A/n: the last couple reviews I've gotten mention how I've gotten Lena wrong, and how she wouldn't cuss at Jude, even though she hates violence. I'm aware. I'm doing something. Bare with me.

Later that night, Stef and Lena were getting ready for bed, and Stef looked at her wife, "What happened today?"

"Jude got in a fight."

"I talked to him."

"Then why are you asking me?"

"He said you cussed at him. That's not like you. What's up?"

"I don't like violence. You know that about me."

"Lena, will you talk to me…please?"

"Later," Lena said turning her back to Stef.

"Can we talk about it in therapy tomorrow?" Stef asked.

"I doubt it. I'm the only one who talks at those things…"

"I'm trying…"

"I know. But, I don't want to talk right now."

"Okay. I'll be here when you're ready," Stef said trying to put an arm around Lena, who squirmed out of her reach, "Okay, I'll give you space," Stef said moving her arm.

The next morning at breakfast, everyone ate quietly, mostly wondering why Jude had a black eye, finally after fifteen minutes of mind-numbing silence, Lena spoke, "Jude was in a fight. There. Move on. If he wants to talk about it, he will."

"Hey, Stef?" Callie asked.

"Yes, my love?"

"Have you heard anything from that assessment thing?"

"No, but those things typically take a few weeks to process. Don't worry."

Callie nodded.

"Alright, go to school! Learn something! Become the people I know you can be!" Lena called, "You're walking today."

Everyone but Jude groaned. "Sorry," Lena said, "Me and mom have places to be and Brandon's car isn't working right. Move."

Yesterday, Stef and Lena kept me home for a "mother/daughter day" the only other "mother/daughter day" I've had was when I was under Casey and Tom's roof and they only planned it so that they could tell me I was being shipped out of their house because they got pregnant…

"Momma, you need to talk to me…" Stef said on the way to therapy.

"No I don't."

"I get it. You're mad at something. Did I do something?"

"No."

"Did one of the kids do something?"

"No."

"Then what, love? What?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"That's my line."

"You're not the only one who gets to use it," Lena said rolling her eyes, "Leave it alone. When I am ready to talk to you, I will."

"Do you want to skip therapy today?" Stef asked.

"I thought you'd never ask," Lena said making an abrupt u-turn back towards the house.

Once home, Lena saw Jude watching television from the window, "Do we really want him to enjoy his suspension?"

"Do we really want to punish him for standing up for himself?"

"Violence is no way to stand up for yourself."

"It is when you don't feel you can talk to your lesbian moms about being gay…this is on us, and he doesn't need to be punished because we failed as parents."

"You think we failed as parents?" Lena asked.

"I do," Stef said, "Our son does not feel like he can come to us…about something that we can actually help with! We can help with being bulled because you're different! Because you're gay!"

"You were never bullied for being gay…"

"Not after winning about three fights at school. I lost about a dozen, though," Stef admitted, "I couldn't go to my religious parents about how I had a huge crush on my female lab partner. And I felt isolated and weird for it. Like, my being a lesbian made me somewhere less of a person. I get what he's going through, and I'm sure you do too. But, he can't come to us?"

"He said it has more to do with my being vice principal…"

"Sure it does," Stef said sarcastically.

They walked inside the house, Stef headed towards the kitchen and found Callie trying to sneak out the back door, "Young lady…"

Callie quickly turned around, busted.

"Want to tell me why you aren't in school?"

"I forgot something."

"Which was?"

Callie, not prepared for the question, quickly scanned the kitchen, looking for something believable, "my lunch," she said as she saw the metallic fridge.

"You could have borrowed money from your siblings and ate at school."

"Didn't want to bother them."

"Go."

"Will you drive me, so I'm not even later than I already am?"

"Yeah. Get in the car."

"Thanks."

On the way to the school, Stef turned down the radio and spoke, "I owe you an apology."

"For?"

"Reading your journal."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. I just…I just want you to feel safe and I didn't know how else to go about helping you. I should have come to you…did Lena give you the journal with the key?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

"What was yesterday about?"

"I told you. Just…blowin off steam."

"Okay."

