AU Fosters meeting. Callie and Brandon are around 13/14, with the twins at 12, and Jude at 10. Enjoy! No shipping, only family feels!

Jesus tapped his finger against the small table, sighing at the book in front of him one more time. It wasn't connecting. He knew what he had to do, but the work itself just wasn't clicking. His last essay grade had dropped too drastically and with everything going on at home he felt bad taking up all of his Mama's time. She was busy dealing with the new principal, Mom was off working extra hours to bring in some more money to the household, he didn't want to be the needy kid who didn't understand how to make a good argument for a simple essay.

He checked the time on his phone once again. Only three minutes had passed. It was pure torture. He couldn't go home without a finished essay, or at least one well on its way to completion. Or with just a general direction. All he currently had was the word essay written in block letters on the top of his page. It wasn't that he hated the book. He was fine with the book, he just didn't understand what more he could say about it that hadn't already been said. He glanced behind him at the closed doors in the back of the library and sighed. He'd been dropped here for a reason. For the past three weeks, every Saturday he'd been deposited on the steps of the community library to attend the homework help group. He'd agreed to it at first purely to avoid his moms' frustration at being unable to help at home, but after two weeks of kids talking, bright lighting, and no one really having the time to focus on him, he'd decided he was done with it. Not that he could tell his moms. He couldn't stand that disappointment. He could already hear his mama going on about how he didn't give it a fair chance and to speak up if he needed more help from someone. It wouldn't work for him. It was too much. But he didn't want to cause any more issues at home when everyone was already stressed enough.

So that left him here. Glaring at the book before him. Staring at it as though a look would make his problems go away with only two hours until he'd be picked up out front.

"Hey, are you okay?"

He blinked, releasing his glare as his gaze moved to a girl on his right. She was eyeing him cautiously, her fingers playing with the pages of a book. He shook himself from his daze and gave her a proper nod.

"Yeah, I'm cool. Just trying to work on an essay."

"Writing it through osmosis?" she replied, chuckling slightly. He gave a slight shrug and a half smile, not sure how to reply. Silence fell over the two as he pushed around the book in front of him. "Did you want some help?"

He looked up, not expecting to hear from her again. "Oh, no it's fine. I'm good, just need to figure out what I'm doing."

"Sometimes talking things through can be helpful. I mean, if you want. I'll leave you alone otherwise." She put her hand over her heart, "I swear."

"Okay," he chuckled. "Are you good at English?"

"I survive," she answered. She shifted the bag in front of her down the table until she was settled across from him. "I'm Callie by the way."

"Jesus," he replied, shaking her hand briefly. "Did you just come here to chill or am I stopping you from doing something? Because you definitely don't have to worry if you're busy."

"It's fine," she answered, "my brother is in the homework help thing for another few hours, so I have time to kill."

"Oh, that's cool." He dropped his gaze to the book. Was she going to think he was an idiot? Did it help or hurt that her brother was using the homework help centre?

"So…what are you working on?"

His eyes shot back up to her, the heat of a blush growing on his neck. "Sorry, it's an essay about Harry Potter."

"You get to write about Harry Potter? What kind of school do you go to?" she laughed. He gave a small smile.

"It's a charter school. My teacher is pretty cool about having us read books that are actually good. It's funny because my brother had him last year and they didn't get to read it, so now he's all annoyed that my sister and I get to do it."

"I'd be annoyed too! Imagine having to read some boring book instead? No thanks." He gave the girl, Callie, a grin. "So what's the essay have to be about?"

"Literally anything," he groaned. "It would be easier if he just told me what to do, but instead we can write on 'whatever it is we're passionate about.' As if that's any better."

"Okay, your school actually sounds awesome. That's so unfair."

"Yeah, it's pretty nice," he shrugged. "My mama is the VP, so she knows everything we do, but it's whatever."

"That'd be pretty cool," Callie smiled. Jesus smiled bashfully.

"Yeah, she's pretty cool, but my other mom is a cop. That's way cooler!"

"You have two moms?" Jesus felt himself tense up, preparing himself for the next comment. "That's pretty cool. Moms are usually way nicer than dads."

"What?" he asked, slightly shocked by the direction the conversation had turned in.

"That's just my experience though. Usually the dads in our homes are the ones to watch out for."

"Wait, are you a foster kid?" He watched Callie shrug, obviously guarding herself from judgement. "I was too. Me and my sister, Mariana. We were in the system for a few years before Mom and Mama found us."

Callie's shoulders relaxed slightly. "So, you got adopted?"

He nodded, "Almost three years ago. They adopted right after we turned ten."

"That's awesome," she replied with a strained smile.

