"Stop right there young lady." Stef said, making Callie jump and drop the open wallet, the twenty still in her hand and Callie knew that it looked more like she was taking the money rather than putting it back.

Stef walked over to the girl and picket up the wallet and pulled the twenty out of her hands. "Care to explain?" She asked, glaring at the girl.

"I..." Callie began, but didn't know what to say. She couldn't get Jude in trouble and she couldn't think of an appropriate excuse fast enough.

"Stealing?" Stef asked, though she already believe it was the truth.

"I was putting it back." Callie answered honestly though either way she'd be in trouble.

"Well, why did you take it in the first place?" Stef asked, her eyebrows raised.

Callie wasn't sure what to say. She didn't know what would result in the least trouble - take the blame and tell them why or make up a better reason than 'my brother wanted to go to an amusement park'.

"I want an answer Callie." Stef said firmly. "Why did you take this money?"

Stef was standing with her hands on her hips waiting for an explanation and Callie felt very intimidated. When it became clear to Stef that Callie wasn't going to answer she gestured towards the kitchen table.

"Have a seat." She said as she sat on one of the stools herself and placed the wallet and the twenty down on the table between them. "Stealing is unacceptable." She began. "Everyone in this house is trustworthy and both Lena and I leave our bags and wallets around the house and no one takes anything from it and we expect the same from you."

Callie just listened to what Stef had to say and she wished so badly that she could tell her the truth. She hated the disappointed look Stef was giving her but she couldn't rat her brother out and so she just sat there and listened and imagined what it would be like if she could tell the truth.

"...As long as you live in this house we respect you and we expect you to respect us." Stef said firmly. She wasn't yelling or putting Callie down but she wasn't going to just let it go either. She had a responsibility to the girl and as her foster mother she was going to correct wrong behavior.

"I'm sorry." Callie said when Stef was finally done. The few minutes that Stef was talking had given Callie enough time to form the most basic excuse. "I took it because we won't be staying here long and I don't know where we're going so I like to have something saved up."

"Then why put it back?" Stef asked, wondering if Callie had just made that up or if she really was trying to return it.

Callie's head snapped up - she hadn't anticipated that question. She expected Stef to just get upset, dish out a punishment and end the whole thing. But once again Stef was waiting for an answer and surprisingly Callie found it easy to answer this one.

"You guys have done a lot for me and Jude and I felt bad taking it from you like that." She answered. It was all true. Yes, she never stole unless absolutely necessary but in this house they had never made it to that point so she wasn't lying.

"Well, I appreciate that." Stef acknowledged. "But next time you're worried about something come and talk to us please. Stealing is not acceptable."

"I know." Callie answered honestly. "It won't happen again."

"Good." Stef accepted. The reason Callie gave was more than believable and she knew now that went they left Stef would give them a little something just to get them by and she'd periodically check up on them as well, just to see for herself that they were doing okay.

"I have to get ready for school." Callie said, indirectly asking for permission to go upstairs.

"Go." Stef nodded as she grabbed her wallet and the twenty and headed towards the coffee pot, where she was headed when she came downstairs in the first place.

But Callie just sat, unable to move. Somehow this didn't seem like it was over.

"Something else?" Stef asked with a raised eyebrow when she turned around to grab a mug and found Callie still in the same spot.

"That's it?" Callie mumbled, more to herself than to Stef.

Stef smiled - it amused her that Callie hadn't just jumped and run the first chance she got but was instead waiting for punishment. She knew the girl hadn't taken the money out of greed. She'd seen Callie risk her life for her brother and knew that the girl always had good intentions no matter how inappropriate the behavior and as long as Callie had learnt her lesson she was willing to let it go but it looked like the lack of a consequence made Callie uncomfortable.

"You can do the dishes all next week." Stef suggested, almost asking Callie if that was an acceptable punishment.

Callie stared at Stef for a few moments trying to judge her response before nodding once in acceptance and heading upstairs to get ready for school.

Just as Callie reached the stairs Jude and Jesus came downstairs. Jude's expression turned worried when he noticed Stef down with his sister but Callie just smiled, assuring him that all was fine. Now, all that was left was to get Jude out of going to school so that he wouldn't be the only seventh grader stuck at the library all day.

