A/N: Thanks for the reviews, favorites and alerts! I am going to stick to my Sunday update schedule, but next Sunday is Christmas Day so I doubt there will be a chapter that day. Unless, you guys really want one.

Remember how I said at the end of Fire With Fire that a female character from Revenge would be making an appearance in this story? Well, she shows up in the next chapter so this is your last chance for guesses. Here's a hint: she and Nolan's mom are connected because of her career.

Disclaimer: I'm just a fan.

September 4, 2017 9:20 am

Labor Day

Somewhere on Long Island

As the car sped off down a mountain road, Charlotte and Amanda were more confused than ever. North proved to be an extremely erratic driver – he couldn't manage to stick to a straight path, and Amanda was sure that if anyone else drove by they'd think he was drunk. Maybe that could be a good thing though – maybe a cop would just happen to go by, see North's driving, and pull him over? Then they could ask for help.

"Why did you kill her?" Charlotte demanded. Her shock had given away to anger by this point and she leaned forward in her seat, clearly furious. "Why did you kill Sonya?"

Whenever a mysterious death occurs, the police have to investigate for foul play.

North kept his eyes on the road but as he glanced into the rear-view mirror, Amanda could see his hardened expression. "I had to." He said through clenched teeth. "I had no other choice."

Charlotte continued to protest, demanding further answers, but North ignored her, slowly growing more and more stern. But suddenly, for Amanda everything melted away as she felt a shooting pain which sent her doubling over in agony.

"Oh my God!"

Charlotte turned to her at the sound of her desperate cry and immediately reached for her sister. "Amanda?"

It's not always easy to tell why something happened.

North turned around in his seat now, fuming. "Can the two of you just shut up for a minute?"

The pain that was radiating throughout Amanda's body was now so strong she could barely speak. "I…I…"

Suddenly, Charlotte sat up and her eyes went wide. "Oh my God!" She screamed. "Truck!"

North turned back around in his seat – the car had drifted into the other lane, where a semi was now barreling towards them full speed. He grabbed the wheel and frantically turned it in the opposite direction, trying to get out of the truck's way.

The two sisters both cried out as the car lurched and sped forward. They narrowly avoided the truck, which was honking at them repeatedly as it passed, and for a moment they thought they were safe. Until the car spun out of control, and they heard the sickening sound of crushing metal.

They'd driven through the guard rail.

The car flipped in mid-air and then tumbled down the mountainside, just as everything went black…

Because sometimes crime scenes can be very confusing.

Meanwhile, back in The Hamptons, Olivia had forced an increasingly panicked Jack into the kitchen and sat him down at the table. "Something is wrong," He said to her. "I can feel it. We…we need to be out looking for her!"

Olivia squeezed his hand. "It's going to be alright, I'm sure she's fine…" But despite her words of comfort, his worry about his wife did not alleviate in the slightest. Maybe Olivia didn't believe him, but he knew something was wrong.

Nolan was able to reach both Louise and Drew, who came right over. Drew was visibly concerned too – though not to the degree Jack was – because while Charlotte had left the house early that morning seeming perfectly fine, now he suddenly couldn't reach her. "Is Charlotte okay?" He'd asked, trying to suppress his worry. Nolan wished he had an answer for him.

Speaking of people that couldn't be reached – Nolan had called Hailey and Spencer at least half a dozen times. Neither of them were answering their phones. It was so strange – usually he had no problem reaching them when he needed to.

With a sigh, Nolan hung up as he got Hailey's voicemail yet again. "Hey Liv," He called out. "Can you call Hailey? She's not picking up for me."

Determining the guilty party is hard enough…

After giving Jack one last reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, Olivia got up from the kitchen table and retrieved her cell phone. Nolan watched as she made the call, her face falling after a few moments when she got the machine. "She didn't answer. Huh, that's weird…"

Nolan hesitated for a moment, scared to say what he was thinking out loud. "You don't think…" He began. "That this has something to do with Amanda and Charlotte, do you?"

