Lena POV

125 seconds

It doesn't seem that much, when you think about it. But today, right now - every second felt like an eternity. Filled with nothing, but dread. As every second went by, this horrible feeling grew in the pit of my stomach.

125 seconds -that's how long Stef and I were living in our worst nightmare, fearing the worst.

There were about million scenarios running through my head. I was afraid she had walked down to the main road where some car could have hit her. She could have met some bad people, who could have snatched her. She could have walked to the woods and got lost. It was going to be dark soon, the temperature will drop. There are so many possibilities and every single one of them frightens me.

Suddenly I felt arms around me and Stef's soothing voice in my ear. I buried my head to her shoulder and sobbed out, afraid that I have lost my baby.

"We will find her…we will find her" Stef soothed me, but hearing her voice, I knew she was frightened as well. She was just trying to put a strong front for me, because I broke down. Stef tightened the grip around me and placed a kiss to my temple.

Second later she pulled out and grabbed my hand, she squeezed it tightly for a second and then let go. The next second she was heading out of our campsite - to search for Frankie. I wiped away the tears from my cheeks and turned to run off the other direction to look for Frankie.

But I was stopped when I heard Amy's voice. Stef stopped as well. Amy didn't seem to be in any sort of panic. Her calm voice came as a surprise to both of us. She stood between our camp and the one next to us, in the line of trees and bushes, that separates the camps.

Amy smiled looking at us and nodded somewhere behind her. I walked closer to where Amy was, so I could see where Amy was looking. Stef came up to me.

I saw Frankie and some woman walking hand in hand toward us, from the camp next to us. That was when the nightmare ended. That's when the countdown stopped to 125 seconds.

"Frankie!" I called out and run towards her, with Stef right next to me.

The woman, who she was with, let go of Frankie's hand and stood aside when we both dropped to our knees to hug and kiss our daughter. We take her in a tight mama sandwich and hold her. Hold her like we have never held anyone else.

"Don't ever walk away like that!" I cried out before I pressed my lips to her temple "We were worried sick!" my voice was still shaky. Tears were still streaming down my cheeks, but they were now happy tears, because I had my baby back.

"You scared us, baby!" Stef whispered giving Frankie a kiss to her forehead after she brushed some hair away from her face "You scarred your moms, love…" Stef added softly when she pressed her forehead to the side of Frankie's head

"I'm sorry" Frankie said back, but I don't really think she realized just how bad she scared us…all of us "They were kicking ball…I wanted to play ball too"

We pull her back in our hug and hold her close some more. I don't want to let go of her. I have never experienced anything like this before. The fear was almost too much to handle. The not knowing, was the worst part.

But thankfully Frankie was back. She wasn't missing anymore, she is right back where she belongs - in our arms.

I was rocking her in my hands, kissing her over and over again. I was still shaken up by this whole ordeal. I don't know if I will be able to fall asleep tonight or the next few nights. I kept scolding myself for letting her out of sight. It happened in the blink of an eye, one moment she was by the tents, playing by herself. And the next…she wasn't.

Stef was the first one to pull out, she stood up and greeted someone. I had totally forgotten that the woman who walked with her, was still here. I place one last kiss and get one last hug from Frankie, before I scoop her up to my arm, holding her close to me. Frankie lays her head to my shoulder.

"-we didn't see her walk off," Stef said still with shaky voice and when she saw me stood up she turned to me

"Sorry…uh, this is my wife Lena" she told the woman gesturing to me "Lena this is Beth"

Beth was woman about our age. She had short, black hair, piercing blue eyes, but they were hidden behind glasses. Just like us, she was dressed casually - in jeans and simple t-shirt.

"Thank you so much for bringing our baby back" I say sincerely looking to the woman in front of me, tears were still in my eyes

"Of course...I couldn't imagine if my kid wandered off like that. Our boys were kicking the ball when this little one-" Beth said smiling to Frankie, I glance to Frankie and see her smile back at the woman "-walked in our camp. We figured she was lost. We assumed she could be from one of the other camp sites here and then we heard someone calling for her…"

"She has never walked away like this before" I said and kissed her forehead again as I was keeping her up in my arms

"Thank you again" Stef said extending her hand towards the woman

"Don't mention it" She smiled back shaking her hand "I'm just glad she is back with her family"

Next second we hear our kids running up to us, Amy had run off to get them all back when we saw Frankie with the woman. I turn around to see all of them.