"How's your home now? Is it a good one?"

She shrugged, playing with the bag in front of her. "It's not the worst we've had. They pretty much leave us alone. That's why we come here. It keeps Jude busy and helps him keep up with school. Moving around so much has messed with what he's learning."

"Have you moved a lot?"

"At least once a year. Usually more than that though." She took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. "So, your essay?"

He shook his head slightly at the change of conversation before giving her a shy smile.

"Right - thanks again."

*FF*

Jesus shook his head as he scratched out the words on the page.

"Why can't my thesis just be that he's evil? He is!"

"That's not an argument, it's a statement."

"I thought a thesis is a statement," Jesus argued.

"It's an argumentative statement. Something you have to prove to others. Besides, look through the points you laid out. It's more than just him being evil. You're arguing something different."

Jesus read through the notes they'd been doing the past few hours, sussing out what direction his work was taking. He flipped through the pages of the book they'd marked, feeling pressure from the gaze coming across the table.

"Is it…" he hesitated, not wanting to mess up.

"Whatever you say is gonna be fine. It's your paper Jesus."

He sighed and looked up at her. "I don't want to say he's evil. But I do, you know?"

"But there's more to your argument than that. What have your points all been around?"

"That he died because he was too full of himself? He didn't think anyone was smarter than him."

"So, you're arguing his pride was his downfall?"

Jesus sat up at that wording, a small smile growing on the face of the girl across from him.

"Yeah, that sounds right. So, my thesis could be something about how his evil -"

'"Villainy," she supplied.

"How his villainy stemmed from a place of pride which eventually brought his downfall. Is that right? Does that sound good?"

"I think it definitely works. Just remember you need to link each point back -"

"To the thesis, right! I have that note here somewhere…" He shuffled through his papers, writing down the line he and Callie had come up with.

"Callie?" Jesus sat up at the high-pitched voice. He watched Callie's eyes light up at the sound, moving from the table to wrap herself around the small boy that had suddenly appeared.

"Hey baby, how was centre?"

"Good," he shrugged, eyeing Jesus warily. "Connor and me worked on math together. He's ahead of me, but he helped me out when Mrs Mason was busy."

"Good! I'm glad you've got a friend to help you out!"

"Hey," Jesus chimed in before he could stop himself. The two turned towards him and he felt himself freeze up at the attention. Callie gave a slight smirk at the sight.

"Jude, this is Jesus. I was helping him out with an essay. Guess what he gets to read?"

"What?" Jude asked, his curiosity obvious through his tone.

"Harry Potter." Jude's eyes lit up as he turned to Jesus.

"Really? Which book? Have you read them before? Did you like them?"

"Uh, yeah." Jesus shook himself from his daze. "Yeah, my moms read them to me when I was little. Probably like your age? Maybe?"

"I'm ten," Jude supplied.

"Oh, then I was a bit younger I guess. Either way, I really liked them."

"Me too! Callie read them to me when we were at the Morrison's house. And the Andersons'. And for a little bit at the Coopers'. There are a lot of books, so it took a long time."

"Definitely," Jesus nodded.

"Jesus here was a foster kid too," Callie supplied, her arms wrapping around Jude's shoulders. Jesus recognized the move, one his moms did often to him and his siblings. "He and his sister got adopted when they were your age."

"Really? Cool! Is your house nice?"

"Yeah, it's awesome," Jesus answered easily. "Mom and Mama are super nice. Brandon can get a little annoying when he's practicing piano, but moms say he has to practice for his competitions. I think he does it to annoy us. He said that's his role as a big brother."

"How old is he?" Callie asked.

"Like fourteen," Jesus shrugged. "Barely a year older than us. It definitely isn't old enough to count as an older brother."

"Technically he is older," Callie pointed out.

"Whose side are you on?"

"I mean I'm almost fourteen and a big sister, so take that as you will."

Jesus opened his mouth to reply but was stopped at a buzzing in his pocket. He pulled out his phone and sighed at the message from his mom. He quickly typed out a reply and threw it back in his pocket.

"That's my mom. I have to go before she gets antsy enough to come in here."

"That's cool," Callie replied.

"It was nice to meet you!" Jude smiled. Jesus grinned back.

"You too dude. Maybe next time we can talk more Harry Potter."

"Here I figured you'd be sick of it," Callie smirked.

"Nah, just writing about it. It's an awesome book." He ran his hand through his hair nervously. "Thanks for the help with everything."

"It's no problem," she shrugged.

"I mean, maybe not but it really helped me out. I had a lot of fun."

"Same here."

"Are you coming back?" Jude asked.

"Yeah, every week." Jesus felt the buzzing again. "I'll see you guys next week, right?"

