A/N: Alright guys! Here's the last chapter! This was my first Fosters fic and my longest fic by far. I hope you enjoy the last bit!

Coming back to her senses, before she could open her eyes, she listened to the beeping, felt something on her face as well as a warm hand in hers. Feeling oddly exhausted, she wiggled her fingers, which instantly prompted a reaction from whoever was beside her.

"Jace?"

Swallowing, she tried to open her eyes, even for a second. Lena. A smiling face that was so welcomed by her.

"Hey there." she said softly.

Closing her eyes in a long blink, she opened them again. "Stef..."

"Stef is fine. She's at home with the kids right now. Everyone is okay, thankfully."

Still trying to piece everything together, she let her breath out. "Earthquake..."

"Yes. There was an earthquake. You were in a warehouse apparently. Stef made it to you, but the building collapsed, with the two of you in it. Don't ever do that again, okay? I swear I lost ten years of my life to worry."

Swallowing hard, she nodded. "Sorry."

Smiling again, she shook her head. "It's okay. You just gave us all a really good scare. So no more running off."

She stared at her, not giving her an answer one way or another.

"Deal?"

Studying her for a minute, she conceded. "Deal."

Hearing a soft knock on the door, they were both surprised to see Monte stepping into the room. "Hey."

"Hi!" Lena replied. "What are you doing here?"

She shrugged. "She's all over the news. I had to check on her and make sure you guys were okay. How is your wife?"

Smiling, she nodded. "She's alright. She's with the kids right now getting some rest. Neither one of us were willing to leave Jace alone in case she woke up."

Stepping closer to the bed, she smiled herself at the girl. "Hey. How are you feeling?"

Nodding lightly, she yawned and closed her eyes.

"You're alright. You rest. I just wanted to stop in." and she placed a small vase filled with roses on the window sill. Looking at the exhausted expression on Lena's face, she cleared her throat a little. "Have you seen Stef since it happened?"

Lena nodded. "Briefly."

"You know what? Why don't you go to your wife? I'll stay here with Jace."

Looking down at the girls tired eyes, the question hung in the air.

Taking a deep breath in, she nodded. "Go. Be with Stef. Tell her I'm so sorry." she whispered.

"Honey, why would you be sorry about anything?"

Closing her eyes a tear ran down her cheek. "She almost died because of me."

Letting her breath out, she closed her eyes and squeezed the girls hand. "No, Jace. She didn't almost die because of you. She almost died because of an earthquake."

Not ready to concede her point, she shook her head lightly. "She shouldn't have been in that building."

"Neither should you." and she watched her struggle to stay awake. "You know what? We can discuss this later, right now though, you need to rest."

"Go to Stef." and she swallowed. "Go be with your kids. They need you, more than I do."

Letting her breath out once again, she shook her head looking at her boss.

"She'll be alright. I've got her."

Making her way through the door, she was so relieved to see her wife's beautiful face, asleep on the couch, and the kids all in their rooms. They had cleaned up the mess where the quake had dropped things off the walls and rattled a few things loose when it kept going.

The first kid that popped down the steps was Callie, who was smiling hugely. "Mama." she called out gently, walking into Lena's arms.

"Shhh. Hi." she whispered softly. "How long has mom been asleep?"

"She crashed out not long after she got here. All she wanted to do was watch a movie with all of us, so we all crowded her in on the couch and one by one gave her some space until she was asleep."

This made her smile. They had the greatest kids ever.

"How is Jace?"

"She's alright. Monte is with her right now."

"Really?"

She nodded.

"Well good." and she hugged her once more. "Marianna and I are cooking dinner tonight so I'm trying to get a menu together."

"Wow. Thanks." and she gave the brunette a quick kiss on the forehead before letting her go, walking over to the couch, sitting gingerly on the side.

Opening her eyes, she smiled. "Hey, beautiful."

"Hey."

Sitting straight up, she looked around. "What time is it? Is Jace home already?"

Unable to contain her giggling, she shook her head. "It's almost five."

She stared, shaking her head. It was hard to believe it had been over a day since being stuck in that building. Then she heard her kids in the kitchen and was so glad. Yawning, she covered her mouth with her hand and completely orientated herself. "I must have been tired."

"All things considered, I'm sure you were."

"Where is Jace?"

"Um...Monte is with her right now."

"Really?"

