There was an immediate uproar.

"What?!" Jaime exclaimed.

"No!" Luke said.

"You have to reconsider," Jimmy inserted.

"How could you give up like that?" Gavin asked.

"This is your dream, Steve. You have to keep fighting for it," Randy added.

"I know!" Steve shouted. "I know! This place is everything to me! You think it's easy for me to say that I have to give it up? That I have to pack it all up and move on with my life? No! It's not! It's the hardest thing ever for me," he said.

"I promised my father that I would make him proud and run a great diner of my very own. He expected me to go through with it. And now I'm letting him down. But I have no choice. I'm digging into my own bank account to pull out money to pay to keep this place going. I don't want to lead you guys on and make you think that this place has a shot. Because it doesn't. It's over. It's done. I'm done," Steve said.

We all stared incredulously at him, all of us unable to say what was going through our minds.

I'm sure my thoughts were the same as everyone else's. Over the past few years, our staff and crew had become closer than just fellow employees. We became a tight-knit group, understanding each other's problems and accepting them, hating each other's personalities, but loving each other for them. We were all a bunch of misfits, but we came together to make a highly dysfunctional, but working family.

And now we would lose that.

We would lose the support we had. We would lose the security of having someone to rely on. We would lose a paycheck, or several for that matter. We would lose our only source of income. We would lose a family and for some of us, a second time around.

"Look, you should think this through a bit more. If this place is as important to you as we all know it is, then you won't give up now. It always has to get bad before it gets worse," Oliver said.

"Well what do you suggest I do? We tried changing the prices, we tried walking around and grabbing customers. The Bean Scene is just too popular. You know they have an open mic night every Friday night now? It's attracting even more customers!" Steve said.

"They have an open mic night now?" Randy asked.

"Apparently," Steve replied.

"Wicked," Randy whispered. Reese smacked his arm and he flinched, looking down at his hands guiltily.

"So what should I do?" Steve asked.

We all looked around at each other, not knowing what to say. Silence fell over the people in the diner as we thought of solutions to save the place that we had grown so attached to.

"I have an idea," Serena quipped, breaking the silence with her voice.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Steve asked.

"I'm Serena. I'm a friend of Caleb's and Nicole's," she answered, glancing at Caleb, but not me. Steve looked at me and I shrugged.

"All right. What's your idea?" Steve asked.

"I can't tell you just yet," Serena answered, pulling her phone out.

"What--?" Steve said, visibly getting frustrated.

"I have to check something before I tell you. I don't want to give you an idea and raise your hopes, only to not have it work and then crush them again," Serena said, tapping at her phone. She looked up and smiled her strange smile at Steve. "Don't give up, yet, though. Just give me a few days," she said.

"A few days? For what?" Steve asked.

"Just give it a few days, Steve," Oliver spoke. Steve looked at him and Oliver nodded. With Oliver's approval, Steve seemed reassured. He turned back to Serena.

"Ok. I won't close it down just yet. You have a few days," he said. She smiled.

"Perfect," she said.

"Ok, I guess that's that, then. I'll see you guys tomorrow. And if not, later this week," Steve said. Jaime latched onto my arm as everyone began buzzing about and getting ready to leave.

"What's that chick up to?" she asked.

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out," I said, my eyes fixated on the dark marks on her neck. What were they?

"Tell me when you do," she said. I nodded.

"Are you sticking around?" I asked. Caleb and Serena walked out the door.

"For a bit. I'm going to calm Steve down a bit. He seems bummed," Jaime said. I nodded.

"All right. I'll see you later, then," I said. She nodded.

"Bye, Nicky," she said. I turned and followed the others out the door. I looked around, trying to find Caleb and Serena. I saw them getting into Caleb's car across the street. Jogging, I crossed the street, going up to them.

"Hi, Nicole," Serena said. She had seen me first.

"Hey," I replied, looking at Caleb. He kept his gaze down and wouldn't meet my eyes. What was his deal?

"Are you going home?" Serena asked.

"I--umm. No. Maybe. Why? Where are you going?" I asked.

