The Following:

Peace Love and Happiness

Episode 7:

Crimson Tides

William felt himself slowly coming out of unconsciousness. His entire body felt stiff like a board as well as the same time as light as a feather. His throat was extremely parched. He opened his eyes, but all he saw were blurred images of the hospital room he was in. He looked to his left and was surprised to see his ex-wife there. He tried to call out to her, but instead felt extremely sleepy. Moments later, he succumbed to the darkness.

When he woke again, he was feeling a lot better. He tried to shift to a sitting position, but he winced when a sharp pain shot through his midsection. He trailed his hand slowly down his chest, until he felt a large bandage around his midsection. It took a few seconds, but everything slowly came back to him. He clenched his fists together until his knuckles turned white. Seconds later, he relaxed his fists and grimaced in pain as he slid out of bed.

He looked around the plain hospital room, noting that he had no visitors. He wondered if he had dreamed his ex-wife being there. "Ouch," He mumbled as he removed the IV.

He stumbled toward the door and opened it, to his Captain, Tyler Bronson, standing there with a concerned look on his face. "William," He said clearing his throat loudly.

"Captain," William gave him an uncertain look.

"You shouldn't be out of bed," Tyler said as he stepped into the room. "You need your rest."

"I am feeling fine Cap," William lied. He refused to budge.

"I had a feeling you would use that nonsense on me," Tyler said with a sigh. He tried to get William back into bed. "Anyways, I want to first express my deepest sympathies and if there is anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask."

William sighed and reluctantly listened to Tyler. He closed the hospital door behind him. "Thank you," He told him.

"Now it is your job to rest and get your strength back," Tyler ordered him. "I am placing you on temporary leave of absence."

"Wait, what?" William asked giving him an unsure look.

"I'm sorry," Tyler said shaking his head, "With your daughters kidnapping, we feel you are not in the right mindset. Don't worry, we already have the top people on the case and I can assure you that we will find your daughter."

"For some reason I don't find that reassuring," William frowned.

Tyler began to slowly pace around the hospital room. "I know this is very hard for you," He said looking at him confidently. "But as I have mentioned to you before, the best thing for you is to rest up and get your strength back."

Williams sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You I can't do that," Williams said shaking his head. "You know I can't do that. I can't stay in bed while my daughter is out there." He pointed to toward the window to emphasize the fact.

"There isn't anything that you can do," Tyler said, "I feel your pain. I really do Williams, but you are in no shape to try a Rambo type of rescue here."

"Rambo never really had any family," William grudgingly said.

Tyler shook his head. "Do I need to be the one to literally tell you not to go after your daughter?" He asked emotionally. "I sure don't want to, but as your captain, I could do that."

"Then let's pretend this conversation never actually took place," William said crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

"I can't do that," Tyler said shaking his head again. He took a few steps toward William who was standing by the bed with a disapproved look. "Listen, I need to go now. I am urging you to get some rest." He took another step toward him. "Please don't do anything that you will regret."

William knew that he wasn't going to listen to his Captain. He couldn't. His daughter was kidnapped and his captain expected him to rest like his was on vacation. As long as he was still standing, he was not going to listen to him. He wouldn't keep on searching for her until she was back in his arms. He would even die doing it, but he didn't want it to come to that.

"Fine Captain," He said with an overly fake sigh. "I will rest up and put my faith in you." He paused and gave him a stern look. "But I am trusting you that you will do everything you can to find my little girl."

"Don't worry," Tyler said knowing that he was doing just the opposite. "Be well and I will keep in touch."

William watched John leave the room. He walked to the bathroom and turned on the cold water He began to wash his face. Next he dabbed it dry with a slightly scratchy towel as he stared at his reflection in the mirror.

His thoughts drifted back to the night Tanya was taken. He heard her shrill scream and could clearly see the image of the man taunting him right before he was shot. The shot rang out as William made a fist trying to control his anxiety.

He wanted to punch the mirror and shatter it so he wouldn't have to see his reflection, but he knew that would do little good. Instead he turned off the light and stepped out of the bedroom. He scanned the room and saw his pants folded up neatly on the chair by the corner of the room. It was next to the window. His cell phone rested beside it.

An idea suddenly came to him. He knew what to do. He grabbed his phone and searched his contacts. There was his old roommate that was always there to help him out regardless of the situation. This was one of those times and he owed him a favor or two. He found the contact and then called him hoping that he would pick up.

