But You Stood By My Side
WritingIsLoveAndLife
AN: I'm back with another chapter of our story! It does promise to be an intense, and emotional chapter, so I hope you all enjoy it! We've also eclipsed 19,000 views and we're getting closer to 20,000. That just absolutely boggles my mind. When I first started writing this story, I never thought it would reach the heights that it has. It still feels like a dream, and I'm eternally grateful to all of my readers. Thank you all so much for the support!
I've had one review posted to the last chapter since I published it, so I'll go ahead and answer that now, before I let you all get to your reading:
Doe 6215: Yes, indeed! I'm glad you like how I re-introduced the character, and I'm even happier that you can't wait to see what happens next. The wait is over!
Thank you for the review, and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter, and the rest of the story as a whole.
Disclaimer: Peter Paige and Bradley Bredeweg created The Fosters. I claim no ownership of the series, or it's characters. I merely respect the series and wish to pay tribute to it, while continuing to sharpen my writing skills. The only characters I do own are my OC's: BC Adams-Foster-Stevens, Marina Reyes, Jan Stevens, Dean Williams, Mark Wells, Bob Olson, Mary Stevens, Theo Stevens, Ryan Clark, Zane Johnson, Hannah and Christian Davis, Michael James Callahan and Alex Meyer as well as any other OC's that I choose to introduce in future chapters
Chapter 37
"He's gone too far this time, Stef!" Connor argues to my Mom. "He's threatened my husband and one of my kids. What's next? It seems like there isn't anything he won't do, and he's doing this all because Jude can't love him the way he wants. I know he's your son, but Jude and I are too, and we have a family of our own that we need to protect."
At present, Connor, BC and I are sitting around the kitchen table with my Mom, debating the best way to deal with Jack. My mother heaves a sigh and turns to look at me.
"What do you think about all of this, Jude?" she asks. "Jack is your brother, and before that, he was your friend."
"I know," I nod. "And to be honest, I don't know what to think. Connor is right about one thing though: he and I need to do what's best for our family."
"I know, love," she assures me, grasping my hand and rubbing it in a reassuring manner.
"I've given him so many chances," I tell her. "I've tried to help him so many times. Now, I'm just scared, and I haven't felt that way in over a decade. His presence hangs over this entire family like a cloud. It has to stop… I just want it to stop."
I feel a tear roll down my cheek, and move to wipe it. I feel Connor's arm encircle me protectively.
"It's okay, Jude," he says soothing, pressing a kiss to my temple. "He's not going to hurt our family any more. We'll figure this out, I promise."
"Thank you, love," I tell him. "But we've never been in the habit of making promises that we can't keep, and I definitely don't want us to start now."
In response, Connor pulls me as far into his body as he can without making me fall off my chair. He doesn't say anything, but I can feel him nod into my hair as he hugs me strongly to his chest.
We pull apart, and I already miss the comfort that only he can bring. I fix my gaze on my mother. "What do you suggest, Mom?"
She bites her lip, and looks down. I've seen her do something similar when she has to tell Mama something that she knows won't go over well.
"Mom?" I prompt. "I know that look… What are you not telling us? And why do you think we'll react badly?"
She looks up, and takes a deep breath, no doubt steeling herself. I feel Connor tense up beside me.
"I want to use BC as a decoy," she says. "I talked to the head of the department and she agreed that in most cases like this, such a tactic leads to an arrest. It will give Jack a false sense of security and we'll be able to take him into custody."
"Would an arrest even work?" Connor questions. "I honestly think he's past the point where he can be rehabilitated, and he even escaped from an out-of-state mental institution."
"It's protocol," my Mom replies carefully.
"I didn't ask if it was protocol," Connor retorts. "I asked if, in your professional opinion, you thought an arrest would work."
"I'm as confident as I can be," she says, again appearing to choose her words carefully.
"So you're not 100% confident?" Connor challenges. "And you want me to risk my son's life? I'm sorry, Stef, it just isn't going to happen."
"Con, please," I cut in, putting a hand on his bicep.
"No, Jude," he snaps. "I'm not exposing our son to Jack. It's just not going to happen."
Silence falls over the four of us at Connor's words, before BC's voice cuts through, determined. "What if I actually want to do this?" he asks.
"Absolutely not!" Connor refutes instantaneously. "You're 15. I'm not putting you in needless danger. I'm not going to willfully expose you to a sociopath."
"But I've already been exposed!" BC exclaims. "He's the reason I have to watch my back whenever I go out, and he's the reason I've been having nightmares for the first time in three years. When he called, he made me feel uncomfortable. And are we all forgetting what happened on my adoption day?"
"But…" Connor intones, and BC's head snaps up.
"No buts, Dad," he says sharply, leveling a glare at Connor that would make me very proud if we were in any other situation. "I trust Grandma Stef, and if she thinks that I'll be able to help in this way, then I'm very well going to."
