Hey guys! This ended up being my longest chapter yet, so I hope you like it! Not as much of a tearjerker as the last one, but still a bit emotional. Enjoy!

Dan awoke with a start as he heard his cell phone ringing shrilly on the nightstand. He groaned and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He and Karen had spent a rough two weeks taking care of Nathan as he recovered from his appendectomy. Besides having to wait on Nathan hand and foot, the two adults had Dan Scott Motors and Karen's Café to run, plus they had to get everything ready for Nathan and Lucas's first day of school in just three days.

Dan grudgingly reached over and picked up his cell phone, if just to stop the incessant ringing. He was hoping it was a wrong number, but he felt a twinge of concern when he saw Keith's name on the caller id.

"Keith, what's wrong?" he asked, giving Karen a sympathetic smile as she rolled over and looked at him in exhaustion. He abruptly pulled the phone away from his ear as Keith started yelling from the other end.

"Okay, Keith, calm down," Dan said, sitting up as he listened to his brother's distress. "Have you checked everywhere? You're sure they didn't just fall asleep in another room?"

Karen sat up too as Keith's volume increased, and Dan shot her a worried glance. "Alright, let's not panic just yet. You get in your car and drive over here. I'll go see if the boys know anything about where they might be, and as soon as you're here, you and I will go look for them."

"What's going on?" Karen asked as Dan hung up the phone.

"The girls are missing," Dan said, hurriedly throwing on a sweatshirt to go with his sweatpants. "Keith put them to bed two hours ago. He went to check on them and they were gone."

"Oh God," Karen said, jumping out of bed as well. "Does Keith have any idea where they could have gone?"

"No, but he's hoping Lucas or Nathan will," Dan said, heading down the hallway and opening Lucas's bedroom door. He started over to the bed to shake the boy awake, but he stopped dead in his tracks halfway there.

"Shit," he cursed, running out of the room and next door to Nathan's. A quick glance inside told him all he needed to know. "The boys are gone, too."

"What?" Karen said incredulously, running into Nathan's room and throwing back the covers, as if she thought Dan was mistaken. "Oh my god! Dan, what if they've been kidnapped? What if they're hurt? What if…"

"Karen, just calm down," Dan said sharply, though he was feeling anything but calm himself. "The odds that all five of them were kidnapped within the past two hours are fairly slim. They probably snuck out somewhere together."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Karen retorted shrilly. "It's dark, Dan! We've have a lot of rain, and the roads and grass are slippery and dangerous. They could have been grabbed by child molesters and be halfway to the state line by now!"

Tears started to stream down Karen's face as she imagined all the horrible things that could be happening to her babies. Dan was feeling pretty grim himself, but he knew he had to remain strong and steady for Karen. He took her in his arms and gave her a warm hug.

"Sweetheart, it's going to be alright," he soothed, praying silently that he wasn't lying to her. "Keith will be here in a few minutes, and he and I will go look for them. You can wait here by the phone in case they call, and you can call some of their friends' parents, too. Keith said he would call the police on his way over."

Eventually, Dan managed to get a sobbing Karen down the stairs and into the kitchen, where he began to fix a pot of coffee. As soon as the timer went off, indicating that the coffee was ready, Keith burst through the side door.

"I looked through the streets on my way over here," Keith said breathlessly. "But no sign of them anywhere."

Karen took a sharp breath as fresh tears poured down her face, and Dan walked over to her and put his arms around her.

"Honey, please calm down," he said softly. "I can't go out and look for the boys unless I know you're going to be alright."

Karen swallowed hard and tried to quell her sobs. "I'll be alright," she choked out. "Please, just go bring them home."

Dan gave her a kiss on top of the head, and without another word, he and Keith headed to the side door. They opened it with the intention of jumping straight into their cars, but both of them stopped cold before they made it two steps. To their horror, a pair of cop cars was pulling in front of the house.