"Did you have a mother/daughter day that didn't go well in the past?"

"Yeah. They used it to tell me I was moving homes."

"Did I tell you that?"

"No."

"There ya go. Callie, I get it. You're scared. But the one place on this entire planet that you can feel safe is in our house."

"I want to believe that. I do."

"Go to class," Stef said pulling up to Anchor Beach.

Once home again, Stef sat on the couch next to Stef and Jude and flipped off the television, "Mom!" he complained, "I was watching that!"

"I think this is more important," Lena said.

"I said I'm sorry for getting into a fight!"

"We know, but it goes beyond that…" Stef began, "Why don't you feel you can come to us? About being gay, of all things?"

Jude shrugged, trying to reach for the television remote, which Stef moved out of his reach.

"Stef?" Lena asked.

"Hm?"

"Walk away."

"Why?"

"Walk away."

"Okay, fine. I need to head to the office anyway…"

As Stef pulled the car onto the road, Lena looked at Jude, "There, I know your mom comes across as threatening. But, I want to make the point that you can talk to her just as well as you can me."

"I know."

"Talk to me. Why couldn't you come to us about something like this, something that we can help with?"

Jude shrugged.

"Yes you do. Talk to me."

"I wanted to handle my own problems…I thought I could handle Dustin on my own."

"Who made you feel like you had to handle your problems on your own?"

"Callie."

"What did she say?"

"Nothing."

"Jude, I'm not going to go tell your sister everything you say."

"She said people deal with their own problems…in the real world, nobody is gonna help me."

"Okay…how well has handling her own problems worked for her so far?"

"It hasn't."

"There. If you can't rely on your family, what's the point of having family?"

Jude nodded, "Sorry."

"We have decided not to ground you."

Jude raised an eyebrow, "What's the catch?"

"Nothing. No catch. We failed as parents, we didn't make sure you felt like you could come to us…about anything. You don't need to resort to violence, but you don't need to be punished because Me and your mom failed, okay?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"What was it like the first time you had sex?"

"Are you and Connor having sex?"

"No."

"Then why are you worried about it?"

Jude shrugged, "I was just curious."

"My first time having sex was awful."

"Why?"

"Well, for one. It was with a man. For two, it wasn't the right setting, I was in the back of a car, and third, sex it great, with the right person."

"Is mom the right person?"

"She is."

"Then why did you kiss Monty?"

"I didn't kiss Monty, she kissed me. There's a difference. I know I made a mistake…and I know I made an even bigger mistake by not telling Mom sooner. But, trust me…sex is great, and sex can be a powerful thing, with the right person. I am not condoning my thirteen year old son having sex, and I know for a fact nobody else in this house would, but I also know, urges happen. Is Connor pressuring you?"

"No. I think I'm pressuring myself."

"Why?"

"My head knows I'm gay…but…"

"If you have sex with Connor, you will be gay, yes?"

Jude nodded.

"Jude, I have seen how you look at Connor. I have seen how Connor looks at you. There is nothing more than love in both of your eyes when he walks through that door," Lena said pointing to the front door, "Trust me, there is more to being gay than you having sex with your boyfriend."

"How did you know you were gay…like, for sure?"

"I don't know, I just…knew."

Jude nodded, "I love him."

"I know."

"He loves me."

"I know."

"Okay…" Jude said.

Later that night, Callie sat on her bed scribbling notes into her journal as Stef and Lena walked in, "Can you put that down for a second?"

Callie placed the journal on her nightstand and looked at her moms.

"Why were you trying to skip school today?" Stef asked.

"I wasn't. I told you, I forgot my lunch. I came back and got it."

"Okay. Now tell us the truth," Lena demanded.

"I just couldn't do it."

"Do what?" Stef asked, "I mean, I'm a cop…and your momma is vice principal of your school…seems rather stupid to try and skip school."

"Just school. I've never skipped before, promise."

"Is something going on at school?"

"No. I was just overwhelmed. It happens."

"Sure," Lena remarked.

"Love, please…come talk to us, instead of breaking the law."

"Yeah, we cool?"

"Sure," Stef said kissing Callie ontop of the head.