A/N: Sorry that it has taken me so long to update this fic. Due to time constraints, I'm only able to update one each week, if that. Thank you for your feedback on my previous chapter, and I hope you like this one! Note, this chapter does contain Jack/Emily interaction as well because I think it keeps it realistic to how scenes might have been between been on the show. This ultimately is a Demily fic though. :)

Chapter Three

Solitude had once been Emily's preferred way to spend time, but now being left alone to her own thoughts seemed almost suffocating. It was rather strange to feel as though her memory was a blank canvas, only dating back two weeks prior. She hoped Daniel would be home soon to relieve her from the quietness. Even though he was most often reserved, the familiarity of his presence had become comforting.

There was a light knock on the back door, and Emily was pleasantly surprised to find Jack Porter standing on the other side. He began speak as she opened the door, unsure as to how she would react. "Do you remember me? I'm Jack Porter...I came to see you in the hospital," He said, almost nervously. Emily sympathetically smiled, recognizing that her memory loss was hard on her friends as well.

"I remember you. My short term memory is working just fine. It's my long term that's the issue," She joked with a pleasant smile continuing to line her face to which Jack returned. Emily slowly moved over to the porch swing with Jack following suit.

"Nolan sends his best. He wanted to come, but didn't want to bombard you."

"Ah, yes...he's the tall guy with the cool clothes who hung around my hospital room day and night," Emily recalled with the smallest laugh. Jack smiled again, thinking of their unique friend.

"Nolan is one of a kind, that's for sure. And he'd do pretty much anything for you."

"Charlotte showed me my wedding pictures, and I noticed he was the one to walk me down the aisle."

Though the thought of Emily's wedding day made Jack cringe, but he tried his best not to let on. To Emily, her wedding to Daniel was real, not a farce. "Yeah, you two are like family."

"And what about you and me?" She asked softly, turning her head to look at him. "Even though I don't remember, there is something... really familiar about you."

Amanda was still in there, Jack thought to himself with relief. Memory or not, their connection remained. "Well, we've been friends a long time. You're my son's godmother."

Emily was pleased to find out she had been bestowed such an honor. It gave her more of a sense of her identity, and also a hope that she must have done something right in her past. "Really? That's wonderful to hear. Am I close with your wife too?"

Jack's eyes fell to his lap. He was unprepared for such a question, although, it really should not have come by surprise. He began to nod his head in affirmation. "You were, yes. She uh...she actually died last year."

"Oh Jack...I'm so sorry," Emily breathed, feeling terrible for bringing up such a sensitive subject.

"It's okay. You didn't know."

"Was she sick?"

"No, no...there was a boat explosion. She didn't get out of the way in time." His eyes returned to Emily's as he relived the painful event. "You... saved my life and... tried to save her's. I don't...really want to get into it right now, but someday...we can talk about it more."

Emily nodded at Jack's reasonable response. There was something very gentle about him when he spoke to her, she noticed. "How was I even able to do that?" She questioned, seriously doubting that she had ever been a heroine. Helpless was all she felt these days.

Jack paused, his eyes washing over her in admiration. "Because you're you." They looked at one another for a long moment in silence. It was then that Daniel arrived home, and upon seeing Jack and Emily sitting on the swing together, stiffened. "Daniel," Emily cheerily greeted, trying to recover from Jack's words.

"Hi, Em." Daniel looked at his enemy pointedly. "Jack."

"Grayson."

Jealously began to rise within Daniel. Despite his conflicted feelings towards Emily, he did not want Jack near her. He had enough problems to contend with as it was. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Nope, just came by to check on Emily, but I should get going," Jack replied as he stood while Emily remained seated.

"Thanks for stopping by, Jack," Emily said softly. She could tell Daniel was not particularly pleased by Jack's presence, for what reason, she was not certain. However, she had thoroughly enjoyed his visit.

"Of course." Jack forced a smile, and then began to leave.

Emily's voice stopped him when he was on the porch steps. "Hey, Jack?... I'd really love to see my godson some time."

Her request brought a smile to his face, and he gave a nod over his shoulder. "I'll bring him over soon, and you're always welcome to come by the Stowaway." Emily did not know where the Stowaway was located, but assumed it must be nearby. Jack had mentioned when he visited her at the hospital that he both owned it and lived there.

"Thanks, and please tell Nolan he's welcome anytime."

"I will." Once Jack was gone, Daniel sat down next to Emily on the swing, trying to sort out all that was running through his head. If he no longer wanted her, then why would it matter to him if she were sharing a close moment with another man?

"Do you have a problem with Jack? I noticed the tension between you two."