"I'm going to La Bonne," she replied. She looked at Caleb. "Then to the hospital with Caleb," she added. I looked at Caleb again. His gaze was fixed on a spot in front of him, somewhere off in the distance. Why wasn't he looking at me.

"I was going to go to La Bonne, too," I said.

"Why don't you come with us, then?" Serena suggested. I shook my head, my eyes on Caleb.

"It's all right. I'll walk," I said.

I turned and began walking away. I heard Serena hiss something at Caleb. Then I heard the sound of a door slamming shut and footsteps following me. I felt someone grab my arm and force me to turn around. When I did, I was met with fierce and raging green eyes.

"Why do you always do this?" Caleb asked. I pulled my arm away.

"I'm perfectly capable of walking a few blocks to get coffee," I responded, narrowing my eyes at him. He glared at me for a moment before sighing. He ran his hand over his face and when he looked at me again, I saw how incredibly tired he looked.

"Just please get in the car, Nicole," he said warily. I looked at him for a few moments.

"What happened to Serena?" I asked.

"That's not my story to tell," he answered. I fell silent. He took my hand and led me back to his car. I got in the back quietly and stared out the window as the images before my eyes blurred by.

We got to La Bonne a few minutes later. I got out of the car once Caleb parked and headed inside, not bothering to wait for the other two. I walked in to an empty cafe. Where was everyone?

At the sound of the door chiming, Jeanette walked out from the back, a sad look on her face. It immediately brightened when she saw me.

"Nicole!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, Jeanette. Where is everyone?" I asked.

"That's what I've been wondering all night," she replied, her eyes saddening again.

"No customers?" I asked.

"Not since this morning," she answered. I bit my lip, feeling incredibly bad for the old lady. The doors chimed again and Caleb and Serena walked in.

"Serena!" Jeanette said once she saw her.

"Jeanette! Perfect. Do you have a moment to talk?" Serena asked.

"Of course. Come on back," Jeanette said. Turning to me, she said, "I'll bring your coffee out in a bit." I nodded and then sat down in one of the booths, wondering what Serena could possibly want to talk to Jeanette about. I still needed to find out what had happened to her. I wanted to know what those marks were from.

Caleb sat down across from me. He pulled his leather jacket off and set it down next to him. He put his elbows on the table and crossed his hands in front of him, staring blankly at the orange table top.

"Caleb?" I prodded. He looked up, expecting me to say something. But I didn't know what to say. I didn't know why I had said his name. I guess that I just wanted to know if he was still with me.

"Will you sit next to me?" I asked finally.

He stared at me blankly for a moment. Then he moved around the booth until I felt his body next to mine. I rested my head on his shoulder, something that felt so oddly comforting. I felt him put his arm around my waist , pulling me closer to him. He took my left hand in his his right. His thumb softly stroked the top of it, making small circular patterns, as if he were drawing the ripples of a water droplet.

His fingers eventually went to the diamond ring that was still placed on my ring finger. I could tell as he touched the ring, his hands were shaking. I closed my eyes and felt a few tears escpae. I could hear his heart pounding. I could hear my heart breaking.

"Liam has high risk leukemia," he said suddenly.

My eyes shot open, but I stayed still. My breathing became unsteady and quick. The beat of my heart sounded like drums pounding in my ears. I couldn't look him in the eyes. Not yet. Not when I was feeling so vulnerable myself.

"I was supposed to get married today," I said, my voice cracking.

And then I was overcome with tears. They began spilling down my cheeks and my shoulders shook. The pain in my chest spread. It twisted and contorted my heart and I just wanted to rip it out and throw it away.

Caleb shifted so that I could bury my face in his chest. He wrapped both his arms around me and rested his chin on the top of my head. Occasionally, I felt a drop of water land in my hair and I knew that he was hurting, too.

The crying didn't last long. It never did. In a matter of ten minutes, my breathing became steady again and the tears dried, making my eyes burn from the saltiness of them. I was sitting up now, my arms on the table in front of me. Caleb was also sitting straight, his hands resting on his lap. We were both quiet, off in our own worlds of misery.

