Thank you so much for the brilliant response to the last chapter. OK - a lot of people want a Jesus confession! It's unsurprising seeing as we have all watched The Fosters (as thesameguest cleverly pointed out). Honestly Evan, get with it - it's like the best show!

...but just trust me on this one!

"Evan you have to be joking me?!" Kasey quivered. Her eyes were on fire as Evan stuttered.

"Kasey I'm sorry, I can explain honestly I..."

"How could you do something so stupid? So reckless! Moms let you stay and you're jeopardising all that? For what? A cheap recapturing of your youth? You promised me this was all behind you - you convinced me!" Kasey blasted. Lena looked at Stef who was getting increasingly demoralised, now not only dealing with her own disappointment but also seeing her daughter's. It broke her heart.

Most of the kids looked around nervously except Jesus who was filled with guilt and trying to find the words to say.

"Kasey I...really - please just let me explain. You know I don't touch this stuff any more! It's not what you think!"

"It's drugs Evan. In my parents' house. God! How...I can't even look at you!" she stormed off leaving Evan eyes closed and his teeth clenched onto his bottom lip. It was one gut-punch. He could take that. She'd come around.

It was one punch too many for Jesus however. It was enough to give him the confidence to confess.

"This isn't right..." he began as Evan quickly snapped to consciousness realising what he was about to do.

"No Jesus." he said clearly. "It isn't right and I'm sorry. I know you look up to me...and you trust me...and I've let you down." he insisted as Jesus' expression dropped. "Evan!" he protested.

"No - I know what you're going to say and don't. I just hope you trust me again." he said keeping up its guise as an apology but with an eye flicker indicating its hidden meaning. Jesus opened his mouth to respond but Evan locked gaze with him. He was taking this fall. Jesus sighed deeply as his shoulders flopped. He remembered himself doing the same for Mariana and knew Evan wouldn't bend. He had been there. He would talk to him later - maybe Evan was going to tell them the truth in a less tense environment.

"Kids, can you let us talk in private with Evan please." Lena said, the stress creeping through. Immediately all the kids retreated, desperate to free themselves of the tension. Jesus lingered slightly with an apologetic nod. Evan flickered a small smile to him before Stef caught his attention.

"Please tell me this is some kind of stupid, stupid prank!" Stef said harshly. Evan could see where the anger Kasey could convey so clearly in her eyes had come from. That wasn't all that was in her eyes though - there was also desperation, a hurtful desperation. A longing for this to not be happening.

"Please... Just let me explain. You don't have to believe me but at least try to?"

Lena motioned he sit down and she insisted Stef do the same to stop her nervous pacing.

"I know how this looks - but please believe me when I say they're not mine." Stef let out a scoff as Lena threw her a look.

"I mean...they are mine so to speak in that I brought them here, but it was to help a friend...not a close friend but someone who really needed help."

Stef's expression flared up again. Of all the experience of Evan doing his nervous hole digging, now's was not a mood she had time for it in. Little did she know he was really stalling to try and come up with a viable story.

"I think you're a little old for the "holding them for a friend" excuse Evan." Lena scolded.

"I know, I brought them here to...look. From the beginning. The other night after work I was coming back, maybe half 12. I was on the beach and I ran into a friend. He was panicked, really high. I know he is on probation and he was rambling and spluttering about the cops. He had weed on him and was terrified he'd get caught." Stef bit her lip trying hard to not interrupt.

Evan looked between the two scrutinising faces.

"I've known this guy since I was small - he's really screwed things up but he's a good guy deep down. I could tell the paranoia was probably because of the weed but I just wanted to get it off him, you know. I got scared for him. I told him I'd get rid of it so the cops couldn't pull him in. I came home, I guess it must've fallen out the hole in my pocket and well I just kind of forgot..." Stef leapt up off the sofa and towered above him.

"You 'forgot'?" She spat, she was unable to hide any anger now regardless of everything in her trying to tell her to stay calm. Her words and tone were laced with it. "You forgot that you brought cannabis into a house with 5 kids - two of whom have a drug addict birth mom? A house that by the way has a police officer in it? What if it had been coke? Or something even worse?" If he wasn't so flustered Evan would have noticed the irony of her bringing up Ana.

