Aaaaaaah! No Fosters?! What am I gonna do?! :( This majorly sucks. Anyhow, hopefully we will be able to get back into the real world for a bit.

Right. This is probably one of my favourite chapters of this episode (I'm such a sucker for little Kasey) and I think a lot of people seem to be excited about it so I can't wait to hear what you think. I've tried to work some fluff in taking advantage of the sleepy nature of the characters but hopefully the sentiment isn't lost. Thanks for all of yesterday's reviews and thank you to thesameguest for her help with this chapter. Enjoy!

[Stef's trip away continued]

"You are certainly making a play for the bad books today aren't you?" Lena commented, seeing Kasey's shadow in the glare of the TV.

Kasey ignored her, wrapping her arms tightly around a cushion. Lena looked her up and down trying to think of the right approach. She had pushed her earlier doubts aside and decided to embrace this situation, just like she had convinced Stef she could.

Hearing the pitter patter of rebellion, Lena had waited until Kasey had played her hand and settled in her battle pose downstairs before deciding she was determined to try and get through to her in her own way. She had always known this would be delicate and knew that Kasey had already made huge strides in accepting her, but the uncharacteristic setback this weekend had clearly thrown a new spanner in the works but she wouldn't let it drag her down.

She took the seat next to Kasey who was still doing her best to remain unmoved by the company. The increasing grip on her cushion was showing that it wasn't going completely unnoticed.

"How about you turn off the TV and we can have a talk?" Kasey blinked stubbornly, but not yet defiant enough to challenge Lena's patience at making her best of this situation. These were not bad kids or difficult kids. If there was an emotional problem it needed patience to be found.

"Okay then." Lena leaned over to take the remote from Kasey's other side and switched it off herself.

Kasey blinked her eyes to look down at her feet in the absence to the TV. The sudden loss of light caused Lena to switch for a lamp. Kasey wasn't attempting to move and she wasn't attempting to yell. She was looking for something that she wanted to find there and Lena had a wild guess, even if the young girl didn't know she needed it.

She put her hand around Kasey's back an pulled her in closely. There was a small wriggle of resilience but the struggle didn't last long.

"You know your Mommy is coming back tomorrow, right? She's not going to be gone for long."
Kasey remained staunch in her campaign to ignore Lena's presence. Lena saw it as a challenge she hadn't hit the right button yet.

"Your Daddy will be back too, he'll probably come and say hi in the week. Take you and Brandon out."

Still nothing, but the small shuffle indicated she was getting closer.

"You know, maybe we could go out and do something together next week too? Just me you and Brandon."

"No." Came the firm reply and Lena smiled, not at the reason behind the comment, but a sense of pride she had pinpointed it.

"I guess we've been spending a lot of time together, huh? What with school and us all moving in here together."

She felt a small shrug come from the silent girl.

"You know though that I only want to get to know you better, so that we can make this work better. You letting me join your family." She was choosing her words carefully but the execution was seamless.

"I mean, there's room for me in your family? Isn't there? Along with Brandon and Mommy and Daddy?"

Kasey shrugged again, her eyes now beginning to prickle.

"Because I would hate for you to think that me being here would ever change things for the worse."

Kasey knew her tear was about to roll down and quickly drove her palm up to catch it. Lena squeezed a little tighter and quickly caught another with her own hand.

"I know it's been tough, all of these new things. You know though that me being here now doesn't mean that you are going to have less parents who love you, it just means that you get one more."

Kasey processed the words a little, warming more and more to them. As much as she was resistant, Lena made her feel calm and safe, she always had even though there were days she was determined not to let her. Little by little however she always fell deeper into her cradle.

"But then why did Daddy go when you came?" She squeaked out, the deeper issues surfacing. They were doubts she thought had long been handled but this was no black and white process and in Kasey's developing mind she knew there would always be things that resurfaced at times of high stress.

"Honey," Lena began. The truth was there was no rehearsed answer for that. She sighed deeply, trying to place the explanation. "There are some things that happen in a way you don't expect. Your Daddy didn't leave because I came. There are just reasons your Mommy and Daddy couldn't stay together."

Kasey took in the answer, and she believed most of the sentiment behind it. She looked up at Lena, unable to fight the pull towards her. It was true that she didn't dislike Lena, she liked her very much, she just missed her Mom and Dad and losing the unit which she had known from the very beginning was wearing her down.

"Listen to me - " Lena continued. " There may be some changes, and there will be some difficult times to go through, but the important thing is you are surrounded by people to help you do so. All three of us. Nothing will ever change that."

Kasey looked deep into her eyes and felt the squeeze of her grip once again.

"You have to know, sweetheart, I love your Mommy." she said to Kasey who looked up earnestly. The honesty behind the words grabbing her attention in ways she wasn't sure she had understood before.

