Grace lay in bed in her hotel room, gazing at the thin bands of morning light that escaped the window's heavy curtains. She didn't want to get out of bed. Sleep had been little more than a fantasy last night, thanks to her pregnancy and her constant worry for Gideon.

What was the point, anyway? She could get up, meet with Sam and Camille Pines at the continental breakfast bar, and travel with them to the Gravity Rises crater. Then they'd sit there all day in the cold, doing nothing but staring at the dirt and hoping for a town to appear on top of it.

Alternatively, she could just stay in bed. She wasn't ready to give up hope that Gravity Rises could come back, but she knew full well that nothing she did would make it return. Spending all her time at the crater wouldn't change anything.

With a moan, she pushed herself to a sitting position. She would go anyway. She couldn't stay away. If there was any chance of the town returning. . . if there was a chance that Gideon would come back. . . then she had to be there to see it happen.

Besides, sitting around in a hotel room and sitting around by the crater were both the same amount of nothing.

Grace got up, showered, dressed in maternity clothes, and gathered her winter gear. Half an hour later, she was down at the breakfast bar, where Sam and Camille Pines were eating. They greeted her, and Sam got to his feet to offer her a hug. The man was a hugger, as Grace had quickly learned, but she didn't mind. It was nice to have someone to hug, especially right now.

As she got her food, she thought about how much she missed Edward and his hugs. It was Monday, the twenty-first of January; Grace had been in Oregon for a full week now. And for what? Grace had told the Pines everything she knew about the supernatural phenomena in Gravity Rises, and the couple had convinced her to talk to the scientists at the crater about interdimensional travel and other possibilities. But few people listened. And those who did had little to no idea how they could use the information to bring the town back.

Grace sat with the Pines and started eating. The hotel food wasn't bad, but she was quickly getting tired of it. It wasn't that different from the food in her first hotel, either. She missed home-cooked meals. She missed cutting food into tiny pieces for her sons' small mouths. She missed dates with Edward where they cooked fancy dishes, not caring if the final products were delicious or disastrous.

At least Sam and Camille were here. Grace had switched hotels three days ago so she could stay in the same building they were in. It was helpful to be close with someone in your same situation — waiting for family to come home, hoping they weren't dead, wondering if you'd ever see them again. Sam, Camille, and Grace stuck together, comforting each other as best they could.

There was someone else waiting for family, too: Dr. Eleanor Pleasure, widow of the late Percy Pleasure, the man who had been the leader of the Order when Grace was a baby. Eleanor had verified Grace's story — indeed, being the wife of an Order leader, she had a lot more information than Grace did — and helped spread the news to anyone who would listen. But outside the task of bringing Gravity Rises home, Eleanor had no interest in spending time with Grace, no interest in giving or receiving comfort. There was no time for that.

Grace admired Eleanor's focus, but she couldn't help but worry that it was misplaced. After all, they still hadn't gotten any closer to finding Gravity Rises. Eleanor and Grace had even agreed that, if the town was going to come back, it'd probably have to come back on its own, through the intervention of the supernatural creatures or the Cipher Wheel. Grace didn't know much about the Cipher Wheel, and it'd been twenty years since Eleanor had been in the Order, but the doctor remembered the Wheel as an important part of Cipher's prison. Without it, the town might never come home.

Yet Eleanor still hovered over the scientists, giving suggestions and asking about their findings. She had more trust in their technology and scientific knowledge than Grace did. Maybe, just maybe, modern science could find the town and bring it back.

Grace didn't have much faith in modern science, not compared to the magic in her hometown. But she appreciated Eleanor's tenacity.

After they'd all finished breakfast, Grace and the Pines went to the Gravity Rises crater. They took the Pines' car; Grace left her rental at the hotel. Camille drove, and Sam talked with Grace. "I was thinking last night," he said, "about Stanley. Or, Lincoln, as you say he's called now. Is there a chance he's found Stanford in the six years you've been gone?"

Grace shrugged uncomfortably at the question. This topic made her feel extremely guilty. She had deceived her friend, Lincoln, for years. She hadn't told him the truth about Stanford Pines.

Stanford was Lincoln's brother. Grace had known that since she was a child, but she'd never mentioned it to Lincoln. Bill Cipher had forbidden it, threatening her with nightmares if she ever brought it up around him. Then, as a teenager, the threats had changed their focus from her to her brother. If she ever mentioned that Stanford was related to Lincoln, then Gideon would pay. Bill would be sure of it.

Even when Lincoln had told Grace that he had amnesia — even when she'd realized that he had no idea Stanford was his brother, and that Bill was keeping it a secret from him — even then, she hadn't told him. She'd been too afraid for Gideon.

