Chapter 19

Callie reluctantly followed her father into the house. She was greeted by Sophia, who came running at the sound of the door opening. Her eyes fell to Callie's stomach, her eyes widening slightly. She hadn't seen Callie in a couple of weeks; the last time she saw her the brunette was wearing a baggy shirt to hide the pregnancy. Now she was wearing a fitted shirt, showing her indeed pregnant body. "It's…it's true. You're really pregnant?"

"Soph, she just walked in the door. Let's not bombard her." Robert warned gently as he closed the door behind Callie.

Callie nodded as she placed a hand on her stomach. "It's true."

"And those guys really…" Sophia began, but her father shook his head as he shot her a warning glance.

Callie shifted uncomfortably. Apparently, Robert shared everything with the young teenager. "Yup."

"Why don't you let me and Callie talk for a little while, okay?" Robert suggested as he started for the living room. Sophia frowned, but nodded before disappearing upstairs.

Callie took a seat on the chair in the living room. Her feet and back ached as it did on most days lately. Her stomach knotted as Robert sat on the couch. He wanted to talk to her alone. She feared where this conversation was going. Was he going to the judge about something? Was he going to try to convince her to get rid of the baby. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I've been thinking constantly since you told me everything that happened. It makes me sick to think about what you went through- what you are going through. I also can't imagine what it was like to be thrown around from home to home. You've really had no say it what happens to you, huh?"

Callie shook her head as a humorless laugh escaped her lips. She had no control over her life since her mother died. She was forced from abusive home to abusive home. She was forced to grow up at the age of ten. She was forced to protect Jude. She was forced to lose her virginity. She was forced to go to juvie. She was forced to have sex against her will. She was forced into pregnancy. This list went on and on. "No. I've been forced into pretty much everything in my life."

Robert frowned. He didn't know Callie before she had endured so much pain and heartache in her life. He didn't know what she was like before that, but he certainly knew she didn't deserve it. And he couldn't comprehend how the girl sitting before him was still so strong, so selfless, so loving after all that she had been through. "I want you to live with me. I want to be your father, but more than that I want you to be happy. I don't want to take another choice away from you. I don't want to be like everyone else that has hurt you."

Callie let out a sigh of relief. She couldn't believe the words she was hearing. Robert slid a pile of papers on the table; abandonment papers with his signature engraved at the bottom. Callie blinked to make sure her eyes weren't playing a trick.

"I signed the papers."

"You are still my dad, you know. And you always will be. I want a relationship with you. Sophia and Jill too." Calle shifted in her chair. "There's um…something I should tell you though."

Robert leaned forward. "You can tell me anything, Callie."

"I uh…I've been seeing Brandon."

Robert stared blankly. He opened his mouth, but no words came out for a moment. "Seeing him? As in dating? Do…do Stef and Lena know?"

"Yes, dating him. Since New Year's. They didn't know for a while. They found out when you said you wouldn't sign the papers." Callie began slowly. She wasn't sure how telling him would turn out. The fear of him going straight to the judge with this information was still there, but after hearing his speech today she couldn't imagine him doing so. And she was tired of keeping secrets. "It's kind of a long story, but Brandon and I fell for each other when I first came to live with them. We started something while I was at Girls United. Stef and Lena had forbidden it, but we snuck around before I thought I needed a family more than a boyfriend. We tried to stop loving each other, but it didn't work. And so, after the night that…that I was attacked, I guess we both realized how much we loved each other and that was never going to change. He's been amazing through all of this and honestly I don't know how I would be dealing without him."

"Okay wow…" Robert let out a puff of air as he tried to process the news. The girl before him seemed to drop a new bomb every time her saw her. "I mean honestly it kind of makes sense. You two were always together and seemed close. But I thought you've been fighting to have the Fosters adopt you? I mean they can't adopt you if you're with Brandon. That would make you guys siblings."

