And we're back! Thank you so much for all of the support last chapter! This one is a bit of a filler, but Chapters 11-13 are when things get a bit intense, so think of this as the calm before the storm :)

NJCE - Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm so glad you were excited for/enjoyed the chapter. I'm glad that you understand/see where I'm coming from with Quinn and Izzy, and there will certainly be more of them in the upcoming chapters. We've gotten to the point where Quinn is going to keep pushing her limits, and unfortunately, that means Beca and Chloe will be kept in the dark a whole lot more. But don't worry! There's a light at the end of the tunnel. There's some Beca/Jordan bonding in this chapter and certainly some in the upcoming ones as well! Thanks for reading, and thank you for the review! I hope you enjoy this chapter, too :)

Jody1990 - Thank you so much for your kind words! I hope that Quinn starts to trust Beca and Chloe too :( It does make me sad writing her this way, but just know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, as you put it. We'll definitely see how Beca knowing/thinking she knows what's going on in Quinn's head play out over the next couple of chapters, so I hope it lives up to your expectations. Thanks so much for reading, and thank you for the review! I hope you enjoy the chapter :)

User42 - Yeah, I sigh a lot when writing Quinn, too. She just has so much stuff going on. Izzy definitely has a bigger role in all of this, some of which will be revealed in the next three chapters or so, as well as later on, so stay tuned. Thanks so much for reading, and thank you for the review! I hope you enjoy the chapter :)

Wolvezzz - Yay Ava! Thanks so much for sharing your experience with me; I hope that you were safe and got comfortable as well :) Quinn for sure is testing her limits and will continue to test them for the next three chapters or so, and you might be right in your prediction... I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you for reading and for your review! I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Guest - Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm glad that you were able to see how happy Beca and Chloe were; it was definitely a fun scene to write and I for one am glad that she is talking, too. Quinn is most certainly testing her limits and both of your predictions definitely could be right... let me just say that the next three chapters are going to be tense on all fronts. Thanks so much for reading and thank you for your review!

Somethingthatismine - Thank you so much for all of your kind words, they really mean a lot. Yes, Ava definitely knew what she was doing hahaha, that part was such a fun one to write! There will also be a lot more diving into Quinn's mind over the next few chapters, so I hope it stays just as believable/understandable as this time was. And just to acknowledge your second comment, all I can say is thank you :') Thank you so much for reading and your continued support; I hope you enjoy this chapter, too! :)

Chapter 10

"When I was done working on him, Winn-Dixie looked a whole lot better. He still had his bald spots, but the fur that he did have cleaned up nice. It was all shiny and soft." Sofia, another third-grader in Benji's class, looks up from where she's reading Because of Winn-Dixie. She sits cross-legged on the carpet in the far corner of the classroom with a group of four other students, including Jordan.

Jordan has his own book open on his lap, but he hasn't turned the page in well over fifteen minutes. His eyes have been trained on the words in front of him, and he's been rubbing his fingers against the soft paper, yet has made no effort to follow along. His mind is busy enough; he doesn't need to tire it out even more by struggling to read.

Luckily, it's Friday, so he doesn't have to try very hard to make it through the day. Once he finishes, it'll be the weekend.

Unfortunately, the fact that it's Friday also means that it has been two days since Quinn skipped her afternoon classes and returned to school late. Or, in other words, it has been two tense days in the house where Quinn has pretty much ignored everything that Beca and Chloe have asked of her, has spent the majority of the time up in her room with her door closed, and very rarely comes out to even talk with Ava, let alone Jordan.

He knows where she went. It's pretty obvious, in fact. She's been ditching school to go see Izzy for as long as he can remember. It's always been that way. Jordan likes Izzy enough; it's kind of hard not to when she's been in his life since before he was born. He also knows that she can cause some problems for Quinn. Well, Quinn brings them on herself, but still. The two of them together aren't always a good pair.

Especially when Quinn is set on sabotaging everything good in Jordan and Ava's life.

Jordan really doesn't understand it. He doesn't understand why she is pushing Beca and Chloe away. He doesn't understand why she is being so difficult about every little thing. She's not making any effort. Jordan is trying; he's trying with his schoolwork, he's trying not to share too much, he's trying not to burden the Mitchells with anything that may discourage them from keeping him and his siblings for longer than a month. He's on his best behavior, just like Quinn always tells him to be.

So why can't Quinn do the same?

"Jordan? It's your turn."

Jordan looks up from where his gaze has been focused on the book in front of him, his mind in a thousand of other places. It's not just the fact that Quinn is stressing him out ten times more than normal (he actually has something to lose this time around). It's also the fact that this afternoon, Rachel is supposed to be stopping by for her check-in, and nothing good ever happens while she's around.

