Callie leaned heavily into Lena, fear holding on tightly to her already upset stomach. Jude was holding Stef's hand, as he hid his body partially behind his mom.

They followed Ian to room with an armed guard, who let them all pass except for Mariana, Jesus, and Brandon. The guard had looked at the mothers, "Those three can't come in. Only the mothers and biological children. I am sorry."

Lena turned to the three teenagers.

"Wait right here for us. Do not move," Lena told them. They nodded. They didn't need to be told that Lena and Stef were both nervous. That something was going on. That anything out of the ordinary on an adoption day was cause for concern. The three left in the hallway, especially Jesus, remembered the troubles that sometimes popped up. Mariana had blocked those moments out. Brandon barely remembered.

Callie felt the door behind her close with a dreaded swoosh. She was terrified for reasons she did not understand. She held onto Lena's arm tightly, both for support and for comfort.

"Dad!" Jude yelled suddenly, letting go of Stef's hand and running over to his father, throwing his arms around him. Callie stepped even closer to Lena, if that were even possible. She wanted nothing to do with Donald.

Donald was handcuffed to the table, so he could not move much. Callie watched him closely, however. He had been crying recently. That much was obvious. His eyes were red rimmed. He looked pale, much paler than he had the last time she had seen him.

"Donald? Ian?" Stef asked. She wasn't one to beat around the bush, especially when they were due to be in court for the adoption of Callie and Jude in less than half an hour. They had had hiccups during the process of adoption with the twins, and the fear was all too real for the blonde.

Lena, who had many of the same fears as her wife, pulled out a chair and sat in it, pulling Callie to her and onto her lap. Her child was still running fever, and if it weren't for the adoption, she would be at home and in bed. It was where she needed to be.

"We found out some unfortunate news yesterday," Donald said, his voice forced, tense.

"Then tell us what it is already, Donald! We have shit to do today in case you forgot!" Callie hissed at him. Lena tapped the teen on the side of her leg and leaned close to her ear, "Enough, Callie Quinn. You can be upset, but you will show some respect."

Callie merely nodded. Her nerves were definitely getting the better of her.

"What is going on, Donald? Is it the adoption?" Lena asked.

Donald shook his head and looked up at Ian.

Ian cleared his throat, "Donald is being moved to a prison in Kentucky. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. Since he plead guilty so the children could be adopted, the case is open and close. But with that comes the possibility of being moved. We found out yesterday Donald is being transferred. I was able to pull some strings so he could see the children before he leaves. One of the reasons they are moving him is …"

"Because we are adopting the children," Stef said softly. She stared at Donald. She was staring at a broken man. She didn't need to be told that. He had given up everything so his children would be safe and could be adopted.

"Donald, we will bring them to see you when we can," Lena said. She, too, knew she was staring at a broken man. He had lost everything when he decided to drive after drinking. His wife. His children. His freedom.

"Had I contested the adoption, they wouldn't have moved me, but I couldn't do that to the kids or to the two of you. You are their mothers now," Donald said. "I just wanted to see them one more time. Just one more time."

Callie stared at her father. She felt no sadness — he had killed her mother. He had killed a lot of people by making a stupid decision.

She did, however, feel badly for Jude. Jude, who was sitting on Donald's lap with his arms wrapped around his neck, crying softly.

Callie leaned back into her mama and thought about everything. She was still so angry with him. She was angry that he thought it was okay to ruin so many lives. But, there was something, very deep down, that told Callie she needed to do something. That she needed to say something to the man. Her mother, dead or not, never would have wanted Donald to leave without Callie speaking to him first. If nothing else, Callie owed her mother that much.

Callie slowly stood up from Lena's lap and walked over to Donald, bending at the waist, and wrapping her arms around her father and brother.

"I forgive you. Thank you for letting us go."

With those words, Callie kissed her father's cheek and then walked back towards her mothers and sitting back on Lena's lap.

And at that moment, Donald's heartbroken sobs were all anyone in the room could hear.

Jude cried when it was time to go. He cried for himself, for his father, for his mother. He cried from pain and loss and confusion.

He hugged his father tightly, knowing good and well it may be quite some time before he saw him again. Kentucky wasn't exactly down the block.

Stef walked over to her son and leaned down to whisper in his ear, "You will see him again soon, Jude. We will make sure you do. You will still get to talk to him occasionally on the phone, okay?"

Jude nodded his head, but he did not let go of Donald, nor did he stop crying. Tears coursed down his cherub cheeks and landed on Donald's prison jumpsuit.

"Jude, go with your moms. Today is a special day. I will see you again. Your moms would never lie to you."

Jude nodded and hugged his dad once more, tightly, before Stef lifted him away from Donald. She knew it would be one of the hardest things she ever had to do.

Jude screamed. He sounded like a wounded animal. As his mother lifted him away from his past, so he could enjoy his future, he screamed and cried. He wailed through a pain so deep not many would understand.

Donald did his best to remain stoic. But it was not an easy feat.

Somehow, Stef managed to turn Jude around, his arms and legs wrapping around her and holding onto her tight. She held him to her with one arm, and with the other reached over to touch the shoulder of Donald Jacob.

"Thank you for our children, Donald."

And before anything else could be said, Stef walked out of the room with her youngest son still holding onto her tightly.

Lena and Callie sat for several seconds before either moved. Lena stood her daughter up and then walked over to the crying man, kneeling beside him.

"We will bring them to see you, Donald, that I promise you. Thank you for giving me these two children. I feel truly blessed by your gift — we will never forget that. Callie and Jude may not understand what you have given up for them, but we will do our best to make sure they eventually do," Lena whispered, so Callie could not hear what she was saying.

Donald looked down at Lena and did his best to smile.

"Thank you for loving them just as Colleen loved them. Thank you for taking care of them when I will never be able to," Donald said softly.

And with a small nod of acknowledgement, Lena stood up and walked towards the door, pausing for Callie to join her, and then walked out the door.

"It was what was best for the children," Donald said to no one in particular.

"And do you, Callie Quinn Jacob and Jude Thomas Jacob, do you wish for Stefanie Marie and Lena Elizabeth Adams Foster to be your parents legally?" the judge asked the two children in front of her.

Jude and Callie looked at one another and then up at their mothers, despite the harrowing ordeal they had just been through with their biological father, the two smiled widely and nodded.

"Then let it be known these two children are from here on out to be known at Callie Quinn Adams Foster and Jude Thomas Adams Foster, daughter and son of Stefanie and Lena Adams Foster," the judge finished with a pound of her gavel.

In no time, the family was one, as everyone in the family wrapped their arms around one another.