(Author's Note: Okay you guys, we've made it to the end. Let me tell you, it's been really fun and lovely writing this piece. I wanted to explore their relationship, their friendship and what they meant to each other in their past. Now we know what they were in the past, how they are in the present and possibly what could become in the future. It's all up in the air but I tried to stay true to the show and how I thought things would play out. Enjoy the final chapter and read and review my other stories please. Tell your friends. Also message me with requests for Revenge fics if you are hankering for something. xoxo)
The silence became deafening, and in her sleep she tried to find a common ground. She began to confuse dreams with reality and she shifted, and tossed, and turned. It was bad enough that Daniel was incarcerated but what was worse was the fact that she had stepped over the line tonight. She had crossed the friendship line and had gone straight into lover's territory. The thing that made it terrible though, was that she didn't regret it.
She could hardly sleep so she got out of bed and looked at herself in the mirror. She thought about everything that had happened from the moment she had come back to The Hamptons. She remembered the first day she had officially come back, when Lydia gave her the key to her old house. She remembered her first fight with Nolan that ended in tears even though neither of them would admit to it. She remembered finding out that Charlotte Grayson was her half-sister, and it hurt that she could never tell her the truth. Nolan Ross had been there with her, every step of the way and the man was ever so devoted.
She wondered what would happen if Daniel ever found out the truth about her, about her true identity. He surely wouldn't stay because he told her before that he didn't like lies. He had told her that he couldn't take any more of them. She thought about Jack as she sashayed down the stairs and to the kitchen where she planned to make herself a large cup of black tea or maybe raspberry herbal tea, for the slight bitter taste. Jack would be so thrilled if he knew the truth, he would probably move in with her, and Sammy would be back where he belonged. Back to where it all began.
She thought about the consequences that would follow though, and as she sipped her tea she realized she could never tell. This was just one thing that could not slip through her fingers, not until her revenge had taken its full effect on those who ruined her life and her father's life.
She looked at the clock up by the corner in the kitchen, the one by the refrigerator that seemed to light up the room even when it was closed. It was early, earlier than she had expected it to be. The bitterness from the tea made her feel like she had been stabbed in the gut, but it was probably just nerves.
She picked up her phone and looked at her recent calls, and lately, they had all been from Nolan. When she wasn't at his place, or picking a fight with the Grayson family, she was calling him or he was calling her… so much for not getting attached.
Nolan stumbled into his living room and sat on his macaroni and cheese colored sofa. He crossed his legs and realized he should change his pants. They were dripping all over the house but he was still so taken aback by the events that had just unfolded. Parts of him were shocked, but other parts weren't surprised at all. He looked at his waterproof watch, the thing bright yellow and obnoxious, and saw it was pretty early. He wondered if Big Ed was still around, so he got up and looked for him around the house. He called out his name and was finally joined by the large man who looked like he could bench press your entire family all at once.
"Hey boss," Ed said as he looked at the water that Nolan had dripped all over the floor. It would dry soon enough, thanks to evaporation.
Nolan raised a brow, wondering if Ed had seen them out in the pool. He didn't even think about that beforehand. Ed was so quiet he often forgot when the man was working for him. "Hey big guy, how goes things?"
Ed answered, but mostly he kept things about business. "The perimeter is secure."
Nolan nodded as he made Ed follow him to his bedroom. He wanted to take a shower, but first he needed to pick out something to wear to bed. He usually just wore his robe or undergarments but he was cold, so silk pajama bottoms were all the rage. The pair he chose was a deep purple. It made him feel like he was a very tall, lean eggplant. "Well, unless Tyler Barrol has an evil twin, I doubt we'll ever get anything too threatening. Everyone's all bite, no bark."
"Isn't it better that way?" Ed asked as he got Nolan a towel from the large linen closet in the hallway by his room since the towels from the master bathroom were in the laundry.
"You speak the truth mighty mouse," he said. That was his nickname for Ed since the man was meek but also strong and large and intimidating because of his stature and build.
Ed handed Nolan the towel that was the color of a baby chicken, soft and yellow. Nolan held it to his face since his hair was still wet and for some reason the air conditioning was on. "Thanks Mr. Ross," he said in a formal fashion.
"You're welcome Eddie, don't worry, you're welcome to hulk out on any intruders. I just don't see it happening anytime soon," he murmured as he tried not to think of the kiss.
Big Ed took a note that he should turn off the air conditioner before he left. "Did you have a nice night Mr. Ross?"
Nolan thumbed through his planner, seeing if he had any meetings or events for work. "Hmm? Oh, well it was…memorable."
"Well, that's what counts, right?" Ed asked, confused by their personal talk, he didn't mind it. Nolan was an amusing man, always had something to say.
Nolan turned the shower on and seemed to be everywhere at once, in and out, in and out. "Perhaps," he purred. He had a lot of thinking to do. "Well if you want to watch me shower…" he teased, letting Big Ed know he could go home for the night.
Big Ed nodded and went off his own way which made Nolan wonder what Emily was thinking. Was she having as many thoughts as he was? Was she finding it hard to sleep, or was she sleeping like a lamb?
Maybe he'd ask her, in the morning.
Sun filtered through her blinds and shone against her face so that when she woke up she had to quickly cover her eyes. She groaned and looked over at the empty space in the bed, wishing someone was there to share the sun with her.
