Hi all, thanks for reviews as always. Just to say that remember I'm not changing any of the events of the main story, I'm just weaving bits in between - the outcomes will always be the same. If I tweak how we me have got there a little it will still result in the same scenes we know and love in the show. Here is the final chapter for this episode. I may well not start episode 3 tomorrow as I am short of time at the moment but I will try and keep things flowing. By the way, has everyone seen The Honeymoon sneak peeks? There are 4 (5 if you count the one shown on TV during Cinderella Story) so if you haven't seen them yet look for Shine On Media on YouTube and you can find them there. I am so excited I can hardly stand it!
Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this final chapter of episode 2. I would love to know what you thought of it and what you thought of the Kasey involvement twist as a whole across all 4 - it helps me gauge whether to put in similar twists in future chapters.
Thanks and enjoy - oh and by the way I posted a new Fostering Fun!
"You're enjoying torturing me about this aren't you." Stef sighed in response to a small dig about Mike as her conversation with Lena continued.
"Let's focus in the issue at hand. If Callie has been selling Jesus' pills then we need to come down hard but we can't push her back into the system as a punishment." Lena replied.
"It's another thing Lena - after the other night, now this..."
"We just told them they were staying, we can't wash out hands of them at the first sign of trouble!"
"I know that...I didn't mean that...at least, I don't think I did." Stef buried her face in her hands.
"Selling prescription pills at school is a criminal offence...it's drug dealing and she's on probation..."
"You really think Callie sold pills at school?" Brandon asked, interrupting them. Both women turned.
"Don't say you've started spying too!" Stef chastised, rubbing her face with frustration.
"There was an allegation - she denies it. We're trying to figure it out." Lena added, irritated.
"You can't honestly believe it?" he asked. "Where is she? " Stef and Lena exchanged a look and sighed. Stef flicked her head towards the garden and he followed the direction, leaving them to it.
Lena looked at her watch. "We need to get a start on dinner. We still have 6 kids to feed." she patted the table and stood up as Stef followed.
"Let's say she has done this - how would you treat it if it wasn't for everything else? If it was just any of the kids at school."
Lena shrugged. "It always depends on the kid - on the circumstances. We don't like to have a blanket policy when it comes to our children. It's not in line with our ethos."
"But surely that should work in her favour? All things considered." Stef asked as Lena turned to her confused.
"So now you want to go easy?"
Stef began to prepare a salad as Lena pottered around the side.
"I don't know what I want - I want to give this girl a shot and this has happened so fast we've not had a chance." the two of them mused over it for a while before another distraction.
Jesus and Mariana came down the stairs.
Jude had made his way down to Kasey's room among all the movement and whispers.
"Is Callie in trouble?" he asked her as she looked up from her guilty reflection. She took a deep breath.
"Even if she is right now, we'll fix it. I promise." she assured him.
"She keeps getting into trouble but she's not a bad person." he told her heading over to her bed.
"She only ever does things to try and protect us."
Kasey looked at the sadness in his eyes. As if she couldn't feel any worse. If that was the case then this wouldn't have even made sense anyway. She couldn't believe how wrong she had called her, it had always been against her gut - why did she fall so easily into it?
"Don't worry - Moms will hear the truth. If not from anyone else then from us. I bet they're up there getting the full story now anyway." Kasey had faith in her brother.
"How could you do something so incredibly stupid?!" Stef scolded as Jesus looked down guiltily.
"I didn't know it would do any harm, they don't do any harm with me." he protested.
"They're prescription!" Lena snapped. "You need them! To someone who doesn't you never know what damage they could do. You know and have assessed the possible side effects. You go through that with a doctor - have you got any idea how dangerous it is for people who don't know those risks? Who aren't being monitored?"
He bit down at his lip. He was so angry he had got himself into this but he had made the decision. Of course he knew all this - it was exactly why he would never do something so stupid.
"Well?" Stef prompted, though he hadn't heard whatever their question was.
His eyes swelled as he attempted to guess an answer.
"Look I'm really sorry. She seemed to know what it was she was talking about - I did tell her about all that but she insisted. She really seemed to need the help and I figured there are tons of kids on them."
"That's not good enough." Lena shook her head. The anger was amplified by the guilt that consumed her for doubting Callie's innocence.
"Well needless to say you're grounded." Stef filled in a looming silence. "Go to your room - we'll be up to confiscate anything even resembling fun once we've figured out what we're gonna do with school."
He took the opportunity to get out as fast as he could and high-tailed it up the stairs.
"Jesus - I..."
