Revenge Revisited

by MothToANewFlame

What if Daniel had found out Emily's true identity at the end of Season 1? With this knowledge could they have a chance again? What if he became her ally? A rewrite of Seasons 2-4 featuring a slight change to the Season 1 finale, the return of some favorite characters, and a chance for the heroes and villains to 'do-over' … New beginnings and slightly different endings…

35. Chapter 35: Disgrace

Chapter 35: Disgrace

Grace is at the core of tragedy. For if there's no height at which to drop, no pride taken in the life lived, you have nothing to lose. But once in the free fall of disgrace the only way to change its momentum is to use it to your advantage.

Emily fled down the grand staircase of the Metropolitan Opera House with precision, taking each step with care despite the mounting anxiety in her heart that impelled her to move faster. Her brow wrinkled with urgency as she sought to reach the bottom, yet rather than endanger her condition at the risk of falling, she was forced to take caution as she ran. Somehow it made her descent feel as if it were happening in slow motion, while the pitched shrill of a soprano voice belted from inside the theater. She raised a hand to shield herself just before finally reaching the doors, where the blinding light of camera flashes only served to magnify her intense fear. For despite her desperate efforts to conceal a most inopportune truth, it had all been dashed to pieces in a matter of seconds…

36 HOURS EARLIER

"I forgot, Mom – tomorrow's the opening night of the opera."

Charlotte scooted over to a seat in the grand dining room, smiling curtly at the sight of her infant son in her mother's arms. It had been difficult to get used to the notion of Victoria being involved in her grandson's life, but as with any extension of forgiveness, it grew easier with time. And, she had to admit, her mother's attempts to persuade her with a safe environment and convenient childcare did have its benefits, though she tried not to indulge too heavily in those things as her reason for staying.

"It's Pagliacci. One of Patrick's favorites," Victoria observed when Charlotte slid the playbill over for her to see, along with an accompanying envelope that held the tickets. "We planned to attend together back when he was staying here," she reminisced with a forlorn expression. She shifted Declan in her arms almost symbolically as thoughts of her late firstborn son swept through her mind.

"I'm sorry he's gone," Charlotte offered sympathetically. It was all she could say as she often struggled with conflict over her deceased brother, considering all the harm he caused both to her and during his final moments with Emily. "But I can go with you if you like?" she extended, hoping to brighten the mood.

"Thank you, Charlotte," Victoria accepted appreciatively. "My only consolation is that your father won't be there," she thought aloud, handing the baby over as he began wailing for his mother. She inspected the envelope afterwards, adding. "That gives us two empty seats if you would like to invite someone, darling?"

"What about Daniel & Emily?" Charlotte suggested upon getting up from the table to get a bottle for Declan Jr.

Victoria glared at the mention. "Surely they can afford their own arrangements," she glowered, twitching in discomfort at the memory of the last run-in she had with her son and loathsome daughter-in-law.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," Charlotte's voice trailed back in from the hall. She returned with the infant over her shoulder and bottle in tow. "Why are you suddenly redecorating the downstairs guest room? You know we're fine in the upstairs nursery, right?"

"Mm, that room just needed a fresh look," Victoria explained discreetly, silently hoping the renovators were almost done. Before she could continue any further thoughts about the images she sought to purge, Marta beckoned her from the foyer steps.

"Mrs. Grayson? You have a visitor," she alerted her.

"I'll take it in the study, please. Excuse me, dear," Victoria begged off from Charlotte, maintaining discretion as she assumed it be Louise finally coming at her request. After almost a week of phone silence, she was growing more concerned by the day that something had happened – a feeling that only elevated when Victoria arrived at the study doorway and found someone else waiting for her instead.

"Victoria," Stevie Grayson approached proudly, enjoying the unnerved reaction her presence gave. "It's been a while."

"Stevie Grayson?" Victoria sneered, thinly masking her alarm behind a veil of superiority. "If that's what you still call yourself… Just what brings youback to the Hamptons, let alone to my private home?"

Stevie turned slowly to meet her gaze, chuckling inwardly. "Funny you should mention that – because I'm here for the very land upon which you stand," she answered. While the other digested her pithy retort, Stevie handed over a folded document. "That's a copy of the Grayson Manor property deed – turns out it was purchased by Conrad before our divorce was final. And while I may not have gotten much money in the split, I did get all undeveloped real estate holdings." With a stern expression, Stevie concluded. "This house belongs to me."

After briefly reviewing the deed, Victoria glanced up perniciously. "Don't tell me this clearly desperate seizure for ownership is on behalf of Conrad," she supposed. "How low he must have stooped to put you on his legal team?"

"Not at all," Stevie contested, ignoring her insult. Though Conrad had given her the idea, her intentions had a much deeper purpose. "I have no interest in interfering in another of your redundant divorce proceedings," she quipped. "I'm merely sharing pertinent information that I came across during my research."

"Which I'm assuming was hindered by your penchant for inebriation," Victoria slung in objection. Stevie was visibly stung by the implication of her affront; meanwhile Victoria dropped the deed on her desk nonchalantly and leaned forward. "I don't care what you claim to own, I will fight you on this until my last breath!"

"Let's hope that's sooner than later," Stevie shot back with a hint of triumph. "But until then, I own this place," she emphasized before turning for a dramatic exit. "And I want you out by the end of the week."

SCENE

"Morning, Nolan."

Emily's cavalier greeting met Nolan as he let himself into her kitchen, catching her midstride bringing Daniel a cup of steaming coffee. She was in business attire, her form-fitting dress a sure sign that she was back to her routine, meanwhile Daniel was more relaxed in semi-casual sportswear. He looked up briefly and bobbed his head to say hello, then returned his attention to the documents spread on the table beside a modest breakfast and Emily's Infinity Box.

"Hope I'm not interrupting, newlyweds," Nolan grinned at the sight, finding the glimpse into their morning rituals to be charming. "Sorry for not dropping in sooner – I came by the morning after the party but no one was home?"

Daniel exchanged a devilish look at Emily as she sat down. "We ah, stayed over at Grayson Manor," he answered, tucking away his smirk behind a sip of coffee.

Nolan caught Emily blushing next and immediately caught on. "Whoa, quite the walk of shame," he hinted, grabbing a seat next to his best girl. "Did you really truck it home in the same clothes from the night before?"

"You mean the Donna Karen you ruined?" she averted with a sly look.

It was Nolan's turn to look sheepish. "Buy you a new one?" he offered, shifting his attention to the array of research on the table. "So… what's the latest in the Ex-Files?"

"Actually we made a discovery," Daniel chimed in, gesturing for Emily to finish while he headed towards the sink.

"After Daniel filled me in on his conversation with Stevie, something sounded familiar," Emily continued, reaching into her Infinity Box. "So I looked into my father's journals, and sure enough, she was one of the people that came to visit him." She handed over the specific page for Nolan to examine. "I cross-referenced it with the prison manifest – Stevie Grayson a.k.a. Stephanie Pruitt, only checked into the visitor log once in 1997. It sounds like she had every intention of helping, only like many others, she never got the chance."

"Arrested for a DUI three days later and disbarred?" Nolan read from Emily's notes. "Yikes."

"There must be more to it though," Emily inferred. "The mere fact she used her maiden name tells me she didn't want Conrad to know she was digging—"

"Or, she already knew he was still gunning for David even behind bars and wanted to warn him in advance," Daniel inserted, perching on the counter. "I wouldn't put it past my father for staging the arrest that got her disbarred either."

Emily cocked her head in agreement, turning to Nolan again. "Something I hope to discuss when I talk to her today," she explained, adding with a note of regret. "I only wish I was more alert last week, I could have remembered all of this sooner."

Daniel came to her side and stroked her back in assurance. "Try not to be so hard on yourself, Em. You were dealing with a lot. I'm just glad you're feeling better. Alright, I'm off," he reminded her, bending down for a kiss. He lingered a few seconds and then finally separated to check his watch. "I promised Charlotte I'd spend some time with her and the baby today. Let me know what you find out later."

Emily nodded tenderly while Nolan saluted a goodbye, leaving them alone once Daniel went out the door. "So good to see you lovebirds back to normal," Nolan chirped with a grin, reaching for a pastry from the table.

"Don't you have some shopping to do?" Emily shot back with an eye-roll, heading into the kitchen. But in spite of her show of privacy, her best friend was right. It was a relief to be back in a good place with Daniel, the thought of which afforded her at least momentary joy amidst the usual plotting.

"You mean, you won't be requiring my services?" Nolan verified with intrigue.

"I didn't quite say that," Emily conceded, returning with purpose. "There's something else. When Victoria and I had our run-in at the party she seemed to have acquired new information – about Amanda." Nolan raised his brow in surprise and she finished reluctantly. "Somehow she figured out we were in juvie together."

Expectedly, Nolan rose from his seat in alarm. "What? Uh… Ems, that's a problem major! If she makes the connection she could figure out everything—?"

"I know," Emily acknowledged it, having pondered on the concept for over a week. "For now it doesn't seem like she's put it together, but what concerns me is her continued interest in Amanda. It was only a matter of time before the Graysons remembered everything she threatened them with before they tried to silence her. And while she may have dodged their first attempt on her life, this time she may not be so lucky…" She paused nervously, tracing through her mind how she could find a solution that both protected her friend and her identity at the same time. But on this rare instance, she was at a loss. "But if I have to, I'd rather take the fall before I let them try," she confessed.

