The Introduction of Daphne

Author's Note: These sections were written by Daphne and Melissa.

Part 1

A loud, long sigh announced the arrival of Nora Buchanan as she poked her head in the door. "Got a minute, Daphne?"

Daphne nodded as she closed the file in her hand. She was knee-deep in work but always had time for the woman she thought of as her mentor. Nora had been her champion since she had come to Llanview almost a year ago and had been the one instrumental in getting her the ADA position when no one wanted to take a chance on an outsider. So of course she had time for Nora.

"Come in," Daphne said, waving her in. "Excuse the mess." Nora looked around the nearly pristine office and just smiled as she slumped into a straight-backed chair. She looked tired and drawn and rightly so. They had both been burning the candle at both ends since the infamous case of Cutter Wentworth's murder had fallen into their laps.

"What's going on?" Daphne asked, leaning back a bit and running her hands over the stiff arms off the leather swivel chair she sat in as she watched the pensive expression on her friend's face.

"It's my brother-in-law," Nora said with another sigh.

"Clint..."

"Yes. He's making waves. He wants me off the case because of my so-called personal 'vendetta' against the accused."

"'Vendetta'?"

"His words. Yes she and I have a history but this isn't about that. It's about getting justice done and her fingerprints were found on the murder weapon. She has no alibi..."

Daphne sighed as she looked at Nora. "It sounds like he is throwing his weight around. Hopefully nothing will come of it because I can't try this case alone. It's blowing up in the media, hour by hour."

"I can do crowd control," Nora said facetiously. "Look I will be completely forthcoming here. I don't like Kimberly Andrews in the least but this is not about getting back at her. It's about doing my job. A job I like to think I am damn good at. I won't let personal feelings stand in the way of getting justice. Cutter Wentworth might have not been a sterling member of the community but he deserves more than what he got."

Daphne nodded and thoughtfully tucked a strand of her dark chestnut brown hair behind her pink ear. "I know you'll give the case two hundred percent. The mayor would be insane to take the best attorney we've got going off this case."

Nora sighed. "Thank you." She looked at the file on Daphne's desk. "Going over evidence in the case, I see."

"Yes."

"You're thorough, I'll give you that." Nora smiled at her. "Let me help you sort through the madness. I'll order us in some dinner and we can work on this together."

"Alright," Daphne agreed. She would honestly appreciate the help at this point. Maybe new eyes would help her find something she hadn't discovered yet, something that could lock their case down.

"I'll order us some dinner from The Palace since I have a feeling we'll be here for a while. I am so hungry that I think I could eat a whole house about now."

"No need, Red, I brought reinforcements," a familiar voice said. Both women turned towards the door where Bo Buchanan stood with a large plastic bag from which enticing scents emanated. Daphne's stomach growled a bit. She realized she hadn't eaten since breakfast. She had been far too busy today.

"Cowboy, what are you doing here?" Nora asked, rising to her feet and moving over to her husband.

"Well I figured you'd have another long, long night so I grabbed dinner for you and Daphne. Daphne, I hope you like lasagna..."

"Actually I love it," Daphne agreed. "Thank you."

Bo nodded and turned to face his wife. He gave her a light kiss that promised more to come. Daphne looked away and the two lovebirds moved apart. Nora smiled. "Thank you, Cowboy, you always know just what I need. Daphne and I will definitely be working late tonight."

"The Cutter Wentworth case?" Bo asked as he opened the bag from The Palace and removed several steaming hot dishes, plus cans of Cola and even cheesecake for dessert. He really had thought of everything, Daphne mused. He was a good person and he clearly loved his wife. For a moment, Daphne wondered what it would be like to be truly loved that like but then she shook away the thought.

"None other," Nora agreed and she slipped back into the chair. Bo gave her a brief shoulder rub. "This is much appreciated, Bo. It all looks so delicious."

"Only the best from Renee's staff," Bo agreed. He gave his wife a hug from behind then said, "You two take care. See you tonight, Red."

"Thank you, Commissioner," Daphne said and opened the Styrofoam carton. It smelled delicious and she knew she needed to eat but even the enticing smell suddenly didn't make her very hungry. Still, Nora was digging enthusiastically into her own meal so she forced herself to eat as well.

"This is great," Daphne said. "It was really kind of your husband to think of the two of us."

