A/N: This is it: the last chapter. It's sad, I know. But you can keep your eye out for the sequel - The Revengers: Fire With Fire - coming out this summer. I've already written about half the story and I'm hoping to have it ready to go by August 8th (get it? cause 8-8? double infinity day?). Until then, there's some teasers at the end of the chapter to hopefully get you excited for what's to come. Enjoy this last chapter!

Disclaimer: Revenge is not mine.

September 7, 2016 10:35 a.m.

Southampton, New York

Up in the front of the courtroom, McKenzie paced in front of the judge's bench. He was gesturing wildly as he gave a spiel to the jury about Olivia's guilt. On the other side, Stevie was watching him critically, while Olivia sat nervously next to her. The rest of them sat in their usual spots, waiting with baited breath. When he turned his head he could see Brett Chamberlain, who was smiling wickedly. The jury sat still hanging onto every word that McKenzie said.

I have never been a religious person, but those who are say there will come a day in which the world ends.

But Nolan wasn't listening to the words coming out of McKenzie's mouth – not really. He glanced at Olivia, and their eyes met briefly. She looked pale as death.

The Second Coming. The Day of Atonement. Judgment Day.

In his mind, Nolan could still see the face of the beautiful, happy girl who had laid beside him in the grass with no worries or reservations. But time had been so cruel to her, and now she had grown into a woman who – while still beautiful – was now bogged down by fear and loss. He wished that he could take her into his arms like he had that day in the grass and keep her safe from anyone who wanted to hurt her.

The day in which we must show all our sins and all our scars, opening ourselves up for the divine verdict.

Olivia looked away, snapping him back to reality. McKenzie had finished by this point and sat back down, looking triumphant. Stevie rose, sauntering towards the jury.

The day in which our fate is put into someone else's hands.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury," She began. "My client is an upstanding citizen, loyal employee, and loving mother. Sure she's made mistakes – but haven't we all? The truth is, we all could make the mistake of having a relationship with the wrong man. What would you do if someone exacted their petty vengeance, by blaming you for the worst terrorist attack on New York since 9/11?" She paused, making sure to make eye contact with each and every one of them. Down the row, Drew nodded his head.

"Appealing to them on a personal level," He whispered to Charlotte. "She's really good."

Nolan turned his head when he felt Amanda slip her fingers through his, offering him a slight smile of encouragement, before taking Jack's hand in her other one. Nolan squeezed hers back.

"We have shown you that there are holes in this story," Stevie continued. "We have shown you the kind of person she really is – not the person they want you to see. If you have any doubt in your mind that Olivia Anderson didn't do this – any doubt at all – then legally you must let her go free. So, I simply ask you to think about this as you make your decision – what if it had been you? What if it had been you who made such a simple mistake, and paid an unfair price? What if it had been your mother? Because it very well could've been." Trying to conceal her pleased smile, she returned to her seat.

This is the day when our destiny shall be determined. Do we receive eternal salvation…

Nolan scanned the jury, looking for any signs of emotion in their faces which would give away their thoughts. He found none.

…or damnation?

September 12, 2016 11:45 a.m.

"Are you still reading that?"

Hailey looked up and pushed her sunglasses onto the top of her head, spotting Spencer approaching her. She sat up in the lounge chair where she had been absorbing the last of the summer rays, and quickly shut her mother's diary. She shrugged casually, while Spencer sat down across from her. "Just…being curious."

"Can I see it?" Spencer said, reaching for it, but Hailey ripped it away instinctively.

"It's umm," She stammered. "Personal."

Spencer raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay." He gave in. "But the trial's been over for almost five days – you don't have to keep reading those."

Hailey nodded, grabbing for her cover-up. "I'm worried," She admitted. "It shouldn't take them this long to say not guilty, right?"

He shrugged. "It depends – sometimes it takes hours, sometimes it takes weeks. But I have faith – we did our best, and we're going to keep fighting until everyone believes in Olivia's innocence as much as we do."

Hailey nodded, smiling hesitantly. How did he always know exactly what to say to her?

"How about a drink?" Spencer offered. "Me and Drew were just going to go get one – no alcohol for the underage girl, of course."

Hailey rolled her eyes, but accepted Spencer's hand as helped her stand up. "That sounds great."

