While they waited for Anthony to turn up, Laura unzipped the diaper bag and removed the bottle. Kendall gave her a look and she shrugged. "We'll have to take care of her if she starts crying. I've heard these babies cry and it's annoying." Cole thought back to the first time Robert had started crying and he smiled.

"She's not lying. Remember the first time -,"

"I do," Noah chuckled. "Well, it's gonna be hard to take care of Amber-Lynn now that you gave the babysitter parent to Naomi and them." Cole's eyes grew wide and he resisted the urge to hit himself in the head.

"Shit..."

"I thought you had a bracelet, too?" Kendall asked Noah. He pulled up his sleeve and turned it to Kendall.

"This one? Only works for our baby."

"Damn," he sighed. "We'll figure something out, don't worry." After a moment of silence, Cole cleared his throat and turned to the other two sitting on the pier. Laura and Kendall looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to say whatever it was he had on his mind. Cole smiled and fiddled with his pants, picking at them without thinking.

"So, I just wanted to thank you guys for this. You really didn't have to help us out. You didn't have to do any of this. I mean, you ruined your relationship with Anthony, Kendall. And Laura, you put your car in harm's way. That's not something just anybody would do. We don't know each other very well, but I want to get to know you more. You're both really fucking awesome, so thank you." Kendall took her hand and smiled. Laura quickly leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek.

"You're welcome. And you owe us!" she giggled.

"I'm in the business of owing a lot of people," he smiled, glancing at Noah who was watching them silently. "Whatever you guys need, you let me know, okay? I'll be there."

"Thanks, man," Kendall said. Cole smiled and looked down at his pants again, pleased to have that weight off his shoulders. They didn't have to help him and yet here they were, sitting on the pier at Lake Grisham at ten o'clock. Sure, they had their own bone to pick with Anthony but that didn't mean they all had to work together. They'd wanted to help and that meant something to Cole. He made a mental note to thank Kacey, Noah, Naomi, and Paul once they got out of this mess. Most of them had been there since the beginning of it all and he was quite indebted to them.

Noah stood up and stretched his legs, aimlessly wandering around the pier to clear his mind. The pier itself was nearly seven feet wide which was more than enough room for him to walk around without feeling trapped all the way out here in the lake. Seizing the opportunity, Cole hopped up and followed after him. From behind the boy, Cole risked reaching out and placing his hand on his shoulder. Noah turned around, looking to see who was behind him. He was more surprised than anything when Cole stepped forward and hugged him, wrapping his arms around his waist. Though he stood as still as a statue, Noah's heart pounded.

"Thank you," Cole whispered. He pulled back and looked up at Noah. "I mean it. Thank you for helping look for Robert. Thank you for making me talk to you about last summer. Thank you for not giving up on me. Just... thank you." Noah stared back at him, searching for any hint of sarcasm. A tell that proved he was only joking. There was nothing. When he realized that he was being serious, the corner of his mouth pulled up in a half-smile. The tension in his body relaxed and he shook his head while pulling Cole's head back to his shoulder. He hugged him back. From the edge of the pier, they heard Kendall and Laura yell,

"Awwww!" Noah felt Cole chuckling into his shoulder and he couldn't help but laugh as well. After a minute of their embrace, Cole pulled back.

"You're welcome," Noah said. For the first time in a while, he'd said that without being sarcastic or rude about it. It felt good.

"I hate to, and I really mean hate to break up your thing, but Anthony's pulling up right now," Kendall called out. The boys split apart and looked at the headlights shining on them. They walked back to the other two and took a seat, waiting for his phone call. Less than thirty seconds later Kendall's phone rang. They all listened as he answered it. "Hello?"

"I bet you all thought you were cute, huh? It's too bad you didn't get away with it."

"What're you talking about?" Kendall demanded.

"Get out there," they heard Anthony say to someone. The passenger's door to his Jeep opened and Bryce stepped out. He then opened the back door and pulled Naomi out by her arm. She snatched her arm back and glared at him. In her hands was Robert's carrier.

