Disclaimer: The religious views are in no way my own nor accurately reflect the views of others. I went to Catholic school for nine years and I have yet to meet people who are as extreme as I portray the characters to be. This is just to emphasize the story.

"Am I a bitch?"

Callie sat with Wyatt on a step outside the school, a book balanced on her lap. The car ride to school had been tense and she had all but jumped out when Lena finally cut the engine. Wyatt glanced around to see if Callie's question had been directed at him, "Is this a trick question?"

She rolled her eyes, "When you first met me, did you think I was a bitch?"

Wyatt shrugged, "I mean, you kind've kept to yourself and you gave pretty much everyone the death stare so…"

"Wyatt."

"Yes."

Callie closed her book and tossed it to the side before bringing a hand up to rub her temple. I need to learn to filter. An internal review of the comments she made towards various members of the Foster family was enough to make her want to crawl under a rock in shame.

Wyatt stretched his legs out, "I mean, if it means anything to you I thought it was hot."

Callie rolled her eyes, "You would." She let out a sigh, "I bitched out on Mariana this morning and I cursed at Stef and Lena yesterday…"

"You're on quite a roll." Wyatt remarked with a smirk, pushing his wavy hair back out of his eyes. "Crazy idea, but how about you say sorry?"

The brunette looked down at her shoes as she mulled over the simple suggestion, "How?"

Wyatt laughed, "I can't tell you. It has to come from in there," he pointed to her chest.

Easier said than done.

"…So I guess we'll start with the creation story and work our way from there."

Jude's eyes were wide as he watched his tutor bring out a thick book and begin to flip through it. He sat in the dining room with this man, Father O'Reilly, and watched while he located what he described as 'the birth of the human race.' The priest was a heavy set man with a white beard that stood in contrast to his red face. He had a presence to him that made Jude feel an inch tall. The table was covered in leaflets and pamphlets about the benefits of converting to the Christian lifestyle. There was also a brochure highlighting what made Holy Cross Preparatory School for Boys stand out among the rest.

"Ah, here we are," Father O'Rielly said, pushing the book towards Jude so that he could see, "This is the first story in the Old Testament. It's the story of how God created the world."

Jude tilted his head, "My science teacher at Anchor Beach was teaching us about the Big Bang. Did this happen after?"

Father O'Rielly let out a bellowing laugh that made Jude jump in his seat, "How foolish! There's no such thing as the Big Bang! Did this teacher tell you about evolution, too? Ha! No, no. This is how the world was made. Begin to read."

Jude leaned forward to read the small print, "In the beginning Godcreated the heavensand the earth…" Jude wasn't feeling too good about this. He knew that the church had some views that went against what he personally believed in, like Lena and Stef being together. Reading the bible, listening to Father O'Rielly and not saying anything made the boy feel as if he were betraying the Foster's. But at the same time, he didn't want to completely disregard Adelaide's moral values. He did have to live with her for the time being. Until Callie figured something out, of course.

"Evening came and then morning—that was the first day."

Brandon peeked into his mom's office to see if she was with someone before stepping inside, "Are you busy?"

Lena was startled from her thoughts at her son's voice. She shook her head to clear them of her musings, "No! No, what's going on?"

Brandon put his backpack in one of the chairs that sat opposite Lena's desk and sat in the other, "I just wanted to know if you were okay."

"I'm fine," Lena answered, eyebrow raised, "Why do you ask?"

"Really?" seeing Lena give him a blank expression, Brandon sighed, "Because of the situation with Jude."

Lena leaned forward and rested her hands on her desk, "We're all upset, B…"

Brandon nodded, "Yeah, we are. But Jude was your buddy. He's special to you, just like you're special to him."

"You're all special to me."

Brandon rolled his eyes, "Mama…"

"Okay," Lena admitted, leaning back in her seat, "Yes, Jude is my special boy. We just connected, you know? He's such a kind heart with such a positive outlook on life even though circumstances should have him thinking otherwise. I just…" Lena felt a lump lodge in her throat as her eyes stung with the threat of tears. Brandon got up and grabbed a tissue from a nearby box. Lena smiled sadly and took it from him, dabbing at her eyes.

"I want him home so badly," Lena said, sniffling, "We can't lose."

"We won't," Brandon was quick to assure her, "The judge will see how narrow-minded and twisted Adelaide is and Jude will be home in no time."

"I sure hope so, Brandon."

Callie thought the ride to school had been bad. This was just unbearable. Everyone was situated around the kitchen table, more or less pushing food around their plate. The only sounds that filled the kitchen were the scraping of utensils against dishes or the occasional request for the water pitcher. Callie didn't know what she preferred: Mariana glaring wickedly at her from across the table or Stef and Lena avoiding her gaze so as not to upset her. God help me.

