Stef's eyes widened, for many reasons at that moment, but she needed to focus on the child beside her.

"Watch your mouth, Callie, and you do know better than to hit. Did you say Robert Quinn is her father," Stef asked, starting to stand up because there was no way she was leaving Callie in the restaurant while she was cursing and hitting at her. She'd never left any of her children in a restaurant when they acted out, she sure would not start now.

"I want to leave. Right now. I want to leave," Callie said, and Lena and Stef both recognized her quickly approaching panic attack. Stef was several steps ahead of Callie, though, and was already digging for the keys to the SUV.

"Oh, that I can promise you is going to happen, Callie. Come on, now. Lena, I will take Callie. You guys order. We will be in the car for a bit." Stef looked at Lena to see whether she was okay inside with the other children for a few moments with everything that was currently happening.

Lena nodded, still a bit shocked. Could what Callie said possibly be true? How would she know those names if it wasn't?

She'd honestly never thought she'd hear the name Robert Quinn again.


Stef unlocked the car and guided Callie to the passenger seat. Once she was sure Callie was going to stay, she went to the driver's side and started the car, getting some air flowing through so they didn't overheat while they talked.

"I'm not talking to you," Callie snapped. She'd been so excited about eating at a place she picked out and then it was ruined by that stupid man again. Just like everything was always ruined by him.

"That's okay, Love. I will talk and you can listen. I think you know we don't use the language you used in there, correct?"

Callie didn't say anything. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to still the tears threatening to fall down her face. She was not going to cry over Robert Quinn anymore. She refused to shed tears over the hurt he continued to cause.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk to me," Stef asked.

Callie was hesitant for several moments before she looked out the window and said, "I wanted to eat here. I've never gotten to pick a place to eat at."

Stef's face softened, though she knew she still needed to remain firm with the teenager, "Cals, we are only out here until you can calm down. You were about to have a panic attack in there and your language was inappropriate. You know you don't say those words. Ever. We've had this discussion. You and Lena have had this discussion. Haven't you? And you also know better than to hit. What in the world were you thinking, young lady, hitting me or anyone else?"

"I don't know," Callie sniffed, "He ruins everything, Stef."

Stef looked at Callie for a few seconds and reached over to rub Callie's arm.

"What do you mean," Stef asked her. She wanted Callie to talk, but she didn't want to force her. She'd get nowhere if she tried to force Callie into talking about Robert Quinn and Sophia if she didn't want to.

Callie finally turned and looked at Stef, tears finally breaking free, at the same time breaking Stef's heart.

"He ruins everything, Stef. Everything. I hate him."

"Who, Love," Stef asked, wanting to make sure they were on the same page — and, more importantly, to find out what Callie was saying and to get her to calm down.

"Him, Stef! Robert! I hate him so much! Everything is his fault. Everything!"

"Love, you have to give me a bit more to go on than that."

Callie took a deep breath, but it wasn't easy to talk about. Stef was acting like everything was always easy. But it wasn't. Nothing was every easy. But she had to try to explain to her — in fact, she wanted Stef to know. That was a new feeling for Callie, wanting an adult to know something.

"When my mother died is when I met him. I was only eight when my mom died. Jude was two. When you're that little, they don't like to separate you in foster care if they can help it, and they thought my dad — Donald — would get out and want us after. But when they got my birth certificate, they found out Donald wasn't my biological father. They explained to me then that Jude was my half-brother. They found Robert Quinn and the social worker took us to meet him and his family.

"I was angry already. My mom was dead, my dad was in jail, and now I had another dad. I was only eight. I was still little that day. Jude and I met Robert that day, and Sophia and Jill. Sophia was seven. I could tell she was angry that Jude was there, but Jude was mine. He was all I had. She tried to push him down. Robert told our social worker he'd take me, but not Jude. He said he'd send me to a year around boarding school, give me whatever I wanted — but not Jude. Jude would have to go into foster care and stay. I told him I wouldn't leave my brother.

