Just to say again, I'm responding to feedback privately instead of in-fic so if you have an anon account, I won't be able to reply, but I appreciate you greatly!

Chapter Two

"Okay, whose turn is it to stir first?"

Three hands went up as Robyn and Lily fought each other to reach up while Emily hung back, waving gently. Tara knew it was really Emily's turn because Emily was the only one who wouldn't lie about it.

"Come here koala bear," she said and brought the bowl of pancake batter down for Emily to wield her little arm around.

"I'm next!" Lily shoved herself forward and Tara let her and Robyn duke it out as she had learned to come between their conflicts only made things worse.

It had taken a bonk on the head to figure that one out, a literal one.

Once each girl had had the opportunity to stir the batter, Tara lifted it toward Kayden, who was sitting at the island trying his best to look invisible.

"Would you like to stir, Kayden?"

Kayden looked almost startled to be addressed and quickly shook his head. Tara just smiled easily.

"Okay, then you get to decide if we cook funny shapes or round."

With three sets of young, eager eyes staring up at him, Kayden's brow furrowed with concentration.

"…funny shapes?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" came the cheers from the girls and Kayden looked relieved and even slightly pleased that he'd made the right choice.

Tara turned to the burner and ladled the first scoop of batter into the skillet.

"Okay girls, get your plates!"

They lined up in the same order they'd stirred in and Tara quickly got a steady stream of pancakes coming out. Once the girls had taken theirs, she brought the next one over to Kayden on a plate.

"I tried to do a guitar but I didn't quite succeed," she replied bashfully and smiled, "Still tastes as good."

Kayden looked down at the plate and back up at Tara.

"T-thank you."

Tara leaned over the island on her elbows to be more at his level.

"Sorry for the running commentary on whether their pancake is a rhombus or a parallelogram. Willow says it's a good way to prepare them for geometry," she said affectionately as the girls argued among themselves beside him, "Do you do geometry classes?"

"Yeah," Kayden replied and swallowed deeply, "Tomorrow morning."

He used the fork to nibble on his pancake then looked at Tara again the way he had when she first gave it to him; disconcerted.

"What's going to happen? Tomorrow?"

"You're going to go to school," Tara replied easily, covering Kayden's hand with hers, "And you're going to listen to everything your teacher has to say so that you can help me make some new shapes. Okay?"

Kayden gulped again and Tara patted his hand.

"If you need to talk you can pull me aside any time, okay?" she promised in a gentle tone and didn't dwell, "Another pancake?"

"Did I hear pancakes?" JJ's voice came from the hall and he appeared moments later shirtless and wearing just his pajama bottoms.

"How nice of you to join us," Tara said with a wry smile over her shoulder.

There was a chorus of good mornings from the girls and Kayden nodded at him.

"Alright man," JJ said as he ran his hand back through his sandy hair with one hand and patted Kayden on the back with the other, missing his wince.

"Finished!" Lily announced first and all but dove off of her stool.

"Bring your plate to the sink please," Tara advised, then reached into a nearby cabinet and took down two little bottles.

She poured a cup of water and bent down to Lily's level.

"Mommy's going to take her pill and you'll take yours, okay?"

She swallowed her anti-depressant and watched Lily take her Ritalin. She kissed Lily's head.

"Good girl. Go play with your sisters."

Lily skidded back over in that direction, but just like the rest of the weekend, she was far more interested in their house guest. She pulled out of his sleeve.

"Kayden, come see my costumes! I have Elsa and Hermione and Wonder Woman and a pirate and a minion and…"

"No Kayden, come show me your guitar!" Robyn insisted, tugging him from the side.

"We can draw i-if you wanna," Emily suggested shyly, adjusting her glasses so her face would be hidden.

"Girls, leave Kayden alone," Tara warned.

"I-it's okay," Kayden replied agreeably, "I can play with you guys."

He was promptly dragged off and JJ thrust his chest out.

"I've been replaced."

"Never," Tara shook her head and squeezed JJ's defined bicep, "Just the excitement of someone new to hang out of."

JJ just smiled; he was easy going like that, though there was a troubled twitch on his lips.

"Mom, what's happening?"

Tara met his gaze assuredly.

"You let me take care of it, okay?"

JJ smiled again and glanced down at himself.

"Am I dressed for pancakes?"