Nolan tensed considerably; never imagining the day would come when she would be willing to out herself. But in light of her tumultuous week before, he had to admit it was refreshing to hear her speak from a place of compassion. "Hopefully it won't get to that," he predicted, still brainstorming. "You know what troubles me?" he realized. "How did Victoria suddenly happen upon all of this? I mean, I know for a fact you had every public record completely locked down. Where's her source?"

"Or who," Emily's expression twisted in likewise concern as she concentrated on the same question. "That's where you come in. I need you to check up on Jack and Amanda; see who they've been talking to. My guess is Victoria stumbled across what she knows while she was digging for something else – find out what it is."

"Got it," Nolan agreed adamantly, gaining incentive by the validation of being needed once again.

"In the meantime, I'm moving forward with Stevie," Emily explained. "I'm going to push to have the case brought against Conrad as soon as possible. Hopefully if things move fast enough, Victoria won't get the chance to pursue her suspicions any further, and she'll stay away from Amanda."

Before she left, Nolan brought up another point. "And what if she decides to go after you instead?"

Emily gazed into his eyes with determination. "I can handle her."

SCENE

"Stevie, it's good to see you." Emily was punctual outside the location Stevie requested for them to meet at, and brightened upon seeing her emerge from an unfamiliar building. "I hope your morning went well?" she added with a hint of interest.

"Emily, good to see you too," Stevie returned, joining the smartly dressed young woman on the sidewalk. "Mine was off to a rocky start, but I always feel much better after attending one of these," she referred, gesturing back towards the building.

Finally, Emily peered close enough to decipher where she had been. "AA," she whispered. Though not intentional, she could not help a sudden pang of concern that the information she had stumbled upon in Stevie's record was true. "Ah, I'm sorry I didn't realize—"

"Don't be," Stevie assured her, reaching out to display something in her hand. Emily looked down and realized it was a token. "I'm twenty years sober, and not ashamed in the least. I attribute my progress to never once missing a single meeting – it's helped me considerably."

With her admission, Emily straightened her stance to convey support. "Well, I certainly admire that," she relented kindly. "I've become a strong believer in the ability people have to change."

"Thank you, dear," Stevie accepted graciously. "Now on to more pressing matters—" she began, but was interrupted by Jack just a few feet behind her.

"Listen, I was thinking if you have time we could grab lunch—" Jack addressed her, before realizing Emily was at her side. "Oh, hey – I didn't realize you already had plans," he quickly deduced.

"Jack?" Emily greeted him with intrigue. "What are you doing here?"

Stevie turned to exchange a glance, and a nod from Jack granted her permission to answer on his behalf. "Emily, I was going to tell you this once we had a chance to talk but I suppose now is a good time," she explained. "The case you and Daniel have asked me to work with you on has quickly become very personal for me. You see…" she paused for emphasis and fell back a step to stand at Jack's side. "Jack is my son."

SCENE

Conrad had just been seated in his usual corner of the South Fork Inn dining area when he looked up to find his soon-to-be ex-wife storming over in his direction. "Victoria," he greeted coolly. "I thought we agreed the South Fork would be my turf in our divorce settlement?"

"That was before you sent Stevie to do your dirty work," she countered, dropping the property deed in his lap just as he unfolded his napkin. "Just what is the meaning of this?" she demanded.

"Ah, that would be an indication that the fading structure you're so determined to hold onto is slipping through your fingers," Conrad replied, maintaining an aloof disposition. He could never resist an opportunity to make her squirm. "I thought you'd appreciate the advance notice so you could seek new accommodations," he chuckled.

"That house belongs to me," Victoria insisted with indignation. "And if you think I'm giving it over without so much as a fight, you're delusional. Not to mention endlessly cruel for turning out both your daughter and her son onto the street," she added.

"As petty as it may sound," Conrad was ready with reply. "It was your own deliberate attempt to pull Charlotte away from me that resulted in my decision to pull the public record," he explained, watching Victoria shrink back in amazement at his retaliatory nature. "Perhaps you can explain that to her yourself when you help her find a new home, hm?"

Realizing his jab was primarily motivated by being shut out of Charlotte's life, Victoria merely shook her head in derision. "You're disgraceful," she spat. "And senseless for choosing now to start a war with me. Do you know I have in my possession a priceless piece of information that you've been trying to uncover for nearly a year now?" Victoria stood erect, proudly reflecting on the tip Louise had overheard the week before. And though she had yet to obtain concrete evidence, after mulling it over for the past few days there was no doubt in her mind.

"And pray tell what that is?" Conrad entertained her. But when Victoria appeared intent on lording it over him, he quickly gave up interest. "As I suspected, another one of your baseless attempts at luring me into getting what you want. Now if you don't mind, I'm meeting someone," he dismissed her without acknowledgement, leaving her to about face in the direct path of his lunch companion. "Victoria, you remember Pascal?"

At his behest Victoria stopped short in her tracks, and a sea of memories flooded in as she took in sight of the virile man before her. Though slightly greying and older than she remembered, he still knew how to capture her attention, despite clearly being there to see Conrad. "Pascal LeMarchal," she addressed him, quickly finding her air of regality in his presence.

"Beautiful as ever, Victoria," he resounded softly, his thick accent rolling over his tongue. He turned up his brow upon looking her over, conveying how mesmerizing he still found her to be. Suddenly conscious of Conrad just beneath them, he stopped in place. "I hope I'm not intruding?"

"Not at all," Victoria assured him, reserving a glare for her former husband. "I just stopped by to let Conrad know he was about to lose at his own game," she sneered.

"Ah, that must have been very hard for him to digest," Pascal humored her, taking his seat across from Conrad. "You know how important winning is to him – he'll stop at nothing," he added, hinting towards the business dealings they were about to discuss.

Conrad met his appraisal with a jut of his chin. "Only for the things worth my while," he clarified, gesturing towards Victoria. "In retrospect, there are some battles I would have gladly lost to you had I known how short-lived the trophy would be," he jabbed ruefully.

Exasperated of his cutting remarks, Victoria turned a cold shoulder and stormed away, leaving Pascal somewhat sympathetic at her departure. "Was it really necessary to degrade her in that way?" he scolded.

Conrad let out an unregretful laugh. "Believe me, she can handle it," he assured. "You should know that better than anyone – after all, you introduced us." He waited for Pascal to nod in confirmation and then proceeded on. "Now, let's say we discuss the business proposition that finally got you onto the continent?"

Pascal raised his eyes with intrigue. "I'm all ears."

While Conrad and Pascal continued their luncheon, Victoria hung back in the hall curiously and pondered over the purpose of their meeting. Before finally deciding to leave, she peered back towards the foyer of the hotel, and immediately spied a familiar face heading out of the south entrance.

"Louise?" she called out.

"Victoria!" Louise's surprised demeanor was enough to convey she had been caught, and despite her nervous glances around there was no escape.

"Louise, it's been over a week! I was beginning to think you had shafted our agreement," Victoria accosted her at once, noting the suitcase in her hand. "And it appears you have?"

"Oh nothing like that, Mrs. Grayson," Louise rushed into explanation. She peered around frantically for somewhere private they could speak but Victoria appeared content at the entrance, looming a few steps over Louise. "I just um—I've started to feel like I'm a bit in over my head? I think I need to take a break, maybe."

Victoria came down to stand level with her, taking the bag from her hand. "Why of course, dear – I'm sure the deception you uncovered was more than enough to make you rattled," she presumed, forcing it at as the only reason. "Send your cab away," she instructed with a glance down to the road. "And we'll go somewhere we can talk." She impressed her will with a serene smile, starting down the walk towards her own driver service while still clutching Louise's bag.

With little choice, Louise followed behind and finally sighed in explanation once they were in Victoria's backseat. "It's just," she began nervously, deliberating how to express herself. "After reading those letters it became clear to me how much those women have been through, and…" she paused to look up apprehensively. "Victoria, I know we don't talk much about my background. But you see, my father was abusive too and, well last year… I had sort of a similar situation to Emily's."

Victoria nodded with interest. "I see," she absorbed sternly. "But Louise you mustn't allow Emily's past to deceive you. Both she and Amanda are capable of executing far more pain to others than they have personally endured."

Louise appeared to drift on in thought, and her blank stare became somewhat unnerving as the seconds wore on. "I'm sure you're right," she conceded finally, but her voice shook as she continued. "But ever since my daddy died, I've been carrying a lot around with me… it's honestly the reason why I came here to get away. And after reading those letters, it just—well it just brought it all back." She stopped midway to give Victoria a pleading expression. "Look, please don't get me wrong, I want to do everything I can to help you avenge your son. But at times I can't help feeling like… perhaps I'm not really getting the help I need?"

"If help is all you need, you needn't fear a thing," Victoria assured her quickly. "Don't think I've forgotten my end of our agreement – not only can I recommend a therapist you can trust with your life, but the ties you cement by pledging me your loyalty won't soon be broken. The people I bring into my inner circle will always be protected," she assured her, dangling opportunity as bait. "As a matter of fact, how would you like to secure your entry into that circle right away?"

Finally shaking off the concerns that plagued her, Louise softened at Victoria's offer. "Do you mean that Victoria?"

