AN: Thank you to everyone who voted on the poll, contacted me and gave me your honest opinion. It was very helpful to hear what you think. I'm taking all of it into consideration and I will try and use it to grow as a writer. Sadly I can't do much about this story, because it is coming to end. But to my 2 AU stories and if I will decide to write new story, I will do my best to remember what you guys told me.

Lena POV

I was sitting in my car, checking my emails in my phone, while I waited for Jude to come out of school. In the drive from Anchor Beach to Jude's school I had received 6 new emails. Two of which I have to reply as soon as possible because it was about the grants for the school. Monte had stated loud and clear – grants for school are the top priority right now. I put a reminder on my phone so that I don't forget about it, when I get home.

The last email I got was from Brandon. He had put together few pictures from his time in San Francisco and sent them to me, mom and Mike. I downloaded the pictures in my phone, so I could have a look at them. There were 13 pictures in total and one video.

I had only viewed 4 photos, when the doors to my car opened. Jude swung his backpack off his shoulders, sat in the car and put the backpack on his lap. I put my phone away and started the car. We chatted about his day at school for first 10 minutes of the drive home, but after that we settled into comfortable silence between us as the radio played in the car.

As we were driving home, I noticed how nervous Jude looked. He kept touching his face, his left leg kept bouncing up and down and he checked the time on his phone every 2 or 3 minutes. Time after time I could feel him watching me. Whenever I glanced to him, he had quickly averted his eyes off me. I got the feeling that he wanted to ask me something, but was too shy or scared to do it.

I had a good feeling what was on the young boys mind that was making him so restless. He wanted to get to the house to see if Stef had succeeded in convincing Callie to come stay with us till she recovers. Jude didn't have to make a grand speech to convince us to agree with him. The hardest part of this, was convincing Callie to let us help her. Stef sent me a message that she was at hospital, waiting for Callie, but after that there haven't been any more updates from her.

When Jude and I walked into the house, Stef greeted us at the hallway. Instantly I noticed how she was trying to suppress her smile and excitement, almost like a kid, who had been instructed by a teacher to keep it down while the class was going on. She also looked rather proud of herself.

"Hey," I said before leaning towards her to give her a quick peck on her lips "Hi love!"

"How was school?" Stef asked shooting two bucks with one shot as the question could be asked both of us. Her eyes still went to the young boy, but then to me.

"Normal," Jude replied indifferently as he shrugged his shoulders back

"Quiet," I answered before I started to question her "What's going on? Did you talk to Callie?" Jude livened up next to me. Curiously sparked up into his eyes.

"Oh, I talked to her," Stef said pressing her hands to her hips

Jude suddenly looked way more intrigued by this conversation than before "What did she say? Did she agree?" Jude asked before I could. I could tell his expectations were high.

Stef titled her head down avoiding both of ours looks. When she looked back at us few seconds later, she smiled at us and pointed upstairs "You can go ask her yourself, whe-"

"She's here!" Jude exclaimed and took off running towards the stairs interrupting Stef mid sentence. Stef quickly turned around and stopped him by running off by gripping his backpack. Jude turned back to Stef with a puzzled facial expression, wondering why she stopped him.

"Whoa...slow down there, bud!"

"I have to see her!" Jude insisted eagerly. To me it was clear as a day, he needed to see his sister here to believe it.

"She's sleeping," Stef informed him "You can see her, but please be quiet. Don't wake her!" Stef instructed as she let go of his backpack

"I won't," Jude promised looking straight to Stef

"Okay," Stef nodded back. Jude turned around and resumed walking up the stairs, this time more quietly. We both heard how doors creaked open slowly as Jude went to check on his sister.

"I don't know how you did it, but I'm glad you did it!" I gave Stef another kiss before moving towards the stairs myself "I have to answer couple of emails, but once I'm done, we can start dinner."

"Okay, my love. I'll be in the living room," Stef gestured to the room on her left

When I was one step into my room, Jude came out of Mariana's room and quietly closed the doors behind him. He turned to me, his smile reaching from ear to ear "She's here!"

