"I'm exhausted." Stef said as she flopped face-down onto the bed. "That boy's got some energy." She commented of her foster son.

"His teachers have been saying the same thing." Lena replied in a distant, almost concerned manner, pausing folding the laundry. "They say they can barely keep him in one place for more than five minutes."

"What are you thinking?" Stef asked, rolling over so that she could focus on her girlfriend.

"Maybe have him meet with the school counselor and see what she has to say about it. Maybe she can give us some tips and ideas on keeping him focused." Lena suggested, beginning to wonder if there was more going on with the boy than they knew.

"It couldn't hurt." Stef agreed. "We've already got him in basketball, volleyball and swimming and he still has energy to spare."

"It makes me wonder if this was the reason their previous foster homes didn't work out." Lena thought out loud. "There aren't any other major issues that would result in them being sent away."

"Is that what you're thinking?" Stef asked cautiously, wondering if Lena was finding this too hard.

Lena turned her attention to Stef and smiled. "No." She assured. "Sending them from home to home won't do him any good. We need to figure out what the problem is so that we can find a solution."

Stef smiled back gratefully for she had really come to love the two children that they had only known for about a month.

Lena continued to fold the clean clothes while Stef picked up one of Mariana's tops and began playing with a little bow on it.

"Thank you." Stef said, focusing on the bow instead of on her girlfriend.

"For what?" Lena frowned, wondering what Stef was talking about.

"My dad." Stef answered, looking up at Lena shyly. "He wants the kids for an afternoon, all three of them. He wants a connection."

Lena smiled widely, glad that things had turned out well for them. "So do you." She stated, letting Stef know that it was okay to want it too.

Stef nodded gently, admitting that this rift had hurt her as well.

"It's okay." Lena assured. "B deserves it and so do you. We'll figure it out." She promised.

"I won't let him exclude you." Stef said in determination. "I won't let him hurt you."

"He was actually very polite." Lena said, hoping to keep Stef from attacking before there was even something to attack about. "He even complimented my bacon and cheese dip."

"That is the most delicious dip in the world." Stef agreed, relieved but somewhat confused at her father's actions. She wasn't sure what they were getting into and while she was willing to take the chance on repairing their relationship she was still cautious for she wanted to protect her family as much as possible.


It had become a routine now that each Sunday the whole family would head down to the beach where the kids could go wild with very little restrictions besides going into the water alone. Sometimes the kids would build sandcastles or look for treasures on the beach while Stef and Lena would relax in the sand and watch them play. Other times they would chase each other and splash in the water as Stef taught them how to swim and how to avoid getting knocked over by the waves. Each time they would bring a small picnic and a board game that required them all to sit down for a while right before they went home in order to calm them all down after a day of excitement and activity.

This Sunday was no different and as Lena watched Stef run from the two boys with Mariana up on her shoulders she couldn't help but admire just how well the twins had settled into their lives. The two of them just seemed to fit perfectly and Lena found herself struggling to remember a time before their arrival. The house was now constantly buzzing with activity and Stef and Lena seemed to be doing little else besides shuffling the kids between piano, sports and play-dates.

Suddenly Lena realized that she couldn't even remember the last time that she and Stef had had a little fun of their own. It was definitely before the twins arrived and they had already been around for nearly five months. As Lena watched Stef she could help the feeling in the pit of her stomach that was thankfully just controlled enough to stop her from stripping her right here on the beach. She was grinning like a Cheshire Cat at the thoughts in her head when suddenly an ear-splitting scream.

Lena focused on the kids again and found Brandon sitting on the sand and clutching his knee as tears streamed down his face. As quick as she could Lena rushed towards the wailing boy and crouched down beside Stef who was already trying to pry his hands away so that she could assess the damage.

"No, no, no." Brandon wailed as he tried to push Stef's hands away, carefully protecting his injured knee.

"Honey, I need to see how bad it is." Stef tried to reason as she wiped away his tears.

"C'mon B, you're crying like Mariana." Jesus chastised, thinking that if he cried like this every time he got a new bump or bruise then held be crying all his life.

"Hey." Mariana frowned at the comment. She knew she tended to be a cry baby sometimes but she didn't like to be teased about it.

"Guys, let's give Brandon a bit of room please." Lena suggested calmly. "Jesus, Mariana why don't you two run and grab the first-aid kit from my bag." She instructed while Stef was still trying to get Brandon to give her a chance to check his knee.

"No mom." Brandon fussed. "It hurts." He complained, trying to hold his tears back after Jesus' comment.

"I know baby." Stef accepted. "But I'm trying to make it better and I can't do that if I can't see it first."

Brandon knew he had to give in eventually but he just wanted the throbbing to stop. He wanted it to magically be all better.

"Fine, but I want mama to do it." Brandon mumbled reluctantly.

Stef looked confused for a moment before she finally understood the comment and turned towards Lena with wide eyes. Lena looked blankly back at her wondering what she was waiting for and only after a few seconds more did she also register the meaning of the young boys' words.

"Oh, o… kay." Lena said hesitantly as she fumbled slightly for what to do. She hadn't expected to be called mama and as excited as she was she was just too shocked to respond. She quickly but gently reached for Brandon's hands and he finally released his bloody, sand-encrusted knee.

"Oh baby." Lena said sympathetically as she took an antiseptic wipe that Stef handed her and began clearing up all the sand from the wound. "It doesn't look too bad." Lena observed as the now clean knee showed nothing more that a few scrapes and one rather small gash. "Nothing that a bit of Neosporin and a bandaid won't fix." She said, applying some cream to the cut and adding a Sponge Bob bandaid for good measure.

"All done." Lena smiled as she kissed Brandon's knee better as he wiped up the last of his tears now that everything was done.

"Ready to go home?" Stef asked her son and received a vigorous nod from the boy. "Okay then, let's go get our stuff."

They said and watched as the three kids raced towards their blanket - Brandon's woes obviously forgotten; leaving Lena to walk back with Stef, wondering if the older woman was upset that Brandon had picked her over his own mother.