"I...look I'd had a drink or two, I was tired. It's the kind of thing I used to do all the time after I had got my head straight but my friends hadn't - I just - it's not something I retain. It almost felt like it had been a dream. Besides it's not even an ounce, it'd have been a violation at most if I'd been caught with it outside."

"There are children here Evan! Impressionable children who look up to you! What if Jesus had found it - or Jude?" Stef roared.

Evan cowered back with her words almost as if he had done the things she was accusing him of. More so because in a way he had - why didn't he flush them the minute Jesus gave them to him?

"Your kids probably would have told you if they had! They're smart! I bet when you found it you couldn't even begin to figure out who it could have been, because none of them would - and you'd be right..." he quivered slightly knowing that wasn't entirely true.

Stef flopped back down onto the sofa with her head in her hands, now exhausted from the emotion. Her voice was low and jaded. "I just...I know you've done some stupid things Evan, but wow. After everything we've done for you - and now it's like I feel I should be making you grateful for it which was never how I wanted this to be!"

"I am grateful - I...I know this may look like I am taking this for granted but really...it..." his voice trailed off. "Look - I know and I'm sorry. I'll be out tonight I promise."

Lena looked across at Stef, neither really wanted that. They hadn't had time to process the consequences and hadn't expected him to want to voluntarily leave.

Stef didn't have it in her to answer yet. She had no words to say either way. Lena took her silence as a cue.

"Evan it's not as simple as that. You may be used to people washing their hands of you without a second thought but that's not us. Besides, unless we point blank kick you out we really need to include Kasey in whatever decision is made." She explained as calmly as she could.

Evan looked slightly shocked.

"OK so...?" He couldn't believe they weren't throwing him out point blank.

Stef remained silent, unable to make eye contact. She just sat there, silently fizzing.

"Just go to your room, Evan. We'll come get you when we've had time to figure this out."

Evan nodded quietly. He couldn't believe how this had happened - he looked at a still smoldering Stef. He briefly regretted taking the blame but then thought about his youth and how his Dad had reacted to the first time he found him with pot. It had cut off all lines of communication. His Dad had been so angry he stopped even his small attempts at trying to defend him - causing Evan to harbour more resentment. He couldn't do that to Jesus. Even if Lena and Stef were good parents that would handle it a lot better than his - Jesus was so fragile right now. He couldn't risk him jeopardising his relationship with them any more. He needed his Moms a lot more than Evan did - and Evan had got him on track. If they knew they would worry. They would think it was a worse problem than it was - only Evan could understand what Jesus was feeling. Even if this wasn't true he wouldn't risk it. It was sorted. The doubts were a thing of the past. He had got through to him. There was no reason to drag it out for Jesus any more. Right?

"Are you OK?" Lena asked Stef as they flopped onto the sofa.

She looked back at her wife, frustrated.

"Do I look OK, Lena?" she replied brashly before immediately apologising.

"I'm sorry - I just...I really...I just am so angry."

Lena stroked back a strand of her wife's hair. "I know you feel betrayed Stef, but it could be worse. You can't honestly be thinking you'd prefer it if it was one of the kids..."

"Of course not...I just...one of the kids would have broken my heart but they're our kids. We could help them through it, whip them into shape. Plus they are kids. They do stupid things, kids do pot. I'm not gonna pretend I didn't have the odd toke in high school! But this...it's just the recklessness. We trusted him to be in this house. He completely...I just. I just don't know what to do." her voice dropped. She didn't know why this had hit her so hard. Lena was right. The obvious relief that it didn't belong to one of her kids was overshadowed and that didn't feel right - she hadn't realised how strong her bond had grown and how it did feel like one of her own. One of the people she thought she could trust as another adult.

"Stef. It's not like we caught him with a bong in the basement. The drugs weren't even his..."

"If we can believe him?" Stef cut her off. Lena's brow furrowed.

"You don't? This is Evan. I find it much more believable that he was blindly loyal enough to try and hide drugs for an idiot friend, was tired and a bit drunk and carelessly dropped them than he's reverted to a habit he's changed his life around to avoid."

"But what if we don't know him as well as we think...what if we have just been keen to believe it because it's what we want to believe?" Stef responded with concern.