"Is she okay? Is she hurt?" Mariana asked even before they were all up to us

"Frankie is fine! She is not hurt" Stef confirmed looking to the other kids "Frankie had decided to head into the camp site next to us"

Jesus stepped up next to me and stroke her hair for a moment until he placed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Don't do that again, bug" Brandon said ticking Frankie's side softly. Frankie giggled out and tried to hide from the tickles trying to move to my other side. I noticed the look on the woman's face. Stef noticed it too.

"Uh…guys, this is Beth McNeil" Stef said to them and nodded towards the woman "She was with Frankie in the other camp"

They all talked together –thanking her and greeting her, so I think Beth didn't catch even one thing the kids said to her. The woman looked, of course, a little bit taken aback by our big crew, but not as much I had expected her to be.

"Beth, these are our…other kids," Stef started to introduce them "these are our twins, Jesus and Mariana, this young man is Jude. The tall one is Brandon…"

Stef then pointed to Amy and Callie who stood bit more aside from us, just watching over us "And this is Amy and her daughter Callie, who is Jude's sister"

"It is nice to meet you all" Beth said smiling when she looked over our kids "I certainly didn't expect to meet another foster family here" She noticed our surprised faces and added "Me and my husband are foster parents as well" Beth explained smiling to us

"Brandon is Stef's biological kid" I explained her our situation "Frankie is my biological kid. The twins and Jude are adopted. Jude is Callie's sister, but they were separated when they were placed in foster care. Jude got placed with us, but Callie was fostered and adopted by Amy, who is our family friend and also Stef's partner. By partner I mean, partner on job, they are both cops."

She laughed sincerely and smiled "You have a big family. It's nice to meet all of you, I'm sorry, I think I already forgot all of your names"

"You are not the first one" Jesus joked

"Beth, honey?" Came a voice and a tall looking man came over. He had black hair and had glasses as well. Beth turned to him smiling "Zachary…come meet the Adams Fosters. The girls family…"

"Oh...hello" He said smiling, the surprise was evident on his face. When he stood next to his wife, I noticed the height difference. Zachary looked like about 1, 90, but Beth was a short woman, my guess around 1,60.

We did the introductions again and then met their kids as well. They seemed like a nice family, but I couldn't really say anything beyond that. We didn't stay to chat for too long, but we did thank them - I think 5 more times.

After we returned back to the camp, we continued on with the supper that we had left half done, when we realized Frankie was missing. The kids and Amy did all of the cooking tonight, so Stef and I could just sit with Frankie and talk over what happened, talk once again about the stranger danger and about leaving/walking away without telling anyone.

I didn't want to let go of Frankie ever again, right now that is how I felt. We ate supper, went over our night routine and Stef and I set her down to bed. We just laid down with her, watching her sleep. I was on one side of her, but Stef was on other. Frankie was in a mama sandwich. And that's right where I wanted to keep her, because she was safe with us.

Callie POV

Lena never crawled out of the tent, Stef did join us back at the campfire in some hour or so, but she wasn't as talkative as she had been before. Stef was sitting, not talking to us, gazing to the fire.

They both got quite the scare today, I understand that neither of the woman really wanted to let go of Frankie ever again. I think Stef was just thinking over the 2 minutes of her life, when they realized that Frankie was missing.

"She is okay Stef" Amy said placing her hand on Stef's shoulder, pulling Stef out of her thoughts. Stef glanced up to Amy. I think others saw it too, the tears that were in her eyes, the guilt in her eyes and the fear that was still evident as well.

"You got her back, that's all that matters. Don't blame yourself" Amy tried to console her

"I can't believe this happened. We let it happened" Stef was really emotional, I have never seen her like this before "I let this happen. I should have watched her more carefully and then nothing like this would have happened!"

"Mom, it wasn't your fault! We were all in the camp and neither of us saw the exact moment when she walked away" Brandon said from her other side

"We should have all watched out for her" Mariana added to her brother

"But I am her mom!" Stef argued back in louder, more harsher voice. she wasn't directing the anger to them, it was directed to herself. She was angry with herself, Stef felt like it was her fault "It is my job…to look out for her. To look out for all of you, to make sure nothing bad happens to anyone of you! Frankie is my responsibility! It was my job and I failed!"