"But of course," she insisted, reaching into her purse with an idea. "You'll need to be discreet – but I'd love for you to attend," she invited, handing over a playbill to the opera. She waited for Louise's expression to light up with excitement before adding one final condition. "That is, if you can keep to our agreement – for but one last favor?"

SCENE

"If you're looking for Jack, he's out with his mom."

Amanda's wry greeting met Nolan with surprise a few minutes after he came into the Stowaway, and he found himself doing a double take on the opposing side of the bar. "I'm sorry – come again?" he begged her to repeat.

"Turns out, Jack's mother is Stevie Grayson," Amanda explained, tossing down the towel over her shoulder as she leaned in close to talk to Nolan quietly. "Yeah, she told him the night of Charlotte's party, apparently she kept it a secret all these years. Can you believe it? Jack was stunned at first, but ever since he's been spending time with her – trying to get to know her better."

"That… can't be easy?" Nolan stammered, partially at a loss for words. One look at Amanda's expression told him she agreed, but considering the level of difficulty their marriage had been at since her return he considered it was a measure of good news, relatively speaking.

"It's not. But honestly, I'm happy for him," Amanda resolved, echoing Nolan's thoughts.

Nolan empathized with a kind expression, but then suddenly grew troubled as he recalled his mission. Emily had asked him to look for the source of Victoria's intel, and considering that Amanda had just revealed Stevie to be Jack's mother, it now raised questions. Could she be the leak, he wondered, recalling how her arrival coincided with Victoria's newfound information. It wouldn't be the first time their perception of someone's loyalties had been wrong and Stevie was after all, an attorney, and likely had connections to find out things that would be otherwise classified. Not to mention if she had been spending time with Jack lately, there was no telling what details she could be investigating.

"Say, Amanda," Nolan probed curiously. "Has Stevie shown any interest in getting to know you better since the big reveal?"

Amanda's reaction somewhat deflated the concept. "Not particularly," she replied. "She's been nice and everything but her focus is on Jack, not me… thought I wouldn't mind it if she were. I'd give anything to have one of my family members back again," she confessed openly in reflection.

In spite of his wandering theories, Nolan knew they did little good while he was with Amanda and Emily was with Stevie at present. He made a mental note to run it past her later and refocused his attention on Amanda instead, noting she had zoned out slightly.

"Well I guess we both don't talk much about our biological families," he reentered conversation. "But I feel the same. When I lost my dad he was pretty much all I had left. And even though Ems is like the sibling I never had…still, it's hard being alone." He watched her agree with a nod and then used it to transition. "But, at least you have Carl and Jack now – and, even if it's not quite DNA certified—Charlotte still sees you as her sister?"

Amanda grew uneasy at the mention, revealing things had not changed much on that front. "I tried calling her a few times this week, but I think she's still avoiding me," she admitted. "I wanted to stop by and patch things up today but she said she had plans with Daniel."

"Well, I can verify that to be true, so at least you know she's not blowing you off," Nolan offered in consolation.

"Yeah," Amanda acknowledged solemnly, quickly brightening with an idea. "You know what, maybe if I catch her right after she'll be in a better mood and we can talk. Would you possibly be able to watch Carl while I go?" she asked sincerely. "I haven't heard back from the sitter and Jack was supposed to open but he's not back yet."

"Uh, hello? Uncle Nol, reporting for duty? Of course I will," Nolan obliged, signaling for her to go get Carl. He shook his head with a laugh while she went, muttering to himself. "I swear no one ever uses me to my full capacity."

Within moments Amanda returned to hand him over, thanking him with a look of relief. "I really appreciate this," she expressed, and finally left at Nolan's urging.

"So, buddy," Nolan played with his adoptive nephew once she had gone. "What kind of trouble should we get into today? Wanna help Auntie Em on her next takedown?" he quipped, sauntering over to the Stowaway door. He had begun walking back through the main dining area when suddenly the door opened behind him.

"Oh—ah, hi there," a young woman with red hair greeted him, and Nolan immediately recognized she was the sitter. "Is his mother here?" she nodded towards Carl.

"Just missed her," Nolan replied, eyeing her attentively. "She put me on duty before she left. You're the sitter, right… What was your name again?"

She hesitated before answering. "It's Louise," she replied with a plastered smile. "Well then, I guess I'll come back later on if you've got things under control here." She started for the door but Nolan kept up behind her.

"You know you look really familiar," he observed, squinting as he shifted Carl onto his hip to follow.

"Um, I saw you the other day, remember?" she dodged without turning around. "With Jack," she tried to gloss over it.

But Nolan continued, striding ahead to catch her in the doorway. "No, I'm sure it's not that," he concluded, struggling to determine where he might have seen her before. "Are you originally from this area?"

This time Louise faced him more proudly. "I'm not exactly a native New Yorker, can't you tell?" she asserted in her rich Southern drawl.

"Yeah, I like the accent actually," Nolan flirted, just as Carl let out an excited garble that grasped his attention and went on for a few minutes. "Hey, look at that – so does the little guy. You must be quite the charmer…" he hinted, only to look up and see Louise had already gone.

Never the stranger to a touch of mystery, Nolan smirked as he watched her go and jiggled Carl in his arm as if soliciting his opinion. "Now what do you suppose was her rush?" he wondered aloud.

Despite instantly finding Louise attractive, there was something else about her that he could not quite put his finger on. It left him mystified in the quiet moments that followed, but also afforded him the chance to think more about his growing suspicion of Stevie. If she was in fact Jack's mother as Amanda said, there could have been a hidden motive behind her arrival in the Hamptons. And if she was getting close just to feed information to Victoria – Emily was possibly about to put her trust in the enemy.

SCENE

Daniel enjoyed a carefree moment with his sister as they strolled through her favorite park in Montauk. It was a treat to steal away a peaceful afternoon with her, enhanced even more so by the ability to watch her in action as a mother. As he observed, Charlotte excelled in her role, looking after Declan Jr's needs with care while still maintaining the girlish quality he always saw in her. Admittedly, he was proud of how far she had come and attributed her natural instinct for perseverance to the parent she shared with Emily. It only made it more puzzling to him why she insisted on staying with Victoria, a subject he reluctantly decided to breach after walking together for some time.

"So… you're going to see Pagliacci with Mom," he restated from an earlier comment she had made. "Looking forward to it?"

"I'm looking forward to the opera, if that's what you mean," Charlotte answered coyly, already expecting his surprise at her choice. "And hoping you and Emily will come too?" she added with optimism. "Mom is… Mom. I know you probably think I'm crazy for moving back in with her."

"Not crazy," Daniel attempted to be delicate, stopping as they came to a bench by the pond. He took a seat, hoping it would engender deeper conversation. "More like… brave," he settled instead.

Charlotte followed his meaning with a chuckle as she parked Declan beside them. "Speaking of brave," she quickly transitioned, nodding at her sleeping son. "Are you looking forward to having one of these yourself soon?"

Daniel grinned, expecting it was coming sooner or later. "Hopefully he or she is just as good as my nephew," he acknowledged softly, admiring him. "But yeah, actually I am," he refocused on Charlotte, emphasizing his answer with a seriousness in his tone. "And it's nice that of everyone, Emily chose to tell you," he added, tapping his sister playfully. "You two share a … special relationship."

Charlotte smiled at the sentiment, none suspecting that there was more to his words than he was letting on. "I just can't wait to see Emily as a mother," she expressed, a thought Daniel echoed in his countenance. "And don't worry," she assured him. "I promised her I wouldn't say anything, especially not to Mom. Just because I'm living at home doesn't mean she needs to know everything like before."

He nodded in appreciation, despite hearing about an instance where she had almost slipped. Rather than dwell on the risk, he focused on potentially eliminating it all together. "Back to that… so what made you want to move back in? I mean, this can't be permanent right?"

"No, it isn't," Charlotte sighed awkwardly. "It's just, until I can find a way to provide for myself I'm forced to rely on other people. And more recently, living with people I thought I knew has been a little too eye-opening for me," she alluded, casting a look into the distance. "At least with Mom I know what I'm getting – no surprises."

"For now," Daniel argued fairly. "But if you're talking about who I think you are, all I can suggest is you get the full story," he offered. "Sometimes people in love make mistakes – you know that. But it's up to them to work out their relationship – it's not up to us to judge."

A forlorn expression came over Charlotte as she returned her gaze to Daniel. "I haven't thought about love in… a long time. I guess you could say I've been out of touch with what it's like to be in a relationship," she admitted, and Daniel sensed a glimmer of regret in her countenance. "It's just, the way things are now – I have everything I need," she rationalized. "Mom has been surprisingly great with Declan…the staff helps out a lot when I need time to myself… and I'm even closer to you and Emily."

"And what about Amanda and Jack?" Daniel continued to stress. "Come on Char – this is their nephew too. If you can forgive Mom, you can forgive your sister," he reasoned, partially hoping it would be true to every depth possible.

With a sigh, Charlotte finally conceded. "You're right, I've been avoiding her," she confessed. "I'll make it up to her. I was hoping you and Emily would take the two seats with me and Mom but – maybe I should ask Amanda and Jack instead?"

"Atta girl," Daniel applauded her choice by squeezing an arm around her and beamed at helping further her progress.

"Just promise me you and Emily will still try to come," Charlotte insisted under his grasp. "I really like having you both around."