My mother and I just sit there awkwardly as my husband and my son stare each other down. Eventually, Connor throws his head back and sighs.
"Fine," he says. "But let the record show I'm far from okay with this. And if he even tries to hurt you in any way…"
"I know, babe," I interject. "And I'll be right there with you."
With everything as settled it's going to get, BC turns his attention on my mother.
"So Grandma, what exactly do you need me to do?"
As it turns out, the first thing my mother requests from BC is that he wait. She wants Jack to make contact with him again, and from there, she'll alert her boss and this plan of hers will really get moving.
It's a simple plan, not unlike the one that led to the downfall of Dean Williams. But this is Jack, not Dean. Jack is infinitely more unhinged and dangerous than Dean could ever hope to be.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried. My deranged adoptive brother is going to be in the same vicinity as my adopted son, and my son's life will be in danger because of it.
But if BC has the strength to survive in foster care and forgive the man who killed his parents for the sake of that man's widow, I truly believe that he has the strength to deal with anyone or anything… including Jack.
BC has Zane over when it happens, shattering two weeks of blissful peace. I'm making dinner when I hear two sets of rapid footsteps on the stairs.
"Guys, what did I say about running on the stairs?" I call out. "I know dinner smells good, but it's not quite ready yet."
When I look up from the stove and into two pairs of scared eyes, dinner becomes the last thing on my mind.
"What's wrong?" I ask, hoping against all hope that it isn't what I think it is.
"It's time," BC informs me. "Call Grandma Stef. Now."
I turn off the stove, and move to call first my mother, and then my husband. All the while, I'm putting my arms through the sleeves of my coat, jamming my feet into my shoes, grabbing my keys from their hook by the door and calling for my other kids.
BC follows my lead, with Zane getting dragged helplessly behind him.
The next hour or so is spent collecting Connor from his office and watching my son get fitted with a wire and a camera, all while my Mom and her boss brief BC on the finer details of how everything will play out.
"I feel like I'm in one of those action movies!" he exclaims at one point. "Is this how you felt when you went head-to-head with Dean Williams?"
Connor and I can't help but to chuckle at that. Even amidst all the chaos and uncertainty, he still has his sense of humor.
"You're silly, BC!" Hannah intones.
"And that's putting it mildly," Christian agrees good-naturedly.
"Hey!" he exclaims, hugging both of them. "I'm your big brother, you're supposed to be nice to me!"
"Well, no one told us that," Christian teases. "As you once said, as your siblings, we're the only ones who have the right to tease you."
"Using my own words against me, are you?" he questions. "Well played, bro."
"What can I say?" Christian tells him. "I learned from the best."
"Touché!" BC laughs, ruffling Christian's hair affectionately.
The sweet moment is reluctantly ended by my Mom, who informs us that it's time to head out to the address Jack specified.
He responds by hugging his siblings tightly. "I love you both, so much," he tells them.
"Do you have to do this?" Hannah asks. "I don't want you to go."
For a fraction of a second, BC looks heartbroken, but quickly schools his features into a confident, determined mask.
"Yes, I do," he tells her. "I have to do this, for our family."
"You're coming back though, right?" she continues.
"That's the plan," he assures her.
"Promise?" she asks, clinging to him desperately.
"I can't make a promise that I'm not sure I'll be able to keep," he tells her honestly. "But I trust Grandma Stef and her team, and I promise to do everything I can to be back for dinner."
It's about as much of a promise as he can make under these circumstances, and it seems to placate Hannah, who reluctantly lets him go.
My mom puts a hand on his shoulder. "You ready, kid?" she asks.
"As ready as I can be," he assures her. "Though I doubt even the most experienced person is never really ready for something like this."
"If you really don't want to," my Mom starts, but BC interrupts her before she can even finish.
"Don't even think about it, Grandma," he tells her. "I told you I'd do this, and I'm going to. This has to stop, one way or the other. Besides, he's expecting me and to send anyone else would make it clear to anyone that it's a set-up. He won't let his guard down."
"If there was any other way," she starts again.
"I know," BC nods, effectively cutting off her sentence yet again. He looks her right in the eye, and mustering every ounce of his courage and determination, he says three words.
"Let's do this!"
AN #2: And there we have it! I initially planned for the confrontation with Jack to be in this chapter, but as I was writing, I decided to push it to next chapter, which will be in BC's point-of-view. If you have any thoughts, questions, suggestions or ideas, please let me know in a review or a PM! We're quickly coming up to the end of this story. I'm anticipating that there will be 42 total chapters, so look forward to the rest, which will come as quickly as I can write them, while still retaining my usual quality!
Thank you, as always, for your patience and support! It truly means a lot to me!
Until next time,
WritingIsLoveAndLife