"Hey, good mornin' guys," Colton greeted, poking his head out the front door. "What are y'all doin' out here?"

"We're just talking," Adam answered from the porch swing, setting his coffee down on the windowsill. "Want to come join us?"

"Okay. Granna is feedin' breakfast to Ben and Aves. Did you eat breakfast yet?" he asked, climbing up between them.

"No, not yet."

"So what are you talkin' about?" he said, taking a sip of Lindsay's coffee.

"Oh, lots of things," Lindsay said hesitantly. "Mostly we were just wondering if you had any questions about what happened."

He sighed and thought for a moment, tapping his chin and staring off into space.

"Is that man going to stay in jail? What if the judge says he can leave?"

"He's staying in jail, honey. He can't ever get to you again."

"Well do we have to go to court? And talk to the lawyer and judge? I want to. I want to tell them all what happened. I don't want that man to lie about anything. I want them to know the real truth."

"They know the truth, sweetie. They know that he took you."

"I know, but I want to tell them about how he hurt me. I want him to get punished more. I want him to go to jail for a very long time. I don't want him to get out later like sometimes other bad guys do. I don't want him to ever take no other kids!"

"He won't-"

"I have to tell them! I cannot be a cop or a judge or nobody, but I could tell the truth. I am the only person what knows it! Me and him. And he would lie. So this is my job. You get it?"

"I get it, honey. I understand how important it is to tell what happened," Lindsay assured. "But you need to trust me and daddy right now. We are here to listen to you, but you might not have to tell your story in front of anyone, okay?"

"I want to. Just remember I want to when you are makin' your decisions, okay?"

"Okay sweetheart. We'll remember. Do you have any other questions?"

"Yes. I just want to make sure of something. That man hurt me, but other kids don't ever get hurt, right? Because it is wrong for grownups to hurt kids and they know that and no other kids ever get hurt by a grownup, right?"

They were quiet, hating to tell him the truth, surprised that he was old enough and wise enough to ask the question and to be ready for the answer. Lindsay knew Adam couldn't speak the words and it was up to her to say it.

"Colton, unfortunately, it does happen to other kids."

"Why?"

"Because people are bad. It's not fair."

"How come the police don't stop them?" he questioned, his eyes full of tears.

"Sometimes they do. But a lot of times they don't even know it's happening. People keep it a secret. Sometimes no one says a word about it. Sometimes the kids don't even know it's wrong, or they think it's their fault."

"But why? Why do some kids get hurt? Why them? How come you and daddy don't hurt me and Ben and Aves but other kids get hurt by their mama's and daddies? How come other kids and not us? It's not fair! Other kids should not get hurt! I will get hurt for them. No one else should ever get hurt again!"

"I don't have the answers, Colton," Lindsay confessed, wrapping her arms around him. "I don't think there really are any good answers. You are absolutely right, no one should get hurt. It's not fair and that's part of the reason that daddy and I do the job we do, so we can make sure the bad people go to jail and they don't hurt anyone else."

He sniffled and wiped his eyes, feeling angrier than he ever had.

"Do you think that man ever hurt any other kids?"

"Yes, he did."

"I want to hurt him back. I know it is wrong of me, but I want to hurt him back real bad."

"I do too," Adam said softly.

"Really, daddy?"

"Yes, really. It's hard to make that feeling go away."

"Can I ask another question?"

"You can ask as many questions as you want."

"Well, I was wonderin' why that man said he was my grandpa. But I don't know if you know the answer to that."

"Actually honey, we do know the answer."

"You do? Well why did he say it?"

They both took deep breaths and Lindsay reached over for Adam's hand, giving him support because he was the only one who could tell this part of the story.

"Colton, you remember how grandpa Dave isn't my real dad? He's my step-dad."

"Yeah, but you said that don't matter because your real daddy was not nice and grandpa was a good daddy to you even though you were a grown up."

"Yeah, that's right. The reason that man said that he was your grandpa is because he is my real dad."

"No!"

"Yes, he is."

"No! He is a bad man! He is really bad, daddy! He can't be your real dad!"

"He is though. I wish I could change it but I can't."

"I don't understand. I don't like this."

"Colton, when I was little, my dad was a bully. He was mean to me just like he was to you."

"He hurt you?"

"Yes, he did."

"No! No, it's not true!" Colton shouted, starting to cry. "It's not fair! I don't believe you!"

