in which callie foster decides they should foster

"I think we should become foster parents." Callie said as she and Brandon sat down at the kitchen table, unwinding after what felt like it had been an incredibly long day.

"You do?"

Callie nodded. "I've wanted to be a foster parent for as long as I can remember, but we're more attractive as foster parents now than we were a few years ago. I mean, we have room in the house, we have the business - the means to support foster children.."

"I guess the kids are old enough to deal with having foster siblings in the house." Brandon said, thinking of their two children who were fast asleep upstairs.

"You know Hannah would love to have another kid around the house." Callie said, smiling softly. "Jack might take more convincing, but.."

"He'll come around, he always does." Brandon shrugged. "Jack doesn't like change until it happens, then he loves it."

"Exactly!"

"So you really want to do this Cal?"

Callie nodded. "Stef and Lena changed my life - and Jude's life - when they took us in all those years ago. I wouldn't be where I am, or who I am without them. I want to be that kind of foster parent. I know what the system is like, and I know there is plenty of foster parents who don't do it for the right reasons, or even give much of a shit about foster kids.. But I'd like to help kids like me and Jude, kids who don't have anyone. If we could help one person B, I'd feel like we were doing something to help."

"You really want to do this, don't you?" Brandon said, almost fascinated by the passion in Callie's voice as she spoke.

"Have I convinced you yet?"

"I didn't need convincing in the first place." Brandon replied. "I think us becoming foster parents is a great idea. I mean, I'm always going to worry about who we're taking in, and letting Hannah and Jack around, but there's more good kids than bad around, right?"

"I think every kid is good, if you just give them a shove in the right direction.." Callie said thoughtfully.

"Lets do this then Cal." Brandon said simply. "We'll have to ask Hannah, and Jack, but.. Lets do this."

Callie couldn't help but beam, throwing her arms around her husband. "I love you B."

"I love you too Cal."

…

Four months, and reams of paperwork later, Callie and Brandon were welcoming their first foster kid into their home, a quiet, tired looking eight year old girl called Mia who was transfixed by the bright smiles and freely given hugs in the Foster household.

Mia was the first in a line of foster kids who came through Callie and Brandon's home, some for a few weeks, others for a few months, or a year, and others, well, forever, because Callie had fallen in love with Mia from the moment she saw her, and couldn't bear the thought of loosing her, or putting her back into the system, and there was no way they were going to let go of the giggling toddler, Diego, their social worker had arrived with at three in the morning one night - honestly, if anyone had tried to take Diego away from them, they would have had a fight on their hands.

It was safe to say their home became a lot louder, a lot more colourful the moment they decided to Foster, several larger than life characters passing through their doors, foster kids who had grown up, and moved on turning up at the weekends for dinner to tell Callie, and Brandon all about what they were up to now.

Fostering had turned their small family of four (then six) into an unofficial family of about thirty, and Callie couldn't help but be proud of them. There was kids they couldn't help, of course, but the success stories that turned up for dinner with jobs, and degrees, and families of their own made up for it all in their own way.

It wasn't the quiet, suburban life Callie thought she'd end up with when she married Brandon - no, it was about a million times better.