A/N: Sorry for delaying! More poor kitten Snickers was diagnosed with kitty leukemia. : ( I thought I was going to have to put her down, so that was quite traumatizing. She is okay for now though. Long live Snickers (both the couple and the kitty)!!

Riley felt bad for her younger sister. Wherever she had gone, which Riley was certain must be just somewhere down the block, she would soon be found and would likely never see the living day again. If Riley knew one thing about her parents, it was that they valued safety above all. They had seen too many dead corpses of children, too many missing kids cases, and now their youngest daughter had run away. Perhaps that's why Carly had done it – because she knew that her being missing would strike a chord with them and maybe prove a point. Only it wouldn't. It would only further piss them off. Riley thought back to the time she had run away after getting upset. Sure, they'd been relieved to find her, and hugged her and held her, but she'd been in major trouble afterwards.

Riley was worried for her sister, which was why she had disregarded her parents' wishes and gone out looking for Carly herself. Nolan was still safe at his friend's house, and so Riley was now walking through the backyards of the neighborhood, calling her little sister's name. Maybe if it wasn't her mother and father calling (in surely scary and intimidating tones), she would be more apt to answer and get herself back home where she belonged. Riley had only heard bits of why she'd been in trouble in the first place. She must've run away because she was upset about Nick punishing her.

The teenager made her down the rows of houses lining their quiet suburban street, calling Carly's name. She paused for a few moments and let out a long breath, wishing Carly would get a clue already. As she did, she heard a slight rustling from somewhere above her. Looking up, she saw a tree house nestled about five feet above her in a large oak tree.

"Carly?!" She called up, shielding her eyes from the setting sun.

She heard a little whimpery cry and then an answer. "I'm not coming down." Carly informed her from way up high. Riley rolled her eyes. Carly was so dramatic sometimes. It had taken her a long time to be able to sleep over at someone's house, let alone stay in a tree house overnight. Who did she think she was kidding? Obviously, part of this was all about attention. Riley easily climbed up the ladder and found her younger sister curled up in the corner of the tree house, looking quite pitiful.

"What are you doing up here?" Riley asked the obvious question, plopping down right next to her, situating her own legs in a pretzel style.

"I hate Dad." She emphasized the h-word and played with her shoe lace in attempt to channel her frustration. 'Join the club' was what Riley wanted to tell her sister, but she bit her tongue. She was sure Carly was blowing whatever it was way out of proportion. Her life wasn't all that complicated. The kid got in trouble for things like not cleaning her room, disobeying, and not eating her vegetables. What in the heck was the big deal? Sure, Riley could dismiss her sister's feelings, but she knew that wouldn't get her anywhere. Obviously, Carly wanted to be listened to.

"Why do you think you hate Dad?"

The memory of all that had happened caused Carly's eyes to fill with tears. She wiped at her wet cheeks as she began telling the awful story. "Cause he's makin' me write an apology letter to Angela, and she's the meanest person I ever met! And I only did one little thing, and I got in trouble!"

Riley hadn't really heard what had happened at home since she'd been in her room, but had heard their father talking sternly several times. "What did you do to Angela?"

"I scribbled in marker all over her project." She held one of her hands up as proof, displaying the black marker to her sister.

Riley knew her sister wanted someone to side with her, and tell her that what she'd done had been okay. Sure, it probably felt good, but that didn't make it right. If Riley had been in the same position, she probably would've done something to Angela already, but for the first time, Riley felt herself siding with her father. Though revenge felt good, scribbling all over someone's hard work, no matter how bad a person they were, wasn't right.

"Carly, I know she made you mad, and it sounds like she's a pretty bad kid, but that doesn't mean ruining her project is okay."

Carly pouted and seemed frustrated that her sister's view was almost identical to her dad's. "But she never gets in trouble and I do for one little thing!"

"That's because you have parents who actually care about you." Riley blurted. "Her parents don't punish her when she misbehaves, and look what an awful kid she's become. Dad and your mom punish you when you misbehave because they love you and want you to learn wrong from right. You're gonna grow up and actually treat people with respect and get along with other people. You'll go to college and get a good job. And Angela – she'll just be miserable because no one will want to be friends with such a mean person. And her parents don't care about her grades. I doubt that make her do her homework."