Despite being less than inclined, Daniel realized it was almost mandatory that they attend. "Don't worry," he assured her with a hint of foreshadowing. "We wouldn't miss it."

SCENE

The uneasiness that plagued Emily when she returned home that evening quickly faded into the background as she walked through the door. Daniel hovered by the stove and a savory aroma was in the air, tempting her into the kitchen where a tantalizing meal was underway. "You made dinner?" she remarked in surprise and delight, coming over to him.

Daniel turned eagerly with a proud smile. "Wait – try this first," he welcomed her, holding out a wooden spoon for Emily to taste before she could embrace him.

"Mm," Emily responded, licking her lips to absorb the rich flavor. "That's delicious. What's the occasion?" she inquired, spotting the dinner table was also set.

"Well, seeing as how I'm not working and you're back to handling things without me," Daniel replied, returning the spoon to the counter. Though theirs was not the typical setup, it was becoming more of a humorous incidental than something that actually bothered him. "Just thought I'd pull my weight around here," he added with a smirk.

Emily leaned into him affectionately, finding it adorable. "Well, you sure make a hot 'housewife' in my apron," she flirted back. "How long until it's ready?" Before he could answer she was nudging him for a kiss and when they connected it sent a surge through her that ran from head to toe. She wasn't sure whether it was the warmth in the kitchen, the sight of him so handsomely domesticated or her raging hormones that made her want him more.

Sensing things quickly escalating, Daniel forced himself to separate, grazing her cheek with his beard when he pulled away. "Before you get too excited, let's see if you're still in a good mood when I tell you this," he alluded, and Emily restrained herself to listen. "I promised Charlotte we'd go to the opera with her and my mother."

"Ah, I knew there had to be a catch," Emily acknowledged, only slightly deflated. She rubbed her nose to his for an Eskimo kiss before reluctantly pulling away and following his lead towards the table.

"But, in good news I think she's coming around in respects with Amanda," he continued, apportioning the meal onto their respective plates. "She invited her and Jack to come too."

"That will make for an interesting evening," Emily commented, spreading a napkin on her lap as she sat down. "But I'm glad they're back on good terms. Hopefully the public setting will either keep your mother at bay or force her to show her hand."

"That's what I was thinking," Daniel agreed, taking his seat across from her. "So how did things go with Stevie?"

Emily swallowed a bite of salad and hesitated to answer. "Not exactly as planned," she admitted, and met his worried reaction. "But still productive. We didn't have as much time to talk because Jack was with her." She took an additional breath to finally explain. "She's his mother."

Daniel nearly had to scrape his jaw off of the floor. "What?" he exclaimed. "You're kidding!"

"The night of Charlotte's party, she came by the Stowaway to tell him the truth," Emily continued with the background he had given her. "Apparently she and your father were having problems in their marriage when her addiction to alcohol began, landing her in the arms of Jack's father, Carl." She paused to allow him to digest the details, all of which made sense considering several things Stevie had mentioned. "When she found out she was pregnant she went away to conceal it, and when she came back your mother was already in the picture. She had to choose whether to stay and face the shame or leave and get help. She chose to leave."

"Wow," Daniel was flabbergasted. "Talk about six degrees of separation," he observed, noting nearly everyone they knew somehow had a connection to one another. "So was that DUI she got disbarred for really legitimate?" he wondered.

"Not according to her," Emily relayed. "She says by then she was clean and Conrad did it out of spite to keep her from helping my father. But I'm not so sure…"

Conscious of his wife's tendency for distrust, Daniel zeroed in on her suspicions. "What do you mean?"

Emily stopped eating dinner and leaned back pensively. "After my meeting with Stevie got sidetracked I went to visit Nolan. And the more we discussed the possibilities for who could have leaked the info to your mother about me and Amanda… it could have easily been her."

"Stevie?" Daniel balked in surprise. "She hates my mother; why would she want to help her out?"

"Leverage, maybe?" Emily shrugged. "Look, I don't want to believe it was her either, but I can't deny the fact that the timeline matches up, and the kind of access someone with legal connections could easily have," she continued pensively. "Not to mention if she's trying to get information on Amanda, there's no better way than going through her husband Jack, who suddenly, is her long lost son? Come on, Daniel – don't you think it's all a little coincidental?"

"Yeah, but that's all I think it is," he affirmed. "If Stevie was in that deep she would have stumbled across a lot more than you and Amanda being in the same correction center, and she would have revealed it by now. Trust me Emily, I have a feeling Stevie is one of the good ones."

Emily sighed, subsisting on his confidence. "Let's hope so," she conceded, finally revealing the one piece of information she was able to obtain. "Because this is all she had time to give me today, and it might be all we have left."

When Daniel looked up she had slid a piece of paper across the table with a case number and an address on it. "What's this?"

"That's the firm Stevie was working for when she researched my father's case," Emily divulged in a breath. "She said right before they confiscated everything, she received a suspicious piece of evidence but she couldn't verify the source. If we can find it in the archive, not only will it confirm we can trust Stevie but it might help us finally get my father's case reopened."

Daniel thumbed the paper and then set it down anxiously. "Sounds like we need Nolan," he deduced.

"I already had him look into it," Emily nodded, one step ahead. "But the case is too dated for the drives to be on an online database. So in order to access the information—"

"You have to physically break into the archives," Daniel finished, drawing on his data security knowledge from his brief stint as CEO of Grayson Global. He followed up with a look of worry. "Please tell me you're not considering doing that on your own?"

Emily sat up gracefully, placing a hand over her posh midsection that was only just beginning to round outwardly. "Of course not," she replied, surprising him. "I knew you'd want me to take things easy so I asked Nolan to take this one while I walk him through from behind my laptop. He's on the hunt for a team of lawyers anyway so it's a perfect excuse for him to be at Stevie's old firm." She watched as Daniel relaxed with comfort and then finished. "But, I did suggest someone he could bring along to handle the operation while he runs cover…"

Instantly worried that she had volunteered him instead, Daniel's countenance dropped. "You didn't?"

"Not you," she quickly assured him, glancing off with a coy expression. "No, in the event that Stevie is actually working in tandem with Victoria, we need an inside man she wouldn't risk setting up. And as of today, there happens to be someone perfect for the mission."

SCENE

Jack tugged at the collar of his dress shirt, unused to being clad in business formal attire outside of a funeral or wedding. He shot a worried look over to Nolan beside him in the elevator, who appeared completely blasé despite preparing to break into the archives of a top rated law firm. "Tell me again how I end up in these situations with you?" he exhaled anxiously.

"Well, let's see," Nolan put on a thoughtful grin to appease him. "Your wife is pretending to be the daughter of a wrongfully convicted man, she switched identities with his actual daughter who is trying to avenge him, she happens to be married to the son of the people responsible for said framing, and they are getting dangerously close to foiling the entire thing – which is where I come in to help." He paused to take a breath before remembering one other thing to add. "Oh yeah, and the woman you just found out was your mother told us to start right here on the…" he trailed off, vigorously checking his phone."36th Floor," he finally finished.

Jack grimaced through Nolan's smug breakdown and pushed the button, knowing he had asked for it. "Thanks," he replied dryly. Meanwhile some of his choice phrasing stood out to him. "You know what you said about Victoria getting dangerously close worries me a lot. Not even just finding out about the girls but… I mean, let's not forget, Amanda almost killed Conrad last year."

"Seems to be a lot of 'almost killing' going around," Nolan reverberated, reflecting distractedly on the previous week. He finally looked up from his phone long enough to realize Jack was genuinely concerned. "Look, that's why we're doing this, right? To make sure the Graysons end up downtown with cuffs on before they get the chance to go after anyone."

"Right," Jack tried feebly to reassure himself and stay focused.

"How are we doing down there?" Emily's voice echoed into his ear next, and Jack quickly adjusted his earpiece at her command.

"All set," he confirmed, imagining she was overseeing things from the comforts of her kitchen table. "We're on our way up and the security door is already rigged to open—" he stopped short to check with his companion. "Right, Nolan?"

"Hmm, it will be," Nolan calmly murmured back, unintentionally testing Jack's stress level.

"Nolan, you only have one shot to do this," Emily supplemented on the same tie-in in Nolan's ear. "Once Jack's in, he has to locate the June 1997 drive—"

"Grab it and get out of there," Jack finished for her. "I know, I got it."

Emily relaxed with confidence that they were both fully versed on the plan and watched them on the monitor of her laptop screen, overseeing every move. The elevator chime finally sounded and as promised they were granted access, allowing Nolan to exit left to his cover meeting and Jack to exit right for his mission. Upon losing a visual, Emily was forced to rely only on their audio connection and a few seconds later confirmation came through.

"I'm inside," Jack informed her in a low tone. "There's a case name, but no dates on the drives!"

Prepared to troubleshoot, Emily quickly did a search of the firms coding from a website Nolan had already granted her access to. "They use a rolling-code crypto, I'm pulling it up based on the case number Stevie gave me," she explained to calm him. Almost a minute later she had what he needed. "Ok, you need to pull L39935 and L39936."

Jack followed her instructions and breathed a sigh of relief upon locating them. "Got it," he confirmed.

"Good, you're set – now get out of there," she urged him.