"The social worker tried to get me to stay and to take Jude because if Donald signed some papers, she said she wouldn't have any problems getting him to be adopted. But I started throwing things in Robert's house. Anything I could get my hands on. Then he told the social worker I was a mistake and he would never let me back into his life. When I heard that I knew I would get to go with Jude. He signed abandonment papers the next day."

Stef sat in silence for several moments.

"Good. I am glad," Stef stated. Callie's head whipped around, shocked.

"It was horrible …" Callie said, a small shake in her voice.

"I know, Cals. I know it was horrible. But I am glad," Stef reached over and pulled Callie towards her, "Because had he taken you and not Jude, you never would have been happy. Had he taken you, you may not have come to live with us. Had he taken you and Jude after you threw your fit, Lena and I would have lost out on having you in our lives. And you and Jude are worth more than just being sent off to boarding school."

"He told me I was a mistake. He said my mom should have gotten an abortion. I didn't know what it meant at the time, but I do now. He said that I would never be perfect like his real daughter, Sophia. I hate him so much. He had a chance to save me and Jude, and he didn't. He said he wasn't going to mess up his perfect family for me, let alone Jude. Sophia said she'd never forgive him if he took in Jude. We went to our first foster home that night. Mom had died two days before. I have seen Sophia a few times around. She is twelve now. But I hate her just as much as I hate him. The only one who seemed to feel bad was Jill."

"They lost out on a wonderful thing, Callie. And I am not sorry they did. I am not sorry you are with me and Lena. I am grateful."

"I don't really like seeing her, ever. I haven't seen Robert since he signed the papers," Callie whispered, wiping her eyes with the bottom of her shirt, "Can we go back in? I will watch my language and I promise I won't hit anymore. I am sorry I hit you."

Stef looked at Callie, who refused to look at Stef now. She reached up and lifted Callie's chin so she could look into her tear filled eyes, "You are not disposable. You are not worthless."

Callie nodded. Stef and Lena always told her that when she felt like she didn't matter. Somehow they always knew.

"But they ordered food without us," Callie said. Stef smiled.

"Do you honestly think Mama didn't order us food? I'm willing to bet she ordered you spaghetti with marinara, with mushrooms, tomatoes, black olives, and mozzarella cheese. Because despite there being so many new things on the menu, you like to stick with what you know. However, I am also willing to bet Mama also ordered you one of the soups to try and a capprese salad because of how much you love soup and tomatoes."

"You think? What do you think she ordered you?"

"Capprese salad and mushroom ravioli with extra sauce," Stef said with a twinkle in her eye. Her wife knew them all. Just as she knew her wife and children.

"I don't want to see Sophia, Stef. I don't want to see her," Callie said, wringing her hands together nervously, a tightness settling in her chest.

"Do you want to get your food to go? Or do you want us to rearrange everyone and you can sit between Mama and me? Because you know, no matter what, I know you know we will not let anything happen to you."

Callie thought for several moments, looking at the door of the restaurant longingly, finally saying, "Sit between you."

Stef nodded. That was okay. She was good with that. She didn't want Callie to think anything about this situation was a punishment because they had never and would never use food as a punishment. While eating out at a restaurant was a reward, and Callie's language had not been acceptable, they had already been at the restaurant and it was a reward for Callie's test grade and hard work, not a punishment for something Robert Quinn did to her or for Callie not being able to handle her own emotions during the heat of the moment.

None of them could have predicted Sophia being there and setting Callie off and into a panic attack. No one could fault her for her feelings and no one would. It would be something they would talk more about, but they would also try to get her to talk more about the situation as a whole and not why she used the language she had used. Stef knew she and Lena had a lot to talk about, too. This changed everything.

Together, Stef and Callie got back out of the car, and as they went to the door, Stef felt the child's much smaller hand slip into her own, providing a sort of confirmation she was doing the right thing — confirmation Stef hadn't even known she'd needed.


AN: Things are going to slow down tremendously now with the Adams Foster family.