Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Revenge, I Just Love It

A/N Thanks for those who commented the last chapter. It's much appreciated.

Chapter 16: You Did This

Opening her locker to grab her calculus textbook, Amanda tensed when she heard Daniel calling her name. She was starting to rethink staying at Collins Prep. Originally she had only chosen to stay as a way to rattle Victoria, but Nolan had encouraged her to think about the bigger picture outside of her preoccupation with revenge. Collins Prep was one of the top high schools in America and she deserved the privilege its name would bestow on her open graduating. She was intelligent, and for too long she had been underperforming and neglecting education because she had assumed she had no real future. Everything was different now though, she had money which helped substantially, but even more than that she had people in her life she could turn to for support; a safety net.

The irony of it all still shook her though. Just a week ago she had been attending under a fake identity, pretending to be like her extremely wealthy peers, but feeling deep down as though she would never get the same opportunities they did. But suddenly, here she was now….a one-percenter just like them.

She didn't feel like them though, and they certainly didn't view her as one of them. In her past schools, there had been nasty whispers and cold reactions about her identity, but after a short while, nobody had really cared. Here it felt different though. It wasn't just that she was Amanda Clarke, it was the fact that she had fooled them all and they had unknowingly embraced her. She wasn't just the terrorist's daughter to them, she was also a manipulative liar and even worse than that a true outsider.

It was hard, harder than she had anticipated and it confused her that she cared. She didn't like most of the students anyway, but blending in the while she'd been Emily Thorne, even if she had mostly kept to herself, had felt nice. For once she hadn't had to fight or defend herself or be on guard, she could just focus on her education. And as weird as it sounded to admit, she liked the academic challenges of Collins Preps, it mentally stimulated her and pushed her to excel. She'd had a rocky start but with the help of Daniel and support from Jack, she had gotten her grades to where they should have been. She hated to admit it, but Daniel had given her the push she had needed, and she had worked hard for the grades she had gotten under Emily Thorne. Now, thanks to Nolan, her school records had been updated under her real identity, and she was determined to keep her grades up.

School felt toxic right now though. The ostracization she faced from the students, and more subtly the teacher's was one thing but then seeing Daniel's face everywhere, and hearing his voice stung so much more than she had considered. He was the one person in the school that didn't look at her like she was a problem, and yet she could no longer look to him as a friend.

"Leave me alone, Daniel, I have nothing more to say to you" she spoke stiffly without even turning to face him. She had told him the truth last night and he had chosen not to believe her. So that was the end of that….. It had to be.

"Look I just…."

Whipping her head around to face him, Amanda interrupted, "What do you want from me, Daniel? You made your choice" she said in exasperation. There was no middle ground, no in-between. He was either with her or against her.

"That's not fair," Daniel rebutted, clenching his jaw in frustration. "You're asking me to choose between you and my parents?". How could she not see that? This was his family she was talking about.

Amanda shook her head fiercely, "No", she contradicted. "I'm asking you to choose the truth!"

That's where the problem lied.

"But I don't believe it's the truth" Daniel stated quietly but firmly. He had pondered all night over what she had told him, but he couldn't make sense of it. Why would his parents be involved in something so sinister? They had literally founded the Victims United Outreach program to help families who had lost loved ones to the terrorist attack. He had attended the Open Arms Charity Benefit last year in honour of this program, and when his mother had stood up on stage and spoke and interacted with the families, for once he had seen genuine compassion in his mother. No matter how much Amanda believed her father was innocent, there was no way he could believe it, not without true evidence. "You don't even have proof?"

Slamming her locker door shut, Amanda turned fully to face him, her brown eyes piercing into his with restrained outrage. "If you want proof" she spoke bitterly, her voice lowering as a student walked past them, "Then ask your parents for the truth, or better yet ask your mother how she could have an affair with a man she claimed to love and then turn around and stab him in the back to frame him".

Daniel's eyes widened at Amanda's admission, and he shook his head in protest, "No".

"Yes," Amanda reiterated, "Your mother was a frequent visitor to my father's beach house. I saw her numerous times as a child; even caught her in his bed. My father and your mother were screwing Daniel, they had a whole secret affair. She hated me even as a child; every time I saw her, I had the most foreboding feeling. She would always look at me like I was in the way…..like I shouldn't be there when she was the one who should have been happy in her own house with her rich husband and you."