"Shit," Noah muttered in defeat. Anthony laughed on his end of the line.

"You almost fooled me there, guys. You really did. I wouldn't have thought to split them up. But when I got out of the pool and saw Bryce only chasing after one of your cars, I knew that something was up. You guys are such kiss-asses that you'd never split up unless you were plotting something." Anthony jumped out of his car and closed the door with his elbow. While he spoke, he crossed the grass and wrapped an arm around Naomi's shoulder. "Why don't you tell him how I got you guys?"

"Guys, I'm so sorry," she said. "We stopped because Paul was going to puke again. After he was done, Anthony pulled up and Bryce took me." Laura shook her head in disbelief.

"All of this over a baby? Jesus Christ..." she whispered.

"No, it's not just over a baby, Laura. It's actually about people thinking they can cross me and get away with it. It's about being tired of being used by everyone. Kendall and Noah only used me because nobody else wanted them around. Naomi told me she loved me, but look at her now. She's off dating Pukin' Paul. Hanging out with Kacey's slutty ass. None of you realize how pissed off I've been."

"Everyone gets pissed off! Everyone's pissed at you because you're a fucking assfuck," Cole shouted, startling everyone near the lake. He stood and started for the cars at the other end of the pier. Nervously, Noah quickly chased after him.

"What're you doing?" he asked, matching his pace.

"I'm done with this. I'm done playing these stupid games with Anthony."

"Cole, stop. If you go up there, what do you think will happen to Robert?"

"I'm gonna get him back, so that's not important." Noah grabbed him by both of his shoulders and stopped him from continuing on.

"No, Cole, you're not. You're being unrealistic. Look, you're angry. I get that. We're all angry about this. But think about it logically. If you go up there and start attacking him, who do you think will help him? Bryce. And two of them against one of you is suicide."

"Yeah, but you and Kendall can help me."

"We're all the way back there. They'd have plenty of time to get some pretty bad hits in before we got up there."

"But -,"

"And even if they didn't, they'd take it out on Robert. Do you want that?"

"Noah -,"

"Do you want that?"

"No!" he said with irritation.

"You know how that will end, Cole. They'll throw the first punch, beat Robert up a little, and then you'll tell Kendall and Laura to do the same thing. They'll get mad and return the favor to Robert and it'll be over. Both of those babies are gonna die if you go up there and fight him, okay?" Cole wanted to yell in Noah's face. Not because he was stopping him, but because he knew Anthony would do exactly that. Cole wanted to scream and yell and cry. Instead he pressed his hands to his face in frustration.

"Fucking fucker fuck," he yelled. Noah took him by the hand and dragged him back to the others. Laura looked up at him but dropped her gaze before they could look at one another. Kendall nodded a thank you to Noah.

"Aw, is Cole feeling better?" Anthony taunted. If it were up to Cole, he would have tossed the phone in the lake. He smirked at the thought. This was the exact place he'd thrown Kelsey's phone. It was all coming back in full circle.

"I'm feeling great, actually. How do you see this going down, Anthony? Let us know so we can help you out." He looked at the phone calmly. The faster they got this over with, the better. Anthony laughed and tapped Robert on his plastic nose.

"I want you to bring Amber-Lynn up here before she starts crying so we can take her and Robert back home."

"Well, that's not going to happen, honestly. If you're keeping Robert, we're keeping Amber-Lynn. If you hurt Robert, we'll hurt Amber-Lynn. The best thing for the both of us would be to trade babies. Nobody gets hurt that way," Cole replied. Back on land, Anthony shook his head in disagreement.

"No, see, you're going to do what I say."

"Why, though?"

"What?"

"Why are we supposed to do whatever you want, man? Why are you so determined to control everything and everyone around you? Is it because of what you wrote in your journal?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do," Cole insisted. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Nobody but me and Naomi knows what you wrote down, and I'm fine keeping it that way. You're a dick, but I get why. I'm so done with this game, though. I just want my baby back, just like you do. Can we please trade and get on with our weekend?"

