AN: Sorry for the lack of updates. I was struggling with writer's block.

WARNING: Self harm mentions.

Lena and Stef showed up at Callie's job. This was the first time they had been to visit her at work.

"Is this a good idea, Stef? Should we talk to her about this at work?" Lena asked as they were getting out of the car. Stef had filled her in, as promised, on the way to the burger joint.

"I don't see why not." The two women opened the door to find Callie behind the counter and Mariana was sitting at a table playing on her phone. "Miss Thang?"

"Mom! Mama! What are you doing here?" Mariana stole a look at Callie who seemed just as shocked.

"We could ask you the same thing, Love." Stef said smiling as she hugged her daughter.

"Oh well, I didn't go to Tia's. I just wanted to give you two some alone time, so I asked Callie if it was okay if I chilled here today."

"I see." Lena said, raising an eyebrow at the teenage.

"Callie, can you come here for a minute?" Stef wanted to get right to it.

'Uh, sure. Let me take out this last order and I will clock out for my break." It didn't take long for them to sit down at a table outside. "So what are you guys doing here?"

"Well, the lawyer called today, and we wanted to talk to you about what she suggested before we move forward with this plan." Stef paused, waiting for a response. When there wasn't one, she continued. "So, she said that this was a good idea but it may be harder to pull off than we thought. We would have to get you into a one on one therapy session once a week. This therapist would have to be convinced that what you are saying is the truth. It may take some time because you were cutting in our care as well."

"Yeah, but it isn't because of you guys. It is because of what Robert is trying to do." Callie interrupted her mom.

Stef nodded. "I know, honey. But you have to tell her that. Anyway. After the therapist says that it is not safe for your well being to go live with your birth father, then we will just have to show the judge your file and get Bill to testify to the reason he chose to place you with us. You not feeling safe with Robert and your past experience in houses with men, should be enough to convince the judge to place you with us permanently." Callie looked over at Mariana, both with tears in their eyes. They shared a hug. "One more thing. While the judge may give us custody, it is also possible that he will require you to still have some sort of relationship with Robert. I am not sure if that means weekly visits like before or if we will have to continue these weekend visits, but I just wanted you to be aware of the options he has. I am pretty sure that if we do get full custody, he will still make you see him because he is so set on you having a relationship with him. Are you okay with all of this?"

"Yeah. I don't care what it takes. I just don't want to ever be taken from you again. If I have to see him, so be it." Callie knew deep down that this was probably not going to work, after all, nothing ever goes the way she wants it to, but if she didn't try then she would never know.

About a week later, the moms had finally set up the appointment for Callie to start individual therapy. Callie came down the stairs the morning of her first session talking with Brandon.

"Yeah, I mean I am kinda nervous. I just don't know if this is going to work. But like I have said over and over, I will do anything to stay here with this family."

"I get it. I really hope this works. You deserve to make this decision and not have someone else make it for you." Brandon said as they entered the kitchen where the rest of the family was already sitting down to breakfast. They both fixed a plate and sat down as well.

"Nice of you to join us." Stef said as she smiled and pulled Callie in for a side hug.

"Sorry, Mom. I was the last one to take a shower today." Brandon defended himself while casting an evil glare at Mariana.

"Yeah, I was making sure I had everything I needed for this thing today." Callie replied.

"Are you nervous?" Jude asked, with a hint of concern in his voice.

"A little, bud. I don't know how this is going to go, but it is worth the shot."

"Just remember honey, be honest with her and it should go as planned." Lena chimed in. The rest of breakfast was spent listening to Mariana talk about her dance competition coming up. After everyone had finished and cleared the table, Callie and Lena headed for the door.

"Hold up, Love." Stef could be heard coming down the stairs. "I am so sorry that I can't make it today. I know that you are going to do just fine. Mamma will be there with you and I should be home by the time you get back. Hopefully this funeral procession won't take forever."

"It's okay, really. I will see you when I get back." Callie placed a kiss on Stef's cheek. The mother reached up and held Callie's head to her own for a moment before letting go.

"I love you, Bug."

"Love you too, Stef." With that the two women left the house.

Once Lena and Callie arrived at the therapist's office, Callie began to feel sick. Not like she was going to throw up but her stomach was in knots. She had never really talked about her self harm before, especially to a professional. What if the professional didn't believe her? What if she thought Callie was doing it for attention?

"Callie Jacobs?" The doctor called her name, pulling her from her thoughts. Lena stood up, giving Callie's hand a tight squeeze. "Just Callie, ma'am." She said to the doctor. Callie looked up at Lena, worry filling her eyes.

"It will be okay, Callie Bug. Just be honest with her." Lena kissed her daughter's cheek before Callie and the doctor made their way to the back.

In the office, Callie decided to sit on the couch across from two chairs. It was set up a lot like the living room at home. Maybe by sitting in her 'normal' spot and the doctor sitting across from her, she would feel more comfortable. As the therapist was getting some things together, Callie took the time to study the woman. She was about Stef's height and weight. She had short brown hair. She seemed nice enough. When the lady finally sat down, Callie noticed her eyes. They looked a lot like Stef's. Maybe this won't be so bad after all.