But something caught Jack's eye, impelling him to hang back. Despite the absence of dates there were still clear indications of case names, one of which stood out amongst the others. New York Gubernatorial Campaign was clearly inscribed on the side of one of the other drives, giving him an idea. "Hey, Emily," he posed. "You said Stevie told you the firm confiscated everything she was working on for your father's case right?"

"Yeah?"Emily confirmed hesitantly.

"Do you think Conrad was behind it?" Jack pursued, wandering back deeper into the archive. "I mean, if he was on to her he could have just paid the firm off to prevent them from ever reopening it?"

"Most likely but Jack, what's your point," Emily was losing patience. "You've got two minutes before that door locks, you need to get out of there now!"

"What I'm asking for will only take a second," he insisted, using the tapes in his hand as a guide. "If this firm is working for Conrad, Stevie's case wouldn't be only one they closed for him. Think about it – they have to have all the evidence from last year's state governor campaign! Including any footage from when the shooting happened!"

Recognizing where he was headed, Emily pressed back irritably. "Jack, this isn't a good idea—"

"Emily, I'm not leaving without it," Jack continued without letup. "If Victoria is onto Amanda like you say she is, this is the one thing that could incriminate her. No one would have been looking for Amanda at the time, but if she pulls that footage and sees her anywhere on the premises she'll know it was her. If I get to it first, she's got nothing."

"Fine," Emily huffed, despite strongly feeling it was a bad idea. But out of concern for his safety she searched for the case number by description to at least help him find it faster. "The drive you're looking for is L557864 – as soon as you find it, go!"

It barely took Jack five seconds to locate the drive and with it firmly fixed in hand he dashed out of the room, just before time ran out and the door auto-locked behind him. Relieved at the near miss, Emily sighed once she confirmed Jack was back on the elevator, catching his final nod towards her on the monitor. With appreciation he exhaled, "Thank you."

SCENE

Margaux's brow furrowed with intrigue as she read the last words on the page spread open on her desk. She raised her eyes to focus on the two men sitting across from her and closed the proposal, staring with derision at them both. Her father, the head of LeMarchal Media and patriarch of her disjointed family, and her business partner, Conrad Grayson, made a fearsome pair.

"So you were telling the truth," she concluded, resting her gaze solely on Conrad. "Power is what you seek? This two year plan for the company cleverly details a career path that only leads one way for you – senior management at LeMarchal Media Headquarters." She glanced over to her father with a hint of warning. "Possibly even the President's chair," she hinted, hoping it would solicit his concern. Upon returning her attention to Conrad she leaned back in her chair. "Daniel was right – you want to create Grayson Global all over again."

"On the contrary, global investment is quite different from global media," Conrad reasoned, overlooking both references to his presumptive ambition.

"But nonetheless, your plan is to use Voulez as a footstool," she reminded him, continuing to glance at her father. But for the moment, he remained silent.

"The plan is to make Voulez all the more lucrative in the process," Conrad argued, with a hint of contempt as the word Voulez rolled off of his tongue.

At that, Pascal finally chimed in. "And just what do you propose will be your claim to fame? Putting the Grayson name on any of our products will only make us less marketable," he pointed out casually, much to Margaux's relief. "And I doubt publishing your memoirs will generate enough interest."

"Oh, I thought your daughter had already informed you that I've long abandoned that project," Conrad advised, sneering at Margaux. "My focus remains on a much coveted topic of interest in the press these days – the long overdue Amanda Clarke expose."

Incensed, Margaux leaned forward to protest. "No," she emphasized. "No, I told you I forbid that topic to go into print in my magazine—"

"Margaux, can you give us a moment?" Pascal suddenly interjected, and her head jerked over in alarm. To interrupt her insistence on not allowing the story to print reeked dangerously of betrayal and Margaux was reluctant to leave, fearing he would override her decision. But one abrasive look from Pascal put her in place, and she restrained herself long enough to get up from her seat, eyeing Conrad angrily as she left them in private.

"I dare say she may be upset with you when she returns," Conrad joked smarmily.

But Pascal remained serious, attuning his interest without giving in just yet. "I haven't agreed to anything," he affirmed. "I only wished to speak on confidential matters between us two gentlemen. Conrad, you realize the danger in going down this road again?" he articulated anxiously. "Our history with David Clarke could easily come back to haunt us if we pursue his daughter's story?"

"Not if we portray her as the fanatical conspiracy theorist the public has already pre-judged her to be, and this time around we make sure the loose ends are tied," Conrad countered. His disposition quickly shifted to intensely fierce, much to Pascal's notice.

"You mean like you tried to do a year ago?" he referenced, cocking an eyebrow. "Oh yes, I thought of you when I heard David's little girl drowned at sea the night of your wedding – not long after Victoria claimed to publicly welcome her into the family."

"A move my presumptuous wife should have never made and has dearly paid for," Conrad followed up, standing to loosen his tie. He shifted to lean against Margaux's empty desk, facing Pascal to bring him fully up to speed. "All Victoria did was grant that girl access to torment our family – she threatened us with evidence that could have destroyed all of us, including you," he alluded to impress his point. "Hence the reason drastic measures were taken."

"Which she seems to have foiled," Pascal argued in turn. "If she was clever enough to dodge your attempts at silencing her, who's to say she won't jump at the chance to take you down for good?"

Conrad digested the thought, having considered it ever since beginning his tactical plan to circumvent Amanda's return. Unbeknownst to Pascal, his first thought had always been to regain control of the media in the hopes he could steer exactly the story he needed before finishing what he started the summer before. Hence why he had taken advantage of Daniel's faux pas to seize his position. But to complete his plan, he would need Pascal's backing and it was clear that in order to win him over, he needed more.

"My suggestion is to stay one step ahead of her," Conrad proposed. "We run the story, we expose her past sins, and we let the media eat her alive so that even if she wanted to speak up, no one would ever believe a word she has to say."

Pascal pondered the concept, fully aware of what it entailed. "But to do this, first you need my daughter's consent," he concluded, eliciting a nod of agreement from Conrad. His ultimate objective was quickly becoming clear. "I'm not sure about this," he admitted honestly. "In my past experience sometimes it's best to let sleeping dogs lie…"

"Trust me," Conrad was again ready with an answer. "After my experience, some twenty-plus years of being married to Victoria, there's no such thing as a sleeping dog."

Pascal couldn't help letting out a chuckle. "She may be a ruthless bitch to you Conrad," he asserted with a raw edge. A molten haze came over his face as he thought at length about her, and there was clear hinting as he followed up with another reply. "But she's another man's treasure."

Sensing his implication, Conrad quickly prepared to bargain with whatever it would take for Pascal to grant consent. "Well, if that's your only condition, I do believe I can arrange to sweeten the deal…"

SCENE

"Amanda!"

Jack called out to his wife with urgency as he returned to the Stowaway, ducking his head once he realized it was drawing attention to him in his more conservative attire. Amanda looked up from behind the bar and came around to meet him, while Louise turned to watch a few feet away, jiggling Carl in her arms.

"Well, don't you look spiffy?" Louise observed with a smile.

Though it slightly annoyed Amanda that the sitter beat her to saying it, she could not disagree. "Yeah, what's the occasion?" she echoed upon reaching Jack. "You left so fast this morning I didn't get a chance to say goodbye."

"I'll explain later, right now I want to show you something," Jack replied, taking her by the hand to go upstairs. "We'll just be a second," he told Louise with a curt look, and as she watched them depart her gaze fell down to the small bag in his hands, eyeing it with interest.

Once upstairs, Jack closed the door behind them and brought Amanda over to the bed. "Is this you being spontaneous? Because if it is, I like it," she quipped with a sly grin. But instead Jack sat down and emptied the drives out that were in his bag, picking up one in particular. "What's that?" Amanda asked curiously.

"The only thing left that could destroy our family," Jack answered eerily, and reached over to remove her laptop from the nightstand, preparing to queue up the drive onscreen. But before it could play he owed her an explanation. "Last week at Charlotte's party, Emily went rogue and tried to take down Victoria," he enlightened her for the first time.

"What?" Amanda gaped, slowly absorbing it. "You know, I thought she'd been acting more controlling than normal-" she cut herself short, shaking her head. "Is that why you wanted to make sure we went?"

"Yes, but that's not the half of it," Jack continued. "Nolan was able to stop her from going too far, but when she confronted Victoria she found out that she's been digging into your past. Ever since you came back she's been onto you, and after losing Patrick at the wedding she's convinced that you've been behind everything. She's coming after you with everything she's got."

Amanda retracted slightly, and a guilty expression crossed her face. "Yeah, um, I know," she admitted quietly, drawing him to look at her in surprise. "I didn't want to worry you but – Victoria came to see me not that long ago, asking questions. I had a feeling she was up to something but I couldn't be sure. I thought if I left her alone, she'd do the same."

"Yeah well, apparently not," Jack confirmed. It seemed they had both been keeping things vague out of fear of what to expect. "But it doesn't matter, because after today – you should be safe." He finally returned his attention back to the drive to explain. "Stevie gave Emily a tip about some evidence from when she worked on her father's case. Well it turns out the firm she worked for is the same one Conrad used to handle his shooting last year – and this is the tape from when it happened."

Amanda's heart sank with realization and regret, wishing she had not been so reckless at the time. She could have never expected Jack to forgive her after everything, much less return to the Hamptons and to the public. But now it all seemed like a glaring stain that left her open to condemnation. "Oh my God," she sighed.