Olivia opened her mouth to respond, when Louise surprised them both by abruptly bolting to her feet. "Nolan," She said, looking at her friend. When Nolan met her eyes, he saw that they were full of fear. "There's something about Hailey you should know…"

…it's even harder to decipher their motivation.

May 29, 2017 8:00 a.m.

Memorial Day

Southampton, New York

"Happy Memorial Day."

Hailey looked up from fixing her travel mug of coffee as Nolan walked into the kitchen. "Happy Memorial Day," She parroted back, her voice devoid of enthusiasm.

"You're already dressed?" He said, noticing her attire of jeans and a T-shirt as he fixed himself a coffee.

"Yeah," Hailey said, picking up her mug and brushing past him. "I have plans with friends from school. We're…going to get breakfast. And then going shopping."

"Oh," Nolan said, deflating. "Okay…But remember, we're going to Charlotte and Drew's party tonight."

"I remember." Hailey hesitated, before walking back over and surprising Nolan by hugging him tightly. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too…" Nolan said, a little caught off guard when their embrace lingered. When he tried to back up, Hailey only grabbed him tighter. "Is something wrong, Hailes?"

Hailey shook her head and pulled away, forcing a smile. "Nothing's wrong. I just – I realized I don't say that to you enough."

After they said goodbye, Hailey left the house and climbed into her car. She drove down the block for a few miles – until she was far enough away from the house – then she pulled up into the designated parking lot, where only one other car was present. With a knot in her stomach, Hailey parked before getting out and approaching the other vehicle.

Spencer unlocked the doors for her, and Hailey slid into the passenger seat of his Jeep. "You ready for this?" He asked, sounding uncertain himself.

Hailey nodded. "Yeah – you have the address?"

When Jack peeked his head back into the master bedroom, he was dismayed to find his wife exactly where he'd left her – curled up in bed, blankets pulled up. As much as he wished to see her up and moving, it wasn't an unexpected development – even though Amanda was typically an early riser, he knew this way her trying to ignore him. She'd been doing this for four weeks. Since…

"I'm going to work," He told her, trying to sound nonchalant. "It's going to be a busy day today, you sure you don't want to come?"

No answer. Not even an acknowledgement that she heard him.

"I'm going to take Carl with me, if you don't care. But Bay's going to stay here cause there will be way too many people at the beach club for him to be running around…"

Again, no response.

Jack sighed. "You'll be ready for Charlotte and Drew's party tonight, right? It would be great to see their new house…"

Nothing.

Frustrated now, Jack shook his head to himself. For four weeks, they'd done this every morning. Talking to Amanda was like talking to a wall nowadays. It was like he didn't even exist to her anymore. "I love you too…" He murmured sarcastically under his breath, before shutting the door.

When Jack walked downstairs he found Carl waiting, scratching a happy Bay behind the ears. His little face fell when he saw Jack return empty-handed. "Is Mommy sad again today?"

"A little bit," Jack admitted. "But she…she wants me to tell you that she loves you. Very much."

Carl frowned. "Daddy, why doesn't Mommy play with me anymore? And why is she always in bed?"

Jack paused for a second, giving Bay a gentle pat on the head as he thought about what to say. This was something that wasn't easy to explain to a child… "I don't know, buddy." He said honestly. "I wish I did."

"Britney Spears, Charlotte? Really?"

Charlotte chuckled into her coffee as Drew organized their CD's. They were almost fully moved into the house now, and they were jointly hosting a Memorial Day party that night to officially debut it. "Hey, don't knock Britney until you've given her a chance." She said, making Drew laugh.

She walked over and saw that her boyfriend had almost finished unpacking the last of their boxes, their CD's now lined up in a row on the media center. "Let me see some of the things you have in your collection," She said, grabbing one at random. She wrinkled her eyebrow in confusion. "Who are The Killers?"

Drew gave her an 'are you serious' look. "You've never heard of The Killers? Really Charlotte? Mr. Brightside?"

"Oh," She said, the name ringing a bell. "Yeah, I've heard that song. It's terrible."

