A/N: So first of all, happy Thanksgiving! Thank you for sticking with me this long. I know this chapter sounds like the end, but believe me, it is very far from it. Ending this story would be like giving up my first born or something. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews (I live for them), all the feedback (always makes my story better) and all the support. I am glad to know this story reaches people not just on an entertainment level, but also emotionally. That has always been my goal as a writer, to make everything I type be meaningful. This story has literally saved my life and I hope that my loyal readers have been able to take just a little away so far.

Colton wasn't exactly sure how long he'd been in this room. He knew that he'd fallen asleep a few times, and besides two apples, he hadn't been allowed to eat. He was really thirsty, and there was a glass of water sitting across the room, but ever since the scuffle earlier, he'd been tied to a chair and couldn't get up. His head hurt so bad and he knew it was cut, he just wasn't sure how bad. It had bled a lot and his face itched where the blood had dried.

He was scared. This man was so angry and he never knew when he was going to come upstairs and yell at him or hit him or anything like that. He'd been pretty nice at first, kept saying that they were a family and he just wanted everyone to know that. Colton had been confused but he didn't make a fuss about it, just nodded along and tried to figure it all out. But then they had gotten to the house and Colton started to get scared. He knew he wouldn't be going home that night and he'd started crying. The man had gotten very upset. He was yelling at Colton and kept saying that they were a family and he didn't need anyone else. He had put Colton to bed without any dinner, telling him that they could start over in the morning.

Colton stayed awake for a long time, sitting up in bed and counting as high as he could, reciting his lines from the Thanksgiving play earlier in the year, saying everyone's full names over and over and over again, trying to stay awake. Finally he'd heard the TV downstairs turn off and the man went to bed. He waited patiently for a while after that, then got up from the bed, tiptoeing to the bedroom door and quietly twisting the knob. He shut it again behind him then walked to the end of the hall and down the stairs. The last stair creaked loudly and he stopped, certain he was caught. But there had been no movement upstairs, so he ran for the front door, twisting the knob, trying to open it. He was frantic and just the second he realized that the door was locked and he needed to unlock it, a large hand had clamped down on his shoulder.

After that things had gotten bad. The man had hauled him back upstairs, holding his arms so tight he was sure they would break, yelling so loud that his ears hurt. At the top of the stairs Colton had tried to fight back, stepping as hard as he could on the man's foot. That had been a bad idea, as he'd found himself nearly flying through the air, his head coming into contact with the latch on the door. That's where the cut had come from and he'd screamed in pain, falling to the floor and begging for his mama and daddy. The man swore and picked him up, placing him on the chair in the room and tying his arms and legs to it, saying that until they learned to trust each other and Colton forgot about his other family, he would have to stay in the chair.

He'd spent a lot of the next day yelling at the man, telling him that the police were coming, screaming for his parents and calling the man all the bad names he could think of. And then he'd gotten tape put over his mouth, and he realized that there was nothing he could do now to get home.

He tried to be as quiet as he could, knowing that when the chair or the floor creaked, it made the man mad. He had the hurt on his cheek to prove it. No one had ever hit him before and it scared him a lot. Every time the man came upstairs, he told Colton that they were a family. Colton argued, saying that families didn't do this, families loved each other, and families didn't hit. All that did was make the man hurt him more. In his head he thought about his injuries, checking them off like a list. There was the big cut on his head, his cheek stung from getting slapped, and he probably had bruises on his arm from being grabbed and pushed. That was all he remembered at the moment, but he was sure there was more because his entire body hurt a lot.

He'd spent a long time trying to work it all out in his head. The man said he was daddy's dad, but that didn't make any sense. Colton already knew daddy's dad. And if this man was his grandpa, why was he so mean? Grandpas were supposed to be nice. They weren't supposed to say swears or drink beer or hit people either. Certainly this man was lying.

All Colton wanted was to go home. He wanted to play with Ben and Avery and he wanted to talk to mama and daddy about this man. But more than anything, he wanted to see Isa. She'd fought the man pretty hard and falling on the ground like she had must have hurt a lot. He knew she was scared and he needed to see her again and make sure she was okay.

Everyone else was probably worried but he knew they would find him soon. They were the good guys after all. Flack would throw the bad man in jail and then Colton could go home to mama and daddy and Ben and Avery. They could have family dinner and all the kids could play together and all of it would be okay again.

That's what he kept thinking about, going home, taking a nice bath, eating a good dinner, snuggling up with his family on the big bed, watching a movie and falling asleep. That's all he wanted because he knew that once he was home, no one could ever hurt him again. He wondered if this had ever happened to anyone else, if any other grown ups ever hurt other kids. It made him mad to think about it and he really hoped he was the only kid in the world that this would ever happen to. He could take it, as long as no other kids had to go through this.

