This is just a little idea that I had, but never finished as a full story and I'm not in the same capacity to write it anymore. This is the prompt for it:
Prompt: What if Callie and Jude had and older sister? What if Callie and Jude were twins and were four when their mom died and their dad was incarcerated? Their older sister, Kassidy "Kassie" was nine.
Jesus = 16 years old - junior (8 y/o when he came to his moms, adopted at 11)
Mariana = 14 years old - freshman (6 y/o when she came to her moms, adopted at 9)
Kassidy = 16 years old - sophomore (started Kindergarten late, age 6)
Callie and Jude = 11 years old - fifth grade
*Stef never met Mike and as a result never had Brandon
*Jesus and Mariana aren't twins. Jesus is two years older.
My name is Kassidy Quinn Jacobs, but I prefer Kass. I'm also known as Kassie, but only my family can call me that. Anyways I'm sixteen, a foster kid, and I'm just getting out of Juvie today. As I'm walking to the front gate exit some other inmates come up to me.
"You getting out today, huh?" The girl in front of me asked with her back to me. "That's what we heard." I didn't say anything. I just kept my head down and kept on walking.
The girl turned around and faced me, "Why you so quiet, huh?" Then she and the girl behind me punched me. Hard. "You was all lip the other day when I confronted you in the showers. Lost my yard privileges because of you." She added before she and a few other girls started to punch, push, and shove me until I fell down. Then they kicked me and kicked me until they were stopped by a few of the guards.
Meanwhile outside in a car, there sits a tan-skinned, curly haired woman trying to get a hold of her partner, her life partner to let her know what's she's about to do before she does it. She looks up when she hears a knock on her passenger side window.
"Hi Lena? I'm David." He yells through the window and then walks around to the driver side.
"Uh….where's Bill?" Lena asked as she gets out of her car and starts to follow him to the front gate of the Chula Vista Juvenile Detention Center. "I just spoke with him. He was supposed to meet me here?"
"Um, yeah, Bill. One of his cases….Well, a kid in one of his foster homes OD'd, so he had to rush to the hospital." David explained
"Oh my gosh!" Lena exclaimed
David nodded, "Yeah, it's terrible." Then he added, "I take it he told you about Kassidy?"
"Yes." Lena replied definitively
"Yes, well, it seems that she's been having a few issues with male authority figures as, of late. Which is….." David told Lena
"Why he thought of us." Lena interrupted finishing David's sentence. Then she asked, "So she got into a fight with her foster father?"
"And damaged some of his property, which is how she landed here in juvie." David stated
Lena looked shocked, "Damaged his property...Uh...Wow. David….Bill and I have known each other for a long time, and he's been a friend of the family ever since he placed Jesus and Mariana with us, but I cannot bring someone violent into my house. I've got my own kids to think about."
David shook his head and quickly replied, "No, this was just a one time thing. Listen it will only be for a few weeks."
The gate buzzed as it opened and a beaten up teenage girl walked out.
"Oh my goodness!" Lena exclaimed when she saw the girl and how beaten up she is.
"Um…" David started "When the kids get out, some of the other inmates get jealous and pick fights." Then he added, "One second."
"But…" Lena started to protest
"One second." David told her again as he ran over to Kassidy. "Kassidy? Kassidy, hi. I'm David, I work with Bill at Child Protective Services."
Kassidy looked up, "Um...where's Jude and Callie? Do you know where they are?"
"I...I don't know." David replied
"I need to speak to them." Kassidy said. Then she asked, "Where's Bill? Why isn't Bill here?"
"We'll have to take about that later." David told Kassidy
"I just...I don't understand why I can't talk to Jude and Callie." Kassidy inquired
"That's enough. I don't know what you're talking about." David declared "Kassidy, this is Lena. Lena, Kassidy."
Lena smiled softly, but didn't say anything.
"I guess I could take her to one of the group homes." David suggested
Kassidy stared at Lena and forced tears to well up in her eyes. She could sense that the lady had a soft spot and she needed to appeal to it. She couldn't go to a group home. She just couldn't. If she did, she wouldn't be able to get to Jude and Callie.
"It's just for a few weeks, right?" Lena asked for confirmation before smiling and agreeing, "Okay."
Later that night as Lena is preparing dinner, Kassidy and Lena's kids are sitting at the kitchen counter.
"So, Mariana and Jesus were in the foster system too." Lena declared, "They came to us about eight years ago, and we formally adopted them five years ago."
"The foster system sucks." Jesus added
"Jesus." Lena warned
"He's right." Mariana agreed, "It kind of does."
Lena nodded, "Okay."
Jesus looked at Kassidy and asked, "What happened to your face? Did you get in a fight?"
"Uh…" Kassidy started
Lena interrupted, "Kassidy's kind of had a rough day. So, how about we cool it with the third degree."
