AN- I just have to thank you all again, you guys really keep my drive going for these stories! I wanted to get this up yesterday, but things kept getting in the way. But here it is! Happy Saturday! :)
The Fosters
Stef entered the waiting room no less than five minutes after she left it. Scanning the room she only saw Mariana and Lena. "Jane is coming here, to talk to us." She said freely since Mariana was the only kid in the room. "She wants to talk to the girls too."
Lena nodded "Alright, she can take them somewhere privately, she can have twenty minutes with them. Then I want them back" She said looking around the room "I am setting the kids up in here with some tutoring homework stations, they still need to do school work" She tapped her fingers on the side of the chair. and you and I need to discuss Callie still."
"Right, because she hung up on me."
"Not just that' Lena shook her head "I mean yes that's important to, but before you called this morning to tell me about Brandon her and I were just about to battle, over strong wills. I could tell, it wasn't going to be pretty" Lena turned her body more towards to Stef "I did not approve of how she handled Jude this morning."
Stef sat down beside her wife "What, did happen there?"
"I guess, Charlie saw Jude collecting the sand I told him he could get for his project in class, so he stopped by and approached Jude"
Stef shook her head "That guy is so dang ballsy"
"Stef" Lena groaned as Mariana giggled "That's crude"
"And true" Stef argued.
"Yes, he's PUSHY" She said giving her a better word choice. "Anyway, he gave Jude a game he designed, one that Jude came up with the idea for when they were younger. Jude was excited Stef."
"I am sure he was" She nodded "He got a game that's not even out on the market yet, that's big. Which is why Charlie did it. He' smart."
Lena nodded "I know, it's all part of the grooming process."
Stef shuddered then shook her head "Okay, then what happened?"
"Jude ran into Callie, and in his excitement and showed her his game." She explained turning to look at Stef "to which Callie took from him."
"She told me that" Stef said cutting Lena off "I know"
"Yes, but what she didn't tell you, I am sure is that she broke it into a lot of pieces right in front of him!" Lena pushed her hair through her curls. "Stef he was crushed. He was in tears by the time I got to him. The only good thing that came out of that, is when I approached them they were fighting and it sounded like siblings fight. Not a mother scolding her child. He was pushing back, threatening to tell, I know he sounded younger then he is, but he sounded like a little brother who something un-justice and was going to make sure his mother took care of it!"
Stef let out a whistle "Oh, my sweet Jude. He doesn't understand. Gosh that must have been so hard on him. I don't want him to have the game, but at the same time. I am not sure I like that he was crushed having it broken in front of him."
"Me either" Lena agreed "It was hurtful, and we can't really explain to him what's going on. We have to tell him something though" She narrowed her eyes "Jane is going to have to give us that much. Jude knows Charlie, I don't want him afraid though. It's bad enough the girls are! He just needs to know something or Charlie gets the upper hand with him!"
Stef reached over and placed her hand on Lena's leg "I'll see what Jane says, yes?"
"Please!"
Stef scanned the room "Where are three missing babies?"
"Jude and Jesus are getting snacks out of the vending machine. Callie wanted to use the bathroom."
"By herself?" Stef bit her lip
"She's in that one" Lena pointed across the waiting room where to restrooms were. "I told her, nowhere else but there and I've kept my eye on the door. She hasn't come out."
"Does that bathroom have windows?" Stef asked getting up.
"No" Lena shook her head "Trust, me I know we were here when you got shot. She's in there, I promise. She's wants space."
"Well she's had enough space" Stef shrugged as she headed for the bathroom entering it quickly "Callie?" She called "Come out love, you've been in here long enough."
"Go, away Stef" Callie groaned "Can't a girl have a little privacy in the bathroom?"
Stef scanned the bathroom and made sure no one else was in the bathroom before she went to the stall that was closed. "Callie, open up. Now please"
Callie groaned and opened the stall and as Stef suspect the girl was just hanging out on her phone. "Come on out, go wash your hands, Jane is coming and I want you ready. Plus we need to talk don't you think sweets?"
