AN: I am admitting defeat in trying to control the size of this story. My apologies to those who began this like myself with the thought and hope that it would be short and quick. Thanks for reading and all the great reviews.
"I'm ready to go home," Daniel spoke before the doctor could as he gave a rundown on their medical progress.
"I feel comfortable medically clearing you both to be discharged provided you have a competent party to watch you," Dr. Elridge said in the early afternoon after Daniel had pretty much slept the morning away while Emily anxiously waited news.
"That would be me," Nolan said with a smile, he and his laptop had been in the room for most of the day.
"I'm not going to be at the office tomorrow, but the other doctor has been brought up to speed on your cases. So I'm going to set up an appointment for you both to come in. Do you have a time preference and I think it's safe to say you both know you aren't driving until you're cleared?"
"I'll make sure they get there," Nolan smiled, "just give me the appointment time."
Kevin nodded, "Now I don't normally say this to patients, but you really might want to look into bubble wrap. Thank god you were driving a high end car. Switch to the hardtop. I'll be back on Friday, depending on what Dr. Radner says, I either want to see you both then or on Monday."
-o-o-o-
"You okay there Danny?" Nolan asked after several minutes of driving as he and Emily had gone back and forth on ways to track down whoever had hit them just as they had done quietly and quickly in the hospital.
"Peachy," Daniel replied from the backseat with sunglasses on and a tee shirt and sweatpants that Nolan had brought over. Nolan having to put on and lace up his sneakers in the hospital had been an indignity Daniel hadn't reacted well to and his mood hadn't changed since Emily walked out of the bathroom to see that.
"Sure? You're pretty quiet and sadly you are rarely quiet."
"Well talking requires breathing and I'm trying my best not to do that," Daniel gave an angry, sarcastic smirk that Nolan saw from the review mirror.
"We should-"
"Hey wanna know what would be great Nolan? If you could just stop talking for five minutes. It's like a nail being driven into my brain every time you open your mouth."
"Well that was uncalled for," Nolan shot Emily a look.
Daniel groaned in misery.
"He has a concussion," Emily reminded Nolan softly.
"So he hit his head hard enough to make him into a bigger asshole than when he's drinking? How is that possible?"
Emily shushed him.
"Did you just," Nolan loudly whispered.
Emily's eyes went wide and she pointed at the road.
-o-o-o-
"Mama Grayson just spotted us," Nolan said as Victoria's car turned around in the road while they were a block away from the manor.
"Oh god no," Daniel's tired voice once more emerged from the backseat.
"I will get rid of her," Emily promised.
"Jack's here," Nolan pointed out as they pulled up to the front of the house.
"Even better," was Daniel's exhausted response from the backseat.
Emily didn't allow her bruised ribs to slow her exit from the car, saying her hello to Jack as she opened the back door for a much slower Daniel.
She went to offer her him a hand and he shot her a look and instead slowly climbed out of the car on his own steam, biting back the groans she could see in his face as she held his cane.
"What exactly was that little stunt you pulled at the hospital, Emily?" Victoria said as Daniel stood by the car before attempting to walk.
"What exactly are you talking about?"
"Having me barred from the hospital?"
"Daniel wanted to rest and didn't want visitors."
"I'm not a visitor, I'm his mother, which I can understand you'd have no concept of-" Victoria moved quickly as she saw Daniel starting to walk, "Let me help you."
Daniel's free hand tensely flared out at his side, "I'm fine."
"Daniel, you're hardly fine," Victoria's voice softened.
"He's a little testy today," Nolan said standing by the front door, which he had opened.
"Have you learned anything?" Victoria asked Jack.
"No cameras, no witnesses. We've been checking with auto body shops. So far nothing."
"You know who this is," Victoria looked at Emily. "Haven't you taken enough from me? Pascal, my fortune, my standing in society. Hasn't Daniel done enough to repay whatever debt you think he owes you?"
"Mom."
"Yes sweetheart?"
"Can't you two just let this go? Haven't we all inflicted enough damage on each other? There has to be some point where this just stops."