"That's Bo for you," Nora said with a smile. "He really is the best man a gal could ask for."

Daphne nodded and dug into her lasagna because she felt she couldn't just waste it. Lately she hadn't been treating her body very well. She lived off cheap coffee and ate once a meal a day if that. She needed to change her ways, she knew, but life was so stressful. This meal was the first time she'd really taken her mind off work in the last several days.

The two women talked as they examined crime scene evidence. It took a strong stomach not to retch at the photos. The accused had really done a number on her brother. He had been stabbed no less than twenty times in a fit of obvious rage. Daphne had heard Cutter was a louse but did anyone deserve that kind of brutal death? The worst part was that Cutter's sometime bedmate Natalie Banks had discovered him post-mortem. That had to be difficult and Daphne wondered idly if Natalie had loved the deceased.

Suddenly a cell phone rang and Nora reached into her pocket. "It's my youngest," she explained.

"By all means, take it," Daphne said. "We deserve a short break."

Nora smiled appreciatively and put the phone to her ear. "Matthew, what is it?" She asked. Daphne tried not to eavesdrop but couldn't help but overhear from where she sat. "Drew has the hiccups?" She chuckled. "Calm down. It's nothing to get hysterical over. I assure you it's not life-threatening, Son… Okay, they usually go away on their own … What did I do when you were kids? I just told you to hold your breath for a moment and then let it out. I told you to calm down and it would stop eventually. There's not much else you can do… I know you're worried about him, Matthew, but I promise he'll be fine… Alright, yes. Try that. I'll talk to you soon. I love you, son."

Nora hung up the phone and looked at Daphne with a smile. "Sorry. My grandson has the hiccups and Matthew is babysitting him completely alone for the first time and he's a little panicked."

"I can imagine," Daphne said as she took a bite of her lasagna and chewed thoughtfully for a moment. "You seem like a great mom."

"Thank you, Daphne, I try but it's not easy. I have three incorrigible children with three very different temperaments. It's a challenge at times but I wouldn't change things for the world. Plus, I've got an amazing partner in my husband. He picks up the slack if I falter."

"I doubt you falter very often. You're incredibly self-assured."

"Even the strongest people have foibles," Nora said. She looked at Daphne, seeming to want to ask her a question but thinking better off it. "Should we get back to work?"

"Yes," Daphne agreed.

XoXoXo

Daphne and Nora stayed at the office until close to midnight and then walked to their cars together. Nora waited as Daphne climbed into her Lexus before they both pulled out of the underground parking lot. Daphne watched Nora drive away and then pull off in the opposite direction. She had been staying at The Palace since she arrived in town. Her monthly living bill was incredibly high but she had not found a place to put down roots yet. She honestly hadn't expected to stay in Llanview for this long but she was doing alright here so far, she supposed.

She was a block away from the hotel when she noticed that the car trailing behind her had been following her since she had left city hall. It was a black, indiscriminate sedan in her rearview mirror. She wasn't sure why she hadn't realized it before. She was being stalked.

Again.

She looked in the rearview mirror again and is on cue, the driver flipped on their bright lights, nearly blinding her. She blinked three times and then looked back towards the road. Her hands shook noticeably on the steering wheel and she was quite afraid she was about to drive off of the road. However, she managed to steer the car and zipped forward, soon turning into the crowded parking lot of The Palace. The lot was of course packed with cars but there were no actual people in sight. In a panic, she drove up onto the curb and killed the engine before quickly scrambling out of the car. She nearly lost her Louboutin heels in the process but somehow stumbled inside.

"Help! Someone help!" She cried as she ran into the lobby. "He's trying to kill me." She didn't care in the moment that no one was supposed to know about Him. She just realized she wasn't ready to die.

People came running, guests and hotel employees alike, and she panted out her next words. "Please, someone, he's going to kill me. He followed me. He – he –" She broke off, clutching her taut abdomen.

A man moved over to her. He was tall and broad-shouldered with a thick crop of dark brown hair. Daphne vaguely recognized him. He was a Buchanan. Yes, she knew that much. "Who's after you? Who's trying to kill you?" He asked as he held out a hand to steady her. His hand felt unnaturally chill on her arm but that was probably just her fear-induced perception. "M'am?"

Daphne turned away as she watched people hurry outside. One person said he would call the cops and Daphne realized what she had just done. She had caused a scene and she hated those more than anything. Plus, she had alerted people to the fact that everything was not on the up and up, that she was running from someone or something.

