Thank you for all the amazing reviews...I feel like this isn't going to live up to the hype...I hope you enjoy it though...where do you think Callie and Brandon are?
The honeymoon was officially over. Stef, Lena and their parents gathered in the kitchen trying not to panic and to figure out a realistic game plan. Two of their children were missing and they honestly had no idea where to start looking. Everything had been fine last night….really it was a perfect day and without knowing what triggered the disappearance they were left even more at a loss. It was a lot of to ask but the moms requested that the twins try and remain calm and not let on to Jude what was happening just yet. It was still early and Jude was still sleeping after staying up way later than he usually would. They took that as a small blessing. The less people panicking the better right now…and they knew if Jude knew his sister was missing the poor kid would be inconsolable.
"What about their cell phone," Sharon asked as everyone was around the kitchen table?
Stef looked at her mom like she had three heads. Really like they hadn't already thought of that? What kind of cop…no what kind of mom would she be if she didn't think to try their cell phones already. To please her mom she pulled out her cell phone and put it on speaker phone pressing 5 to speed dial Callie's cell phone. A few seconds later they heard it ringing in the hallway. Stef hung up and pressed 1 to speed dial her son. Without so much as a ring an automated message came on.
"Hey its Brandon leave a message and I will get back to you."
Stef hang up and tossed her phone on the table in disgust.
"A simple we have already tried that would have sufficed," Sharon said.
"We already tried that," Stef said now pacing the length of the kitchen.
"All right can we all just take a breath here? Getting snippy with each other is not going to help us find them any faster," Lena said trying to keep calm even though everything inside her was screaming to panic.
"What about filing a police report," Stewart questioned?
"NO," both Lena and Stef yelled at the same time.
"Sorry dad….it's just we want don't want it to have to come to that. Anything like this will get reported on Callie's file and it would only complicate things further. If we don't have any idea by tonight then we won't have any choice but to file the report."
"Ok so how about I go check out the school and some other places around town," Stewart offered knowing that while unlike to find the kids at least he was doing something.
"Thanks dad I appreciate that."
Stewart and Dana left to go look around town.
"Stef I am so sorry all this is happening and I am sure I will only annoy you more but I will do whatever you need me to do."
"Thank you mom."
"They are two 16 year old kids with no means of transportation and minimal funds how far could they get."
"Any other 16 year olds I would probably agree but you don't know Callie like I do."
"She has barely been here 3 months."
"And in that time I have discovered she is the most determined and resourceful kid I have ever met. I am only comforted by the fact that Brandon is with her. They will keep each other safe."
Stef had to internally chuckle a little at the truth in that statement. If either one of her kids were missing and left to their own devices she would be terrified for them. Where one lack the other was strong…Brandon was book smart and sensible but lacked a toughness needed to survive the streets….Callie was street smart but headstrong and didn't think situations out often getting herself into more trouble than originally anticipated. Together she knew they would be fine….she just had to figure out where they went.
"Mom I need you to stay here with the kids. The twins are supposed to keep this on the down low to prevent Jude from freaking out. Lena is going to meet with the Dr. from Callie's group and the Adam's are already out looking around town."
"Where are you going," Sharon asked walking with her daughter to the front door.
"I have to go tell Mike what is going on."
"Oh," Sharon said knowing how unpleasant that was going to be.
"Yeah…if you don't hear from me in an hour send in the cavalry."
Stef parked out front of Mike's apartment building. She checked in with everyone to see if there was any news, but everything was status quo. At out all the conversations she had to have in recent memory this is the one she was looking least forward to.
"Out of all the places I imagined you being the day after your wedding….my doorstep was not one of them," Mike said standing in his doorway.
"You look like hell Mike," Stef said walking into his apartment.
"Sure come on in….and thanks."
"How much did you drink last night?"
"5 cups of coffee follow by not sleeping at all does amazing things for the body…glad to see you have such confidence in me."
"Oh please forget me if the day after my wedding and you looking like death walking I don't take your word for it…..ugh I didn't come here to fight Mike."
"Why did you come here?"
"Brandon and Callie are missing."
"WHAT," Mike yelled stepping towards her. "What do you mean Brandon is missing?"
"Missing…location unknown….not present….pick one," Stef said preparing for a fight.
"Don't give me lip Stef I am not the one that lost our son."
"He is not a little kid Mike…I don't keep a chain on him."
"No, that's right you don't….you don't keep track of him….you don't set boundaries…..you don't give him rules and ever since that girl showed up you have been neglecting your responsibilities as a mother and he has been running wild."
Stef took a deep breath to prevent herself to hauling back and cold cocking Mike square across the face. She kept hearing Lena's voice in the back of her mind to take a breath and take a beat. She would take a lot of crap from Mike but having him call her a bad mother was not one of them.
