Staring out over the back deck, Ava didn't notice Johnny's quiet approach until he addressed her. "Looking for someone?"

"What?" She asked as she turned, startled out of her thoughts.

Johnny smiled slightly at the distracted response. "Who are you looking for, Ave?"

"Bradin," Ava told him as she turned back towards the beach. "It's getting late and he hasn't been around at all today."

Johnny shrugged off the woman's concern. "He'll roll in."

"I suppose. I guess we better start up the grill?" She asked hesitantly.

"I'll go." Johnny replied, stepping out fully onto the deck. Turning back to the concerned aunt, he gave her a mischievous grin. "If nothing else, the smell of cooking should draw him home."

Returning the smile, Ava slowly turned to go back into the house.
Strolling into the boy's bedroom to bid goodnight to the littlest Westerling, Jay couldn't help but smile at the sight before him. When he'd told the boy to get some pjs on, he hadn't been specific. Still, he'd sort of assumed Derrick knew he'd meant his own.

"Bradin! What happened, kid? You've shrunk!" The man merrily questioned the boy.

Turning to look up at him, Derrick gave him a half-hearted smile in return. "Funny, Jay."

"You're swimming in those, mate. And I'm not so sure your brother's gonna appreciate you wearing his things." He told the boy gently.

Derrick shrugged in return. "They're mine now, anyways."

"Yours?" The surfer questioned curiously. "Bradin gave 'em to you?"

"Well, sort of." The boy answered flatly.

'Sort of.' Just as Jay thought. "Sort of, huh? Sort of how?"

"He left me in change of his stuff." Derrick replied. "He won't care if I use it a little bit. I'm careful."

Now Jay was more than a little curious. "He left you in charge of his stuff, did he? And what stuff is that?"

"All of it." Derrick told him seriously, waving his hand around the room to indicate Bradin's numerous possessions. "I promised I'd take care of it for him, until he can come back for it."

The man's curiosity disappeared suddenly. And was immediately replaced with trepidation. "Until he comes back from where, Derrick?"

"Where ever he finds to live." The boy told him calmly, looking down at his sleeve. "Once he gets a new house, he's gonna come back to get some of it. I promised I'd protect it for him until he can take it."

"A new house?" Jay once again repeated the boy's words.

Earning him an impatient look from the kid. "Or apartment. Whatever."

"Derrick." Jay began slowly, his unusually serious tone drawing the boy's full attention. "Where's Bradin?"

"I don't know." Derrick answered truthfully, shrugging at the man.

"When's he coming back?" The surfer continued to press.

Derrick looked up at him, now thoroughly confused. "He's not."

"Ava?" Jay called out the bedroom door. "AVA!"
Derrick stared out his bedroom doorway in confusion as the sound of pounding feet came towards him. Johnny skidded in first, Nikki ran in behind him. It was only a few seconds later that Ava and Susanna came in puffing and panting as well.

"What? What's wrong?" Johnny was the first to demand an explanation, as there was no crisis before his eyes.

Susanna piped up next. "Jay, if you ever scream like that again and something isn't on fire, at the very least, I swear..."

"What happened?" Ava cut in, also unable to discern what the problem was. She, however, realized there had to be a problem. Jay was not generally a screamer.

"Bradin ran away." Jay said flatly, keeping his eyes on the youngest Westerling as he spoke.

"What?" Susanna demanded.

Johnny chimed in next. "When?"

"Why would he do that?" Ava questioned.

"He didn't run away." Nikki piped up, as confused as everyone else. She couldn't understand why they were all upset now. Something was off. "You kicked him out."

"What?" Ava turned her attention to the teen.

Jay did as well. "Who did?"

"Alright, the questions need to stop. Answers. Nikki. Go." Susanna cut through the confusion.

"Bradin's gone already. He took his stuff and left." The girl replied flatly.

The calm reply was not what her aunt had been suspecting. "Why?"

"Because you told him he had to leave." Nikki answered, now thoroughly confused. Bradin had been so clear that Ava wanted him to leave. The girl had never questioned it. She hadn't understood it. But she'd never questioned his words, either. Now she wasn't sure what to think.

