Title: Good Day?

Description: Kim's car breaks down and leaves her stranded without a signal. Jack and the guys notice her absence and leave search of their missing friend.

Wow, two updates in the same week-let alone month? I know, I know, I'm amazing. Anyways this was a story I had already written but just spiced up bit. As for the suggestion in the comment section, I am unfamiliar with the characters the comment is describing so I'm afraid I don't think I'll be able to write about it. Feel free to leave suggestions, but I can not guarantee that I will write it. Tbh, I can't guarantee I'll even post more one-shots. Don't worry that's not a concrete "Im done" it's just me being realistic.

"'Take the car!' they said. 'Have a great night, Kim!'" I echo my parents mockingly. "Well, mom and dad! I'm not having a great night!"

And it's true. My parents were out all night at a work conference but encouraged me to go out and be social. They said the 17-year-old Subaru would get me where I needed to go, but by the looks of things right now, they were wrong.

And the worse part? I'm not even stranded in the middle of the city or even the suburbs. No, the car just had to break down when I was in the middle of nowhere, driving north, away from civilization because the guys wanted to go to some abandoned factory.

I was already a little wary of the idea, but now that I was stuck on the side of a quiet dirt road at 8 pm with a dying phone and no reception, I loathed the entire excursion.

I didn't even know what was wrong with my car. It was getting chilly out and although I was wearing a ¾ sleeve shirt, I knew I'd get cold without a jacket outside. Of course, I opened the front of the car just to make sure it wasn't going to blow up or catch fire, but short of visible flames or a flat tire, I knew nothing about fixing a car.

I debated my options carefully.

I could look again and try to fix whatever was wrong, but it was an old car and it is very possible whatever happened is beyond repair at this point.

I could also walk to the nearest town or store, but I wouldn't know where to go and I know it would be a while. Along with not having a jacket, I decided against that as well.

The third option, my favorite, was to cry and sleep and just hope my problem went away.

So naturally, I went with the third option.

As the angry tears fell down my cheeks, I banged my head on the steering wheel, wondering why I had ever agreed to take a 17-year-old car to a factory I didn't even want to go to, all by myself.

Then, I looked around my car to see what I had with me and I found an old pack of fruit snacks, so I ate that and drank from one of the half-full water bottles I had laying around.

All hope lost, I finally reclined the driver's seat, turned to my side, pulled my knees up to my chest into the fetal position, and fell asleep.

At 8:30, Jack, Milton, and Jerry had already arrived at the factory and waited patiently for Kim to pull in. They knew she wasn't super excited about going, so it was understandable that she wouldn't be in a rush to get there on time.

However, by 8:30, they had expected at least a call or a text.

"Do you think she bailed?" Milton wondered aloud.

Jack shook his head. "She wouldn't. She told me she was coming still earlier today. Even if she changed her mind, she would have told us."

"Guys, why don't we just call her?" Jerry asked, already pulling out his phone. He started dialing Kim's number as Jack rolled his eyes.

"Jerry, I've been calling her. She's not answering. That's the problem." Jack held out his phone and the screen was full of unanswered calls and texts sent to Kim. "Do you think something happened? Maybe her phone is dead? Maybe she took a nap and forgot to set an alarm and fell asleep?"

The boys pondered it over for a minute when Milton suddenly had an idea. "Remember that stretch of road about 20 minutes out of the city? There are about 3 miles in the mountains where our music cut out because we didn't have any data. If Kim's there, her phone wouldn't be able to send or receive any texts or calls."

"You think she's lost? That's a straight road, isn't it?" Jack said.

Milton shook his head. "Not lost. I mean, she could be. But what if she got stuck there. The timing works out. If she left to get here at around 8, she has probably been in that 3-mile window for about 45 minutes."

"Well, we better go find her, then!" Jack worried.

Jerry, on the other hand, started laughing. "Dude, that's funny. She's the one that didn't even want to come and now she's the one in trouble. That's so ignorant!" He smiled and slapped Jack's chest, who was not amused. Jack swatted Jerry's hand away and scowled.

