Honestly, I'm hoping you guys are enjoying my perspective in how this would be handled. I'm sure you all have great (and probably better) ideas of how it would go down, but here we are, onto part two of the final confrontation...enjoy!

Callie had yet to look up from her knees. She didn't know how long she'd been sitting like this, but she felt her bruised body getting stiff at the position and knew it had been a while. Stef and Lena had left after a bit, though Callie knew that it had less to do with their need to talk to her and more their need to interrogate the other kids on what had happened. She'd heard shouting. Not just Stef, but Lena too. She hadn't meant to do this. She hadn't meant to get the others in trouble. They were grieving the same as everyone else. They shouldn't have been held accountable for their actions towards her. And it wasn't as though what they'd said was wrong. Besides, Callie had made up with all of them. They'd moved past it. So why had it come out when she'd been screaming earlier? Why did it still hurt her to think about? She used to be stronger than this. People could've said whatever and it didn't bother her. Now she was thrown off by a side-comment from a foster sibling. But maybe that was what made it hurt more...she trusted these people. She had faith in them. So any time they questioned her it was bound to hurt, right?

Callie tensed at the sound of one of the doors creaking open. She'd locked it. She knew she'd locked it. All three doors. How the hell did someone get in?

The door shut again and the lock clicked behind it. Callie's head remained down. She felt someone rest beside her, but didn't look up to see who. They sat quietly, not saying a word or daring to break the uneasy silence. Why wasn't Bill here yet? She just wanted to leave. She wanted to be thrown back where she knew what to expect, where she didn't have to get hurt because she'd gotten too close.

"So...Moms are pretty pissed." It was Jesus. "I'm pretty sure they're torn between smothering you, screaming at the others, and hunting down Liam for themselves - though they'd have to fight me for that last one."

He shifted, his arm now resting against hers. She still refused to look up, her head hidden between her knees.

"You're probably wondering how I got in here - fun fact, there is actually a key. Moms think we lost it years ago, but I just stole it because Mariana kept using it to come in when I was taking too long in the shower. I hid it to preserve my dignity."

Callie laughed softly at the thought of a younger Mariana bursting into the bathroom on Jesus. The poor guy. She was sure that had started far too many fights between the two. No matter how close the twins were, they still argued over the slightest thing.

"You're also probably wondering why I'm here and not any of the others - and if you're not wondering you have to speak up because I'm trying to fill the silence here. If you have a topic then say it, otherwise my mind will go wherever. Anyway, I'm here because apparently in your great rant downstairs - loved that by the way - I was the only one you didn't name in people who made you feel bad. So thank you for that. The others are getting insane lectures downstairs, I'm sure you heard the shouting. The neighbours probably heard it. Moms have a real set of lungs on them. So I got to escape. They told me to go to my room, I figure this is close enough. I also figured that they'd be in here themselves if they could, so technically I should be allowed too. That argument should work, right?"

"I don't know," Callie murmured, her voice scratchy. Jesus sat silently for a moment.

"I'm kinda pissed at you," he stated. Callie didn't look up. He nudged her arm. "Hey, I need you to look at me right now because you need to hear this."

Callie took a deep breath and tried to hold her tears back. She wiped her face with her sleeves as she looked over to her foster brother.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm mad at you," he repeated, looking at her. She started to turn away, but he stopped her.

"Okay," she sighed. "You're mad. I get it."

"No, you're supposed to ask why. That's what a good sister would do."

"Who ever said I was a good sister?" she muttered.

"I did. A bunch of times. You don't treat me like I'm crazy when my ADD goes wild, you joke around with me during movies, you helped me with Haley - you're a good big sister. But I'm still mad. Now ask me why."

"Why are you mad?" she questioned in a defeated tone, resting her head against the edge of the tub.

"I'm mad because my sister was in trouble and she never told me. I'm mad because this douchebag was hurting her and I didn't do anything. And I'm mad because you're hurt and I feel like I could've stopped it."