"Um… where are we?"

Sofia rolls her eyes. "The top of page 30. Were you even paying attention?"

No. "Yes." He flips to the page that his classmate pointed out and takes a deep breath. "When I was done working –"

"I just read that part."

Jordan brings his book back down with a huff, tears burning at the back of his eyes – not from Sofia, just the pressure of everything that's happened in the past few days and will be happening today. The worst part is, he doesn't know who he can talk to. Quinn isn't exactly being a prime example of a loving and supportive sister, whether it be because something is wrong with Izzy, Jordan did something, or if it's just because the Mitchell family is stressing her out. But Quinn also doesn't want Jordan talking to Beca or Chloe about anything of substance. He can't exactly disobey her; Quinn's been the only paternal figure that he's ever had in his life. It doesn't mean he necessarily likes it, but it's the truth.

He just gulps down the tightening of his throat and tries to focus on the words on the page. "You c-could still see his ribs, but I in-in-tuh-end –"

"It's 'intended'."

When Sofia cuts him off to correct his pronunciation – Beca and Chloe, even Quinn, never do that; they always let him sound it out and get it right on his own – Jordan just about loses it. He glares up at his classmate, her image distorted from the tears swimming in his hazel orbs. "Then why don't you read it?!"

He doesn't wait for a reaction, simply slamming the paperback down on the carpeted ground, and storming past Benji out of the classroom without a word, angrily wiping the tears from his face as he does so.

Benji, not having heard any of the conversation prior to Jordan's outburst, simply looks up from where he's sitting at his desk grading this morning's spelling test. He watches with wide eyes as the middle Perry sibling leaves his classroom without a word, visibly upset about something unbeknownst to the teacher. Benji, though, doesn't hesitate. Knowing that it's been a rough couple of days (from Macy, not Jordan), Benji simply tells his class to keep reading, and follows the sound of fading footsteps down the hallway towards the boys' bathroom.

By the time he gets there, the door is almost finished slamming shut. Benji gently pushes it open with a light knock on the wood. "Jordan?"

Jordan jumps slightly at the sink, his knuckles white from gripping the edges of the porcelain. He glances over briefly at the familiar voice, his eyes already rimmed red, his cheeks blotchy. "I-I'm sorry, I d-didn't," he hiccups, forcing him to take in a deep breath. "I d-didn't mean to-to l-leave with-without as-asking. I j-just needaminute."

'I need a minute.' It's the phrase that Quinn and all of his counselors and therapists and social workers have told him to use since he was old enough to talk. Most of the time it doesn't work as a valid excuse, though Jordan can only hope that it does this time.

Benji cautiously approaches the eight-year-old, seeing a mixture of both fear and devastation in his expression. "That's perfectly fine. Can we maybe take a seat? See if we can get your breathing under control?"

Jordan shakes his head, forcing more air in through his nose and out through his mouth. He clenches his eyes so tightly, that pink and purple swirls fill his vision. "I'm f-fine."

"Jordan, you need to take a deep breath. I'm not mad, and you aren't in trouble, but you have to breathe."

Benji's words sound like a distant voice, one that is coming from fifty feet away, not five. But it's something for Jordan to focus on, something to take his mind off of Quinn's warnings and the serious expression that is always on her face. Something to take his mind off of Rachel's visit this afternoon. Something to take his mind off of the quickly developing feelings and connections that he's having toward Beca and Chloe. Jordan gulps, taking one last deep breath, so deep that it hurts his chest when they expand, before opening his eyes.

The teacher can practically see the anxiety radiating off of the young boy, something that he's seen from his best friend more times than he can count. Not that that necessarily makes him more comfortable, but, right now, he's not just dealing with a student. He's dealing with his best friend's nephew – someone that would be his nephew if Beca and Chloe ever decided to adopt Jordan and his siblings. Even if they aren't adopted yet, that doesn't matter to Benji – it doesn't matter to anyone in Beca and Chloe's immediate and extended family. For all intents and purposes, Jordan is a part of the family, and Benji needs to handle this the same way he would handle this type of situation if it were Rosie instead.

Benji lays a gentle hand on Jordan's shoulder, guiding him over to the radiator so that he can sit down. After a few minutes of letting Jordan focus on his breathing, Benji asks, "do you want to talk to me about what happened?"

"I'm fine. I was just over-overreacting."

"I don't think that's true. Did something happen with your group?"

Jordan leans his head back against the wall, a wave of shame and embarrassment washing over him. "No." He sighs, refusing to look at Benji. "My brain is just… busy."

