The bright morning seemed to send the Foster family into a flurry of excitement and happiness. All three kids had risen early and there had been no squabbles over showers so far. During breakfast, even Lena cracks a smile towards her girlfriend for the sake of keeping up appearances in front of the kids.
Stef, however, appears to be the only member of the family who is not on a 'summer-high' as Mariana calls it, the comment only earning her a showering of eye-rolls from her brothers. No, Stef is sure she is on a summer low, in fact. She had slept terribly, and her cranky mood is showing through her lack of interaction in the family's antics and her demands that Mariana go beg Lena for her phone back instead of herself. She doesn't want to fight with her wife, especially not over the man she'd left for that very reason, and it definitely isn't helping that they just happened to have run out of coffee. And caffeine is something that Stef really needs.
Announcing that she needs to get to the station early, Stef grabs her lunch from the fridge and heads towards the front door, only to have Lena trailing behind her.
"Stef, wait."
She releases a breath, stopping in her tracks and turning round on her heel. "Yes?"
Lena looks to her with pleading eyes. "Look, I'm sorry about last night. I just– I overreacted. I know neither of you had any choice in the matter, and I know it's probably difficult as it is having to work with Mike without me burdening you."
Stef's face softens, and she feels the little smidgen of resentment she held for Lena's actions last night dissipate, although its place is soon filled with guilt that she hadn't been completely honest. "It's okay."
"I don't want you to go to work angry, Stef…"
"I'm not angry, Love," Stef says, reaching out to take Lena's hand in hers. Slowly, she brings it up to her face and places a lingering kiss on the woman's caramel coloured knuckles. "I've got to run, though. I'll see you later, yes?"
"Remember, B has his competition tonight. We're eating an early dinner…" Lena almost sings, a wicked smile gracing her face, causing Stef to roll her eyes.
Shaking her head, she unlocks the front door. "I won't be late, if that's what you're implying?"
"Never!" Lena's eyes are wide as she jokes, and Stef finds herself giggling in response. It always amazes he that her wife can cheer her up doing just the simplest things like goofing off.
"Love you. And tell my babies I love them too."
With her cranky mood behind her, Stef takes a breath as she steps out the front door. The warm heat on her skin is nice, and despite her earlier pessimistic disregarding of Mariana's 'summer high' theory, Stef finds herself enjoying the sunny morning and smiles as she starts up her car.
The smile, however, is wiped from her face when she recalls yesterday's events. That house; that man. There's no way she's not going back – if nothing's wrong, then no one will have to know about it. Besides, she wouldn't be doing her job correctly if she didn't act on her intuition.
As she pulls out of the drive, she remembers she's on desk duty for the morning, but instead of the inward groan she would usually release at the thought of being cooped up in the office, the knowledge makes her almost giddy. It left a little leeway in her starting hours, and if Stef was fast, she could drive down to San Ysidro and back in less than forty-five minutes.
After driving for a good ten minutes, Stef finds herself in the midst of a morning rush hour tailback. Glancing nervously at her watch, she just knows that she'll never be able to make it down to San Ysidro in the time she'd allocated herself, and she sighs miserably. Not going isn't an option; the constant feeling that something was off had been twinkling in her mind all night. But Stef isn't about to lose her job for something that might be nothing more than just that - a feeling.
She pulls her cell phone from its position on her belt and places it on its stand in the centre console, eyeing the still stagnant traffic before pulling up Mike's caller ID. Stef drums her fingers on the leather steering wheel impatiently as she waits for the dial tone to give way to Mike's voice, once again running yesterday's scenario through her head. She can't tell Mike; he just won't understand. From the moment that man had professed to having no idea about that call, Mike had refused to see the situation for anything other than just a simple mishap. There would be no convincing him – his nature isn't exactly stubborn, but she knows that when it comes to doing things off the book, Mike isn't much of a rule bender. Whether it be because of her motherly instincts or just her simply unleashing her hidden tendency to over-analyse, Stef knows that she will get to the bottom of this – even if it means lying to the people around her.
Finally, a clicking sound comes through the speaker and a voice fills the quiet car. "Hello?"
"Mike. Hi," Stef replies, her voice slightly too chirpy for 7:30am on a Friday morning as she tries to cover her sudden nerves. Now that she had finally gotten through to Mike, she's suddenly lost for words. Why hadn't she thought of some excuse before she had pressed the call button?
"Is everything okay?" Mike asks, concern etching his raspy voice. Stef can't help but notice he sounds a little groggy, as if he's spent the night screaming his lungs out to a power ballad or two at a karaoke night at the bar, but soon brushes off the thought when she realises she hasn't answered Mike's question.
"Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine. Listen, I'm going to be a little bit late; I have to drop Mariana off at some dance field trip thing across town, but I'm in the office this morning anyway. I was just wondering if you'd cover for me if Captain asks?"