"I have something for you two."

Jack looked up from wiping down the bar, meeting the gaze of Nolan, who was seated directly in front of him. Amanda returned to his side behind the bar, placing down the tray of dirty drink glasses.

"For us?" She said, beginning to load the dishwasher. "What for?"

Louise perked up from her spot on the bar stool next to Nolan. "Ooh, I know what it is!" She said, like a giddy child in on a secret.

Nolan dug into his briefcase and pulled out a piece of paper, extending it to them. Jack took it and Amanda looked over his shoulder so she could read it too. "The deed to the beach club?" Jack said.

Nolan nodded. "The two of you have been running this place for a while now," He explained. "I figured I'd just make it official."

"Nolan, this is too much," Amanda replied. "At least let us buy it from you…"

Nolan waved her off. "Consider it payment for all your help with the trial. And for being two of my closest friends. I owed you."

"Well what about me?" Louise said teasingly.

"Actually, I have something for you too."

Louise gave him a look. "Oh honey, I was just kidding…"

"Well okay," Nolan said with a shrug. "I guess you don't want a job then."

"Wait," She said, genuinely surprised. "Really?"

"Of course – that's what you wanted, wasn't it?"

Louise beamed and extended her pinkie towards him. "Wonder Twins?"

Nolan laughed and wrapped his little finger around hers. "Wonder Twins."

"What's going on?" Charlotte asked as she walked over. She was wearing a cover-up that didn't leave much to the imagination - you could see her string bikini under it.

"Nolan gave us the beach club," Jack said, extending the deed to her.

"Wow." She smiled at Nolan. "Hey Nolan, my birthday was just a couple weeks back and I really want a new car…"

"You know," Nolan said, turning to Amanda. "You both really are the annoying little sisters I never wanted." The girls only smirked in response.

Hailey, Spencer and Drew walked inside now, just as Charlotte looked over. Her eyes locked with Drew's and they stared at each other wordlessly for a moment, before they both turned away.

"The gang's all here," Spencer said as the three of them sat down at the bar. "We need some drinks – and a Shirley Temple for the kid." He elbowed Hailey in the ribs and she shot him a playful scowl.

"What's that?" Nolan asked – when Hailey looked at where his gaze was pointed, she saw the little leather book was peeking out of her bag.

She shoved it back inside quickly. "It's nothing – just some leisure reading."

Amanda looked up and suddenly her eyes narrowed. Everyone turned to look and they all immediately spotted the subject of her pointed glare – the tall, salt-and-pepper haired man in the doorway, and the petite, dark-haired woman beside him.

"Who the Hell does he thinks he is," Amanda said, placing down the glass she was cleaning and walking over with determination.

"Amanda –" Jack began, but his wife ignored him, storming off to confront their unwanted guest. He dropped the rag in his hand back down on the bar and followed her, because he knew the look on her face all too well – there would be Hell to pay. The rest of the group exchanged a look, then got up and followed out of curiosity.

Brett Chamberlain smiled when he saw Amanda. "Table for two?" He said, sounding smarmy.

"I'm sorry," Amanda snapped at him. "But we don't serve pigs here."

Chamberlain chortled. "Ooh, good one. How long did it take you to come up with that?"

"Get out!" Amanda stepped closer to them, clearly willing to get physical if she had to, but Jack grabbed her arm, holding her back.

"Hmm," Chamberlain said. "Discriminating against a paying customer? Maybe the next people I send to prison will be the two of you."

Amanda lunged forward, fuming, and Jack grabbed her again, wrapping both arms around her chest so she couldn't start a fight – the last thing they needed was for her to get charged with assault. "This is a private establishment and we have the right to turn away anyone who might cause a disturbance." He said. "And don't try to pull that discrimination crap on us – straight rich white guys don't get discriminated against." The others stepped forward at this point, Nolan beside Jack and Amanda and Spencer and Drew both protectively in front of Hailey, while Charlotte and Louise were both giving Chamberlain death glares from the back of the pack.

Then, Chamberlain's wife did something unexpected – she laughed. "Oh please." Sonya said. "Do you really think we're afraid of you?" She looked at them with a wicked smile. "My husband and I are a lot of things, but we're not stupid. We've been onto all of you since day one." She glanced at Louise. "I mean, did you think my husband really wanted to sleep with you?"