"So, let me get this straight. You crash my party, kidnap my baby, trash my buddy's car, and expect me to make this easy for you?" Anthony couldn't believe how stupid they were. None of this was going to be easy.

"You're a pain in the ass, Anthony, and I hope one day you'll realize, like I did, that you can't control everyone around you. You can't stop people from making stupid mistakes. People are going to stab you in the back, and you'll do the same. The only thing you can do is be ready for it and try not to take part in it."

"Aw, thanks Oprah, but I don't need your goddamn advice. Give me Amber-Lynn before I start wrecking shit."

"We're not scared of you, Anthony," Noah piped in. Anthony reached into his pocket and flipped open his pocket knife. He moved to Laura's car and gently pressed the blade against the tire.

"If you don't get over here with my baby, I'm slashing all of this bitch's tires." Kendall knew Laura was ready to yell so he quickly jumped into the conversation as well.

"Fine, Anthony. Give us a minute." He ended the call and looked at the others. They knew there was very little chance they'd be able to negotiate with Anthony. He was angry and there was nothing they could do to calm him down that didn't involve letting him and Bryce drive off with both babies, putting them back in the same spot they'd just gotten out of. They were finally in the lead - in control of this situation - but now Anthony had stopped by to snatch victory from them. Cole wasn't going to let that happen. He glanced over his shoulder at Naomi who was staring back with uncertainty written all over her face. She held Robert's carrier so tightly that her fingers were white.

"Can you guys run pretty fast?" he asked the group.

"Running back, here," Kendall laughed.

"Track team last year," Laura said. Cole looked at Noah.

"I'm not slow, no."

"Okay, good. This is what you guys are gonna do: when shit hits the fan, Laura, you run to the car and start it up. I'll get Naomi and Robert. Kendall, Noah? You two can fight better than I can. If you see him coming after me once I do what needs to happen, you two gotta watch my back, okay?"

"What are you going to do?" Noah asked.

"You'll see," he smiled. He quickly slipped off his jacket and rolled it up into what appeared to be a baby. "I need you guys to cover me right now so he can't see what I'm doing." Noah and Kendall moved in front of him, blocking Anthony's line of sight. While they were doing that, Cole removed Amber-Lynn from her carrier and placed the jacket inside. He tried to make it as believable as possible. After fiddling with the jacket for a minute, he stuffed Amber-Lynn in her diaper bag and moved to the edge of the pier. Laura leaned closer to watch.

"What if she floats away?" she whispered.

"I'm tying her to the pier so she won't," he grinned.

"Evil."

"That turn you on?" Cole teased. Once Amber-Lynn's diaper bag had been tied to the pier, he sat back on his heels. Laura looked impressed. "Alright, remember what the plan is?"

"When you do whatever you're going to do, I jump in the car and wait for you all to get inside."

"Perfect," he said. Cole stood and helped Laura up. Kendall looked over his shoulder at them, and figuring that he and Noah were done, turned around and handed the carrier to Cole. Kendall and Noah both shared a knowing look and tried to hide their smiles. Cole narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What're you two smiling about?"

"Nothing, nothing," Noah said, laughing softly. Rather than pushing the topic, Cole turned his attention to the baby carrier. He readjusted the sweatshirt inside one last time before he maneuvered between the other two boys and walked down the pier. The footsteps of the others followed him as he set his eyes on Naomi, Bryce, and Anthony. He couldn't tell anyone his plan. If he did, he'd doubt himself and this wasn't the time for self-doubt. He needed to pretend to be confident, and if he could pull that off, he'd really become it.

As they neared the end of the pier, Cole's stomach twisted with anticipation. Rather than focusing on how nervous he was, he thought about how angry he was. Anthony thought it was okay to steal their baby. He thought it was okay to torment and bully people around him because he didn't have control at home. Because he was bullied there. But it wasn't excusable for him to do that. After all he'd been through last summer and the past two weeks, he'd learned that the past didn't justify future actions. He shouldn't have treated Noah poorly because of his parents and their drama. Brent shouldn't have treated him the way he did because of his dad situation. Anthony was no different. He didn't get a free pass and neither did they.