"I know," I smiled back at him glad to see Jude so genuinely happy and excited. It will always amaze me how little foster kids need for true happiness. They don't take things or people for granted, because they know how easily everything can be taken away from them. So they cherish every second they have and are happy for what they have, not pout and whine about what they don't have.

Jude POV

I was sitting at the kitchen table doing my homework, while Stef and Lena were making dinner. While I was doing my math homework, Stef took over the cooking completely, but Lena sat down next to me to help me out. During the whole time we were in the kitchen, we talked about small things so the room wouldn't be quiet. The best part about it, my fosters moms included me in the conversation as well. It wasn't like in previous foster homes, when the adults talked - we weren't allowed to join in the conversation.

"Jude, how is that essay going?" Lena asked when she turned the fire a bit lower on the stove. Stef walked to the cupboard and took out plates.

"I'm writing the last paragraph," I answers with my head down, eyes on the paper as I wrote

"Once you are done, go on up and wake your sister up. Ask her if she's up to join us or would she rather I bring a tray up to her."

The last sentence was not written so neatly as I hurried to finish it. Putting my pen down I turned on the stool, ready yo head up.

"Hey, young man! Don't leave your books here!" Stef called before I could take one step "Either set them on the island table or bring them upstairs," Stef instructed as she waved her hand in the air

"Sorry," I said apologetically as I turned back to the kitchen table

"It's okay bud, just don't leave your stuff all over the place," Stef lectured me. While her features looked soft and she didn't look angry with me, her voice held a firm tone and I knew I shouldn't mess with her. I grabbed my books, notebooks and pen and held them close to my chest. The homework was pretty much done, so I decided to carry everything up. I dropped all of the stuff on my bed and then hurried to their daughters room in which Callie was sleeping. Before entering, I knocked softly on the closed door.

I pushed the doors open slowly and first just peaked inside. Callie was sound asleep in Mariana's bed. Her sling was set down on the nightstand, next to an empty glass. She was lying on her back, her head was turned to the left, to the doors. Right arm, which was taken out of sling during bed time, rested over her chest, but her other hand was by her side. The blanket was up to her chest.

I walked in the room and then up to the bed. Before waking her up, I took one last look down at her. She looked so peaceful, I almost didn't want to wake her up from the dream she was having.

"Callie?" I sang softly trying to wake my sister, remembering how gentle Callie used to wake me up "Callie, dinner is ready!"

Callie mumbled something incoherent in her sleep as she turned her head to the other side, revealing the stitches on the back of her head that were visible through her hair. It seemed painful just by looking it.

I leaned down and placed my hand on her healthy shoulder, lightly shaking the girl up "Wake up, Cal!" I stood up straight and took my hand off her shoulder, when I noticed she started to wake up.

Her eyes fluttered open slowly. She smacked her lips, like she had dry mouth. Callie yawned loudly while she rubbed her eye with her left hand. As she took her hand away from her eyes, she frowned her forehead up, looking extremely confused. It was probably the surrounding. She was not used to waking up in this room. It was all strange to her. I felt the same way the first night here.

"How did you sleep?" Callie turned her head at the sound of my voice. A wide smile spread over my lips, when our eyes met.

"Really good. The bed is really comfortable," her voice was a bit hoarse for she was still waking up. She was probably enjoying sleeping on this bed. Callie has been sleeping on a couch for years now. The couch in the apartment was not the most comfortable thing, it was hard and quite old.

She slowly sat up in the bed and looked around the room one more time "So pink and girly."

"So not like you," Callie was not into very girly stuff and pink. Her style was more more edgy. She mostly wore dark colors, the kind that won't make her stand out. Her clothes were very simple - jeans, shirts, sweaters, converse sneakers. Callie didn't spend a lot of time perfecting her image, nor did she spend much time on her hair. Yeah she wore some makeup, but it was light and I could barely tell if she had any on most of the time. She was not into the big fashion, like a lot of girls/woman are. Plain, simple, easy and cheep.

"Dinner is ready. Lena wanted to know if she should bring a tray up," That question got her attention back to me

"No, she doesn't have to," Callie said after thinking about it "I will go downstairs."

