Thank you all for the reviews to the last chapter!

Things are moving along a bit here, and more revelations are to come in this chapter (though some of you have made some educated guesses already!).

Chapter Nine
Late Night Revelations

It was still warm as Aria made her way along the flagstone path at Silver Moon, the way lit by white solar lights. She had skipped out of the engagement party on the pretense of studying, but she gave up after awhile, feeling too restless to continue. Her flight back to Boston was looming, and she hadn't acted on her impulse to speak with Skylar again. She'd had a schoolgirl crush on him growing up, and she felt a little silly to still be obsessing over him. At least if she talked to him, she would know if it was worthwhile.

She had a feeling he might be at home, after all, she knew him well enough to realize he wouldn't be happy at a party for his mother's engagement. And if he was home, he'd be out at the guesthouse, and it might be her only chance to speak with him. Life was too short not to act on your desires, she told herself firmly.

There was a faint sound of water splashing as she approached the pool, and masculine laughter, low and subdued, as if being restrained. She paused uncertainly, realizing maybe this was a bad idea. What if he had a girlfriend, and he was with her? Still, she was curious about what kind of girl he was seeing, and she approached a little slower, keeping her footsteps quiet on the flagstone path.

The sound of splashing water was replaced by a soft moan, and then she heard Skylar laugh softly again. This made her stop, thinking that she really shouldn't intrude, but she couldn't help herself. If there was someone else in his life, she needed to know so she could leave with her pride intact, not making a fool of herself.

Peering around the leafy greenery that lined the pool, Aria let her eyes take in the scene. The underwater lights were on, casting an eerie glow below the water, and illuminating the bodies that were embracing along the edge. Water glistened and rippled along naked skin, as hands glided and caressed, and she gulped, feeling somewhat like a voyeur. This was wrong, she told herself, she would just leave and let Skylar have his privacy. This was truly none of her business. But then the couple broke apart and she gasped softly...Skylar raked his hand through wet hair, before picking up the bottle of tequila on the edge of the pool, and his partner was exposed to her view...tanned, taut, muscled...it was Jace who had been kissing Skylar so passionately, and obviously not for the first time! Jace, who had always seemed like the ultimate cool guy in high school, a little aloof and self-aware; and obviously the object of Skylar's desires. Her breath caught as they shared a long look, and then Skylar trailed his hand over Jace's chest, before passing the bottle over to him to take a swallow.

She stumbled backwards, her hand clapped over her mouth to keep quiet. She never dreamed Skylar was gay; he'd never given any vibe of that sort when they were in school. But in some ways, it explained why he'd never given any response to her overtures of interest. Now she really did feel foolish, not realizing the truth before, and she backed away, hoping she hadn't given away her presence as she crept back the way she came.

Meredith closed the door behind her, after Derek left to deal with the problem at Twisted Vines. She hummed softly to herself happily, her body still tingling with the remembrance of the kisses they shared. It was more than she had expected of their relationship so far, and if they had to be sneaky about it then so be it. She wasn't about to let her mother ruin what they had.

She set the alarm codes on the box again, and wandered into the family room. Through the windows, she could see a light flickering outside the guesthouse, and she realized that Skylar must have come home after all. After his evasiveness at the party about his girlfriend, she thought he might've gone elsewhere, but it might be good to talk with him. This whole business about Lexie had her unsettled.

Hurrying up to her bedroom, she changed quickly into jeans and a tank top, and soft flat shoes. After wearing the strappy Jimmy Choo sandals to the party, her feet were throbbing for relief. Down at the bar, she poured a glass of wine to take with her, and then walked outside into the still warm night air. It felt good to get outside, and leave behind the revelations of the party; was Lexie really her half-sister? And if so...what the hell did that mean?

She'd only made it halfway to the guest house, when she heard the sound of soft footsteps hurrying towards her. Her pulse jumped, but before she could make a move, Aria appeared on the path in front of her.

"What are you doing out here, Aria?" she asked, noting the younger woman's wide eyes and distraught expression. "What happened?"

"Meredith! Oh, I was j-just...I wanted to t-talk to Skylar before I left," Aria stuttered, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Didn't you see him? I think he's out there, I saw the lights..."

"He's not alone."

"Oh, I should have known he might have his girlfriend here," Meredith sighed. "I'm sorry, Derek said you were asking about him..."

"It's not what you think, Meredith...he's, um...oh god...don't you know?"

"Know what?"

"Skylar's not with a girl...he's with Jace..." Aria let her eyebrows raise suggestively to convey her meaning.