"I just want you safe," Victoria smiled at him.
Daniel's head shook slowly, "I'm going to bed."
"Let me," Jack went to try to help Daniel whose gait was slow using a cane on his right side for his ankle when his entire left side was throbbing.
"I've got it," Daniel snapped.
"Daniel is going to have a child that is never going to know him if you keep this up," Victoria said to Emily, "you of all people should know how unfair that is to an innocent child."
"Victoria," David scolded as he arrived at the house, "thanks for the text," he nodded at Nolan.
"The enemies Emily has made are not the type to give up easily."
"Enemies she made trying to clear my name."
"Your name is clear, but my son's life is still in jeopardy."
"Yea probably from walking up the stairs," David said reaching Daniel as he approached the staircase. His arm went around Daniel's better side, taking the majority of Daniel's weight onto himself.
Victoria began her speech again, "We don't know whose-"
"You know this could just be a drunk driver," Jack pointed out.
"With this one that's hardly likely," Victoria gave Emily side eye.
"Maybe it was Charlotte after me," Emily turned her hatred on Victoria, "that's what you said last time. Maybe they can't find the driver because she's already back in rehab? Weekend furlough do they get those?"
"Do not bring Charlotte into this, you have caused her enough suffering-"
"Enough," David firmly called out as he was halfway up the stairs with Daniel. "Go home Victoria."
"I will when you bring Daniel down those stairs and she agrees to leave him alone."
"I am going to bed, my bed. I don't care where the fuck you go as long as it isn't in my house. Goodbye Mother."
"Daniel," Victoria went to follow him up the stairs, but Emily blocked her way.
"Please just go home Victoria," David quietly asked.
"I will be back when you're feeling better," Victoria gave a sad smile up to Daniel.
Emily waited until Victoria walked out to head over to the door, shutting and locking it before turning her attention to set the alarm. "I'm going to get Daniel a bottle of water and make sure he's settled upstairs."
"I missed lunch," Nolan said following her.
-o-o-o-
"I hate this," Emily heard Daniel say as she neared the doorway of their room.
"I had a few concussions in jail. Trust me what you're feeling right now could be worse."
Emily walked in and couldn't help, but smile as she saw her father kneeling on the floor removing Daniel's shoes, the room as dark as the curtains allowed. "Thanks Dad."
David smiled.
"Back to our original sides of the bed," Daniel told her with a trace of humor in his voice.
"Well that's a plus at least you keep getting hurt on opposite sides," David smiled.
"One way to look at it," Emily shrugged and walked in as her father stood, "I brought you water."
"Thank you."
She untwisted the top and put it on the nightstand.
"Do you want to change?" David questioned as he stood.
"I am staying in this until I can change myself."
Emily and David's brows narrowed.
"Nolan of all people changed me."
Emily had only walked out of the bathroom in time to see Nolan tying Daniel's sneakers, they had both been oddly quiet about it.
"Nolan's a good guy."
"If your last name is Clarke."
David laughed softly.
"Dad, do you mind if Daniel and I have a few minutes alone?"
"No," David smiled then cupped the side of Emily's head and placed a kiss on her temple, "I'm so glad you're okay. You too, Daniel." David gave him a brief head shake as he went to leave the room.
"You going to take advantage of me now that your dad is gone?"
"That would probably kill you."
"Good way to die," Daniel's lips teased up.
"You know your mom was right."
"Whenever you and my mother agree on something it's terrible for me," his lips once more lifted up.
"This isn't a joke Daniel. You can't keep doing this as some misplaced sense of duty, trying to redeem yourself."
"This is my life Amanda. You and my mother and done making the decisions in it."
"You don't come back from death Daniel. You're here and then you're not. And it's just over and there are no more chances. And you won't get to be a father and you won't get to be a brother and they're just going to be left with that and that hole doesn't go away."
"My father died on the side of the road Amanda. He was a liar and a thief, he caused the deaths of..." Daniel's head shook, "And he was a coward. I learned it all from him. That won't be what I teach my child."