She reached for her cell phone and contemplated calling Nolan just to see what he would sound like when he was still half asleep. She realized just then that she didn't know if he was an early riser or not but she was pretty sure he liked to sleep. She was often up at the crack of dawn because she didn't like her days to go to waste.
There was always something to be done.
She realized that the only time she called Nolan was when she needed something, she figured, something had to be done about this as well.
She text him and told him she wanted to see him.
Nolan woke up to the sound of the text message and looked over at it, eyes heavy and tired. He rubbed the sleep from them and read the words. Emily wanted him to meet her at a private beach that way they couldn't be followed by paparazzi and the media, who wanted to talk to her about Daniel Grayson's case.
That was the last thing she needed.
He nearly fell out of the king sized bed even though he never thought it would be possible, but he had slept near the edge for some reason, as if he was expecting someone to join him in the night. Those were only dreams though.
He was sick of dreaming, he wished he could make his fantasies, a reality.
He just wanted to be free.
When he was getting ready he felt like he was dressing up for a date and when he drove to this beach he felt butterflies in his stomach, but it also might have been the lack of a breakfast he had. The man had a fast metabolism so he needed to eat very often. He made sure not to have strawberries because Emily was allergic to them, something he learned all those years ago. He loved strawberries, but he liked her better.
He would make the sacrifice.
Walking onto the beach wearing a baby blue windbreaker and tight white pants with tan leather loafers he found Emily Thorne wearing a pale pink sweater with capris and slip on shoes that made her look she was about to go sailing. She had evaded the paparazzi it seemed and he was grateful for that.
She looked over at the ocean and felt so small compared to it. No wonder. He joined her and they didn't say anything at first.
He could smell the seaweed that was washing up upon the shoreline but he hardly saw it. He had good senses but he couldn't tell what she was feeling. He wished he had some psychic abilities instead of superb olfactory senses.
"Good morning," he said as he looked to her. He hoped she would give him something.
"More like afternoon," she replied as she scoffed. The little sound she made was more playful than hostile.
"Sorry, I'm a late sleeper compared to you," he said watching the waves.
"It doesn't matter. My day has been freed up. Victoria decided she wanted to visit Daniel today," she said with a sigh.
Nolan felt a pang of jealousy and it came out. "Trying to clear your conscience, eh?"
Emily snapped at him, eyes dark and her vision was blurred for a moment, but he was right. She didn't reply, she didn't want to lie anymore.
"Are you jealous I'll be spending time with a handsome young poet?" she said in a bitter voice, like she wanted to dig deep and get under his skin.
He would dig right back "How romantic your time together must be surrounded by bars and the smell of stale bread. I bet he looks great in that little jumpsuit."
"Don't push your luck," she said as she crossed her arms, trying to make herself feel more at home by sinking her feet into the sand, her shoes off, waiting for the water to wash over her toes.
"And why am I lucky?" he asked as he took his shoes off, doing the same, just to remain on her level.
"Because I didn't smack you just then," she murmured as she felt the cool rush of the water reach all the way up to her ankles. She closed her eyes and he sighed.
"There's nothing you can do to me to make me leave," he stated as he spoke in a serious tone.
"Things kind of happened out of the blue, Nolan," she said as she turned to him, their feet in the sand.
"I think they were a long time coming, if you ask me," he purred, eyes steady on hers, captivating her so she wouldn't pull away. He was almost hypnotic.
"I don't know what to do Nolan; everything is a mess right now. I think you've noticed. First you fall for a hooker…"
"I didn't fall for him, I slept with him, there's a big difference," he said as he rolled his eyes.
"Let me finish," she said, giving him an order she knew he would follow. "Then I find out about Charlotte, then Amanda comes into town, it's a lot all at once. Now look where Daniel is, there's no room for me to be questioning things at this point," she said as she bit her lower lip, keeping pressure there.
"I didn't ask you to question your motives. I know what you need to do, I've known from the beginning. Since the day I met you, I knew you'd be a challenge," he said as he touched her shoulder.
"Everything's all over the place Nolan," she said as she leaned into him, accepting his touch when she could easily pull away.
"Let me bring you back down to earth then," he said as he cupped her face, before leaning in to her. He made it seem as if he was going to kiss her and she felt her heart pound. She wondered if anyone was watching. She wondered if this would be a Kodak moment or not. His lips brushed against hers very softly and at that moment she forgot about the world around her.
He pulled back and stood at her side. "I know we can't Ems, I know you've got work to do. I know I'm needed as an associate, not as a lover. You've got your hands full with that. How unfortunate…" he husked.
She licked her lower lip as if she was trying to taste him, as if she was trying to keep him with her but she didn't have to ask if he'd stay.
"You're needed as a friend Nolan. You're very important," she said to him.
He reached over and grabbed her hand, holding it tight in his own much larger one. They were now hand in hand, side by side, feet sinking in the sand with a wave coming to crash against them. Together they were strong.
"I'll always be here for you Amanda. Revenge comes first, but when that's all over, I'll still be here. Till then we have the ocean, we have the sea, and we'll always have the whales, you know, unless they go extinct," he muttered.
Emily Thorne laughed and squeezed Nolan Ross's hand, letting him know she appreciated him.
They looked into the ocean blue, letting it thrust against their pale skin. She sighed and the slight breeze blew their blonde hair against the currents.
"I love you Nolan," she said as she felt that the two of them were now equal.
He grinned and looked like a school boy even though he was way past that phase.
Peter Pan had found his Wendy and now he could finally grow up.