Drew jokingly placed a hand over his heart. "Mr. Brightside is terrible? That's sacrilegious. I'm seriously doubting my ability to be in this relationship…"

Charlotte chuckled and looked at the rest of the CD's. All of Drew's were either groups she'd never heard of or at the very least that she'd never listened to – The Cure, Oasis, Blink-182. They looked almost foreign next to hers, which included the likes of Taylor Swift, Adele, and Beyoncé. "Do we not have a single duplicate?" She asked.

"We both have Coldplay," Drew offered up, but then he frowned. "Actually wait – you only have new Coldplay. Old Coldplay was like an entirely different band, before they got so mainstream…"

Charlotte turned away, trying to hide how dismayed this revelation made her. She didn't know why she cared so much – they didn't like the same music, so what?

"Anyways," Drew said, clearly not sensing the shift in her mood. "I have to go to the grocery store today before the party. I was thinking we could get some beer, some burgers and hot dogs, try out the new grill…"

Charlotte looked at him, eyebrow raised. "Burgers and hot dogs? Drew, this is our first party in our new home."

Drew shrugged. "What's wrong with having a cookout? It's Memorial Day, after all."

"Because we need to act like adults Drew, not like children."

Her boyfriend was starting to get annoyed now. "Okay, and what do you suggest then?"

"Filets and red wine. We are not serving some of the richest people on Long Island anything in a bun."

Drew opened his mouth to object, but then closed it. "Fine," He said irritably, getting up and grabbing his keys. "I'm going to the store. Anything else you want? Caviar, maybe?" He was trying to sound like he was kidding, but under his thin veil of jest Charlotte could sense aggravation.

As Drew slammed the door behind him, Charlotte sighed.

What if the two of them really weren't compatible after all?

It took about five hours and crossing through two states for Hailey and Spencer to reach Ithaca.

The closer they got to their final destination, the more wooded the area around them became. Just after one, they finally reached Cayuga Lake. The house in particular they were looking for was set further back among the trees, with no neighbors for at least a mile – it was a good thing that they were in Spencer's Jeep, because the roads were rocky and Hailey's Camry would not have been equipped to deal with them.

Spencer parked in front of the house, and he and Hailey sat there looking at it for a moment. It was a large cabin, with a front porch and two car garage, smoke coming out of the chimney. That meant one thing – someone was home. Wordlessly, both Spencer and Hailey summoned their courage and pushed open the car doors to get out.

Their footsteps seemed to echo too loudly as they walked up the front steps. Spencer looked at Hailey, and she nodded. He knocked on the door.

Spencer had to repeat the action a few times before it opened. When it did, the woman standing there's facial expression quickly shifted from annoyance to something else – shock. Even with her absence of makeup and dressed down appearance – a ponytail and sweatshirt instead of all black and high heels – Hailey and Spencer recognized her instantly. "What…what are you doing here?" Sonya Chamberlain stammered. "How did you find us?"

Hailey stood up a little straighter, wanting to seem confident. "We'll ask the questions here."

"And considering the last time your husband and I saw each other he put a bullet in me," Spencer said. "You should do as we say."

Sonya looked over her shoulder. "Brett!" She called. "Get down here!"

Spencer and Hailey waited as they heard footsteps getting closer, and Brett Chamberlain halted mid-step when he saw his two unexpected guests. Like Sonya, he looked different – he was growing out his beard and wearing more casual clothes, almost like he was relaxed. Or like he had been relaxed before he saw Hailey and Spencer. "What the –?"

Hailey smiled. "Aren't you going to invite us inside? After all, we did come all this way to see you."

Nolan had to have knocked on the beach house back door at least five times, to no avail. "Ams!" He called out. "Open up!" When he received no answer yet again, he sighed and shook his head – screw being polite. Luckily he'd had a copy of the key made back when he and Amanda were still getting revenge against the Graysons.

After letting himself inside, Nolan called out to Amanda again. "Ams, it's me! Get down here!"

He plopped down on the couch – feet up – just as he heard footsteps on the stairs. "Nolan!" He heard his best friend snap. "How did you get in here?"

He turned his head and froze when he saw her – it had been four weeks since he'd last seen her in person, and she looked completely different now. Even in the T-shirt of Jack's she was wearing, he could see where her belly was tugging on the fabric – she actually looked pregnant now. It was so weird to him, because the last time he saw her she hadn't been showing.

