So this has been on my mind for a while now. But I was too reluctant to write it, because I didn't want to make it sound stupid. But the idea absolutely will not go away, and I've fallen victim to my ADD once again (And in a sense, you have too) :P

Disclaimer: I don't own The Fosters etc...

It wasn't until Frank's funeral that Callie realized what she wanted. One glance at a photograph and one word coming from Jude's mouth was all she needed to convince herself that she loved them. And she did.

Callie told Brandon that she needed a family and she told Jude that she was coming home. But she worried about how Stef and Lena would feel about having her come back.

They had already found out about the independent living program, and she assured them that it was what she wanted. Partly because, she knew that she could never take the words back once they escaped her mouth. By telling them that living on her own was what she really wanted, she knew that she was hurting them. But what no one had realized was that she was hurting herself more.

What Rita had said to her that day when Cole was taken to the hospital made perfect sense to Callie. She was so sure that everything good was going to be taken away from her, so she took it away for herself. She couldn't commit to the Fosters, because that meant trusting them. But how could she trust someone again? Fully trust someone? Callie thought of all of the countless foster homes that she had been in, all of which she thought would be her forever-home. And every single one of them proved to Callie that nothing lasts forever.

But then she wondered when she really stopped committing. And it was clear to her.

It was the day she lost her mother. Deep down she loved her mother, and she hated herself for blaming the woman that gave birth to her, for her failure to trust in anyone.

Her mother was the very first person she committed to, and the woman was just taken from her in a flash. Her death was in no way her mother's fault, but she couldn't help feeling angry at her for it.

Rita walked into the empty living room and saw Callie sitting on the sofa gazing out of the window. She decided to sit on the sofa directly across from the girl and start a conversation, "Have you decided what you want to do?"

Callie turned around to look at the woman, "I know what I want to do. I'm just not sure I want to do it."

"Still afraid?" Rita asked as she took a sip of her tea.

"I'm not afraid," Callie mumbled. She was getting really tired of Rita telling her that she was scared, even if it was the truth. She didn't like that the older woman was constantly calling her out, every time she tried to escape her thoughts.

"Then, why aren't you sure that you want to do it?"

Silence filled the room.

Rita continued, "…We are talking about going back to the Fosters, yes?"

Callie nodded as she began pulling her sleeves down and glancing out of the window nervously.

"Callie?" Rita asked, reminding the girl that she couldn't just stop talking to avoid the conversation. "If you can't get through this conversation, you're never going to get through the talk with your moms."

Callie glanced back at her at the mention of Stef and Lena.

"What?" Rita asked.

"No… nothing. I just never heard anyone call them my moms before."

Rita nodded her head and took another sip of her tea "Well, they are. Aren't they?"

"I don't know. Maybe? ...Do you think they'd still adopt me? I mean, after everything?" Callie asked, but the second she asked it, she worried about Rita's response.

"I think you don't give them enough credit," Rita replied.

"What do you mean?" Callie asked nervously.

"I mean, I think you don't realize just how much they care about you. I think, that you don't give yourself credit either."

Callie looked at her with a confused expression.

Rita elaborated, "You don't think that they could love you. And I mean, really love you. You're afraid that they're going to take back the offer to adopt you, so you're doubting yourself right now. You're doubting that this could really happen, even though it's what you really want… And now you're afraid that they're going to think you're a hypocrite for wanting to be a part of their family after telling them you wanted to be on your own."

"Aren't I a hypocrite?" Callie asked, trying to answer her own question in her head. "I mean, that's what they're going to think, right?"

"Why don't you stop thinking for everyone else? Why don't you let them decide for themselves for a change? That's what's got you into so much trouble. Am I correct?"

Callie made it clear that she didn't understand what Rita was referring to.

"You thought for both of them, when you ran away. Rather than tell them the truth about kissing Brandon, you decided that they were all better off without you. They didn't tell you that, but you assumed it anyway. Callie, you did the thinking for Jude as well. You thought you knew what was best for him, so you took yourself out of his life when you ran off to Arizona… Then, after you got arrested, you decided not to go back with them, because you didn't think they would adopt Jude if they found out. And now you're second guessing yourself, because you think that they are going to change their minds about wanting to adopt you."