"You're barely dressed at all," Tara replied wryly with her lips quirking up on one side, "But I think that's fine for pancakes."

JJ went over to the fridge and opened it.

"Can I have a funny shape?" he asked as he unscrewed the cap on the orange juice and started to chug it.

Tara nodded.

"Yes, you — use a glass, please — yes, you can."

When he didn't, Tara flicked his abs with the spatula.

"Jacob James. Glass."

JJ just put the orange juice carton back in the door of the fridge instead.

"Did you know the name James comes from the name Jacob?" he asked, kicking his leg back up behind him as he crossed his arms across his chest, "Why'd you name me two of the same name?"

"We kinda had to name you in a hurry, bud," Willow's sleepy voice came from the doorway as she walked in wrapped in her robe, "Didn't have time to look up the etymological origins of every name that popped into our heads. You were JJ before you were Jacob or James."

"You're lucky you're not John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt considering that's was what inspired your name," Tara added as she slid a pancake onto a plate and handed it over to him, "Funny shape."

JJ kissed Tara's cheek.

"Thanks, Mom," he said as he walked past to join the other kids in the living room, "Ooh, a polygon."

Willow walked up and embraced Tara from behind.

"One of those available for me?"

"If you give me a couple of minutes," Tara answered as she gave the last of the batter a fresh stir.

"Guess I'll just have to hang on," Willow joked with a chuckled on Tara's neck.

Tara smiled.

"Good morning love," she greeted softly.

"Good morning," Willow replied with a kiss to the side of Willow's neck, "Thanks for holding down the fort this morning."

"I was up early anyway to tend to my roses," Tara said then let out a soft exhale, "Kayden was already awake when I got up."

"Yeah?" Willow asked with an unseen eyebrow raise.

"He was cleaning," Tara nodded in a slightly tense tone, "Emptied the dishwasher and took out the trash."

Willow frowned.

"Oh?"

Tara nodded again.

"I think he thinks we need to think he's useful or we'll kick him out onto the streets again…or worse, where he was before."

"Oh," Willow replied through a long breath, "I hope he doesn't think we'd kick him out. He's a really sweet boy, so polite. You'd never know he's going through so much."

"Mmm…" Tara said uncomfortably, "At least he isn't running. That says something. That he's stayed when he's had the opportunity to go."

Willow nodded on Tara's shoulder.

"It does. Says something about you. And now I get to say something about you. I love you."

Tara leaned back to press a kiss to Willow's lips.

"I love you too."

In the hallway, Kayden spied on the silent embrace and crossed his own arms across his body to hug himself.

Tara weaved through the cubicles at work at a fast pace to get to the meeting room in the back.

The three other team leaders were already in there, so Tara closed the door behind her when she got in.

"Hi Steph, hi Arnold, hi, Ross," she greeted as she took a seat around the table and opened her binder, "I'm so sorry that I'm late. I dropped the kids right to school this morning and traffic was hell."

"It's not a problem, we hadn't even started yet," Steph replied in a friendly tone, "But if everyone is ready…"

Everyone else's binders were opened and they began the discussion of their cases for the week ahead.

"Tara, I can see you initiated a transfer from the Emerson office…" Steph said as she pulled one of the last files in the middle of the table toward her.

"I presented the home with formal papers of child acquisition this morning," Tara replied as she clicked her pen back into use.

Steph looked up from the page in surprise.

"You only requested the transfer this morning."

"I requested the transfer on Saturday," Tara clarified, "The system only put it through this morning. There was no contest from Emerson. I'd given them a heads up already."

Steph exchanged a confused look with the two men, who seemed to be as befuddled as she was by the turn of events.

"You weren't on call this weekend, were you?" Steph asked as her eyes scanned the small amount of documents in her possession to put the pieces together, "I think you're going to have to walk us through this one, Tara."

Tara sat up straighter in her chair and held a page scribbled with her notes in front of it.

"I was made aware of a 14-year-old boy, Kayden West, possibly presenting himself as homeless on Friday night and upon looking into his case found a troubling history that wasn't getting the attention it required. I later received a verbal admission of physical abuse in the home from the young person. I initiated proceedings to formally remove him from the custody of his maternal aunt Roxy Mackenzie-Miller and her husband Antony Miller. Parents are deceased, no other living relatives are known."

Steph wrote her own notes as Tara spoke.