"Stef you're a cop. You don't think you'd be able to tell if Evan was on drugs? He's with us all the time! Besides, did you see how Kasey reacted? There's no way. No one knows him better than her. And even if he was? Are you honestly saying you would wash your hands of him rather than whip him into shape like any of our kids? Come on Stef - we both know that's not you."

"I'd kick his ass all the way to rehab..." she mumbled.

"Exactly..."

Stef nodded gently before putting her head in her hands. "So what do we do? Bearing in mind however we handle this our kids are going to see - we need to set a line about this. We need them to know that drugs are not acceptable...but at the same time...I can't pretend this house hasn't been better since Evan came into it. I mean look at the impact he had on Jesus today. And he's been helping Jude - and he can even get Kasey to study! Not to mention it doesn't change the fact he has nowhere to go. And I mean even if we want to set a hard line I don't want the kids to think we'd throw them out!"

Lena ignored the latter part of Stef's speech and squinted pensively for a moment. "You know that's not a half bad idea..."

Stef looked at her slightly confused.

"I had an idea...?" she asked, intrigued.

"We've been talking about getting a guest speaker in - we need someone, desperately, to try and get through to the kids at the school. We keep talking about Evan having all of these mistakes, all of the ways he has turned things around. Here he is in trouble for literally taking someone's drugs off them." Stef looked slightly confused for a moment longer before Lena's meaning started to soak through. "Not to mention we know he can get through to them. Look at how he handled Jesus' anger issues before."

"You want Evan to talk to the kids at Anchor Beach about drugs?"

"Well, that...and our own obviously. I mean as far as making the point goes what's better than forcing a remorseful party to confront their mistakes and try and explain why they were wrong to others? Let's face it, it's why we make kids write papers in detention about what they did wrong. Evan has been figuratively battered and bruised his whole adolescence. He keeps dragging himself up and bumbling on only to be slapped down again - no wonder he never learned anything about possible consequences of not thinking things through. Maybe it's time someone didn't slap him down but forced him to really make him process it...and putting it to good use at the same time. He knows drugs are bad - he just needs to take them more seriously, and learn that not everyone is as familiar with them as him." Lena paused to consider further.

"Plus we could get him to work with the kids in the play - we really need someone. He's cleared for schools because of his volunteering at the elementary. And he owes us."

Stef looked her up and down.

"Do you think Karina will allow that?"

"I think it's a noble initiative - and Lesley would be behind it. Evan's an English major."

"Who hates Shakespeare..."

"Is this a punishment or not?" Lena commented sticking her tongue out slightly.

Stef threw her head back with a small laugh and closed her eyes.

"I knew there was a reason I married you." she said patting Lena's leg. "One condition though?"

"What?" Lena asked brushing her fingers through Stef's hair.

"I want to torture him a little first. That boy needs some of those stupid decision making cells smacked out of him...I mean...figuratively of course. Kind of."

"I'll even let you literally!" Lena smirked joining Stef in leaning her head on the back of the sofa.

"Although...this all depends on Kasey. She was pretty upset."

Stef sighed."You're right. I completely forgot...I guess I better talk to her, check she actually still wants him in the house." She took one more deep breath and slapped her hands down on her thighs before getting up and heading to Kasey's room.

"When should we talk to Evan?" Lena asked before she left.

"Let him stew for a while." she replied, disappearing up the stairs.

If it was as simple as a straight up confession now you would miss out on some nice future interactions - but don't worry! Believe it or not what I've done with this part of the story is actually for the benefit of our favourite characters in the long run. I promise no-one will be getting shot because of it! If I didn't put them through a little heartache we'd never delve deeper into their characters. I hope the way I wrote this one will be pleasing, even if it's not exactly what you all would like to see and that I have kept both Jesus and Evan to character in doing so...as for the truth coming out. Patience! Would love to know what you think of it happening this way - though obviously I can't (nor do I want to) change it now...everything happens for a reason.

Also I realise I have once again gone very Stef-centric throughout this "episode" but Lena gets the limelight in the next.

Chapter 25 Preview: Stef and Callie have a tender talk with Kasey and Stef has a bittersweet talk with Evan.

Stef coughed back a small tear of her own. In that one line, so much more about Evan made sense. Lena had been right. He'd spent his whole life having nothing but authority figures slap him down for doing wrong, but never really had any of them care enough to make him care that he had wronged them.