Louise's face fell. "You knew? The whole time?"

"Why do you think he approached you in the first place?" Sonya replied. "The weakest link is always the easiest to break. Too bad you got a little too nosy and had to be…done away with. You could've made a really good double agent. I had higher hopes for you."

"Both of you get out of here right now," Nolan ordered vehemently. "Before we make you get out."

"Oooh, I'm terrified." Chamberlain said sarcastically. He grabbed his wife's arm. "Come on," They turned to go when suddenly Chamberlain's phone began to buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen, a smile appearing on his face. "That was McKenzie," He announced. "The jury's back."

"So they've been conspiring against us this whole time?"

Nolan nodded, while by his side Olivia continued to stare at the Chamberlains, who were sitting smugly in their usual spot in the courtroom. They were waiting for the jury to reconvene so they could hear the verdict. "I mean we figured he'd been planning to frame you," Nolan explained. "But I always thought this was revenge for you breaking up with him – apparently that was the plan since before you two even became involved."

Olivia shook her head. "And to think I actually felt bad for Sonya – being married to that man." She said. "Turns out she's just as twisted as he is."

"They really are a match made in Hell," Nolan agreed.

"But why me?" Olivia asked, turning to look at him. "Out of everyone they could've framed, why did they pick me?"

Nolan shook his head. "I'd like an answer to that myself."

The rest of the group rejoined them then, Stevie with them too. Hailey hugged her mother tightly, not letting go for a very long time. "We fought hard," Stevie told them all. "And we'll keep fighting – no matter what happens today."

Everyone's attention was diverted as Judge Norwood entered the room, sitting down at her bench. She gestured for everyone to go to their seats, placed her glasses on her nose. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached a verdict?"

The foreman of the jury stood up – a short, balding Latino man. Nolan could see he was visibly shaking. "We have, Your Honor."

"On the charge of money laundering, how do you find?"

In that moment, the seconds seemed to tick by so slowly. Nolan reached for the nearest hand – in this case Amanda's. She squeezed his comfortingly. Olivia grabbed the edge of the table in front of her, expecting the worst.

The foreman gulped. "We find the defendant…guilty."

Involuntarily, Olivia elicited a cry. Hailey's hand flew over her mouth and Spencer grabbed her, pulling her into his side as she began to blubber into him. "OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGod." Nolan closed his eyes and shook his head, feeling like he might start to cry. Amanda squeezed his hand tighter. Jack ran a hand down his face. Louise whispered a little prayer. Without thinking, Charlotte buried her face into Drew's shoulder. Stevie looked down in defeat.

"On the charge of terrorism, how do you find?"

"Guilty."

"And on the charge of treason, how do you find?"

The foreman looked over to Olivia. She looked up, met his eyes, tears spilling down her cheeks. The foreman turned away as he gave their verdict, as if in shame. "Guilty."

Jack shut the trunk of the taxi after he placed inside the last suitcase inside. "You're all set." He told his mother.

Stevie touched his shoulder. "Don't beat yourselves up, okay? We tried, and we'll try again. It's not over yet."

"I know," Jack said. "But I just can't help but feel bad for Nolan."

Stevie smiled tentatively. "He loves her, doesn't he?"

Jack looked up in surprise at her words. "How'd you know that?"

"Because he looks at that woman the way you used to look at Amanda." She explained. "And I think she looks at him the same way too."

Jack smiled slightly at her statement and opened the door for her, and Stevie slid into the backseat. "Call me when you land, okay?"

She nodded. "And tell Nolan to call me as soon as he's ready for the appeal." She said. "I'll be on the first plane." The two of them said goodbye and Jack closed the door, tapping on the roof so that the driver would know it was safe to pull away.

He walked back to the beach club, flipping the 'open' sign in the window over to 'closed'. Inside, you could hear a pin drop. Amanda was drying glasses, while Nolan sat at one of the stools with his head in his hands. Louise had gone back to Nolan's place, to lay down for a while. Charlotte and the boys had snuck off with a bottle of Glennfiddich and some glasses, surely to drown their sorrows. And Hailey had stormed off as soon as they'd arrived back at the beach club, saying she needed some time to herself.