"We'll be here," Callie answered, resting her head on top of Jude's. "Every Saturday."

"See you then!"

Jesus shoved his notes into his bag and raced out of the library towards his mom's car. He tossed his bag in the back and settled in the seat.

"About time! I thought I was gonna have to come searching," Stef stated, pulling away from the curb.

"I wasn't that long!"

"You were longer than usual. Having a good time at centre?" Jesus shrugged, thinking of the notes filling his bag. He'd done more work that morning than the past few weeks combined, but it hadn't felt like it. Callie was good at making him think and work without it feeling like work. "Get your essay organized?"

"Yeah, I have a really good start to it."

"How good are we talking?" Stef questioned, her eyes meeting his through the mirror.

"My points are all laid out and the thesis is done. I marked off every part I want to reference and talk about. I just need to piece it all together."

"Wow, Jesus! Good job dude!"

Jesus smiled to himself, feeling proud of the work he'd done and strangely looking forward to going back the next week to do more.

"Mama and I told you it wouldn't be so bad, right? You just needed to adjust."

"Yeah," he agreed, leaning against the window.

"I know it's a little annoying that we're making you go, but you know it's good for you, right? And this won't be forever. Mama's work should settle down soon and the people I've been covering for at work get back from vacation in a week and a half. Just a bit more madness and things will be back to normal."

"No, it's okay," Jesus replied, sitting up. "I like the library. It helped a lot."

"You're sure?" Stef asked, confused about the change in attitude from the night before.

"Yeah, I think we should give it a chance for a bit longer. See how things go."

"…okay," Stef replied. Jesus nodded to himself and settled in for the ride, excited for once to get to work later that evening.

*FF*

"Guys, come on! Mama called for dinner ten minutes ago!" Stef cried from the kitchen. She shrugged at Lena's disapproving look. "What? Why should I go all the way up there just to grab them and come back down?"

"Seriously Stef?" Lena chuckled, shaking her head. "You're worse than they are."

"How dare you?" Stef cried jokingly, wrapping her arms around her wife, "They're at least equal to me. Give me that much."

"Depends on the day," Lena smirked. Stef raised an eyebrow and pulled her wife in closer.

"I bet I could change your mind." She pressed a light kiss to Lena's cheek.

"Mmm you can certainly try. I look forward to your attempts."

Stef laughed and pulled back slightly to properly kiss her wife.

"Gross!"

"Seriously dude?" Stef sighed, pulling back to take in Jesus's disturbed expression.

"You call us in here just for us to watch you kiss?"

"We called you in here to eat," Lena replied, grabbing the dishes for the table.

"Anything else was a bonus," Stef followed up.

Jesus shook his head as he took his seat, "Disgusting."

"What's disgusting?" Mariana asked, entering the room behind Brandon.

"Moms making out," Jesus stated, filling up his plate.

"Okay, first of all we weren't making out. It was barely a kiss," Stef argued.

"And I would think you'd all be happy that Mom and I are still in love. Some kids don't have that."

"Can we maybe not talk about you guys making out while we eat?" Brandon interjected.

"Really? Because I was having a good time of it," Stef smirked. He shook his head at her, focusing on his food.

"I for one think you're both adorable," Mariana smiled.

Stef sent her a quick wink, "Thank you Miss Thing. At least one child loves us."

Lena shook her head at her wife's behaviour, turning her attention to her youngest kids.

"So, Jesus, Mariana I heard that you got an essay back today? How'd that go guys?"

"I got an A," Mariana stated with a slight smirk at her brother.

"Congratulation sweetheart! That's amazing!" Lena beamed. "Jesus, how about you?"

He cleared his throat, his gaze set on his plate. "Umm, I actually got one too."

"Got one what?" Stef asked, taking another bite of their meal.

"An A," he shrugged. Stef and Lena looked at each other before turning to their son.

"You got an A on your essay?" Stef asked.

"You don't have to sound so surprised," he muttered.

"Honey, no we weren't…" Stef looked at Lena once more, seeing the same shock and excitement in her eyes that she herself was feeling. "Jesus, bud that's amazing! The centre is really helping, huh?"

"Yeah, it's really great," he answered, still not looking up.

"I'm surprised you're still going," Brandon chuckled. "I figured you would've wormed your way out of it by now. I mean it's been like three months at this point."

Jesus shook his head, "No, I'm good. I mean, I can still go, right?"

He looked up at his moms for the first time since the conversation began.

"Yeah, of course sweetie," Lena replied immediately. "If it's working for you then you can go as long as you'd like."

He grinned, ducking his head quickly. "Sweet, thanks!"