"Oh God," Keith said, his face turning a shade paler then white. Dan quickly reached out a hand and placed it on his brother's shoulder, trying to steady him.

"Karen," Dan called, trying to mask the fear in his own voice. His wife was beside him in half a second, and she gave a gasp of fright. For four horrible seconds, the three parents stood in the threshold, every fear they had ever had for their children playing through their minds, when a cop stepped out of each car.

"Evening folks," one of the officers said, opening the back door of the first car. "I think we have some things that belong to you." He held the door open, and an extremely scared looking Nathan stepped out, followed by an abashed Lucas.

"Nathan!" Karen shrieked, shoving her way past Dan and Keith and rushing over to her boys. "Lucas! Oh my boys, I was so worried about you!" She grabbed them both in her arms, covering them with kisses and squeezing them tightly, like she was afraid they would disappear if she didn't hang on.

The second cop helped a grumpy looking Peyton and a guilty looking Brooke out of the car, before reaching in and lifting out Haley in his arms. The youngest girl was teary eyed and sniffling, and she had a large piece of gauze taped to her left arm.

"What happened?" Keith said, running toward the little girl in alarm. "Is she alright?"

"She's fine, sir," the officer said, handing Haley over to her father. "Your kids, along with over half the fifth grade at Tree Hill Elementary, decided to hold a little end of the summer bash at the playground down by the river. We got a couple of calls from people living nearby about noise and possible vandalism, and several calls from frantic parents worried about their kids. When we showed up, a bunch of the kids tried to run. Your little girl got knocked over and scraped up her arm pretty bad. We cleaned it up, though, so she should be alright in a few days."

"Thank God," Keith said, holding Haley close to his chest. He looked down at his twins girls and said, with a raised eyebrow, "You mind telling me what this nice officer means by 'vandalism'?"

"I'd like to know the same thing," Dan said, who had finally managed to pry Karen off of the boys and was checking them over for bumps and bruises himself.

"We didn't do anything like that!" Lucas protested. "I swear everyone was just hanging out! We made noise, but nothing got destroyed or anything!"

"Be that at is may, son, you kids were out well past curfew," the first cop said. "You made your parents worry and you were disturbing the peace."

"We were just having fun," Peyton grumbled, scuffing her shoe into the ground.

"You be quiet," Keith ordered, his relief and concern being overtaken by anger. "Officers, I assume you won't be pressing charges?"

"No, I think we'll let it slide this time. They really were just having some fun, and it would be pretty hard to prosecute over thirty ten year olds," the first cop said drily. "Speaking of, if you folks have this under control, we need to be heading back. There are still some kids at the playground who need to be taken home."

"Of course," Dan said, rising to his feet and shaking hands with the two men. "Thank you, officers." When the cop cars had driven off, he and Keith exchanged a brief glance before looking down at their respective children. "In the house!" Dan barked, causing Nathan to jump. "Now!"

Two minutes later, all of the children were lined up on the couch facing three very angry adults. Lucas sat on one end next to Nathan. Haley was in the middle, between Nathan and Brooke, while Peyton was slouched against the opposite end.

"Let me make sure I've got this," Dan said, his eyes scanning each of the kids in turn. "You snuck out of your bedrooms, well after dark, on a rainy night, walked a mile and a half across town, to play on the damn playground?"

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?" Keith said, his expression more disbelieving than angry. "You could have been kidnapped, run over, or hurt even worse than Haley already is!"

"Not to mention we were worried sick about you!" Karen said, her worry long since changing into fury.

"But we weren't kidnapped!" Peyton said testily, a little angry that her late evening escapade had been ruined. "We were careful. We looked both ways before crossing the street, we stayed together, and if we hadn't pulled Haley up after she got knocked over, she might have been hurt worse!"

"Yeah," Lucas chimed in, emboldened by his cousin's brazen attitude. "And besides, you couldn't have been that worried. The cops got a radio message that Uncle Keith had called only five minutes before we got to the house."