"Um…is there...uh….where's the bathroom?" Kassidy asked with a slight stutter
Lena nodded, "Yeah, it's right through there. You'll see it."
Kassidy stood up and walked away in the direction of the bathroom.
After dinner is ready, Kassidy, Mariana and Jesus are sitting at the table and Lena is standing up. They are waiting for Lena's partner, Stef before they eat.
Suddenly Stef walks in through the back door, which leads into the kitchen.
"Hi honey." Stef says as she walks over to Lena and kisses her
Lena smiles and kisses Stef back, "Hi"
"Dinner smells great. Lasagna. Delicious, thank you." Stef announced. Then she exclaimed, "Hi babies!"
Jesus looks at Kassidy, who is staring at Stef and watching her every move. He said, "What?! Nobody told you our mom's a cop?!"
"See this is why no boys ever want to come over." Mariana pointed out
"As it should be." Stef replied as she looked directly at Mariana, getting a little close to her face.
"So you're dykes." Kassidy stated as an observation
Jesus nodded and replied, "They prefer the term people, but yeah they're gay."
Stef chuckled slightly and asked her partner, "Who's this?"
"Stef, this is Kassidy." Lena introduced "Kassidy, Stef."
While Jesus and Mariana are getting ready for bed, Lena and Stef are down stairs talking to Kassidy about the rules.
"So curfew on a school night is seven. You must ask permission from either Lena or myself before leaving the house." Stef explained "And you'll go to school while you're staying here. Lena is the Vice Principal of Anchor Beach Charter school. Both Mariana and Jesus go there..."
"Where do I sleep?" Kassidy asked bluntly
Stef furrowed her eyebrows confused and a bit taken back, "Excuse me?"
"It's not my first time in a foster home." Kassidy declared blunt and emotionless "Where do I sleep?"
Lena smiled softly, "Let me show you."
A little while later as Lena is making up the couch as a bed and Stef is upstairs getting something for Kassidy to wear to bed.
"One pillow or two?" Lena asked
Kassidy glared at Lena and didn't say a word.
Lena nodded, "Okay. I'll leave them both." Then she added, "I left some towels for you in the bathroom. Do you have a toothbrush?"
"No, I don't have a toothbrush." Kassidy replied with hostility "How would I have gotten a toothbrush?"
Lena sighs softly and sits down, "Okay. Kassidy, we're on your side. You can take it down a notch, okay?"
"Yeah." Kassidy mumbled
"I noticed you were really upset when you were talking to David earlier." Lena stated "Who are Jude and Callie?"
Kassidy took a breath, "Look... When I went into juvie…"
"Hey, here are some clothes for you to sleep in." Stef interrupted as she walked into the room and placed a shirt and pants on the coffee table. "Tonight, if you want to leave your clothes outside of the bathroom, I'll wash and make sure they're clean for tomorrow, okay?"
Lena looks back at Kassidy after Stef left the room, "You were saying?"
"Can I have that toothbrush?" Kassidy asked softly
After everyone is in bed, Kassidy quietly tiptoes upstairs and notices that Jesus' bedroom door is open. She quietly slips his phone off the side table and then slips downstairs before she calls Callie and Jude. She nervously waited for an answer while the phone rang, and then smiled when she heard Callie's voice.
"Hey baby girl, it's me." Kassidy said
"K….Kassie?" Callie asked
"Yeah I'm out and I'm coming. I promise, Cal. I just have to find a way to get there." Kassidy explained
"I love you, Kassie." Callie replied
"Love you too, Cal. Tell Jude I love him too." Kassidy added before hanging up
The next day when Kassidy enters the kitchen for breakfast, she walks straight over to the coffee pot, grabs a mug, and then pours herself a cup of coffee which she starts to slowly sip as she leans against the counter and her whole foster family is staring at her.
"Would you like some cream?" Stef asked
Kassidy pursed her lips together and shook her head as she took another sip of her coffee.
Jesus looked at his moms, "Uh….Can I have some coffee, too?"
"No!" Both Stef and Lena exclaimed at the same time
Later after arriving at the school, as Lena is parking her car and Kassidy is looking at the school in awe that it's right in front of the beach.
As everyone is getting out of the car, Lena calls out, "Hey, Jesus, why don't you show Kassidy around? She's starting in Timothy's class."
Jesus nodded and led the way as he walked with Kassidy into the school, "You're going to love Timothy. He's a lot of fun."
"You know….um...you don't have to show me around. I can manage on my own." Kassidy told him "I'm used to being the new kid."
Jesus shook his head, "Nonsense. It's fine. I don't mind."
Kassidy gave a small nod and mumbled, "Okay." Then she asked, "So you really go to school here?"
"Yeah, um...so Timothy's room...it's right over there, you'll find it okay, right?" Jesus asked as he pointed in the direction of the classroom "I got like twenty minutes before class, so I wanted to get in at least one practice for my wrestling match."
