AUTHOR'S POV  

Laurent awakens when he feels the sun hit his face...but there's a struggle behind his eyes and it takes several moments of stretching and fluttering before he can open them. To feel the effects of waking up is a surprise to him because it means he actually slept. But, hours upon hours of crying and endless worry was enough to take him to the point of exhaustion and his body simply couldn't fight sleep anymore even though there's a gut wrenching pain in his heart due to their sweet girl being missing. It will be a full 24 hours since she disappeared in the next several hours and the first words in his mind is a prayer that she will be found before that last hour hits. The thought of it hitting that 24th hour is soul crushing. Kaylee's pillow which still holds her sweet scent remained close to his heart and he gives it a tight squeeze as tears build and fall again. He's now thinking about seeing her the day before. How happy she always is, how beautiful she always is. Giving him a big hug then saying "I love you too papa" and when those words echo across his mind he hugs the pillow tighter as he breathes out, "I love you so much my sweet girl". His emotions overwhelm him so much that he's now struggling to breathe. This is without question the worst living nightmare and they will give anything to just have her home with her family. Emma and Ayden need their big sister who is always so protective of them. She's also loving, sweet and kind with the purest heart. Watching Emma hug Larry and being deeply saddened by her sister not being here right now felt like 1000 needles stabbing him all over his body and the thought of it now does the same. Now he's hearing Ayden waking up as his room is right next to Kaylee's so he stands up to make his way over to him. He steps into the quiet hallway and as he's walking he sees the door to the guest room partially open so he peeks inside as he's sure mama slept in there. She's still asleep and he wonders how long it was before she was able to get there as her heart hurts just as much. He makes it to Ayden's room and when he looks down in his crib he sees those eyes light up at the sight of his papa as they always do. That brings a smile to Laurent's face though the smile seems to be competing with the pain in his heart. The moment Ayden in his arms he holds him tightly but tenderly and as he's walking over to the changing table more tears have already slipped from his eyes. His mind goes back to the Sunday they took the kids to the park and asking Kaylee to take them to the living room to play together until breakfast was ready. Kaylee smiled as she extended her arms and Ayden was like lightning crawling over to her with that bright smile along with his sweet laugh. The way Kaylee loves him is nothing short of beautiful...and he loves her the same. Ayden gets changed into a fresh diaper and now he's back in Laurent's arms. They head over to Emma's room to check if she's still asleep...but when he sees her bed completely untouched his eyes go wide and instantly panicked he turns around to begin a frantic search for her. He goes to he and Larry's bedroom and breathes a silent yet deep sigh of relief when he sees her next to his love and sound asleep. He became so shaken that he lightly crashes his back against the door panel with his eyes closed to regain control of his breathing. Ayden feels his panic and begins to softly cry so he quickly steps away from the bedroom to comfort him by whispering it's ok which does calm him down. He heads for the kitchen to retrieve a bottle from the fridge to warm it up and Ayden is at the developmental stage where he can hold his bottle so once he has a grip on it Laurent heads back for the bedroom to see if they're still asleep but the moment he hits the hallway he sees Larry walking towards the kitchen holding Emma whose cheek is resting on Larry's shoulder. They softly greet each other and when Emma hears Laurent's voice she greets him as well with a soft, "hi papa". Laurent replies with, "hey princess" and when she's close enough he drops his mouth to give her a tender kiss on the cheek. Larry gives Ayden a kiss then takes Emma over to the dining table. When he asks her what she wants for breakfast she doesn't reply and she usually does. Larry and Laurent instantly look at each other and they're both fighting back tears as they know have a strong inkling as to why. They don't have much of an appetite themselves...and understandably so. But, they don't want Emma to go without eating anything so Larry squats next to her and in a gentle voice...

Larry: "Princess, can you try to eat something"?

Emma: "I'm not hungry papa. I miss Kaylee".

Larry's eyes raise and he looks at Laurent whose near a breakdown of tears upon hearing her say that. Larry felt his own heart twist so he's near the same. After a gentle clearing of his throat to choke back tears he sweetly replies...

Larry: "We know you do my love. We miss her too and the police are still looking for her. We just need to believe that she's coming home".

Emma: "Oki", she replies sadly.

Larry: "I'm going to cook breakfast now and I need you to eat. Even if it's just a little bit, oki"?

Emma: "Yes papa".

Larry: "That's my princess", he whispers. 

