Thank you all so much! :)

Chapter 13

Four Years Ago (The Day it All Fell Apart)

The two of them sat solemnly on their loveseat in their small home. The sound of the waves hitting the beach wasn't giving them peace the way it usually did. Charlie brought his hand over and took his wife's in his own, blinking back the tears in his eyes. They knew today would hurt. But they hadn't known how much it would break their hearts even more, hearts they didn't know that could break so much.

Throughout their small home by the beach, there were pictures of their daughter, son-in-law, and Emmy. Mostly, they would smile when they saw the photos of their granddaughter, who they missed fiercely. They had learned to focus on the good times and not the bad, even though they would never get over this loss.

Over the past several weeks, they heard less and less from Anna. Elsie had spoken to John on the phone once, who assured her that they were doing their best to move forward. Yet, neither really believed them. They knew John was hoping to convince Anna to move, but they also knew that she wouldn't do it. Anna was a stubborn one, who didn't give up. It had always been a trait they admired, but now they were concerned that it would prevent her from ever finding happiness again. Whenever they brought it up to her, she'd get angry, and say they wanted her to forget Emmy. Which, of course, they didn't.

"We should call her," Charlie finally spoke. Elsie nodded. Her phone was on the table beside the seat. She picked it up and searched for Anna's number. As she hit her name, she placed it on speaker phone, so they both could speak to her.

It rang for nearly a minute. They almost gave up, when Anna finally picked up the phone.

"Mum. Dad," Anna simply stated on the other end, her voice nearly void of emotion. They glanced at each other, concerned.

"Anna, love," Elsie began. "Your father and I just wanted to check in on you and John today. We know this is a difficult day."

"We're fine," Anna bluntly replied. "It's just….it's just another day." Anna's voice broke slightly, giving her façade away.

"Anna," Charlie said. "Why don't you come here to the beach?"

"It's cold out," Anna dismissed.

"Oh we know, but it could do you both some good to smell the sea air," Elsie tried.

"I don't think we can come any time soon. Look, I need to go. It's….it's…" Her words faded.

"Alright, we love you," Elsie earnestly stated. "Please call us or text us daily to let us know you're alright."

"Mum, I'm an adult."

"And I'm your mother," Elsie countered.

"Do as your mother says," Charlie added.

They could hear Anna sigh.

"Goodbye," she answered, then she was gone.

Elsie placed her phone back on the table beside her and looked to her husband, shrugging.

"We can't help her, if she doesn't want help," Elsie said, defeated. "But this isn't right."

"She's a grown woman, Elsie. We can only do so much. Why don't we go and walk on the beach for a little while?"
"Oh alright."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Now

As the car with Anna, John, Emmy, and Butler pulled away, Elsie watched it from the window. Charlie came up behind her, handing her a cup of tea. She thanked him and looked back at the car.

"Do you think this was a good idea?" She asked, slightly worried. She still didn't know how, exactly, Anna and John split. She knew that it was their pain that tore them apart, but she still worried what hurtful things the two of them may not have resolved. Had she been wrong to suggest they go away with Emmy alone?

"I think it could be," Charlie assured her. "If anything, it gets them away from the reporters here. They won't follow them to Skegness."

"Right," Elsie agreed, before taking a sip of her tea. "It's quiet here. I already miss them."

Charlie chuckled slightly. "They'll be back soon. Let's enjoy the quiet."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"Right there," Anna told John, pointing to the small house with the green roof. "You can park in front of the house."

John pulled into the spot and then they stepped out of the car. Emmy nearly bounced out. She grabbed Butler's collar and walked him to the grass in front of the house.

"Make sure you hold his collar tight," John warned his daughter. "He doesn't know this area and he could get lost."

Emmy nodded.

"What's that sound?" She asked. John smiled.

"That's the ocean."

"You can see it from the windows inside," Anna told her brightly. Emmy gave her a wide grin.

"Really?"

"Yes, help your dad and me take in our bags and then we'll go for a walk on the beach."

Emmy didn't have to be told twice. They hadn't packed too much. Her mother had packed them a cooler full of food and tonight they planned on getting pizza delivered. John grabbed the cooler and Anna and Emmy grabbed their bags. They walked inside and Emmy dropped her bag next to the door, rushing to the large windows to look down at the ocean. It was a short walk to get there.

