My Way Home Is Through You

A heavy fog covered the landscape, obscuring Ray's vision. He felt swoony and lethargic, barely able to hold himself up. The ground felt cold and damp under his bare feet. He stumbled forward, not knowing where he was headed. There was a chill in the air, and he was vaguely aware of the scent of honeysuckle. It brought back tender memories he thought he'd lost.

As he floundered through the mist, he began to lose his sense of direction. Soon, he had no idea were he was.

He turned to find his way back and felt the blood drain from his face.

She stood there, beautiful as the last day he'd seen her, oh so long ago. Her long brown hair hung past her elbows, as it always had, and her blue eyes were the color of the summer sky. A sad smile graced her lovely face, and Ray was at a loss for words.

"Hey there, baby," she said, her voice echoing through the haze. Ray stood frozen, unable to move or speak, or even breathe. A single tear rolled down his face. A whisper escaped his lips.

"Jenna..."

With one final moment's gaze, she turned and disappeared into the mist.

Ray's breath caught in his throat and he pitched forward, running after her. His feet were cold and wet, causing him to trip once more. He cried out as he tumbled down.

When he looked up, Gerard knelt beside him with a sympathetic look on his face.

"She's gone," moaned Ray.

"But you aren't alone," Gerard assured him. Ray collapsed back onto the ground, burying his face in his arms.

When he had composed himself a moment later, he looked back up. But Gerard was gone. In his place stood Bob.

"Don't cry, man," he said. "She'd hate it if you cried." He helped Ray to stand. Mikey stood beside him.

"You don't know what you mean to her," said Mikey. "Stand tall for her."

"But she's gone!" cried Ray.

Mikey shook his head. "She's right here." He pointed into the distance. Ray looked frantically into the haze.

But the girl who stood afar was not the woman he loved. This girl was much smaller, and infinitely more fragile. Her little face was filled with sorrow, and Ray's heart clenched in his chest.

"Anna!"

He tried to go to her, but his feet wouldn't move. He looked to his friends for help, but they had vanished. When he looked back toward his daughter, he was shocked to see Jenna standing barely a foot from him, obscuring his view of Anna.

He froze as she stepped forward and kissed him, running her fingers through his hair as she'd done so many times before. After a moment's hesitation, he felt himself melt into her arms, kissing her back fiercely.

Dear God, he'd missed her so much.

All too soon, she broke the connection between them, and Ray felt himself grasping for her as she stepped just out of reach. With sad eyes, she looked back over her shoulder at the little girl who would connect them forever.

Looking back at him, she whispered, "I love you, Ray."

"I love you, too, Jen."

"Look after my heart," she said. With that, she faded away.

"Jenna!"

He felt a hand placed on his shoulder and turned to face Frank.

"There's no place like home, dude."

* * * * *

Ray awoke with a start. He was covered in sweat and was shaking. He glanced around and saw that he was by himself on the sofa; his bandmates were seated at the table, talking quietly with each other. His daughter was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, dude!" Frank exclaimed when he saw that Ray was awake. "We figured we'd let you sleep a little longer. Anna's still snoozing."

"Ray, are you all right?" Bob asked.

Ray stood slowly and ran his hands through his hair roughly. His reply surprised his friends.

"I've got to go." He started toward the door.

"What?" Gerard was up in a flash. "Wait, where are you going?"

"I- I don't know," Ray stammered. He looked panicky. "Out. Just out. I've got to go."

"Hey!" Gerard grabbed his arm. "What about Anna?"

"Can't you guys watch her for a while?"

"Dude, you told her you'd be here when she got up," Mikey said. "You promised."

"I'll be back later!" Ray snapped. With that, he tore his arm out of Gerard's grasp and stormed out the door, leaving his stunned bandmates in his wake.