"It's open, Callie!" Natalia yelled, making it seem a normal day.

"Why is there balloons and stu-"

"SURPRISE!" The family yelled.

Callie's jaw dropped as she realized it was all for her. A smile slowly creeped onto her face. "You guys..." She started.


Natalia, Stef and Lena were filling everyone's plates with food, standing behind a table where it all was. "Do you want some salad, Jude?" Natalia asked, holding a spoonful of it.

"Just a little," he smiled at her, holding his plate out.

Callie was the first in line since she was the birthday girl. "Natty, what's this?" She pointed to the pork.

Natalia walked over to the bowl of pork and put a spoonful on her plate. "It's pernil. It's Spanish, we have it all the time at special occasions."

"Soooo, what is it, then?" Callie furrowed her eyebrows. "What type of pork is it?"

Natalia worried, she didn't want to tell them what it was for fear that they wouldn't eat it. "Do me a favor and try it first and then I'll tell you," she offered.

Callie narrowed her eyes, not trusting Natalia for a little bit. She picked up her fork and grabbed some of the pork, put it in her mouth and chewed. "Mmm, it's really good!" She smiled at Natalia. "What is it?"

"It's pork shoulder," she smiled at her reaction. "But to be honest, I try not to imagine that it's that either. It gets kinda freaky," she giggled and put more pork on Callie's plate.

"I recognize this!" Mariana exclaimed after taking a bite of the pork. "Jesus and I had it all the time when we were little," she looked at her brother.

Jesus hesitantly took a bite, then nodded. "You're right. It's familiar. Good job, Nati," he smiled at her.

She blushed as she poured some salad on her own plate.

After the family had dinner, Mariana decided it was time for gifts.

"Before the cake, Mariana?" Brandon was nervous. He didn't know how Callie would react to his gift.

"Yes!" Mariana clapped. "I just can't ask any longer!" She smiled. "Open them, Cal,"

Callie looked embarrassed. "You guys didn't have to go through all of this for me," she looked down.

"Hey, yes we did," Stef wrapped her arm around the young girl's shoulder. "We're your mamas now. We're a family. And families spoil each other, all the time," she smiled at the rest of her kids.

"You guys adopting me and Jude was more than enough of a gift to last years and years from now."

Lena spoke this time. "Sweetie, that was months ago and it wasn't a gift. It was us placing you into our family. Like we told Jesus and Mariana, we didn't give you the gift of life; life gave us the gift of you," she hugged her daughter.

Jesus wrapped an arm around his twin sister's shoulder, feeling nostalgia at those words he always read in the frames letter that he and his sister had a copy of.

Natalia had tears in her eyes, looking at the giant family in the room. She knew she could never have a mother again or a family of her own for a while at least and it made her feel...lost. For the first time since her mother's death, Natalia didn't know. She didn't know her place in the Foster family; did they only take her in because they felt pity for her? She didn't know her place with Jesus and Mariana; was she just a filler for Lexi? With those feelings of loneliness, she felt joy; she was happy that Callie and Jude got out. She was happy that they were in the Foster family and not in the other foster homes of which she heard horrid stories of. Natalia felt as if she was intruding on this family moment so she got up to take their plates to the garbage as quietly as she could.

While in the kitchen, Natalia sat on a stool next to the island. She let her face fall into her hands; a heavy sigh falling from her lips. She played with the ring she hand on her left middle finger, it was her mother's. Natalia looked at the ring, thinking of her.

"Mami..." She spoke into thin air. "I wish I knew where my place was...I see the Foster family and they're all filled with love and they just make you feel like family...they've managed to help four kids who all didn't have families and made a family of their own with them...it's like that island of misfit toys story you always told me...somehow, they all work together to be something completely better. Like this family...I wish I had a family to call my own...you were all I have left. I'm all alone now," her voice cracked. "I have nothing and no one. This house will just be empty to me because I can't fill it with a mother or father or siblings who love me because I have none of that," a tear fell from her face onto her hands. "I only have memories of you but sometimes memories just aren't enough..." The tears came slowly now. "Who's going to cheer me on when I graduate?

Who's going to ground me when I come home drunk from a party? Who's going to console me when I get my heart broken? You're not going to see me get married or have my first child," she shut her eyes, trying not to relive the memory of the accident. "I'm not made to be alone, you know I always depend on someone or something...I just don't know what to do..." She sighed a shaky sigh. "I'm all alone now," she repeated. "And I have nothing and no one...not even you." She finished with a whisper and stopped her movements with the ring.

Stef and Lena watched Natalia's monologue from the shadows in her kitchen; Stef holding Lena from behind as silent tears ran down their faces. Neither of them knew what to do or say.

I didn't know she felt like this. Lena thought. I didn't know she felt that alone.

She looks like a little girl again, who's lost her mommy. She's not ready for this big world. Stef echoed her partner's thoughts. She shouldn't feel alone, we're here for her. Always.

Jesus walked up to his moms, his eyebrows furrowing when he saw the shine on their cheeks from their tears. "What's wrong, moms?"

Stef, Lena and Natalia turned to Jesus in shock. Natalia also looking at the Foster moms in shock, knowing they heard her entire speech. "Nothing," all three said in unison, simultaneously wiping away their tears.

Jesus walked up to Natalia, his hand going to her cheek as his thumb wiped away a stray tear she missed. "I don't believe you, but I know you don't want to talk about it," he gave her a hug.

Natalia was grateful for the hug and grateful that Jesus didn't pry. "Thank you," she mumbled into his chest, feeling tears fall again.

