"Okay, Bug, here are the rules. Just as Mama and I have both said, there will be no arrows. We are not even taking any arrows from my dad's house. Also, not a word to Grandpa Frank about Jude's costume idea. We have not decided if he can be a unicorn and we do not need get him worked up over it." Callie loved the idea of dressing like Katniss with a bow and loved it even more when Stef picked her up from school and took her to Frank's house to get one.

"I know, Mom. I am not a baby." Callie said with a slight eye roll and crossing her arms.

"I know that you know and that you are not a baby anymore. You are still my baby, however, and Mama says it is easier to go over these things before we go into a situation rather than during. I, of course, agree with her. So uncross your arms and show me how grown up you can be."

Frank met the two at the door. Despite the differences that Stef and he had, he was glad he could at least see his daughter and granddaughter every now and then. He had already located a bow that Stef had when she was around Callie's age and had it sitting on the couch. "Come on in, ladies. I think you will find what you are looking for on the couch."

"Wow! Grandpa Frank! I love it!" Callie said picking up the bow for a closer look. "Look at it, Mom! It is perfect!"

Stef also looked at the bow and then took it from her daughter. "I remember this. We got this when Mom said I wasn't old enough to use a gun. We started hunting with bows. Remember that time we went out together and I missed the squirrel, but I hit you instead…."

As the two adults began to reminisce, Callie looked around a little more. She quickly spotted the arrows for this bow on the kitchen counter. Obviously, Stef had already discussed this with Frank, but he had picked up the arrows anyway. She tried to figure out a way she could hide one and finally determined she could stick it down the back of her shirt. Callie glanced at the two adults one more time before grabbing an arrow. "Callie Marie, put that down right now. You know what we discussed."

"I just wanted to see how it felt. I wasn't going to take it." Callie answered obviously lying.

"Come on, Stef, let the kid live a little. It won't kill her to try it out here even if she cannot take the arrows with her. I mean you could use this thing when you were younger and you have been fine. Those arrows don't even have real tips on them." Frank said as he walked over to Callie and put his arm around the girl. "What does it hurt?"

"If Lena sees her with an arrow, it will hurt a lot. I promise." Stef said looking between the two.

"Lena has you whipped." Frank said under his breath. "Don't you get any say in how these kids are raised?"

"And I think we are done here." Stef set the bow down and guided Callie toward the door.

"Wait, Stef!" Frank called. "I am… uh…" He grabbed the bow. "You guys forgot the bow."

Stef reached over and took the bow. "Thanks, Dad."

"You know, Sport, I didn't really means what I just said… I don't mean for this to be another reason that I don't get to see you or Callie…"

Stef momentarily let go of Callie. "What about my other four kids, Dad? What about my wife? You cannot just pick out who in my family you accept. It is all or none…"

"That is not what I said! You always read things into what I say that I haven't said. Bring all the kids back here… Hell, I practically raised Jude for you…"

Callie saw this as her chance. She quickly grabbed for an arrow and slipped it in before going back to her mom and grandpa who were still in a heated argument. Callie did really hate to see them fight. "Uh, Mom, can we go home now?"

Both adults stopped and looked at the girl remembering again that she was present. "Of course. Thanks again, Dad. I will see you again next week."

"Anytime, Stef. And Callie, I hope to see you again soon also. Treat the bow nicely and maybe I can teach you to shoot it sometime with real arrows like your mom did."

"That would be so cool! Thanks!" Callie went to hug her grandpa only to remember what she had in her shirt. She stuck out her hand to shake instead.

After they got into the car and Stef started it Callie got up a little courage. "So you got to actually shoot this bow and went hunting with your dad when you were my age?"

"Yes. My parents were divorced and I was a mutual love I had with my dad. When we had weekends together we did things like that. My mom wouldn't have approved either so no comments on that." Stef was really hoping to subject would be dropped and wished even more she had not taken Callie with her to get the bow.

"Oh I wasn't going to say anything about that… I was just going to make sure I could still take the bow to school tomorrow since I did not take an arrow and none of that stuff happened."

"We shall see, Little Lady, we shall see."

XXXX

"That's not fair! Callie got to go with Mom after school. They are probably getting ice cream right now and I have to do homework?" Jesus questioned again.

"'They are not getting ice cream. They went to get something for her costume. Then Callie will also have to do homework." Lena explained again.

"Last time when Mommy picked me up from school we got ice cream." Jude said quietly.