"Colton-"

"No daddy! It could not happen to you! Never, never! I'm gonna hurt him back even more, I really am! Nobody hurts my daddy. I will punch that man in the face, I will hurt him just like he hurt us!"

He tried to get up but Adam held him back.

"You can't do that, Colton," he said quietly, breathing through his own tears.

"Why did that happen daddy?" he lamented quietly, sobs shaking his body. "What did we do wrong?"

"We didn't do anything wrong, Colton. That man is just very bad."

"I love you. You are the best daddy in the entire world. I love you very much."

"I love you too, son."

"Thank you for not being like him, daddy."

They sat like that for a while, both of them crying through the pain and confusion until they calmed back down. Lindsay was barely holding it together at this point, but she knew they needed her to be strong and let them feel things right now. Later she could cry with them, but at this moment they needed to lean on her.

"Daddy, how much did he hurt you?"

"He hurt me a lot, son. For a lot of years, every day."

"Was it scary?"

"Yes, it was."

"Did Gigi know?"

"Yes. And she tried to protect me as best as she could but sometimes he hurt her too."

"How come you didn't run away?"

"We did eventually. We ran away and we never got hurt by him again."

"I am glad for that, daddy. But I am really sad about the rest of it. Did you ever get hurt when you were little, mama?"

"No, I didn't."

"Did Danny get hurt when he was a kid?"

"No," Lindsay answered, hoping he wouldn't ask what she was certain was coming next.

"What about Austin?"

"Yes, she did."

He seemed to almost wilt at that, angrily rubbing the last tears from his eyes.

"I need to tell Isa."

"No, you don't. What happened to Austin, that's her story to tell. Just like you want to tell your story, she needs to tell hers when she's ready. Don't do it for her."

"Okay. I am going to just hug Austin really big when I see her tonight."

"That's a good idea."

He sniffled and leaned back against them, breathing deeply as he tried to come to terms with what he'd just heard. It was so much information to take in, and it wasn't just facts either. He felt old now, not like a kid anymore. He felt like all the bad things in the world were more than the good things. And he didn't want it to be that way. He didn't want Ben and Avery to ever feel like this. He was going to make sure that they had all good things in their lives, so they would never see the bad stuff. And someday, when he was a grownup, he would make sure of that for his own kids. The world would be good again and he needed to start changing it now.

"Hey Messers!" Colton and Ben chorused, opening Danny and Austin's front door later that night.

"We are here. We brunged our Granna," Ben announced proudly. "What's for dinner?"

Austin laughed as she came around the corner, a big spoon in her hand.

"A big pile of burnt if your mama doesn't get in here and rescue me like she's the Bare-Foot Contessa."

"You should learn to cook, Austin," Ben sighed. "Or you will make us all sick."

"Thanks for the support, buddy," she laughed, picking him up and kissing his cheek. "Daniel's in his bedroom playing with his daddy if you want to go in there."

"Okay. Hey Dunner!" he shouted, making his way into the bedroom.

"Austin's where's Isa? I gotta talk to her."

"She's in her room with Sarah."

"Will Sarah be mad if I just wanna talk to Isa?"

"No, that's fine. Go ahead."

He went into the other room and Avery wiggled down from Adam's arms, toddling off in search of Sarah.

"Well now that the children are occupied, what say you come into the kitchen and save our dinner?"

"What say we just make that into a t-shirt so you don't have to waste your breath asking again?"

"Why are you so sassy?"

"Why are you questioning this? Mom, you'd better come in here and keep the peace."

Anne chuckled and followed them while Adam made his way down the hall, wanting to make sure that Colton wasn't telling Isa too much.

The kids were sitting in the bathroom doorway, both leaned up against the doorjamb, legs criss-crossed and knees touching. They looked very serious and Colton reached out for Isa's hand.

"You don't got that brace on it no more?"

"Nah. They said it was just swollen and it's okay now. I just have to be careful."

He rubbed over her arm thoughtfully then took a deep breath.

"Isa, I have to tell you some stuff. And it's not good stuff. It's bad."

"What do you have to tell me Colt?"

"First I have to tell you that the bad man is my daddy's real dad."

"I knowed that already. Indy told me."

"He hitted me a lot, Isa. And he hitted my daddy when he was little. And you know what else? Lots of kids get hitted by grownups. Lots of them. Other people don't have parents that love them like we do. And other kids get hurt."

"Why?"

"Mama says it's because people are bad. It makes me very mad, Isa. And I don't want to be mad like those bad people are. So I need your help."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Make sure that I don't stay mad. I want to make the world very good and if I am always mad, then I can't do that."

