Aunt Chris paces around waiting for some kind of good news. There have been emergency workers and cops in the area for the past few hours. It's now early evening, and although it's starting to stay lighter longer the sun is fading fast and who knows what will happen after dark. Aunt Chris prays they will keep searching. Her cell rings and immediately her heart jumps. The name across the screen is not who she wanted to see, but she knows she has to answer it.

"Hello?"

"I just saw the news, they won't let us take off. Flights are delayed all over. A tornado?"

Aunt Chris nods, even though she knows her sister can't see. Silent tears stream down her face.

"Yeah, it's quite unusual, but I'm glad we grew up in Kansas for some time," she half laughs.

"Are you and the girls okay?" Lauren isn't laughing, she can't even fathom the thought in a time like this.

"They are perfectly safe, watching TV in my living room. Derek went after Ava, he ... he hasn't come back," she says, the silent tears no longer silent.

"Chris," Lauren says, she's trying hard to be strong.

"Yeah?" Aunt Chris questions, wiping the fallen tears.

"I truly hope Derek is okay. I feel like there is something you aren't telling me," Lauren says.

Aunt Chris takes a deep breath, "The woods she ran into were destroyed."

"Oh God."

Aunt Chris hears her sister finally losing it as she loses it as well. A loud noise comes from behind her. As she looks above her into the now star filled sky a helicopter flies low with it's search lights.

"What was that?" she hears Lauren ask, after the sound of the helicopter fades a little.

"They've brought in a helicopter," Aunt Chris tells her.

"I'm going to call you back. I need to try and find out when these planes will get in the air. Clearly you need me and I need to be there to find my daughter."

"HELP!" a voice cries in the distance.

"Lauren?"

Aunt Chris is met with the sound of dial tone in her ear. Unmoving waiting for the voice to call out again, she keeps her phone to her ear. Afraid if she moves she won't hear it again.

"HELP. PLEASE SOMEBODY!"

That voice she would know from anywhere, it's the man she loves.
"Derek!"

Aunt Chris drops her phone in the dirt as she runs towards an officer who is standing at the edge of the woods radioing in something on his walkie.

"Excuse me sir, did you hear that?" Aunt Chris questions the man.

The officer puts his radio back on his belt and shuts it. Everything goes quiet, minus the humming of the helicopter in the far distance.

"HELP!"

The officer quickly reaches for his walkie again and immediately calls for backup. Aunt Chris follows behind him. There are so many downed trees; some standing, but their branches are fragile and broken to the point where one small breeze could send them plummeting down to the ground.

"DEREK!" Aunt Chris yells.

The officer and some emergency workers shine their light in the direction of the voice. In Between some down trees is Derek, in his arms is Ava. From where she stands she can't tell if Ava is injured.

"Ava. Is Ava okay?" she yells at them.

"She's okay!" Derek yells.

Aunt Chris watches in amazement as the workers somehow make their way through the downed trees towards them. One of the workers grabs a hold of Ava and another helps Derek through. The moment they are in the clear Aunt Chris runs for them. She makes it to Ava first, Derek is lagging behind and he's limping. Ava stirs in the man's arms.

"Aunt Chris?" she asks in a small tired voice.

"I'm right here sweetie, I'm here."

Aunt Chris takes Ava into her arms and drops to the ground, her knees feel weak. She holds Ava tight in her arms, and runs a hand through her dirty hair. She's shocked to find that she doesn't have a scratch on her.

"You scared me," she cries. "Please don't ever run away again. We were all so worried," she cries.

"I'm sorry Auntie Chris, but the wind wants me to save the trees..."

"Oh sweetie..."

Aunt Chris starts to speak, but she's interrupted by a warm body wrapping their arms around both of them. It's Derek, Aunt Chris knows his touch from anywhere. She can hear him quietly sobbing in her ear as she starts to cry again. Ava holds onto Aunt Chris's shirt tight as they all hold onto each other for a long moment. Around them workers call off the search and start radioing in that the missing child and man were found. Derek pulls away and stands, wincing as he does.

"Twisted my ankle walking through the woods," he tells her.

"Sir, we would like to check you and the young girl out. We've got an ambulance out front."

"Yes of course," Derek responds.

He helps aunt Chirs to her feet, and throws an arm around her as they walk to the ambulance. Derek and Ava are placed in the back. The EMT workers take their vitals and make sure that they are okay. Aunt Chris brings them both some water, and promises to make them a big meal. Unable to find her cell Aunt Chris heads inside while they get checked to call her sister to check in.

"Where have you been, I've been trying to..."

"They were found," Aunt Chris says, interrupting her.

"They what? Oh my god. Is my baby okay?" Lauren cries.

"Yes, she's doing great. I can have her call you when she's done getting checked over by the EMT's," Aunt Chris says.

She listens to her sister crying on the other end. Her thoughts wander and she thinks maybe the girls should go back home. If something like this happens again, she has no idea how she will live with herself if something bad actually happens.

"I understand if you want to take the girls home..."

"Chris," Lauren demands, once she pulls herself together. "I know it wasn't your fault that she ran away, you couldn't have known she was going to do that."

"I'll be there in a few days, it seems the weather here is really taking a turn for the worse. Keep my babies safe until then for me."

"I'm so sorry," Aunt Chris says.

"I know. Just have her call me when she's ready."

Lauren looks out the window, Derek and Ava are walking over.

"Hey Kate," Aunt Chris calls.

Kate comes rushing into the kitchen, "Yes aunt Chris?"

"We found your sister and Derek," she tells her with an upbeat attitude.

"Oh my gosh, really?"

She nods.

"That is so exciting!"

Kate jumps up, so happy that her sister and Derek are safe. Now she would definitely have to keep an eye on her sister at night. Maybe she should tell Aunt Chris about her sneaking out, but first she wants to talk to Ava herself.

"Can you start a bath for her? I'll be up in a moment."

Ava and Derek walk inside and the moment that they do Kate rushes to her little sister and swoops her up in her arms. Ava giggles and the sound makes Aunt Chris smile. She watches the two of them walk away to get the bath started. Derek limps over to the woman he loves and wraps his arms around her. She takes in a breath and his scent, he smells like pine and rain and it's comforting.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she says. "How can I ever..."

"You don't need to repay me for anything. I love that little girl almost as much as I love you. I would do it for any of those girls. I'm just glad she's safe."

Derek puts his hands on her shoulder and smiles at her. Staring at her, he realizes that this woman is the one and he would like nothing more than to marry her, but he decides to save that for another day.

"I'm glad you're both safe," Aunt Chirs sighs.

"Ava's a strong girl, sometimes I think she's stronger than we think," he says, taking a step back.

Aunt Chris nods, "She's always been."

Aunt Chris is so thankful to have this man in her life, he has saved her more ways than he knows. She knows how much the girls love Derek and how much he loves them in return. She could see herself spending the rest of her life with him.

"I should probably go home and clean up," he says.

"Don't be silly, you can wash up in my shower, I'll cook for everyone."

"Can't we just order a pizza?"

A sleepy Sophie asks from the doorway.

Derek turns to her and smiles, "Depends on the topping," he teases her.

Sophie looks at him and smirks, "Mac and cheese," she says.

Derek and Sophie turn to Aunt Chris, both giving her the puppy dog eyes and lips. For the first time since everything happened she smiles. To be trying to figure out what pizza topping they are going to order tonight makes her feel a sense of relief. Everything is okay now, Ava and Derek are safe and life is finally back to normal. The past few days were scary, but knowing everyone is safe is all that matters to her now.

"Mac and Cheese pizza it is," she tells them.

"YES!" Sophie cheers.