Benji perches his chin on his clasped hands, keeping his gaze on the floor in front of him so he's not staring at the eight-year-old. Beca hadn't mentioned anything to him at drop-off this morning, but that doesn't mean something isn't going on. Something that Beca and Chloe should be aware of, if they aren't already. "That seems pretty frustrating."

A small voice emerges from Jordan's side of the radiator. "I'm sorry I left class."

Benji brushes off his concern. "That's alright; sometimes you need a break, and I get that." He chances a glance at the young boy, "do you know what I think might help, though?"

"What?"

The teacher feels the weight of his phone in his pocket. "Talking to someone so that your brain can get a little less busy. Maybe Beca? Chloe is in school right now, but Beca can usually talk during the day."

Jordan immediately knits his eyebrows and turns to face Benji, his nerves rising once more. "What? I thought you said I wasn't in trouble."

"You aren't. At all. But I know Beca and Chloe would want to help if there's something going on in your head. And they're both really good at helping people work through that kind of thing."

As much as Jordan is intrigued by the thought – and wouldn't necessarily mind talking to Beca right now – Quinn's warnings are loud and clear in the back of his mind. Don't say anything stupid. Don't bother them. Don't make them want to get rid of us. "I'm okay."

Benji lets out a gentle sigh. In the few weeks that he's worked with Jordan, he's discovered that underneath the timid and shy exterior, the boy truly is a sweet kid. It's clear that he only wants to do what's right, and after seeing him at Macy's birthday and the few conversations that he's had with both his friend and Beca and Chloe, they've pretty much all come to the consensus that they aren't really sure whether or not that's a good thing. Of course, they don't want him going around breaking all of the rules, but they want him to be able to talk to them about whatever he so clearly needs to talk about, without fear of getting in trouble. "Should we see if she's available anyway? I promise she won't mind. In fact, with Skylar on tour, she's probably been in a lot of boring meetings and would be grateful for the distraction."

The hesitation is apparent on Jordan's part, but even with Quinn's voice in his head, his curiosity gets the better of him. "Really?"

Benji nods enthusiastically, already pulling out his phone. "Most definitely. Let me see if I can get a hold of her."

Jordan slouches back down against the wall, his heart racing and his palms sweating despite the slight relief that he's never gotten at the thought of talking to a foster parent over the phone. Benji quickly scrolls to Beca's contact and clicks the 'call' button.

It takes a few rings before he hears the familiar voice on the other end of the line. "Hey, Benji, what's up?"

"Hey, Beca. Do you have a few minutes to chat?"

About twenty minutes away, Beca slows her pursuit of the conference room at the end of the hallway. She shifts her laptop to her other arm so that she can get a better grip on her phone. "I'm about to head into a meeting; is everything okay?"

Benji flicks his gaze over Jordan, who is very clearly straining to hear the other end of the conversation but keeps his voice steady. "Everything is fine. I have Jordan here with me in the bathroom, we're taking a bit of a breather, and he was just telling me about how his 'brain is busy.'"

Beca moves off to the side of the hallway, waving half-heartedly to one of the label executives that she is supposed to be meeting with. Unfortunately for them, her interests (and concern) has just jumped elsewhere. "Is he okay? What happened?"

"He's okay, we're just chilling out right now, but we were wondering if you had a few minutes to talk."

Beca doesn't even hesitate. "Of course. Put him on."

Jordan takes the phone with shaky hands as Benji quietly excuses himself; his ears tinged a bright pink with embarrassment. Quinn is going to kill him if she finds out about this. "Beca?"

"Hey, buddy. What's going on? Is everything okay?"

There's something about Beca's voice that make the tears sting at the back of his eyes once more. He lets out a shuddering breath, starting to swing his legs back and forth against the radiator. "I'm sorry that I called you."

Beca shakes her head even though her foster son can't see her. The brunette ignores Theo's questioning glances as he stands at the door of the conference room, trying to hurry her along. Instead, she just waves him off, focusing all of her energy on Jordan's timid words. "Hey, now, none of that. I told you that you could call me and Chloe whenever you needed something. Benji said you were feeling like your head is a little busy... did something happen in class?"

Jordan lowers his voice to a tone that is thoroughly unconvincing. "No."

"Okay. Are you feeling a little anxious about your spelling test?"

"I already took my spelling test." Jordan fails to mention that he skipped three words because he couldn't remember how to spell them, despite the fact that Chloe has been going over them with him all week.

Beca keeps her tone calm. "How do you think you did?"

"Not good."

"I'm sure you did a lot better than you think. You and Chloe have been practicing quite a bit."

"I dunno."