"Dan-"
"I'm really tired Amanda and pretty nauseous, so maybe we can just shelve this for later."
She nodded slowly, "I'm sorry. Kevin said to let you rest."
-o-o-o-
David left shortly after Emily came downstairs, lingering with a hug, telling her that he didn't want to let her go. She had to wipe away the tears before returning to Nolan and Jack in the kitchen.
"You really aren't going to tell me where she is?" Jack paused as he was slicing a tomato.
"She is inland like you thought," Nolan smiled from behind his laptop.
"What's going on?" Emily questioned.
"Nolan won't tell me where Sara is."
"If you want the information, you should get it through the appropriate channels," Nolan smiled, "you said it yourself. She's buying us time."
"She won't buy us forever."
"The cops can't find her?" Emily ate a slice of cheese from the deli packet Jack had out.
"Friends confirmed she left before the fireworks. Roommate doesn't really know her, says she has a boyfriend inland that's all she knows. She's not scheduled to work until Thursday."
"What about her mother?" Emily asked.
"Sara called her after seeing you and Daniel. Sounded like her mom was pretty harsh. Sara hung up and turned off her phone."
"Aside from the white Rav4, she's being a fabulous red herring," Nolan smiled.
"Don't let Daniel hear you call her that," Emily said working with Jack to assemble their sandwiches.
Nolan laughed, "Notice how Ems has no problem with this?"
"I was really nice to her and she still kissed my fiance."
"And then she became a dirty mistress," Nolan smiled.
"While I was in the house," Emily cut through the sandwich so the knife slammed into the plate.
"Easy Ems. We might think you care," Nolan gave her a pointed look.
"It's the principle."
-o-o-o-
Hours later Nolan opened the door to David holding a plate wrapped in foil.
"People bring food when their neighbors have been in the hospital, right?" David smiled.
Nolan grinned, "They even stay for a cup of coffee when the food is dessert." Nolan could smell the brown sugar goodness wafting up from the plate.
David walked into the kitchen with a hesitant smile, "Chocolate chip still your favorite?"
Emily mind flashed to being young, the laughter in the kitchen, the messes they made. She hated chocolate chip cookies for years, every time she smelled them, they had left her feeling gutting. "They are."
"Gooey," David smiled, "just how you like them."
She smiled again.
"She couldn't stand waiting, she'd insist we check them every minute. It's a wonder you never ended up with E. Coli."
"I didn't know you could cook David," Nolan said peeling back the foil.
"I was a single father. Amanda probably ate macaroni and cheese and hot dogs more than they recommend."
"Didn't do her any harm," Jack smiled.
"Class moms didn't agree with you," David smiled, "send your child to school with peanut butter and jelly, chips and an apple every day for two months and they gang up on you."
"Schools around here don't even allow peanut butter," Jack said passing the plate to Emily.
"Times were different," David shrugged, "the moms were actually pretty great. Made sure I knew it was picture day, do her hair when anything was being photographed. I don't think men's fingers are designed to do a french braid."
Nolan laughed.
"They wanted to make sure I didn't feel left out because my mom was dead. Only she wasn't."
"Amanda, I-"
"I get it," she nodded, "I met her."
"I couldn't risk her ever getting close to you again. I couldn't give her that chance. You mean everything to me."
She smiled.
"You still do, which is why I think you should disappear for awhile." Victoria's words weighed on him as they did his daughter.
"What?" Emily stopped breaking apart the cookie that she was eating piece by piece.
"I don't know if your accident was Black, but after Kate it's not safe for you to be this close to me. If she hadn't died, maybe I could have resolved this with him, but I can't risk someone finding out who you are or you getting hurt because he's coming after me."
"Which is why we're trying to find him and take him down."
"Amanda, Daniel was right. There has to be a point when it's enough. I can't go through losing you again."
"You won't."
"You and Daniel almost died last month, you could have died last night. I am grateful for everything you did to clear my name, but I wish you hadn't. I wish you had been able to let this go and had a normal life."
