A/N: As always, thank you for your reviews, feedback, follows, and favourites, they're seriously appreciated and I enjoy reading every single one of your reviews :) You should know that you've all accumulated lots of good karma. :p
(edit: I've only just noticed the lack of formatting and oh my goodness, you can be sure I smacked my forehead really loudly when I realised. You would think that, this being the 4th chapter, I would be used to it by now, but apparently not. Am I mortified? YOU BET. I am so sorry to anyone who had to read it unformatted and without page breaks! D:)
"I've gone for too long
Living like I'm not alive
So I'm going to start over tonight
Beginning with you and I."
― Paramore, Miracle
Chapter 4
Bright lights, white walls, and the distinct smell of disinfectant.
"So Daniel, I need you to get lots of rest, try to refrain from rigorous physical activity for the next few weeks, and keep on track with your medications, alright?"
Daniel flashes his doctor as charming a smile as he can muster under the circumstances, assuring her that he'll comply with her instructions. He doesn't hate hospitals per se, but it hasn't exactly been peachy being stuck here with all his food, drink and daily activities monitored, with only visits from Margaux and even his mother to brighten the day. In fact, even Louise has come to see him, complete with distinct Southern drawl and gargantuan bouquet of flowers in hand (though she did spend more time talking to his mother than him).
But no Emily, he thinks, and then subsequently berates himself for having thought about her yet again in the past few weeks he's been here. It's been impossible for Daniel to stop his thoughts from gravitating towards his ex-wife even with his girlfriend standing next to his bed, but in his defence, he did just take two bullets for her. Isn't it perfectly normal to worry about a person whose life would probably have ended if he hadn't been there?
"I also want you to come straight to the hospital if the dressing on your wounds come off, if there's any excessive bleeding, and if you're running a temperature for more than 4-5 hours, Dr Ho adds, not unkindly. "Fever could be a sign of infection, which is serious if not addressed."
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. So this means I'm free to go, right?"
She nods, smiling. "Yes, you are. Your nurse will assist you with your discharge details, and I'll see you again soon for your follow-up."
Seated in a chair on the other side of her son, Victoria chimes in, "Thank you, doctor. I'm sure Daniel will take your advice seriously."
At this, he suppresses the urge to roll his eyes, and in fact, he's on the verge of a retaliatory comment when he's interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing. The blonde French whips out her mobile from her bag.
"I'm so sorry Daniel, it's the office," she says apologetically. "I have to take this, I'll be right back." A quick peck on the lips, and then Margaux is striding out of his room, heels clicking loudly on the linoleum floor.
"How are you feeling?" Victoria asks once they're alone, examining her son with one of her customary piercing gazes.
"Fine, Mom. Look, I'm 28, not 8," he points out. "I can take care of myself."
"The fact that you're in this hospital bed right now instead of in your penthouse, after taking 2 bullets for a woman whose name I care not to mention, tells me otherwise. After what she's done to you -"
"Mom, not this again," he cuts in. "She was hurt, and I just wanted to help her. Can we leave it at that?"
Victoria opens her mouth to reiterate the fact that no, they can't just leave it at that, but is forced to drop her case for the moment when Margaux re-enters.
"Hey," Daniel greets his girlfriend, visibly relieved at the welcome intrusion. "I'm gonna go talk to the nurse about getting out of here. Come with me, won't you?"
"Oh, well of course -"
"Great," he cuts in, already out of bed.
"So - here we are. Welcome home, Daniel." Margaux turns to face him, a bright smile on her face as she leans in for a kiss.
Home, he thinks, as he looks around his penthouse suite and re-acquaints himself with everything in it. Hmm.
"How does it feel to be back?"
"Like freedom," Daniel answers without hesitation, and Margaux laughs.
"I would love to stay with you here tonight, but I have a sinking feeling I might be in the office until the sun comes up. Voulez has an important issue coming out next week, and with the quarterly earnings down..." Margaux trails off, watching as he flops onto the bed. "Hey, you shouldn't be worrying about me today." She walks over to where Daniel lies down, staring up at the ceiling. "I promise: after next week you get my full attention."
