Stef drove home with Lena and Callie both in the backseat. She was worried about them both. This wasn't something small they had to deal with. This was potentially traumatic for both of them — for Lena, well, she would blame herself. She would say she should have known her brother had a daughter out there besides Sophia.

Lena had never actually met Sophia, but she had known about her through her own father. Lena would blame herself even for not sensing earlier that Callie was related to her somehow. How many times had they remarked about how much Callie's eyes looked just like Lena's?

She knew her wife, and knew Lena would definitely blame herself for all of it. The hurt and heartache Callie had gone through. The fear. Everything. Because that was the type of person Lena was. She wanted to save the world, but even she knew that wasn't possible. Her family, though, her family she knew she could save and she more than likely felt like she'd not done that.

Callie was already taking things hard, but watching her sit on the swing with Lena for more than half an hour had given Stef hope. Not everything was okay and they still had a lot to talk about with Callie, but it was hopeful.

Telling her she was actually twelve, not thirteen, was going to also be another blow to Callie's already low self esteem and her pride. Callie had had a birthday literally two days before she had moved in with them — she had turned twelve years old in juvie. And that broke Stef's heart. It broke her heart regardless. She knew why Callie got put in juvie and she understood it. She accepted it. She would have done the same thing to protect one of her children if that was what it took.

This was going to be yet another blow to Callie, though. She was about to find out she was a year younger than she actually thought she was — and possibly find out that her mother had been a fling with Robert while he was married to Jill and Jill was pregnant with Sophia. Because Sophia was actually a few months older than Callie was, Stef had discovered. Callie was a street smart kid, she would put two and two together pretty fast, Stef had no doubt.

She and Lena had to also figure out how they wanted to handle it. Did they want to keep her in her current grade or hold her back? They had not really talked about it, but besides math, Callie did okay with only a few problems here and there. And with Lena's constant tutoring sessions, Callie was doing a lot better in math as well. She was finally starting to ask for help from time to time, and Lena checked her homework nightly.

Could this be why Callie's social skills were not those of her peers? She was more than a year younger than most of them and she and Lena had heard Callie tell Mariana on several occasions that she was lucky because she had friends and she needed to stop trying to impress people who weren't real friends. It made them both hurt inside, that Callie felt like she didn't fit in. But the truth was, Callie had moved around so much and actually being younger than they'd thought hadn't helped either.

Stef had really done her homework after finding out about Robert being Callie's biological father. She had talked to PIs and did extensive background checks in the past 24 hours. Robert had had more than one affair and was currently in the middle of another. As far as she could tell the only 'love child' Robert had was Callie, so Stef assumed he had either learned from his 'mistakes' or paid for abortions. She had thought about finding the women he had affairs with and talking to them — but Lena had forbid it. And with the mood Lena was in, Stef wasn't going to go against her wife's wishes.

Stef pulled into the driveway and looked in the rear view mirror at her wife.

"We need to tell the kids," Stef said, her eyes never leaving Lena's.

Lena nodded. She knew they did need to talk to the older two kids. A lot of things were going on and some things were going to change. Frankie and Jude did not need to be in the conversation. They wouldn't understand.


Callie sat beside Lena as Stef called the twins down to talk with them and made sure Frankie and Jude were in Jude's room playing peacefully.

Callie was leaned in close to Lena, her thoughts still racing as they had been since she heard Lena say she was her aunt. But at the park, Lena had whispered over and over again in her ear that she was her daughter and nothing could change that now. Lena had even told her they should know more about an adoption day the following week.

Callie didn't have to be told there was a lot going on she didn't know about, too. She could tell there was a lot the moms weren't telling her and wouldn't tell the twins either. She could tell by the way they kept talking with each other using only their eyes.

The twins came in, with Stef close behind them. Callie wouldn't look up. Because she still didn't know what to think. Her mind was too muddled.

"What is it, Mom?" Mariana asked, sitting in one of the armchairs across from Lena. Jesus just sat. He knew the moms would tell them what they wanted to tell them and there was no need to ask why. That was just Mariana being impatient. Jesus figured she must have been upstairs talking to one of her friends when Mom had told them to come downstairs because the next thing he'd heard Mom say was, "It doesn't matter why, Mariana. If you want to keep that phone I suggest you leave it on your bed and get your behind downstairs."

Jesus shook his head. He didn't know why is sister questioned the moms like, ever. They always won because, well, they were moms!

Stef sat beside Callie, so the girl was sandwiched between her and Lena now, and looked at Jesus and Mariana.

"Yesterday, as you both found out, Callie's biological sister was at the restaurant we were eating at and Callie told us a little about her biological father last night, Robert Quinn," Stef started.

"We did not know that Callie's birth father was not Donald Jacob, who is Jude's birth father. Callie did know this, however, and just doesn't tell people often. Once she said the name Robert Quinn and Sophia, however, Mama and I realized who Callie's birth father was."

"What is going on, Mom?" Jesus finally asked.

"Robert Quinn is also Mama's brother. I know you guys knew Mama had a brother she doesn't talk to, that Grandpa has a son he doesn't see, but you didn't know his name because we didn't think it was important that you know. However, some things change and now we do think you need to know so you can understand why Callie and Jude's adoption is, more than likely, going to go through quickly. So you both understand why Mama reacted the way she did last night — I know you both noticed how upset she was. Mama didn't know that ..."

Mariana, who had been looking at her nails, had dropped her hand to her lap and, her eyes opened wide, looked up and stared at her mama.

"You expect me to believe you didn't know she was related to you by blood? Why else would you bring her here if you didn't already know when you already had three kids?" Mariana asked, her tone raised.

"Mariana, that is enough," Stef said.

Mariana jumped out of her seat and stood up, staring first at her mama and then at her mom.

"No! Mama needed someone blood related to her besides Frankie so she brought Callie here? Why aren't Jesus and I enough? Why weren't we enough? It took you more than a year to adopt us!"

"Mariana, stop! You know that was not their fault! And you know Mom and Mama love us just as much as they love Frankie and now Jude and Callie. If you think that about them, you don't think very highly of them!" Jesus said loudly.

"Shut up, Jesus! We are never enough! We are always being replaced! Ana replaced us with her habit and then Isabella. Mama replaced us with Frankie and now Callie! Mom will replace us next!"

"ENOUGH!" Lena boomed, shocking Mariana, Jesus, and Callie with her loud voice. It was not something they often heard. They heard gentle, sweet mama 99 percent of the time. This was get their attention mama.

"Mariana, I am disappointed that you think so little of Mom and me. But I understand. I was offering this explanation to you because Callie just found out earlier and was hurt that she wasn't told earlier. Except I did not know until last night. Mom did not know until last night. You know you have not been replaced. You know that. I am understand you are confused. I understand you feel hurt and betrayed, but Miss. Thang, you do not get to speak to Mom and me like this, do you understand?" Lena asked.

Mariana sniffed and looked toward the wall. She didn't miss Callie scooting around uncomfortably, obviously feeling awkward. Mariana could almost feel sorry for Callie. She knew Callie had been through a lot. A lot more than Mariana and Jesus had had to go through, though they had been through their fair share as well.

But then she say Callie, out of the corner of her eye, reach over and hold the bottom of her mama's shirt and wrap her fingers in it. And that was all it took.

"Whatever, Mama! Whatever! I am done with this conversation. I am going back to my room. Excuse me. My half a room. Because you gave your niece the other half of my room! So glad for that!"

And with that, Mariana ran up the stairs, leaving the moms shocked, Callie confused, and Jesus angry.