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"Hey, everyone!" I cheered as I entered the familiar Vasquez group home. "Your day has been brightened, the party is here!"

"Ellie!" Darla exclaimed happily, before running over and embracing me.

"Hey, munchkin!" I greeted returning the gesture. "Where's Rosa and Victor? I've got this new amazing enchilada recipe that Gloria found, and they're gonna love it!"

"They went to pick up the new foster kid, Billy." The younger girl chirped happily. "Should be back in a bit."

"Alright," I replied with a nod, before asking. "Freddy in his room?"

"Yup, as always."

"Thanks, Darling." I stated, ruffling the girl's hair. "I'll make sure to say hi to everyone before I leave."

Without another word, she skipped off down the hall and disappeared into the living room. I chuckled before making my way to my little brother's room.

Knocking on the doorframe, I popped my head into the room. "Hey, bubba."

Freddy's head shot up from the comic book that he was reading and a grin grew on his face. "Hey, Elle!"

I walked further into the room and hugged my little brother, my chin resting on top of his dark curls.

"How was your day? Anything interesting? Any asses that need to be severely kicked by your big sister?" I asked as I sat beside him on the bed and placed my bag on the floor.

"It was good, nothing out of the ordinary." The younger Freeman child replied, coincidentally ignoring the last question.

"Freds, did something happen with Brett and Burke today? Did those assholes do something to you again?" I asked with furrowed brows and an angry scowl on my face.

"Elena, it's fine. I swear I'm okay—." Freddy said with wide eyes, trying to calm the big sister wrath.

"It's not okay, Freddy! Those brainless douchebags have been targeting you since the start of the year just because it's harder for you to fight back! It's not right!"

"Elle, please–." My little brother tried to calm my anger, but I cut him off.

"No, Freddy! Those Neanderthals think that it's okay to pick on the disabled kid, just because it makes them feel all big and bad!" I spat angrily with a shake of my head.

"I know that you want me to stay out of it, but I can't. Not when you're getting hurt, because some douchebags are trying to compensate with their personalities, what they lack in their pants!"

"As funny and probably true as that last part was," The younger brunette stated, trying not to laugh. "I need you to please stay out of it, Elle."

"Promise me that you won't go after them tomorrow at school. The last thing I need is my big sister fighting my battles for me." He pleaded, staring up at me with big, brown puppy dog eyes.

"Fine, I'll stay out of it." I sighed in defeat, knowing that I fell for the very trick that I'd taught him when we were little.

"Thank you, Elle." My little brother told me with a thankful smile.

"But if I see those asshats picking on you, I'm going to kick their asses." I informed, bringing him into a hug.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Sis." Freddy chuckled with a roll of his eyes.

"Love you, bubba." I told the younger boy, placing a kiss on the crown of his head.

"Love you too, Elle."

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"So, why are you doing your homework here, instead of at your foster moms' house?" My little brother asked as I lay on me stomach, textbooks sprawled out on his bed.

"I'm multitasking, kiddo." I explained, circling another answer on my AP Biology worksheet. "I'm doing homework and spending time with you."

"Corny as hell, but effective." He joked from his place at his desk.

"Hey, Elena!" I heard from the doorway, making me glance up from my homework to see the eldest foster child in Freddy's group home.

"Hey, Mary! What's up?" I asked with a smile.

"Could you help me pick out an outfit for my college interview? I'm stumped and I've got to leave in an hour." My classmate and Freddy's foster sister asked with a pleading smile.

"Lead the way, my child." I joked with a grin, before getting up and following her.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

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After helping Mary get ready, I wandered back to Freddy's room to finish my homework.

About twenty minutes later, I had finished my last bit of work and was just doodling in my notebook. My little brother was still working on something at his desk, his crutch leaning against the piece of furniture.

"Freddy!" Rosa called as she entered the room, making us both look up at her.

"Oh! And Elena!" She said having noticed my presence, before introducing the unfamiliar boy that stood beside her. "This is Billy Batson, make sure you both make him feel at home. Okay?"

"Yeah." Freddy muttered, preparing himself for social interaction. I simply nodded at the kind woman, before sending a friendly wave towards Billy.

"Maybe don't say anything too weird." She suggested to my brother, causing me to chuckle.

I personally adored Freddy's quirky little fun facts and dark humor. He did, after all, learn the last one from me.

"Oh! One weird thing is, you know the Romans used to brush their teeth with their urine?" Freddy asked the other boy, making me cringe slightly.

Billy just blinked in surprise, while Rosa sighed in defeat. A small smile grew on my face and I shook my head at my little brother's antics.

"Yeah, apparently it works." The younger Freeman stated simply, making a chuckle escape my lips.