Daniel shrugged. "I just don't...trust the guy, that's all."

"Why is that?"

"It's nothing worth talking about."

"Obviously it's something, Daniel. I want to know the truth. Please just tell me," She gently pleaded.

Daniel sighed, deciding to be honest with her. Their past did not need to be a secret. "We haven't exactly... had the smoothest relationship, Em. I've hurt you, you've hurt me. I don't want to lie and pretend it has been a perfect." Emily sat with baited breath, wanting desperately to hear the truth even if it weren't positive. Daniel continued, his eyes moving to the landscape ahead. "We broke off our engagement at one point... and were apart for several months. Our engagement was off to a rocky start for reasons I will explain later, but..." His voice trailed off. Maybe reliving the past was a bad idea.

"But what?" Emily urged.

Daniel sighed again, not wanting to make her feel remorseful for something which now seemed almost insignificant. "I found out Jack was here one night and you kissed him. And when I confronted you about it...you didn't deny it and...ended up giving me back the ring."

Emily processed in silence, stung by what Daniel was saying. She had obviously been selfish and hurt him. "And you found it in your heart to forgive me?" She questioned in a whisper, holding a new-found respect for him.

Daniel didn't want her respect though, or to be made out to be someone admirable. There was nothing admirable about what he had ultimately done to her. "When it was all said and done...there really wasn't anything to forgive."

"Why?" Emily asked, wanting to know more.

Daniel rewound his mind back to the time in which their reunion meant more to him than anything. It was the only way he was able to have such a conversation with her. There it was again suddenly, the look of love reflecting in his eyes. His hatred could not erase how he had once felt. "Because being with you meant more to me than any few minutes you spent with Jack."

Emily entered the Stowaway contemplatively taking in her surroundings of the tavern filled with a light crowd. Nolan was seated on one of the bar stools from which he nearly fell upon seeing her. "Ems...hi." He stood and walked over to her.

"Hello, Nolan." Her eyes smiled as she spoke, a warmth emitting from her which he was un-accustomed. Perhaps, this was the person Jack knew as a child. "Do we...normally... hug?" Emily awkwardly asked.

Nolan shook his head, amused at the thought. "Uh... not really, no. You're not...really the...hugging type."

"Oh." This seemed to puzzle her, but she quickly recovered.

"So, I assume you're here to see Jack?"

"Yes. I was hoping to spend a little bit of time with my godson."

"Ah. Well, Jack's upstairs with Carl now. You should go on up," Nolan encouraged and Emily nodded, still feeling slightly uncomfortable. It was difficult for her to act at ease with people who were her friends, but still felt like strangers. She climbed the winding staircase to the Stowaway's humble living quarters and found Jack on the floor with Carl. Her presence caught him off guard, and he quickly rose to his feet.

"Emily, hi."

Digging her hands in the pockets of her jeans, she offered a smile. "Hi, Jack. I hope it's okay to be dropping by unannounced like this."

"Of course. Please have a seat."

"This is Carl, I take it?" She asked with a smile as she sat down on the old sofa.

"It is, indeed." Jack replied, picking up Carl from the floor and placing him on Emily's lap.

"Hi, Carl," She said in a sweet tone, feeling calmed by him. Carl glanced up at her, seemingly content to be on her lap, but was more preoccupied with the toy he held in his small hands. Emily looked down at him fondly, her thoughts drifting.

"What're you thinking about?" Jack quietly asked, causing her to look at him.

"The innocence of a child." Emily paused, wondering if she should venture into the touchy subject on her mind. "Jack...can I ask you something sort of... personal?"

He nodded, his brow furrowing. "Sure."

"Daniel told me that... you and I kissed and that...it was the primary cause of our broken engagement. But I know you were married, and you said I was close with your wife so... I guess I'm just trying to make sense of all of it."

Emily was, of course, trying to determine what kind of person she was and understandably so. It had been a long time since Jack had thought about the night of Sammy's death when he had felt closer to her than ever. "Amanda and I weren't married when it happened. We weren't even together at that point. It was...a moment of weakness for both of us, I guess."

"Did we ever...you know?"

Jack was confused at first, but then quickly realized from the sheepish expression in her eyes what she was insinuating. "Oh... that." He released a nervous breath. He had fantasized about making love to her countless times, but they had always remained just that, a fantasy. "No. It was just the kiss."

Emily nodded, relieved that what she had built up in her mind to be an ongoing affair, truly was only one kiss. "What happened after that?"

