A/N: I wanted to have something new posted before Christmas a sort-of present to you guys. :) Most of this was written months ago as that "short Stef/Callie thing" which is longer than I anticipated it to be (which I don't mind and I'm sure you all don't, either); I've been adding to it recently and I didn't like the title, so I wasn't going to start posting it until I did.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone. Enjoy.
Title is lyrics from "Fix You" by Coldplay.
As always, I only own my story ideas and original characters, not The Fosters.
Chapter 1
"Thanks, Wyatt. I'm gonna try her again. Bye."
"Try who again?" Stef wondered as she walked in the front door.
"Hey, honey," Lena greeted her from the living room couch, cell phone in hand. "Get hung up at the station?"
She nodded. "I was in court most of the day and came back to a ton of paperwork." All it took was one look at her wife's face and she knew that something wasn't right. "What's wrong?"
"Callie was supposed to be off of work at five-thirty. She's not answering her phone or any texts."
Stef sighed. "Is it going straight to voicemail?"
"No. It rings. I've called twice," she replied as she put her phone up to her ear. She shook her head. "Still no answer. Hey, Callie. It's Lena. Stef and I just want to get in touch with you. Please call us. We just want to make sure you're alright."
"It's only been an hour, love. Let's give her until curfew to call or come home."
7 PM came and went without the sound of a ringing phone or footsteps on the porch.
Stef looked somewhat anxiously at the clock in the kitchen. "Alright. Fifteen more minutes."
When Callie still hadn't called or showed up, Stef checked the family's tracking app to see if her location was visible. "She's at the school."
"Anchor Beach?"
Stef nodded and stood. "I'm going to go get her." She picked up her keys from the coffee table and went to the front door for her jacket.
Stef got in her car and drove, parking in the lot closest to the main building and getting out. She didn't see Callie anywhere and decided to search the grounds.
Callie wasn't on the playground. She checked the soccer field next, spotting a figure sitting on the top row of the bleachers. She approached the metal structure from behind and went to the front.
"There you are. Lena has been trying to reach you." She climbed the rows and sat next to Callie who didn't look up or acknowledge her presence. "It's past curfew, you know."
Callie was silent, staring at her feet.
"Do you wanna tell me what this is all about?"
Her question was met with more silence.
"Callie, did something happen?" Stef tried again.
"I'm fine," she asserted briskly, shivering as the chill of the evening breeze hit her skin.
"She speaks," Stef proclaimed as she removed her jacket and placed it around the younger girl's shoulders.
"Callie, whatever this is, we can help. You can tell me or Lena anything."
"Can we just go?" she sighed, handing the leather garment back to the blonde. She didn't wait for an answer as she started back down the bleachers.
Stef followed her and they went to the car. The ride home was quiet; Callie just stared out the window. She let Callie in the house first. "Go upstairs and take a warm shower." They always seemed to help melt some stress away.
Callie did as she was told. She went to the second floor bathroom and turned the water on, as hot as she could stand it before stepping behind the curtain. Tears quickly became mixed in with the water that ran down over her body. She was grateful that no one was around to hear her crying.
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Lena poured hot water into Stef's mug; she bobbed the tea bag as she let it steep. "Something happened. I don't know what, but it's obviously upset her."
Lena sat down across from her wife. "She didn't tell you anything?"
"Just that she's fine, which she clearly isn't," Stef sighed with a hint of frustration.
"Now, who does that remind me of?" Lena teased lightly, which earned her a small smile from her wife. "She'll come to us, honey. She just needs time."
"I guess," Stef agreed with a sigh. She was not satisfied with that, however. She wanted answers to the questions swirling around in her head. She just wanted Callie to truly be okay.
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When Callie got out of the shower, she got dressed and went straight to bed.
This struck Mariana as odd; it was only eight o'clock. "Are you sick?"
"No," Callie replied shortly. She rolled over to face the wall and pulled the blankets up over her head, blocking out the light that was cast over the room.
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Stef was making her nightly rounds, going into Callie's and Mariana's room as they would be getting ready for bed.
"Hey, Miss Thing."
Mariana had just come in from the bathroom where she brushed her teeth. "Hey."
Stef glanced to the silent lump that was Callie. "Is she asleep?"
"I think so. She hasn't moved."
Stef walked up to the bed. She heard the girl's soft, even breaths from underneath the blanket. If Callie was faking it, the blonde concluded that she was doing a great job.
She went to hug and kiss Mariana. "Good night. Love you."
"Love you, too, Mom," the teen echoed and climbed into bed.
Stef flicked off the lamp and shut the door, leaving her girls to rest.
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"We should get back to work."
"Mhm," Daphne wordlessly agreed, with a hint of 'this isn't over' in her tone.
They both stood, with Callie going to the table she was cleaning before they sat down. Daphne took trash inside, leaving her alone.
She started to wipe the table down again and looked through the window as a customer paid for his order. The man turned around and looked her way, recognizing her immediately.
Callie quickly looked away, her chest beginning to constrict with every breath she took.
Liam.
She was working; she had nowhere to go. She tried to clean the table to distract herself, but it was no use.
"Hey, Callie. So, you work here, huh?"
Hearing his voice sent shivers down her spine. He was standing next to her.
"Go home, Liam. I'm working." She didn't look up as she spoke.
"Now, is that how you speak to someone who helps pay your salary?" he asked, pretending to be offended. "Maybe you shouldn't be here if that's how you treat customers. I have just as much of a right to be here as you do."
"Just go. Please," Callie whispered. Tears threatened to blur her vision.
Liam laughed softly. "Sure, sure. I'll stop by again soon." He reached to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "See you around, pretty girl."
Callie stood motionless, clutching the rag in her hand as she heard Liam's footsteps fade away.
Callie's eyes shot open. She clawed the blanket down from over her face as she quietly gasped for air. She felt like she was going to be sick.
It was a dream. Just a dream. Liam wasn't there with her. He wasn't at the burger stand.
Then, how come she could swear she could still feel his fingers brush against her skin, feel his warm breath in her ear?
Callie shivered, realizing she was soaked in sweat. She willed herself to calm down as adrenaline still coursed through her veins.
It was so real. It felt so real.
She rolled over and squinted at the light of her iPhone screen as she checked the time. 1:41 AM.
She couldn't go back to sleep, not without risking another nightmare.
So, Callie stared, her eyes blank and unseeing at the door until exhaustion overtook her in the early morning.
A/N: Let me know what you all think. See you all in 2016!