Capitalizing on Daniel's stunned silence. Amanda continued, she was fired up. She had been holding on to this secret ever since Daniel had first introduced himself to her back in Connecticut. She had been unsure of how it would affect their friendship and didn't want the secret to cause unnecessary drama for him within his family when she had assumed it was all in the past. In her own way, she had wanted to protect him from the twistedness of it all. But everything was different now, and it was important he understood that his parents were not innocent. She wasn't going to tiptoe around this subject just because he wanted to naively look at his parents with rose-tinted glasses. She refused to protect him from the truth anymore. He needed to wake up. Daniel didn't believe her now, and maybe he never would, but she would try in any way she could to create suspicion in his mind.

"And do you want to know something really fucked up?" Amanda questioned rhetorically, "We were going to be brother and sister".

Letting that statement sink in before continuing, Amanda watched as Daniel's handsome face creased into a deep frown while he tried to process what she was telling him. "The night before my father was framed, I got into a big fight with my dad because he had yelled at me when I had accidentally walked in on them together. I was hysterical, crying, begging him to tell her to go away, and he said no, that he loved her and that I had to accept her because we were going to be a family. He confirms it in his journals, my father and your mother were planning to run away together with us."

Daniel shook his head slowly. That was fucked up. His mother and the infamous David Clarke…..in love? And this confession of hers was different. It wasn't words from her father's journal that she had chosen to believe. It was her own personal experience. Surely she wouldn't just make that up? Although how could his mother have had an affair, and with a terrorist no less? His head was spinning in circles, trying to make sense of her story. The only other explanation was that she had misconstrued who or what she had seen as a child. But the late-night visits and her having caught them tangled in bed together seemed like pretty damning evidence of an affair.

"Why are you telling me this now. If you knew this all along. Why now?" He questioned defensively his chestnut coloured eyes searching deeply into hers for the truth.

Amanda bit down hard on her lower lip, forcing herself to hold his strong gaze. His eyes were so transparent; they revealed everything; his anger, his frustration, his confusion, but most frustratingly his lingering affection for her. He cared, even in his anger, he still cared, and maybe that was supposed to fill her with relief but it only made her feel more conflicted. This is why he needed to leave her alone. It hurt to face him when even in his anger she knew he would never try and hurt her. How was it a fair playing field if he would just pull his punches for her when she wouldn't do the same for him? She wasn't as forgiving. She fought dirty, and knowing that she knew her hurting him was inevitable, she'd hurt him already.

"Well?" he pressed.

"I knew it would hurt you, okay?", she finally admitted in a hushed tone, as if she was hoping he didn't quite catch her words. "And… I guess I thought there was no harm in that secret staying in the past."

Daniel nodded his head slowly, her sentiment surprising him, touching him for the briefest of seconds before he realized her regard for him probably didn't apply to the present, "But now what?...You just don't care about hurting me?".

Amanda shook her head instantly, unexpectedly finding her heart beginning to pound. Was he trying to guilt her because it would not work. She was doing what needed to be done. She didn't want to purposefully hurt Daniel, but he was too connected to not get caught in the crossfires. He shared their same blood for goodness sake. What did he want from her….a ceasefire on his behalf, "I care about the truth being out in the open" she replied stubbornly, "and I care about you learning the truth about your family at any cost".

Daniel sighed deeply, exhaling in quiet surrender. He wanted to press her, to argue with her, to make her consider his side, but he knew nothing would come of that. She had changed, and she clearly didn't want to allow herself to consider his side of things. She was a girl on a mission, and he wasn't her friend anymore, not in her eyes. At best, he was just a boy in the way, and at the worst, he was her enemy.

After a moment's silence Daniel finally spoke, another question falling off his lips. That's all he had for Amanda nowadays, questions. But still, he needed her to confirm something, "Are you sure it was my mother?"

"Yes…...but since you probably need proof," Amanda couldn't stop herself from pointedly adding, misinterpreting his question as his disbelief of her accounts. "I'll show you the watch your mother gifted my father. She had their names engraved on the back with the words until forever."

Daniel briefly shook his head, "I believe you, Emily," he replied firmly, watching as Amanda's brown eyes widened in surprise. He didn't want to but he did. "But…"

"No!" Amanda interrupted fiercely. That was the problem with Daniel, he wanted to play both sides but he couldn't. Not for this. "No buts Daniel. You believe me or you don't. That's it!"

