Pulling the bemused boy behind her, Ava impatiently threw open the door to the house. Looking around desperately, she was more than a little disturbed by the sight before her. Susanna and Nikki sat tensely on the couch with Jay flopped across the chair opposite them. Johnny halted his nervous pacing across the room as he watched the anxious aunt enter the house.

As she frantically scanned the house, the reality of the situation quickly set in. Sighing, she addressed the room, "He wasn't anywhere?"

"He's somewhere, Ave." Jay responded blandly. "Figuring out where's the real dilemma."

"Way to be helpful, bud." Johnny gave him a reproachful look.

Derrick looked around hesitantly. "What're we going to do?"

Turning to the boy, Ava took in a deep breath to calm her nerves. Briefly shifting her gaze, she took in the equally uneasy expression covering her niece's face. Plastering a smile on her lips, she did her best to remain as composed as possible. "We keep looking."

"Right." Susanna confirmed, rising from the couch.

Ava looked over at her friend before directly addressing her niece and nephew. "Come on, guys. It's going to be all right. We'll find him and set things straight."

"You're sure?" Derrick asked hesitantly.

Putting a hand on his shoulder, she forced one final smile. "Positive."

"Alright, let's go." Johnny stepped forward, clapping his hands together definitively as he spoke. "We regroup, come up with a new plan and head out again."

"Someone should stay here, in case he comes back." Jay pointed out.

Nikki spoke up skeptically. "He's not coming back. He got kicked out, remember?"

"He didn't get kicked out, Nikki." Susanna answered immediately.

The teen rolled her eyes. "Well, he thinks he did. He's not going to stroll in tonight."

"Probably not." Johnny allowed. "But he might stick near the house. Susanna, why don't you stay here with the kids in case he turns up?"

"But, Johnny." Derrick began to protest.

Jay cut him off quickly. "Don't sweat it, Derrick. We'll have him home before you know it."

"That's right." Ava confirmed. "It's late now, but that'll be helpful. Everything's closed. It'll narrow our search."

"He's gotta be on the beach." Johnny stated firmly, looking over at Jay for support.

The surfer picked up on the cue quickly. "Absolutely."

"We already checked the beach, though." Derrick protested.

His aunt wasn't going to have the kids any more upset than they already were, though. "That was earlier though, Derrick. People were everywhere and all kinds of shops were open. It's after midnight. Everything's shut down and most people have headed home. He'll be much easier to find."

"You promise?" The boy looked up at her skeptically.

She flinched at the request. "We won't stop looking until we find him."

Pausing to ruffle Derrick's hair, Johnny led the way out of the house. "We'll keep checking in."

As Jay followed Ava out, he pulled the door behind him before phrasing the question. "Alright. So what are we really going to do?"

Ava looked helplessly over at Johnny. "Look, what Ava said inside was right. Things have thinned out on the beach. We'll find him."

"It's the middle of the night." Ava stated.

Earning her a level look from her former boyfriend. "He's been out later than this, Ave. He'll be fine."

"Right." She returned hesitantly.

"So let's go." Jay broke in, starting out towards the beach.

Johnny smiled reassuringly at Ava as he followed behind the surfer. "Why don't you head left, Jay? Ava and I'll go right. I'd lay money that he hasn't strayed too far."

"What makes you think that?" Ava curiously inquired, as they broke off from Jay.

Johnny once again turned to her. "Consciously or not, I'd say he knows we don't want him gone. I'd lay odds he's somewhere nearby, waiting for us to come get him. Or at the least, keeping an eye on what's going on."

"Johnny, he's been roaming around for the last few weeks thinking we're kicking him out." Ava returned.

Thoroughly confusing the man. "So?"

"So," She continued matter-of-factly. "None of us had any clue what he was thinking."

"Just because we weren't." He started countering the woman.

Only to be cut off. "Johnny, we didn't have a clue! Now suddenly you know exactly what he's thinking and feeling?"

"No." Johnny admitted with a sigh. "No. I have no idea. I have no idea what's going on with him."

He mumbled under his breath. "Damn it!"

"Johnny." Ava interjected.

The man quickly continued, though. "Look, all I know is, he's a kid. A kid who belongs with us. We're gonna find him, Ava."

"I know." She confirmed. "I just hope it's soon."

"Me too." He replied, stepping up the pace slightly as they continued to search the beach surrounding them.