helpless, weak. When he was done he told me if I said anything, that he would tell his parents. Tell them I was crazy and get me sent away, and I would never have a family. So it went on for a few more days, each time he would hurt me, weakening me until I couldn't move. Then, one night, I was strong enough and fast enough that I got away. I ran out the door, and tripped. He pulled my hair, he hit me good and hard. I got away once more, picking up a bat and smashing the windows to his Jeep. He freaked out and beat me up, kicked me in the stomach, made me bleed and cough blood. He called the cops, and his parents came home. He said I went crazy, that I attacked him, just like he said he would. The cops didn't care to hear my side of the story, I was just a foster kid. They sent me away, only instead of a different home, it was juvy. And just like he said, I ended up not getting adopted, not having a family." She spoke softly, like she didn't know she was speaking. Stef had to listen hard to hear her, and her heart broke with each word. Callie had tears streaming down her face, she looked up, locking eyes with Stef. Stef was crying herself.
She scooted next to Callie and put her arms around her, locking her into a tight hug. She felt Callie's body stiffen, but eventually it relaxed, and she leaned into Stef. Stef stroked her hair, listening to her cry quietly.
"That's not your fault Callie, you did the right thing." Stef told her, meeting Callie's gaze.
"If you want to send me away-" She began, but Stef interrupted her before she could finish.
"I'm not sending you anywhere Callie. And I'm going to get that piece of shit investigated, and I'm going to find away to get their foster license revoked. I'll make sure they get what they deserve." Stef spoke angrily, her teeth gritted. She'd only known Callie for a few hours, but already she felt attached.
Callie looked up, her eyes full of sadness and confusion. No one had ever cared. "Why?" she asked Stef.
"Because you're one of my babies now." Stef said. She felt Callie relax into her arms, her breathing calming down. Callie rested her head on Stef's chest, wrapping her arms around her. Stef rested her head on top of Callie, holding her tight. Callie felt safe snuggled against Stef, relaxing into her body heat, taking in her scent, which was a sweet smell. She snuggled deeper into her warmth, and she felt something being draped on top of her. She felt Stef tuck the blanket around them, and Callie nestled herself against Stef again, falling asleep while Stef held her in a tight, protective shell.