Stef and Lena sat on their bed and stared at Jesus' phone. They were shocked at the behavior of their eldest child. They were not exactly pleased with Jude's behavior, but Brandon, their eighteen year old son who was soon to graduate and go off to college, they were not happy with at all.
"He has been tormenting the girls and having Jude follow his lead," Lena said, shocked. They honestly were surprised. Was Brandon like this a lot, or was this a recent development? Usually they were able to depend on him when it came to his siblings, but something was definitely going on now.
"I am going to kill him," Stef said. She was okay with a little sibling rivalry, but Brandon had taken this to a completely new level. Telling Callie they wouldn't want to adopt her was out of line and a horrible thing to say. They were thankful Callie knew better than to believe Brandon. Jude, however, had not been so lucky. He was ten and didn't understand things as well as his older sister did. Yes, he had been teasing the girls, but nothing as malicious as Brandon had just done — though Jude did kick Brandon, and he would be in trouble for that, as well as for his language — he wasn't going to be punished as he might have before they realized what Brandon had said.
"So Jesus gave you his phone — willingly — and then went to check on Jude?" Stef asked after several moments of silence in the room. She had been hoping to come home and relax after a long night with Callie sick and trying to help Lena in any way she could and then a long day at work. It wasn't to be, however, because the moment she walked through the door she was met with Callie throwing up in a waste basket on the couch in the living room, Mariana trying to be helpful, but starting to turn a little green herself, the boys nowhere in sight, and Lena with grim look on her face while she walked into the living room with a wet washcloth and a glass of ice water.
At first Stef had thought it was simply because Callie was sick and Lena was worried about her. While Lena was worried about their sick kid, she was upset with their oldest Stef would soon find out.
"You cannot kill him, Stefanie Marie. But something has to be done. We just got Jude over his nightmares after Callie told him they could be shipped around to different foster homes. Now I am afraid he will start having nightmares again, even with the adoption Monday."
Stef sighed. Why in the world had Brandon thought his behavior was okay?
"Where is he?" Stef finally asked, since she had come straight upstairs to change after work, and Lena had come up after getting Callie settled with instructions for Mariana to come get her if she was needed.
"Getting ready to go on a date with Talya."
Stef's eyebrows rose up dramatically.
"The hell he is. He will be lucky if he isn't grounded until he leaves for college in August," Stef said, heading to the door and taking a deep breath before she opened it and called for Brandon to come into their room.
"Stef, you cannot talk to him if you are angry," Lena said gently.
"I'm not angry. I am furious. As you know you are!"
Lena sighed and nodded. She was furious. But she was also aware she didn't need to lose her temper with their son.
"Yea, Mom?" Brandon said as he came into their room.
Stef shut the door behind him and pointed to the bed. Once he was sitting, she looked at him with a glare.
"Anything you would like to tell us?" Stef asked him.
Brandon's palms suddenly started sweating. What could they possibly know? He didn't want to tell them something they didn't know and get himself into trouble, especially if he was already going to be in trouble. He rubbed the palms of his hands on his jeans and swallowed nervously.
"Not that I can think of," he said, a slight change in his voice that caused Stef's eyes to narrow and made Brandon want to disappear.
"What happened with Jude?" Lena asked.
"You saw what happened! He kicked me!" Brandon said, indignant at being asked, not dumb enough to tell them what he had said.
"What happened that made him kick you?" Stef asked.
"Nothing!"
"Oh? Look at this, son," Stef said, hitting play on the video and holding it in front of his face.
The longer he watched the redder he turned. From embarrassment and anger all at once. Jesus had ratted him out? Really? It was ridiculous!
"I have a date with Talya. I need to go," Brandon said to his moms.
Stef looked at him and laughed. He had to be joking. Right? He had to be.
"Son, you are not going anywhere after what we witnessed in that video and your obvious disregard for your siblings' feelings and your own behavior," Stef told him.
"How is that fair? I have had these damn plans for weeks! Just because Callie and Mariana can't take a damn joke? Just because Jude is a brat and Jesus is a narc!" Brandon yelled at his mothers, staring back and forth between both women.
They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Lena sighed at getting interrupted and went over and opened it to find Mariana standing there.
"Mama, Callie is throwing up again. She feels really hot, too. She wants you," Mariana whispered.
Lena looked back at Stef and at her daughter. Did she leave Stef with Brandon and hope they made it out alive?
Stef, reading her wife like an open book, shook her head.