"I believe you about this", Daniel clarified, watching Amanda's eyes narrow in resentment as she put together what his but had been about. The affair between their parents did not prove that his parents were responsible for the downing of flight 197. It only proved that their marriage was rockier than he had assumed.

"Why do you think your father used mine as the patsy?" Amanda huffed, "He knew about the affair".

Daniel shook his head, "So he plans a terrorist attack and frames him, that's ridiculous…... And if my mother loved your father why would she help frame him?"

"I don't know", Amanda replied exasperated, she had mulled over that question in her head so many times. Maybe that was the plan all along, get him to trust her, to use him. Or maybe she had just been too much of a coward to stop Conrad. Either way, Victoria was guilty, "Ask the bitch yourself" she added venomously, the words slipping out in her pent up anger before she could contain them. She didn't care though, not even as Daniel stepped back from her, recoiling as if she had punched him. She didn't care that it hurt him, because it was true, and she was frustrated that he didn't see it. He kept asking her all these damn questions when really he needed to be asking his mother and his father; drilling them for the truth, not her.

Daniel glared coldly at her, his fists clenched at his sides. He opened his mouth to reply, several harsh words wanting to tumble recklessly out of his mouth. But then he closed it, turned his back to Amanda and simply began to walk away. She wanted a fight he could sense it; there was a fucked up energy surrounding her. She wanted him to get angry at her and say something to hurt her because then she'd have real justification to cast him away. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction. If she didn't want to be friends with him, fine. He wasn't going to keep trying. But he refused to make it easy for her to hate him.

In his haste to put distance between them, Daniel found himself bumping into a larger body, and looked up to see a stern-looking police officer. "Sorry Sir" he mumbled as he sidestepped around him. The officer paid him no attention though, his sights already set on his target.

"Amanda Clarke" he called out, his voice ringing with such authority that it compelled Daniel to stop in the middle of the hallway. Looking back towards the officer and then across the hallway to where Amanda defiantly stood, Daniel, hesitated. He should walk away, it was none of his business, but….. should he really leave her alone?

"Yes", Amanda replied steadily, making sure to take in the officer's name from his name tag as he approached her. Officer Williams. He was tall and heavyset, with greying black hair, and a clean-shaven face. He looked intimidating and stern like he had been in the game for a long time and seen it all, but Amanda willed herself to not show any signs of intimidation. She did not like the police and she certainly did not trust them. They made her nervous, especially now when she knew she had done nothing wrong. Someone had once told her that police officers were like dogs; they could smell fear and once you showed it, they attacked.

Shifting her eyes around the hallway, Amanda, took in two more officers approaching her; one female, and the other male but much younger than the one in front of her, probably a rookie if she had to bet.

"Open your locker" Officer Williams commanded.

"Why?" She questioned boldly. She had a right to ask that didn't she?

"Open your locker or we will force it open," the officer spoke strictly, "This is a serious matter, we have reason to suspect that you've been distributing drugs throughout this school".

"That's ridiculous," Amanda instantly responded, her voice rising in indignation, before she lowered her tone trying to keep it steady...calm, "I don't own or use drugs".

"Then you won't mind us searching through your locker and backpack" He responded cooly, eyeing her backpack now.

Frowning in response, Amanda shrugged it off her shoulders and thrust it hastily into his hands. Did she have a choice?

Without so much of a glance at her backpack, Officer Williams handed it over to the rookie, Officer McGregor, who unzipped her bag and hastily dumped everything inside onto a heap on the hallway floor. Shaking the backpack for good measure he slipped his hands through all the empty pockets, while the female officer, Officer Carrs, examined the contents on the floor.

They were making a real show of it….of her. Her eyes were mostly focused on them, but she could feel it, the burning accusatory gazes of students who had stopped in the hallway to watch the commotion. It didn't matter that she was innocent. In all their eyes she was already guilty. It was humiliating and frustrating, but all she could do is force herself to stay calm. There were only one pair of eyes who weren't looking at her like that. Daniel's. But his presence made it all the more embarrassing, he already thought she was messed up. Why didn't he just walk away and leave her alone? Did he think she deserved this?

"See?" she said through gritted teeth, as they handed her back her backpack, "No drugs".

"Now your locker" Officer Williams replied sternly.

Taking a few steps towards her locker, Amanda took a deep breath before slowly spinning the dial of her lock combo. She was internally seething, she was not a drug dealer, nor user, but that's probably what they wanted to believe. That's probably what everyone wanted because it would confirm what they all thought about her….that she was a bad seed, just like they believed her father was.