Genji's house looked a lot smaller on the outside then it was on the inside. A large living room with everything state of the art was on the right. It had a large screen TV hung on the wall with surround sound system Leather couches surrounded a table meant for foods and drinks. At the far left of the living room was a minibar filled with an assortment of alcoholic beverages. Opposite of that was a large bookshelf.

Ryan eyed the bar for a few moments, as the hunger to have one shot grew. But he knew that would be one of the worst things he could do. He worked too hard to quit drinking. Instead, he turned away from it and walked out of the living room as Max searched through the room or anything.

He made his way to the den that had a small fireplace, a futon, and a bookshelf filled with Japanese books and magazines. He saw pictures of Genji with his parents on the wall above the futon. There were six in total raging from his birth to his first baseball game, and lastly on his graduation day. There was nothing in this room, so he left.

There was nothing important in the kitchen, as well as in the laundry room. The second floor had four bedrooms. Three were completely empty, stripped clean as if someone had move out long ago. The occupied bedroom was extremely clean, similar to a hotel room. There was not one sign that in belonged to Genji. If there was anything that belonged to him, it had been long removed.

"I have found nothing," Max said as she stepped into the room. She scanned the room slightly amazed at how clean it was. "How about you?"

"Nothing at all," Ryan said looking at her slightly annoyed. He was really hoping that they would have found something here. It was time that something went there way. He wanted some good news.

"It seems as if no one has lived here for some time," She observed.

"Except for the clean part," Ryan said leaving the room with Max following closely behind. "Someone had to have come here to keep this place clean." He looked at her as he walked downstairs. "There is not once speck of dust here."

"That shows that Genji indeed used to live here and for some odd reason is having it kept clean," Max said as they stepped on into the living room looking for Jeffery. They found Mike skimming through a messily handwritten notebook. "The question here is why?"

"Nothing in here," Mike said with a small shrug. He replaced the notebook and looked at Max and then Ryan tiredly. "I can't even read his handwriting."

"Have you seen Jeffery?" Ryan asked taking a step toward Mike.

Mike pointed toward the kitchen. "Last time I saw him," Mike said, "He was checking out the basement."

Ryan and Max followed Mike through the kitchen and into the basement. The stairs to the basement led to a dimly lit hallway with one door at the end of it. On the other side of the door was a large room filled with another bar and two empty bookshelves. There was a large screen TV hung on the wall with a Xbox1 hooked up to it. Four leather chairs surrounded the TV with TV dinner trays attached to the chair.

Jeffery stood in the corner of the room skimming through a photo album he found by the minibar. He looked up from the pictures and frowned at them as they approached. "Have you found anything?" He asked as he closed the album.

"Nothing at all," Ryan replied as Mike and Max nodded in agreement.

"Other than these family pictures," Jeffery said as he tossed the album aimlessly on the bar. "Nothing. This house is clean." He cursed under his breath and took a few steps away from the bar. "I was really hoping for something over here."

"Yeah me too," Mike said scanning the room. He saw in the corner of the room a slight ruffle in carpet. "Do you think there is something there in the corner?" He asked pointing to the spot.

Jeffery turned and saw Mike was pointing at an uneven part of the carpet. He approached it and kneeled as he felt by the wall for the end of the carpet. He felt the edge and pulled up a large piece of the carpet in one motion. Beneath it was a trap door, locked with a padlock.

"Whoa," Max said looking at it shocked.

Without a second thought, he shot at the lock breaking it. He opened it and saw that a dark staircase that led into a long hallway with three doors. Two on both sides and one at the far end. He reached for his flashlight and then cautiously walked down the stairs with everyone else following closely behind. Dripping of water from a leaky pipe could be heard as well as a static sound.

Ryan opened the door to reveal a dark room. He stepped into it and scanned the room shining his flashlight on shelves of masks. The masks were imitations of Joe Carroll. There must have been at least one hundred of them. A chill ran up his spine as he reached out and grasped one of the masks.

In the next room, Mike and Max stared in shock as they saw rows of masks. This one belonged to Edgar Allan Poe. There must have been a hundred of them. "What the hell is this?" Mike asked glancing Max who wore a look of horror.

Jeffery opened the third door and shined his flashlight inside. He saw shelves of masks. This one much different from the first two rooms. Much more terrifying. "Ryan," He said perturbed at what he was seeing. "You need to come here now."

Ryan stepped into the room past Jeffery and cursed immediately. He saw rows of masks. There must have been two hundred of them at least. They were identical to him. They were his face. Just as realistic as the first two masks. A chill ran up his spine as he reached out with a slightly shaky hand. Inches away from the mask he stopped and lowered his hand. He didn't want to touch it.