Silence fills the other end of the line, and Stef begins to worry that her lie was fumbly and cheap – technically Mariana wasn't on the dance team yet, but the teen had mentioned that try-outs were soon and that she was 'totally stoked' to be on one Anchor Beach's most successful teams. Besides, Mike is never really around the other kids all that much, only really at family events revolving around Brandon, so it's not like he'll ever find out.
"Okay, sure," he finally replies, just as traffic begins to move at a steady pace again. At his words, Stef releases a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. "But on one condition."
"What's that?" she asks shakily, butterflies beginning to fill her stomach once again.
"If I'm gonna be stuck in here all morning, you've got bring me some decent coffee that doesn't taste like sweaty water. And a donut wouldn't hurt, either…"
She laughs incredulously at Mike's humour, shaking her head slightly. Of course, Mike would make this about food – nonetheless confirm every stereotype about cops being addicted to donuts. "Sure, sure."
"We got a deal?"
"Yup. I'll see you in an hour or so," she says, hanging up the phone. As she continues to drive south on the highway, it feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. She has heaps of time now, and although she's not quite sure what to do when she gets to the house, at least she'll have her gun if things do go badly…
Shaking her head, Stef curses herself for what must be the thousandth time in twenty-four hours. I'm making this out to be a way bigger deal than it needs to be, she thinks to herself. The guy is probably harmless, and I whatever I thought I saw will have just been a shadow.
While the blonde cop is strategically trying to guide her mind away from the pits of negativity, she turns off the highway and into the neighbourhood she'd found herself in yesterday; deep in the heart of San Ysidro. But the internal debate between pessimism and optimism is all but frozen when she catches sight of a slumped figure on the edge of the cracked sidewalk.
She doesn't think too much of it at first – it was almost common practice to see someone sprawled out on the sidewalk in these kind of places, and most of the time, said person was passed out from some kind of illegal substance – but as she continues down the street, she looks back in her wing mirror and furrows her brow when she recognises the figure's petite frame and youthful stance.
Stef isn't sure what it is, but something compels her to pull her car over to the side and switch off the engine. She technically isn't on duty, and she does have somewhere to be, but much like the pressing feeling the situation last night brought her, seeing this figure seems to evoke the same emotion.
Slipping out the car, she allows herself a second to stretch off her stiff legs and gather her bearings. The street is fairly quiet, with a bus stop about two hundred yards away outside what looks to be a school or community building, and is lined with houses much like the area she'd been called to last night. Sucking in a breath, she begins to close the distance between herself and the person, the sun beating fiercely on her back making her feel claustrophobic in her black uniform.
Now closer, Stef can see that the mysterious figure is a young woman, choppy, brown hair sticking to her face as her head rests lazily in her knees. The girl is folded tight into a tiny package, almost as if she's trying to close in on herself as she lies still on the litter-clad sidewalk. The decrepit, rotting picket fence behind her teeters on the brink of destruction with the weight of her body leaning against it. Just looking at the girl's awkward positioning makes Stef frown. Her leather boots scrape the gravelly sidewalk and she's surprised when there is no movement from the girl, the lack of response beginning to concern her. Surely she isn't…dead?
Stef crouches shakily, placing one knee on the ground to support her body as she peers closer at the girl. A sense of relief comes over her when strands of hair dance around the girl's face with the pressure of air coming through her nose from her heavy, sleeping breaths. Not wanting to startle the girl, Stef stands back up before coughing quietly, hoping to make her presence known.
Still, there is no movement.
"Excuse me," she says, ringing her hands rather awkwardly. She isn't sure what to do exactly, but she can't just leave the girl here. Not only would it go against the duty of being a police officer (this would be a classic example of fulfilling the protect and serve status she'd acquired many years ago) but against her own morality, too. "Excuse me!" she repeats again with a little more force when the girl fails to respond.
Her attempt to awaken the girl succeeds, and Stef watches as her eyes peel open groggily and she stretches out her folded limbs.
"Are you alright?"
Suddenly, the girl stiffens and begins to back farther into the fence she's leaning against. She looks up at Stef with wild eyes through the hair hanging around her face, and it's only then that the blonde realises she's not being seen as a protector, but as a threat.
"Woah, it's okay," Stef says, raising her hands in defence to show she doesn't mean any harm. However, the action doesn't seem to grant the girl much more security as she still eyes Stef nervously as she begins to scramble up into a standing position. "Do you need help up?"
The girl shakes her head no, her mouth clasped tight in a straight line and her face expressionless. "I'm fine," she says, now standing with her back against the fence, possibly as far away as from Stef as she can get.