"I thought you hated Daddy too."

Riley was silent for several moments, staring straight ahead in thought. It was true that Riley basically hated her father sometimes for the same reason Carly hated him right now. When they acted up, it was guaranteed they'd be punished, and that sucked, but Riley also realized it was for her own good. At her mother's house, if she acted up, her mom would usually yell at her or even just shake her head and go on with her business. There were never any consequences, so she never really cared about her behavior or her grades. When she'd come to live with the Stokes, Riley had quickly learned that bad behavior would be addressed directly and swiftly. While it was painful and confusing at the time, and even now, Riley knew it was because her father and Sara loved her very much.

"I thought I did. Sometimes I forget he's just looking out for me."

Carly wiped her eyes once again, feeling better now that her sister had actually sat down and talked to her. But would her mom and dad be as understanding?

"Are Mom and Dad really mad at me?" She asked timidly.

"They're really worried about you. And running away when you're in trouble isn't exactly the best move to make."

"I'm gonna be in even more trouble now." Her mind fleeted to horrible scenes of being locked in her room and being given her dinner through the door; of only being allowed out to go to the bathroom; of being forced to scrub the floor with a toothbrush.

"Well, I know it's gonna be hard, but the best thing to do is to go home and face them. You might be in trouble, but it always feels better to tell the truth."

Carly nodded, but tears swam in her innocent eyes. "I'm scared."

Riley wrapped her arms around her younger sister, wishing there was something else she could say. It would all be okay once their parents got past the I'm so glad you're safe so that now I can kill you phase. A sisterly kiss was placed on top of Carly's head, and then Riley followed the young girl down the ladder to the ground. Carly nervously took her sister's hand as she retrieved her cell phone to call their dad.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

Nick and Sara had gone to every possible place they thought their young daughter may have gone. They'd checked in with her best friends, driven by her school, and searched around the park they frequented, but no sign of Carly. Both were scared, but also angry because Carly had done this purposely – they were going out of their minds because Carly decided she didn't like her punishment and had completely disregarded her safety.

"Nick, I'm starting to get a really bad feeling. I mean, where else could she be?" Sara was tapping her finger against the Denali door, and couldn't sit still. The thought that her own daughter had been snatched up by some psycho made her insides turn and her hands tremble. As Nick was trying to think of a response, his cell phone rang, and from the caller ID, he saw it was Riley.

"Riley's calling. Maybe she knows something." He told his wife, and then flipped his phone open. "Any luck, Ry?"

"Yea, Dad." She said a bit sadly, and Nick's heart dropped, fearing she'd come across a horrible scene. "I found her in a tree house." She explained, walking a few strides head of her sister, who was kicking at little rocks in her path, staring at the ground. Riley had promised to handle the first part of the conversation, then they were sure Nick would want a word with Carly.

Nick let out a sigh of relief and turned to look at Sara. "She's okay. Riley's got her." He assured his wife, who closed her eyes and let out the breath she'd been holding since she'd learned Carly had run off. Nick then made an illegal U-turn, heading back towards their home.

"Put her on the phone." Nick instructed his oldest, feeling relieved but worked up at the same time.

"I will, but Daddy, go easy on her." Riley whispered imploringly. "She's pretty upset."

"Yeah? Well she should be, because she's in an awful amount of trouble." He countered, not exactly feeling like going lightly on his youngest daughter. Nick thought Carly, of all three of his children, was the most reasonable when it came to her safety, and then she'd gone and done this.

"I'm gonna put her on because she wants to apologize. Will you listen to her?" She asked him.

Nick chuckled humorlessly, wondering when Riley had changed into the role of mediator. She'd been so whiny herself the last couple weeks, but in this moment she sounded quite adult and knowledgeable. "Fine. You guys almost home?"

"We're two houses away now." Riley assured him, stopping so her sister could catch up. She said goodbye to her father and then took the phone away from her ear, looking down sympathetically at Carly. "You ready, squirt?"

Carly sighed and her eyes showed how worried she was. They both knew their father was a reasonable man, but issues like their safety was something he didn't mess around with. "You can do it. Good luck."

Riley handed the phone over and squeezed the younger girl's shoulder in support. They began walking together the last two yards as Carly gulped.

"Daddy?" She began timidly.