Beca takes a deep breath herself, resisting every urge in her being to not leave the building and just drive over to the elementary school. She can hear the pain in Jordan's voice; something that has increased over the last couple of days. Ever since Quinn skipped, he's been more hesitant around Beca and Chloe. He hasn't been as warm as he was becoming; that's not to say he was standoffish, just more… cautious. She knows she should take it as a good sign that he allowed Benji to call her, but she can't help but be nervous. "Was there something on your mind that might have distracted you during the test?"

Jordan stays silent. He doesn't want to admit it out loud, especially not to Beca, and, by default, Chloe. He doesn't want to say that he's nervous about this afternoon. He doesn't want to say that he's nervous about getting too close to them because not only will Quinn will have his head, but he doesn't think he'll survive saying the inevitable 'goodbye' to them. He doesn't want to tell her all about what is actually making his brain busy because that would be betraying his sisters, and despite everything that Quinn has done in the past, it's not like he can do that to her.

So instead, Jordan settles on the thing that seems easiest to conquer. Something that's enough to take care of some of the anxiety and convince Beca that he's telling her the full story. "I think I'm nervous about this afternoon."

"About Rachel coming over?"

"Mhmm."

Beca sighs but is grateful for the admission. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Jordan mulls his answer over in his head. "She's…scary."

"Scary?"

"Yeah. And mean."

"Mean?"

With the fleeting thought of how easy it is to talk to Beca crossing his mind, Jordan shrugs to himself. "When we see her, a lot of times we have to leave. Then she gets angry because we got kicked out of another home."

"I'm sure she just wants what's best for you and your sisters, J. It might come across as anger, but she's probably more frustrated at your old foster parents." Beca pauses, trying to make herself sound convincing. Of course, that probably is what goes through Rachel's head when she pulls the kids from a home, but that doesn't excuse her taking the frustration out on a sixteen-year-old, let alone an eight- or a five-year-old. "And as for it being scary to see her, I get it. I remember how scared Macy and I used to get when our social worker would come to visit. It's difficult to see a person who only seems to show up when bad things happen."

A small amount of peace covers Jordan like a warm blanket, a sense of familiarity being conveyed in Beca's statement. Of solidarity. He likes it. He needed it. "I guess. What was your social worker's name?"

The corners of Beca's mouth tug upward at Jordan's willingness to continue the conversation. "Her name was Meghan."

"Did you see her a lot?"

Beca shrugs to herself. "I would say a normal amount. But I remember how scary it was, not knowing what was going to happen when she got there. I was scared, and I was five years older than you were when you went into the system."

"Really?"

"Really. And you want to know something else?"

With the pressure in his chest already starting to lessen, Jordan nods. "Okay."

"You don't have anything to worry about for this afternoon. Rachel isn't taking you three anywhere. She's just coming to talk. I know that that probably doesn't take care of your nerves or your fear; but I promise you that neither you nor your sisters are moving. You're not going anywhere."

Chloe watches the timer tick down to the final seconds, before stopping it just before it rings through the classroom. "Alright, everyone, pencils down."

In the flurry of a few students trying to finish their sentence and the others that simply push their papers to the front of their desks, Chloe's eyes land on one student in particular, sitting in the back of the room with her arms crossed over her chest. Quinn's eyes are staring straight ahead, her pencil sitting at the top of her desk, but even from here, Chloe can see that there is at least something written on the lined-papers in front of her. Whether or not it's anything of substance is another story, but at least she put some words down.

Ever since Wednesday afternoon when Quinn came back late from wherever she ran off to (Chloe still doesn't have the faintest idea), things have shifted in the dynamic between Beca and Chloe, and Quinn. Once she went upstairs after Chloe and Beca talked to her, it was like a line was drawn in the sand. After that point, Quinn seemed to regress back to the guarded personality and one-word answers that she had during the first few nights of her stay. Granted, Quinn and her siblings have only been living with the Mitchells for a few weeks, but something very clearly has changed.

The moms have tried giving her space. They tried talking to her about the skipping and didn't get any answers, not that they really expected to, especially given the semi-blow-up that occurred when Quinn got back to the house. Even following that, though, she has been rather short with her foster moms and her siblings, as though something has been weighing heavily on her. Naturally, she won't say anything to Beca or Chloe about what is going on, but Chloe hates the fact that they've taken three steps back, in comparison to the three steps forward they've taken with Ava and Jordan.

But even the progress they've made with the younger Perry siblings seems to be stunted. Not as badly as Quinn's, but Jordan has been more cautious when he's around the Mitchells and more hesitant about what he says. Ava, too, has been quieter, which normally wouldn't be a problem, but she just started talking, and it kills the moms to see her moving backwards on that front.

