Callie POV

Stef was still standing in the door. I hear Lena shift and when I looked back to her, I saw that she had extended her left arm towards her wife, inviting her to join her. Stef closed the doors behind her, put her bag on the counter next to the doors and walked up to Lena. She sat down next to her wife. Just like that I had gotten their full, undivided attention.

I don't fully know why I told them. But part of me just was tiered of keeping this huge secret. Something inside was telling me – don't let Liam win.

I wasn't looking for sympathy points. I knew there was a chance they will look to me different, I know there is a chance they will pity me, but I figured it was wroth the risk. I took a chance with them, I had a feeling they won't let me down.

I told them about the rape, the same way I told my mom. They didn't judge me, I didn't see pity in their eyes.

Stef's first words after I told them, where identical to something my mom told me after I had told her "It wasn't your fault"

Lean's also said something my mom told me "You are so brave Callie. Thank you, for sharing"

But I didn't stop there. I also told them about how and why I got arrested and how I met mom, form my point of view. I told them what happened last weekend, how I got the bruise. And I told them everything about the fight I had with mom. Once I stared, I just had to continue till I told my story. They sat on the other side of the table, barely moving, listened carefully and closely to everything I was telling them. They waited till I was done.

"I don't know if you remember what I told you this night Callie-" Stef said after a short pause when she reached over the table to my hand

"I don't. I have no memory of last night" I interject quickly, Stef chuckles back softy

"Your mom is really sorry Callie. Amy knows she did wrong"

"I'm still mad at her"

"And you have every right to be mad, Callie" Lena added "What you are feeling…they are valid feelings!"

"But…" Stef said and I already know, I will get a small lecture from them or at least some wise words "Your mom will probably talk to you about this whole thing in detail, but...drinking is not the answer Callie. Drowning your feelings in alcohol - it does nothing good. Not for you, not for the people who love you. It doesn't fix anything, it is just a way to forget for one night"

Lena added gently yet with a firm touch "You need to talk to your mom, Callie. Talking – is the only way how to fix this" I kept nodding my head to them, I knew what they said was right.

"You called her?" I ask warily, even thou I am pretty sure I already know the answer is – yes.

"Of course!" Lena replied "Stef called her last night. She got here right after you fell asleep" My head dips down

"She should be here soon. Amy went to buy us a new window glass" Stef replied casually, she stood up and walked around the fridge to get a small bottle of water

I freeze for a second, thinking about what Stef just said. It made no sense to me. I watch Stef for a while and then looked confused to Lena "Why would my mom be buying you a new window glass?"

"You threw a rock through our!" Lena said standing up as well. She also had that same casual tone "I will go get your clothes. We put them to wash last night" With that, she simply left. My mouth parted in surprise, my eyes grew big at that answer.

"You wanna see it?" Stef asked placing the now empty bottle of water on the end of the table

"Not really, but I know I have to" I said following Stef out to their backyard. I stood next to her. Stef pointed up to a window that now had a hole right in the middle of it.

"That was one hell of a wake up call" Stef said pressing her fists to her hips, looking up the window

"I am…terribly sorry" I apologized still keeping my eyes on the window that I had broken "Terribly sorry for everything, Stef"

"I know" Stef said placing her hand on my shoulder. Moment later Stef's phone rang. It was a quick talk.

"Yeah. In our backyard with your daughter. Okay…coming!" She hang up the next second and patted my shoulder "Your mom is here with our new window!"

Stef walks in the house, I follow her in. She gets a pair of work gloves and head out to the front doors, leaves the doors open and heads out. After I get a glass of water, I sit back down at the kitchen table. The thirst I felt, didn't fully go away even after I emptied the glass.

I hear mom and Stef talk "I could call Cooper to help change the glass" mom said to Stef

"We can hire someone to change the windows" Stef said back to mom. I got off the stool and walked in the kitchen so I could see them. Stef was holding the front, while mom walked behind her, holding the end of the glass. They were already on the stairs.

"I am pretty sure he wouldn't mind"

"You already called and asked him, didn't you?" Stef chuckles back at mom

"…Yeah" Mom chuckled back before they disappeared upstairs

I go to the sink to wash the glass out and when I close the tap, Lena walks in "Here you go, all clean!" she hands me the clothes

"Thank you" I say taking the clothes and heading to the first floor bathroom to change out of the clothes they had gave me last night. I fold their clothes as neatly as I can and place them on the counter. When I get out of the room, mom was already in the hallway, waiting for me.

"Cooper will be here in 10" Mom says to Stef and Lena before she locks eyes with me. I know better than to say anything to her. When I walk pass Stef and Lena I once again apologize to them and then follow mom out to the car.