"You think it's all okay because we only missed you for five minutes?" Karen yelled, her temper gone completely. She was much slower to anger than Dan, but once she got going, it was a scary sight. "Do you have any idea what can go through a parent's mind in five minutes, Lucas Eugene? For five minutes, I didn't know whether you were hurt, kidnapped, or lying dead in a ditch somewhere!"

"And you stopped being careful the minute you decided to sneak out," Keith interjected harshly, turning a frightening glare on Peyton. "How dare you put me through this? I've already lost your mother-can you imagine how much it would break my heart if I lost any of you? I can't believe you would be so insensitive and thoughtless!"

At this point in the lecture, Haley was curled up into Brooke's side, sobbing as though someone had just run over her puppy. Brooke and Nathan were both looking a little teary-eyed too, and while Peyton and Lucas weren't crying, they both looked properly chastised.

"Keith, Karen, can I talk to you outside for a minute?" Dan asked. He was feeling a little uneasy-usually, Karen and Keith were the ones who remained calm, while he flew off the handle. But none of the kids had ever misbehaved this seriously before, so it stood to reason that things would be a little off-kilter. The other two adults nodded and headed toward the hall.

"I don't want to hear a sound out of this room," Keith said sternly, closing the door behind him before the kids had a chance to respond. He leaned against the wall and sighed, scrubbing his face with his hand.

"Alright, I think we need to split the kids up and get everyone to bed," Dan said with finality. "Much as it's making me feel better to watch them quell from our scathing words, it's probably not the most prudent thing to be doing at 12:30 in the morning."

"You're right," Keith said tiredly. "As mad as I am right now, I'm liable to grab the first one that opens their mouth again and light their butt on fire."

"Not if I beat you to it," Karen quipped.

"I can't speak for you, big bro, but I can definitely speak for myself and Karen when I say that Nate and Luke aren't going to be sitting comfortably for a while," Dan said resignedly.

"Neither are the girls," Keith agreed. "I'm going to wait until I can talk to them some more tomorrow, though. I would feel guilty spanking Haley when she's already been hurt; and besides, something tells me that she did not go on her own free will."

The kids jumped as the door to the living room opened again. "Girls, we're leaving," Keith said firmly. "Tomorrow you can call your aunt and uncle and apologize for all the trouble you've caused."

The girls got up and followed their father out the door, Brooke shooting a look back at the boys that was a combination of sympathy and fear. Once they were gone, Dan and Karen walked over and sat down on the coffee table facing the boys.

"I don't think I have ever been this scared or this angry in my entire life," Karen said tightly, her emotions starting to get under control. "What on earth possessed you to do this?"

"We're sorry," Lucas said meekly. "I heard about it from Skills, and I thought it would be fun. I was the one that made Nathan go."

"No, you didn't," Nathan argued. "I was sick of being cooped up in the house because of my surgery. I wanted to go just as much as you did."

Karen's eyes softened as each boy rushed to defend the other, and she felt a good deal of her anger melt away. She and Dan shared a quick glance that showed he was equally as proud.

"Boys, you both snuck out of this house, you both went to the playground, and you both ended up being brought home by the cops," Dan said firmly. "And you both have to be punished for that."

"But we'll deal with that in the morning," Karen added. "Right now, I want both of you up in bed, and this time I want you to stay there."

Lucas nodded in resignation, and started to stand up, but Nathan took a deep breath and looked at his parents. "Could you…could you maybe do it now?" he asked softly.

Dan raised an eyebrow at him. "Could we do what? Punish you?" he asked, not sure he knew what Nathan meant.

Nathan shifted uncomfortable. "It's just…I feel really bad for what we did," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don't think I can sleep feeling this guilty. I mean, I don't want to be punished, but…" he trailed off.

Lucas sat back down next to his brother. "I kinda get what he's saying," he said reluctantly. "I feel bad too, and I'm really sorry. Could we just get the worst part over with?"

