17Author's Note: Hello everyone, and welcome to my story! I started watching The Fosters a few months back, and I loved the show so much that I finished it in about a week. I decided to do a rewatch recently and it inspired me to continue this story that was just kind of sitting around in my docs. It's an AU where Callie and Jude had actually first went to live with the Fosters when Callie was 9 years old and Jude was 5, and were there for a couple of years before being taken out of the home to go live with their biological grandmother. (Also, I decided to switch the ages up just a smidge. So Callie and Jude are now 4 years apart. So in the present day, Callie is 15 years old and Jude is 11.)
So how it will work is you'll get to read about the past, which are in italics, of the Jacob siblings first settling down with Stef and Lena as kids and learning to trust and love them over a course of a few years. Then you will also get to read the present, which is set right at the beginning of the pilot, when Callie is released from Juvie, and reunited with the family. I hope you like it, and please feel free to review. I'll be posting the first three chapters up now, although I do already have a fourth one written. I kind of want to see what everyone thinks though, and if I should make this into a whole story or not.
Sorry for any mistakes. I did proof read a few times, but I have no Beta and I really wanted to get these chapters up soon. If I find any mistakes when I go back and reread I will probably update them. Thanks again, and enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Fosters or any characters you recognize from the show in this story.
2330.
That was the first thing Callie noticed as she moved her hair out of her face. Those numbers meant nothing to her though. This house would just be added to the list of people who didn't want her or her brother. She would most likely stay a few weeks before the couple decided they couldn't handle her disobedience, as she remembered one foster mom calling it, or the shy kid who won't listen to anyone but his sister.
Callie may only be 9 years old but she wasn't stupid, homes didn't last and neither did the families.
"Are you ready?" Her social worker, Dan, turned around giving her a small smile which she didn't reciprocate. Callie stepped out of the car first, her younger brother Jude following behind. They interlocked hands, Callie keeping him close to her side. "They are very nice people, I think you'll like them. They already have three kids, one who is the same age as you Callie, and two a year below. Maybe you could make friends with them." Callie rolled her eyes. She didn't make friends with foster siblings, and extra kids in the house was just added trouble. It meant more kids tattling on her every move, and less food for the Jacob siblings.
Dan approached the light brown wooden door, which Callie had to admit looked nicer than any other foster home she's lived in; and she's lived in four. The neighborhood wasn't as run down with graffiti littering every building in sight or random looking men and women standing around outside at all hours of the day. The yards up and down the street looked well kept, somehow brighter than any other neighborhood Callie has seen in her short life.
But that meant nothing. It all depended on who was behind this door.
A knock rang out, and the door slowly opened revealing two women. The one standing in front, grinning at her with brown eyes, had dark hair that puffed up, in a good way, curling a little past her shoulders. The one behind her had a softer smile and was quite the contrast. She had wavy blonde hair with brunette highlights, and her eyes are a mix of green and brown. "Hi there, come on in."
They cleared the doorway, Dan crossing the threshold. Callie hesitated, Jude hiding behind her. "It's okay Callie, you can come in. You're safe here."
She looked at Jude who nodded. Callie followed Dan into the living room where the women were waiting. "So, who do we have here?" Callie watched as the brunette motioned in their direction. "This is Callie and Jude, Jude and Callie, this is Stef," he said, pointing towards the blonde, "And this is Lena. These nice ladies are who you'll be staying with. Can you say hi?" Both women watched as the girl just bowed her head, not acknowledging them. "Callie here is not much of a talker when it comes to meeting new people, but I know she's glad to be here. Speaking of which, Callie I need to talk to your new foster parents alone for a minute, okay? Are you fine waiting here with Jude?"
Callie nodded. The three grown ups headed into the kitchen, Stef positioning herself so she could see the children through the kitchen door. "First off, thank you so much for taking this emergency placement. If I didn't find a place for them, I'm afraid Callie and Jude would've been separated and sent to different foster homes. That girl loves her brother more than anything."
