I do not own the Fosters.

The next week seemed to fly by. Stef and Lena both stayed home while Stef made and attempt to recover. Although she had taken time off, she was still suffering from the headaches and really just wished that they would go away. At least they seemed to be getting somewhat better. Now if only she could stop experiencing that day over and over in her mind, she would be just fine. It seemed like at least twice a night she would wake up after a nightmare about the ordeal. Tonight was yet another one of those nights, and just as she had for every night of the past week, she informed Lena that it was nothing and that she was fine.

Lena found herself getting more and more worried about Stef. Although she kept insisting that she was fine and that there was nothing going on, there was this cloud that seemed to be projecting around Stef and with one look into her eyes, Lena knew that there was something going on behind the mask that she held firmly in place.

It was finally the end of the week and Stef was supposed to be going back to work on Monday. That meant that they at least had the weekend together as a family and she thought that it would be a good idea for them to get out and do something together before everyone had to return back to work and school. As she made her way downstairs, she found herself running into Jude who happened to be the only other person in the house that was actually awake which really surprised her.

"Hey baby, what are you doing up so early?"

"I just couldn't sleep. Do you want some help with breakfast?"

"I would love that. What do you say about maybe going to the park for a picnic this afternoon?"

"That sounds like fun. Is Mom up to it?"

"Yeah, I think she would be, it would do her some good to get out of the house for a little while."

With that, they went on to work on breakfast and all of the things that they would take on their family picnic.

Stef's POV:

When I wake up, I find that I am alone in the bed. I could have sworn that I felt Lena lying next to me, but it must have been my imagination. At least that was much better than reliving the other day as I have been all night, every night. I hate that it keeps happening. I don't know why it is, it wasn't really like this after I got shot. It seems like the only difference between these two events is the fact that for this past one, I was actually on duty and doing my job as a law enforcement officer rather than a mom. I hate the fact that I keep seeing it happen as if I am simply a bystander for a slow motion movie.

I decide that it isn't worth sitting here and worrying about so I get out of bed and make my way towards the shower. When I am finally done, I feel a bit more refreshed. The lack of sleep that seems to be following me is at least somewhat brushed away by the hot water washing over my body. I make my way downstairs after getting dressed and find Lena and Jude working away in the kitchen. Lena is making pancakes and Jude seems to be gathering things and putting them in the picnic basket that we had out in the garage.

As I make my way into the kitchen, Lena turns and smiles at me. That in itself is conveying the massive love that she seems to have for me. After everything that we have been through in our lives, I had never seen that there was a potential for her to find someone else that she thought she could love. I guess that is not what she says it is, but I am still not convinced that there wasn't something that she felt for Monte. I luckily catch myself early before I walk down this path again in my mind. I don't want to think about what may have been or what could have happened. All I want to think about is how much I love my wife and how much she has shown that she cares about me in the past few weeks. I know that one of these days, I am going to have to let the whole thing go, but I am not sure how soon that will be.

In the meantime, Lena informs me that we are all going to go to the park and have a picnic today which sounds like a great idea. It has been too long since we have been able to go and do something like this as a family. Everyone is always so busy that we have a hard time keeping up with each other and anymore that goes for seeing each other as well.

Stef's POV:

We finally make it to the park after a fairly action packed morning of bickering and whining teenagers. It is nice that they finally seem to be getting along and that we are all able to eat together and enjoy this beautiful day. The kids have brought some games to play after we get done eating which I think is a wonderful idea and they will hopefully manage to run off some of their extra energy.

After tearing through the sandwiches in what seems like it should be a record amount of time, all of the kids are running around tossing a Frisbee. I am sitting under a tree with Lena by my side and it actually feels right. I reach out and take her hand and just hold it. We have always had this undeniable connection and I can still feel that today even after having been together for over a decade. She is certainly the light of my life and after the last few weeks, she makes me feel comfortable and taken care of. Eventually I decide that I want to grab another drink from the cooler and find that all of the kids have drug out a baseball bat so that they can play a friendly game amongst themselves. I watch as they all find their positions and can't imagine having a better family. Unfortunately, about the time that I reach down for another drink is the same time that Brandon hits the ball with the aluminum bat, emanating a great cracking noise. I am pretty sure that I drop whatever is in my hand and the next thing I know all I can see is blood and I am back to where I was before after hearing a similar cracking noise. I feel a sharp pain in my head and my vision blurs, I can't think. I can't breathe. The world seems to be spinning and I feel like I am falling. Falling from where I am standing, yet I cannot feel my body. The world and everything around me seems to fade into darkness.

Lena's Pov:

I was sitting there watching the kids play and when I looked up, Stef was nowhere to be found. I looked over where we were picnicking and there was no sign of her. I start to wonder if she went to the bathroom, but I didn't ever see her leave. I look over towards the kids and find that she is nowhere to be seen there either. Now I am starting to panic a little bit, but I can't imagine that she has gone too far. I make my way to the ladies room and find that she isn't in there. Next thing I know, I am asking the kids if they saw her, but none of them even noticed that she moved because they were so caught up in their game. Now nothing but fear manages to fill my blood and I find myself frantically looking around for her. All I know is that I am scanning the entire park and my wife is nowhere to be found.

AN:

I hope that everyone is enjoying this so far. I had originally planned on this going in a fairly different direction but once I got started writing again, it just flowed in another. I am looking forward to any ideas that you may have and I can't wait to here what you think about the story. As always, thanks for reading.

Endevour