"Now step aside".

Amanda obliged, as Officer Carrs and Officer McGregor began to rummage through her locker. She watched, grimacing as they grabbed, examined and threw the contents within her locker on the floor. Wanting to scream at them, Amanda bit down hard on her lower lip to avoid saying something offensive that they wouldn't like. Just when she thought they were nearly done. Officer Carrs reached up to the very back of the top shelf behind where her gym clothes had been before they had discarded them on the floor, and pulled out a small brown paper bag wrapped in tape.

'What's this?" Officer Carrs questioned seriously, looking towards Officer Williams for assistance as he stepped forward to inspect.

"That's not mine!", Amanda responded adamantly, a foreboding feeling washing over her as Officer Williams walked past her to examine. She did not recognize that paper bag at all, which only meant one thing. But they were not listening to her, not one of them wanted to hear what she was trying to say. Shifting her eyes around the hallway, Amanda tried to calculate her next move. There were three officers and one of her, she couldn't escape them, and even if she did try and dash out the school before they could catch her, that just made her look guilty and she had too much pride to make a pathetic and futile run for it. She would just have to face and fight whatever the Grayson's had planned for her. Stepping forward to try and get a closer look, Amanda was forced to stop as Officer McGregor stuck his arm out firmly in front of her. She could only watch in dread as Officer Williams ripped the crumpled brown bag and pulled out a small ziplock bag containing pure white fine powder and a stash of bills.

Cocaine

"That's not mine!" she repeated indignantly. This had Grayson's written all over it. It wasn't just convenience that the police had been tipped off about her, and found drugs she had never before seen in her locker. Framing innocent people appeared to be their favourite game, and clearly, her father hadn't been enough. She had dared to threaten them and so this was their retaliation.

"Amanda Clarke you're under arrest for the possession of narcotics" Officer Williams spoke sternly, with a disappointed shake of his head as he took a step towards her.

Amanda shook her head in defiance, her heart racing, beating heavily against her chest. It wasn't fear. It was anger, she was infuriated. The cowards! Instinctively, Amanda took a step away from him, but as soon she drew her foot backwards, Officer Williams, lurched forward and grabbed her arm frustratingly locking her in place.

"Get off of me" she yelled as she struggled against him trying desperately to shake off his grip. Having none of her resistance Officer Williams roughly pushed her against the locker knocking the wind out of her as he pulled her hands behind her back and swiftly clasped the handcuffs around her wrists before she could react further.

"Stop you're hurting her" she faintly heard Daniel yell through all the commotion. It sounded like he was trying to get close.

But they obviously didn't listen to him. Officer Williams firmly grabbed onto her upper arm, his dull nails digging roughly into her through her school blazer as he pulled her off the locker so she was standing up straight, and began to walk with her handcuffed beside him. The other two officers trailed closely behind her watching her struggle from behind as she wriggled her wrists around the cold metal clasps of the handcuffs, desperately trying to get her hands free. All she accomplished was scuffing her wrists against the metal, but somehow it didn't hurt, she didn't feel it, she couldn't feel anything except blinding anger, and that's what hurt the most. But still, she forced herself to keep her head high, refusing to let it hang low in defeat, even as her eyes scrunched up tightly trying to prevent her threatening tears.

"Emily"

Hearing Daniel's voice, she tried to ignore him, keeping her gaze fixed strictly ahead, purposely blurring out all the students on either side of her and their flashing phone cameras. But he kept calling her and eventually she relented and slowly turned her head to the source of his voice.

Daniel's dark brown eyes were laced with concern, but she had seen those same eyes filled with malice in Victoria Grayson. It made her nauseous…..feverish, she was shaking now in anger, blinded by only one thing.

"You did this Daniel" Amanda screamed at him, her voice seeped in such animosity that it stopped Daniel dead in his tracks, "You framed me!".

Daniel froze watching as the police officers took Amanda out through the front doors. People were staring at him, but he didn't care, he just wanted to stop the pounding of his chest. You did this Daniel she had said, but Amanda didn't mean him, she couldn't mean him. She meant his parents. But she had used the word you, she hadn't differentiated him between his parents. Why? Did she really believe he was one and the same with his parents now? And were his parents really responsible for this?

