A/N: Hello, my readers! As always, so many thanks for all of your reviews/faves/follows! You guys are amazing :) And don't worry, I never forgot about you guys. Despite things being hectic with my schedule, I'm still managing to continue writing this as much as I can. So, taking a slight break from the intense drama, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, which is a bit more light-hearted and different. I also wanted to incorporate the whole Foster clan into this to add a tidbit of some nice family fun, something I definitely miss now that we're on standby until January. So I hope you all enjoy this somewhat of a rare breather (because the drama will surely come back with a vengeance). Cheers!

Family Movie Night.

The randomly selected night chosen for 'quality-family time', used for bonding as everyone huddles around in the living room to watch the voted upon movie. And that night was tonight, the reason why Callie was bent in front of the bathroom mirror, distracting herself by brushing her teeth after dinner.

Dear God…why? Out of all nights, why tonight?

"Why are you brushing your teeth now? You know that we're going to be eating popcorn and the usual junk while we're watching the movie."

Not bothering to look up, Callie rinsed and spit into the sink. Sighing, she washed her toothbrush underneath the warm water and stowed it away in the holder.

"That's the thing, Jude. I'm not watching the movie," she replied, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

Jude's eyes widened, as he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. "You know that won't sit well with Stef and Lena," he chided. "It's a tradition for everyone to be present, and you know that."

Callie rolled her eyes, making a grab for her green towel. A long shower sounded nice, and maybe that would be enough to ward off her brother from pestering her to join this bonding time. For the past several days, she hadn't exactly been in the best mood to even pretend to be cheerful…for the obvious reason being the person who seemed just as inwardly exasperated as she was. She proceeded to bend over to reach for the shower tap.

"Well, I think it's fine to skip out on this one movie night."

"Um, I'm not so sure about that," her brother hesitated. "Hunter is still downstairs."

She froze, her hand paused mid-turn on the lightly spurting spigot. "W-what? Why is he still here?"

Jude shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, we were talking about the movie night over dinner, and you never mentioned that you were planning to ditch. You can't blame him for staying…he probably thought you were just coming up to use the bathroom and that you would rejoin us."

She groaned. Once the words 'Family Movie Night' was declared across the table, she must have completely zoned out into figuring out a strategy to ditch without even verbalizing the hatched excuse. And now abandoning Hunter, after he sweetly helped her with the dishes, would just be incredibly rude on her part.

"So yeah, you can't back out now."

Glaring at the smug look on her little brother's face in the mirror, she shut off the water and stood up.

"Fine," Callie grumbled, chucking her towel back into the open cabinet. "I'll be there in a few."

Time to go put on a show…

…

"Seriously, Mariana? You're suggesting that movie?"

"I was kidding!" Mariana huffed. "Well…sort of. I think Magic Mike would be an enjoyable movie to watch for most of us." She winked at Callie and Abby, who both blushed in response.

"No," the stern responses of Brandon and Hunter quickly disagreed. Their significant others smirked at the sudden bout of jealousy.

"Okay, okay!" the younger Foster sister laughed. "Um, how about…Pitch Perfect?"

Everyone groaned in unison.

"We've seen that movie so many times!" Jude complained.

Mariana rolled her eyes, throwing her hands up in annoyance. "Somebody else shout out movie suggestions! Everything I've brought up has been shot down!"

And that was when the typical chaos ensued, as Callie braced herself for the inevitable. The difficult decision-making – comprised of constant bickering and sometimes even food throwing – over the exact film choice amongst each individual's select favorites served as more entertainment for her most times than the actual movie itself.

"We Bought a Zoo!" "Sherlock Holmes!" "Valentine's Day!"

"Les Miserables!"

Everyone suddenly turned to look at Brandon.

"Seriously, bro?" Jesus smirked. "Les Mis? That movie is like three hours long!"

The eldest Foster blushed furiously. "Three hours of musical genius! The film score is just so amazing!" Jude and Jesus proceeded to snicker and flick kernels of popcorn at him, eliciting a growl in response.