He returns her smile, albeit somewhat distractedly. "It's fine, babe. You go do whatever you need to, it's not like I'm bleeding on the floor. Really, I'll be fine."
"Love you," she says, leaning in to kiss him once more.
"Love you too."
When Margaux leaves for the office minutes later, Daniel takes this time alone to ponder his next move. It feels strange not having anything to do - no clients to see, no portfolios to look over... nothing. They've put the shower debacle behind them, Louise and him, but they've also amicably agreed to go their separate ways with regard to the management of her wealth. He supposes he ought to look for new clients sometime soon - the bill for the suite isn't going to pay itself, after all - but right now, Daniel has more pressing issues on his mind, the reason he's been shot twice in the abdomen being one of them.
There is no doubt in his mind that Emily's probably fine, because word would have spread like wildfire if anything serious had happened to one of Hamptons' elite (especially the current owner of the old Grayson Manor), but other than that, he knows nothing about what she's been up to. No visits, and no explanations for the night they both nearly died.
"Where on earth is Emily?"
"I think she's just grabbing the cake."
"Oh, there she is."
Daniel looks up to see his girlfriend walking towards their cosy little gathering, cake in hand, and immediately feels a warmth at this beautiful vision. Everybody around the table begins to sing him Happy Birthday, and Daniel smiles, thinking that this is probably the best one he's had. But then he hears another voice, one that isn't welcome at all, and looks up to see Tyler behind Emily, a gun pointed at her head. His blood immediately runs cold.
"Come on people, yes, big finish! Happy birthday dear Daniel, happy birthday to you," Tyler sings mockingly. "Sit down, Emily."
She complies, although obviously reluctantly.
"Make a wish," Tyler continues, then bends over to blow out the candles on Daniel's cake. "Emily Thorne, poor little rich girl next door. You've had a target on my head since the day we met. Now you can see how it feels."
Daniel watches as Emily turns her head slightly to look at Tyler, fear evident on her face. All he can think about is the fact that there's a gun pointed at his girlfriend's head, and the words escape his mouth before he's even sure of what he's doing. "Tyler buddy, put the gun down -"
"Shut up, Danny!" says Tyler, pointing the gun at him next and immediately shutting Daniel up. "You made it clear that I'm not your buddy, and now, you're on the losing end of things for once in your life."
Funny how time seems to both fly and crawl when you're in the middle of a life-threatening situation. Everything moves quickly, yet not fast enough at the same time.
Daniel recalls that birthday clearly (how could he not?), the first time Emily and him had had their lives threatened at gunpoint. He remembers the most vivid moment of that night - watching Tyler point a gun at his then-girlfriend, seconds away from pulling the trigger, and his own heart pounding so hard it feels like it might burst out of his chest.
And now we have another one of those to add to the list, he thinks to himself.
"Any updates?"
"Not today, sunshine."
It's become a custom for Nolan and Emily to exchange such cheery morning greetings as these now, though she realises the pointlessness of it, because if either of them had heard even the slightest indication that Malcolm Black was anywhere other than Canada, they would've informed the other within a matter of seconds. But still she asks him, and maybe it's because every time she gets "no" for an answer, it's music to her ears. Weeks on from her altercation with Kate, Emily's arm is now completely healed, Nolan's still a permanent presence at Thorne Manor, and they've had no news about Malcolm. In a way, the lack of reaction feels worse than an immediate retaliation.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say he's biding his time, probably just to mess with us," Nolan had observed once to her. "Like Hannibal Lecter. Or Voldemort."
But at the very least, it's allowed Emily a return of her fighting abilities, now that she doesn't have a broken arm hindering her daily training. In fact, once her doctor had cleared her (well, slightly before, actually), she'd been training more intensely than ever.
"I do have an update on Prince Grayson, however," he says, turning his laptop to face her with a digital copy of Daniel's hospital record on it. Emily's eyes scan the document for details that indicate to her Daniel's full recovery, while Nolan looks at her expectantly, awaiting some kind of response.
"Well? Penny for your thoughts, girl with the infinity tattoo?"