Kassidy nodded, "Yeah I'll be fine."
"Alright. Well I'll see you later." Jesus replied as he waved goodbye. Then he and Kassidy went their separate ways.
Kassidy knew she had a few minutes to kill before class so she decided to walk around the school for a bit and she happened to stumble upon the music room. Upon walking in, she saw a big Baby Grand piano. She remembered having a piano at her house and her dad teaching her how to play. She walked to the piano, sat down, took a breath as she placed her fingers on the keys and tried to play a little bit. She knew it was a long shot that she would remember how to play since she hadn't played in seven years, but she still had to try. What surprised Kassidy is that as soon as she started playing, all the knowledge her dad taught her came flooding back. It was like she had never stopped playing. Kassidy was having so much fun playing that before she knew it the bell was ringing, letting all the students know it's time for class. She immediately stopped playing, picked up her backpack, and rushed off to class.
While in class, Kassidy wasn't really listening to the teacher because she's thinking about Jude and Callie. She's mentally trying to figure out a way to get to them. She has to save them.
"Did he participate in his own transformation? Did he will it? Did he want it to happen? Or, was it something that happened to him?" Timothy asked "How about you, Kassidy? Kassidy?"
Kassidy looked up at the teacher when she heard her name.
"I know you haven't read the material yet, but..what would you do if you suddenly woke up and found yourself living a nightmare?" Timothy asked
'I already am and I would survive.' Kassidy thought to herself. She was grateful when the bell rang before she had time to actually give a verbal answer. She hurried out of the classroom.
Once she is outside of the classroom, she called out to another student as she ran after him, "Hey! Hey!" He turned around and she smiled softly, "Hi, what's your name?"
"Aiden." The boy replied looking a little confused
Kassidy nodded, "Aiden, right. Nice to meet you."
"Uh, you new here?" Aiden asked
Kassidy nodded again, "Yeah. Yup. New girl. Just moved here, actually. I could really use someone to show me around."
"That can be arranged." Aiden told her
"You got a car, right?" Kassidy asked
Aiden gave a nod, "Yep."
"Cool. Um, well, I was actually thinking about checking out San Ysidro this afternoon." Kassidy explained
"San Ysidro. Down by Tijuana?" Aiden asked for confirmation that he's thinking of the same place as this girl.
"Yeah I hear it's cool down there." Kassidy responded
Aiden looked puzzled, "What? Are you like, looking to party or something?"
"No." Kassidy shook her head "I just have some people I need to see down there."
"Yeah no thanks." Aiden told her, "Good luck." Then he walked away and Kassidy gave a soft sigh.
Kassidy then walked towards the lunch tables and she saw Mariana on the beach leaning against a palm tree by the volleyball nets. She walked over to her foster sister to find out some valuable information.
"Hey, is there a Metro stop somewhere?" Kassidy inquired
Mariana looked up from her phone, "Maybe." Then she asked, "So..are you planning on leaving?"
"I just have some stuff to take care of. So it's better if you don't know. That way if your mom….moms start asking you questions..." Kassidy explained before starting to walk off
Mariana nodded, "Wait. If it were me, I'd make sure to go out the back way. Lena's office looks out over the front entrance and there's a bus stop three blocks from here."
"Thanks." Kassidy replied as she turned around and started walking in the other direction
Meanwhile with Jesus and his girlfriend, they are talking by a tree and she has her hands draped around his neck. His phone buzzes and he looks down at it to see who it is.
"Who's that?" Jesus' girlfriend, Andrea asked
Jesus shrugged, "I...I don't know." He put his phone back in his pocket
"Well, my parents are going out of town this weekend." Andrea informed him
"Oh yeah?" Jesus inquired
"You want to stay the night?" Andrea asked
Jesus looked unsure, "I'd have to sneak out."
"Or just tell them you're staying with Aiden." Andrea told him
Jesus looks to the left and notices Kassidy walking away from the school.
"Jesus...Hey" Andrea yelled to get his attention back. "Yeah, hey. Do you want to come?"
"Two seconds. Can you give me two seconds?" Jesus asked as he walked away and chased after Kassidy
"So, uh... where you going?" Jesus asked as he walked briskly still a few feet behind her
"I've got some stuff to take care of." Kassidy told him as she walked briskly too. Like she is on a mission
"Stuff to take care of? Like, right now?" Jesus asked confused about what could be so urgent.
"It's important." Kassidy told him
Jesus nodded, "Ok. Well, you won't be able to take care of it if you end up back in juvie." Then he shook his head and changed his words, "I mean, my mom's a cop. You seriously think she won't track you down in like a minute flat."
