*A/N: So sorry for the late update. It's been crazy with the holidays. Plus, I've been trying to plan my cousin's baby shower that is this weekend. I feel like crawling into a dark cave and sleeping for weeks. I wanna thank those who gave me the inspiring comments. They were wonderfully uplifting. I especially wanna thank one reviewer in particular. Thank you to Coyote Laughs for the wonderful words. I'm so glad to know that you love my story that much. Your words are the ones that helped me get back on track for this story. I hope I can continue to impress you with this story. I wanted to let everyone know that this isn't going to be a very long story. Only about ten chapters or so. Not fully positive on the length. I have it all planned out in my head, but the problem is getting it to how I want the story to get to and how I want it to end. So wish me luck. On with the story.*

Chapter Four

"What? That's impossible. I don't have a daughter."

Catlin's face fell and Sam got angry. "Yes, you do, Freddie. She's fifteen years old. Think back, dork, and you will remember. And if you can't I have a picture that will make you."

"Sam, I'm telling you. I don't have a daughter. I think I would remember if- I- did." He saw the look on Catlin's face and noticed her bright blue eyes, Sam's eyes. "Oh my God."

"Do you remember now, nerd?"

"First off, quit with the names. Second off, Emily?"

"Yes, Freddie, Emily."

"I can't believe I forgot about her." He turned to Catlin. "I'm sorry, Catlin. I pretty much blocked out that part of my life. It was very painful for me."

"Then how did you remember about me, Mr.- I mean, Freddie?"

He smiled at her. "Your eyes."

Catlin looked at him confused. "My eyes? What do my eyes have to do with it?"

"Easy. I would remember those eyes anywhere."

"I don't understand."

"You have your mothers' eyes."

"What are you talking about?" Sam walked over and looked closely at Catlin. "Oh my God. I can't believe I didn't notice it before."

"Exactly, Sam. You can't misplace those eyes."

Sam glared at him. "Shut up, Freddie."

"I still don't get why you called me over here, Sam."

Sam rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Because, Fredward, Catlin wanted to meet you."

"But what are you doing here in the first place, Catlin?"

Sam turned to look at the girl in question. "That's a good question. Why are you here, Catlin?"

"I told you. I wanted to find my birth parents."

"But what about your parents? Do they know where you are at?"

Catlin dropped her head so her bangs covered her eyes. "N-No."

Sam sat down on the couch in shock. "You ran away from home?"

"Not exactly." She sat down next to her and kept her head down.

Freddie sat down on the chair next to the couch. "Well explain it to us. Your parents don't know where you are but you didn't run away from home?"

Catlin looked up at Freddie and he saw tears in her eyes. "It's a long story and a painful one at that."

Sam laid her hand on Catlin's arm. "Tell us, honey. You can tell us anything."

"Well, it's like this."

* "Catlin! It's time to get up." A pretty brunette woman flitted around her kitchen. Alexandra Reynolds was a typical mother and wife. She kept her home in immaculate shape even with an out of control teenage daughter.

"Catlin Marie Reynolds! If you don't get up right now you're going to be late for tryouts."

She stood at the bottom of the stairs waiting from a reply from her fifteen year old daughter. After a few minutes without a reply, she let out a frustrated breath and headed up the stairs to wake her up. When she got to her daughters door, not a sound was heard. That was odd in this house. She didn't even hear the sounds of Catlin's snores, as light as they were.

"Catlin?" Alexandra knocked on the door. She turned the knob and the door swung inward. She looked around the room. Everything was fine, but her daughter was no where to be found. She wasn't even in her bed.

"God damn it. Not again," she muttered to herself as she turned to go back down stairs. "Jeffery! She's gone again."

Her husband came out of his study as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "Where to this time?"

"I don't know. Probably to that little hoodlum she hangs out with. What are we going to do with her?"

"Don't worry, dear. We'll set her straight. Should we go get her?"

"Yea. Let me get my purse."

Ten minutes later they were out of the house and on the way to Catlin's best friends house. Jeffery Reynolds parked the car and his wife got out and went to the front door.

Knocking lightly, she waited for Daniel's mother to answer the door. It swung open to reveal not his mother but Daniel himself. She smiled sweetly at him. "Danny, is Catlin here?"

"No, Mrs. Reynolds. I haven't seen Catlin since the last time you came to get her."