It took a few seconds for Meredith's wine fogged brain to process this statement. After all, it wasn't unusual for Jace to be here with Skylar, why would Aria be upset over that...? Then her fingers tightened around the wine glass as the realization sunk in. "Oh my god...Aria, I really had no idea..."

Aria shrugged. "It explains a lot, and if he's happy...that's all that matters, I guess."

"Mmm...you may be right there," Meredith agreed. This evening had been a revelation in more ways than one. "I don't think I want to intrude on them, I'll talk to him tomorrow. You want to come back to the house and have a drink?"

"You know, I think I could use one," Aria smiled. "And you can tell me all about the party, and what's up with my big brother..."

"We're just friends, Aria..." Meredith protested.

"Sure..."

"Did you hear something?" Skylar frowned, putting the tequila bottle aside. He cocked his head, listening carefully for a moment. He could have sworn he heard some footsteps, and he realized that they shouldn't have been so careless out here at the pool. And yet, he was sure that Meredith was busy with Derek, and his mother would never venture out here so late in the evening. The need to be with Jace had been too overwhelming, and they had been carelessly drunk on tequila and passion, deciding to go for a late night swim.

"You're too paranoid," Jace grinned lazily. "And so what if someone sees? No one cares who you're fucking..." His hair was slicked back with water, revealing his chiseled features even more, and Skylar's gut tightened again.

"I care, and you know that my mother is a cold bitch who will cut me out of the family if she found out." But he couldn't resist Jace, never could, from the time they had met in tenth grade. Skylar had been confused about his sexuality until then, and meeting Jace had been the resolution to that confusion. Now he leaned in closer, and they shared a long kiss, their hands reaching for each other again.

"I hate this. Just be honest..." Jace sighed finally, pulling away reluctantly.

"Soon, I swear..."

"Good, or I might have to do something drastic."

"Jace, c'mon...give me some time..."

Jace slid his hand along the back of Skylar's neck. "Soon, all right...?"

Skylar nodded, before getting lost in the seduction of his lover's touch, lulled by the warm water around them, and he forgot about everything else again.

Ellis sat at her dressing table, and slowly removed her necklace to put it away in the velvet case. Even though the evening had been a success, she was unsettled over the appearance of the girl who claimed to be her daughter. The party had come to a conclusion not long after that, as the guests had trickled away, discussing the new turn of events among themselves. Ellis had forced herself to remain calm, assuring everyone that it was all a misunderstanding, while Paxton had maintained a stoic silence beside her.

Now she turned to see him striding across the bedroom, his tie gone, and a glass of wine in his hand. He sat down on the edge of the bed, and looked at her expectantly.

"What?"

"Tell me about this girl..." he said quietly. "I know you said she was lying, but is there any shred of truth to her claim?"

Ellis reached for the cold cream, in preparation to wipe away her makeup. She felt very tired suddenly, as she met his eyes in the mirror. "Of course not, Paxton. I have one daughter, and that's Meredith."

"Hmph..." Paxton muttered, before taking a gulp of wine. "I've known you for many years now, my dear. Don't you lie to me...maybe you can fool everyone else, but it won't work with me."

"What makes you think I'm lying?"

"Your eyes give you away every time. I knew it when I first met you." He reminded her of their meeting long ago, when Thatcher was still alive. She had felt an instant connection with him, something she'd tried to ignore for a long time.

Ellis sighed, abandoning the cold cream, and turning to face him. "Very well. You deserve the truth, but I swear this goes no further than this room." Twisting her hands together, she took a deep breath before continuing. "I had an affair, it wasn't long, and I didn't expect to get pregnant. Meredith was only two, and Thatcher was away a lot. I was rather lonely, and somehow it just happened..."

"Who was it?"

"It doesn't matter...I ended it before I realized I was pregnant. When Thatcher came home, I told him I needed to go away for awhile. I was going to have an abortion, but I couldn't go through with it. I stayed away until I gave birth, and gave the baby up for adoption. I swear, I had no idea she could ever find me, Paxton...they told me the records were sealed..."

"Obviously not. But there could be a chance this girl isn't the baby you gave up...it's been known to happen in this age of stolen identity, after all." Paxton stood and paced back and forth, his scowl making Ellis keep still. "I believe we need to get her story checked out, do the DNA testing...in the end, we can pay her off, if that's all she wants."

"How could she have found out? I paid very well for the details to be kept closed," Ellis frowned.

"Technology trumps money sometimes, there are some hackers who can find out more information than you would believe," he told her. "Ellis, you've known me for many years, as your lawyer and now your fiancé. You know I only have your best interests at heart. Do you trust me to deal with this?"

