Chapter 14.

That night, Callie crawled into bed, tired and weary. Sophia joined her a few minutes later; they were still sharing a bed, as they had been since the night Jill left. Callie didn't voice her worry, but she could see it mirrored in her sister's brown eyes. Robert always came in to say goodnight to them. That night, he hadn't.

Sophia curled up next to Callie, and Callie hugged her close, stroking her hair. "Goodnight," she said softly. "Love you." She pressed a soft kiss on her little sister's cheek.

"Love you too," Sophia said quietly. "Goodnight."

"Callie?" she whispered moments later.

"Hmm?"

"I forgot to tell you something."

"What?"

"I get to stay here. I told my mom that I want to live with you and dad, and she said I could. I'm going to stay with her on weekends, though."

"That's great," Callie said, though a tiny part of her was jealous of her sister. Another part of her felt sorry for her father. She had visitation with Jude and the Fosters every other weekend, and now Sophia would be spending time away too. She tried to imagine Robert all alone in their huge house on the weekends both his daughters would be gone.

"Dad?" said Callie, as she entered the study the next morning. "I brought you something to eat. You missed dinner last night." It was a Friday morning, and she'd gotten up unusually early to make breakfast.

Robert looked up at her, his face drawn and sad. "Thank you, honey."

"Have you been in here all night?" she asked with concern as she set his plate down.

"No." He shook his head and gestured to the steaming cup of coffee he was holding. "I was just finishing some work."

"Can I have a cup of coffee?"

He nodded. "Go ahead, pumpkin. Help yourself."

Callie went to the coffee machine her father kept on a table in the corner of the room and poured herself a mug.

"Grab a chair while you're here," said Robert. "I want to talk to you about something important."

Setting her coffee down, she rolled a chair beside the desk and sat down. "What's wrong?"

Roberts swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. "Callie, I've been thinking a lot about what you told me last night." He took both of her hands and squeezed them between his own. "Honestly, I didn't sleep much at all after we talked, as you can probably tell by the circles under my eyes."

"I'm sorry," Callie apologized. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he said. "Nothing at all. I just feel so sad for you, sweetheart. I never imagined you went through something so horrible, so heartbreaking. Knowing what I do now, I don't know how I can live with myself after all I've put you through. I want to try to make it right. Especially since Sophia was given a choice about her living arrangements. I need to be fair to both of you. So-" his voice broke, but he quickly composed himself. "So, I want you to know that if you want to go back to live with the Fosters, you can."

"I don't get it," Callie said softly. "You don't want me anymore?" Her stomach sunk as she realized that she'd been biding her time, preparing for this moment, ever since she met Robert. She could finally stop holding her breath. He was just one more person rejecting her because of her past. And even though she half-expected it, it was crushing coming from her birth father.

Robert watched her with tears in his eyes, still gripping her sweaty hands. "I will always want you, Callie," he said, firmly. "You're my baby girl. I loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you. I'm doing this because I love you. Do you know how hard it would be for me to see you go? But I don't want to be selfish. I just want you to be happy. That's all I've ever wanted for you." He'd never meant for things to get so ugly between himself and Stef and Lena, but the bitter custody battle had evolved just the same. And unfortunately, Callie was the victim, caught in the middle. "I'd be so happy if you decided to stay here with us, but if you don't, I'll understand."

Callie sucked in her breath, her chest aching. She felt like crying, but no tears came. "Dad... I know I wasn't happy about living here at first, but it's not like that anymore. I- I love you." She stood up and gave him a hug. He pulled her into his arms and rocked her as if she were a small child. She held onto him tighter.

"I love you too," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "more than you could ever know. But listen. You're already spending this weekend at Stef and Lena's, so I want you to take some time to think it over. It's a big decision, and you want to make the right choice."

"I will," she breathed, still choked up.

Tears streamed down Callie's cheeks as she sat alone on the sofa in the Foster's living room. The room was dark, save for the light of a single, small lamp. It was late. Movie night was over. Everyone else had gone to bed.

"Hi, sweetie pie," said Stef, coming into the living room, tying her robe around her waist. "I didn't know you were still up. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she sighed. "I just have a lot on my mind." She turned to look up at Stef, and her eyes welled with tears. "I really need someone to talk to. Please? I mean, if you have time."

Reaching down, Stef squeezed Callie's shoulder. "I always have time for you, love. I've missed our talks." She sat down on the couch and held out her arms. "You come here, love bug."

Callie snuggled up beside her, and Stef wrapped her in her arms, pulling her legs up so they rested on hers. "I love you, you know," she said. She pressed a kiss to Callie's forehead.

"I love you too," Callie whispered.

"The other kids don't come to me much when they need to talk to someone," Stef told her quietly. "They usually go to mama first, and that makes me sad sometimes. But you... you've always come to me. I want you to know how much that means to me. It makes me feel needed around here."

Resting her head against Stef, Callie burst into tears.

"Hey, hey," Stef soothed, rubbing her back. "What's the matter? Tell me about it."

Callie shook her head. "You're going to hate me."

"Nothing could make me hate you," she promised, stroking her hair. "How could anyone hate you, slug-a-bug?" She pulled Callie closer and gave her another kiss. "Please just tell me what's bothering you. Please?"

She took a wavering breath. "My dad told me I can come back to live her." She paused, unsure. "He wasn't being manipulative or anything. I told him about Liam, and some of the things that happened to me, and he said he felt really bad about it. He apologized for taking me away from you guys and forcing me to live with him. He said he was wrong, and he wants to make it right."

"That's wonderful, Callie," Stef breathed, taken aback. "That's what we wanted." For a moment, she entertained the thought of having her sweet girl back in her home. She would take her Callie back in a heartbeat. However, the look on her foster daughter's face told her that she was torn about the decision.

"But I don't know if it's what I want anymore," Callie said, choking on her tears. "I love you guys so much, but I love him and Sophia too, now. I don't know if I can leave them."

Stef's heart ached. Callie's face, blotchy and streaked with tears, was the saddest thing she'd ever seen. Callie had a way of crying that was heartbreaking. Her tears came straight from her heart. "Baby," she sighed, drying her cheeks. "Honey, it's okay." She rubbed her back, trying to comfort her. "Don't cry."

"I do miss living with you guys," she sniffled. "But I don't know if I want to uproot my life again. My dad is a part of me, and Sophia is too. She needs me so much, and Brandon and I are so happy together."

"Sweetie, it's okay," Stef whispered again. "You know that no matter where you live, you'll always be my baby, right?"

"You and Lena fought for me so hard," she sobbed. "You spent so much money on lawyers, and it was all for nothing. Now I'm allowed to come back. I should want to!"

"You will always be my baby," Stef repeated. "Always, Callie. This is such a hard choice for you to have to make. But I don't want you to worry about hurting us by choosing your father. Nothing would ever change my love for you, and I know mama would say the same thing. You still love us even though you don't live with us, don't you?"

"Yes," Callie hiccuped, nodding. "Of course I do."

"See?" she replied. "We're still a family. I can't help but think of the time Mariana said that families have to live together. Do you remember that?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that's not true," Stef told her. "A family's love is like an invisible thread. Our hearts are all connected by that thread, no matter where we go, and it can never be broken." She pressed a kiss to the teenager's wet cheek. "I love you, baby girl. And I don't want you to be sad, okay? Whatever you decide, we're behind you. One-hundred percent."

"Thanks," Callie smiled. She gave Stef a hug, yawning.

"Do you feel better now?"

"A little," she admitted.

Stef gave her one last kiss. "Go on to bed now, honey. Get some sleep."

To Be Continued