About an hour earlier Lena had been sitting at her desk going over report cards that had to be sent out soon when her secretary knocked on the door telling her someone was there to see her. She waited while the secretary brought the woman in and she held her breath when she saw Kate standing behind her.

"Kate." Lena said in surprise, never expecting to see the woman again.

"Hi Lena." Kate said, entering her office, realizing that Lena was probably too shocked to invite her in.

"What are you doing here?" Lena asked, finally pulling out a chair for Kate.

"I'm heading back tomorrow morning and I just wanted to apologize to you for coming down here unannounced and making such a huge mess for you and to your wife for... well, sleeping with you."." Kate began.

"No." Lena stopped her. "I'm the one that's to blame, not you but I'll tell Stef that you came by."

"Yeah but we hadn't exchanged any contact information so I really shouldn't have just appeared like that." Kate said, remembering her impulsive decision to find Lena.

"How did you even know I'd be here on a Saturday?" Lena asked.

"I didn't." Kate said. I just drove by the school to check it out and saw the kids and the sign for the wrestling match and took a chance." She explained. "Definitely wasn't expecting to find what I did." She joked good naturally."

Lena nodded in understanding. "Sorry about that." She said. "It's been a really hard few months."

"You said you lost your daughter?" Kate asked, remembering Lena's hurried explanation before she sent Kate out the door.

"I was five months pregnant." Lena said.

"I'm sorry." Kate said sympathetically. "That must have been hard."

"Then I made the mistake of not letting Stef help me through." Lena continued to explain. "I just wanted to bury it and make it go away."

"I'd want that too." Kate said. "I couldn't even imagine going through something like that."

"That was what that night was about." Lena said. "Forgetting it all."

"I get that." Kate nodded. "I do it often, drinking, partying, pretending I'm not struggling to get by."

"How are things at home?" Kate asked.

"Better I think." Lena said. "But sometimes I still feel like we're treading water. She moved out and while things seem like she's forgiving me and getting past it, she still won't move back yet."

"It hasn't been very long." Kate said, trying to give Lena some encouragement. "I'm sure she just needs time."

"That's what she says." Lena said sadly. "What are you planning now?" She asked, changing the subject.

"I'm not sure." Kate answered. "Get a better paying job for starters." She said.

"Why don't you go back to school?" Lena suggested. "You're still young and you don't have any family commitments, you could do night school and get a degree and then you can do something you really love."

"I enjoy designing jewelry and clothes." Kate said. "I'm pretty good at it too."

"Well go do some courses, get certified and it'll make a huge difference." Lena encouraged, always one for promoting education.

"Maybe I'll look into that." Kate smiled, suddenly feeling very optimistic. "I'll figure that out first and get a job to work around it."

"Good luck." Lena said smiling. "I hope things work out for you."

"Thanks." Kate smiled, standing up. "I hope things work for you too."

The two women smiled at each other for a moment, once again not exchanging any contact information, knowing that they'd never meet again. Then Lena walked Kate to the door just in time to see her two younger sons walking towards her, stop in their tracks at the sight of Kate and then take off down a hallway away from her.

The moment the boys noticed Kate Jesus grabbed Jude's hand and pulled I'm down a hallway away from Lena. He heard her call out to them but he refused to stop. Stef kept defending Lena and telling them how they needed to respect her and Lena was still seeing Kate behind her back. He couldn't believe it, he had to tell his mom. He felt she deserved the truth. He finally stopped running when he was far on the beach and when he turned to look at Jude the boy was panting with tears in his eyes.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay." Jesus tried to comfort his brother.

"Stef will never come home now." Jude said miserably. "And with only one mom Callie will get sent to the Quinn's."

Jesus sighed, unsure of what to say. He supposed that Jude was right - no court would give custody to a single foster parent over a wealthy, capable, biological parent. He decided the best thing to do would be to call Stef and let her know what was going on. She'd know what to do."

Lena constantly tried Stef. She knew Jesus wouldn't pick up his phone and would probably call Stef himself and she wanted a chance to explain. But Stef's phone kept going into voicemail and Lena just knew that she was avoiding her calls. She could just imagine how mad she must be as she left message after message begging her to let her explain.

When she tried Stef for the tenth time and still got voicemail she decided to call the station and see if Stef was at work.

"I'm sorry Lena." Roberts said. "She got off about an hour ago."

Lena sighed as she walked to her car, wondering how many of her kids Jesus had told so far. She figured they all knew when not one of them was waiting for a ride home. On impulse Lena decided to go down to Stef's new apartment and try and talk to her. She didn't know exactly where it was but she had an idea so she hoped she'd be able to find it easily. Stef had described the building and mentioned an empty factory opposite so it wouldn't be too hard to find.

But Lena was wrong for once she got to the area there was so many streets with so many empty buildings all over. The place was rundown and dirty. People kept watching her as she drove down and she realized that no cars were even close to her Prius. She momentarily remembered Stef's warning about not coming down here and wondered if she should just turn back but her need to talk to Stef trumped her fears.