Nolan shook his head, focusing back on the task at hand. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. You've been ignoring my calls…"

Amanda let out a sigh and walked over, sitting down on the arm of the couch. "I'm sorry that I had more important things on my mind, Nolan."

He hesitated before continuing – her sour mood was evident. "You know, Jack's worried about you…"

"I'm so sick of this!" Amanda snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. "Jack needs to calm down, okay? I know what I'm doing!"

She looked away in anger and Nolan hesitantly slid across the couch so he could reach out and touch her knee. "This is about what happened last month, isn't it?"

Amanda didn't say anything – she didn't even meet his eyes. That's how he knew he had struck a nerve.

"Ams, you had a subchorionic bleed. It's nothing to worry about, and it wasn't your fault! The baby's fine, the hematoma fixed itself, your bed rest is over, and you don't have to stay cooped up in this house all the time…"

Amanda looked at him now, and he saw that she didn't look angry anymore – her eyes had welled up with tears. "Do you know what that was like for me?" She said. "I woke up in a pool of my own blood, Nolan! For the hour that Jack and I waited in the ER, I thought my baby was dead. You can't even begin to comprehend the things that were running through my mind in that moment! How would you feel if you went an hour not knowing if Hailey was alive or dead, hmm?"

Nolan looked down at the ground, not sure of what to say to that. He didn't even want to think about what that would feel like.

"Point is," Amanda continued. "I almost lost everything that day. If something had gone wrong, I never would have forgiven myself Nolan. Don't you remember how many things I've already screwed up in my life? So excuse me if I'm just trying to be more careful from now on!" Abruptly she got up and headed back up the stairs, which Nolan took as her ending the discussion. But halfway up, Amanda stopped and looked back at him again. A single tear spilled down her cheek.

"I'm sorry Nolan – but I can't help you look for your mother anymore. Not when it might put my baby in danger."

After Spencer and Hailey had been given seats by the fire, Sonya went to the kitchen to make a pot of tea. While she was gone, no one said anything – Chamberlain was sitting at the opposite side of the room, and Hailey could see that Spencer kept giving him wary glances. The tension in the room was suffocating and Hailey nervously tugged at the collar of her T-shirt, like it was choking her.

A few minutes later Sonya returned with a tray. If the situation wasn't so serious, Hailey would have laughed at the fact that her former mortal enemy was giving her tea and cookies. Never in a million years would she have predicted this.

Sonya placed the tray down on the table and sat next to her husband. She grabbed his hand – Hailey didn't know if she'd ever seen them exhibit any kind of intimacy before. Even simple handholding was very out of character for the Chamberlains. "How did you find us?" Brett asked.

"Your cell phone ping," Spencer said coolly, taking a sip of tea. "If you wanted to hide out, you should've turned your phones off. Or at least put them in airplane mode."

"We're not hiding out," Sonya insisted. "We…" She paused. "Needed to get away."

"How did you even get out of prison?" Hailey asked Chamberlain. "You were supposed to get six months – you served what, two?"

Chamberlain hesitated. "…Sixty-eight days start to finish." He conceded. "I got out last week – for good behavior."

"Look," Spencer said, leaning forward in his seat. "We didn't come here today to make small talk and drink tea. We want to destroy The Liberators."

The Chamberlains both gave them looks of surprise. "And how do you exactly plan to do that?" Sonya asked.

"That's what we need you for," Hailey answered. "You're going to help us take them down – once and for all."

"Do you realize how dangerous they are?" Chamberlain said. "We had to rent a cabin in the middle of the woods because everywhere else we went we had to worry about being bugged! Once you're in The Liberators, the only way you're getting out is in a body bag. Just ask Lucas Barlow!"

"If you're as innocent as you say you are," Spencer said. "Then you're going to help us. Because even if we have to do it alone, we will take down The Liberators – so either help us or go down with them. Your choice."

