"I don't do scorpions..."

Derek

All of the phones were dead at the diner. The landline had apparently been disconnected, and neither Derek's cell phone nor Peter's could get a signal. So they'd tried the roof to see if they could get just a hint of a signal.

Nothing.

They couldn't call for help, there were no other vehicles in the lot to jump, and they weren't sure how far away the next town would be. They weren't sure they could risk it without necessary provisions - the diner was empty of almost anything that could be helpful. Like it had been raided.

Peter and Derek were stranded.

At the moment, Derek sat in one of the red faux leather booths lined down the wall of windows. He leaned his head back and stared past the gassing ports, watching the purple-pink sky darken. Beyond, the land of dust seemed to stretch for an eternity. A towering cactus in the distance, likely much further than he perceived, housed an owl that took flight as dusk approached. Likely off to find a meal of its own.

"Ya know," Peter started, pushing past the doorway to the kitchen to stand behind the counter, "Whoever took this place did everything but burn it down. The only thing I can find that's edible or drinkable is flour and ice." He paused and tilted his head, watching his nephew by the window. Had he even heard him?

He sighed and walked closer, standing at the edge of the table's end. Stuffing his hands into his front pockets, Peter pursed his lips into a harsh line. "It's just a setback. It's nothing to get all...brooding over."

"She could be dying right now," Derek spoke, his tone as sharp as a blade's edge, "And I'm sitting here at an abandoned diner in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do but think about the hundred ways she could be dying."

Peter opened his mouth to speak but knew his comment wouldn't get him anywhere productive. He didn't feel like pushing his luck tonight.

"Well, there's nothing you can do right now. Just...try to get comfortable, and in the morning, we can-"

He cut him off with an abrupt "No." He gazed out the window, eyes narrowing as the dusky distance grew into darker bruised blues.

On the horizon, he could see...little blinks of light. They were almost hidden completely; if not for his enhanced vision, he might not have noticed them.

"No?" Peter asked after a long pause, brows pulling together. "What do you mean, no?"

Derek was already starting to slide out of the booth, ignoring how the cracked seat caught on his jeans. "It's dark. The sun took away most of the heat. There are lights off to the North." He stood and faced him now. "I'm going to start that way."

Peter stared at him with raised brows. "You're...going to just...start walking. In the desert. In the middle of the night," he nodded slowly and pursed his lips, "Right, and when you do get there, what do you intend to do exactly?"

"Steal a car. Keep searching." Derek said, pulling his jacket on, knowing it might get colder at night in the desert.

Nodding slowly, he pursed his lips and gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. "Alright. You have yourself a good walk. I will wait here for you to send help."

Derek met his gaze with his own incredulous one. "You're really not coming?"

Peter shook his head without much hesitation. "Banshees, I can do. Scorpions, not so much. I don't do scorpions," he visibly shuddered, "You have fun, though."

Derek sighed and shook his head as he made his way into the kitchen, picking his way through until he found a water bottle. It had a broken cap, but he wasn't going to be picky. He opened the freezer door, scooped handfuls of ice into the canister, and closed the lid. It would melt eventually, and then he would have a little to drink if it took longer than the night to get to the lights.

Without making more of an argument, knowing he'd lose against his stubborn as an ass uncle anyway, he left the diner with a deep breath. He started across the lot, across the road, and into the rocky dirt that would hopefully lead him closer to Hope.

Even with the lights ahead offering Derek a glimmer of ambition, it wasn't enough to calm his nerves. He knew nothing was capable of that until he had Hope safe in his arms again. Whenever that happened, he swore he'd never let go again.