Nick, Holly and Julia reached them moments later.  Holly's face was red and splotchy from crying, Julia was obviously concerned, and Nick was trying to stay cool.

"I'm so sorry Madi.  He was right next to me... I looked at the map for two seconds... he was gone," Holly cried, so afraid that her best friend would never speak to her again.

"One of the cast members told us to go to City Hall.  That's where they'll take him if they find him," Nick said, trying to remember all of the instructions that the cast member gave him.

The group fought their way through the crowd, heading back towards the front of the park, heading towards where they hoped dearly that Kaiden would be waiting for them.

Madi scanned the crowd as they walked, hoping to see her little boy's face.  All the happy kids with their moms and dads and none of them were Kaiden.

"It's okay Madi, I promise we'll find him," Alex kept trying to reassure her.  He held her hand tightly, squeezing it every so often in silent reassurance.

Finally they made it to the City Hall and AJ found the first person he could that worked there.

"He's not going to be here," Madi cried, unable to stay positive, "We're not going to find him."

"How can I help you sir?" the cast member asked.

"We lost our little boy," AJ stated simply.

Nick came up to recount the events for the cast member while Holly, Michele and Julie took Madi to sit on a nearby bench.

"We were trying to find the ride the kids wanted to go on.   To see Winnie the Pooh, and we were trying to figure out which direction to go.  We only looked away for a second to check the map.  He must have seen something and wandered off," Nick told the cast member.

"You've come to the right place.  If he's with a cast member they will bring him here.  I'm sure they'll have him here in no time.  Our cast members are well versed in the wandering children department."

Holly sat down with Madi, putting her hand gently on her friends back in a comforting gesture, "I'm so sorry Madi.  I should've been watching him better.  I'm so sorry."

AJ and Nick came over to wait with the girls, trying to keep Madi positive.  All she could seem to think about was how she was never going to see her little boy again, that someone had taken him.

"They would've heard him scream if someone took him though," AJ reasoned.

"He probably wandered over to look at something," Nick added.

"I'm so, so sorry Madi," Holly apologized again through her tears.

It seemed like an eternity had passed, but it had only been about a half an hour, maybe a little longer.  Madi sat on the bench crying, AJ comforting her, Holly was mentally beating herself up and Nick was pacing.

For the first fifteen or so minutes, every time the door opened they each looked up to see if it was Kaiden.  Madi couldn't bear to get her hopes up every time the door opened, only to have them crushed, so she stopped looking.  Of course that's when it would happen.

The door opened and in walked a cast member, tissues in one had and the hand of a child in the other.

"Momma!" he squealed through sniffles.

Madi's head popped up to make sure she hadn't been hearing things.  There was her little boy, a little sweaty and snotty, with a tear-stained face, but it was definitely him.

"Kaiden!" Madi squealed as she jumped up off the bench and ran to her son.  Bending down to hug him, she wrapped her arms tightly around him lifting him off the floor.  If she hadn't been so ecstatic to see him, she might have realized she was squeezing him a little too hard.  She didn't really care right now though, she was just so happy to have her son back.

"I found him near Buzz Lightyear.  We walked around Tomorrow land for a few minutes to see if we could find who he belonged to, and then headed here," the cast member informed them.

"Oh thank you!  Thank you so much!" Madi told the girl, smiling through happy tears.

"I'm just glad we found you."

Madi put Kaiden back down and started asking him questions, "Baby what happened?"

"Buzz momma.  Wanned a toy," he informed her.

"We had just gotten off the Buzz Lightyear ride," Holly said, "We'd looked at the toys on our way out and I told him we'd have to ask you before we got anything."

Madi looked up at Holly as she explained, "Kaiden, you can't walk away like that baby!  That's how you get lost.  Momma was so scared.  I was so worried I wouldn't find you."

After the reunion, they decided that it was time to go home.  The excitement of the afternoon had worn everyone out-no one had the desire to wait in any more lines.

On the long trek back to the cars Holly hung back away from the group.  She was so upset with herself for losing her best friend's only child.

"I know you didn't do it on purpose," Madi said, startling Holly.  She hadn't been paying attention to much of anything, so she hadn't noticed when Madi slowed down to wait for Holly.

"Mad, I'm so sorry..."

"It's fine Holly.  I don't know if I'll leave him alone with you again," she smiled, letting her friend know that all was well, "He's back, and that's all that matters."

"I don't know what I would've done if we hadn't have found him."

"But we did Holly.  I don't hate you.  It could've happened to me, too.  The girls look like they're gonna crash in the car.  Stay over one more night."

Holly nodded, giving her friend a hug.  They were going to be fine.

The ride home was quiet.  Madi was still a little shaken up, and Holly was finally starting to chill.

Madi had been right.  By the time they got back to the house Kaiden and Julia were conked out in the back seat of Madi's car, and Michele was snoring softly in the back seat of Holly's.  They guys helped get the kids out of the cars and into beds.

"I had a lot of fun with you today Holly...aside from...you know," Nick said, trying not to stick his foot too far into his mouth.

"Me, too, Nick," Holly said, giving him a nice hug good bye.  He gently kissed her cheek before turning to signal AJ.

"Let's go, dude."

"Are you gonna be okay?" AJ asked Madi.  She lightly nodded her head, "I can stay with you for a while if you want?"

"Uh, no dude, ya can't.  I've got the keys.  I have work to do, I hafta get home!"

"We can get you home later," Holly said.  She knew that Madi needed him right now, at least until she fell asleep.  Then she could take him home.

"You don't have to," Madi said, but her face clearly told him that she wanted him to stay with her.

"It's okay Nicky, I'm gonna hang out for a little while.  I'll see ya later man," AJ and Nick hugged-the manly/brotherly kind of hug-and Nick left.

Holly said her good night's and went up to the spare room for bed.  AJ and Madi cuddled up on the couch.

He leaned into the corner of the couch, his right arm up along the back.  Madi crawled up next to him, molding her body into his.  Tucking her legs underneath her, she rested against him, her head pressed up against his chest.  Her right hand moved up to play with the fabric on his shirt and his arm came down to hold her to him.  He traced lazy patterns on her arm, feeling her relax against him.  She could hear his heartbeat, lulling her to sleep.  He could feel her breathing patterns change as sleep took over her and then he finally let it take him over as well.