Dan and Karen looked at each other and had a silent conversation with their eyes. "Alright," Karen said, standing up and giving Dan's shoulder a quick squeeze. "I'm going to leave this part to your father. I'll be back when he's done with you."

Once Karen had left the room, Dan regarded each of his boys. Nathan was decidedly more upset than Lucas, so Dan made the choice to deal with him first.

"I don't think it's going to help any of us if I yell at you guys anymore, is it?" Dan asked seriously. When both of the boys nodded in agreement, he rolled up the sleeves of his sweatshirt. "Lucas, I want you in the corner. Nathan, come here," he ordered.

Lucas walked quickly over to the corner, obviously a little relieved that his butt wasn't the first to be in the line of fire. Nathan bit his lip and approached Dan's side nervously.

Dan didn't waste any time guiding his youngest over his lap. Nathan went over without complaint, but he gave a little squeak of fear when Dan tugged his basketball shorts and underwear down to his knees. Dan placed his hand on the back of Nathan's leg and said sternly, "This is going to hurt, Nathan, but not nearly as badly as you could have been hurt tonight." With that, he raised his hand and brought it down with a loud crack on Nathan's backside.

Nathan winced and sucked in his breath. He knew that Dan had gone easy on him last time, but he wasn't quite prepared for such a hard spanking this time. Still, he knew he deserved it. If his mom were here, she'd have probably gone to work on him with a hairbrush.

"I know we didn't exactly cover sneaking out when we went over the rules of this house, Nathan, but I would have thought that one would have been obvious," Dan lectured, delivering hard and fast swats to Nathan's quickly reddening bottom. "You are not allowed to go anywhere without our permission, and you are certainly not allowed to walk more than a mile across town after dark."

"I'm sorry!" Nathan whimpered, unable to keep his legs from kicking a bit as Dan moved down towards his sit spots.

"I know you are," Dan said, slowing the swats down. "And if you ever pull a stunt like this again, you will be a hell of a lot sorrier. Understand?"

"Yes!" Nathan cried, tears starting to fall from his eyes as Dan's spanks got harder and slower. "I'm sorry, Dad! I'll never do it again! Daddy, stop!"

Dan felt his heart clench as Nathan called him Daddy for the first time, and he ended the spanking with a final swat to the center of Nathan's butt. He rubbed the sobbing boy's back for a moment, before pulling up his pants and helping him to his feet. Nathan dove into Dan's arms as soon as he was right side up, and Dan held him for a moment.

"It's alright, Nate, you're forgiven," he said tenderly, stroking the boy's hair. He leaned back a bit so he could see Nathan's face. "Please don't ever make me be that hard on you again," he requested softly.

Nathan nodded, his words getting choked up in his sobs. Dan gave him a kiss on the forehead and then turned him toward Lucas. "You go take your brother's place," he said, giving Nathan a gentle love tap on the rear end. "Lucas, come over here."

Lucas gave his brother a frightened look as they passed each other. Luke had heard the unmistakable sound of hand hitting bare flesh while his brother was being spanked, and he was more than slightly alarmed. Dan had never spanked Lucas bare before, and if he wasn't aware that he was in trouble before, he was sure as heck aware of it now. He approached Dan cautiously, staring at his shoes the whole time.

Dan lifted the boy's chin with one finger and gave him a serious look. "I don't ever want to have a reason to punish you this severely again," he said sincerely. When Lucas's eyes glossed over with tears, Dan took his arm and pulled him over his lap, pulling down his shorts and underwear as soon as he was in position. Lucas struggled a bit as the cool air washed over his skin, but Dan wrapped his left arm around his waist and went to work on his backside.