All they can do is be patient, though. They can't force any of the kids to feel more comfortable than they do; they can't change the circumstances under which they arrived at the Mitchell home. They need to wait for the kids to come to them, but they'll be there every step of the way.

"Once you've finished your last thought, please bring your essays up and hand them in. Other than that, make sure you read chapter 16 and 17 of The Scarlet Letter this weekend, and be ready to discuss them on Monday."

Chloe gives her students a bright smile, thanking each one of them as they hand in their timed writings and bidding them a good weekend, until Quinn is the last one in line. The teen, very visibly, tries so hard to just hand in the paper without a word, but Chloe catches her before she can make a beeline for the hallway. "Quinn, do you have a minute?"

The redhead watches as Quinn's shoulders slouch, gaining a few stares from some of the remaining students in the classroom. Chloe isn't sure how much they know about Quinn – the teen has called her 'Chloe' the few times she's addressed the teacher – but it isn't like Chloe has seen Quinn interact with anyone in any of her classes. She stays silent during English, and the few times she's made her rounds through the school to check on her during lunch, study hall, and yes, a few other core classes, she's been sitting alone, in the back, without so much as glancing in another student's direction.

This time Quinn just slowly turns on her heel, sticking her hands in the pocket of the same sweatshirt she always wears, and slowly makes her way back to Chloe's desk. "Yeah?"

Chloe waits until the last of her students leave, all of them in a hurry to get to lunch. "How did you think that went?"

Quinn pulls her lips into a straight line. "Fine."

"Well, I guess that's better than 'not fine'." Chloe's smile drops as soon as she sees the teen roll her eyes, very clearly getting ready to leave. "Hold on a second. I just want to make sure we're both on the same page for this afternoon?"

Quinn's eyebrows furrow together, watching her foster mom carefully. "What do you mean?"

Chloe slowly stands from her desk chair and walks over to a seat that is closer to Quinn. She perches herself on the desktop, interlocking her fingers, and reminding her gently, "Rachel's coming for her visit this afternoon, and we need to pick up the younger kids as soon as we can, so that we can get back to the house on time."

Quinn holds back a scoff, and though she can understand where Chloe is coming from, she's not going to give her that satisfaction. "I'm not going to leave again, if that's what you're worried about. Especially when I'm supposed to be meeting with my social worker. I'm not stupid."

Chloe takes a deep – yet barely noticeable – breath. "I never said you were, sweetheart. I just wanted to check-in and –"

"—and make sure I don't make you look bad in front of Rachel. Yeah, I got it."

It's Chloe's turn to knit her eyebrows, shaking her head. "No, Quinn, that's not what I was going to say, and you know it." Quinn removes her hands from her pocket and, instead, crosses her arms over her chest, waiting for Chloe to finish. "I just wanted to remind you that we have to leave as soon as the final bell rings. That's all."

Quinn gives her a definitive nod and a mock salute laced with sarcasm. "Yep. See you then."

Chloe doesn't even have a chance to respond before the teen leaves the classroom, making it twenty feet down the hallway before Chloe can even snap out of her stunned state.

As promised, Quinn is in Chloe's car five minutes after the dismissal bell rings. It took everything in her not to be late, but she decided against making more trouble for herself. Besides, she knows how stressed Jordan and Ava get before these visits, and she doesn't want to make it harder on them, either – even if it would've been entertaining to give Chloe a little fright.

She's not trying to be overly malicious or callous, and, in all honesty, she could be a lot worse. But it's hard not to be when she can practically feel Beca and Chloe's claws digging into her.

The claws that say that they're in charge.

The claws that say they make the rules.

The claws that say they have the final say in whatever Quinn wants to do with her life. The life that she has been perfectly capable of living on her own for the last sixteen years.

The funny thing is, it's only been a few weeks, and Quinn can already see it happening. She can see it in the way Beca and Chloe corral the kids into their bedrooms at eight-thirty (eight for the girls) sharp every night. She can see it in how they somehow managed to get Jordan to set the table for dinner every night for the past week, and how her and her siblings are just expected to tell them whatever they want to hear, like it's any of their business.

The tipping point, though she can't even really call it the tipping point because she started noticing all of these behaviors following this interaction, was on Wednesday when she got back from seeing Izzy. And yes, she knows she may have messed up on her timing and that she could've saved herself a whole host of problems had she just left at quarter to two instead of two thirty, but then they wanted to know where she was. Who she was with. What she was doing.

Quinn isn't – and has never been – a fan of answering those types of questions. Prior to being put into foster care, she never had to answer those questions. Despite the Mitchell women being nice, despite them not completely freaking out when Quinn got caught blatantly skipping, she refuses to cave on the rules she's been living by for her entire life:

Don't let anyone in.

Don't let anyone control you.