"Mariana was the first one in the shower and we're still down before her." Jesus was telling Jude as Jude watched Callie climb the stairs. "Ten bucks says that Brandon and Callie will be ready before she appears as well." He added, grabbing a bowl and the cereal.

"Another ten says that she'll complain that she didn't have enough time to get ready." Stef added playfully and Jude relaxed - maybe she hadn't been around when Callie put the money back.

Fifteen minutes later everyone except Mariana and Lena were downstairs eating breakfast when Jude lay his head on the table.

"Something wrong sweets?" Stef asked.

"I don't feel so good." Jude said. "I've been going to the bathroom a lot and I feel really drained." He explained.

"What did you eat?" Stef asked with a frown as she felt his forehead for a fever.

"My friend and I traded lunches at school yesterday and his chilly fries had a bit too much chilly I think." He smiled shyly.

"Well, here." Stef handed him a place of orange juice. "Make sure you stay hydrated."

"Thanks." Jude answered, taking the glass and drinking more than half of it.

"Feel any better?" Stef asked, studying his face.

"I bit." Jude said. "But I'm think I need to use the bathroom again." He said and began to get up just as Lena and Mariana came downstairs.

"Jude, I almost forgot, here's the money for your field trip today." Lena said, handing Jude two tens and a five."

Callie and Jude just stared at the money, completely shocked that Lena was giving it to him. It was then that the pieces all fell into place as Stef connected the dots.

"So that's what the twenty was for." Stef said as she look at Callie who nodded nervously.

"What money?" Lena asked, wondering why Jude hadn't taken the money yet and what Stef was talking about.

"Callie took a twenty from my wallet and I caught her." Stef answered her wife though she never took her eyes off the teen. "She was going to give it to Jude for the field trip though she never told me that." She said, making it clear to Callie that she should have told the truth.

"Callie, we do not take things that don't belong to us." Lena said with a frown as she placed the money down on the table, upset that her froster daughter was pilfering.

"Oh My God!" Mariana squealed as she overheard her moms. "I knew my jewelry drawer looked a little empty." She said, disgusted that her foster sister might take something.

Callie couldn't help but roll her eyes at the thought of taking any of Mariana's junk. Her foster sister just had it out for her and would use any excuse to hate her further.

"Mariana, Callie didn't take anything from you." Stef said clearly. The more she got to know Callie the more she realized that the girl never did anything maliciously and even rarely did anything for herself.

"You don't know that for sure." Mariana shot back, giving Callie a dirty look.

"I do know that if you don't change that attitude immediately then you will not be going to the mall with Lexi this weekend." Stef warned.

"So if she's taking stuff from me I get punished?" Mariana asked in disgust.

But before Stef could respond and explain to Mariana why she didn't believe Callie took anything from her Jude told them all the truth.

"It was me." He said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "I took the money because I wanted to go and Callie told me it was wrong and she was trying to put it back." He said, fed up of his sister always taking the blame.

"Jude, it's fine." Callie tried to intervene. She knew that Stef and Lena wouldn't hurt him but she still didn't want him in trouble. "You don't have to take the blame." She said.

"No, it was me." Jude insisted. And just to show that he was being honest he added the details. "Stef came home from work early and picked up the mail on her way in and sat with me in the living room while I played a video game. She left her wallet on the coffee table as she went though the mail and then Mariana called and asked her for a ride home and Stef left. She forgot her wallet and when I came back downstairs to finish my game her wallet was still there. That's when I took the money."

It was clear to everyone now that Jude was telling the truth and once again they realized that Callie was trying to cover up for her brother. The girl just never seemed to consider herself important enough for anything.

As Jude looked around the room he noticed that everyone now believed him and his face filled with regret. He wasn't proud of what he'd done but at least he hadn't let Callie take the fall for it.

"I'm sorry." He said shamefully. "I just really wanted to go today. I'd never been to an amusement park before and I didn't want to miss out."

"Why not just come and ask for the money?" Lena asked. "We're paid to meet your needs."

"No offense, but foster parents don't usually use that money on the foster kids, especially for something as unnecessary as this." Jude answered matter-of-factly.

Stef and Lena shared a look knowing that the boy was right. Unfortunately there were a surprisingly large number of inappropriate foster parents out there and it was the foster kids that suffered under their care.

