Once the whole family had been picked up form various locations they were finally on their way to the tree lot the family always frequented at Christmas time. Usually they waited until the kids were totally done with school, but this year was different. Callie and Jude needed this…not so much the tree itself, but the experience of getting one and putting it up as a family. They pulled into the parking lot and all the kids took off toward the familiar lot while Jude stood with Callie, waiting for the mothers to make the first move. Lena didn't realize what they were up against until that moment when she finally understood that they literally had no idea what to do with themselves: this was a totally new experience for them and on some level Lena suspected they were afraid that there was a wrong way of doing it.

"Come on guys, we aren't gonna find a tree by standing in the parking lot." Lena smiled and started walking indicating they should join her. Jude looked to his sister briefly only to receive a smile and a nod, indicating that he could run after Lena. Callie fell into step with Stef and started to walk toward the lot themselves.

"He still checks with you before he does something he's unsure about." Stef observed with her hands in her pockets and Callie paused as if to search her own mind.

"Habit, or learned helplessness, I'm not really sure which anymore."

"I wouldn't call it that at all. He trusts you; there was a time you were the only one he could trust. Checking with you first probably saved him a lot of hardship."

"Not enough." Stef linked her arm with Callie's as they walked. "It was more than enough. Maybe a little bit too much at times." That ended that conversation quickly and Callie was ok with that mostly because she didn't have a way to argue Stef's point. When they walked into the lot Lena was hugging some man that she seemed to be real friendly with and Stef soon left Callie's side to go wrap the man in question up in a huge hug.

"A little early in the year for the Foster family tree, isn't it Stef?" Stef pushed away and glared at her friend, but smiled quickly after.

"Yeah, well this year we figure we'd get a jump on it. Besides we have a couple of new recruits to help us find a tree this year." Stef held out her hand toward Callie and Jude and they took a few steps closer to her. "Matt, this is Callie and her brother Jude. Guys, this is my friend Matt, he and I went to high school together."

"And grade school and preschool. I have some stories about your mom that you would never believe." Both kids cracked a smile at Stef have a past of embarrassing stories. "Well I bet you guys can explain how things work around here to these two and when you found one you like just come find me and I'll help you out with it." Matt walked away and Lena took over talking.

"Ok, what'll it be this year folks, teams or individual searching?"

"Teams, definitely." Jesus seemed to speak for the majority of them family.

"Best tree wins?" Brandon threw into the mix and everyone seemed to agree. The twins and Brandon formed a group leaving Callie and Jude with the moms. Before they split up, Stef grabbed her eldest son and whispered in his ear.

"Let them be the ones to pick it ok?" Brandon knew what his mother meant and he already figured on that being the case and he smiled his response. They split up into their groups and started to make their way through the lot that was still full of trees. Jude all but ran ahead of the rest of them and Lena opted to follow him closely while Callie and Stef casually strolled behind them. Callie watched as her brother excited ducked in between every tree in the rows they passed, evaluating the trees with the biggest grin plastered across his face. Callie took pictures of Jude, of Len running after Jude and Stef watched as some of Callie's trepidation faded away and a smile was spreading wider and wider on her face.

"You can go running after him you know? No sense in hanging out with me. Running around like a 5 year old high on sugar is half the fun of this." Callie looked up from her camera phone and shook her head.

"I like watching him run around and be carefree and just enjoy this. That makes me happier than any tree ever will. Besides, I'd have to be a pretty big jerk to disrupt that." Callie pointed to where Lena was running around in a circle, chasing Jude around several of the trees in that section.

"Besides, hanging out with you isn't so terrible." Stef bumped Callie's arm playfully as they stood back and watched Jude continue to literally run circles around Lena. Eventually Lena ran out of breath and energy and walked over to Callie and Stef.

"I'm not young enough for that, not anymore. I'm tagging out. You go run after him for a while." Callie laughed and made her way over to her brother who was still running around looking at tree with wide eyed wonder. Callie threw her arm out and with some effort picked Jude up off the ground and held upside down as the boy continued to laugh. Callie let him down and with the running seemingly out of his system, they two of them walked over to the Douglas fur trees and started look them over. Stef and Lena stayed close by, but just far enough away to give the siblings this moment together. Stef had taken Callie's phone and now had a few really nice shots of the two of them. Callie was on her knees in front of the tree pointing to different spots on the tree and talking to Jude as she did it. Eventually Jude jumped up and ran back over to where Stef and Lena stood.

"We like this one." The two women looked the tree over and it was truly stunning.

"Nice choice you guys. Let's go find Matt." Lena started to walk toward the office and Jude followed her immediately. Stef turned back to Callie, about to say something about the tree, but she shut up when she saw the look on Callie's face.

"You ok sweets?" Callie smiled a slightly tearful smile and nodded her head.

"Fine."

"Callie." Stef pushed and Callie sighed before brushing away some stray tears.

"He didn't look back."

"What do you mean honey?" Callie pointed to where Jude had been standing earlier.

"When Lena left, he wanted to follow her and he didn't look back to me to make sure it was safe or ok to do so. It's dumb."

"It's not dumb." Stef half hugged Callie with her arm wrapped around the teen's shoulder. "He's in a place where you don't need to step on the mine first just to protect him. He knows he's safe, he knows your safe and he's getting used to make his own judgment call. You did that, you instilled that in him…and now we get to take credit for it." Stef winked at Callie and that seemed to break the tension.

"Besides. Did it ever occur to you, that sometimes when we was looking back he wasn't asking if it was safe for him to go, but rather he was making sure you were safe? Maybe him running ahead is him showing that he knows that you're perfectly safe standing here with me?" Callie had never thought about like that before, maybe because it was easier not too, but in that moment it was an easier truth to accept. Lena came back with Jude and Matt was following close behind.

"Nice choice you guys. Hey little man, want to help me wrap this up so we can strap it to the hood of the car?" Jude nodded and followed quickly after Matt, chatting with him as they walked. Lena went and found the other kids and they whole group met at the entrance of the lot. The kids jumped back into the car while Matt helped Stef secure the tree to the top of the van.

"Alright my friend, what do I owe you?" Stef reached for her wallet only to have Matt stop her from pulling it out. "You don't owe me anything."

"Matt, come on, you run a business and I know you give us a nice discount, but this is insane. Let me pay you." The man shook his head and nodded to the car.

"Is it really the first Christmas tree they've had in 8 years?" Stef looked surprised.

"Who told you that?"

"The kid did. When he was helping me bind the tree, he said it was the first one he and Callie have had since their mom died. Said he couldn't really remember the last tree they had with their mom."

"He was 3 so he probably can't." Matt rubbed his hand over his face and sighed.

"Look Stef, you are my friend and I love you and your family way too much to take money for this."

"Matt…"

"No. If a tree that came from my lot is going to be the first Christmas tree he can remember clearly…you don't owe a damn thing." Stef was touched and didn't really know what to say to her childhood friend. She offered him a hug and kissed his cheek.

"I owe you."

"Just take care of the tree and take care of those kids and we'll be even."

"Merry Christmas Matt."

"Merry Christmas Stef." Stef climbed into the car and Matt waved at the family as they drove away. The whole way home the rest of the kids explained the decorating traditions and Callie was sure she had never seen Jude that level of excited. If a tree was what would have made Jude happy all those years they were alone Callie would have found a way to get him one. But as they worked to get the tree inside and as Stef and Brandon struggled to get it to stay in the stand, Callie suspected the happy grin on her brother's face was because of the people standing around them and had precious little to do with the 7 foot tree that currently stood in their living room.

This was short I know, but I had to get it up tonight. Hope everyone enjoyed it. Let me know your thoughts.