Stef and Callie just stayed silent for an entire minute, looking at each other before Stef walked over to the girl. She reached out to pull Callie up for a hug but the moment Stef made contact Callie jumped up yelling in anger.

"YOU LEFT!" Callie yelled. "YOU LEFT EVERYONE AND YOU LEFT ME BUT YOU PROMISED YOU'D NEVER LEAVE ME, YOU'D ALWAYS COME BACK BUT YOU JUST TOOK OFF AND YOU BROKE YOUR PROMISE AND YOU LEFT ME." Callie continued yelling at the top of her voice, her face going red with anger as tears poured down her face.

Lena, Sharon and the other kids heard Callie yelling and they all rushed down the stairs as Lena tried to go to Callie to stop her, worried that she'd anger Stef again.

"Callie, stop." Lena said but Stef stopped her by stretching an arm out in front of Lena, holding her back, her eyes never leaving Callie, allowing the girl to get it all out.

"YOU SAID YOU WERE DIFFERENT FROM EVERYONE ELSE AND THAT IN THIS HOUSE I'D ALWAYS BE SAFE BUT YOU LIED BECAUSE YOU PROMISED YOU'D ALWAYS COME BACK BUT YOU JUST LEFT AND YOU DIDN'T COME BACK." Callie continued as her body shook in anger.

Stef just waited and when Callie said her last line she raised an eyebrow slightly, wondering when the girl would realize that she did, in fact, come back just like she promised.

And just like Stef, Callie also realized that fact. The anger in her face disappeared slowly as a look of surprise and wonder filled it instead - she was shocked that Stef had come back, just like she'd said she always would.

"You came back." Callie said in a whisper so soft that it was barely heard, but the room was completely silent and everyone was completely focused on Callie so everyone heard.

Stef once again took a cautious step towards Callie and when Callie didn't flinch or move away she closed the distance and gave the girl the hug she'd been waiting for for the last ten minutes.

"You came back." Callie said again, though her arms remained by her side, not hugging the older woman back.

"I did." Stef said. "I came back and I always will." She continued to hold Callie until she felt the teens arms slowly circle her waist and hold on in a tight grip. Stef also tightened her hold on Callie until she stopped crying.

Sharon, in the mean time, ushered the kids back upstairs so Stef could deal with Callie without an audience. Lena waited only a few moments more, making sure that Stef didn't need any help, before she too headed upstairs, once again leaving Stef and Callie alone.

Once Callie had completely calmed down Stef loosened her grip on the girl and placed both hands on either side of her face, forcing her to look up. "I left." Stef said. "I got angry, I needed some space and I left. But I came back, I was always gonna come back and you need to remember that. I may get mad, I may yell or punish you, I may need some space, but I will never stop loving you, I will never leave you and I will never let anything bad ever happen to you. What I need from you is to believe that, believe me."

Callie just looked at Stef without giving her any response - she was having a hard time believing what was happening. All the things that were happening to her had never happened before and she was having a hard time grasping it all. She was used to people leaving her - not coming back, people hurting her - not loving her, people easy to keep at arms length - not people she desperately wanted to hold close and she wasn't sure how to just become this new person that they wanted her to be - one that trusted and loved and stuck around.

Stef could see the struggle in Callie's eyes as she leaned forward to kiss Callie on the forehead, not letting go of her face. She knew that it wouldn't be easy for Callie to just start trusting but she was determined to keep proving to her that she kept her word - eventually Callie would have to believe it, wouldn't she?

"Let's get some dinner." Stef said softly, her voice kind but firm, telling Callie that is wasn't a choice. Stef finally let go of the girl and walked over to the fridge, her back turned to Callie for the first time but she was pretty certain that Callie wouldn't try to bolt. Something about the fact that Stef had come back had struck Callie and Stef could see it.

Stef pulled out the left over fried chicken and the vegetables and put some on two plates. She put one in the microwave and as it headed she turned her attention back to Callie who hadn't moved. Stef poured two glasses of grape juice and then went to switch out the plates before walking over to Callie to guide her to the table.

"Okay, let's just get this over with." Stef said as she set both plates down and took a seat right next to Callie. Stef speared a baby corn and a green bean on her fork and took a bite before glancing at Callie, who hadn't even lifted her fork yet.

