Stef watched Callie from the living room window. The brunette was sitting on the porch string, strumming her guitar. The blond sighed. It seemed like Callie could never win. From the day her mother died to today, disappointment was unfortunately the norm for the teen. And what was that comment today?

"What about me?"

How could such a young girl think so little of her self-worth? It wasn't right. Stef pushed open the front door and sat down next to Callie. She remained silent as she watched her daughter's fingers move over the different frets.

"Callie?"

"Hm?"

"What did you mean today at the court house? When you asked what about you?"

The brunette's finger movements slowed and she kept her gaze locked on the instrument, "I don't know."

Stef leaned back a bit, "You don't know?"

The music came to an abrupt stop and Callie's head whipped around to face the blonde, "What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to talk to me, Love." Stef pleaded, blue eyes locking on brown, "I want you to let me in."

Callie stared down at her guitar and ran a hand over the body of it. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath before finding the courage to ask, "D-Do you love me?"

"Yes." Stef answered without missing a beat, "Of course I love you, Callie."

The next question was quiet, "Why?"

Stef wondered if the sound of her heart shattering into a million pieces could be heard by the teen sitting next to her. She took the guitar from Callie's grip and gently laid it down on the porch beneath them. Callie's gaze was directed at the ground and her frame shook with slight tremors. Stef was almost afraid to ask her next question, not sure that she wanted to hear the answer.

"Callie? Are…are you scared of me?"

The brunette's head snapped up, "No! No, Stef. I just…I'm…"

"Scared of what I'm going to say." Callie looked down, ashamed. "I wish you could see yourself like I see you: strong, beautiful, deserving." Stef put a hand on the girl's cheek and gently ran her thumb across it, "I love you because you put others ahead of yourself. I love you because you protect your family so fiercely. I love you because you're my baby."

Callie choked back a sob, "Why didn't my dad love me then?" She wrapped her arms around herself, "My dad…Christopher, he didn't mention me in his will. He didn't care what happened to me when he died. He didn't…and my biological dad didn't give a rat's ass about me or my mom. What the hell is the matter with me?"

"Please don't say that," Stef begged in a whisper, "Please don't think that. Callie, there is nothing wrong with you. If there is anything wrong with anyone, it is with every person whoever turned their back on you, who hurt you, who failed you."

"We have to get Jude back," Callie interjected, seeming to disregard everything Stef had said to her, "We can't lose."

Stef looked at her daughter who apparently had selective hearing. Why didn't she understand what she was trying to tell her? Why couldn't she see that she mattered just as much as her brother?

"Callie, you're not Jude's mother."

"Neither are you." The blonde did not react to the comment: she knew it was just Callie's bad habit of distancing herself when she felt as though she was losing control of the situation.

"Okay," Stef acquiesced quietly, "But I would like to be. And your mother, too."

Callie eyed the police officer carefully for quite some time. She finally nodded her head, "Okay."

Lena shifted in her bed for what felt like the hundredth time that night. She picked up her phone to check the time. 1:47 AM. She sighed and put her phone back on the bedside table.

"Can't sleep?"

The brunette turned to face her significant other and gave her an apologetic look, "I'm sorry. Am I keeping you up?"

"No, Love." Stef replied, running her hand over her partner's hair, "I'm just thinking about tomorrow."

Lena sighed, "I want so badly to believe the judge will see it our way, just like I wanted the judge to see it Callie's way with Liam. We're zero for one, Stef. What if we lose again?"

"We're not," Stef assured her partner, "Losing is not an option." She pulled Lena close and kissed her forehead, allowing her lips to linger for a moment. She slipped a hand up the brunette's shirt and raked her nails across her back. The effect was instant and soon Stef was listening to the sound of Lena's breath evening out. She stared at the ceiling as her partner finally succumbed to sleep.

"Please don't make a liar out of me," Stef whispered to anyone who would listen.

Jude walked into the courthouse, flanked on either side by Adelaide and her lawyer, Mr. Benton. He reached up to loosen his tie a bit: Adelaide had insisted he wear a suit, which normally wouldn't bother him, but it just didn't feel right.

"It's going to be alright, Jude." Adelaide assured her grandson, mistakenly interpreting his nervousness at the idea of being taken away from her. Jude chose to not say anything in reply. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, but he wanted to go back to the Fosters more than anything. It was where he felt loved and safe and free to be himself. The three turned down a hallway and towards the doors of the courtroom. Lo and behold, more or less sitting on a bench near the doors, were the Fosters.

"Callie!"

The girl's head shot up and she jumped to her feet as she saw her brother running towards her. As soon as he was close enough, she hugged him closely and kissed his forehead. "Jude," she sighed with a smile, relieved to finally have her brother near her again. She pulled back a little to check him over.

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly, although she didn't see any visible marks.

"I'm okay," Jude replied, "I promise. I just really miss you guys." He turned to the rest of the family and grinned. He dove into Lena and Stef's awaiting arms and held them as if they would disappear at any moment.

"Hi, Honey," Lena greeted, eyes shiny with emotion, "We've missed you so much."

"You guys, too." He pulled back and glanced behind his foster-mothers to where Jesus, Mariana, and Brandon stood. Jesus walked up to Jude and nudged him with his shoulder.

"I'm not gonna lie," he admitted, "Our room has been too quiet without you snoring all night." Jude laughed and playfully shoved the older boy.

Brandon offered a confident smile, "We're going to win this. We even have your lucky color on." Jude furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and watched as Brandon took his hands out of his pocket and held up his blue-painted fingernails. Jesus held up his matching nails as well. Jude felt his throat tighten knowing that his foster-brothers cared so much about him that they would do something so out of their norm.

Mariana nudged Jude out of his reverie, "When you come home today I can do yours, too."

"Ahem." The group turned around to see Adelaide waiting with an irritated expression on her face. Mr. Benton stood beside her, an exceedingly secure gleam in his eyes. Callie held Adelaide's eyes as she came up to her brother's side and clutched his hand.

"Jude, let's go," Adelaide commanded, gaze steadily held on the teenage girl in front of her, "We need to get ready."

Callie turned so that her back was to Adelaide and gave her brother one last hug, "We'll see you after, alright? And then we'll all go home." Jude nodded and gave his sister a final squeeze before reluctantly walking off with his grandmother.

"No matter what happens in there," Stef began as she surveyed the group of five that surrounded her, "We are a family. Jude is our family. Remember what we told you about the questions. I'm sure Adelaide's lawyer is going to try to push our buttons. Remain calm; don't give the judge any reason to doubt us."

Everyone acknowledged that they understood. ADA Royce Gardner, an experienced man who knew Stef from working a number of cases with her, walked up to the group and gestured towards the doors, "It's time for us to go in."

Stef gripped Lena's hand on one side and Callie's hand on the other. She sent up a quick prayer to a God she didn't believe in and followed her family into the courtroom.

February Break. Ahhh. It's been real. It's been fun. But it hasn't been real fun. Prom dress shopping is STRESSFUL. I went to a store where the cheapest dress was $1,000. Do I look like Mommy Warbucks? Sheesh!

Thank you for the reviews! I got my 200th from Abekk :)

I'm already brainstorming for my next story…I think I want to explore the relationship between Callie and Stef because it is such a great one. What do you guys think? What should I write next?

Pop a review. I'm sweatin' WOO.

-Liv