Larry stands up and drops a kiss to the top of her head then proceeds to make breakfast. As he's taking the eggs and sausage links out of the refrigerator the phone rings so he quickly places them on the counter and turns the corner where he sees Laurent anxiously answering. He can instantly tell it's the police following up on their search and when he sees Laurent's eyes close while blowing out a sigh of despair he feels his stomach tighten. He then hears Laurent thanking him for the update and to please keep them updated as often as they can. After the call he and Larry sadly gaze at each other. Then mama enters the room so they greet her and she's informed of what the police just told Laurent which brings a deeply saddened look on her face as well. Larry is at a loss for words and since he was about to prepare breakfast he goes back to the kitchen to get started. He hears mama come over to greet Emma then she asks if she can help with breakfast which Larry sweetly tells her it's oki and he'll do it. Since it's a small breakfast he finishes quickly and they all sit down to eat. As one can imagine it's very quiet and they don't have much of an appetite but they push themselves to eat to keep their strength up. When Emma is done she goes to be with her brother leaving the adults...

Larry: "I need to call work and tell them I'll be out for a while. Then I need to call the school and...." 

Laurent: "I don't want them in that school anymore". 

Larry and mama look at each other for a moment then mama drops her head as if she's about to cry but wants to hide her tears. That nearly makes Larry cry but he looks over at Laurent and is about to respond...but Laurent isn't finished...

Laurent: "They weren't watching her like they were supposed to and they let someone take Kaylee away so when she comes back we're changing schools. For right now we can get home schooling for Emma until we find another school so the only thing we need to tell them is that she isn't coming back". 

Larry is suddenly at a loss for words. He definitely agrees with his husband...but he's speechless because as Laurent spoke his voice cracked and Larry knew he was holding back tears. It made his heart drop so he just can't say anything. All he can do is nod then Laurent stands up and walks off. A second later he hears a sniff coming from mama so he walks over to console her. As she cries, Larry cries with her but he pushes through his tears long enough to tell her that Kaylee will come home so everything will be ok. He then feels another presence so he looks up and there stands Emma. She's watching her grandmere and papa crying so there's sadness written all over her face. Larry quickly wipes away his tears as he tries to straighten up and be strong for her. He musters a smile as he calls out, "hey princess" while walking over to her. He then picks her up and sweetly asks if she needs anything. She slowly shakes her head then asks in a soft voice, "are you and grandmere sad for Kaylee"? Larry instantly feels his heart drop to his stomach. There's also a huge lump in his throat and he has to gulp hard in order to respond...

Larry: "We are sad for Kaylee, princess. We just want her home because we all miss her very much. When she does come home all of us will be so happy right"?

Emma: "Yes papa", she replies softly. 

Larry: "Oki", he whispers. 

Emma: "Papa"?

Larry: "Yes my love"?

Emma: "Am I going to school today"?

Larry: "Not today baby but we will talk for that later, oki"?

Emma: "Oki". 

Larry gives her a kiss on the cheek and places her on feet then sweetly instructs that she go back to play with her brother. Emma listens to her papa then turns around to tell mama that he will be right back because he wants to check on Laurent. He knows where to find him and Laurent is unaware that Larry stood at the door to Kaylee's bedroom last night and watched Laurent sleeping in her bed. The way he had Kaylee's pillow close to his body hit him hard and Larry couldn't help but shed tears. He finally pulled himself away to go and check on Emma who woke up when she felt his presence. He rubbed her hair and talked to her for a moment before telling her to go back to sleep only she asked if she could sleep in their bed. Larry didn't respond verbally. He just picked her up, held her close and walked her to their bedroom and put her in bed. Naturally she asked where papa Laurent was and Larry explained that he's sleeping in Kaylee's room to feel close to her. He then guided her head down on the pillow and she went straight to sleep the instant she was comfortable. Now he's at Kaylee's door and sees Laurent standing in front of the window so he walks over and wraps his arms around him then applies a soft kiss to his shoulder. Seconds later Laurent blows out a sigh as he sadly asks...

Laurent: "Where is she bebe"?

Larry: "I don't know baby". *kisses shoulder* "I don't know but we will find her". 

Laurent: "She's out there scared and wants to come home". *pause and sniff* "How can someone just take a child like that? Children are so innocent". 

Larry: "Yes they are and Kaylee is so sweet, so beautiful". 

Laurent: "I know she's calling for us to come and get her but we don't know where she is! How will we find her"?!

Larry quickly turns his love around to hold him tightly and as Laurent cries on his shoulder he whispers, "we will find her baby". Laurent hears those words and holds onto his love equally as tight while he weeps. Minutes later he pulls away and as he wipes his eyes...

Laurent: "We need to do something. We can't just sit around and wait to hear from the police. We need to go back out and look for her". 

Larry: "Yes we should. I know mama will stay here with Emma and Ayden while we look". 

Laurent: "Oki then let's go". 