"And your Mommy loves you more than anything in the world. I would never want or let anything come in between that, let alone me. I promise you as sure as we're sitting here now, that will never happen."

The comment was met with silence and slow breathing until Kasey let out a longer breath of air from her nose.

"I'm sorry I was mean to you." She mumbled, barely audible. "I'm mean to Mommy too sometimes."

The words fizzed through Lena like a pain relief tablet. She knew Kasey had no idea the impact of what she'd just said, but the only reaction she could find in the depths of her heart was a kiss to plant on the little girl's head. Words were cheap in anger, but priceless in love and for the first time she realised that this day hadn't been a step back but a leap forward.

Lena's head rolled, blinking in the light of the waiting room. She jumped as she saw Kasey was sat next to her.

"Kasey." She mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "How long have you been sat there? What time is it?" She readjusted her vision but tried to snap awake.

"About the time it takes for a coffee to get cold." She handed her the redundant cup, twitching her empty one on her knee. Lena breathed through her nose with a lazy smile.

"I think it's about seven. I left about sixish."

"Others know you're gone?" She asked as Kasey looked down with a guilty shrug.

"You have got to stop this sneaking out thing." Lena chastised gently.

"No offence Mom, but it shouldn't really count if I'm sneaking out to where my parents are." Lena shook her head gently, far too tired to come up with a response to Kasey's clearly more awake wit.

Kasey's smiled faded to one of regret, remembering what had really brought her here.

"Look, I'm really sorry about what I said yesterday. I've been a real jerk recently."

"Kasey - "

"No, hear me out." She stopped her Mom's attempt to bat it away. "Of all the people here you were the last person I should have been taking stuff out on. It's not fair and you know I didn't mean to imply you were any less of my parent than Mom or Dad is."

Lena rubbed Kasey's thigh. "Sweetheart, if you didn't think of me as your Mom you wouldn't have been yelling at me for nagging you. Don't worry. I shouldn't have pushed you when emotions were high."

Kasey gripped her hand with a smile.

"But you know..." Lena added, still sleepy but sounding more alert with each word. "You shouldn't be taking this out on yourself either." The gentle accusation prompted a confused eyebrow raise.

"I didn't think I was."

"Is that why you're here with my breakfast at 6am?" Lena challenged with a small prickle of her mouth.

Kasey looked down with a sigh. "I just...I just really want to be able to do something." She replied, her frustration peeking through.

She studied the regret in Kasey's eyes and could see the deeper cause of it.

"You know..." she consolidated. "Your Mom and I were arguing too...just before she went." Kasey flicked her head to her, slightly startled that Lena had been reading her so well. She guessed it would be obvious. It was no secret they'd been fighting and her desperation to make up for things was a clear sign of guilt.

"About Gretchen?" Kasey asked tentatively. She knew Lena was using this as a tool to help Kasey open up, but she could also see the double motive that there were probably things Lena also needed to confide in someone.

"You could say that." A small strand of hair fluttered in the breath that came through her nose as she recalled.

"She tell Mom you actually met her in your experimental days and joined her drug cartel?" Kasey responded, the heaviness of the day dragging her down to her easier defaults of humour. It was a lazy attempt and one that flew over Lena's head, as indicated by the confused look.

"Never mind." She sighed. "Bad TV reference...carry on."

Lena shook her head, gently squeezing Kasey's hand a little.

"She mentioned some things to your Mom. Some feelings and desires I maybe shouldn't have suppressed."

Kasey now looked back intrigued.

"You're not also into men are you?" She asked back, genuinely confused through the tiredness. Lena squinted with a smile, slapping their clasped hands down.

"No, Kasey." She replied with a headshake. "I wanted to get married."

Kasey looked even more confused. "You wanted to get married to a man?"

As soon as the words left Kasey's mouth she closed her eyes in embarrassment at how ridiculous it had sounded out loud. It probably was an instant joke reflex that had got lost somewhere in her skewed delirium and come out seriously. She shook her head, trying not to see at Lena's look of sleepy disbelief. She could imagine it well enough.

"I wanted to marry Gretchen." Lena replied, with firm emphasis.

"Yeah...that makes more sense." Kasey chuckled, flushing pink at her previous statement and Lena softly shaking her head with an eye-roll. It wasn't long however before Kasey's face dropped back to seriousness.

"And Mom didn't know that was ever something you wanted?"

Lena shrugged with a sigh. "I guess not. I hadn't thought much about it but I guess it's never good to not share feelings like that with the people you love. Whether it's disappointment, sadness." She looked Kasey up and down and thought about her recent turmoil. "Worry." she added firmly, squeezing her daughter's hand again.