"Don't bother." he shot back as Mariana poked her head out of her room. He went into his and slammed shut the door. He flopped over to his desk to try and gather his thoughts. His phone bleeped breaking his trance - he smiled looking down at the name. At least there was one good thing going on.
Stef wandered down to the basement to see Jude and Kasey sitting there.
"Guys, dinner will be ready in twenty."
Jude sprang up. "Is everything OK? With Callie I mean?" Stef raised an eyebrow at Kasey who looked down guiltily.
"Everything is fine - she didn't have anything to do with the issues we were sorting. Why don't you go up and see her." A huge smile spread across his face and he scurried past. She ruffled his hair as he did so and watched him head up the stairs.
"You two seem to be getting on." Stef raised an eyebrow again as Kasey shrugged.
"I think I owed him some reassurance."
Stef squinted after taking in the comment. Kasey took a deep breath, it was pointless trying to hide her guilt - she needed to expunge it.
"Meaning?" Stef asked nervously.
"You know what happened?" Kasey asked as Stef wandered over and took Jude's vacated space next to her.
"About Jesus being the one who gave Kelsey the pills?" Kasey's head drooped slightly in surprise.
"Jesus? He was selling them?" She asked, genuinely shocked.
"Selling? Well he better not have been - he said he gave them to her to help with a paper. Do you know differently?"
Kasey shook her head. "No - I don't know what happened just that he was skipping them to hide the fact he ran out."
Stef nodded. "So why the guilt?"
Kasey looked round to her. She hadn't verbalised it yet but she wasn't surprised Stef had identified it.
"Well in the context of everything else I may as well admit it - I left school today because Jesus did too. He'd been caught up in some minor argument with that idiot Vico. Anyway he said he had only just got back on his pills and well...the other night I followed Callie a bit and she was looking at his pills..."
"Oh Kasey..." Stef admonished shaking her head. She could see where this was going.
"So...I was outside Lena's office with Kelsey and I guess I said too much about what was on my mind and..."
"You put the idea in her head." Stef rolled her head back against the wall.
"I swear I had no clue it would lead to this - I had been trying to give her the benefit of the doubt it just was all adding up and..."
"The conclusions drew themselves." Stef nudged her as Kasey looked down to her feet. "I think we're all a little guilty of that."
"Yeah, you sounded pretty convinced too." Kasey added without thought as Stef snorted out an embarrassed laugh.
"So how long into our conversation that you shouldn't have been listening into did you figure out she was innocent?" she looked down to her.
Kasey shrugged. "Kelsey had said she'd used them for that history paper and you guys reminded me it was last week."
"And you knew Jesus had something to do with it so he decided to come clean." Stef filled in the rest of the blanks.
"He knew he had to come clean as soon as he knew Callie was in the dock - he'd never let someone else go down for something he did."
"He let you cover for him today..."
"I didn't give him a choice." Kasey looked over to her after a small pause. "Am I in trouble?"
Stef heaved a deep sigh.
"This eavesdropping is extremely annoying. Extremely."
"But hey, this time it worked in everyone's favour." Kasey defended herself with a hopeful nudge.
Stef drooped her eyebrows. "Except that if you hadn't been spying on Callie you never would have drawn false conclusions about her."
"You're the one who told me to keep an eye on her..."
"Yes but..." Stef sighed, unable to think of a coherent enough way to put her thoughts across. She looked across at Kasey's beaming eyes and shook her head before grabbing her daughter's head in her arm and driving it down towards her chest.
"I have no idea what to do with you right now." She admitted as Kasey tried to struggle her way out.
"I know - I'm sorry. I just like to know what's going on and there's so much whispering and..."
"That's because sometimes we need to figure things out fully before we involve you..."
"Because you're so good at working things out yourselves?" Kasey jibed with half a smile. Stef squinted before slapping her leg a couple of times.
"Listen, it's good that you are trying to be aware of what is going on - but can we please be a little more respectful?"
"OK - I know."
"Good. And I mean it when I say if I catch you outside the door one more time you're grounded. One week. After your leg is better. Point blank."
"Shouldn't you clear that with Dad?" She asked as Stef drove a cushion into her daughter's face.
"Oh his problem is with us going too soft. You shouldn't be too worried about that seeing as I want a 1,000 word paper on the importance of not drawing conclusions from questionably obtained information by tomorrow."
"You're joking?" Kasey, pulling the cushion down as Stef got up.
"Handwritten, and I may well make you count the words in front of me so you better be accurate. I will double check with Lena and your Dad but I can't see either standing up for you after your behaviour today."
Kasey was still in shock. "For what? Just the eavesdropping?"
