Chapter 2

When Daniel arrived at the Voulez headquarters in the city, he was not surprised that Margaux's large corner office was overrun with her team of assistants, scurrying around as per usual towards the end of the month, just before the release of the final edition was due. He faded back a bit, watching her from a distance as she worked briskly, giving out instructions and reviewing last minute samples. As people slowly filtered out, he edged closer and Margaux caught sight of him, and she sent the last of her attendants out with a quick gesture.

"I don't recall setting an appointment with you today," Margaux greeted him icily, looking down at the tablet on her desk that served as her daily calendar.

"I shouldn't have to set an appointment to see the mother of my child," Daniel returned, pulling up a seat as Margaux reluctantly settled into hers across from him. His instincts told him she was uneasy in his presence. "Or is this a sign I should be preparing for a painful custody battle?"

"That won't be necessary," she responded calmly, leaning back in her chair and resting her hands in her lap. "I know what it's like to grow up without a parent; I would not wish that on our child. But I don't expect things to be the same now that we are no longer…involved," she seemed to pause while thinking of a word to describe their awkward situation.

Daniel looked downwards, taking a moment to reflect on it as well. In the weeks that had passed since the day Margaux stormed out of his apartment, he tried initially to talk things out with her, for the sake of their child. For all her dignity, Daniel respected her – she had shown up at the police station, genuinely concerned when he was questioned about his association with the murders down at the dock. She had supported him when he honestly gave a statement about what he witnessed, and remained peacefully silent the entire ride home that night. But she had left once he was home, and every time after that he reached out to talk to her, she had little to say. When they finally decided to end things, he knew it was not just because their short relationship was not strong enough to weather the storm of events around them. He could sense that Margaux would not budge on the matter of trust, and he couldn't blame her. Admittedly, he had been consumed with thoughts of Emily, for some time now, despite Emily never engaging him on any of his attempts to contact her. But Margaux was a smart woman and she knew when the man she loved did not love her same in return. It was inevitable that they would find themselves here, no matter the reason. But it didn't have to change Daniel's resolve to still be a better man than his own father.

"Well I still plan to be involved," Daniel rebutted, emphasizing the last word. "And for me to do that I need you to cooperate with me."

"My next doctor's visit is at the end of next week," Margaux complied with little emotion, scanning the datebook in her tablet. "You can join me there. But for now, I've been very busy with the issue… As I'm sure you remember?"

"I do," Daniel recalled. He studied Margaux's face and suddenly realized what he mistook for complacency now appeared like a signal she was hiding something. She was often so forthright with him that he could begin to tell the difference. He thought nothing of asking, furrowing his brow. "Have you been seeing someone?"

Margaux smirked at his earnest remark, her dry reaction an answer. "Don't tell me you've waited until after our break-up to become jealous? Though it's not any of your business if I were…"

"Nice try, sweetheart," Daniel replied, smirking on his own. "I can just tell when you're hiding something… But that's alright, I know you're busy. I won't take any more of your time today."

Margaux toyed with the idea of telling him the information she had recently acquired, but knew better of it. She didn't mind him trying to guess though, it certainly wouldn't change anything. "Tell me, have you visited your mother yet?"

At the mention of Victoria, Daniel knew that was his cue to leave. He rose from his seat, buttoning his jacket. "You mean my mother, the murderer?" he clarified with a look of disgust that spoke volumes. "Can't say I have," he began to walk towards the door.

Margaux remained in her desk chair, swiveling slightly to watch him go. "You know she is not yet convicted, Daniel? I believe your American expression; 'innocent until proven guilty' would still apply."

Daniel turned back to face her. "No one's innocent in the Hamptons."

Once he was out of earshot and down the hall, Margaux replied to herself, "Especially not Emily Thorne." The thought of her nemesis jogged her memory of something she planned to do since her visit with Victoria. She consulted her phone directory and quickly got hold of the number she wanted to call, dialing it without hesitation.

"Hello?" she answered when it connected. "This is Margaux LeMarchal from Voulez… I would like to speak directly with the Private Investigator."