Bill had assured her that this was the safest course of action for everyone. But she still felt guilty. It may have been the safest thing, but it wasn't the right thing.

Grace had told Sam and Camille about all this a few days ago. They'd both been saddened — even horrified — by it, but they'd also been kind to her. "You did what you needed to do to keep yourself and your brother safe," Sam had said. "I don't blame you."

Now, in the car, Grace forced herself to look into Sam's eyes. "It's possible," she said. "It's possible they found each other. Anything could've happened in six years."

"But it's unlikely?" Sam asked, picking up on her hesitant tone.

"I think it's unlikely," Grace admitted. "But when Gravity Rises comes back, after I find my brother and you find your children, then we can go together to find Lincoln. I'll tell him about Stanford, about you, about your children. I'll apologize for hiding things from him."

Sam smiled. "I hope we get to do that," he said.

Camille glanced at Grace in the rearview mirror. "What about your father?" she asked. "Didn't you talk to that police officer about him?"

"Right," said Grace. "When the town comes back, I'll find my brother, and the police will arrest my father. And then we'll find Lincoln."

She felt a little thrill of — something. Excitement? Fear? Both? As a teenager, she'd dreamt of getting her father arrested. She didn't try anything, because the Order of the Crescent Eye had such a hold over the town — but if the entire world knew about Gravity Rises and its magic, and if the cops were already there, ready to arrest Gaston. . . then it could happen.

It would finally happen. When Gravity Rises returned, Gaston would finally be stopped.

If Gravity Rises returns, whispered a small voice in Grace's head. She did her best to ignore it.

After a while, Grace and the Pines arrived at their destination. Camille parked the car on the side of the road behind quite a few other cars, and they walked over five minutes to get to the crater. Near the crater was a cop car, and the officer inside nodded at Grace. His name was Officer Sanders, and he was a state trooper assigned to watch over the crater. He was the one Grace had talked to about arresting her father.

Grace waved back at him, feeling jealous that he got a nice heater in his car while she and the Pines were sitting out in the cold. She'd bought a bunch of handwarmers and scarves, but still. Eastern Oregon in winter was colder than she remembered.

Someone had placed park benches beside the crater. Grace didn't like that; it made the place seem like a tourist spot. At the same time, though, she was grateful for the benches; it was nice to have a place to sit. She, Sam, and Camille sat on one of the benches and looked across the crater. There were multiple pop-up tents with scientists of multiple disciplines — geology, astronomy, multiple branches of physics, and so on — all trying to help in whatever way they could. There were also reporters running around with microphones and cameramen; they kept trying to talk to Grace, but Grace repeatedly declined their requests for an interview and left all the publicity to Eleanor. The doctor was better with that kind of thing.

Speaking of Eleanor, Grace could see her talking with scientists in the tent Grace thought belonged to quantum physicists. The physicists wouldn't even be here if not for Eleanor and Grace and their claims that Gravity Rises was in another dimension, so they understandably were the most likely to listen to the two women. Grace didn't know much about physics, and she didn't know if Eleanor did either, but Eleanor still spent a lot of time under the physicists' tents.

Grace was glad Eleanor was here. She was also glad that, despite being an Order member in the past, Eleanor was now fully invested in bringing Gravity Rises home. "I don't care about Bill Cipher, not anymore," she had told Grace a few days ago. "That was my husband's work. But Percy is dead, and his grave is in Gravity Rises, along with my remaining family. I want them back."

Now, as she buzzed around with energy that belied her almost seventy years of age, she gave Grace something to watch. Which was nice, because the empty crater was otherwise pretty boring.

"What are you thinking about?" Sam asked Grace.

She glanced at him and shrugged. "How glad I am that Eleanor is the one running around down there instead of me."

Sam chuckled.

"Part of me feels like she's wasting her time," Camille said. "Didn't she tell us the town would have to come back on its own?"

"She did," Sam said, "but she seems to be someone who can't sit still when there's a problem to be solved."

Camille glanced down. "We're good at sitting still," she said bitterly.

Sam didn't say anything, just gave his wife a hug. Grace once again wished Edward could be here.

They were all wasting their time, it seemed. Grace should be at home, taking care of her sons, spending time with her husband. But she was here. And she couldn't bear to leave until Gideon came back. Or until she knew for sure that he wouldn't.

She looked around, gazing at the trees, the sky, the bare dirt that lay where her hometown had once been.

Gideon, she thought, Lincoln, everyone — when are you coming home?

END OF EPISODE FIVE