"Guys, up stairs with me and Grandpa," Dana said quickly as she watched the mixed emotions of her grandchildren and daughters. Stuart, Dana, and Sharon were able to get the four kids up the stairs as Stef tried to calm Callie.
"Love, listen to me, this isn't your fault," Stef said softly, stepping closer to Callie, with her hand that wasn't holding onto Callie's arm. "You didn't know he was going to grab that knife."
"I should have! I should have known he was going to try and stop me," Callie all but screamed "And this is all my fault! I wanted Liam dead, not him. He can't die! I told you I felt like something was off with Jude and you made me leave him. And now tomorrow you're going to kill him. Don't you understand?! I can't live without him. I'm loosing everything. Rita was wrong."
"Wrong about what, Callie?" Stef asked, trying to keep the girl talking.
"She said the universe isn't against me, obviously it is. And then she told me to give Robert Quinn a chance, so I did. I told them I was his biological daughter and now he won't sign the abandonment papers. She's such an idiot! She ruins everything," Callie fumed.
"Baby," Stef tried to pull her into a hug.
"Don't," Callie said harshly, pulling away, "Robert's going to make me move in with him. Jude's gone. You aren't my mother, he won't let you be" Callie cried angerly Callie was able to pull away from Stef, letting out a frustrated half yell when she saw Lena standing at the front door, ready to block Callie from another night out drinking. Callie turned and ran up the stairs two at a time. The door to Stef and Lena's room was open and Callie could see the grandparents and kids sitting on the bed. Turning she slammed the door to her bedroom and flung herself on her bed, starting to cry.
It was an hour later that Stef and Lena finally made their way upstairs. Looking into their bedroom they saw everyone watching a movie. In the girls' room they found Callie asleep clutching a sweatshirt of Jude's.
"She cried herself to sleep," Lena said softly, looking to see her daughter's tear stained face. She brushed hair out of Callie's face, "Sshh, Mom's just going to take your shoes off," Lena whispered as the girl jerked, kissing her forehead when she stopped fighting. Stef slipped Callie's shoes off and threw a throw blanket over her.
Once everyone else had gone to bed they made their way to their bedroom, both a little too tipsy from a glass too much of wine. Neither had spoken to eachother much in the last two hours. "What do we do?" Lena asked after an eternity of silence.
"I don't know," Stef admitted.
"Do you think they'll ask? what happened."
"I know," Stef returned the sigh.
"For a brief moment, I hated her," Lena whispered, "What the hell was she thinking?" She asked, "And then, oh God, Stef. My baby. Both of them."
Stef pulled Lena in her arms, resting her chin on the top of Lena's head, "She wasn't thinking rationally, and she was scared, scared to be taken away from us, scared of what Liam said to her."
"How do we keep her safe?" Lena asked as Stef could feel her squeezing her eyes closed.
"I don't know," Stef sighed, "I don't know what to do, without telling Roberts." Stef stroked Lena's hair as she felt moisture on her collarbone, the slight tremors of Lena's body.