Jack walked back over to the bar and slung an arm around his wife's shoulder, pulling her into him. Amanda buried her face into the side of his neck and he kissed her on the temple. "I feel horrible." She mumbled. Jack knew she was probably thinking about how she'd felt when her own father was convicted and didn't press the issue.

"I just feel so bad for Hailey," Nolan said, looking up. "Olivia doesn't deserve any of this, she's a good person…"

"You love her, don't you?" Jack blurted out and Nolan and Amanda both looked at him, surprised by this question.

Nolan laughed nervously. "I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Don't try to lie to us." Amanda said. "If anyone knows anything about longing from afar, it's the two of us. We did it for four years."

Nolan opened his mouth to object, but then closed it. "I should've told her how I felt before." He confessed. "Hell, I never should've let her leave in the first place…"

"It's not too late." Jack insisted. "We'll make an appeal, and we'll get her out, and the two of you can make up for lost time. You deserve that, Nolan. You've spent so long trying to help everyone else find their happiness, you should finally fight for your own."

"You need to tell her how you feel." Amanda added. "If you really love her, she should know. Don't waste time like we did."

Nolan was silent for a long moment, seemingly deep in thought. Finally, he stood up. "I have to go." He said, turning on his heel and walking out with determination.

The married couple watched him go for a second, and Amanda wrapped her arms around Jack. "Do you think it'll work out for him this time?"

"I don't know," Jack said honestly. "But I hope so."

The prison seemed so much worse now – if that was even possible. It had been terrible before, but it seemed darker, dirtier, dimmer now that she knew she was going to be stuck here forever. Olivia laid back on her dingy bed, counting the cracks in the ceiling. Every time she lost count, she started over – it wasn't like she was in a rush. She had the rest of her life to spend in here, after all.

"Anderson," A guard barked, causing Olivia to sit up. "You have a visitor, come on."

She was escorted to another room in shackles and other prisoners leered at her as she walked past. One woman spit on her and Olivia flinched - she couldn't even wipe it off her own face.

When they reached the room she saw him – Nolan was sitting at the same little metal table where they'd met too many times recently. He smiled when he saw her but it was obviously completely forced.

She sat down, while the guard stepped back into the corner to watch them. Nolan reached out, sliding his fingers through hers even though he knew she couldn't reciprocate the attempt at hand holding. "I want to talk to you."

"Is Hailey with you?" Olivia asked. She wanted to see her daughter too – her poor daughter, who she hadn't even been given the chance to hold before the guards had dragged her back off to her cell. The daughter who she would probably never hold ever again.

"No – no I came alone this time. She needed some time by herself. And I kind of want to have a private conversation anyway…" He trailed off and it was clear to Olivia something was bothering him – something other than the obvious anyway.

"What is it?" She said. She squeezed his hand the best she could while being handcuffed.

Nolan looked up, so many indescribable emotions in his eyes. "I'm in love with you." He confessed breathily. "I never stopped loving you. I just…I couldn't stand the thought of you not knowing how much you mean to me. You're...you're everything to me, Olivia."

Olivia only stared at him, not sure what to say. She had so many conflicting emotions. Her first thought was the obvious: I love you too! I've always loved you! Because that was the truth – she knew for certain that she was forever, irrevocably in love with Nolan Ross, and nothing would ever change that.

But there was another part of her brain that was telling her the opposite. She had already caused him so much pain when she left the first time – her stupid, in-over-her-head self selfishly breaking his heart into a million pieces. He deserved better than her. He didn't deserve to spend the rest of his life obsessing over a girl with a life sentence. He deserved a normal life, a family of his own, true happiness. And she couldn't give him that. Not anymore.

The first tear fell down her cheek as she gave him her answer. She knew this was what she had to do. "I…I don't love you."

The bottle of Glennfiddich was half-empty by this point as Drew poured himself another glass. He downed it all in one big gulp, then filled it again. Across the table Spencer was swirling the scotch in his glass, while next to Drew Charlotte was staring dejectedly at the tabletop. He poured himself a little more – it was just depressing all around.

Spencer lifted his glass halfway to his mouth, but then put it back down. "I should probably go look for Hailey, right?" He said. "I'm worried about her."

