Callie

I have to wait until maybe one in the morning before I feel that it's safe to go downstairs without the chance of being caught. I quietly push the covers off of myself. I peer over at Daphne who is turned on her side, facing away from me, and fast asleep. I quickly slip out of the room. I tip toe down the stairs, making sure to avoid the steps that I know make noise. I walk through the kitchen and to the back door. I turn the look, wincing at the seemingly loud 'click' sound it makes. I hold my breath for a moment and, hearing nothing like footsteps or voices, go outside.

We don't exactly have a back yard, so the back door really leads to the side of the house where we keep the trashcans and recycling bins. I fish my cellphone out of the pocket of my pajama pants, turn it on, and just stare at it. It's not like I can call the house—everyone is probably asleep. Maybe I could call Stef?

I bite my lip.

Stef has always told me that no matter what it was or what time, she would be there for me. Not allowing myself to stall, I quickly find Stef's name in my contacts and hit 'Call.' I hold my breath as I wait in anticipation. I mean she probably won't pick up. I don't know what I was expecting to happen…

"Hello?"

I open my mouth but no words come out.

"Callie?"

"S-Stef?"

"Hi, my love."

I begin to cry.

Stef

No mother wants to hear her baby cry and not be able to help them. Like the time Brandon had to miss one of his first piano recitals because of chicken pox, or when Jesus took a particularly nasty spill when he was first learning to ride his skateboard, or when Lena and I had to cut gum out of Mariana's hair. These were incidents where my babies felt truly devastated, but I was able to fix it and make it all better.

Listening to Callie sob over the phone, I wish I could fix this, too.

"It's alright, Callie," I say quietly, as I head out of the bedroom and down to the living room so that I don't disturb Lena, "Take a deep breath for me." I hear her take in a shaky breath and let it out, "Did something happen, Baby?" I ask, praying that nothing did.

I hear her sniffle, "I just want to come home. I miss everyone. I miss Jude." Her voice begins to waver, "I miss you."

She called our house home.

My heart is breaking for her, "I miss you, too, Callie. How's the house? What does it look like?" I want to calm her down as much as I can before hanging up, and if mindless chatter is the way to do that, I'll talk the night away.

"It's old," she tells me in a quiet voice, "There are a few other girls and one boy. He's transgender. Rita is in charge."

"Is everyone nice at least?"

"Not everyone." She mumbles ambiguously.

I furrow my eyebrows, "What does that mean?"

She sighs, "I can take care of myself." Callie assures me in a quiet voice. Neither of us speak for a moment and I can hear Callie's soft breaths. Her breathing pattern is a lot less erratic than it was a few minutes ago so I know she's calmed down.

"Where are you?"

"Outside. I thought it would be a good idea to hide the cellphone, so I waited until late when no one would see me."

"Smart girl."

Callie laughs lightly, "You're a parole officer. You shouldn't be praising me for breaking the rules."

I laugh too, "Some rules are meant to be broken, Love." I walk over to the window and look up at the night sky, "Do you know what Orion is?"

"It's a constellation. I can see it right now."

"Me too." I hear Callie yawn over the phone and I suddenly remember what time it is, "Go to bed, my love. I don't want you to be exhausted tomorrow."

"Okay," she says, and I can hear the reluctance in her voice, "Goodnight, Stef."

"Goodnight, Callie. I love you. We all do. Stay strong sweetheart."

"I love you guys, too. Bye."

Callie

I stand there for a moment after hanging up the phone, just collecting myself before heading into the kitchen. I enter quietly and make sure to close and lock the door behind me.

"What were you doing outside?"

I jump and whirl around to see who caught me.

Daphne.

Her eyes move to the cellphone in my hand and her eyes flash with understanding. A light flicks on near the stairs and we hear footsteps. Daphne snatches the phone from me quickly and slips it into the pocket of her sweatpants. Then, she grabs a glass from the dish rack and stands next to me.

Rita appears in the kitchen shortly after and gives us a look, "I heard some noise. What are you two doing up at this hour?"

"Callie couldn't sleep," Daphne answers easily, not missing a beat, "She was moving around a lot and woke me up so I told her she should get some water."

Rita raises an eyebrow and looks at me, "Is this true, Callie?"

I nod and bite my lip, "Yeah. Sorry."

She looks between the two of us for a moment before nodding and turning around, "Okay," she calls over her shoulder, "Just make sure you get back to your room soon. Five minutes, max. Good night, girls." Rita heads to the stairs and the minute she's out of sight I let out a breath of relief. Daphne clears her throat and I turn around to see that she's holding out my phone.

I take it from her, "Thanks." She shrugs. She puts the glass back on the dish rack and begins to leave but I grab her arm, "Wait! Why did you cover for me? Why didn't you tell Rita about the phone?"

"I'm not a narc," Daphne answers, "And you ain't hurting nobody. We look out for each other in this house. That includes you now."

She's really making it hard for me to stay mad at her. I mull over her words for a bit before sticking out my hand, "Hi, I'm Callie."

Daphne gives me a confused look before realization dawns on her features. She's smiles a little and takes my hand and shakes it, "I'm Daphne."

"Nice to finally meet you."

Stef

The following day I am sitting at my desk, checking up on past parolees. It's nice to see how well they are getting on but it just makes me think of how I want Callie to be this happy. My desk phone rings and I pick it up.

"Foster."

"Hi, it's Bill."

I lean back in my seat and close my eyes, "To what do I owe the pleasure?" I ask sarcastically.

"It's about Callie."

I immediately perk up, "Yes?"

"You can have her back."

Sorry this is a bit short :/ I was trying to end it at a certain point without adding superfluous details. This story is coming to a close. A few chapters left, I believe.

Happy Thanksgiving! I basically ate all side dishes and no turkey…Also I finished Parks & Rec and it's so sad :( It was so good and now I need to move on.

Thank you for the reviews and follows and support! Love you guys!

Until next time,

-Liv