I hold the small communication device in my hand, turning it over and over in my hand. At this point, our nerves are beyond frazzled. There is no note. There's nothing. To be fair, we're not supposed to be back until tomorrow. But still, he would have told us if he was leaving.

"Call him again," Jean Luc is pacing.

"I just tried again. Nothing." I hang my head in my hands and lean back against the couch.

"Well try it again!" He snaps.

"Jean Luc," I say calmly. "Snapping at me is not going to bring the kids back."

He drops is shoulders and ambles over to the couch. Taking my hand in his, he leans over and kisses my temple, "I'm sorry, Beverly. I'm nervous."

A tear escapes and runs down my cheek. "Me too."

Desperation again sets in and lingers in the silent house. It's pervasive and it's insidiously settling into every pore. Thoughts of where Wes and the little ones could be are ever coming. My thoughts drift back to the last time he went missing. Then, we were still dealing with the situation with Starfleet. Oh God, is this about Starfleet again? We haven't had anything to do with them in over a year. What else could it be? He wouldn't have gone to a friend's house with the two kids, would he? Where else could-

My nervous musings are interrupted. "Beverly, was that the communicator?"

The small vibration in my hand reawakens me and launches me to action. "Hello?"

"Beverly? Oh God, Beverly I've been trying to reach you!" It's Hope.

"Hope, what's going on? Where are Wes and the kids?"

Jean Luc leans closer to me, "Hope," he starts. "Have you heard from Wes?"

"Saoirse and Aaron are here with me. Last night, Wes came by the house and asked me to watch them. He said he got a call and had to go."

"What do you mean, got a call? Go where?" His voice is high pitched; he's getting more and more antsy.

"I don't know, Jean Luc. I really don't. I just took the kids. I asked him, but he wouldn't tell me anything. He just dropped Saoirse and Aaron off and left. He didn't tell me where he was going or what he was going to do."

He lies back against the couch, rubbing his brow. I breathe a minute sigh of relief that Saoirse and Aaron are safe. But, Jean Luc – his agitation only grows and gnaws. In a second he's up and out of his seat and pacing around the fireplace.

Hope continues in our silence: "Do you two have any idea where he could have gone?"

I shake my head as if she can see me. "No, Hope. We don't have any idea."

We let the silence linger. I hear Hope's breathing on the other end of the line, assuring us that she's still there. "Do you, uh," she fumbles. "Do you want me to drop the kids off?"

I look over at the fireplace to my pacing husband. "Jean Luc?"

This should be a simple decision. We should want the kids with us, but for some reason it's safer to leave them with Hope for the time being. "No," he shakes his head. "I need to find Wes first. Then we'll all come home together."