Episode 12
"Clarity"
Chapter 1
Emily's Voiceover:
Clarity is often defined as the quality of deeper understanding, a clear perception of the realities that lay before us. A diamond's clarity, for example, is not only measured by the blemishes on its surface, but its internal imperfections. Small cracks on the inside can cloud its brilliance under magnification. Over time, if the lack of clarity surfaces, it can reduce its resistance to fracture – rendering it breakable."
Emily slept soundly in her old room at the beach house, her dreams overlapping with memories, both recent and far reaching back. A faint image drifted through her mind of her as a young child, coming downstairs in the early morning to see her father at the kitchen stove, making her pancakes. She paused at the top of the stairs, and at sight of breakfast, hurried down the rest over to her father, who turned around with a smile. "Morning Sleepyhead! Hungry?" he asked her, as she nodded anxiously in return. She ran to sit over at the table as her puppy, Sammi jumped up and followed just under her feet, circling her legs and jumping up for attention. "Good morning Sammi," she cooed back, leaning down and the image faded abruptly, replaced by another.
She was back in bed, waking up again in the early morning, but beside her was Daniel. "Come on, waking up with you is the best part of my day! If you open those curtains, it'll all be over!" He begged her, nestling his hand in hers. "Alright I'll give you three more seconds," she heard herself say. "One…two…" she moved to draw back the curtains behind them. "Three!" she cried, bathing the room in sunlight—
And then the dream faded and Emily lurched awake abruptly, her sleep broken. She sat upright in bed, noticing she was in the same spot as in her dream; only next to her was empty space. Wiping the sleep out of her eyes, she swung her legs over the side and slowly returned to reality.
She was back in her father's beach house, and had been there for a few days. Victoria's departure had happened several days earlier, and she had waited up that night for David, who didn't return until long after she was asleep. They hadn't talked much about Victoria; David was still secretive about her. But he was cooperating with the plan they had to get into the police station and find any evidence linking her to Kate. The plan was for him to go there today, giving them enough time to move everything into archives which Nolan would help them access. In the meantime, they had to be careful of their next steps, since Malcolm had disappeared off of Nolan's grid and likely was nearby. While Emily did not find her father's house to be the safest location, she preferred being there with him than at Grayson Manor by herself, which was still under repair.
She walked down the stairs, pausing again at the dais, seeing a mirrored image of her memory of her father. She blinked and it did not change. He was, in fact, there. David stood in place at the stove, only this time he heard her footsteps creak before she was down the steps and turned around.
"Amanda," he greeted her. "I was going to surprise you."
Emily cracked a stunned smile and slowly entered the kitchen, shaking her head in disbelief at the father who stood before her, making her breakfast. She looked at him and then down at the stove. "Pancakes," she observed.
"Still your favorite?"
Emily nodded and found herself moving around the kitchen, pouring juice for them, trying awkwardly to have another normal morning. She sat down at the counter for a few minutes, just watching her father at the stove, staring at his outline, taking in the memory which joined others stored so far deep inside of her. She decided to pursue it a question that had been lurking around in her mind.
"I take it Victoria's gone for good then?" she asked.
David looked over. "She won't be coming back," he confirmed. He was still so tightlipped about her, and while it tugged at Emily's instincts, she tried to look past it, in favor of the time it afforded her just alone with her father. She moved onto another subject. "Nolan's sending over the blueprints of the station this morning. Are you ready to do this?"
"If the police find out that Kate was targeting you because she found out who you really were, they'll blow your cover to Malcolm Black," David digressed. "I'll do whatever I have to in order to keep you safe."
Emily nodded appreciatively. "When you get into the evidence archives you'll only have 90 seconds to find what you're looking for. It could be anything – an encrypted drive, a letter, a note. If you can't get your hands on it, use the camera and send it to Nolan," she handed him a prepped cellular phone.
David took it into his hands and thought for a moment, and then studied Emily's face, as if reminiscing. "I'm sorry about everything with Victoria," he blurted out, catching her off guard. "I know she was behind this."
Emily tried to just shake her head, looking down to sip at her coffee. "It doesn't matter now," she whispered but her emotions were visible.
David forced the topic. "It does matter. Even though the plan is to keep this out of police hands, I want you to know that she's not going to get away with what she's done to you. When she reached out to Kate she put herself in Malcolm Black's path. He won't let something like that go easily."
Emily looked back up her father. "What's more important to me is taking him down and protecting you. I can handle Victoria later," she assured him.
"I'm sure you can," David replied with a breath. He averted his eyes and looked off, then returned to change the subject. "Have you heard anything from Jack?"
