"Where do you think you're going?" Stef asked stepping out of the car that Mariana was quickly walking past without really noticing.
The girl suddenly froze in her tracks as she looked at her mother's angry face.
"Um..." Mariana tried to find an explanation but knew it was pointless.
"Get in the car please." Stef said in a firm tone, showing that she was clearly not happy.
Once Stef began driving Mariana wrapped her arms around herself both to warm herself up in the cool night air as well as to hide what she was wearing from her mother. Stef glanced silently at her daughter and sighed as she pulled over, unbuttoned her police shirt and wrapped it around Mariana's bare shoulders. Mariana smiled gratefully though guiltily at her mother as Stef continued the short drive home in silence.
When Lena saw the lights pull up into their driveway she heaved a sigh of relief and rushed to the door in time to see Mariana get out of the car wrapped tightly in Stef's shirt and Stef looking firm but tired in her black t-shirt that she always wore under her uniform.
Mariana entered the house without saying a word to Lena and just as she was heading towards the stairs Stef stopped her.
"You have exactly five minutes to get into your pajamas and get your brothers and sister down into the living room." Stef said firmly before heading into the living room with Lena in tow.
Less than five minutes later all the kids were downstairs sitting around the living room. Stef and Lena were sitting together on the couch, Callie and Jude on one chair, Jesus and Mariana on the other and Brandon on the coffee table.
"So mama tells me that you guys have been behaving very badly." Stef started and looked around at all the faces looking back at her. "She says you've been skipping meals at home or only eating junk, staying out all day, leaving things around the house and being very disrespectful."
"But we were taking your side." Jesus said in defense.
"There are no sides." Stef said, unconsciously taking Lena's hand in her own. "We may be going through something right now but she is still your mother and she deserves respect." Stef said. "The rules you have to follow are ones we have set together and they don't just disappear when we aren't around."
"We didn't break any rules." Brandon said. "We just bent them."
"Staying at your father's house after I told you not to is breaking the rules my friend." Stef said, surprising Brandon. "And so is leaving the house after curfew, eating junk for meals and being rude to your mother."
"She didn't seem to care." Jesus mumbled under his breath.
"Oh she did care." Stef said. "She was just trying to give you your space but when it became dangerous she had to put a stop to it." She said, eying Mariana.
"But she made you leave and that makes me mad..." Jude spoke up for the first time but Callie gave him a nudge making him stop.
"Go ahead Jude." Stef said, looking at Callie warningly, telling her to leave him alone.
"Nothing." Jude said, looking down at his hands.
"Jude." Stef said firmly, making the boy look back up at her.
"We were just mad because she made you leave." He said softly, glancing at Lena to gauge her reaction.
"I understand that." Stef said. "I am mad at her myself but if I can be polite and respectful towards her so can you." She said. "She made a mistake but we have all made mistakes that have affected this family and each time we have forgiven and worked through it and we are going to do that now as well."
"But you haven't forgiven." Mariana said. "You're still living somewhere else."
"I am." Stef agreed. "But I'm doing it so that I can get over my hurt and anger so that we don't keep fighting about it. But I still listen to mama when she calls me, I eat the dinners that she cooks when I'm here and I find the time to meet her when she needs to talk." Stef reminded them. "She is still your mother and she loves you very much, even when you're angry with her and say things that hurt her. But it is still her job to protect you and keep you safe and that includes making sure you eat well and are home at a reasonable hour."
"I'm sorry." Mariana finally said. "I just wanted her to know how mad I was." She admitted. "I never planned to go to the party at first."
"I know you guys are mad at me and hate me right now." Lena said before Stef could respond. "Believe me I understand that, I hate myself just as much but I love you all so much and I love mom too. I hate what I did to her and I'm trying to make up for it." Tears filled her eyes and Stef tightened her grip on her hand causing Lena to grab it with her other hand as well for extra support.
"I'm sorry too." Jude said, feeling suddenly very guilty. He didn't really hate Lena but he was just upset that she was the reason that their family was split right now.
"Me too." The two older boys said together.
"We don't hate you." Jesus said. "We're just mad."
Lena gave him a grateful smile as he got off the chair to give Lena a hug, soon followed by the rest of the kids.
"Alright, it's late, everyone in bed please." Stef said at eleven forty. "You all get to do extra chores around the house this week to make up for all the mess you made and Mariana, you're on dish and laundry duty all week long and if I ever see you dressed in something like that again you will be in more trouble than you've ever been in before."
The kids groaned but they knew they deserved it. They quickly climbed up the stairs and within moments the upstairs was completely quiet.
"Are you going back to work?" Lena asked.
"No, I'm off in twenty minutes anyways." Stef said as she rubbed her eyes in exhaustion. It had been a long day and after breaking up a fight between two drunks she had just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep but instead she had to go out looking for her wayward daughter.
"Can I get you something to eat?" Lena asked. "I still have some of last night's roast."
"No love." Stef said. "I just need to get to bed."
Lena nodded and took a breath before she made Stef an offer. "You can stay here. I can sleep on the couch."
Stef smiled but shook her head.
"Stef you're exhausted." Lena sighed. "You're overworking yourself."
"Beats sitting in that apartment." Stef joked halfheartedly.
"Then come home." Lena said pleadingly.
"I still need some time Lena." Stef said apologetically. "It's still so raw and what I said to the kids was true, I need to be able to look at you and not hurt and I don't want to keep arguing with you which will happen if I'm here all the time."
Lena nodded sadly in understanding. "Will you be here for dinner tomorrow?" She asked.
"No, I'm working a double shift again but I'm off on Sunday so I'll come for lunch and dinner okay." She compromised.
"Okay." Lena said as Stef picked up her shirt from where Mariana had draped it over the staircase railing when she came back downstairs.
"See you." Stef said with a smile.
"Bye." Lena said and watched as Stef walked to her car and drove away.
Things got a whole lot better after that. Stef made sure to come around more often and the kids made an effort to at least respect Lena if not entirely forgive her and as a treat Lena made a raspberry cheesecake for dessert on Sunday, something she knew all the kids and Stef loved.
Stef came over in time for lunch on Sunday and stayed through till dinner. The longest she had spent at the house in a week. They played board games and watched a movie and played basket ball outside and things really seemed like they were going back to normal. The only thing left was for Stef to move back.
But things suddenly took a turn for the worse on Monday when Jesus and Jude walked towards Lena's office to ask her if they could go to the skatepark after school but found her leaving her office with Kate.