"Where are we?" Rick asked. He looked around.

"Is that my house? What happened to it?"

The O'Connell manor was no longer the bright, beautiful house it had once been. It was now overgrown with weeds and mold, and the wonderful "home" sense to it was long forgotten.

Rick ran up to a window and looked inside. He saw himself sitting in his easychair, looking at a photo album. He looked older, but only by a couple of years.

"Dad, what are you doing?" Rick heard a voice say. He looked up to see Alex walking down the stairs. He had grown nearly a foot, looking to be about 12.

Rick saw himself slam the album shut quickly. "Uh, nothing, son. Just sitting here, that's all."

Alex walked into the room and stopped short. "Oh, Dad, you're not looking at that again, are you?" he asked, sounding somewhat sad. "You know that it's been almost two years since. . . .here, give me that." Alex took the book and started to put it back on it's shelf. But he stopped himself and opened it.
"It's been awhile since I looked in here. . ." he said softly. "Oh, Dad, look. Here's you and mum and me when I was a baby. She. . . .she was so pretty, wasn't she Dad.. . . ." Alex closed the book, overcome with grief.

Rick saw himself reach out to Alex and pull him down onto the sofa.

"Yes, son, she was. And that's how we have to remember her. Beautiful and full of life. . . ."

"Dad, I'm so sorry about what happened, I really am. . ." Alex said quietly, near tears.

Rick turned to Ardeth. "What?" he asked sharply. "What? What happened? Oh, God, what happened to Evie?"

Ardeth looked away for a moment, but then forced himself to look into his friend's anxious eyes. "I'm so sorry, my friend. But the night that you left, that Christmas Eve, she packed her things and left. . . .but it was snowy and the car. . .she couldn't control it over the ice, and. . ." Ardeth looked away again.

"No!!!" Rick cried in agony. That-that's just not possible! Why? Why her? She didn't deserve anything. . .it's all my fault, it's all my fault! If only I hadn't yelled, if only I hadn't left. If I'd have talked it out with her, I could have made it right!" Rick was near hysterics.

"Ardeth, I love her. I love her so much it hurts. She does not deserve to die like this! We're supposed to grow old together and watch Alex grow up and have grandchildren and. . .I swear, I'll apologize. It's all my fault and I need to tell her I'm sorry. I have to be able to change this! You wouldn't show it to me if I couldn't change it, right? I need to tell her how much I love her, how much she means to me, how sorry I am. . ."

Ardeth looked at his friend and said a quick chant in Arabic.

"Will you stop doing that?" Rick yelled. "Just help me get to my wife, please!"

And, as soon as it had happened, Rick was back in the park. He was on the bench where he had sat down to think so long ago. But it was no longer night, it was the morning.. . . .

"Oh, God, don't tell me I'm too late. . . she can't have left yet. . . .she can't have gotten in that car and. . ."

Before he could think anything else, Rick ran to his car and jumped in. He drove towards the manor as quickly as he possible could, praying he wasn't too late. . . .