SCENE

Emily got a feeling of déjà vu as she stood across from Nolan in the kitchen of her father's beach house. The early morning sun shined through, signaling another insanely warm day. It seemed like only yesterday it was their mission control for plotting revenge on the Graysons, and only a few summers later, here they were, plotting again. Only this time, the planning was for Nolan's nuptials, not hers…even though there was little difference in the sincerity behind it. When Nolan had first mentioned the idea as a tactic to save his new socialite arm-warmer, Emily surprised herself by not once begging he reconsider. She was a bit shocked that even she could not think of a reason why the plan wasn't the best option, and could even turn into a half-hearted happy ending for her dear friend. She wondered if part of her support was attributed to her own desire for a happily ever after…

"Remind me again why I'm inviting Louise's brother and devil-incarnate mother herself to the festivities?" Nolan asked, poring over the guest list at the kitchen table.

"What better reason to get them all under the same roof for you to expose their treachery?" Emily replied, sipping at her coffee. "They wouldn't miss her wedding; it's too big of a public appearance for Lyman's campaign… but once they're there and you deliver Louise's wedding present—"

"A la retired Officer Save-the-day—" Nolan inserted, holding up the original of a police report he dug up that supported Louise's innocence in her family's history.

"-they won't be able to explain their way out of it once you have them cornered," Emily finished, with an effortless shrug.

"Hashtag 'old hat'," Nolan added, referring Emily's ease of planning skills when it came to revenge. "Gotcha. Oh, while we're on topic of public appearances, cool if we use the Manor aka Chez Thorne for the reception?" Nolan tapped his stylus on his iPad, implying it was already on his list.

"Looks like you've already booked it," Emily observed, agreeing.

"Just confirming with its head of security," he noted with a smile, referring to her. "Louise kinda fell in love with the place when she showed up the day of Malcolm's takedown, and personally I wouldn't have my wedding anywhere else but the best Hamptons' venue for drama."

"Of course. Speaking of which," Emily paused at the lead-in. "I've been thinking of putting it up for sale…"

Nolan was momentarily shocked. "Seriously?" he looked around at the beach house. "You thinking of moving in with dear old dad?"

"And draw media attention to why he's suddenly shacking up with a girl half his age?"

"Hey, haters gonna hate?" Nolan shrugged, coyly.

"No, not yet," she answered. "But eventually I do want us to be able to start our lives over. Somewhere low profile…out of the spotlight…"

Nolan sat up straight from where he was leaning over the counter. "Gosh, then if this is gonna be the last hurrah for Chez Thorne, I better opt for the Infinity Package," he began hitting a few buttons on his tablet.

Emily snorted, certain that whatever glamorous plans Nolan had already begun booking would be more than lavish enough.

"So about this guest list..." Nolan continued. "I just did a quick scan and uh, all 50 Shades of Grayson are noticeably absent?" He paused. "Unless, of course I add on a one newly single Daniel as your 'plus one'?"

Emily squinted at Nolan's suggestion and cocked an eyebrow. "Subtle, Nolan."

"What?" Nolan objected, innocently. "He told you himself he's back on the market. And if you're planning on ditching his old stomping grounds at least give him one last chance to spin on the dance floor before seeing it leveled by Hampton's finest."

Emily gave him a faux smile. "Why not, you can afford it?"

"Don't mind if I do," Nolan accepted, swiftly adding his name to the list. "It's not a party until there's a Grayson in the house. Who, I might add, showed up to the house in frenzy when he thought something had happened to you, and made me break out the chopper, no less, to come to your aid at Malcolm's dungeon—"

"You told me the story," Emily interrupted him, a bit wary of his regular attempts at setting her up. She didn't need to hear the retelling of events over and over again to know that Daniel cared about her. The truth was, she cared about him too, more than she was often willing to admit. But their respective feelings had long ceased being the issue – her reluctance was based more on their circumstances than anything else.

"I care about him," she relented, nursing her mug. "Really I do. I just… need to focus on repairing things with my father right now. Ok?"

Understanding, Nolan dropped the issue and at the mention of David, glanced upstairs. "He should be up soon, I'll let you enjoy your time together," he gathered his items and started making his way to the door, with Emily joining him to walk him out.

"By the way," he asked, once they were at the porch. "Did he ever… mention anything in particular about Victoria?"

Emily cocked her head, unsure. "You mean how he feels about what she did?"

"S-something like that," Nolan conceded, referring in actuality to the plans David shared with him in private to eliminate his former paramour. "You should – probably talk it over with him… just the two of you." Nolan rested a caring hand on Emily's arm, knowing he had just awoken her curiosity, and then finally departed down the steps, shouting one last over his shoulder. "Don't forget to check your inbox and RSVP!"

