Author's note: Surprise early update for you guys, since i'll be out of town on Wednesday.

"XXX

Wake up."

"Nnngh, s'Sunday." He shrugged off her hand. In response, she yanked the covers off him completely. "God, what are you doing?" Eyes still closed, he flung a hand out in search of warmth.

"I have to go to work. Since you like the cafe so much, you're coming with me."

"No." He was physically tugging at the blankets now.

"I wasn't asking, Jude."

He opened one eye. "You can't tell me what to do."

"Oh, can't I? No one else seems to give a crap that you disappeared for a whole day. Well, I do. I can't ground you, so I'm just not letting you out of my sight."

"You're being stupid." Surly Jude was not something either of them were used to. She reminded herself that no matter how he might be acting, he had taken the time to unpack their book. Even now, as he was still cursing her name under his breath, he was sitting up, giving her an expectant glare to leave so he could change.

Ten minutes later, he met her at the front door. It wasn't a happy walk to work, but his comfort level wasn't a priority. "I'll make you a sandwich," was all she offered by way of reconciliation as they walked in the back.

Logan was already there, along with a new cashier whose name she had yet to remember. If either knew what had taken place the day before, they didn't say anything. The urge to apologize and explain herself to Logan was strong, but he just waved at Jude as though he had always come in with her on the weekends. She made Logan a mocha without being asked, refusing any attempts at payment.

Jude curled into his usual chair. Logan paused to talk to him before he left, confirming Callie's suspicions that he must have some idea of what was going on. Had they met the day before? It was possible. She had been glad that she wouldn't have to see either Taylor or Mary Anne this morning, but that relief had proved to be short lived. Logan wasn't saying anything to her directly, but she didn't know how she felt about him talking to Jude. What could he have to say to a ten year old?

You're being crazy, she told herself. You didn't care that Jude spent an hour with Lena the other week. Hell, for all she knew, Logan was telling Jude to stop being angry with her. Logan didn't realize that Jude had inherited the Jacob stubborn streak.

She and Jude rarely fought, but when Jude put his mind to it, he could hold a grudge with the best of them. She rarely allowed herself to be angry with him in turn, because it would solve nothing. If one of them didn't take steps to end their fights, they might never be over. This morning was more about fear than anything else; Jude needed to know that he had terrified her to the point that she had barely slept the night before. How could he have thought leaving would solve anything? What had she done to indicate that this was ever an option?

She couldn't think about this now. She was losing concentration barely five drinks into her shift, and Josh, her new coworker, was slow enough for the both of them. She couldn't afford to think about how to deal with Jude until they were both back home, but she couldn't help cutting one last glance at him. His face was hidden by a book, but she couldn't tell if it was school or pleasure reading. It didn't matter. The fact she had gotten him up before 8AM was punishment enough.

Lena showed up alone around 9, out of breath and in jogging clothes. It was slow enough that Callie was able to look over in time to see Jude noticing her. His entire posture changed. His book disappeared, and he looked ready to jump off his chair to greet her. She had known he had been fond of Lena, but not to this extent. Callie couldn't help wondering if this was similar to how she looked when she saw Stef. Granted, Callie saw Stef almost daily, but had she ever looked that unguarded, that blatantly hopeful? Was Jude's life lacking for so much, that he was excited to see someone he barely knew?

God, of course it was, yesterday had proved that. She tore her eyes away from Jude and back to the espresso machine. It would not do to start crying in front of Josh, a handful of customers, and her brother's newest favorite person. "You want some water?" she asked Lena, who was next up in line, and having trouble catching her breath.

Lena nodded, giving her a rueful grin. "Can't believe I beat Stef here."

"Oh, Stef's coming?" She felt the immediate change in her own posture, shoulders lifting, eyes eagerly scanning the sidewalk. Hell, she was just as bad, if not worse than Jude. Lena didn't need to reply, because Stef breezed through the doors just then, sweaty and smiling.

"Well, it's about time you showed up." Lena fended off Stef's attempt to hug her hello, even though they were equally sweaty. It was fortunate that no one was in line behind them, because Callie was too transfixed to begin to tell them to hurry it up. Phil and Hannah never acted like this, like they were genuinely happy to see one another.

"Hmph. If you're so full of yourself, you buy my drink, woman." Lena smacked Stef's arm, and they both laughed, Stef smiling at Callie, including her in the joke, making the fact she had been blatantly staring a little bit less awkward. "Goodness, CJ, are you ever not here?"