"Amanda Clarke, how long have you been selling drugs at Collins Prep?" Officer Williams questioned, his eyes piercing into hers intently. He was sitting on one side of the wooden table which had been bolted down to the floor, with Officer Carrs on his left side. Amanda was on the other side of the table facing them.

They had taken her to Suffolk County Police Station and led her straight into a small interrogation room about an hour ago maybe. She couldn't be exactly sure of the time. The room looked just like how they portrayed it in movies. Small and unwelcoming, with dull grey walls, harsh fluorescent strip lights, and just a single table and a few solid chairs to occupy the space.

She was uncomfortable, and as much as she tried to pretend that she wasn't, she was scared. She was alone in a police station with two police officers who she didn't trust. For all she knew they could be under the Grayson's payroll, and even if they weren't, the fact that they assumed she was guilty, put her at risk of abuse.

"You've already asked me that" Amanda replied stubbornly, an angry glare plastered on her face. "Those drugs aren't mine, I am not a drug dealer".

"We found cocaine in your locker Miss Clarke, enough grams that you could distribute to a number of students and bank several hundreds, which we also found. I can understand why you would want the money. I imagine it's hard attending such a prestigious school, and seeing the lavish lifestyle these students have. You wanted in, you wanted money to buy nice things for yourself." Officer Carrs incorrectly inferred.

Amanda shook her head, clenching her fists across her lap. At her promise that she would behave, they had removed the handcuffs. It was weird but she could still feel them though, the cold metal clasps which had left scratches across her wrist. She kept fiddling with her hands now as if to make up for the time her hands had been restrained. "I told you it's not mine."

Ignoring her response, Officer Williams took over, "Cocaine possession and distribution is a serious charge Miss Clarke, this isn't a few marijuana joints we're talking about. Cocaine is a very dangerous and highly addictive drug. I don't think you understand the consequences. The more you cooperate with us, the more we can help you, and trust me you'll need help, with your record you're looking at juvenile detention for the rest of your teenage years, and that's your best-case scenario."

"Cocaine was planted in my locker," Amanda replied stubbornly.

Officer Williams sighed in disbelief," You're still going with that story?"

"It's not a story it's the truth"

"And I suppose you know who planted it?"

She did of course. There was no doubt in her mind that Victoria and Conrad Grayson had done this. It was payback for her interview, it was a surefire way to discredit her further, but more importantly, it was a way to silence her. They knew that she wouldn't be able to cause damage to them locked in juvy. It was infuriating, but what infuriated her the most was how stupid she had been. Nolan was right, she never should have exposed them so early on. They should have built up a silent, deadly attack that the Grayson's hadn't seen coming. In exposing them, she had given them the advantage they needed to easily and harshly retaliate.

They had her now, and she didn't know what to do. She could scream and shout at the police officers but that would get her nowhere, or she could beg and plead for them to listen, but nothing would come of that either. Once again it came down to proof. She had no proof to exonerate her father, she had no proof for Daniel to believe her, and she had no proof to show the police officers that she was innocent. And the truth of the matter was that it was easier for them to believe what they saw right in front of them, which was cocaine in her locker, and a troubled teenage girl whose case file alluded to the probability that she would be involved with drugs. They wouldn't believe her. Nobody ever believed her. But there was nothing else to say, but the truth.

"The Grayson's"

Officer Carrs scoffed at her response, while Officer Williams at least had the courtesy of keeping a straight face. "Let me guess, Daniel Grayson?", he questioned with raised eyebrows.

Amanda shook her head, her eyes scrunched up in confusion, "Not Daniel" she murmured stiffly. In the back of her mind she was desperately holding onto the idea that Daniel was innocent in all this. He knew her locker combination, but it hurt to believe he would use it so vindictively. Her anger with him was in his naivety and blind trusting of his parents, not because she actually believed he was as cruel as them.

"You seem confused, Miss Clarke. In the school hallway when we were escorting you out, you screamed at Mr. Grayson, you did this, you framed me. Are you saying you didn't mean it? What story is true?"

"I didn't mean him", Amanda responded slowly, pinching her eyes shut momentarily as if trying to remember that moment. She couldn't even remember saying that. She'd been blinded by rage when she had realized she'd been framed by his parents, and she had definitely yelled at him, but she didn't mean him.

"Who then? His parents? We've all seen that outlandish interview you did Miss Clarke, accusing them of framing your father. We're police officers not conspiracy theorists. If you have proof the Grayson's did this, please tell me, if not, leave their name out of it and start telling the truth. How long have you been selling cocaine? Who is your supplier? Do you sell other kinds of drugs?

