Callie's POV
"What is this about? Is it about our adoption?" Jude asked from next to me. Stef and Lena had called us into the living room the next morning. They wanted to talk to us the night before but I got home too late.
"No, it isn't about your adoption. It's about your attack, Jude." Stef said. She and Lena were sitting in the chairs across from us. "The DC Special Victims Unit has taken over your case. They went to James' dorm to arrest him, but he was gone."
"So what? They just have to wait until he comes back and then they'll get him." I said.
"No, I don't mean that he was gone for the day. James has dual-citizenship in France. His parents flew him there for an 'internship'. And France is not extraditable so they can't force him to come back here. But if he comes back to the United States or any extraditable country in the next five years he will be arrested." Stef explained. Her eyes were full of sorrow.
"Why only five years?" Jude was almost crying now. I grabbed his hand to support him.
"Five years is the statute of limitations on sexual assaults." Lena piped up.
"This is complete bull! He raped me! He gets a five year vacation in France and then he gets to pretend like it never happened?" Jude jumped up from the couch and ran upstairs.
"I'll talk to him in a little bit. He'll cool down." I shook my head in frustration. "This is so unfair."
"We know, love. They will be watching for him at the boarders. If he as much as steps one foot out of France he will be arrested. He's a high priority suspect." Stef sat down next to me and rubbed my bag. "Mama and I have been doing some research and we think we found a really good therapist for you to talk to. She specializes in sexual assaults and works with many military families. She has an opening next Wednesday. You could go on your lunch hour."
"No, I can't. I need to focus on Jude right now. He needs a therapist more than I do. Send him to her." I sighed and leaned back into the couch. "And I haven't been part of a military family in ten years."
"We've already found a different therapist for Jude. He's going on Monday. Let us help him. You have been like a mother to him for long enough. It's our turn now." Lena sat down on my other side and took my hand in hers.
"I'm sorry. I just have too much going on with work and… and other stuff. So maybe when things aren't so crazy we can come back to it."
"You said you would go Callie. I think-"
"And you said you wouldn't make me go if I didn't want to! I'm not saying I won't ever go; I'm just saying not now!" I cut Stef off. "My driving test is in an hour. I need to go get ready."
"Callie!" Stef called after me but I ignored her.
"Just let her go, Stef." I heard Lena say just before I went out of ear-shot.
I plopped down on my bed and started reviewing for my driver's test. I'd been taking classes for several months and I was finally going to get my license.
"Hey! So I was thinking that after you pass your test we could go to the mall!" Mariana chirped from her own bed.
"Do you really think Stef and Lena will let me drive as soon as I get it? Are they really that trusting?" I glanced up at my sister who nodded quickly.
"They have to let you! They let Brandon drive over an hour to go see a concert with some of his friends when he got his license. And we only want to go to the mall. That's only like fifteen minutes away. It's sexist if they don't let us go! And our moms are feminists!"
I smirked. "Okay, if they let us go then it's fine with me. But YOU have to ask!"
"Yay! You're the best!" Mariana scurried out of the room and down the stairs, assumingly to ask Stef and Lena if we could go.
After about thirty minutes of studying I decided that it was probably time to go. I walked downstairs and Stef, Lena, and Mariana were all waiting for me.
"Ready to go, love?" Lena asked?
I nodded and we got into the Toyota and the Mini Cooper. I rode with Lena and Mariana rode with Stef.
"Okay, when do you need to use your turning signal? All the time, when you feel like it, or just when people can see you?" Lena was quizzing me on questions that my proctor might ask me.
"Come on, that's way too easy! Obviously you use it all the time." I smiled over at Lena who stuck her tongue out at me.
"Okay fine. When you are parked uphill with a curb, which way do you turn your wheels?"
"Away from the curb so my wheels will hit the curb if my emergency brake fails!" I shouted out.
"Correct! You are going to do just fine on this test. And then you will be able to run errands for me and mom!"
"Oh fun!" I joked. Lena quizzed me the rest of the way to the DMV and I managed to get all of the questions right. I don't know why I was so nervous for this test. I always did great on my tests at NI. Actually, I rarely got less than a 100%.
Thirty minutes later…
The four of us sat in the waiting area of the DMV as I waited impatiently for my number to be called. I had just taken the written test, which was actually on a computer, and it was graded automatically. Thankfully, I passed.
"42!" A woman called from behind the desk. I stood up and handed the lady my number. "Come with me. We'll be gone for about ten minutes. If you pass this test then you will get your license when we get back."
I nodded and got in the front seat of the Toyota.
Mariana's POV
"Moms, you still haven't given me an answer. Can Callie and I please go to the mall?" I asked as we waited for Callie to return.