"I think you mean ironic, Jerry," Milton offered.

"No, doesn't that mean like super recognizable?"

Milton sighed. "No, Jerry. That's iconic."

"No, isn't that that word in chemistry with the charge-"

"That's ionic, Jerry-"

"No, that's a word that helps you remember something-"

"Mnemonic-"

"No, that's something that sounds really-"

"Stop!" Jack shouted. "Nobody cares about the Bubonic plague! We need to go find Kim. She could be hurt and she would have no way of getting help. I'm leaving now so you guys can stay here and argue about the dictionary or you can get in my car and help me find our friend."

Milton and Jerry looked at each other and then apologetically at Jack. "Sorry, man. We'll help find Kim. We're not tonic," Jerry said.

Milton shook his head. "Jerry, that doesn't even make sense-"

Jerry smacked Milton. "Dude, do you even care about Kim? You heard the man, no more arguing over the tradictionary!"

"Gah!" Milton tugged his air in frustration.

Taking that as a yes, Jack led the other two to his car. Milton got stuck in the back seat, but he was glad to get a break from Jerry.

The drive was quiet, there were no other cars out and everyone was occupied keeping an eye out for Kim.

"How's the signal, Milton?" Jack called back after about 10 minutes of driving.

"Getting weaker. I'd say the next few miles we should start to keep a close eye out."

Jack nodded and started to drive slower.

They drove for about 10 more minutes and still hadn't seen anything. Jack was beginning to lose hope that Kim was even out there.

"Guys, I'm not seeing her…" he said sadly. "Maybe we should just turn back. I don't think-"

Jerry interrupted Jack. "Wait, up on the left!"

Jack squinted and saw a dark shadow up ahead, on the side of the road. Full of hope, Jack sped up as they neared it. The closer they got, the clearer it became and the shape was the silhouette of an old car.

Pulling off when they got close, Jack's heart soared at the familiar dark blue of Kim's car. It was her.

"It's her," he announced, jumping out of the front seat.

Jack didn't even bother waiting for Jerry and Milton to follow as he rushed across the street to Kim's door.

At first, he thought she was gone. She could have walked anywhere by now. If Milton was right, she would have been here for about an hour.

A small movement inside caught Jack's eye and he bent down to the glass and peeked through. Inside, he saw Kim's small body curled into a ball with her eyes shut and goosebumps on her arms. Her chest rose and fell steadily and a small cloud left her mouth every time she exhaled.

Jack was visibly relieved. She was safe. "She's asleep," he said quietly, turning back to Jerry and Milton.

They hurried next to Jack, looking through the window to see for themselves that their friend was okay.

"Well, what do we do now?" Milton asked.

Jack looked back down at Kim, once again thankful that she was peacefully sleeping. "Well first, we should get her out of there. It's freezing and she's barely dressed. We should probably also figure out what is wrong with her car. If we can't get it started, we'll have to leave it here and call a tow."

"I can take a look," Jerry offered. "My uncle Tito taught me a lot in his auto shop."

Jack nodded. "Great. Milton, why don't you find a blanket for her?"

Milton nodded curtly. "Right." Milton scurried back to Jack's car while Jerry moved to the hood of Kim's car.

Jack looked at Kim one more time before gently opening her door. He put a hand on her shoulder and rubbed it softly to wake her up.

She groaned a little and wiped her eyes. "J-Jack?" Jack smiled down at her and nodded. "W-What…"

Jack started to pull Kim out of the car and hugged her close to his chest, rubbing her arms quickly to generate some heat. "You fell asleep. Did your car break down?"

Kim, still slightly confused, looked back at her car. "Oh… yeah, I think it…"

Jack chuckled, Kim never woke up easy.

"It's alright, Jerry is taking a look at it. Now come on, let's get you in my car, you're shivering." Jack led Kim to his car where Milton had just pulled a blanket from the trunk.

He handed it to Jack who wrapped it around Kim's shoulders. Kim was more aware now and climbed into Jack's back seat so she could sit more comfortably.