Now Stef was smiling just for her, and Callie couldn't have stopped her own grin from widening if she tried. "Nope, doesn't feel like it." This ten second conversation was doing wonders for her tension.

"Go get us the couch, I think Callie knows our orders by now."

"Put an extra shot in mine," Lena called over her shoulder. The idea of drinking coffee after running made Callie want to wince, and she got them glasses of water without being asked. As Stef was paying, Callie reflexively glanced toward Jude's corner, only to find him gone.

Shit, how could she have been so stupid? Had she forgotten the reason he had been forced into coming with her in the first place? Had Jude been waiting for just this sort of opportunity to slip away? Where would he have gone now, and could she leave Josh long enough to-

"Hey." Warm fingers touched the back of her hand, and she jerked it back in surprise. "Your shadow's over there, sweets." Stef pointed, and Callie turned to indeed find Jude practically cuddling into Lena's side on the couch, huddled over some sort of homework. "Kid curse, remember?" Callie turned back to Stef, hoping her fear wasn't written all over her face.

"Right, sorry. I just…he ran away yesterday."

"Seriously?"

She nodded, afraid if she spoke, the whole mess would come out. She looked down at the espresso machine, until her emotions felt a little more in her grasp. "I couldn't find him for six hours." She was distantly aware of Josh's silent presence beside her, but finally being in a conversation with someone remotely sympathetic was overriding all of Callie's meager professionalism.

"And your foster parents let him out of the house this morning?"

She laughed - she couldn't help it. "Are you kidding? They didn't even care he was gone." Stef's eyes flashed, and for a moment, she looked positively livid. Was that on Callie's behalf? It was hard to tell. "I can't ground him, so this seemed like the best punishment. Well, until Ms. Lena showed up. Now he'll think the whole morning was some kind of reward."

"Oh, no he won't. You leave it to me, my friend, I will make sure he never even thinks about running away again." This time, when she grasped her hand, Callie didn't pull away. Leaning forward, Stef lowered her voice. "You're a good sister, Callie. Don't you forget that."

"Thank you," she mouthed, throat too full for words. Stef gave her just the sort of bracing smile she had longed for the night before. Callie wanted to close her eyes to commit it to memory, for the next time things felt out of her control. Instead, she had to make more drinks, and figure out exactly when Stef had started to think of her as 'sweets.'

XXX

A week later, Jude was gone.

Callie wasn't sure how she had once again managed to be blindsided. One evening, she simply came home from work to find Bill in their living room. Selfishly, she wished he had taken Jude immediately, instead of waiting for her to say goodbye. Jude had packed all the Fudge books, except for Double Fudge, which he left for her. When she discovered this hours after the fact, she held it to her chest and shook with silent tears, wishing she could have given him something in return, to let him know she was thinking of him, to let him know that she would make this right.

But her birthday was days away, so maybe Jude sensed that she would need this tangible assurance more than him. He was dry-eyed and expressionless as he left with Bill, while Callie clutched the banister to keep from running after them. "You're doing well here," Bill said to her at one point, as though he were doing her a favor. "He won't be far away, and maybe this separation will be good for the both of you." She wasn't sure how that was possible, but what could she do to stop him? Behind them, Hannah was serving dinner, and offering to set a place for Bill.

What had she said to Jude earlier that morning? Neither of them were at their best before school, often short-tempered and snapping at one another. Had Callie crossed a line, tipping Jude over the edge and into taking one of Liam's golf clubs, something he would normally have no remote interest in? Or had he gotten caught on purpose? She didn't know, but of course, the moment Liam had found it missing, he had run to his parents.

Jude's inventory of stolen goods had long outgrown his backpack, and he had moved onto using one of his dresser drawers. Hannah later showed Callie the collection of recovered items, from random pieces of clothing, to canned goods, and even several library books that Jude would never have read on his own. One of their mother's necklaces was there, half hidden inside a box of crackers. Callie had been missing that for months, assuming it had gotten lost at school.

Her anger bounced between Liam for ratting Jude out to Jude himself, which had possibly been Hannah's plan all along. "You're a good girl, Callie. We don't want you going anywhere. But Jude…we all know he needs healthier outlets and more supervision."