"Aw, sweetie. Of course you would," Abby laughed. "If it helps, I wouldn't mind watching it." She gave him a sympathetic pat on the arm, and he grinned widely at her. He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the tip of her nose, causing her to smile and her cheeks to redden.

Callie involuntarily looked away, averting her gaze to the blinding blue tv screen that continued to impatiently wait for their movie decision.

For reasons unknown and to her surprise, Brandon and Abby seemed to somehow reach a resolve, picking up where they left off as that happy, affectionate couple. Of course, that happiness was on the surface, as Callie knew all too well the underlying issues that were rooted in the relationship and its individuals, difficult to suddenly forgo. But then again, there was only so much griping and moping one could do before taking the step to accept and move past such issues, choosing to forgive and eventually forget.

And for that, she knew that she should be happy for them. After all, she was the one who narrowly rejected Brandon's advances for the sake of salvaging both of their relationships and future, which was ultimately the right thing to do. But why did she still feel this emptiness inside, tugging at her in uncertainty and discontent?

Maybe I just need to get used to this. Get used to the fact that we're just not meant to work out and that I need to stick by this decision…yeah, that sounds about right. Right…?

And from what she could tell, Abby looked like her happy self, albeit more tired. But then again, she was skilled in masking her emotions well, so it wasn't such a surprise. All Callie could do was hope that her cheerfulness was genuine and not feigned like all of those previous years in her lonely life…she deserved a shot at happiness, to be loved and understood.

After all, it's not just about Brandon and me. It's about other peoples' feelings, too.

Callie dared to take a quick peek at Brandon, who undertook the task of flinging a pillow at a shrieking Jesus. The latter retaliated with another blitz of popcorn kernels, along with the addition of gummy bears as ammo and Jude quickly joining his side in aide. Roars of laughter and mockery erupted from the trio, leaving everyone else to watch in both enjoyment and terror.

Despite the internal conflict churning inside her mind, she couldn't stop herself from laughing aloud at the amusing ordeal. Oh, how much I love our family.

"They really go hard at this, don't they?" Hunter mused. He quickly dodged an incoming kernel that narrowly missed his head, green eyes wide.

"Oh, you have no idea," she chuckled. "Lucky for them, moms aren't here at the moment, or else they would be in for a serious scolding."

Shortly after, a gummy bear smacked Mariana in the face, resulting in a loud screech of impatient protest. "Okay seriously, you guys! Pick something! We're running out of ideas here!"

Reluctantly raising her hand as if they were all in a classroom, Abby responded, "Have you guys seen 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'?"

The elevated volume in the living room quickly decreased, as everyone stopped to ponder the suggestion. Mumblings of denial seemed to sweep the majority, as they began to take interest in the film choice.

"Hmm…I saw it back when it first came out in theaters, but it's been a while. And I don't think the rest of us have ever seen it," Mariana admitted. "Do you have it with you?"

Abby nodded, standing up. "I think it's somewhere in my backpack. I brought it over to Beth's the other night and never took it out." She left to retrieve the DVD case, quickly springing up the stairs to Brandon's room. She soon came back, movie in hand and ready to go.

"So yeah, is this the final vote for 'Perks'? Because once I insert the movie and the trailers start to play, it will be too late to turn back," Abby called out.

Everyone nodded, a sense of relief washing over their faces upon finally settling on a film.

"Okay, I think you guys will love this. It's definitely one of my favorites," she smiled and pushed the movie in. She stood up and reclaimed her place on the couch next to Brandon, who slinked an arm around her shoulders.

"Good job, you have brought peace to my family," he whispered into her ear.

Abby laughed, reaching for what was left of the popcorn. "And this comes from the one who pelted his brothers with countless kernels without any mercy."

"Hey! They started it!"

Leaning into Hunter, Callie sighed. Hopefully this movie would serve as a sufficient distraction for her developing migraine, which began to throb every time she would even think about a certain someone and their present situation.

Glancing down at her, Hunter wrapped an arm around her and beamed. "Glad to know that nobody got killed over this."

She closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder. "Be glad. Normally it gets worse. Way worse."

Silence fell upon the typically boisterous living room, as everyone watched the television with keen interest. Following the finish of the first trailer, the cheers of Lena and Stef entered the living room. "It's a miracle! They have finally chosen a movie!"

The Foster kids shrugged, eyes still glued to the screen.

Settling into the empty armchairs that were saved for them, the moms sighed in relief, leaning back to relax together after a long day. However, before fully immersing herself into leisure, Lena froze, straightening herself into her 'regal' pose and raising her left eyebrow in that signature look of hers.

"Why are there kernels and gummy bears everywhere?"

…

From the clicks and dings of the typewriter in the movie's beginning to its emotional end, Callie found herself captivated by the storyline, inspired by the sheer emotion displayed on screen.

There were many aspects of the movie that could be appreciated by everyone in their own personal perspective, relating to it in their own way as Charlie navigated the audience through his tale of love, loss, and hope.

Several parts especially tugged at her heartstrings, such as when Charlie and Mr. Anderson discussed why people chose the wrong ones to date, in which the latter quietly responded, "We accept the love we think we deserve."

Her breath caught in her throat at the saying, eyes widening as she reflected the accuracy in its meaning. The simplicity in the quote couldn't have rung more true, whether it referred to either platonic or romantic love, as she compared the low points in her past to where she stood now.

Before stepping into the Foster home, Callie remembered how she spent all of her life running and shutting others out, raised into such cruel conditions that she was forced into believing that she was as worthless as the way people treated her. She figured that, being as useless as she felt, genuine love was out of the question for her…and when Liam came along, the first person in such a long time to show he 'cared', she was vulnerable, longing for someone to love her…and when he turned out to use and rape her, he took away that last piece of self-worth she had left, crushing her completely.

Entering the Fosters' house, filled with kindness and warmth, was bizarre for her…even frightening, as she remembered how extremely guarded and hostile she was with everyone. Despite the aggression in her demeanor, that one person saw through it all, proving to be willing to stand by her ever since day one when she rescued Jude…and here he was, sitting on the same couch as her, distant and hurting. Brandon, the first person to genuinely care, fought to prove that she was worth so much more than what she was led to believe. He made her feel special, beautiful…loved. It took her the longest time to believe it, and when she finally did, she fled to Indiana in fear of losing herself once again, but this time for good, for happy endings were nonexistent in her life.

And if she ever doubted his love, she couldn't have been more wrong. He chased after her, as undeserving as she was, demonstrating his love by risking everything in so many ways she had broken down in joy upon seeing him standing at Wyatt's doorstep. And he proved to her that day that she was worth every and any risk she could ever imagine, and she allowed herself to be loved for the first time in her difficult life, realizing that she truly deserved the world that he was giving her, that wonderful happy ending.

But that was then…and this was now. Now, years later, they were with different people, entangled in situations and set in separate futures that drove them apart.

Smiling sadly at the remembrance, Callie felt her eyes brim with tears.

Thanks to Brandon, she knew that she deserved a love that would make her head spin round endlessly, causing the whole world to watch in envy as she was treated as special as she learned to understand that she was. But it killed her inside to question if he would be the one giving her such a love at the end of the day, if he would be the happy ending to her story after everything that they went through.

"Are you okay?" Hunter whispered, crashing her back to Earth.

She didn't realize that she had been sniffing loudly, causing everyone to eye her with concern. From the corner of her eye, she saw Brandon shrink in his seat, probably feeling the same whirlwind of memories and emotions that she was undergoing right now.

"I'm fine," Callie forced a smile, waving a hand of indifference. "I can't help it. This movie is just getting to me, that's all…it's really good."

Everybody nodded; silently agreeing and shifting his or her glances back to the screen.

Bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them tightly, she glimpsed over at Brandon, whose eyes met hers. From the brightness of the television's screen reflecting upon his face, she watched as his inner turmoil mirrored her own.