For a few moments, Ellis considered her options. At this point, she had no other option but to trust him, and she nodded briefly. "Do what you can."

In the morning, Meredith was doing laps in the pool, her thoughts a jumble of the appearance of Lexie, her feelings for Derek, and what she had discovered about Skylar and Jace. It was early, only 6:00 a.m, but she hadn't been able to sleep. At this hour, only the sound of the birds could be heard, along with the splash of water as she swam furiously back and forth.

She climbed out of the pool at last, and found Skylar sitting in the lounge chair holding her towel. "Hey..." she greeted him, unsure of what to say. "Thanks, Sky..." She accepted the towel, and rubbed it over her wet skin, before dropping into the chair next to him. "You're up early..."

"Couldn't sleep..." he muttered. He was wearing swim trunks, and he looked hungover, his eyes bloodshot and weary.

"Hmm...me either..." She glanced at him. "Anything you want to talk about?"

Skylar flopped back against the cushions. "Other than our apparent half-sister? Or maybe our soon to be step-father? Our family seems to be expanding in leaps and bounds lately. Forgive me if I'm not thrilled about either prospect."

"Mmm...yes, other than all that..." Meredith hedged.

Skylar felt a sudden chill, and he shrugged, aiming for indifference, but not sure he was succeeding. "Isn't that enough..?"

She touched his hand, and considered her words carefully. "Skylar, I know you've been keeping a secret, but I hope you feel like you can confide in me."

His eyes darted around quickly, and he realized that he had heard a sound last night near the pool. "Shit...you saw me..."

For a second, Meredith hesitated, not wanting to implicate Aria. "Sort of...nothing too over the top, but enough to realize you won't be bringing home a girl any time soon. You can trust me, Sky...whatever happens, we're family, always have been, always will...you know that."

"Okay..." Skylar sucked in a deep breath. "What you saw, me and Jace...it wasn't the first time...he's more than just my friend, Mer. I'm in love with him. Your little brother is gay..."

Meredith squeezed his hand. "Oh, Sky...thank you for telling me."

"Swear you won't tell Mom," he pleaded urgently. "She'd kill me."

"I won't say a word until you want me to."

"I didn't even want to tell you, but he's been kind of insistent lately..." Skylar sighed. In a way, he was relieved that the decision had been taken out of his hands, and yet it was a cowardly way of admitting the truth. "We've been involved since high school, and I don't want to lose him." Skylar ducked his head, studying his hands. "Sorry I didn't tell you before..."

"It's okay. I get it." She smirked a little. "Now, talk about Mother blowing up over a relationship...I suppose whatever I do with Derek will distract her from whatever you're up to?"

"Well, now that you mention it..."

"All right, just promise me you'll consider coming out at some point...you can't hide this forever."

"Promise...cross my heart..." Skylar sighed, touching his chest over his heart. "Just not yet..."

Meredith nodded, realizing their mother had enough to deal with the appearance of Lexie, and the wedding, let alone the romantic entanglements of her children. Skylar and Jace could hide and be sneaky, just as she and Derek could, but soon enough it would all come to a head, she was sure of it. Things like this had a way of being exposed at the most inopportune time.

Standing up, she threw the towel on the lounge chair. "C'mon...swim some laps with me, it'll make you feel better." She held her hand out to him.

"Mer..." he protested, but she tugged harder, until their combined weight tipped them into the water. Skylar swore as they sank down and he emerged, ready to exact revenge as Meredith swam away, laughing.

Derek surveyed the charred remnants of some wooden boxes in the bottling area. A chill trickle of unease when through him, and he poked at them with his foot, trying to decide whether or not it could have been an accident, or if someone deliberately set the fire. He felt rather paranoid even considering the implication.

"What d'you think, Juan?" he asked his foreman standing next to him. It was early in the morning, and the area was still quiet. "A careless cigarette toss? Or something else?"

"Hard to say, boss. By the time I found it, the boxes were burning; any cigarette that might've been tossed was long gone."

"You didn't see anyone around here last night?"

Juan shook his head. "No, and I asked around too. Maybe someone just snuck out to have a smoke and flipped it away without thinking."

"Possible, and very stupid," Derek agreed. He squatted lower to inspect the boxes more carefully. "Maybe I'm making too much out of it. You caught it in time, that's the main thing." His glance took in the fire extinguisher still abandoned on the floor. "Just tell everyone to smoke outside if they need to, and make sure to dispose of them properly.

"You got it, boss. I'll get this cleaned up right away."

Derek nodded absently, watching Juan head off in the opposite direction. It had to be accidental; what else could it be?