"I want a lawyer" Amanda replied firmly, crossing her arms across her chest, and leaning back in her chair with a cold glare on her face. If they refused to listen, then she refused to answer any more questions before one came. "And a phone call". Nolan was her only chance of help, he had to know some way to get her out of this. She was counting on him.

Stepping into his parent's room, Daniel found his mother in her chosen spot of solace within the manor. She was entranced, her eyes fixated on the vast ocean in front of her from the balcony. He almost didn't want to disturb her. There was so much he had to say to her, so many questions he had to ask her, but he was scared. He didn't want to. He was afraid of the answer, and he was afraid of losing his mother. So, he just stood there for a moment conflicted, watching her from the open door between her bedroom and the balcony, before it slowly dawned on him.

His mother's focus wasn't on the ocean, her head was tilted ever so slightly to the left, leaving her gaze on the beach house where David Clarke had once lived.

"Mum" Daniel finally called out, making his presence known as he walked closer towards her. Victoria turned slowly to face him, a look of surprise flashing across her face before she looked down at her Cartier watch, and lifted her eyes back up to him with a disapproving shake of her head. "Daniel, you should be in school right now….Is something the matter?".

"The police were at my school today, they arrested Emily for finding cocaine in her locker" he responded slowly, eyeing his mother carefully to gauge her reaction.

Victoria shook her head slowly, repressing the smirk that wanted to grace her smug face, "How terrible" she replied dryly.

Daniel frowned, "I know you don't really think so".

"Daniel, that girl has been attacking our family. Forgive me for not feeling aggrieved by her arrest. Serves her right for getting involved with drugs".

"But she doesn't do drugs" Daniel pressed. He was certain of that. She was a lot of things but not a drug dealer, nor a drug user. He'd hung around those sorts of people when he fell off the bend last summer, so he knew what that looked like, and it was not her.

"And how would you know that?" Victoria questioned with raised eyebrows, "you never even noticed that she had a secret vendetta against our family".

Daniel shook his head slowly in denial but pursed his lips tightly, not finding good reason to try and defend Amanda against his mother vocally. Her twisted view on Amanda was set in stone, just as Amanda's twisted view of his mother was set in stone. He was the ugly denominator, the only one confused and riddled with doubts. His mother had always been his mother, he knew her put-on face, and her real face, even if often they were one and the same. Amanda, on the other hand, had always been shrouded in mystery, but just when he thought he had broken through her walls and gotten to know the real Amanda, everything had changed, and the mystery surrounding her had multiplied. The more questions he had asked her, trying to figure it all out, the more it seemed Amanda hated him. Ask your parents she had told him more than once. Ask for the truth. She was right by keeping silent, he was being a coward.

"Mum", taking a deep breath as he looked into his mother's dark brown eyes, Daniel forced himself to ask the question Amanda had cemented in his mind. "Were you in love with her father, with David Clarke?"

Victoria tensed at the mention of her former lover, her eyes narrowing at her son in a mixture of surprise and disbelief. Opening her mouth to speak, Victoria found it hard to force a lie off her red lips but nevertheless quietly uttered. "That's ridiculous"

"Amanda..." Daniel began to speak.

"Amanda will say anything to try and turn you against your family, why must you make it so easy for her to manipulate you?" Victoria interrupted in a sharp tone.

There was a threatening tone to his mother's voice, a tone he knew all too well meant drop it. But that meant that he couldn't. That maybe she was hiding something. He had to press her

"She told me, you had plans to take me and run away with him and Amanda. Is that true?".

Victoria winced at the mention at what had once been hers and David's very tangible plans. Looking back it just seemed naive and silly. It never would have worked. Reality would have set in one way or another. She would have tired of the suburban lifestyle and missed the lavishness of her life with Conrad, or David might have noticed the strain between her and his daughter, and chosen Amanda over her. It was ironic, Amanda had been trouble even back then, and now his daughter was getting in the way of the relationship with her and her son, "that girl's deeply troubled Daniel, you conveniently like to forget that" Victoria scoffed.

Daniel shook his head slowly, his eyes narrowing back at hers suspiciously. He was staring right into his mother's eyes, having heard her deny it, having heard her confirm what he wanted to be true, and yet it didn't feel right. He didn't feel relieved. Something was off….she was off. "Fine" he replied coolly as he turned away from her and began to step towards the door. He'd have to call her bluff, "I'll ask Dad then".