Callie's eyes began to glisten from the tears that suddenly formed in them, "It could happen, Rita."

"You're absolutely right, Callie. It could happen. But, is that how you want to live your life? Afraid of what could happen? Anything could happen, in any place, at any time. But you can't go on living like that. You can't keep making decisions for other people because you're afraid of what could happen. You get scared every time you're put in a position that you have no control over. And I get it, Callie. I really do. You don't like not having the power to determine things for yourself, so you make decisions for other people, so that they don't have to. BUT denying yourself a family is not worth the control you get from it. And trust me… I should know all about that. And I'm not going to tell you that you should go home with the Fosters or that you shouldn't go. But I am going to tell you that you should stop thinking for everybody else and decide what you want. Once you decide what you want, then you can let your moms make their own decision. You don't get to make it for them."

Callie wiped her tears from her eyes with her sleeve. She knew what she had to do. She had to ask the moms to come back home. It was the only way that she would be able to live without regret.

She just hated the risk that came along with it, the risk of getting hurt. But she also knew that Rita was right. She had never allowed Stef and Lena to think for themselves, and that had proven to be a big problem on her part.

She would have to trust them, even if it meant exposing her vulnerability.

The moms were in their bedroom getting ready to visit Callie for her last family day. Both were dreading this day, because both of them were really afraid of what they were going to hear from the girl's mouth. Callie had asked that only they as well as Jude be the ones to visit her, before she got released on Thursday. But they were afraid to find out why.

Stef began putting on her brown boots, when Lena came into the room.

"Okay, Jude is getting ready now. So we should be heading out soon," Lena said as she walked over to her dresser.

"Are we going to talk about it, or do we want to just be surprised?" Stef asked, wanting to start the conversation that they were both fearing.

"She just wants to speak with us. Do you think that's a good thing or a bad thing?" Lena asked as she grabbed her silver necklace from her jewelry box and began putting it on.

"I don't know," Stef answered truthfully.

"Maybe she wants to talk with us privately, because she wants to come back home, and she's afraid to do it around the other kids?"

"Or maybe she just wants to talk to Jude, before they release her to live on her own. And she has no choice but to have us there too," Stef answered flatly.

Lena hated that her wife was being so negative about this, but she knew very well what Stef said was very possible. "What if…what if they denied her application? Then she'll be forced to come home, right?"

"Unless she decides to go into a completely new foster home or decides to get emancipated," Stef answered as she zipped up her boot. When she glanced back up, her wife was looking at her in disbelief. "What?"

"Do you have to be so negative?" Lena asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Stef stood up and walked over to her wife, "I'm sorry, Honey. I'm just trying to prepare myself for the worst possible scenario. I'm a cop remember? It's what we do. I can't help it." She tried to make up for it by giving Lena a peck on the lips.

"I want to just tell her that she can't do it. That we won't allow it."

"Because that will go over well?" Stef answered sarcastically.

"We won't know if we don't try. What if she thinks that we want her to do it, and that's why we didn't say anything? Look, I know that we agreed not to pressure anyone into becoming a member of this family, but part of me wants to break that rule. Just this once."

Stef agreed with her wife's argument, regardless of how ridiculous it sounded, "I knew that we should have never listened to that Rita woman and given a 16-year-old runaway the space to make this decision by herself. I mean, what 16 –year-old would choose to live in a house with 2 adults and 4 kids over a 'bachelor pad' or 'bachelorette pad' I should say. We were so stupid!" Stef hits herself in the forehead with her hand. "…And if she tells us that she doesn't want to come home today, I'm giving that woman a piece of my mind," Stef said angrily as she looked up at Lena. "I'm serious."

Lena smiled, "I know you are." She kissed her wife passionately on the lips, loving this tough-side of her that she so rarely got to see.

Jude knocked gently on the doorframe, "Uh Moms?…Sorry. But I think we're going to be late."

Both moms separated and Lena answered, "No, Honey. You're right. We should get going."

Callie had been waiting by the window for Stef, Lena, and Jude to arrive. She half-hoped that they wouldn't, in fear of their rejection. But she knew them too well to know that they would show.