"I know, it's the reason we broke up the first time. But I realized that Brandon is my true happiness and that I'd be willing to sacrifice adoption for that, but I'm not willing to sacrifice Brandon for adoption. So, the plan was for the Fosters to just continue to foster me. I wanted the papers signed so there was no chance of being pulled from the house by you, but then you were fighting for custody and so Stef's plan was to get me emancipated, but that was before she knew I was pregnant. She said she still has a plan, but I'm not really sure what." Callie explained. Stef continued to tell her not to worry that she had more than one plan to keep Callie in the house, but Callie wasn't sure if she was just telling her that. "But now I don't know. I mean even if you withdraw your rights, I think the judge is going to investigate as to why the Fosters aren't going through with the adoption. And 18 is still over a year away. I don't know if me and Brandon can hide our relationship that long."

"Callie, you're so young. You have your whole life ahead of you and you don't know what's going to happen. Do you really want to throw something so big away for a boy? I mean what happens if you guys break up in a year?"

"I get where you're coming from, but I'm not a normal teenager." Callie began. She understood his reasonings; it was similar to Stef and Lena's responses to her decisions too. But the adults didn't see the trueness of the relationship. All they saw was how young they were. "This is real. Since Mom died, my life has been miserable with one bad thing after another. The Fosters in general have brought me happiness, but especially Brandon. After everything I've been through, I honestly didn't think I'd be able to trust someone or feel safe with someone, but I do. I trust Brandon more than anyone and he makes me feel so safe. I mean he wants to be a father to this baby without me even asking. What other seventeen-year-old boy do you know that would do that in this situation?"

"I don't think many would." Robert agreed. Most teenage boys wouldn't stick around if they had been the ones to get their girlfriends pregnant. Grown men had left their girlfriends or wives after finding out they were pregnant. So, Brandon voluntarily wanting to raise that baby of his girlfriend that was a result of rape was pretty remarkable. "I'll take your word, but what does this mean? I mean if I sign these papers and the judge investigates why the Fosters aren't adopting you, what happens if he finds out about you and Brandon? Can't they place you in a random foster home?"

Callie's stomach lurched at just the thought of being placed in another foster home. Out of the seven homes she had been placed in, the Fosters was the only loving and safe one. The other six had been dangerous; she had even feared being killed in the last one before the Fosters. She wouldn't have Jude to look after this time, but even worse she would have a baby. The only family that would take in a teenager with a baby and the file she had would be a family just looking to cash their monthly check, which often resulted in an abusive home. "Uh yeah I guess it is possible. I mean that's why Stef supposedly has some plan, but I'm not sure if she actually does. Emancipation would have been ideal, but it's nearly impossible to do when you're pregnant."

"Am I really that bad to live with?" Robert asked with a small grin.

"No." Callie shook her head. "It's not that I don't want to live with you or want a relationship with you, it's just…the Fosters feel like home. Since my mother died, that was the only home that made me feel loved and safe. I'm tired of changing homes. I don't want to adjust again. Jude is there too and I know most people don't live with their boyfriends this young, but knowing Brandon is down the hall has made dealing with everything so much easier. He's the one who knows how to help me after a nightmare, he knows how to get me out of a panic attack, he knows when I start going down a dark path."

"You should be a lawyer." Robert chuckled. Any doubt he had, she managed to convince him otherwise. "What if…I legally had custody of you, but you still lived with the Fosters?"

Callie thought about his proposition for a moment. "You would do that?"

"Like I said, I just want you to be happy. I don't want to take another choice away from you. As long as you continue to have a relationship with me."

"Of course." Callie pushed herself off the chair and moved to sit beside Robert. She wrapped her arms around him, embracing him in a hug. Tears welled in her eyes as she pulled away. "Thank you. You have no idea how much this means. I'll obviously have to talk to Stef and Lena. And I promise I will see you at least once a week or call everyday if you want. I really do want a relationship with you."

"I hope those are happy tears." Robert laughed.

Callie nodded with a smile as she wiped at her dampened cheeks. It was amazing how easily she cried lately. "Yes. Pregnancy hormones."