You're in charge of your life.

You're in charge of the safety of your siblings.

Anything or anyone that questions that, shouldn't be trusted.

While she doesn't necessarily want to drive them away completely – she has to admit, this is the safest that she's felt, that her siblings have felt, in a while – she can't help but hide behind the walls that she has so carefully constructed over the years. It's safer that way.

Quinn answers Chloe's questions about the rest of her day with a series of half-hearted mumbles and grunts, combined with a few shoulder shrugs as they make their way to the elementary school. She perches her elbow on the side of the door, leaning her head up against her hand as the redhead seems to get the hint, turning the volume up on the radio a few notches.

It stays that way until they pull into the pick-up line, Chloe turning it down only when one of the elementary school teachers comes up to the window to check who they are picking up. It's only a few moments later that Ava and Jordan, led by Rosie, of course, are climbing into the car.

"Hi, Mommy!"

"Hi, Chloe. Hi, Quinn."

Quinn turns around in her seat as Chloe greets each one of the kids with a hug. She watches the older woman's face falling as soon as she notices that Ava remains silent as she gets buckled into her car seat.

"How was school, guys?" Chloe checks the rearview mirror once more after getting back in her seat, and cautiously pulls out of the parking lot, a light smile still on her face.

"It was good. We got to do free-reading time today, and me and Ava read together."

Chloe keeps the volume of the radio down, Quinn returning to the position she was in prior to her siblings getting in the car. "Yeah? That sounds like fun. What'd you read?"

Rosie swings her legs back and forth in her seat. "Amelia Bedelia. Mrs. Austin has all the books."

"Maybe we can pick up a few at the bookstore this weekend if you two liked them." She flicks her eyes up to the mirror once more, but this time, her eyes hover on Jordan who is buckled in the middle seat, not having said a word besides his quick greeting.

Beca called Chloe during lunch to update her about the conversation that she had with the middle Perry sibling that morning. Although not seemingly news-worthy to the untrained eye, both women know that it was a huge step that Jordan allowed Benji to call her in a time of obvious distress. Whether the anxiety that he was feeling was solely from Rachel's visit is another story, but they'll take whatever progress they can. Benji did provide Chloe and Beca with quick updates via text for the rest of the day, but it never hurts to check-in.

"What about you, Jordan? How was the rest of your day?"

If the way Chloe phrased her question wasn't enough, the way her little brother's eyes quickly shift to the ground and his ears tinge pink, is enough evidence for Quinn to know that something happened during the day that she, very clearly, hasn't been made aware of. She shifts in her seat so she can get the eight-year-old's attention. "What happened?"

Jordan slowly lifts his gaze to Quinn's, her eyebrow quirked as she waits for his answer. "Nothing."

Quinn's face remains blank yet her expression is very obviously questioning the validity of Jordan's statement. Meaning that she doesn't believe a word.

The kids don't keep secrets from her – that's not how this works. They tell her what's going on so she can stop any problems from arising that she can't handle. That's how she makes sure that they don't get hurt. It doesn't exactly work if they aren't telling her what's actually going on. "Really? That's the answer you want to go with?"

Jordan shies away from her piercing stare, the teen never once wavering.

Chloe places a gentle hand on Quinn's shoulder. "Quinn, it's fine, nothing bad happened."

She doesn't even react to her foster mom's statement. "Jordan."

The younger boy mumbles something under the watchful gazes of not just Quinn, but Ava and Rosie, too.

"Want to say that a little louder?"

Jordan sighs. "I left class."

"And…?"

His volume lowers even more. "Talked with Benji and then with Beca."

Quinn's eyes slowly close at the revelation, and it takes everything in her not reach over the space separating the two rows of seats to shake the kid. How many times does she have to tell him the same thing over and over? She knows she shouldn't be saying anything when Chloe is sitting right next to them, but it slips out before she can stop it. "Jesus Christ, Jordan."

Chloe doesn't have to even look back at Jordan to see his crestfallen expression. She can feel it a mile away. "Quinn, he didn't do anything wrong. We have told all of you kids, multiple times, that if you need to talk during the day, we are only a call away. I, for one, am not only proud of Jordan, but glad that he called Beca."

Sure, you are. Quinn once again ignores her and doesn't necessarily address her brother either. She simply turns back around in her seat, her heart clenched inside of her chest.

It's not just that she's annoyed with Jordan. It's more than that. She tells him to not do things for a reason. She makes these rules for a reason. It's so that they don't get themselves in trouble. It's so that the kids don't get hurt.

Because no matter how frustrated she may seem, that's always going to be her number one priority.