After a long silence broken only by the sound of Emily retrieving a mug and pouring herself some coffee, she finally responds. "I'm glad."
"That's it?" he asks, in disbelief.
"You know that Daniel was never a target," she says quietly. "Despite our history, despite what he did to me... I still care about him." Then, in a characteristically more stoic manner, she adds, "I'm glad he'll be alright."
"Tell me again why he took 2 bullets for you, when he did the exact opposite last summer?"
Just as nonplussed, she simply shakes her head.
"You think maybe Danny's had a crisis of conscience? Maybe he's trying to atone for his sins - step by step, of course."
Emily shrugs, non-committal. "Maybe."
"Why didn't you... y'know?" asks Nolan, looking at her curiously. "Victoria Grayson never stopped Emily Thorne before, you could've easily snuck in. Remember that striped jacket I used when you were in the hospital?"
The corners of her mouth turn up slightly at this reminder; Nolan had been one of the few beacons of light during that dark period of her life. "I made a deal with him that I would keep him out of my war against Victoria. I think it's best we stay out of each other's way from now on."
"Mm. The Hamptons is a pretty small place, though."
When Nolan leaves an hour later, she takes this opportunity to go up to her bedroom, open her bedside drawer, and extract the letter she'd swiped from the crime scene before the cops had arrived. By now, the smudges of blood have turned a dark brown, the paper somewhat stiff. Emily unfolds it.
Dear Dad,
My whole life I've been told I was destined for greatness based solely on the virtue of my name. I was taught sacrifice was for the foolish; survival was all that mattered. But now I find myself at a crossroads, and I must decide what I believe to be true. There is no such thing as destiny. Legacies must be earned by the choices we make. I now know that we write our own endings, and we can either choose to hide as villains, or live as heroes.
Daniel
Emily researches all her targets and pawns thoroughly, and Daniel had been no different. Even before she'd stalked him at Harvard in order to observe his character, she'd looked up his background: Daniel Grayson, spoilt little rich kid with a party boy reputation and a penchant for scandal.
Nothing out of the ordinary, really, she remembers thinking.
Which is why Emily can't put a context to this letter of his. He'd written of forging his own path and legacy through his choices, and not through the Grayson name. But as far as her research can tell, his poor little rich kid reputation had held, up to the moment they'd met at the yacht party.
She frowns, then folds the letter and puts it back in its place.
"Daniel?"
Lost in his memories, the calling of his name evokes no reaction from him whatsoever, and Daniel remains where he is, sitting on his bed and flipping the pages of a scrapbook he'd stashed away a year ago.
"Daniel, darling, are you here?" Victoria calls out again, this time managing to get through to her son.
Shit, he thinks, employing a few choice swear words in his head as he makes to put the book out of sight of his mother's eyes, but to no avail. He looks up to see her standing mere feet away.
"What are you doing?" she asks, a dangerous edge to her voice.
Daniel sighs, well aware that his hasty attempt to conceal Emily's first birthday present to him has been a complete and abject failure. "I'm allowed to look through my old things, aren't I?"
"Not unless it's to throw them out, which I suspect is not the case here," she says sharply. "Daniel, need I remind you that that woman lied about who she was, then used you in order to insinuate her way into this family?"
"I'm fully aware of who Emily is and what she's done to us. I'm also fully aware of what our family has done to hers."
"Is that why you took those bullets for her? You're trying to make up for all our sins?"
I'm not sure taking 2 bullets makes us even, he thinks, but says nothing.
"Or are you still in love with her?"
At this accusation, Daniel gapes at his mother in disbelief, leaving him momentarily unable to come up with any sort of response and allowing her to continue her tirade.
"I didn't want to say anything while you were still recovering in the hospital, but now that you're back home, I will," says Victoria, resolute in her desire to protect him. "My darling son, I beg of you, do not go down this road again. No good ever comes from dredging up the past, especially ours."
Daniel shakes his head. "I don't want to fight with you, not after I nearly died. But I will say this: I'm an adult, and it's none of your business what I do."
"It's my business that my son is far too trusting of women who end up destroying his life!"
"You mean like you?" he says, and Victoria stiffens, clearly resentful at the accusation.