When Stef's car pulled up Callie couldn't help the nerves that were starting to fill her body. She looked away from the window and tried her best to relax, but her hands were trembling and she was spacing out.

"Callie?" Rita stood in front of her. "Breathe," she tried to soothe.

Callie did as she was instructed, but suddenly forgot how to breathe. Or how many seconds apart should she take in between each breath. Or why she even needed to think about breathing regularly.

"Are you going to leave them out there all day, or are you going to invite them in?" Rita asked jokingly, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Right," Callie answered as she walked over slowly to the front door.

She paused the second her hand touched the doorknob and backed her hand away.

"Gurl! What are you doing?" Kiara asked as she grabbed the doorknob for Callie and opened it herself. "Hi, Jude. Hi, Mrs. and Mrs. Foster. Wait a minute. Did I say that right?" she asked confused.

Stef smiled at her, "Hi, Kiara. And yes you did. Well, Mrs. and Mrs. AdamsFoster now."

"That's right. You're married now!" Kiara looked over at Callie and nudged her toward them, while she walked away.

Callie smiled awkwardly. "Well, come on in," she said as she backed away from the doorway so they could enter. "Hey, Buddy!" she said as she pulled Jude into a hug. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Jude replied.

"Yeah, we all did," Stef slipped the words in, causing Lena to give her a strange glance.

Callie nodded, unsure if she should tell them that she missed them too. "Okay…So are you guys hungry?"

They all shook their heads. Lena answered, "No, we ate before we got here. We kind of thought we could use today to talk."

Callie looked back at the moms nervously. This wasn't the plan, she thought to herself. They were supposed to eat and give me an hour or so to work up the courage to ask them if I could come home. What are we supposed to talk about for an hour until I'm ready to ask them?

"Oh…Okay, we can go out front, I guess," Callie says as she slowly opens the door and leads them to the seats on the porch.

Callie kept her gaze on Jude, in an effort to delay the inevitable conversation she would have to have. "So how's school, Jude?"

"It's fine."

Callie nodded her head. "That's good. Anything new?"

"Um…" Jude paused as he thought. "I got a B+ on my geometry test."

"Good job!" Callie said as she nudged her brother on the arm.

He smiled and looked up at Stef and Lena, waiting for them to talk.

The door opened and Rita came out, "Hey, Jude. You know, the girls made some of that apple-pie that you like. Why don't you come in and get some? We'll bring some out for everyone else," she smiled and waved him forward.

Jude looked over to Stef and Lena, waiting for their approval, which surprised and upset Callie at the same time. He would normally look to Callie, when wanting approval for something and he hadn't even shot one glance at her.

"Go ahead, Jude," Lena smiled at him.

Callie watched him walk away and gave Rita an angry glance that neither of the moms could see. She knew that Rita was only trying to help her talk to them, but she didn't have to be sly about it.

The girl kept her eyes on the flower garden that had been growing beautifully since all the girls had planted the seeds a month ago.

Lena and Stef exchanged glances after they realized that Callie was probably not going to initiate the conversation they had to have.

"So, Callie," Stef started. "…You're getting out next week, right?"

"Uh-huh," Callie replied as she kept her gaze on the flowers.

"Are you excited?" Lena asked with a smile on her face, but Callie didn't catch it.

The girl glanced down at her hands, "I guess. I'm just going to miss everyone here."

"That's understandable," Lena continued. "You've lived in a house with them for a few months. I'm sure they're going to miss you too."

"Yeah, maybe," Callie answered flatly as she glanced back at the flowers. She was silently counting the petals of each and every one of them from afar, in an effort to calm the nerves that were filling her entire body again.

"When do you get out? On Thursday?" Stef asked her, trying to get a longer answer out of the girl.

"Yeah."

Stef sighed, "Callie?"

"Yeah?" she responded as she glanced at her hands again.

"Callie, can you look at us please?"

Callie lifted her gaze to see Stef's eyes, which were somehow filled with both panic and strength at the same time.

"Have you decided what you want to do? About getting out, I mean."

Callie stayed silent for a while before responding, "…I think I know. I'm just not sure how you two are going to feel about it…And you two know that I care about you a lot," Callie paused, unsure if she would be able to find the right words to continue. She wanted to tell them that she loved them but didn't want to admit that, and have them reject her the moment after.