"So I have to make you laugh lots?"

"Yes."

"Okay then. It is time for me to tickle you!"

He shouted with laughter as she flew at him, tickling his sides and wrestling him to the floor. He tickled her back and they rolled around in the hallway for a few moments before they were joined by the rest of the kids, who decided that they needed to take part in the laughing and tickling as well.

"It's good to have them all back together, isn't it?" Danny asked, appearing at Adam's side.

"Yeah, it is."

"Come on, we can watch the sports highlights if we make it out there before the hens catch us."

"Always a good option," Adam agreed, following him into the other room.

The kids continued their rough playing until it was time for dinner. They all clambered onto their chairs, shouting about how hungry they were and how much they wanted to eat.

"Binyin eats my corn," Junior explained, pushing his vegetables onto Ben's plate. "I eat Binyin's cel'ry."

"I have all the kids carrots," Sarah added. "Averylin eats the potatoes."

"And me and Isa eat all the other stuff!" Colton finished. "That's how we clean our plates, Granna. Teamwork. Except sometimes Aves puts food down her diaper."

Avery looked up when she heard her name, grinning widely and holding up a dinner roll.

"Mine!" she said, opening it up and licking the butter out of the middle. "Yum!"

"Well at least you've got a system," Anne chuckled, watching as the kids dumped the bits of food they didn't want onto the plates of someone who did want it. "Aren't you worried about germs?"

"Nah. Germs are okay. We love each other enough."

"Well you see I only looked away for a second," Sarah said quietly, shaking her head. "And the next thing I knowed, Averylin was covered in markers. Are you mad at me, auntie?"

"Why would I be mad at you, Sarahlove?" Lindsay asked with a chuckle. "You don't know how many times Avery's gotten away from me and done something wrong. That's just what happens when you have kids. Besides, it's not your job to make sure she stays out of trouble."

"But she is so messy."

"It's okay. She'll have a bath tonight."

Sarah sighed and shook her head.

"Averylin, you are crazy."

"Sayuh, play?"

"I will play with you when you are all cleaned up. I will be in my room."

She headed off and Avery pouted, holding her hands out so Lindsay would clean them faster.

"Mama, go."

"How about next time you don't color on yourself, and then you'll be able to just keep playing?"

"Ah color."

"Yeah, you're so artistic. But let's not color on our skin, alright?"

"Right mama. Play?"

"Alright, go play."

Avery toddled off, shrieking happily as she made her way down the hall.

"Indy, Avery looks like she's from that one movie that's like Pocahontas but with blue people. You know what I mean?" Isa said, kneeling in front of the bookshelf. "That aviation or whatever."

"She means Avatar," Colton laughed as he went into the kitchen. "You're crazy, Isa."

She made a face at him and he laughed again before ducking into the kitchen, finding Austin at the sink. He wrapped his arm around her waist, leaning his head on her hip while she finished scrubbing one of the pots from dinner. She finally finished up and dried her hands on a kitchen towel before running her fingers through his hair.

"You okay there bud?" she asked, running her finger over the red and swollen skin on his forehead that housed the most obvious sign of what had happened. He looked up at her and sighed and she let go of him for just a moment top hop up onto the counter. Grinning, he climbed up with her, leaning into her side.

"I talked to my mama and daddy this mornin'," he started, swinging his legs back and forth. "And we talked about how the bad man hurt my daddy when he was little. They said it happens to other kids too and sometimes no one can stop it. And even the cops don't know about it."

"That's right," she said quietly. "Sometimes we can't but whenever we can, we work very, very hard to make sure that it doesn't happen to that kid ever again."

"Mama said that she wasn't hurt like daddy was," he continued, taking a deep breath and holding it in for a little longer than normal before letting it go. "And she said that Danny didn't get hurt either. But she said that you did."

Austin's breath almost left her, and she wasn't sure what to think. Everyone who knew what had happened to her had been told by someone else. Adam and Lindsay were the only people she'd really spoken the words to, and that had been hard enough. But to look down at this little innocent boy, the one whose very existence had pulled her back to reality and taught her how to love and to have to tell him the awful truth nearly crushed her.

"Yes Colton. I was hurt a lot by my dad when I was little."

He nodded and thought for a minute, chewing on his bottom lip the same way Lindsay did.

"It's not fair, Austin."

"I know it's not. But if it makes you feel better, I got away and my dad never hurt me ever again. Your daddy got away too and so did you."

"We are pretty brave, aren't we?"