The rest of the car ride is silent, save for Chloe's occasional effort at getting the kids to say something to break the awkward tension. Even Rosie remains quiet, more so humming to herself than attempting to answer any of her mother's questions.

By the time they pull into the driveway, though, the silence is no longer a result of the agitation between Jordan and Quinn. It's the palpable anxiety that skyrockets as soon as the kids see the familiar minivan parked in front of the house.

The group slowly gets out of Chloe's car once they're in the garage, Ava moving past Rosie to get to her older sister, who doesn't hesitate to lift her up on her hip. Jordan stays a few steps behind them, scuffing his sneaker across the ground as Chloe and Rosie lead the way into the house, trying to take the pressure off of the Perry siblings as they do so. But nothing can get prevent the three different hearts from beating out of their three different chests.

As soon as the door opens, both Beca and Rachel look up from where they're sitting at the counter, talking quietly over two mugs of tea. Almost immediately, Beca can see the nerves coming off of the Perry siblings as they follow Chloe and Rosie into the mud room.

"Hey, guys."

"Hi, Mama!" Rosie kicks her shoes off with little care, just grateful to get out of the awkwardness of the car.

Beca stands before Rosie can climb into her lap, easily lifting her instead. "Hi, baby girl. How was school?"

Rosie shrugs. "It was good. Hi, Miss Rachel."

The social worker gives the young Mitchell girl a soft smile. She's always thought she was a sweetheart. "Hi, Rosie. How are you?"

"I'm good," she says with a shrug. "Did you know that Ava doesn't like you?"

Beca and Chloe's eyes widen at the same time, simultaneously shouting, "Rosie!"

Beca chances a glance at where Ava is still perched on Quinn's hip. Quinn is smirking, and to Beca's surprise, so is Ava. "You're giving away all of Ava's secrets, bug."

Rosie pouts innocently, turning to face Ava before answering Beca's accusation. "She didn't say it was a secret."

Her moms can't help but chuckle.

Rachel stands from her chair, waving hesitantly at where the Perry siblings are still standing in the doorway. "Hi, kids. How are you doing?"

Despite what happened in the car, Jordan takes a step closer to his sister, Quinn putting her free hand on his shoulder, and speaks for the three of them. "Hey."

"Does anyone want a snack?" Chloe is already heading over to cabinet to pull out the normal preferences for afterschool. Rosie immediately agrees, but Ava, Jordan, and Quinn remain quiet.

Once Rosie is satisfied, Rachel clears her throat. "Um… how do we want to do this? Beca, Chloe, I can talk to you guys first, or Quinn I can –"

"We'll go upstairs. You can come talk to us after you finish with them."

Rachel nods with a sigh. "Alright, that's fine."

Quinn places her hand on Jordan's back, leading him through the kitchen, before she pauses. "Rosie, you want to come upstairs with us?"

The five-year-old nods through a bite of fruit snacks, and wiggles out of Beca's arms, following her foster siblings without so much as a 'goodbye' to the adults in the kitchen. Rachel doesn't start talking again until they hear one of the bedroom doors close.

"So. I talked a little bit to Beca before you got here, Chloe, but how are things going?"

Chloe takes her place at the counter beside Beca, laying her hand on top of her wife's. "It's been going well for the most part. Ava and Jordan seem to be adjusting. Quinn has had a little bit more of a challenge, but we're confident that, with time, she'll get more comfortable."

Rachel nods along as Chloe talks, already starting to jot down things to convert into actual, legible notes after the meeting. "Now, Beca said there was an incident a few days ago that you two wanted to talk about?"

Chloe sighs, gripping Beca's hand and locking eyes with her. They discussed whether or not Quinn skipping would be something necessary to bring up with Rachel. In the end, they decided that, if Rachel were to find out elsewhere, it probably wouldn't be a good thing. "Quinn skipped her afternoon classes on Wednesday and was late getting back to the school."

"I can't say as I'm surprised. In fact, I think I'm more surprised that it didn't happen sooner."

Beca lets out a dry laugh. "That's not exactly reassuring."

Rachel leans back in her chair. She's been nervous about this meeting all week. She can't remember the last time that she placed the Perry siblings with a foster family and hadn't heard from them with questions or concerns or complaints in the few weeks it normally takes her to make her visit. She knows that Beca and Chloe won't scare easily, but she also wasn't sure what she was walking into in terms of their thoughts and feelings on how the siblings are doing. "She has been known to skip more classes than she attends. Her birth mom never forced her to go to school, and by the time she was put in the system, those habits were pretty hard to break."

"She wouldn't tell us where she went or what she was doing. Since then, she's been… different. More closed-off."