Warming up now, she sent Jack a harsh glare. "None of this would have happened if you guys didn't make me come tonight."

"Oh come on, you know it's not our fault that your car broke down. Besides," Jack smirked and Kim immediately knew he was up to something. Something he knew she wasn't going to be a fan of. "Now that you don't have a working car, you're at my mercy. I can take you wherever I want."

Kim pulled the blanket tighter and looked away from Jack, not liking the sneaky and sinister look he was giving her.

"That is if you're up for it," he quickly added. "We'd really love it if you came, but if you're not up to it I can take you back home. We have to at least take Jerry and Milton back to get their cars, though."

Although Kim was very tired, she was also very proud. Her pride got the better of her and she didn't want to let her friends down more than she already had.

"No, I don't mind. We can still go if you insist," Kim conceded.

Jack smiled, he knew this was Kim's way of saying she would go. "We do."

"Fine." Kim pouted, but Jack knew it was an act. Just to solidify her contempt, Kim added, "But I'm not going to enjoy it."

Jack chuckled. "Okay, sure you won't." She definitely would if he had anything to do with it. "I'm going to go talk to Jerry, see what he thinks about your car. You good?"

Kim assured Jack she was fine and watched as he made his way over to Jerry. She admired his personable nature. Sure, they were all friends, but Jack had something special about the way he interacted with everyone.

Back when they first met, when he was the new kid, his confidence was shocking. Yes, he still exuded "new kid" in other ways, but he was far from the stereotypical shy boy. It wasn't just because he could single-handedly take out all the Black Dragons, it went beyond his karate abilities.

He had a way of connecting with everyone. Anytime she or their other friends were sick or hurt or in danger, he was always the first one to step up and make things right.

Even now, although he didn't know much about cars, Kim observed as Jack talked animatedly with Jerry, gesturing towards the hood. He really could put a smile on anyone's face, that must be what happens when you make everyone feel like someone.

Lost in her thoughts, Milton's voice startled Kim. "What are you thinking about? His hulk-like strength or his handsome face?" he joked.

"Isn't he just amazing?" she wondered.

Milton was a little flustered by Kim's declaration. "I mean, in a completely platonic, friendly, heterosexual way I suppose Jack's… nice?"

Kim chuckled at Milton's response. "I'm serious. Look at him. How does he do that?"

"Well, I read this article a few weeks ago about how the hertiatary variable human genome as passed down from mother to son-"

"I don't mean how is it scientifically possible, Milton." Kim clarified. "Seriously, tell me he was the first one who suggested y'all come looking for me. The first one who noticed my absence."

"He was," Milton confirmed.

Kim smiled, the thought of Jack being so concerned about her warming her heart. For the next 15 minutes, she was content just watching him and Jerry with Milton in silence.

Finally, Jerry closed the hood and him and Jack started walking back.

Kim didn't miss the grim expression on Jerry's face as he approached. "Well?"

Jerry hesitated and looked at Jack. Jack, not understanding enough to accurately explain what was wrong to Kim, just nodded in encouragement.

"Well, the car is pretty old, so there are a lot of problems with pretty much everything. It's hard to know for sure since there are so many issues, but I think the main reason it broke down was the spark plug. It's a small metal part that can get dirty without regular cleaning or replacement. It's common to have a fouled spark plug in older cars or cars with lots of miles on them. My guess is you haven't yours changed in ages and all the grim has built up and that's why your engine was having trouble. However, your alternator has some serious damage as well and the starter is bound to fail any day now," Jerry explained.

Having explained the extent of the technical issues, he referred to Jack to take over. "Jerry said it is possible to fix it, but with all the problems your car has, it'll cost quite a bit to get the car working again, if at all. Even if it does start again, it's not likely it'll last long before something else goes wrong. Bottom line is, the car is pretty much totaled. Sorry."

All three boys grimaced at the news, knowing if it were them and their car, they'd be upset. However, Kim just smiled and threw her arms around Jack.

Confused, Jack pried Kim off his shoulders and curiously studied her face for any sign of sadness. "I thought you'd be more upset by that," he said.