"Mariana, we just don't know if it is a good idea for Callie to drive without one of us for a while." My mom said. "Maybe the four of us can go together."
"You let Brandon drive to that concert that was an hour and a half away the second he got his license! This is so unfair! And I really just want to spend some time alone with Callie. We never get to have sister-time." I sulked in my chair.
"Stef, honey, she's right. We did let Brandon go. And it's super close." Mama said. My spirits perked up when she took my side.
"Ugh, fine! But I want you to text us as soon as you get there and as soon as you leave!" Stef caved.
"Yay! Thank you so much moms!" I jumped out of my seat and hugged both of them.
Callie walked in seconds later with a proud smile on her face! "I passed!" She ran across the room and threw herself into moms' arms.
"We are so proud of you honey!" Lena said as she peppered Callie's face with kisses.
"Come over here and we'll take your picture." The grumpy DMV worker ushered Callie over to a blue screen and snapped a quick picture. She tossed the card across the desk and walked into a back room.
"Wow, what a peach!" Callie said when she rejoined us. "Oh my God I look crazy!" She examined her picture closely.
"Let me see!" I snatched it out of her hands. "You look like you're in the middle of saying something!"
"She said she was going to take it on three and then goes 'One, two, snap!, three.' I didn't even get a chance to smile!"
"Callie, you look just fine." Stef kissed her cheek. "Okay, you ladies may go to the mall. But don't be out super late! We will be having family dinner tonight!"
Moms kissed us goodbye and then we ran out to the Mini Cooper together.
Twenty minutes later we were walking around the mall. "Oooh! Look at that dress!" I pointed to a store window. "Callie, you would look so cute in that!" I pulled my sister into the store and made her try it on.
I walked around the store and pulled stuff off the rack and kept tossing it over the dressing room door.
"Mariana! I don't want to try on the entire store!" Callie called out exasperatedly.
"You need grown-up clothes for work!" I spotted a cute blazer in a closed off corner. "I just found the perfect thing! I'll be right back!"
Callie's POV
I sighed loudly when Mariana took off to grab something else for me. She'd already given me three dresses, countless pairs of pants, and I think an entire rack of shirts. I kept changing but paused when I heard Mariana telling someone to go away.
I listened closely to try and understand what was happening.
"Hey, just give us a smile mami!" I heard some guy say and then some more laughed.
"I said back off!" Mariana yelled. I grabbed my shirt to put on quickly so I could go help her if necessary. "Stop it! Get off of me!"
I shoved the door open and scanned the store for my sister. I started running when I saw three guys crowded around her.
"Hey! Back the hell up right now!" I grabbed one by the collar of his shirt and threw him off of her.
The other two turned around and lunged at me. Luckily I was much stronger and much faster. I easily avoided there grasps which caused them to fall to the ground.
"Mariana go get help!" The store was huge and the section we were in was nearly empty. The guys had picked themselves up off the floor and formed a triangle around me. "Trust me, you guys do not want to get into it with me!" I slowly turned in a circle so I could keep an eye on each of them.
"What are you going to do sweetheart? Bitch-slap us?" The one who I threw off Mariana snickered.
I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down. I silently begged them not to do anything stupid. It unfortunately didn't work. One of them reached out for me but I seized his hand and twisted his wrist violently. He screamed in pain and fell to the ground. The other two looked at each other shocked. I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my NCIS badge. I technically didn't have any legal authority over them but I knew the badge would get their attention.
"I work for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. If you try and attack me you can be arrested for harming government property." I held my badge out in front of me and laughed as their eyes grew wide.
They tried to run but two security guards stopped them. "Are these the people who were harassing you, Miss?" One of them asked Mariana.
"Yeah, but just the guys! She is my sister and came to help me." Mariana's voice was panicked.
"Alright, you three, hands behind your backs."
I pointed to the one on the ground. "His wrist is broken so you'll want to be careful with him."
"How do you know that it's broken?" The biggest guard asked me.
"Uhh, because I broke it." I laughed a little but stopped quickly when I realized that the guards were not amused. "He lunged at me and I stopped him." I pulled out my badge again and explain why I did what I did.
"Okay, well since you are both minors we will need you to come to the security office and call your parents."
We looked at each other nervously. Neither of us wanted to tell Stef or Lena what happened. But, we obliged and followed the men to their office. We sat in a small room while we waited for one of them to bring us a phone. We weren't allowed to use our own in case we tried to call someone else and get out of it.
"Okay, Miss Adams-Foster you can call you parents. The number is already punched in; you just need to hit call. But, Miss Jacob, we have a small problem. We had to run your name through our databases to make sure that you really work who you say you work for. And when we did, your name came up in the ACS database. I'm afraid that we are going to have to call your social worker." The head of security said.
