So sorry for the wait... But 30 reviews?! WOW! [ insert excited ness-ness here]... Seriously, though, wow. Thanks to all my lovely reviewers... I take what you say on board in order to improve this story and yeah. So please, favourite /review/follow if you like it :D Edits to previous chapters will be made after THIS chapter is uploaded... So on with the chapter! Oh, and merry Christmas! :)

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own the Fosters or any of their characters or ANYTHING to do with them AT ALL... Sadly *sigh*

CHAPTER NINE

Due to the early morning events, they all overslept. Which meant that by half nine the household was full of raised voices and angry words as each individual frantically tried to stick to their usual routine. Everyone, it seemed, apart from Callie. She was still suspended as so didn't need to rush to get anywhere - though, considering the day, she doubted she'd have rushed even if she had school. She sat at the top of the stairs, watching everyone hurry and gnawing at her bottom lip as she waited for them to realise it was her fault, for them to blame her.

But it's her death anniversary, that's not something you can help...

Then again, if you hadn't been arguing with her, she probably wouldn't have died...

Dread filled Callie's stomach, and quickly turned to nausea. Getting up, she ran to the bathroom, where she promptly threw up what little she'd had to eat for breakfast. Once she was finished, she leant against the wall, her forehead damp with sweat and her breathing rapid. She still felt queasy and decided not to move. After all, if she didn't move no one could get cross with her for being sick and then no one would get hurt because of her...

"Callie?"

She froze, catching her breathe as Stef called her from downstairs. "Cal-lie!"

She got up and moved to the top of the stairs, hoping that she looked presentable, or at least normal. From the look Stef gave her, she guessed that she'd failed.

"Y-yeah?" She wetted her lips nervously as her foster mom surveyed her. "Stef?"

"What?" The blonde cop shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "Oh, I just wanted to tell you that I'm leaving for work now, but if you need me please call me..." She frowned and once again studied the girl. "Are you okay, sweets? Is your hand hurting? Maybe we should have gone to the hospital... You know what, I can stay at home, instead, Okay?"

Callie half smiled, half grimaced at Stef's rambling. As nice as it was for someone to care, she'do rather they didn't - not when she didn't deserve it. She had, after all, broken their mirror, caused them all to panic, and was the reason they'd overslept and become late for school or work.

Stef shouldn't care. It was her own stupid fault. If she hadn't been so pathetic and upset... If she hadn't been so fucking angry...

Subconsciously, her hands curled into fists at her side, and her eyes hardened. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts, and met the cop's eyes.

"It's fine, Stef. I'm fine."

"Right." Stef raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Sure."

"I am!" Suddenly furious that Stef... What? Held a different opinion? Didn't believe her? Knew better? ...Wasn't her Mom?... Callie stamped her foot and glared at woman in front of her. "What?! For fuck's sake, I am!"

To her credit, Stef didn't even blink, but instead smirked at the angry teen. "I'm sorry," she told her, "I was on a tea break when the memo saying that being 'fine' now meant 'acting like a five year old' went round." As Callie opened her mouth to retaliate, Stef's eyes narrowed and her mouth became a straight line. "I'd think carefully about what you're going to say next, young lady," she warned, "you're on enough thin ice as it is because of that fight - which you still haven't told Mama or me about -" here, she raised an eyebrow. "- and you know the rules on cursing here; don't do it or you'll get into trouble and get a Mama lecture!"

Callie shrugged, but didn't say anything, and sat down. This, Stef took as a cue to continue speaking. She did so, whilst slowly walking up the stairs and coming to sit next to the moody girl. "Now I know that you're upset - that's okay, especially given the day - and I know that so many things have happened recently, each even more confusing and emotionally draining than the last, but that does not give you the right to talk to me like that!" She sighed, and wrapped an arm around the girl, pulling her into a hug. "You got it?"

Callie nodded slowly, her head bowed down so not to look at the kind-hearted woman next to her. "Sorry." She muttered.

"It's okay, baby," Stef kissed the top of her head and smiled at her. "It's okay."

She picked up Callie's injured hand, gently stroking the bandage they'd put in it earlier. "I think this needs changing."

She felt Callie stiffen slightly, before she relaxed back into her arms. "It's okay, I mean, I've had worse." She shrugged carelessly, and shot Stef a dry smile. "I once broke arm in three different places when my foster dad pushed me down the stairs... That was fun!"

Stef closed her eyes and slowly counted down from ten, trying to reign in her temper. She hated that Callie had been through so much that she was instantly dismissive of any injuries to herself and could talk about past ones as though commenting on the weather. Unfortunately, Callie recognised her anger and mistook it to be directed at her. Her face was wiped of emotions and she put her defensive wall in place, whilst also pushing herself away from Stef. She ran down the stairs, towards the kitchen.

"Callie..." Stef watched her leave, and sucked in a pained breath. She hadn't... It wasn't what she'd meant. She stayed sitting, intending on letting the girl calm down, when a loud crash from downstairs, changed her mind. Racing to the kitchen, she crashed into Lena, who'd open the door, having dropped the others off at their school.

"Stef? What-?" Lena began, only to be cut off immediately.

"Callie...kitchen...I'm an idiot!"

Lena frowned, but followed her wife into the room, and decided not to comment.

They found Callie standing there, staring at the ceramic pieces of the mug that she'd just thrown at the wall opposite. In her hand was a letter. Stef felt her heart stop. The letter. How could they have forgotten about the letter?!

"Liars. Liars." Callie whispered, and turned to face them, her face eerily blank. "I knew it. I knew it!" She let out a humourless laugh. "I'd say that you're just like the other homes, but you're not. You're worse. You let us hope. You promised that you wanted us - both of us - and you said that we wouldn't be split up. LIARS!" She scrunched up the letter and tossed it into the floor. "So what?" She snarled, "You adopt Jude and let Robert have me, is that it?! And what about when you get fed up of Jude, huh? When you decide he's too much effort. You already have three other kid, you don't need us. But.. But Jude's adopted, you can't just get rid of him, you can't!"

"Callie-"Lena began, but stopped when they doorbell rang. She looked back and forth from the door to her wife and daughter. "Wow, great timing!" She sighed.

"Right, you," she pointed at Stef, "need to explain this whole misunderstanding to our daughter, and you," she turned to Callie, "need to calm down. I'm going to answer the door, I'll be back in a moment and we'll sort out this mess."

Stef nodded and bowed her head, muttering something under her breathe that sounded suspiciously like 'yes, teach'. Lena rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the door, opening it to find the one person who could only make the current situation worse.

"Bill?"