"Finally," Daniel said slowly walking into the room, "someone with common sense."
"You give that up eventually with Ems," Nolan rolled his eyes, "you just sound like a broken record after awhile."
"Amanda," Daniel forcefully corrected, "she is Amanda Clarke, David Clarke's daughter, Charlotte Clarke's sister. You've been Emily Thorne so long, do you even have any idea who you are anymore?" Daniel turned to her.
The two younger men's eyes went as they watched Emily tense.
"I was just telling Amanda, she should disappear for awhile," David informed him.
"Looks like your father and I are completely on the same page."
"I'm not abandoning you again," Emily's voice was firm as she looked at her father.
"You didn't abandon me, you were a little girl that was lied to. I want so much more for you than this. Living your life to protect me, waiting to be attacked. You deserve more than this. Just please think about it."
She hated fighting with her father when their time was always so limited, "fine, but I'm not going to change my mind.
"I should go," David nodded. "Let me know if you need anything."
"Will do," she smiled.
"Thanks for driving last night," David smiled and placed a hand on Daniel's shoulder as he walked out of the room.
Daniel's lips twitched up with a smile as Emily shot her father a look.
-o-o-o-
David left and they managed to have a few minutes of normalcy as Emily made Daniel a sandwich.
"You gonna feed him too," Nolan questioned as Emily put the sandwich before Daniel, along with the drink and napkin she had already placed before him. "The sore wrists, the arm. You know his head hurts, you should probably chew it first and then spit it into his mouth like a mama bird."
"That's enough Nolan," she shot her best friend a tired look, "do you need anything else?" Emily asked Daniel.
"Nolan to leave?"
Nolan responded, "The thanks I get after I ch-"
Daniel lifted his hand.
Nolan looked over at Jack, "Had to strip him bare like a baby."
"I missed a fun morning at the hospital," Jack smiled.
"Tons of fun," Daniel smiled as he lifted his sandwich, "thanks Amanda," he said before taking a bite.
The kitchen became awkward as Daniel ate alone, he only lasted through three bites before he spoke, silence was less enjoyable than he expected, "You guys can talk around me."
"Around a Grayson?" Nolan's eyebrows lifted.
"Daniel, I don't think-"
"He's right," Jack supported him, "you left me in the dark for years. This effects Daniel's life as well-"
"It wouldn't if he would just leave," Emily quickly retorted.
"So my mom can finish you off before Malcolm Black? You really think she wouldn't hesitate to send him after you again if I wasn't here?"
"His daughter did in your-" Nolan was silenced by the look she shot him.
"You're right and we've all been fools for thinking that we could find him before he could get to us. We've just been hoping that his limited resources would keep us safe, but last night proved we were wrong."
"Could still be a drunk driver," Nolan pointed out.
"When do things that normal happen in our lives?" Emily turned to him.
Nolan nodded, "So yea it's Black or someone else you've pissed off."
"You need to leave with Carl," Emily turned to Jack.
"I'm not going anywhere."
"You shot a sociopath's daughter. I don't think he cares that it was ruled a justified shooting."
"Emily, I'm not about to-"
"I need to deal with this. She came to kill me. He had my father for ten years. This is my problem."
"Not abandoning you, Ems. Not after all this." Nolan was serious. He paused, "Of course if I had a time machine, I would have just given you the money, sent you to therapy and burned the journals."
Emily's head tilted to the side in a beginning rage. She took a breath, "I need to go after him. You have to have found something, Nolan-"
"Do you hear yourself?" Daniel stopped eating. "You're willing to blindly go after this guy. This is going to end up with you in a body bag."
"I hate agreeing with him," Nolan's brow furrowed.
"What if we take David out of the picture?" Jack questioned from the side.
"What?" Emily turned to him.
"Kate was here to deal with David, what if David isn't here and Black has limited resources. We keep him looking for David, buys Nolan more time to find him."
"I just got my father back."
"Come on Ems," Nolan's voice was soft, "You don't really have him back. It's like you're a mistress daughter."