Not to mention all of the terrible things he'd said to Naomi. All of the shitty names he called Cole. Anthony wasn't a nice person, and so he deserved what he was getting. By the time Cole stepped onto the grass, his free hand was balled up in a fist. He stopped ten feet away from Anthony. Cole turned and handed the baby carrier to Noah and then walked up to Naomi, pulling her into a hug. Anthony glared at them. Quietly, Cole pressed his lips to her ears and whispered.

"When he goes for the baby, you aim for Bryce's balls and run, okay?" He pulled back and looked at her. "You okay?"

"Yes. And... and yes." She raised her eyebrow and smirked. Cole smiled as well. He headed back to Noah and stared at him.

"Get ready," he whispered. He coddled his jacket close to his chest and brought the empty carrier to Anthony. He placed the carrier on the ground and bounced his jacket as if she was really wrapped up inside.

"You win, Anthony. Are you happy, now?" Cole asked him. Crickets filled the momentary silence.

"Of course. I'm not surprised, though. You guys will always do what I say," he smirked. Cole forced a laugh and shrugged nonchalantly.

"You're right. Well, here you go." He slowly stuck his jacket out to the boy. "She's really cute by the way."

"Just give her to me," he growled, reaching forward. Before he could grab Cole's jacket, he dropped the bundle to the ground. Anthony made a surprised noise and shot down to grab it. At that exact moment, Naomi swung Robert's baby carrier as hard as possible, aiming for Bryce's groin. He yelled at the impact and collapsed to his knees. Cole jerked his head to the car to tell her to run, but before she did, Naomi removed her small can of pepper spray on her keychain and got him in the eyes. She took off to the car with Laura afterwards.

During the whole ordeal, Anthony had unwrapped the jacket and expected to see his baby. "What the hell?" he yelled, looking over at Bryce who was now crying in pain. While turning his attention to the one who'd dropped the jacket, Cole shot forward and punched Anthony in the eye. Anthony's head snapped back and he fell onto his behind.

"Holy shit," Kendall exclaimed. Rather than basking in glory, Cole leaned down and hit Anthony again.

"Your baby's tied to the pier. Leave us the fuck alone. You thought Noah's hit hurt? Let me find out that you're still bothering my friends and I'll make sure your neck brace matches your braces. Do I make myself clear?" Anthony groaned in response, rolling onto his side. Satisfied with that answer, Cole turned his attention to Bryce. He squatted down so that the boy could hear him. "The same thing goes for you. I'm not afraid of either of you. Not anymore. So unless you have a death wish, we're done here."

He patted Bryce on the shoulders and walked to the car without another word. He climbed into the back and put his seatbelt on. Noah and Kendall shared a look before evaluating the damage. Bryce had one hand over his balls and another over his eyes and Anthony was touching his face to check for blood. Noah shrugged and walked to Laura's car. He sat in the middle seat while Cole and Kendall took both window seats. When he turned to talk to Cole, he spotted the blood on his hand.

"You're bleeding, man," he said suddenly. Cole glanced down at his hand in surprise.

"I guess I am," he laughed. Noah reached for an old bag of fast food and pulled out the napkins inside. While Cole winced gently, Noah cleaned off his wound. He glanced at his own hand next to Cole's and started laughing. "What?"

"You. We have matching wounds from punching Anthony in the face."

"I'm not sure I need to be giving Robert back to a pair of abusive fathers," Naomi teased. They all laughed, and despite her words, she handed the carrier to them. Relief washed over Noah and Cole as they stared at Robert sitting safely in his seat. Noah stroked the baby's plastic cheek.

"I know you're not real, but damn if it isn't good to see you, kiddo," he murmured. Cole watched as Noah removed him from the carrier and rocked him gently. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the seat. They'd finally done it. Robert was safe.