Lacey was the first one to wake in the morning. It was already 10AM and she had wanted to get an earlier start. But neither Jo nor Danny were even stirring. She sighed and slipped out of the bed she was sharing with Jo. As she walked towards the bathroom, she looked back at her two friends. The evening had ended on a pleasant note, with the three of them working and laughing together in an easy camaraderie similar to their younger days. She felt a little bit closer to Jo now, and had hope that the two of them would be able to repair their friendship. Her eyes grazed across Danny's sleeping form and she smiled to herself. Even while awkwardly draped along a recliner, one arm akimbo, the other over his head, he still emanated his trademark confidence and charisma. His hair was tousled and tendrils fell sexily around his handsome face… and his body was… Lacey stopped herself from following that train of thought. Danny was her friend, nothing more.

She made her way to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. For the first time she realized she still had around her neck the gold and crystal horseshoe necklace that Archie had given her on their first anniversary together. She had been having a really difficult time with her parents back then and Archie had been great. He used to make her laugh by doing goofy silly things just for her. Once, after her mom and dad had tried to get her to choose sides following a bad fight, he took her to the mall and told random strangers that he and Lacey were time travelers who had been sent back to 2013 for a history homework assignment. Some of the reactions they received were priceless and she had been successfully cheered up. He had gotten the idea from a movie… he got most of those creative ideas from movies she supposed. But still, he was so supportive and pretty much always ready to do anything for or with her.

Once, they saw a film where a honeymoon couple were staying in a cottage by the sea. It was a lovely stone house covered with moss and ivy and pink climbing roses. A copper horseshoe hung over the doorway and the husband in the movie pointed out that it was there to deflect negative energy so they would be safe inside. Over Thai noodles that night, Lacey mentioned being drawn to the romantic nature of the cottage with the horseshoe, that she'd like to live in a place like that someday, at the edge of the sea, safe, away from civilization. It was one of the rare times Lacey had let down her guard with Archie, revealing something about her inner desires instead of maintaining her perfect Queen Lacey Porter charade. And a couple of months later, when Lacey unwrapped the small jeweler's box from Archie, she was overwhelmed and touched to find the horseshoe necklace inside. "May it always keep you safe" Archie had said as he hooked it around her neck, then kissed the top of her head. Since then she had pretty much worn it daily.

He had been a wonderful boyfriend. No complaints really. It was she who always felt she was only playing a role - that of girlfriend to the popular jock. She enjoyed the automatic acceptance by the rest of his friends. She didn't even have to try which was a relief after years spent working ceaselessly to fit in. Her name started coming up in those silly "most popular girl/couple" polls that always made the rounds freshman year and by the time they were sophomores, she and Archie had been casually established as class royalty. She had been safe with Archie. And if he hadn't told her himself about framing Danny, poisoning Cole… she would never have believed it of him. He had been really good to her. Lacey took off the necklace and let it dangle from her fingertips for a moment before dropping it in the wastebasket next to the sink. She would never wear it again.

After Lacey finished showering, she walked out to find Jo sitting up on the sofabed, wide awake. "Good morning Jojo" she whispered, unthinkingly reverting to Jo's childhood nickname that only she and Danny called her. Jo 's face brightened as she smiled back. "No one has called me that in like forever" she said, adding "It brings back good memories." It was endearing to hear Lacey call her that. It was, after their bonding moments the night before, another brick to add to the friendship they were building again. Jo had begun feeling closer to Lacey again, their shared laughter and reminiscences superseding her angry feelings, which had begun to dissipate as she realized it wasn't fair to keep harboring such animosity towards her friends, especially considering the rough times they were both going through. She got up, stretching her arms, as she went to take her turn washing up, while Lacey pulled out her laptop.

The sound of Jo shutting the bathroom door woke Danny, who opened his eyes to find Lacey sitting on the sofa bed with her legs under her, her face partially hidden by her chestnut bronze tresses which cascaded over one shoulder as she leaned over her laptop. She had on an aubergine v-neck sweater dress which looked warm and cozy but also rather sexy as it hugged her curves. He let his gaze linger on her a few more moments before delivering a cheerful and loud "Good morning Lacey."

Lacey jumped, startled out of the research-zone she had been in. "Danny. You're up!" she exclaimed.

"Did I startle you?" Danny asked all innocence. He enjoyed flustering Lacey. The girl was usually confident and self assured, so he enjoyed catching her off guard.

"I… no, you didn't" Lacey responded, clearly not being truthful. She gave him a fleeting look before focusing on her computer screen again. "I found Marna Inc. by the way. It's a local realty. And guess what their logo looks like?"

"What?" Danny asked, getting up to see what Lacey was looking at.

"You won't believe it" Lacey said pointing to the screen.

Danny leaned over her shoulder and blew out a whistle of surprise. The logo - the shape and coloring - looked exactly like Tara's necklace. "Wow" he said, staring at it. "There must be a connection between all these things. The necklace, this real estate company, Regina, the apartment…"

"Its like we have all these puzzle pieces that don't quite fit" Lacey said, looking over at Danny. He was too close to her, his loose hair brushing her arm, his arm against her thigh. Lacey drew in a ragged breath. "Marna Inc is just ten minutes from here. We should go there." She punched in the address on Google and brought up a map, hyper aware that Danny was watching her every move. "We might be able to find someone who knows something." She looked back at Danny and caught him looking right at her instead of at the screen. Her heart fluttered and she felt a stirring of butterflies in the pit of her stomach. How was he able to effect her this way still? She swallowed and made her voice as even as possible "What do you think?" She made an effort to look directly back at him.

"That's a great idea Lace" Danny said, running his fingers through his hair. He leaned closer to Lacey, his gaze flickered over her lips. He could see her chest heave as she took in quick breaths. He was close enough to breathe in the clean, freshly showered scent of her hair, her skin. He brought his hand up to sweep her hair out of her eyes. Her lips were so close to his, he couldn't help but be drawn towards them. It was pure instinct.

Lacey's mind was not working clearly with Danny being so near her, crowding into her personal space. She had to get away; she had promised Jo. And what was Danny doing - was he playing both of them? She pushed the laptop between them, a physical barrier. "Here, take this" she said huskily, shoving it into his hands, effectively stopping his forward momentum. She leaped off the bed, smoothing down her dress. "I'll get breakfast ready."