"You will have to bus tomorrow though because Mom and I have an appointment in the morning. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, I can do that."

"Phone with GPS on doesn't leave your side, yes?"

"I know Mom," he groaned.

"Hey! It's literally my job. As a parent and a cop. Allow me."

"I know, I know."

Mariana cleared her throat after a sip of water.

"Maybe I should go to the centre."

Jesus's head shot up as he glared at his sister.

"You don't need to. You're doing fine."

"I mean it's helping you, maybe it'll help me too."

"You do just fine. You don't need any help. You're just trying to bug me."

"I can always do better," she smirked.

"Okay, enough," Lena intervened. "Mariana, your grades are fine. If at some point you're having some trouble and think you really need it, we can talk. Right now though you're just trying to bug your brother."

"Fine," she sighed. "I won't go."

"Good," Stef stated, clearing her throat. "Now, someone pass me that salad before your mama lectures me for not eating my vegetables."

*FF*

"Where are you going?"

Mariana froze as her hand wrapped around the doorknob. She turned around with a poker face, shrugging at Brandon.

"Nowhere."

"Seriously?" he asked. "That was amateur. What if moms had caught you?"

"Well, they're out so they wouldn't."

"They told us to stay home Mariana."

"Jesus got to leave!"

"Yeah, to go to the library. He's not going anywhere fun."

"Well, I think he is. You know him, he hates studying. You can't honestly believe he's doing homework every weekend."

Brandon shrugged. "It seems a little weird, but it's not really our business."

"I think he has a girlfriend," Mariana stated. "Or a crush or something. He's way too interested in his weekend homework."

"So, you're planning to what? Go spy on him?"

"Exactly," she nodded. "Now are you coming or not?"

"What are you going to do if he does? What will it prove?"

"That he's lying to us. The next bus leaves in ten minutes, so I'm going. You can come or you can stay, but I'm going to find the truth."

She opened the door and heard Brandon sigh behind her before quickly jogging to catch up.

"You're kinda crazy, you know that right?"

"Yet here you are."

"Well yeah, you're my sister. Doesn't mean you're not crazy. It just means I'm not letting you go down alone."

Mariana smiled and bumped his shoulder as they walked to the bus stop. They sat silently for a few minutes, not making conversation until they boarded the bus.

"What if he's just studying?" Brandon asked. Mariana shrugged.

"Then we never tell him this happened, and we go back home. But that's not happening. I know my brother and trust me, there's a girl."

"He can't have a girlfriend," Brandon argued. "He just turned thirteen. Moms said we can't date until at least fifteen."

"Why do you think it's such a secret? Clearly he doesn't care about the rule."

Mariana led way off the bus, marching into the library and towards the back. She knew the help centre was the back room and was planning a simple stake out through the windows. What she didn't expect was the sight of her brother at a table near the front, laughing next to a pretty brunette.

"Oh my god, you're right," Brandon muttered. Mariana stared at the two of them bent over a notebook, Jesus's scribbles between their words. Sharing smiles, looking at each other. She was right. "What now?"

She marched towards the table, any rational thoughts gone from her mind.

"I knew it," she cried, throwing her bag onto the table. Jesus looked up in shock, the girl beside him looking nothing more than amused. "You totally have a secret girlfriend!"

"What?" Jesus asked.

"Gross," the girl laughed. "Jesus? Seriously?"

"Excuse me?" Mariana spat out at her current enemy. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"No offense to him, but that would never happen," the girl answered, a grin still on her face.

"No offense taken," Jesus replied, shaking his head. "That would be like dating my sister. Just…ugh."

He shuddered at the thought. The girl ruffled his hair, pushing him away slightly.

"Wait, sorry, who are you? What's happening right now?" Brandon questioned.

"Exactly what I'd like to know," Mariana demanded.

Jesus sighed, running a hand over his face. "This is Callie. She's been helping me with my homework every weekend for the past few months."

"Why is that such a secret?" Brandon asked, sitting across from them and gesturing for Mariana to do the same.

"Because moms think I'm going to the centre, but I stopped after two weeks. I just couldn't do it. I tried doing the work on my own, but I couldn't understand it. Callie offered to help, and I actually understood what she was saying for once. I just didn't want to disappoint moms by saying I gave up on the centre."

"I don't think they'd be disappointed. You're still doing work," Brandon countered. Jesus shrugged.

"Mostly anyway. We usually work for half the time and then just chill."

"Who spends their weekend willingly in a library?" Mariana asked, looking at Callie oddly.

"Foster kids who don't have internet or computers at home," she answered swiftly. Mariana looked down to the table, chastised for her question. "It's fine. Honestly, my little brother does centre for the morning, so I'd be here anyway."

