Chapter 21

Callie stood on trembling legs between Stef and Lena in the small office. Robert and Jill stood to the left; all of them unware to the reasons behind this meeting. Callie's eyes wandered the room, from the books on the shelf to the frames and files sprawled across the desk as she waited anxiously for the judge to arrive. Her clammy hands moved to rest on her bump, trying to focus on the tumbling in her stomach. It was almost as though Melody knew she needed a distraction, but no matter how much she tried to focus on the feeling of her kicking, her mind strayed to the anxious thoughts consuming her.

Her main fear was that the judge discovered her relationship with Brandon and he was going to toss her in another foster home. But would he call Robert and Jill in for that too? If that was the case, maybe he could just force her to live with the Quinns. Or maybe he was just checking for any updates about decisions. But he wouldn't call them in at such short notice.

Callie's muscles tensed at the sound of approaching footsteps. Her head moved towards the door to find the judge entering, nursing a mug of steaming coffee. Callie couldn't help but feel anger towards the man. He made them wait in his office anxiously so he could get a cup of coffee.

"Hello, thank you for meeting me on short notice." He greeted as he placed the mug on his desk and took a seat in his chair. The adults all nodded with a small smile, but Callie couldn't find it in her to be gracious. He pointed at Callie. "It's come to my attention that Callie is expecting, and this seems to be confirmed, correct?"

Callie nodded, slightly relieved. Finding out about the pregnancy was better than finding out about Brandon, but she still didn't know what this meant. "Yes sir."

"Does this have an effect on anything?" Stef asked.

"Well, I am aware of the past history between Callie and your son, Brandon, and so I have to ask who the father of this child is."

Callie froze for a moment. Too much was happening in that one response. Her relationship with Brandon and her daughter's biological father was being questioned. Her throat felt as though it was closing, blocking oxygen from filling her lungs. "I'm…it was…it was from the assault."

He pursed his lips as he nodded. "I see, except that has not yet been confirmed. So I'm concerned about your behavior."

Callie felt her heart sink to her stomach. He didn't take her word; he was making judgements from her file.

Stef felt her own anger rise in her chest at his implications. "Sir, we're in the process of incriminating both boys with multiple charges. The defense was advising a plea and keeps pushing off the trial in attempt to find some sort of loophole. All of the evidence is there. Callie was in the hospital for a week, with injuries that almost killed her. She is still suffering from physical ailments from the assault, as well as a pregnancy, and emotional effects. Callie's behavior is not a problem, which is actually a shock after all she has been through."

"I understand, but I have to abide by the law which states innocent until proven guilty. And Callie has a history. How far along are you, Callie?"

"Twenty-six weeks." She said curtly.

"So that does put you around the time of the event. What are your plans for this child?"

Callie's stomach knotted further. Would he take her baby away from her? He clearly saw her as a rebellious, troublesome teenager; was that enough for him to evoke custody? "I'm keeping her."

"I see." He nodded as his eyes glanced down to the papers on his desk.

"May I ask what this has to do with anything?" Robert spoke up.

"I think it would be in everyone's best interest that Callie resides with the Quinn's if she is going to be raising a baby."

The room fell eerily quiet for a moment as the Fosters and Quinn processed the judge's words. Everyone needed to be careful about their words. Callie was the one to break the silence. "Fine, whatever. I'm done fighting because you're only going to see it your way anyway."

Callie felt Stef place a hand on her arm and she wasn't sure if it was meant to be comforting or a warning.

"Watch your tone, Miss. Jacob." The judge warned with raised eyebrows.

"I'm sorry if you don't like my tone, sir, but if you would take a second to see things from my perspective. Whatever you have in those files is from the side of the people that abused, starved, or neglected me and my brother. Yes, I smashed my foster father's car because he was beating my little brother. I would do it all over again if it meant keeping Jude safe. I've had no control over my life. My mother died and my life turned to hell. I was tossed around from one abusive foster home to an even worse one for seven years. And then I finally find a safe, loving home and I may not even be able to stay there. So, I'm sorry, but I think you can see my frustrations. I've been fighting for the past eight years and I just can't do it anymore." Calle was tired of fighting. She had been fighting for seven years to keep Jude safe, fighting to keep them together, fighting to find a family. And once she finally found the Fosters, she still somehow had to fight; this time to stay in a safe home as well as her safety from Vico and Liam.

"I see your frustrations, but this isn't as simple as granting you what you want. And I don't see how the Adam's Fosters are fit for making room for another baby with four kids and a baby of their own on the way."

Stef cleared her throat. Anger coursed through her veins with every word the judge spoke, but she remained respectful. "Your honor, my wife and I are making arrangements. We've been in contact with our twins' birth father, who works in construction. He's been helping us do some work on the house. We can accommodate Callie and her baby."

He pursed his lips once again. "Why don't we increase Callie's visits with the Quinns to two days a week and we'll meet again in a few weeks."