"Can I ask why they were taken out of their last home so suddenly?" Stef asked, glancing at the children. She watched as Callie gave her brother a side hug on the couch, giving his hand a small squeeze.
"Yes, well...I was doing my monthly check-in when I found the two locked in a closet under the stairs. Callie said it was only for a few hours, but I suspect it was probably longer than that. I came to you first because I thought it would be best if the children didn't have a foster dad in their life at the moment. Unfortunately, this isn't their first foster father to have neglected them. Now they have suffered a lot, but they are good kids. You should know they aren't very talkative. Callie is very guarded and it will take time for her to adjust, but if you gain her trust, you'll gain Jude's."
"And, what happened to their biological parents?" Dan hadn't really told them much about that, and Stef couldn't help but wonder.
"Their father is in prison right now for killing their mother in a car accident. He got behind the wheel drunk. Callie had been 7 years old, and Jude 3."
"God, that's awful." Lena couldn't imagine what the children had been through; probably more than any adult should have to suffer. "Look, I don't mean to rush things, but I have another kid to take care off in 30 minutes across town; and if I don't go now, Callie will get too nervous and not want to stay. I think I should say goodbye." Dan headed for the children, dropping down to eye level with Jude, then glancing up at Callie who was avoiding his gaze. "Please don't leave us here." It was a whisper, which Dan had to strain his ears to hear. "You'll be okay Callie. It's only until I can find you guys a more permanent home." Dan got back up, giving a quick goodbye to Stef and Lena.
"So," Stef kneeled down looking from Jude to Callie, "How would you guys like to see your new rooms?"
Stef put back the photo of Callie and Jude smiling up at the camera on Jude's 8th birthday. That had been the last birthday they had celebrated with their youngest son, and for some reason, seeing the picture had brought back the memory of when Lena and her first met the kids. They were only going to stay for a couple of weeks, but instead the pair had stayed for a few years.
In two days it was supposed to mark the third year of Jude and Callie's adoption, making the Fosters a complete family. Instead, today was the anniversary of the day they were ripped away from them and sent to live with their estranged grandmother in another state. It was hard, letting them go, and it still hasn't gotten better. Time certainly doesn't heal all wounds. "You okay?" Stef turned towards Lena, giving her a small smile. "It's hard, but I'll be fine."
"I know. This day is never easy." She wrapped her arms around Stef, who smiled, glad for the comfort. "How do you think the kids will take it?"
"Not good," Lena responded. "Luckily they have school and after school activities to distract them." The couple took another minute to mourn the loss of their two kids before heading downstairs to make breakfast for their other three.
The rest of the morning went by pretty fast after that.
Breakfast went by quick, silently too which was a given. Lena gave Stef a kiss goodbye as she heads out the door, ready to drive the kids to school. Stef waves goodbye to her family, getting in her own car heading off to the police station.
Lena could practically feel the heaviness in the air as her children sat quietly looking out the window. She considered saying something, anything really to lighten the mood, but what could she say that would help ease the pain of losing not one sibling, but two. They pulled up, and Lena said goodbye, telling each of them to have a good day. She was about to open her office when her phone rang. She pressed talk not bothering to read the caller I.D. "Hello, Lena? This is Bill." Lena perked up immediately. "Bill, hi. What's up?"
"I'm sorry to call you all of a sudden, but you were the first person I could think of. I have a kid I need to place and it's kind of an emergency. It's only for a few weeks, until I can find her somewhere else."
"Bill, I...I don't know. I would have to talk to Stef first. A lot has happened in the past couple years."
"Please Lena, this is time sensitive. I need to know now. If not, I'll have to place her in a group home and I really don't want to do that." Lena sighed, her mind made up. "Okay, I'll be right there."
