Lena and Jude talk about Frankie and Colleen.

Please send more requests! And thanks for reading!

"Oh! You're up?!" Stef exclaimed as she watched her wife slowly travel down the stairs. They had lost the baby only a week prior, and Lena had been in bed for most of the time, due to her healing body.

Lena smiled at her wife. "Yeah." She stated quietly. She hadn't been very vocal since losing the baby.

Stef smiled and walked towards the stairs to meet her. "You hungry?" She asked in a hopeful voice.

Lena shook her head no and Stef sighed. She had barely eaten since she was released from the hospital. "How about something light?" She tried again, hoping that Lena would get at least a little something in her stomach.

Lena sighed. She knew that Stef was just looking out for her well-being, but she really had no appetite. It hurt too much to eat. However, she knew that worried look would not leave the blonde's face until she ate something so she slowly nodded her head. "Sure, love."

"Ok! How about toast? With butter?" Stef said with excitement as she led Lena to the breakfast nook. Lena merely nodded and sat down, clutching her side in pain.

"I'll get your pain meds in a second, ok?" Stef said as she grabbed some bread out and stuck it in the toaster. Again, Lena nodded and looked forward at nothing in particular.

Stef sighed at the lack of verbal answer, but continued to talk, in the hopes that her wife would begin to respond. "So, kids will start coming down in a few minutes. I'm gonna take them to school and I have to go into work to grab some paperwork to do at home. But when I get home, we can spend the rest of the day doing whatever you like." She paused, waiting for a response, but when she got none, she continued. "Anything special you would like to do today, love?"

Lena looked towards her wife and bit her lip. "I don't care." She finally responded before turning her head towards the stairs, where she heard footsteps, indicating that her children were coming downstairs for breakfast.

Stef decided to wait and talk with her wife after the kids left, so she turned her attention towards the stairs as well and smiled when she saw Brandon, Mariana and Jesus emerge into the kitchen. "Morning, babies!" She exclaimed with a smile.

Three "morning"s were the response as the kids went to grab something for breakfast. Mariana was the first one to notice that Lena was not in bed. "Mama!" she exclaimed and walked over towards her mother, her brothers stopping what they were doing to look over.

Lena seemed to snap out whatever she was thinking about and smiled slightly at her daughter. "Hi, sweetie." She greeted her daughter.

"Are you feeling better?" Mariana asked, sitting across from the woman.

Lena smiled again and nodded. "Yeah. A little, I guess." She agreed. She was after all out of bed on her own accord.

"Yay!" The teen responded, smiling brightly.

"Mari, love. Come eat, please. You can chat with mama after school today." Stef said as she walked up to her daughter and kissed her head before placing the toast, medicine, and a glass of water in front of her wife.

"Ok." She responded with a slump of her shoulders. She got up and walked to the refrigerator as Stef continued talking. "Hey. Where are Callie and Jude?" She asked as she looked around and saw that only 3 of her children had come downstairs.

"I dono." She replied, shrugging her shoulders. Stef looked at the boys who replied in a similar way.

Suddenly, more footsteps could be heard and Callie quickly made her way into the kitchen. Before Stef could open her mouth, Callie walked over to her and Lena with a concerned look on her face. "I think Jude is sick." She informed the mothers, biting her bottom lip in anxiousness. She was still getting used to the fact that she didn't have to be the one to always take care of her brother.

"Ok, sweets. Thanks for telling us." Stef said as she reached out and squeezed the teen's arm gently. "Why don't you go grab something to eat and I will go check on him?"

Callie nodded with a small smile and Stef moved down towards her wife to give her a gentle hug. "I'll be right back, my love." She whispered as she kissed her wife's cheek.

Stef stood outside of her younger sons' door and listened for a moment. She didn't hear anything, so she knocked a few times before opening the door. Stef smiled at the young boy, who was lying in his bed, half of his school clothes on, the other half waiting to be put on; as if he had fallen asleep while changing.

Stef walked over to the boy and grabbed his pajamas up off of the floor before taking a seat on the boy's bed. At the sudden movement, Jude opened his eyes and stared at Stef with a slightly confused face. After a moment, he realized that he was late and began to rush to put the rest of his clothes on.