Rachel shrugs, placing her pen back down on her notepad. "Well, her old neighborhood is about forty minutes from here, so it's possible that she went there. As for the change in attitude, was she not as stand-offish prior to that?"

"Not really. There were a few instances where she was short with us and she hasn't been exactly forthcoming with information, but now she's barely able to stay in the same room with us. And honestly, same with Jordan, too. She even got upset with him when she found out that he talked to Beca during the school day today."

Again, Rachel isn't surprised. "Quinn is a complicated kid, to say the least. She's been through a lot. She's seen a lot. As much as I would like to tell you that I know what's going on in her head, I really have no idea. She pushes people away, she keeps to herself, and I wish I had better answers for you, but I don't. As for her and Jordan, they haven't always gotten along. It's gotten worse over the last year when they moved around more and Jordan had a tendency of being separated from the girls; but they won't talk about it with me or with anyone else, really."

Beca looks briefly up at Chloe, before returning her gaze to the social worker. "Well, we know complicated."

Despite the content of her statement, Rachel doesn't see the fear or uncertainty that she normal sees in the Perry siblings' foster parents. What she sees is much for reassuring; there's a hint of sadness, but their expressions are overwhelming one of both adoration, persistence, and dedication. "They really are good kids, guys. I just don't think anyone has given them enough time to warm up to them. But out of all of their past placements, I can tell you that no one has gotten Ava to talk as fast as you have, and no one has gotten Jordan to open up like you have. Quinn… she's been through a lot. She just needs a chance. They all do."

"How many times have I told you not to bother foster parents when they're working?"

Jordan looks down at his feet as he shifts his weight from side to side in Quinn's bedroom after they found something to entertain Rosie and Ava in their own room. He hugs his torso, his voice small when he answers. "I know."

"I'm not saying it to be a bitch, J. You know how these types of people can get sometimes. You've lived with enough of them." Quinn kneels down in front of her little brother, seeing the tears swell in his eyes. "What happened today?"

It takes a moment, but eventually Jordan shrugs. "I got distracted when we were reading. Then I got mad at one of the girls in my group. I just couldn't calm down."

"Okay. And how did that result in you calling Beca?"

Jordan allows Quinn to take his hand in hers, feeling a sense of calm when she does so. It's familiar; something that he's missed. "I got upset and left class. Benji followed me into the bathroom and said we could call Beca if I wanted. I said yes."

Quinn lets out a sigh, her anger and frustration melting away as she takes in the hunched figure of her timid and anxiety-ridden little brother. The kid that she's raised for the majority of her life. She gives his hand a light squeeze. "I'm sorry I got angry, but I just don't want you to get in trouble, J. You know that."

He nods, not looking up to meet her eyes. "I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry… next time, just maybe think a few steps ahead, okay? I know it can be scary when you get trapped in your mind – but you've been dealing with that for years. Both you and Ava have. But you know that you're always going to get out of it. You know you're going to be able to beat it. So maybe next time, just take a deep breath, focus on your heart rate, and see if you can calm down yourself, alright?"

Before Jordan can answer, there's a light tap on the bedroom door, Rachel peaking her head in shortly after. "Quinn, Jordan, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I do need to talk to both of you before I leave."

Quinn nods, giving Jordan's hand one more squeeze, before jutting her chin towards the door. "Head into your bedroom. We can finish talking later."

Without another word, Jordan leaves the bedroom, and Rachel is quickly replacing where he was standing in front of the teen. "How are you?"

Quinn pushes herself off the ground and goes over to sit on the edge of the bed. The faster she gets this over with, the better. "Fine."

"How are you liking living with Beca, Chloe, and Rosie?"

"It's fine."

Rachel gives her a defeated sigh, shaking her head to herself. "Quinn…"

"What do you want me to say, Rachel? It's great. They're great. We're one big happy family."

"Quinn, knock it off." The social worker runs an exhausted hand over her face. "I'm serious. Chloe and Beca said that you may be having a little trouble adjusting –"

"Beca and Chloe don't know me well enough to know whether or not I'm 'adjusting'."

Rachel purses her lips. "Quinn. I know what you're doing."

Quinn gives her the biggest incredulous glare that she can muster. "Really? And what exactly am I 'doing', Rachel?"

"You're self-sabotaging."

A bark of a laugh escapes Quinn's mouth. "Whatever, Rachel, you don't know the first thing about me."

Rachel holds up her hands in surrender. "That may be true, but there is one thing I do know." The older woman waits until Quinn meets her gaze. "I know that your siblings feel safe here, and I know to some degree, that you feel safe here too, whether you want to admit it or not. You have something good here, Quinn, but you're going to loose it if you don't stop long enough to realize it."

Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it :) Chapter 11 will be up on Thursday!