Abe stood over the stove, pushing the scrambled eggs around the pan. Normally, he enjoyed rising early and cooking breakfast for his Dad, but today was different. The scene from last night replayed in his head, like a movie.

Last Evening

Henry had come home late, like he normally did. Abe had just put dinner on the table when he heard the door slam. He recognized that slam anywhere. Something happened at work - possibly with the double murder case - to upset him. It wasn't unusual for his Dad to come home from work frustrated. Those things happen when you're in Henry's line of work. But when he came stomping into the kitchen, Abe knew it was something more.

"What's wrong?" He had asked, knowing full well Henry might just ignore him and retreat to his Lab in the basement. And as Abe predicted, he did just that. Well, it wouldn't be the first time Abe had to bring his Dad dinner. However, as he stepped off the bottom stair, he heard something he hadn't heard in years.

Crying.

"Dad," He said, putting the plate of food on the nearest table and walking over to him. "What happened?"

Henry looked up at him, tears still streaming down his face. "Jo."

Her name was all Abe needed. Just like Henry had feared, Jo was taken by their killer. It made sense now, all the frustration and the tears. He had seen these before, when his Mom had disappeared. Henry was a wreck for months, unable to do much but go through the motions of life. Abe would have guessed his Dad lost half his body weight in those first three months, and all his will to live. He thanked God Henry couldn't do anything about that, though.

"Talk to me," He said finally, after the tears had let up a bit. "Have they started searching for her? Did she leave any clues behind?"

Henry looked up at Abe and smiled softly. "I appreciate your desire to help, Abraham, but I really don't think -"

"No," Abe said, interrupting him. "You're not doing that again."

He looked slightly startled at Abe's tone. "What are you talking about?"

"You are not retreating into yourself and ignoring the help people want to give you, especially me. Jo is my friend too, and if I want to help, I'm going to help."

A look of regret clouded his face. "I'm so sorry...I did this when Abigail disappeared, didn't I?"

He nodded. "And it made me so mad."

Henry chuckled as he saw Abe smile slightly. "I remember."

"So, what say you and I have dinner, and then get to work on this case? I made one of Mom's favorites: roast beef and vegetables."

"With fingerling potatoes?"

"What else?" Abraham said, laughing.

Present Day

Abe was brought back to the present by the sound of his Dad's footsteps. Their cadence was slower this morning, more methodical; as if the simple task of walking was incredibly difficult. When Henry appeared in the kitchen, he considered saying something about the case, but he thought better of it. No need to jump into the pool right away without testing the waters first.

"Did you make the coffee?"

Abe looked up at his Dad and nodded. "Yeah, it's on the table already."

Henry nodded in response and sat down. Every so often, Abe would look over at him, to see how he was doing. The loss of Jo was taking a toll on him, as was evident in his appearance. There were small, dark circles under his eyes, and Abe would have sworn Henry had aged within the span of eight hours. His forehead was wrinkled, and he knew a million different thoughts were rushing through his mind. Maybe it would be a good idea to fill his mind with something else.

"Someone brought in a Victorian chair yesterday. It looked to be very early 1840's."

"How much did you purchase it for?" Henry asked.

"I haven't bought it yet. I wanted to do a bit of research before I asked a price. Don't want ask too little."

"That's wise," He mumbled.

Abe sighed, and realized he would, indeed, have to just jump in the pool, regardless of the risks. "Henry, Jo would slap you for acting this way." He wasn't certain whether it was his tone of voice, or his choice of words, that caused Henry's head to snap up. Okay, Abe thought, the water's a little chilly.

"Excuse me?"

"You're the most skillful M.E. I have ever seen. Your observation skills are incredible, and instead of using those skills to find Jo, you're sitting at breakfast...sulking."

"I am not sul-"

Abe interrupted him. "And now, you're going to argue with me." He softened his tone slightly. "I suspect, wherever Jo is right now, she's hoping a certain friend of her's is doing all in his power to find her."

The slight look of hurt faded from Henry's eyes, and was replaced with something far more useful: hope. "You're absolutely right, Abraham. What on earth am I still doing sitting here?" Henry said, standing quickly and grabbing his coat. He threw it on, and headed straight for the door.

"Wait!" Abe yelled to him, just as he was about to open the door. Grabbing the scarf off the peg, he jogged over to his Dad and wrapped it around his neck. "You wouldn't want to forget this. She probably wouldn't recognize you without it." The sound of Henry's laughter filled his ears, and Abe knew today was going to be good.