"Carly." Nick began, running his tongue along the side of his molars to keep his temper under control. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." She gave the one-word answer, freezing up now that she was on the phone. Riley nudged her, reminded her of what she was supposed to do. "Daddy, I'm sorry I ran away. I was mad."

Nick sighed heavily and tried to consider things from her point of view. He could understand why she ran away, but that didn't make it right. It must be confusing in her young mind to understand why Angela could be such a horrible child and never get in trouble with her parents, and how she had slipped and he'd laid the smack-down on her. She didn't get it yet. She didn't get that Angela's home life wasn't nearly as good as her own, that her parents didn't care much about her, and that she was being set up for a life of hardship and possibly crime.

"I understand that you're mad, Carly, but that's not an excuse to put your safety in jeopardy like that. Your mom and I were worried sick." He explained their point of view.

"I know. I'm sorry." She said simply. Riley squeezed her shoulder again as they reached the front door of their home. After unlocking it, Riley led her into the living room to sit down.

Hearing his daughter's voice, and hearing her apologize calmed Nick down some, but he still felt like grabbing her and shaking some sense into her. Didn't she understand how dangerous it was for a little girl to be wandering around by herself?

"Alright." He turned onto their street, his Denali passing under the haven of the blossoming trees of their suburban neighborhood. It was true their street looked rather safe, and it was, but it was always the unknown that clouded his and Sara's minds. The what ifs were only magnified as a result of their profession, and while they wanted their children to be aware of the dangers that surrounded them so they could protect themselves, they didn't want them to know about some of the awful things they came across at work. "We'll talk more when we get home. I'm right down the street."

"Okay. I love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

Nick clicked the phone off and let out another deep breath, his muscles now untensing knowing his child was safe.

"She was in a tree house?" Sara asked from the other chair.

"Yeah, apparently. Riley must've gone to look for her." He answered as he slowed down to pull into the driveway. "She seemed kind of ashamed, but that doesn't exactly excuse it."

"No. It's not like she wandered off accidentally. She did it on purpose to make us worried."

"Obviously she doesn't think I was listening to her earlier." Nick put the Denali in park once he was on the driveway. "I think I need to have another talk with her about why she's being punished. She doesn't understand."

Sara nodded in agreement with her husband as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "Alright. Let's go throttle her."

Nick smirked a little as they both got out of the car and headed for the front door. They knew that with Carly, she didn't need a lot of lecturing and discipline. She was a really good kid, and usually only required a look or a few stern words to set her back on track. Based on what Nick had heard over the phone, she was already ashamed of what she'd done and knew it was wrong. Punishing her more wouldn't do much good, because the look of disappointment on her parents' faces was enough.

Walking into the living room, they found Carly looking quite ashamed and worried, sitting on the couch. When she saw her parents, she immediately looked down at her feet and teared up. Riley stood up and walked towards the two adults.

"She was in the Hastings' tree house down the street. I talked to her a little bit, and she's afraid of being in more trouble." She whispered to them, feeling useful and helpful for finding the lost little girl. They both nodded in acknowledgement, and Nick thanked her. Riley told them that Nolan was still at his friend's house, then disappeared into her room to give them some privacy.

Sara strode across the room and first enveloped her daughter in a tight hug. However, she noticed that Carly didn't hug her back, just allowed her mother to embrace her still hanging her head shamefully. She wished that her mother was just hugging her like she always did when she got home, but she knew in the next few moments the hug would finish and she'd be in big trouble. This was affirmed when Sara pulled away after a few prolonged moments, after touching her daughter's hair, and smelling her scent, she knew that Carly was indeed okay.

"You had us worried sick, Carly." Sara pulled back and looked her daughter straight in the face, speaking firmly.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, knowing she deserved whatever lecture they were going to give her. Carly knew she had been an awful kid today, but as Riley said, it was good to show she was remorseful. Sara stood up and steered her daughter towards the couch to sit down, and then sat down herself on the coffee table in front of her. Nick had already crossed his arms and moved to stand beside Sara.

"We're glad you're okay, Carly, but what you did was very dangerous and very inconsiderate." Sara continued, her voice taking on more of a stern tone. They were going to make very sure that Carly never did this again. Carly just nodded and stared at her toes.

