Snapshot Two
Picture Perfect
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It had all begun one afternoon, shortly after Emma's second birthday. After a fair bit of pushing and prodding, Natalia and Valera had managed to get Calleigh out of the house on her day off. She'd been reluctant, of course. After all, it wasn't often that both Eric and Calleigh managed to get a day off together with their daughter, and those were days they cherished.

But, as Eric pointed out, it also wasn't often that Calleigh got a chance to go out and just have fun. When had been the last time she'd spent a day off treating herself? Honestly, she couldn't remember.

And in the end, after Natalia and Valera pulled Eric into their little scheme to get Calleigh out of the house, Calleigh found she was far from immune to a little Starbucks, followed by an afternoon of shoe shopping with her girlfriends.

Not two minutes after Calleigh had left, Eric was already following the sounds of his daughter's happy giggling, as well as the playful yipping of the newest member of the family. With a giant smile on his face, he simply watched for a moment as Emma chased the tiny puppy around the room.

Everyday, Emma was growing more and more into the typical two-year-old. Eric certainly wouldn't describe it as the "terrible twos," but when Emma got cranky, she could throw quite the tantrum. Her favorite words were "No!" and "Mine!" She would be perfectly happy to live on a diet of macaroni and cheese, applesauce, Goldfish crackers, and grape Kool-Aid. She resisted being put down for naptime; she resisted waking from naptime. She didn't like to sit still, unless she was sitting at the table, a coloring book and a box of crayons before her.

And more and more each day, she was growing into a miniature version of Calleigh, in both manner and appearance. She was analytical, thorough. She knew how to get what she wanted. Her soft, blonde hair fell just to her shoulders, waving beautifully around her face. Emma was nearly identical to the two-year-old Calleigh in the photograph Calleigh's mother had shown him once - identical, except for the deep brown eyes.

At that moment, Emma turned, and those deep brown eyes immediately latched onto Eric standing in the doorway. "Daddy!" she called out, rushing over to him with that contagious smile of hers on her face. Immediately she reached upward, letting Eric know exactly what she wanted.

Eric grinned, obliging happily. "Looks like it's just you and me today, sweetheart," he said, lifting Emma into his arms.

Emma gave a squeal. "Riley too?" she asked, her face very serious.

Eric chuckled, pressing a kiss to Emma's forehead. "Riley too," he agreed, basking in the way that simple confirmation made Emma's eyes light up and a smile to break out on her face. Riley gave an excited yelp at his feet.

Afternoons like that quickly became their time. Just the three of them in the living room, sometimes watching television, sometimes looking at one of Emma's picture books together; but always with Emma in Eric's arms, Riley trying to work her way into the mix as well.

That first day, it had been Blue's Clues. Eric had bounced her gently on his knee as she watched, mesmerized, giddily pointing out the blue pawprints on the screen, giggling as Eric played along, pretending not to see them himself.

"Clue!" Emma squealed, pointing excitedly to the pawprint Blue had left on the red bowl.

Eric tilted his head playfully. "Where, Em?"

"There!" she exclaimed, pointing more fervently as she turned her head to her father. "See?"

"Where?" Eric asked again, squinting at the television. "Is it on the spoon?"

Emma giggled. "No, Daddy! Look!"

Daddy. It still brought the biggest smile to Eric's lips every time the word left his daughter's lips. Whether she was pointing out the clues left behind by her favorite blue cartoon puppy, or pointing out the flock of birds passing overhead in the blue sky as they spent an afternoon in the park, or wanting to show him the picture she'd colored at daycare - Eric would never get tired of hearing Emma call him daddy.

The next afternoon they spent together, Emma quickly found a new love - Dora the Explorer. Eric had listened, full of pride, as Emma played along intently, the simple Spanish words tumbling from her lips just as effortlessly as English. Of course, Eric never looked at his daughter with anything less than utmost pride in his eyes, but there was just something that touched him in the way Emma approached his native tongue without the nervousness that a late learner might have. He and Calleigh had started Emma talking with both English and Spanish, and to hear her babble along with Dora as though it came naturally to her…it just tugged at Eric's heart.

But just as Emma had her Goldfish crackers that she could eat every day and not tire of them, there too was a movie that she soon fell in love with - The Lion King.

One afternoon, the cable had gone out. Emma was about to throw one of her tantrums - she really, really wanted to watch Dora. Her Goldfish wouldn't appease her, nor would her omnipresent pink blanket. As a last resort, Eric had put The Lion King in the DVD player.

And Emma had been fascinated. It was as though she'd forgotten all about Dora, and all about throwing a tantrum. "Kitty!" she said with a smile, pointing Simba out as soon as the tiny lion cub appeared on screen. She watched intently, occasionally naming off the different animals, basking in the praise that came from Eric.

Eric never knew, until it was too late, that he was signing away so much of his life to that movie.

He didn't care, of course - he loved the time he spent with Emma. He did, however, wish she'd develop a love for a different movie every once in a while.

But then, once Emma learned the words and the tune, and began singing along with some of the songs, Eric couldn't imagine watching anything else with her.

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With a sigh, Calleigh closed the front door behind her, carrying inside the last bag of groceries. Emma had finally decided to try something other than macaroni for a change, and Calleigh was eager to take advantage of this new openness to variety. Macaroni was alright, but seven nights a week?

Pausing on the way to the kitchen, it soon became apparent to Calleigh what exactly Eric and Emma were up to. She heard the familiar melody of "Hakuna Matata" drifting through the hallway, bringing a smile to her lips. "Oh, Eric," she murmured, shaking her head in amusement as she continued on to the kitchen.

