Hey! This is my second fanfic, so bare with me as I continue to work through some writing and story lines.

This is a different take on the beginning of the show- about Callie coming to stay with the Fosters- but she has some dark secrets. Can the family help her through them? Read to find out!

Warning: Self-harm situations throughout the story

Disclaimer: I don't own the Fosters, unfortunately.

This first chapter is basically a filler. It is meant to set the scene and to get a little perspective about the changes from the actual show.

Lena sighed as she was directed to voicemail for the third time. Come on, Stef. She thought to herself as she tapped her hand anxiously on the steering wheel. After the fourth attempt, she let out a frustrated groan, threw her phone into her purse, and got out of the car.

"Hi, Lena"

"Hey, Bill." Lena responded. She knew Bill needed help, however, she also knew that making a decision to foster yet another child without Stef wasn't the smartest choice. Regardless, she made her way over to the man.

"I've got a special one." Bill replied sympathetically.

"They're all special" Lena replied with a hint of sadness and annoyance.

"Well Callie will be here from juvie in…" Bill began when Lena cut him off.

"Wait what? Juvie? I'm not letting a criminal into my house!" Lena was taken back at the thought of how Bill could even suggest this arrangement. He knew about her family; her wife being a cop and her children. She didn't even need to think it over twice; she knew she couldn't help him out this time.

"It's not like that. Sometimes when they're in the foster system for so long, kids get frustrated. Unfortunately for Callie, she got caught in the middle of it." Bill explained, trying to calm the woman down.

"I can't let some girl who is just getting out of juvie into my home. I have four other people to think about."

"I just need her to stay with you for a couple of days. Just until I can find a different foster home for her. I thought of you and Stef immediately with Callie because she doesn't take well to male authority figures." Bill tried his best to persuade Lena as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I know it's asking a lot at the last minute, but I could really use your help, Lena."

Lena turned slightly at the sound of a car pulling into the parking lot. She turned back to Bill and asked carefully, "Just a couple of days?"

"Please, Lena. She isn't dangerous. She's just misunderstood."

Lena sighed once more as she looked back at the car. The man driving had already gotten out, but there was no sign of the girl. "Let me try Stef again." Lena pulled her phone out of her purse and walked over towards her car in order to gain a little more privacy.

"Thank you, Lena. I truly appreciate it." Bill said as he walked over to the car to see what was taking so long.

"Uhhh come on COME ON!" Lena exclaimed in a frustrated tone as once again she was sent to voicemail. She took a moment to collect her thoughts; she had a very big decision to make and she was going to have to make it quickly and on her own.

"Callie, this is Lena" Lena heard Bill speak behind her. Slowly, the woman turned around and was met with a small-framed girl with curly brown hair and large brown eyes. She could see the terror in her eyes as she tried to make herself as small as possible.

"Hi, Callie. It's very nice to meet you." Lena responded with a smile.

Callie didn't move a muscle and continued to stare at Lena with wide eyes.

"Umm I couldn't reach Stef" Lena explained. She was still looking at the girl, but her question was directed to Bill.

"I was hoping you could take her now… I have four other kids to get to today." Bill said guiltily and joined the gaze towards the young girl.

Lena felt a twitch in her stomach as she thought the statement over in her head. "Ummm yeah, Bill. That's fine." Even though she had decided from the get-go that she wouldn't take this girl in, the frightened look in the girl's eyes and defeated stance made her heart ache. "A few days, right?"

"Or weeks, yeah." Bill replied, bending down to pick up Callie's two small suitcases, which Lena figured was all that she owned.

Weeks?! Lena thought to herself. She didn't want to make Callie feel like she wasn't wanted, so she kept quiet, but a few weeks was very different than a few days. Instead she smiled once again and said, "Sure. Just keep me updated."

"I have to go, I'm so sorry. I'll be by tomorrow with paperwork and her file. We can sit down with Stef to talk too. Ill have more time tomorrow. Thank you so much." Bill hastily replied as he loaded the car with the girl's belongings and began to walk to his car.

Lena rubbed her temples as she thought through what just happened. Stef's gonna kill me. She thought to herself as she turned back towards the girl who was standing in the same spot as before. She smiled once again before talking. "Alright, Callie. Wanna get in the car?"

Lena received no verbal response from the girl, but was happy when she saw Callie open the back seat door and slide in. Her head flew down and she folded her hands gently on her lap.

Lena shut the door carefully and got into the driver's seat. Well, I guess dinner for 6 today.

Mariana had just finished a topcoat of nail polish on her fingers when Jesus barged in. "Hey! What if I was changing?" She yelled in annoyance.