"I've been begging my parents for a better car for ages now. They said they won't get another one until this one dies. Since they know it's not worth anything and we can't sell it, they said I have to make the most out of whatever is left. This means I can finally get a car from this decade!" Kim explained happily.

"Well, if you talk to your parents about it, I can see if my uncle would want your car. He likes to strip older cars of their parts and repurpose them for other things around the shop. I'm sure he'd pay a few hundred for yours," Jerry said.

Kim turned to Jerry, surprised. "Really? He'd buy a dead car?"

Jerry shrugged. "Sure. There are still valuable parts in it if you know what you're looking for."

"Then it's yours. I should probably get all my stuff out of it though if we are leaving it here until we get a signal."

With the guys' help, Kim emptied her trunk into Jack's. She made sure to grab the pens and other junk from the glove box and around the seats as well, putting it all into a Wal-mart bag she found under a seat.

In just a few minutes, they had completely cleaned out the car and Kim gave it one final, happy goodbye.

Her and Milton ended up in the backseat, both snuggled under the blanket because Milton got too cold. Jack pretended he was offended and kept sending the pair warning glances, but they all knew he was just playing around. Milton and Jerry were like brothers to Kim, and she was a sister to them.

When they finally had a signal again, Kim untangled herself from the blanket enough to call her parents and tell them all about the car. They didn't seem too upset by it and were glad Kim was okay. When she told them about Jerry's uncle, they agreed to let him have the car for free, if he would handle the towing costs.

Kim relayed the information to Jerry, who shot a text to his uncle. Tito, like Jerry predicted, was thrilled to take the car and promised to go pick it up in a few hours.

When they arrived at the factory, Kim was surprised. When Jack had first told her about it, she imagined a building something like the half crumbled ancient Roman coliseums. She did not expect the firm brick structure with tall castle-spire-like towers and large glass windows that reflected the moonlight beautifully.

Mouth ajar with awe, Kim was speechless.

"Like it?" Jack asked with a smirk, turning around from his seat after he parked the car to look at Kim's reaction.

Kim smacked Jack's shoulder. "You didn't tell me it would be like this!" she accused him. "You said 'Hey, wanna come to this old, abandoned, run-down factory in the middle of nowhere for no reason?'"

"I did not say it like-"

"This is a freaking fairy-tale castle, Jack!"

Jack chuckled and got out of the car. Everyone else got out too and Kim brought the blanket with her, too comfortable with its warmth to give it up now.

The group started to walk towards an opened garage and Kim wondered if anyone else knew about this place. "Is this safe?" she asked.

Jerry laughed. "Definitely not. For starters, it could be haunted-"

Milton interrupted. "Jerry, ghosts aren't real. It's not haunted. But I don't doubt it's dangerous. Standard building codes back when this factory was built were basically non-existent. Factories like this were shut down because there were no fire exits and they'd catch fire because the windows were kept closed, which minimalized air circulation and acted as a magnifying glass with the sun and dust particles clouding the air, and then all the workers inside would burn and then the machinery would catch fire and explode and wipe out an entire city block for weeks to months at a time."

"Don't worry, Kim," Jack said. "This building is perfectly safe. It's not haunted and the foundation is sure. This factory was up to more recent code. You can see the fire escape on both sides from outside. This building was given a major update about 15 years ago. Someone wanted to turn it into an apartment building. They got as far as reinstalling new glass and framing the new rooms until they gave up. The area wasn't populating as well as they had predicted so they cut their losses and stopped the project. But it's perfectly safe, I can assure you."

Jack squeezed Kim's hand, their way of sending affection while they were out with Jerry and Milton. They shared the occasional kiss in front of their friends, but all four friends were more comfortable with the more subtle, and consequently sweeter, gestures.

Kim squeezed back, trusting Jack that they would be safe.

Jack smiled and led the group through the building and up some stairs. Inside the factory was even more amazing. Because the new construction on the inside was stopped while the framing was still not yet completed, you could see practically the entire factory all at once. Metal beams were separating what would have been rooms but now just added to the character of the building. It gave off strong 20s vibes.

