10 Sexiest, Sweetest, and Most Adorable Stef/Lena Moments from The Fosters

Sadly, Mondays are about to get a little less awesome. Today marks the season finale of The Fosters, and it has certainly been a helluva season. Which characters’ life hasn’t been ruined in some way or another? What issues haven’t we dealt with yet? How many more jaw-droppingly dramatic problems will arise during tonight’s episode? We can’t even begin to guess, but there is one thing we can always be sure of; Stef and Lena are pretty much our favorite TV couple of all time. And even when The Fosters takes its hiatus-y bow, we luckily still have plenty of beautiful moments to reminisce over, not to mention a few that pushed the ABC Family envelope in the best possible way. Thank you, ABC Family, Teri Polo, and Sherri Saum for a season of perfection!

10. Meet the Parents (Pilot): Before The Fosters began, it more or less blipped on the radar as ‘That Jennifer Lopez show with the lesbian moms.’ On paper, sure, that’s what ABC Family was putting on the table, but every moment of the pilot proved that this would actually be a layered, engaging show, thanks in very big part to Sherri Saum and Teri Polo’s realistic, emotionally charged portrayals of long-time partners Stef and Lena. And it wasn’t all cuddly, ‘look how normal lesbians are!” fun and games. In the pilot alone the two had were already having disagreements, but their inherent love and admiration for each other came across beautifully and won us over in seconds. We also learned the network wasn’t here to be shy. Within 15 minutes Stef and Lena kiss, cuddle, and get into bed together. Viewers, hide your children! The blasphemy has begun!

9. Backseat Lovin' (The Morning After): When the kids are away, apparently the parents will climb in the back of the car and get it on. Contextually, the family has just been to a slam poetry competition where the child of another married lesbian couple the Fosters are friends with is performing. His poem about his mothers’ love is beautiful, but in reality, they’re getting a divorce. Stef and Lena are shocked, and take a moment to examine their own relationship. Luckily, the examination turns into a secret, car-horn-honking backseat adventure. 

8. The Mother/Daughter Dance (Quinceanera): Back in the days when Mariana was whiny and unsympathetic (as opposed to now, where she’s somehow become whiny and amazing!), she opts to dance with Mike instead of her moms for the traditional parent/daughter dance at her Quinceanera. Stef and Lena, who spend the entire episode trying to make their daughter happy, accept her decision, but at the end of the episode a weepy and regretful Mariana takes the dance floor with her moms in a moment that’ll have you pretending you’re not at least a little choked up. Come on, who wouldn't want to dance with these two?!

7. Callie’s Confession (Padre): After an episode packed with both Callie and Stef suppressing deep pain for dead loved ones, Callie finally breaks down and admits she’s been harboring terrible guilt for not kissing her mother goodbye before her death in a car crash. Stef relates, having only experienced a rocky relationship with her father herself, and gives Callie some tearfully touching words of inspiration and love that bring them closer than ever, and even help prove to Callie she needs to finally accept the love the family has for her and get adopted. It's a life changing moment for Callie, and one of the best mother/daughter scenes of the season.

6. Jude calls Lena “Mom” (Padre): It’s a quick little moment in Fosters history, but it would just be wrong to exclude this gem. Jude casually calls Lena “Mom” for the first time when asking if his pal Connor can come over after Stef’s father’s funeral. Lena reacts calmly, but the second Jude dashes off, she takes a powerful, tearfully-endearing moment to collect herself. It’s a subtle but oh-so-powerful second, and further proof that in one breath Sherri Saum can successfully melt our hearts.

5. Flashback Palooza (Vigil): That hair! That backstory! The odd glow that suddenly soaks up every frame of 90s goodness! Sure, the catalyst for the flashbacks - Stef getting shot by Ana’s ex-boyfriend- was pretty terrible, but getting to see how Stef and Lena met and ended up together is a breath of fresh air in a nerve-wracking episode. And really, who doesn’t love a good origins story? Especially one that ends in a wounded but recovery Stef asking Lena to marry her. 

4. Stef Pops a Different Kind of Question (Padre): This was a really emotional episode, okay?? Stef already had us abusing tissues by the time she finally said goodbye to her deceased father alone in his recently gifted Toyota. Throughout the episode, Stef struggled with her anger at her homophobic father’s both life and death, as well as her discovery of Lena's secret desire to get pregnant. Just as the credits roll, Lena joins her wife in the car, and after several silent seconds, Stef turns to her and asks her, “So, do you want to have a baby?” Well, we couldn't be happier favorite ABC Family is about the get bigger!

3. Lena Makes Her Peace (I Do): Everything about Stef's hospital storyline tore us apart, but this was the perfect moment of recovery. Right before their wedding, Lena, who has been trying and failing to deal with Stef’s decision to go back to work, pulls Stef aside for what Stef amusedly thinks is a rather oddly placed sex scene. Instead, Lena undoes her soon-to-be wife’s shirt, places her hand on her bullet wound, and tells her, “If I’m going to marry you, I’m going to marry all of you. The scar, the bullet, and the cop.” Swoon.

2. The Baby Make-Out (Escapes and Reversals): ABC Family surprised us all when, after seriously deciding to go ahead and have baby with a sperm donor, Stef and Lena share some private time of their own, and nearly go all the way on their couch. Sure, Stef and Lena kiss, make out, and have insinuated relations surprisngly often on the show, but this is some next level couch-straddling sexiness. What we've realized at this point is that The Fosters seems to have two kind of endings for each episode; some sort of edge-of-your-seat, OMG revelation, or Stef and Lena going as far as the network will allow. Either way, they sure know how to get us coming back for more!

1. Stef and Lena Tie the Knot (I Do): After years of Lena suppressing her desire to marry and Stef acting like weddings are a joke, the two make their (and our) dreams come true with a beautiful, "Same Love" infused ceremony that brings not only Stef and Lena closer, but the entire family. The ladies ended the night in each other’s arms, and us viewers ended the mis-season finale 100% sure we’d be returning for round 2. We’ll certainly miss Stef, Lena, and the rest of the gang while they’re away, but it’ll be worth it for the guaranteed awesomeness season 2 will definitely be serving up. Until then, it looks like it’s time for a rewatch! Over and over and over again...