Just as she expected Stef found Lena pacing their room waiting for her.
"What happened?" She asked as soon as Stef entered. Her eyes scanning Stef for signs of injury.
"I'm fine." Stef assured. "We're all fine."
"No one got hurt?" Lena asked.
"Callie stepped on a piece of glass but that's it." Stef said. Then suddenly a thought came to her. She had left the glass still on the floor and the vase on the end table where Callie had put it. She had to go clean that up.
"What's wrong?" Lena asked as she saw the look on Stef's face.
"I forgot to clean up the glass." Stef said as she made her way back downstairs with Lena close in tow. She hoped that Callie hadn't fallen asleep yet because she didn't want her to be afraid that she came back after she fell asleep. Luckily for her Callie still had her eyes open when they softly entered the room.
Callie looked up at Stef and Lena with wide eyes.
"I forgot to clean up the glass." Stef explained as she went over to the chair where the glass was lying. "Lena could you get the dustpan and broom please." Stef asked in a calm voice as she began picking up some of the larger pieces of glass.
I few moments later she had swept up all the glass and picked up what was left of the vase on the table.
As they left she stopped for a moment to look at Callie. She could see that Callie was even more uncomfortable about going to sleep. Stef wished she had just cleaned up before she left the first time. "Sleep well." She said as they left the room.
Once again Lena asked Stef what had happen. They were both lying in bed, exhausted, but neither of them could really sleep. Stef held Lena close as she narrated the events of the night.
"She was so afraid, Lena." Stef said sadly. "She tried to hide it but I could see it."
"I know." Lena understood her wife's misery. "It breaks my heart."
"What made it so much worse was Jude." Stef said prompting Lena to look up at her. "He was afraid too, I could see it more clearly in his face. But he obviously trusted Callie completely. He never once doubted what she told him. He wouldn't even open the bathroom door until Callie told him to. I know she's protected him a lot in the last six years but I always imagined that to be physical. But today I realised that he still had more - he still had trust, and hope, and security. Callie has made sure of that."
"That's nice." Lena said, not really understanding why Stef found that worse.
"It is." Stef agreed. "But it makes me wonder what Callie had to give up to give him that. "She has no one to trust, or count on to protect her and keep her safe. Her life hasn't been important to anyone - not even to herself. I think the only reason that she even survived is because of Jude. If she let go then no one would be there for him." Stef's throat formed a lump as tears welled in her eyes. She looked back down into her wife's face and saw her own expressions mirrored there.
They were silent for a few minutes and then Stef said. "We can't send them away."
Lena looked up at Stef wondering what she meant.
"I know we can't keep them forever." Stef clarified. "But we aren't sending them away until they really do have a permanent home to go to - one that I will also check on to make sure it's safe. I know Bill is trying his best to find them a good home but I just... I need to know for myself." Stef admitted.
Lena smiled to herself. She had already known that Stef would do everything in her power to make sure those kids were safe. Stef didn't like change very much and springing Callie on her two nights ago had upset her. But Lena knew that Stef had a big heart and no matter what happened, Stef would do whatever needed to be done - and even better, she would do it willingly.
By the next morning Stef and Lena had decided not to send Callie to school. Stef was still worried about her foot and wanted to take her to a doctor. They knew it would be a struggle to make Jude go without his sister but Stef wanted some time alone with Callie. She decided to take the day off and hopefully she'd be able to really talk to the girl without any disruptions.
As expected, both Callie and Jude clung together all morning, especially when they were told that Callie wouldn't be joining them in school that day. Callie was worried about letting Jude out of her sight though she was pretty convinced that Lena would look out for him and Jude was afraid of Callie being left alone with Stef. The cop terrified him more than anything.
Before they had to leave for school Callie took Jude aside and much like the day before, she told him to lay low and promised that they would be fine.
"What's she gonna do to you?" Jude asked in fear.
"Who? Stef?" Callie asked.
Jude just nodded.
"Nothing Baby." Callie assured him. She realised why Jude was so afraid of Stef - that was her fault. But she was now pretty confident that Stef really wouldn't do anything to Callie. "You don't have to be so afraid of her." She finally told Jude.
Jude looked up at her confused.
"I know what I said before, Jude." Callie explained. "But I think I was wrong. Stef is a cop and we do have to be careful about how much she knows about our past, especially mine, but she's not like those cops that sent me to juvie. She's different. She won't hurt us."
Jude nodded but he clearly wasn't convinced, he still had that fear in his eyes. And that fear only intensified when they turned around to head outside and found Stef standing and watching them. She had obviously heard every word.