Anna didn't even care that Emmy had dropped her bag. She picked it up and then paused in the doorway, biting on her lip. After John had sat down the cooler, he looked to Anna, furrowing his brows.

"What's the matter?"

"There are only two bedrooms. Each have a queen bed," she answered.

"Oh."

Anna shook her head.

"It's alright. You can have the master. Emmy will have the guest bed. I'll sleep on the pull out couch."

"Anna, I can sleep on the pull out…or Emmy can. She's the young one. We'll ache in the morning," he teased.

"I think I'd rather I sleep in here," she answered. "It's right by the door. I'd feel better with her in the bedroom." John's face fell slightly in understanding. He understood the fear. It was a fear all parents had from time to time, having their child taken, but it had happened to them. So it would always be on the forefront of their minds.

"I'll do it," John quickly said, leaving no room for arguments.

"Your knee…."

"I'll be fine. You should have the bed. This is your parents' place."

Anna inhaled, but didn't reply. She did think about how if things were different and she wasn't nearly a stranger to Emmy, that they could share a bed. And she didn't dare think about if she and John were together again. She pushed that thought from her head and nodded.

"Alright."

She took Emmy's bag and went into the guest room. Setting it down on the bed, she then walked to the master bedroom. Anna noticed the photos on the wall of them all. There was one photo of Anna the day Emmy was born. She had always hated it. Her face was red and her hair all matted down over her face. But for some reason, her parents blew it up to a 5x7 and framed it. She held Emmy in her arms with John sitting beside her. Then her parents stood behind them, their faces beaming. For the first time, Anna felt tears filling her eyes looking at the photo. Why did she have all of these people in her life and yet she didn't feel as connected to any of them like she had right in that moment?

While the distance between John and Emmy with her were noticeable, the one with her parents was easier to cover up. They had been there for her for these past four years and she was grateful for them. However, they weren't who they had been before. Anna didn't let anyone as close to her, as she used to. She worried her heart was too hard now, that she had closed it up in fear of it breaking into smaller shreds.

Anna blinked and dropped her bag on the bed. Then she made her way back into the small living room area, where she could see John placing the food items in the fridge. Emmy was bouncing around, taking the whole place in.

"This is so cool!" She exclaimed.

"Glad you like it. Your grandparents own it, so I'm sure we'll come back many times," Anna informed her with a soft smile.

"I do. I just wish they had come," Emmy stated. She walked back over to the large window to look at the beach. "Will we be able to get in the water?"

"No," John broke in. "Too cold."

"This time," Anna added. "When we come back in the future, we can spend the whole day at the beach. Why don't you go and get on your new coat and after your dad and me finish unloading these groceries, we'll go for a walk on the beach."

"Alright!"

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

That evening, Anna insisted on making up John's bed. She knew where the sheets were and if he was going to sleep on it, she could make it up for him. As she placed the sheets on the bed, John came over to sit on one of the chairs.

"Are you sure you don't need my help?"

Anna nodded.

"Is Emmy out?"

"Yes, I barely got half a chapter read to her," he informed Anna.

"It's good she likes stories," Anna stated. "I'd like to give her an evaluation to see what she knows and if she's falling behind. I don't want her going to school in January lagging behind the other kids." Anna could feel that anger welling up in her over the fact they had lost those five years. She worked hard not to let that anger control her, but it was there. She couldn't let it go.

"She will," John assured her. "She has the best teacher."

Anna gave him a small smile. Then she grabbed the large blanket and threw it on the bed.

"There. Are you sure you'll be fine out here? We could always..." then she stopped herself. John seemed to know what she almost suggested, the two of them sharing a bed. But that would be dangerous.

"This is great. I've slept in worst situations."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'm going to go off to bed. I was thinking tomorrow we could go into town and eat lunch, walk around. There are some nice sights."

"That sounds good."

John stood from his chair and his hand accidently brushed against Anna's arm. She felt a shudder run up her back and her cheeks flush slightly. Quickly, she ducked her head and started walking toward her bedroom.

"Good night, John," she whispered, not meeting his eyes.

"Good night, Anna."

To be continued...