Author Note:

Just wanted to apologize to those of you who left comments that got eaten by the site. I read and appreciated each and every one. Thanks for your support.

I've gotten a few questions about when Stef will finally lose her cool and what that will look like. Don't worry, good things come to those who wait, I promise. I'm still dividing the chapters and I expect it will be around the Chapter 13 mark, give or take a few.

I can't say what it'll look like at this exact moment because I've been struggling with writing that part and subsequently it's been reworked several times. Can you guys let me know your opinions on things that will impact the direction of the chapters following the breakdown between Stef and Callie? For example: how intentional or impulsive you want Stef to be in her actions, if she's apologetic about how she reacts, how she explains herself, or how Callie reacts.

Chapter 8: The Calm Before the Storm

Much to Stef's relief, the rest of the day went by smoothly and she was able to make a fairly significant dent in the documentation she had brought home, kicking down her stress level a notch. Though far from being able to make up the missed work hours, the cop was just happy that she wouldn't be swamped with too much of a backlog when she returned. She had Callie set up right beside her at the kitchen table and, much to her surprise, the teen had obliged without complaint. All too familiar with girl's bad habit of not asking for help, the woman would peer over her glasses every so often to make sure that she was staying focused and making progress.

Despite Callie's irritation with Lena for making her do homework so that she "wouldn't fall behind" in her classes, she was simply too exhausted to fight them on this point. Having lost all her privileges and already grounded, there wasn't much else she could do anyways. And given how much trouble she already was in, Callie didn't want to stir the pot any more than she already had, lest the women come up with more ways to annoy her.

As Stef wrapped up, she noticed Callie nodding off as her head rested against her arm. Squinting to make out the title of the assigned novel, she cringed as she realized it was Bridge to Terabithia. She vaguely remembered the book from when she had to read it in school: the story involved a young boy who had to come to terms with the accidental death of his best friend.

"Why don't you go get yourself settled on the couch and let me read to you, sleepyhead?" Stef winked as she gently nudged Callie with an elbow.

The two of them hadn't talked to each other much since their altercation that morning and she wasn't sure how the teen would react. She was pleasantly surprised however, when Callie readily accepted, quickly leaving the table and bounding up the stairs to retrieve a blanket.

"Honey!" Stef gasped as Callie nearly wiped out on the second landing as she made her way back down and her socked feet skidded on the hardwood.

"Slow down! I'm not going anywhere!"

"Sorry!" Callie called back, though she continued to hustle. Once again, her foot flew out from under her as she left the last step. Luckily, Stef was waiting for her and caught her by the arm to help her regain her balance just in time.

Stef couldn't contain her mirth as she looked at the queen sized blanket that Callie had retrieved from her and Lena's bed. Though the girl stubbornly held onto her walls, it was quite obvious that she craved some aspects of Stef's full attention.

"Ah, couldn't wait to cuddle I see," the woman teased.

"Oh. N—no." Callie spoke as though guilty at being found out. "I—um—thought you were cold and that maybe we could share?" she stammered before trailing off completely.

"Right," Stef agreed in an exaggerated manner. She winked at Callie before bringing her into her arms to save her the embarrassment, then pushed her back by the shoulders so she could take a good look at her daughter.

"You are too sweet, Cal. Even when you're rabble rousing," the cop scolded playfully, as the girl smiled self consciously in return. A blush had spread across her cheeks.

"Lovebug, you don't ever have to be afraid to ask me or Mama for a cuddle, you know that right? It's okay—"

Unfortunately, she wasn't able to finish her thought because Callie, who had started to feel awkward, pulled away from her and scurried toward the couch to set up.

Stef sighed before continuing her train of thought, now to no one in particular.

"It's okay to want to be close. We'll be here for you."

Finally, the both of them were settled, Stef sitting at one end of the couch, a throw pillow in her lap on which Callie was resting her head. The teen was lying flat on her back, her head turned to the side so she faced away from Stef, and the blanket was snugly tucked in around her shoulders like a cocoon.