"As far as I know Jack and his son are safe, he went out of town for a few days. Nolan fitted him with an untraceable phone and told him only to use it in an emergency."
David looked a mix of relieved and unsettled. "I always thought the two of you would end up together. You and Jack."
Emily chuckled and shifted in her seat. "Jack has always looked after Amanda – no matter who she might have been over the years," she responded in third person. "His wife… me… he's always been there for our family. But the timing was never right for us."
"I'm sorry to hear that," David said solemnly. "I'm… sorry about Aiden too." He seemed to search for something to say; as if there was another question he wanted to ask. But Emily gave him a resigned smile and got up from where she sat, walking over to her sink then returning to confirm the plan for the day. "So we're all set then?" she said.
"Yes," David replied, and then before she could go back upstairs he followed, "Amanda?" She turned around.
"I'm going to make things right for you," he continued. "I want you to know that."
Emily stifled back tears, thinking of how little he truly knew of what it would take to make things right specifically for her. But she was too touched by his expression to say more now. It would come later. Instead she just acknowledged him before turning to go upstairs. "For us."
SCENE
The door creaked open in the apartment and in walked Margeaux, pushing a wheelchair-bound Daniel in front of her. They were at Daniel's tower residence, where he had insisted he stay despite her attempts to try to get him to move in with her. In his opinion, his mother's presence made it too crowded and he dreaded the long days while Margeaux returned to work, leaving him home alone with Victoria, who would try to dote on him and care for him as he recovered, but would inevitably end up driving him insane.
"Thank you Margeaux," Daniel said over his shoulder as she wheeled him to an open spot in the room facing the table and began to arrange his things nearby. "You don't have to do all this, you know. You should be taking care of yourself."
"Nonsense, Daniel," Margeaux replied. "We are a team remember?" She sat before him and cupped his chin tenderly in her hand. "I am already disappointed you won't let me do this for you in my own home."
Daniel turned slightly away. "No, thanks. I've shared a roof with my mother before, we're both better off not living together again." Margeaux was accepting, albeit disappointed.
"I understand. I know you have much to repair in your relationship. I only wish I had not told her she could stay if I knew you would be released so soon." She looked slightly forlorn.
Daniel turned to face her again. "Are you kidding? You're a saint for taking her in. My mother's not an easy person to deal with. Obviously David finally realized that about her. Despite that, I appreciate you extending yourself. You're a good person, Margeaux."
She smiled and kissed him gently on the lips. "I am practicing being a caregiver. If I am to be a suitable mother I need to start looking out for more than myself." She stood up and walked over to sort his mail on the table, calling out to him from the kitchen. "You know I would stay here with you and let Victoria keep the apartment to herself?"
"You've done enough already," Daniel replied. "Let me salvage some of my dignity while I still need help taking a bath…"
Margeaux laughed and began organizing his medications on the counter. "The visiting nurse will arrive at noon, and your physical therapy is scheduled for right after." She walked back over to him to lay out his pills on the tray in front of him. "I won't stay late at the office. I'll come by so we can have dinner together."
"That sounds great," Daniel replied with a tired smile, shifting in his seat. He winced slightly from the pain and let out a stifled noise.
Hearing it Margeaux turned, "Are you alright?"
"I may need to start those meds early," Daniel responded, drawing in a quick breath.
Margeaux walked over with a glass of water and placed two pills in his hand, watching him take them with a look of concern. "Don't do anything you're not supposed to," she commanded. "Ring for room service if you need something."
"Yes, ma'am," Daniel replied with a half-salute. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "I think for right now I just need some rest."
Seeing her work completed, Margeaux stood back and went to finish gathering her things. She hesitated at first. "Are you sure you'll be alright without me?"
Daniel did not move only answered her with a wave of her hand. "Go, go, you know you're dying to get back to work," he said quietly. "I'll manage just fine."
Margeaux grinned with his permission. "Ok," she said. She turned to go and noticed on the far table his laptop was still open. She walked over to shut it, searching for the power button on the side, when she accidentally turned it on. On the screen appeared a picture from Daniel and Emily's wedding, still displayed from the computer's last use. Margeaux froze and continued to look at it, parting her lips as she scanned to the next and the next. She looked over at Daniel with surprise, just as he began to stir.
Suddenly conscious of herself she closed the laptop, licking her lips and glancing around. She hesitated for a moment and then brushed off the thoughts that were creeping into her head, turning on her heels and then swiftly walking out of the door, closing it quietly behind her.
She felt her skin growing hot and tried to calm herself down as she walked briskly down the hallway, exiting the building.
SCENE