The Chamberlains didn't say anything for a moment – they looked at each other in a way that made it seem like they were communicating telepathically. "This is going to be extremely dangerous." Chamberlain said. "So you two have to let us take the lead and do exactly as we say, alright?" Spencer and Hailey both nodded in silent agreement.

"If The Liberators even had an inkling that we were planning a coup," Sonya explained. "They'd kill all of us. They shoot first, ask questions later. And they are very, very well organized. If you want to take down The Liberators, you're going to have to expose their leader."

"And who would that be?" Hailey asked.

"Angelique Franco," Chamberlain responded. "Sonya and I have been in the organization for years and even we don't know everything about her. We don't know where she came from, why she's doing this – all we know is that she's the boss, and she's a bad person. She is not going to be easy to get to – she knows everything that goes on in The Liberators."

"That's why," Sonya continued. "We're going to need to send someone in. To get intel without making a scene."

"Okay," Spencer said immediately. "Send me in undercover. Whatever it takes."

The Chamberlains frowned. "Don't take this the wrong way," Brett said. "But…a black man in an extremely right-wing group that has been known to support white supremacy? You'd generate suspicion the second you walked through the door." Both of their eyes turned to Hailey.

Spencer bolted upright. "What? No, no way! Hailey is not going in there!"

Sonya gave him a look. "You want to take down The Liberators, don't you?"

"They'll recognize her!"

"Well luckily her rich daddy paid off the rag mags to not publish her photo," Chamberlain said. "And if they were going to recognize anyone as a spy, it would be you – when I was in jail, they had your photo splashed all over the six o'clock news."

"And I'll give her a killer disguise," Sonya said, smiling. "I'm already thinking of all the fun I could have with that hair…" At her words, Hailey grabbed her blonde locks protectively.

"There is no way –" Spencer started to protest again, but then he was firmly cut off.

"No," Hailey said. The other three occupants of the room all looked at her as she leaned forward in her chair, a determined look on her face. "I'll do it."

"Hey there, darling!"

Olivia looked up and smiled as she spotted a familiar face making its way towards her through the crowd in Charlotte and Drew's backyard. "Hi, Louise." She said, accepting a hug from the other woman. "How are you?"

"I'm fine…" Louise said, but her previously smiley expression faltered. She lowered her voice. "I'm…worried about Nolan. What was on the flash drive?"

Olivia glanced around before gesturing for Louise to follow her. The two women opened the back door and stepped inside Charlotte and Drew's house, where they could be separated from the crowds outside. "Nolan's mother was on the flash drive." Olivia explained.

Louise looked confused. "But I…but I asked the P.I. to follow North…?"

"And Elizabeth Miller was with him," Olivia said. "With him with him. They're…they're lovers."

Louise blanched and she covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh…oh my God." She gasped, stumbling backwards and plopping onto the couch. "But…but what does that mean? Oh Lord, did she ask North to stalk me?"

"Honestly, right now we know nothing," Olivia told her. "But…Nolan is still in denial. He still wants to believe that his mother could be innocent but…not only is she associated with the group that framed me for terrorism, but now she's also romantically linked to the man who stalked you and my daughter? She could be dangerous and even though I want to support him I wish he could see that as a real possibility!"

Louise was silent for a minute. "Nols always wants to see the best in people," She said. "But I'm worried about him because well…" She sighed and shook her head. "After all, my mama turned out to be a monster too."

A party had never stressed Charlotte out so much before. Food wasn't coming out quick enough, and as the group of old friends she stood with talked she found it harder and harder to pay attention.

"It's…quaint." One of them was saying about the house.

"Small," Another blurted out. She shifted when she saw Charlotte's pointed look. "But I'm um…sure you were going for that. With it being just the two of you and all."

Charlotte forced a smile. "Uh-huh." She said. God, why had she ever wanted to impress these people? They were exactly the type that she had been trying to get away from…

Suddenly her cell phone rang and Charlotte resisted the urge to sigh from relief. Saved by the bell. "Excuse me," she said, before walking away to take the call.

"Oh my God Hailey," She sighed. "You literally just saved my damn life."

