A/N: SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY! Long story short, life got in the way. I got promoted at work and had to learn a billion things and I had no time for anything. Seriously... I had to take my work home and everything. Ugh! I didn't want to get fired and what not, so I couldn't let writing distract me or whatever. It's an accounting job and I didn't know crap about accounting so yeah...So sorry! Will be updating my stories more. Promise!

Chapter 12

"Can I take your order?" the red-headed waitress asked the two, causing for Stef to glance up in order to meet Callie's gaze; but the brunette had her eyes glued to the menu as if keeping them there was her only salvation. It was as if Callie thought that as long as she didn't acknowledge either of them, then none of this was actually happening. She wouldn't feel stuck in a situation where she had no say in the outcome yet again.

Stef was ready to order but she could tell that her daughter clearly was not. "We need a few more minutes," she responded to the waitress.

The redhead smiled, "Sure, take your time," she answered as she stared at Callie strangely.

"Thank you," the blonde finished as she watched the woman walk away. Her green eyes darted back to Callie who still hadn't taken her eyes off the menu as if she were being forced to make one of the most difficult decisions of her life rather than choosing between eggs or pancakes. Stef took a deep breath and smiled before speaking. "Callie, it's not a life or death decision here," she tried to joke.

Callie looked up at her ex-foster mother as if it actually was.

"Sweets, it's only awkward if you make it that way," the cop tried to suggest in order to get Callie to lighten up and realize this didn't have to be painful.

The teen glanced away toward the floor, which was the exact opposite of the reaction Stef was hoping for.

"Okay, how do you want to do this?" Stef asked her.

Callie's eyes finally met Stef's and she furrowed her eyebrows as if she misunderstood the question. "What do you mean?" she finally spoke.

Stef sighed out of frustration. She was trying to give Callie a choice in the way this would play out but she felt as if the teen wasn't getting that. It was as if her daughter was trying to deflect all of her questions and delay the conversation that was too important to prolong now.

"Okay," the cop began again when she gained her composure. "Do you want to come home?" she tried to ask in the most straight-forward yet delicate way as possible.

Callie shook her head instantly but her eyes clearly gave another answer. "No, Lena doesn't want me there."

"No," Stef voiced in a persistent tone. "Lena does want you there. She just doesn't realize it right now."

Callie squinted her eyes at the woman.

"Look, I know it doesn't make any sense to you right now but she just needs a little time to adjust to the idea. I love Lena with all my heart, but I know that it can take her a long time to forgive, especially when it's someone she really cares about."

"I don't think that's it," Callie protested.

"Don't say that," the blonde answered sternly. "You weren't there to see all the pain that you put her through, Callie..."

Callie appeared stunned into silence.

Stef felt the need to explain further. "She went through a lot Callie... Every time you called asking to speak to Jude, every time the police got a hold of you, every time there was an ounce of hope that you'd come home, she lit up with relief as did I… With every letter she wrote you when you were in juvie, she poured out her feelings on paper and then looked over to me and do you know what she'd ask?"

Not surprisingly, Callie didn't have an answer for her.

"She asked me if I thought you would actually read it this time… But after feeling betrayed so many times, she started to lose hope over and over again until she decided that she had none left to lose."

"So she gave up on me?" Callie nodded as if she understood and there still wasn't any chance that things would ever be okay between the two of them.

"No, she gave up on thinking you were ever going to come back to us. I didn't want to tell you this, but every time I tried to bring up your name, she shut me down. I think…" Stef paused and took a deep breath, "I think she tried to block you out because it was easier for her to accept the truth that way."

"So don't you think me coming back isn't such a good idea?" Callie reasoned. "Especially if Lena already got over me."

"She didn't get over you," the blonde corrected. "She just couldn't deal with the thought of losing you over and over again so she created a void. It was the only way she thought she'd be able to cope with all of it."

"Then, how come you didn't? Create a void, I mean?" Callie asked out of curiosity.