This was the most acknowledgement of her lack of parenting that Hannah had - and probably would ever - display, and Callie felt sick that she was agreeing with Hannah, even if it was just in her own head. Beneath the fear and anger, there was a large bubble of relief. Jude was no longer going to keep her up worrying at night. For the first time in four years, he was truly someone else's responsibility.

But he wasn't, not really. He was her baby brother, something physical separation would never change. He was her baby brother, and Callie didn't know where he was being taken, and if it was safe. Would he be happier? Probably not. What would his punishments be for breaking rules, rules that they might not even tell him existed until he broke them? Would he have friends? Jude had a hard time making friends. He would certainly have to transfer schools. Would his new teachers help him with math? Could he get held back a grade? Should he be?

There were so many questions, and no one had any answers. Bill promised he would arrange a visit as soon as possible. She was going to have to attend special visits to see her brother, like they had done something wrong. It wasn't fair!

Still, she slept better than she had in weeks. There was one thing Jude had that she knew he wouldn't let anyone see, and that was, once again, her phone. She had slipped it to him during their final embrace. Her charger was upstairs, but those were easy to come by. Alternatively, he could conserve the battery, only using it during emergencies. They might be physically separated, but Callie still had a way to reach him.

By the time she went upstairs to bed, Jude's room was nearly bare. Sheets had been stripped, drawers cleaned out, carpet freshly vacuumed. You wouldn't have known a ten year old boy had slept here for nearly a year, save for the Judy Blume book in the center of the desk, and the dinosaur poster tacked to the wall.

"I thought that might have belonged to you," Hannah remarked, walking in on Callie holding Double Fudge like a lifeline. She didn't know what would happen if she opened her mouth, whether she would scream, or thank Hannah for solving one of her problems. She did not want to do either, so she simply nodded, waiting until Hannah left before finally giving into the urge to cry.

Take me with you, she had nearly begged earlier, Liam's hand on her back the only thing keeping her silent. She wasn't choosing Liam over Jude, she told herself. She was just so, so tired. Of thinking two steps ahead, of trying to anticipate Jude's mood on top of everyone else in the house. Jude's problem had long ago grown too big for either of them to control, and it was time to accept that.

After a painstaking search through the inventory of recovered items, she determined that Stef's business card was gone for good. Callie had initially discovered it missing the afternoon after Jude's return, when she also learned Jude had stolen $20 from her wallet.

"What did you think you were going to get with that?" she asked him, when he awkwardly returned the change. Well, he had paid for his cookies the day before, at least. They weren't exactly on speaking terms, but whatever Stef and Lena had said to him had definitely helped.

"I didn't want to take all your money, and it was the biggest bill you had. I had some of my own, and that was nearly fifty bucks."

"That's not even enough for a hotel room."

"Right, like I could have gotten one of those," he scoffed, his resemblance to Liam terrifyingly accurate, right down to the way he spun away from her.

"Wait, do you have my card?" He had ignored her completely, and there had never been a better time to ask. Tonight had been the first time he had looked at her with anything but disdain or frustration in days. At the time, Stef had been the last thing on her mind.

Still, that card had been her safety net. Along with all of Stef's contact information, it had the non-emergency number to the police department, which Callie might have actually called when Jude had run away, if she could have worked up the courage. She still had Stef's email, of course, but now more than ever, that seemed like a stupid thing to have. Seeing not one, but two of their kids illustrated to Callie exactly how busy Stef was. Who knew how many more she and Lena had at home? It was better just to exchange stupid quips over coffee. Anyway, without Jude to constantly worry about, why would she need any of it?

Callie's fifteenth birthday was days away. This was her fifth in foster care, and could very likely be her worst. Last year, Jude had somehow talked Liam into taking him to get her favorite ice cream. She and Liam had just started hanging out, so the whole day felt new and exciting. Now, even though she still saw Liam every day, it wasn't the same. Moreover, she and Jude had never spent a holiday apart. At least this was her birthday, and not his. She would have never forgiven Bill, or Liam, for that matter, if they had been separated around that day.

The day dawned quietly enough. It was a Friday, and a rare school day where she was working beforehand, which was good. Otherwise, she would have been happy hiding in bed until the last possible second. Holidays were the time she missed her mom especially hard. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep Jude safe," she whispered aloud to her in the quiet of the house, looking at herself in the mirror. "I know I'm probably not doing what you'd like, but I wish you were here to yell at me anyway."

Sniffing, she reapplied her mascara, hoping the action would pull her together. Unsurprisingly, it didn't, and she walked out the door a few moments later, eyes red-rimmed and makeup free. As usual, no one knew she left.