Jesus shrugged and began talking. "Do you know Tina from school?"

"Uhhh yeah. I mean I see her around school I guess but we aren't like friends."

"Ok." Jesus responded.

Mariana looked up at her brother and raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I just wanted to know if you knew her. Some guys were talking about her today at school."

"What were they saying?" Mariana wondered as she gave her full attention to her brother. She loved to hear about the happenings around the school.

"They said" Jesus began before looking over his shoulder and closing the door. He walked closer to Mariana so he could talk quieter. "They said she was selling drugs at school."

Mariana's face froze and her body stiffened. "Wha- what?"

Jesus didn't take notice of his sister's body language and continued. "I dono if it's true or not, but I heard from some of the guys that she is selling pills before and after school."

"Well uhh have they seen her doing it?" Mariana stammered, trying to keep her composureand eye contact with her brother.

"Nah. They just heard about it. It could be fake. I dono. Thought maybe you knew" Jesus shrugged as he walked towards the door.

"Jesus" Mariana yelled after him.

He turned around and responded with a sluggish "What?"

Mariana looked down and shook her head. "Never mind" She couldn't tell him that she knew it wasn't Tina who was selling the pills. She couldn't tell him how she knew. She couldn't tell him that she was the one selling the pills; or rather selling his medication, at school. And she couldn't tell him why, either.

"I really mean it, B." Stef praised her son while she drove the two of them home. "You were incredible!"

"Thanks." Brandon tried to shrug off the compliment, but a smile formed on his lips.

"No really. You are gonna kill that audition tomorrow." Stef smiled as she looked over at her son who had performed an original piece at a piano recital. She beamed at the talent her son possessed.

"I hope so. Getting Professor Grant to mentor me would be a huge help to getting me into Gerard." Brandon thought out loud.

"Brandon. You need to relax." Stef said as she reached a hand over to her son and rested it on his knee. "You've got this." She assured him and gave his knee a quick squeeze before placing it back on the wheel.

Brandon turned to look out the window and his smile formed once again. He knew he needed to relax. He had practiced for hours each day in preparation for this audition. He knew the music like the back of his hand. Still, he was worried about the outcome. He was worried about what he could fall back on if he didn't get it. Brandon shook the thoughts out of his mind and rested his head against the cool window and closed his eyes.

Callie nervously scanned the kitchen. She didn't know anything about this family and based on her past experiences, she needed to scope out the exits and possible defense items, just in case. Lena looked over at the girl who was fixed in a trance, scanning the room.

"Are you hungry or thirsty?" Lena asked gently.

Callie's eyes timidly met Lena's and she shook her head no. Slowly, she sat down in one of the kitchen stools and her eyes met the floor.

Lena sighed and pulled a stool around to the other side of the table, so she was across from the girl. She didn't want to invade her space by sitting directly next to her. Lena knew she should at least try to talk to Callie while they weren't being interrupted by her other kids. She bent her head down slightly to try and capture the girl's gaze and spoke gently. "Can you talk to me, Callie?"

Callie looked up at the sound of her foster mom. She didn't answer, but Lena was glad that she was at least acknowledging her. "Could you tell me something about yourself?" Lena tried again.

This time, Callie slowly opened her mouth to answer when loud thumping echoed throughout the kitchen and Jesus bounded into the room. Callie's mouth quickly snapped shut and her eyes found their way back to the ground.

"Mom! Is dinner ready?" The Latino boy asked quickly, looking around the kitchen for food.

Lena sighed as she saw Callie crawl back into her shell. She was so close to getting her to talk. However, she averted her eyes to her son. "Jesus. This is Callie. She's going to be living here for a little while." She explained as she looked from Jesus to Callie and back to Jesus.

"Hey." The boy said to the girl whose head was still down. Callie picked her head up to see the smile on the boy's face. She forced a small smile and looked towards Lena. She didn't know what to do or how she should respond.

Taking initiative of the situation, Lena turned to her son and asked, "Ummm baby. Will you please set the table?" Jesus nodded and went to the cabinet to grab some plates. The woman then turned towards the young girl, whose eyes had made their way back towards the floor, and softly said "Callie, why don't you wash up in this bathroom." She finished by pointing to the bathroom that was located right next to the kitchen. Callie timidly got off of the stool and followed Lena's finger towards the direction of the bathroom. Once she reached the bathroom, she quickly shut the door.

"Jesus, please tell your sister that dinner is ready" Lena added as she watched Callie walk to the bathroom and shut the door rather quickly. She turned towards Jesus as she instructed him and cringed as he took a deep breath and yelled "MARIANA!" Jesus guiltily looked at Lena knowing full well that she didn't like yelling in the house.