"Jesus, how would you have stopped it? You didn't even know."

"I should've," he answered, shaking his head. "I saw you were acting different. Hell, we all saw it. We just wrote it off as missing Frankie or the stupid Robert Quinn thing. We just figured it was something we already knew about. And even then, I should've talked to you."

"You did -"

"Not enough," he cut in. "I should've pushed harder. I know you'd have put a guard up, but screw that. I could've broken down that wall."

He sighed, leaning his head on the tub alongside her. They both stared at the door opposite them.

"I just…" he trailed off. "I hate thinking that my sister was hurt. And I get why you didn't say anything, especially after that stupid no drama deal." Drama-free and they'll keep me. "I understand. I mean as much as we say you're family, you're not gonna accept it until those papers are signed. You're scared to ruin things. You're afraid it'll end."

Callie shrugged, blinking back tears. "I'm too comfortable."

"No," he argued. "There's no such thing in this house. You're just not used to people actually loving you. You're scared that you'll make them mad or do something and they'll change their minds. I was the same way before they adopted me. I mean, once they took us in I was strong and tried to act like I belonged here, you know? Mariana had to see that I was comfortable to know that she could trust them. But the entire time, in the back of my mind I just kept thinking 'don't screw it up, Jesus. Don't scare these ones off too.'"

"Too?" Callie asked.

"We were put in the system at age five," Jesus shrugged. "Around eight is when we got dropped at the station and the Moms took us in. It was right before that when my ADD started acting up. I guess between a terrified Mariana and a hyperactive kid, our foster parents decided we weren't what they'd signed up for. They'd been fine with Mariana. They had plans to help her. Get her to a therapist and all that stuff. It was me that pushed them over the line. So I knew I had to be careful when Mom and Mama took us in. I knew they'd love Mariana right away, I just needed to make sure I didn't screw it up."

"So what happened?"

"I broke Brandon's keyboard," Jesus chuckled.

"You what?" Callie tearfully laughed.

"I broke the keyboard," Jesus nodded with a smile. "I don't even remember how. I just remember I completely busted it and I packed up my backpack with snacks from the cupboard and I ran away."

"You ran?" Callie repeated, her smile now gone.

"I figured they'd at least keep Mariana. Plus I didn't want to go back in the system. I'd had enough of it. Figured I could charm some random person into buying me food."

"Oh my god," Callie breathed. "How old were you?"

"I was about nine or ten. Definitely too young to be on the streets alone. Luckily it was only a couple hours before a cop found me and brought me back home. Mom had called all her cop friends and told them to keep a lookout. I got home expecting to see Bill, but instead all I got was trapped in a family hug. Moms explained things to me, let me know that I couldn't run because I was scared of being tossed back in the system. It still took me a while after that. I'd tense when I broke something or hide if I got into trouble at school. But each time they just sat with me, talked through what I'd done wrong, and then hugged me until I knew they weren't going anywhere. It was nice. Don't tell them that though!"

Callie gave a soft laugh.

"Look, I'm not saying what you did was wrong. Honestly? I probably would've reacted the same way. You and I are like that. We try to protect others by keeping it to ourselves. We're the defenders. But just know that no matter how much you screw up, we're still here for you. I'm still here for you. I'm not going anywhere."

"Even if they throw me back?"

"Even then. They never will," he added. "But even if this whole family got separated, we'd still be a family. You don't have to live together to be siblings."

Callie nodded, resting her head on his shoulder. They heard footsteps moving around outside.

"You know they'll figure out a way to get in here, right?"

"I know," she muttered.

"Mom's probably called work to hear the case details by now."

"I know."

"They'll be going crazy wanting to see you."

"I know."

"And I'll be in trouble for coming in here and not giving them the key."

"You should probably get out then."

"Nah," he replied, resting his head against her own. "Like I said, I'm not going anywhere."