"Do you even know where she went?" Drew asked, downing his drink.

Spencer shrugged, rising from the table. "I don't know, but I'm going to find her. I'll talk to you guys later?" Drew nodded and they said goodbye, then Spencer left.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me." Drew said to Charlotte teasingly, but she didn't even look up. "Hey, you okay?" He asked concernedly. Charlotte lifted her head and he saw that her eyes had welled up with tears. "Hey, hey, hey." Drew said, reaching over to wipe her eyes. "It's okay – we'll get them next time."

"It's not that, not really." She confessed. "I've just been such an idiot…"

"Are you drunk?"

"No! I don't even like scotch." She said, shoving the glass away from her. "I'm an idiot because…because I can't do this anymore! Sneaking around in bathroom stalls and not meeting each other's eyes and keeping everything all bottled up inside...I like you Drew, and honestly who knows what's going to happen to us? We...we could die tomorrow, or...or go to prison! We should be living!" She turned to Drew, only to see him smiling. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because I like you too," He said. "And the last thing you are to me is a dirty little secret. In fact...I think you should be my girlfriend."

She smiled half-heartedly. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," Drew said. "Because if I can do that to you in a bathroom stall, imagine what I can do in an actual bed."

Charlotte laughed. "You're a jerk."

"Yeah, but I'm your jerk."

"That you are."

He ducked his head and cupped her cheek. She stared into his dark eyes for a moment before he pulled her lips to his, kissing her on the mouth. For the first time all day, Charlotte felt like it was going to be okay.

He looked everywhere he could think of – after he left the beach club he went back to the courthouse, stopped by Nolan's, checked to see if she was visiting the prison. Hailey was nowhere to be found. Spencer sighed as he pulled his Jeep into his driveway, the sun beginning to set between the trees. He pressed his forehead against the steering wheel, taking a moment to catch his breath as he comprehended the events of the day. When he looked up again, he was caught off guard by what he saw.

Spencer got out of his car and started to walk up the pathway towards his condo. Hailey was sitting on the steps, legs crossed, the little book he'd seen her reading earlier still in her hands. The wind was blowing lightly, her blonde hair fluttering around her face. "I'm sorry if I startled you," She said, not looking up from whatever it was that she was reading. "I figured you'd be here, but when I got here no one was home."

"It's okay," Spencer said, sitting down next to her on the steps. Their knees brushed. "How are you holding up?"

Hailey still didn't look at him, her eyes observing the words on the page in front of her. "I know that I have you guys," She said. "You, Nolan, Charlotte, Amanda, Jack, Louise, Drew. And I know that we're going to fight the conviction…but I still feel alone. My mom is gone, and I don't know if anything is ever going to be the same again…"

A beat passed. "My parents are dead," Spencer found himself saying. When he turned his head Hailey was staring at him, eyes wide at this unexpected confession. "They died when I was ten. Nobody here knows. Not Drew, not Nolan…not anyone. So I know exactly how you're feeling, and I know it sucks. But I promise I'll be here for you."

It was silent for a long moment. Finally Hailey extended the book towards him. "This is what I've been reading."

Spencer took it from her, scanning the page. "I've been thinking about MH a lot," He read aloud. "About all the pain we've caused each other, about all he's put me through – and yet despite all of that, I still can't help but hope that things will get better. For Hailey." He looked up at Hailey now, visibly confused. "Hailey, who is MH?"

Hailey stared at the ground, and for a moment she didn't speak. "Spencer, MH is my father. And I want to find him."

…Ninety-nine. One hundred. One hundred and one. One hundred and two. One hundred and three. One hundred and –

"Anderson!"

The prison guard's sharp voice brought Olivia back to reality again. She sat up, ceiling tiles forgotten, and wiped the tears from her eyes so he wouldn't get the satisfaction of seeing her cry. The guard gestured for her to come with him. "Another visitor. You're a popular girl, Anderson."

This time as she was escorted towards the visitor's room, the other inmates tried to harass her but the guard yelled at them before they could. Her eyes caught the woman who had spit on her before – now she only smiled twistedly.

The guard led her into the room, and for a moment Olivia expected it to be Nolan, back to plead with her again. But it wasn't. Hailey looked up, her expression stoic, and a smile broke out on Olivia's face for the first time all day.

