A/N - This chapter's longer than the others, I needed it to be... I hope the plot is okay for everyone, let me know if it's not. I'm writing as I go, no definite plot in mind, so I hope things are flowing all right.

Chapter Five

Tibby speculated that maybe things were a bit too perfect. Brian, her family, her friends... things were going so well. So well that they were, well, a little boring. She wished something would happen, anything, to shake things up a little. She barely paid attention as she dropped Bee off... she realized too late that she hadn't responded to Bee's goodbye, and so Tibby made an effort to perk up and bring her head out of the clouds.

"I'm sorry, Bee," she said, feeling bad about the hurt look on Bee's face.

"What's on your mind, Tibbadee?" Bee asked, at least knowing Tibby well enough to realize that it wasn't rudeness, that something was up.

"Boredom," Tibby said.

Bee's eyes started to gleam.

"Oh, no," Tibby warned. "I know that look, and we aren't going to get ourselves in trouble."

"Not tonight," Bee agreed, and sighed regretfully. "Greta's staying the night and we're going to watch old movies." She perked up a little at the thought.

Tibby smiled. "Have fun, all right?" She was surprised that Bee's grandmother had the stamina to stay up this late, but maybe that was where Bee got her energy from.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Tibbadee," Bee said, and hurried inside.

When Tibby arrived home a few moments later, she realized all the lights were on. No one should still be up, not in her house. Nicky and Katherine went to bed early, and her parents soon after.. Tibby had always been the night owl at her home.

Her heart beat a little quicker as she went up the front steps, and she wondered what had happened. As she reached for the knob, the front door flew open, and she gave a little scream.

"Oh, thank God, Tibby," her father sighed, and Tibby wondered how fast her heart was racing. He shoved Nicky's car seat into her arms. "Go ahead and load that in, then Katherine's. I'll go wake them up."

Tibby stood there, mouth agape, clutching the car seat.

"Dad, what's going on?" she managed.

"Not now," he said, barely concealing the panic in his voice. Without a word, she went back out to her car. As she buckled the seats in, she racked her brain. What could have happened? She still had no answers as her father carried a limp Katherine outside and handed her off. Once Nicky, too, was buckled in, Tibby rounded on her father.

"I need an explanation," she demanded.

He sighed and rubbed his tired face with a listless hand. "Your mother's gone."

Tibby stood there for a moment, then laughed with disbelief. "She's probably down at the CVS or something, Dad, why are you panic-"

His look cut her off then and there. "Her clothes are gone. So is her car."

She felt her face pale. "Oh, God," she whispered. "Where did she go?"

"I don't know, Tibby, I don't know," he said wearily. "I'm going to call the police as soon as you take the kids, it wasn't worth it to call them before, especially since I can't really formally file a report until tomorrow night."

"Where do you want me to take them?" Tibby murmured, trying to keep her voice low enough that her younger siblings wouldn't hear.

"Your aunt's expecting you," he answered. "I called as soon as I realized your mother was really... gone." He turned away from her, with the excuse of loading the three suitcases he'd packed for them into the trunk, but Tibby had the awful feeling he was crying.

"When do you want me to bring them back?" she asked, feeling helpless beyond belief. She didn't understand what was going on around her, it all felt like a blur.

"Call me tomorrow," he answered. "And I'll call you the minute I learn anything."

"You're sure you'll be all right?" she asked as she hugged him goodbye.

"Just take care of them," he answered, his voice broken. "I'll be fine."

Tears streaming down her face, Tibby pulled out of the driveway, and down the street. She knew she should try to control herself, but she was beyond that now. She drove aimlessly at first, then came to herself and began driving with a sense of purpose.

"Tibby?" A timid voice came from the backseat. "Tibby?"

She hadn't realized Katherine was actually awake, she would have made much more of an effort to hide her emotions otherwise.

"What is it, Katherine?" Tibby asked, trying to keep her voice level.

"Tibby, we're going the wrong direction," Katherine said, her voice abnormally quiet and frightened, like a little mouse.