The back door opened and Jeanette walked out with Serena. Jeanette looked weary and Serena looked wide awake. Jeanette set the steaming cups of coffee down in front of me and Caleb. Serena moved into the booth across from us. She didn't say anything, just looked down at her hands in front of her silently.

"What were you talking to Jeanette about?" I asked. I was suprised at how normal my vocie sounded, considering the racking emotions that were running through me.

"You'll find out soon enough," Serena replied, looking up at me.

I studied the girl sitting in front of me. Her make-up was done perfectly, not a smudge out of place. Her hair was perfectly curled and shone in the warm fluorescent lights. Her clothes looked brand new and her nails were manicured. She was the picture of perfection, all except for those marks on her neck.

"Serena," I said.

"You want to know what these are," she said before I could ask my question. I furrowed my brows at her. "You couldn't stop staring ever since I walked through the diner door," she explained.

"What happened?" I asked. She shrugged, nonchalant.

"My father found out I'd been sneaking out at night. He's never gotten angry at any of us kids before. He promised to never raise his hand at us. I guess tonight he had been drinking with some of his friends at the bar. He got really angry at me and he..." she trailed off. She swallowed and I saw her eyes glaze over slightly before taking on their blank look again. "He strangled me," she said.

I clenched my hands into fists, holding them so hard that my knuckles turned white.

"What?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"He let go immediately after he realized what he had done. I guess I just bruise easy," she shrugged.

I slammed my fists on the table, making both Serena and Caleb jump.

"Damnit, Serena!" I shouted.

I had no idea why I was getting so worked up. Maybe it was because my emotions were running high today. Or maybe it was because over the course of the past few months, I had developed a soft spot for this strange, broken girl.

"What--" she started saying.

"Why are you like this?" I asked her, my voice loud and echoing around the cafe. "Why do you make your life sound like it's not as bad as it is? Your father abused you and you're making it sound like it was nothing. Those bruises aren't nothing, Serena!" I exclaimed.

I felt Caleb put his hand on my knee. This time, the touch wasn't as comforting as the feeling of his shoulder under my head. This time, it just reminded me of him.

"There's no point in being upset about something. What's the point in wallowing around in misery? It's not fun and it doesn't help anything or anyone, least of all you. That's why I don't care. That's why I move on instead of dwell in the past," Serena said.

Her words stung because I knew she was talking about me. But she had no idea. No one had any idea.

"That's easy for you to say," I spat.

"Nicole," Caleb warned.

"The only thing you're going through is your parents getting a divorce. It's not like even after they get divorced you're life will be hell. You'll still have two separate, wealthy parents that care about you. You'll still have your loving brothers and sisters with you. You'll still have a perfect life," I said bitterly.

I heard Caleb sigh and put his hand over his eyes. And as I spoke those harsh words that I didn't mean, I saw something flicker through Serena's eyes. It was an emotion I never thought I'd see in her eyes. It was anger.

I felt a dull ringing in my ears and knew that I would break down again. I grabbed my bag and got up, leaving my coffee untouched. Ignoring Caleb's call for me to stay, I ran out the cafe and into the chilly night sky.

The clouds became thicker than ever and the temperature seemed to have dropped a couple degrees. I could see my breath pan out in front of me in shapeless clouds. Speeding up my pace so that no one would follow me, I felt tears prickling the corners of my eyes. With a great clap of thunder, the sky broke, showering me in a sudden downpour of freezing rain. Stopping in the middle of the road, I turned my face up towards the velvet midnight sky.

"Just bring me to him," I whispered to the invisible heroes in the sky. "Just bring me back to him."

And then, the black sky consumed me and I was gone.

___________________________________________________________________

A/N: Liam's got leukemia! Those of you who guess cancer were right! I realize this is not something to be excited about. I'm sorry. I'll stop with the exclamations.

Caleb and Nicole finally told each other. So now what?

Do you think Serena is right? Should Nicole just move on with her life? Or do you think Nicole has the right to be depressed since she lost her soon-to-be husband?

What solution do you think Serena came up with for the diner?

Lots to comment on. As always, vote. The goal for last chapter was 60. You guys gave me 85 votes. Bless all of your little hearts and voting fingers. I love you all.

=)

XOXO