"Yep, um...." Rosa sighed, patting Billy on the shoulder. The boy just stood in silence at what had just escaped my brother's mouth.

The Vasquez woman turned to me and asked in an attempt to change the subject. "Elena, niña, are you gonna stay for dinner?"

"No, Gloria is making her famous tamales and, as much as I adore your's and Victor's cooking, I would be insane to miss out on tamales." I replied with a laugh.

"Smart girl." Rosa told me and nodded in approval. She was just about to leave, before stopping and turning towards the Batson boy. "Oh, Billy."

"Welcome to the family niño." Rosa told him with a warm smile, before continuing out of the door.

I switched my attention to the new addition to the Vasquez home, to see him making his way towards the window.

Billy moved the blinds and glanced down, probably trying to see how far of a jump it was.

"It's a long way down, kid." I chuckled, more than likely squashing his escape plan.

"She's right, and trust me, I speak from experience." Freddy joked with a straight face, before grabbing his crutch and using it to stand up. "Victor pushed me."

"What?" Billy stared at my brother with wide eyes, before looking briefly at me for confirmation. I kept my expression unreadable, using all of my willpower to not laugh.

"They seem nice, but don't buy it." Freddy told him with a straight face, before continuing to screw with the new guy. "It gets real Game of Thrones around here."

The other boy looked at the both of us with wide eyes. "What?!"

I shared a look with my little brother, before we both broke into laughter. Freddy slapped Billy's shoulder, while I said with a chuckle. "Relax, kid. We're just messing with you."

"It's, um... it's terminal cancer. I, uh, I have three months." My brother told him, looking down in fake sadness. I rolled my eyes and hid my amused smirk behind my hand.

The Batson boy's eyes widened, making Freddy glance up at the other boy to see his reaction. I rolled my eyes again and chuckled as a smile grew on the curly haired boy's face.

"Kidding again!" My little brother said with a grin, despite Billy's unamused expression. "You look at me and you're like 'why so dark? You're a disabled foster kid, you've got it all! Right?"

Billy just rolled his eyes beg walking away. He seemed to notice Freddy's Bat-a-rang that was sitting on the desk and approached it.

As my brother started raving about his most prized possession, I started gathering up my things into my backpack.

"Freddy, I've gotta head home." I told my little brother, as I adjusted the backpack strap onto my shoulder. "I'll see you at school tomorrow, okay?"

"Yep, see you tomorrow, Elle!" The younger Freeman said, limping over and giving me a side hug.

"Later, bubba." I stated, pressing a kiss to Freddy's dark curls. I unwrapped myself from the hug and turned to the new kid.

"It was good to meet you, Billy. Welcome to the family, kiddo!" With that, I made my way out the door and down the stairs.

Freddy POV

"If she's your sister, then how come she doesn't live with the rest of you guys?" Billy asked me, curiously.

"After our last foster parents sent us back into the system, Elena and I were told that we were going to be separated into different foster homes." I explained with a sigh, my heart clenching at the thought. "Elena has a tendency to get into a lot of fights, because of her short temper. Apparently, the fight that sent us back into the system, was one fight too many for social services."

"They felt that her violent behavior, which only ever happens when she's pushed, was too consistent when we're together. Elena's only violent, when she feels like I'm being threatened or picked on." I sighed, running my free hand over my face.

"We begged our caseworker not to split us up, but she said that there was nothing that she could do. That 'social services couldn't legally allow her to live under the same roof as me'." My jaw clenched and I forced back the tears that were brought on by the memory.

"I was taken in by Rosa and Victor, but they still needed to find someone to take in Elle. She was staying at our caseworker's house until they could find a foster home for her."

"I told the Vasquez's about everything that was going on. Luckily, Rosa knew a woman from work that fosters kids with her partner, Gloria." I explained, a small smile growing on my face at the mention of the two amazing women who took Elena in. "Rosa called her friend and told her everything. Teresa and Gloria were more than happy to take Elle in and help keep us as together as legally possible."

"They went to our caseworker's office the next day and sorted everything out right then. They signed all the paperwork and welcomed Elena into their family." I told the new addition to the group home with a smile. "They only live a few blocks away from here, so we get to see each other as often as we can."

"That's amazing." Billy admitted with a nod. "You guys are really lucky to have each other."

"Yeah, that's why both Elena and I try so hard to stay with the families that took us in." I explained, shrugging slightly. "Elle doesn't get into nearly as many fights as she used to. She's getting a lot better at controlling her temper."

"She's safe and the Benson's are good to her. That's all I can ask for." I continued with a smile and a shrug. "We might be legally separated in the eyes of social services, but we still have each other."