"Yeah, we usually chill with Jude for a bit too," Jesus smiled. "He's awesome. It's like having that little brother we always wanted. You'd probably like him Mariana, he loves unicorns and Disney and stuff. He's always colouring everything rainbows like you used to."

"Really?" Mariana asked, glancing at Callie. Callie gave a small shrug.

"He's a sweet kid."

"Is he your real brother or a foster brother?" Brandon inquired.

"Biological. Our mom died four years ago."

"What about you dad?"

"He's gone too."

"Callie?" Mariana turned to the small boy to the side of her table.

"Hey baby," Callie grinned. She gestured for him to come around and pulled him close to her side. "These are Jesus's brother and sister."

"Oh cool!" Mariana felt her heart melt at the grin aimed her way. "Are you guys studying with him and Callie today?"

"We actually just came to visit today, but maybe next week," Brandon answered. He gave a cautious glance to Callie and Jesus. "If that's cool with you guys. I mean, I get that you actually do work, but maybe we could all hang out after you do that."

"Seriously?" Callie asked.

Brandon shrugged. "My brother called you his sister. That basically makes us related at this point. May as well get to know the family."

Callie shook her head with a smile. "Whatever, it's your Saturday morning."

Mariana cleared her throat, "So Jude, what's your favourite colour?"

"I like them all," he answered. "That's why rainbows are the best."

Brandon and Mariana grinned at the happy boy in front of them. Mariana met Callie's gaze and offered a shy smile. She beamed at the look she got back, knowing that Saturday morning's routine had just been changed by the pair before them. And for some reason she was fine with that.

*FF*

"You're late!" Jesus cried, watching Callie and Jude quickly make their way into the library. Callie shot him a glare and quickly pulled off Jude's jacket and sent him back towards the centre.

"We'll meet you after buddy! We'll be right here!"

Jude gave a single nod and raced to the doors of the centre. Callie sighed, slumping into the seat at their usual table.

"Are you okay?" Brandon asked, taking in the exhaustion on Callie's face.

"Yeah, we're just taking a different route now."

"Why? Did they change the bus on you?" Mariana inquired. Callie shook her head.

"They pulled us from our home a few days ago." The other three sat up, giving their full attention to the girl seated in front of them.

"Why? What happened? Are you okay?"

Callie shrugged, "I guess our teacher reported that we weren't being properly cared for. It wasn't like they hurt us or anything, they just didn't really care what we did. It was kind of perfect for me and Jude, but whatever. So, they pulled us from our 'neglectful environment' and we got placed again."

"Well is the new home at least better?" Jesus asked.

"I don't know yet," she answered. "The foster dad seems a little off, but maybe I just haven't been able to read him yet. It's just him and us which is a little weird. I'm used to at least one or two more kids. Either way, we have to make this one last for a while. Our social worker told us he was the last one willing to take us both for now. I need to be with Jude, so we'll just have to take whatever comes."

"That's not right," Mariana argued. "You shouldn't have to take it. You should be somewhere that makes you happy."

Callie shrugged, "Not many people are too excited to take in a fourteen-year-old and her ten year old brother. I know Jude could probably get adopted if we were placed separately but…" she trailed off.

"You shouldn't have to leave your little brother," Brandon stated. "It'll happen. And who knows, maybe this new home will work."

"Maybe. Anyway, we had to take a different bus route because the home is a little further. It's opposite the park near Mission Bay."

"That's near us!" Jesus cried.

"What?"

"That's only a few blocks away. Maybe we can hang out without the library!" he exclaimed. Callie gave a small smile.

"And here I thought you only liked me for my tutoring abilities."

"Nah, that's only half of why I like you."

"Jude is the other half, right?" she chuckled. Jesus let his smile fall.

"I'm serious Cal, you're like my best friend. Tutoring or no tutoring."

"That goes for us too," Brandon smiled, gesturing to him and Mariana. "I'm afraid you're stuck with us now."

She chuckled, shaking her head. "Okay, dorks."

Jesus tore out a piece of paper from his notebook and jotted down his address, sliding it over to her.

"No pressure, but if you ever want to come hang out or talk or whatever? Just in case, you know?"

Callie slide the paper off the table, folding it for her pocket.

"Thanks, I'll keep it in mind."

"Good. Now, I think we should work because somebody was late, and I really need help with this history assignment.

"Such a dork," Callie murmured, shaking her head at the group in front of her before turning towards the history textbook to help who she guessed was now her best friend. One of three new ones anyway.