Stef and Lena silently made their way back into Natalia's living room; any remnants of tears long gone.

"Let's open these gifts, guys." Lena had a tight smile on her face and all the kids could notice it but said nothing.

"Shouldn't we wait for Jesus and Natalia?" Brandon asked.

"No need, we're right here," Natalia walked in with Jesus' hand in hers. Like the mothers, she had no trace of any tear on her face, not even smudged make-up.

"Open mine first," Mariana handed Callie a perfectly wrapped medium sized frame.

Callie tore into it, her eyes filling with joy when she saw the frame. It was a collage of her and the entire family. Starting with pictures of her when she was a baby and some with her and Jude and more with the entire Foster family. On one corner of the frame, she noticed the letter from Stef and Lena that she had received from Stef and Lena when she was formally adopted. "Thank you so much, Mari," she leaned over and gave her an unexpected hug.

"Okay, ours next," Natalia handed Callie two slightly heavy boxes.

"Ours meaning you and Jesus?" Callie asked, shaking the boxes.

"Kind of. I bought the main thing while Jesus got the extra stuff, you'll see what we mean when you open it."

Callie tore into the first box, her eyes widening when she saw what it was. "No way," she gasped. "No freaking way," she laughed. In her hands, she held a vintage Polaroid camera. Her hands ran over it in anticipation. She held the camera with one hand and opened Jesus' part of the gift with the other hand. "No way!" She squealed again. Jesus' gift contained a whole box of film for the Polaroid camera. "Thank you guys so much!" She jumped up and gave them a tight hug. She put her new/old camera to use, snapping a picture of Jesus and Natalia smiling.

"Don't get too excited," Brandon laughed, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "Here's my gift," he handed it to her.

Callie put the Polaroid camera back in it's box and immediately dove into the new gift. Her jaw dropped when she saw what Brandon got her. "This...this is unbelievable." She had a tear in her eye. She stared down at another new camera; a new Nikon D3200. Something she's been waiting for a while.

"You owe me 20 bucks, Mari," Jesus whispered in Spanish to his sister.

Mariana groaned.

"Should I ask?" Natalia turned to Jesus.

"We bet which gift would make Callie cry first; I said Brandon's and she said moms' and Jude's," he chuckled.

Callie was hugging Brandon tightly, thanking him over and over again. Brandon shut his eyes as he hugged her, his hands holding her waist gently. He remembered his family was still in the room and he reluctantly let go.

"This must have cost you a fortune, you shouldn't have," Callie rubbed the new piece of equipment in her hand.

"Don't give me that crap, Callie. I did it, now deal with it." Brandon laughed at her.

"There's one last present, Callie." Stef brought the plain cardboard box with holes in front of Callie. "I suggest you don't shake it," she giggled. "This is from Lena, Jude and I," she smiled at her wife and young son.

Jesus had Callie's Polaroid, ready to take some shots of the scene that was about to happen and Brandon handed off the Nikon to Natalia who had some experience with those kinds of cameras. Both teens took a picture of Callie's confused face as she looked into the box.

Callie opened the lid and her jaw dropped for the second time in less than 10 minutes. "He's so adorable!" She lifted up the yorkie poo to her face. "He is a he, isn't her?" She checked underneath the puppy. "Yup, he's a boy!" She giggled.

The family laughed at her, happy she'd enjoyed all of her gifts.


Monday morning soon rolled around and the entire Foster family and Natalia was sitting at their breakfast nook in the kitchen, eating their breakfast.

"Okay kids, your lunches are set," Stef said with an armful of brown bags. She plopped each bag to each of the kids, including Natalia. "I have to go to work, I'm late," she kissed each kid's forehead, again including Natalia. "Lena, remember to tell the kids, love." She kissed her wife on the lips and half jogged out of the door.

"Tell us what?" Jude bit on his bagel as he addressed Lena.

"Your mother and I need to talk to Natalia about a few things so we won't be home tonight. We'll leave some money on the microwave for some take-out." Lena spoke as she dried her hands with a dish towel. "And no, Jesus, you can't join us. And don't try to go to Natalia's house because we won't be there," she stared sternly at her teenage son who looked slightly upset.

Natalia stayed silent as she heard the news. She had no idea that Stef and Lena wanted to talk to her and they broke the news to her in a very 'convenient' way. But she knew it was about what they over heard at Callie's birthday party.

"Moms are probably gonna break the news to Nati that you're a completely slob and that she should look for better options," Mariana joked as she sipped on her orange juice.

"Or that he still keeps his old football from when he was little tucked under his bed for 'comfort'," Brandon laughed.

"Or that he talks in his sleep and always manages to say Nat's name," Jude giggled at Jesus' pale face.

"Maybe it could be a meeting to discuss Jesus' intervention for always wearing beanies and a tank top alllll the time!" Callie laughed with the entire family.

Jesus groaned. "How come Nati isn't getting this whole 'embarrassment' thing?"

Natalia was quiet the whole time the family joked, but her ears perked up when she heard Jesus. "Because I have no one to do it for me. Any and everyone who I had memories with is long gone," she got up from the table and ran to her car.

There was a sad silence at the table as they heard tires squeal and pull out of their driveway.


I'm sooooo sorry, guys! I'm so sorry for taking so long. I was dealing with some family issues and I just didn't have time. I promise I'll post soon and it'll be long. I promise it won't be as long this time. Again please review. They honestly make me write faster.

OMG, the season finale! Tell me what you guys thought of it!