"You were going with Mommy because you had to go to the doctor and get shots. She took you for ice cream afterward because you were such a brave boy. Callie was going with her to run errands and things. It still isn't the same." Lena heard her phone and looked at it. "Actually, Mom and Callie are already home. If you two could go find Brandon and Mariana we will go home also."

Lena knew that her kids longed for individual time with each of them and took opportunities whenever possible. Today had worked out well for Stef to take Callie. She was a little surprised they did not stop for ice cream or something, but given the small amount of time Lena was certain they had not which was fine. The kids should not think that they would get ice cream every time they went anywhere with Stef.

"Mama, are we going to do something fun now like Callie?" Mariana asked.

"We are going to go home just like Callie if that is what you mean." Lena answered with a smile. "Babies, grab your things so we can get home. Jesus, that means you also. Grab your backpack, please."

Lena got all the kids shuffled to the door and into the car. She drove home mostly lost in her own thoughts as the kids chattered together. Losing Daphne is some ways would be hard, but she also loved the idea of the girl finding a home that could be forever. She reasoned again that their hands were already full with five growing kids.

"Mama… Mama, did you hear what he just said?" Mariana said interrupting her current train of thought.

"No, I guess I didn't, Sweetheart. What's up?"

"Nothing. She was just going to tattle." Jesus answered glaring at his twin.

"It was not a tattle… Mama needs to know that you said Brandon looked like a monkey from outer space…"

Lena sighed as she turned into their driveway. "Brandon, are you upset by what Jesus said?"

Brandon giggled. "Not really. He only said that because I said that his hair looked like a deranged porcupine… He found this book at the library will all of these funny insults."

"In that case, Mari, that was tattling. If Brandon had been offended it might have been something to tell. You don't need to tell something like that to take up for someone else. Got it?"

"Got it, Mama."

The kids and Lena piled out of the car to join the rest of the family inside. For the first time in a few days there were no smells of food in the house. Lena suddenly remembered again that Daphne stayed after school for help from her teacher and potential new foster parent. Disappointed, she greeted her wife and went to the kitchen to see what she could fix for dinner.

Callie was finishing up the last of her homework when the other kids arrived home. Jesus also had some to finish before he could be through for the evening, but the other three were done. "Hey, Mari, do you want to go help me with my costume?" Jude asked.

"Sure." The two of them went up the stairs.

When they got to the boys' room, Jude pulled out a plain white t-shirt. "Mama said she couldn't help me make a unicorn costume so I said I would make my own costume with clothes I already had. I think I am going to use some markers to decorate this shirt."

"What exactly are you going to put on your shirt?"

"I don't know. I thought I would think of something after I started…. Anyway, I ask Brandon to borrow his markers. You can draw some, too, if you want." Jude said holding out a marker.

"Uh, no thanks, Jude. I will be right back." Mariana answered nervously. She quickly made her way down the stairs. "Mama!"

"What is it, Miss Thing?" Lena asked peeking out of the kitchen.

"Jude has Brandon's markers and he is drawing on a shirt." Mariana reported.

"Is it his shirt?" Mariana nodded. "Is it one of his plain white ones?" Mariana nodded again this time with a little dread. "Did you even ask Jude if he had permission to do that before you came and told on him?" Now Mariana shook her head slowly knowing it was not going to be Jude in trouble after all.

"But, Mama you never want us to draw on our clothes. Remember when Jesus did that and he got in a lot of trouble?" Mariana asked hopefully.

"I am not sure what it is with you and trying to get your brothers in trouble today, but I will tell you I am not going to stand for it. Jesus used a Sharpie on his basketball uniform shirt before the season was over. I told Jude he could draw on a shirt for a costume. He got a whole package of the plain ones and he really only needed one to wear under his dress shirt."

"So he isn't in trouble then?" Mariana answered quietly. "I guess I could go draw with him then…"

"You might be able to do that in a little while, but not right now. Right now you are going to go sit in your timeout spot in the kitchen while I cook. That's what you had to do when you were five and you kept tattling and that is what is happening to you now. I assure you if you tattle again anytime soon it will be a bigger consequence." Lena said being harsher that she intended, but at the same time annoyed with her younger daughter.

Mariana considered protesting, but saw it wouldn't work so she walked over to the place Jesus had mostly used so many times in early childhood and said down with a large sigh.