"Can you just mind your own damn business? You and your whole freakin' family?" Kassidy demanded
"We're just trying to help you." Jesus told her
"Well stop. I don't need help. I've been doing fine all by myself." Kassidy explained as she shouted
Jesus' phone rang again and he took it out of his pocket to look at the caller ID, "Somebody's been calling me from this number all day."
Kassidy whipped her body around and yanked the phone from his hand and answered in a flash, "Hey. Hey baby, it's me. What's going on?"
She heard Jude's voice on the phone. He sounded scared and really panicky. She could tell he was crying because his words weren't coming out clearly. She also heard Callie in the background, who was also crying but trying very hard not to.
"Jude, baby, what are you saying?" Kassidy asked scared and now panicking herself. She is worried.
She heard Jude talking again. She heard him trying to get his word out clearly. She knew he was trying, but it was hard while also trying to hold back tears.
"What do you mean?" Kassidy asked again now very concerned and worried "Jude, what are you saying?"
She listened to him talking again and tried to make out what he was saying.
"Okay, okay, it's okay, Jude. it's okay, baby. Hang on. I'm on my way." Kassidy assured him "I love you, baby. Tell Cal I love her too." Then she heard the beep on the other side confirmed that Jude had hung up the phone. Then Kassidy handed the phone back to Jesus and started briskly walking again.
"What's going on? Who was that? Why are they calling my number?" Jesus inquired as he chased after Kassidy again
"I borrowed your phone last night." Kassidy replied nonchalantly. Then she added, "I gotta go."
"So, who was that? Who's Jude? Is he like your boyfriend or something?" Jesus asked "And who's Cal?"
"No." Kassidy responded quickly
"Then who are they?" Jesus questioned "How do they have my number, Kassidy? Who are they?"
Kassidy stopped walking and turned to face her foster brother, "It was my brother. Jude's my little brother, and Cal….Callie is my sister. His twin." Then she started walking again
"Whoa! Whoa! Then let me call my mom." Jesus told her
"Stef?" Kassidy inquired
"Yes, she's a cop." Jesus answered "She can help."
Kassidy turned around once more. She is now clearly annoyed, "And no cops."
"She's not like that." Jesus assured her
Kassidy rolled her eyes slightly and then explained, "If you call your mom, she's going to look at my file and find all of the complaints my foster father has made against me. You're going to get me sent back to juvie and Jude and Callie are going to be stuck in that house." She bit her lip gently before turning back in the direction she's walking and muttering, "I really gotta go."
Jesus joined her foster sister and gets on the bus with Kassidy to go and rescue Callie and Jude. They sat in silence for a while with their knees bumping into each other before Jesus decided to make conversation.
"So what happened? At the house?" Jesus inquired
Kassidy took a slow, deep breath, "My foster father….well he...um...he got so angry with Callie. She's always been a little clumsy, but she's only a kid. She...um...she spilled and he started to approach her to….um...to hit her. I tried to get between them to protect Callie, but Jude stepped between them first. My foster father then started beating the crap out of my little brother and yelling at him to move, so he could get to Callie. Jude refused."
Jesus didn't look shocked, "I know what that's like. For three years foster parents used to hit me all the time. They tried to hit Mariana too sometimes, but I protected her."
Kassidy nodded and continued her story, "Yeah, so then I told Callie to hide in the bedroom and lock the door. Then I tried to stop my foster father from hitting Jude, but he kicked me in the stomach. So, I went outside, grabbed a baseball bat, starting beating the hell out of his precious Trans Am. When the cops came, he told them I went crazy and he was defending himself. Nobody seemed to care much about my side of the story."
Meanwhile at the Adams-Foster house, when Stef walks in the front door.
"Hi honey! I'm home!" Stef announced
Lena walked into the foyer to greet her wife, "Hey."
"What's wrong? Everything alright with Kassidy?" Stef asked
"No, I haven't checked on her yet. I just walked in." Lena replied, "I just think something's up with Mariana."
Stef looked puzzled, "Meaning?"
"Well, she's pretending to be sick and is really quiet. She's barely said a word since I got home." Lena explained
Stef nodded, "You think she's hiding something?"
Lena shrugged, "Maybe. I don't know."
"Okay well I'm going to go get changed and then check on Kassidy, Mariana, and Jesus." Stef informed her partner
"Okay and I'm going to get started on dinner." Lena responded. Then she walked into the kitchen and Stef headed upstairs.
Downstairs, a few minutes later while Lena is working on dinner, she hears a dreadful scream from her partner. She quickly darts up the stairs to see what's wrong and notices Jesus' empty room and the absence of Kassidy in her soon to be shared room with Mariana.
"Where are Jesus and Kassidy?" Lena asked
Stef shrugged and answered in a panicked tone, "I don't know. I j..just went to check on them and noticed they're gone."
Lena nodded. She scared, but tries to remain calm for her partner's sake, "Okay well I'm sure there's a really good explanation for their absence. Why don't you call Jesus and I'll call Andrea."