Lena impatiently waited in the car with her phone to her ear, listening as the rings went on and on. Eventually, just as the last 3 times she called, it went to Stef's voicemail. "Hey, it's Stef. I'm either working or avoiding your—" she hung up. Leaving a voicemail wouldn't be right in this situation. A knock at the passenger door window startled Lena.
"Hi, Lena?" She shook her head yes, confused. Where was Bill? She stepped out of her car and followed the man towards the building. "Uh, where's Bill? I just spoke with him and he said he would 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."
"Oh my gosh, that is terrible."
"Yeah, I know. So, I take it he told you about the girl you will be fostering already?"
"Actually, he didn't. It was a pretty rushed phone call. I only know the child is a girl." David paused, shuffling some papers around in a file he was holding. "Oh Okay, well yes the child is a teenage girl. As you can see she is just getting out of Juvie. She's been having trouble with male authority figures as of late."
"Which is why Bill thought of us. And she got into a fight with her foster father, right?"
"And damaged some of his property, which is how she ended up in Juvie." Lena frowned. "Damaged his property...uh...wow. David, uh, Bill and I have known each other for a very long time and have been friends of the family ever since he placed the twins with us, but I cannot bring someone violent into my house. I've got my own kids to think about."
"No, this was just a one time thing. Listen it will only be for a few weeks." Yeah, she's heard that one before. The buzzing of the gates interrupted the conversation. Lena turned, trying to see past the high chained fences and the file that claimed whoever would walk through that door in front of her. God, things had been so rushed Lena had yet to even learn her new foster daughter's name.
As soon as the girl walked through the door though, Lena froze to her spot, tears springing to her eyes. The girl standing in front of her couldn't possibly be the same child she had cared for only a couple of years ago, especially not with the black eye and split and swollen lip. "Callie?" Lena whispered.
The girl obviously hadn't expected to see her either as her eyes widened, a small gasp escaping her mouth. They stood staring at each other for what felt like forever before Lena finally moved towards her lost daughter, tightly wrapping her arms around her as if the teenager would disappear at any second. She could feel Callie stiffen in her arms, but as the seconds went by she felt her loosen and arms wrap around her own waist.
Lena pulled back and looked at Callie, saddened at how lost and heartbroken the girl looked. "Oh my baby, what happened to you?" Callie opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by David. Lena had momentarily forgot he existed. "So I take it you two know each other." Lena nodded, wiping the wetness from her eyes. "Yes, David. I fostered Callie before. Don't worry, she's coming home with me."
"Alright then. If you two are all settled here then I have to run." Callie's head shot towards David. The sudden appearance of Lena had distracted her from asking about her brother. "Um, where's Jude? Do you know where he is?
"Uh, I don't—"
"No, I need to speak with him. Where's Bill? Why isn't Bill here?"
"Jude's her brother," intervened Lena. "Do you know where he is?" David shook his head no, shuffling through his paperwork again. "I'm sorry, I really am, but I don't know anything about your brother. You are going to have to call Bill to find that out."
"Alright, thank you David. It was nice meeting you." David nodded at Lena, walking away. He had another case he needed to attend to.
Lena smiled at Callie, still not truly believing she was standing before her. How many times had Stef and her wished for this very moment, expecting that 12 year old girl to come running through the door and hug them. That this estranged grandmother didn't truly exist and it was all just an accident.
Stef and Lena, instead, mourned their lost children, aware of the fact that they would never see them again. But here Callie stood three years later, a fact that Lena is still baffled by, no longer a child but a teenager. How had that 9 year old girl suddenly grown so much in what seemed like no time at all?
Callie stood there awkwardly and Lena could tell she didn't know what to do or how to react to seeing someone she grew close with, yet hadn't seen in the last few years. This was obviously just as surreal to Callie as it was to herself, and clearly she would need time to let this sink in. All Lena knew was she has her daughter back, and this time Callie wouldn't be going anywhere.
"C"mon, let's go home."
Author's Note: And there is the first chapter! Hope it was okay and that you enjoyed it. Let me know what you thought.