"Sorry!" He exclaimed as he pulled his shirt on.

"Sweetie." Stef said with a smile as she put her hand on his arm to stop his movements. "Are you not feeling well?" She asked, cocking her head and putting her free hand on the boy's forehead.

Jude slumped his shoulders and looked down. "Well kinda. But Callie came and checked on me. But I can probably go to school." He rushed through his words and looked up slightly.

Stef shook her head. "What hurts, my love?"

Jude shrugged. "I dono. My head and stomach a little."

"Why don't you change back into these" She began, holding out the pajamas she had picked up off of the floor, "and hop back into bed. You can stay home with mama and me today, ok?" She instructed.

"Are you sure?" Jude asked quietly.

Stef smiled again and kissed his temple. "I'm sure, baby." Stef said as she helped the boy back under the covers and kissed his forehead once again. "Hmm you seem a little warm." She commented after touching her lips to his forehead. "I'm gonna get the thermometer." She said as she walked out of the room.

Stef headed down the stairs to grab the thermometer, some water, and a piece of toast, just in case Jude got hungry. As she walked into the kitchen, Jesus and Brandon were just bringing their plates up to the sink, and her daughters were just finishing up their breakfast.

"Alright, my loves. Jude is staying home. He's sick. So I'm gonna need you guys to walk to school, ok?" She asked as she went the the drawer to grab the thermometer.

Brandon looked up and nodded before he turned to finish getting ready.

"Jesus. Did you remember to take your..." Stef began before she heard a groan from her middle son "Yes, mom!"

Stef turned and raised an eyebrow at her son's attitude. "Watch the attitude."

Jesus muttered a sorry before following his brother up the stairs.

Stef put a piece of toast into the toaster before turning to her daughters, who were still finishing up. "That means get a move on, babies." She exclaimed as she walked over to her wife, who hadn't moved since she went to check on Jude.

"Hi, babe. How are you feeling?" Stef asked as she heard the girls get up to put their plates in the sink as well before climbing back up the stairs.

Lena shrugged and Stef noted that the medicine was gone, but that only half of the glass of water had been drunk and only a bite of toast was missing. "Not hungry?" She asked with a sigh.

Lena shook her head and looked up. "Sorry."

Stef's face fell into sadness. "You don't have to apologize, baby."

"Is Jude ok?" Lena asked, hoping to shift her focus away from her own pain.

Stef nodded as she walked back over to the toast she was making. "He wanted to try and go to school, but I could feel that he has a slight fever. Plus, he looked pale." She walked back over to her wife with everything she needed for Jude. "How about I take you back upstairs and you can sleep some more until I get home? Ok?"

Lena nodded and allowed Stef to help her stand up before the two of them slowly walked up the stairs.

Lena was in a restless sleep when she heard one door open and another one slam shut. She fully woke herself up and her forehead crinkled as she thought about who was still home with her. Jude! she thought as she slowly got herself out of bed. Her pain was still there, but it had dulled, so it didn't hurt as much when she made it out of her room and to the kids' bathroom, which was the only door upstairs that was fully shut.

"Jude?" She called out as she softly knocked on the door.

She heard no response except for the flushing of the toilet and the sink turning on.

"Sweetie, are you ok?" She tried again. Realizing that when she was able to focus on Jude, everything seemed to hurt a little less.

Finally, after the water shut off, the door opened and Jude emerged from the bathroom.

"Oh, honey!" She exclaimed as she reached out and felt his forehead. "Oh baby. You're warm. Did mom take your temperature?" She asked as she noted his pale color.

Jude nodded and rubbed his eyes.

"Come 'ere." Lena said as she led him into her room. She sat him down on the bed before taking a seat next to him. "What hurts?"

"My stomach and head." He muttered as he rubbed his eyes again.

"Did she already give you some medicine?"

Once again, Jude nodded.

"Ok, sweetie. Why don't you rest here with me so I can keep an eye on you." She suggested as she pulled back the covers and let the boy get into the bed.