*FF*

Stef settled into the couch, leaning into Lena with a soft smile as the kids bickered over what movie to throw on for the night. Mariana was defiantly refusing another the boys' choice and despite being outnumbered was fighting for her own. At this rate they wouldn't be able to finish whatever movie was chosen, but she couldn't find it in herself to really care. She was comfy, her family was around, all was good.

"You know we should step in at some point, yes?" Lena whispered in her ear.

"Mmmm," Stef replied, closing her eyes. "Or maybe we could just lay here and let it play out. If it's down to watching Princess Bride or A Little Princess, it doesn't really matter. At this point I could act out either option and quote it perfectly."

Lena chuckled, "I'd love to see that."

"Which one? I feel like you've seen me act out Princess Bride more than once."

"True, but I could watch you do it again. The lead actress of that one woman show is pretty hot."

Stef stifled a laugh, her eyes meeting Lena's. "It's all just physical to you isn't it?"

"Never," Lena replied, her low voice in Stef's ear. "But it's definitely a plus."

Stef laughed, drawing the kid's attention away from their movies.

"What's so funny?" Brandon asked.

"Mama and I were just talking about how many times we've seen both. Why not pick something new guys?"

"Oh, way to get them started again," Lena murmured to her. Stef bit her lip to hide her smile as the kids started up again.

"Oh no, I guess we'll have to get comfy and cuddle until they figure it out."

"Won't hear me arguing," Lena smiled, holding Stef closer as they let the voices of their kids wash over them.

"Shouldn't this be Jesus's choice since we're celebrating his grades for the term?"

"Technically we're celebrating all of their grades, his are just the ones that have jumped the highest," Lena corrected. "Though I have been pretty impressed by the other two."

"Maybe that centre actually knows what it's doing. I mean Brandon and Mariana have been joining Jesus for a few months now. The difference is definitely there."

"Who would've thought a crazy month of us running around would work out for the best?" Lena chuckled softly. Stef grinned in agreement, pressing her lips softly to the head of the woman resting beside her.

The comfort and contentment of the room was shattered with a single sound. A frantic knocking on the front door.

Stef met Lena's confused gaze, jumping up from their spot on the couch.

"Who on Earth…?"

"Guys come sit down while Mom gets the door please," Lena requested from the living room. Stef jogged to the door, desperate at this point to end the constant banging. She swung the door open, ready to confront whoever felt the need to disturb their evening but found her eye level empty.

"Is Jesus here?" Stef looked down, taking in the small boy in front of her.

"Excuse me?" she asked, slightly in shock.

"Or Mariana? Or Brandon? Someone?"

"I'm sorry, who -"

"Jude?" Stef turned to the voice of her youngest son, watching him quickly move in front of her, his siblings close behind. "What's going on? Where's Callie?"

The small boy's lip quivered, and Stef saw the tears coming just before he burst. His sobs overtook him, Jesus jumping into action to wrap his arms around him.

"What's going on?" Lena asked, coming to her side. Stef shook her head.

"No clue."

"Hey guys, can we bring this inside?" Lena questioned, started to corral the kids back into the living room. Jesus's arm stayed wrapped around the kid, Mariana and Brandon floating nearby and ready to help when able.

"Jude, where's Callie?" Jesus asked again, curling the kid closer to him.

"She...he was just…" Jude sobbed harder, leaning into the bigger boy. His cries were getting heavier and Stef could hear the struggle to breath through his gasps. "I didn't mean...I swear I tried not to!"

"Hey bud," she cooed, kneeling down to their level. "You need to calm down a bit, okay? I know it's scary but whatever's going on will be alright. Okay? But first we need to get you feeling a bit better."

Lena placed herself beside the boy, rubbing circles on his back to soothe him. Stef grabbed his hands between her own, holding them gently to assure him that someone was there.

"Deep breaths buddy, we need to get you to calm down a bit. Okay? Deep breaths in and out. Just focus on that, alright?"

His staggered gasps took over the room as he attempted to slow the cries. She could feel him shuddering as he tried to control himself. Jesus cupped a hand over the boy's neck, drawing him into his shoulder for comfort. They all sat silently as he slowed down until all that remained was small sniffles here and there.

"Hey buddy, good job!" Stef praised softly. "Can you tell me your name?"

"His name's Jude," Jesus answered swiftly. Stef glanced to him quickly.

"Okay Jude. I see you're friends with Jesus. Is that right?" She got a small nod from that. "Can you tell me what happened? What made you cry so much bud?"

"Callie," he answered quietly.

"Who's Callie?"

"His sister," Jesus replied, his eyes only on Jude. "What's wrong with Callie?"

"He's hurting her," Jude stated in a teary voice, his gaze set on the ground. In that single moment, she felt the air shift. Stef's arm shot out to stop Jesus's sudden movement to stand.