He took a deep breath through his nose and used his tongue to push at the tape. It was getting loose and while he hadn't figured out exactly what he could do once the tape was off, he knew it would at least be more comfortable. He closed his eyes and thought of other things, as it often helped him to not be so scared.

There was suddenly a loud noise and lots of shouting in the house and he strained to hear what was going on. He knew the police were there, but he wasn't sure if they knew he was there.

"Colton? You up here buddy?"

He tried to yell, but the tape made it impossible. He started rocking the chair instead, making as much noise as he could, hoping they wouldn't give up and think he wasn't there and just leave. He was screaming behind the tape, crying and feeling like this was his only chance to get away, that the police might make a mistake and leave him behind.

The door flew open and Danny rushed across the room, ripping the tape off, then untying his hands and feet, freeing him from the chair.

"I gotcha, buddy. I gotcha."

"I want my mama!"

"I'll take you to her right now. Dude, I am so glad to see you."

"Where's Isa?"

"She's at home. She's just fine, but she's worried about you."

"I'm okay 'cept he hit my face hard and my head hurts. Do I look rough, Danny?"

"You look rough and tough, bud. C'mon, lets get you out of here."

Colton clung tightly to him, finding comfort in the crinkling of Danny's leather jacket.

"What day is it?" he asked as he was carried out of the house.

"It's Thursday."

"I missed so much school!" he said. "Danny is my mama okay? Is she sad? What about daddy?"

"They're all just waitin' for you to come home. Let's get you in the car, okay?"

"Please don't leave me, Danny!"

"I won't buddy. We'll let someone else drive us, okay?" Danny assured, sliding into the back of one of the cars, keeping Colton in his lap and holding onto him tightly. "You're goin' home, bud. Really, really soon."

"Can you see the cut on my head? Is it big?"

"Yeah, it's pretty big. We're going to have to have a doctor look at it," he confirmed, knowing it was infected from not being treated for so long. "We'll need to wash you up a little too. You look like you've been through war."

"I did get beated up a lot."

Danny just nodded as they drove through the streets. He wanted to wait until they were closer to the station before he called Austin because he would rather get Colton there and cleaned up a little before Lindsay and Adam saw him. They didn't need to be faced with the reality if what he'd gone through just yet.

It was a long drive in the traffic, and Colton was fighting sleep by the time they reached the precinct. Austin was on her way with Lindsay and Adam, and Danny took Colton inside quickly, through a side door and into a bathroom. He called Hawkes to come and look at his head while Colton used the facilities. They then went into one of the smaller interrogation rooms and Danny let him sit on the table while he made a few more phone calls.

"Where's my mama?" he asked after a moment. "I wanna go home."

"You will, buddy. You just gotta be patient for a bit. I'll stick right by ya, okay?"

Colton nodded as the door swung open and Hawkes and Mac entered. He shuddered a little, then blinked once and realized he was okay and they were there to help him. He sat still while Mac took pictures of his injuries and Hawkes patched him up as best as he could. There was nothing they could do about the cut on his head, it had been open too long, so it was cleaned and dressed, but there were no stitches. Hawkes told him he would have a pretty neat scar and he nodded, knowing that his daddy had a scar on his head too, so they could match. He was feeling a lot better by the time Jess came in with a sandwich for him. He gave her a big smile and took the sandwich, wishing it was one his mama had made, but being too hungry to protest.

"Hey buddy, guess who's here to see you?" Danny said, shutting his phone.

"My mama and daddy?"

"Yeah, let's go see them."

Colton grinned happily as they helped him off the table and out of the room.

"Colton!"

"Mama!"

Her feet couldn't carry her fast enough across the room and they met each other halfway and she dropped to her knees, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tighter than she ever had before. She couldn't stop the tears of relief that were streaming down her face and her hands were shaking with adrenaline. She was vaguely aware of Adam holding both of them but she didn't even know where he'd come from.

"Oh baby. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay, mama. I'm not hurt really that much. I missed you. I wanted to come home the whole time."

She smiled and sniffled, leaning back to look at him. He had one swollen cheek and a cut on his chin, a suspicious square of gauze at his hairline and blood on his shirt, but he was healthy and smiling and didn't look too much worse for the wear.

"Where's Isa? Is she okay? Did she get hurt? She was crying."

"She's okay buddy. She's just fine."

"I want to see her. Can I see her? Please? I have to make sure she's okay."

"I'll go get her," Danny offered. "Be right back."