"Come on love." Stef encouraged as she wrapped an arm around Callie and held her. She felt Callie tense under the contact but she didn't let go. Instead she leaned closer to Callie so she could whisper into her ear. "You can do this, I know you can." Stef said as she picked up Callie's fork and speared a carrot before handing it to Callie. "Take a bite, you'll feel better."

Stef saw a tear slide down Callie's cheek and she kissed it to wipe it away before raising the fork to Callie's lips, hoping the girl would take the bite. Thankfully Callie did as a few more tears spilled down her cheeks. Stef felt so relieved as Callie took another bite and then a third. She kept a close eye on the girl, wounding if she was too afraid to do anything but what Stef asked. While Stef was thrilled that Callie was eating something she also didn't want Callie to do it just because she was afraid, that was just trading one problem in for another. But Stef didn't say anything about it - Callie was eating and that was the most important, everything else could wait.

Stef fed Callie more than half the chicken and almost all the vegetables before she set the fork down and began picking at her own plate. She hoped Callie would eat on her own but even if she didn't she was satisfied with the amount she had eaten.

"You know, I didn't leave because I was angry with you." Stef said, not looking at Callie, but down at her own plate instead. "I wasn't even mad at Lena, though it probably looked like I was."

Stef could sense more than see Callie turn to look at her and only then did she look back, making eye contact with the girl. "I was mad at me." She finally said.

"Why?" Callie asked softly. She hadn't expected that at all.

"Because I couldn't help you." Stef said. "I didn't know what to do to make things better for you and that frustrated me more than anything."

Callie looked away again, not sure what to say. She picked up her fork and used it to separate all the vegetables on her plate - carrots in one pile, green beans in a second, bell peppers in a third, corn in another and asparagus in a final pile.

"Callie what can I do?" Stef finally asked, once all Callie's piles were made. "Tell me what you need me to do to help you."

But Callie didn't know what to say. Even she didn't know what she needed. The thought she needed to just be left alone - allowed to eat when she wanted and what she wanted and the quantity she wanted but somehow she didn't think that was the answer Stef was looking for.

"You have to eat, that isn't an option." Stef said, sensing Callie's thoughts. "We've tried making you things you like, things that are easy on the stomach, junk food, we've tried it all but you still push it all away, you push us away. Why?" Stef asked, hoping the girl would give her some sort of an answer. "Did we do something? Or not do something?" Stef continued to asked when Callie remained silent.

Stef watched Callie in silence for a few minutes before continuing. "Can you look at me honey." She said and then waited until Callie finally turned her head to look up at Stef. "Are you afraid of something?" Stef asked. "Are you afraid of us?"

Slowly Callie shook her head.

"Then what?" Stef asked.

"I don't know." Callie said. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"There's nothing wrong with you baby." Stef said as she wrapped her arm around Callie again. "There's nothing wrong with you, you just got handing a lousy deal."

"I don't know why I don't eat." Callie said. "It just makes me feel stronger."

"Stronger?" Stef asked. "How?"

Callie shrugged again, unsure of how to explain it. "I can control it I guess."

"Not eating?" Stef asked.

Callie nodded. "It's something no one else can control, if I don't want to eat then no one can force me. You could force me not to hurt myself and you can force me to stay and not run but this is something only I can control." She admitted.

"And how does that help?" Stef asked.

"I don't know." Callie answered.

"Are you hungry?" Stef asked.

"Not now." Callie answered.

"Were you hungry all day?" Stef asked again.

Callie nodded again.

"Then how did it help?" Stef asked. "Yes it worries Lena and it worries me but the only person that really being hurt is you. It's like you're cutting your nose to spite your face. It's not helping you at all. It may be getting the reaction you want from us but in the long run, you're the one that's suffering."

Callie remained silent, there was nothing she could say to argue Stef's point. She was loosing control and the only way she knew how to keep it was self-destructive and it really wasn't helping her any.

"How about we head to bed." Stef suggested, sensing that Callie had had all she could handle for one day. "It's really late, or rather really early. We'll sleep in and I'll take you to school at ten thirty before I have to head in to work okay."

Callie nodded as she got up to leave the kitchen but Stef caught her arm and pulled her back. "I love you sweetheart." She said as she kissed Callie before letting her go.