Callie swallowed hard and forced herself to look up, "Um, Mariana? You were right."

Mariana spared the brunette a quick glance before returning to her dinner, "About?"

"I'm a bitch."

Brandon's fork clattered to his plate as he turned to look at his sister incredulously, "Mariana!"

"No, it's okay," Callie put a hand out. She paused to collect her thoughts, "I haven't had a family for around six years. I've forgotten what it's like to have people who care about you. I'm used to fending for myself." She shifted in her seat, "I don't like putting my trust in other people because they usually wind up against me. After living with the Olmsteads, I swore to myself that I would never get close to anyone again. Then I met you guys." Callie smiled softly, "You guys are such amazing people and when you told me that I could stay and Jude too, I was…beyond myself. I was so happy that we were together and safe." Callie turned to face Stef and Lena, "Thank you, so much, for not sending me back to juvie that night when you should have. And for everything after. I can't begin to express my gratitude for all the things you have done for me and Jude. And you guys," Callie turned to face her foster-siblings, "Thank you for sharing your rooms and guitar and your moms. I'm sorry for the way I've been acting."

Mariana studied Callie for a moment before smiling, "Dummy. They're your moms, too." She got up from her seat and made her way around the table to give Callie a hug who matched the embrace with equal strength.

"Sorry for calling you bitch," Mariana murmured before stepping back. Callie nodded her acceptance for the apology.

Stef took Callie's hands in her own, "Thank you for that, Callie. That means a lot to us. We are going to bring Jude home, alright?"

Callie nodded, "Alright."

Lena fell onto her bed with a sigh. She was more than ready to go to sleep. Stef was taking her turn in the bathroom and then they would call it a night. Lena sat up and began to toss a multitude of decorative pillows to the floor. She looked up from the task at hand when she heard a knock at the door. Standing in the doorway was Callie, clad in pajamas with her lip worriedly between her teeth.

"Come here, Baby." Lena patted the bed. Callie made her way over and sat down some distance from her foster mother, pulling her legs beneath her, "What's on your mind?"

"I'm sorry for cursing at you guys yesterday," Callie apologized, eyes lowered to the comforter beneath her, "It was rude and uncalled for."

"You already apologized, Sweets," Lena reminded the teen, putting a hand under her chin, "We're okay, yeah?"

Callie nodded and pushed some hair back, "Yeah. We're okay." She opened her mouth as if to say something then closed. She was quiet for a moment before finally asking, "D-Do you think Jude's okay? Adelaide seems to really like him…She wouldn't hurt him, right?"

The brunette's eyes searched the woman before her for any type of response. The fear Lena saw in her eyes reminded her of a look Stef or herself would have in regards to the kids. It was maternal. Callie had basically raised Jude for a good portion of his life; although they had been with adults, they weren't exactly left in capable hands. Her losing Jude was almost like herself or Stef losing one of their babies. Lena opened her arms.

"Come here, Love."

Callie slowly eyed Lena wearily, her internal struggle clearly displayed across her face. The vice-principal offered the teen a small smile, "I promise I won't bite."

Lena waited patiently while Callie inched her way towards her. When the young girl was close enough, Lena wrapped her arms around her and held tight. She waited until she felt the tension leave Callie's body before pulling her closer and planting a kiss on the side of her head.

"I think Jude is just fine," Lena answered, looking down into dark eyes, "He's a smart boy; you taught him so well. He probably misses you, like you're missing him."

"I need to talk to him," Callie insisted, "I need to make sure he's okay."

Lena smoothed some of the girl's hair back, "Okay, I'll call Bill tomorrow and see if he can get us in touch with Jude, alright?"

"Alright."

Lena pushed back the covers, "Climb in, Love. You're sleeping with us tonight." Callie complied and got beneath the covers. She watched Lena get settled before sidling up to her, resting her head on the older woman's shoulder. Lena wrapped her arm around Callie and kissed her one last time before closing her eyes. This is how Stef found her wife and daughter a few moments later when she was done in the bathroom. She smiled at how relaxed Callie looked in Lena's arms; how natural. She switched off the bedside lamp and crawled into bed. With an arm slung around Callie and Lena, Stef succumbed to sleep.

Sorry if the next few chapters are boring, but I can't just rush into the trial! There has to be a process to it. Ugh, my neck is messed up from sitting weird on the bus today. I went on a trip. Now I'm going to go babysit! The fun never ends.

I have an interview with Columbia tomorrow, an Ivy that I actually like...Wish me luck duckies!

Please review! Let me know how I'm doing/any suggestions/if you need clarification on anything.

-Liv