A/N: I started a new story this week, which gave me the spark I needed to finish this. I hope you all like this last chapter.

Chapter 4

The next morning, Stef heard Lena get out of bed and go into their bathroom. She did the same, stopping at the door.

"Lena?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not going into work today."

The brunette opened it, having not yet turned on the shower. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just need to talk to you."

Lena joined Stef near the bed. "What about?"

"It's about Callie. I found her in the kitchen around 3 AM. She'd had a nightmare."

"Did she tell you about it?"

Stef nodded. "She's been dreaming about Liam. Being raped again."

"Poor baby."

"She had a rough night. I think we should keep her home today so we can all talk, the three of us."

"Of course," Lena agreed, willing to do whatever it took to help Callie.

Stef and Lena went downstairs to the kitchen for coffee and to start breakfast early. After 7, the kids began to trickle in and eat.

Stef went upstairs to Callie's and Mariana's room. She found Callie dressed and grabbing her school bag.

"Mariana's in the bathroom."

"Good to know. But I came to see you."

"For what?"

"You're not going to school."

"What do you mean? I have to."

Stef shook her head. "Lena and I talked and we think it's best if we keep you home today."

"You told her about last night?" Callie hissed, hoping Mariana wasn't eavesdropping.

"No. Not everything. We want to talk about what's going on. About Liam. We want to help you, Callie. Okay? Go get some breakfast before Jesus eats it all." Stef's tone was light, but her expression meant her word was final.

With a sigh, she dropped her bag, kicked off her shoes, and stomped downstairs.

Soon enough, everyone was in the kitchen, finishing up with eating.

Lena looked at the time. "Alright, you guys. It's 7:30. Get a move on, before you're late."

"Are you coming, Callie?" Jude wondered as he took his plate to the sink.

"No," she said.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"Is she in trouble?" he asked his moms.

Stef smiled. "No, love. Everything's fine."

"But, you're not going to work and neither is Mama."

"That's right. We're just keeping Callie home today. Don't worry." She kissed his head. "Now, go on. Learn something."

"Bye, Callie."

"Bye," she echoed flatly. She was not looking forward to the conversation she was going to have with Stef and Lena.

Lena observed the way Callie pushed her cereal around her bowl. The girl was clearly nervous.

"Callie? We don't have to talk right now. You can go up to your room if you want."

She stood and picked up her bowl.

"We'll get that. Go on."

Callie left her foster moms in the kitchen as she lay down on her bed. Her chest felt heavy with anxiety; her hands were cold and clammy as she wiped them on her jeans. She pulled her knees to her chest.

She took a deep breath.

'I don't know if I can do it again. It was so hard to tell Stef last night.'

She felt her eyes begin to burn and sting as the shame of how she'd reacted early that morning overcame her.

Frustrated, she went to the bathroom and splashed water on her face, staring at her reflection.

'How could you be so weak? Throwing up? Crying like that? It's pathetic. You're fine. You'll be fine. You'll get over it. What's telling Lena going to accomplish, anyway? Nothing.'

Callie went back to her bed until Stef and Lena called her downstairs. They were waiting for her in the living room, sitting across from the couch.

"Have a seat," Stef said.

Callie did so, staring at her hands.

"We'd like to talk about what you told Stef early this morning," Lena started. "You've been having trouble sleeping?"

She shrugged. "I guess so."

"For how long?"

"Couple days."

"And you've been having nightmares?"

"Just two. You're making it sound like that's a lot."

"That's two too many for my liking," Stef commented, noticing how Callie was putting walls up with her short answers and no eye contact. "We're not trying to upset you, Callie. We know how hard this is for you."

"Do you? Do you really, Stef?" Callie asked, looking up at them for the first time. "Have you ever been raped?"

"No. No, I haven't," Stef answered quietly and calmly.

"Do you have any idea what it's like to be at the mercy of another person? That your words and your cries mean nothing?"

The blonde shook her head.

"That's right. You don't know. You don't know anything about it, so, just stay out of it and leave me alone." The girl never raised her voice, but her intentions were clear.

Callie stood up.

"Wait a minute. We're not done here."

"Well, I am. I'm just sorry you wasted a day off for this."

And with that, Callie rushed upstairs, shutting her bedroom door behind her.

Stef frowned. "I didn't expect that. I really thought we would talk this through."

"She's clearly not ready, honey. Maybe we pushed too hard."

"Or something else is going on that she won't tell us about. I think I know anger as a defense mechanism when I see it." That Stef knew well; she and Callie really were so much alike.

"Time and space might help."

"Or she'll just retreat further."

"Maybe."

Stef sighed.