"We aren't going to Aunt Irene's," Tibby said grimly. It was requiring all of her willpower to drive right now, she didn't know how she was doing it. When she arrived at her destination, she scooped up Katherine, woke Nicky, and led them both up to the door. It took the last of her strength to ring the bell.

Brian answered the door, and Tibby literally dropped Katherine into his arms, paying no attention to the fact that he was standing there in his boxers.

"What happened, Tibby?"

"Is anyone else home?" she asked urgently.

"No," he answered grimly. "Not tonight." So they were out drinking. "But Tibby, what happened?"

"Just put Nicky and Katherine to bed," she said, collapsing onto the couch. "Then we'll talk."

As she heard him leave the room with them, she rolled over and buried her face in the foul-smelling, stained pillow, and began to cry, full-out sobs that racked her body. She lost track of time and space and everything as she sobbed.

After what seemed like an eternity, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, Tibbadee," Brian said gently. "Let's go back to my room, you don't want to be out here."

She floated after him down the hall to his room, the only ray of sunshine in the house, clean and comfortable and cozy. She sat on his bed and drew her knees up to her chest, typically defensive. When he put his arms around her she leaned against him and, with some encouragement on his part, told the entire story.

"I don't get it, Tibby," he said quietly. "Why would your mother leave? She had everything going for her, she loved her life."

"I don't know where she went, or why," Tibby sniffled. "What if someone made her go?"

Brian shook his head thoughtfully. "I don't think so. I think she left of her own free will, but why... that's where I get stuck."

Tibby realized that Brian knew her own mother well enough to understand what had happened better than she did - her own family, he knew all of them better than she did. This thought made her cry harder, so he clutched her tighter and rocked her, and suddenly their lips met and this was comfort better than anything else Tibby could have expected. She kissed him with a fervor unlike any before, drinking in reassurance and comfort.

Then, suddenly, she felt his hands on her back, fumbling with her shirt, and she knew she should pull away... she knew, but she was so lost, and she needed so badly to be found. And then her thoughts came back, and she vividly remembered a scene earlier this evening - complaining of being bored, and wanting something to happen, and pulling up in the driveway, and the expression on her father's face. And it was all her fault somehow.

And she pulled away.

"No," she said. He was breathing hard, they both were, she could feel her heart racing, but he reached out a hand to take hers.

"I'm so sorry, Tibby," he said, and she took his hand in both of hers. "I should have thought, and I'd never want to - not if - not when-" he fell silent.

"It's all right," she said gently. "But I can't even think about that. Not right now. And I know I shouldn't be pushing you back now-"

"No, Tibby, you were right," he said.

"It's just, I was so lost, and then..."

"I know," he said, looking ashamed. "I should have thought... I didn't."

"No," she said, giving him the most loving smile she could manage, and she leaned against him again. He put his arms around her, and suddenly she felt very tired. She could hear him saying something, tried to focus, but couldn't wake up enough to hear. Finally, he laughed.

"Sleep well, Tibbadee."

She snuggled a little closer.

Bee woke up to a blaring phone.

"Hello?" she said sleepily. Then, more awake, "No, Tibby's not here. She's missing?"

At the sound of Bee's voice, Greta awoke in the twin bed across the room, and Bee reached for her grandmother's steady hand as she listened to Tibby's father pour out the whole story.

"So Tibby didn't turn up at her aunt's?" Bee asked. "Have you called Carmen or Lena? Yes, I understand. I'll keep an eye out for her. Yes, I'll call you back if I hear from her."

As she dropped the phone back onto the hook, trembling, she turned to Greta.

"Your friend is missing?" Greta asked, eyes concerned.

Bee nodded. "I need to use Dad's car, I've got to go look for her."

"Yes, of course. I'll stay here and let him know where you went." Greta said. "Just do what you have to do, Bridget."

As Bee pulled out of her driveway, she felt the weight of her mission on her shoulders. Carma and Lenny wouldn't be out looking, Tibby's father had said they hadn't even been home when he'd called. So it was up to Bee to find her.