"No," her head shook, "out of the question. I won't lose him."
"He was someone's prisoner for a decade because he thought it was keeping you safe," Daniel reminded her. "Really think he would have left if he knew this was going to happen?"
-o-o-o-
"So is this really the only game plan you guys have?" Daniel had left after his lunch along with Jack and had awoken when the doorbell signaled Jack's return hours later. Hours in which, Nolan and Emily had been left alone to formulate a plan. They were once more in the kitchen and Emily had once more placed food in front of him, only this time one of Nolan's assistants had brought Italian.
"Why is he speaking?" Nolan asked with his laptop before him.
"He gets a say because he took a bullet," Daniel's eyes were wide as he got caught up on their plans as they recapped them for Jack.
"It barely grazed you," Nolan blew him off.
"Amanda, you can't just go after this guy. His daughter almost killed you and she was one person. I'm assuming he has security, even if he is a little broker than normal."
"I'm not going after him physically," she corrected him.
"You're going to take on a violent criminal, who held your father captive for a decade, sent his daughter after you to kill and what?"
"Technically he sent Katherine to get back what my father stole."
"Killing Emily was just going to be a lucky bonus," Nolan sarcastically added.
Emily gave him a look.
"You're failing at tracking him down so now you want to lure him out?" Daniel once more looked at the group of them. "The Scooby Gang had more people. You need to get the authorities involved."
"Kate was FBI," Emily countered.
"You guys seriously cannot let her do this," Daniel looked at the other two men.
"He seriously thinks we have any control over what you do?" Nolan looked amazed.
"There has to be a point when enough is enough. Manda, you can't die to save your father when that is the one thing he's been trying to stop. Do you have any idea how fucked up that is?"
"I'm not-"
"He has a point," Nolan quickly brought his eyes back to his laptop. "I think the concussion knocked his brain into working," he muttered.
"I need a drink," Daniel said running a hand through his hair and standing.
"You have a severe concussion, you cannot drink," Emily's voice was firm.
"I need to at least be out of this room while you plan your death."
-o-o-o-
A half hour passed before Emily reheated Daniel's food and went in search of him with it.
Minutes passed before Nolan and Jack heard the screaming begin from across the house.
"He probably knocked back half a liter by now," Nolan rolled his eyes.
"He's right," Jack sighed, "this is basically a death trap."
"I'm doing my best," Nolan defended himself.
"I know you are. This summer started and I thought it was all going to be different."
"Same story, new villain." Nolan remarked.
Jack groaned, "I need to get Carl. Try to figure out some way of stopping her."
"And for my next trick, I will walk on water," Nolan smiled. "Night."
"Night."
Jack walked out into the foyer at the same time they did, as Emily was walking away from Daniel.
"You have a death wish," Emily said heading towards Jack, not looking back at the man slowly chasing after her.
"I have a death with? Have you looked in a mirror Amanda?"
Emily whipped back to him, "Do you have any idea what it's like to live with this Daniel? Amanda, Declan, Aiden. They're gone and they don't come back and I can't have anymore on me." She turned back and quickly walked pass Jack as she headed towards Nolan.
Daniel sighed and sat down on the stairs.
"It's odd to hear you call her Amanda."
"I need some fuckin truth in this world.."
"Yea," Jack's mouth tensed, "I can understand that."
"She's buried her. She's spent so long being Emily Thorne..." Daniel's head shook, "she can't stay Emily Thorne forever. She can't die Emily Thorne," Daniel suddenly realized what he said, "I'm sorry I-"
Jack lifted his hand to stop the apology. "She did not come back the same girl I knew. A lot happened to her."
"That's an understatement," Daniel smiled.
Jack laughed. "I'm not going to let her do this."
"Have a plan to stop her?"
"I think so," Jack nodded. "Feel better."
"Thanks," Daniel nodded back.
"Can you get up?" Jack asked as he reached the door.
"Yea not going to be dignified though."
Jack laughed again as he walked out the door and grimaced as he heard Daniel's groans through the closed door.