Sighing, she wiped away the tears from her eyes and looked away.

This is the right thing to do…all I need is time.

…

Stacking up the empty bowls and cups in the sink, Callie squeezed soap onto the sponge and ran it underneath the warm water. She scrubbed at the plastic surfaces, washing the remnants of butter and kernels to slosh off from the water. She tossed her head back to avoid submerging her hair into the soak, brushing aside a strand that persistently refused to stay tucked behind her ear.

"Do you need some help?"

Keeping her eyes focused on the chore at hand in determination, she shrugged. "Sure."

She stepped aside, making room for the other side of the sink.

However, rather than immediately joining her to wash the dishes, Brandon stepped behind her, slowly reaching over to sweep her hair into his gentle hands and brushing it behind her. His fingers lightly touched her shoulders, causing her to tense.

"Don't even, Brandon," she warned, teeth clenched and eyes narrowed. The last thing she needed was to be touched by him right now, for she was determined to stand her ground.

Dropping his hands to his sides, he grumbled. "Relax, Callie. I just wanted to help. Your hair seemed to be bothering you."

"If you wanted to help, you could help me by drying these dishes."

Sighing in defeat, he stepped next to her. Carefully taking the bowls and cups that were freshly washed and laid aside, he began to dry them with a clean dishtowel, cautious not to bump the still sensitive areas on his healing hands.

They carried on their tasks in quiet, not even making eye contact as they exchanged side nods and gestures in reference to their team effort in the chore's completion.

While reaching up to stack several dried plates into the uppermost cabinet shelf, Brandon accidentally brushed her arm, eliciting a snarl in response.

"What the hell, Callie," he groaned. "How can I even be around you if you're like this? All I was doing was putting away the dishes!"

"Then don't be around me," she retorted. "Don't make this any more difficult than it already is."

"That's pretty impossible to do, with us living under the same roof again!"

"Well, thank God it's temporary!"

"Hey, is everything alright?" a soft voice interjected.

They both turned towards the doorway to see Abby standing there, backpack slung over her shoulder with a puzzled look on her face. "I just came down to ask if I could be taken home soon. Sorry…I have an early workshop to teach tomorrow."

Brandon pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly distressed. "Yeah, everything is fine. I'll get my keys and we can go." He threw the dishtowel aside and strode out of the kitchen.

Silence followed his exit, a blanket of awkwardness shrouding the room.

Shifting on the heels of her feet, Abby slowly stepped towards the island and settled in a seat, draping her backpack on the chair's arm. "Are you okay?"

Unfortunately, there weren't any dishes left to scrub or dry for distraction, so Callie had no other choice than to join her. Sitting across from her, she propped an elbow on the counter and rested her head on her hand, sighing. "Yeah…I am."

Raising an eyebrow, Abby gave her a knowing look. "Come on, Callie. I know something is up. Is Brandon being a dick again?"

Callie's mouth hung open as she stared at her in shock. "Wait - what? Did you just call him…?"

"Don't worry about it," the other girl laughed. "He knows that it's true, how he can go off in one those moods of his…I'm sure you know about them. Took me a while to get used to, but it's something I learned to accept. I apologize on his behalf."

Yeah…I know all about those moods. Callie smiled sadly at her. "I guess so. It's around that time again…and don't worry about it. It's not your fault."

If only you knew that it really isn't. Any of this.

Shrugging, Abby leaned back in her seat. "Even though, I still feel bad whenever he goes off on people like that." Tracing a slender finger along the grooves of the countertop, she absently stared into space. "So…you really liked the movie?" she asked carefully, a timid expression on her face.

Callie nodded. "It was really good. I honestly didn't expect to like it so much and relate to it."

"Yeah…it's difficult not to relate to it somehow," Abby murmured. "The struggles that each of the characters went through, battling their own inner demons and those around them while starting over…it's amazing and real." A wistful look shined in her hazel eyes, drifting her off into the realms of her mind that Callie longed to question but held back.