The whole way back to the house, mom didn't say one word to me. I had glanced to her more than 10 times and neither of the times she looked back at me. . Mom kept concentrating on the road, both hands on the steering wheel. The radio wasn't even on. There was dead silence in the car.

Mom parked by the house, but not in the driveway. I don't comment about it and just go in the house. Mom follows me in. I don't head up to my room, I stop at the stairs and turn to look back at her.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" I ask frustrated with the silent treatment. This could be our first real conversation since Sunday. Mom closed the front doors, she was holding on to the car keys, head was down

"Are you going to listen to me?" She asked and looked up to me. Her face was pretty much blank, emotionless. It was like she was too fed up with my attitude for the last few days.

I don't reply to her, I chose silence as an answer.

Mom bites her lower and lip and glances to the living room. Her right hand goes up to the mouth, she runs her fingers over her lips.

"Lock the doors when I leave" She says and turns around to the face the front doors again

"Where are you going?" I ask taking a step towards her

"I have a job Callie!" She stated back when she turned to face me

"You just had a shift!" I argue back

"Yeah well…the last few days whenever I get home you leave! So I figured the only way to keep you in the house for the night is for me to take the night shift"

"You are going to have a double shift?" I got worried. I didn't like my mom working the night shift. Last time she worked night, she got hurt. She got into a big fight with some bad people, got concussion.

"Yes" Mom replied simply

"Why?" I shout back

"Because I need you safe at home at nights!" Mom said back in louder voice, pointing to the ground "I am sick and tired of you wandering around the city in the night, doing God-knows-what! I am sick and tired of not knowing where you are! Because you leave the house whenever I get home!" She was throwing her arms up. Once she was done shouting back, she took a small step back, looked down to the floor in front of her "It is not like I have slept for the past nights anyway"

We looked to each others eyes for some good minute, not saying anything back. I broke the silence when I asked her "Why did you do it?" She knew what I was talking about.

Mom threw her head back, stopped around where she stood. She looked to me, sucked in her lower lip. Mom was fiddling the keys in her hands, her mouth parted few times, but she didn't say anything for some good 20 seconds.

But then, barely above whisper she admits "Because I was scared"

"Scared?" That was not what I was expecting to hear "Of what?" I ask her in calmer voice

"Of this!" She gestures to my hand and paced over to me. She lifts my hand up and rolls up the sleeve "This is what I am scared of! Of you getting hurt!" she let's go of my arm and paces back to the front doors and taps on the doors with her palm "I am scared out of my mind every time you walk on your own…day or night, doesn't matter!" when she turns back to me she continues in calmer tone "I am scared that you will run into him when you are all alone and something worse than a fucking bruise will happen. I feel like I failed you when you first came to me. You came for me to help and I failed you. I couldn't do what needed to be done! Now he is just walking around the city, free…like nothing ever happened"

"Sometimes I feel like I am not good enough for you! Because I am just one person. Because I can't watch you all the time. I can't be by your side every day. I am...not enough" One single, silent tear fell down her left cheek

"I know I fucked up. Big time! I know that! I should have talked to you. I'm not denying that I fucked up" Mom said in shaky voice "I know…me being scared is a really shitty excuse…Hell, it's not an excuse! There is no excuse for what I did. None! I know you hate me…you have every right to hate me. I hate myself too!" she closed her eyes after her voice cracked up at the end. Mom took a small pause, she breathed in a shaky breath.

"But I need…someone else. I need help to keep you safe, when I can't! When I am not around! Because I couldn't do it alone. I failed you..." Another tear rolled down her cheek. With a quick hand moved she wiped it away "I am scared every day for you, I am scared every time you leave the home…I'm scared Callie"

I swallowed back a lump that had formed in my throat and I blinked away the tears that had gathered up in my eyes while mom spoke from her heart.

"I'm not" I said barely holding my voice from cracking up. Mom stood in front of me, looking at me confused. Her brows where pushed together and mouth was slightly parted, I think her hands were lightly trembling "I'm not scared, mom!"

"You are the reason I am not scared anymore" It was the truth. Mom made me feel safe. I was scared before. I am not anymore. "And I don't hate you. I'm just…upset and mad because you didn't ask me. I would have said yes to you telling Cooper"

"Really?" mom asked not convinced

"I told Stef and Lena today…I wasn't scared when I told them!" I point to my temple with my left "I had this voice in my head, that said I can't let Liam win. It was your voice mom. You told me that…remember?"

Mom nodded as two more tears rolled down her cheek. She nodded her head back and looked down to her feet. When she looked back up to me, she nodded her head few more times, she pressed her lips together.

Lena POV

I walked in our bedroom, where right now Cooper was working to change the shattered window glass to the one Amy got us. I won't deny, seeing a grown man in my bedroom was weird.