Little did the woman know but Callie was grateful and savouring every single moment as she laid there. No one since her own mother had cared to spend this amount of time with her, let alone read to her, and the warmth and familiarity of the situation engendered a sense of safety. The girl felt a twinge of regret for pushing Stef's buttons but no matter how much she tried, she couldn't make sense of why she seemed to always do it. Vowing to try harder to behave, Callie pulled the blanket tighter around herself as she listened.

As Stef's voice buzzed in muffled and soothing undertones, Callie's eyelids became heavier and heavier. The weight of the blanket was like an arm holding her securely against Stef's lap, helping to lull her to sleep.

"She brought you something special when she came here, didn't she? That's what you hold on to. That's how you keep her alive."

Stef held her breath, troubled at having to utter those words aloud for Callie's sake. But when she peered over the girl's shoulder, she realized she had drifted off. Thank god, she thought to herself, unsure of how much more stress Callie could handle in one day.

For the first time since her daughter's most recent difficulties at school, Stef began to truly appreciate just how close to home the English class content might also be for Callie. She could only imagine how isolating it would be to have to read and prepare a book report on a novel in which the death of a loved one was a predominant theme. She cringed as she thought of Callie sitting through group discussions of tougher topics with peers who were likely only able to conceptualize them as their worst nightmare…when Callie had lived it and was living through it.

Making sure once more that the girl was asleep, Stef planted a soft kiss on her forehead before slowly easing herself out from under the pillow that was on her lap.

Lena came out of the ensuite, towelling her curls off in manageable sections. "I spoke with the school counsellor today to get another opinion on Callie and how we can best support her with some of the issues that keep cropping up. Mostly about the smoking and drinking, and how we can get her back on track."

With the kids having gone their separate ways in pursuit of individual evening routines which consisted of homework, showers, and Netflix, she welcomed the time alone with Stef even though they still needed to discuss Callie. Focusing solely on the teen for the past couple days had been wearing them out and they had not had much time for each other.

Callie had gone to bed almost immediately after dinner. Having woken up less than fifteen minutes before being expected at the table, she had been groggy and appeared in no mood to engage with anyone or anything apart from her food.

"She strongly recommended one-on-one sessions and I'm inclined to agree with her since Callie's participation in group hasn't been great. I got the contact information of her colleague who specializes in trauma in youth."

Propped up on her side of the bed, Stef slowly nodded as she mulled it over. She knew that because one-on-one sessions would be considered extra on top of Callie's required group attendance, there would be no way that Bill could swing covering the cost. But she would do anything for the teen, especially if it was for things that were needed for her wellbeing.

"Sounds great, babe. One-on-one would at least force Callie to participate because she wouldn't be able to hide. Do you know how many sessions are typical for this sort of thing?" The cop quickly did rough calculations in her head, trying not to let her worry show as the numbers added up.

"Not sure. There's usually an assessment period before they get into the actual therapy."

"So what'd she have to say about the acting out that started all of a sudden?"

"Just that the boundary pushing is pretty much expected," Lena said in defeated tone before elaborating. "It's Callie's way of seeing how much we can be trusted, right? As well as how she keeps us at a safe distance in case things don't work out."

"Even though the papers are in?" Stef asked, referring to the adoption. She always assumed that completing their part of the petition to adopt Callie and Jude would have increased the girl's sense of security. After all, it was everything they could do to express their commitment in having this become a permanent arrangement.

"It could always be undone," Lena said.

"That might explain why Callie kept insisting that we stop treating her and Jude like they were one of us, because they weren't like us, according to her."

"Exactly," Lena responded. "It's her way of trying to keep her own boundaries. She's afraid that if we don't follow through on the adoption and they have to go back into the system that she won't remember how to survive anymore so she wants to keep a backup plan for them intact."

Stef sighed. She wished she could shake Callie awake and tell her that she didn't need a backup plan anymore but she anticipated that wouldn't go over quite well. After being able to share a nice moment with the teen that afternoon, she didn't feel like rocking the boat. It was those moments where they got to bond that made it all worth it.

"I just… I don't know, baby. I just wish that Bug trying to keep her own boundaries didn't mean her constantly going against us, you know? I want my cake and to eat it too, damn it!" The cop chuckled, though it was clear that her happiness was forced.

