Hey guys! It's been...a week or two? Maybe a month? I don't know, but thank you for following and sticking around. This series of one shots will be finishing up soon (maybe 2 or 3 more?) but now, let us enjoy this chapter.

Suggested by Gamenerd:

'how bout one where nicky runs away?'

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NATM OR THE ORIGINAL CHARACTERS OR THE IDEA, but I own THE PLOT OF THIS STORY

TAKES PLACE SLIGHTLY BEFORE NATM 2

13-year-old Nicolas Daley was sitting on the steps of school, waiting for one of his parents to pick him up and probably go to Subway for dinner. All his friends, classmates, schoolmates...etc. have left, leaving him to be the last one who remained on school ground (besides tracers and staff). He tried calling his mom but then he remembered that she had an important meeting with...someone important, but who he could not recall. His father however...he had no idea what he's doing, where he is, and most importantly why he isn't here, but he really wanted him to be by his side at the moment.

After another half an hour, a familiar car with familiar scratches stopped in front of him.

"Sorry kiddo, was busy at work." Said Larry stepping out his car to pick Nick up.

"Dad you're an hour late" said the boy, who stood up and grabbed his backpack heading towards backseat. "Sorry Nick, was really busy at work and forgot your mother told me to pick you up" apologized Larry. "Busy day for both of us, your mother and I."

"Mom told me you promised that you would pick me up on time. Why didn't you?" Nick asked, "and don't give me the excuse that you're too busy because you say that every time." He finished, crossing his arms.

Larry could only manage week smile. He was too busy at work. in fact, he was so busy he forgot he had forgotten to pick up his only son. but today just happened to be one of those days where something urgent would come up, and every department had to do everything in their power to solve that major problem. But seeing his son like that just broke his heart.

"I am so sorry, Nick. God...today was so crazy...I swear I would've gone insane if that happened daily." He joked, But Nick to not laugh or smile.

"Okay, I have to get you home now. Your mom's probably very worried or maybe still at work... I could cook you supper if you're hungry." He offered. Nick remained silent. " I see. You're giving me the silent treatment aren't you?"

No response.

"Okay...let's get you home."

O.o.O

"How could you have forgotten your only son?"

"I was busy at work like you !"

"You promised me that you would pick him up on time, Larry, on time! You were one hour late!"

"It was crazy at the office today, you wouldn't imagine what happened."

"I wouldn't want to, 'cause you forgot to pick up your son and he's starving and he was alone in the cold for one hour!" Said Erica in one breath.

"Erica, it wasn't that cold!"

"Maybe to you because you've got five layers on he's only got three!"

"Erica, would you please calm down"

"What if he was mugged or kidnapped? Just because you were one hour late to pick him up." She screamed.

"I-"

"You know what, why do I bother?" Erica Said, cutting off Larry's sentence. "Just get out, Larry." She said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

She rubbed her temples and slumped onto the couch. Today was such a busy day for her, she was tired and couldn't deal with all the crap going on. All she wanted to do was sleep. And perhaps get a massage, but she knew that wouldn't be realistic. She had a family. A son to look after and papers to go over.

After a few hours, Don returned home.

"How was work today, Don?" asked Erica lovingly, but her reply was nothing more than a glare. "What?"

"Just...don't...want...to talk...about it." replied the man. Nick opened his door slightly to see what was going on. "I was just...greeting you home." said Erica, with narrowed brows.

"I dont want to talk about it."

Nick immediantly heard his mother and Don snapping at each other, the snapping soon became crying, and from there, yelling. He couldn't take it anymore. Everything was like a chain reaction - one thing goes bad everything goes bad. He sighed and grabbed his emergency backpack - he kept one incase he needed to spend a night at the museum. Erica and Don then brought their argument to their bedroom, conveniently leaving the hallway empty. Nick ran for it, he opened the main door to the apartment and closed it carefully.

Larry was lazily lounging at home when his phone rang.

"Larry?"

"Hey Erica."

"Have you seen nick?" asked the worried mother.

Larry frowned. What did she mean by "have you seen nick?" he dropped him off at her apartment, what more did she want? It's been a tiring day, and he isn't in the mood to fight with her (again) since she was the one that kicked him out of her apartment. "No, the last time I checked, he was at your house."