"I'll never forget when Jill was about six months pregnant with Sophia, I finished the jar of pickles one night and then later in the night she went to have one and she sobbed when she found out there was none. I felt so bad. I had to drive 40 minutes to a 24 hour market that sold the specific type she wanted." Robert reminisced about that very night.

A laugh escaped Callie's lips as she placed a hand over her stomach. She could definitely see herself crying in that situation. "Brandon's gone on plenty of craving runs already. I don't even ask though. If I say I'm craving something, he already has the car keys in his hand."

"He seems like a good guy."

"He is." Callie nodded with a grin. Good was an understatement. There were no words to describe just how amazing Brandon was.

"I'm going to have to come after him if he breaks your heart though." Robert grinned, partly joking and partly serious.

"I don't think he will." Callie smiled. Her smile widened when she felt her stomach tumbling. "I swear she kicks every time I talk about Brandon."

Robert confirmed Callie's pregnancy over a week ago now, but he was still struggling to wrap his mind around it. "She's kicking?"

Callie nodded. "Do you want to feel?"

"Sure."

Callie took Robert's hand and placed it on the right side of her bump. "She's a daddy's little girl already. She always kicks like crazy for Brandon."

"Sophia used to do the same to me and she is indeed a daddy's little girl." Robert grinned as he felt the small jolt against his hand. "I want you to know that the baby is welcome here anytime when she is born and I'd be happy to babysit or help in any way that you need."

A small sigh of relief escaped Callie's lips. One of her biggest fears was people rejecting the baby because of the circumstances. It had been a huge relief when Brandon and the rest of the family accepted her. But she didn't yet know how Robert, Jill, and Sophia would feel about her. "Thank you. That means a lot."

Callie followed Brandon into the kitchen after they entered the house. Stef and Lena were in the kitchen, finishing cleaning up from dinner. Stef turned at the sound of footsteps, holding a plate and a towel. "Hey, we missed you two at dinner. Did you guys enjoy your dinner out?"

"Callie sure did." Brandon teased with a grin.

Callie slapped him playfully, before placing her hand on her bump. "I'm eating for two here."

Lena laughed, completely understanding passion for food, increased appetite, and weird cravings. "Well there's leftovers in the fridge in case you get hungry again later."

"She will be." Brandon smirked, earning another nudge from his girlfriend. He let out a chuckle before wrapping an arm around her waist and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I'm just teasing."

"B, you don't want to upset the pregnant women." Stef winked at her son with a grin.

"That's right." Lena nodded in agreement.

Callie hesitated for a moment. "There's uh something I have to tell you guys."

Stef's stomach dropped and she placed the plate she was holding down, bracing herself. Anytime Callie started a conversation like that a bomb was dropped and Stef wasn't sure if she could handle anymore. "Is this something as big as you dating Brandon or being pregnant?"

"I don't think so." Callie said. "It has to do with Robert."

"Let me sit first." Stef moved to sit at the kitchen table, Lena following her actions.

"He signed the abandonment papers so I told him about me and Brandon. Long story short, he offered to have legal custody, but allow me to continue living here. He said he wouldn't parent me in any way unless you wanted him to. He just wants a relationship with me."

Stef opened her mouth, but no words came out. She exchanged glances with Lena, both trying to comprehend the news. Stef shifted forward in her chair. "Okay wow…I mean I'm thrilled that he's offered this and is willing to listen to your wants, but I just…suppose he changes his mind and then he has custody and there is absolutely nothing we can do?"

"Then worst-case scenario I have to go live with Robert, but I'll be safe. Right now, we're risking me being placed in a random foster home if the judge finds out about me and Brandon. And I don't think he'll suddenly change his mind. He's realized that I've had absolutely no control over anything in my life and he doesn't want to be another person to force something on me." Callie said. "Emancipation is out and I know you keep telling me you are working on things, but can you honestly tell me you have any other way?"