"How were you made aware of these circumstances?"

Tara set her pen down.

"My son him brought him home. Found him in the school after hours and was suspicious."

"Wise boy," Steph replied, tucking some hair behind her ear as it fell into her face from looking down at her notepad, "This certainly warrants an investigation that should have taken place before now. Has Kayden been taken into our custody? Was an emergency foster home found for the weekend or has he been placed in a group home?"

"He's in school," Tara replied evenly, "I'll collect him at the end of the day."

Steph looked up with an arched eyebrow.

"Why? That's not in your job description. Put a caseworker on it."

"He came to my house as a friend of my son's and has been staying with us while I got everything figured out," Tara explained, "It was the weekend and he is very fragile. I filed my first report on Friday night remotely from home detailing this."

Steph nodded quickly.

"Okay then. You should assign him a caseworker who can find a suitable home to place him in."

Steph started to pull the next file from the pile and turned to address Ross but Tara held a hand up.

"Actually, I already found him a placement," she said, breath exhaling softly, "He can stay in my home."

Ross and Arnold both looked bewildered and Steph's mouth stayed parted in surprise.

"Tara…"

"I'm concerned he's a flight risk and that any more destabilization could cause us to lose sight of him," Tara responded to the question that hadn't been asked, "He's already proven he's willing to make himself homeless. He's settled with my family and I believe it is in his best interests to stay at least until we know what the next steps are."

Steph held her head in her hand, massaging her temple.

"Tara, you can't just shelter clients. You of all people know that."

"There are exceptions," Tara replied resolutely.

The men both sat back silently. Steph was the boss and they weren't about to get in the middle of whatever this turned out to be.

"Tara, this is beyond the remit of our reach as professionals," Steph continued in a strong tone, "Your professional ability is what's gotten you promoted against people with seniority. You can't make this personal."

"My son brought this boy home. This is the definition of personal," Tara replied and found her heart pounding a bit, "My accreditations are up to date. There's no legal reason he can't stay with me."

Steph looked over at Tara seriously.

"If you take him in, you cannot be the lead on his case. It's a complete conflict of interest."

Tara closed Kayden's file and pushed it across the table to her.

"You'll find everything is in order and up-to-date."

Steph snatched it but made herself take a breath.

"Tara, what's your end game here?"

Tara breathed once before answering.

"To be a stable home for him."

Steph laughed, a bit at a loss.

"If you're actually proposing fostering this boy, you'll still have to take the classes, just like any other foster parent would."

Tara nodded.

"I'm aware."

"So will your wife," Steph challenged.

Tara nodded again, with a small twitch.

"Yes."

"You'll have to have a home visit," Steph added with an arched eyebrow, "Have the appropriate reports written up. Go through every other step that every other prospective family has to go through."

Tara closed her eyes for a moment. She wasn't even sure she'd meant to say everything she was saying. All she could see were Kayden's troubled, brown eyes.

"I understand the procedures. I am not letting that boy be let down again."

Steph saw the compassion so clear in Tara's eyes and nodded once, trusting.

"Okay. You'll need a signature from a judge and you'll be excluded from all internal communication regarding his case going forward."

Tara nodded and pushed back her chair.

"Understood."

She took her binder and new files and quietly left the room, with two gaping men and a sighing woman left behind.

"There's only one way this ends," Steph shook her head.

Arnold looked over to her, a v in his brow.

"How's that?"

Steph had a hint of a smile on her face as she crossed Tara's name off the lead caseworker on Kayden's file.

"The exact same way it did last time."

Willow walked into the little café situated between hers and Tara's offices where they liked to meet for lunch occasionally when schedules allowed. Usually, it was something they planned in advance, unlike this meeting which Willow had hurried from work for when Tara called and asked to meet urgently.

Willow looked around and spotted Tara in the corner, holding her face in both hands. She quickly went over and swung herself into the chair opposite her wife.

"Hey," she said softly, placing her hand on Tara's arm and caressing her gently, "What's with the stress face?"

Tara gratefully let Willow hold her arms across the table.

"Everything has tumbled somewhere I didn't intend it to go. I-I wasn't thinking, or else I was thinking really clearly. But now I don't know what to do."

Willow drew her hands back to link both sets of fingers.

"You want us to take Kayden in, don't you?" she asked softly.

Tara looked up with surprised, vulnerable eyes.