"Who's hurting her?"

"Mark," Jude supplied. His eyes met Stef's growing wide with his next words. "He's hurting her real bad."

"Okay sweets, I need you to tell me where you live. Right now, please."

"I don't know it."

"You don't know where you live?"

"He doesn't know the address," Jesus filled in. "He and Callie were moved last month."

"They were moved? As in by their family or by the state?" Lena asked, her body now matching Stef's tense movement.

"The state," Brandon replied. "They're foster kids."

"Okay," Stef sighed, pushing herself up from her crouched position, "Jude can you take me to your house? Do you know how to get there from here?"

He nodded, "Callie made me learn in case of emergency. We were too far from our meeting spot."

Lena looked up at Stef, "What's a meeting spot?"

"I don't know that we have time to discuss that right now love. I'll take Jude in the car, you stay here with the kids, yes?"

"Please be careful."

"Always my love." Stef leaned down to quickly kiss her wife. She grabbed Jude's hand and gently stood him up, turning him towards the door. "We'll be back soon."

*FF*

Lena sat silently, studying the kids in front of her. Stef had left in a hurry, leaving her to piece together who this boy was that completely altered their planned evening.

"I don't understand why you wouldn't tell us. Why would Mom and I care if you were meeting with a friend? You were still doing homework."

"I don't know," Jesus answered with a shrug. "It just felt like our thing. Between me and Callie. Until the others came anyway."

"Between you and Callie…" Lena sighed. "Jesus, are you dating this girl?"

"No!" he cried, shooting up from his seat. "Why does everyone think that?"

"Because you've never hidden friends from us before!"

"She was just nervous about the fact that she was a foster kid! Honest Mama! I didn't want to betray her like that."

"We swear Mama, they're not dating," Brandon insisted.

"That would be gross," Mariana stated, her expression clearly disturbed. "Callie's become like a sister to us, same as Jude. They'd never date. It would be incest."

Lena shook her head, trying to understand these kids her children had kept from her for several months. She looked up at the sound of the door and, with her kids, turned towards the foyer. Stef was leading in a boy and a girl, the young boy from before firmly latched on to his older sister.

"What the hell did he do to you?" Jesus growled.

"Jesus, language," Lena murmured, distracted by the sight of the beaten girl before her. The girl shrugged, her hand absent-mindedly running through her brother's hair.

"I'm fine."

"You're not fine sweets," Stef sighed. "Your ribs are bruised, not to mention the split lip and bumps on your head. You'll be healing for a while."

She shrugged. "It's fine. I've had worse."

Lena met Stef's gaze and read the horror on her wife's expression at hearing those words.

"You should sit down," Brandon stated, jumping to help the girl into a seat. She shook her head at the movement, letting him guide her to rest against the arm of one of their lounge chairs.

"We're not gonna be here long. Your mom just brought us here until our social worker could make it. He should be here soon enough."

Lena slowly made her way up to her wife, her eyes still studying the dynamics of the kids in front of her. Jude had yet to let go of his sister, but Jesus, Mariana and Brandon had jumped into protective mode.

"What happened?" she softly asked her wife. Stef shook her head gently.

"I had to pull him off of her Lena," she choked out. Lena could hear the tears in her voice. "A grown man was beating a child, and for what? Absolutely nothing."

"Oh babe," Lena sighed, resting her forehead on Stef's shoulder.

"Luckily one of the neighbours had called the police, but they had to take our statements. A paramedic patched Callie up, but there wasn't a whole lot they could do. They called their social worker, but he wanted them to wait for him. It's cold outside Lena, I wasn't going to have them sitting around in the dark waiting for this man."

"I know, it's fine." She let out a breath and watch the kids all cuddle close, their quiet voices soothing the two women. "I had no clue they would be this close to someone who's been helping with homework."

"Well clearly it was more than that," Stef argued. "God, we'll have a rough time getting them to let those kids out of the house later."

Lena's eyes studied the young girl who, though clearly in pain, was devoted to comforting the others. Had she ever been comforted? Held? Allowed to just cry?

A knock on the door broke her thoughts. She pulled it open, smiling at the man across from her.

"Hi, I'm here for Callie and Jude? If you could just grab them for me, that would be great."

"Hi, I'm Lena. My kids are friends with them. Why don't you come in for a minute? I'm sure Callie and Jude would appreciate another minute or two with the others."

He gave a tight grin, entering the room she gestured to. She watched as Callie and Jude grew tense at his entrance.

"Hey guys," he greeted, his voice irritated.

"Hi James," Jude muttered. Callie gave no greeting, her cold gaze meeting his own.

