The Interview

An alternate take on Stef taking Callie to the Quinn's for the first time.

(What if Callie didn't feel comfortable meeting the Quinns and what if Sophia's questions became too much for her?)

'It's okay to want to know.' Stef had told Callie right before they rang the doorbell and Callie had accepted it. She had wanted to know - she had wanted to know about her father, her sister, her life that might have been. But instead she found herself wanting to know the answers to all the questions that Sophia was throwing at her, non-stop.

"What sign are you?" Sophia had asked. That one had been easy. There was only one answer.

"Cancer." Callie had replied and watched Sophia's eyes light up.

"What? Me too." Sophia had said before asking her birth date.

But now the questions were getting harder despite her mother trying to get her to slow down. Callie felt uneasy at being unable to answer most of the questions - this was turning out to be more like an interview than a 'get to know you' - like she was applying for the roll of 'long lost daughter'.

"What's your favorite color?" Sophia asked the fifth question that Callie didn't have an answer to.

"I guess I don't really have one." Callie answered.

"Mine's silver." Sophia said sweetly. "Do you like shopping?"

"Not really." Callie shook her head.

"Sophia, maybe that's enough for now." Jill said to her daughter.

"Well what about a movie?" Sophia tried again, ignoring her mother. She wanted so badly to know everything about her sister.

"I haven't watched that many movies." Callie said.

"Oh." Sophia looked disappointed. "What about food?" She asked hopefully. "You must have a favorite food, mine's pizza, but I'm not usually allowed to eat it. I think that's why I love it so much. What about you?"

"I don't have a favorite food." Callie snapped. She had had enough. "My life so far has been about survival, we didn't have a choice of foods, most times we were lucky to even have food, so no, I don't have a favorite."

Sophia looked like she was about to cry as Stef tried to get Callie to stop.

"Things like colors and movies and clothes weren't exactly high on my list. I know my favorite place to hide if someone is about to come and hit me, I know my favorite song that always helps calm Jude down when he's upset. I also have a favorite scar." Callie was practically yelling now as tears poured down her eyes. "Where a foster mother once held a lit cigarette on me. What about you Sophia? Do you have a favorite scar or place to hide?"

"CALLIE." Stef shouted, trying to get the girl's attention.

Callie's head snapped back at her and her eyes instantly filled with regret. "I'm sorry." She mumbled as she got up and walked away from the group.

"Hey!" Stef said as she quickly caught up to her. "Stop for a minute, talk to me."

"I'm sorry." Callie said finally turning around to look at Stef. "I just couldn't deal with any more questions."

"Okay..." Stef said. She wasn't too happy about the way Callie had acted but she couldn't even imagine what the girl was going through, so she let it slide. "...But she just wants to get to know you." Stef tried to explain.

"I know." Callie said sadly. "I just... I never thought about things like colors and clothes."

Stef looked at her daughter for a moment, a smile - not quite on her face but in her eyes.

"Green." She finally said. "Your favorite color is green."

Callie looked at Stef in confusion but before she could say anything Stef continued.

"And you like to dress for comfort. You never wear anything that would cause people to look at you." She smiled at her daughter and put an arm around her leading her towards a small bench. "You like spicy food, and anything sour or raspberry flavored. And I don't know about all movies but of the ones we've watched together you liked 'Taken' best."

Callie was too shocked to say anything. No one had ever, in the last seven years, cared about such trivial things about Callie. Even those who had been kind hadn't really loved. For the first time Callie actually felt the love that Stef kept telling her was there. They had always been kind to the Jacob siblings and worried about them and helped them, but to know things like her favorite color or food, that was something Callie never thought even she'd know, let alone someone else.

"Don't look so surprised love." Stef said with a small laugh in her voice. "You're my daughter. I know these things about all my babies."

"How?" Callie finally managed to say.

"I pay attention." Stef said. "I love you so much and I want to know everything about you. It's important to me."

Callie couldn't control herself any longer. She began to sob uncontrollably, and Stef pulled her in for a hug.

"Sophia wanted to know these answers for the same reason." Stef tried to explain. "She wasn't trying to hurt you."

"I know, I'm sorry." Callie said, her voice filled with regret.

"I know you are." Stef said as she wiped Callie's tears away. "Maybe we can go tell her that though?" She asked, looking at Callie for an answer.

Callie nodded.

"And if there's anything else you want to know, just ask. And if I don't know it yet then we'll figure it out together." Stef said as they walked back to the Quinns.

"Thanks mom, I love you." Callie said, meaning the words more now than she ever had before.