Author's Note: Thank you all for the reviews! One thing I wanted to mention though--several people made comments about rage black outs being on Summer's medical records. Reviewers mentioned that they didn't think rage black outs were real. Technically, they are not real, but there are psychological disorders where, during extreme periods of trauma or rage, you can black out and not realize what you are doing, sometimes for hours at a time. Most of the time these black outs are following a major trauma or period of rage, but sometimes people seem to have them more consistently depending on the disorder they have. While the proper name probably isn't "rage black outs", there is such a thing as a rage black out (or at least the idea of it). Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and I'm sorry about how long it's been since I updated, but we're vacationing right now so I finallyhad time to write it. I'm working on Chapter Six as I write this, and I wanted to throw out the idea that I'm writing chapter six as three or four weeks after this chapter...if you have any comments/suggestions, please leave them in a review! Thank you to all reviewers again, you guys keep me going!

Happy New Year's to everyone! (In case I do not update in time, but I'm hoping I will!)

Callie

Chapter Five

Half an hour later, Seth had arrived at the volunteer center to hopefully help plan some of the ground and aerial searches for Shannon. He saw his mother first, whom was busy handing out flyers with Shannon's image and description to volunteers.

"Okay, so please take your pile of flyers and hand them out to stores. Ask managers and owners to display the flyers in their store front windows. You can also hand them to people on the street or tape the flyers to trees or light posts, okay?" Kirsten paused to see if anyone would ask a question and when no one did, she put the warmest smile she could manage on her face, thanked the volunteers, and excused them.

As the volunteers scattered off, Kirsten noticed her son standing a few feet away. "Oh, Seth," Kirsten sighed as she put her arms out to him. As she hugged him, she inquired about how long he had been at the volunteer center and where Summer was.

"About five minutes—I wanted to help get some of the ground and aerial searches going or do whatever I possibly can to bring her home," Seth paused here and shuffled his feet around a bit. "Summer is at Ryan and Marissa's…she wanted to see our kids, especially Court and Kaylie, and check on them."

Kirsten nodded thoughtfully. "I called over there earlier—I heard Allie's not doing too well. She really wants to help and she's just sick over what's happened," Kirsten explained as she folded her arms over her chest.

Seth wasn't surprised to hear that Alyson Atwood (better known to her family as Allie) was sick over Shannon's disappearance. Alyson was Marissa and Ryan's eldest daugher at eleven years old and one of Shannon's best friends. "Allie's a sweet girl. It's wonderful that she wants to help, but I don't know how she can…we probably don't want any of the children running around here," Seth reasoned.

"Well, Ryan and Marissa started out thinking they didn't want her running around the volunteer center either, but Allie was so adamant about it that they finally agreed to let her come and help as long as she sticks by my side," Kirsten replied.

"If that's what they think, then Allie is more than welcome here. Either way though, I'm worried about having the kids running around anywhere. I mean, in the house, in the yard, here—" Seth paused and looked around. "I just don't know where they're safe anymore. I can't have my eyes on all of them all the time…I just need to find somewhere I know they'll be safe and I won't have to worry about their well being when I'm not with them."

Kirsten stepped closer to Seth and started whispering to him. "Well, Marissa and I talked about it…all of us—you, Summer, Marissa, Ryan, Sandy, me—we all need to be able to help out the investigation in any way possible so we can bring Shannon home. We don't have time or a person to spare on watching the kids. The kids need a new, permanent caretaker until things are more under control. They need to be moved to a different house." Kirsten stopped waiting to see Seth's reaction to all this. Seth didn't seem thrilled about the idea, but he didn't say he had heard enough either. "Seth, only God knows when you'll be able to go back to your house, and we can't keep ten kids at Ryan and Marissa's…especially because Marissa is just as famous as Summer is. Both of your addresses can be easily accessed by the public. I think it would best to move them all somewhere that is rather…hidden from the public."

Seth considered all this before replying. "Mom, where do you think we're going to keep ten kids with famous parents hidden from the public eye? Don't get me wrong, I think the idea is a great one, but it just doesn't seem very logical to me," Seth explained as his forehead wrinkled.

Kirsten put on her famous "well-that's-where-you're-wrong" face. "This morning, shortly after the first Amber Alert went out for Shannon, I received a phone call from Lindsay. She wants to help in any way possible and she's volunteered to watch all ten kids for as long as you guys need. She'll take them all. She and her husband have a summer house that's just outside of Newport…it takes forty minutes to get there with no traffic. It's isolated and no one is around for miles…I think it's the perfect place to keep the kids safe," Kirsten explained. "Her kids will be there, too, and all the kids will just have a ton of fun together. Your kids will be happy there, and safe, too. You'll have a ton of time to figure out Shannon's disappearance and find her without having to worry about the safety of your other children," Kirsten paused. "What do you think?"

"I think…" Seth swallowed hard. "I'll call Summer and let her know…we'll pack the kids up and drop them off tonight and…that'll be that." Seth nodded at his mother, trying to appear calm and collected, but inside he wasn't at all calm or collected. He hated the idea of sending his kids away, even to someone like Lindsay, who truly loved them.

"It's for the best, Seth. They'll be far away from the danger that will exist around this investigation. Trust me, you don't want them here, you don't want them to see the things that will be going on. These investigations can be so cruel towards the families of the victims. They'll be better off not seeing or hearing about these things," Kirsten reassured her son.