"Daniel!"

Victoria's voice rang sharply through the air. "Don't you dare" she added fiercely in warning. Her love for David had always been a sore spot for her husband, and there was no telling what monster Conrad would paint her out to be for Daniel.

"Why not?" Daniel questioned boldly, as he whipped back around to face her, his voice raised in frustration, "What are you hiding, Mum?"

Victoria shook her head, and pursed her lips, refusing to answer the question. How could she answer the question?

"Fine" Daniel replied angrily, her silence aggravating him. His mother always had something to say, so her evasiveness spoke volumes. "Can you at least tell me why Frank was at my school today? I've never ever seen him there before, but conveniently, the day Amanda Clarke gets arrested, I see him this morning before homeroom. What was he doing? Did he plant the cocaine in her locker? Did you tell him to?"

Victoria's eyes widened in surprise at the mention of Frank, irritation flickering between her dark irises. Frank never should have been seen, they paid him fortunes to do his job well and avoid careless mistakes. There would be consequences. "Daniel, what are you accusing me of?" she challenged directly, privately hoping that he wouldn't have the guts to ask her.

Clearing his throat, Daniel forced himself to hold his mother's intense gaze. You did this. He could still hear Amanda's voice ringing in his head, her screaming at him in the school hallway. You did this, Daniel, she had said, but it wasn't him.

"You did this, you framed Amanda, didn't you?" he asked painfully his eyes piercing into his mother's with reproach.

Victoria drew in a deep breath, trying not to grimace from the way her son was looking at her. She didn't deserve it. All she had done and would continue to do was so that he could have the best; have the world in his hands as he deserved. "Daniel!" she breathed in frustration, her tone of voice a sharp reprimand, "She's trying to destroy our family".

Daniel shook his head furiously. That wasn't an answer why wasn't she answering him. There was right and there was wrong, and planting drugs in Amanda's locker to frame her for something she didn't do was beyond wrong. There was no understanding that could be done on his part, to justify why his mother had felt the need to do that. "Why is she such a threat to you?"

Victoria froze as his question cut sharply through the air, lingering heavily between them. She was inwardly battling with the demons of the past that her own son was trying to drag out of her. Wetting her lips slowly, unconsciously stalling, as she finally opened her mouth to respond, Daniel turned his back to his mother and stormed furiously out of the room.

"I'd like to see me, son," Victoria demanded as she stormed into the police station and walked briskly towards the front desk demanding attention from the young police receptionist who appeared rattled and ill-equipped to handle the likes of Victoria's superior sense of entitlement. "You can't hold him here".

Interjecting, Officer Williams walked over to Victoria and introduced himself with an outreached hand which she haughtily rejected. "Mrs. Grayson, let's speak over here please," he suggested, as he ushered her to the more private side of the room before addressing her concern, "Your son confessed to cocaine possession. This is a serious offence, and we have the right to hold him for as long as we need to question him."

Victoria glowered coldly. She knew Daniel had been angry with her...disgusted even by the look on his face, but she hadn't thought he would be so reckless as to drive to the police station and take the blame for Amanda. Her plan had been simple and effective, but her own son of all people had to insert himself into the equation and muddle everything up. It was infuriating. What was so special about this girl that he would literally jeopardize his future for her? Cocaine possession was a serious charge which could stay on his record. She'd be damned if that girl ruined her son's future. "Take me to my son" Victoria seethed, "He is clearly lying, and not in his right mind. If you officers weren't so incompetent and actually did your job properly then you would realize that he's trying to cover for that girl. The drugs were found in her locker for God's sake!".

Officer Williams shook his head, "We don't believe that's the case Mam, Mr. Grayson admitted to knowing her locker combination and storing it there because there was no traffic around her locker, while too many people frequented his.….. And what would possess him to confess to something he did not do?".

Victoria scoffed, "You tell me, Officer, he's a teenage boy, and she's a manipulative and pretty young girl. I don't know what she's promised him" Victoria slyly insinuated.

"Mrs. Grayson, with all due respect, Miss Clarke adamantly denied the drugs were ever hers, while your son has been forthcoming with information that could help the investigation. If you want to help him, your best option is to find him a good lawyer, but I cannot stand here and discuss this any further."

"At least take me to my son. He's a minor and I need to speak to him" Victoria asserted as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that." Officer Williams replied firmly with a quick shake of his head, " Mr. Grayson has made it clear that he does not want to speak with you at this time".