"Ok I could've done that." Lena smirked.

At the sound of footsteps on the stairs, Jesus smiled and pointed out "Hey it worked, didn't it?"

Lena shook her head with a small smile and turned back towards the bathroom.

"Did you have to yell?" An annoyed Mariana asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"How else were you gonna hear me over your phone calls with Tyler?" Jesus said with a mocking tone. Emphasizing the name.

"Shut up!" Mariana hissed as she shoved her brother as he laid out the silverware.

"Whose Tyler?" Lena asked from her position at the entrance of the kitchen. She wanted to be a little closer to Callie in case she needed something, but she also wanted to keep involved with her children.

Mariana shook her head "No one just this kid at school. We're doing a project together" She explained as she looked back down at her phone.

"Yeah. A project of love" Jesus said as he pretended to gag at the word love. He began to laugh at his own joke until Lena shot him a glare.

"What's wrong with you?" Mariana asked- her voice had a hint of sadness, but it was mostly filled with anger and annoyance.

"Ok. Ok. That's enough you two." Lena instructed, knowing she needed to diffuse the argument before it got out of hand. She turned back towards the closed door and decided to make sure the girl was ok. She knocked on the door and gently asked if she was alright.

After a few moments, she heard the door open slightly and Callie's face emerged. Lena smiled brightly at her and stepped aside so the girl could leave the bathroom and go back into the kitchen. "Choose any chair to sit in, Callie" She instructed as she walked slowly behind her; mindful to give her some space.

"Except this one." Jesus stated as he put his hand on the end chair. "This is my spot."

"Jesus!" Lena was appalled at her son's disrespect for the girl who was clearly already frightened. She received a mumbled 'sorry' from the boy who turned back to the cabinets to get cups out for drinks.

Mariana put her phone down on the table and looked at Callie. "Whose friend are you?" She asked.

"Callie is going to be staying here for a bit. So please welcome her into this house, yes?" Lena asked, answering her daughter but directing the answer at both kids. She received nods from both twins and she smiled. "Good." She waited to see if Callie would speak, but at no surprise she didn't. So she turned back to her children and said "Please go wash up, loves" both children stopped what they were doing and obliged.

Lena went to the stove to finish some of the preparation and Callie sat down in the far corner of the breakfast nook. After a small amount of fighting in the bathroom, the twins both walked back to the table and sat down. They both picked up their phones and were immediately engrossed in them. Callie took a deep breath and used this time of silence to continue looking around the house. She noted the back door and when she went to the bathroom, she caught sight of the front door.

"Hi babies!" Stef's voice startled Callie and pulled her out of her thoughts. She hadn't even heard the door open, much less the woman walk into the rom until she spoke. Stef hadn't noticed the girl who had froze when she saw Stef's uniform and continued to walk over to her kids and kiss them on their heads.

She reached down to grab Mariana's phone from her before planting another kiss on her forehead. "Hi sweets. How was school?"

Mariana groaned at the loss of her phone but knew she wasn't allowed to have her phone out while they were eating. Before she had a chance to respond, Jesus piped up. "Mariana has a partner project coming up. With… ummm who was it again? I think his name was Tyler." He smirked and looked smugly at his sister.

"Hmmm is this Tyler cute?" Stef asked as she placed her hands on her son's shoulders and also looked at Mariana.

"It's not like that!" Mariana stated as she gave them both a roll of her eyes and a glare.

"Mmmhmmm." Stef raised an eyebrow at the answer but smiled as she kissed her son's head. "You both washed up?" She asked as she turned to her wife who was still at the stove. Two 'yups' confirmed it and Stef finally turned her attention to Lena. "Hi love. How was your day?"

Lena turned around to face Stef. She still hadn't thought of a good way to explain the situation and was trying to buy some more time in order to think of something. "It was ok." She confessed as she leaned in for a kiss, which Stef obliged. "Where's B?" Lena asked.

"He went upstairs to change." Stef answered and smiled.

"How about you? How was your day?" Lena asked, still trying to buy herself some time.

"Oh it was good. Lot of paperwork today." Stef began as she turned towards the fridge to grab a beer. As she closed the fridge door, she noticed a girl occupying the far seat of the breakfast nook. Stef was not confused by the addition of a teenager in her home; she had three children who brought friends over from time-to-time. However, her location did raise a flag. "And who is this?" Stef asked the room as she looked at each family member.