Seth nodded at Kirsten. "I'm going to go to Summer and let her know about Lindsay and the kids," Seth kissed his mother's cheek and said goodbye to her.

"It's for the best, Seth," Kirsten repeated as she held Seth's hands in hers for a moment before letting him go.

Seth nodded again and then walked away from his mother, praying that she was right and that this move would be best for the kids. He wasn't sure what was best or what would keep his kids the safest anymore.

Seth let himself into Marissa and Ryan's home quietly. He could hear some of the older kids whispering quietly to each other in the living room. The younger kids, he presumed, were in the kitchen with Summer and Marissa. Seth heard their voices more clearly as he walked closer to the kitchen.

He stuck his head in the kitchen first and glanced around. Summer was sitting with her side to Seth, with Emily in her lap and Jake and Ben sitting at her feet on the floor. "Hey, babe," Seth whispered softly to Summer as he leaned down and kissed first Summer's forehead and the top of Emily's head.

Before anyone could say anything else, Allie appeared in the kitchen with her sisters, Courtney, and Kaylie at her side. "Mom, can I go help out now? Is that why Uncle Seth is here?" she asked in a pleading voice.

Marissa looked unsure as she glanced from Seth to Allie and back to Seth. "Well…" Marissa started uncertainly.

"Actually," Seth interrupted, "I need to talk to your mothers before any of you go anywhere, so Courtney come here and get Emily, Jake, and Ben, okay? Kaylie, please help her." Seth helped his kids move themselves out of the kitchen while Allie and her sisters, nine-year-old Megan and seven-year-old Taylor, moved their brothers, five-year-old Erik and two-year-old Noah, into the living room as well. "Allie's in charge," Seth called as he left the living room and reentered the kitchen.

"So…" he said looking from Summer to Marissa. "Mom thinks the kids aren't safe here in Newport. She thinks they should stay somewhere that's not as publicly known as our homes are right now." Seth paused and waited for a reply. After a few moments without one, he added, "You know, at least until we know who took Shannon and whether or not they're after all the kids or if taking Shannon was just…random."

Summer turned and looked at Seth. "My kids," she started slowly, "don't need any more drama in their lives right now. I don't think the best thing to do right now is to tear them away from their parents."

Marissa shot Seth a sympathetic look and jumped in here. "I actually think it's a good idea. I mean, you don't know who took Shannon or what their motive was. Maybe the others kids aren't safe here. Plus, with them out of Newport, you could focus all your attention on the investigation for now. You'll hardly be able to put much effort into helping find Shannon if you're constantly running home to raise five kids," Marissa said trying to sound reasonable.

"Maybe that's true, Marissa," Summer snapped. "But what the hell am I supposed to do? Just say 'okay, I lost one, so now the other five have to go away as well'? Yeah, perhaps I don't have time to raise the five of them right now, but I can't stop raising them. Someone has to!" Summer said angrily.

Marissa eyes welled up with tears and she turned to look at Seth. She shrugged helplessly at him. Seth gave her a small reassuring smile and then turned to Summer. "You're right, Sum. Someone has to. And someone has volunteered to, at least for a while. Lindsay wants to take the kids," he told her. Seth turned Marissa. "She wants to take your five as well. She says she wants to help with the investigation, but she thinks she'll do more good watching the kids and keeping them out of the drama of the investigation than if she was just here passing out flyers or something."

Summer sighed, as more tears poured down her face. She tilted her head to the side and grabbed a tissue from the box that sat in front of her on the table. "Lindsay wants to take them?" she asked. "You're sure?"

"Mom said she called this morning after the first Amber Alert on Shannon went out. Lindsay volunteered to take all ten kids to her summer house. She thinks they'll be safer and happier there then they would be here, at home, during the investigation," Seth stopped for a moment and seemed to be debating whether or not he should go on. "They'll be okay with Lindsay. You know Lindsay loves them and will take the best care of them that's possible right now. The house is only forty minutes from here and we can visit whenever we have the time. You'll still see them; they'll just be safer and probably happier than they'd be here with us."

Summer breathed in and out slowly a few times before looking up at Seth and saying, "Okay. If you think this is what's best for kids, then that's what we'll do." Summer swallowed hard as more tears poured down from her eyes.

Seth pulled Summer into his arms and hugged her tightly. "It'll be okay, I promise," Seth said soothingly as he rubbed her back for a few minutes. While he was doing so, he looked over Summer's shoulder at Marissa and asked her if she was sending her kids to Lindsay's as well. Marissa nodded and said she was going upstairs to pack stuff for her kids and Summer and Seth's.

Moments later, Seth pulled away from Summer and looked her over. He tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ears and kissed her forehead. "I said we'd drop them off tonight around seven…so can you be ready to leave at six?" Seth asked.

"Yeah," Summer said as she forced herself to stand up. "I'm coming to the volunteer center with you," she told him as she looked around for her purse.

"Summer, don't. Stay here with the kids until we take them to Lindsay's. You're not going to see much of them for a while. Spend some time with them before we drop them off and you can go to the volunteer center later tonight," Seth told her. "There's going to be plenty of time to go to the volunteer center," Seth reminded her sadly.

Summer nodded, tears still dripping down her face, as she leaned into Seth and buried her head into his shoulder. She could only wonder now how long it would be until an ending came to this nightmare. No matter when the ending would come, Summer dreaded the ending to this nightmare that she felt was coming.