"Well," Hailey said from the other end of the line. "Maybe then you won't be so mad when I tell you this…"

Charlotte frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Spencer and I aren't going to be able to make it to your party," Hailey explained. "I'm really, really sorry but something came up…"

Charlotte sighed. "That's okay, Hailey. I understand. Tell Spencer I say hi."

"Okay. I really am sorry, Char."

"It's fine, Hailes. I'll see you later."

"Bye Char."

As she hung up the phone, Charlotte's composed expression failed. Hailey and Spencer would be so good together – they were a couple that actually made sense. She looked over her shoulder and spotted Drew standing over the grill.

She was really starting to wonder if every relationship she had was doomed to fail.

As Hailey hung up the phone after her call with Charlotte, Spencer took his eyes off the road to glance at her. "Can we talk about this now?" He asked.

Hailey sighed audibly. "You're not the boss of me, Spencer."

"This is dangerous!" He protested. "I'm not going to let you do this! If they find you out, then you're dead! How am I supposed to live with myself if something happens to you, huh?"

Hailey turned around in her seat to face him. "We have to do this, Spence. To get justice for both our families. Brett and Sonya aren't going to let anything happen to me –"

"And why should we trust them?"

"I don't trust them!" Hailey said. "But I know that they're not going to pull anything, because if we get caught then they're going down with us! And with me on the inside I can make sure they're not lying to us. I'll be the one getting us information."

"At least let me tell Nolan –" Spencer started to say.

"No." Hailey cut him off. "He'll only try to change my mind." She reached over and impulsively grabbed Spencer's arm. "Spence, we have to do this. So either you're with me, or against me. But you can't stop me."

Spencer stared straight ahead, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. His vision momentarily blurred.

He thought of his father, with his belly laugh that vibrated throughout his entire body and the voices he would make when he read books to him at night…

He thought of his mother, with her smile that could warm even the coldest of hearts and the way she'd dance around the kitchen to oldies while she cooked dinner…

And then he thought about what it was like to be ten years old, wondering why Mommy and Daddy hadn't come home that day, the lady from Social Services showing up to take him away as he asked over and over again "Where are Mommy and Daddy? Where are Mommy and Daddy?"…

Never again would he listen to his father's laugh or his voice as he read out loud. Never again would he see his mother's smile or her corny dance moves. And it was all The Liberators' fault.

He looked at Hailey, his expression hard. "I'm with you." He said. "Until the end."

That night, after they'd returned home, Olivia walked into the living room to find Nolan sitting on the couch, staring at his computer screen. "My mother's in Albany," He said. "For her campaign for governor. She's been there all week."

Olivia sighed and walked over to the couch. "Nolan…" She said, sitting down next to him, unsure of what to say. "I'm worried about you."

Nolan looked at her. "Why?"

Olivia hesitated, pushing her hair behind her ear. "I don't want you to get hurt. The deeper we get in this…the more worried I am that you're not going to get the results you're hoping for."

Nolan sighed and shut his computer lid, turning to face her. "I have to find her, Liv. I deserve answers – we all deserve answers. I don't care if it's good or bad, I just can't stand not knowing anymore. And I promise I will never do anything to intentionally put you or Hailey in danger. I will never let anyone hurt this family."

At his words, Olivia's heart jumped in her chest. This family. Those two little words secretly delighted her. "Thank you." She whispered.

Nolan nodded. "I'm going to stay down here for a while – until Hailey gets home. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Olivia got up and headed for her room while Nolan went back to his computer, but then Olivia paused and looked back over her shoulder. "Nolan?"

He looked at her. "Yeah?"

"Promise me you won't put yourself in danger either."

Nolan smiled feebly. "I promise."

"It's late – so go right upstairs and brush your teeth, alright?"

Carl nodded in agreement as Jack popped open the front door to the beach house. "Okay, Daddy." He started to head for the stairs, but then he froze. "Mommy!"

Jack looked up just as Carl threw himself at Amanda. His wife was sitting up on the couch and a smile made its way to her weary face as Carl hugged her. "Hi, little man. Did you have fun at Aunt Charlotte's new house?"

"Yeah!" Carl said. "You should've come Mommy!"