She wasn't the only confused person in the room. As Ava gapped at the girl, Jay stepped in. "You told him to leave, Ave?"

"Aunt Ava and Johnny did." Derrick threw in. "Bradin said."

"What?" Johnny once again turned towards the boy. "Guys, come on. You know better than that."

"We would never kick Bradin out." Ava told them seriously, more than a little disturbed that once of the children could possibly believe that. The idea that all three kids could believe she would throw out Bradin, and not even question it, was beyond comprehension to her.

"But he said." Derrick started.

Nikki began as well. "The drinking, though."

Sighing deeply, Ava looked over at her roommates for help. Unfortunately, they looked as perplexed as she did. "Drinking? Nikki? Why would..."

"Alright, this isn't helping anything." Susanna finally cut in. "We need to get Bradin back here. Then we'll figure this who mess out."

"She's right." Jay put in. "No use wadin' through this twice. Especially when the prime witness is missing."

Turning back from her friends to face the two confused children before her, Ava addressed them calmly. "Okay, guys, spill. Where's your brother?"

Looking at one another briefly, both Westerlings turned blankly back to their aunt. Derrick's shrug spoke volumes.

"Listen, guys, this is important. We need to find Bradin. Where was he going?" Johnny questioned.

Nikki turned towards him. "He didn't say."

"What, exactly, did he say?" Ava questioned once more. "It's really important, Nikki. What did he tell you?"

"He said he was really sorry but he screwed up and had to leave. That you caught him drinking and he had to go. He didn't say where." Nikki answered honestly.

Derrick piped up as well. "He said he'd be nearby. That he'd still be around."

Johnny looked down at the younger siblings. "Was he going to a friend's house?"

"I don't think even he knew." Nikki answered honestly, looking over at Derrick for confirmation as she spoke.

"Great." Ava sighed. "Okay, where would he go?"

"Do you think he'd head back to Kansas?" Jay questioned aloud.

Johnny shook his head shortly. "He told Derrick he'd be around, remember?"

"Do you think he got a hotel room?" Ava pondered.

Nikki shook her head, though. "I don't think he had much money."

"The beach." Johnny said resolutely.

Ava looked up in horror. "He wouldn't. He's smarter than that."

"Really?" Susanna looked over skeptically at her partner. "He takes off on his own in a foreign city. And this is after coming up with the ridiculous idea that you don't want him here. I'm thinkin' the beach is just the sort of brilliant place he would decide to crash at."

"There's nowhere else, Ava." Jay added.

"Nikki and I'll go down to the pier, check if he's been around there." Susanna immediately took charge of the situation.

Jay nodded at the suggestion. "I'll head down to the surf shop. Maybe he's hangin' there. He knows the area. If he's not at the shop, maybe he's at one of the restaurants down there."

"Derrick and I'll check down by the cove." Ava told them.

Johnny looked around at the group. "I'll stick by the house. Check the beach nearby."

"Alright, anybody finds him, call." Ava directed.

Susanna looked down at her watch. "It's just after 10. How about we all met back here at midnight if no one's found him by then."

As Derrick looked up at her, worried by the statement, Ava added. "Right. Just in case we don't find him right away, we meet up and regroup."

"Right." Johnny added.

"Right." Ava repeated quietly, grabbing Derrick's hand as she headed for the door.

He looked up at her, expectantly. "Aunt Ava?"

"Yeah?" She answered distractedly.

He gave he a puzzled look. "Shouldn't we change first?"

Looking down at her own pajamas, then his oversized ones, she nodded briefly. "Yeah, hurry though."

Scurrying out of the boys' bedroom, she rushed to pull on her own daywear as well.

Things had been going so well. Or so she thought. Pulling out a pair of jeans, Ava found herself desperately wondering how she could have been so out of touch about what was going on. Bradin had been off for weeks. She had felt it. Yanking on a pair of tennis shoes, she innerly kicked herself for ignoring her instincts and letting his odd behavior go.

Jumping up to retrieve Derrick, she silently prayed that she would find him. She would find him and make things right.

"That's what parents do." She told herself quietly. And, like it or not, she was the parent.