Callie stared blankly, letting the adult in the room respond. She heard Stef and Robert both reply to his decision, but she remained silent. She knew if she did open her mouth, it would more than likely get her in trouble. She was tired of waiting. She was tired of decisions being made for her. She was tired of constantly fighting.

The ride home was silent with the exception of the radio playing softly. Stef glanced at the brunette in the back through her mirror every now and then. Each time, she found her staring out the window with a drawn expression. It wasn't until she heard a small sniffle that she glanced at up and found Callie's cheeks painted with tears in the reflection. "What's wrong, Callie?"

Lena glanced at her wife before turning her head back to find the teenager crying. It was quite shocking to see her crying. For the months Callie had been with the Fosters before the winter ball, they had seen her cry maybe three times. It was part of the tough image she had to develop in her time in foster care. Crying made her vulnerable and added fuel to the fire in an abusive home. After the winter ball, Stef and Lena had witnessed multiple breakdowns, but it was usually following a panic attack or some sort of trigger. The pregnancy also made her most susceptible to crying, but again there was some sort of trigger. Lena wasn't sure if she ever just found the young girl crying.

"Why are you crying, bug?" Lena asked softly

Callie wiped at her dampened cheeks, feeling shameful that she was caught crying. "I'm sorry…I…I don't know. I'm just tired of all of this."

"All of what, sweets?" Stef asked. She could probably create a list of all the things Callie was referring to, but she wanted to hear it from the girl herself. The walls Callie put up were nearly indestructible, but they needed to chip away at them when the opportunity rose.

"Of fighting, of having absolutely no control, of being judged on a file that isn't true." Callie wiped at her cheeks as tears continued to trickle down them. She was exhausted physically and mentally. There was always a constant anxiety consuming her and she just wanted a break from it. She just wanted things to go right for once, to feel safe, to have a permanent home, to have some sort of control.

"Oh, my love." Stef sighed sadly. She felt her heart twinge for the pain the young girl was constantly enduring. At nearly seventeen, Callie was dealing with things nobody should ever have to deal with. Most teenagers her age were focusing on college, and instead Callie had to worry about raising a child, convicting the boys that raped her, and staying in a safe home. It was heartbreaking to hear the defeat in the brunette's voice; Callie never stopped fighting no matter how difficult things became. Yet, Stef completely understood. There was only so much one person could take. "We're going to settle this."

"I think we should just let Robert have custody. Even if you guys don't want to work something out where I can still live with you. I'll just live with him then. I just need this to be over with. I can't risk going to another foster home with Melody." Callie's heart quickened every time she thought of going to a new foster or group home while pregnant or with a baby.

"You're not going to another foster home. If the judge found out about you and Brandon, he would probably just give Robert rights. If they did place you in a foster home, we would set you up with Rita." Stef reassured, noting that once again Callie's worry was about someone else's safety and not her own.

"And you're sure about choosing Brandon? There's only so far we can fight for you with this relationship." Lena asked gently. She was already pretty certain of Callie's answer.

"Yes. That's not even up for debate. I can handle living with Robert, I can't handle not being with Brandon." Callie said adamantly. "So I just don't see why there's really any point in dragging this out longer. There's no way around this. Robert is going to get custody no matter how this ends."

"It buys us longer time to keep you in the house and maybe come up with another plan." Stef said as she pulled into the driveway.

"But Robert is letting me stay in the house even if he has custody. He already promised to give you guys full parental rights and he'll only step in if you guys want." Callie clicked her seatbelt off as Stef pushed the car into park.

"It may be our best option, Stef. It's a safer bet than the judge pulling her out. I mean we hope Robert sticks to his word, which he probably will because he loves Callie, but if he doesn't, at least she's safe and she'll still be here. She'll still have a relationship with us." Lena reached across her lap to unbuckle her own seatbelt.

Stef let out a puff of air as her hand fell from the steering wheel. She wished there was a simpler solution. "Alright, if that's what you want, Callie. We'll finish talking to Robert, but you're right, I guess we don't need to drag this out. We just want you to be happy and safe."

"And I will be if I'm with Brandon, know that Melody is safe, and can still have relationship with all of you guys." Callie wanted to continue living with the Fosters. It felt like home. Of course she loved that Brandon was right down the hall, but she also loved living with everyone else. They had a certain dynamic that was comforting, loving, safe. Someone was always around to talk, they had dinner together nearly every night, they often sat down together to watch a movie or huddled on Stef and Lena's bed to play a game. She wanted nothing more to continue her relationship with Brandon and live with the Fosters, but she was willing to take the risk of Robert not following through with his word and being forced to live with him. The Quinn's didn't quite have the same dynamic nor did they feel like home, but they were still good people, they loved Callie, and she would be safe. It was a much safer alternative than risking being moved to another foster home or group home; one that would more than likely be abusive.

Stef turned off the car. "Okay. We'll talk to Robert and see when we can meet with the judge again."

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Will the judge agree to their plan? Will Robert stick to his word? Find out next chapter!

Review!