"Next time bud, I promise. Can I talk to your Daddy for a minute, hmm?" Carl nodded in agreement and headed upstairs. The couple waited for the sound of his bedroom door closing before they spoke.

"What's going –" Jack started to ask, but then he cut himself off when he saw Amanda's composed expression turn to one of panic. "Are you okay?"

Jack sat down on the couch next to her and wrapped an arm around her back. Amanda looked visibly frightened, a hand flying to her belly. "Something's wrong," She said. "I've been feeling this…this weird thing. Like a twitch almost. Something's wrong, I can feel it…"

Unsure of what she meant, Jack reached over and placed his hand where she'd had hers a moment before. After a moment he felt the sensation she had been referring to – and he exhaled. "Amanda," He said. "Nothing's wrong. It's perfectly normal."

"How do you know for sure?" His wife asked. "Maybe…maybe I'm having a miscarriage! Or I'm going into early labor! Or…or…"

"Amanda," Jack cut her off gently. "Everything is fine. That's just the baby moving."

Her eyes widened. "Oh. Oh. So that's…"

"A good thing, I promise." Seeing that this did little to ease Amanda's worries, Jack ran a finger across her cheek. "Amanda, nothing is going to go wrong. You had a hematoma, and it wasn't your fault…"

She sniffled. "Jack, when I woke up that morning…bleeding like that…" When Amanda looked up, he saw that her eyes were filled with tears. "It was one of the scariest moments of my life. And if something had happened I…I never would've forgiven myself…" She let out a hiccup of a cry and looking at her in that instance, he was reminded of the little nine year old girl he'd once known who had everything she loved ripped away.

Jack let out a slight sigh. "Amanda, when I told you that you should take it easy, I didn't mean it as a punishment – you shouldn't be living in constant fear. Sure running around trying to catch bad guys isn't very good for your health, but always telling yourself that something is going to go wrong isn't either. The baby is okay, you're okay – everything will be fine."

Shutting her eyes, Amanda placed her hand on top of his just as she felt the baby shift in her womb again, almost like he or she was offering her some reassurance. "Everything will be fine." She repeated to herself. "Everything will be fine…"

Maybe if she said it enough times, she'd actually believe it.

It was around ten-thirty when Hailey finally slipped inside the Ross residence. She knew questions would surely be awaiting her when she got up the next morning, but she already had her lie planned out – she'd been invited to an end of classes party by some of her friends at NYU and her phone had died. She hated lying, but she knew she had no other choice.

As she started to walk for the stairs, Hailey paused when she saw that she wasn't alone. She walked over to the couch where Nolan was out cold, fully dressed and his chest rising and falling in the rhythmic pattern of sleep. With a slight shake of her head, Hailey pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and tucked it around him, before lightly kissing him on the cheek. "Goodnight, Dad."

Once she reached her bedroom, she closed the door behind her and locked it before dropping the box she was carrying down onto the bed. That anxious feeling in her stomach returning, she popped it open and re-examined Sonya's…gifts.

A leather jacket that was worn at the elbows. A pair of tight, dark wash jeans. A jet black wig. Colored contacts. Even a fake nose ring. It was so weird to think that soon these would all be things she'd have to wear, part of the new identity she had forged…

Hailey shoved the box under her bed. Whether she liked it or not, her double life was beginning. And it was too late for her to turn back now.

"You look tired."

Charlotte glanced up as Drew strode into the living room, the last of their guests gone, and then looked back down into her glass of Riesling. "Yeah. It was a busy night…"

She felt the couch shift under her, indicating that Drew had sat down beside her, but kept her eyes trained firmly down. "Well, I hope you had fun." He said.

They sat in silence for a few awkward moments, Charlotte staring into her glass while Drew finished his beer, until she forced herself to meet his eyes. "Drew…are we compatible?"

Her boyfriend swallowed and gave her a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

She shrugged a single shoulder. "We don't like the same music, or food, or parties…What if we're not supposed to be together?"

Drew sighed and placed his empty bottle down on the coffee table. "Charlotte, do you love me?"

She was a little caught off guard by the question. "Of course…"

"And you know I love you, right?"