He looked at Jeffery as Mike and Max entered the room. A look of alarm grew on their faces as they studied the realism of the rows of masks. Max looked at Ryan who was now studying the masks with acute terror as if he had just seen a ghost. A ghost that wanted to look like him and cause unspeakable terror.

His phone suddenly rang causing him to jump. He picked it up. "This is Ryan," He said not recognizing the number.

"Ryan it is William," He said happy to get a hold of his old college roommate. "I need your help."

Mark paced around his bedroom annoyed. He hated feeling cooped up in the house with nothing to do. They told him he was part of the family, yet he didn't feel like it at all. Despite his brother's words about not trusting them, he was too curious to find out more about them. Yet, for some reason, he listened to Amable and Annabelle about not going anywhere.

They told him from day one that he was safe here and that he had nothing to worry about. Whatever had happened on the outside would stay there. Here he would stay unwithered by any outsiders. Despite the truth in their words, he kind of missed being on the run like he was just a few months ago. The only difference was, he was with the family he actually knew and trusted a hundred percent.

He glanced at the mirror in the bathroom and for some reason he imagined his brother there, looking at him. His brother didn't say anything, but held a determined look as if telling him to do what he had thought about for some time. For the longest time he wanted to search through the house, hoping to find something that would give him more of an insight on the family.

"I will do just that brother," Mark said with a sly smile.

Mark stepped out of his room and searched the floor he was on. This floor had nothing special about it. There were many rooms for everyone in the house. A few of them were locked which peaked his curiosity. Yet, he left the floor and searched third floor, which had more rooms, mainly meant for storage and recreation. There was a small library, a game room, three bathrooms, a movie room, and a few empty rooms. Three of the rooms were locked as well.

Mark made his way to the first floor and saw Annabelle reading a People magazine in the living room. She looked up at him and then smiled before returning to her reading. Ashley was watching Jacob playing a racing game on the play station. He watched for a few minutes as well, until he grew bored and decided to continue searching the house.

The dining room was empty, as well as the garage. The large library was also empty. He didn't think he would find anyone in there anyways. Not too many people read these days and very few from paperbacks. Most used electronic forms of reading which bothered him.

There was something about having a book in your hands. The feel of it as you turned page after page. The smell of the book, the cover, and the summary on the back. He loved it. Reading was one of his favorite hobbies and it was a pity that he couldn't do it more often.

Mark made his way into the kitchen and saw a container of chocolate chip cookies on the counter. He grabbed one and ate it as he continued his search. He saw nothing worthwhile except for the door that led to the basement. He had never been down there.

He swallowed the last bite and then tried to door. It was locked, which as unsurprising. He searched drawers and cabinets as quietly as he could for a key, but didn't find anything. He closed the last drawer and sighed, when he saw a key hooked on to magnetic clip on the fridge. He smiled and grabbed it. He tried the door and it unlocked.

He opened it and saw a windy staircase that led to a darkened basement. As soon as he closed the door behind him, lights flickered on automatically. He saw a total of ten rooms. Each of the rooms were locked, which didn't surprise him. There was no sign of anything suspicious here. It seemed to be a basement filled with more rooms.

He made his way to the last room on the left and this was unlocked to his surprise. He opened it and stepped inside. A chill ran up his spine as he eyed the table with restraints on it. There was a rolling desk with an assortment of tools on it. On the other side of the table was a small bookshelf filled with notebooks.

Each of the notebooks had messy written notes and graphs in it, which he couldn't read. He replaced them after scanning through them all and shook his head not sure what his take on the room was. It was definitely meant for torture and it was recently used. Everything was spotlessly cleaned and had an alcoholic smell to it.

He turned to leave when he saw Annabelle standing by the doorway with a stern look on her face. He stared at her unsure what to say. After what seemed like minutes he gave her an uneasy smile. "My bed up there is a little soft," He saw stepping toward the table. He knocked on it a few times. "I am looking for something a little harder and I think this will do."

Annabelle continued to give him the harsh look not caring what he was telling her instead she took a step toward him and shook her head disapprovingly. "You shouldn't have poked your head around where it didn't belong."

William watched from the table as Ryan approached his spot. He stood up painfully and reached out taking his hand. "Thanks for coming Ryan," He said with a pained smile. "I know you have many more important things to take care of, so it means a lot to me."

Ryan studied William carefully. He was definitely hurting and should be in the hospital. But at the same time, his old college roommate was a trooper and would tough it out. Or at least he would die trying, which was a bad idea.

