A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Car doors closed shut, and two heavy sighs filled the air. Chris slid her back down the passenger seat a little and set the bag of food aside for the moment. Her ponytail was messed up by that point, and she reached back and pulled it out. She placed the hair tie around her right wrist and allowed her light brown locks to fall around her face. "Of all the things to happen today on that road," she muttered before she groaned and closed her eyes. "Do you want me to call Nick and let him know?"

"No, it's fine. I just wish that we didn't have to make the call and that we were closer to Faller's Grove. This town is too close to the creature," he remarked, closing his green-hazel eyes as he took a moment to rest them from everything. "He's not going to be pleased by the news."

"Sounds like we're going to have to crash the mood," she answered back, a slight chuckle leaving her. "I wonder if he's still at her apartment." A tiny grin met her lips as she tried to remove some of the negative atmosphere in the car.

"We'll find out soon enough." Ren grinned back and called Nick while Chris reached into the food bag and removed a strawberry-frosted doughnut with rainbow sprinkles. The phone rang as she took a bite from the sugar-covered dough, and she faced Ren a little bit more, crossing her legs on the seat. When it got to the last ring, the phone finally was picked up.

"Ren, are you both close to town?" Nick asked calmly and with slight surprise since they should've been an hour out still from Faller's Grove. Ren heard the sound of springs in the background, pointing to the fact that Nick had taken a seat somewhere.

"We're in Gracious Falls." A pause met Ren's ears. Understandably, Nick already was concerned. "There was an accident." Still, the other side of the line was silent. Ren only could hear Nick's breathing get a little unsteady. "Some cars crashed into each other, and the wreck is blocking the bridge. The scene's being cleared up, but we're stuck here until the tow trucks come to pick up the cars."

"There's another route, isn't there?" Nick questioned, worry strong in his tone. Ren indicated for him to go on. "If you drive back the way you came, there should be another road before the amusement park that you can take, which will lead to Faller's Grove. It's a longer drive, not counting backtrack. Maybe, another five hours on top of what it took you to reach Gracious Falls."

"Wouldn't that look more suspicious, though, instead of waiting here?" Ren shifted on his seat some and continued, "It'd be odd if we took such a detour when the tow trucks only will take an hour at most to get here. Leaving now and going back the way we came might make it seem like we're in a rush to get somewhere. That could tip off the creature if he's hiding somewhere in the town."

A frustrated sigh greeted Ren's ears. "Yes, I suppose that is true. And, leaving the car and crossing under the bridge isn't an option either." Easily, Ren could imagine Nick rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Where are you both in the town?"

"At a convenience store by a gas station. We picked up some food and will probably fill up the car before we leave." Chris broke off a piece of her doughnut and held it out to Ren, who accepted it gratefully. "Do you want us to move?" He ate the sugary fried dough as he waited for Nick to answer.

"If you both bought food, going to a restaurant won't make much sense. Are there any souvenir shops around? Maybe, seem like tourists." Uncertainty sounded in Nick's voice, but Ren knew he was going through options in his head that would guarantee them the most safety and lack of detection from the creature.

"I think that there is a shop like that nearby." Ren leaned back on his chair and peered out the back passenger window towards a store across the street. It was right next to a local grocery shop. From what he barely could see in the window, it looked like a touristy place. "I think that I found it. Do you need us to pick up any groceries? There's a grocery store right by it."

"No, just the souvenir place should do." Springs sounded again. Nick probably was standing once more. "When the tow trucks get there and you can drive across the bridge again, take it slow. You don't want to ..."

"Make it look like we need to get somewhere in a hurry?" Ren asked, quirking a brow. Chris chuckled lightly at his expression before she bit into her doughnut once more.

"Yes," he responded, slight irritation in his tone, but he released a more relaxed sigh. "Just be safe, you two. And, keep me updated if anything else unexpected happens."

"Should we call Deidre too?"

"It's fine. I'll call her. She's up now."

"... You'll call her?" Ren questioned, a chesire-like grin forming on his lips. "You're still at her apartment, aren't you?" A couple of chuckles left him, and Chris leaned in more with a smile of her own on her lips.

"... I ... Yes, I am. But, I'm going to leave once she wakes up."

"When she wakes up?" Ren repeated, chuckling more. He shared a glance with Chris, who now was giggling quietly. When Nick didn't answer immediately, Ren could tell just how embarrassed he made his boss and friend.

Sighing roughly, Nick replied, "It wasn't like that. We only talked, and it was ..." Ren was about to chuckle more before he finally caught onto the seriousness in the older male's voice. "It was about before I had met all of you." Another sigh, softer, parted from Nick. "Anyway, the conversation exhausted her, and she fell asleep. That's all. I'm just watching over her in the meantime."

"Do you need us to make the coffee when we get back?" This time, Ren's tone lacked the teasing quality to it. Chris dropped her smile, worry kicking in and wondering what was going on. Ren sent her a reassuring smile before his attention focused back on the call.

"No, I'll inform Deidre and let her know. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be here, but thank you for offering." Ren hummed in response. "Alright, I'll talk to you both later. Be safe."

"Right. And, just relax. We'll be cautious." Nick hummed this time before they both hung up their phones. Ren put his phone away and combed his right fingers through his auburn hair, messing up the spikes in the process.

"So, what happened? Are they alright?" Chris questioned, handing over the last bite of the doughnut to him. He ate it and swallowed before he relaxed into his seat. His optics stared ahead before they glanced to her. "That bad?"

"I think so. She told him about what had happened before he had known all of us. I have a feeling that it had involved Nick more than he had expected. Either that or her experience had been a whole lot worse than any of us had anticipated." Chris stared down to her hands, which she intertwined, and she frowned too in fright and worry. "Christina," she averted her eyes to his, "would you have gone after the creature when he had been back in the tunnels?"

"I ..." She diverted her gaze once more. "I don't know, Flo." Chris reached into the food bag and pulled out the second and last doughnut: a cinnamon twist. "If I was with our team, I might. I wouldn't go in on my own, but I wouldn't want to risk any of your lives either. You've seen how Nick is." She smiled a little bit. "He's so protective and careful now," her smile faltered, "yet it's so easy to see the regret in his eyes. I don't think that he'll ever forgive himself for what had happened back then."

Gently, Ren reached forward and took the twist from her. He broke off a piece and held it out. She leaned forward and took it with her mouth before she chewed with a small smile on her lips now. "You may be right. And, we may never get to hear the whole story because of how much it affected him. We may never see him how he was before all of this began, but that's okay." Ren held out another piece to her, and she ate it again. "He's still Nick, and he knows that we're here for him."

After she swallowed, she nodded. "Right." Her smile returned fully, and he broke off a piece of the doughnut and ate it before he put the rest in the bag for now. She brushed her hands off on her leggings and faced forward again. Chris removed the hair tie from her wrist and secured her locks behind her head. "So, we're going to the place by the grocery store?"

"Yeah, we can pick up a few gifts for Nick and Deidre." Her smile turned into a grin at that thought. Ren chuckled in response before he turned the key in the ignition and started up the car to drive over to that parking lot. It didn't take long to reach there, but neither of them left the car immediately. "Let's finish eating before we head in. I doubt that they want food in there."

"Even though they're right next to a grocery store?" Chris questioned with an amused smirk and quirk of her one brow. Ren nodded with a light laugh. "Right. And after this, gas before we head home." She stretched her arms and legs in the car as best as she could before she retook out the doughnut and split the rest of it between them.