Vaughn was sitting in a small, old seeming diner. Sam was across from him in the booth, chatting away as he ate. He only seemed to half listen to the boy as he glanced around the diner. He had always come to this place as a kid, and it brought back happy memories of him eating with his family. It made him sick to his stomach.
Oscar drove up right outside an old diner. Getting out of the car, Avery assessed the situation, and, finding nothing out-of-the-ordinary, she walked inside. With a glance around the room, she saw Vaughn and the boy sitting in a booth together, eating. She smiled, then walked over and greeted them.
"Hey, Vaughn," she said like nothing was wrong. "Whatcha doin' here?"
Vaughn was snapped out of his thoughts when Avery approached. “Avery, what a pleasant surprise. I was just taking Sam out for lunch. His mother isn’t around at the moment, so I’m watching him for a bit. Was there something you needed?” He asked. He seemed like a completely different person at the moment, almost kind and calm.
"Yeah, actually, there is. Any chance you'd help me do something?" Avery asked. She still smiled, but her eyes were pleading. "I can get someone to watch this guy," she ruffled his hair, "for a while. I've got a friend who would love to, and he'd have so much fun that he wouldn't even know you were gone."
Vaughn’s chest tightened at the mention of leaving Sam with a stranger, but he forced a smile. “Sure, how does that sound Sam?” He asked
“Why can’t daddy just watch me?” Sam questioned.
Vaughn’s smile almost faltered. “I believe he’s at work right now. Go with Miss Avery’s friend, and I’ll be back later. We can do whatever you want.”
“Okay!” Sam said cheerfully and the two stood up.
"Come on. We can take my car if that's all right?" Avery suggested, walking over to the silver car.
“Yes, that’s alright,” Vaughn said, leading Sam outside with her. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, finding it hard at the moment to maintain his polite attitude.
Avery gave Oscar a silent command to not speak, and the group got into the car. When they arrived at a small house, Avery smiled and exclaimed, "We're here! Let's go meet my friend, shall we?"
"Wait wait wait, you guys know each other?" said Element, looking back and fourth between them.
Sam hopped out of the car excitedly with Vaughn following him. He eyed the house, his eyes slightly narrowed.
Avery knocked on the front door, and a tall blonde opened it.
"Avery!" she exclaimed, smiling and wrapping her in a hug. "What are you doing here?"
"Hi, Scarlet! I've got a favor I need to ask," Avery replied as her friend released her.
Scarlet's face lost its happy look, which was replaced by one of confusion and concern for her friend. "Of course. Anything. Just name it."
"I need you to watch Sam for me," Avery said, motioning to the boy behind her.
"Who…?"
"He's not mine, and you know it! My friend here is watching him, but I need him for something that I can't have a kid running around with," she explained, her eyes pleading. A look passed between the two girls, and Scarlet smiled again, seeming to understand the situation.
"Okay," Scarlet agreed. "I trust your judgment, so I'll watch him for you."
Avery released a breath that she hadn't known she had been holding. "Thank you so much," she breathed. "You don't know how much you're helping me."
Scarlet wrapped her in another hug. "Stay safe, and don't die. Please. The girls and I need you too much for you to die on us."
"I don't plan on dying anytime soon," Avery laughed, hugging her friend back. The girls released each other, and Avery and Vaughn walked back to the car.
(Wow, that was long…)
Dylan smiled, "Yes we do. Dev here is the smartest kid I've known, and he was going off to Britain to talk to the eggheads there. But…." He faltered a bit.
Dev finished, "I'm apparently of demonic origin. Fire, I believe. I haven't learned how to control it quite yet. Dylan, though, has been showing me his powers for a while."
(hums)
(Something amiss?)
“If I might ask, why did you need me to help you? I’m surprised.” Vaughn said, getting into the passenger side. He hoped that her friend would take good care of Sam. He would have to visit the hospital at some point to see his mom and find out how long he should watch Sam.
"Element and Dylan are missing," Avery clipped. "Oscar, please take us to Element and Dylan's location."
"Sure thing, Avery," responded the car, driving away from the small house and back into the city.
Vaughn frowned. “Any idea of who took them?” He crossed his arms loosely.
(Something amiss?)
(I just noticed this. Lol. No, just bored.)
"No clue. Just that they're together, wherever they are," Avery answered.
The car soon pulled up behind a large truck, and Oscar followed it for a while, staying a few cars behind it. Tailing the truck took them out of the city, and Avery wondered why Oscar was following it. She asked him, and he answered, "This is the approximate location of Element and Dylan."
Avery shot Vaughn a worried look, then spoke to the car again. "Can you send one of them a message through their phone?"
"Yes, of course, Avery."
"Great. Then tell both of them to sit tight and wait. We'll be there soon," she dictated.
"Sent," the car said after a second.
"Thanks, Oscar."
“You really think they’ll have their phones on them? I’ve been kidnapped before, and if they are smart, they would have taken their phones. Hell, they could have gotten that message and now they know we are coming,” Vaughn explained. He took his pistol from his waist band and loaded it.
Avery glared at Vaughn.
"Yes, but they don't know who or when," she argued.
“I’m just saying,” Vaughn snapped as he examined the gun, “We need to be careful with this.”
"You think I don't know that?" Avery said, nearly shouting. "My friends are in danger. I'm just doing what I can to save them, okay? Why would you even be worried about it? It's not like you even care about any of us. You only care about yourself."
She turned to the window and looked out. Tears started to form in her eyes, and she tried to blink them away. If she hadn't fallen asleep, Element and Dylan would still be safe, sitting in the warehouse and researching the Flame. They wouldn't be captured by goodness-knows-who for goodness-knows-what-reason.
“You seriously think I don’t care?” Vaughn asked coldly, “You say I only care about myself. If I did, why the hell would I be taking care of Sam? Why would I be here, willing to help you get Dylan and Element back? If I didn’t care about anything but myself, I’d be back at the station drinking myself to death. So don’t you dare assume that about me when you don’t know a single thing about who I am.”