"A coffee shop," Ryan said as William took a sip from his cup. "Not very conspicuous."

"I wanted a cup and felt it was the best place to talk," William said with a small shrug. "Plus I didn't want to go to my house just yet."

"I heard about what happened," Ryan said emotionally. "I am sorry." He took a seat across from William. "How are you doing?"

"Not good," He said with an exasperated chuckle. "My daughter has been kidnapped and I have been put on temporary leave of absence." He slowly turned the cup around in his hand. He looked at him with piercing eyes. "That is where you come in."

"Me?" Ryan asked noting as waitress came and offered him a coffee. He smiled at her and nodded his head. He could use the pick me up. "How so?"

"They tell me that they have the best team on the case and will do whatever it takes to get her back," He said not believing their words. "But I know that they were just trying to get me out of the picture. I do know that they will try to get her back, but if I am out of the picture, then I can't screw it up and get in the way."

"That makes sense," Ryan said sniffing the coffee before taking a sip. The aroma seemed to take a controlling effect on him. Like a wave a relaxation passing through him similar to a ripple in a lake.

"Of course it does," William said with an annoyed shrug. "I can't just sit here alone without my badge and gun, almost as if I am on vacation. My daughter is out there and who the hell knows what those bastards are doing to her now."

"I agree that something needs to be done," Ryan said leaning forward in his seat. "But am I really the best person for this?"

"Are you saying that you are willing to help me?" William asked with a twinkle of hope in his eyes.

Ryan sighed and ran a hand through his graying hair. He didn't really want to add another task on his plate. It was overfull at the moment. He was overworked and overtired from the recent cases. Now with the kidnapping of Tanya, it defiantly slowed things down with the other cases. On the other hand, so far other than the masks that were found at Genji's house, there was very little evidence. So all he had was many questions with a minor speculation and rumor. Neither which would make a defining dent in the case.

As much as he wanted to say no to his friend, he just couldn't. It wouldn't be right. Not after all that they had been through. In the past, Ryan had asked for many favors, whether involving a ride from the bar, for intel on someone he was searching for, or even answers to tests he failed to study properly for in college.

Ryan met William toward the middle of his sophomore year at the bar after a Jets game. The Jets had lost terribly to the Chargers and Ryan had lost a hundred bucks to the game. He was three drinks in when William asked for a drink and they began to talking about the game, statistics, and anything else that was sports related.

About two weeks later, they decided to get an apartment together closer to college. The perks of it was that it was closer to the campus and obviously the sororities. Soon, they had become an important part of the campus entourage and even William became wide receiver on the State football team. But his career ended early with a dangerous knee injury. Smartly, he called football quits so that he wouldn't destroy his knee even more so. His next career choice was to become part of the NYPD and he did just that.

"I am not saying anything," Ryan said with a small shrug. He licked his lips and then took another sip of coffee. "Why don't you start from the beginning of what happened?"

William chuckled and pushed away the almost empty mug from him. "Come on Ryan," William pleaded. "Don't do this to me." He leaned forward in his spot. "I know how involved and busy you are with the other case. As I mentioned before it means the world to me that you came here. Just don't make it a wasteful trip."

"I don't plan on it," Ryan said with another sigh. Part of him really wanted to help him. It bothered him to see him like this.

"Good," William said pleased to hear it. "So from the beginning I guess," He shrugged his shoulders. "My daughter came over to visit and it happened during dinner."

William paused for a few seconds replaying the event. He felt a tremor of anger, desperation, and horror pass through him as he saw all the smoke. Heard the gunshots and the cry from his daughter as the men threw her into their van. It was still very fresh in his mind and he knew it would be for a while, if not for the rest of his life. You don't just go on forgetting something like this.

He leaned forward in his spot to retrieve his coffee. He took a sip from it and then looked at Ryan who was watching him intently. He waiting to hear the rest of the story. He sighed loudly and took another sip wondering what Ryan was thinking of him. Was he pitying him? Was he thinking he was crazy? Emotional unstable?

"So as I was saying," William said after a moment pause. "My daughter and I had just started dinner, when smoke bombs were thrown into the kitchen. Two men came in wearing old army uniforms and were each carrying a semiautomatic. They shot me and took my daughter." He stopped talking as his lips trembled emotionally.

"Did you get a good look at them?" Ryan asked wondering if this was a 'Joe Carroll' type of kidnap or had no relevance whatsoever.

"The one who shot me yes," William said his eyes narrowing. His jaw quivered furiously. "He was Spanish. Most likely mid to late twenties."

"Spanish you say?" Ryan asked curiously.