After a moment's hesitation, she nodded. "Yes…"

"Then what does the rest of it matter?" Drew asked. He moved closer and cupped her cheeks. "No matter how much as it pains me that you skip my favorite songs in the car, or how grossed out you get when I make you try a sip of Bud Light, I love you and you love me. And that means I love your cliché taste in music and overindulgent shopping habits, and you love my terrible cooking and inability to match my shirt to my socks. Everything else doesn't matter."

Charlotte smiled at him and burrowed her cheek against his palm. "I'm sorry, I'm so paranoid. I just…" She shook her head. "I don't know, I keep waiting for the catch with you. I keep thinking that I'm dreaming and soon I'm going to wake up."

Drew gave her a wicked smile that she knew only meant one thing. "Well, you can't do this in your dreams…" He pulled her face closer and kissed her, long and deep. When they pulled apart he was grinning. "And no matter what, there is one thing we both enjoy."

Before Charlotte could ask what that was, she was crying out in surprise as her boyfriend got up and swung her over his shoulder. "Oh my God! Drew!"

"There's one room in this house we haven't christened yet!"

He carried her off to the bedroom – bridal style now – and Charlotte giggled as Drew kissed her neck. "Okay," She admitted sheepishly. "I could get used to this…"

September 4, 2017 9:27 a.m.

Labor Day

Somewhere on Long Island

Slowly, Charlotte Clarke's brown eyes flickered open, flitting around wildly as she tried to comprehend what had happened. It was all coming back to her in fragments – Sonya. North. Gun. Car. Accident. But how long had she been unconscious? She had no idea.

Crime scenes are like puzzles.

As she lifted up her head, she found that it was throbbing and dripping blood from a nasty gash across her cheek, and when she touched her mouth she was met with the realization that one of her teeth had gone right through her lower lip. As she rolled over onto her back, another fiery pain flared up in her chest and she clutched her right arm, which jutted out at an odd angle. Charlotte resisted the urge to throw up when she saw the grotesque contortion, and her mouth tasted like blood and bile.

The young woman suddenly rose to her feet when she made an even more startling insight. She looked at the sight in front of her frantically – she was now on the side of the mountain, from the car flipping over the guard rail. Her eyes widened when she saw a lump a few feet farther down the mountain, and she ran over even though her legs were covered in scrapes and it hurt to move them.

Every piece is significant.

"Oh my God!" She screamed as she approached. "Amanda!" Her sister was lying on the ground, perfectly still – was she even breathing? Was she dead? Charlotte knelt down next to her, running a hand across Amanda's face. It was clear to her that her sister was in an even worse condition than herself, having taken a brunt of the impact when the car flipped. Her right wrist was pointed upwards in an unnatural position, her one leg bent like a broken doll. Her forehead was ripped open, and Charlotte swore she saw bone.

With a sick feeling in her stomach, Charlotte turned her attention to Amanda's lower half and she covered her mouth with her hand. There was blood and liquid all over – her water had broken.

Sometimes they can get jumbled up, making the puzzle much harder to solve.

Charlotte's hands immediately flew to her sister's stomach, feeling for any kind of fetal movement to reassure her that the baby was even still alive. Tears filled her eyes – she couldn't possibly lose them both all at once. "Oh, Amanda…"

Suddenly, Charlotte was lurched upright by a tugging at her hair. She let out a pained cry and managed to turn her head just enough to see Ryan North's face inches away from her own. He was bleeding heavily from his nose and there was glass stuck in his skin, but he didn't compare to either of the girls – the car had gone down backseat first, and it looked like North hadn't been thrown from the vehicle like Charlotte or Amanda had. "We have to go!" He roared, grabbing her by her injured arm and therefore causing Charlotte to yelp. "Now!"

And when a piece goes missing…

While Charlotte cried out in pain, North practically dragged her off. Faintly in the distance, she could hear the sounds of sirens approaching, explaining his haste.

Charlotte looked over her shoulder, staring at her sister's unconscious form as they retreated. She didn't even know if she was alive.

All Charlotte could do was hope that they would find Amanda in time.

…it becomes impossible.