The smile dropped off her face. "Do you know where she is?"

"No, ma'am. Is she gone again?"

"Yea. You don't know where she could possibly be?"

"No, ma'am, I don't. I haven't talked to her for a few days. I'm sorry I can't be of any help. Did you try Leyton's? She may have gone there."

"Alright. I'll check there. Thank you. If you here from her let me know. Have her call me."

"Yes, ma'am, I will."

Alexandra went back to the car. Jeffery looked at her when she got back in the car. "Well?"

"She's not here. Danny said to try Leyton's place. You know how close her and Leyton are."

"Alright. We'll try there."

They headed across town to where Catlin's other best friend lived. It wasn't in a very good neighborhood, but her and Catlin were two peas in a pod. Usually if she wasn't with Danny, then she was with Leyton.

Jeffery pulled up to the house and Alexandra, once again, went to knock on the door. Leyton's mother, Jennifer, answered the door. She smiled at Alexandra.

"What can I do for you?"

"Is Catlin here? We can't find her again and she's not with Danny as usual."

"Yea. She's upstairs with Leyton. Come on in and I'll get the girls for you."

"Thank you." She stepped into the house and waited while Jennifer ran up to get her daughter.

The girls both came downstairs. "Mom? What are you doing here?" Catlin gave her mother a confused but innocent look.

"I could ask you that same question, young lady. Do you know that this is the fourth time this month that you've taken off from the house without letting me or your father know? I almost had a heart attack when I noticed you weren't in your room this morning. You need to stop this, Catlin. Now get your stuff. We are going home."

Catlin dropped her head. "Yes, ma'am. Sorry, Leyt."

"It's cool."

Catlin headed back up to grab her stuff.

"Mrs. Reynolds, I'm sorry. I didn't know that she had run off again. She told me that you knew."

"It's alright, Leyton. It's not your fault."

Catlin came back down with her stuff and followed her mother out the door. She turned back to her friend. "I'll see you Monday at school, Leyt."

"See ya."

Alexandra and Catlin climbed into the car. Jeffery turned around to his daughter. "This is the last straw, Catlin Marie. I'm tired of this. You are fifteen years old. It's time to be a little mature."

"Dad, can we not do this right now? Let's just go home and I'll take my punishment there."

He started the car and they headed home. Jeffery ranted to Catlin the whole time about how she was irresponsible and need to take some kind of responsibility for the way she acted. He never saw the car until it was to late. *

Catlin had tears flowing down her face. "I woke up in the hospital and immediately asked the nurse where my mom and dad were. It turns out the car that hit us was driven by a drunk driver. It hit on my mom's side and killed her and my dad instantly." A sob escaped Catlin's mouth. "I wasn't sure what was going to happen to me. In their will, it read that if anything was to happen to them that I was to come find you. See, I have known since I was ten that I was adopted, but Mom and Dad didn't want me to find you till I was of age. So here I am."

Sam ran her hand over Catlin's back to try to calm her down. "How long ago was this?"

"A month ago."

"So why did it take you so long to find us?" Freddie gently laid his hand on her arm.

"Well, first I had to plan their funeral and then it took me a while to locate Sam."

Freddie moved and sat on the other side of Catlin. He put his arm around her shoulders and, together, him and Sam hugged her to let her get the tears out. After she finally calmed down, Freddie and Sam excused themselves to the kitchen to talk.

Sam leaned against the island that Freddie was seated at. "So?"

"What are we going to do, Sam?"

"I don't know. I was hoping you did."

Freddie groaned in frustration and ran his hands through his hair. "We have our fifteen year old daughter that we gave up for adoption sitting in your living room and she just told us her adoptive parents died a month ago. How did my life get so complicated? It was so normal. I got up, I got dressed for work, I ate, I went to work, I came home, I ate, I went to bed. Simple. Then you come back into my life and, boom, complicated once more."

"Gee, thanks. Why is this all my fault?"

Freddie sighed. "I didn't say it was, Sam. I'm just trying to figure out what we're going to do."

Sam growled in frustration. "I need food."

*A/N: Haha. Same old Sam. Let me know what you think of it. Click that little button that says review and make me a very happy person. If you make me happy enough, I might try to get the next one out sooner and might even do a little dance for you. ;D *