Stef sighed and wondered if she should truthfully answer Callie's question. "I want to tell you that I didn't. That I always knew there was a chance that you'd come back to us… if not for us, then for Jude. But I think I did try to block you out and I may regret saying this but you have to try to understand, Callie. It was really hard your mama and me. It was as if we were chasing after a shadow and hoped that we would actually be able to catch it one day. And with every day that went by, it was getting more difficult to believe that you wanted anything to do with us."

"I know I messed up," Callie admitted as she let a tear escape from her eyes. She quickly wiped it away but a few more came streaming down her cheek without her control.

"Hey," Stef said softly as she grabbed Callie's hand from the table and squeezed it. "I'm not telling you this to make you feel bad about yourself, okay?" she stopped and waited for Callie to say something in response but she didn't. "I forgive you just like you forgave me for leaving you in juvie to begin with. We all messed up here, Callie. It wasn't just you."

"But I ruined everything," Callie sobbed. "And for what? It was all for nothing."

Stef stood up from her seat and scooted on the other side of the booth in order to wrap her arms around her daughter's body and console her. She brought Callie's head toward her chest and gently placed a few kisses on it before speaking again. "Shhhh, Callie, honey. Don't cry," the woman tried to soothe as she attempted to hold onto the girl tighter, which was something she had subconsciously wanted to do ever since she saw her 2 nights ago. "This is nothing that can't be fixed."

Callie tried to take in some air and stop her crying in order to speak. "You make it sound as if it's so easy."

"Well, that's because it is," Stef said with certainty. "You just need to stop fighting it and accept that you are loved and that you are wanted... Lena will come around soon. Don't you worry about her. She's too stubborn..." Stef could feel Callie beginning to loosen up and come around which made the woman relax as well. "You know, when Lena and I got into our first fight, she didn't take my calls for almost two weeks."

Callie sat up straight to listen and see the woman at the same time.

"I got so frustrated with her and I couldn't understand why she wouldn't just let me apologize for what happened."

Callie took a short while to respond. "What was the fight about?"

"Mike," Stef said in an exaggerated tone as she rolled her eyes while recounting the memory. "It was so stupid… But long story short, he sent me a text, well a picture by accident. Let's just say that it wasn't meant for my eyes, and Lena saw it first."

Callie's mouth dropped. "Oh no," she mumbled.

"Oh yes," Stef nodded. "Anyway, your mama got the wrong idea and thought Mike and I were back together and refused to speak to me and let me explain. Remind you of anyone?" Stef paused to ask her daughter.

Callie felt guilty.

"So the only way I could get her to hear me out was to force Mike to go to the school and explain the situation to her."

"And then what happened?" she asked.

"Oh, she told him she'd put his balls in a blender if it ever happened again," Stef laughed as she remembered how threatening her wife could be when provoked.

Callie's jaw dropped.

"Yeah, I shouldn't have told you that," the blonde was beginning to regret but couldn't help but continue to smile. "The point that I was trying to make is that Lena is very stubborn when it comes to forgiving the people that she loves. If she didn't love you Callie, she would have forgiven you long ago instead of trying to erase you from her memory all together."

"So I should be glad that she doesn't want anything to do with me anymore?"

"Correct," Stef agreed. "As bad as that sounds, it's the truth. When it comes to someone that we really care about, some of us fall harder than others, and it's more difficult for us to get back up afterwards. I'm sure that you can relate? Yes?" she asked her daughter.

Callie nodded as she thought about what the woman was saying.

"Good," the blonde said as she felt her phone in her pocket vibrate. She wasn't sure who it was but she quickly pulled it out to check. She read the text from her wife and then smiled.

Callie looked back at the menu in order to distract herself again, but a few seconds later Stef laid the phone directly in front of the teen, forcing her to read it.

I want the both of you to come home.

The brunette stared at the screen as if she wasn't sure what to make of all of this now. Everything felt as if it were happening so fast to her.

"I told you she'd come around," Stef offered her daughter a soft smile.

To be continued...