"Hi, Hailes." She said, sitting down across from her only child, the center of her universe. She reached out her bound hands, wanting some kind of contact, but Hailey slid her own hands under the table.

"We need to talk."

"Okay…" Olivia agreed. "How are you hanging in there, honey?"

Hailey didn't respond, instead digging into her bag. She placed the book on the table, opened it to a dog-eared page. "MH is one half of her," She read out loud. "MH is one half of her, and I am too. No matter what happens between us now, nothing will ever change that."

Olivia's face fell. "Hailey, how did you get that…?"

"My father," Hailey said, not answering her. "MH. Mike – that was his name, wasn't it? Did his last name start with H, too?"

"Hailey," Olivia said firmly. "Honey, let's talk about this…"

"I want a chance to know him. I know he left but…like you said, he's still one half of me. That will never go away. And with you stuck in here…I need to see him, Mom. I have to. I need to face him now more than ever."

Olivia shook her head. "Hailey, you have no idea –"

"He's my father!" Hailey insisted forcefully. "God, he's my dad, all I have left, and I don't have a single memory of him! Can't you just help me?"

Olivia stared down at the tabletop. "I gave your father a chance to get to know you a long time ago, and we all know how that turned out. Now we all just have to live with it. No matters how much it hurts."

Hailey stood, picking the journal back up. "I don't care," She said, turning to go. "I'll find him myself."

"Hailey!" Olivia called after her, but the guard grabbed her by the arm, to drag her back to her cell. "I know you have this idea in your head about what he's like, but you're going to be disappointed by what you find! Hailey, come back here! Hailey!"

They sat on the floor of Nolan's living room, crumpled up pieces of notebook paper scattered around, some untouched glasses of wine on the coffee table. Jack came down the stairs, rejoining Amanda and Louise in the living room. "I put Carl down in the guest room for now," He said, sitting back down on the floor. "He was out like a light."

"That's good," Amanda said. "But we still haven't figured anything out."

Louise pulled the pen cap she'd been chewing on absentmindedly out of her mouth. "So we're pretty sure Chamberlain knew Olivia was going to be the fall guy when he started a relationship with her. And Sonya probably knew too, right?"

"Probably," Jack agreed. "And Chamberlain knew who you were when he approached you after the bombing."

"I still can't believe you two…" Amanda said, trailing off. "You know."

"Hey!" Louise snapped. "I thought you said no judgment?"

"No judgment here – I just can't believe none of us knew about it. Or that you of all people would concoct a plan like that. It was devious."

Louise smiled. "Well, you aren't the only one here who can make a scheme."

The front door opened and they all looked up, wondering if Nolan had finally returned. Charlotte walked inside instead, smiling at something on her phone.

"Okay," Jack said. "Who's the guy?"

Charlotte looked up. "What's that?" She said, feigning ignorance, but the smile on her lips did not subside.

"We know that face." Amanda explained. "So who's the guy?"

Charlotte helped herself to a Diet Coke from Nolan's fridge, holding her phone behind her back. "I don't know what you're talking about," She said. As she leaned down to put her drink on the coffee table, Amanda reached over and grabbed for her phone. "Hey, give it back!" The two sisters wrestled playfully for it for a moment but Amanda's superior training won out. Charlotte collapsed back onto the couch in defeat while Amanda took her phone in her hands, looking at the text message on her screen.

"Drew?" She said, surprised. "You like Drew?"

Charlotte covered her face with a pillow. "We're seeing each other," She confessed. "It's new but...nice. Really nice."

She lowered the pillow from her face to see that Amanda was smiling at her. She handed her her phone back. "Charlotte, if you're happy, I'm happy."

"And Drew's a real cutie." Louise added emphatically. "If I were you, I'd jump his bones too."

Charlotte laughed and rolled her eyes. "So anyway, what are you guys working on?" She picked up a notepad, scanning over their notes about the Chamberlains. "Ugh," She said. "Who would've thought that little bitch was in on it with them?"

"I don't understand any of this," Jack said with exasperation. "So both of the Chamberlains are terrorists – but the Liberators didn't need a fall guy, and even if they did they could've picked anyone at Chamberlain's company they wanted. Yet they picked Olivia – a secretary who doesn't look like she could hurt a fly. Why?"