"Really Mike running wild? He is a straight A student, enrolled in lessons with one of the best piano teachers in the state, has been caring for him brothers and sister since I was shot…not to mention watching over his father that likes t hit the bottle at the first sign of trouble.….yeah he really is going buck crazy around here. All my kids are raised knowing the rules and in a very loving environment. They are kids though Mike…they test boundaries and try and assert their independence…do not call me a bad mother."
"Don't you dare….don't you dare pin this on me. Maybe if I was allow to see my son a little more often he wouldn't be chasing after some foster girl."
"That foster girl has a name…her name is Callie….and you do not get to speak about her. She is an amazing child….almost as amazing as our son but that is no thanks to you. Where the hell have you been for the last 6 years? A couple phone calls and stopping over on his birthday doesn't exactly qualify you for father of the year."
So much for trying to keep a cool head…the gloves where coming off now.
"Well maybe if your partner wasn't so hostile towards me I would come around more."
"Mike," Stef warned.
"No…maybe if you didn't choose to be with a woman we would still be together and none of this would have happened. Instead last night you were doing god knows what while our son was so upset by it he ran away…did you even ask him about how he felt about getting married."
"I am not doing this anymore Mike. It is very clear you have issues you need to work out on your own about our marriage and my relationship with Lena. I have had to defend it for years and I am done. Brandon and Callie are missing and I have to focus on figuring out where they…I don't have time to get into a pissing match about who is to blame."
Stef grabbed her keys and stormed out of the apartment. If she had stayed there any longer she didn't know what she would have done and being in jail for assault wouldn't help get her son back any faster.
By the time she got back home Lena was there but everyone else in the house seemed to be out.
"Where is everyone," Stef asked walking into the kitchen?
"Your mom took them out to eat…keep them busy while we try and figure everything out," Lena said sounding stressed and exhausted.
Stef walked over to her wife and wrapped her arms around her.
"We are going to find them," Stef said with nothing but certainty in her voice.
"Where are they? Why would they leave," she asked tears leaking from her eyes?
"I don't know love but when they come home we will hug them and kiss them and love them and ask them why they left and then we will ground them until the end of time," she said with a smile.
Lena put all of her trust in her wife praying she was right.
"The Dr. was not able to tell me much…nothing we didn't already know. Outside of the Liam episode Callie didn't share much in group."
"I am beginning to think she needs more individual attention….we will also address that when she gets back here. They aren't going to go someplace obvious and Brandon won't let them go some place dangerous…I don't know where that leaves us."
"I think it leaves us with waiting until they decide to come home."
"I told Mike."
"How did he react?"
"Before or after he called me a bad mother and being gay was a choice."
Lena went into mama bear mode.
"Who does he think he is talking about being a good parent," Lena said her voice rising with each word. "You are the most amazing mother I have ever met."
"I know he was just upset…we both were…we both said some very unproductive things. I left before I did something really stupid. He will probably be over a little later….he is probably driving around town himself trying to find Brandon."
"And Callie."
"If it was up to Mike I am sure he would put her on the first bus out of town….Brandon won't come home without her."
"What is it with Mike…it's like one step forward ten steps back."
"I know baby…I think he has a lot of old issues to deal with but that is on him. I am focused on my family and right now two of our kids are missing."
"I am going to start calling some people."
"I am going to hit the street."
Everyone had been out of the house most of the day however there was always at least one person home in case the kids came back. It was just after sunset when the real fear and anxiety kicked in. It was one thing the kids being gone in the day light but at night it was a totally different story. Stef was a cop and she had worked night shift plenty during her career…no good calls came in after dark.
Mike had arrived at the house after driving around for over three hours. Stewart and Dana ventured back home after hitting all the places they thought the kids might be including spending hours walking the beach paths. Mariana and Jesus did a good job at keeping Jude distracted. He wasn't dumb, he knew something was going on but could tell the mood was still very tense and when things settled down they would tell him what was going on.
"We have put it off long enough….they have been gone for almost a day now….we have to think about filing a police report."
"We should have done that hours ago," Mike grumbled.
"Mike please," Stef said on her wits end.
"Sorry," he said clearly not meaning it.
Stef walked over and grabbed the house phone. She tried dialing her son but for what she figured was probably the 100th time that day only got his voicemail. She had left him repeated messages ranging from scared, anger, pleading, crying and everything in between.
"Still no answer….I will call in the report."
Before Stef could dial the number to the precinct there was a knock at the door. Everyone ventured from the kitchen to the foyer area with Stef and Lena leading the pack. When they opened the door their hearts stopped….two familiars faces standing before them.
"Hernadez, Cruize….what are you doing here," Stef asked her co-workers fearful of their answers.