Author's Note: The Fosters show and characters do not belong to me. Riley and any other OC's do however. Please review if you like it. I love feedback!

So this is the first chapter again, but with some edits from a friend of mine, who is going to help edit this whole story, YAY! Not much in the way of content has changed here just some editing and grammar issues.

I'm aware there are some things that will need to change in the world of the Adams Fosters for things to go smoothly and I have ever intention of making this seem realistic for the Fosters Universe.

The explosion rang out in the middle of the afternoon. The front wall of the house blowing out with flames and smoke as the lab blew sky high. A small girl dressed in jeans and a black hoodie crawled out the back window with a grey backpack on. She stumbled and fell as a second explosion rocked the house, a scream came from inside and the girl looked back eyes wide. She ran toward the front of the house, looking for someone.

Two police cruisers pulled up to the house followed soon by two fire engines, a ladder truck and a commander pickup. The firefighters soon were battling the blaze that raged. An aid car pulled up behind one of the police cars and medics ran up to the small girl that sat on the curb across the street from the fire. She looked up at them with wide eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"My mom is in there," she said pointing at the house engulfed in flame.

Stefanie Adams Foster walked down the halls of her office building heading toward her desk in Vice. Margo sat at her desk across the room from Stef, her cellphone pressed to her ear. She waved Stef over as she walked into the main office. Margo tilted the phone down so she could talk to her.

"Bill has been trying to reach you, he's been blowing up your phone." Stef had been in court and had left her phone on her desk on accident. She quickly walked up to it as it started vibrating on the desk for the fifth time.

"See," said Margo, shrugging."

"Adams Foster," answered Stef.

"Stef, it's Bill. I have a huge favor. I need an emergency placement for a little girl for an indefinite amount of time," he sounded stressed.

"Well, you know I'll have to talk to Lena. What's the story?" Bill sighed.

"Meth lab exploded in a trailer park off Madison near Mission Valley. There was a woman inside who was killed, and a young girl managed to crawl her way out a back window. Fire actually thinks the girl was locked in the back bedroom while the mom was 'cooking'. We can't find the dad, but it will take a bit for him to get her back at this point."

"Why us?" Asked Stef, taking a seat at her computer and pulling up messenger so she could send Lena a quick dm. *Bill has an emergency placement for us. You up for it? Little girl.*

"She freaks out around men, hardcore. She won't let me near her and the doctors at the hospital wanted to sedate her until a female nurse came in and was able to calm her down. They have her with a female doc now."

"Abuse?" Stef asked. Her computer pinged with a response from Lena. *What's the story? With Callie moved into the garage for college she could sleep in Cal's old bed, but what's the age gap between this kiddo and Mariana?* asked Lena, ever pragmatic.

"Definite signs. They are taking her to x-ray now, but she's pretty bruised up according to the doctors here. Some scarring as well, I think this kid has slipped under the radar for a long time. I can't find her enrolled in a school anywhere in San Diego."

"Jeez," said Stef. "How old is she?"

"We don't know yet, looks little, seven maybe? Hey Stef the doc is calling me over. We are at Kindred in the ER. Shoot me a text if you can take her. I think you and Lena are the best option I have right now. This kid is terrified."

"Sure Bill, I'll get back to you soon." Stef ended the call and put her phone back on the desk, replying to Lena.

*They think she's 7, but they are unsure. Abused, possibly severely, terrified of men. They are at Kindred with her now. She escaped a meth lab explosion*

*That's young, and we have two 'men' living here with us. How will she handle that?*

*I'm not sure. Bill thinks we are her best option, though.*

*…*

*I know. They are trying to locate the dad so there's a chance she wouldn't be with us for very long.*

*Ha! Right, Stef. Do you actually believe that?*

*No.*

*Go to Kindred. I'll meet you there in a little bit.*

*Love you*

*Love you too.* Stef looked up and saw her partner was off the phone.