Emily stood there, thinking about what Nolan said for some time before she realized her father had joined her on the porch. She was gazing up at the balcony of the room that now belonged to her at the Manor, when she heard him speak behind her.

"I wonder when this happened," he said, and when she turned she saw he was running his hands over the top of the stair post where he carved the Infinity symbol years ago. She grimaced, remembering how she defaced it during one of her blackouts.

"I'm afraid the previous owner did that," she admitted honestly.

"You?" David realized, fully aware that his daughter purchased the house before having it deeded over to him.

Emily crossed her arms and walked over to where he was standing in the warm sunlight. "Last summer was a hard time for me." She thought about it and added, "Every summer has been a hard time for me actually…even this one has had its own share of pain."

"Well at least now I can begin to heal some of that," David responded, extending an arm around his firstborn.

She smiled, appreciating the affectionate gesture, realizing how much she had missed having her father around. Someone who could show her they loved her genuinely, without her ever having to question their motives. Her curiosity, however, was still peaked from the exchange with Nolan.

"Dad," she said, her tone still awkward, unfamiliar with using the title. "Is there something I should know about Victoria...Something you haven't told me?"

David initially looked genuinely uncertain, but his expression quickly faded, as he realized what he'd been keeping from her. As much as he wanted to, his daughter would not let up once she knew something lurked beneath the surface and she deserved to know. He released his arm and faced away to begin telling her.

"The truth is, Amanda," he started, and his eye caught sight of the Manor where Emily had just been staring. "If everything had worked out the way I planned… we would have been attending her funeral weeks ago, instead of Officer Hunter's."

Emily shook her head, confused. "What are you saying?"

David turned around to face her and could not hold back the truth. "Before Malcolm captured us…before everything happened. That night up at the lighthouse…I planned to kill Victoria."

For the third time in the last few days, Emily's face filled with surprise and alarm and she felt her view of everything that she knew begin to change. Deep down she had buried the knowledge that her father had murdered Conrad in cold blood, and done the same with Victoria's hired henchman. She had tried desperately not to think about the crimes he committed in the sake of revenge, sympathizing with his drive and the fact that she herself had often been down the same road of blind hatred. But this admission was easily building a solid argument that her father was willing to go much further than she ever was.

Noticing her drop in countenance, David rushed to explain. "But, listen to me, Amanda. I'm glad I didn't."

"You are?" she asked, still uncertain as to why, and unsure if she really wanted to know, either way.

"All I ever wanted was time back with my daughter again. Now that I have that, I don't care about anything else. Victoria's dug her own grave, and she's going to rot in it," David finished. Emily breathed a sigh of relief, comforted that despite her father being hardened by the years, he had not lost his humanity. Despite this, she knew the perception of him by others might not be the same, especially considering Margaux's allegation of the shared guilt David held in Ben's death.

"Thank you for telling me the truth," Emily replied, her conviction brewing. "I promise you, this isn't over until Victoria's fate is sealed and we can leave and never look back. We're going to see to it, that she suffers justly for what she's done."

David nodded, grateful that his daughter continued to bestow forgiveness to him, and even more so that she did it with an ever present sense of loyalty. He hugged her again, and as Emily wrapped her arms around him she glanced again back at the Manor, her déjà vu kicking in this time as she remembered being in that very spot with Victoria's eyes cast down upon her from her balcony. Emily was determined now more than ever to leave the Hamptons for good – but not before she made certain that Margaux's plans to exonerate Victoria were thwarted. And she could think of more than one way to begin…

SCENE

"Whatcha got there buddy?" Jack affectionately asked his three-year-old, enjoying the sound of his gentle laughter as he played with a new toy.

It was a rare that he got to spend an entire day during the week with his son, Carl. But following his ceremony the new police chief insisted he take some much-overdue time off, considering all he had been through in the past few months. Jack was glad to oblige, not looking forward to returning to work and having to look at Ben's locker next to his, and the memories of all that had transpired. He planned to extend his personal leave until he could find other work, and had kicked around using the insurance money from the Stowaway to start his own business, though he couldn't think of what else he knew how to do besides bartend and save Emily from certain death. He chuckled to himself at the last thought as the doorbell rang.

Leaving Carl on his play mat within sight to answer it, he was shocked at the face that stared back at him on the other side.

"Stevie?" he gaped.