"My father." Amanda blurted out, and the other three all looked at her in surprise. "Olivia went with Nolan to visit my father so many times – she wrote about it in her diaries, and the prison would've documented it. Back then, everyone thought he was guilty. She could have easily been painted as a terrorist sympathizer."

Charlotte nodded. "McKenzie mentioned the visits on the stand." She confirmed. "I asked Nolan how she knew our father but he never told me."

"Because if he did he'd have to tell you how in love with her he was," Louise singsonged, and Charlotte's eyes widened in surprise.

"My dad and Olivia?"

Louise waved her off. "God, no! Nolan and O-"

The door opened again, effectively cutting her off, and this time it was Nolan who walked inside. "Hey," Jack said to him. "How did it go?"

Nolan dropped his briefcase and shrugged off his jacket. "I don't want to talk about it."

"What did she say?" Amanda pressed.

"I said," Nolan repeated sternly. "I don't want to talk about it." Everyone realized immediately just how serious he was – Nolan wasn't one to use that tone with them, he was usually very agreeable. He sighed. "I need some air…" Before anyone could say anything else, he walked out again and slammed the door.

Louise rubbed her temples. "This is all enough to make my head spin."

"One's thing for sure," Charlotte agreed. "All of this is a million times more complicated than we thought."

Some say that a day of judgment will come.

He stood along the shoreline, watching the sun set on the horizon. The waves rolled in, soaking the bottoms of his pant legs, but he couldn't even fathom moving in that moment. It was like he was frozen. The events of the day were on repeat in his mind, like a twisted greatest hits.

We've been onto all of you since day one.

Guilty.

Guilty.

Guilty.

I don't love you.

The heavens will open up, the earth will quake, and all our destinies shall be sealed.

"Hey,"

Nolan turned at the sound of the familiar voice. Hailey was walking down the beach towards him, the wind whipping her hair, her shoes in her hands.

"Hailey," He said as she joined his side. "I'm so sorry…"

"Please don't apologize," She said. "It's not your fault. You did everything you could."

On this day, we will face our last judgment – our past actions, sins, and mistakes shall determine our fortune. The ultimate choice will be made for us – Heaven or Hell, joy or sorrow, forgiveness or damnation.

The two watched the sun for a long moment as it made its slow descent across the sky. The wind was picking up, raising goosebumps across all of Nolan's exposed skin.

"I wanted to talk to you about something." Hailey said finally.

"Your mother's appeal?" Nolan guessed. "They're working on it back at the house right now –"

"That's not it," Hailey said, and Nolan looked at her with confusion. She dug into her bag and pulled out a little book, handing it to him.

Nolan opened it up to the bookmarked page. He looked up, more perplexed than ever. "Hailey, what is this?"

"It's my mother's journal." She explained. "From around the time I was a baby. The MH she refers to…is my father."

But I don't agree with that. I think...

"Okay…" Nolan began hesitantly. "What does that have to do with me?"

Hailey turned to him, fierce determination in her eyes. "I want you to help me find him. I want you to help me find my father."

...we should determine our own destinies.

A/N (again): Welp, that's it folks! But don't despair, here are some of the promised teasers to keep you on the edge of your seat until the sequel. Are you ready?

* Nolan will find out something about Olivia that she's never told anyone

* Hailey will get herself - and Charlotte - into a sticky situation that'll have long term repercussions

* Louise's past comes back to haunt her

* Amanda and Jack will be put in a compromising position that forces them to make a tough choice

* The possible romantic feelings between Spencer and Hailey will be addressed, and it will have an impact on their friendship

* I just finished Chapter 5 and it is by far the longest chapter I've ever written for this story. It will include an old-fashioned takedown with three characters teaming up after someone they all love is hurt, and a return from a fan favorite character to stir up trouble (well, at least they are a personal favorite of mine - feel free to make some guesses)

* Hailey's search for her father will be full of twist and turns, and result in an ending that she did not see coming

Please review to tell me what you think of this chapter, what you're looking forward to or wanting in the sequel, maybe even to offer some predictions of what you think is to come. Thank you all for being amazing readers - I loved writing this story, and I hope you loved reading it!