Callie shrugged "No, I don't want to talk."
"I suppose then I need to talk, and you need to listen" She narrowed her eyes "We need a mother daughter talk pronto."
Callie rolled her eyes "Sure, we do."
"Callie, you just earned yourself some bathroom cleaning, this afternoon when mama takes you home. Now tell me why you just earned that?"
Callie's shoulders slumped as she let out an annoyed sigh "I rolled my eyes at you" She mumbled.
"Happens again, you'll have dish duty for the rest of the week." Stef warned "And I will be letting mama add to it, if she sees it. There is no need for you to role your eyes at me, young lady"
"Yes, Stef" Callie mumbled as she headed out of the bathroom stopping for a moment to wash her hands before she made a quick retreat from the bathroom she headed for the chair on the other side of Lena that was empty.
"Hey, baby" Lena smiled at her as she reached out to touch Callie's shoulder only to have her pull away and slump to the ground so she was out of Lena's reach. She crossed her arms over her chest pulling her knees to her chest. "Please don't!" She said resting her chin on her knees.
Lena looked up to Stef and shook her head "We're not doing this any longer! When Jane gets here we're pulling the plug! I want my sweet kid back! This child cannot take this on. It's too much of a grown up job. It's just too much for her. She's too little to carry all of this weight! That's what we are here for Stef as her mothers. To make sure she's child"
"I am fine!" Callie snapped at Lena as she shot her a glare "I can take care of myself, Jude and Charlie and anyone else that comes along. I am not a child Lena!"
"Enough!" Lena warned as she stood up before kneeling down next to Callie placing her hands on her knees "Sweetheart, I get you've got a lot on your plate, trying to figure this all out, but honey you don't get to talk to me with that tone. Not now, not ever"
"You're treating me like a baby" Callie argued "I've been taking care of myself longer then you've been a mom!"
"Callie!" Stef exclaimed shooting her a warning look, as the boys came back into the room.
Jude gave Callie a funny look for sitting on the ground but stepped over her dropping a candy bar onto her lap not to kindly causing her to jump as it hit her leg. "Thanks" She grumbled but tossed it back at him "You eat it, I am not hungry"
Jude shrugged and dropped it back down next to her "Don't want it, got it for you!" he said with no tone before taking the seat next to the seat Lena had just re occupied rubbing her temples slightly as she stared down at her daughter.
"Neither do I" Callie grumbled as she picked it up and stood up ready to toss it in the trash before Stef caught her and pulled her against her. "Don't, say thank you to your brother."
"Thanks" Callie mumbled.
"You're welcome" He muttered back "It's your favorite."
Callie yanked away from Stef and went to grab her bag was sitting and shoved it in there.
"The tension in this room right now is whack" Jesus grumbled "What the hell is going on? Don't tell us nothing! Jude and I know better" He warned "We aren't stupid, and we know our sister's like the back of our hands and something is bothering them"
Mariana looked up to Lena "He's my twin"
Lena turned to Stef "Fix this! You agreed to it! Fix it! It's already tearing the kids apart. I can't handle the fighting, or the nerves."
Stef held up her hands "I..."
"Hello" Jane greeted coming into the room with a smile "Hi girls!"
"Hey" Mariana greeted while Callie ignored her all together.
"Jane, Lena and I need to talk to you" She said said seriously "Our family is too big for this, and too dependent on honestly. We tell the boys, or we pull the girls. Especially now that Jude's involved"
Jane exhaled loudly, before giving a small smile with a nod "Alright, we play by your rules. I told you that. Let's see if we can find a quiet place where I can talk to the kids"
Lena cleared her throat "One of us should stay here and wait to see if we hear about Brandon. I don't want him with out a parent waiting"
"I agree" Stef nodded but her eyes lit up just as Mike came rushing into the waiting room. "Actually" She smiled "One minute" She moved to Mike quickly giving him a side hug "Thank you for coming!"
"I am sorry, It took me so long to get here. How is he?"
