The stop and go traffic was more stop than go. Hardison was driving, if you could call it that. More like parking in four minute intervals.

"Is there a big ol' accident up there or something?"

Hardison shrugged and tapped a few buttons on the dashboard display, but when it didn't give him the answers he wanted, he reached behind his seat for his laptop. Between creeping ahead a few car lengths at a time, he fired up the computer.

"At this rate we could walk home faster." Parker's voice came over the earbuds. She and Nate and Sophie were in the sedan behind them.

"Patience people," Nate's voice came over the 'buds. "It's not like we have anywhere to be."

"Okay." Hardison tapped a few more keys. "There is more than just an accident up ahead. Seems they are working on the bridge up ahead and a lookie-loo managed to jam his Hummer into a piece of heavy machinery and there was a chain reaction and a six car pile-up."

"Oh heavens," Sophie complained. "We'll be here the rest of our lives."

"Let's not exaggerate. Everyone on this bridge is in the same boat." Nate tried to be the voice of reason. His team, while wonderful on a job, sometimes had focus issues when bored.

"Well, if this were a boat with this many people on it, it would be a cruise ship and there would be things to do." Parker noted. "Or people would be jumping overboard."

Just then Eliot's phone rang. He looked at the display and took out his ear bud and stepped out of the van, but not before everyone heard, "Hey buddy."

"Is he allowed to walk on the freeway? Can we walk on the freeway?" Parker asked.

"Hey buddy."

"Uncle Eliot, are you coming to my birthday party?"

"I can't buddy, we talked about this."

"I know, but I hadda ask."

"Sure. Did you get the gift I sent?"

"It got here, but Mom won't let me open it until my birthday party."

Eliot grinned. "Well, that's the way these things are done."

"But Uncle Eliot, my party isn't until Saturday, and my birthday is on Thursday."

"I know, but you're not a kid any more, you can handle the extra two day wait."

"I know, but still."

Eliot walked the length of the van, and past the sedan. Sophie and Parker waved at him as walked passed. He gave half a wave back. The cars started moving, but he wasn't overly concerned.

"So where are you having your party?"

Eliot listened as his nephew describe the party plans, the decorations, the girl who was supposed to show, his two best friends who had already confirmed they would and every other thing the boy could think of to say.

Eliot turned around and walked alongside the slowly moving cars. He walked past Sophie and Parker again giving them another half wave. He was walking alongside Hardison's van as he finished up his call. "Okay, Bubba, I got to get going."

"Okay."

"Be good for your folks."

"I will."

"Okay, call me Sunday after church and let me know how your party went."

"I will. Bye Uncle."

"Bye Nephew."

Eliot had to give a hop, skip and a jump to get into the van as it drove down the freeway at six miles an hour. He settled into the seat just moments before traffic came to a halt again.

"So? Who was that?" Hardison leaned on the steering wheel and looked over at Eliot while Eliot put his earbud back in.

"Nobody."

"I never met anyone named Buddy." Parker piped up.

Nate shook his head. "I don't think that the caller was actually named Buddy, Parker."

"When was the last time you met a Buddy?" Sophie added.

"I meet my buddies on-line in WoW all the time."

Sophie shook her head. "I meant in real life."

"Hey, World of Warcraft is real life!"

Nate contemplated banging his head on the steering wheel.

"So, Eliot," Sophie purred, "are you going to tell us who that was?"

"No."

"Come on, buddy," Parker teased.

"No."

"It's okay guys, I can…"

"Hardison," Nate warned, but it was too late.

"I'm only going to say this once. If anyone, anyone, tries to trace that call, or find out who was on the other end, so help me, on everything you find sacred, I will pull your heart out of your chest and show it to you before I crush it."

There was a painfully stunned silence in both vehicles.

"Am I clear?"

A chorus of affirmations were made: "Sure, yeah, okay, not a problem. Didn't really want to know in the first place."

Nate decided to change the subject. "Who's up for I spy?"