"Hello, Callie. My name is Dr. Marie. It is nice to meet you." Callie nodded so the doctor took that as a hint to continue. "When Stef called me and made this appointment, she filled me in on some things that have been concerning her and I would like to talk to you about them. However, I am not going to make you talk. If you don't want to say anything that is fine, but the sooner you open up, the sooner we can see about making things official with your foster moms."

"Okay. Well, where do you want me to start?" Callie asked, eager to get this over with.

"Why don't you tell me why you think you are here." The therapist smiled at the young brunette.

"My mom found me cutting." She waited for the older woman to say something but instead she just wrote in her notebook. "She was worried so she called you after talking to me and we decided that maybe I should come talk to someone about the problem."

"I see. Do you think that this will be beneficial to you? Do you think this will help you?"

"I hope so. I mean, isn't that what you do? Help people?" Callie didn't see the point in that question.

"Yeah, I guess it is." Dr. Marie laughed. "So let's talk about your cutting. When did it start?"

"Uhm, around the age of 12. It started as an accident. I was taping a poster on the back of my door and the tape dispenser slipped and cut my arm. I feel to my knees and instead of crying I just watched the blood trickle down my arm. I realized then that it didn't hurt, it actually felt good. So I grabbed the dispenser and did it again. SO from then on out I started doing it whenever I would feel too much." Dr. Marie nodded, still writing in her notebook.

"Feel too much what, Callie?" She asked, looking up at the young girl.

"Anything. Too happy, too sad, too mad, too sick. Too anything."

"mmmm. So when your foster mom found you cutting, what were you feeling?"

"I was tired. I was tired of not having a say so of my own life. I was tired of having to see my birth father and his family. I was tired of the nightmares from my past. I was just tired." Callie was being honest. She felt that it was the only way to be safe with Stef and Lena forever.

"I see. So you don't want to live with your birth father. If I may ask, why is that?"

"I fear men. I have never had a good relationship with any man in my life. First the man I thought was my father murdered my mother. Not only did he kill her, but he lied to me for 15 years about being my dad. Then in and out of foster homes, the dads and brothers I had there did things to me." Callie paused remembering what happened with Liam and all of the men abusing her and her younger brother. "Then Robert comes into my life and expects me to welcome him with open arms. His other daughter ripped up the abandonment papers and then he refused to sign them again. He promised. He promised he would sign them as long as I agreed to still see him. Which I did. I told him that he would always be my father but I felt safer living with Stef and Lena. Then he helped me with something serious and had me lie to them about it. He told me I had to or else I could get into trouble. He was confusing me and making me turn against my family. The only family I've known since my mother died." The tears had finally begun to fall. The room felt like it was spinning.

"Okay, Callie. Take a deep breath." Dr. Marie spoke after seeing Callie start to break down. "I think we have made a lot of progress in this first session. Thank you for being so open with me." Callie nodded. "I think that is enough for today. Come on, I will walk you back out to your foster mother.

Callie practically jumped into Lena's arms when they made it back to the waiting room, tears still brimming her eyes.

"We made a lot of progress today. I would like to see her back in a week." Dr. Marie handed Lena a card with the new appointment date on it. "My number is also on the card so if anything comes up between now and then do not hesitate to call me."

Lena thanked the doctor before wrapping an arm around her daughter's shoulder and walking out to the car. The ride home was silent. Lena didn't want to push the subject and Callie was still processing everything.

That night after dinner, Callie walked into the mother's room and stood at the foot of the bed. Stef was reading while Lena took a shower.

"Hey, Love."

"Can I – Can I get in with you until Mamma gets out of the shower?"

"Of course, stay as long as you'd like." Callie climbed in and cuddled next to her mom.

"How was therapy today, Bug?" Stef asked, holding her girl tight.

"Eh, it was okay. She asked when and why I started cutting, how often I would do it and why I didn't want to live with Robert. I held it together until I started talking about the other homes I had been in and about Robert making me lie to you guys." She kept it short and sweet.

"So do you like this lady?"

"She's alright. I mean, I don't mind talking to her. Wanna know something silly?" The brunette let out a small, breathy laugh.

"Yeah." Stef said holding in a laugh herself.

"I think the reason I could talk to her so easily was because…" all of a sudden Callie became shy.

"Go ahead, Love."

"She reminded me of you. Her eyes looked a lot like yours. She didn't look at me like I was wounded. She looked at me with respect. I don't know. She just reminded me of you and I like talking to you." Callie finally was able to get it out. She looked up at Stef and smiled quickly before looking back down at her hands.

"Awe, honey. I am glad that she reminds me of you and that it makes it easier for you to talk to her. I love our little talks as well." Stef pulled the younger one closer (if that were even possible) and placed a lingering kiss on her temple. "I love you so much, Callie. I promise you that I am and will continue doing everything in my power to make this your permanent home. I don't know what I would do without you in my life now."

"Me either, Callie bug. I love you too!" Lena said jumping on the bed and tickling her daughter.

Callie smiled. "I love you guys too."

The rest of the night was spent with the three of them laying in the bed cuddling and watching TV until they all drifted off to sleep.