"Everything I have done, I've done to protect you. And I will not hesitate -"
"What are you gonna do, Mom, hire a private investigator to follow me around? Track my cell phone GPS?"
"No," she says quietly. "I won't do that. But I will tell Margaux."
Several hours later, Daniel resolves to get out of the hotel, maybe take a walk - anything to distract himself from being left alone with his thoughts. He'd spent the last few hours engaged in a number of activities: going through keepsakes and memories from his relationship with Emily, contemplating paying her a visit, restlessly pacing his suite, and eyeing with interest the bottle of champagne sent up by the hotel (no doubt a gift celebrating his recovery and return).
Victoria had left soon after making her threats heard, but as far as Daniel could tell, he had no reason to be worried at present. As far as he knew, he'd done nothing wrong that Margaux could be upset about. Yet.
"Daniel?" a voice calls out, the second time today. This time, though, it belongs to someone whom he finds most definitely welcome.
"My god, Char," says Daniel, getting up to greet his little sister and embracing her. "You're a sight for sore eyes, you know that? What are you doing here?"
She pulls back from their hug, both elation and concern evident on her face. "What, did you think I wouldn't come see my big brother after he nearly died? Is it true what they're saying? That you got shot trying to protect Emily?"
"Ah. Well... Why don't we sit down, and I'll tell you all about it. And you can tell me all about how you've been doing."
Realising that Daniel has made no immediate denial of her statement, her eyes widen considerably. "The last I checked, you hated her. What changed? Oh my god, don't tell me it's because of what I told you." Daniel hesitates, enough to confirm her suspicion, and Charlotte exclaims, "Oh my god, it is, isn't it?"
"I'm glad you told me," he says honestly. "Because it's helped me to understand everything so much better, including my history with her."
Charlotte shakes her head. "So what happened?"
"I was walking the beach the night it happened; I heard a disturbance at our old house, and I checked it out," he explains. "Obviously, I had no idea I would get shot in the process."
"Who was that woman? Kate, or whatever her name was? I read the papers, but they didn't say much."
"No idea. And I still have no idea why she tried to kill her."
"Emily didn't come see you?"
"No. But I can't really blame her for that, not with Mom hovering around like a hawk."
Charlotte snorts. "Yeah, that she is. Have you spoken to her lately?"
"Actually, you missed her by a couple of hours. She was just here."
"What did she want?"
"What she always wants: to meddle," Daniel replies, rolling his eyes at the recollection. "Listen, Char, it's good that you're here, because I could really use some advice."
"While I'm flattered you'd come to me, I'm not sure it's wise to ask for advice from a 20-year old junkie who just checked herself out of rehab," she points out, and Daniel chuckles.
"Hey, you're one of the smartest people I know," he says, putting his hands on her shoulders. "You checked yourself into rehab." Charlotte smiles at this attempt to make her feel better as Daniel continues. "I need to talk to Emily, get some answers - I mean, I think I deserve an explanation for my near-death experience. But I want you to know that no matter what lies Mom tries to poison you with, I did it willingly."
Charlotte doesn't bother to hide her surprise at the 180-degree change in attitude.
"I spent the past year blaming Emily for all of my problems, and I don't wanna do that anymore. In fact, I'm - I'm grateful, because she forced us to face the truth. I don't know if you've noticed, but our family's done nothing but tear hers apart."
"What do you have in mind? An apology?" she asks, still sceptical. He merely makes a noncommittal gesture.
Looking at Charlotte now, Daniel realises that he hasn't been as great a brother as he'd wanted, not having been there for her when she'd been kidnapped, or when she'd tried to end her life, but he wants to make sure he's there for her now. Learning of them being mere half-siblings hasn't changed the fact that Daniel loves his little sister, who has always been honest with him, and it's probably high time he returned the favour.
"Do you remember what happened on the yacht the night Emily and I got married?"
"Danny, I don't think anyone could forget their sister-in-law getting shot on her wedding night."
"Didn't you find it strange that Lydia was the one who shot Emily?"
"I didn't know Lydia very well," Charlotte says slowly. "But I mean, I did think Mom was a more probable suspect; she hated Emily from the beginning."