Kasey turned back to her, picking up the not so subtle hint. Although she didn't verbally acknowledge it, her lack of dispute was more of a confirmation than she had given over the last few days.

"You know..." Lena began again as Kasey looked down to the floor. "We do have to talk about what happened yesterday at some point. Before...this." She indicated to Stef's room in absence of being able to say the actual words.

The young girl propped her head back up immediately, wondering how this conversation had been turned.

"Seriously? You're choosing now to bring up my punishment?" She wasn't angry at the change, more surprised. She was still too tired for anger. That ship had long sailed.

Lena's own drowsiness was showing again as her words became softer. "I couldn't care less about your punishment, Kasey. All I mean is, that just because something bigger has happened it doesn't change the fact that you need help with something."

Kasey rolled her head back.

"Mom, I dealt with it. Look I was just mad and acted out. I've sorted things with dad."

"With this?" She propped up Kasey's hand so that she had to see the bandage. "Honey, you stole your phone and ran off to a bar via a highly emotional outburst with your dad. That doesn't just disappear because something worse happened."

Kasey let go of Lena's hand to rub her face sleepily. Her Mom settled for placing it on her knee.

"I appreciate that, I really do - and I will, I just, now isn't the time. Please?" She pleaded, looking back round.

"I know honey, I'm not saying it is." Kasey swallowed down as she felt a gentle pat on the leg. "All I am saying is that at some point it should be the time - and I don't want to scare you, but if this has taught us anything it should maybe be that you cant take time for granted."

Kasey nodded with another sigh.

"There is nothing in the world that your mom cares more about than you kids. She wants nothing more than to be able to help you, we both do. Remember that."

Kasey paused for a moment, looking into Lena's eyes.

"I've never forgotten it." Kasey smiled gently, thinking back to that first time she had really believed for sure that Lena was wanting to be in their unit, not pulling it apart.

"How about we go get some coffee that isn't cold? Maybe some breakfast too. If I can force myself to eat anything." Lena suggested, giving Kasey one more pat and rubbing her own face.

"Y'OK." She blinked out, she had suddenly felt a twinge of more sadness at the resurfacing Lena's words had induced. Lena paused for a moment, opening her eyes to Kasey's unsteadiness, before taking her gently around the shoulder and squeezing her tightly into a hug. She knew that the words were going in, but Kasey didn't need more processing right now, she needed the human contact that Stef would be providing were she here. They paused for a moment, Lena also reaping the benefits from Kasey's warmth, and the grasp she placed on her elbow, before they headed towards the cafeteria.

Lena and Kasey headed back up to the waiting room after their breakfast to find the doctor coming out to greet them.

"Ms Adams, we're about to prep your partner for surgery if you want to come and see her briefly."

She turned to Kasey who smiled gently seeing the anguish in Lena's eyes. That look of pure love and fear. "I'll call the others. Go tell her good luck. Maybe not that I snuck out the house though ." she shrugged trying to be playful. Lena cupped her cheek and hurried towards the doctor as Kasey dialled Brandon.

The rest of the family arrived not too long after with the addition of Wyatt who Kasey greeted with a hug.

"You watch me yell at Jude for sneaking off without telling anyone..." Callie reprimanded as Kasey pulled off Wyatt and gave her a guilty smile.

"At least I left a note!" Jude added smugly, Kasey ruffling his hair. The lightness in the room however was short lived as the reality soon returned. This constant cloud wasn't going away any time soon.

Various parties went in and out but for the most part the majority sat, all silently still processing the enormity of what was happening. Coffees were drunk. Small talk was passed. Callie had left with Wyatt but came back alone.

Then the doctor arrived.

The time he took to walk towards them seemed to freeze time. Now felt like the moment which would determine the rest of their lives as a family, whether they would ever be the same again.

"We feel optimistic she's going to make a full recovery." Were all the words they needed to hear. The rest blurred and merged. The family exchanged hugs and said silent thank yous to any force that may or may not be listening.

Kasey's head spun round as she thought of how close this had been. How in five minutes your whole life can change. She collapsed onto one of the chairs, watching the family around her before she closed her eyes to take in the jubilation.

As she opened them the temporary high subsided as she saw Brandon storm away from Mike, tossing something into the trash. She watched as her Dad made his own tracks shortly after. Lena had been right. No matter what had happened since, the issues wouldn't just disappear just because something worse had shaken things up.

A little while later, Callie took a seat next to Kasey. They had all briefly seen Stef but she had still been heavily medicated and they had ended up leaving Lena alone with her in the agreement they'd come back the next day.

"How you getting on?" she asked, trying to pull Kasey out of whatever world she was in.

"Honestly, I wasn't sure I'd ever feel this good again." She smiled. Callie could see the small flicker which indicated that as much as she wanted that to be true, and although she probably thought it was, there was a little more going on than that.