Stef pursed her lips. "Not at the moment, but I'm looking into things. I mean there are factors to think about with this Robert thing. Medical decisions, insurance, financial aspects."

"But that's the only option to stay in this house. The only other option is to live with Robert. He can't sign the papers and leave you guys to foster me because the judge is going to investigate why we're not going through with the adoption. Plus, me and Brandon can't hide our relationship forever."

Guilt swam in Brandon's stomach. He felt responsible for this dilemma; he was the reason Callie couldn't be adopted. "What if I moved in with Dad? Couldn't you just continue to foster her then?"

Stef opened her mouth, but Callie beat her to it. "No. You're not moving out. If anyone moves out it would be me. I'm pretty sure the judge would still see an issue with it anyway."

"I don't want to be the cause of you not staying in this house though."

Callie shook her head, reaching out to take his hand in hers. "You're not. Please don't feel guilty about this. I told you, I can handle living with Robert, but I can't handle not being with you."

Stef and Lena exchanged glances once again, sharing each other's thoughts silently. They had both been weary on their decision to support this relationship. Both had feared it would be short lived and something so huge would be sacrificed for nothing. But after the two stopped hiding their relationship at home, they observed first hand on just how much the two loved each other.

"But I can't go to another foster home. I have Melody to think about and I can't take risk of her in foster care so it's either Robert's solution or I live with Robert." Callie placed the hand that wasn't holding Brandon's over her stomach. Any time she thought of being in a new foster home either pregnant or with a baby she felt nauseous.

"You're not going to another foster home. I'm not going to allow that to happen to Melody or you. Your safety matters too, Cal." Stef was concerned for Callie's disregard for herself. The young brunette was constantly worrying about everyone else's wellbeing. She thought back to that night they rescued Jude when Callie first came to live with them. Callie risking her life to save her brother was the first time they had seen Callie's selflessness. Stef later told the girl that she wasn't worthless or disposable, but now almost a year later, Stef didn't know if Callie ever absorbed that message. "Let me and Mama discuss this further and talk to Robert about this too."

"This may be a crazy idea, but what if we got married? Wouldn't that automatically emancipate her?"

Stef's eyebrows rose to her hairline. "Are you serious, B?"

Callie couldn't help the smile that found her lips. The thought of marrying Brandon now was crazy, yet it didn't scare her. And it didn't seem to scare him either as he met her eyes and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Just think about it for a minute. It would automatically emancipate her and then she could continue to live here."

"You need parental permission for that." Lena spoke up. "And it would look really bad if we agreed to that. I don't know if the judge would even accept our approval."

"Couldn't Robert consent?" Callie suggested.

"Are you two insane?" Stef's eyes grew wide as she looked at the two teenagers incredulously. "You haven't even finished high school!"

"Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't be getting married yet. But it's going to happen eventually anyway so if it'll guarantee Callie staying here then why not?"

Stef held her hand up to stop the idea from growing. "Let me and Mama talk about everything. We need to talk to Robert about this too, okay? I'll get in touch with him tomorrow."

Callie and Brandon both nodded. Callie didn't care exactly how it happened, but she needed a finalized net; something that wouldn't allow for her to be placed in another foster home and still be with Brandon. And she knew it needed to happen soon because the trial was approaching and she knew the defense would uncover any secrets they could.

Thanks for reading! I feel like I have to keep apologizing for the delay. I was taking a summer course, which was intense and left me little time to write. It has finished now so should have plenty of free time to write. I've gotten a few requests on things people want to see and I just want to remind people that I am open to ideas, especially if you want to just see a scene between two characters. I will try to incorporate if I can, but just be patient as it may not happen for several chapters.

Foster's Finale: Loved seeing them grown up, but I was not happy that Brandon married Eliza. I'm probably biased because I want Brallie. My problem with it was that they made it seem as though they were going to get together and they made us dislike Eliza. If they didn't tease it, I probably wouldn't have been upset. I am so sad the show has come to an end, but I am really excited for the spin off.

Review!