"I have to head to Kindred Hospital. Bill has an emergency placement for us." Stef stood and gathered her jacket.

"I assumed, with the way he was blowing up you phone. Anything to do with the massive fire in Mission Valley?" Margo asked, curious.

"Yup," replied Stef. "Seems like this kid is the only one to make it out." Stef made her way to her black suv. She was quick to get on the road and head to Kindred, she knew Lena would be on her way shortly as well. It was three weeks into the new school year, and their oldest Brandon was going to college in LA and their oldest daughter Callie was going to school at UCSD and living at home in the garage turned apartment. Callie said she needed a better study space.

That left Mariana, who was glad to have her room back, but missed Callie each night. Jude and Jesus still shared a room, leaving Brandon's room empty while he was at school. Stef tried to imagine rearranging things for the little girl that was about to move in with them, but most moves didn't make a lot of sense. If they put Mariana into Brandon's room, where would he sleep when he came home to visit or over the summer?

For now the girl would sleep in Callie's old bed in the room shared with Mariana. If the age gap was too much they could renegotiate later.

Lena walked quickly into the Emergency Department at Kindred Hospital looking either for her wife or Bill the social worker. She saw neither one as she walked through the waiting room. Lena headed to the admission desk where a triage nurse sat inputting notes into a chart. The waiting area was oddly calm, but it was 4 in the afternoon.

"Hello, my name is Lena Adams Foster. I am here to meet my wife and Bill Leghey." Lena wasn't sure what the name of the little girl was, and hoped giving Bill's name would get her back into the main part of the ER.

"Huh?" said the nurse.

"We are an emergency placement for a little girl that was brought in earlier. Meth lab explosion," Lena replied. Hoping the little extra information would prod the nurse into remembering.

"Ohhh, right. Yeah go on back, they are in room 11." She pushed a button at the end of the desk and the doors to the ER popped open allowing Lena entry.

"Thank you." The tall woman quickly headed down the hallway toward room 11. She saw her wife leaning against the wall talking animatedly with Bill, then Stef noticed Lena and broke into a wide smile for her wife.

"Hello, beautiful," said Stef kissing Lena's cheek and squeezing her hand.

"Hey," Lena replied, smiling back at Stef and Bill. "So, how's it going?" Neither person in front of her responded immediately. "That good?" she answered her own question with raised eyebrows.

"She won't talk to Bill or I, she saw my badge and shut down. We were hoping you would get through to her, love. She doesn't seem to believe that her mother is gone." Stef explained to Lena.

"Has she asked for her father?" Lena asked looking into the hospital room. She saw a small lump wrapped up in with hospital blankets, a small foot sticking out from the bottom.

"Not once," replied Bill. "We asked if she knew him, and she said yes. She also said that he lived in the house as well, but nothing else." He looked in on the girl as well. "We have her placed with you, as soon as the doctors clear her, she can go with you, but they can't clear her until they get a full exam done. She's been quite stubborn."

"And you think I can get her to allow an exam?" Lena asked, incredulous.

"Yes, love," said Stef. "You have a way with wayward little girls." She was referencing their own daughters.

"Ha!" Lena laughed. "I have a way with one wayward girl, you have a way with the other." She gave Stef a shake of her head and a smile. Lena stepped away from Bill and her wife and knocked on the wall announcing herself as she entered the small girl's room. A head poked out from under the blankets.

The little girl's face was puffy with tears, her eyes red and bloodshot. She also had soot covering her face and her hair was matted down against her skull, incredibly dirty.

"Hi, sweetheart. I'm Lena, can you tell me your name?" Lena asked, slowly walking up to the side of the bed. The little girl shook her head no. "It sounds like you've had a pretty scary day." The little girl just stared at Lena as she pulled a stool to the edge of the bed and sat down on it. The room was beige in color, a monitor against the wall beeping with every beat of the little girl's heart. Lena could tell she was still dressed in the clothes they had brought her in with. She wouldn't allow the staff to get her into a gown and do x-rays afterall.