"Cool!" I beamed back at my sister, happy that she was well enough to join us. Callie tossed the blanket off of her. She reached for the sling on the nightstand, but I grabbed it for her. I helped her put it on and closed it.

"Where was the bathroom?" She asked as she slowly swung her legs over the bed side and slid her feet in her slippers

"Right through there," I pointed to the doors behind Callie. I watched how Callie slowly, shuffling her feet made her way to the bathroom.

"You don't have to wait for me. I can find the way down myself," she called from within bathroom

"You sure?" I shouted back as I started to make her bed, not wanting to leave it a mess

"Yes. I will be there shortly!" I did not listen to her and decided to wait for her

I finished making her bed and walked to the hallway to wait for her. A while later, I heard the water flush and the tap being opened. Not long after the sound of running water stopped, I heard doors opening, but it wasn't to the hallway. I walked back to Mariana's room and saw that the doors to bathroom weren't open and there was no sign of Callie.

"Callie?"

"Jude?" It sounded like we were in a game of Marko Polo as we both tried to locate each other, while shouting out names. Her voice came from the other room, so I walked back to hallway and made my way to what my foster moms referred to as Jesus room.

"Callie!" I was about to reach for the door handle, when the doors were pushed open by Callie from other side.

"What are you doing there?" I asked looking pass her to the room

"Nothing," her eyes darted around. I squinted my eyes at her "I got lost, okay?" She admitted shamefully averting her eyes down "I forgot which doors I came through and took the wrong ones!"

I smirked at her, amused at her adventures "Shut up!" she retorted and pushed my shoulder playfully so I would start walking

"I didn't say anything," I commented walking towards the stairs

"You didn't have to. Your face said it!"

"There you are!" Stef stood at the end of the stairs, hand rested on the banister "I was about to come looking for you two."

"I'm sorry about that Mrs. Adams Foster. That's my fault not Jude's."

"Mrs. Adams Foster?" I heard Stef mumble as I reached the landing of the stairs. Callie came to stop when she was two steps away from Stef. "No need for the formality, love. You can call me Stef."

"Or Stefanie if you're mad at her," Came a shout from kitchen "Now, please, come eat before it gets cold!" Stef took a step away from the stairs with both of her hands gestured towards the kitchen, showing my sister the way. Callie's eyes quickly darter to me. I smiled at her and nodded my head towards the kitchen, hoping that would be enough of encourage Callie needed.

"Come on, sweets!" I heard Stef say, when I walked into the kitchen. Lena was sitting at the end of table, elbows pressed to the table, hands clenched together as she waited for us.

"Well, finally!" Lena smiled, when she saw Stef and Callie follow me in shortly after "Sit next to Jude," Lena gestured to the side of the table that had two sets of plates. I took a seat down at one of plate, leaving the seat furthest from Lena empty for Callie. Callie timidly approached the table and sat down.

"Let me get that for you," Stef reached for Callie's plate and started to put food onto it. Lena offered her to chose her drink. From all of the options Callie chose regular water.

When we started to eat there was this slightly awkward silence at the table. Callie has not looked up from her plate since Stef set it back down in front of her. My guess, it was because she was still adjusting to this place and felt kind of uncomfortable and shy around Stef and Lena.

The last time she was in foster care living with a foster family was almost 3 years ago. I knew this wasn't technically a foster home for her, but it was to me and she knew it. The things that happened in the last foster home we lived together, were still engraved in my memory. I knew my sister hadn't forgotten about them as well, her features told me she was trying suppress and forget it.

"If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it," Lena informed my sister as she watched Callie pick tomatoes out of the salad and putting them aside

Callie's head snapped up and she looked to Lena with some fear in her eyes. Her eyes dropped down to her plate the next second for she was not able to hold the eye contact with the older woman.

"Um..." she swallowed a lump in her throat "I like it, it's just..." her eyes darted up to my foster mom briefly, before she averted her eyes back down to the table.

Getting the feeling that Callie didn't have the courage to explain it, I joined in reaching with my fork for the tomatoes that Callie had picked out "I like these small tomatoes," I explained to them as I put the tomatoes on my plate "Callie always gives me some of hers," I said and looked back at my now very timid and scared looking sister.