"Okay." Stef replied as she whipped out her phone and dialed Jesus' number.
Lena then headed back downstairs to check on dinner and then call Andrea.
"He's not answering." Stef yelled a couple minutes later as she ran down the stairs "Any luck with Andrea?"
Lena sighed and put down her phone as she shook her head, "She said the last time she saw Jesus, he was talking to Kassidy after seventh period."
"So where the hell are they?!" Stef asked clearly annoyed, worried, and now starting to get mad
"I don't know, love." Lena responded, "Did you check the find my phone app?"
Stef blinked and then looked like a light had gone off as she took out her phone and tapped on the app and then clicked 'Jesus'.
"Maybe we're overreacting." Lena suggested
"If we're overreacting, what are they doing in San Ysidro?" Stef inquired as she showed Lena the tracking route for Jesus' phone on her phone screen.
Lena looked worried and puzzled, "What? Are they going to Tijuana?"
"I'm going to kill him." Stef stated as she grabbed her car keys. "This is exactly what I was worried about."
"Let's go." Lena said taking the car keys from her partner "I'll drive."
Meanwhile back with Kassidy and Jesus when they arrive at Jude and Callie's foster house. Kassidy is at the back door where she sees Jude and Callie washing dishing in the kitchen, while Jesus goes around to the front door to create a distraction.
Kassidy knocks lightly on the door, so more like a tap and whispers, "Jude. Callie."
Jesus knocks loudly on the front door several times and waits for it to be answered.
Finally the foster father sighs heavily and walks to answer the door, "Hang on." Then he yells at Callie and Jude, "Are you both deaf or what?"
He opens the door and sees the young boy, "Can I help you?"
"Uh, yes sir." Jesus said nervously "I, um, I was looking for the metro."
"The metro's a few miles from here." The older man replied
"I got kind of lost." Jesus stammered
The man looked confused and like he doubted what the boy is telling him, "You're lost?"
"Yeah." Jesus replied with a nod
"All right, man." The man said with a sigh "You got to go about six blocks that way..." He turned away when he heard his back door creak open. He yelled at Kassidy, "Whoa, hey! What the hell are you doing here?"
In the kitchen, Callie and Jude stopped washing the dishes and turned around upon hearing the commotion. They both look scared as they cover their eyes desperately trying to block out the noise.
"I just want to talk to Jude and Callie." Kassidy started
The foster father shook his head as he walked towards Kassidy, "No! Shut up! No! No, you get out of this house!"
Kassidy starting retreating with a look of terror in her eyes, "One second."
Jesus slowly opened the front screen door and stepped into the house.
"No, get out of here!" He yelled as grabbed her arm
"I can pay for it." Kassidy told her ex-foster father talking about his Trans Am.
"Hey, don't touch her!" Jesus yelled at the same time Kassidy is talking. He's stepping towards the older man
The foster father let go of Kassidy, reached in a drawer, pulled out a gun, and then whipped around and pointed the gun at Jesus.
Jesus took a few steps back, "Calm down, man."
"Okay, shut up." The older man screamed still point the gun at Jesus
Jesus put his hands up in surrender, "Okay, okay."
Meanwhile outside, Stef and Lena are pulling up in their car with Stef's new police partner, Mike Foster following behind her.
"Gun." Stef announced as Mike walked up to the side of her car.
"Call 911." Mike told her before walking towards the house and slowly taking out his gun. A lot of noise and commotion are heard from the house
Stef nodded and got out of the car, "Stay in the car." Ste told Lena "And call 911."
Stef saw Mike going around to the front of the house, so she went to the back door and inched closer and closer while watching through the screen door. She would enter after Mike.
"Police, freeze!" Mike yelled as he bursted through the door holding his gun out, aiming it at the foster father "Freeze! Get down on your hands and knees now!"
Jesus moved out of the way and Kassidy practically leaped into the kitchen to hug her younger siblings and hold them protectively. Her younger siblings practically jumped to hug her and wrapped their arms around her tightly.
Stef now enter through the back door, she too is holding her gun out, "Put the gun down! Put the gun down!"
The foster father fell to his knees and dropped the gun immediately, "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" He begged
In the kitchen with Kassidy and her siblings, after they stopped hugging Kassidy held their hands in both of hers and looked at them.
"Hey my babies, are you both okay?" Kassidy asked
Callie and Jude both nodded, "Yeah we're fine, Kassie." Callie answered for both her and her twin brother.
Kassidy let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding in as she sighed relieved and then planted a kiss on both of her younger siblings' heads.
A few minutes later, Mike is ushering the foster father out of the house in handcuffs and Stef is walking out behind Mike with Jesus, Kassidy, Callie, and Jude in front of her. Kassidy has Jude on her right and Callie on her left with her arms draped over their shoulders. Callie is carrying her 'Princess the Pug' backpack (A/N a character I made up from a drawing when I was like ten) and Jude is carrying his 'Poufy the Puffball' backpack. (A/N another character I made up from a drawing).