"Carly, look at me." Nick requested, though his tone made it more of a command. She complied with tears in her eyes. "Tell me why you ran away."

Carly struggled for a few moments to find a strong voice, though it failed her as soon as she began talking. "Cause I didn't think you were bein' fair." She told him honestly.

Nick nodded in understanding and then sat down on the coffee table next to his wife. "I understand why you feel that way, Carly." He said, surprising his daughter. "Angela isn't a very nice girl is she?"

Carly shook her head no.

"But if I let you get away with doing awful things like Angela does, you'd be just like her. You'd be sinking to her level. Do you understand that?" His voice was gentler now. Carly nodded again. She didn't want to be like Angela, because she was mean and everyone was afraid of her. Carly didn't think that girl had any real friends. "Getting even may feel good, but it's not the right thing to do. You have to be the better person by ignoring her or getting help."

Carly wasn't sure where she'd gotten the idea of revenge on Angela. Probably because she made Carly so mad. Her counselor had told her about standing up for herself, but deep down, Carly knew that didn't mean getting even with her by being mean. Carly felt sick and disgusting inside after she'd ruined Angela's project. That wasn't the type of person she wanted to be, and she knew her parents didn't want her to be like that either.

"I don't wanna be like Angela." Carly admitted in a bit of a raspy voice, from all the crying she'd be doing.

"Good." Nick offered her a small smile. "Because I want you to be like Carly, not like anyone else. The Carly I know is a kind, sweet, considerate little girl. And we love her very very much." He emphasized. No matter what awful things his children happened to do, he wanted them to know they'd always be loved, no matter what.

Carly stood up and wrapped her arms around her dad's neck. Nick hugged her tightly, and patted her back, glad that she seemed to understand now. Perhaps he had been to stern with her earlier. All Nick knew was that he was glad Carly was back in his arms, safe and sound.

"Do you hate me now?" Her muffled worry blurted out a few moments later. Nick pulled her back and held her sides, looking her square in the eye.

"I could never hate you." He cleared right up for her. "I may not always like what you will do, but I will always like you."

Now for the unpleasant part. He couldn't exactly let this go unpunished, and he wanted her to understand why she had to be in the first place.

"Sweetheart," Sara began, "Do you understand why we have to punish you when you misbehave?"

Carly nodded. "Riley told me." She informed them. Their oldest daughter had apparently beaten them to it. "Cause you care about me and want me to grow up and be good and treat people good."

Sara nodded and grinned. "That about covers it. You have to learn right from wrong, Carly, so there has to be consequences when you break rules. It's not because we want to make your life miserable. We want you to be a happy, nice, kid. And you are."

"I know." She whispered. "Am I never allowed to come out of my room again?"

Sara shook her head and smiled a bit, looking at her husband. Since Carly seemed to understand and be remorseful, they'd go easier on her.

"We're not that mean." Nick told her. "I think I'll ground you for three more days, and we'll be finding some extra chores for you to do, missy." He decided. Carly didn't argue, just nodded in agreement. That was a lot easier that being banished to her room for the rest of her life.

"Okay." She agreed, and received a kiss on her forehead.

"Don't ever scare us again like that, you understand?" Nick raised his eyebrows at her seriously, and his daughter nodded again. "Okay. Why don't you go finish that letter."

Carly hugged both her parents one last time and then walked to the dining room where her work was sitting, unbothered. Without hesitation, she sat down and began writing her apology letter, and knew she would never do such an awful thing again.

Back in the living room, Nick wrapped his arm around Sara and kissed her temple. "You okay?"

Sara nodded and smiled weakly, rubbing the arm that was surrounding her. "I am now. She's safe. That's all that matters."

"Yeah. She's a good kid. She knows right from wrong pretty well."

"Whatever happened to the big trouble she was in?" Sara asked him. It seemed like Nick would be on a rampage when he finally found Carly, but all the anger seemed to disappear when he saw her.

Nick smirked at his own behavior. "Well, she seemed pretty remorseful. How could I be mad at that?"

Sara chuckled and kissed her husband's forehead. "You're such a softie." She accused him. The husband and wife exchanged a soft kiss and then rested their foreheads against each other's.

"Don't tell the kids."

A/N: One more chapter after this, methinks.