He thought back to when he was in Minnesota. While he was there, Jeffery had gotten a tip from Desmond that Mark had been found in a cabin deep into the woods. Right when they sighted him, one of the men that Desmond had brought had shot him killing him. He shot Jeffery, thinking he killed him too. This man was Spanish as well. Could it be a coincidence? Probably. Was it him? It could be.

"Did you get a good look at the other guy?" Ryan asked wondering if it indeed was him, why his daughter and who was he working for.

"Not at all," William shook his head. He drank the rest of his coffee. It was now cold and gross. He cleared his throat. "So are you going to help me or not?"

"I will," Ryan said watching a smile appear on his face. "But on one condition."

"Thank you Ryan," He said not hearing the last thing he said.

"There is one condition," Ryan said halting William who was ready to leave.

"What is that?" William asked watching Ryan. He hoped he wasn't going to tell him to do it by the books. These men were dirty and who knew what they were doing to her at the moment. He could afford to do things according to the book. It would take too long.

"I want my niece and Mike involved as well," Ryan said as he gave him a determined look. "We may need more people on this one and they are the best on the job."

"I am okay with that," He said wondering if it was a good idea to bring them into the picture. "I just want my daughter back." He paused and stood up grunting painfully. "But before you tell them about it, let's check out my place for signs just the two of us."

"Fine," Ryan stood up wondering why he wanted just the two of them. But he didn't ask any questions. Not now at least. "Lead the way."

Claire was now living far away from people. She was far away from the city. In fact her closest neighbor was a half a mile away. She was living in the mountains, with her son and mother in Colorado. It was far too quiet, which she liked and disliked.

She missed the city life. She had been living there for so long, that she had grown accustomed to it. The sounds, the smell, and the sights were still fresh in her mind, even though she had been living in the mountains since she had told Ryan she wasn't wanting to be with him.

To this day, she still hated herself for making that decision. She loved him and he loved her. In normal standards, they would be a couple and probably be married soon. But neither of them had lived and will ever live a normal life. Not after everything that has occurred.

When she first saw him in his apartment after not seeing him for a year and him thinking she was dead, broke her heart. She wanted to tell him that she was alive many times, but was told that it was not safe to reveal herself. Yet, when she did, it felt like a hot knife piercing her heart. She felt immense pain and guilty. She knew Ryan was not taking her death lightly and suddenly him finding her alive, took a toll on him.

Yet, they moved passed the feelings and he was able to get Joe. She wanted him dead. She wanted to see Ryan shoot him. Bleed him out, just like the other people he bled out. But Ryan didn't do it. She understood why, even though she didn't agree with him. He wanted to start a new life and killing Joe, would not help the case.

He wanted to start that 'new' life and he asked her to be with him. To share it with him. Joey included of course. As much as she wanted to say yes, she knew deep down that it would never work. Both he and her reminded each other of the past life and him wanting to start the new life, wouldn't work with both of them in the picture together. It hurt her to tell him no, but she knew it was for the best reason. At least she thought so.

For a little bit she wondered if she made the right decision, but after everything that she saw on the news from the murders to the Penn Station bombing, she knew that the decision she made was the right one. Even if it still hurt to be away from him. As quiet and desolate as it was in the mountains, it was the safest way to stay out of harm way.

Claire pulled her car into the driveway. She turned off the car and then popped the trunk. She grabbed the bags of groceries and made her way into the house. Her mother was asleep on the couch snoring softly, while Joey was Despicable Me. He was so engrossed in the movie, he didn't notice her walk in.

She made her way to the kitchen and began to put the groceries away, while she watched a news report on the kidnapping of a NYPD officer's daughter. So far they had no leads, but were doing everything in their power to get her back safe and sound. For some reason, Claire doubted that they would find her in time. Not that she wanted it to happen like that. Rather from experience, she knew what would happen.

When she finished with the groceries, she was about to leave the kitchen, when she saw a small unmarked box on the kitchen table. She looked at it with confusion and horror as she took it. It felt light to the touch and cold. She opened it and removed a large hand written letter that said three words, I see you.

Claire gasped when she saw it had been signed with a large 'M'. She set the letter on the table and reached into the box with a trembling hand. She feared what she would find inside. Inside was a small airtight closed bag with two bloody eyes still attached to the retinas that stared at her as if almost studying her. She dropped the box and bag on the floor and didn't even realize that she was screaming.

Hope you guys like it! More twists and turns to come! Too bad I don't actually write for the show! LOL!

Anyhoot thanks for the reviews!

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