"Thanks." He said quietly before he closed his eyes and drifted off into a much needed sleep.

Jude slept for a few hours while Lena sat next to him in bed and read a book. She smiled when the boy began to stir and placed her book on the table beside her. "Hi, honey!" She said quietly as he opened his eyes. "Feeling better?" She asked.

Jude yawned before smiling up at Lena. "Yeah. Thanks."

Lena smiled back and used the back of her hand to check his temperature. "Still a slight fever." She determined "But you're feeling better?" She asked and he nodded.

Lena sighed and nodded. She herself hadn't been able to rest and could feel her mental exhaustion, but she didn't want Jude to feel awkward just sitting in her bed.

"Are you ok?" The small voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"What?" She asked as she looked down at the boy.

"You look sad." He said simply.

Lena smiled and rested her head down on the pillows, facing the young boy, as he did the same thing.

"I'm ok, sweetie." She started, but when he looked at her with such interest and care, she decided to tell him the truth. "I miss Frankie." She whispered.

Jude nodded his head and looked into his mother's eyes. "I do too." He whispered back.

Lena smiled at the boy's wisdom and ruffled his hair. "Anything else you want to talk to me about?" She asked when she saw a look in his eyes. A look that was of confusion and uneasiness.

Jude bit his bottom lip, as if he was deciding whether or not to continue talking.

"You can tell me anything, baby." Lena reminded him.

"It's not fair." He whispered and Lena moved closer so she could hear.

"What's not fair?" She asked as she lightly traced random patterns on his arm.

"Why did she have to die? It's not fair." He started. "She didn't even get to try. She didn't do anything wrong. Why did she die when she didn't even get to live?" His voice quickened and a tear fell from his eye.

Lena decided that she would let the boy continue before she spoke.

"I didn't even know her and I miss her." He said quietly before more tears fell. "I never got to know either of them." He choked out.

"Oh, honey." Lena said as she realized this was more than just Frankie. It was about his mother as well. She reached out and pulled him closer to her and let him cry. It was rare that Jude talked about his mother, and she knew he had some things that needed to be said. She wondered if anyone had really talked with him about his mother's passing. As she placed a kiss on his head she continued the conversation. "Can you talk to me about her?" She asked.

"I don't know! It's not fair!" His voice heightened. "It's not fair! I never even got to know her. I don't remember anything!" Lena could feel him begin to shake while crying.

"Have you and Callie ever talked about her?" She asked gently, hoping to calm him down.

Lena felt him shake his head and she sighed. "She doesn't like to talk about her." He whispered.

Lena made a mental note to talk to Callie about this. She knew the girl had trouble discussing difficult topics, but she had no idea how badly it was affecting Jude.

"You know what?" She asked after Jude had better composed himself.

"What?" He sniffled.

"I know how you feel. I never got to know Frankie. And it must be twice as hard for you because there are two people you didn't get a fair amount of time with. But it's ok to talk about them." She reminded him and he let out another small sob. "It really is. It's actually good." She said and then thought out loud. "I haven't been doing a very good job of talking about Frankie." Lena turned the boy towards her and looked into his eyes. "Maybe we can work on this together." She suggested. as she wiped a tear that had fallen from her own eye.

Jude looked at Lena with questioning eyes. "But I don't know what to even talk about." He confessed.

"You know, I don't really know either. But we can figure it out together." She replied honestly.

This time, Jude didn't respond.

"You think we can do that?" She asked as she used a finger to lift the boy's fallen gaze.

Finally, he looked up at Lena and nodded his head.

Lena smiled sadly at him and kissed his temple.

The two sat in silence before Jude quietly spoke. "I'm sorry you never got to meet Frankie. It's not fair."

"You're right, baby. It's not fair. A lot of things aren't fair. But you know what is fair?" She asked and Jude looked up at her with questioning eyes. "That I found you. And that you are part of my life now. I can't imagine my life without you." She whispered as she inhaled and shook the tears away.

Jude snuggled into Lena and sniffled. "I can't imagine my life without you, either. You're the best thing that has happened to me and Callie since my mom died."

Lena smiled. "I love you, my baby."

"I love you too, mama."