She found a building that somewhat resembled what Stef described and decided to have a look. She found a parking spot on the main road and walked down towards the building she'd found. She climbed the stairs and knocked on both doors of the first floor but both were occupied by other people. Lena sighed and decided to walk around looking for the building. With all the people rushing around and the kids playing on the streets she was spending more time avoiding them than looking for the building while driving. She walked down to the end of the street and then turned left, to walk down the next but after about fifteen minutes of hunting she was no closer to knowing where Stef was. She kept trying to call her but Stef's phone continued to ring until it went into voicemail.

Lena knew people were watching her. She was still wearing the knee length skirt she'd worn to school and her jewelry and purse didn't help much either. She was definitely not dressed like someone they saw very often. Even Stef was more casual when it came to clothes so she probably fit in a lot easier. She decided to just get back to her car and get out of here before her luck ran out and someone tried to do something to her. She walked quickly back to her car, not even bothering to look for the building anymore but when she got there she became extremely afraid - her tires were slashed, her windows broken and the word 'whore' was painted across the side in big, red letters.

Lena glanced around but couldn't figure out who had done it. People were watching her but none of them seemed to have anything to do with it. A few looked amused while others looked sympathetic but none approached her - something Lena was grateful for.

She quickly walked to the end of the street towards the homeless shelter, thinking that would be the safest place to wait and called for a cab. In less than ten minutes the cab showed up, Lena jumped in and finally felt safe as he drove her back home.

When she got home all the kids were there but none of them spoke to her nor did they ask her why she didn't have her car. She headed straight up to her room to call a tow company and have them get her car before Stef saw it. Somehow she just knew that if Stef found out she'd be more than just angry. She groaned out loud when they informed her that they were backlogged and would only get to it sometime during the following day.

Lena headed back downstairs where Callie, Mariana and Jude were in the kitchen making dinner, Brandon was sitting at the kitchen island working on something and Jesus was nowhere to be found. She could see the angry look on all their faces. Even Callie looked a little uncertain though she was trying to hide it. Jude refused to look at her and so did Mariana and Brandon just gave her a dirty glare. She decided not to tell them about going to find Stef but try and explain why she was with Kate.

"Guys." She began but before the word even left her mouth Mariana got up and left the room with Brandon and Jude following suit. Callie turned back to frying her chicken strips, nervousness clearly visible on her face.

Lena felt like crying as she headed back upstairs and dialed her father - he'd be the only one even willing to talk to her right now and he'd help her figure this out. She couldn't believe how much of a mess she was in.

Stef had finished work and headed to the laundromat to do some laundry and then across the parking lot to the grocery store for some supplies for her apartment. Her phone had died sometime while she was out patrolling. She did the laundry and bought her groceries and it was almost six by the time she got back in to head home. She was mindlessly driving when suddenly a car caught her attention. She stopped and reversed a bit to have a better look and sure enough she found Lena's car a complete mess and no Lena to be found.

Suddenly panicking she raced down towards her own building but when she didn't find Lena there either she drove straight home. She cursed herself for not having charged her phone that morning so that it lasted through the day but right now she just needed to make sure that Lena was alright.

"LENA!" She practically screamed as she threw the door open and rushed inside. "LENA!"

Lena rushed down the stairs and so did the three kids that were upstairs while the other two appeared from the living room.

"Lena?" Stef said in relief as her eyes gazed over her wife's body looking for any sign of injury, though there didn't seem to be any.

"I guess you saw the car." Lena whispered, knowing instantly what had gotten Stef so worried.

Stef's jaw dropped. Was that all Lena had to say? What the hell was she doing down there in the first place? "Why were you there Lena?" She finally managed to ask.

"I just needed you to let me explain." Lena began. "It wasn't what it looked like."

"What wasn't?" Stef asked. "Explain what?"

Lena was momentarily taken aback, she was sure her son would have called Stef by now. "Didn't Jesus tell you?" She asked, glancing back at him.

"Tell me what?" Stef asked, also turning to her son.

"It went to voicemail." Jesus explained. "I didn't want to leave that in a message."

"Leave what?" Stef asked again, completely confused. "What the hell is going on?"

"I thought you were avoiding my calls." Lena explained but suddenly realized that Stef still didn't know what she was talking about. "Kate came to see me, to apologize to both of us." She said. "Jesus and Jude saw her and got the wrong idea and when you didn't answer your phone I thought you were avoiding me."

"And for that you came down looking for me?" Stef said, making it clear that even if there was something going on she didn't want Lena in that area, especially alone.

"I needed to explain Stef." Lena said miserably. "I know it's not a safe place, but I just couldn't wait. But I'm fine, I promise. I wasn't even there when they wrecked the car."

The kids were beginning to figure out what had happened and realized just how honest Stef had been when she said she never wanted any of them down there ever. They had asked multiple times to at least be taken to see the apartment but Stef had refused each and every time, and now they were beginning to understand why.

"Where were you?" Stef asked, wondering why Lena would have even gotten out of the car so far from the apartment.

"Looking for your building." Lena answered. "I couldn't find it and when I noticed people beginning to stare at me I rushed back to the car but by then it was already wrecked."