When she got to work, Mary Anne ambushed her with a cupcake. "Happy birthday to my baby barista!" Callie jumped, laughing. Mary Anne lit a bedraggled looking candle, and she, Taylor, and Logan sang a wonderfully off key version of happy birthday. Callie started laughing halfway through, and could barely catch her breath long enough to blow out the candle.

Prep work had never gone so fast, they were all so high on sugar and caffeine. "Why don't we serve these?" Callie asked, halfway through her second cupcake.

"Because they're Logan's secret recipe that he won't share, even with me."

"True story. If you want to live, you can never know what's in my cupcakes."

Callie reappraised the frosting. "Do I want to know? It's not like, kale or something, right?"

"No! It's definitely nothing like that."

Four of them really didn't need to be working, but it was nice to have multiple people opening. Callie was too pleasantly surprised that any one of them had remembered the day to even begin to worry about conversing with both her bosses. Taylor wasn't scheduled to work until that afternoon, but she had showed up anyway. A month ago, Callie wouldn't have believed her capable of doing something so thoughtful.

Stef came in late during the morning rush. Callie hoped she would stay long enough to talk, but she disappeared in a hurry. Half an hour later, when she was already going to be at least ten minutes late for school, Taylor slipped her a piece of paper. "This was left for you from your cop friend."

"Oh god, no, what did you do? You're not even supposed to be here!"

Her smile was positively gleeful. "Never say I don't have your back." That comment seemed to take them both by surprise, and they shared an uncomfortable laugh. Callie eagerly unfolded the paper, which read:

A little birdie says it's your birthday! Happy birthday to my favorite barista. Buy yourself a latte, that's the closest you'll ever get to buying one for me!

:) Stef

Callie rarely paid attention to cards, but this, as well as the note from the other week accepting her apology, were something she would want to keep for a long time. "You've really gotta watch your reputation there, Tay. People are going to start thinking you're nice."

Taylor tossed her hair. "It's a fluke. Specialists are looking into it." Whatever it was, Callie liked this having a friend business, even if it never extended beyond work. No matter what else happened today, she felt her birthday had been far better than she could have hoped. Once again, Taylor and Mary Anne had effectively salvaged everything for the second time in two weeks. On one hand, Callie hated the sense of owing people. On the other, it was nice to have someone at her back, even if it just meant minimal birthday cards and secret cupcakes.

"All right, missy, I don't want to see you for at least 24 hours," Mary Anne admonished from her spot behind the counter. "Go, do teenager things."

"Ooh, me too?"

"Don't push your luck. You came in on your own time and you'd better be here right at three, Tay."

"Aye aye, boss lady. C'mon, CJ. I'm going to break the speed limit to get us to homeroom on time."

In the five months they had worked together, Taylor had never once offered her a ride to school. Clamping down on her shock - this girl was just full of surprises - Callie followed her out to her jetta, the same car she and Jude had been driven home in weeks before. This was a much lighter car trip, Taylor indeed breaking the speed limit halfway to school.

Callie's third surprise of the day was not receiving another late slip, and she spent half of third period wondering what she could do for Taylor in return when her birthday came around, and the other half marveling at the fact that she willingly wanted to return the kindness.

She tried calling Jude at lunch, and felt a strange combination of pride and disappointment when the phone went straight to his newly recorded voicemail. They had talked in several short bursts since he had been taken. The separation meant that their fight was over, for the time being, although this didn't mean there wasn't a certain tension under the surface. Jude said that his new foster mom (she actually said I could call her mom, if I wanted!) had the same charger as Callie, and that he used it when she wasn't looking. He also said that people were jealous of him for having a phone when he had dropped it his first day on the bus.

If Callie had known that an outdated electronic would get him leverage, she would have broken that rule a lot sooner. She told Jude not to go crazy with the minutes, and she'd keep paying the bill until something more permanent could be worked out. If Hannah or Phil ever called, Jude knew that he needed to let her know right away, although they both knew the likelihood of that happening. So, while she knew her brother brought the phone to school, she was pleased he didn't appear to be abusing the privilege.

With nothing else to do, she wandered into the library, where she discovered a meticulously typed email from Jude - since when did ten year olds have email? Happy birthday, sis! I miss you more than jelly beans! Considering Jude hated jellybeans, she wasn't sure how much stock to give this declaration.

