Despite it being nearly four in the morning, Aurora stands outside of a fifties themed diner with her hand clasped tightly in Jonah's, a sad smile splayed across her lips as she watches the customers and workers interact merrily.

The bell above the door signals their arrival, and nearly everyone turns around to see whose walking in. Aurora's breath catches in her throat and she waves timidly, not sure what sort of reaction she'll receive.

"I had a feeling we'd be seeing you tonight," Charlotte, the diner's manager, speaks up cheerfully from behind the counter, her eyes briefly glancing to Jonah. "Your usual booth is open. I'll be with you in just a moment."

"Thank you," Jonah answers for Aurora, noticing how her smile didn't leave but the grip on his hand had tightened.

Aurora walks past the counter, silently waving and smiling to the people greeting her as she leads him to a red and white booth in the back of the diner. Jonah claims the seat opposite her and picks up a menu as she gazes out the window, clearly lost in thought.

If he was being perfectly honest, Jonah didn't have a clue as to why Aurora insisted on coming here after waking from a nightmare, or why everyone seems to know her. The girl has been uncharacteristically quiet, but he didn't want to pressure her with questions. Though it hurts him to not know how to help, Jonah knows she'll explain everything when she's ready.

Charlotte appears at their booth, placing a chocolate milkshake and fries in front of Aurora before pulling out a small pad of paper and pencil. She raises an eyebrow, glancing to Jonah expectantly.

"A cheeseburger and vanilla milkshake," he answers her unasked question swiftly, snapping the menu shut.

"Coming right up," Charlotte says, jotting it down before turning her attention back to Aurora, placing a consoling hand on her back. "We've missed seeing you, doll."

"I've missed being here," Aurora admits, her mood brightening considerably as she takes a sip of the milkshake. "And Maurice's milkshakes."

"I'll pass along the compliment," she laughs before bustling away to clear a table.

"These milkshakes are the best you'll ever have," Aurora brags, dipping a fry into her's. "It'll completely ruin any other restaurant's milkshakes for you."

"Even Dairy Queen's?" Jonah asks dubiously, an amused smile appearing.

"Even Dairy Queen's," she responds seriously. "It's what keeps me from doing something to get banned from here."

A comfortable silence falls amongst the couple as Aurora enjoys her food. Jonah chuckles to himself, happy she's back to normal.

"Thanks for bringing me here," she states offhandedly as Charlotte delivers his food. "I know how important your sleep is to you."

"I'm willing to be sleep deprived if it means spending time with you," Jonah admits, placing a kiss against her hand before trying his milkshake.

His eyes widen dramatically as he takes his first drink, causing Aurora to giggle.

"I told you! It's amazing, isn't it?"

"It's the best milkshake I've ever had."

Aurora grins triumphantly, stealing one of his fries as she finishes her own.

"I guess I owe you an explanation as to why I wanted to come here," she sighs, glancing around the nearly empty restaurant nostalgically.

"Not if you don't want to talk about it," Jonah reassures her.

"It's Mark's birthday," Aurora says, ignoring his comment as she grows lost in a memory. "We found this diner when we first moved to L.A. When our careers first took off, we had wildly different schedules and hardly saw each other. So, since this place is open 24/7, we'd find a time when we were both home and make plans to catch up and eat here at least once a week." Her voice catches in her throat and tears threaten to fall, causing Jonah to move into the seat next to her and pull her into a hug before she can continue. "It's just been really hard to come back ever since- since he died."

Jonah nods along, rubbing her back soothingly as she wipes furiously at her eyes.

"I just miss him so damn much," she whimpers into his chest. "When will it stop hurting?"

"I don't know," Jonah answers honestly, his heart breaking for her. "You'll always miss him, and that's never going to go away. Grieving is a long and difficult process, but the important thing is you're not going through it alone. You have an incredible support system to help you through it."

Aurora smiles despite herself and sits up, placing a kiss on Jonah's cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Can we go home now?" She questions through a yawn. "I need a couple hours of sleep before I have to fight Poodle for Cheez-its."

××××

"Why do both of you look so exhausted?" Daniel asks as Jonah and Aurora enter the kitchen.

"Aurora kept me up all night," Jonah explains, dropping onto the empty barstool. The sun has long since risen, but the oldest boy still finds himself quite exhausted.

"What were you two doing all night?" Corbyn asks, gesturing suggestively.

She merely winks in response, turning around to face the coffee pot as Jonah's head hits the island, his soft snores filling the room.

Grabbing her cup of coffee, Aurora takes it into the living room where a bleary-eyed Zach is waking up on the couch.

"Where's Carmen?" He asks immediately as she drops onto the loveseat.

"Calm yourself, Heroin," she mutters, attempting to stop herself from immediately falling asleep. "She's most likely still in bed."

Zach's off of the couch in an instant, sprinting up the stairs. Corbyn enters the room, grinning in amusement.

"I solemnly swear that I didn't do anything to the boy," Aurora defends herself before the blond could ask.

"I doubt that but okay," he teases, sitting down next to her as Jack wanders into the room.

"Are you wearing my sweater?" He groans, furrowing his eyebrows together at the sight of the oversized garment.

"I think it's cute that she steals everyone's clothes," Corbyn comments before she can answer. "It means she likes us- or, at least she likes our fashion sense."

"If you two must know, it's Mark's."

An awkward silence falls amongst the trio and Jack averts his gaze guiltily. It doesn't last long though, because Zach comes running down the stairs moments later.

"Carmen isn't in the bedroom!" He exclaims, running a hand through his hair.

"Check the backyard," Aurora suggests calmly. "She's probably trying to escape your overprotective ass."

Zach nods, ignoring her sarcastic comment and rushing towards the back door.

Sitting her mug aside, she grabs a blanket and stretches out, preparing to take a small nap.

"CARMEN!" Zach yells, his voice laced with stress and fear as he re-enters the house.

"Try calling her phone," Daniel tells him as he reappears in the living room, drawn towards all of the commotion.

Zach shakes head, pulling the object out of his pocket. "I found her phone on the bedside table."

"But Caramel always keeps her phone with her," Aurora protests, throwing the blanket aside and standing up, all traces of sleepiness gone.

"Why are you yelling?" Jonah asks, stumbling into the room seconds later, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"We can't find Carmen," Corbyn explains.

Jonah's eyes widen as he instantly snaps out of his sleep-deprived reverie. "That's not good."

"Give me Caramel's phone," Aurora demands, an idea forming.

Zach complies, handing it over without question.

She unlocks it and opens her messages, remembering the horrified expression that had crossed Carmen's face when she checked them three days ago, right before the Harry Potter marathon had begun.

The first thing that pops up is a text from three days ago sent from an unknown number, with nothing but an ominous message.

Three days.

Aurora gasp, recognizing the number. Jonah moves to her side, wrapping an arm around her waist to steady her shaking figure.

"What is it?" He asks worriedly.

"It was Jackson." Zach stiffens as soon as the horrid name leaves her lips. "That bastard took our Caramel."

"Then why are we just standing here?" Daniel asks. "Let's go save her."

Zach collapses onto the couch with a heartbroken expression on his face, a single tear leaking out of the corner of his eye as more threatening to spill. "But we don't know where he took her. They could be anywhere by now."

"She moved here from Oregon, right?" Aurora asks, thinking quickly. Not waiting for an answer, she continues, talking more so to herself than to the others. "Let's start there."