"And you didn't call the police?" Stef asked angrily.

"I took a cab home." Lena explained. "I was hoping to have it towed before you saw it." She said honestly.

"What?" Stef asked, annoyance mixed with surprise. When had Lena started to keep so many things from her and more importantly why?

"I just didn't want you to get even more mad at me." Lena said. "Especially since I though you knew about Kate."

"Why all the secrets Lena?" Stef asked miserably. She was now feeling relieved that Lena was completely okay and so the hurt was resurfacing. "We were never like this. We told each other everything."

"I know." Lena said looking down. She couldn't explain it but lately she'd done nothing but disappoint Stef - starting with not telling her about the pre-natal vitamins.

"I can't believe this." Stef said. "And I can't believe you'd risk your life over this." She was still so shocked at seeing Lena's car completely ruined in an area it should never have been in in the first place.

"You go there everyday Stef." Lena tried to reason. "I didn't think it would be that bad."

"I CAN PROTECT MYSELF LENA." Stef said angrily. "I'M A FUCKING COP, IT'S WHAT I DO." She cursed, trying so desperately to get her point across.

"I KNOW." Lena yelled back. She was angry too - that Stef was staying in a place like that. She may be a cop but she was still only one woman who could easily be ganged up on. "BUT COP OR NOT YOU CAN STILL GET HURT." She began to cry, terrified that something would happen to Stef. "You got shot remember? You were a cop then too, with your god damn gun but it didn't help much did it?" She said softly.

"It's not the same." Stef said, calming down a bit as well. "These people aren't looking for a fight. They know that if they stay out of my way I'll stay out of theirs."

"It doesn't matter Stef." Lena said. Somehow the entire topic had changed but neither seemed to notice but the kids were still looking on with interest, wondering what was going to happen. "Look I know you can take care of yourself but you can't stay there. We'll work things out financially but just move to a better apartment please." Lena begged.

Stef looked at Lena for a moment. She could see the worry and the fear in her face and the love in her eyes. Things really weren't working out the way they were supposed to. Stef couldn't go on like this, knowing she was the reason that Lena was so afraid. "Why do I need an apartment when I have a perfectly good bed right here?" She asked softly with a small smile and watched in amusement as the words sank in and Lena realized what she'd said.

"Really?" Lena asked, not fully believing what she'd heard.

"Yes, really." Stef smiled.

Lena couldn't believe it and within moments she was in Stef's arms and the two were surrounded by the kids. Everyone was so relieved that Stef was coming home. Things would finally go back to normal.

"There's a reason I told you not to come there." Stef said, still holding Lena tight.

"I know, I'm sorry." Lena said, looking up at her, tears in her eyes.

"I love you Lena." Stef said, full of raw emotion. "If something had happened to you I'd never forgive myself."

"It's not your fault." Lena told her. "You warned me about that place."

"I did." Stef said, wishing Lena had heeded her warning. "No more secrets."

"Never." Lena smiled at her. "Kate came to see me." She repeated, as a gesture of not keeping secrets.

"So I heard." Stef said.

"And I have to go get my car towed tomorrow." Lena added.

"I'll do that." Stef said.

"It's gonna cost a fortune to fix." Lena said guiltily.

"Well, we'll be saving on rent right." Stef teased, trying to make her feel less guilty.

"Yes." Lena smiled. That one thought was enough to make anything worth it.

The two held each other again for a few more minutes with all the kids around until Mariana piped up.

"We should celebrate." The young girl suggested. "That little Italian place you used to go to when you first met."

"Oh ya." Both Brandon and Jesus said together.

"We haven't been there in ages." Jesus added.

"I remember going all the time when I was little." Brandon added. "They have the best mac and cheese."

"Gross." Mariana cringed at the thought. "That's for six year olds." She complained, wanting something more grown up herself.

"I was six years old." Brandon laughed.

"Alright." Stef said. "You have fifteen minutes to go get ready if you want dinner."

Soon all the kids had disappeared leaving the two moms together once again for a few minutes.

"I love you." Lena said, hoping Stef knew how much, in spite of all that had happened.

"I love you too." Stef replied. "I never stopped."

Author's Note:

That's the end of this story. I hope you guys liked it. I loved writing it and I owe a big shout out to Fosterfanaticcc1 for letting me write it though it was her idea.

Also a huge thank you to Lacorra for helping me out with things I don't know about the States, she really makes my research a whole lot easier.

There are going to be two more chapters - one shots - the first of Stef and Lena's first night back together (my first attempt at writing an erotic chapter so bear with me - also the reason that this story is rated M) and the second a request by a guest where Callie bonds with Lena.

Some people feel like I didn't stick to the character's personalities but I don't agree with them. I feel each one acted in exactly the right way considering the circumstances. The whole thing is fiction after all.

But thanks so much for the support and for the amazing reviews. None were bad like the ones going around lately, I even stopped moderating them (something I hated doing).

Not sure what I'll do next but for now these two one shots are coming up as chapters 11 and 12.

Once again thanks for the great reviews, keep writing I look forward to it.

Love Junebug.