Thanks for all the follows, reviews and favourites guys! Love that so many of you have found your way over. Here is part 3! Would love to know what you think. Thanks to Mea23 for beta-ing this one.
The morning had been busy and bustling as it always was. Callie had never been in a foster house with this many kids before. It reminded her of the group home she and her brother had been sent to the first few nights before they were first fostered. It was always overwhelming to her how lonely she could feel even when surrounded by people. They had gone off to school and the family had dispersed. Callie could feel Kasey's eyes on her and had tried to keep her distance. She was relieved that Lena had left Brandon with babysitting duty. She couldn't deny that she got a warmer feeling from him than any of the others. Maybe she really had been too scathing last night - he seemed OK. It wouldn't matter anyway - she wasn't going to be staying there once she had got Jude - but even though they wouldn't have her back she'd at least be re-located somewhere with him.
"So...you're staying with Brandon's family?" Callie once again snapped awake from her daydreaming as the redhead who was her latest chaperone demanded her attention.
"Uhm - yeah. For now." she answered bluntly as Talya eyed her suspiciously.
"I doubt it'll be for long. It never is." she responded sensing Talya's next question. She'd dealt with jealous girlfriend's of foster brothers before too.
The remainder of the short walk was silent; neither girl was interested in smalltalk.
They made their way into Timothy's class as the bell finished ringing.
"You must be Callie." the Englishman identified her immediately."Lena has told me all about you. Just grab that chair there. Surprised Kasey didn't bring you to class."
Callie's shoulders dropped slightly. Would she ever get away from these Fosters?
"Of course she'd have to actually be on time for once for that." he remarked pointedly as Kasey emerged.
"Am I the only person who sees these crutches? I swear you and my Moms just have a blind spot." Kasey moaned shuffling into her chair.
"Fine, I'll let you off as seeing as no doubt you already know all the answers to the questions I'm about to ask."
He smiled at her knowing full well she was by far his strongest student when it came to literature.
"Maybe you can give Callie your copy of The Metamorphosis - I'm assuming you've finished it." Callie looked over to her. Maybe it was Kasey who was the nerd of the family.
"I've also got the film if you prefer." she offered quietly with a wink sensing that studying wasn't high on Callie's list. She was trying, but Callie left her effort hanging.
"I'll give you all a few moments to reconnect with the material - and for some of you to quickly skim it, right Wyatt?" Timothy teased a bored looking boy across the class before heading to his desk and ruffling through some papers.
"What kind of school calls teachers by their first name, right?" Kasey quipped with a smile as an aside to Callie.
"The kind that's on a beach?" she responded dead pan. Kasey sniffed out a laugh but saw Callie's face was still unbroken. She wasn't cracking at all.
Timothy began the lesson as Callie looked around the class. He was going on about whatever book it was that she would now apparently have to read - as if she was going to be there tomorrow. She had to get out of here and if there was one thing Callie had learned it was that to climb the ladder you need some people to step on - she had witnessed other people doing it at her expense enough. She looked around her classmates. There was Talya and Kasey, they were no use. There was the bored looking guy chewing on his pencil, clearly not engaged with the world. Probably not much help either. She looked immediately to her left and a glimmer of a key caught her eye. The guy next to her had a car. She was immediately snapped out of it as she heard Timothy say her name. Seriously? On her first day? She turned to him.
"I know you haven't read the material yet - but what would you do if you suddenly woke up and found you were living a nightmare?"
Callie gulped down. What the hell kind of a question was that? She looked around nervously. This guy knew nothing about what hell she had been through and he was asking her questions as if she should be grateful for the life she'd had?
"Living a nightmare?" she spluttered out. "You think I got these bruises from pillow fighting?"
Timothy stuttered as Kasey clocked Talya whispering something to her neighbour who giggled. She hadn't sussed Callie out yet but this was uncalled for. She had to take action.
"Come on Timothy. Poor girl woke up at our house. You've never seen my Moms before they've had their coffee. It's a sight scarier than any nightmare." Kasey attempted to divert attention as Callie took a deep breath. Timothy looked between the two girls and decided it was best to leave it there.
