The following morning both moms were in a much better mood. They had needed this time together and though they'd redressed before falling asleep in case Callie came into the room they enjoyed themselves.
"Good morning." Lena said as Stef stirred beside her.
"Good morning." Stef smiled back as she reached over to her wife's face, pushing back a few curls that had fallen.
"Sleep well?" Lena teased with a grin.
"Better than ever." Stef said as she brought her nose forward to rub against Lena's. "You?"
"Like a baby." Lena said. "And speaking of baby, this one is kicking up a storm in here." She said, patting her stomach.
Stef immediately let her hand travel down from Lena's face to her rounding stomach and Lena guided her to the spot where she would feel their daughter kick.
"I can't wait until she's here." Stef said as she stroked Lena's stomach lovingly, looking deep into her eyes. "And with any luck she'll look exactly like you."
Lena beamed. She wanted nothing more in this moment than to have Stef tell her just how much she loved her. They had been on a real roller coaster ride over the last few months, not just with Callie but with the other's too. Between Callie, Brandon's hand, Jesus going back on his meds, Mariana struggling to find out who she is and Jude, who didn't really cause any trouble, the mom's had been pretty busy. Add all that to raging hormones, tender breasts and mood swings and Lena really was having trouble figuring out which way was up sometimes. Stef had always been her rock but even she was struggling and needed someone to keep her on her feet. Luckily both women were really good at being there for each other. Over the years they had formed a pattern and one was always ready to carry the load when the other one needed a break.
"We already know she's going to be as lucky as me." Lena said. "She'll have you for a mother."
"She'll have us for mother's." Stef corrected. "I wouldn't be half the person I am if it wasn't for you."
"You don't give yourself enough credit." Lena frowned. "You were already amazing the day I met you."
"That's not really true." Stef whispered, turning slightly serious. "You made me feel things I never though was possible and I was never as happy as I have been with you."
"You know the feeling is mutual." Lena said, both a question and a statement. She hoped that Stef knew that she loved her just as much.
"I do." Stef nodded. "You tell me all the time."
"Good." Lena said, satisfied. "Don't ever forget it."
It was a rushed morning as both mom's had stayed in bed a little longer than they had planned and so breakfast had just been cereal and fruit and now Lena was rushing the kids out the door. Much to both mom's surprise Callie had eaten half a bowl of cereal without any fuss and without even being asked. They knew it was because she was afraid but they couldn't decide which was more important - on the one hand Callie was eating but on the other she was doing it because she was afraid.
Lena kept an eye on her in school and looking out one of the classroom windows during lunch to find Callie sitting alone at one of the tables, her sandwich bag in front of her but unopened. Glancing around, Lena spotted her other kids - Mariana was at the table where the dance girls usually sat, Jesus was stuffing his face in a hurry so he could get in some volleyball time and Brandon was sitting with Matt who was spending more time looking at Mariana rather than discussing their music like he was supposed to be doing. Lena glanced back to where Callie was and found the table empty. She looked around but couldn't spot the girl anywhere. She already knew that Callie's sandwich would be uneaten but she just hoped the girl was okay.
It was a Friday and the car ride back home was filled with excited chatter about the weekend, most of the kids had plans on Saturday and Lena realized that she'd be shuttling kids back and forth. Jesus had wrestling practice and needed a ride to school, Mariana was going to the movies with Matt and required a ride to the mall and Jude was invited to go swimming with Conner and his family. Brandon was spending the day with Mike since he was off from work and Callie had no plans. Stef was working so Lena decided to do something special with her daughter. She still felt a little guilty about leaving Callie alone all day the day Stef was gone and she wanted the girl to know that she was still loved, no matter how angry she made them.
"How would you like to come shopping with me tomorrow?" Lena asked Callie when the other kids ran into the house. "I need some maternity clothes and some other things and I want to get something for Stef as well so maybe you could help me choose."
"Okay." Callie said with a small smile. "Can I pick something for the baby?"
"I'm sure she'd love that." Lena smiled back. As a child her grandmother from her father's side had always baked cookies with her whenever they visited and it was a tradition she'd absolutely loved. Unfortunately, Mariana didn't share that same thrill in the kitchen and right at this point Lena didn't think that Callie would enjoy it much either and Lena didn't want her to think they were putting pressure on her with food. She'd settle for a little shopping and hopefully bond over their time spent together.
"All set for your date?" Stef teased as the pair got dressed on Saturday morning. The kids were all still asleep but Lena had spent most of last night and quite a bit of this morning talking about her day with Callie.
"I'm just worried." Lena said, giving Stef a slight push back. "I hope today goes well."
"It will." Stef tried to reassure her. "She's been pretty excited about the baby once she got over her fear of being replaced."
"I'm just glad that part's behind us." Lena said. Ever since Callie's confession and then the talk with all the kids both Stef and Lena had made sure to remind all the kids that they were loved and wanted and with that assurance all the kids had grown more excited and the fact that there were now physical signs that the baby existed made it all the more exciting.
"How boring would our lives be if there wasn't any drama?" Stef winked as she pulled out her gun from the safe and clipped it onto her belt before sitting down to wear her boots.
"I can just do without any more of that kind of drama." Lena said as she handed Stef her watch and badge.
"Lucky for you that's over." Stef said with a wink. "In a way Callie's outburst helped us understand what they were thinking and we took care of things after that."
"I just hate that they had to go through it at all." Lena said. "Especially Callie, she was the one who obviously thought it all along but she never said a word."
"Yes, that girl does have a talent for keeping things to herself, doesn't she?" Stef said, heading out the door to the kitchen. "It's another habit we really have to break her of.
"That list just keeps getting longer doesn't it." Lena said as she poured Stef a cup of coffee.
"Can you blame her?" Stef asked. "She's had such a hard life and she's only sixteen. She's been through more than most people go through in a life time."
"I wish we had gotten them right when Colleen had died." Lena said regretfully. "We could have saved them from so much pain."
"Things don't always work out that easily." Stef said, rinsing out her mug.
"I just keep wondering what the twin's lives would be like had we not gotten them so young." Lena admitted. "They weren't in the system all that long and when I look at Callie and Jude I just wonder if that's what life would have been like for Jesus and Mariana as well."
"The important thing is that we have them all now and we will do everything we possibly can to help them deal with whatever demons they have." Stef said, kissing Lena. "There's no point in thinking about the 'what if's', all we can do is work on the 'from now on'.
Lena smiled in acceptance as she waved to Stef from the door before heading upstairs to wake Jude so he would be ready by the time Conner and his parents showed up. Lena was about to enter quietly so that Jesus wouldn't be disturbed when she heard her son's voices from inside. The conversation instantly made her heart clench.