Now the girl is standing, Stef studies her closely. Her dark hair covers much of her pale face, but even through her tough exterior Stef can tell that the girl is young – maybe only a little older than Mariana. She looks around anxiously, as if she's contemplating saying something, but the only noise that fills the air is the distant barking of a dog and the sound of an occasional car passing by.
"Well," Stef sighs after a moment, hoping to make eye contact with the girl. "I'm glad you're alright. I was kind of worried there when I saw you lying on the street."
Again, this doesn't seem to prompt an answer out of the girl, but she doesn't seem to be trying to leave, either. Might as well just cut to the chase… "Have you got a place to stay?"
The girl's head whips round, and for the first time, her whole face is exposed to Stef. The sight of the purple bruises covering her cheeks and her swollen jaw makes Stef feel almost nauseous, but she tries her hardest not to stare too intensively at the girl now that she finally has her full attention.
Choosing to ignore her question, the girl shuffles on her feet awkwardly. "Do you, uh…do you have the time?"
Stef can't hide the confusion that comes across her face at the girl's question, although glances down at the diamond encrusted watch which bracelets her right wrist. "It's almost eight."
"Crap," the girl mutters, and Stef raises her eyebrow questioningly. "I have to get to school," she explains
"Do you need a ride anywhere?" Stef asks, gesturing towards her car parked along the street, forgetting that she doesn't have the patrol car with her, only her own vehicle. The girl barely trusts Stef as it is, and the lack of a cop car doesn't exactly help her case.
Much as she'd suspected, the girl looks towards Stef's parked car almost incredulously before tightening the grip on her backpack and starting to walk away. "No, thanks."
Stef sighs, feeling torn between letting the girl go off – she had clearly made it obvious that she didn't need her help – and pushing that little bit harder to see if she could find out more about her. "Listen," Stef begins, jogging slightly to catch up with the girl who is walking slightly laboured down the street.
The girl looks round at Stef's voice, her eyebrows raised slightly; any sign of fear she'd shown moments ago has been covered by a harsh, tough exterior. "What do you need?"
Stef almost laughs. "Me? Nothing. I'm just not one hundred per cent convinced that you don't need anything."
"I said I was fine," the girl replies, her voice laced with attitude.
"Well, you don't look fine." The girl tenses at Stef's words and self-consciously begins to tug at her hair, trying to cover her contused face. "I bet that cut on your lip is pretty sore."
They stand there for a moment, both seeming to analyse each other. Stef notes the girl's body language, which seems to have relaxed slightly since their first encounter a few moments ago, but looking into her eyes make's Stef's breath hitch in her throat. The girl's brown eyes are screaming words that don't seem to be exiting her mouth, and for a second, Stef's sure tears are going to spill over any moment. Stef purses her lips, about to offer some kind of condolence, but the girl seems to swallow her tears at this action and shuffles slightly in her position.
"Look, I have to get to school. Are we done here?" Just like that, the clipped tone has returned and the moment gone.
Nodding her head reluctantly, Stef moves out of the girl's way to let her pass. "Take care of yourself."
Taking her free exit card, the girl walks away, and Stef watches her try to hide the slight limp in her step. Inside, she's screaming at herself for not pushing the girl to speak, for not insisting that she explain the situation, because now Stef's afraid that wherever she got that busted lip is what drove her out to sleep on the streets - assuming that was what this was all about. But she can't do anything about it now. It is just a girl, after all – she shouldn't be getting so attached to someone who she knows nothing about, anyway, never mind someone who was pretty rude to her.
Just as she's turning to go back to her car, Stef sees the girl has paused after only walking ten yards or so. "Uh…thank you," she says, her face significantly softer and voice light. "for waking me up."
Stef is stunned for a moment at the sudden personality change the girl shows, but is quick to respond, offering a warm smile as she continues to watch the girl. The girl gives a small, sheepish looking grin back before turning around and walking away so fast she's practically running.
For a moment, Stef stands there. In all honesty, she's rather perplexed about the whole situation that's just fallen out before her, and finds herself wanting to know more about this girl and to make sure that she really is okay. It's only when she hears the familiar jingle of her cell phone sounding from the open car window that Stef shakes herself out of her thoughts and returns to her car.
She unlocks the phone to see a missed call from Mike and sighs. It's well past 8:15 now, and there is no way she'll be able to drive to the property from yesterday now she'd spent all this time with that girl. Putting the car into drive, she pulls onto the road and heads back towards the highway. Her investigation will have to wait, but now, the obnoxious man from the night before isn't the only thing that will be lingering in the back of her mind throughout the day.
Thanks for the brilliant response last chapter. I love hearing what you have to say and your premonitions for what you think will happen next.
So, I hope this wasn't too disappointing - I know a lot of you were eager to see the first encounter between Stef and Callie, and I know this was quite vague and cold, but things are going to pick up from here.
As always, please leave a review and let me know what you think! - K :)