Pictures of You

Time After Time

After making dinner and getting Carrie and Wayne put to bed, Eddie grabbed a beer from the fridge, staring at the phone. He wanted nothing more than to retire to his room, to try and put this day behind him. But he knew there were a couple phone calls he had to make. He just didn't know what he was supposed to say. Taking a deep breath, he reached for the phone, dialing. With every ring, his anxiety heightened more.

"Hello?"

Hearing his mother in laws groggy voice on the other line, Eddie looked at the clock in the kitchen, cursing. While it was only nine in the evening in California, it was midnight in Indiana. "Sylvia, hey." The other line was quiet for a moment. "Eddie? God, do you know what time it is? Why are you calling so late?" Rubbing the back of his neck, Eddie leaned back against the kitchens counter, taking a pull off the beer bottle in his hand. "Yeah, sorry. I didn't realize...I forgot about the time difference."

Sitting up in bed, Sylvia rubbed her eyes, sighing. While she loved hearing from her daughters family, especially when it was her granddaughter, that didn't necessarily mean she wanted to hear from them at midnight. "Well, what can I do for you? Must be pretty important for you to call so late. Are Aileen and the kids okay?"

At the mention of his wife's name, Eddies grip tightened on the neck of the bottle in his hand. All the events of the night came flooding back. His heart began to race with worry, his jaw clenching in despair. Setting the bottle down, Eddie rubbed his eyes. "Eddie? Are Aileen and the kids okay? What is going on?" "I'm sorry, Sylvia."

Her heart beginning to race, Sylvia didn't like the pained tone of her son in laws voice. "Eddie, what happened? Tell me now."

As her son in law told her about the events that had taken place earlier that day, with every word, every horrifying detail, Sylvia felt her heart drop. Her daughter. Her precious child had been taken from her home, in broad daylight. And from the sounds of it, no one knew who it was that had stolen her. "Oh god, Eddie...what about the kids? God, please tell me that they're okay!" "They're fine. They are here, safe." Sighing at that small tidbit of news, Sylvia rubbed her temple. At least her grand babies were okay. Taking a deep breath, trying to not freak out more than she already was, Sylvia asked, "What information, if any, do you know? God, there must be something." "There's not much. The only thing is my neighbor got a license plate number. Do you know of anyone in Colorado who would want..." At the mention of her previous homes state, Sylvia jumped out of bed. "Wait, Colorado?" "Yeah." Sinking back down to the bed, Sylvia's mind raced. There was no way...he wouldn't.

Peering down at the phone, Eddie didn't hear anything. "Sylvia? Are you still there?" But Sylvia couldn't think. She felt as though a panic attack was coming over her. "Sylvia?" Shaking herself, Sylvia thought about her ex-husband, about his previous threats about taking Aileen back to Denver if he ever found Aileen. "Oh god, Eddie. This is all my fault." "What are you talking about?"

Sylvia then proceeded to tell Eddie about what had happened when Aileen had first gone missing. About how Roger was determined to find her. She told him about his threats to take Aileen back to Denver when he found her. But, after a year, he seemingly gave up. She had periodically given him updates throughout the years, but eventually, believing he didn't care or just gave up completely, stopped.

"I-I never told him she had returned. Oh, god. I didn't think he cared anymore. He never returned my calls, Eddie. He stopped answering. I don't know if its him, for sure...god, I don't know how he would have even found out that you two were in California...but I have this sinking suspicion that its him. I mean, he is the only one who would be crazy enough to do something like this."

Eddie had never met his father in law, but everything he knew about him wasn't good. The man had been like his father. A failure. After having kids himself, Eddie knew that it was a fathers duty to love, cherish ones kids. And to do anything in ones power to protect them from the worlds harshness. He knew that for Carrie and Wayne, Eddie would do anything to protect them and to make sure that everyday for the rest of their lives they knew that their mother and father loved them with all their hearts. Eric Munson and Roger Emerson were the opposite of what a father should be. And although, like Sylvia, he couldn't know for sure that Roger was the one to take Aileen, Eddies anger grew. If it was him, how could a father steal his grown daughter away from her home, from her family?