His mother stood before him, noticeably improved in appearance since he'd last seen her. She was smartly dressed, although casual, her hair cut shorter, neatly framing her face. She smiled and her skin was healthy and bright, and immediately Jack knew she had to have truly kicked her habit in her time back in Los Angeles.

"Jack, I'm sorry to intrude… I know you weren't expecting your mother to come dropping in on you like this?" she responded somewhat sheepishly.

"No, um… please, come in," Jack moved aside, allowing her to enter. She immediately lit up when she saw Carl and couldn't resist going over to him.

"Hey, how's my big boy?" she cooed at him, leaning down to sit by him on the couch. She looked back over at Jack and felt the need to explain herself. "I went to the Stowaway first and when I saw it was burned down I asked around. One of the locals gave me your address, I hope you don't mind? I always wanted to see your house."

"Yeah there was ah- an accident at the Stowaway," Jack tried to put it delicately. "But I'm glad you finally made it here to see the place."

"It's a gorgeous house, Jack. I'm so proud of you," she paused, reflecting. "And I understand I have a lot of reasons to be proud of you? A Hamptons decorated officer…recognized by the governor himself," Jack noticed her eyes caught the Medal of Honor that was lying atop a bookshelf by the wall.

"Oh that," he realized, downplaying it. "Is that what made you come east?"

"I've missed enough of your achievements in this life already… I couldn't regret missing another," she noted a hint of concern in Jack's eyes. "But don't worry, I'm doing all my steps and taking care of myself. I'm feeling much better."

"No, I can tell," Jack assured her, studying her face with a smile. "I'm glad to hear you're doing so well, you really look great… and Carl really missed his grandmother."

"Awww, so did I," she replied, lifting Carl onto her lap. She faced Jack again. "I really appreciate you making sure I got the help I needed. I couldn't have asked for a better son."

Jack shrugged in his usual unassuming way, and admired his mother for being so strong and determined despite the struggles she endured in her life. He truly appreciated having her there.

"So," he continued, filling the silence. "You planning on staying for a while?"

"If they can find room for me at the South Fork," Stevie replied, still cuddling Carl.

"Come on," Jack rolled his eyes. "You know you're not going anywhere near there. You're staying here with us."

"Oh, Jack I don't want to impose—"

"You're not," he emphasized, getting up to sit next to her on the couch and ruffle his son's hair. "We'd be happy to have you here, wouldn't we buddy?"

"It's just that if you had company or anything, I'm sure a young lady wouldn't expect to see your mother hovering around…" she trailed, hinting.

Jack chuckled. "You don't have to play coy. You mean someone in particular?"

"Well, I just know when I left things were still so unsettled between you and Emily," she looked at Jack for confirmation. "Are things still—"

"Complicated?" he finished, pausing to think about his childhood friend of twenty years. That seemed to be the only word he could ever use to describe her, no matter what events happened. It occurred to him though, that his mother still did not know her true identity. While he felt uncertain about sharing it with her without Emily's consent, he imagined Stevie already knew the other recent bomb that had dropped.

"Speaking of complicated," she continued, confirming his assumption. "It must have been a shock for you to find out your father-in-law was still alive?" Stevie's face lit up with intrigue and she made an attempt at a light joke. "I thought I was falling off the wagon again when I heard that news release!"

Jack tried half-heartedly to laugh but it still bothered him keeping up the charade around his mother when he felt she deserved to know the truth.

Sensing his pause she continued nervously, "I can't tell you how relieved I was to hear it, Jack. I always knew he was innocent. David could never have committed those crimes." The twinge continued to twist in Jack's stomach and he finally responded.

"You should talk to him," he said. "And Emily," he added.

Stevie smiled in response, seeing his insistence as a sign of welcoming and she agreed. "Hopefully I'll have an opportunity to see them both very soon."

"You will, in fact," Jack replied, remembering the message he'd received earlier from Nolan. He retrieved his tablet from the bookshelf and pulled up the e-vite that was still displayed on screen and then placed in her hands to look at the wedding invitation. "Turns out, my friend Nolan's finally settling down."

"Oh, how lovely!" she observed with a smile.

"How would you like to be my guest at his reception?" Jack asked, certain before he said it that it had potential to be a bad idea. But he was so happy she was there, he couldn't resist the chance to have her hear the truth from the horse's mouth. Emily and David owed him that, and he knew they both cared for her.

Stevie stammered, immediately touched at the expression, her eyes glistening as she looked up at her son.

"I'd love to."

END OF CHAPTER