"There's nothing clear during the shooting or the police would have identified it," Jack assured her. "But no one would have been looking for you to be on the footage of people going in and out of the building. And if there's any chance it caught you, the Graysons could have you arrested in a heartbeat. They already knew you had motive at the time." Before Amanda could fret any further, he held up a hand. "Which is why we're going to watch it first to make sure."

But before he could proceed with viewing the playback, Amanda stopped him. "There's no point in doing that," she asserted bravely, despite being consumed with guilt. "Jack – you and I both know I did this," she stated openly for the first time since their reunion. "What difference does it make what that tape shows? If the Graysons are onto me, they won't stop there."

Jack pondered it momentarily and then suddenly removed the drive, placing it in her hand. "Then at least destroy the only proof they could use against you," he urged her. "Come on, Amanda we can't stop fighting. Regardless of whatever they have on you, or Emily, or anyone else – it's not enough to destroy us!"

Again Amanda's heart sank and it pained her to feel Jack's hand grasped around her own, with full confidence in her integrity. She lowered her head slightly in thought and Jack noticed, assuming her concerns were otherwise placed. "Jack, there's something I've been meaning to tell you," she mustered enough strength to begin. "I finally went to visit Charlotte…"

"And?" he followed with interest, hoping her news would be positive.

Amanda raised her eyes to meet his expectant gaze, but quickly lost the strength she had been barely able to gather. Telling him that Charlotte saw her in yet another entanglement with Aiden would only break his heart and she could not bear hurting him after the lengths he had just went to for her. "She, ah," Amanda fumbled instead. "She… invited us to the opera tonight."

"Well, that's great!" Jack sighed, relieved that they appeared to be back to normal again. A thought suddenly dawned on him. "Except I don't think I can go – Louise said she had plans and can't watch Carl?"

"Oh, well I could tell her no—" Amanda began, but Jack thought better of it.

"No, you two need this time together," Jack insisted, thinking quickly. "Tell you what – why don't you ask Stevie to go?"

"Are you sure about that?" Amanda probed curiously. "If she's working with Emily like you say she is, she'll probably want to ask me questions…"

Jack brushed it off with a wave. "She was going to ask them eventually – but at least in this forum you'll have Emily there with you if you need her. And you can trust Stevie. She only wants to protect you. Besides it's time Victoria sees what she's up against… maybe she'll think twice about coming after us?"

Despite sensing it could be a bad idea, Amanda consented, if only to please her sincere husband. "Alright," she gave in, taking the drive with her before going downstairs. "I'll call her now – and then I'll take care of this."

Jack nodded his approval, and watched her go out, hoping with all of his might that things would finally start to simmer down. But as he turned to gather the rest of the drives, what he failed to realize was that he had switched the one he was meant to locate for Stevie with the one he had given to Amanda. Rather than verify, he moved to stash the other evidence away under the bed and went to go change… just as Louise peeked out from where she had been standing out of sight in the hallway.

SCENE

Conrad walked through the grand doors of his former home with an odd look, surprised to find Marta waiting for him at the steps to the foyer. "You're requested in the study, Mr. Grayson," she alerted him.

He raised a brow with interest at the unusual prediction of his appearance but followed through, finding Victoria waiting for him behind the desk he occupied so frequently in the years before. "Ah, Conrad," she greeted him coolly. "Right on time."

Conrad sauntered in cautiously, heading straight for the mini bar. "Does this mean you were expecting me?"

Victoria snickered. "Well of course. After discovering you were meeting Pascal for luncheon yesterday, I knew you would show up soon enough. The only time you've requested his presence is when you were pitifully desperate," she recalled, garnishing power with every word she spoke. "I assume you've returned to bargain?"

A phony grin spread onto Conrad's face, but when he took his less-than-ideal seat across from Victoria, his expression turned back to serious. "The truth is, Victoria, it seems your dear old Pascal just couldn't stay away. As soon as you left it was all too obvious how much he wishes to rekindle an old flame?"

Victoria ignored his overt attempt at matchmaking. "Not interested," she replied bluntly. "Is that all?"

Never too quick to admit defeat, Conrad chuckled at her response and instead preyed on a secondary reason for his visit. "Well, I also couldn't help but recall the morsel you doled out in taunting yesterday, regarding… priceless information?"

The edge of her lip curled in expectation. "On the contrary – that information does indeed come with a price," she reminded him, opening the leather bind that rested in front of her. She once again removed the property deed that Stevie had given over and placed it before him. "Grayson Manor returns to me, or I tell you nothing."

Anticipating that the house would be her bargaining chip, Conrad sighed in complicity and raised his glass. "I will make it a priority," he yielded irritably, enduring the look of triumph Victoria proudly sported in reply. "Now, will you please?"

Victoria stood from her seat to dramatize the next moment and came around to lean against the front of the desk. "In my efforts to uncover the truth behind Patrick's untimely death, my investigation led me back to someone who's been after our family from the beginning – Amanda Clarke."

Conrad narrowed his gaze in intrigue as it was just the name he was looking to hear. "As much as I agree that Amanda is at the center of the troubles that continue to plague us, I'm not certain tying her to your son's death will yield any result," he disputed. "You do recall she was noticeably absent from the yacht that evening?"

"I do," Victoria confirmed, folding her arms. "But I'm referring to an incident much closer to home for you," she divulged, and at that moment she signaled towards the hallway and a young woman walked in that he did not recognize. "Louise," Victoria addressed her. "Would you be so kind as to show Mr. Grayson the drive you obtained from the Porter residence?"

Louise complied with a nod, strutting over in a decidedly more elegant outfit than she had on while babysitting and quickly setting up the laptop for Conrad to view. In the meantime, Victoria continued elaborating. "You see, Conrad, while the world believed Amanda Clarke was dead, not only was she alive but she obviously faked her amnesia story as a cover for where she really was."

At once, Conrad's eyes darted over to the video playback and he winced with pain as it brought back memories of the injury he had only just begun to recover from months before. As he watched, overhead cameras showed the entry of attendees just before his announcement. Louise reached over to freeze the frame and he stared close, recognizing the girl it had captured despite her attempt at disguise – it was Amanda.

"Thank you, Miss… Louise, was it?" Conrad quickly dismissed Victoria's assistant. "Could you give us a moment, please?" Louise glanced at Victoria, who nodded in agreement and removed the drive before letting her go. Once she was safely out of the room, he continued. "Are you telling me the attempted murderer the night of my gubernatorial announcement was Amanda Clarke?" he verified.

"Precisely," Victoria confirmed. "Which is why the police could never find your assailant, nor did they suspect her. And I imagine why she staged her return conveniently months later – you have to admit it all adds up?" While Conrad's expression grew dim with acceptance, Victoria continued to deliberate aloud. "But what doesn't add up to me, is her relationship to Emily. Apparently those girls shared a cell in juvie together. Yet as you'll recall they seem to purport the fact that they met in the Hamptons?"

Ignoring her question, Conrad stood and began refastening his jacket buttons. "Perhaps Emily did so in an attempt to preserve her image, which I certainly wouldn't blame her for," he suggested.

"Or she's in fact harboring loyalty to an enemy of this family!" Victoria offered emphatically, but Conrad's attention was already diverted.

"If so, then why would she marry our son?" Conrad argued, focusing instead on the more valuable information she had just shared. It was in essence, a godsend – exactly what he needed to sway Pascal to move forward with his plans. "Let's be sensible, Victoria," Conrad posed. "The person of interest here is, and has always been Amanda Clarke. Her downfall was imminent, and now we can finally prove it," he presumed, extending his hand for her to give over the drive.

"We?" Victoria repeated, lifting it ever so slightly out of reach.

Conrad digressed with a roll of his eyes. "My dear, despite our decision to part ways I thought it went without stating that certain events of the past will always unify us," he reminded her, softening his plea with a touch of flattery. "And I hope you know I would do anything to protect you from public humiliation – which is why you need to give me that drive so I can use it to silence Ms. Clarke for good."

"Oh well as flattering as that is Conrad, I'm loathe to trust you quite to that degree," Victoria bantered back, taunting him with her treasure. She turned towards the desk and lifted the property deed, handing it over as a parting gift instead. "Consider that footage a preview of what you'll receive once you deliver on your promise," she reinforced, nodding for him to go. "And in the meantime, I'll do with it as I see fit."

SCENE

"So, remind me again. Is Pagliacci is a comedy or a tragedy?"

Emily gave Daniel a sidelong glance at his remark, linking her arm tightly in his as they traversed the grand staircase of the Metropolitan Opera House together. "Every opera is a drama," she answered his question, sensing it was a rhetorical means of feeling out expectations for the evening. "But let's hope the theatrical spectacles are reserved for the stage tonight, hm?"

Daniel snickered at her witty reply, admiring her physique in the magnificent ball gown she was donning. It complimented his tuxedo with precision, a hidden motif of all the things they shared in common, including exquisite taste. "I guess that all depends on how things went this morning," he hinted, finally getting the chance to ask her. "So what's the verdict – was Stevie telling the truth about the evidence?"

"Jack was able to get the drives," Emily relayed, pausing on the first dais so they could have a look from a higher vantage point. "But he hasn't contacted me yet to tell me what was on them. I was hoping to find out when he gets here."