"OK Kasey, maybe you can answer the question?"
Callie looked across to her as Kasey flickered an eyebrow up and down before looking back to their teacher and answering.
Callie collected her thoughts and looked back across at the boy's keys. She needed to get out of here and maybe he would be her ticket. She looked at the girls across giggling and bitching. She knew how they would get what they needed and maybe it was time she followed their example.
At the end of class, Kasey piled her books into her backpack ready to make the hobble out as clutter free as possible. She was surprised to find Talya not far behind her.
"Here to give me a hand?" Kasey asked almost mockingly. She had never liked Talya that much but it was no worse than indifference. She made Brandon happy enough but as she never saw it lasting so paid little attention. They were civil but never talked out of Brandon's presence. Today however she had no time for her. She didn't need to hear what she said in class to know it would have annoyed her.
"Looks more like you need a leg." she quipped as Kasey forced a laugh.
"Funny. I see now why Marie was laughing before in class if you're whipping out one liners like that." Kasey bit back with slight reprimand of their behaviour. Talya's face dropped slightly. Making an enemy of Kasey wouldn't be in her best interest.
"So - how did she get those bruises?" she asked conversationally, letting the comment slide rather than retaliating. Kasey raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Any reason you aren't asking her yourself?" Kasey hopped up onto her crutches and began to make her way to the door.
"Just trying to be tactful - I don't wanna make her feel uncomfortable."
"So you'd rather talk about her behind her back?" Kasey kept her tone relaxed so as not to sound too aggressive. Talya knew how these things worked and that Kasey was looking after her own - she just had to establish if Callie was yet one of her own.
"I have every right to be concerned Kasey, after all she's in your house - I just wanna know you are all safe." Talya smiled slightly offended. Kasey beamed back.
"We're good, thanks, but I'll be sure to let Mom know that you are on hand should they need a hand keeping their house in order." it was slightly cold but Kasey was getting frustrated. She could spot someone fishing for gossip a mile off.
"I'm sure Brandon will fill you in on anything that is important for you to know."
Talya took a deep breath and scowled slightly as Kasey finally broke free. As she emerged into the corridor she saw Aiden walking away from a disheartened looking Callie. She approached her to check everything was OK.
"You alright?" she asked, genuinely concerned about how Callie may be feeling after her small outburst earlier in the class.
"Your Moms ask you to follow me or something?" she retorted before biting back her lip, regretting the force at which is burst out. She stuttered to apologise but Kasey echoed a similar gulped back smile that Stef had given her the night before. Her patience was wearing thin.
"We may have a beach but there are only so many routes around the school." She replied brashly before pulling it back seeing that Callie's eyes had a hint of regret. She cleared her throat and tried a different approach. "Sorry about Timothy, he gets so absorbed he forgets to think about what he's saying sometimes."
Callie nodded slightly but her mind was clearly on other things, more out of embarrassment than anything else. She wanted to get away from the awkwardness. Kasey sighed. She couldn't read her, but there was something that really made her feel sorry for her. She could see that beneath the bravado she was scared.
"Callie, I know it's not my place to say and I can't pretend to know what you've been through...but there are good people here. Use them. You don't have to figure everything out by yourself. You may not believe me...but just...once you're done trying to figure us all out you may be surprised to find we're not all against you." Kasey turned to move away.
Callie looked across to her as she moved. It was a similar sentiment to what Lena had said before Stef had interrupted them. She felt as close to figuring Kasey out as Kasey was to figuring out her. She had Lena's warmth but Stef's tough exterior. For a moment or two the night before she had wondered what Stef would be like if she ignored the fact she was a cop. She didn't seem aggressive but it was hard to see past the uniform. Maybe she had got this warm vibe from Stef too when she really thought about it. Maybe Kasey would help - maybe even Stef would. The thought of it caused a knot in her stomach and a compulsion to share her load about Jude.
"Kasey..." she quivered as Kasey stopped to turn back and looked at her warmly.