She left school genuinely smiling for the first time in weeks, which only increased when Liam's car was there to greet her. He had remembered after all! While Jude had been asking her what she wanted for her birthday all month, Liam had remained aloof on the matter. She had dropped several hints, but if he'd realized what she was referring to, he never said. Still, he was here now, waving and playing his music too loud. If Jude were to pop out of the backseat, her day would be nearly perfect.

He didn't, but Liam squeezed her fingers the moment she got in the passenger seat. "There you are! Happy birthday, babe."

Not bitching about high school traffic, and an endearment in the same sentence? That was…unexpected, but she smiled easily. "Thanks, Lee. You remembered!"

"Of course, you and Rugrat only talked about it all month. C'mon, let's go dutch on food. It's the best I can do right now, sorry."

It wasn't much, but it was something, so she bit back the sarcastic retort begging to burst out of her mouth and kept smiling.

They decided on a snack instead, going to a diner for fries and milkshakes, which Liam could afford without Callie's help. She thought about telling him about hearing from Jude, but something held her back. She had never been exactly angry with Liam for betraying her confidence, and causing Jude to be taken, but she didn't feel neutral, either. Jude might have been out of control, but Liam had known how important this secret had been to her. The fact he had broken her trust with no regard to how she might feel stung, and she wasn't ready to consider what that might mean for their relationship. In the week since Jude had left, their opportunities for being alone were even more expansive, but she had taken advantage of very few. Liam had been out most nights, which helped, but Callie sensed he was growing frustrated with her avoidance. If it wasn't her birthday, and also if she were more courageous, this would be the perfect place to talk about the state of things.

But it was, and she wasn't all that brave. Saying it out loud would mean they really did have a problem, and it was so, so much easier to let things continued to be undefined, no matter how confusing. They were both trying today, and she told herself that this, right here, was enough. Liam was so, so nice when he wanted to be. Now that Jude wasn't around, they could be like this all the time, if Callie would get over her stupid hangups. Liam always made her feel so young and inexperienced, and she was sick of it.

"Ah ah ah, no looking sad on your birthday,' he admonished, flicking a fry at her. "The next one will be covered in ketchup."

She didn't doubt the threat, and forced herself to put her thoughts aside. Once she relaxed and stopped thinking, they had a good time. Liam only talked about his paying as a favor a few times, and they left the diner holding hands, a rare luxury Liam didn't care for, and that she never got to indulge in as a result.

They came home to an empty house, as per usual. "Mom's probably getting your cake."

She smirked. "Yeah, and Phil's hiring me a clown, right? We both know your parents won't remember what today is."

"Come on, we celebrated for the rugrat."

In reality, Hannah was extremely organized. She would no doubt remember the date, and certainly wish Callie happy birthday, but beyond that, there wouldn't be much fanfare. Liam's own birthdays were rarely acknowledged, aside from a cake and his favorite meal sometime during the week. Phil and Hannah lived by the philosophy that once you reached a certain age, your birthday was just another date on the calendar.

Surprisingly, they had been perfectly willing to celebrate for Jude, Hannah going so far as to purchase a cake and inquiring about his favorite foods. Despite how things had ended, Callie saw, in how they very occasionally treated Jude, why they had wanted to foster. Phil and Hannah both seemed to appreciate the idea of children at a very basic level. Callie wished Jude hadn't so obviously craved more, since this really was a great placement. Had she truly gotten so spoiled by Liam's affections, that she have somehow neglected Jude in return? She didn't think so, but thoughts like that continuously nagged at her, now that she didn't have the luxury of seeing him whenever she liked.

Despite what she said to Liam, Callie wasn't concerned about his parents doing anything for her. Today had been better than she ever could have hoped, making her appreciate the few people she had in her corner. It was a lot more than she could have counted as friends weeks ago, and even as she felt bad for having more than Jude, she couldn't help reveling in people who liked her with out obligation or monetary gain.

"Thanks for a great afternoon, Lee." She stretched up to kiss him, leaning them back into the kitchen counter and tangling her tongue with his. He smelled like salt and tasted of chocolate, and she reveled in enjoying his kiss, something that was sadly becoming rarer by the day.

"Trust me, the fun's just getting started," he murmured into her mouth, a warm hand around her shoulder.

Author's notes: As usual, huge thanks to Tunedtochords and Starophie for correcting my mistakes, and telling me when I've gone overboard.