She looked at the man with his cell phone poised to call the cops and she shook her head adamantly. "Don't. Don't call the police. I think I was mistaken," she cried. "It's been a very long day… Just don't. Don't call," she begged.

The Introduction of Melissa

Melissa couldn't help but feel nervous and excited as she passed the "Welcome to Llanview" sign. She had always felt like there was a missing piece to her soul and she wondered if her twin sister Marty Saybrooke was that piece.

She wondered how Marty would react when she found out that she existed. She had picked up the phone a thousand times since she had learned who Marty was but she never could place that call. She told herself that this kind of conversation had to be done in person, but the truth of the matter was she was scared. Marty was the only family that she had left and the thought of her rejecting her to a lifetime of isolation filled her stomach with knots.

Melissa remembered the day that she found out that she had a sister...that she had a another family that was out there.

Melissa, I need to tell you something that I've been keeping from you. It's something that I should have told you a long time ago," he struggled to get out as he held onto her hand.

"Save your strength dad, whatever you need to say can wait."

"No, it's waited long enough. I'm sorry for all of the pain that I caused you. You were never the disappointment that I led you to believe that you were. I only hope that one day you'll be able to forgive me for stealing away your innocence."

"I...I want to forgive you, but I don't know-" Melissa started.

"I know...it's okay. Maybe the pain is just too fresh, maybe what I did can never be forgiven, but I still have to try and make things right with you. You were always such a great blessing in my life and I wish that you were my daughter, but you're not...I stole you the day that you were born and I let your real parents believe that you were dead," he confessed.

"No...no that can't be true," Melissa stammered on.

"I'm a terrible, selfish person. I think that we both know that. I worked at the hospital where you were born and I knew that I had to make you mine from the moment that I first laid eyes on had a twin sister, but I didn't want to take everything away from that family so I waited until the doctors had taken her away before I started the fire in the nursery. I left a handful of ashes in your bassinet and I took you for myself."

"Why...why would you do something so awful?" Melissa asked as tears ran down her face.

"I had lost my own wife and newborn daughter and I was so lost inside of my grief...not that there's any excuse for what I did. I want you to find your family...I don't want you to be alone when I die. Your family's last name is Saybrooke and you were born in the city of...in the city of..." He closed his eyes as he took his last breath.

She had only been thirteen when he had told her the truth and died and she had spent most of her life trying to track down her family. It took her many years, but eventually she found the right Saybrooke family to whom she belonged. She had learned that her parents had died and that her sister Marty had been raised by their Aunt Kiki. Marty was all that she had left.

XOXOXO

Todd was driving home from the airport. The rain was making a tapping sound on the hood of his car as it fell down from the sky. The tap...tap...tapping sound was the same kind of sound that the shutters had made the night of the Spring Fling, the night that he had ruined her life.

He had spent half of his life trying to make it up to her...trying to find some kind of redemption that could never be found. He was supposed to bring Marty back home with him. He was supposed to save her, but he was to late. They had killed her to pay him back for faking his own brother's death and they had forced him to watch as a reminder that they would take away everybody he had ever loved if he ever disobeyed orders again.

He dreaded driving back home without her. He knew that her friends would want answers and that he would have to be the one to deliver the terrible news. What would he tell them? Would he tell them that he wanted to die right beside her? Would he tell them that he would not rest until he killed every single person responsible for taking her away from him? They would never forgive him...he would never forgive himself, but he would get her justice.

He was lost so deep inside of his own thoughts that he didn't even see the lights change from green to red. He didn't see the other car until it was too late to avoid the collision.

He climbed out of his smashed Ferrari and headed to the other car. He gasped as he opened up the driver's seat and saw Marty lying unconscious.

"Marty? How can this be? Is it really you?" Todd asked as he unbuckled her from the car and lifted her up in his arms. He was filled with so many questions. was it possible that he had been given a second chance? He didn't know if she was really there, he just knew that he had to save her this time.

"What...what happened?" Melissa asked as she realized that she was no longer in her car, but was being carried by somebody...a mysterious stranger with pain etched in his eyes.

"Shhhh, we were in an accident, but you're going to be okay. I'm never going to let anything or anybody ever hurt you again Marty," Todd promised as he continued to carry her away from the wreckage.