"Who are they?" Lena whispered referring to Kassidy's younger siblings as she walked over to Jesus
"They're her brother and sister Jude and Callie." Jesus told his mama
Lena nodded, "Okay. Mom and I will talk to you later about your punishment. For now, just get it the car." She made her voice sound firm, but not harsh.
Jesus gets in the car and sits in the front. He turns and looks at Callie and Jude in the back. He wants to make them more comfortable by making conversation.
"Those are cool backpacks." Jesus said with a smile, "My sister used to have that Princess the pug one, and I used to have that Poufy the Puffball one."
Jude nodded and muttered, "Cool."
Callie didn't say anything. She just continued looking down at her backpack as she reached for her brother's hand. Jude gently grabbed his twin's hand without looking and held it comfortingly.
Meanwhile outside with Stef and Kassidy.
"I would really like you to understand how this, tonight, could've ended very, very badly." Stef told the teen in a caring, but firm voice
Kassidy gently bit her lip and took a breath, "Look, if you want to send me back to juvie, then you just promise me that Callie and Jude will be somewhere safe." She didn't care what happened to her as long as her little brother and sister were safe, she was okay.
Stef sighed softly as she felt her heart breaking for this young girl, "You're not disposable, Kassidy. You're….you're not worthless." Then she draped her arm around the girl's shoulders, "Come on here, let's go, let's go." She said as she led Kassidy to the car.
After Kassidy had sat down in the backseat next to Callie with Jude on the other side of his twin.
"I'm sorry." Kassidy said to Jesus knowing that she had gotten him in heaps of trouble with his moms. "But you didn't have to come."
Jesus rolled his eyes slightly and gave a small nod, "Yes, I did."
"Thank you." Kassidy replied with a small smile
Jesus smiled back, "You're welcome."
Outside, a few feet from the car is where Lena and Stef stand, talking about the new situation.
"So..I talked to Bill. He's going to make arrangements to pick up the kids tomorrow." Lena informed Stef.
Stef shook her head, "No, no, no."
"What does that mean?" Lena asked looking puzzled
"That means we are not sending these kids back into that system right now. All right? Not yet." Stef explained
"Are you sure?" Lena inquired "We really don't have the room."
Stef nodded, "Then we'll make room. Ok, we'll make room."
The next day Lena watches from the kitchen window as Stef sits outside and talks to their son.
"What you did last night was really dumb. And I don't use those words for lack of bigger ones. It was really dumb." Stef told her son "Goodness, what were you thinking? Running off, chasing after some girl. Come on. Even if it was to help her brother and sister. Why didn't you just call me?"
"I know, I know.." Jesus started "It was a big mistake."
"It could have been a fatal mistake, love, you had no idea what you were walking into. Could have been much much worse than that." Stef interrupted and slightly scolded him
"I mean, it won't happen again." Jesus added
"You're damn right it won't happen again." Stef replied, "I gotta be honest with you, my friend. I was ready to drop the hammer. But after talking with mama, we have decided that you are probably very aware of the potential consequences of your actions, yes?"
Jesus gave a nod, "Yes mom."
Then Stef continued, "And this is pretty out of character for you, so we are not going to ground you, but I am telling you, this will never ever happen again."
Jesus just looked down and nodded.
Stef walks in through the back down into the kitchen. She sees Kassidy, Callie, and Jude all sitting at the island in the kitchen.
"Hmm, where's Mariana?" Stef asked
"Oh, she's still in the bathroom." Kassidy stated
"Mariana, come on!" Stef yelled up the stairs. Meanwhile Jesus is appearing in the kitchen now. "Let's go, babe. We've gotta eat." Stef turned and walked toward the coffee pot
"Kassidy, can you put juice out for everybody?" Lena asked as she dried some dishes
Kassidy nodded as she stood up from her stool, "Yeah."
"I didn't have time to do my hair." Mariana said as she appeared at the bottom of the stairs
"Well, it's too late now, sweetie." Stef told her as she poured a cup of coffee
Mariana looked at the clock, "We still have fifteen minutes."
"No, no, no. You guys have to walk to school today. We have a thing." Stef explained, "Come on. Come eat."
"Okay I am not going to school with my hair like this." Mariana informed her mom
"Well then you're not going anywhere, ever again." Stef responded
"Stef, your pancakes are burning." Lena said
Mariana rolled her eyes, "Great. I get to spend all day looking like a Lhasa Apso."
"You want a treat?" Jesus teased as he waved a piece of bacon in front of his sister's face "Good girl…"
"Enough." Stef warned
"You guys have to be out the door in ten. Stef and I have a meeting with Bill." Lena explained to her two kids before looking at Kassidy, "And then I'm gonna take Jude and Callie to come later to school, to show them around. They'll be okay. I promise. I'm not gonna let them split you three up again, okay?"