She gulped it down. She couldn't bring herself to say it - it was too dangerous.
"Thanks for what you did in class." She covered, though there was some sincerity behind it.
Kasey flickered a smile. She could tell a diversion when she could see one but it was progress.
"You're welcome." she smiled back before continuing her limp away.
Callie took a deep breath as Kasey disappeared around the corner.
She couldn't risk it. She would have to get Jude off her own steam and made her way to find someone else who may be able to give her some information about the buses or metro.
Stef stormed out of the captain's office studying the back of Mike's head. She could tell when he was trying to sneak away from her - he had the same habits as her children.
"Mike! Did you hear me?"
"I heard you." he kept walking. The conversation she had had with Kasey the night before was buzzing through her mind.
"Well at least I now know why you were asking Kasey all those questions." she grabbed his arm forcing him to face her.
"I thought the divorce was meant to end the domestics?" one of their colleagues from the party that was going on shouted over to laughter around them.
"Can it, Henderson." Stef called over before turning back to Mike with an accusatory stare.
"What is this about?" she demanded as he shrugged.
"What? It makes sense. We were married Stef, if you tolerated me enough to share a bed with me surely you can share a car?"
"If I recall, our bed sharing came to a bit of an abrupt end - or have you forgotten that we're not married anymore?"
Mike laughed to try and avoid answering. "Come on Stef - look I'm sorry I didn't clear it with you first but we're a good team. You hate rookies and they'd probably have put you with another one. We have a good relationship, we have two kids in common and I miss being on the beat with you. Don't pretend you don't miss me too. We used to have a lot of fun."
Stef scrutinised his face. It seemed genuine but there was something he wasn't saying.
"Is this about the kids?" She guessed, folding her arms - the conspiracy theories that Kasey had been boring her with were swirling round her mind.
Mike looked down guiltily. "So I would like to have the opportunity to casually be in the loop about what's going on with my family - is that so wrong?"
She squinted at him even harder. She could still tell there was more but whatever it was she wasn't getting it out of him. A few unspoken words almost made it out of her mouth but they all ended in a sigh.
"I guess there are worse partners I could have." A small smile creeped across Mike's face. She was waning but a few doubts still poked through. "Lena is gonna be nervous. Working with my ex..."
"Stef, you're gay - it's not like you're going to be jumping in to bed with me. That ship has long sailed. This is professional!" He laughed in response.
She nodded through a breath. "Just remember I drive." she conceded. He was right - Lena would be concerned because of the fear of the external influence but their marriage hatchet had been buried long ago. He was never going to be out of their life and she did miss his companionship every now and again. There were reasons she had fallen for his personality, even if in the end it was nothing more than friendship. He was no threat to her relationship and Lena knew that deep down.
"You gonna meet us at ours before the concert?" She asked deciding to at least be in control of the conversation.
"Absolutely. It'll be nice to see you fill Lena in on the news..." he teased poking his tongue out slightly.
"Don't push it." She warned. "Go get ready - I've got some paperwork to finish so you get yourself sorted and changed. If we both turn up in uniform the music nerds may start hyperventilating in fear that we're arresting them for drinking too much coffee or something."
"Hey would that increase Brandon's chances?" he joked with a straight face as Stef sniggered and clapped his chest lightly a couple of times. She strode off as Mike took in a deep breath and smiled a contented smile. He felt much better knowing that he could still protect his family - even though for his own protection he'd never admit it to her.
Chapter 3 Preview: Tensions fly as the parents find out Brandon and Callie are AWOL and Kasey tries to find out why Jesus and Mariana are fighting.
"Sorry - I just. Stuff is really weird right now. Mariana she...she's just being really...off." Kasey raised her eyebrows welcoming more but Jesus simply rolled his closed lips around trying to stop himself from saying any. He had found a lot of money in Mariana's purse and he wanted to tell his older sister but not even he knew what it was yet. Maybe it was time he found out.
"I'm sure it's nothing. Just the stress of thinking about Ana." he put the controller down and his leg tapped violently. Kasey sighed. He clearly wasn't ready to talk about it.