She could only imagine the emotional connection the fragile girl felt when watching the movie, the struggles of despair and loneliness spiraling into depression, as mirrored by Charlie on-screen.

Breaking apart from her emotional wandering, Abby suddenly smiled brightly and leaned forward, leaving behind the sadness of remembrance a moment before. She quickly shifted the conversation's direction with ease. "So, I hear that things are going great between you and Hunter."

Slightly puzzled by the sudden change, Callie shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you can say that."

It wasn't a lie. Things actually were going great with the musician, something she felt quite unsure of after their late night walk on the beach. Much to her relief, Hunter really wasn't lying when he said that he would never pressure her into anything, and he took extra care to make sure she was comfortable with the pace they were going. It was thoughtful of him to be so gentle and patient with her…only adding to her guilt, as a small part of her still questioned if this was what she really wanted.

"I'm glad," Abby beamed. "He's a great guy. He always looked after Beth and me when we were kids…he was the sensible one, watching out for us while we were a bit reckless."

A twinkle in her eye sparkled and she laughed, continuing on. "So, I was talking to Hunter, and we were talking about having…well, a bit of a double date. You know, the four of us."

Callie almost choked on her breath as she stared at her, bewildered. "Wait- what? The four of us…?"

Abby raised an eyebrow at the surprised girl, mildly perplexed. "Um, yeah…the four of us, as in you, me, Brandon, and Hunter."

"Uh…" she trailed off, mind blank and at a complete loss for words. "I don't know."

"Come on, Callie! It will be fun! And I talked to Brandon about it, and he said that he was fine with it as long as you are."

The brown-eyed girl stared, now dumbstruck. "He…actually said that he was fine with it?"

Before Abby could respond, a cold voice answered for her. "Yeah. I am."

Glancing up at the passive stare of the responder, she couldn't help but feel a slight rise of her former hostility return, only this time mixed with shock and bewilderment. Why are you agreeing to this? Are you crazy? Is this some kind of sick joke?

As if reading her mind, Brandon shrugged. "After a lot of convincing, Abby finally got me to agree to this. I mean, might as well. Hunter seems like an okay guy…I guess. And he is a good friend of hers." He approached his girlfriend, taking her hand and gently pulling her to him. Reaching over to the chair with his other arm, he shouldered her backpack despite her protests.

Abby sighed, shyly glancing at her. "So, what do you say, Callie? Yes?" A tinge of hope, that sounded like a child asking a parent for permission to play, shined through her words, making it rather hard to resist.

Callie opened her mouth in an attempt to somewhat answer, but no words came out. Still stunned at the turning point of the conversation and Brandon's strange shift of agreeableness on this decision, she awkwardly gaped like a fish out of water, unable to speak.

The burning stares of the two other people in the kitchen increased her unease, as they waited for her answer in deafening silence. However, it was the blue eyes that really bothered her in this, watching her with an expression she had difficulty deciphering. She couldn't tell if it was a look that was meaning to egg her on, challenging her to take this as if it was some kind of dare…or if it was simply a look that was questioning her hesitation. Maybe he wasn't being hostile about this…he could be using this as a step to help them further their decision of moving on from their past, lacking any hostility but actually being genuine in this effort of getting to know Hunter.

Whatever the underlying motive was, she knew that she still had to give them an answer.

What choice do I really have in this?

As much as she hated peer pressure, she knew that there really wasn't a sufficient enough excuse to use when three out of the four people in this pending double date already agreed to such plans…and now they were just waiting for her response.

Isn't this just great? she thought darkly to herself.

Releasing a breath she didn't realize she had been holding this whole time, Callie reluctantly nodded. "Fine. I guess so."

Smiling brightly, Abby clapped her hands together. "Great! Now it's finally settled!" she exclaimed, clearly excited.

However, the other party didn't seem as thrilled. He rather appeared sullen, with a weak smile on his face that failed to reach his blue eyes.

Sighing, Callie looked away, plastering on her own weak excuse of a smile.

What the hell am I getting myself into?

Please don't forget to leave a review! And tell me what you guys think!

-J