"Nick, the light's green." I chimed in, causing Nick and Sierra's conversation to disappear as quickly as it started. Nick looked from Sierra, who was in the backseat, to me, in the passenger seat.

He grinned that small grin and tangled his fingers in with mine while pulling my hand to his lips and brushing it with his lips before slowly pulling through the intersection.

"I let you drive my car because you could - allegedly - drive..." I teased, as he squeezed my hand a little as he came to pull off and slowly pulled my purple Challenger into the dimly lit parking lot. "...Sierra..."

"Yes?" Sierra sighed, gathering her purse and apron.

"...Don't work too hard?" I grinned as Sierra shot a small grin as Nick pulled his seat forward to allow Sierra to climb out f the backseat. "What time do you get off again?" I asked through her straightening her uniform and Nick placing the seat in its original position and joining me back in the front seat before pulling the door shut and tugging the window the rest of the way down.

"Two." She called over Nick as she leaned into the window. "You'll be here, right?"

"Always -" I winked as our conversation was interrupted by an overweight man in a greasy apron busted through the front door of the diner that lingered to our right.

"Sierra, are you coming to work or not?!" He shouted, with a notebook in one hand and a gross table rag in the other. "Come on!"

Sierra glared over the top of the Challenger at him and held up a hand, then returned to her previous position, earning a weird eye from Nick.

"Two o'clock," she repeated, pointing over Nick's bubble to me. "You'll be here, right?" she repeated as I giggled at her demeanor.

"Always. Now go before we don't have a work schedule to work around." I smirked as Sierra winked at me as she stepped away from the car and dashed over to the overweight manager that just glared at her, then us as Sierra pushed her way into the diner.

"Ugh." smirked Nick, shifting the car into gear and earning my attention. .

"What?" I pushed.

"That dude..." Nick smirked across the front seat and then pulled away from the rundown diner.

"...that's your Uncle." I giggled as Nick grinned over at me and nodded.

"Yeah, but..." Nick shrugged, looking both ways before pulling onto the road and started to head out to our normal spot. "...have you talked to your Dad yet?"

"About?" I asked, rolling down my window and dangled my arm out of it to play with the window.

"Us." He stated, bluntly. "It's getting exhausting meeting a few blocks away from your house, meeting up and hanging out in the middle of nowhere, stealing kisses..." He said, not removing his eyes from the road and kissing my hand again. "...stealing sexy time..." I flushed red as he grinned over at me. "..sneaking into your window at night."

"I get it," I held up a hand for him to stop listnig off shady things. "no, I haven't."

"Why not?" He almost whimpered as he took that familiar left turn into an empty field and the Challenger came to a stop. "Dani, you know how I feel about you right?"

I raised my eyebrows as he twisted the car off, then twisted the key back a little so the radio remained on. I grinned down at the dark radio as I looked back up at him.

"Of course I do." I grinned, sliding across the front seat and leaning into his chest.

"We haven't said it yet..." He cleared his throat, wrapping his arms around me.

I felt my eyes go wide, and was suddenly thankful that he could see my face as I felt it grow hot as he started playing with my fingers with his.

"...Nick," I sighed, relaxed, and watched as he brushed our fingertips together.

"Dani." He grinned, and I felt him peck me on my head, causing me to pull out of his grip and turn to face him. "Dani?"

I felt a familiar heat rise as I took in his brown eyes which seemed to just be two pools of his beautiful soul. I took in both eyes and allowed my eyes to flicker down at his lips as he brushed some hair out of my face.

He gently pulled my face into his and our lips brushed ever so sweetly. I closed my eyes as he ran his fingers through my hair and adjusted himself to be in a better position. He deepened the kiss, causing me to shift this time, and the next thing I knew I was pressed against the passenger door.

We both pulled away to gasp for air but didn't remove our gaze from each other.

"I love you." He blurted out, pressing his forehead against mine.

The silence was stung for the moment I paused.

His eyes opened and beamed into mine.

I smiled, pulling him into another sweet kiss, and whispered, "I love you too."

His perfect smile flashed as the kiss went from sweet to serious with a tiny nibble on my bottom lip, causing a hot wave to shoot from the 'bottom' up, and everything went blurry.

*

"Promise you'll talk to your Dad?" asked Nick, grinning through the passenger window.

"You have my word." I grinned, looking over as he leaned into the passenger seat, so much so that his legs no longer needed to support his weight, and he got top heavy and almost fell face-first into the passenger seat. "Nick, Jesus -"

"- I love you." He giggled, gasping for breath, given his balance beam act.

"I lvoe you too," I laughed, leaning over and kissing him again. "Now, go! I gotta go get Sierra."

"Okay Babe! I'll see you tomorrow!" He grinned, pulling himself out of the passenger window, landing on his feet and starting down the front sidewalk that lead to his front door. He stopped afte rpulling the yard gate shut behind him and turned to give me that sexy smile of his before I revved my engine and smiled back at him before pulling away to head back to that diner.

I took in the night.

It had finally stopped raining and the pavement had a glow about it.

I sighed, glancing at the seat next to me.

The empty seat next ot me.

I blushed remembering what just happened.

I sighed into a smile as I found myself already pulling into the same parking lot that we had dropped Sierra off at eight hours before. I frowned over at the only streetlight in the parking lot that was flickering away like some sort of horror movie.

I growled under my breath, putting the Challenger in park and crossing my arms as I peered through the damp windsheild to the dark windows of the diner.

That was when the realization slowly came over me, there were no cars in the parking lot, not a single living soul.

I felt my jaw tighten as I leaned over to the passenger side, slid out my glock, checked to see if it was loaded before sliding quietly out of the driver door and quickly made my way up to the diner.

"Sierra?" I whispered to myself, looking around, sliding the glock into my belt tension under my shirt as I made my way up tot he diner doors. I frowned down at the dirty handle and attempted to pull it open.

Locked.

"What the fuck?" I growled under my breath as I peered through the poorly kept windows and into a vacant diner. I felt my eyebrows wrinkle as I looked around one more time, before slowly making my way around the building, keeping my wits about me.

I frowned at the only other light that was on in the parking lot, the backdoor light, and it was barley illuminated. It was dim, maybe even almost dead.

I felt a sudden shiver of the distant December winds sliding through the November crisp air. This caused me to tighten my my sweatshirt across my chest as I folded my arms.

"Sierra?!" I finally echoed off the dumpsters and felt my heart drop at the silence in response. "Stop fucking with me!" I frowned, looking thorugh the tiny window thorugh the backdoor.

Through the tiny bit of light, I could make out a clean kitchen and the only light on in the back was the tiny desk lamp that sat on the manager's desk.

"What the fuck?" I whispered to myself, turning from the door and starting to step down off the tiny concrete porch and froze at the sudden sight of blood on the bottom step. "Sierra!" I shouted, drawing my glock. "Answer me!