"There is absolutely no excuse for the stunt you pulled tonight, Lucas Scott," Dan scolded, peppering his eldest's bottom with hard, stinging smacks. "You know perfectly well what the rules are about being out after dark and going somewhere without our permission. And when I think about how badly you frightened your mother tonight, you should consider yourself lucky that I'm not spanking you with more than my hand!"

"Ow, Dad!" Lucas yelped, trying in vain to push himself up off of his father's legs. "I get it! Never again, I promise!"

"I hope so," Dan said sternly, delivering the spanks slower and more solid as he felt Lucas start to break down. "If you break that promise, son, this spanking will seem like a walk in the park. Got it?"

"Yes!" Lucas wailed, finally allowing the tears to roll down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, Daddy!"

Dan delivered one last swat in relief and quickly pulled Lucas's pants up so he could begin comforting the boy. He turned Lucas over and held him on his left knee, making sure that he wasn't resting directly on his bottom.

"Sh, it's alright son," Dan soothed, rocking Lucas back and forth gently. Once Lucas's sobs had subsided, Dan allowed Nathan to come out of the corner and sit on his other knee. Dan held them both for a moment before he heard the living room door creak open. He looked back and saw Karen, who had apparently been right outside listening to the punishments, as she was looking a little teary eyed herself.

"I think you guys need to apologize to someone else," Dan said, indicating Karen's presence to his sons. Lucas jumped off of his lap, followed quickly by Nathan, and both boys ran over and threw their arms around Karen.

"We're sorry, Mom," they both said at approximately the same time, their voices muffled against her bathrobe.

"I know, babies," Karen said, kneeling down and holding them so their heads could lie on her shoulders. "Just please don't ever scare me like that again. You're both too important to me." She gave them each a kiss, then stood up and led them back over to the couch. She sat down, lifting Nathan onto her lap, while Dan sat beside her and followed suit with Lucas.

"Guys, I know you've both already been punished, but I think this calls for something extra," Dan said seriously, causing Lucas to give him an apprehensive look. "You're both grounded for the next two weeks. School, homework, and chores, and that's it. Sound fair, Karen?"

"Almost," Karen said, rubbing Nathan's back when he looked at her nervously. "I think the two of you need a little time to think about what you did. So tomorrow, you're spending the entire day in your rooms. You can come out for the bathroom and meals, but that's it."

"A whole day?" Lucas whined. Dan gave him a warning tap on the leg and frowned, while Karen just raised an eyebrow at him. "If you want to complain, I think we can arrange to have you confined to your room during your entire grounding," she said firmly. "Is that what you want?"

"No, ma'am," Lucas said, going from indignant to pitiful so rapidly that both of his parents had to fight the urge to chuckle.

"Alright, you two," Dan said, standing up and lifting Lucas on his hip. "You need to get into bed-for real this time," he said sternly.

"Indeed," Karen said, scooping up Nathan and heading for the stairs. "You're lucky I don't make you sleep with us while we get your windows fitted with bars."

Thirty minutes later, Luke and Nathan were both sound asleep, on their stomachs, of course. Dan and Karen, however, were wide awake in bed.

"I still can't believe they snuck out," Karen said, sounding utterly dumbfounded. "They're ten years old, for heaven's sake. If they're pulling this crap now, what's it going to be like when they're in high school?"

Dan reached out and put his arm around her, pulling her in toward his chest. "Sweetheart, I think we're screwed," he said seriously, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Alright guys, I'm making you an offer, so listen up. All of the chapters in this story are going to focus strictly on stuff that happens with Dan, Karen, Nathan, and Lucas. However, if there is interest in seeing a seperate one-shot about what happened between Keith and the girls after this little incident, I will be willing to write it. BUT I will require no less than 15 reviews requesting that said one-shot be written. 36 people have this story on alert, so that doesn't seem like an unreasonable number. If there is enough interest, I will give you a little insight into the world of Keith and the Scott girls. Otherwise, we'll leave all the drama with the Scott boys. Coming up next: I have no idea. But it will probably involve school. Thanks for reading!