She thought back to the last discussion she had with Stef, remembering that before their world had been shaken, Kasey had already been going through something that had been affecting her mood. The way things had transpired, it was hard to think back to normality, but it was clear Kasey's difficulties at least weren't all going to be solved by Stef's recovery.

"I know I was teasing you before about running off, but...did you get whatever it was sorted?" She asked, hoping the rawness of the last day may make for a good opportunity to help her draw things out.

"I guess." she shrugged back, the events of the morning feeling much further into the distant past than they were. "I had a good talk with Lena."

"About this or...?"

Kasey turned, slightly surprised to the caring face looking at her. She almost felt guilty for thinking about anything other than her Mom.

"Mainly. She did bring up yesterday though. By the way I, uhm, solved the Scurro's mystery. It was my Dad so..." her voice dropped down.

"Yeah, your Mom already kinda lectured me for it." Callie smiled, defeated.

"Ugh. Sorry about that. I didn't mean to drop you in it just all kinda..."

"It's OK Kase, I think more important things have come up since." she teased.

"Right." Kasey sighed.

Callie watched as her head dropped back down.

"We all make mistakes, Kase. Your Dad isn't always gonna get it right."

"I shouldn't be thinking about this. Not now, not when Mom's..."

"Your Mom is fine now." She assured her. It wasn't much, but it was the blessing Kasey had needed.

"What if he won't even try to? Get things right, I mean." Kasey shot back. Now with the green light, she was unable to hold back from her most recent train of thought on her mind.

Callie shrugged. "If I knew that I'd probably still have a relationship with mine."

Kasey looked down guiltily, her eyes closing tight.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"Kase." Callie shook her head, Kasey's humbled apologies beginning to grate one her. "You can't walk on egg shells every time we talk about something serious. I'm passed having a breakdown every time I think of my Dad." she assured her, possibly more confidently than she really was, but it was true she had learnt how to deal with the topic, or at least, she had certainly learnt to deal with knowing how to protect her feelings about it.

A moment of silence festered before Kasey spoke up again.

"Can I ask you something?" Kasey finally spoke, looking up earnestly with Callie nodding.

"You say you're passed it but...are you still mad at him?"

Callie was now the one who was taken over by silence. She realised she couldn't say what she had just said to Kasey and then not answer the question.

"I dunno if mad is the right word." She shrugged. "Some days I get mad at him for not being here. When shit stuff happens to us, you know?" She twitched a strand of hair behind her ear.

"But about the accident...I dunno. I guess if I was I wouldn't have been able to keep writing to him."

Kasey looked at Callie's diverted gaze. She could see that this was genuine. She was uncomfortable, but she wasn't lying.

"How do you stop being angry about something like that?" Kasey squinted, her voice quiet.

Callie sat back and took a deep breath.

"I guess the only thing scarier than facing losing one parent for good is losing both." She turned back to Kasey. "I suppose I wasn't gonna choose that, even if it kinda happened anyway."

Her mind tried to melt away again to that look of guilt and anger in her Dad's face but she pulled it back. There was a lot more to it than that. She had seen his despair. She had seen that no matter what she dealt him, nothing could make him pay more than he already was - but she couldn't slip back there, not with Kasey probing. It would end up being more than she wanted to expose.

"Plus." She added to try and summarise her hidden lessons. "Anger is tiring, you know? I guess it blows itself out or it blows you out." Her voice went raspy. Even for someone so young she had seen and felt a lot. Kasey could tell a voice of experience and she admired so much about Callie that she wouldn't take her words lightly. What's more, she was starting to understand what she meant. Kasey's troubles may not have been as extreme, but she had faced more emotions in the last few days than she had faced in a very long time - some more extreme than she ever had.

She looked up and saw her Dad return. He was agitated and clearly looking for someone. He barely stayed to scan the room before leaving again. They paused for a few moments before Lena re-emerged and gathered them up.

"Guys, think it's time we head home." She smiled as the two girls nodded and creeped up to join. As they walked out they could hear raised voice.

"Get away from me!" Brandon swung around.

"I'm done with you." He added before storming past the group despite Lena's efforts to try and stop him.

"What is going on?" Lena asked, confused.

Kasey watched her brother's disappearing figure and looked back to her Dad. She'd uttered words identical to Brandon's the day before and hearing them from him sealed in no uncertain terms what she could no longer avoid. What she would no longer avoid.

Next Chapter Preview: Brandon and Kasey bond over their memories of a childhood car ride, Jesus opens up to Lena and Kasey makes an important step towards reconciliation with her Dad.

He took the seat next to her and placed his hand on her knee.

"How'd you know I'd still be here?"

Kasey looked hard at him.

"Because none of us want to be alone right now."