Victoria shook her head in protest. Unaccustomed to being told no. Her social status granted her special privileges, and being the wife of Conrad Grayson bore a certain weight in the Hampton's that people conceded too. "You must be new here Officer Williams, Mr. Grayson is my son and I would like to see him", Victoria replied caustically.

"Right now, your son is of our concern, and in our police custody" Officer Williams replied unwaveringly.

Narrowing her eyes at the Officer, Victoria opened her mouth to speak, but her attention got momentarily shifted down towards the hallway where Amanda Clarke was being escorted out of the interrogation room. Almost instinctively, Victoria took a step forward in her direction.

The last time she had seen Amanda Clarke in person was when Amanda had come to the manor to flaunt her newfound money and freedom from them. It wasn't until Amanda's interview that she learnt the truth about what Amanda really wanted. She was trying to destroy her family, but Victoria would be damned if she achieved that. Amanda needed to know to stay the hell away from her son.

Following Victoria's gaze to Amanda, Officer Williams strategically stepped in front of Victoria Grayson, obscuring her view of the teenage girl. "If you want to help your son, Mrs. Grayson, I advise you call your lawyer and get them here now".

"I know, now excuse me" Victoria responded indignantly, as she pulled her phone from her Birkin bag, and pressed it to her ear after dialling. "This is a private call".

Officer Williams shook his head in contempt at the tone of her voice, but nevertheless gave her some privacy for her call.

As he slowly walked away, Victoria's fuming dark brown eyes landed back on Amanda, just as Amanda's resentful eyes found hers.

The tension in the air was palpable, nothing short of animosity flickering violently between them, despite not a word being exchanged. Words weren't necessary, their feelings were as transparent as ever, so was the most infuriating smirk that flitted briefly across Amanda's face just before she walked right past Victoria towards the door. The smile said it all….nice try.

"Amanda, what are you doing here?" Jack questioned tentatively, surprise latching onto his voice as she approached him at the bar counter.

"I'm here for my shift" Amanda replied stubbornly, "My shift's at 6pm, its 5:50pm"

Jack narrowed his eyes at her, "Come on, Amanda, you just..."

"I'm fine Jack," Amanda interrupted, "It's not a big deal".

Jack scrunched up his face in frustration, and took a step closer to her, "Don't do that. It's fucked up and you're allowed not to be okay. They planted cocaine in your locker and tried to get you put away for it."

"I'm fine Jack!", Amanda pressed, "I'm here aren't I? And this is good, their masterplan backfired".

Jack sighed heavily in exasperation, he didn't care about the Grayson's plan going awry, or how it helped her plan right now, he just cared about her. "Did the police hurt you?"

Amanda shook her head in denial, but she knew that she would see bruises tomorrow where the officer had pushed her against the locker when restraining her. And although the redness around her wrists had, for the most part, disappeared, the ugly scratches from her struggles trying to get out of the handcuffs still remained.

Unconsciously looking down at her wrists she grimaced. It didn't so much hurt, as much as it did anger her, remembering how dehumanizing it had felt to be restrained.

Following her gaze, Jack took another step closer towards her and reached out for her left wrist, softly rubbing the marks on her inner wrist in smooth circular motions with his thumb. Amanda drew in a deep breath at his tender touch, her first instinct being to pull away. Why was it always to pull away? And why did his touch sting as much as it soothed her? Jack was always so sweet with her and it honestly made her want to cry. Everyone else treated her like she was grown and could take care of herself, and she could, but Jack just treated her like a normal girl. It didn't matter how tough she tried to be, he saw through her, and didn't need her to be anything but herself, even if in some moments that meant being vulnerable. She appreciated that in ways she couldn't articulate, but that tenderness inside of him and the comfort she felt with him, also caused her deep confliction.

"I'm fine, Jack" Amanda murmured softly but stubbornly, as she pulled her wrist away from him and stepped back for good measure. "I'm good, and I don't want to talk about it or think about it, I just want to work. This place is more like home to me than anyplace else anyway. If you want to help me then just...let me be here".

"Alright", Jack said with a soft smile, as he handed her a clipboard, "fine...you get the fun job…..inventory".

A/N Thanks for reading! I've been holding on to this chapter for a while now because I wasn't feeling it, but I did a little tweaking and just decided to put it out. Please let me know what you think of it.