Daniel takes a deep breath, steeling himself for what is bound to be an uncomfortable experience.
"Try not to think too badly of your big brother after this, okay?"
In the first 2 weeks after the incident, they'd tried to lay low and keep to themselves as much as possible, not wanting to draw more attention than necessary. Most of all, they were on high alert. But as the weeks passed, and no news of Malcolm Black heading their way had surfaced, Emily and Nolan had tried to go about their lives as per normal - or as normal as they could be, anyway. Seeing as she was still sharing her roof with him for safety purposes, part of the return to normalcy had included joint routines in the evenings, like either watching a movie (they took turns to choose the title) or, if it was a weekday, Wheel of Fortune (Nolan's pick). For the most part, Em watches in silence, while Nolan gives his comments or half-yells the answer to the puzzle on the screen, and oh god we're turning into an old married couple, she thinks. As much as she loves her bestie, she doubts she'll ever get used to doing normal things like sitting on a couch and watching TV.
"Nolan, don't you think it's time you move back into the $10 million house I bought you?"
"And not be on hand if our own personal Keyser Söze decides to drop by? No no no, I don't think so."
"It's been 7 weeks."
"Which only makes him more dangerous, because he's probably patiently biding his time somewhere in Ottawa right before he goes all psycho on our asses!"
"You said yourself we've got the locator numbers for all of his planes. If he comes, we'll be prepared. And we can mobilise resources just as well in separate locations, not to mention the fact that your place is a mere 35 minutes away." Her argument yields no response from him. "Nolan..."
"I don't know Ems, I kinda like staying here. For one thing, it means I can keep an eye on you. And, well... it's been nice bunking with my bestie."
Emily can't help but smile ever so slightly at this, but for the sake of her sanity, she needs some space.
"Alright, I get it," says Nolan. "You're like the human version of a solitary animal. I'll move back next week." She gives him a look that says, you're kidding, right? "Fine, tomorrow." Two raised eyebrows. "Tonight?"
"I'm not kicking you out, I just think we ought to move forward with our lives."
After a long silence, Nolan sighs heavily, evidently giving in to her demands (was there ever any doubt?). "Alright, fine. I'll pack some of my stuff up tonight and come back for the rest tomorrow. On the plus side," he mutters to himself, "this means I finally get to bring my paramours home again."
When the packing process is over, Nolan stands in the manor's foyer, duffel bag stuffed with only half the clothes he's imported over to Em's place. Trying his luck, he turns to her in a last-ditch attempt at preserving their current housing arrangement.
"Last chance to change your mind," he says hopefully, which produces a chuckle from Emily, but nothing more.
"Goodnight, Nolan."
"Goodnight, Ems."
Closing the door behind him, she feels a strange mixture of comfort and emptiness at the same time. It already feels odd adjusting to an environment without Nolan almost constantly in it, but the fact remains that if she spends one more night watching an episode of America's Game, she just might lose her mind. Give or take an hour later, Emily is about to turn in for the night when she hears the doorbell ring.
Probably Nolan, she thinks, making her way down the grand staircase and finding the door still resolutely shut. Odd. Since when have either of us bothered to knock or ring?
Amused by the sudden respect for privacy, Emily is halfway through her sentence when she opens the door. "What's with the sudden -"
"Hi."
"Daniel," she says, clearly surprised. In fact, the words surprised, perplexed and stunned combined don't even begin to describe her reaction at seeing her ex-husband on her front step.
"I know it's late," he says, somewhat apologetic. "Can I come in?"
A/N: Some thoughts I had while writing this chapter: I really enjoyed bringing Charlotte back, because I do like her relationship with Daniel. Also, I found it necessary to involve Nolan in Em's plans against Malcolm Black (honestly, when he wasn't involved on the show, it was a little hard for me to accept. But that's just my opinion).
Personally, I'm super excited to start writing Chapter 5, if you get my drift ;) Hehehehe let me know what you guys think! Reviews are to me what snarky comebacks are to Victoria (and thank you for noticing what I did there c:) (。◕ ∀ ◕。)