Colton nodded and relaxed in his parents arms. He wasn't scared anymore and he knew that even though the man who took him was right in the other room, he couldn't get him anymore. He was safe now. He wanted to hug them and never stop and he actually started crying in relief as they both told him how much they loved him and how they'd missed him and been so worried.

"Colt?"

His head snapped up at the voice and his eyes filled with more tears as he looked over at his best friend.

"Isa!"

Lindsay let him down and the kids ran to each other, squealing and laughing and crying, wrapping their arms around each other like they would never let go.

"Are you okay? Did it hurt when he pushed you down? Were you scared? I love you."

"I love you too. I was really scared that you were never comin' home. I was so super scared Colt. I done nothin' but sit in your mama's lap while you been gone. I missed you so much. Did that man hurt you?"

"Only a little. It's okay. I am tough."

"Me too. Did I scratch you on your arm when I was holdin' on?"

"Yeah but that's okay because you was trying to save me. I am home now and we don't have to be scared no more, okay?"

She nodded and he hugged her once again, oblivious to the fact that they were being ushered into the hallway as his kidnapper was brought out of the interrogation room. Lindsay wasn't oblivious however, and rose to her feet unable to stop the whip of anger that snapped inside her. Every curse word she could think of suddenly came tumbling out of her mouth as she rushed the man, knocking him out of the officers arms and to the floor. His hands were behind his back and he couldn't break his fall or defend himself, but no one really rushed to his aid. It was like she went out of herself for a moment, screaming at him for what he had done, hitting him as hard as she could. Things were flashing before her eyes as she let into him; imagining Adam as a kid, cowered in a corner, picturing how scared Colton must have been, seeing the terror in Isa's eyes. And then suddenly the man laying on the floor was Jack Hawthorne and another wave of hatred took her over. She hit him as hard as she could wanting his face to flatten into the ground so no one would ever, ever have to be hurt by him again. She wasn't even aware of what she was saying and she shrugged off the first hands that tried to pull her away. Just when she could feel herself winding down, her hands came down and grabbed his throat, squeezing until she could see the fear in his eyes.

"How do you like that?" she asked, squeezing a little harder. He blinked and she wanted to say something else, but there were suddenly arms around her, lifting her up and away, back across the room. She fought the grip but she was so tired that once she was back in a chair she crumpled into herself, letting all the tears of the last few days flow free.

Adam sat on one side of her and Austin sat on the other and she was suddenly aware that they had been the ones to pull her away. She could feel the anxiety in Adam's embrace, and he pressed several reassuring kisses to her forehead before handing her over to Austin and standing up and crossing the room. His father was a sad mess, probably a broken nose, a split lip and bruises already forming on just about every inch of skin. Adam almost wanted to laugh at how pathetic he was, getting beat up by a girl who had never hit someone in her life, a girl who was less than half his size. There were so many things he'd wanted to say to his father, but up until this moment he'd never been brave enough. Right now though, he couldn't stop himself, and everything came out calmly, almost as if he had spent weeks planning it. He took his father down to the lowest peg with mere words and after a few moments, he walked away satisfied. He joined Lindsay again, holding his hands out for her and pulling her to her feet. He hugged her tightly, then pulled back and looked at her hands, running his fingers over her swollen knuckles before kissing them.

"Let's take him home."

They actually ended up staying at the station for several hours while Colton was interviewed. He had the option of coming back tomorrow but he said he would talk today to get it over with. He couldn't tell them much really, and there wasn't a lot they needed from him, but they did want to be thorough. It was after dinner by the time they were finally allowed to go home and Colton yawned almost constantly as they drove, asking to see Ben and Avery so he could go to bed. Lindsay carried him up the porch steps and to the front door, then set him down so they could go inside.

"Cole!" Ben shouted, jumping up from the floor and running across the room, slamming into his brother with a hug. "You are home, just like I dreamed! Are you okay?"

"Yep, I am."

"That man what stole you needs a big time out."

"Don't worry Ben. He's gettin' one."

"Coley!" Avery said, crashing into his legs. He smiled and crouched down, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off the ground.

"I missed you, Aves. You gotten bigger while I been gone."

"My Coley," she said softly, patting his face. "No bye-bye."

"Nope. I am home now. Promise."

She kissed his cheek and he set her back down on the floor while Sarah and Junior both came over to hug him too. It felt so good to be home and knowing how much they had missed him made him want to cry again, but he took a deep breath instead.

"Mama, I am so hungry. Can we eat dinner?"

"Yes, we can. What do you want to eat?"

"Just anything, mama. And I want us to all eat at the table. Everybody. And Jo should stay too. Can you stay, Jo?"

"If you want me to, buddy."

He nodded and turned back to Adam, raising his arms.