"Well, in this house, you will be taken care of and that doesn't just mean basic food and clothing. School events, entertainment and fun are all just as important and you will be given the same opportunities as our kids." Lena said clearly. She hated to see a child feel like they weren't worth something just because they didn't belong to anyone.

With that said Stef picked up the money that Lena had left on the table and held it out to Jude. He deserved to go on this trip and one small mistake didn't change that.

Jude looked hopefully up at Stef but didn't reach out for the money. This didn't seem real to him and he was still in shock.

"But, you're sick right?." Stef teased gently, giving him a sign that she wasn't upset.

Jude looked to Callie for a moment before turning back to Stef. He was brave and honest but he still needed his sister's support and security occationally.

"Take it." Stef ordered, widening her eyes in mock sternness as Jude took the money and put it into his pocket. "Enjoy the park and have a corndog for me." She said, ruffling his hair playfully before turning back to her breakfast plate.

"I'm proud of you for not letting him get away with it." Stef said to Callie as she held the girl back a few minutes while the others all got their stuff and piled into Lena's car.

"We don't steal." Callie said proudly.

"You are so amazing." Stef said, wondering how this girl had gone though so much, suffered though so much and still turned out so well.

Callie looked away shyly. It hadn't always been easy and more often than not it was tempting to just take the easy way out but her mother had taught her certain values and that's all that Callie had to carry on her legacy.

"You know you could have just told me the truth." Stef said, referring to Callie taking the blame for stealing.

"I know." Callie answered. And she did. She knew that neither of them would come to any harm but at the same time she still didn't want to admit that Jude had done it. His slate was still clean and she didn't want a black mark on it now.

Stef sighed, realizing that maybe Callie hadn't come out as unscathed as she was picturing. She'd lost her own self worth and appointed herself bodyguard for Jude and no matter how safe they were, the job didn't seem to end.

"Are you really going to let him go today?" Callie asked with a boldness even she didn't know she had. She was surprised that he'd been given the money and the permission and curiosity got the better of her.

"He deserves it." Stef explained. "Every kids should experience things like this and it wouldn't be fair to take it away from him."

"But he stole from you." Callie reminded her. It wasn't that she didn't want Jude to go or that she was trying to get them to change their minds but she was just genuinely curious as to why.

"There's a different." Stef explained. "He wasn't trying to do something wrong. He's just a kid that wanted something really badly and tried to sneak his way into getting it." She could think of a hundred times when each of her own kids had done something like that - it may not have involved stealing but in their own way they'd done it and Jude was no different.

Callie nodded in understanding. He was just a kid and she was so grateful that they kept that in mind. "Thank you." She said sincerely with a genuine smile.

"Go. They're waiting for you." Stef ordered as she pointed out the door to where Lena and the rest of the kids were in the car.

Callie took a few steps and but then stopped and turned around but before she could say what she was thinking Stef had an answer.

"He'll be grounded for a week." She said to the girl who she knew was wondering if it was a good idea to just let him get away with it with absolutely no consequence at all.

Callie smirked at the thought that Stef knew exactly what she was thinking before turning and joining the others in the car. She had never dreamed they'd end up in a home like this but she was so grateful that they had for it gave her a chance to just let go and allow someone else to do the heavy-lifting for a while.

Author's Note:

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. Every so often I crave the beginning of the show where it was about the family and not so much about 'making a difference'. I honestly feel the show has lost sight of it's purpose and has become too involved with change. There seems to be no family time unless it's a fight or a kid in trouble.

Anyways, on another note, thanks to everyone for your support about my writing. It's always amazing to be told that people love my stories and look forward to the next one. It makes a hobby that much better. Sorry my updates are so much slower these days and thanks for sticking by me very patiently. All stories and requests will get done.

My daughter turns eight months tomorrow and sometimes I feel like time is just flying. She's already changed so much in such a short time and suddenly she's like a little person with a personality and opinions instead of just a little creature that eats, sleeps and poops. (Scratch that - she's a very light cat napper so she basically just ate and pooped). But it's an amazing journey and I wouldn't trade one bit of it.

Keep writing, I look forward to your stories.

Love Junebug (and Buggling)