"So, I bet you want to get out of here don't you?" the girl shrugged one shoulder. "To do that you have to let the doctor's take a look at you and make sure you aren't hurt. Once they do that, we can take you to our house for a little while, where you will be safe. We can get you some food, and a bath to get you clean. Would you like that?" Another shrug, but tears started to track their way down the girl's cheek again. Lena reached a hand out slowly, using her thumb to wipe the tears from the girl's cheek. "Oh, sweetie. Let's get you out of here ok?" She got a slight nod from the girl. Lena turned her head to the doorway and nodded at Bill, who signaled the doc to come back into the room.

Lena stayed with the girl for the assessment. She wouldn't take her eyes off Lena in fact. While the nurses changed her and then took pictures she never wavered from staring into Lena's chocolate eyes. Stef hung back, allowing the two to bond, and making sure that the girl wasn't made more nervous by her presence.

They quickly assessed that the girl was a little sooty, but had no smoke inhalation, but she was covered in bruises and other marks on her body. The doc had her sent to Radiology, where Lena gladly followed while Stef wrapped up Bill's paperwork. As the woman followed the girl back to her room her had was tightly over her mouth, her other hand tightly clenching her own elbow. Stef pulled Lena aside, concerned.

"What's going on?" She asked, worried something terrible had happened in CT. Lena shook her head tightly, waiting for the transporter to put the girl back into her room before she would answer Stef's question. Stef pulled her into a tight hug.

"I had to wait behind the window while the tech did the imaging. Stef, that little girl is covered in old fractures. Some healed correctly some not, but many breaks." Lena turned to Bill, who had also walked over. "How is this even possible? How has she slipped so far under the radar? She's horribly abused. There are cigarette burns on her back," Lena choked back a sob.

"I don't know," Bill replied honestly. "We still can't find any school records for a Riley Sage, but there's a chance that the name that PD got was faked, I don't know yet." Lena nodded her head then pulled away from Stef's hold.

"Let me try." She walked back into the girl's room. "Hey kiddo, looks like just a few more test and we can get you out of here. We need to know though, sweetheart, what's your full name and how old are you?" The girl pulled the blanket tighter around herself, rubbing the edge along her top lip.

"Riley Marie Sage, I'm 10," she whispered to Lena, who then looked back at Bill to see if he had heard. He nodded and then stepped away from the door again with Stef.

"What about your dad's name Riley? What is his name?"

"John Sage," she said just as softly. Lena reached a hand out and patted the girl's leg softly. "Thank you sweetheart."

"Is he coming?" Riley asked Lena timidly.

"Who, your dad?" The girl nodded.

"I don't know. They will try to reach him I'm sure, now that we know his name. Do you want him to come get you?" Lena asked, keeping her hand on the girl's leg, rubbing it slightly in reassurance.

"No," replied Riley who then moved her leg away from Lena's hand. She nodded at the girl then went back into the hall where her wife and Bill stood.

"She doesn't want to see the dad," Lena told them.

"He showed up at the house about forty-five minutes ago," Stef informed Lena. "He was intoxicated, and they arrested him. Apparently, he came storming into the still smoldering house wanting to know what his wife had done to the place and how was he supposed to sell their meth with the house blown up. He didn't even ask about Riley." Lena sighed and pressed a hand against her forehead.

"What are we getting into here, Stef? Do we want to jump into this head first?" Lena asked, reaching a hand across to grab Stef's. She looked back at Lena in surprise, they had only turned down a few kids during their time as foster parents.

"Do you not want to take her?"

"No, I do, but I don't think she is going to be easy. And we just got settled with Callie and Brandon going to college. I just wanted to make sure that this will be ok for our family." Stef pulled her wife in close for a hug and three quick kisses on her cheek.

"Yes, I think that our family will do fine with a new addition. I think this little girl needs us, Lena." Lena pressed her forehead against Stef's smiling at her wife's reassurance.

"Me too, babe."