When they reached the 3rd floor, Jack veered away from the stairs and down the open hallway. To the right, you could look down and see the open lobby and all the other floors. However, there wasn't much in the way of railing so Jack made sure to pull Kim to the other side.

"Turn in here," Jack said when they reached the middle.

They walked through an empty door frame and into what would have been a small one-room apartment. The far wall was brick and in the middle was one large floor to ceiling window, just as wide as it was tall.

"Come on," Jack urged, tugging Kim forward. Kim obediently followed, curious to see how this could possibly get any better.

When they reached the window Jack stopped. "Take a step back," he said. Kim did so and watched as Jack moved to the side and started to pull on a chain.

She heard the creaking first, then saw the window panes start to move. Slowly, the window opened up like a garage door, giving Kim an uninhibited view of what lay below.

"Woah," they all three said in unison.

Jack smirked. "Pretty cool, huh?"

Kim nodded, carefully inching closer to the edge so she could see better.

"Careful," Jack said quietly. "They never got to the balcony. It's a big drop."

"Well I'm going to check out the rest of this place, anybody wanna come?" Jerry said, already on his way out.

Milton called back. "Yeah, wait up! Kim, you coming?"

Kim shook her head. "That's alright, I'll stay with Jack."

When Milton and Jerry were gone, Jack made his way to Kim and wrapped his arms around her. Kim happily leaned into his chest, trusting him to keep her safe from the balcony and possible ghost and stranded cars and every other fear imaginable.

She felt safe in his hold.

"Do you see the stars?" Jack whispered, pointing towards the sky. "Since we're further away from the city there's less light pollution. I wish I knew more about constellations, then I could romantically point them out to you."

Kim turned herself around in Jack's arms and put her hands between them on his chest. She stood up higher, bringing her lips close to his. "Too bad," she teased, quickly turning back around and internally giggling.

Jack grabbed Kim and turned her back to face him once more. "Oh no, you don't, Missy."

Kim feigned ignorance and blinked up at Jack innocently. "What?"

"You know what. Now give me what I want," he demanded playfully, pulling Kim even tighter to his body.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you could possibly be talking about," Kim shrugged.

"Well then," Jack leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Guess I'll have to do it myself."

In one quick motion, Jack lifted Kim off her feet and placed slobbery kisses all over her face and neck.

Laughing, Kim tried to get away. "Jack!" she screeched. "Stop it! Put me down!"

Jack put Kim down with a laugh and one final kiss. Kim immediately shot back and Jack's heart dropped, she was too close to the edge.

He quickly pulled her back and into his arms, carrying her at least twenty feet away from the edge.

When he set her back down, heart still beating rapidly, Kim sheepishly apologized. Jack wanted to tell her to be more careful. He knew she was still a foot or two away from falling off the edge and that he was the reason she felt the need to step back suddenly, but he didn't care.

But then Kim started wiping off her face and he forgot all about it. "Are you wiping off my kisses?" he asked, appalled.

Kim gave him a sly smile and nodded. "I didn't like 'em."

"You are impossible," Jack decided.

"Come 'ere." He pulled Kim over to sit on a stack of metal beams that had been left in the room. Kim easily sat next to Jack.

So trusting, he thought.

"Kim, you know you mean everything to me, don't you? You really scared me just now. And I know it wasn't your fault, I do, but heck if my heart didn't drop to my feet. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't okay," Jack said.

Kim smiled, Jack was so thoughtful and his heart was too big for his (admittedly sculpted) chest. "I know what you'd do," she replied.

"What?"

"You'd help me feel better. You always do. And for that, I love you, Jack. I really do."

Kim's words rendered Jack speechless. Kim mentally patted herself in the back for it. She pulled Jack into her arms and started to thread her fingers through his hair. He sure loved those locks but gosh darn it if she didn't adore them too.

"Good day?" Jack questioned.

"Best day," Kim decided, giving Jack the kiss he so patiently waited for.