Lena stepped up and rested her hand on the woman's shoulder. "Uhhh Stef, this is Callie. She's going to be staying with us for a little while." Lena hoped Stef wouldn't make a big deal out of this, at least not in front of the kids. Luckily, Stef simply smiled at the girl and informed her, "Hi! I'm Stef." When Callie didn't respond, she turned to face Lena and gave her a questioning look.

"She hasn't said a word since I picked her up." Lena explained.

"And you didn't say a word about this to me." Stef said flatly. Although she tried to make it so only Lena could hear, all three children heard and Callie shrunk down further in her seat.

Before anyone else could utter a word, Brandon entered the kitchen and slid into his seat. He followed the gazes of his family to the girl and smiled slightly. He could see that the girl was afraid. He turned to his siblings who quickly and quietly filled him in. As he turned back to the girl, he decided to try and break the awkward silence that filled the normally loud room. "Do you want some dinner, Callie?" He asked and received confused looks from both of his mothers. They were both stunned and happy to see their son take charge of the situation when they seemed to not be able to.

Their reaction quickly changed when they saw Callie lift her head up only long enough to shake it no.

"Ok!" Stef said quickly, turning to her three children at the kitchen table, trying to diffuse the situation. "Start eating. Homework needs to be done after dinner and no TV or video games until it's completely done." Stef finished. She directed the last part towards her younger son.

"What are you looking at me for?" He asked accusingly.

Mariana opened her mouth to give a smartass answer, but Stef caught on quickly and warned her "One word and you loose your phone." With that, the girl sighed and turned back to her food.

As the kids began to eat and their chatter picked up, Lena walked over to Callie and bent down slightly- as to not seem as intimidating to the girl who was clearly frightened. "Hey, Callie. Do you wanna come in a room that's a little quieter?" She smiled softly at the girl when she responded with a nod of her head. Lena took initiative and stood back up. She waited for the girl to slide out from the nook and began to follow Lena. "Though it's hardly ever quiet in this house" Lena added as she quickly grabbed a plate of food that had been made for the girl. They made their way into the living room and stopped in front of the couch. Callie tentatively looked up at the woman, not knowing what to do. Lena understood the uneasiness the girl must be feeling, so she set the plate down on the coffee table and sat herself down on one side of the couch.

"You can sit down" Lena said softly as she looked to the empty spot on the couch. Quickly, as to follow her instructions, Callie sat as far away from Lena as possible and her head once again found it's way back to the ground.

"I know everyone can be overwhelming at first, but I know you'll get used to it in a couple of days." Lena began. She stopped to look at the girl whose eyes were still fixated on the ground. "Can you talk to me? I'm the only one here. You're safe."

Carefully, Callie lifted her head up and Lena could see tears pooling around her eyes. All Lena wanted to do was pull the girl into a hug, but she settled for a small smile and waited for the girl to say something. However, what came out of the girl's mouth took her by surprise.

"You're not gonna hit me?" The first words Callie had spoken since entering the house, shocked Lena.

Realizing she hadn't said anything for a few moments, Lena shook her head and looked directly at the girl. "Of course not, honey. Why would you ask that?" At that question, Lena lost the gaze of the girl once more. She decided to keep talking and asking questions, in hope that the girl would react to at least one of them. "Did someone hit you at your last foster home?" Lena cringed at the thought of a child, especially this child, being physically hurt in a place where she was suppose to feel safe. At the sound of sobs escaping from the girl's lips, Lena knew she had asked the right question.

"Oh Callie. Oh love I'm so sorry. But I promise you, you will not be abused in any way in this house. I'm so sorry that happened to you, but you are safe here." Lena had to use every ounce of strength to keep the space between her and the crying girl. "Ok?" She asked, her voice breaking slightly as she held in her own tears.

Lena sighed when she saw Callie nod briefly and turned towards the plate of food that was still sitting on the table. "Are you hungry?"

Callie responded much as she had before- shaking her head no.

Lena let out a frustrated sigh as she turned back to face the girl. "Ok. Would you like to be left alone for a while?" Immediately, Callie nodded yes and Lena took that as her queue to leave and talk to Stef. "Alright. I'll be right in the kitchen if you need anything." Lena took one last look at the broken girl before she got up and headed back into the kitchen.

After she was sure that Lena was completely out of the room, Callie pulled her legs up to her chest and buried her head into her knees. She tried to stifle the sobs, but was unsuccessful. She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to leave Jude. She didn't know how she was going to save him. She didn't want to get attached to another family just to have them pulled away from her again. Callie's tears flowed freely as she tried to make herself shrink into the couch and forget about all of the pain.

Updated 7/17