"For spreading half-baked theories that nearly got a completely innocent girl into serious trouble. You're lucky that you redeemed yourself by trying to fix it before we found out." Kasey opened her mouth to protest before Stef continued. "Plus I know you're seeking penance, otherwise you wouldn't have come clean. Why I'm sure I don't need to tell you to apologise." She hinted as Kasey nodded.
"I will."
"No more lingering around corners, understood?"
"Understood. Hey, can you tell Lena why I left school so that I can get out of the detention?"
"Sure - but good luck getting home before 6 with all the paperwork this has given her though." Stef raised her eyebrows with a taunting smile. "But don't worry. No doubt Jesus will be keeping you company for the next ten years." She grumbled before taking her leave.
Dinner was tense and quiet. Most of it was Brandon trying to make conversation and divert attention from the obvious ill-feeling in the air. Jesus was mad at Mariana, Kasey felt guilty about her part in judgement and everyone was mad at Jesus. He disappeared quickly at the end to try and delay the further lecturing.
As the others cleared, Kasey followed Callie over to get the dregs of her things from the living room now she was almost moved in.
"You settled up there OK?" She asked nervously as Callie turned before looking back with a nod.
"I think so. I travel light." She joked at her obvious situation. "Um, thanks for giving me your bed and stuff..." Kasey smiled to acknowledge it but she wasn't looking for thanks.
"Listen - " She began, Callie's shoulder dropped. She still couldn't read Kasey and had no clue what this was about to be.
"I owe you a huge apology and I have been a complete idiot." The unexpected admission captured Callie's full attention. She paused for a moment studying Kasey's face.
"You thought I'd done it too?" She asked finally.
"Yeah, I did. And what's worse I put the idea in Kelsey's head too which I never meant to happen." Callie sighed down looking at her.
"I'm pretty sure Kelsey would have thought of it as a cover anyway - what use is a juvie girl if you can't blame your criminal activity on her, right?" She continued to fold some clothes.
"You're not a juvie girl, Callie. You're feisty, independent and you would do anything for your brother. The fact that we've managed to warp that into a stick to beat you with says more about us than you - and that's why I want to start again properly. I've let whispers from vindictive people crawl under my skin, but that isn't me and clearly this isn't you." She looked her up and down before extending her hand. "Fresh start?"
Callie paused for a few moments before nodding. She was going to be here for a while and she hadn't forgotten that Kasey had tried to stick up for her on her first day, even if she had taken her eye off the ball since. Her speech had made her realise that they had a lot in common.
"Fresh start." She agreed shaking her hand.
"From now on - I've got your back. You're one of us while you're here - for however long that is."
Callie nodded.
"Well that makes me feel safer. I'll hold your crutches while you fight them." Callie teased sarcastically, the first time cracking a genuine smile towards Kasey as she laughed. "I don't even have a broken leg, I just have these bad boys to beat the crap out of anyone who messes with us." Kasey laughed as Callie threw her another smile back. Kasey flopped down into the sofa as Stef appeared around the corner, passing Callie on her way out. She watched her leave before turning back.
"Good girl." She commented with a smirk.
"You weren't seriously eavesdropping after all the lecturing you've given me?"
Stef wandered over before grabbing up a pen and paper.
"I don't need to eavesdrop to know you were going to make things right." She kissed her head leaning over her before dropping the paper and pen in her lap.
"Get writing." She ordered, turning away as Kasey grumbled and poked her Mom with her now discarded crutches.
"Ooh good point!" Stef turned back and removed them from her clutch leaving them by the door.
Kasey rolled her head back with a helpless laugh before she began to write.
Episode 3 Preview (4-5 chapters) - Jude struggles to cope with his nerves about the test but finds comfort in some brotherly reassurance. Mariana gets a reminder about what it was like to be in Callie's position and while the possibility of Brandon moving out triggers some uncomfortable memories for Stef, the guilt assignment helps Kasey process her recent anger towards her Dad.
If anyone has any requests for scenes in this episode that you would like to see then please do let me know and I will try and provide it.
Quite a heavy one so chapter 1 kicks off with some fluff:
"You'd be more sympathetic wouldn't you, Principal? I bet you had a scrape or two back in your wild days pre-pant suits." Kasey chanced a dig, if anything to make Jesus laugh a little. Lena threw her a look as Principal Sanchez turned, brazen. She wasn't known for her sense of humour.
"I'll see you all tomorrow." she replied firmly, clearly not glorifying the comment with a response.
"You're impossible." Lena whispered once her boss was definitely out of sight but she couldn't help sneak a smile, Sanchez was not in her good books right now after the news she had given her about Jude.