"That's nice of you," Lena smiled at her, Callie's cheeks blushed a bit "But we have plenty, so you don't have to give away your food for him," Lena explained reaching for the small bowl that stood at her end of the table, next to her plate. Stef took took the small bowl from Lena's hand and set it down in front of us.

"Oh," Callie breathed out as she looked at the bowl. I knew that Callie wouldn't take it, so I reached for the bowl and took out few radish and set it on her plate.

"There is always food in this house, because Lena and I still buy groceries for family of 5!" Stef joked lighting up the mood in the room "Old habits die hard!"

"That's true. Just last week we bought 5 cheese!" Lena added

"Five?" Callie questioned Lena, not believe what she had heard

"If you don't believe that, ask Jude. He was there!"

"There was also two gallons of milk," I chimed in to what Lena had said. Just like that my foster moms had started casual conversation, just like they had done the first time I ate dinner here and included Callie in to make her feel for welcome and comfortable. And it worked. At the end of the dinner Callie seemed much more comfortable and more open.

Lena POV

Callie had insisted of helping with the dishes after dinner, but thankfully, after a long discussion, we managed to persuade her that we don't need her help with it. I'm not sure if I had succeeded in that it it weren't for the joined forces with Stef. Jude had suggested TV after dinner, but Callie hadn't felt like watching it. Besides, the doctors had instructed her to not watch TV, work with laptops or use smart phones for the next few days, because of her concussion. In the end, the kids made their way upstairs, leaving me and Stef to do the dishes.

"I'll be honest. In the morning, I didn't think you would succeed," I said to Stef as I handed Stef two glasses to dry

"I thought so too," Stef finished drying the glasses and went to put them away in cupboard

"Maybe we were wrong about how stubborn and proud, and independent she is."

Stef scrunched up her nose, shook her head and leaned at the counter with her right side "No, she's still stubborn and proud, and independent. I think the fact that she wasn't feeling up to 100% played it's part,"

"You're still stubborn, when you're sick," I smirked at her drawing connections between the two of them

Stef pressed her steeped fingers to her chest as she answered "That's because I'm a full grown woman and I have mastered the stubbornness even, when I'm sick!" I closed the tap and dried my hands, while Stef continued to speak "When Callie's my age, she will be just as stubborn. I guarantee you that!"

I placed the towel on the rack and turned to face her. My back was pressed to the counter side "You think we will still be in touch with her, when she's your age?" I chuckled quietly

"Well," Stef shifted in the seat a bit "If we are still alive by then-" she smirked at me, but the next next second her features changed to more serious one "I would hope so, yes!"

I leaned off the table and walked up to Stef and stood between her legs. Stef put her hands on my hips, while I put my hands on her shoulder.

"Stef..." I whispered gazing to her eyes

"I know, Lena. I know!" Stef mumbled quietly "But you can't deny the fact that they feel different than the other foster kids we have helped. There is something special about both of them. I don't know what it is-" Stef shook her head, I could tell she was baffled about this. She took her right hand off my hip and put it over her chest, over her heart "They feel different in here!" Stef got a bit emotional, tears glistered in her eyes

"They don't need us to adopt them. They don't want it. You heard what Bill said. Things were good and they were incredibly happy together before the mugging happened," I stated with a heavy heart, getting a little emotional as well. I knew of the feeling that Stef spoke. Somehow those two kids had made their way into my heart as well. While Callie's exterior might seem rough, I knew there was a sensitive, sweet, kind and loving girl underneath it. I could tell that, when she's with Jude. The love she had for him was amazing to witness. The hardest part was that we knew we will have to say goodbye to Callie and Jude sometimes, even thought we may not want it. Jude and Callie don't want to be adopted. It was clear to us from the moment we met them.

"I was not implying adoption!" Stef explained "I was merely saying that-" Stef took a breath and exhaled before she continues

"That you would want to keep in touch with them after this thing is over?" I said reading my wife's mind as I gently caressed her cheek

"Yes!" Stef confirmed as she gazed to my eyes "You can never have enough friends," she grinned at me

"I'm sure we can do that" I smiled back at her and leaned down to kiss her