Kassidy nodded and hesitantly mumbled, "Yeah." Though she didn't look like she believed it
"All right, pancakes everybody." Stef announced, "Who wants pancakes? Jude, Callie, you want some pancakes?" Then she said, "Jesus, pass them around, please. Ow! Okay, Jesus, how many times have we said, no skateboard in the house? Have you taken your pill this morning?"
"Yes." Jesus replied quickly
"No." Stef said knowing the real answer
Jesus shook his head, "No." He walked over to the basket to get his pill and take it.
Kassidy looked at Callie, who was pouring in Kassidy's opinion too much syrup on her pancakes.
"Callie." Kassidy scolded slightly, "Kid, come on."
"Sorry." Callie mumbled as she stopped pouring and closed the lid before placing the bottle down
"Some fruit, you guys." Lena told the kids. She likes her kids to eat healthy.
Later after all the kids are at school. Lena and Stef are in the kitchen talking while waiting for Bill.
"Have you thought any more about what you want to do? About Kassidy, Callie and Jude?" Stef inquired
"No. To be honest, I just keep thinking about seeing you and Jesus in that house with a gun…"Lena started
"We were fine." Stef assured her life partner of eleven years
"I know you were fine. I know that." Lena stated, "But in my mind, when you go to work, you are writing parking tickets and pulling cats out of trees."
"That's firemen." Stef said
"You know what I'm saying. Don't insult me. You know what I mean." Lena replied "I just keep flashing back to you storming into that house with your gun pulled out…"
"It's what I do, love." Stef interrupted
"I get this awful feeling in my stomach. And I cannot help but connect that back to Kassidy." Lena continued
"Meaning?" Stef inquired
"Meaning, I know that you said we're not going to put them back in the system but, I have some really serious concerns." Lena explained
A little while later the doorbell rings.
"That's Bill." Lena said as she walks to the front door to let him in
A few moments later, Bill is sitting at the table in the kitchen with all his paperwork spread out as he talks with Lena and Stef.
"Then a few years later, when Kassidy was nine, I think...yes, that's right. Her mother died suddenly. Her father obviously wasn't in the picture, and there were no other family members to call on. So, they were put into the system. Unfortunately, they haven't been able to land anywhere, for more than six months at a time." Bill explained. Then he turned to Stef and asked, "Could I trouble you for some more coffee, please?
"Yeah, of course." Stef replies as she takes his mug
Bill turns back to look at Lena, "Now, we keep trying to put them somewhere permanent, but then something happens, and we have to move them onto somewhere new."
"Something happens? What exactly does that mean?" Stef inquired
"Something like last night?" Lena asked worried
"I feel terrible about that. That is my fault. I had an emergency in another case. Otherwise, I would've been there for Kassidy and connected her with Callie and Jude, and none of that would've happened." Bill stated "Look, they're really great kids, they've just had bad luck."
"That's just so heartbreaking." Lena replied "So you are looking for something permanent for them?"
Bill nodded, "Always"
"We already have two teenagers." Lena stated. Then she looked toward Stef, "What do you think?"
Stef is standing looking out the kitchen window watching as Callie and Jude play in the tree without a care in the world. Just being young and carefree.
After the meeting with Bill, Lena drives Callie and Jude to school and shows them around.
"So, the fifth grade classes are mostly on the north corridor." Lena told Callie and Jude
"With all the high school kids?" Jude inquired
"Sorry. No." Lena replied sadly
"That means we don't get to see Kassie?" Callie stated
"Unfortunately no, but she'll be around." Lena said, "And if you need anything at all, I'm always here, okay?" Callie and Jude just nodded, but Lena could tell they both were a little sad.
Later while on a break between classes, Kassidy walked to the fifth grade classroom where Jude and Callie are and tapped quietly on the glass with her finger to get her younger siblings' attention. Jude looked up first and then lightly tapped Callie. Immediately, Callie and Jude both raised their hands.
"Need the bathroom, Jude and Callie?" The teacher inquired "Go ahead."
Callie and Jude stood up from their desks and exited the classroom.
"Are you okay?" Kassidy asked
"Mm-hm." Callie replied as she and Jude both nodded
Then Kassidy inquired, "Finding everything?"
"Yeah." Jude responded
Kassidy nodded, "Okay, good. I just wanted to make sure." Then she asked, "Did you see Bill?"
"Yep." Callie told her older sister
"Did he say anything?" Kassidy wondered
Jude looked puzzled, so did Callie, "Like what?" Jude questioned
Kassidy shrugged, "I don't know. Like anything?"
"He said hi." Callie declared "Why?"