"When she is ready, we'll be here."

Stef wanted that to be now; she didn't want Callie to suffer with this for another minute longer.

[][][][][][]

For Callie, that minute turned into a week. She pretended to go on as normal, but Stef and Lena knew better.

Callie was careful not to make trouble. She did her homework, chores, and anything she was asked with no complaints.

But, today had been rough. Her poor sleep was catching up to her. She dozed off in American History and surely bombed a test in Biology. She remembered studying, but couldn't focus.

Liam was ruining everything.

She just felt tired, physically and mentally. Clearly, she was not going to win this battle of wills. The nightmares hadn't left her. It was exhausting.

So, when Lena arrived home from Anchor Beach, Callie decided she'd had enough. She heard her foster mom go into her bedroom. Something was pulling her toward the door. She couldn't stop herself.

Just as she was about to turn back around, it opened.

"Callie? Do you need something?"

"Um...do you have a minute? Can we talk?"

"Of course. Come sit down." She shut the door so it was just the two of them.

Callie took a seat on the bed, while Lena did so in a chair.

"What's up?"

So many thoughts were running through Callie's mind; she had no idea where to start. The combination of nerves, fear, and anxiety felt overwhelming.

There were too many cracks. She couldn't keep up as more appeared.

She could only cry, burying her face in her hands.

Hearing Callie release her pain broke Lena's heart. The girl in front of her put up such a strong front and it crumbled so quickly. She went to her side, wrapping an arm around Callie's shoulder, pulling her in close.

"I feel so ashamed. I'm so ashamed," she confessed in a broken voice.

Lena was quiet. She wanted Callie to express herself in her own way, with no pressure, to feel safe.

"What Liam did to me...was horrible. It replays over and over...every night. Makes me feel trapped."

Callie let Lena hold her for awhile until she calmed down.

Lena passed her some Kleenex. "What happened, honey? What's with these nightmares?"

"Wyatt and I tried to have sex. We were safe. He was fine, he was gentle. But, then I had a panic attack. It felt like Liam was on top of me and I couldn't get him off. So, I told Wyatt to stop and he did. We had a fight. I guess I was still shaken up, because I thought I saw Liam while I was working."

"That's why you didn't come home," Lena realized, putting the pieces together.

Callie nodded. "I didn't mean to lie."

"It's okay. You weren't ready to talk about it yet."

"That's not an excuse."

"No, it's not. But, trauma makes us do things we wouldn't normally do."

"That night, I dreamed that Liam really was at my work, almost as it happened that day. Then, he was there at night and he took me to a park, trying to rape me again. I woke up before it happened, though."

"Have there been others?"

"Yeah. The actual rape, and when he would hug me or cuddle with me when his parents weren't around. It makes me feel dirty." She felt angry at herself. "I could have stopped it. I should have."

"No, Callie. There's nothing you could have done. Liam was older and an adult. He knew it was wrong."

Callie shook her head.

"Callie, look at me, please."

She did.

"It wasn't your fault."

Callie felt her emotions bubble up again, a lump forming in her throat.

"It was never your fault. Understand?"

"Mhm," she murmured, feeling herself getting teary again.

"I know this is a lot to deal with. But Stef and I will be there every step of the way."

"But what if Judge Ringer makes me go live with Robert?"

"Don't worry about that. One thing at a time, okay?"

Callie nodded.

[][][][][][]

"Here we are."

Stef parked in front of Dr. Kodema's practice and unbuckled her seatbelt. She looked over at the girl in the passenger seat who had made no move to do the same.

"Are you coming, Cal? Callie?"

"Yeah," she replied, hesitant. "Just nervous."

Stef just nodded, understanding. "I will be right outside if you need me, okay? If you need anything. I won't leave."

Callie's eyes showed relief as she and Stef left the car and walked to the front door, with Stef letting her inside first.

"Ah, Callie. Just in time," Dr. Kodema greeted her warmly. "Hello, Stef. Good to see you."

"Hi."

"Shall we?" Dr. Kodema asked Callie, gesturing to her office door.

She looked from the black-haired woman to her foster mother.

"I'll be right here," Stef assured her again.

"I know," Callie said with strength in her voice and life in her eyes that had been sorely missed. She turned and followed Dr. Kodema inside.

Callie didn't know what lay ahead, but she knew that she had taken the first steps toward healing. That she had a family to walk beside her on the road to recovery.

THE END

A/N: Finally complete, yay. I hope this was worth the wait. I really enjoy writing for this fandom; I love these characters and the Fosters universe. Thanks so much for reading and leaving feedback. Stay tuned for more from me. Cheers.