"We do know that," Lena answered her as she wiped away her own tears that she couldn't hold back any longer.

Callie kept going, "And Jude will always come first to me. No matter what." Callie sobbed out loud, wishing she hadn't, but tried to contain herself anyway, "…So it will totally be okay if he stays with you and—"

Stef shut her eyes and put her hand up, "Callie, stop."

Callie looked up at her in confusion.

Stef took a deep breath and opened her eyes, "We're not going to allow you to make this decision. You are far too young to differentiate between what you want and what you need—"

"Stef!" Lena scolded.

Stef turned around to look at her wife, "You know what? No! We were so stupid to take advice from a fruitcake like Rita, alright. She was wrong, Lena. She was SO WRONG. Do you see what she did? She got a 16-year-old girl to believe she'd be better off all on her own, than with a family who loves her. And what? I'm supposed to be happy about all of this? This is not what we sighed her up for. She was supposed to teach her to not run away from her problems and to stop making stupid decisions when she's confused. And look at her," she gestured toward Callie, who was sitting quietly on the bench. "Making another stupid decision and trying to run away. Only this time, Rita helped her to do it—"

"Stef?" Callie said, trying to capture the angry woman's attention.

Stef whipped around to glance at Callie, "No! Callie! You're coming home on Thursday. OUR HOME. Whether you like it or not, and that's final! I don't care what Rita says! I don't care if all the judges in the state of California give you their stamped-approval to live on your own! I don't care if the F.B.I. gives you the authority to—"

"Okay," Callie interrupts.

Stef paused and glanced at her wife and then back at Callie. "Okay?" she asks, a little surprised at how easily that worked.

Callie tried to hold back her laughter, "I was going to tell you that I wanted to come home. And that it would be alright if you didn't want me there anymore. But then, I would of missed all of this," she gestured toward Stef's posture and started giggling uncontrollably as she leaned her head against the side of the house for support.

Stef stared back at her and tried to hide the embarrassment of her face, while Lena layed beside Callie and started giggling with her.

"I'm so sorry," Callie tried to apologize but her laughter proved that it was worth it.

"So you two just allowed me to make a total ass of myself, and then have the nerve to laugh about it?" Stef stared at her wife and daughter,with her hands on her hips as she tried to sound mad about it all.

"We tried to stop you," Callie answered.

"But you just kept going," Lena squealed, causing both of them to laugh even harder as they held onto each other to keep from glancing back at Stef's face.

"Well, I'm glad that your first real bonding experience had to do with making me feel stupid," Stef said sarcastically.

Lena pulled her wife's hand so that she fell in between them, "We're so sorry, Baby." She couldn't hide the smile on her face.

"I can tell you are," Stef answered sarcastically.

"Maybe we can get the F.B.I.'s authority to go back in time," Callie said, causing her and Lena to laugh even louder.

"I cannot believe you two. Nothing about that was funny." Stef shook her head as she tried to mask her own laughter. "And you!" she turned around to tickle Callie on her stomach, "You should've said that you wanted to come home from the beginning!"

"Stop!" Callie yelled in between laughs. "I didn't mean to. I didn't know you'd go all crazy-mom on me."

Stef turned toward her wife, "Did she just call me crazy?"

"Yes, she did," Lena nodded her head.

"Someone is so grounded the moment she gets home," Stef eyed Callie warningly.

"If I'm grounded, then so are you."

"For what?"

"For calling Rita a fruitcake," Lena replied

Callie and Lena starting cracking up again as they looked at Stef, who was covering her face with her hands. She quickly uncovered it to yell at them, "CORRECTION: You AND Mama are grounded!"

Gotta love them.

Thank you all for reading!

If you can kindly leave a review, I'd greatly appreciate it.

& I normally don't write one-shots, but this one was bugging me since Callie went back home in the show, so today I was like: "Just do it! The idea is never going to disappear."

If you guys have any requests on one/two-shots I can attempt to write some. Don't expect them to be posted immediately though, because I am a slow writer who's working on 5 multi-chapter fics at the moment. But sometimes I do need a break from them all, so it'd be fun to work on something else :)

Let me know what you thought :)