AN: I have quite a bit of this story already written. See my profile if you want to know why I am working on this and not Left or Found.

Chapter One: You are not disposable.

"You are not disposable, Callie. You are not worthless," Stef had said.

It continued to play through Callie's head, over and over as they drove home from the horrible night they had all had — her, Stef, Lena, Jesus and finally … finally her little brother Jude.

She wasn't disposable? Bullshit. She was thirteen, not stupid. Jude wasn't disposable because he had never done anything wrong. He was not disposable. He was seven. He was little. He still thought everyone in the world was good. He thought there was good in Jim Pearson, a man who had beat him senseless. The same man who had put Callie in juvie. The man who had broken two of Callie's ribs. The man who had bruised Jude on more than one occasion.

Jude always thought the best of people because he was good. He was pure. He was selfless. He always thought of others before himself. Callie had tried to protect him the best she could.

Callie was disposable. Jude wasn't. But that was the thing about foster care. They wanted to keep siblings together if possible, and since Callie was disposable, it made Jude disposable. It made him less worthy because of her. All because she was disposable.

"Callie?"

Jude was good and pure. Callie just … she just wasn't.

"Callie?"

A hand reached over and touched her shoulder lightly, but Callie jumped. She'd been so deep in thought, she'd not heard her name.

She looked up into the blue eyes of Stef Adams Foster from where she sat in the blondes vehicle. She realized everyone else, including Jude, had gotten out of the SUV. She was still buckled in, in the exact position Stef had buckled her in after Jim Pearson's house because she'd been almost catatonic. She was scared. She was still scared. But she would't show it, she vowed to no one but herself.

"Don't touch me! You have no idea who I am! Where is Jude?" Callie screamed at Stef, looking around frantically, her brown curls everywhere, so close to Lena's hair it was almost funny. But the situation wasn't funny. Not at all.

Lena was behind Stef, looking at her with a look Callie was unfamiliar with.

"Where is Jude?" Callie asked again, her motions still frantic. She couldn't get out of the car. Why was she stuck?

"I need you to calm down, Callie. Jude is in the house with Mariana and Jesus, playing with Frankie." Stef said, gently reaching over Callie to push the release button on the girl's seatbelt. Callie finally felt like she could breathe a little. But panic still rose up in her chest as she searched frantically for Jude.

Lena had sent the young boy in the house with Mariana when they got home because she had seen Callie starting to shut down and she didn't have to be told that Jude had never seen Callie of anything other than protective of him. It was much better for him to be in the house playing with five year old Frankie.

"You can keep him safe. Please. It's nice here. It is safe here. Before you send me back to juvie, promise me you will keep him. He is only seven. He hasn't ever hurt anyone. He won't even lie to you. Ever. He couldn't even lie to keep himself safe. " Callie asked. She wouldn't beg them … yet. If it came down to it, though, she would do whatever she had to to protect Jude. She always had. Who would willingly hurt a seven year old?

"Juvie? Sweets, we aren't sending you back there. We would never do that," Stef said, rubbing Callie's shoulder gently.

"I nearly got Jesus killed! Of course you are sending me back. I am not stupid. I have been here before. I know what is going to happen to me. I don't care what happens to me. I care what happens to Jude," Callie whispered.

Stef looked back and Lena, a glance that signaled help to the other woman. Lena came up to the side of the car and looked at the girl.

Callie was thirteen, but she looked much younger. Her left eye was bruised and her lip was split. There was a red mark on the right side of her face from Jim Pearson hitting her when she had run into his house earlier in the night to try and get Jude. Callie's long chestnut locks were stringy with dirt and sweat and frizzy around her head. Her too big shirt was drenched in sweat and her too little pants had a tear in them nearly up to her behind. Callie had fought a battle tonight she had nearly lost. One she didn't care if she lost as long as her little brother was safe.

Callie Jacob thought she was disposable because she had constantly been disposed of. Lena and Stef could both tell that much. Callie was thirteen and had been hurt more than either woman could ever imagine and they knew that. It was one reason they had been so thankful they had come into Jesus and Mariana's lives when they were so young. They had had some issues with nightmares from Mariana and behavior issues with Jesus, but it had not taken the mothers long to find out the reasons behind them were because of their biological mother and her meth addiction. They had been nearly five when they had entered into Lena and Stef's lives, adopted by the time they were six. They barely remembered their biological mother and being left alone for days at a time now. They didn't remember being hungry and starved for attention at all.

Lena and Stef could both tell Callie would not have that luxury. She would remember everything. She would remember everything for both her and for Jude.

"Callie, sweets, you are NOT disposable. You are NOT worthless. You are NOT being sent back to juvie because of one bad decision. You are not in control of Jesus. He is 16, he is more than twice your size, and he is headstrong. He makes his own decisions. If he hadn't wanted to go with you, he would not have gone. That was not you. Had he not wanted you to go, he would have stopped you. He would have brought you home whether you wanted to come or not," Stef said truthfully.

Callie shook her head. It had been her fault. It was always her fault.

"Callie, honey," Lena started, "we need to go in the house. We cannot have this conversation out here and it is getting darker. You can see Jude and we can talk about what happened tonight and where we can discuss where we go from here either tonight or tomorrow. But, Callie, I can honestly tell you right now … " Lena stopped talking and reached up slowly and then gently put her hand on Callie's chin and moved her face towards her and Stef, so that she would have to look them in the eyes.

Callie's eyes were filled with unshed tears.

"You, Callie, are NOT disposable. We WILL work through this. We WILL figure this out. We will NOT throw you away as if you were nothing more than a piece of trash. You are not disposable. You are not worthless. Not even for the sake of your little brother. You are worth just as much as he is. You are worth just as much as Jesus. Just as much as Mariana. Just as much as Frankie," Lena finished.

"Love, we need to go in the house. It is late. We have a lot to talk about. Can you climb out of the car, Sweets?" Stef said after Lena had gone quiet.

Callie's tears then spilled over, falling into Lena's hand, which was still holding Callie's chin. The tears pooled in Lena's hand as they fell, slowly at first and then faster, quickly filling Lena's palm.

"Callie, I know you don't trust us. I know bad things have happened to you. I know you have made bad choices. I know you may not want us around. I know you may not want to listen to us or live in a house with rules and consequences.

"But Callie, what you did tonight was beyond dangerous. If Stef and I do nothing else, we will teach you that you are not disposable. You are not worthless. We WILL teach you this. If it is the last thing we do, we will teach you that you are worth something." Lena said gently, the tears now literally overflowing out of her hand.