"Amanda came back to town unexpectedly. She was pregnant. The rest is history as they say," Jack recollected, looking at Carl for a moment. And not wanting to misrepresent the situation, added, "Please don't get me wrong...I loved her very much."

"Of course," Emily whispered understandingly.

The sound of footsteps climbing the stairs rapidly broke their conversation. Charlotte came rushing in moments later, speaking before looking at her potential audience. "Jack, I'm so sorry I'm late. I know I was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago to watch Carl." It was then that Charlotte realized Emily was there. "Emily, hi. I... wasn't expecting to find you here."

"Hi, Charlotte. I know, I just came by the see Carl," Emily explained.

"Well, now that Carl has two very capable people to watch him, I better get down to the bar to relieve Nolan," Jack said, offering a polite goodbye to Emily and then exiting the room.

Charlotte suggested she and Emily take Carl for a walk on the docks. Emily very much liked the idea and was happy to be out in the fresh air as much as possible. The two walked side by side as Charlotte pushed Carl in his stroller. "How are things with Daniel?" Charlotte asked after they had been walking a few minutes.

"Better. We had a meaningful talk last night, and... he admitted some things to me he'd been holding in. Even though it was hard to hear, I'm glad I now know. And it helps me to understand more of where he's coming from."

"Good, I'm glad." Charlotte was thrilled to hear they had made progress, and that Daniel had opened up. However, she misunderstood what Emily was referencing. It did not help she was, unknowingly, in the dark herself. "And can I just say that you're so brave to come be around little Carl after just finding out about your baby?"

Emily's brow narrowed in confusion from Charlotte's compliment. "What're you talking about?"

Realizing she was mistaken, Charlotte immediately began to back pedal. "Oh gosh...Emily. I'm so sorry. I...I thought that's what you meant Daniel told you. I shouldn't have said anything."

"Well, it's too late now. Charlotte, you have to tell me the truth... Please."

Emily was sitting in the silence of the living room when Daniel arrived home that evening. "Hey, Em. I picked up take out from your favorite seafood restaurant," He greeted, setting the bags down on the counter. In truth, he much preferred her swordfish, but she had not seemed to be up to to the task of cooking yet, nor was he certain she would even remember how to prepare it. He did not want to broach such a trite subject matter either.

"When were you going to tell me about the baby?" Emily quietly asked. Daniel froze, unsure of what exactly she was referencing and how much she knew. Very slowly, he turned to face her with a tentative expression as she added, "No wonder you've been so distant."

Again, Daniel continued to remain silent, trying determine what version of the truth she had been told. Or had Emily remembered for herself? "Who told you?" He whispered. There, that was a safe question, and did not commit him one way or the other.

"Charlotte...on accident." Of course according to Charlotte, Emily had suffered a miscarriage, being that Charlotte was unaware of the fact Emily had faked her pregnancy in the first place. Daniel breathed a small sigh of relief. He could handle this, but the full truth... no, he was not ready for that.

"Em...I just...didn't think it had been the right time to tell you."

Emily stood and began crossing the room to him, noticeably upset. "Daniel, I lost our baby. I think I had a right to know."

"I'm sorry," He quietly replied, not knowing what else to say given the circumstances.

"And you've been having to go through this alone. This is why you haven't wanted to touch me, isn't it? You're mad at me... aren't you?"

"No, that's not it." She had no idea just how far from the truth it was. The entire situation was utterly twisted and preposterous. How could he convince her he wasn't mad at her when, in actuality, he really was mad, but for a completely different reason? And did he even want her to believe he wasn't resentful?

Daniel looked into Emily's pained eyes where tears had welled. This was real to her. She did not know otherwise. He could not help from feeling compassion towards her now. It was one of those moments again in which his love for her overrode his hatred. "It wasn't your fault, Emily." He moved closer to her, hesitantly bringing his hand to her cheek. "And it's not that I don't want to touch you."

Emily gasped ever so slightly at his touch. Closing her eyes at the sensation, she felt his other join the former so that he was now gently holding her face. Daniel swallowed deeply, wondering if he were about to make a severe mistake. But when Emily opened her eyes again, eyes that were crying out to him, he knew he could no longer resist. And so he kissed her. A kiss that was pensive at first, but soon grew to be passionate. For that brief moment, his sins and her sins were forgotten, and it was just them again, pure and enjoying one another.

Emily's cheeks were flushed when Daniel regretfully pulled back. Had he lost his mind? She was the enemy now. She had betrayed him. Becoming emotionally invested in her in any way was not wise, and yet, seemed unavoidable. Was it remotely possible that Emily was slowly making her way back into his heart, and he was beginning to see her as he once had?