"Go check on Callie. I won't murder your son today," Stef said, never taking her eyes off of Brandon.
Lena nodded and followed Mariana towards the stairs.
Stef turned back to Brandon, hands on her hips and her eyes on fire.
"You are grounded for the next four weeks, Brandon Foster. I cannot believe you thought it was a good idea to tell Callie we wouldn't adopt her, and in front of Jude, who you know we have been having trouble with at night because of nightmares after he found out. You are not selfish, son. And teasing the girls for being grounded — you've been tormenting them. You are not their parent. Mama and I are the parents and what you have been doing is not okay. I seem to remember you getting upset when Mariana teased you about being grounded when you snuck ," Stef finished.
"What about Jude? What about him? He kicked me and tried to kick me again! And Callie ran away so she obviously doesn't want to live here and Mariana has been selling drugs at school! So why are you pissed off at me, Mom? What about them?" Brandon yelled, pointing towards the door.
"Enough! I am the mom, young man! Your sisters' behavior and your brothers' behavior is none of your concern. Their discipline is up to me and Mama. Not you. The only behavior you have control over is your own. And right now I am not pleased with your behavior, so you are grounded. You are graduating soon. How am I supposed to trust your judgement?" Stef asked.
Brandon refused to look at her. This was ridiculous. He shouldn't be grounded over a stupid joke! The other kids were just to sensitive. This was so stupid!
"Fine, Mom. Can I go to my room since you are forbidding me from leaving the damn house?" he snapped.
Stef raised an eyebrow. "I don't know, can you lose the attitude and watch your language before you are grounded until you leave for college?"
Brandon sighed deeply, but nodded.
"Then yes, you can go to your room. After you call Talya and tell her you are grounded, you need to bring all of your electronics to me or Mama."
Brandon didn't say another word, he just nodded and walked out of the room.
Stef knocked on the Jude and Jesus' door before walking inside. She needed to talk to Jude and give Jesus his phone back. She had been surprised he had willingly gave it to Lena to begin with. Anytime they had ever taken his phone he had put up a fight deeming it an "invasion of his privacy," something that always made Stef laugh, but not in a good way and her son knew it. All of her children knew it, except perhaps Callie and Jude, but Jude was years from having a cell phone and Callie had not yet earned hers "back" yet, though she had never gotten to actually hold the phone.
Jesus was sitting on his bed, though she could tell he and Jude had been talking before she walked in.
"Jesus, will you give me a moment alone with Jude," Stef said. Jesus knew it wasn't actually a question and headed out of their room as quickly as he could — he didn't want to be anywhere near this conversation.
Stef leaned against the wall and looked down at Jude who was just staring back at her.
"I'm not sorry I kicked Brandon."
It was a simple statement, but it said a lot. Jude was, despite being afraid after what Brandon had said, learning he was here to stay. Stef had no doubt Callie had eased those fears and she was thankful for that.
"Oh? Do you think it was okay to kick him?" Stef asked.
"Nope, but it wasn't okay for him to say what he did either. I am not sorry I kicked him and if Lena wouldn't have pulled me away I would have kicked him again," Jude said.
"I see. What do you think we should do about what you did then?"
Jude shrugged. He wasn't really bothered by it. Nothing Stef or Lena did would make him feel bad after Brandon had said they wouldn't adopt Callie.
"You have no idea? You have nothing to say for yourself, young man?" Stef asked him.
"Nope. He deserved it. And I am not sorry," Jude said with some finality, crossing her arms over his chest.
Stef nodded. "Okay. I am going to talk to Lena, but you can consider yourself grounded. No television, no friends over or to their house, and no video games. You need to stay in here until you are called for supper. Understand?" Stef told him.
Jude shrugged again. "Fine by me."
Stef shook her head and walked out of the boys' room. She and Lena needed to talk about this, that was definite.
AN: To those who think Brandon is stressed because his dad is a drunk, because his mom is a lesbian, because the foster kids mean more to the parents or because they think he needs to be a 'model child' — this is an alternate reality where the "bad" stuff didn't happen like it did in the show. Brandon is just being an asshole big brother. Jude is an asshole little brother. All of the kids have their moments. Brandon isn't acting this way because he is stressed though. He knows his moms love him. He is just being an ass to his siblings — like they have all, at one time or another, been to him. He gets to act out just like the rest of them do. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Hopefully there will be more to come this weekend, but am unsure.