I sat on our bed, on the side closer to the window and watched Cooper in action. Amy was right when she said that Cooper was handy. He came with his own tools, there was a big, red tool box next to him. I had no idea what half of those tools were for, but Cooper grabbed something from the box and stood up straight to continue to work on the window. He knew exactly what he was doing.

"So…you are the one who sits and looks over people shoulders?" he asked with a smirk on his lips when looked over his shoulder to me

"I guess that's a habit I have gotten from my teachers past" I joked back

"Don't worry. I will leave soon, I should be done in some 10 minutes" He said continuing to work on the window

"Good to know, but…" I cross my left leg over "not why I am here"

"Obviously - it's your room, duh" He joked back "You can come here whenever you want"

I chuckle back "No, um…Callie told us about Liam. She also told us Amy informed you about him" Cooper stopped in his tracks and turned to face me, the unknown tool in his hands "You can't pity her Cooper"

His mouth parted to say something back, but he closed it back and looked down. Cooper tossed the tool back in the red tool box.

"Have you seen the guy?" He asks back, I shake my head. Cooper takes his phone that he had put on top of the dresses, next to his keys and wallet. After making few clicks on it, he hands the phone to me.

When I am looking at this photo, Cooper continues "He looks so normal…so average. I just couldn't stop picturing a young Callie…with him. She was a kid, all alone, confused, hurt, scared. I don't understand how someone could do such thing" Cooper looks down to his hands "It's… wrong, what happened to her…"

"You are right- it is wrong. But there is nothing we can do to change the past" I say when I look up to him and hand him back his phone

"…I feel like I will say or do something wrong when I am with her. I'm afraid I will trigger something in her…some bad memory, like on Saturday" Cooper takes his phone back and fiddles it in his hands

"Just remember that she is the same girl before Amy told you. Don't treat her like a victim and be careful…respect her private space. Most importantly, don't pressure her to talk…if she will want you to know something…she will come to you herself"

Callie POV

August 3rd

"A-are you and Amy okay?" Cooper asked me as he was looking at some toys at the other side of the isle

"We are fine" I say picking up another soft toy

Frankie's birthday is on the 9th and we – me, mom and Cooper- were all invited to a small party that is going to be held on the same day. Mom suggested that Cooper and I go look for a gift in the mall for the next week, while mom went to the bank.

"You two barely talk Callie" Cooper says back when I hear him play with some music box

"Barely talking is talking, that's progress. We are taking small steps" I say back picking up a police toy set, that had toy handcuffs, fake badge and toy gun in it

"What about drawing set?" Cooper asks. I turn around to look at whatever he was looking at. He was holding up a big box, that by the looks, had crayons, pencils, markers and also a drawing pad in.

"That looks perfect" I walk up to him and take the box out of his hands to have a better look at it

"I just hate that you aren't talking because of me" Cooper replies while I read whatever was on the box

"It's not because of you" I argue back when he takes the box out of my hands and heads towards the cash register

"Because she told me" Cooper says walking in front of me

"Because she didn't ask me, not because she told you" I said following Cooper down to cash-register. When Cooper stands in the line I added "It's a trust thing. Mom broke my…it is something that has to be earned back"

I squeeze pass the people in the line to wait for Cooper on the other side. There were 3 people in front of him, so while he was standing in line, I went to the other side of the hall to window shop.

"Hey, looks who's here!" I hear familiar voice coming from my left. I turn around and see Stef and Lena coming towards me, each holding two shopping bags.

"What are you doing here?" Lena asks me further with a big smile on her lips

I gesture to Cooper in the line "Gift shopping for Frankie"

"Oh…" Stef drags intrigued "Can I ask what you got her?"

"You know as well as I do, you can't keep anything secret from Frankie" I say back seriously "I can't tell you…there would be no surprise effect"

"I'm her mother, you know that right?" Stef says fake hurt, briefly glancing to Lena for support

"Stef, you told Frankie where Callie was hiding when they played hide and seek about week ago" Lena said back with a small smirk on her lips

"That's not fair! You know I can't say no when she flashes those eyes at me"


After Cooper paid for the gift, we all walked together out to the parking lot. Turns out we had parked at the same side. Cooper walked ahead to his car, while I stayed back just for a short moment to chat with Stef and Lena bit. After our small chat, we exchange goodbyes. I wave at them as I walk away and they both wave back at me before they get in their car.

Before I could get in Cooper's car, chills run thought my spine when I hear Liam's voice coming from the middle of the parking lot. When I turn to face him, I see his green jeep parked in the middle of the parking lot and him at the end of his car.