"I kind of already said we would," she said, tears filling them, "I should not have done that, no way. Not without talking to you."

"Tara," Willow replied gently, "If you hadn't offered to take him, you wouldn't be the woman I married."

Tara felt her soul soothed for a moment and was able to take a calming breath. When she opened her eyes again they were unclouded.

"Willow, I have to tell you. This isn't a situation where we try to promote reunification."

A small line appeared in Willow's brow.

"Dumb it down for me please."

Tara stroked her fingers against Willow's.

"His placement would not be for just a couple of weeks."

Willow nodded slowly.

"You're saying if we agree to this, we're agreeing to a long-term foster situation."

Tara nodded back.

"With all of the complications that come with it."

"Tara," Willow breathed easily, "Our son brought this boy home because he saw the need in him. We're involved whether we like it or not. And I know that you would never forgive yourself if you didn't do everything in your power to help. I wouldn't either."

Tara closed her eyes and nodded with something akin to relief.

"Are our children safe?" Willow asked with some concern.

Tara looked back at Willow and cleared her throat.

"He would have mandatory counseling but I would be lying if I said that there won't be issues. Abuse cases always present issues, ranging from emotional to behavioral."

"Well our kids haven't been abused a day in their lives and even they have some emotional and behavioral issues," Willow replied with a one-shoulder shrug, "I know it won't be easy but we've dealt with a lot of not-easy stuff before. If you trust that he's safe in our care and our family are safe with him, I trust you."

"Nothing in his history speaks to violence," Tara said, rolling her bottom lip against her top to get some moisture, "His school reports all list a quiet, sometimes withdrawn boy but friendly and kind."

Willow started to draw circles in Tara's palm, a movement that calmed them both.

"Can you tell me more about his background?"

"Yes," Tara replied and cleared her throat as she reached into her purse to take out a small notepad, "Yes. He was born to Veronica aka Ronnie Mackensie and Austin West. Austin was incarcerated when Kayden was age six for carjacking and motor vehicle theft and subsequently died in a prison riot the following year. Family services were not engaged at this point."

She stopped and shook her head, angry.

"An immediate failure when a parent has been incarcerated, but that's a past issue," she sniped and swallowed, "Ronnie died as a result of a heroin overdose when Kayden was 10. It is unknown for how long she was a user but maintained an employment history, albeit erratic, right up until her death. Ruled as an accidental overdose. History of bipolar disorder and intermittent compliance with medication."

Tara looked up and saw Willow reeling a bit.

"Need a minute?"

"It's okay," Willow replied unconvincingly.

Tara just nodded but softened her tone.

"His only living relatives were his mother's sister with whom he was placed after her death. She subsequently married her partner, Antony Miller whom Kayden has identified as having perpetrated physical abuse against him. Inquiries into any other abuse in the home are currently ongoing."

Willow paled.

"They hit him?"

Tara looked up and her eyes drooped.

"The uncle broke his guitar over his back," she said without a quiver but plenty of pain in her tone, "There's lots of littered ER reports to suggest it wasn't a once-off."

Willow closed her eyes and shuddered.

"They have any other kids?"

Tara shook her head.

"No other children present in the home."

Willow took a whole minute to process everything.

"Do you really listen to cases like this every day?"

Tara pursed her lips.

"And worse," she replied and waited for Willow to seem less tense, but she didn't, "You need time."

"No. I don't," Willow replied quickly, "Well, maybe I do, but we don't have it. I never expected us to take on another kid but I never expected us to take on our first kid either."

She pressed their palms together tightly.

"It's only because your heart is so big that we have our son. So how can I say no now?"

"You can say no," Tara replied with an assured nod, "I need you to know that you can say no and that it won't come between us."

"It would," Willow replied softly, "Because if I said no I wouldn't be the woman than a woman like you chose to marry in the first place. A woman that trusts you implicitly and knows your heart is the heart of our whole family."

Tara's eyes filled and Willow brought her chair around so she could put her arm over Tara's shoulders.

"I know he's only been here for the weekend but I haven't seen anything that gives me concern. Except that he's clearly in need of a lot of love," she said with a soft smile, "Something we happen to have in abundance."

She pecked Tara's cheek and looked at her with utter trust. Tara took in a long breath and smiled confidently.

"Then we better go. We've got an appointment at the courthouse."