"He...he ran away, Larry. I don't know where he is. His Spider-Man action figure is gone, phone gone, keys gone, this all means he is gone too." Erica panicked. Larry's heart rate increased immediately.

"Oh-oh-okay, I'll go and find him."

"Thank you Larry. Don's checking his favourite places already, so you just...drive around the city or something!" she said before hanging up.

One place Don doesn't know his step-son loves is the one and only Museum of Natural History. Larry grabbed his car keys and drove to the museum. Though the doors were locked, he knew the secret ways in. He went past the night guards casually eating pizza at the locker-room and snuck into the museum lobby. Rexy noticed him, Larry put his finger on his lips and so the dinosaur remained quiet. But he was overwhelmed that their old night guard returned.

The first thing to do is to get Ahkmenrah, the closest person to Nick in this museum. Ahk was pacing around his exhibition since the night guards locked the gates to every exhibition.

"Psst! Ahk!" whispered Larry. The pharaoh turned his attention to the night guard that gave the museum the best times of their...immortal life.

"Larry! What are you doing here?"

"Nick's gone missing, I have to round up the crew, and find him." Explained Larry. Ahkmenrah nodded, "I believe the monkey has stolen the spare keys, sometimes he lets us out when the night guards are asleep." Larry thanked the young pharaoh and headed to Dexter.

O.o.O

"Thats everybody." said Larry, looking from Teddy all the way to Jed and Octavius. "Nick's gone missing, I believe he is somewhere in this museum because he always seem to come to this place when in doubt. We have to find him."

Sacagawea stepped up, "I'll track him down." she said, with Dexter chirping in agreement on her right shoulder. Jed and Octavius rounded up their gang/army and began the search with Attila and his Huns. Ahk followed Sacagawea while Teddy and Larry went on their own with Texas.

After what seemed like hours of searching, the miniatures found the boy sitting at a corner of an abandoned or new exhibition - they couldn't tell. There was nothing there, and it was rather clean. From what they know, it was for some woman named Amelia Earhart, who would be moved here sometime in the future. This was an area no one would go to. Some exhibits didn't even know of the place.

"Nick? Kiddo?" said the cowboy. The doors then opened, revealing Ahk and Sacagawea. "Found him." she said.

"We were here first!" bickered Jed, Octavius smacked him on the arm and shook his head.

"Please don't fight." said Nick. Ahk moved forward and hugged his little brother. It was not long after Teddy and Larry found the youngest Daley. "Nick!" Larry exclaimed, Ahk and Sacagawea moved so Larry could come through. "Nick, you have no idea how worried I was. How your mother was, and I don't want to say this, but even Don was worried." Nick let out a small laugh. "Why did you run away?" asked Larry.

"There was so much fighting...I...it just reminded me of what happened once here, in this very museum. It was like a war, especially since we do have weapons here. I just couldn't stand it. Mom and Don fought for what seemed like hours even if it was half an hour. Their constant screaming and bickering caused me to want to leave." he explained. Larry gave him a small smile.

"Do you wanna get outta here?" asked the Roman soldier, "it may be clean to you, giants. But to us its very dusty." Nick nodded, the crew then left the new room for a new exhibit - Amelia Earhart or not it was for a new exhibit.

Larry called Erica and told her everything was alright, and that he found their son. Nick wanted to stay at Larry's to avoid drama. The exhibits had to return to their exhibitions before the new guards find out. Everyone hugged and said their goodbyes.

"Larry, m'boy." said Teddy, "when will you return?"

Larry hesitated to answer, "soon...I think. Hopefully." the crew gave him a smile, "you know how to find me, Jed and Octavius knows my number, Sac and Attila can track me, Ahk can somehow summon me-"

"I'm not sure-"

"Yes, you can, Ahk. And Dexter...you cause trouble everywhere, so I can find you easily."

"But you will return...right?" asked Sacagwea, whose head was leaning on Teddy's chest.

"I'll come back, guys. I'll see you real soon." said the best night guard the museum has ever had. They each returned to their positions, 'Team Daley' walked out the secret passageway and returned t Larry's apartment.

The exhibits weren't worried Larry would forget them, because he will return one day to take them on another adventure. Hopefully somewhere other than New York (A/N: *cough cough* battle of the smithsonian *cough cough*)