"She said her family wasn't like our's, Lena. And I know that, and I know we aren't trying to replace Colleen and Donald…but…"

Stef paused as her voice cracked. "It still hurt, Lena."

Nestled against her wife, Lena periodically rubbed her on the arm to offer some comfort. Though it was her who had brought Callie home, it was Stef and Callie's relationship that had blossomed. Despite all their head butting, it was clear that the two of them loved each other.

"Oh honey…you know that Bug didn't mean it like that. She wasn't trying to hurt your feelings. Their family was different from our's, of course, no two families are alike," Lena said gently. "She has our love and safety, which she wants because it probably reminds her of her parents. But then we put all this other stuff on her like expectations and rules, which is completely different from what she knows."

"I know," Stef agreed. "I figured that's part of the reason why Callie fights us on our rules—she thinks if she accepts them too easily then it would mean she's betraying what she had with Mom and Dad."

"Mmm. Yeah, you could be onto something there." Lena had been thinking along a similar vein as her wife. "Callie likely doesn't realize herself. She's grasping at whatever straws she can to keep that part of her life she had with her parents alive, no matter whether it's through good decisions or not."

"I think truly she's torn between wanting to accept us but not wanting to forget Colleen and Donald. She isn't quite mature enough yet to realize it doesn't have to be one or the other, that she can have both," Stef added.

"Remember how happy they were that night?" Lena asked softly as she got under the covers. It was one of their favourite conversations, one they were sure they'd be repeating over and over until the kids were well into adulthood, and then some.

"Baby how could I forget?"

Stef smiled, remembering how ecstatic Callie had looked in the hour after they proposed the idea of adoption, after she realized they were serious. At one point, Jude had started jumping up and down as he held onto his sister's hands. The siblings had begged to stay on the couch together for the night and both her and Lena had relented, figuring the kids deserved some time to talk amongst themselves. But when they awoke to whispering from the living room at four AM and discovered two very wired kids, she had nearly blown a fuse and threatened to send them upstairs to their beds if they didn't hush up.

"I can't believe that was just a couple months ago. Things have gotten much harder since then." Stef sighed loudly, cupping her head in her hands before running them down her face. "You should've been there today. I had to deescalate the hell out of our sweet daughter after she got so angry with me that she kicked the front door. This was after she jumped out of the SUV as I was still parking."

"I take it that the drive didn't work out so well," Lena sympathized.

"That's one way to put it. I guess kicking the door was better than her kicking me, hey?" Stef cringed; she hadn't meant to hurt the teen's feelings by challenging her and she still felt guilty for it. "We need to get Callie back on track, and quickly because she's on probation. Her trouble at school is going to get back to the PO with the school report that gets sent over. Honestly, I think for now they'd be understanding. Bill will go to bat for us and we can plead that it's part of the adjustment phase. They've been otherwise happy with how she's been doing."

"They'd be lenient for the first little while, anyway, but there's a limit to their patience. Probation rules are there for a reason." The cop closed her eyes, understanding that at some point it would all catch up with Callie and then shit would really hit the fan. She just couldn't bring herself to say it out loud though she knew it was a real possibility, especially given how much Callie's behaviour had escalated in the last month alone. Because by saying it out loud she would have to admit that they could lose her.

"I don't know how to discipline her, Lena. She told me point blank today that she would never listen to us so we should stop trying. My patience with this kid is wearing thin."

She heard Lena suck in a breath from beside her. "Baby girl does know how to keep us on our toes, doesn't she?"

Trying to stay positive as she knew Stef was getting discouraged, Lena continued. "I made an appointment with Gisella for Friday mid-morning and asked that she have a discussion with Callie on coping strategies and maybe exploring the reasons why she's been so upset with us. In the meantime the only thing we can do is to keep being consistent and hopefully things will start to turn around."

"Perfect! I cannot wait for when we let Callie know," Stef said, unable to help her sarcasm, as Lena slapped her playfully on the arm.

"You know how it is. Pulling teeth might actually be easier than getting that kid to group."

A/N:

Any brave souls want to fathom a guess as to how Callie is going to react to being forced to go to more therapy?