"In surgery" She glanced at the clock "They said it would be about two hours, so hopefully he'll be out soon. Mike Jane's here because Charlie approached Jude at school."
Mike let out a whistle "Stef, this is getting scary"
"I know, can you stay here and be our eyes and ears for B? I need to go with my family and Jane."
"Of course" Mike nodded "Go, I'll call you if something comes up"
"Thank you" She said patting his arm "We'll just be upstairs in the cafeteria"
"Go, Stef, I know how important this is." Mike pointed "I'll take care of things down here."
Jesus's jaw was practically hanging, as he reached out tucking Mariana into his side while his other hand rested on Callie's back. He looked at the adults as if they had lost their minds "This sounds dangerous! You're putting them into a dangerous situation, and you're just hoping for the best possible outcome?" His eyes were wild "Are you nuts? No! No you're not putting my sister's in this situation. End of conversation! Lets all get back to planet normal now!"
"I don't understand mama" Jude said pulling his attention away from his brother and sisters "Why would you agree with this? Didn't you promise us we were safe in this house?"
Lena let out an exasperated sigh as she looked to Stef. "Please?" She practically begged
"And, what about the fact that Callie and I know Charlie?" Jude asked "What if he is innocent? I don't like this idea at all!"
"Dude, it's dumb" Jesus agreed
"Stop it!" Callie pulled away from Jesus "Has anyone stopped to think that Mariana and I know what we signed up for? That we are smart enough to know what we agreed to? In the end it was our decision! Quit blaming them!" She warned "And Jude, I have thought about Charlie a lot! If he's guilty he needs to go to prison, and if he is innocent, and still just socially awkward, then he needs me to do this to save him!"
"Callie" Stef said warned, as Lena stood up and turned Callie's chair towards her and knelt down right in front of her. Her hands grabbing Callie's. "Your brother's love you, very much." She said calmly as Callie tried to pull her hands away from Lena, but finding her a lot stronger then she thought she was. Lena managed to keep a tight hold of Callie's hand. "It's not a weakness to have people want to look out for you. All they know is what they just heard. This is a big deal. It is" She said seriously squeezing Callie's hands. "They are worried for you!"
"Callie's right" Mariana said softly "The two of us agreed to do this" she said looking to Jesus "We know it's scary, we know there is a chance we could get hurt. We also know mom is here and for me that's huge. There is no one I trust more then mom."
Stef reached over and ran her fingers through Mariana's hair winking at her as the girl continued "Callie, and I also did a little Google search on Jane, and she is very trained, and knows what she is doing. We agreed that we both felt safe enough with them in charge to proceed" She turned to her broth "This is my chance to a make a difference in this world Jesus. To make it better. To use what our mother's have installed in us for good." She turned to her brother. "I want to do this, because I thought about you."
Jesus raised his eyebrow "What?"
"There are brothers maybe even twin right now, who has a sister that just went missing! Maybe with mine and Callie's help, we can bring one of them home. I'd want someone to help me reunite with you."
"Yeah" Callie agreed looking at Jude "Me too."
"Boys, your concern for your sister's is probably the most heartwarming thing I've ever seen, and it's the drive that we need. I promise you. I am going to protect your sisters." She promised.
"How can we help?" Jude asked turning to Jane "Because, if they are in, we're in. This is our family! We are a family!"
"I see that" Jane smiled taking the same stance Lena had with Callie right now she knelt between the two boys. "Right now, I just need you two to keep it quiet. No one at school can know. If you talk about it, you only do it in your house. If you see something, hear something suspicious. You get your mother right away."
Jesus nodded "Alright, I can do that, but you have to understand protecting Mariana and now Callie is the most important thing to me. My sisters are not pawns. Tell me you know that."
"Of course they aren't buddy" Stef promised "Baby boy, I am here. They aren't doing this with out me! I am going to make sure that they are not pawns. Nothing is done with out my approval"
Jesus exhaled and looked to Mariana "Are you sure? You're not feeling pressured?"