I take a step back, every time he took a step closer to me. My body starts to tremble lightly in fear. I pull my hands in fist. I take one last step backwards and my back hits the end of Cooper's car.

"Where you going, Cal? Miss me?" Liam asks me as he limps closer to me over the parking lot "How lucky are we…running into one another two times a week!"

"Leave me alone!" I shout at him "I have a restraining order against you!" I tell him, trying not to show fear

"That's just a stupid paper, Cal. Do you really think I care about it? Do you really think a paper will stop me from seeing you?" He came closer to me

"LEAVE! NOW!" Cooper called out in a low, firm voice. I heard car doors slam and before I know, Cooper was standing between me and Liam.

"Hey, man…get away. This in none of your business" Liam tells him off

"She said – leave her alone!" Cooper demanded standing tall in front of me

"Man, just get the fuck away from me!" Liam says when he tries to get pass Cooper to get to me. Cooper at first just took a step aside to block him. But as Liam kept persisting to get closer to me, it got a bit more aggressive.

Liam tried to push Cooper away or push him to ground, but instead Liam got his hands pushed away instead. My eyes were fixated on Cooper and Liam and because of that I didn't notice Lena walking up to me. Lena was asmall step in front of me, holding my left hand firmly in hers.

When I finally looked away from Liam and Cooper exchanging some words, I noticed Stef holding her phone up. After few seconds she placed the phone to her ear and called out to Liam

"Hey! Liam, right?!" When Stef had Liam's attention she pointed to the phone "Guess what? You have about 3 minutes of freedom left"

Liam looked confused at her "Yeah…this video I just took of you violating the restraining order against her will hold nicely at court. And guess with who I am on the phone right now!"

Anger flashed in his eyes before he looked pass Cooper to me. He points to me and shouts angrily at me "This is not over!"

Liam spins around to head away to his car. Cooper reacts quickly and grabs Liam by his shirt collar and holds him back, stopping him from leaving the scene.

"Now you want to leave?" He ask keeping a grip on his shirt "How about we wait for the cops…"

Liam struggles to get away from him. Once again they got a bit aggressive. Cooper got elbowed in his cheek in the struggle, but her recovered quickly. Liam tried to push Cooper to ground, so he could run away, but Cooper got the upper hand.

Cooper's fist collided with Liam's cheekbone hard. The punch landed Liam on the ground, made him groan in pain and cover his face with his hands. For a moment I thought Cooper will continue hitting him, but he just walked over to him and bend down over him.

"Not so tough when you fight with someone your size, aren't you?" Cooper delivered the line so beautifully that a big smile appeared on my lips


3 minutes later the cops were here, they got Liam handcuffed to take him to the station to process. Liam will either get fined or he will be sent to jail. I knew my odds, Liam didn't hurt me this time. He did the first time, but he is not arrested for the first violation. Most likely he will be fined. And honestly, I am okay with it. At least now he will know not to violate the restraining order.

I was standing with Lena, her hand was moving softly over my back, soothing me. Cooper called Amy and informed her of what happened. But Stef was talking to one of the officers, while the other officer took a handcuffed Liam to the squad car. Lena and I were watching the officers in action.

"I will be right back" I say when I see an opening that I just have to take. I head over to the officer that took Liam to the car.

"Can I have a minute with him?" I ask the officer pointing to Liam, who was now sitting in the back of the car. Officer nodded back, left the doors open and walked to the front of the car.

I wasn't scared of him anymore. Right now, Liam was the one who looked scared. The tables have turned. Finally he will taste some real consequences. I wasn't mad that it wasn't going to be for the rape, I didn't need that anymore. I have made my peace with it. I have put it the trial behind me.

I stand by the car and look to him in the car "Remember how you said no one will ever care about me, want me or even love me?" I ask him rhetorically, holding the eye contact with him. Liam grinned his teeth at me. He hated this situation, that he was handcuffed but I was free and rubbing it in his face.

"I am so happy to inform you that you couldn't have been more wrong! I have more people in my life, people who love me, than you will ever have. Also they love me unconditionally, they aren't asking for anything in return!" Blindly I reach for the car doors

"I'm not scared of you anymore. I realized you are a weak, lonely, miserable guy who tries to make his life better by trying to ruin other lives. I will forever hate you for what you did, but...If it wasn't for you, I would have never met my mom, I would have never reconnected with my brother...met Stef and Lena...or Cooper" I take a small pause for dramatic effect

"You did not break me! You just made me stronger! You lose...I win!" I tell him with a smirk on my lips. There was anger in his eyes, he was so pissed of at me right now. I was waiting for this moment, to rub my good life in his face for over a year.

I slam the doors shut in his face and walk away with a smile forming on my lips.