But even Calleigh couldn't stop herself from humming along with the melody as she went about putting the groceries away. Methodically she moved about the kitchen, making sure everything went to its designated place. Ice cream to the freezer, vegetables to the crisper, bread to the pantry, and so on. The kitchen remained the one place in the house that was solely Calleigh's - everything stayed where she put it. As Emma grew, it was as though little by little Calleigh was forced to give up more and more of her control. Toys would find themselves scattered over Calleigh's previously immaculate living room, not to mention all the other toddler things that had popped up in the house.

It was a bit liberating, though. Calleigh couldn't remember the last time she'd just let things be. She certainly hadn't become sloppy - no, far from it. She still picked up around the house every night. But she'd stopped worrying about it during the daytime, and she'd been able to concentrate elsewhere. She had to admit; it was nice.

With a smile, she pulled the last item, a bag of Puppy Chow, from its bag, shaking it lightly in the process. Her smile faded slightly as confusion washed over her - usually Riley was all over her before Calleigh had a chance to get the dog food to the cabinets.

Not today. Today Riley was nowhere to be found. For once Calleigh managed to cross the kitchen while carrying the bag of dog food without tripping over the tiny, excited Yorkshire terrier. She pursed her lips as she shut the cabinet door.

In the beginning, Calleigh had been reluctant, just as she was with any big change. There were thousands of reasons why it wasn't a good idea. A puppy was a lot of work. They weren't like cats; they couldn't just be left to themselves all day. Plus, food, vaccinations - all that cost money. And what if Emma was allergic?

But Calleigh had been the sole resistance. She wasn't even sure whose idea it had been - her husband's, or her daughter's. Both of them wanted a puppy so badly, and even though Calleigh had always been more of a cat person, she couldn't resist the combined power of those puppy dog eyes from Eric and Emma. Before she knew it, the three of them were on their way home from the animal shelter, accompanied by the tiny Yorkie.

And despite her earlier reluctance, Calleigh had been nothing short of delighted once they'd gotten that puppy home. She'd never really liked dogs, and yet, Riley had easily pushed her way into Calleigh's heart.

And Emma and Riley…the two had become inseparable. The only time they spent apart were the days that both Eric and Calleigh worked, and Emma had to stay at daycare. The rest of the time, from the moment Emma awoke to the time she was tucked into bed, Riley was by her side.

Since bringing Riley home, there was one object of Calleigh's that had gotten more of a workout than any other object: her camera. Calleigh had always found comfort in photos; in her life, she'd never been sure how long she could hold on to something good. Capturing the good moments on film was her way of holding on. Her current roll of film was filled with images of Riley and Emma.

Emma, throwing a ball for an eager Riley to fetch.

Emma, slowly pulling a brush through Riley's long fur, the puppy amazingly patient with the little girl.

Riley, cuddled up with a sleeping Emma beneath her favorite blanket.

But it wasn't just Emma. Calleigh had even snapped a photograph of Eric cuddling with Riley early one morning, unaware that anyone else had awoken yet. That was a picture Calleigh couldn't wait to get developed.

Curious about the missing pup, as well as the relative quiet in the rest of the house, Calleigh slipped into the living room, her attention immediately grasped by the scene on the television, mere moments before Simba would set out to reclaim Pride Rock. She shook her head lightly at herself; in the past few months, Eric wasn't the only one who had seen that movie far too many times.

Knowing what was coming next, Calleigh had no need to watch, and so she turned away, turning her gaze to the couch instead.

And her heart completely melted.

A sleeping Eric was lying on his back on the couch, one leg bent upward at the knee, and his lips parted ever so slightly. His arm was tenderly wrapped around Emma, who slept curled snugly against Eric's right side. One of her small hands clutched tightly to the pink blanket she carried almost everywhere, and the other held tightly to Eric's arm around her. But Eric and Emma weren't alone on the couch. Riley, as usual unwilling to leave Emma's side, was also sleeping soundly, curled up on Eric's stomach, lifting slightly with each of Eric's deep breaths.

Calleigh knew on her face was one of those silly, ear-to-ear smiles, but right now she couldn't care less. She couldn't remember ever being privy to a scene as adorable as this. She'd always been content to watch Eric sleep, and she supposed it was part of being a mother that she found comfort in watching Emma sleep. But to see them curled up together, the puppy right there with them…it honestly blew Calleigh away.

It was definitely a scene Calleigh could watch all afternoon long. Forget the movie; there was nothing sweeter than this scene in front of her.

Quietly she tiptoed from the room, returning only moments later, her camera in hand. Afraid the moment would slip away from her, Calleigh quickly caught it on film - once, twice, and a third time. Satisfied, she gave a contented sigh, setting her camera down on the table and kneeling in front of the couch.

Ever so gently, Calleigh stroked Emma's cheek, smiling widely as that simple touch caused her daughter to sigh in her sleep, snuggling more deeply against Eric's body. Riley stirred as well, her dark eyes locking on Calleigh, but making no move to get up. Calleigh grinned, softly scratching behind the puppy's ears.

"I love you guys," Calleigh whispered, tenderly brushing Emma's blonde locks away from her face. She pressed a soft kiss to her daughter's temple before doing the same to Eric. "So much," she added, standing again, content to let them sleep.

But before she left, her eyes strayed once more to the camera on the table, and Calleigh just couldn't resist. She picked it up, and Riley tilted her head slightly, as if asking, "Again?"

Calleigh chuckled softly, gently patting the pup on the head. "Last one, Riley. I promise." With a smile, she stepped back a few feet. One more time did she look at the scene through her camera, gazing wistfully at her husband, her daughter, their puppy -- her family.

Once more, Calleigh pressed the button on top of the camera, forever capturing the scene on film and securing even more tangible evidence of what she already knew.

She couldn't ask for anything more perfect.