"I am sure" She promised him as she patted his hand "I want to do this! It's important. Maybe in a few weeks, this will all be over and some girl will be home with her brother, or sister, and it will be because me and my sister did it. We faced something scary and we won it."
"Alright" Jesus agreed as he looked to Stef "Please keep them safe mom."
"I promise you" She assured him as she got up and walked behind him. She was so proud of his heart for his sisters. She leaned over and kissed the top f his head. "I love you son" She whispered to him.
"Stef, Lena" Jane cleared her throat "May I have a few minutes alone with Callie?"
Lena was still kneeling in front of the girl with her hands clasped tightly in hers. She squeezed Callie's hands again as she looked up at her. "I would actually like a few minutes alone with my daughter first."
Jane nodded "I understand! I am going to go make a few calls and I'll be back" She winked at Callie before she left the area.
Stef let out a breath before clapping her hands "Alright, my babies, why don't we go check in with Mike! Hopefully B is out of surgery soon. I am ready to see my boy."
She was met with three nods as she looked to Lena "We'll be down stairs, if you need me."
"We'll be fine" Lena assured her as she held tight to Callie's hands. She watched them leave before turning her attention back to Callie. "Alright, Slug a bug. Lets hear it. What are you thinking?"
Callie continued to pull at her hands "Let go of my hands Lena, leave me alone!"
"No, not until we are done talking" Lena said calmly
"I don't need this!" She argued "I can take care of myself! Quit breathing down my back!"
Lena took a calming deep breath gathering her thoughts before she spoke. "Callie, the way you handled Jude this morning really gave me a lot of insight to where you're at right now. You are not able to take care of yourself right now." She looked into her daughter's eyes. "You need a mother right now, you need one to call you on your behavior when it out of line, to lovingly correct it. To know you, to know when there is something going on in your head that you can't say. To be willing to be in an uncomfortable place, for the chance for you to grow." She reached up with her hands and cupped Callie's face in her hands "Baby that's me, that's my job!"
"I am fine!" She argued trying to pull away.
"No, you're not fine, your walls are up, you are snapping at us, your vulnerable side is hidden away right now. You are scared, you are tired and you are angry" she brushed her thumb against the girls cheek "You are angry that I am taking some of the control you've had for a long time, control that is not meant for you at this age. You are angry that things aren't running your way, you are angry that Charlie got past your radar, that you trusted him. You are angry at yourself for a million different reasons."
Callie shook her head "No, I..." She brought in her lip, her next actions caught Lena off guard for a moment as she threw her arms around her. Lena was able to quickly steady herself as she held the girl in her arms rubbing her back.
"I failed' Callie whispered "He got too close to Jude, I failed."
"No" Lena shook her head as she pushed Callie out so she could see her eyes "No, you didn't. Jude is safe! He is with mom right now! You did not fail, and this is what I am talking about honey, you are not Jude's mom. I am. Mom is. It's our job to protect him and you and your siblings! Not the other way around! You. Did. Not. Fail." She assured her. "It's okay" She then pulled her back into her arms "
They stayed that way for a few minutes before Callie spoke "Lena, if I want to stop and not do this, will you make it happen?"
Lena again pushed herself away from her daughter so she could see her face. "Do you want to stop? Are you not wanting to do this?"
Callie shook her head "No, I want to do it, I just want to know that you'll make it stop if I can't."
"Oh honey" Lena nodded "Baby, you have a voice, I am not taking that from you, I am your mom and I am helping you grow to be a strong independent, but woman, but you have to know that my voice can and will be louder then yours when it needs to be. I will stop everything if you want it to, I will stop everything if i feel it's hurting you. That's my job as your mother to be a louder voice for you."
Callie nodded "I am used to doing things my way"
Lena laughed "I know honey, you mom and I will talk later today. We will keep working on this together. I promise you! I love you Callie."
"I love you too, mama" Callie replied softly "And if something happens to me, I know you'll take care of Jude, I trust Jude with you. I trust you."