Larry nods in agreement and they head for the living room to alert mama of their plan then get freshened up and changed. They give Emma, Ayden and mama kisses and just as they're about to leave the phone rings again. Laurent answers and it's the police. Larry and mama nervously watch him take the call and are internally praying that it's good news. As the conversation progresses it doesn't appear that Kaylee has been found but it doesn't seem like it's completely bad news by the look on Laurent's face and when he releases the call he looks at them...

Larry: "What is it baby"?

Laurent: "The police said that they're giving a press conference tomorrow. He said they always call press conferences when there's a crime especially a missing child case. It's to make sure that the alert is out". 

Larry: "Oki. That's a good thing. What time tomorrow"?

Laurent: "Noon". 

Mama: "We should get buttons made with Kaylee's picture on it and gets some flyers made too. I think both of those will really help". 

Laurent: "That's a great idea mama. I'll get those made". 

Larry: "I'll help you baby". 

Laurent nods then Larry turns to the babies to tell them they will be home soon then leads him and Laurent out the door. They decide to go separately again to make sure all ground is covered. Larry also has a picture of Kaylee and he has a very specific plan with it that he's internally praying will crack the case...

*****

Larry drove to the neighborhood near the school as there are quite a few homes along the street so surely someone saw something. Perhaps there are a few retired couples among them who spend most of their day at home. He isn't sure if the police have been here to go door to door and ask if anyone saw anything but Larry is more than prepared to go to every house and that's exactly what he's doing. Sadly, the first few homes he went to he wasn't able to speak to anyone so he deduced that they're at work now and they were at work the day Kaylee went missing. He's at the next home and has just rang the door bell for the second time. When it appears no one is home he turns around to leave when he hears the door open. It's an older gentleman and he's giving Larry a confused look since he doesn't recognize him...

"Can I help you"?

Larry: "Yes. My name is Larry Bourgeois and my little girl was taken while she was playing yesterday at the school up the street. I just want to know if you were here in the afternoon and saw anything. This is what she looks like". 

Larry holds the picture up and he studies it. Larry nervously chews on his bottom lip as he anxiously awaits his answer. Finally he connects with him...

"I'm sorry. I didn't see anything yesterday". 

Larry instantly feels defeated and his arm holding Kaylee's picture slowly drops. He can feel tears on the brim of his eyes as he shaky voice replies, "oki". The gentleman nods as he looks at Larry with deep sympathy... 

"I'm sorry that happened and I hope you find your daughter". 

Larry: "Thank you". 

Larry drops his head and turns around to leave before he can hear his response then proceeds to the next house. Over the next several minutes he continues going house to house. A few people are home but most aren't so the hope that there was a witness is fading. The ones he spoke to didn't see anything. Larry also asked if they may have heard screaming that sounds like it was from a little girl but they all didn't recall hearing sounds of distress. He finally hits the last house and with no luck there he begins walking back to his car. Feeling ten times more defeated than he was just a minute ago his head is down as he walks. He was really hoping that he would have information to give the police. He's unaware that he's about to stumble upon something that's just as crucial as a potential witness account. He looks up and across the street is a pile of leaves but not so hidden in that pile is what he's sure is a very familiar head band. He looks both ways to check for oncoming cars and when he's in the clear he runs right over. He looks down and his mouth falls open as he's right. It's Kaylee's favorite headband...

~image is just for the head band~

Tears waste no time flowing because to see her headband means that she was struggling so hard to get away that it fell from her beautiful curls. He's finding it difficult to believe that those who were home during the kidnapping didn't notice a child being taken. He keeps his eyes on the headband while taking out his phone to call his love. He's so emotional that when Laurent answers he can't speak right away. Laurent senses something so in a panicked voice...

Laurent: "Bebe what is it"? *silence* "Bebe tell me. What is it"?

Larry: *sniff* "Baby, I just found Kaylee's favorite headband". 

Larry can't see him but Laurent has stopped all movement and his eyes have gone wide in shock at this news. He ultimately replies in that shocked voice, "what"? Larry tells him again and though he's still shocked Laurent thinks quickly by telling him not to touch it and to call the officer he's been talking to. He has to release the call in order to text Larry the direct number but Laurent does his best to try and calm his love down first though he understands what a sighting such as this feels like. Just being told about it made his heart drop so he can only imagine how Larry feels seeing it. Larry's hand is shaking at full speed as he dials the number to the police but when he answers he's calm enough to alert him...

"This is Officer Devaux". 

Larry: "Officer, this is Larry Bourgeois. I came back to the school to search for clues in my daughter's disappearance and I just found her headband". 

Devaux: "Ok. You haven't touched it have you"?

Larry: "No I haven't". 

Devaux: "Good. Detective Alex Lane has been assigned to your case so I will alert him and ask him to come there right away". 