"This is not just on you. She is our baby sister" Jesus tried to comfort her

"Yeah…I still remember when I first held her" Jude added softly "You told me that I was a big brother now and that I need to make sure nothing bad happens to her"

"We are supposed to make sure her first boyfriend fear us. You told us that we will need to scare every single one of her boyfriends, so they won't ever think that they can hurt her" Brandon laughed softly at that memory "That's what you said, remember?"

"We are a family mom, this is not just on you" Mariana said looking over the fire to Stef "If something happens to one of us, it happens to all of us. Don't blame yourself, it wasn't your fault, mom. It was no one's fault. It wasn't mama's fault either…"

Stef's lower lip whimpered as she looked around the campfire to her kids. She mouthed – I love you – to them, before Mariana got up and went over to Stef and hugged her tightly. Others followed and soon, when Stef was in the middle of a big hug, I hear her laugh out softly and she repeated what she said before, louder this time "I love you all so much"

I felt this warm feeling inside my chest as I watched the family hug it out. That is what a real family is all about, supporting and loving one another in good times and in bad.

The tables had turned. This was the first time I saw kids were comforting their mom, not the other way around. It was such a sweet and loving moment that tears whelmed up in my eyes and I had to glance away so I don't start crying.

I glance to mom, who was sitting next to her, leaned a bit aside to have a better look at the big family hug. I think she felt me looking at her. Mom glanced to me and smiled at me. Amy then stood up and headed over to the tent. I got up as well and left the Adams Fosters alone. We grabbed our bathroom stuff and headed to the bathroom to brush our teeth.

"That was some rough stuff" I said kicking a small rock up front as we head down the road to the bathroom that was located next to the small office building by the entrance in the camp

"It is. I think every parent goes thought that fear at least once. Either the kid wanders off in McDonald or when you are in market picking out tomatoes, or while you pay for something at the cash register…it happens. It can happen to anyone, anytime and you never see it coming" It sounded to me, that mom knew exactly what Stef and Lena went thought today

"Did Markus ever walked away like that?" I ask carefully

"He was 5. Aaron and I were trying to pick out new bedding for him. We got him a new bed so we thought he would like a new cover as well. It was just 5 seconds and he was gone. It happens so fast…"

"What did you do?" I ask curious

"Run to look for him" Mom says and opens the doors to the bathroom for me, letting me step inside first

"Where was he?" I ask as I pull out my toothbrush

"4 isles down where the toys were. Those were the worst minutes in my life" Mom said squeezing some toothpaste on my toothbrush and then on hers as well "I thought I got few grey hair just from when I turned around and didn't see him. It is absolutely horrible feeling, the not knowing is…it is really rough. And in your mind, you start to picture the worst possible outcomes. Every stranger that you pass, all of a sudden seems like a predator…"

I stop brushing my teeth for a moment, with the toothpaste still in my mouth, I reply "Being a parent seems like one stressful job" some of the toothpaste dripped down

"Ew…spit, please" Mom took a step back when the toothpaste fell on my shirt. I lean over the sink and do just that "It is stressful, but it also is the best thing ever at the same time" She said and finally started to brush her own teeth

I know why she didn't continue that sentence. Any other parent who you would ask that, would add that it is the best thing when you see them grow up. See them living their life, see them graduate and fall in love, see them getting married and having family on their own. Mom doesn't say that, because she will never see Markus do those things.

We return back to the camp and find that Stef has returned back to their tent. The other kids were still sat around the campfire, all sitting either looking to the ground in front or to the fire that was slowly burning out.

I honestly didn't feel like doing anything else tonight. I just wanted to crawl in my sleeping bag, close my eyes and try to forget what happened few hours ago. Mom was thinking the same way.

She walked up to Mariana and put hand on her shoulder and looked around to the other kids as well "How about we all try to go to bed? It has been a really long and exhausting day already. We should try and sleep it off? Try to put, what happened today, behind us..."

In few minutes everyone was back in their assigned tents. After I wiggled my way in the sleeping bag, somewhere in the distance I heard an owl. I had never heard one before, the sound was very soothing to my ears. I fell asleep listening to the owl.