"Well that may be difficult," Daniel sighed after a minute of looking around. He gestured towards the entrance where Amanda was walking in, clearly accompanied by Stevie instead of her husband. "But it looks like he trusts Stevie enough to watch over his wife?"

Emily observed it, stewing with mixed feelings. "Let's hope that means he's home watching the footage," she coined the same phrase, continuing to scan the crowd. Charlotte had just left Victoria's side to greet Amanda, which admittedly warmed Emily to see. But a moment later Victoria's gaze followed Charlotte over to Amanda and Stevie, and Emily knew a standoff was about to unfold.

"Looks like the show is about to begin," Daniel hinted smartly, and upon looking to Emily for verification he suddenly stopped to stare. "Babe – you feeling alright?" he asked, noticing her cheeks were reddened.

"Hm—what?" Emily stammered, and for a moment it reminded Daniel of her tendency for momentary breaks the week before. But this time her countenance was alert, yet there was just more puffiness in her face than normal. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No, you just look a little flushed," Daniel replied, aiming to calm her. His instincts kicked in; making him more conscious of her condition and the flight they were halfway up. "Maybe the steps were a bit too much – you want to sit on the lower level?"

"Ah, no, no it's alright," Emily assured him at once, keeping her sights on where Stevie, Amanda and Victoria were gathered. "I think I'll just get some water," she volunteered, softly separating her arm to go back down the stairs. "I'll be right up."

Daniel allowed it against his preference, assuming that Emily was partially taking advantage of going back downstairs to overhear the conversation underway. Correct in his suspicions, Emily rounded the last step and swiftly arrived just beyond the other women, catching the end of their banter while staying out of sight.

"I hope you've put the information I delivered to you yesterday to good use?" Stevie challenged Victoria with a wry look.

Emily raised an eyebrow at her choice of wording but kept quiet so she could hear Victoria's reply. "Indeed I have," Victoria met her fearlessly, glancing over towards Amanda with hidden meaning. There was more truth to her statement than she realized. "As unexpected as your return to the Hamptons has been," she hinted to Stevie. "It's certainly about to make things more interesting… something I'm sure Ms. Clarke can relate to?"

Stevie quickly came to Amanda's rescue. "It's Porter, Victoria," she corrected. "Mrs. Porter? You would think that after all this time you'd know my daughter-in-law's full name."

Victoria's eyes widened in surprise. "Daughter-in-law?" she gaped, quickly making the connection. "Jack Porter is your son?" When Stevie nodded proudly, Victoria relished the opportunity for insult. "Well congratulations – here all these years Conrad held you on a pedestal and you were nursing secrets just like the rest of us," she denounced her, once again glaring at Amanda with implication before looking back to Stevie again. "Along with your bottle of choice, no doubt?"

Finally Amanda became fed up. "We don't have to listen to this," she declared her exit, plowing between the two women to start upstairs while Charlotte followed her up.

"Nice, Mom," Charlotte snapped sardonically over her shoulder, and Stevie was just a minute behind them, turning her nose down at Victoria's biting remarks.

Emily began walking away again after observing the neat disbursal of the crowd, and was almost out of sight when she noted one last opera guest crossing Victoria's path. She hung back a moment longer and squinted with interest, certain that there was something familiar about the woman Victoria was speaking to, even from afar.

"Hey," Louise crept up slowly in a whisper. "Sorry, I just wanted to say thank you so much for inviting me – you have no idea the people I've met already—"

"I thought I told you to be discreet?" Victoria quickly scolded her in a hush, glancing around to ensure no one was watching. "Get inside this minute – if you're recognized it will ruin everything!"

Meanwhile Emily used the wall of the stairwell to hide out, glancing back just once more to watch Victoria storm off in the opposite direction, while the other woman hung back for a beat before quickly disappearing herself.

"Emily!" a voice startled her and Emily pulled out of her peeping stance to turn about. It was Margaux. "Emily, are you alright?" she continued, observing her odd posture.

"Margaux," Emily sighed, standing up straight and adjusting her dress nervously. "Just ah, catching my breath, those steps are fairly steep and I'm still sensitive from my injuries," she alibied, to which Margaux offered a sympathetic look. "Well, it's certainly been a while…" Emily stammered, searching for a relevant topic to bring up. "Considering the last time we saw each other you were still Daniel's employer…?"

"Loyal to your husband to the end, of course," Margaux acknowledged the icy dig, bowing without retort. "I would expect nothing less. However as I've told Daniel, I assure you we parted on good terms and I would love to have him back someday."

Emily stiffened. "Well, I don't see you getting Daniel back anytime soon," she replied somewhat protectively. "But I'm sure he appreciates the extension." Her eyes trailed to the older gentleman beside her. "Is this his replacement?"

"No," Margaux turned with a chuckle, sliding over to let him step forward. "This is my father, Pascal," she introduced. "And the only man who has my attention, I might add," she tacked on subtly in response to the territorial edge she detected in Emily's tone.

"Only while I'm in town," Pascal added with a grin, reaching over to shake her hand.

"Mr. LeMarchal," Emily fawned immediately, switching her next few salutations to fluent French. "It's truly an honor to meet you. I do hope you enjoy your stay here in the Hamptons," she wished him, feeling a little bashful of her earlier remark.

"Merci beau-coup. I'm considering staying a few more days," he replied, much to Margaux's surprise beside him. "But first, I look forward to Pagliacci… which it appears is about to begin. Shall we?"

SCENE

The first act was well underway when Daniel finally nudged Emily to get her attention amidst the throbbing vocals that echoed into the theater. She turned subtly to catch his glance, careful not to draw too much attention as Victoria was only inches away from them in their box. "Everything alright?" he verified. "Took you a while to get to the seat earlier."

Emily leaned in to respond in a low whisper. "I ran into Margaux and Pascal," she explained, gesturing with a discreet nod that they were just two rows behind them.

Daniel subtly craned his neck to look and indeed they were. While Charlotte sat at his mother's right, Margaux sat to her left, with Pascal on her other side. In the row beneath them were Stevie and Amanda, occupying the seats Charlotte had reserved. "Wonder what he's doing in town," Daniel muttered under his breath, drawing on his experience from Voulez. "He doesn't make appearances for nothing."

"According to him, he's extending his visit," Emily alerted him, reading the suspicion in her husband's brow. "What do you make of that?" Yet despite their attempts to quietly whisper, they were about to get abruptly interrupted.

Before Daniel could respond, a loud gasp from Margaux could be heard behind him. "Father!" she could not contain her emotion. "What have you done?!" she exclaimed.

Emily's keen hearing picked up on it and she turned at once, catching Victoria leaning over to look into Margaux's lap where an alert was displayed on her phone. Without hesitation, Victoria snatched it into her hands to look at it and then leaned forward, and Emily felt her heart drop into her stomach as she appeared to be staring directly at her—

And then suddenly pulled at Amanda's shoulder. "How could you?!" Victoria exhaled in a raspy breath, clutching Amanda by the hand.

"Excuse me?" Amanda fended her, swatting her away.

"Parading in here after what you've done!" Victoria finished, raising her voice.

"Mom, what's going on—" Charlotte tried to interject, but this time Victoria held up the source of her outburst. It was a breaking news story entitled Suspect at Large for Shooting of Former NY Governor – Amanda Clarke. As all in the surrounding box watched, footage from the campaign was running on a constant loop, showing a side glimpse of Amanda clearly entering the grounds and heading towards the door to the convention balcony.

Amanda jumped to her feet in shame, fear striking through her heart as the scene began to unfold. "Wh—where did you get that?" she stammered, and in a weak moment she glanced frightfully towards Emily.

"What does it matter, the truth is out!" Victoria was now shouting. "You are nothing but a liar and a cold-blooded killer!" She turned dramatically towards the guards by the upper level exits. "Arrest this woman at once!"

Before she could get the chance, Amanda took off, running for the door closest to the balcony before the security guards could respond. Everyone in the box was now standing, including Stevie who charged Victoria with a hateful glare, while Margaux did the same to Pascal. Meanwhile, Emily barely had to even look at Daniel before he knew she would go after her.

With a sinister aside at Victoria, Emily grabbed near the hem of her gown and rushed out of the box after Amanda, calling out to her as she reached the hallway. "Amanda!" she yelled. "Amanda – wait!" A glance across the platform of the upper level told her Amanda had likely already made it to the grand staircase and she followed, stopping short only at the sound of loud voices behind her.

"Let her go!" Victoria marched out first. "That girl faked her death in an attempt to assassinate my husband – she deserves to be taken by the authorities!" Pascal was quickly at Victoria's side, trying to keep her calm, while the others soon caught up, including Daniel who firmly held her at bay.

"You're unbelievable," Emily spat in her direction before continuing back, having lost enough time already. "Amanda!" she called out again.

With that, Emily fled down the grand staircase of the Metropolitan Opera House with precision, taking each step with care despite the mounting anxiety in her heart that impelled her to move faster. Her brow wrinkled with urgency as she sought to reach the bottom, yet rather than endanger her condition at the risk of falling, she was forced to take caution as she ran. Somehow it made her descent feel as if it were happening in slow motion, while the pitched shrill of a soprano voice belted from inside the theater. She raised a hand to shield herself just before finally reaching the doors, where the blinding light of camera flashes only served to magnify her intense fear. For despite her desperate efforts to conceal a most inopportune truth, it had all been dashed to pieces in a matter of seconds.

