Walking towards the front entrance to the house at the sound of the doorbell, Lena tried Stef one more time but was unsurprised when it went to voicemail again. Well, she'd tried. Her wife wasn't going to be happy about this but Bill had sounded desperate on the phone and well… they'd have to work it out later. Lena just didn't have it in her to turn away a child in need. Opening the door and putting on her most welcoming smile, the expression faltered slightly at falling first on the adult member of the duo standing there.

"Where's Bill..?"

"Had an urgent call with another kid, this is Jude," came the brusque response, the man giving off a harried vibe no doubt as a result of too big a caseload like most social workers had in the system, as he nudged the young boy beside him forward.

Lena's gaze fell next with concern to the bruises on the boy's face and the man noticed, hurrying to explain.

"There was an incident with…" Jude shot him a pleading look and the man paused for a moment before preceding, "... one of the other children in his last placement. A fight. Actually why he needs somewhere new."

"I can't…" Lena glanced pityingly at the tragic look on the young boy's face and, for all the good it would do with him standing right there, continued in a more hushed tone;

"I can't bring someone violent into my home," she was already accepting this placement behind Stef's back, despite what they'd talked about.

"I have my own kids to think about."

"No no," the social worker quickly reassured, "It was all…"

That pause again.

"... the other kid, I promise." At Lena's continued hesitation he sighed, and offered;

"I guess I could find a spot in one of the group homes…" But the fear that blossomed on the boy's face, the pleading look in his eyes that fell upon her at that, broke Lena's resolve.

"Well… its just for a few weeks, right?"

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"... and this is my partner Stephanie's son from her previous marriage." Lena finished introducing each of her children to the quiet young boy sitting at the end of the table as she set it for dinner.

Jude said nothing but made a mental note. So Brandon was the real kid. He remembered Callie's warnings; don't ever mess with the real kids, they would always be the parents' first priority. If only she'd taken her own advice at the Olmsteads', maybe they wouldn't be in this situation right now. Part of him wanted to speak up when Mariana and Jesus were introduced, to identify, to relate, to say he understood, he had a sister he was in the system with too; they were adopted now but still, he knew they were his best allies here. But Callie had been clear just before they put her in the squad car and he didn't have her here to handle these things anymore so he had to cling to her last few pieces of advice and direction.

And her promise; she'd find him again. He just had to stay safe until then. Which meant staying quiet. So he didn't say anything when Stef entered the room, giving Lena a quick peck, but the other kids caught his change in demeanor.

"What, no one told you our mom was a cop?" Jesus asked in an almost-jovial casual tone. Jude just shook his head, remembering people in that same uniform putting cuffs on Callie. His fault. He'd known better. His sister had taught him better.

It had just been such a pretty dress.

"Who's this?" Stef asked, her tone deceptively almost kind.

"I tried to call you," Lena responded quickly and Jude made a note of that too; so already one of the parents didn't want him here. It didn't matter though. It would be fine. He could do this, even without Callie. It was just for a few weeks.

Right?

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"... find you guilty of aggravated assault… sentenced to two years in juvenile detention…" The words rang over and over again in Callie's head as she was led from the courtroom. All her careful planning, useless in one instant of making the wrong choice. She should have just gone after his precious trans am, gotten a few months for property damage, that would have gotten his attention off Jude. But she hadn't been thinking straight, he'd been hitting her baby brother… for nothing! She'd tried to tell him but he was too young to understand, the way she did, how important it was to hide that part of himself. She'd tried to push Jim off him but he was so much bigger than her and it only took one kick to the stomach to knock her down and so when she saw the bat… Callie shook her head. Stupid. She wanted to protect Jude, like she'd promised mom she always would, but she should have thought of the bigger picture.

Now she wouldn't get out until she was seventeen, no way to get a job before then, stash away money, have a place for her and Jude, try to get custody like she'd always planned for when she aged out of the system. She'd have less than a year to make it happen now and twice that of lost time to try and sift through to find her baby brother again. At least she'd messed Jim's face up enough that he probably wouldn't be in a position to keep Jude right now.

But where would he land next? Who knew what would happen in two years time? Who would keep him safe? He'd be all alone, for the first time ever. Her fault.