"Yes. And you, Colton Matthew Ross are the bravest kid I know."

"I am?"

"You're my hero, buddy."

"No, you're tellin' stories," he said shyly pulling away from her hug just a little.

"Nope, it's the gospel truth. You're my super hero, buddy. Just don't tell uncle Danny."

"I love you, Austin," he said solemnly, returning her hug.

"I love you too, Colton."

They stayed motionless for a moment before he lifted his head and whispered in her ear.

"I won't tell Isa about this. Because it is your story and you are the only one who could tell it to her. I promise."

"Thank you, buddy."

She knew how hard it was for him to keep something from Isa, but she also knew that he never made certain promises like this. He always just said he would try his best. But this one, she knew he would keep.

"You know what I think Austin?"

"What?"

"I think that kids who get hurt like that don't know how to love as good. And I think that you and daddy are very brave and smart and gots huge hearts because you love bigger than most people in the whole world, even good people. And I am glad you are not angry about it and you've done forgiving because that will teach me and the other kids to do forgiving. And mama says that's the hardest part but you have to do it because it makes you a better person. So you did a very hard thing by not living an angry and mean life and doing forgiving."

She gulped back a round of tears at his innocent observations, knowing he was right. It was hard, and for the first time, she allowed herself some credit for not letting what her father had done to her shape her life negatively. Sure there were obstacles, but she was not the person he said she was, not the person his abuse tried to make her.

"And you know what I decided?" he asked, his eyes lighting up as he moved on to a happier subject.

"What did you decide?"

"Well I want to make the world good. And I know I can't stop all the bad people from hurting kids. But I decided that instead of bein' a regular doctor, I am going to be a doctor for kids. And so when they come to me because they are hurt from bad people, I will be able to fix them and tell them that it is okay and not to be scared because I know about it and I will make sure that the bad person gets punished. I will do everything I can to keep all those kids safe."

"Colton, I have never been more proud of anyone than I am of you right now."

"You don't gotta be proud of me, Austin. All the people in the world should want to be like that. I am not nothing special to be proud of."

"Yes you are, Colton. You are someone amazing, and don't you ever think different."

"Okay, if you insist," he agreed with a smile while she ruffled his hair. "I love you, Austin."

"I love you too, Colton."

"I'm gonna go play now," he said, sliding off the counter. "Thanks for talkin' to me."

She leaned down and kissed him quickly before he tore off into the other room, leaving her to catch her breath and her emotions. She wiped her eyes on the dishtowel, then hopped off the counter and went back into the living room.

"Hey," Lindsay greeted as Austin plopped down on the couch next to her.

"Hey. Did you know that you have quite possibly the sweetest, wisest, strongest, bravest, most loving little boy in all the world?"

"I know. I can't even believe it. Sometimes I look at him and wonder how in the heck he's even related to me. I hope I didn't step on your toes by telling him all that."

"No, you didn't," Austin answered, moving Lindsay's arm and snuggling into her side. "I actually think it was good for me."

"Alls well that ends well I guess."

"How are you holding up?"

"Oh, you know, just one day at a time and I'll tell you the real answer later."

Austin just nodded, pretty sure that the real answer was something that couldn't be put into simple words, at least not right now.

"We have to go down and talk to a lawyer tomorrow. And we have to figure out when Colton should go back to school, or if he can stay out for the last two weeks. I don't know which is better for him anyway. And I need to make an appointment for him so he can talk to someone about this because I don't want there to be residual stuff left over that he never deals with until he's in his thirties or something. I guess I thought that once he was home we would have time to relax and get everyone's heads on straight again, but that hasn't been the case so far."

"No one wrote a book on what to do, Linds."

"I am well aware of that."

"I'm just saying that no one wrote anything so there aren't any rules, so all you have to do is what feels right for you guys. As long as you're all comfortable and safe, that's all that matters."

"I really, really love you."

"I thought you might. You know what might be good?"

"Hmm?"

"That beach vacation we talked about. I checked that one vacation house last week and it's still open the week after the fourth of July. If we can all get our time off worked out, we should do it. The kids would love it, and we all need to get away."

"I'll talk to Adam. Other than time off of work, I think we could do it."

"Good. I'll get us all squared away on this end. I highly doubt Mac will deny you guys your vacation days at least."

Lindsay smiled and nodded, already smelling the salt air and feeling the healing power of the waves crashing against her ankles.

"It's a plan. We're going."

"And everything will be perfectly right with the world again."