Chad sat slumped on his couch, surrounded by clutter and empty soda cans. Mary had been on her work trip for a week now, and the lack of structure in his days was starting to wear on him. Just as he was about to drift off into a nap, the shrill ring of his phone shattered the silence.

"Hello?" Chad grumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Mr. Wendle? This is Mr. Reese, the principal at your son's school. I'm calling because we can't find Clarence anywhere in the grand canyon. We've searched the entire thing and its parameters, but he's nowhere to be found."

Chad's heart lurched into his throat. His mind raced as he tried to recall the last time he had seen his son. Had he dropped him off at the school bus that morning? He couldn't even remember. As he stumbled around his cluttered living room, Chad's eyes fell on the TV, which was playing a news segment about a missing child. Something about the image on the screen looked familiar. It wasn't until they showed a close-up of the boy's face that Chad realized with horror that it was his own son.

His hands shook as he hung up the phone and collapsed onto the couch. The weight of his neglect bore down on him, suffocating him with guilt. How could he have let this happen? How could he have failed as a father so completely? Chad knew he had to do something. He had to find his son, no matter what it took. With a newfound sense of purpose, he sprang into action. He jammed his keys into his car and went forward, not having a plan or idea of where to go, he just went.

"I love cotton candy" Clarence said with a mouth full of it

"I can tell you got so much of it" Chelsea said while eating her ice cream

Everybody was snacking on some treats while they walked through the town on the way back to the mechanic. It had been a good while since they initially entered the mechanic; they got lost in the fun the fair had offered them.

Before they knew it they had already arrived at the Mechanic as the sky was starting to get dark.

"Ughh Finally, my legs are starting to get tired, i'll get the door EH-" Said Sumo as he yanked on the door.

"Hmm seems to be stuck, I'll just pull harder EURGH- '' Sumo said as he pulled with his whole body, to the point where veins where visibly coming out of his shaven head.

"Hold on there buckarooni, I think this place is closed" Bucky said as he approached sumo, who was still violently pulling at the door that won't budge.

"How can it be closed, the sun is still out?!" Sumo said in exhaustion as he took a break from the door.

"Well the lights are all off in their sumo" Chelsea replied

"Also you guys could have maybe, I don't know, read the note on the door!" Said Jeff

"Oh…" Everybody said in unison as Jeff facepalmed

The Note Read as follows:

*The Car Shop Will Be Closed Early Today Due To The Town Fair, and other matters… *

"Well guys, I reckon we must be getting back to the motel then" Said Bucky in his usual cheerful tone, he didn't seem concerned at all that the mechanic was closed.

Everybody, except Bucky, did a simultaneous groan and began walking back towards the motel. When looking back on things, it wasn't that big of a deal, after all everybody had fun. However it's nearly been over a week since they've been missing, and everybody was homesick and just wished they could be back already. As they walked back to the motel, everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Clarence was thinking about the cotton candy he had just devoured, Jeff was thinking about how they could have avoided wasting so much time at the fair, Sumo was thinking about how tired he was and how he wished they could have fixed their car and gotten back on the road, and Chelsea was thinking about how she missed her family and friends back home.

Bucky, on the other hand, was his usual cheerful self and tried to lighten the mood by cracking jokes and telling stories like he usually does. It didn't seem to have much effect on the rest of the group, but he didn't let that deter him.

As they arrived at the motel, they noticed that there was a note on the door. It read, "Sorry for the inconvenience, we had to close early today. We will be open tomorrow at 8am. -The Mechanic"

"Well, at least we know when they'll be open tomorrow," Jeff said as he read the note.

"Pretty nice of him to leave a note," Clarence added.

"Yeah, I guess we'll just have to spend another night here," Chelsea said with a sigh.

"Don't worry, guys, we'll make the most of it! We can have a movie night or play some board games," Bucky said with a smile.

Everyone else nodded in agreement, and they headed inside to rest up for another day in the small town. They may have been homesick and tired, but they were determined to make the most of their unexpected stay.

As they settled into their motel room, Bucky pulled out a deck of Uno cards from his backpack.

"Alright, who's up for a game of Uno?" Bucky asked with a grin.

The rest of the group looked at each other and shrugged. They didn't have anything else to do, so they decided to give it a try.

They quickly got into the swing of things, and soon they were all laughing and joking as they played the game. Bucky was particularly good at the game and kept winning, but he didn't gloat too much and made sure everyone was having fun.

As they played, they forgot about their troubles and began to relax. For a moment, they were just a group of friends having a good time, without a care in the world. Just like things used to be.

After several rounds of Uno, they decided to switch to a game of Go Fish. It was a more relaxed game, and they could talk more easily as they played. They shared stories about their times in Aberdale with their friends and families, and for a while, they forgot about being homesick.

As the night wore on, they started to get sleepy. They agreed to finish the game and head to bed.

"Thanks for cheering us up, Bucky," Clarence said as they cleaned up the cards.

"No problem, guys. That's what friends are for," Bucky replied with a smile, while he slipped the cards back into his bag

They all settled into their beds, feeling a little more relaxed and content than they had in days. Maybe this unexpected stay in the small town wasn't so bad after all…

Jeff stirred in his sleep as he heard Bucky's voice whispering into the phone. He couldn't make out what Bucky was saying, but he could tell it was important.

He slowly got out of bed, trying not to wake the others, and made his way over to where Bucky was sitting. Bucky noticed Jeff's approach and quickly hung up the phone.

"Umm… Hey, Partner. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Bucky said in a hushed tone.

"It's okay. Is everything alright? Who were you talking to?" Jeff asked, concerned.

Bucky hesitated for a moment before answering. "It was my mom. She called to check on me and make sure everything was okay."

Jeff could tell there was something more that Bucky wasn't telling him, but he didn't press the issue.

"Is everything okay with her?" Jeff asked.

Bucky nodded. "Yeah, she's fine. She's just worried about me being so far away from home. You know how moms can be, and all that."

Jeff smiled. "Yeah, I do. My mom is the same way."

They both fell into a comfortable silence, just sitting there in the dim light of the motel room.

After a few minutes, Bucky spoke up again. "You know, Slugger, I'm really glad we're all here together. It's been tough being away from home, but it's nice to have friends to lean on."

Jeff nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I don't know what I would do without you guys, i couldn't imagine where i'd be right now if where out there in the wilderness."

Bucky smiled. "We're all in this together. We'll get through it. I promise."

With that, they both settled back into their beds and tried to get some more sleep. They knew they had a long day ahead of them, but for the moment, they were content just being there for each other.