I don't own The Fosters. It's kind of a bummer.

Jesus hesitated packing his overnight bag as he debated for the hundredth time whether or not he should do this. Whether or not he could do this.

It's not that he was nervous to go to the sleepover. In fact, he couldn't be more thrilled at the prospect of actually spending the night at a friend's house. He wasn't worried about who was going to be there. He was worried about who wasn't.

Jesus and Mariana had always been a package deal; the price you pay when you've done everything together including being born. They had always looked out for each other, had each other's backs. And being the brother, Jesus always felt the need to protect Mariana, to defend her and watch over her.

Consequently, this made Jesus the more outgoing one. He often spoke on behalf of both of them, like when they had met Stef for the first time in the police station.

Jesus immediately liked Stef, and he quickly took to Lena as well. His instincts told him that he could trust them, and his instincts were not usually wrong. The only reason Jesus was even considering leaving Mariana was that he knew she wouldn't be in any danger without him in this house.

Sure, he knew that she would be safe with these people, but did she? Even after six months of living at the Fosters' house, Mariana still clung to him like a lifeline. He could see in her eyes that she still didn't completely trust Stef and Lena, despite already living with them for half a year. He wondered if she ever would.

He looked around the room as if searching for an answer, his eye spying one of his most prized possessions: his very own Gameboy. He had gotten it a week earlier, a seventh birthday present from Stef and Lena. He had even gone shopping with Brandon a few days ago, his older foster brother helping him choose the best Pokémon games.

He still couldn't believe it. No one had ever given him such an extravagant and expensive toy before. As much as he trusted his foster moms, he was taken completely off-guard by the gift. It baffled him why these two people, who weren't his parents biologically or legally, would spend so much money on him.

He took the game off the chest and went to put it in his bag, before quickly returning it to the table. This happened several times, his hand hovering between the nightstand and the suitcase. Jesus just kept seeing her face, her terrified face and her eyes begging him not to leave her alone. He sighed as he set the console back on the table and zipped the empty luggage closed, kicking it back under the bed. He crossed his arms and slumped down on his blankets, deflated.

"Jesus, what are you doing? Shouldn't you be getting ready for your sleepover?" he sat up to see Lena in the doorway.

"Oh, um, yeah…" Jesus muttered.

"You are still going, aren't you?" Lena asked, her eyebrow furrowed in confusion.

Jesus shrugged his slouched shoulders, his head hung low.

"What's the matter? Aren't you excited?" Lena questioned, walking into the room and taking a seat next to Jesus on the bed.

"I guess," Jesus mumbled in response.

"Well you don't seem very excited. Did something happen, Jesus?" Lena asked worriedly.

"I just…I don't know if I want to go anymore."

"Oh," Lena said, taken off guard. "Well, you certainly don't have to. May I ask why you suddenly changed your mind? I thought you liked Alex."

"I do. It's just," he paused, wondering if he should tell her the truth. He took one look at her face, full of concern and understanding, and knew that he should. "I just don't think I should leave Mariana," he admitted.

Lena sighed. She was afraid something like this was going to happen. She saw the way Mariana and Jesus were attached at the hip. A lot of twins were close, but those two were inseparable, codependent even.

She knew it was unhealthy, but never saw much harm in trying to wean them off of each other, figuring it would do more harm than good and that they would eventually grow out of it with nurturing and time. But now she saw that she was wrong. This conversation shined a light on how intense this bond really was.

And she felt angry. Not at Mariana or Jesus, but at the people in their past that had made them do this in order to survive. A seven-year-old was reluctant to go to a sleepover because he was afraid that his sister might feel scared. People aren't like that unless life gives them a reason to be.

Lena mulled things over in her head, trying to figure out the right thing to say to Jesus.

"Stef and I would never let anything bad happen to you or Mariana," she started, taking his hands in her own.

"I know that," Jesus replied, and Lena could tell he meant it. "But I don't think Mariana does yet," he confessed.

"Look, Jesus, I know you're just trying to take care of Mariana. I get that, I really do. She's your sister and you want to look after her, you feel obligated to look after her, but it's not your job to protect her all the time. Not in this house, anyway."

"I just want her to be safe."

"I know you do, honey. I know you do," Lena said sympathetically, wrapping an arm around Jesus. "But you don't have to be on guard looking out for her every second."

"But I'm her brother."

"Exactly, and you're both still kids, which is why you shouldn't have to carry burdens meant for adults to handle," she said, more to herself than to Jesus. She was still upset at the whole ordeal, upset at the unfairness of the situation, the position both of these children were put in.

"My point is, it's not your responsibility to look out for your sister. You shouldn't have to feel like a parent. You should enjoy being a kid."

Lena looked down at Jesus. She could tell this was all still very new to him, and that he was trying to process everything that Lena had told him. It was a lot to take in, especially for a kid that had probably never heard anyone say something like this to him.

"Do you want to go to the sleepover, Jesus?" Lena asked.

He wanted to go, he really did, but he would sacrifice anything and everything for his sister's well-being.

Jesus nodded, still a little unsure.

"Tell you what, how about we just try it okay? We'll just give it a shot. You go to the sleepover and you let us take of her, okay? And if you don't like it or you don't feel comfortable, you can always call us and we will pick you up and you can come home."

Jesus looked up at Lena. "You promise?" He felt reassured by this arrangement. It felt almost too good to be true. To test it out with a guarantee of being able to back out at any second.

"I promise," Lena smiled, rubbing his shoulder. "Now come on, we've got to get going if you're going to be at Alex's by dinner! Get your suitcase back out, I'll help you pack," Lena declared, grabbing a pair of pajamas and clothes for the next morning out of his drawers.

Jesus reached under his bed and grabbed his bag, feeling lighter than ever before, as if a heavy burden had just been lifted off his shoulders.

Hey guys! This story will probably end up being about a five-part piece. Please let me know what you think of it! Reviews are much appreciated! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Shoutout to justliziam for being the best beta on the face of the planet.