Suddenly, Bee knew where Tibby had gone. Exactly where Tibby would go if she were in trouble. Bee might have felt a tinge of jealousy if she hadn't had Eric... for what Tibby had needed, her best friends just weren't right. She'd needed Brian, and Bee understood completely.

Once she'd pulled up, Bee jogged to the door. She knew Tibby was there, but there was a part of her that wouldn't rest until she was totally sure. When Brian opened the door, looking sleepy and clad only in a pair of boxers - doubtless, ones Tibby had bought for him, her eyes nearly popped out.

"Where's Tibby?" she asked, almost snapping. Wordlessly, he turned and went back into the house, and a few moments later, Tibby came to the door, looking sleepy, but when she saw who it was, she woke up mid-yawn.

"Bee? What're you doing here?"

"Tell Brian you'll be back in twenty minutes," Bee said with finality. "We're going out for some breakfast."

As soon as Tibby got in the car, Bee got to business.

"Tibby," she said, her voice measured. "Please tell me, Tibbadee, that you did not do anything last night that you will regret."

Silence.

"Tibby," she said, a little more urgently now.

"Who says I'll regret it?" Tibby said, in her typically rebellious style, and she laughed.

"Tibby!" Bee exclaimed. "This isn't a joke. I need to know."

"No, Bee," said Tibby, sobering. "But Bee, we came close."

Bee started to pull into a parking space, then changed her mind, realizing that the conversation they were having was not one the other McDonalds patrons would be interested in hearing. The car behind them honked as she backed the car out, and Bee considered getting annoyed, but instead pulled into the Drive-thru.

"Tibbadee," she said, with a sigh. "You know no one would understand like I do, and I promise I do understand, but if you're going to do this with him, I want you to be totally sure."

Tibby looked subdued. "I know how to handle myself, Bee. I was just hurting." Her tone of voice totally changing, she called her meatless order out in the general direction of the speaker.

"Well, then he damn well shouldn't have tried to take advantage of you," Bee said, not knowing why she was so upset.

"Oh, Bee, it wasn't like that." Tibby said. "We both... but then I came to my senses."

"I'm glad you did," Bee said, handing the money out the window. "God, Tibby, what if you hadn't?"

"Well, maybe, Bee, just maybe," Tibby retorted, "I wish I hadn't!"

There was a long silence. Bee realized that she hadn't at all helped Tibby's state of mind, and she reached over to hug her.

"I'm sorry, Tibbadee," she said softly. "But I don't want you to get hurt."

"I was hurt, Bee," Tibby said. "That was why I went to Brian."

"But who do you go to if the only person you can go to is the one who hurt you?" Bee said, partly to herself.

"Please, Bee, I'm not going to do anything dumb," Tibby pleaded.

Bee sighed. "I'm sorry for dragging you off like that. But when I saw him standing there, and I thought, and I started thinking what if, and I panicked."

"Don't be sorry," Tibby said, with a lopsided smile. "But I find it funny, Bridget Vreeland, that you're the one who's doing the looking-after here."

Bee giggled.

"How did you know I wasn't home, anyway?" Tibby asked, as an afterthought.

"Your dad-"

"Oh, my God, I forgot to call him!" Tibby exclaimed.

"Are you going to tell him you spent the night at Brian's?" Bee asked curiously, handing over her cell phone.

Tibby paused, then nodded. She started dialing. Once she'd spoken to her father and hung up, Bee gave her an expectant look. Tibby shook her head.

"I'm so sorry, Tibby," Bee said softly. A couple moments of silence. "Back to Brian's?"

Tibby nodded silently. Bee had the suspicion that Tibby thought if she said anything she'd burst into tears.

After dropping Tibby off and arriving home, Bee felt ready to drop. She wished she had someone to hold her and comfort her, as Brian was doubtlessly doing now for Tibby. When she pulled up into the driveway, she saw a new car that didn't belong there, but this one brought no sense of foreboding. Bee practically leapt out and threw herself at the car's owner. She stood there for a few moments, breathing in his scent, glad he was finally with her. Until he spoke.

"Who's Billy?" Eric asked.

A/N - Ooh, a cliffhanger... I'm sorry to leave you with it, but hopefully you're curious!