Lena nodded. "She showed up, said Jace was all over the news and then said she'd stay with her as long as we needed and to come home to you."

That made Stef smile.

"What?"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Nodding her head, she smiled as well. "I think so." and she bent in, kissing her sweetly.

Wrapping her arms around her, she sat there for what seemed like forever, just holding her wife.

"I'm glad you're okay."

"So am I." she admitted back. "It was definitely one hell of a ride."

3 Months Later

Standing in the courthouse, she looked at the two women standing beside her. Letting her breath out nervously, she started pacing for the umpteenth time, waiting for their names to be called. "How have you guys done this three times?"

Squeezing Lena's hand, she smiled. "Calm down. You'll be up soon."

"What if he wont let me adopt her?"

"She's been in the system for a long time. I doubt they're going to deny it. They've studied your house, they wouldn't have recommended it if they didn't think you would be a good fit."

"What if he says that I haven't been fostering long enough? I've only had my license since we talked."

"It's one week shy of three months, he's not going to deny it."

"What if..."

"Monte," Lena stepped forward in front of her boss, taking her gently by her upper arms. "Stef and I have been through this. We've been instantly approved, we've been denied more than once with Callie and that finally went through. We will help you guys, any way we can. Now calm down."

Taking another deep breath, she nodded. "I know. You're right."

It was around that time that a bailiff stepped out of the court room calling out Jace's name. Turning to her, to be daughter, she took a deep breath. "Ready?"

Nodding, she followed into the court room. After a lot of questions and a long drawn out process, it was official. She had a mom. Not sure how she felt, but glad for it, she kept the smile on her face all through out dinner and home. She had a home. She belonged somewhere. And she was grateful for it.

Looking at the girl in the passenger side, she smiled turning the car off. "You're home. It's official. How do you feel?" and she watched her formulate a response. The kid had come so far in the last three months. She still had a guilt complex which caused her to apologize constantly, but she'd done really good, actually opening up about almost everything.

Glancing at the front porch, she didn't know how to feel. This woman just connected with her somehow, on a level that no one else could. When Stef and Lena had talked to her about staying with Monte, she never thought it would actually work out. At first, she thought they were just giving up on her, but it wasn't too long before she realized that they both saw something in Monte that was good for her. She hadn't known it at the time, but her and the older woman had more in common that any of them knew. And it created a bond that no one could break. One that she'd actually grown dependent on, and grateful for.

Biting her lip, she finally looked back down at her hands in her lap and glanced to her left. "I'm a little scared, but I'm really grateful. It's kinda surreal."

"I know what you mean. Frightening but exciting at the same time."

"Yeah."

"Well, you'll get to see Lena every day, and you know I'd never keep you away from Stef or any of the kids, if you're worried I'm going to get..."

Half laughing, she shook her head. "Actually, I'm not worried about that. I'm not worried about much when it comes to you. And it freaks me out a little."

She was laughing. "No, I know exactly what you're saying. It's hard to trust someone...anyone, again, after being through what you and I have. But we do. You get through it, and before you realize, you're letting yourself open up again, and you're living again. You find yourself adopting head strong teenagers who have been through what you have, so that you can help them through it."

Looking up at her now, she knew the woman was right. As weird as it was, she hoped she was right. That there was a future. "Who knew that one girl, talking about her mom being a cop, would start...all of this?"

"Well in all fairness, you did jump in front of the bullet on your own accord."

"Eh. It was just one of those things. I saw the gun, I saw who it was pointed to and I just reacted. I like Stef. And Lena. Both of them helped me when I never thought anyone would. Then they led me to you and...well...here we are."

"Here we are." and she looked up at the house. "Home."

"Home." Jace repeated wistfully. "I like the sounds of that."

"Well then, kiddo. Lets get in there."

Smiling, she nodded. "Lets get in there."

Well folks...this is the end of this story for now. I have another Fosters fic in the works, but I'd love to see if you guys want to see more of Jace, or if this should be a stand alone? I'll leave it to you! It's been an incredible ride and I definitely want to thank you all for sticking around with me for as long as you have! I've definitely enjoyed writing this one! :)

SIDE: I'm hearing everyone. If you'll bare with me, I'll add on and explain a little bit more between Monte and Jace so it's not so hurried. In my head I had it played out a lot better, but you guys are right. Give me a few days. :)