Just outside the grand entrance, the police had already been waiting for Amanda to attempt an exit and had her in handcuffs before Emily could even reach the perimeter. "Amanda!" she called out regardless, watching as her friend was led to the rear door of a squad car and a detective began reading her rights.

"Amanda Porter, you're under arrest for the attempted murder of Conrad Grayson," he began. "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say may be held against you…"

The words trailed into the distance as an officer came up to restrain Emily from going any further, confining her to the entrance where paparazzi continued to swarm and flashbacks from her father's arrest came flooding to mind. It was all happening just alike, a predetermined fate imposed upon someone she loved while she stood back forced to watch, helpless to stop it. Realizing she was too late, Emily finally gave in and stopped struggling, mouthing her last words to Amanda before she was taken away.

"I'll get you out of this, Amanda – I promise."

SCENE

Daniel treaded slowly back into the dejected scene of the emptied Stowaway, leave for Charlotte and Emily, who were still in their formal gowns from the opera, Nolan, who had come by as soon as he got the call, and at last, Jack, who in spite of his despair focused only on trying to get his son back to sleep. The sound of Carl's wails was the only noise that filled the room, and Jack eventually walked out of the main area, hoping to calm him by rocking him in the nursery.

"That was Stevie," Daniel sighed to the others, pocketing his phone. He tugged at the sleeves of his dress shirt uneasily as he delivered the bad news. "She said she's doing everything she can to get Amanda released but the precinct got their hands on some pretty solid evidence. Looks like the surveillance that leaked online was real," he informed, to which Emily glared irritably, shuddering as she pulled Daniel's jacket tighter around her shoulders. Of the group, she was the only one that sat away to herself at one of the tables, while the others mostly encircled the bar area.

"I just don't understand," Charlotte volunteered next, approaching her brother. "Why would Amanda lie to us – and why would she try to kill Dad?" Silence followed, as Daniel's gaze dropped down to the floor. "Is it because she knew what he did?" Charlotte's expression creased in realization, remembering the truth Daniel told her about what really happened to Declan. Up until recently she never suspected anyone else knew.

"Char," Daniel began with uncertainty. "There's ah, there's a lot of things about Dad that we're finding out," he alluded. "Amanda just…" he searched for a way to put it, and drew on realities unbeknownst to her. "She knew about it a lot longer than we did."

"Yeah, well I guess keeping secrets is just what she's best at!" Charlotte suddenly cried out, storming towards the door. Despite sympathizing with her sister's anger towards her father, it still translated into pain and disappointment that there appeared to be so much deceit between them. "I have to get home to the baby," she relented, seeking escape. "Can you just tell Jack I'm here for him if he needs me?"

"We'll tell him Charlotte," Emily answered, and nodded to Daniel expectantly before returning to a quiet haze.

"Char, wait," Daniel caught up to her, catching Emily's suggestion. "Let me take you home," he insisted.

With them gone, Nolan joined Emily at the table. "At the risk of sounding cliché," he lamented upon sitting down. "How did we not see this coming?"

"I did," Emily finally whispered, staring off into space. "I had a feeling Victoria was getting too close for comfort. I thought by testing our theory about Stevie, we'd figure out if she was the source with enough time to do something about it." She shook her head guiltily, cursing herself for not trusting her instincts. "I just wish I hadn't been right this time."

Nolan leaned forward with interest. "So, do we know for sure this is all because of her?"

"You said it yourself," Emily directed him. "The timelines add up, not to mention how conveniently Stevie cozied right up to Jack. Coming to the opera with Amanda? Pretending to do 'everything she can' to help get her out of jail?" She shook her head with determination. "It's all just a front – I overheard Stevie ask Victoria if she got the information she gave to her. What else could that be? Stevie's the one who told us that the evidence was in her firm's archives. She was using us to get to it!"

"But Ems, Jack made the snap decision to pull the campaign drives, how could she have known he would do that?" Nolan reminded her.

Emily pondered it, admitting it was a bit odd. "She's had a week to spend with him," she reasoned. "My guess is that was enough time for her to anticipate what he would do to protect his wife, and as soon as he did she jumped at the opportunity…" she trailed off; more convinced than ever that they had been beguiled. "If it wasn't her that set this in motion, then who else?"

"Me," Jack's voice interrupted them from the direction of the nursery, and he walked over slowly with anguish in his eyes. He had finally gotten Carl to sleep and in the process had time to think through everything that had happened in the past 24 hours and who was truly to blame for Amanda's arrest. And again and again he had arrived at the same answer. "This is my fault," he repeated to them. "I did this to her."

"Jack," Nolan sympathized at once, getting up to comfort him. "You can't blame yourself for this—"

"Nolan, it's the truth," Jack insisted regardless. "If I hadn't been so desperate to get that drive and hide the fact that she was guilty, none of this would have happened."

"Jack, you were just doing what you could to protect her," Emily tried to assure him; despite wishing he had listened when she encouraged him not to pursue it. "Besides, it's clear now that Stevie is the one who betrayed us – she must have found a way to get her hands on that drive."

"But that's just it," Jack defended her emphatically. "I made sure Amanda destroyed that drive as soon as I got back – there's no way Stevie could have gotten to it, or anyone for that matter!" He looked away in confusion just as a thought struck him. "Unless…" he considered and suddenly disappeared upstairs into the bedroom, returning moments later with a bag in his hands and a look of fear. "I can't believe this—somehow the drives must have gotten switched, Amanda destroyed the wrong one! This," he gestured, holding up another. "Is the one from Conrad's campaign!"

"And it's still there?" Emily was on her feet immediately, finding it peculiar.

"We never looked at it," Jack admitted, again condemning himself with guilt. "I started to but we decided getting rid of it was all that mattered. She must have destroyed one of the other drives with the evidence from your father's case instead."

"Wait a minute," Nolan observed, following in step with Emily. "If that's the drive with the footage of Amanda, then whoever got their hands on it must have made a copy…"

"…Because they didn't want you to realize it was missing," Emily finished, starting to put it all together. "Jack, who else had access to the upstairs after you came in?" she asked with heavy concentration.

"No one," he answered in a rush, thinking first of his mother. "Stevie didn't come here; she met Amanda at the opera house. After Louise dropped Carl off, it was just me and him!"

"Louise?" Emily repeated, and the mention of the sitter's name suddenly sparked realization. "Wait a minute," she gasped aloud, turning to Nolan at once. "I knew I recognized her from somewhere. That's who I saw talking to Victoria – she was there tonight!"

"At the opera?" Jack frowned in surprise. "This is Carl's babysitter we're talking about – you sure you've got the right person?"

"I'm positive," Emily affirmed, recollecting her graphic memory from the night, whilst reevaluating her theories all at the same time. "She was there, and she would have had access which means if she's been working for Victoria all this time…"

Jack completed her sentence as the color drained from his face. "She's the one who set us up," he comprehended latently, quaking with fear at how close he had unknowingly allowed the enemy to get. "My God," he gasped, and his paternal instincts sent him back to check on Carl again, while his mind ran at a furious pace trying to decide what to do next to keep him safe.

"Yikes," Nolan echoed as he ran off, and quickly showed Emily what he had been searching for on his phone. "Ems, check it out you're right. Louise Peyton Ellis," he read from the screen, which displayed a photo of a much more charmed and fancied Southern belle than the woman they only knew as a local nanny. "God, I knew she looked familiar," Nolan went on, cursing himself for not remembering. "There was a feature in Forbes about her brother a few months back – another rich heir running for office, and lo and behold, who's right there next to him in the family photo?"

Emily verified it with a disturbed glance, quickly looking away to sigh with exasperation. "If she's just another lobbying socialite Victoria picked up to do her dirty work then we were wrong about Stevie," she admitted. "It wasn't her."

"Thank goodness," Nolan exhaled with comfort, continuing when she looked at him oddly. "Come on, that's good news for Jack – he deserves a break after all he's been through. Alone again to deal with his wife's arrest, whom we all know is guilty," Nolan tried not to abandon hope but it was evident in his tone. "The least he deserves is to get a real relationship with his mother again."

Though Emily agreed, her focus had already shifted onto how to deal with the matter at hand. "Stevie may be an ally for now," she acknowledged, staring ahead with determination. "But Louise just helped Victoria put my best friend in the one place I swore I'd never let her go back to…" she turned back to face Nolan, finishing with an eerie sense of promise.

"Which makes her my next target."

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: Welcome back revengers! I tried to complete this update a little sooner than my last since so many of you have been asking so kindly. I do hope you are enjoying the ride as the plot continues to thicken, alliances are revealed, secrets are uncovered, and more plans for revenge begin to take root! And as always, I have to include some Demily feels for all the fellow shippers – hoping the scenes I was able to work into this chapter left you warm and fuzzy :) So in the meantime, let me know your thoughts! Were you happy to see Pascal? How did you feel about the altered "disgrace" at the end? Were you relieved it befell Amanda instead of Emily? And what does she have up her sleeve now that the gig is up on Louise? – That you'll have to stay tuned for! In the meantime please leave me a review and let me know your feedback! As always it is greatly appreciated and I continue to let it influence each update I post :) Thanks again, and a special BIG thank you to more than 50,000 views this story reached since last time around – you have no idea how much your support means to me! You guys are the best! Much Love & Revenge ~ MothToANewFlame