"Just wondering." Kassidy replied as she ruffled Callie's and then Jude's hair, "Now get back in there. Learn something."
Callie and Jude smiled at their sister before walking back into their classroom.
Later at the Adams-Foster house, in the living room, Kassidy is sitting on the couch studying while helping Callie and Jude with their homework. Kassidy finished one subject and glances at Jude's math worksheet as she puts her book away.
"Sixteen." Kassidy tells her little brother, who then writes down the answer.
"And this one?" Jude asked as he turned his head to look at Kassidy for the answer.
Kassidy shook her head, "No, you know that. What do you have to do? You have to divide it by the y." She waited for an answer but when Jude continued to stare at her with his big brown eyes she caved, "It's four. The answer's four. You should've known that."
"You should've known that." Jude said being playful and a little smart aleck.
Kassidy snickered, "I did know that."
"No, you didn't." Jude argued
Kassidy nodded, "Yeah, I did."
"Nuh-uh!" Jude shook his head
Kassidy smiled as she scooped up Jude and tickled him, "Yeah!" Jude laughs as Kassidy says, "So cheeky!"
As Jude is laughing, Callie smiles as she likes hearing the rare sound of her twin's laughter. She asked, "Kassie, how long are we going to be here?"
"I don't know, baby girl." Kassidy replied
Callie nodded and then said, "Sissy, I also need help? With my spelling."
"Okay what's the problem?" Kassidy asked
"How do you spell necessary?" Callie asked
Kassidy ruffled her little sister's hair, "Sound it out, girly. How do you think it's spelled?"
"Um...N-E-S-U-S-S-A-R-Y?" Callie spelled uncertainly
"Close." Kassidy replied "N-E-C-E-S-S-A-R-Y."
Callie nodded and then wrote it down as Kassidy spelled it, "And how do you spell synonym?"
"What do you think?" Kassidy inquired
Callie thought, "S-I-N-U-N-I-M?"
"Not quite, but that's okay. It's a hard word." Kassidy told her sister "S-Y-N-O-N-Y-M."
"Thanks." Callie replied
Kassidy smiled and nodded, "Now both of you, finish your homework."
After dinner all the kids walk into the foyer and sit down, "Everyone, grab a seat." Stef instructs "So, we have something to talk about, obviously."
"Uh, Stef and I had our meeting with Bill, and we've come to a decision. We are not in a position to offer Jude, Kassidy and Callie a home forever." Lena explained
"But we would like you guys to be as comfortable and safe as possible, until Bill does find you a permanent home. However long that may take." Stef stated
Lena nodded and added, "It could be a week, it could be a year. We just don't know."
"Yeah. We want this to be your very last way station ever, ever, ever." Stef told them "Okay?"
Kassidy gave a small nod, while Callie and Jude just stared on.
"So, that means, we need to get you guys out of the living room." Lena declared "I think you'll be okay to camp down there one more night, but tomorrow we're having some beds delivered, so after school let's help get them settled in, okay?"
"Yes, Jesus, we could use a little muscle, alright?" Stef asked to which her son nodded. Then Stef added, "Jude, my sweet, new, young friend. You'll be moving in with Jesus. And Callie, my sweet girl, you'll be moving into Mariana's room. Kassidy, you will have your own room, alright?"
Later Mariana is upstairs in her room when Lexi walks in.
"What are you doing?" Lexi asked
"Come on in, I need your help. I have to get rid of a bunch of stuff so Callie can move into my room. It's a freaking nightmare." Mariana whined and complained, "Seriously, I don't understand why they just can't move into the dining room? It's not like we ever use it, right?"
"Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Maybe we can put them in the closet or under the stairs, like in Harry Potter?" Jesus suggested as he walked past Mariana's bedroom "I mean, come on Mari. Let's think about how they must feel. They're not here forever. Let's try to make them feel a little more welcome."
The next day after school Kassidy is sitting in the backyard under the tree when Mariana walks out to talk to her.
"Where's Jude?" Kassidy asked concerned
"He's reading magazines in my room. He's okay." Mariana replied
Kassidy nodded, "And Callie?"
"She's doing a puzzle on the floor of my room." Mariana stated
Kassidy sighs relieved, "Good."
"So how are you?" Mariana asked
Kassidy made a thinking face, "I'm okay. Why are you asking?"
"I just wanted to know how you're adjusting." Mariana responded
Kassidy nodded, "Okay well I'd like to be alone for a while."
Mariana got up and walked back inside without a word.
That night as Kassidy, Callie, and Jude are getting ready for bed. Callie and Jude are sitting on the bed in Kassidy's room.
"I'm glad we're staying." Jude stated
"Me too. I like it here." Callie added
"Yeah?" Kassidy inquired as she planted a kiss on both Callie and Jude's heads, "Don't like it too much."
Hope you enjoy. Comments are greatly appreciated.
What would you like to see happen next?