"So, what was it this time Callie?"

"I didn't do anything," she bit out.

"Well clearly something happened, so what was the trigger?"

She shrugged tightly. "He was being an asshole."

Lena bit her tongue at the correction of the young girl's language. The man had beat her, he was probably deserving of far worse.

"Callie, you've been there for a month. This is a new record."

"I'm sorry," Stef interrupted, "Are you trying to blame her for being beaten? Please tell me I'm not hearing you correctly."

He shook his head, "Look, I appreciate you watching them until I could get here, but you said yourself on the phone that you don't know these kids. There's always something." He turned back towards the kids and stopped as he looked at Jude. "Is that nail polish buddy?"

Jude buried his face into his sister, her arm immediately curling him in closer.

The social worker sighed as he pulled out his phone. "Okay, I'm going to make a few calls, see if I can get you a bed at an LGTBQ home, okay Jude? You'll be safe there."

"Just one bed?" Callie asked.

"I can't place you in those homes when you're straight Callie."

"You're not separating us," she argued, holding her brother closer, trying to soothe his visible shudders.

"Callie this will be better for him."

"I'm better for him," she countered, her voice raising with each word.

"Look, they can help Jude deal with what's going on –"

"What's going on is you're labelling my ten-year-old brother as gay because he likes some colour on his nails. What's going on is you're trying to rip him apart from the only family he's known. If he goes into one of those homes, then so do I."

"I can't do that Callie," he sighed, his frustration visible.

"Fine, I'm bi. Now find my brother and I some beds."

"Callie, you're not bi."

"You're labelling a child as gay when he hasn't said a word to imply it, but you won't take what I say as fact? Who's being difficult now?"

"You're being ridiculous. I'm trying to help!"

"You're trying to take him away from me and put him in a home filled with angry and depressed teenagers! He's ten!"

"Okay!" Stef cried out. The room turned to her. "Let's all take a moment, yes? James was it? Can we talk to you? Maybe get you a water or something? Callie, Jude, take a minute to relax, okay? Just take it easy, the paramedic didn't want you stressed out tonight."

Lena followed her wife and the worker into the kitchen. She busied herself by grabbing water for each of them, settling at the table next to her partner, leaning against each other as habit.

"What was that?" Stef asked. He looked at her, taking a long sip of water.

"With all due respect, you don't know those kids. I do."

"With all due respect, that was a load of crap," Stef replied in a heated tone. Lena placed her hand over Stef's in an attempt to calm her.

"Let's just take a minute, yes? Why can't those kids just be placed in another foster home?" Lena inquired gently.

He shook his head, "I don't have another foster home. Callie's file is inches thick. She's disobedient, she resists authority, she steals, she runs away, hell – she's been deemed a sociopath! It'll be better for Jude to be away from her."

"Seriously?" Lena gasped. "Who claimed she was a sociopath? What was the context?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, but it's in her file."

"Well she's not her file," Stef bit out.

"You don't know her."

"And it seems like you don't either," Lena threw back. She stood up abruptly, shoving her chair back.

"Love? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see if the kids need anything. Maybe an icepack for Callie or something," Lena sighed. She turned the corner and stopped at the sight in front of her.

Jude and Callie were cuddled into the corner of the couch, Jude's eyes clearly heavy with exhaustion. Callie was reading softly from one of Brandon's old Harry Potter books, exchanging looks with the other three every so often. Jesus was resting with his back to Callie's legs, seemingly desperate for that connection to assure himself that she was alright, as Mariana painted his nails blue like Jude's. Brandon lounged on the couch next to Jude, the young boy's legs sprawled across him. They all sat silently, listening to the young girl's words brush over them, soothing them after the madness of the night. It was a sight she'd never seen before, but somehow it fit. The sight filled her heart with a peace she didn't know she'd been missing.

Lena felt Stef next to her and blindly grasped for her hand, squeezing it as her wife took in the same heartwarming sight before her.

She heard her wife's heavy exhale and knew the decision was made. They took in the serenity before them for a minute longer before turning back to the kitchen. Stef held her back, just before they entered.

"Stef," Lena let out softly. Her wife gave a small smile.

"I know, love," she answered. She took a deep breath.

"Five's not a bad number, right?"

Stef met her gaze and gave a slight smirk, "But this is it, yes? No brady bunch?"

Lena chuckled softly. "Promise."

Stef nodded, pressing a kiss to Lena's lips gently. She leaned back, keeping their foreheads together.

"Then let's go get us some more kids. God knows, it's been too quiet for too long."

Lena chuckled at her wife, giving her one more kiss before leading the way to secure two more hearts for their family.