I sighed, but I understood. I was nervous as to what that meant. Would it affect my adoption at all? Would I be sent away?
Mariana took the phone that the guard handed her and called Stef and Lena. "Uh, hey mom. Listen, don't be mad but something kind of happened at the mall."
I strained my ears to hear what Stef was saying but she wasn't talking loud enough.
"No, we're both fine but Callie sorta had to use her ninja skills to fend off some creeps. And since Callie is still in foster care they have to call her social worker." She paused again as Stef spoke. "Yeah sure." Mariana handed the phone to the security guard. "She wants to talk to you."
The guard, whose name was Jonny, took the phone. "Hello? … No, we aren't going to charge the girls with anything… No, you do not need to come and get them. We just wanted to make sure that you were made aware of the situation… The boys will be fined and most likely given some form of community service… You have a nice night as well." He hung up and turned his attention back to me and Mariana. "You are good to go ladies. Your social worker has been notified and said that she will be over tonight to speak with you and your parents."
We thanked the men and walked to the car. We drove the whole way home in complete silence. I parked the car on the street and took a deep breath before I got out.
"Your social worker is here already." Mariana pointed out.
"Well this is just wonderful!" I unbuckled my seatbelt and slowly followed Mariana into the house.
"Mariana, please go wait in your room. We will be up shortly." Lena said as soon as we walked in. Mariana obeyed and ran upstairs. "Callie, come into the kitchen please."
I hung my head and followed Lena. Stef and my social worker, Ellie, were sitting at the kitchen table. I sat across from Lena and next to Stef. "Are you alright, love?" Stef whispered in my ear.
I nodded quickly.
"Callie, I understand that there was a situation at the mall. I hear that you broke a man's wrist?"
"You what?!" Lena exclaimed.
"Yes, I broke his wrist. But they were harassing my sister and tried to come after me. I did what I had to do to protect us. Trust me, it could have been a lot worse." I defended myself as best as I could. Stef tapped my hand as if to say 'not appropriate'.
"You later flashed your NCIS badge. Why didn't you do that in the beginning? Wouldn't it have been easier to do that to begin with?" Ellie prodded.
"Yeah, it would have been. But I pulled my badge at the first change I got. And when that guy lunged at me I just reacted. I wasn't thinking. I'll pay his medical bills if he wants. I'll use my paycheck from NCIS." I offered but Ellie's face told me that wasn't what was going to happen.
"I've actually been thinking about this housing arrangement for quite a while. And today has made my decision very easy. I am afraid that Callie might be a risk to your family and your children. If something makes her recall a memory from New Intelligence, she could snap. The outcome would be horrific. I don't think it is safe to have Callie in this house. At least until I can have her assessed by a professional. Jude is okay to stay. I reviewed both of their files from New Intelligence and doesn't seem to be as high risk as Callie."
After Ellie stopped talking the room fell silent. We all sat there for a while not knowing what to say.
"Where will I go?" I asked quietly.
"Unless there is a family that I believe is well equipped to take care of you, you will be sent to a group home for high-risk girls." Ellie's words cut like a knife.
I felt like I was going to throw up. I jumped off my chair and ran up to the bathroom and locked all of the doors.
"What am I going to do? I can't go to a group home!" I whispered to myself. Suddenly, I got an idea. I pulled out my phone and dialed. "Hey! I really need your help. Can you come to my house? Great, thanks." I hung up and waited.
"Callie, love, please come out! We need to talk about our options here." Stef's voice seeped through the door.
"No! Just leave me alone Stef!" I yelled back. I sat down on the floor and curled up into a tight ball.
Ten minutes later Stef yelled up the stairs to me. "Callie, you have a visitor!"
I opened the door and rushed downstairs.
"I'm sorry, who's this?" Ellie questioned when we all regrouped in the kitchen.
"This is Special Agent Ziva David. I thought she could explain to you that I'm not dangerous. I work with her every day and she's been helping me a lot over the past six months." I motioned for Ziva to sit down at the table.
"What exactly is going on?" Ziva asked.
"My social worker thinks I'm too dangerous to live here. At least until I can be evaluated." I explained.
"Well, Callie is right. I have never thought of her as dangerous. Protective? Strong? Capable? Sure! But not dangerous. She is very much in control of her actions." Ziva patted my hand reassuringly.
"This isn't up for discussion! Callie, you need to go pack a bag right now! You will stay at the ACS facility tonight and then we will figure something out in the morning." Ellie raised her voice. She was a small woman but got scary when she was mad.
"No! I'll take her!" Ziva said. "I was trained by Mossad in Israel. I'm more than capable of 'handling' Callie. She will be safe with me."
What do you think the social worker is going to say? Will Callie get to stay with someone she trusts or will she have to go to a group home?