"Please hold me, daddy."

Adam smiled and picked his son up, holding him close as they all moved into the living room. He took a moment to just look at him. He had small, thin lips and a slender nose, the same one that ran in the paternal side of the family. His big brown eyes were happy yet curious, something hiding behind them.

"Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"I am so glad to be home. So glad I could just pop."

"I'm glad too, son. Through the roof and over the moon."

"Tomorrow, after I rest, I want to talk to you and mama 'bout all this."

"Okay."

"I got some questions."

"I hope I have some answers."

Lindsay couldn't bear to be apart from him that night, insisting that all the kids pile into their bed to sleep. She needed him close and Adam had no desire for the kids to be in the other room either. The five of them snuggled up under the blankets, the kids warm and sweet smelling after their baths. The injuries to Colton's face were more apparent now that the dirt was washed off and Lindsay's stomach churned every time she looked at it too closely. It was bad enough that her baby was hurt, but added to that was the fact that this is probably how Adam had frequently looked as a kid and her heart broke tenfold.

"Hey Cole?"

"Yeah Ben?"

"How you get saved?"

"Well I was just in the house and then I heard a bunch of yelling. I closed my eyes tight to make it go away and then I heard Danny and Flack and Flack had handcuffs on that man that said he was my grampa, and Danny was takin' the ropes off my legs and my arms and then he picked me up and took me to the police station to mama and daddy."

"Why the man say he was your grampa?"

"I don't know. Grampa's is supposed to be nice and he was not nice. He hit me in the face when I said he was not my grampa because his name was not Dale and it was not Dave and those are my only grampas."

Adam and Lindsay looked at each other, silently agreeing to tell Colton the truth later, after things had settled down a little. He would probably take it just fine, but they needed to be sure before they said anything.

"Coley, love," Avery whispered with a yawn, holding on tight to him.

"I love you too. Were you scared?"

She nodded and put her pacifier back in her mouth and closed her eyes, ready to go to sleep.

"I am happy you're home Cole. I wanted to play with you."

"We could play all the day long tomorrow, okay? It will be fun. I missed playin' with you too. I didn't get to play while I was there."

"That is bad, Cole."

"Yup. I'm happy to be home now. I am never riding no bus never again."

"You never get taked again, okay? I will be upset."

"Okay, Ben. In the morning, want to play treasure hunters?"

"Yep. I draw the map firstest so you could have the treasure."

"Okay. Daddy, you wanna play with us?"

"I would love to. Maybe you guys will have to go on an adventure to find the map before you can even look for the treasure."

"Oh wow! We always play it just like the Goonies, we just find the map in the house!"

"We're taking it to a whole new level, buddy.

"What mama and sissy do?"

"I don't know, you got parts for two girls?"

"Hmm. I will think of somethin'."

"Hey Cole?"

"Yeah Ben?"

"What you done the time you was gone from us? How you not be scared?"

"Well lots of times I just thinked a lot about stuff. When I had to go to sleep I just singed in my head. All the hymn songs that mama and granna singed to us when we are sick or sad. I singed them in my head in mama's voice and then I wasn't scared and I didn't feel lonely either. But I had to sleep in the chair, so I felt uncomfortable."

"Cole you gotta sleep in your street clothes?"

"Yep, I did but they were stinky and dirty."

"Yeah. Happy to be in your 'jamas?"

"Yep. I will be happy to have life be regular again. And to go back to school. Can I go back to school on Monday, mama?"

"We'll see, honey," she answered, knowing she probably wouldn't let him go back so soon. He might be feeling ready now, but she knew that sometimes it took a while to come to terms with everything.

"I am really tired right now. Are you tired, Ben?"

"Yep, I is."

"Let's go to sleep. Night mama, I love you."

"I love you too, Colton," she said, leaning over to kiss him.

"Night, daddy. Love you."

"I love you too, buddy. Sleep good, okay?"

He nodded and the boys were asleep quickly, holding onto each other as if they would never let go. Lindsay and Adam watched the kids, all three of them sleeping peacefully, as if nothing had ever been wrong in their lives.

"It's kind of amazing, isn't it? How resilient he is?"

Adam just nodded and she reached over for his hand, squeezing it gently.

"Are you okay?"

"It just brings it all back," he said with a sigh. "I know just what it was like for him. I hate that he went through it and I hate that he'll always remember it."

"I know. But I think he'll be okay, Adam. We're going to help him with it and we're going to be there for him and we're going to make sure he's okay."

"I know."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

She gave his hand another squeeze and looked down at their son, feeling that no matter what had happened, no matter how awful it had all been, that was all outshined by the fact that he was home and safe and they were all together, now and forever.