In the meantime, all the other kids finished with their homework and had gone upstairs. They were now all actively helping Jude with his shirt and different ideas. "What if we made stripes on your shirt of all different colors? I bet Mama would let you put stripes on your face too and then you could be like the girl on the front of this book!" Jesus practically yelled as he held up a very worn copy of a favorite Adams Foster book.

Everyone agreed his idea was good and soon they were all coloring stripes on the small shirt. They were mostly done with the front by the time Mariana wandered back up the stairs slightly humiliated by her time out, and had determined to not get involved.

"Mari!" Jude yelled when he saw her walk passed. "Mari, come here and see what we did!"

Stef came up to check on the kids when the food was ready only to find all of them still in the boys' room admiring the shirt and looking through the book. She quickly took a picture of the kids being happy to just be together as this was not always the case.

Then they noticed her. "Mommy! Look it! We made me into the kid with a bad case of stripes. Remember that book? Mama says it means to not be like everyone else. And guess what, I am not. You know why?"

Stef smiled thinking about her youngest son and his confidence to do whatever his heart loved. That did make him different than the reserved Mariana or even Brandon. He also possessed a calming aura about him that made him quite different than Jesus. Jude was nearly always compliant even going out of his way to be kind to everyone which was certainly different than the strong-willed Callie. Then there was his love for sparkle and color that only rivaled Mariana. Jude was not like anyone else. Instead of telling all of this, Stef asked, "Why, baby?"

"Because I like lima beans, too. Just like the girl in the story!" Jude declared loudly making his siblings giggle some.

"Everyone except Jesus and Mom like lima beans, Jude." Callie answered for the group. "That doesn't make you very different. It makes you the same."

Jude looked sad for a moment. "But I don't have the stripes…"

"That's because you eat lima beans. That's what the story is about." Jesus said interrupting. "I am going to get the stripes because I don't want to eat them. Plus, I think it would be so cool to wake up like that…"

"And on that note," Stef said getting the attention back as the other kids were looking at Jesus like he was crazy, "Go wash up so we can eat."

Xxxxx

"What are you even doing, Callie?" Mariana asked later when she got back to her bedroom after her shower.

"Nothing." Callie answered putting whatever had been in her hands under her bed.

"Please, Callie? I am your only sister and you are my best friend. I would show you.."

"No. You would find some way to tattle and get me in trouble with Moms."

"I am not a tattle tale anymore. I stopped doing that." Mariana whined going over to Callie's bed to sit with her big sister.

"Since when?" Callie questioned.

"Since earlier today when I got in trouble for it…." Mariana answered quietly. "But I was only telling on the boys. We both know they deserve to be in trouble."

"You tattled on me a few days ago and I got in trouble for being in Daphne's room." Callie pointed out. "Mom wouldn't have known I was there if you hadn't said so."

"That's true… but I didn't tell moms that you borrowed Mom's sweatshirt or that you lied to Mama about tracking mud into the house. So, I can keep a secret." Mariana said putting her arm around Callie.

Callie did not quite look convinced, but knew she would have to show Mariana sometime. She pulled her bow out from under the bed. "Grandpa Frank is letting me use Mom's old bow for my costume. I know you saw it earlier, but I bet you didn't see this." Callie pulled an arrow out from under her bed and showed how it went into the bow perfectly. She placed it, but it only flew a few inches before falling. "I need some practice, but it is hard. Mom could show me because she is good at this stuff, but she can't know I have it."

Mariana picked up the arrow carefully. "This is so cool! Maybe I can be Katniss next year…"

"Only if you don't tell that I have the arrow." Callie said taking it from her sister. "You have to promise."

"I promise, Callie, I really do!"

The girls heard a knock at the door and quickly got the arrow put back under the bed before Stef came in to say good night. Seeing the bow, she took it out of Callie's hands and set it on the end table by the bed. "I love that you love my old bow, Bug. Now, though, it is time to go to bed. Mama will be up here in a few minutes to say good night like she said, but for now, lay down and close your eyes." Stef gave both girls a kiss to the forehead and told them she loved them as she just shut the door.

Lena finished the chapter she was reading with Daphne at the table before she looked at the time and remembered she had promised to say good night to the girls. She opened the door and saw their light still on, but saw both of them completely asleep. Lena first walked over to Mariana and whispered good night before giving her a tiny kiss and tucking her daughter back in. Then she went over to Callie and saw that Callie had fallen asleep with the bow back in her hands. Shaking her head a little, she pried the object away from her daughter before also giving her a kiss. Lena looked back over at her girls and sighed as she turned out the light.