Larry: "Please tell him to hurry". 

Devaux: "I certainly will". 

Larry: "Oki. Thank you so much". 

Devaux: "You're welcome". 

Larry gives the officer his exact location and he really does hope the detective is quick...but given the urgency of the situation he simply can't be quick enough. Larry sits on the curb and all he can do is wait until he arrives. Roughly twenty minutes later he sees an unmarked car heading in his direction so he quickly stands to his feet. The detective parks on the curb and is out of the car swiftly then walking over to Larry. He extends his hand to shake Larry's for a proper greeting...

Detective: "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Bourgeois, though I wish the circumstances were different". 

Larry: "Thank you. It's nice to meet you too. Here's my little girl's headband". 

Detective Lane looks down as he retrieves a pair of latex gloves from his pocket to put them on then reaches back in his pocket for a pair of tweezers along with a plastic bag to put the headband in as evidence. He bends down to carefully pick it up, shakes off excess debris and Larry gulps as he watches it being placed in the bag. Then the detective slowly raises his eyes...

Lane: "This will go through forensic analysis to check for fingerprints and if some are found then they will be ran through the system for a match. The responding officer gave me all of your information so I'll be in touch with the results and everything else regarding the case". 

Larry: "Oki well I need to finish my search". 

Detective: "Mr. Bourgeois, I encourage you to let the authorities handle this". 

*brief pause*

Larry: "Do you have kids, detective"?

Lane: *nods* "Yes, I do". 

Larry: "Then you should understand why my husband and I can't just sit around and wait for you to find her". 

Lane: "I do understand, Mr. Bourgeois. It's just that it could be dangerous going after the suspect. We don't know what else he's capable of". 

Larry: "I think my husband would agree with me when I say that we will take that risk. If it means my life or his to save hers then that's what we will do". 

Before the detective can utter another word Larry walks away to get to his car. Once inside he cranks the engine and when he takes off he whisks by the detective who's watching him as if he's completely stunned by Larry's words. He eventually walks back over to his car to take the headband down to police headquarters while Larry heads in a direction he hasn't before and given where the headband was it only makes sense...but then he realizes he needs to call his love so he pulls over...

~phone call~

Laurent: "Yeah bebe"?

Larry: "Baby the detective just left with her headband. He said it will be scanned for finger prints and if they find them they will be put in the system to check for a match".  

Laurent takes in a deep breath and blows it out in relief as that's one step ahead in the case and hopefully closer to bringing Kaylee home...

Laurent: "Oki. That's good".

Larry: "I'm going to look around some more and we can decide when we will go back home". 

Laurent: "Oki bebe. I love you". 

Larry: "I love you more". 

Larry's phone is tossed in the passenger seat after releasing the call and the next second he's pulling off again. The further he drives along the more he notices that it's leading him to somewhat of an isolated area. There are very few homes in comparison to the plethora of them closer to the school and now the smooth gravel is turning into a bumpy surface and as the car moves and shakes over the dirt road, ahead of him he sees what appears to be an abandoned home. He presses harder on the gas pedal and once he's in front of the home he turns the engine off then jumps out of the car in a flash. He races up the stairs and tries to turn the knob on the front door but it's locked. It doesn't make much sense for an abandoned house to be locked so he immediately thinks that the kidnapper is hiding Kaylee inside. He runs back down the stairs and over to the nearest window to look inside. Mostly what he sees is old furniture covered in dust or white sheets. He looks on the ground for something that can break the windows and sees a semi-large rock so he picks it up. With all of his strength he throws it...watches as it shatters the window then climbs in. The moment his feet touch the creaky, wooden floor he belts out, "Kaylee"?! In a frantic search he belts out, "papa is here baby"! He goes from room to room, closet to closet...his adrenaline pumping so hard that he effortlessly picks up or moves large objects that should have some struggle behind moving. Minutes go by and with no sign of Kaylee he presses his lips together as tears build in his eyes. He checks one more room though deep down he knows she isn't being kept in here. When it's confirmed he backs up and the instant his back hits the wall he slides to the floor...plopping down on the debris beneath him. He brings his legs to his chest, rests his elbows on his knees and begins crying hysterically. Moments later he looks towards the bedroom window and up into the sky...looking to his higher power then pleads in a whisper, "please bring her back to us". He then crashes his head against the wall and when he closes his eyes two fresh tears roll down his cheeks as he continues to sit there...nothing but the sound of his sporadic sniffs echoing around the large, empty room...

--------------------------  

A/N: I know this was a tough one too my loves. Larry discovering the head band on the street then searching the abandoned home with hope but stripped of that hope because she wasn't there. I can only imagine the pain. Please sound off in the comments. I'll be replying soon. Love you guys. ❤️