Author's Note: I wanna take a minute to thank all of the guests who review this, since I can't thank you guys in PMs. So, thank you! And hgirl, happy New Year to you as well! Sorry your 2013 picture didn't show up good in the review! Okay, now please read shiqi98's story, vote on who is winning our shout-out war, review . . . yeah, all the normal stuff! Enjoy chapter 21!

Jack's POV

Wow, I had almost forgotten how good Mrs. Crawford's cooking was in the few days I had been without it! Breakfast was delicious, and also a lot of fun. There was lots of laughing and smiling, just as if I was a part of the family. However, amidst Kim's smiles and laughs I also detected concern every time her eyes landed on me. I wondered why? I decided that when breakfast ended, I would pull her aside in private and talk to her.

A few minutes later, everyone's dish was cleared and Mrs. Crawford started getting up to put everything in the sink. Momentarily pushing aside my curiosity at Kim's behavior at the table, I quickly stand up and begin to gather plates as well. "I've got it, Mrs. C," I say. However, her hand swats at mine, causing me to put the plates down so I don't drop them.

"That's very sweet, Jack, but you're a guest here; I'll take care of this," she responds, smiling and grabbing the plates I had just placed back down on the table. I just smirk to myself. Classic Mrs. Crawford; I can see where Kimmy gets her stubbornness from. Sighing, I go to pull Kim aside to talk with her, since I can see the worried expression creeping back into her eyes as she watches me, but just then my mother walks in the door with Erin in her arms, a little bit of an annoyed expression on her face as she looks at James who is not far behind her; something had obviously happened between the two of them.

The reason for me not pulling Kim aside was not their presence, but the fact that almost as soon as they walked in, my mom turned to me and said, "Jack, honey, may I talk to you upstairs for a moment, if it's okay with Mrs. Crawford of course to be up there."

With Mrs. Crawford's nod of approval, I begin to follow my mom upstairs when Kim runs up to me, pulling, me back for a minute. "Jack, should you be alone with her?" she whispers hurriedly. "What about that feeling we were having yesterday?"

To be honest, I had pushed that feeling away, knowing that it was probably nothing and I shouldn't worry myself over it. "Kimmy, relax, Erin will be there," I say, trying to ease her tension. She doesn't look amused, though.

She hits my arm and says, "Jack, I'm serious."

Wow, she was really freaking out over this. "Kimmy, I'm a black belt in karate. If I need to fight her for any reason, which I won't need to, then I'll be able to. I only have some minor injuries left, so I'll be fine. I promise. Can I go now?"

She looks hesitant, but she knows that I won't give up trying to convince her to let me go, so she says, "Fine, but please keep your guard up and don't take your eyes off of her, Jack! I'm serious." She kisses me on the cheek and lets go of my arm, still looking worried. I write it off as her just not liking my mom and still not trusting her and push her warnings to the back of my mind as I follow my mom upstairs.

When we get into the other spare bedroom that my mom, James, and Erin have been using, she closes the door and places Erin gently on the bed, away from the edge. "Alright, mom, what do you want to talk about?" I ask, looking her in the eyes; the look in them seemed off, and I briefly wondered what was going on in her mind when she spoke up and cut off my train of thought.

"Jack, honey, I've been thinking a lot about what you told me happened when I left, you know with the people who tried to hurt you and your friends?"

She looks to me to make sure I understand what she is talking about, and I nod slowly, wondering where she is heading with this. She waits a minute and then continues.

"Well, after hearing that, I've been worried, and I really want to keep you and your sister safe, Jack. James thinks I am nuts, of course, and overreacting, but I want you to come with me to somewhere I know, somewhere that is safe where I can make sure nothing will happen to you and your sister. Ever."

I look at her oddly; the look in her eyes is making me slightly creeped out, and I am actually putting my guard up slightly now. "Mom, trust me, that won't happen again. We're perfectly safe here with Kim and her family, alright?"

"Jack, I'm serious young man. I want you to come with me, and we'll leave today. I'll take your sister too; you won't be alone. James shouldn't come though; he doesn't agree with me on this. Okay, so why don't you go pack the stuff that you have and we'll head out!"

Okay, she was starting to freak me out a little now, and I rarely get freaked out. "Mom, I'm fine, and I'm staying here, alright? Nothing will happen, I promise you!" I see hurt reflecting in her eyes, but there is no way I am leaving here, so with that said, I turn away from her to leave and go back downstairs, to reassure Kim that I am okay. I hear the phone ring, and someone rush to answer it; I don't know why I pay attention to that, but I do. Just as I am about to twist the doorknob and leave, my mom's voice says, "I was afraid you'd say that, Jack. I'm sorry, but this is for your own good."

The hair on the back of my neck stands up, and my mind screams at me to turn around. I spin around to face my mom, and too late I see her swing the lamp from the nightstand towards my head . . .

Kim's POV

My parents had stepped outside to help James bring the rest of the shopping bags in, and I am debating about whether I should go upstairs and make sure Jack is okay when the phone rings; I run to go see who it is. Looking at the caller ID, I recognize the number for the hospital and pick up, wondering why they were calling. "Hello?" I ask.

"Hello, is this Karen Crawford speaking?" the nurse on the other line asks me.

"No, this is her daughter, Kim Crawford. Can I help you?"

"Are your parents there, sweetie? This is very important."

"They've stepped outside for a minute; would you like me to get them?"

She hesitates for a very brief moment, and then says, "No, it can't wait. Listen carefully, hun, and tell your parents: It's about the woman who is staying with you currently, Mrs. Sarah Brewer. The doctor has examined some test results closer from when she was here for her concussion, and he found an unusual brain-wave pattern."

Okay, I have no clue what that means, but it doesn't sound good. "Um, so what does that mean exactly?" I ask, confused.

"It means that she is mentally unstable and has been for some time now. We are sending a special . . . um, unit over to your house that will bring her back to the hospital; she needs to be held here for a while. It is important that you tell your parents this immediately, and don't let anyone be alone with her."

That is when I hear a crashing noise from upstairs, like something breaking, and I remember that Jack is up there with his mom, alone with her unless you counted the baby. "JACK!" I yell loudly, suddenly very concerned. I drop the phone and it hits the floor, not bothering to hang up. I rush up the stairs and open the closed door of the spare room where James, Erin, and Mrs. Brewer have been sleeping and my eyes widen at the scene laid out before my eyes.

Author's Note: Oohh, major cliffy! Sorry guys! You'll find out what happens tomorrow! Review please!